Outdoor kitchen design platform
View Patent ↗A design platform which provides a virtual design interface allowing a user to define a support frame, select and place virtual components representing appliances upon the support frame, and create a customized layout for an outdoor kitchen embodying the user defined customizations. The design platform has an output module which exports the customized layout in a template format which facilitates fabrication of components in accordance with the customized layout, and assembly of the components and selected appliances to create the outdoor kitchen. The design platform further allows providers such as manufactures, distributors, retailers, and contractors to view the customized layout and submit a quote for the fabrication and assembly of the outdoor kitchen.
1 . A design platform, comprising:
a plurality of user devices each having a device screen and an input device;
a control server configured to communicate with the plurality of user devices via a data communication network, the control server maintains a platform data store, the platform data store containing user data associated with a plurality of users comprising customer users and provider users, each provider user is associated with a provider corresponding to a manufacturer, distributor, or contractor;
a user application which is executed on the user devices or which is implemented as a web application accessible via the user devices, the user application allows the users to access the design platform;
a component library stored within the platform data store, the component library having a plurality of component data each representing a virtual component, the virtual components comprising a plurality of appliances and structural components, the component data of each appliance further has classification metadata including type and model, and placement data;
a design module implemented by the control server which allows one of the customer users to generate a customized layout, the design module generates a three dimensional virtual design space containing a horizontally disposed virtual surface, and provides a virtual design interface accessible by the users via the user application, the virtual design interface has a graphical preview and design tools which allow one of the customer users to define a perimeter shape formed from a plurality of perimeter sides, and perimeter dimensions describing the perimeter shape and the perimeter sides, the design module generates a support frame for the customized layout within the graphical preview, the support frame projects from the virtual surface and has a plurality of vertical faces aligned with the perimeter sides and a horizontal face positioned above the vertical faces which is defined by the perimeter shape;
a component selection interface within the virtual design interface, the component selection interface presents the customer user with a component list displaying the virtual components representing appliances within the component library, the component selection interface allows the customer user to sort the virtual components by appliance type or model, and select one of the virtual components;
a placement interface within the virtual design interface, the placement interface defines one or more placement surfaces upon the support frame corresponding to the horizontal face or one of the vertical faces, and allows the customer user to add the selected virtual component to the customized layout by placing the selected virtual component upon one of the placement surfaces within the graphical preview, causing the graphical preview to display a graphical representation of the virtual component upon the placement surface;
customization data generated by the design module which embodies the customized layout and is stored within the platform data store; and
a quote management module implemented by the control server, the quote management module implements a quote management interface which allows the provider users to view the customized layout of the customer user via one of the user devices, and generate a quote containing a quote price for installation of a food preparation structure embodying the customized layout, the quote management interface further presents the customer user with each of the quotes, and allows the customer user to select and accept one of the quotes.
2 . The design platform as described in claim 1 , wherein:
the placement data for each virtual component representing one of the appliances contains planar orientation and cutout dimensions, the planar orientation describes whether the appliance is horizontally or vertically oriented, and the cutout dimensions define an intersection between the virtual component and the support frame when the virtual component is properly positioned thereon; and
the placement interface reads the planar orientation of the selected virtual component, and identifies either the horizontal surface or one of the vertical faces as one of the placement surfaces in accordance with the planar orientation.
3 . The design platform as described in claim 2 , wherein:
each placement surface has dimensions defined by the perimeter dimensions, the placement interface identifies potential placement points upon each of the placement surfaces by comparing the cutout dimensions to the dimensions of placement surface, and visually displaying a placement point preview upon each placement surface which accommodates the cutout dimensions of the selected virtual component, the placement interface further allows the selected virtual component to be placed upon one of the potential placement points marked by one of the placement point previews.
4 . The design platform as described in claim 3 , wherein:
the placement interface further contains a dimension adjustment control which allows the customer user to modify the perimeter dimensions and resize the placement surfaces within the virtual design interface, the placement interface further reidentifies and repopulates the placement point previews for the selected virtual component in real time according to the adjusted dimensions of each placement surface.
5 . The design platform as described in claim 4 , wherein:
the placement interface has a repositioning tool which allows the customer user to reposition the selected virtual component along the placement surface, the placement interface prevents the repositioned virtual component from intersecting with an existing positioned appliance already in place upon the support frame.
6 . The design platform as described in claim 5 , wherein:
the design module allows the customer user to define a frame material selection, and the design module generates the vertical faces of the support frame using structural components matching the frame material selection; and
the placement interface allows the customer user to define a top component which forms the horizontal face.
7 . The design platform as described in claim 6 , wherein:
the classification metadata for each virtual component further contains attribution data, and pricing data;
the component selection interface allows the customer user to sort the virtual components according to the attribution data; and
the quote management module generates a materials price estimate for the customized layout based on the pricing data of each structural component, top component, and appliance embodied therein.
8 . The design platform as described in claim 7 , further comprising:
a provider portal which allows the customer user to access to the virtual design interface via a provider website associated with one of the providers; and
a component management module implemented by the control server, the component management module implements a component offerings list associated with one of the providers which identifies the virtual components offered by the provider, the component management module filters the component list generated by the component selection interface according to the corresponding component offerings list when the customer user accesses the virtual design interface via the provider portal.
9 . The design platform as described in claim 7 , further comprising:
an output module adapted to export the customization data as a two dimensional graphical output for storage within the platform data store, the customization data containing support frame data describing the perimeter shape, the perimeter dimensions, the frame material selections of the support frame, and the top component, the customization data further contains appliance data identifying each virtual component within the customized layout and contains spatial positioning data identifying the placement surface upon which the virtual component was placed and the relative position and orientation of the virtual component upon the placement surface, the graphical output forming a graphical output template which facilitates installation and assembly of the food support structure in accordance with the customized layout.
10 . The design platform as described in claim 9 , wherein:
the output module is further adapted to generate a cutout template for each of the virtual components within the customized layout, the output module uses the cutout dimensions of the virtual component and the associated spatial positioning data to place the cutout template upon the placement surface associated with the virtual component, the cutout template defining the void to be formed in the placement surface to allow installation of the appliance; and
the quote management module allows one of the provider users and the customer user to access the two dimensional graphical output and the cutout templates associated with the customized layout.
11 . A method for designing an outdoor kitchen, comprising the steps of:
providing a design platform comprising a control server, a platform data store, and a quote management module and a design module implemented by the control server, the design platform having a plurality of users including customer users and provider users, each provider user is associated with a provider corresponding to a manufacturer, distributor, or contractor;
providing a user application executed on a plurality of user devices in communication with the control server via a data communication network;
maintaining a component library stored within the platform data store, the component library having a plurality of component data each representing a virtual component, the virtual components comprising a plurality of appliances and structural components, the component data of each appliance further has placement data, and classification metadata including type and model;
initiating the user application by one of the customer users via the user device, the user device presenting the customer user with a virtual design interface having design tools and a graphical preview, the graphical preview displaying a three dimensional virtual design space with a horizontal virtual surface generated by the design module;
creating a customized layout and defining a perimeter shape and perimeter dimensions by the customer user via the design tools;
generating a support frame within the graphical preview upon the virtual surface by the design module in accordance with the perimeter dimensions and the perimeter shape, forming a plurality of vertical faces aligned with the perimeter sides, forming a horizontal face positioned above the vertical faces defined by the perimeter shape;
displaying a component selection interface within the virtual design interface, presenting the customer user with a component list displaying the virtual components representing the appliances within the component library, and filtering the component list using the classification metadata;
selecting one of the virtual components by the customer user;
displaying a placement interface within the virtual design interface, the placement interface identifying one or more placement surfaces upon the support frame corresponding to the horizontal face or one of the vertical faces;
adding the selected virtual component to the customized layout, the customer user placing the selected virtual component upon one of the placement surfaces within the graphical preview using the placement interface, the graphical preview displaying a graphical representation of the virtual component upon the placement surface of the support frame;
saving the customized layout as customization data within the platform data store;
displaying a quote management interface within the user application by the quote management module, viewing the customized layout by one or more of the provider users, and generating a quote by one or more of the provider users each containing a quote price for installation of a food preparation structure embodying the customized layout; and
viewing the quotes by the customer user via the quote management interface, and selecting and accepting one of the quotes by the customer user.
12 . The method as recited in claim 11 , wherein:
the placement data for each virtual component representing one of the appliances contains planar orientation and cutout dimensions, the planar orientation describes whether the appliance is horizontally or vertically oriented, and the cutout dimensions define an intersection between the virtual component and the support frame when the virtual component is properly positioned thereon; and
the step of displaying a placement interface further comprises the placement interface identifying one or more placement surfaces upon the support frame which match the planar orientation of the selected virtual component.
13 . The method as recited in claim 12 , wherein:
the step of displaying a placement interface is followed by the step of identifying potential placement points upon the one or more placement surfaces by comparing the cutout dimensions of the selected virtual component to dimensions describing the placement surface as defined by the perimeter dimensions, and visually displaying a placement point preview upon each placement surface which accommodates the cutout dimensions of the selected virtual component; and
the step of adding the selected virtual component to the customized layout further comprises the customer user placing the selected virtual component upon one of the placement point previews displayed on the placement surfaces within the graphical preview using the placement interface.
14 . The method as recited in claim 13 , wherein:
the step of identifying potential placement points is followed by the step of presenting a dimension adjustment control within the placement interface, modifying the perimeter dimensions and resizing the placement surfaces within the graphical preview by the customer user using the dimension adjustment control, reidentifying and repopulating the placement point previews for the selected component according to the adjusted dimensions of each placement surface.
15 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein:
the step of adding the selected virtual component is followed by the step of repositioning the selected virtual component within the graphical preview along the placement surface by the customer user via a repositioning tool.
16 . The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein:
the step of creating a customized layout further comprises defining a frame material selection and a top component; and
the step of generating a support frame further comprises forming the vertical faces using structural components matching the frame materials selection, and forming the horizontal face using the top component.
17 . The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein:
the classification metadata for each virtual component further contains pricing data; and
the step of displaying a quote management interface further comprises generating a materials price estimate for the customized layout based on the pricing data of each structural component, top component, and appliance within the customized layout.
18 . The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein:
the design platform further has a component management module implemented by the control server;
the step of maintaining a component library is followed by the step of creating a component offerings list by the component management module associated with one of the providers which identifies the virtual components offered by the provider;
the step of initiating the user application further comprises initiating the user application via a provider portal associated with one of the providers by one of the customer users via the user device; and
the step of displaying a component selection interface further comprises filtering the component list by the component management module to display the virtual components specified by the component offerings list of the provider associated with the provider portal.
19 . The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein:
the design platform further comprises an output module implemented by the control server;
the step of saving the customized layout further comprises the customization data containing support frame data describing the perimeter shape, the perimeter dimensions, the frame material selections of the support frame, and the top component, the customization data further containing appliance data identifying each virtual component within the customized layout, the appliance data containing spatial positioning data identifying the placement surface upon which the virtual component was placed and the relative position and orientation of the virtual component upon the placement surface;
the step of saving the customized layout is followed by the step of exporting the customization data as a two dimensional graphical output for storage within the platform data store, the graphical output forming a template which facilitates installation and assembly of a food support structure in accordance with the customized layout.
20 . The method as recited in claim 19 , wherein:
the step of exporting the customization data further comprises generating a cutout template for each of the virtual components within the customized layout, the output module using the cutout dimensions of the virtual component and the associated spatial positioning data to place the cutout template upon the placement surface associated with the virtual component, the cutout template defining the void to be formed in the placement surface to allow installation of the appliance; and
the step of viewing the quotes by the customer is followed by the step of downloading the two dimensional graphical output and the cutout templates by the provider associated with the accepted quote.