Customizable Virtual 3-Dimensional Kitchen Components

Abstract

A control circuit provides a user with an opportunity to create a custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component selected from a categorical list of available customizable kitchen components. Upon detecting the user's assertion of the opportunity, the control circuit automatically provides the user with an interactive form that includes a plurality of selectable features for the selected customizable kitchen component. Upon receiving user entries regarding the plurality of selectable features, the control circuit automatically defines a customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component that comports with the user entries. By one approach the control circuit accesses information that describes a merged three-dimensional kitchen component that comprises an aggregation of all available user-selectable features for that particular categorical component The control circuit then employs the user entries to delete unselected ones of the user-selectable features from this merged three-dimensional kitchen component to thereby define the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of constructing a commercial kitchen (“kitchen”) in accordance with a final layout design for the kitchen, the method comprising:
 by a control circuit:
 providing a user with an opportunity to create a custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component comprising a faucet selected from a list of available customizable kitchen components; 
 upon detecting the user's assertion of the opportunity, automatically providing the user with an interactive form that includes a plurality of selectable features for a selected customizable kitchen component, wherein for the faucet the selectable features include opportunities to specify water type and at least one other feature; 
 
 receiving user entries with respect to the plurality of selectable features; 
 automatically defining a customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component that comports with the user entries;
 including the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component in the final layout design for the kitchen; and 
 outputting the final layout design for the kitchen; and 
 
 using the final layout design for the kitchen to physically construct the kitchen. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the at least one other feature comprises at least one of faucet mounting height, water size, handle details, and spout details. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the available customizable kitchen components further include at least one of:
 a table; 
 a sink; 
 a shelf; 
 a mop basin; 
 an exhaust hood; 
 an exhaust fan; 
 a refrigerated room; 
 a refrigerator; 
 a dishtable; 
 a counter; 
 an oven; 
 a mixer; 
 a fryer; 
 a range; 
 a charbroiler; 
 a griddle; 
 a kettle; 
 a steamer; 
 a food processor; 
 a dishwasher; 
 a warming cabinet; 
 a sneeze guard. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of selectable features includes user-selectable physical dimensions. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the user-selectable physical dimensions include at least one of width, length, and height. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the control circuit is further configured to input the user-selectable physical dimensions as user-entered numeric dimensions. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of selectable features includes a plurality of mutually-exclusive choices regarding a non-numeric aspect for a particular one of the selectable features. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the non-numeric aspect constitutes an edge of the selectable feature. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the non-numeric aspect constitutes an optional component of the selectable feature. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the optional component comprises a multi-sided backsplash surface. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically define the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component that comports with the user entries by, at least in part:
 accessing information describing a merged three-dimensional kitchen component that comprises an aggregation of all available user-selectable features; 
 using the user entries to delete unselected ones of the user-selectable features from the merged three-dimensional kitchen component to define the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of selectable features includes a plurality of choices regarding a plurality of non-numeric aspects for a particular one of the selectable features. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the plurality of choices are non-mutually-exclusive. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the plurality of non-mutually exclusive choices comprises at least one of:
 cross-bracing; 
 a shelf; 
 adjustable feet; 
 casters. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
 automatically create and present to the user a unique name for the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component that comports with the user entries. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the control circuit is further configured to automatically create and present to the user a unique name for the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component that comports with the user entries by, at least in part, incorporating alphanumeric content that reflects at least one of the user entries. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
 use the alphanumeric content to create a pre-configured interactive form that contains a plurality of pre-selected user-editable features that match the customized virtual three-dimensional kitchen component. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the control circuit is further configured to provide the user with an opportunity to directly modify the unique name. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the control circuit is further configured to provide the user with the opportunity to create a custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component selected from a list of available customizable kitchen components by, at least in part, also providing the user with an opportunity to create a custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component by selecting and combining at least two custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen components that were previously created by the user. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the control circuit is further configured to provide the user with the opportunity to create a custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component selected from a list of available customizable kitchen components by, at least in part, also providing the user with an opportunity to select a previously-created custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen component as previously created by the user from an inventory of previously-created custom virtual three-dimensional kitchen components.