Enhancing Touch and Feel on the Internet

• US 20060218055A1
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott C Harris
• Original Assignee: Scott C Harris
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,973 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/20 Packaging, e.g. boxes or containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system for enabling touch and feel over the internet provides a three-dimensional representation of a good being sold, that three-dimensional representation being viewable from a number of different directions. In one embodiment, the good being sold is in a package and the package is displayed from the number of different directions. Another embodiment has the good being a book, and the inside and outside covers of the book are displayed and specified pages of the book can be displayed. The user can read from either the label or the covers just like as if the were actually handling the good.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a simulated three-dimensional image, comprising:

first, obtaining a simulated three-dimensional representation of an object, which represents the object from multiple points of view, each of said multiple points of view being formed from a discrete image of the object;

sending a first of said discrete images over a network to a client over the network, in a form that allows displaying said discrete image on said client;

detecting a request for a different view from said client over the network; and

displaying said different view.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising loading at least one other discrete image in the background, while a first discrete image is being displayed.

3. A method as in claim 1, further comprising loading an additional image indicative of an additional view when requested.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein each of said views comprise compressed image versions.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein there are n images representing different views from different discrete angles, further comprising loading a default image first, displaying said default image, and, after the default image is loaded, loading the other n−

1 images in the background.

6. A method as in claim 5, further comprising displaying, on the client, a rotation requesting key which is activated to request rotation of a view being seen.

7. A method as in claim 6, further comprising:

detecting

a request for rotation;

determining a different image which would be seen based on the requested rotation; and

returning said different image responsive to the request.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the representation is product packaging.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein the network is the internet.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein the product is a book.

11. A method as in claim 8, wherein the product is a product in a bottle.

12. A method as in claim 1, further comprising determining different parts of the packaging, storing an image of the first part of the packaging using a first compression technique and storing an image of a second part of the packaging using a second compression technique different than the first compression technique.

13. A method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of images representing information about contents of a book, at least some of said images including readable information;

detecting a request for specific book information from a client, over a network;

determining a previous number of requests from said client about said book; and

sending said information to said client.

14. A method as in claim 13, further comprising determining if said number of requests is greater than a predetermined number, and sending said information only if said number is not greater than said predetermined number.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein said information comprises images of a jacket of the book, and images of text on the jacket of the book.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein said information further comprises information about pages of the book.

17. A method as in claim 13, wherein said information on pages of the book includes text information.

18. A method as in claim 13, wherein one of said images comprises multiple zones of information including a first zone of decorative information and a second zone of readable information, said first and second zones being stored in different ways.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein said second zone of readable information is stored as text.

20. A method as in claim 18, wherein said first zone of decorative information is stored as a compressed image.

21. A method as in claim 14, wherein said network is the internet.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a client computer, connected to a network, said client computer operating to display a first image indicative of a reduced resolution version of an image to be displayed, and a second image indicative of an increased resolution version of information to be displayed, said second image comprising three-dimensional information, and

a process, running in said client computer, which first displays said first information, and second loads said second information while said first information is being loaded.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising a network server which stores said images.

24. An apparatus as in claim 23 wherein said network server stores a reduced quality three-dimensional image and an increased quality three-dimensional image.