Real estate abstract
Apparatus and a method for providing real estate agents, persons
relocating to another home or acquiring an interest in a property,
and providers of home insurance, with an audio-visual presentation
of a property supplied over existing cable, telephone, ISDN or other
types of broadband network facilities. The audio-visual presentation
is mode on a computer monitor from a database containing a visual
walkthrough and a textual description of the property and surrounding
areas.
Real estate claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for storing, viewing, and manipulating descriptions
and visual images of commercial or residential real estate, comprising
the steps of:
generating a plurality of digitized video images of selected real
estate, each digitized video image depicting a view of a specified
area of a real estate property with two or more of the digitized
video images sequentially arranged to simulate a visual walkthrough
of the property;
generating a verbal description of the features and characteristics
for each area within and surrounding the real estate;
storing the digitized video images and the verbal descriptions
in a computer data base;
displaying on a single display of a computer monitor the sequential
digitized video images;
presenting the verbal descriptions simultaneously with the display
of the digitized video images; and
manipulation by a user the verbal descriptions and the digitized
video images to simulate a visual walkthrough.
2. The method set forth as in claim 1, further comprising the steps
of:
manipulating the digitized video images of a selected area of a
real estate property to integrate actual or contemplated renovations
and alterations into the property;
creating new digitized video images depicting the renovations and
alterations for the selected area; and
displaying the new digitized video images depicting the renovations
and alterations.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the verbal descriptions
comprise textual descriptions, and further comprising the step of
displaying the textual descriptions on the display of the computer
monitor simultaneously with the digitized video images.
4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising the steps
of:
generating a text data file comprising descriptions of areas within
and surrounding the real estate;
storing the text data file, the digitized video images, and the
textual descriptions in a computer data base at a regional office;
and
transmitting the text data file, the textual description, and the
digitized video images relating to a specific real estate property
from the regional office to at least one local office.
5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the verbal descriptions
comprise audio descriptions.
6. Apparatus for previewing selected commercial or residential
real estate to enable a user to interact with stored information
relating to a particular real estate property, comprising:
means for selecting and retrieving stored video images of a real
estate property, the property comprising a plurality of areas in
a spatial relationship, wherein each video image shows a specific
view of one of the plurality of areas with each area depicted in
one or more of the images;
means for simultaneously displaying the video images of one of
the plurality of areas and a textual description relating to the
displayed area; and
means for inputting instructions to modify the displayed images
for a user to interact with the display.
7. A display terminal for previewing a selected real estate property,
the display terminal including a display screen having at least
four windows, comprising:
a first window, for showing images of the selected real estate
property from the perspective of a person walking through the property,
each image depicting a substantially accurate view of a specific
area within or surrounding the property;
a second window for showing a floor plan of the property and indicating
the room showing on the first window;
a third window for showing a textual description of the room showing
on the second window; and
a fourth window for showing available input commands; and
means for inputting commands to select for display particular areas
in and around the property.
8. A method for controlling at a remote computer terminal information
for selected real estate received from a computer database at a
regional office, comprising the steps of:
converting information relating to the selected real estate that
has been transmitted from the regional office into separate images
to be shown on a plurality of windows of a display terminal of the
remote computer terminal;
coordinating the separate images to establish an interdependence
between the images shown on the plurality of windows;
displaying the images in the windows on the display terminal, wherein
at least one of the plurality of windows displays images comprising
substantially accurate views of areas within or surrounding the
selected real estate; and
stopping, continuing, pausing, reversing direction, speeding up,
or slowing down the rate information is shown on the plurality of
windows in response to commands received from a user.
9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein at least one of
the plurality of windows displays images of textual information
describing areas within or surrounding the selected real estate.
10. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein at least one of
the plurality of windows displays an image of the floor plan of
the property and indicates the area described or depicted in another
one of the plurality of windows.
11. A method for enabling a person to visually experience a walkthrough
of a real estate property, comprising the steps of:
selecting a property from a computer database having stored information
on a plurality of properties;
retrieving image and textual data for the selected property from
the computer database, the image data including information for
generating substantially accurate displays of a plurality of views
of different areas within and surrounding the property and the textual
data including information for generating descriptions of the areas
within and surrounding the property;
displaying a visual representation of said image and textual data
on a computer monitor;
inputting data from a user at the computer monitor for manipulating
the image display; and
altering the image data based on the input data input by the user.
12. A method for creating a walkthrough of a selected real estate
property, comprising the steps of:
recording videotape images of the selected property;
generating a textual description of the selected property;
digitizing the textual description and videotape images;
storing the digitized textual description and videotape images
in a computer memory;
composing a textual description of a room or rooms of the selected
property;
composing additional textual information relating to the selected
property; and
accessing the computer memory to retrieve information pertaining
to the selected property.
13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further including the
steps of:
creating in a text file in the computer memory a description of
the surrounding neighborhood; and,
creating in a graphic file in the computer memory one or more images
of the area surrounding the selected property.
Real estate description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to combining images with other information
of real estate presented on the same screen, storing and filing
all the information centrally or locally, and providing the combined
information over a communications network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Presently, potential purchasers of real estate begin their search
for a new home or property by contacting a real estate agent and
describing to the real estate agent some criteria regarding the
property that the buyer wants. The real estate agent responds by
describing properties listed with that particular agent's office
that generally meet the buyer's criteria. Unfortunately, an oral
description cannot completely inform the client about the neighborhood,
or what the property "feels" like. Typically, the real
estate agent and the potential purchaser of a property select a
small number of properties meeting the purchaser's requirements,
and then drive together to several properties, often taking a great
deal of time. Many clients tire of this viewing after just a few
visits. Also, due to inadequate description by the client or to
misunderstanding by the agent, the agent might not have a clear
idea of what the client wants; and so the client might not have
a chance to see some of the most appropriate properties. Furthermore,
many clients, upon seeing the properties in the price range or otherwise
meeting the criteria that they have outlined to the real estate
agent, alter their requirements, necessitating a return to the real
estate office to look at more photographs.
Because of the distances involved, a client wishing to relocate
to another city generally must fly to the destination city weeks
in advance and scout out a location, a task that often requires
driving around in a strange city under stringent time constraints.
Other approaches to selling or buying a property include listing
the property in a newspaper or posting a notice in various locations
around the city in which the property is located. But these methods
are haphazard: the buyer might miss a particular advertisement in
a newspaper or not look through the newspaper that day, or might
never see the posted notice. They are also severely restricted in
geographical circulation, and may have time limitations as well.
Another approach is the use of a computer listing service. Like
other computer matching services, computer listing services often
provide buyers and sellers with questionnaires, and then use a computer
to pair buyers with sellers. Unfortunately, because a computer is
performing the selection, both parties are limited to the literal
meaning of their responses to questionnaires. Furthermore, the services
provide only a textual description of the property, usually without
a picture, and the information provided by these services is limited
to the seller's opinion of the property, rather than any objective
presentation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other problems
by providing an apparatus and a method for conveying video images
in a manner that gives the client the "feel" of visiting
a property for sale or lease without actually visiting the property.
The invention provides a client with a great deal of information
regarding the property and the surrounding neighborhood in a concise,
easily understood format and enables the client to select properties
from a database storing information in the real estate agent's file,
quickly and at the client's leisure, without having to visit the
property. This allows clients and agents to spend far less time
driving and viewing properties, and further allows clients to view
properties that may be of only slight interest. It also allows clients
to "experience" walking through properties in distant
geographic areas or other cities without the time and expense of
travel.
The invention is equally applicable in the commercial real estate
field, and would be as useful to renters as to buyers of real estate.
Apartment complexes and real estate developers, would also benefit
from the opportunities to communicate with potential customers in
such a convenient manner.
According to one aspect of the invention, video images of portions
of a property are combined with other information, including text
descriptions of each room and a floor plan of the property on a
single display screen in a manner to create a "feel" of
a walk through the property. One area of the screen, or one window,
presents a video image of what the client would see if the client
were walking through the property, while another area of the display
screen (window) shows a floor plan of the entire property and indicates
the room being shown in the video image. The client is able to stop
and replay images, obtain more detailed information about the property
or office space, or skip to other properties. Audio descriptions
are also available to provide both verbal descriptions and other
sounds that help the viewer "experience" a simulated visit.
In accordance with the another aspect of the invention a central
regional office maintains files containing video images and associated
data and makes the files available for playing via a network or
modem connections. The central office may also maintain regional
information, including area maps showing property, schools, shopping
areas, and other points of interest, as well as a detailed floor
plan and descriptive text.
Also, in accordance with the invention, a method of gathering and
combining data regarding a property is disclosed, wherein information
is gathered, edited and stored in such a way that it may be accessed,
processed, and transmitted quickly and accurately. A "walking
tour" of the property may be simulated. The viewer can stop
the tour at any point and obtain more detailed information about
particular rooms, and can simulate moving about the property. In
one possible embodiment of this invention, the data is stored in
a central office according to the variety of real estate, so that
industrial real estate is maintained separately from residential
apartments, for example. In another embodiment of the invention,
files are also maintained on communities and cities, so that a potential
buyer of real estate might learn about schools, shopping centers,
commuter routes, and points of interest near the site of the property.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete. understanding of the present invention and
the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following Detailed
Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings
in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a data storage facility and a network for
delivering video images from a regional office to a local office;
FIG. 2 is a typical display in one embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart representing the steps in creating and modifying
a walkthrough of a property;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing a preferred embodiment of the
invention including creating a property presentation, storing the
presentation, and displaying the presentation to a customer; and
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of one embodiment for creating walkthroughs.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring to FIG. 1, a local office 10 has a computer 11, for example
a personal computer or workstation, and is located either in the
real estate agent's office or, in the case of a lap-top computer,
that is carried to a client's property or office. A network 12 connects
the computer 11 to a regional office 13, where encoded information
regarding the properties for sale or lease is stored and cross-referenced.
This information includes a digitized version of a videotape made
by a camera carried through the property, a detailed textual description
of each room of the property, a description of the neighborhood,
and a floor plan of the property. It may also include a digitized
audio signal, giving a verbal description of the property, perhaps
accompanied by other sounds, presenting the property in an attractive
light. According to one aspect of the invention, the network is
capable of transmitting data of this kind quickly and accurately.
This aspect allows various local offices to show the same property
to many clients, simply by connecting to a regional office where
the information regarding the property is stored. By using a network,
the real estate seller has a much broader customer base, since any
local office in the country can connect to the network and show
the property. One aspect of the invention uses a hierarchial network,
with a local office as a node connecting to both the Regional Office
and to the local real estate agents. The local office is connected
by land telephone lines, cable, ISDN, or other types of broadband
connection to a Wide Area Network over which the video images and
audio data are transmitted, although the invention is not limited
to these means of data transmission. The regional office stores
the images of the video walkthroughs and data relating thereto on
a digital storage device, possibly a Raid Disk, Robotic Tape, Read/Write
Optical Disk, or a CD-ROM. In other embodiments, CD-ROM's or other
storage devices may be sent to local offices, or satellite transmission
may be practicable. These video signals are accompanied by data.
This connectivity may find new network capabilities as the information
superhighway develops.
Referring to FIG. 2, the encoded information for the properties
is displayed on a monitor. One aspect of this display is shown in
FIG. 2, representing items of information simultaneously in a format
easily understood by a real estate agent or client. This display
appears on the screen of the computer 11. A video image made by
a camera that has been carried through the property is shown in
the center window 21 and may be manipulated by the user, who can
stop, zoom, reverse, slow, and perform other operations on the image.
Below this is a test window 22 which provides a text description
of the room being shown in the center window 21, and gives detailed
information on features of the location. Descriptions of the room
are included. Also shown in FIG. 2 is a floor plan window 23 for
displaying a floor plan of the property and indicating where the
images are being taken. The display also includes an information
window 24 to inform the user of the neighborhood and surrounding
area, including points of interest, such as property, schools, and
shopping. A control window 25 along the top of the display allows
the user to input control commands.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a flowchart diagram of
one embodiment of a high level process of the present invention.
A video walkthrough is created and digitized during sequence 31.
Additional textual information is added in digital form, and all
information is stored in sequence 32 at a regional office. From
any local office connected by a communication network to the regional
office, the digital information may be accessed during sequence
33 from a local office. This information may contain the video walkthrough
of a property with each room and area separately indexed, a textual
description of each room and area within the property, a floor plan
of the property, map of the neighborhood or town, textual description
of some features of the neighborhood or town, control information
relating to the local office computer or the regional office computer,
and/or other information. As various types of data are processed
for simultaneous presentation to the user at the local office, a
check is made to make sure the area being shown in the video is
the same as the area being described in the text displays; the indices
are compared in sequence 34. The information is displayed during
sequence 35 to the user, who may enter commands during sequence
36 to the computers, allowing the user to change, during sequence
37, the data and imagine of the property.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a videotape is made of a piece of residential
or commercial real estate to produce a 30 to 60 second long segment
showing the real estate in an attractive light, and then the videotape
is digitized in step 41; alternately, an all-digital video recorder
may be used. Someone familiar with the real estate then enters during
sequence 42 textual descriptions of various areas shown in the video
walkthrough, associating each description with the corresponding
segments of video. The surrounding neighborhood, including schools,
nearby shopping centers or commuter routes, may also be included
during sequence 43. In some situations, a map of the surrounding
area may also be included during sequence 43. All the digitized
video information is transmitted and stored in a regional office
during a sequence 45, including a file containing textual descriptions
of the real estate, its various areas and its surroundings. Computers
may be used in conjunction with the storage devices to aid storage
and retrieval of the digitized video and text information. In the
preferred embodiment of the invention, storage devices and remote
computers are located at one or more regional offices, although
distributed networks among one or more local offices may be used
to share the storage and retrieval activities. The video and text
information thus stored is accessible by users at any local office
by means of communication lines connecting the local offices with
the regional office and/or with each other. Thus, the video walkthrough
and text information of a piece of property may be selected during
sequence 46 by a user who is a client of the service provider, and
the digital information is transmitted by a sequence 47 to the local
office on demand. The information is processed locally, where it
is distributed to the display of FIG. 2 during a sequence 48. In
some cases, it may be necessary to check, during a sequence 50,
the correlation of the information being sent to the various displays
(windows). In at least one window in the display, video is shown
during a sequence 51 to the user, while in at least one other window
text relating to the video informs the user during the same sequence
51. The user may interact during a sequence 52 with the computer
at the local office as easily as one might use a VCR, fast-forwarding
and rewinding, pausing and zooming to see various areas in the property
more closely. The user may select during a sequence 54 particular
rooms or other areas in the property from a floor-plan, and the
interactive display responds by moving to the point in the presentation
indicated by the user's selection. An additional feature is the
ability to manipulate during a sequence 55 the data to show what
the property would look like should alterations be made; clients
who intend to paint the walls, buy new furniture or add on a new
wing to a property can see what the property would look like before
committing themselves.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a preferred embodiment
of a sequence for creating walkthroughs. Any of the following steps
may be performed by the owner, the owner's real estate agent, or
an independent contractor, or any other person with access to the
property and an interest in facilitating the sale or rental of the
property. A person with access to the property videotapes the propertyduring
sequence 61 every feature that might be attractive to a potential
buyer/renter. This videotape image is digitized during a sequence
62. A verbal description of the property is made by someone familiar
with the property, and this description along with the digitized
video images are input at step 63 into a computer or data storage
device. The stored information is made available to a communication
network during sequence 65 including one or more local offices.
When the property is no longer on the market, the information relating
to that property may be deleted at step 66 from the storage device.
The invention is equally applicable in the commercial real estate
field, and would be as useful to renters as to buyers of real estate.
Apartment complexes and real estate developers would also benefit
from the opportunities to communicate with potential customers in
such a convenient manner.
Although preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention
have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described
in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that
the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is
capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions
of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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