Systems and methods for facilitating the retail shopping experience online

• US 10,482,512 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allan Adam Miller, Geoffry Meek, Michele Meek
• Original Assignee: Allan Adam Miller, Geoffry Meek, Michele Meek
• Inventors: Meek, Michele, Miller, Allan Adam, Meek, Geoffry
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Sheree N
• Application Number:
  US14/292,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20150026156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3, 705 5, 707722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/358 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Systems and methods of the present disclosure can facilitate selecting a search result. In some embodiments, the system includes a server. The server can be configured to access a data structure, storing product descriptions describing products in a retail store. The server can be configured to store an image including visual representations of the products. The server can be configured to associate image segments with the product descriptions, the segments including the visual representations. The server can be configured to associate classifications with the product descriptions. The server can be configured to display, responsive to input from a user, the image. The server can be configured to select, responsive to input from the user, the search result from the product descriptions. The server can be configured to order the search result, based on the classifications and the image segments associated with the product descriptions selected by the search result.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a plurality of search results by a server, comprising:

accessing, by the server, a first data structure storing, in a memory element, a first product description describing a first product located in a retail store and a second product description describing a second product located in the retail store;

receiving, by the server, a first captured image comprising a first visual representation of the first product and a second captured image comprising a second visual representation of the second product, the first product and the second product being visible from a single position within the retail store, the first captured image overlapping the second captured image;

storing, by the server via a second data structure, based on the first and second captured images, a stitched image comprising the first and second visual representations;

creating, by the server via the first and second data structures, a segment mapping between a first segment of the stitched image and the first product description, and between a second segment of the stitched image and the second product description, the first segment comprising the first visual representation and the second segment comprising the second visual representation;

associating, by the server via the first data structure, a first classification with the first product description and a second classification with the second product description;

displaying, by the server responsive to a first signal, the stitched image;

selecting, by the server via the first data structure, responsive to a second signal, the plurality of search results comprising a first search result corresponding to the first product description and a second search result corresponding to the second product description;

tracking, using a processor of the server, an x-axis offset and a y-axis offset of the first and second segments within the stitched image to determine a first segment location and a second segment location;

mapping, by the server via the segment mapping, the first segment location to the first product description and the first classification, and the second segment location to the second product description and the second classification;

automatically ordering, by the server via the first and second data structures responsive to a third signal, the plurality of search results based on the first classification, the second classification, the first segment location, and the second segment location; and

transmitting, responsive to a fourth signal, the plurality of search results across a network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transforming, by the server, the first captured image into a first transformed image and the second captured image into a second transformed image; and

stitching, by the server, the first and second transformed images into the stitched image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, a third captured image comprising a third visual representation of the first product;

comparing, by the server, the first captured image and the third captured image; and

identifying, by the server, based on the comparison, a change to the first product.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting, by the server from the first captured image, an identification of the first visual representation as the first product, the extraction selected from one of optical character recognition, bar code recognition, and image recognition.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by the server, a first inventory item in an inventory database; and

updating, by the server via the first data structure, the first product description from the first inventory item.

6. A system for selecting a plurality of search results, comprising:

a server including a processor and memory configured to;

access a first data structure storing, in a memory element, a first product description describing a first product located in a retail store and a second product description describing a second product located in the retail store;

receive a first captured image comprising a first visual representation of the first product and a second captured image comprising a second visual representation of the second product, the first product and the second product being visible from a single position within the retail store, the first captured image overlapping the second captured image;

store, via a second data structure, based on the first and second captured images, a stitched image comprising the first and second visual representations;

create, via the first and second data structures, a segment mapping between a first segment of the stitched image and the first product description, and between a second segment of the stitched image and the second product description, the first segment comprising the first visual representation and the second segment comprising the second visual representation;

associate, via the first data structure, a first classification with the first product description and a second classification with the second product description;

display, responsive to a first signal, the stitched image;

select, via the first data structure, responsive to a second signal, the plurality of search results comprising a first search result corresponding to the first product description and a second search result corresponding to the second product description;

track, using the processor of the server, an x-axis offset and a y-axis offset of the first and second segments within the stitched image to determine a first segment location and a second segment location;

map, via the segment mapping, the first segment location to the first product description and the first classification, and the second segment location to the second product description and the second classification;

automatically order, via the first and second data structures responsive to a third signal, the plurality of search results based on the first classification, the second classification, the first segment location, and the second segment location; and

transmit, responsive to a fourth signal, the plurality of search results across a network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to:

transform the first captured image into a first transformed image and the second captured image into a second transformed image; and

stitch the first and second transformed images into the stitched image.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive a third captured image comprising a third visual representation of the first product;

compare the first captured image and the third captured image; and

identify, based on the comparison, a change to the first product.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to:

extract, from the first captured image, an identification of the first visual representation as the first product, the extraction selected from one of optical character recognition, bar code recognition, and image recognition.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the server is further configured to:

access a first inventory item in an inventory database; and

update, via the first data structure, the first product description from the first inventory item.

11. A method of selecting a plurality of search results by a server, comprising:

accessing, by the server, a first data structure storing, in a memory element, a first product description describing a first product located in a retail store and a second product description describing a second product located in the retail store;

receiving, by the server, a first captured image comprising a first visual representation of the first product and a second captured image comprising a second visual representation of the second product, the first product and the second product being visible from a single position within the retail store, the first captured image overlapping the second captured image;

storing, by the server via a second data structure, based on the first and second captured images, a stitched image comprising the first and second visual representations;

creating, by the server via the first and second data structures, a segment mapping between a first segment of the stitched image and the first product description, and between a second segment of the stitched image and the second product description, the first segment comprising the first visual representation and the second segment comprising the second visual representation;

displaying, by the server responsive to a first signal, the stitched image;

selecting, by the server via the first data structure, responsive to a second signal, the plurality of search results comprising a first search result corresponding to the first product description and a second search result corresponding to the second product description;

tracking, using a processor of the server, an amount of time that the first and second segments are displayed to determine a first segment time and a second segment time;

mapping, by the server via the segment mapping, the first segment to the first product description and the first search result, and the second segment to the second product description and the second search result;

automatically ordering, by the server via the first and second data structures responsive to a third signal, the first search result and the second search result within the plurality of search results based on the first segment time and the second segment time; and

transmitting, responsive to a fourth signal, the plurality of search results across a network.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the server based on the first segment time and the second segment time, a heat map; and

displaying, by the server, the heat map.

13. A system for selecting a plurality of search results, comprising:

a server including a processor and memory configured to;

access a first data structure storing, in a memory element, a first product description describing a first product located in a retail store and a second product description describing a second product located in the retail store;

receive a first captured image comprising a first visual representation of the first product and a second captured image comprising a second visual representation of the second product, the first product and the second product being visible from a single position within the retail store, the first captured image overlapping the second captured image;

store, via a second data structure, based on the first and second captured images, a stitched image comprising the first and second visual representations;

create, via the first and second data structures, a segment mapping between a first segment of the stitched image and the first product description, and between a second segment of the stitched image and the second product description, the first segment comprising the first visual representation and the second segment comprising the second visual representation;

display, responsive to a first signal, the stitched image;

select, via the first data structure, responsive to a second signal, the plurality of search results comprising a first search result corresponding to the first product description and a second search result corresponding to the second product description;

track, using the processor of the server, an amount of time that the first and second segments are displayed to determine a first segment time and a second segment time;

automatically order, via the first and second data structures responsive to a third signal, the first search result and the second search result within the plurality of search results based on the first segment time and the second segment time; and

transmit, responsive to a fourth signal, the plurality of search results across a network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to:

generate, based on the first segment time and the second segment time, a heat map; and

display the heat map.