System and Method for Design and Construction of Natural Stone Facade and Flooring

Abstract

The present invention, in various embodiments, includes novel system and method to design and construct natural stone facade and flooring. In one embodiment, natural stones products are individually characterized and positioned based on design requirements for construction at the project site. In another embodiment, characterized natural stones are preassembled in modular units prior to shipment to the project site. In another embodiment, characterized natural stone products are preassembled in modular units to effect desired designs, textures or patterns at any project site.

1 . A method of providing a design report regarding natural stone facade or flooring construction project, the method comprising of characterizing individual natural stone products, optimized placement of each natural stone product, and accurate visual and quantitative representation project.  
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the entire method is practiced at the construction site.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the characterization of the natural stone product is practiced at a remote location such as the stone quarry and the other processes practiced at a different location such as architect office or construction site.  
   
   
       4 . A system of providing a design report regarding natural stone facade or flooring construction project, the system comprising of optical imaging and ranging detectors, digitized information such as spatial contour, surface, veining pattern and appearance, and three dimensional data, optimized placement of each natural stone product based on prioritized design requirements, and graphical visualization display of the constructed facade or flooring project.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the entire system is located at the stone quarry or construction site.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 4  wherein the respective subsystems are located in geographically diverse locations.  
   
   
       7 . A method of providing an unique identifier tag code for each natural stone product wherein the tag code contains a condensed representation of visual, geometric and other physical characteristics of the natural stone product.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the tag code is labeled on each characterized natural stone product.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the tag code is stored in machine-readable media for selection and optimized placement of the characterized natural stone product.  
   
   
       10 . A method of providing preassembled modular units of characterized natural stone products to achieve certain artistic expression, dimensional profiles or sculptured imagery.  
   
   
       11 . A method of providing preassembled modular units of characterized natural stone products to achieve desired physical properties such as slip resistance, self-draining, or ease of installation and maintenance.  
   
   
       12 . A method of providing preassembled modular units of characterized natural stone products that can be used for customized design and alteration at any construction site.