Machine and method to assist user in selecting clothing

• US 20060020486A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: KNFB Reader LLC
• Original Assignee: KNFB Reader LLC
• Inventors: Gibson, Lucy, Albrecht, Paul, Kurzweil, Raymond C.
• Application Number:
  US11/097,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020486A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/111
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/007 using both tactile and audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination

Abstract

A device to convey information to a user regarding clothing. The device receives data that specifies a clothing mode to use for processing an image, accesses a knowledge base to provide data to configure the computer program product for the clothing mode, the data including data specific to the clothing mode and receives an image or images of an article of clothing. The device processes the image or images to identify patterns in the image corresponding to items of clothing based on information obtained from the knowledge base.

Claims

1. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for causing a device to convey information to a user regarding clothing, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing the reading machine to:

receive data that specifies a clothing mode to use for processing an image;

access a knowledge base to provide data to configure the computer program product for the clothing mode, the data including data specific to the clothing mode;

receive an image or images of an article of clothing;

process the image or images to identify patterns in the image corresponding to items of clothing based on information obtained from the knowledge base.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

retrieve text that corresponds to the identified patterns in the image for the item of clothing;

process text using text to speech processing to announce to the user the identified article of clothing and any identified attributes of the clothing.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein clothing mode parameters include a description of a pattern detected in the fabric of the clothing.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein clothing mode parameters include a description of background colors.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein clothing mode parameters include parameters pertaining to width or orientation of detected patterns.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the knowledge base is downloaded to the machine for the clothing mode.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

save information during operation of the reading machine in the clothing mode for a specific article of clothing, in order to process images faster for a subsequent use of the article of clothing.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

receives input data corresponding to the scanned clothing;

applying pattern recognition to identify attributes of the clothing by processing the input data corresponding to the captured images in accordance with parameters received from the knowledge base.

9. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein instructions to announce, comprises instructions to:

generate data corresponding to the identified article and any identified attributes; and

apply speech synthesis to the generated data to announce aloud the article and attributes to the user.

10. The computer program product of claim 1 further instructions to:

determine whether a first article of clothing provides an aesthetically valid match with a subsequently identified article of clothing.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the instructions to determine an aesthetically valid match comprises instructions to:

provide a description of colors and patterns for the first and subsequent articles of clothing; and

retrieve data from a knowledge base containing rules on how to match clothes;

process the information to determine whether the colors and patterns of the first and subsequent articles of clothing provide the aesthetically valid match according to the rules.

12. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprising instructions to:

report to the user whether an aesthetically valid match was determined.

13. A method comprising:

receiving data that specifies a clothing mode to use for processing an image;

accessing a knowledge base to provide data to configure the computer program product for the clothing mode, the data including data specific to the clothing mode;

receiving an image or images of an article of clothing;

processing the image or images to identify patterns in the image corresponding to items of clothing based on information obtained from the knowledge base.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

announcing to the user the identified article of clothing and any identified attributes of the clothing.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein clothing mode parameters include a description of a pattern detected in the fabric of the clothing.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein clothing mode parameters include a description of background colors.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

saving information during operation of the reading machine in the clothing mode for a specific article of clothing, in order to process images faster for a subsequent use of the article of clothing.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving input data corresponding to the scanned clothing;

applying pattern recognition to identify attributes of the clothing by processing the input data corresponding to the captured images in accordance with parameters received from the knowledge base.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

generating data corresponding to the identified article and any identified attributes; and

applying speech synthesis to the generated data to announce aloud the article and attributes to the user.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

determining whether a first article of clothing provides an aesthetically valid match with a subsequently identified article of clothing.

21. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

providing a description of colors and patterns for the first and subsequent articles of clothing; and

retrieving data from a knowledge base containing rules on how to match clothes;

processing the information to determine whether the colors and patterns of the first and subsequent articles of clothing provide the aesthetically valid match according to the rules.

22. A machine comprises:

a processing device;

a computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for causing the processing device to convey information to a user regarding clothing, comprising instructions for causing the machine to;

receive data that specifies a clothing mode to use for processing an image;

access a knowledge base to provide data to configure the computer program product for the clothing mode, the data including data specific to the clothing mode;

receive an image or images of an article of clothing;

process the image or images to identify patterns in the image corresponding to items of clothing based on information obtained from the knowledge base.

23. The machine of claim 22 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to:

announce to the user the identified article of clothing and any identified attributes of the clothing.

24. The machine of claim 22 wherein the machine is a reading machine.

25. The machine of claim 22 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to:

save information during operation of the reading machine in the clothing mode for a specific article of clothing, in order to process images faster for a subsequent use of the article of clothing.

26. The machine of claim 22 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to:

receive input data corresponding to the scanned clothing;

applying pattern recognition to identify attributes of the clothing by processing the input data corresponding to the captured images in accordance with parameters received from the knowledge base.

27. The machine of claim 22 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to:

generate data corresponding to the identified article and any identified attributes; and

apply speech synthesis to the generated data to announce aloud the article and attributes to the user.