Abstract:
A novel approach to furniture design has now been developed, thus providing furniture consumers with an improved method of customizing, redesigning and purchasing furniture. The present invention uses the Design-It-Yourself™ system to assist the purchaser in designing a more customized and more affordable piece of semi-custom furniture. The present invention also uses the Design-It-Yourself™ system to assist the purchaser in choosing alternative structural and design elements for a previously designed piece of furniture to modify the design of said piece of furniture. By practicing the disclosed invention, the furniture consumer will now enjoy a method of furniture design that allows the consumer to design a piece of furniture in the store (real, virtual, catalogue, or otherwise) where said method lets the consumer choose structural and design elements based on design and associated cost, and allows for the future modification of said designed furniture. The advantages of using the present invention include: semi-custom designed furniture at an affordable cost, future alterability of the designed furniture piece and the availability of customer service assistance in the design of said furniture.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application depends from provisional application Ser. No. 60/480,019, filed Jun. 19, 2003, and provisional application Ser. No. 60/378,740, filed May 8, 2002. I incorporate said provisional applications by reference as fully set forth. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     This invention has been created without the sponsorship or funding of any federally sponsored research or development program.  
       REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
       [0003]     Not Applicable  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0005]     The present invention relates generally to furniture design, and more specifically to a semi-custom furniture design system and apparatus, where said system and apparatus incorporates interchangeable structural and design elements into the initial design of the furniture to allow for future alteration.  
         [0006]     2. Prior Art  
         [0007]     Furniture consumers are generally limited to single design furniture items. Furniture is generally either mass produced or custom made. Mass produced furniture generally limits the number of design choices a consumer can participate in and generally limits the design choices to the structural material type, i.e., type of wood, and/or fabric covering. Such limitation in design choices is a tradeoff to keep the furniture prices relatively affordable. Custom made furniture generally allows the purchaser much more freedom regarding design choices, but tends to be very expensive. Despite their many differences, both mass produced and custom made furniture have a limited life span from a design viewpoint. Although, both mass produced and custom made furniture may be reworked to vary in appearance, i.e., such as reupholstering fabric elements or refinishing wood elements, the reworking is typically at a great expense of time and/or money and/or effort. Unwanted furniture is typically discarded and replaced with a newer, more updated or aesthetically pleasing piece.  
         [0008]     While furniture design systems have been developed for home and office furnishing, such types of furniture design systems are primarily do-it-yourself kits concerned with the interchangability of structural members from one type of furniture to another, i.e., from chairs to desks or beds to cabinets, or are do-it-yourself kits concerned with a one time design for a piece of furniture, i.e., cabinets. Said systems do not allow the consumer to design the furniture piece in the store (real, virtual (as may be found on the world wide web), catalogue or otherwise), so that the designed furniture piece is made to the consumer&#39;s specifications. Said systems also do not allow for a method of future modification of structural and design elements so that the consumer may redesign said designed furniture piece and easily change the structural and design elements for a newer, more updated or aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
         [0009]     There is therefore a need in the art for a method of creating affordable semi-custom design furniture pieces having structural and design elements that can be easily interchanged, thus allowing the purchaser to subsequently modify the appearance of said furniture pieces and lengthen the design and utilitarian life span of said furniture pieces.  
         [0010]     It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a method of designing furniture that gives the consumer the freedom to choose structural and design elements.  
         [0011]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of designing furniture that gives the consumer the freedom to choose structural and design elements based on associated cost.  
         [0012]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of designing furniture such that said structural and design elements may be easily interchanged to modify the appearance of said furniture.  
         [0013]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of designing furniture such that it can be implemented in a number of types of systems, from a simple manual system to electronic devices or computerized systems.  
         [0014]     A further object of the present invention is to produce furniture items with interchangeable and replaceable structural and design elements.  
         [0015]     With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     A novel approach to furniture design has now been developed, thus providing furniture consumers with an improved method of customizing, redesigning and purchasing furniture. The present invention uses the Design-It-Yourself™ system to assist the purchaser in designing a more customized and more affordable piece of semi-custom furniture. The present invention also uses the Design-It-Yourself™ system to assist the purchaser in choosing alternative structural and design elements for a previously designed piece of furniture to modify the design of said piece of furniture. By practicing the disclosed invention, the furniture consumer will now enjoy a method of furniture design that allows the consumer to design a piece of furniture in the store (real, virtual, catalogue, or otherwise) where said method lets the consumer choose structural and design elements based on design and associated cost, and allows for the future modification of said designed furniture. The advantages of using the present invention include: semi-custom designed furniture at an affordable cost, furniture alterability of the designed furniture piece and the availability of customer service assistance in the design of said furniture.  
         [0017]     These and other objects, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, along with advantages and features of the invention disclosed herein, will be made more apparent from the description, drawings and claims that follow.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the invention itself, will be more fully understood from the following description of preferred embodiments, when read together with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a flow diagram depicting the principal steps in an embodiment of the method of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an embodiment of a touch screen interface of an embodiment of a device used to start the Design-It-Yourself™ system and collect design and price information according to the present invention, depicting a screen showing structural and design elements and associated price information;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of an embodiment of a touch screen interface of an embodiment of a device used in the Design-It-Yourself™ system to collect design and price information according to the present invention, depicting a screen showing structural and design elements and associated price information, overall design and associated pricing information, ordering information and order print screen;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an embodiment of a side chair of the present invention and embodiments of interchangeable structural and design elements;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is an illustrative front perspective view of embodiments of systems constructed according to the present invention; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view illustrating embodiments of input devices. 
     
    
     NUMBERING OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]    
       
           10 . Design-It-Yourself™ System  
           10   a . Design-It-Yourself™ Process Initial Step  
           10   b . Furniture Type Decision Step  
           10   c . Furniture Type Design Step  
           10   d . Design Elements Choice Step  
           10   e . Overall Design Review  
           10   f . Ordering Step  
           10   g . Order Print Out Step  
           10   h . Payment and Delivery Step  
           10   i . Design Change Step  
           10   j . Design or Redesign Another Furniture Piece Step  
           10   k . Exit Design-It-Yourself™ System  
           101 . Browse Step  
           10   m . Restart Design-It-Yourself™ System  
           10   n . Select Complete Furniture Piece Step  
           12 . Touch Screen Design-It-Yourself™ System  
           14 . Design-It-Yourself™ Welcoming Screen  
           16 . Design-It-Yourself™ Start Button  
           18 . Design-It-Yourself™ Exit Button  
           20 . Design-It-Yourself™ Back Button  
           22 . Furniture Design Type Inquiry Screen  
           24 . Furniture Style Type Inquiry Screen  
           26 . Design Element Inquiry Screen  
           28 . Design Review Screen  
           30 . Add to Shopping Cart Button  
           32 . Sample Finished Product  
           34 . Cost Analysis  
           36 . Continue with Order/Process Order Button  
           38 . Design Another Button  
           40 . Order Information Screen  
           42 . Print Order Screen  
           44 . Print Button  
           46 . View Accessories/Other Products Button  
           48 . Design-It-Yourself™ Browse Button  
           50 . Design-It-Yourself™ Subtotal Indicator  
           52 . Design-It-Yourself™ Next Button  
           53 . Cursor  
           54 . Chair  
           55 . Frame  
           56 . Back Structural Element  
           58 . Base Structural Element  
           60 . Leg  
           60   a . Fluted Tapered Leg with Ball Foot Leg Type  
           60   b . Cabriole (S-Shaped) Leg Ending in Claw and Ball Foot Leg Type  
           60   c . Plain Tapered Leg Ending in Ball Foot Leg Type  
           60   d . Straight Leg Ending in Carved Foot Leg Type  
           62 . Finial  
           64 . Back  
           66 . Seat  
           68   a . Floral Cover  
           68   b . Striped Cover  
           68   c . Patterned Cover  
           70 . Finish Type  
           72 . Connecting Means  
           74 . Design Element Connecting Means  
           76 . Base Construction Connecting Means  
           78 . Card File  
           80 . Catalogue  
           82 . Ordering Sheet  
           84 . Dedicated Palm Top Device  
           86 . Fax Machine  
           88 . Modem  
           90 . Voice Activated System  
           92 . Computer System  
           94 . Display and Keyboard  
           96 . Interactive Touch Screen  
           98 . Personal Data Assistant (PDA)  
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0092]     In the broadest aspects, the present invention provides the skilled artisan with the analytical tools and technical know-how sufficient to make and use the disclosed invention. The present invention provides the consumer with a semi-custom furniture design system that is easy to use, that can be used in the store or from a remote location, and enables the consumer to design and redesign semi-custom furniture based on structural and design elements and their associated cost.  
         [0093]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , the Design-It-Yourself™ System of the present invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral  10 , and comprises the steps of: 1) Initiating the Design-It-Yourself™ System, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   a;  2) either Browsing through and/or Selecting completed sample furniture pieces, generally indicated by reference numerals  10   l  and  10   n , respectively or Choosing a category of furniture to design, i.e., chairs, beds, cabinets, tables, etc., generally indicated by reference numeral  10   b;  3) Choosing the type of chair, bed, cabinet, table, etc. frame, based on its design and associated cost, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   c;  4) Choosing the design elements for the type of chair, bed, cabinet, table, etc., based on its design and associated cost, i.e., the seat shape, type and covering, the seat back shape, type and covering, finial type and material, seat leg type and material, frame material type and finish, etc., generally indicated by reference numeral  10   d;  5) Reviewing the overall design and cost of the designed furniture piece, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   e;  6) Making design and/or price consideration changes to the designed furniture piece if necessary, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   i;  7) Ordering the furniture piece as a whole or elements thereof, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   f;  8) Designing or redesigning another furniture piece if desired, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   j;  9) Place completed order, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   g;  10) Pay for order and make payment and delivery arrangements, generally indicated by reference numeral number  10   h ; and 11) either Exiting The Design-It-Yourself™ System, which may be also aborted at any time during the process, generally indicated by reference numeral number  10   k  or Restarting the Design-It-Yourself™ System, generally indicated by reference numeral  10   m .  FIG. 1  is submitted to illustrate the general flow of the Design-It-Yourself™ system. The Design-It-Yourself™ System illustrated in  FIG. 1 , however, is not limited to executing the steps in the order given. For example, the customer may move sequentially backward and forward between the previous and the next screen via back and next option keys, which are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The customer may initially browse for examples of completed furniture and order kits, as well as view rooms of completed furniture and order sets. Furthermore, customer information such as name and address and payment information may be input at the beginning of the process rather than the end, or not at all; a customer logon or identification card may be required prior to initiating the system or prior to ordering the piece of furniture; the customer may pick up where they left off in their previous design session; or provide payment information that was not available during the previous session. All methods of executing the Design-It-Yourself™ system known to those skilled in the art are contemplated for said invention. The system may utilize data storage and retrieval methods such as computer systems, or manual methods such as catalogue and order forms, or other methods known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0094]     Now turning to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , a preferred embodiment of the Design-It-Yourself™ system of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  12 . This configuration is related to chair design, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that beds, cabinets, tables, case furniture, benches, or any other type of furniture could be selected. Said embodiment of the Design-It-Yourself™ system comprises executing the following steps on a touch screen computer system: 1) Viewing the Design-It-Yourself™ welcoming screen, generally indicated by reference numeral  14 ; 2) Touching the Design-It-Yourself™ Start button  16  on welcoming screen  14  to activate the Design-It-Yourself™ system  12 ; 3) Viewing the furniture type screen, generally indicated by reference numeral  22 ; 4) Touching the image of the type of furniture frame type to be designed, i.e., chair, table, case furniture, bench, bed, etc., on furniture type design screen  22 ; 5) Viewing the furniture style screen, generally indicated by reference numeral  24 ; 6) Either a) Touching the image of the style of the piece of furniture to be designed on furniture style screen  24 , or b) Touching the Design-It-Yourself browse button, generally indicated by reference numeral  48 , allowing the user to browse through designed furniture pieces for the type of furniture chosen in step  4 . The user may choose a fully designed piece of furniture viewed in the browse mode and skip to step  10  below; 7) Viewing the design element screens, generally indicated by reference numerals  26 ; 8) Touching the desired design elements on design element screens  26 , i.e., selecting design element shapes, sizes, coverings, materials, etc.; 9) Monitoring the Design-It-Yourself™ subtotal indicator, generally indicated by reference numeral  50 ; 10) Viewing the design review screen  28  to review the sample finished product  32  and cost analysis  34 ; 11) Either a) Touching the add to shopping cart button  30  to purchase the sample finished product  32 , where such action will result with the screen remaining on design review screen  28 , b) Touching the back button  20  to make changes to the designed furniture piece that will eventually return to design review screen  28 , c) Touching the design another button  38  to design another piece of furniture, returning to step  3  above and furniture type screen  22 , or d) Touching the continue with order/process order button  36 ; 12) Viewing the order information screen, generally indicated by reference numeral  40 ; 13) Entering and confirming order information including payment and customer information on order information screen  40 ; 14) Touching the continue with order button  36 ; 15) Viewing the print order screen, generally indicated by reference numeral  42 ; 16) Touching the print button  44 , to print out the complete order; and 17) Either a) Touching the Design-It-Yourself™ exit button  18  to exit the system, b) Touching the Design-It-Yourself™ back button  20  to make changes, or c) Touching the view accessories/other products button  46  to view accessories and other products. At any stage in the process the user may back up using the Design-It-Yourself™ back button  20  to make desired changes. Choice selections will automatically bring the user forward and the user may also skip forward using the Design-It-Yourself™ next button  52 . The user may exit the Design-It-Yourself™ system anytime by touching the Design-It-Yourself™ exit button  18 . The system may also notify the user of the availability of particular structural elements and design elements so that if an element will not be available for a period of time the user will be notified during the design session. As previously stated above, the Design-It-Yourself™ System  10  and the preferred embodiment of the Design-It-Yourself™ System  12  illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , are not limited to executing the steps in the order given. The customer may move sequentially backward and forward between the previous and the next screen via back and next option keys, which are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The customer may also use a mouse instead of a touch screen to make selections and the order may be directly submitted and paid for without human interaction. Furthermore, customer information such as name and address and payment information may be input at the beginning of the process rather than the end; a customer logon or identification card may be required prior to initiating the system or prior to ordering the piece of furniture; the customer may pick up where they left off in their previous design session; or provide payment information that was not available during the previous session. All methods of executing the Design-It-Yourself™ system known to those skilled in the art are contemplated for said invention including real stores, virtual stores, catalogue, etc. The system may utilize data storage and retrieval methods such as computer systems and manual methods, or those known to one skilled in the art. While the methods disclosed herein have been described and shown with reference to particular steps performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these steps may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the steps is not a limitation of the present invention.  
         [0095]     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , an embodiment of a furniture piece designed by the Design-It-Yourself™ system of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  54 , and is comprised of a frame, generally indicated by reference numeral  55 . In further detail, said frame  55  is comprised of a back structural element, generally indicated by reference numeral  56 , a base structural element, generally indicated by reference numeral  58 , and selectively comprised of legs, generally indicated by reference numerals  60 ,  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c  and  60   d , finials, generally indicated by reference numeral  62 , back, generally indicated by reference numeral  64 , a seat, generally indicated by reference numeral  66 , a cover, generally indicated by reference numerals  68   a ,  68   b  and  68   c , the finish type, generally indicated by reference numeral  70 , connecting means such as retractable push pins, nails, screws or those known by one of ordinary skill in the art, generally indicated by reference numeral  72 , design element connecting means, generally indicated by reference numeral  74 , and the base construction connecting means, generally indicated by reference numeral  76 . Said back structural element  56  is connected to said base structural element  58  via base construction connecting means  76 . Said base construction connecting means are of the type well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and may include, but are not limited to, nails, screws, glue and connecting methods known by one of ordinary skill in the art. Further, said leg types  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c  and  60   d  are connected to said base structural element  58  via design element connecting means  74 . Said design element connecting means  74  may be of, but are not limited to, the type that allow the chair base structural element  58  and leg type  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c  and  60   d  to screw together such that said leg types  60   a ,  60   b ,  60   c  and  60   d  screw into said chair base structural element  58 . Additionally, design element connecting means  74  include such connecting means known by those of ordinary skill in the art. Similarly, said finials  62  are connected to said back structural element  56  via design element connecting means  74  in the location shown. If a chair back is desired, said back  64  is connected to said back structural element  56  via connecting means  72 . Other easily connecting and disconnecting means may also be used and those known by those of ordinary skill in the art, such as retractable push pins, screws, and other means may become available as technology advances. Said connecting means  72  secure said chair back  64  in place and allow for easy removal. Said covers  68   a ,  68   b  and  68   c  cover said seat  66  and said back  64  via methods well known by those of ordinary skill in the art such as zippers, buttons and tacks. Said seat  66  may also remain uncovered to expose wood or other decorative features. Said seat  66  is connected to base structural element  58  via a drop in type seat, connecting means  72 , or methods well known by those of ordinary skill in the art. In this embodiment, the design of frame  55  will allow for a customer to easily change the appearance of chair  54  in the future. For example, the finials  62  and/or the back  64  may be substituted with alternate finials or backs, replaced or removed altogether for a different or newer appearance. The legs  60  and seat  66  may also be substituted or replaced for a different or newer appearance. The frame  55  may also be replaced. Said substitutability, removability and replacability is given as an example of how the Design-It Yourself system relates to chairs but is nor meant to limit said system to chair design. Said Design-It Yourself system relates to all types of furniture including, but not limited to, chairs, tables, desks, beds, cabinets, sofas and variations thereof.  
         [0096]     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the method and apparatus of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of ways, either at the store location or remotely. For example, in one embodiment, a manual system might use a card file  78  or catalogue  80 , together with an instruction manual or ordering sheet  82  to go through the logic illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 . Alternatively, in other embodiments, an electronic device  84 , such as a dedicated palmtop device similar to a pre-programmed electronic calculator could be used and is generally indicated by reference numeral  84 . Either of these might be used in conjunction with a fax machine  86  or a modem  88  to convey the design information to a manufacturing system. Additionally, a voice-activated system or device  90  could be connected to a computer system  92  to implement the invention. Furthermore a Personal Data Assistant (PDA)  98  or other Internet connecting device could be used to utilize the Design-It-Yourself™ system. The Design-It-Yourself™ system may include other means of communication and data transfer when they become available as technology advances.  
         [0097]     Turning now to  FIG. 6 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention using an interactive touch screen  96  is shown. A simpler display device  94  could also be used with a keyboard and/or mouse. In a preferred embodiment, the touch screen  96  is coupled to a system  92 , including a keyboard and a mouse. The personal computer is programmed in any of the languages known by one of ordinary skill in the art suitable for touch screen interaction, to create the easy use of the interface and efficient data storage and retrieval. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, any of a number of computer systems such as PDA&#39;s, laptops, mainframes, mini-computers, parallel processors, neural nets and so on could be used and will be apparent and used by one of ordinary skill in the art as technology advances. It is contemplated that the system may be implemented locally on said system  92  or in conjunction with the Internet.  
         [0098]     The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The foregoing embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative rather than limiting of the invention described herein. The scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced herein.