# US 7,610,181 B2 · Architectural structure design methods, architectural structure design apparatuses, and articles of manufacture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,610,181 B2 - Document ID: US7610181B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/332,009 - Filed: 2006-01-13 - Published: 2007-07-19 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2006-01-13 - Assignees: Chief Architect, Inc. - Inventors: Jack Simpson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7610181B2 ## CPC - G06F 30/13: Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Architectural structure design methods, architectural structure design apparatuses, and articles of manufacture are described according to some aspects of the disclosure. In one aspect, an architectural structure design method includes displaying a building plan of an architectural structure, accessing user input with respect to the building plan, modifying the building plan responsive to the user input, using the processing circuitry, analyzing the building plan to identify the presence of conditions appropriate to create a roof for the architectural structure, generating the roof responsive to the analyzing, and displaying the architectural structure comprising the roof after the generating. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An architectural structure design method comprising: displaying a building plan of an architectural structure; accessing user input with respect to the building plan; modifying the building plan responsive to the user input; using processing circuitry, analyzing the building plan to identify the presence of conditions appropriate to create a roof for the architectural structure; using the processing circuitry, automatically generating the roof responsive to the analyzing and in the absence of user input which instructs the generating of the roof; and displaying the architectural structure comprising the roof after the generating. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry automatically performs the analyzing and the identification of the presence of the conditions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the analyzing and identification is performed in the absence of user input with respect to the roof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the generating is responsive to an occurrence of the conditions comprising enclosure of a plurality of exterior walls of the architectural structure to define an enclosed footprint of the architectural structure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing comprises accessing a plurality of user inputs with respect to the building plan and the modifying comprises performing a plurality of modifications to the building plan at a plurality of moments in time responsive to the plurality of user inputs, and wherein the analyzing comprises performing a plurality of analyses after the plurality of modifications. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 further comprising modifying the roof for some of the modifications of the building plan responsive to the analyzing, and wherein the displaying comprises displaying the architectural structure after the modifying of the roof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein one of the some of the modifications comprises a modification not directly with respect to modifying the roof. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein one of the some of the modifications comprises moving an exterior wall of the architectural structure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining the roof without modification for others of the modifications of the building plan responsive to the analyses corresponding to respective ones of the others of the modifications. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein individual ones of the analyses are automatically performed responsive to respective ones of the modifications and in the absence of user input with respect to the analyses. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the roof comprises generating the roof comprising at least one curved portion. ### Claim 12 An architectural structure design apparatus comprising: a display configured to depict visual images; a user interface configured to receive a plurality of user inputs; and processing circuitry coupled with the display and the user interface and configured to access the user inputs, to control the display to depict a building plan of an architectural structure responsive to the user inputs, to automatically provide a roof for the architectural structure of the building plan, and to control the display to depict the roof; and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify a condition wherein a roof is appropriate for the architectural structure and to automatically provide the roof as a result of the identification and in the absence of user input which instructs the processing circuitry to provide the roof. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the condition comprises the building plan having reached a defined level of completion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the defined level of completion is enclosure of a footprint of at least a portion of the architectural structure to be roofed. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the automatic provision of the roof comprises generating an initial roof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the automatic provision of the roof comprises modifying an existing roof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user interface is configured to receive a plurality of user inputs individually configured to modify the building plan, and wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to implement modifications of the building plan responsive to the user inputs configured to modify the building plan, and to analyze the modifications of the building plan, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to provide the roof comprising automatically updating the roof responsive to the analysis of at least some of the modifications, and maintaining the roof without modification responsive to the analysis of a plurality of others of the modifications. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to automatically perform the analyses and the updates to the roof in the absence of user input. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising storage circuitry configured to store properties with respect to the roof and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access the properties and to provide the roof according to the properties. ### Claim 20 An article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable storage medium encoded with programming configured to cause processing circuitry to perform processing comprising: controlling a display to depict an architectural structure comprising a roof; accessing a plurality of user inputs at a plurality of moments in time; responsive to the user inputs, performing a plurality of respective modifications to the architectural structure at a plurality of moments in time; for at least one of the modifications, automatically altering the roof in the absence of user input which instructs alteration of the roof; for at least an other of the modifications, maintaining the roof unchanged and in substantially the same configuration as prior to the other of the modifications; and controlling the display to depict the architectural structure comprising the modifications and the roof after the altering. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The article of claim 20 wherein the medium comprises programming configured to cause the processing circuitry to perform processing comprising: detecting a building plan of the architectural structure reaching a defined level of completion; and automatically generating the roof for the structure responsive to the detecting and in the absence of user input which instructs the generation of the roof. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The article of claim 20 wherein the medium comprises programming configured to cause the processing circuitry to perform processing comprising controlling the display to depict a building plan of the architectural structure, and wherein the accessing the user inputs comprises accessing the user inputs configured to modify the building plan of the architectural structure. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing the building plan to identify the presence of conditions appropriate to create a roof comprises analyzing in the absence of user input which instructs the processing circuitry to perform the analyzing. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising, after the generating the roof, and using the processing circuitry, modifying the roof in the absence of user input which instructs the processing circuitry to modify the roof.