Home visualization tool

Abstract

A method for creating a house visualization template can comprise receiving a first exterior image of a first house. The method can also include creating a set of first boundaries that define a first type of decorative feature of the first house. Additionally, the method can include receiving a first set of decorative images that depict various different instances of the first type of decorative feature. The method can also comprise generating from each of the decorative images of the first set of decorative images respective first decorative feature masks. The first decorative feature masks may be configured to selectively overlay an area encompassed by the set of first boundaries, such that the first exterior image of the first house is selectively displayable with any of the instances of the first type of decorative features within the first set of decorative images.

We claim: 
     
         1 . At a remote server in a network environment comprising the remote server and one or more user-input devices, a computer-implemented method of providing an image of a home with various alternative decorative features at a remote user input device, the method comprising:
 receiving a first image of a first house, and storing the first image of the first house in a house template module along with a plurality of decorative feature masks created for the first image of the first house;   providing, over a network, a webpage to be rendered at one or more remote computer systems, wherein the webpage provides access to the first image of the first house, a first set of boundaries corresponding to the first image of the first house, and one or more of the plurality of decorative feature masks stored in the house template module;   receiving user-specific data for the end user and one or more requests to access the first image of the first house; and   providing through the webpage, based on the user-specific data for the end user, the corresponding first set of boundaries, and a first set of feature masks for the first image of the first house, wherein the first set of feature masks include a plurality of different decorative features that can be selected for overlay on the first image of the first house;   wherein the plurality of different decorative features provided through the webpage are selected at the remote server based on the user-specific data corresponding to any one or more of: interests of the end user, or one or more previous searches performed by the end user.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 in response to one or more of the provided plurality of different decorative feature masks, the remote server provides through the webpage:
 a second image of the first house comprising the first image of the first house with a first decorative feature of the plurality of different decorative features overlaid within a first portion of the first boundaries, and a second decorative feature mask of the plurality of different decorative features overlaid over a second portion of the first boundaries. 
   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different decorative feature masks include a set of one or more first decorative feature masks and a set of one or more second decorative feature masks that the remote server has determined are complementary with the first decorative features. 
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing through the webpage an indication of popularity for each of the provided decorative feature masks.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the different decorative feature masks comprise a paint color. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 5 , wherein incorporating the different decorative features into the first photograph comprise overlaying a feature mask corresponding to the paint color within the first set of boundaries, such that the first image of the first house is reproduced in part with the paint color. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the different selectable decorative features of the second type comprise a decorative feature type selected from a group consisting of brick color, stone color, stain color, and shingle color. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , wherein:
 incorporating the second type of decorative feature into the first photograph comprises overlaying a feature mask corresponding to the second type of decorative feature within a second set of boundaries determined for the first image of the first house; and   the first image of the first house is displayed with both the paint color and the second type of decorative feature overlaid thereon.   
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 sending to the one or more remote computer systems display instructions corresponding to a limited subset of selectable decorative features of the second type based on the user-specific data.   
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 identifying permission characteristics of a user; and   based upon the permission characteristics, the remote server sending display instructions to the one or more remote computer systems a limited subset of selectable decorative features of the second type based on the user-specific data.