METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DESIGNING AND PURCHASING A BUILDING

Application No. 17/335,495

• Filed: Jun 01, 2021
• Examiner: GIRI, PURSOTTAM
• Art Unit: 2186
• Tech Center: 2100 — Computer Architecture & Software
• Assignee: Allied Steel Buildings Inc.
• OA Round: 4 (Final)

Office Action

Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
Claims 1-30 are currently presented for Examination.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .

Response to applicant arguments

Applicant argument
Applicant submits that neither Appleman nor Rinks, either alone or in combination, disclose the features recited by independent claims 1, 15 and 20 including generating, by one or more processors, design load values for a geographical location in response to receiving the geographical location via user identification or entry into a Graphical User Interface (GUI) displayed on a user device, wherein the design load values include a wind speed value, a snow load value, and/or a seismic value;".

Examiner response
Examiner still disagrees with the applicant argument. As explained in the prior office action [0123] and fig 10A-10B disclose that a user specifies a geographical location by entering an address into a graphical user interface, and that location-specific engineering data including wind loads, snow loads, and seismic information are provided under an “engineering data” tab 1034. Under the broadest interpretation, the term “generating” is not limited to calculating values using values using a particular formula or algorithm, but reasonably encompasses producing, obtaining, or causing location-specific values to be provided by the system in response to an input. Appleman teaches that the engineering data is GIS-collected information associated with specified location and is used by the system in further building-related determination ([0123]). Thus, the system necessarily performs processing to associate the user-entered geographic location with corresponding engineering load values. Under BRI, such production of location specific design load values constitutes “generating” as recited in the claim.

Applicant argument
Applicant submits that neither Appleman nor Rinks, either alone or in combination, disclose the features recited by independent claims 1, 15 and 20 including "determining, by the one or more processors, option content to include in a building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device, the building design option menu including information fields for building dimensions that include a first information field for identification or entry of a width, a second information field for identification or entry of a length and a third information field for identification or entry of a height for a Three Dimensional (3D) building model".

Examiner response
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant’s argument that Appleman does not teach “determining option content” is not persuasive. Appleman expressly discloses that system logic is used to decide which options are included in a building design menu, stating that see [0122] “GIS collected information is also used in determining, filtering, and/or modifying available options”. This is an express disclosure of determining option content. Also see Appleman [0094]- “available options may be dynamically modified based on conditions”. Such dynamic filtering and modification necessarily constitute a determination of option content performed by processors, which Appleman further confirms by explaining that the discloses methods are “implemented by a general-purpose computer having a central processor [0129]. Appleman also teaches that determined option content is rendered in a GUI, as “See [0082]-When the customization mode is activated, a customization menu 695 is displayed to the user. The customization menu describes a list of menu items, 695 a to 695 f, representing customizable features and space areas of the building configuration, namely the “Size” of the building 695 a. In the context of building design “size of building” refers to the dimensional extent of building. While Appleman does not expressly disclose that the customization menu includes specific information fields for building dimensions such as width, length or height, this omission related only to the particular content of the menu and does not negate Appleman’s clear teaching of “determining, by the one or more processors, option content to include in a building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device, the building design option menu including information fields for building dimensions”.

Applicant argues that Appleman does not teach or disclose “determining, by one or more processors, option content to include in a building design option menu” because Appleman allegedly limits user interaction to browsing and selecting from a finite, predetermined set of physical product categories and specifications stored locally, and does not permit a user to input or select anything new, including building dimensions. Applicant further argues that, as a result, there is no motivation to combine Appleman with Rink. These arguments are not persuasive. First, Applicant’s arguments rely on an unduly narrow construction of the claimed “determining option content” limitation. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, the claim does not require that option content be newly created, user-authored, or unconstrained by preexisting data. Rather, “determining option content” reasonably encompasses selecting, retrieving, associating, populating, enabling, or presenting configuration-related content in a menu based on information available to the system. Appleman discloses a configurator application that presents menus of configuration options corresponding to physical product categories and specifications, and stores selected options as a configuration recipe. The act of determining which configuration options is presented and associated with the building configuration constitutes “determining option content” as claimed, even if the underlying data is predetermined or locally stored. Second, Applicant’s assertion that predetermined data precludes any determination by the processors is legally and technically flawed. Configuration systems in the art commonly rely on predefined option sets while still dynamically determining which options are presented, associated, priced, or visualized based on user interaction and contextual information. Appleman’s disclosure of tags, associations between product categories and specifications, and storage of configuration recipes in XML reflects processor-based determination and presentation of option content, not a static or passive display. Third, Appleman further discloses that user-specified location information affects building configuration, base model options, and cost estimates, and that location-specific engineering data (e.g., wind loads, snow loads, seismic information) is provided by the system. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, producing and presenting such location-specific configuration-related content in response to user input further supports the claimed determination of option content. Fourth, Applicant’s argument that there is no motivation to combine Appleman with Rink is unavailing. Appleman addresses building configuration, visualization, and location-dependent engineering and cost considerations, while Rink teaches dimension-based building design, materials determination, and pricing. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combine these references to improve the accuracy and completeness of a building configurator by incorporating Rink’s dimension-based material and pricing determinations into Appleman’s configuration framework. Such a combination represents the predictable use of prior art elements according to their established functions. The fact that Appleman’s configuration options are predetermined does not discourage such a combination, but instead provides a natural framework into which Rink’s teachings would be integrated. Finally, Applicant’s arguments improperly seek to import unclaimed limitations into the claims, such as requiring free-form user entry of novel building dimensions or the absence of predetermined configuration data. Such limitations are not recited in the claims and are improper under the broadest reasonable interpretation.

Applicant arguments
Applicant submits that Rinks does not teach or disclose "the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values" as recited by independent claims 1, 15 and 20.

Examiner response
Rink teaches one or building dimension for roof pitch options-(see Rink’s col 10-11-Referring to FIG. 23, the user next moves to the Roof tab in order to choose the following: the Roofing Material Layers, Pitch, Purlins, Overhang and Vents. Referring to FIG. 27, the Pitch for the roof can be selected from values between 3 and 12 inches per 12 inches of roof Rise.
Rink further teaches building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings. (see abstract-The present invention is a computer-implemented method for determining a set of materials for constructing a wood frame building, comprising selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building, accessing a database having information about a set of raw and finished goods, determining the set of materials based on the plurality of parameters for the wood frame building and the information about the set of raw and finished goods, and displaying the set of materials, wherein selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building comprises selecting a plurality of parameters for walls, selecting a plurality of parameters for a roof, and selecting a plurality of parameters for at least one building opening. See col 9 Rinks-The building openings, i.e. windows, doors, etc., are indicated by dashed lines in the metal panel layout views of FIGS. 117-120 to assist the building crew with the proper location of each of the individual panels with respect to the walls of the building. See Rinks col 14-15-Continuing this demonstration, select the next wall for which an opening is desired (in this case, a split sliding door for the North Side—Eave Side 2). After selecting Add New Opening, then the tab for Sliding Doors, and the Hardware picklist, the user can select from the list of doors in Product Setup. After choosing a sliding door, the user is taken to the display of FIGS. 74-75 Continuing this demonstration, select the next wall for which an opening is desired (in this case, an opening for the West Side—Gable Side 2). After selecting Add New Opening, then the tab for Opening, the user can choose the Width, Height and Count for the Opening(s). See FIGS. 80-81.
Appleman teaches design load values (see Appleman fig 10B). Rink teaches presenting building design options and selecting only those options that are capable of withstanding load values, while excluding options that do not satisfy those load requirements. (See Rink fig 33. In combination, Appleman provides applicable design load values and Rink teaches selecting those load values. Thus, the selectable option content necessarily “meets or exceeds” the design load values. The claim does not require a numeric comparison step or explicit statement saying “this option meets load X”. It only requires that the included options that meet or exceed the load values. Under BRI, blocking non-complaint options satisfies that requirement. Claim does not require Rinks to independently derive wind/snow/seismic loads. It only requires that the option content be constrained by those loads, which the combination clearly teaches.

Applicant arguments
Applicant respectfully submits that this citation to Rinks does not teach or disclose "causing, by the one or more processors, in response to the determining of the price of the building materials, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials and to render a view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings." as recited by independent claims 1, 15 and 20.

Examiner response
Applicant’s argument that Rink fails to disclose rendering a view of a 3D building model because Rink’s figure is 2D views is not persuasive. Rink teaches causing a graphical user interface to indicate pricing information and render a view to indicating pricing information and render a view of a modified 3D building model. As shown in fig 95 of Rink’s, the system generates an estimate output in response to determining material pricing, wherein the output renders a building model defined by selected 3D parameters including width, height, length and roof pitch. Under the BRI, a view of 3D building encompasses orthographic and dimensioned representation and does not require a perspective rendering. Accordingly, Rink satisfies the claimed causing limitation. Further, Appleman independently teaches a 3D virtual representation of building configuration. In combination, Appleman and Rink teach causing a GUI to indicate pricing information and to render views of a modified 3D building model in response to user-selected parameters.

Applicant arguments
The Office Action has not established a prima facie case of obviousness because there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation in Appleman or Rinks that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Appleman and Rinks to arrive at the claimed invention. Applicant submits it is not possible to incorporate the functionality of the CAD program menus taught by Rinks with the offline functionality of the locally-saved specifications file 921 taught by Appleman that is used for all building viewing and customization and where a user customized building configuration can be saved as a configuration recipe 118 on a memory of the client device 110 as an XML document.

Examiner response
Applicant’s argument that the proposed combination would change the principle of operation of Appleman is not persuasive. The claim does not require CAD models, online access to backend CAD modules, or elimination of Appleman’s specification files. Rather, the claims broadly recite receiving user-selected building dimensions, determining pricing, and rendering a view of a 3D building model. Rink teaches parameter-driven building dimension selection, material estimation, pricing determination, and rendering of building views without reliance of CAD systems. Incorporating these techniques into Appleman’s building configurator constitutes a predictable use of prior art elements according to their established functions and does not change Appleman’s principle of operation. Also, see Appleman fig 9A, that employs a modular architecture in which the configurator engine and visualization engine operate independently of the CAD module. Applicant’s argument that Appleman requires all building dimensions and customization options to be predetermined in advance in order to generate specification files is not persuasive. Appleman teaches generating specification files and configuration recipes based on user selections mase through a configurator interface, not that all dimensional values are fixed or unchanged. Predetermined base models and product categories do not preclude user selection of building dimensions or regeneration of specification files. Incorporating Rink’s dimension-based parameter selection and material estimation techniques into Appleman’s configurator would merely extend Appleman’s existing parameter-driven customization workflow and would not render Appleman unsatisfactory for its intended purpose. Rather, such modification would have predictably improved material estimation and pricing accuracy.

Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103

3. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.

The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.

The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.

4. Claims 1, 5-6, 8, 11, 13-15, 17 and 19-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Appleman et al. (PUB NO: US 20140095122 A1) in view of Rinks et al. (PAT NO: US7353144B1)

Regarding claim 1, 15 and 20
Appleman teaches Claim 1-A computer-implemented method, (see fig 1A-1B and para 129-132-In some instances, the various methods and machines described herein may each be implemented by a physical, virtual or hybrid general purpose computer having a central processor, memory, disk or other mass storage, communication interface(s), input/output (I/O) device(s), and other peripherals.)
Claim 15-A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable storage device and comprising instructions that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to (see fig 1A-1B and para 129-132-In certain embodiments, the procedures, devices, and processes described herein constitute a computer program product, including a computer readable medium (e.g., a removable storage medium such as one or more DVD-ROM's, CD-ROM's, diskettes, tapes, etc.) that provides at least a portion of the software instructions for the system.)
Claim 20-A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memory elements storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to: comprising: (see fig 1A-1B and para 129-132-In some instances, the various methods and machines described herein may each be implemented by a physical, virtual or hybrid general purpose computer having a central processor, memory, disk or other mass storage, communication interface(s), input/output (I/O) device(s), and other peripherals.)
generating, by one or more processors, (see para 129-In some instances, the various methods and machines described herein may each be implemented by a physical, virtual or hybrid general purpose computer having a central processor, memory, disk or other mass storage, communication interface(s), input/output (I/O) device(s), and other peripherals.)
design load values for a geographical location in response to receiving the geographical location via user identification or entry into a Graphical User Interface (GUI) displayed on a user device, wherein the design load values include a wind speed value, a snow load value, and/or a seismic value; (see para 116-the GIS module 965 is configured to collect regulatory information data, geologic information data, snow loads data, wind loads data, or any other information related to a location of the building from external databases. See para 119-The user-defined building configurations received from users are also accessed by a market analysis module 916 configured to analyze users' selections, behaviors, and preferences based on different criteria such as users' locations, ages, gender, and/or any other user information. See also para 123-FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example user interface enabling access to GIS data. The user specifies an address in an address bar 1001. In response, a map 1020 is displayed in a visualization window 1010, showing the location 1021 corresponding to the specified address on the map 1020. The location 1022 of a previous or in progress project, e.g., from the building project database, that is within a given specified radius 1003 from the specified location is also shown on the map 1020. A pop-up window 1025 enables the user to access more detailed information related to the previous or in progress project that be relevant to the specified address. A menu of tabs 1030 is also displayed to the user for providing geographic information related to the specified location/address. For example, regulatory information is listed under the tab “building codes” 1032, whereas under the tab “engineering data” 1034 information such as wind loads, snow loads, seismic information, soil moisture content, ground slope is listed.)

determining, by the one or more processors, (see para 129-In some instances, the various methods and machines described herein may each be implemented by a physical, virtual or hybrid general purpose computer having a central processor, memory, disk or other mass storage, communication interface(s), input/output (I/O) device(s), and other peripherals.)
option content to include in a building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device, the building design option menu including information fields for building dimension options for a Three-Dimensional (3D) building model, (see para 47-The configurator application 115 causes the client device 110 to display a virtual representation of the configuration of the building based on a first subset of the set specifications 116 of physical products. The virtual representation may be a 3D representation, 2D representation, or combination thereof. See para 82-When the customization mode is activated, a customization menu 695 is displayed to the user. The customization menu describes a list of menu items, 695 a to 695 f, representing customizable features and space areas of the building configuration, namely the “Size” of the building 695 a, the “Stairs” 695 b, the “Landscape” 695 c, the “Kitchen” 695 d, the “Interior” 695 e, and the “Bathroom” 695 f. In FIG. 61, the “Landscape” item 695 c is selected by the user and different selectable sub-items, namely “North Garden”, “South Garden”, “West Garden”, “East Garden”, “South Porch”, and “North Porch” are presented to the user and view 680 of the selected “South Garden” is displayed to the user. see [0122] “GIS collected information is also used in determining, filtering, and/or modifying available options”. This is an express disclosure of determining option content. Also see Appleman [0094]- “available options may be dynamically modified based on conditions”.)

Appleman does not teach the building design option menu including information fields for building dimensions that include a first information field for identification or entry of a width, a second information field for identification or entry of a length and a third information field for identification or entry of a height for a Three-Dimensional (3D) building model the building design option menu including information fields for each one of one or more building dimension options for a roof pitch and information fields for each one of one or more building accessory options for sidewall and endwall openings for the 3D building model, the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values; the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values; determining, by the one or more processors, in response to receiving selected building dimensions that are identified or entered by the user as the width into the first information field, as the length into the second information field, and as the height into the third information field the GUI displayed on the user device, in response to receiving selected building dimension options for the roof pitch that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch via the GUI displayed on the user device and/or in response to receiving selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings via the GUI displayed on the user device, a price of building materials for the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall opening; causing, by the one or more processors, in response to the determining of the price of the building materials, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials and to render a view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings.

In the related field of invention, Rinks teaches the building design option menu including information fields for building dimensions that include a first information field for identification or entry of a width, a second information field for identification or entry of a length and a third information field for identification or entry of a height for a Three-Dimensional (3D) building model, (see fig 6-7-building dimensions (length, width and height))

the building design option menu including information fields for each one of one or more building dimension options for a roof pitch (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and information fields for each one of one or more building accessory options for sidewall and endwall openings for the 3D building model, (see fig 80-81 door and windows opening)

the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values;(see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. see col 6 line 33-45- Applies to both the gable or eave sides. Pole spacing will be exactly the spacing amount or less than the user specifies. On a side that has no entry openings, the system will divide the space between the left and right sides evenly such that the spacing value the user specified is not exceeded. On a side that has entry openings, the system will use the entry opening poles as part of the configuration for the intermediate poles. Spaces between entry openings are divided evenly so that the spacing value the user specified is not exceeded. This option provides for inconsistent pole spacing, depending on the placement of openings. See col 11 line 34-46- Referring to FIG. 32, the user next goes to the Trusses tab and chooses the following: Truss Spacing, Truss Loading, Heel Height and Plys. Then the specific Truss Product is chosen that meets these design requirements. Referring to FIG. 32, for Truss Loading the following four numerical entries must be made in the appropriate fields: the maximum Live load and Dead load) that the Top Chord and Bottom Chord of each truss must be capable of withstanding. Numbers can be entered in these fields that are not realistic. (BIPEC will flag any negative numbers.))
determining, by the one or more processors, in response to receiving selected building dimensions that are identified or entered by the user as the width into the first information field, as the length into the second information field, and as the height into the third information field the GUI displayed on the user device, in response to receiving selected building dimension options for the roof pitch that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch via the GUI displayed on the user device and/or in response to receiving selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings via the GUI displayed on the user device, a price of building materials for the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall opening; (see col 17 line 10-22-A feature of the invention is that a detailed list of all of the possible materials that could be used for an estimate (called Product Setup and Pricing, Product Setup, or simply Setup) can be preloaded into the program. It is from the Setup that the specific selections described above are made (pole species and sizes, trusses, sheet metal siding, felt, service doors, etc.) The advantages of having this information within the program include: the user can easily review all options available for a given item to be selected, prices can be quickly updated, generates a list of all materials for a particular estimate, permits calculation of the total cost for an estimate, permits recalculation of the total cost if the estimate is changed, etc.)
causing, by the one or more processors, in response to the determining of the price of the building materials, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials and to render a view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings. (see fig 107-115- see col 2 line 1-9-The present invention is a computer-implemented method for determining a set of materials for constructing a wood frame building, comprising selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building, accessing a database having information about a set of raw and finished goods, determining the set of materials based on the plurality of parameters for the wood frame building and the information about the set of raw and finished goods, displaying the set of materials, and displaying a visual model of at least one aspect of the wood frame building. See col 16 line 14-27-Referring to FIG. 104, when displaying a visual model, it is desirable to display a floor plan, a.k.a. pole layout, of the wood frame building. A floor plan in this case is a quasi cross-sectional view of the walls of the building at a plane parallel to the ground. Further it is desirable to indicate in the floor plan the location, height and width of an overhead door. This helps with interpreting the overall layout of the building. The user may also recognize potential problems with a particular placement for an overhead door when other openings are viewed with respect to their proximity to the overhead door, or with use of the overhead space within the building. In addition, the floor plan of FIG. 104 indicates substantially the distance between opposite corners of the wood frame building)

Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of customizing a building via a virtual environment as disclosed by Appleman to include the building design option menu including information fields for building dimensions that include a first information field for identification or entry of a width, a second information field for identification or entry of a length and a third information field for identification or entry of a height for a Three-Dimensional (3D) building model the building design option menu including information fields for each one of one or more building dimension options for a roof pitch and information fields for each one of one or more building accessory options for sidewall and endwall openings for the 3D building model, the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values; the option content including the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values; determining, by the one or more processors, in response to receiving selected building dimensions that are identified or entered by the user as the width into the first information field, as the length into the second information field, and as the height into the third information field the GUI displayed on the user device, in response to receiving selected building dimension options for the roof pitch that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch via the GUI displayed on the user device and/or in response to receiving selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that are identified or entered by the user into the information fields for any of the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings via the GUI displayed on the user device, a price of building materials for the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall opening; causing, by the one or more processors, in response to the determining of the price of the building materials, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials and to render a view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings as taught by Rinks in the system of Appleman in order to estimating the materials needed to build various structures such as post frame buildings (or “pole barns”) and stud frame buildings (or “garages), and for determining the materials needed to construct them. The invention is an automated materials estimating system that uses a Graphical User Interface (GUI) programming language as the intermediary between the main system engine and relational database. (see Abstract, Rinks)

Regarding claim 5 and 17
Appleman further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device further comprises rendering the building design option menu that includes the option content on the GUI displayed on the user device. (See para 82-FIG. 6 shows a user interface, different from FIGS. 6C through 6H, to enable customization of a building configuration. According to one aspect of FIG. 61, a customization mode is indicated by tab 691 and a visualization mode is indicated by the tabs 692 and 693 corresponding, respectively, to visualization of the exterior and the interior of the virtual representation of the building configuration. When the customization mode is activated, a customization menu 695 is displayed to the user. The customization menu describes a list of menu items, 695 a to 695 f, representing customizable features and space areas of the building configuration, namely the “Size” of the building 695 a, the “Stairs” 695 b, the “Landscape” 695 c, the “Kitchen” 695 d, the “Interior” 695 e, and the “Bathroom” 695 f. see para 123-FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example user interface enabling access to GIS data. The user specifies an address in an address bar 1001. In response, a map 1020 is displayed in a visualization window 1010, showing the location 1021 corresponding to the specified address on the map 1020. The location 1022 of a previous or in progress project, e.g., from the building project database, that is within a given specified radius 1003 from the specified location is also shown on the map 1020. A pop-up window 1025 enables the user to access more detailed information related to the previous or in progress project that be relevant to the specified address. A menu of tabs 1030 is also displayed to the user for providing geographic information related to the specified location/address. For example, regulatory information is listed under the tab “building codes” 1032, whereas under the tab “engineering data” 1034 information such as wind loads, snow loads, seismic information, soil moisture content, ground slope is listed. The GIS user interface may be part of the configurator application 115. Alternatively, the GIS interface may be provided by another application. See also para 44)

Regarding claim 6
Rinks further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu further comprises: comparing, by the one or more processors, the design load values to load limits for each one of the building dimension options for the roof pitch and each one of the building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings to determine the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that, for each one of the design load values, either have no corresponding load limit or have the corresponding load limit that meets or exceeds the one of the design load values; rendering, on the GUI displayed on the user device, the building design option menu that includes the information fields for the building dimensions, the information fields for each one of the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch that either have no corresponding load limit or have the corresponding load limit that meets or exceeds the one of the design load values and the information fields for the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that either have no corresponding load limit or have the corresponding load limit that meets or exceeds the one of the design load values ;( (see fig 6-7-building dimensions) (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and see fig 80-81 (door and windows opening) and see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. see col 6 line 33-45- Applies to both the gable or eave sides. Pole spacing will be exactly the spacing amount or less than the user specifies. On a side that has no entry openings, the system will divide the space between the left and right sides evenly such that the spacing value the user specified is not exceeded. On a side that has entry openings, the system will use the entry opening poles as part of the configuration for the intermediate poles. Spaces between entry openings are divided evenly so that the spacing value the user specified is not exceeded. This option provides for inconsistent pole spacing, depending on the placement of openings. See also col 11 line 42-46-Referring to FIG. 32, 35-36 for Truss Loading the following four numerical entries must be made in the appropriate fields: the maximum Live load and Dead load) that the Top Chord and Bottom Chord of each truss must be capable of withstanding. Numbers can be entered in these fields that are not realistic. (BIPEC will flag any negative numbers) and
wherein generating the design load values for the geographical location, comparing the design load values to the load limits for each one of the building dimension options for the roof pitch and for each one of the building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, and rendering on the GUI displayed on the user device the building design option menu, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device. (See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard. See also col 11 line 42-46-Referring to FIG. 32, 35-36 for Truss Loading the following four numerical entries must be made in the appropriate fields: the maximum Live load and Dead load) that the Top Chord and Bottom Chord of each truss must be capable of withstanding. Numbers can be entered in these fields that are not realistic. (BIPEC will flag any negative numbers))

Regarding claim 8 and 19
Appleman further teaches wherein generating the design load values for the geographical location further comprises generating geographical data in response to receiving the geographical location, wherein the geographical data includes one or more of a zip code, a city, a county, a state, a country, a specific pairing of latitude decimal degrees and longitude decimal degrees in a Cartesian coordinate grid or Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates. (See para 119-123-the user-defined building configurations received from users are also accessed by a market analysis module 916 configured to analyze users' selections, behaviors, and preferences based on different criteria such as users' locations, ages, gender, and/or any other user information. The GIS collected data may be used in different ways including modifying the list of available base models or even modifying the design of existing base models associated with, for example, a metropolitan area, a state, a country, and/or a county. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example user interface enabling access to a geographic information system (GIS). For further support see Appleman [0060]-the configuration platform may also use the user address to simulate the actual scenery around the building. The configuration platform may also map the virtual representation of the building onto the topography of the corresponding address provided by the user using a map platform, e.g., Google Earth or Bing maps.)

Regarding claim 11
Appleman further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu comprises automatically determining the option content to include in the building design option menu each time a new geographical location that is different than the geographical location is received from the user device; (see para 121-123-When a new building project is started, the GIS module 965 in the back-end system 910 searches the building projects database for a project with location within a certain radius of the location of the new project. The GIS collected information may also affect available choices of downloadable scenery representation used in simulating the background environment of the building configuration, choices of furniture styles, and/or other specifications of physical products. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example user interface enabling access to GIS data. The user specifies an address in an address bar 1001. In response, a map 1020 is displayed in a visualization window 1010, showing the location 1021 corresponding to the specified address on the map 1020. The location 1022 of a previous or in progress project, e.g., from the building project database, that is within a given specified radius 1003 from the specified location is also shown on the map 1020. A pop-up window 1025 enables the user to access more detailed information related to the previous or in progress project that be relevant to the specified address. A menu of tabs 1030 is also displayed to the user for providing geographic information related to the specified location/address. For example, regulatory information is listed under the tab “building codes” 1032, whereas under the tab “engineering data” 1034 information such as wind loads, snow loads, seismic information, soil moisture content, ground slope is listed. The GIS user interface may be part of the configurator application 115. See also para 82-When the customization mode is activated, a customization menu 695 is displayed to the user. The customization menu describes a list of menu items, 695 a to 695 f, representing customizable features and space areas of the building configuration, namely the “Size” of the building 695 a, the “Stairs” 695 b, the “Landscape” 695 c, the “Kitchen” 695 d, the “Interior” 695 e, and the “Bathroom” 695 f)
wherein determining the option content for the new geographical location occurs or executes automatically without user input or input from the user device; (see para 21-Geographic information provided by the geographic information system is information associated with a given location and relevant to a building construction process at the particular location. The geographic information for a particular location includes geologic information, seismic information, weather related information such as snow loads, wind loads, and/or the like, regulatory information, topographic information, information related to soil type and moisture content, and/or other relevant information associated with the particular information)

wherein determining the price of the building materials and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials comprises automatically determining the price of the building materials each time the new geographical location that is different than the geographical location is received from the user device and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials for the new geographical location, wherein determining the price of the building materials for the new geographical location and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials for the new geographical location occurs or executes automatically without user input or input from the user device. (See para 114-116-For example, the user-defined configuration is mapped to, or used to generate, an engineering model of building including structural geometry, architectural drawings, design and construction information related to plumbing, electric installation, a bill of materials, and/or the like. The collected geographic information data is also used in estimating cost associated with the building or constructions process. See also para 121)

Appleman does not teach determining the option content that includes the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values.

However, Rink further teaches determining the option content that includes the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values. (((see fig 6-7-building dimensions) (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and see fig 80-81 (door and windows opening) and see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. See col 11 line 34-46- Referring to FIG. 32, the user next goes to the Trusses tab and chooses the following: Truss Spacing, Truss Loading, Heel Height and Plys. Then the specific Truss Product is chosen that meets these design requirements. Referring to FIG. 32, for Truss Loading the following four numerical entries must be made in the appropriate fields: the maximum Live load and Dead load) that the Top Chord and Bottom Chord of each truss must be capable of withstanding. Numbers can be entered in these fields that are not realistic. (BIPEC will flag any negative numbers. See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.)

Regarding claim 13
Appleman further teaches wherein the geographical location received from the user device comprises a zip code, a residential or business address, a specific pairing of latitude decimal degrees and longitude decimal degrees in a Cartesian coordinate grid or Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates. (See para 122-124 The GIS collected data may be used in different ways including modifying the list of available base models or even modifying the design of existing base models associated with, for example, a metropolitan area, a state, a country, and/or a county. Representation of the location's topography may be imported/downloaded from existing services such Google Earth, Bing maps, or any other similar application.)

Regarding claim 14
Rinks further teaches wherein determining the price of the building materials for the 3D building model further comprises automatically determining the price of the building materials for the 3D building model each time new selected building dimensions that are different than the selected building dimensions are received from the user device, each time new selected building dimension options for the roof pitch that are different than the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch are received from the user device and/or each time new selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that are different than the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings are received from the user device; and (((see fig 6-7-building dimensions) (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and see fig 80-81 (door and windows opening) and see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.))

wherein causing the GUI displayed on the user device to include the price of the building materials and to render the view of the 3D building model further comprises causing the GUI displayed on the user device to include the price of the building materials that has been modified to include the new selected building dimensions, the new selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the new selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings and to render the view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the new selected building dimensions, the new selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the new selected buildingsee fig 107-115- see col 2 line 1-9-The present invention is a computer-implemented method for determining a set of materials for constructing a wood frame building, comprising selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building, accessing a database having information about a set of raw and finished goods, determining the set of materials based on the plurality of parameters for the wood frame building and the information about the set of raw and finished goods, displaying the set of materials, and displaying a visual model of at least one aspect of the wood frame building. See col 16 line 14-27-Referring to FIG. 104, when displaying a visual model, it is desirable to display a floor plan, a.k.a. pole layout, of the wood frame building. A floor plan in this case is a quasi cross-sectional view of the walls of the building at a plane parallel to the ground. Further it is desirable to indicate in the floor plan the location, height and width of an overhead door. This helps with interpreting the overall layout of the building. The user may also recognize potential problems with a particular placement for an overhead door when other openings are viewed with respect to their proximity to the overhead door, or with use of the overhead space within the building. In addition, the floor plan of FIG. 104 indicates substantially the distance between opposite corners of the wood frame building)
wherein determining the price of the building materials for the new selected building dimensions, the new selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the new selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to include the price of the building materials and to render the view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the new selected building dimensions, the new selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the new selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, occurs or executes automatically without user input or input from the user device. (See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.)

Regarding claim 21
Appleman further teaches wherein the one or more processors and one or more memory elements are located on the user device. (See para 44-As such, customers who have become empowered with computer graphics tools and expect high quality visualization through computer graphical user interfaces are not satisfied by existing configuration tools for use in customizing a building or home. See also para [0129] [0132] In some instances, the various methods and machines described herein may each be implemented by a physical, virtual or hybrid general purpose computer having a central processor, memory, disk or other mass storage, communication interface(s), input/output (I/O) device(s), and other peripherals)

Regarding claim 22
Appleman further teaches wherein the one or more processors and one or more memory elements are located within a cloud-based application service. (See para 51-The server 120 may be a computer server, remote database, network cloud, or the like. See para 136- Accordingly, further embodiments may also be implemented in a variety of computer architectures, physical, virtual, cloud computers, and/or some combination thereof, and thus the data processors)

Regarding claim 23, 27 and 29
Rink further teaches wherein generating the design load values for the geographical location in response to receiving the geographical location from the user device and determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device that includes the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch and the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device, and wherein determining the price of building materials for the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch, and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate the price of the building materials and to render a view of the 3D building model that has been modified to include the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch, and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device. (((see fig 6-7-building dimensions) (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and see fig 80-81 (door and windows opening) and see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. And see fig 107-115- see col 2 line 1-9-The present invention is a computer-implemented method for determining a set of materials for constructing a wood frame building, comprising selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building, accessing a database having information about a set of raw and finished goods, determining the set of materials based on the plurality of parameters for the wood frame building and the information about the set of raw and finished goods, displaying the set of materials, and displaying a visual model of at least one aspect of the wood frame building. See col 11 line 42-46-Referring to FIG. 32, for Truss Loading the following four numerical entries must be made in the appropriate fields: the maximum Live load and Dead load) that the Top Chord and Bottom Chord of each truss must be capable of withstanding. Numbers can be entered in these fields that are not realistic. (BIPEC will flag any negative numbers. See col 16 line 14-27-Referring to FIG. 104, when displaying a visual model, it is desirable to display a floor plan, a.k.a. pole layout, of the wood frame building. A floor plan in this case is a quasi cross-sectional view of the walls of the building at a plane parallel to the ground. Further it is desirable to indicate in the floor plan the location, height and width of an overhead door. This helps with interpreting the overall layout of the building. The user may also recognize potential problems with a particular placement for an overhead door when other openings are viewed with respect to their proximity to the overhead door, or with use of the overhead space within the building. In addition, the floor plan of FIG. 104 indicates substantially the distance between opposite corners of the wood frame building. See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.)

Regarding claim 24
Rink further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch that meet or exceed the design load values that provide for identification or entry of a 1/12 roof pitch, a 1.5/12 roof pitch, a 2/12 roof pitch and/or a 3/12 roof pitch. (see fig 27-roof pitch)

Regarding claim 25
Rink further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building accessory options for a roof overhang width that meets or exceeds the design load values that provide for identification or entry of a zero foot roof overhang width, a one foot roof overhang width, a two foot roof overhang width and/or a three foot roof overhang width.(see fig 31- overhang)

Regarding claim 26
Rink further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values and provide for identification or entry of a three foot by seven foot door, a three foot by seven foot framed door opening, a four foot by seven foot door, a four foot by seven foot framed door opening, a six foot by seven foot door, a six foot by seven foot framed door opening, a three foot by three foot window, a three foot by three foot framed window opening, a six foot by three foot window and/or a six foot by three foot framed window opening. (see fig 80-81 door and windows opening)

Regarding claim 28 and 30
Rink further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building dimension options for the roof pitch that meet or exceed the design load values that provide for identification or entry of a 1/12 roof pitch, a 1.5/12 roof pitch, a 2/12 roof pitch and/or a 3/12 roof pitch, (see fig 27-roof pitch) wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building accessory options for a roof overhang width that meets or exceeds the design load values that provide for identification or entry of a zero foot roof overhang width, a one foot roof overhang width, a two foot roof overhang width and/or a three foot roof overhang width, (see fig 31- overhang)and wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device comprises the building design option menu including the information fields for the one or more building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings that meet or exceed the design load values and provide for identification or entry of a three foot by seven foot door, a three foot by seven foot framed door opening, a four foot by seven foot door, a four foot by seven foot framed door opening, a six foot by seven foot door, a six foot by seven foot framed door opening, a three foot by three foot window, a three foot by three foot framed window opening, a six foot by three foot window and/or a six foot by three foot framed window opening. (see fig 80-81 door and windows opening)

5. Claims 2-4, 9, 12 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Appleman et al. (PUB NO: US 20140095122 A1) in view of Rinks et al. (PAT NO: US7353144B1) and further in view of Irizarry et al. ("Integrating BIM and GIS to improve the visual monitoring of construction supply chain management." Automation in construction 31 (2013): 241-254)

Regarding claim 2 and 16
Rinks further teaches wherein determining the price of the building materials for the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, a cost of the building materials for the 3D building model, wherein the 3D building model includes the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings; (see fig 107-115 and see col 17 line 10-22-A feature of the invention is that a detailed list of all of the possible materials that could be used for an estimate (called Product Setup and Pricing, Product Setup, or simply Setup) can be preloaded into the program. It is from the Setup that the specific selections described above are made (pole species and sizes, trusses, sheet metal siding, felt, service doors, etc.) The advantages of having this information within the program include: the user can easily review all options available for a given item to be selected, prices can be quickly updated, generates a list of all materials for a particular estimate, permits calculation of the total cost for an estimate, permits recalculation of the total cost if the estimate is changed, etc.)

wherein determining the cost of the building materials for the 3D building model for the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch, and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device. (See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.)

However, the combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach requesting, by the one or more processors, from a web-based mapping service, a factory travel distance between each one of one or more factories that supply the building materials and the geographical location; determining, by the one or more processors, one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance in response to receiving the factory travel distance between the one or more factories and the geographical location from the web- based mapping service; generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and a factory shipping fee for the building materials that is determined from a cost per unit distance factory fee and the smallest factory travel distance and wherein requesting from the web-based mapping service the factory travel distance, determining the one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance, and generating the price of the building materials for the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch, and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device.
In the related field of invention, Irizarry teaches requesting, by the one or more processors, (see para 129) from a web-based mapping service, (page 250 col 2-A web-based file-hosting portal was used for sharing information throughout the supply chain. Once the element passed through the different phases of the supply chain (e.g. manufacturing), the actor (e.g. manufacturer) must update the actual date accordingly so that the data can be easily imported into the building information model. In the case study, however, data were stored on the web-based portal manually) a factory travel distance between each one of one or more factories that supply the building materials and the geographical location; (see page 243 col 1-To evaluate logistics constraints involved in the material delivery process, GIS is used to map the entire supply chain process, e.g., location of suppliers, transportation, value adding, and nonvalue adding activities. In this sense, the GIS module of the system uses descriptive information (e.g. transportation network) and geographical location of suppliers in order to provide an ideal solution to manage costs of transportation. See page 248 col 1-The most common constraint to find suppliers is to limit the distance to the construction site. Fig. 5 (upper right) shows the suppliers located within 100,200, and 500 mile of the construction site. The distance can be measured using two main methods: (1) straight-line distance from each cell to the source (i.e. construction site), and (2) travel distance through a given route (i.e. transportation network).)
determining, by the one or more processors, one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance in response to receiving the factory travel distance between the one or more factories and the geographical location from the web- based mapping service; generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and a factory shipping fee for the building materials that is determined from a cost per unit distance factory fee and the smallest factory travel distance. (See page 245 col2-In this essence, the main requirements of GIS module are inventory costs (capital, storage, taxes, insurance and obsolescence), vehicles characteristics (vehicle costs, vehicle capacity, vehicles available, vehicle travel time), average fuel price and product unit. Each vehicle starts from its corresponding supply point, forwards materials to a given customer (e.g. construction site) according to the demand less than the capacity of the vehicle. See page 248 col 1-The most common constraint to find suppliers is to limit the distance to the construction site. Fig. 5 (upper right) shows the suppliers located within 100,200, and 500 mile of the construction site. The distance can be measured using two main methods: (1) straight-line distance from each cell to the source (i.e. construction site), and (2) travel distance through a given route (i.e. transportation network. See page 249 col 1- The model utilizes the network analyst extension of ArcGIS to find the shortest path, travel distance and travel time. Fuel price cost is calculated according to the distance traveled per unit of fuel used by trucks in miles per gallon (MPG). Thus, fuel price cost is the cost per unit distance factory fee. See page 250 col2- a web-based file-hosting portal was used for sharing information throughout the supply chain. Once the element passed through the different phases of the supply chain (e.g. manufacturing), the actor (e.g. manufacturer) must update the actual date accordingly so that the data can be easily imported into the building information model. See also page 253 col 2-In this sense, GIS helps to map the entire supply chain process and to provide an optimal solution to manage costs of supply chain logistics. After identifying the availability of materials in the form of maps, GIS is used to provide an optimal solution that minimizes the logistics costs, which combines the cost of orders, warehousing and transportation.)
wherein requesting from the web-based mapping service the factory travel distance, determining the one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance, and generating the price of the building materials . (see page 244 col 2- In order to have the right resources in the right quantities (at the right place) at the right moment while minimizing costs and rewarding all parties involved in managing logistics, supply chain information systems require a great deal of data input. These inputs play an essential role in managing logistics functions such as storage, transport, distribution, delivery, and package tracking. All data entry and manipulations is done by means of the interface developed in the BIM software application. By comparing each data entry with the required information for its corresponding supply chain, the model is able to check and verify data inputs for completeness, consistency and integrity.)

Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of customizing a building via a virtual environment as disclosed by Appleman to include a factory travel distance between each one of one or more factories that supply the building materials and the geographical location, determining, by the one or more processors, one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance in response to receiving the factory travel distance between the one or more factories and the geographical location from the web- based mapping service; generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and a factory shipping fee for the building materials that is determined from a cost per unit distance factory fee and the smallest factory travel distance and wherein requesting from the web-based mapping service the factory travel distance, determining the one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance, and generating the price of the building materials for the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch, and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device as taught by Irizarry in the system of Appleman and Rinks in order to integrate building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information systems (GIS) into a unique system, which enables keeping track of the supply chain status and provides warning signals to ensure the delivery of materials. First, the proposed methodology is implemented by using BIM due to its capability to accurately provide a detailed takeoff in an early phase of the procurement process. Furthermore, in order to support the wide range of spatial analysis used in the logistics perspective (warehousing and transportation) of the construction supply chain management (CSCM), GIS is used in the present model. Another motivation is to use the integrated GIS-BIM model manifesting the flow of materials, availability of resources, and “map” of the respective supply chains visually. (See Abstract, Irizarry)

Regarding claim 3
Rank further teaches wherein determining the cost of the building materials comprises determining the cost of steel building materials for a prefabricated metal building. (See fig 107-115 (cost of building materials. See also col 8 line 33-67-) Referring to FIGS. 90, 93, and 117-120, the invention includes the ability to display a wall having a plurality of metal panels and the location on the wall of each panel. Metal panels for a wood frame building are typically made of corrugated steel, with a feature along each longitudinal edge called a lap which facilitates overlapping the panels to form a substantially weatherproof joint. See FIG. 176. The laps are also helpful for aligning adjoining panels. Examples of intermediate dimensions for the plurality of metal panels before final trimming are shown in FIGS. 117-120.)

Regarding claim 4
Appleman further teaches determining the option content to include in the building design option menu further comprises saving the factory shipping fee in a memory on the user device, (see para 53-Upon visualizing and customizing the displayed configuration of the building, a customized configuration is saved in the form of a configuration recipe 118, including information about the specifications of the physical products included in the customized configuration. The configuration recipe may be stored in an electronic document, e.g., an XML document, spreadsheet document, or document in another format, uniform resource locator (URL), or the like. The configuration recipe 118 may be stored on the server 120 through a communications link 121 b and/or transmitted to a second client device 110 b through a communications link 121 c. See also para 114 and 122. See also para 112-FIG. 9C illustrates an example of different documents used by the configurator engine 922. Specifications files 921 include, for example, a specifications' document 921 a with price information. The price information associated with different specifications of physical products is used by the configurator engine to 922 calculate and cause the display of a cost estimate of a building configuration and difference amounts in the estimated cost as the user customizes the building configuration.)

Rink further teaches wherein determining the price of the building material comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, the cost of the building materials for the 3D building model, wherein the 3D building model includes the selected building dimensions, the selected building dimension options for the roof pitch and/or the selected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings; (see fig 107-115 (cost) and see col 17 line 10-22-A feature of the invention is that a detailed list of all of the possible materials that could be used for an estimate (called Product Setup and Pricing, Product Setup, or simply Setup) can be preloaded into the program. It is from the Setup that the specific selections described above are made (pole species and sizes, trusses, sheet metal siding, felt, service doors, etc.) The advantages of having this information within the program include: the user can easily review all options available for a given item to be selected, prices can be quickly updated, generates a list of all materials for a particular estimate, permits calculation of the total cost for an estimate, permits recalculation of the total cost if the estimate is changed, etc.)

The combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach requesting, by the one or more processors, from a user device, the factory shipping fee and generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and the factory shipping fee.
However, Irizarry further teaches requesting, by the one or more processors, from the user device, the factory shipping fee; (see page 248 col2-Transportation cost can be represented along with the vehicle cost and the fuel price cost.)
and generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and the factory shipping fee. (See table 2 and see page 249 col 1- The total cost of each material is obtained by adding transportation costs to order and inventory costs.)

Regarding claim 9
Appleman further teaches comparing, by the one or more processors, the geographical data to location information and rendering, on the GUI displayed on the user device (see para 121-123- Alternatively, the GIS module 965 retrieves geographic data when desired. For example, if a location is specified for a construction project, the GIS module 965 determines filters associated with the location, e.g., environmental, geologic, seismic, and/or regulatory filters, and retrieves geographic information according to the determined filters from the back-end building projects database and/or other third party databases. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example user interface enabling access to GIS data. The user specifies an address in an address bar 1001. In response, a map 1020 is displayed in a visualization window 1010, showing the location 1021 corresponding to the specified address on the map 1020. The location 1022 of a previous or in progress project, e.g., from the building project database, that is within a given specified radius 1003 from the specified location is also shown on the map 1020. See also para 47)
The combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach comparing the geographical data to location information for the alert message options to determine if any of the alert message options have corresponding location information that matches the geographical data; and any of the alert message options that have the corresponding location information that matches the geographical data.
However, Irizarry further teaches comparing the geographical data to location information for the alert message options to determine if any of the alert message options have corresponding location information that matches the geographical data; and any of the alert message options that have the corresponding location information that matches the geographical data. (see page 242 col 1-This paper proposes improvements to the current practice by taking advantage of integrating building information modeling (BIM) and GIS into a unique system, which enables keeping track of the supply chain status and provides warning signals to ensure the delivery of materials. See page 246 col 1-GIS need dynamic and instance location information of resources to map the status and issue warning, which enable managers to respond immediately if the resource arrives to the site at the wrong time. And see also page 247 col 2-In the second step, all descriptive and geographical information in the central database are exported to the GIS module of the system in order to map the availability of resources.)

Regarding claim 12
Rinks further teaches wherein determining the option content to include in the building design option menu to be rendered on the GUI displayed on the user device further comprises: determining, by the one or more processors, a cost of the building materials for the 3D building model that is a preselected 3D building model that includes preselected building dimensions, preselected building dimensions options for the roof pitch and/or preselected building accessory options for the sidewall and endwall openings; ((see fig 6-7-building dimensions) (see fig 23, 27-rooft pitch rise) and see fig 80-81 (door and windows opening) and see col 3 line 32-46- Referring to FIG. 2, an estimate of the construction materials needed for a post frame building is initiated by selecting Post Framed Kit on the Main Menu Page of the program. This selection takes the user to the next screen (tab entitled “Main”) shown in FIG. 3. The user can create, or modify, an estimate starting at the beginning of the process by selecting Estimate. Or, a completed estimate previously created as a template may be used by selecting Custom Template. A template typically has characteristics (for example, use of chemically-treated wood for the skirt board, foundation requirements, door requirements, roof pitch, etc.) that are desired or required by a particular building contractor, region or building package. Therefore the use of a Custom Template results in further time savings for completing the estimate. )
and causing, by the one or more processors, in response to the generating of the price of the building materials for the preselected 3D building model, the GUI displayed on the user device to include the price of the building materials for the preselected 3D building model, to render a view of the preselected 3D building model and to render the building design option menu that includes the option content. (see fig 107-115- see col 2 line 1-9-The present invention is a computer-implemented method for determining a set of materials for constructing a wood frame building, comprising selecting a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building, accessing a database having information about a set of raw and finished goods, determining the set of materials based on the plurality of parameters for the wood frame building and the information about the set of raw and finished goods, displaying the set of materials, and displaying a visual model of at least one aspect of the wood frame building. See col 16 line 14-27-Referring to FIG. 104, when displaying a visual model, it is desirable to display a floor plan, a.k.a. pole layout, of the wood frame building. A floor plan in this case is a quasi cross-sectional view of the walls of the building at a plane parallel to the ground. Further it is desirable to indicate in the floor plan the location, height and width of an overhead door. This helps with interpreting the overall layout of the building. The user may also recognize potential problems with a particular placement for an overhead door when other openings are viewed with respect to their proximity to the overhead door, or with use of the overhead space within the building. In addition, the floor plan of FIG. 104 indicates substantially the distance between opposite corners of the wood frame building)
wherein generating the design load values for the geographical location, determining the cost of the building materials, generating the price of the building materials for the preselected 3D building model and causing the GUI displayed on the user device to include the price of the building materials for the preselected 3D building model, to render the view of the preselected 3D building model and to render the building design option menu that includes the option content, occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device. (See col 4 line 28-38-Under Dimensions, the Building Height, Building Width and Building Length are selected from picklists. The Building Height being chosen is the distance from the top of the finished floor to the bottom of the bottom chord of the trusses. Throughout the computer program product, a plurality of parameters for the wood frame building can be selected from sets of predetermined values for the parameters, as for example, from picklists. In other instances, the user enters a numeric value, numeric dimension, color, or other choice directly from a computer input device, typically a keyboard.)

However, the combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach teaches requesting, by the one or more processors, from a web-based mapping service, a factory travel distance between each one of one or more factories that supply the building materials for the preselected 3D building model and the geographical location; determining, by the one or more processors, one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance in response to receiving the factory travel distance between the one or more factories and the geographical location from the web- based mapping service; generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and a factory shipping fee for the building materials that is determined from a cost per unit distance factory fee and the smallest factory travel distance

In the related field of invention, Irizarry further teaches requesting, by the one or more processors, from a web-based mapping service, (page 250 col 2-A web-based file-hosting portal was used for sharing information throughout the supply chain. Once the element passed through the different phases of the supply chain (e.g. manufacturing), the actor (e.g. manufacturer) must update the actual date accordingly so that the data can be easily imported into the building information model. In the case study, however, data were stored on the web-based portal manually) a factory travel distance between each one of one or more factories that supply the building materials for the preselected 3D building model and the geographical location; (see page 243 col 1-To evaluate logistics constraints involved in the material delivery process, GIS is used to map the entire supply chain process, e.g., location of suppliers, transportation, value adding, and nonvalue adding activities. In this sense, the GIS module of the system uses descriptive information (e.g. transportation network) and geographical location of suppliers in order to provide an ideal solution to manage costs of transportation. See page 248 col 1-The most common constraint to find suppliers is to limit the distance to the construction site. Fig. 5 (upper right) shows the suppliers located within 100,200, and 500 mile of the construction site. The distance can be measured using two main methods: (1) straight-line distance from each cell to the source (i.e. construction site), and (2) travel distance through a given route (i.e. transportation network).)
determining, by the one or more processors, one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance in response to receiving the factory travel distance between the one or more factories and the geographical location from the web- based mapping service; generating, by the one or more processors, the price of the building materials that is based on the cost of the building materials and a factory shipping fee for the building materials that is determined from a cost per unit distance factory fee and the smallest factory travel distance. (See page 245 col2-In this essence, the main requirements of GIS module are inventory costs (capital, storage, taxes, insurance and obsolescence), vehicles characteristics (vehicle costs, vehicle capacity, vehicles available, vehicle travel time), average fuel price and product unit. Each vehicle starts from its corresponding supply point, forwards materials to a given customer (e.g. construction site) according to the demand less than the capacity of the vehicle. See page 248 col 1-The most common constraint to find suppliers is to limit the distance to the construction site. Fig. 5 (upper right) shows the suppliers located within 100,200, and 500 mile of the construction site. The distance can be measured using two main methods: (1) straight-line distance from each cell to the source (i.e. construction site), and (2) travel distance through a given route (i.e. transportation network. See page 249 col 1- The model utilizes the network analyst extension of ArcGIS to find the shortest path, travel distance and travel time. Fuel price cost is calculated according to the distance traveled per unit of fuel used by trucks in miles per gallon (MPG). Thus, fuel price cost is the cost per unit distance factory fee. See page 250 col2- a web-based file-hosting portal was used for sharing information throughout the supply chain. Once the element passed through the different phases of the supply chain (e.g. manufacturing), the actor (e.g. manufacturer) must update the actual date accordingly so that the data can be easily imported into the building information model. See also page 253 col 2-In this sense, GIS helps to map the entire supply chain process and to provide an optimal solution to manage costs of supply chain logistics. After identifying the availability of materials in the form of maps, GIS is used to provide an optimal solution that minimizes the logistics costs, which combines the cost of orders, warehousing and transportation.)
wherein requesting from the web-based mapping service the factory travel distance, determining the one of the one or more factories that has a smallest factory travel distance, and generating the price of the building materials occur or execute automatically without user input or input from the user device. (see page 244 col 2- In order to have the right resources in the right quantities (at the right place) at the right moment while minimizing costs and rewarding all parties involved in managing logistics, supply chain information systems require a great deal of data input. These inputs play an essential role in managing logistics functions such as storage, transport, distribution, delivery, and package tracking. All data entry and manipulations is done by means of the interface developed in the BIM software application. By comparing each data entry with the required information for its corresponding supply chain, the model is able to check and verify data inputs for completeness, consistency and integrity.

6. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Appleman et al. (PUB NO: US 20140095122 A1) in view of Rinks et al. (PAT NO: US7353144B1) and further in view of Phillips et al. (PUB NO: US-20030014223-A1)

Regarding claim 7
Appleman further teaches comparing, by the one or more processors, (see para 129) rendering, on the GUI displayed on the user device, (see para [0044] [0047] [0123])

The combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach the design load values to load limits for alert message options to determine if any of the alert message options, for each one of the design load values, have a corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values; and any of the alert message options that have the corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values, where the alert message includes state or county discount alerts, wind alerts, snow alerts and/or earthquake alerts.

In the related field of invention, Phillips further teaches the design load values to load limits for alert message options to determine if any of the alert message options, for each one of the design load values, have a corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values; and any of the alert message options that have the corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values, where the alert message includes state or county discount alerts, wind alerts, snow alerts and/or earthquake alerts. (see para 13- From the main page, the user has the choice to perform a variety of structural calculations e.g. beams, joist, foundations, and shearwall. The user can also perform seismic and wind calculations and weight of composite structures. Each of these analyses calls a specific screen. The user can save and print all calculations. See also para 41-Block 26--Display message when results are marginal or unacceptable--When the calculated structure stresses and/or deflection compute to be between a standard limit and the chosen margin, a message is imposed on the screen indicating the condition. When the computation would indicate the results are below the standard, a message is imposed on the screen indicating an unacceptable condition. Any message must be acknowledged before further operation can be proceed. Any computed result beyond the margin conditions avoids a "notifying message". See also para 55- The screen is configured to allow selection of different materials, nailing schedules, uniform loads and point loads for a specific shear wall structural configuration type of analysis.)

Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of customizing a building via a virtual environment as disclosed by Appleman to include the design load values to load limits for alert message options to determine if any of the alert message options, for each one of the design load values, have a corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values; and any of the alert message options that have the corresponding load limit that is less than and nearest to the one of the design load values, where the alert message includes state or county discount alerts, wind alerts, snow alerts and/or earthquake alerts as taught by Phillips in the system of Appleman and Rinks in order to use a combination of material databases with a group of rigid structural element analysis equations set to standards (e.g. building codes) based on stress, deformation, size, grade of material, and loads or forces associated with parts of a structure. The present invention includes analysis program processes that may be used independently or in conjunction with structural analysis processes to more nearly give accurate input for the structural analysis of a system of structural components. (See para 004)

7. Claims 10 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Appleman et al. (PUB NO: US 20140095122 A1) in view Rinks et al. (PAT NO: US7353144B1) and further in view of McLemore et al. (PUB NO: US-20070129971-A1)

Regarding claim 10 and 18
The combination of Appleman and Rinks does not teach receiving a payment request, via user identification or entry into the GUI displayed on the user device, for payment of the price of the building materials, wherein the payment request includes financial transaction information; sending, by the one or more processors, the financial transaction information to a payment service for authentication in response to receiving the payment request and causing, by the one or more processors, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate an acceptance of the payment request in response to the payment service authenticating the financial transaction information and processing the payment for the price of the building materials.

In the related field of invention. McLemore teaches receiving a payment request, via user identification or entry into the GUI displayed on the user device, (see para 77-MP1 personnel 308 help potential home buyers 302 describe their dream homes and identify their personal financial situations that will support the design and build of the home. See para 81-Homebuyers 302, homebuilders 304 and vendors 306 all agree on every final detail prior to start of construction. See para 86- A sales lead is considered herein, generally, as a potential custom home buyer 302 who is ready, willing and able to purchase a custom home design and build project. See also para 112- . FIG. 8B illustrates an example display screen 850 that provides graphical screen controls and displays for a party to monitor a custom home design and build project. See for further support [0054]-Also as used herein, the term “browser” refers to an application program residing and executing on a user terminal which functions as an HTTP client, sending requests to web servers for web site files. A request is typically sent in the form of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or by selecting a hypertext link presented on the user terminal display. The browser functions to format the file and/or data received from the web server and format the received files and/or data in the manner described therein, displaying the same on the user terminal. see para 82-Preferably MP4 personnel 314 act as trustees for a project and monitor all financial transactions of a project and ensuring all vendors 306 are paid properly. Further, MP4 personnel 314 maintain financial transaction information in on-line databases provided by System C,)

for payment of the price of the building materials, wherein the payment request includes financial transaction information; (see para 82-Preferably MP4 personnel 314 act as trustees for a project and monitor all financial transactions of a project and ensuring all vendors 306 are paid properly. Further, MP4 personnel 314 maintain financial transaction information in on-line databases provided by System C, thereby ensuring that up-to-date and accurate information regarding financial information is available at all times, for example, over the internet. See para 93-During the meetings, prospect and the design team review advantages of System C, as well as all design/specification materials, and further develop sketches. Further, a price is preferably quoted with site allowances, parameters are converted to project scope with details, and the contract and any price guarantee (e.g., a forty-five day guarantee) are explained to the prospect, and a sale/deposit is requested. See para 96-At step S302, a review of the handoff from the MP2 personnel 310 is performed, including reviewing the budget (step S302A), the project scope (step S302B), presentation drawings (step S302C), site inspection (step S302D), loan approval (step S302E), customer signature (step S302F), deposit verification (step S302G))

sending, by the one or more processors, (see para 58) the financial transaction information to a payment service for authentication in response to receiving the payment request; (see para 82-Preferably MP4 personnel 314 act as trustees for a project and monitor all financial transactions of a project and ensuring all vendors 306 are paid properly. Further, MP4 personnel 314 maintain financial transaction information in on-line databases provided by System C, thereby ensuring that up-to-date and accurate information regarding financial information is available at all times, for example, over the internet. See para 96-At step S302, a review of the handoff from the MP2 personnel 310 is performed, including reviewing the budget (step S302A), the project scope (step S302B), presentation drawings (step S302C), site inspection (step S302D), loan approval (step S302E), customer signature (step S302F), deposit verification (step S302G))

and causing, by the one or more processors, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate an acceptance of the payment request in response to the payment service authenticating the financial transaction information and processing the payment for the price of the building materials. (see para [0077-0082] [0086][0093] and[0112] see para 102- Thereafter, plan changes are submitted (step S408). Steps associated therewith include recording project draws (step S408A), recording vendor 306 payments See para 104-After steps S402-S410 are complete, the MP4 personnel 314 preferably close and review the project (step S412). This includes, for example, reviewing job costs (step S412A), completing a 60 day pre-closing review (step S412B), completing a 30 day pre-closing review (step S412C), completing a 3 day pre-closing review (step S412D), completing a 30 day post-closing review (step S412E), completing a 90 day post-closing review (step S412F), completing and recording warranty costs (step S412G) and preparing a final project review (step S412H).)

Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of customizing a building via a virtual environment as disclosed by Appleman to include receiving a payment request, via user identification or entry into the GUI displayed on the user device, for payment of the price of the building materials, wherein the payment request includes financial transaction information; sending, by the one or more processors, the financial transaction information to a payment service for authentication in response to receiving the payment request and causing, by the one or more processors, the GUI displayed on the user device to indicate an acceptance of the payment request in response to the payment service authenticating the financial transaction information and processing the payment for the price of the building materials as taught by McLemore in the system of Appleman and Rinks in order to ensure proper training, support and management for a plurality of parties associated with a custom home design and build project. Another motivation is to coordinating building details, building vendors and operating budget including the verification and processing of the deposit/payment request. (See para 003 and See para 96)

Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20150310136 A1 Maletz
Discussing a method of automated architectural design are disclosed. A user can access a user account associated with information such as model prototypes, families, component models useable to assemble a complete building model-based configuration selections, etc., and can be associated with one or more entities (e.g., a company that uses similar building designs at various stores, etc.). Building configuration options can be presented to a user, and various configuration options selected by the user can be received. Appropriate component models having attributes (e.g., including appropriate building materials, etc. corresponding to the building code, appropriate building design for wind considerations, etc.) corresponding to the received configuration inputs can be selected. A building model can be constructed as a kit-of-parts from the component models selected based on the received user inputs.
US 20170076013 A1 Grivetti
Discussing a method includes receiving a plurality of design files at a computer-based system, wherein each of the design files is indicative of a respective structural design and a structural value associated with the respective structural design, causing a three-dimensional representation of at least a portion of the structural designs to be displayed to a user, causing a cost value to be displayed to the user for each of the displayed structural designs, receiving a user selection of a first structural design of the displayed structural designs, generating an additive manufacturing file indicative of the first structural design in a predefined format, wherein the predefined format enables the processing of the additive manufacturing file into a physical structure through an additive manufacturing process, and transmitting the selected first structural design in the predefined format.

9. All claims 1-30 are rejected.

THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PURSOTTAM GIRI whose telephone number is [phone]. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-5:30 PM, Monday to Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, RENEE CHAVEZ can be reached at 5712701104. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.

/PURSOTTAM GIRI/
Examiner, Art Unit 2186

/RENEE D CHAVEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2186

Prosecution Timeline

• Jun 01, 2021: Application Filed
• May 15, 2024: Non-Final Rejection — §103
• Aug 21, 2024: Response Filed
• Oct 19, 2024: Final Rejection — §103
• Nov 19, 2024: Response after Non-Final Action
• Dec 16, 2024: Response after Non-Final Action
• Dec 16, 2024: Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
• Jan 24, 2025: Request for Continued Examination
• Jan 29, 2025: Response after Non-Final Action
• Jun 11, 2025: Non-Final Rejection — §103
• Oct 15, 2025: Response Filed
• Nov 07, 2025: Interview Requested
• Nov 19, 2025: Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
• Nov 19, 2025: Examiner Interview Summary
• Jan 26, 2026: Final Rejection — §103 (current)