System and method for displaying status information to a viewer

Abstract

A system for facilitating the information transfer and processing associated with home construction and home sales. Various discrete software modules are disclosed each handling a specific task associated with home construction and sales. Also, a system for communicating between separate data bases is disclosed wherein separate and distinct sales offices, each having their own data base, may communicate with a parent, market office having its own data base wherein the data bases of the sales offices and the market office are synchronized according to the method of the present invention so that any data updates in any of the sales offices would be automatically updated in the associated market offices. This aspect of the present invention allows a corporation responsible for home construction and sales amongst various regional, market, and sales offices to coordinate a plurality of discretely separate data bases in a way such that they are all synchronized with one another at a predetermined time.

1 . A method for displaying status information to a viewer on a display, said method comprising: 
 displaying a plurality of defined regions on the display;    designating a status for at least one of the defined regions; and    displaying a visible indicia for the defined region with the designated status assigned thereto.    
     
     
         2 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of displaying the visible indicia is further defined as displaying a predetermined visual code associated with the status.  
     
     
         3 . The method as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the step of displaying a predetermined visual code is further defined as selecting the visual code from at least one of cross hatching, stimpling, or colors.  
     
     
         4 . The method as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein the step of displaying a predetermined visual code is further defined as displaying a color associated with the status for the defined region.  
     
     
         5 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step displaying a visible indicia is further defined as displaying a first image adjacent the defined region.  
     
     
         6 . The method as set forth in  claim 5 , further comprising the step of displaying a second image adjacent the defined region to designate a change in the status.  
     
     
         7 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of displaying a plurality of defined regions is further defined as defining x and y coordinates for each of the defined regions.  
     
     
         8 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of changing the status of at least one of the defined regions having previously been designated a status.  
     
     
         9 . The method as set forth in  claim 9 , further comprising the step of displaying a different visible indicia for the at least one of the defined regions having undergone a change in status.  
     
     
         10 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of displaying a predetermined visual code is further defined as displaying a first color associated with a first status and a second color associated with a second status.  
     
     
         11 . The method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the step of displaying a plurality of defined regions is further defined as defining identifiable boundaries for each of the defined regions adjacent one another.  
     
     
         12 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein identifiable boundaries are further defined as map elements.  
     
     
         13 . A system for displaying status information, comprising: 
 computer means including a video display terminal for displaying on said video display terminal a plurality of defined regions, each defined regions having a status, and    means for coding each of said defined regions with a visible indicia associated with said status assigned to each of said defined regions.    
     
     
         14 . The system as set forth in  claim 13  comprising means for displaying said visible indicia associated with the defined regions adjacent thereto.  
     
     
         15 . The system as set forth in  claim 14  comprising means for changing the status of at least one of said defined regions having previously been designated a status.  
     
     
         16 . The system as set forth in  claim 15  comprising means for changing the visible indicia for the one of said defined regions having undergone a change in said status.