CUSTOM HAIR COLORING FORMULATION

• US 20110313885A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eSalon.com, LLC (Henkel AG & Co KGaA)
• Original Assignee: eSalon.com, LLC (Henkel AG & Co KGaA)
• Inventors: Mourad, Tamim, Mourad, Omar, Gimenez, Francisco, Rosenberg, Cory
• Granted Patent: US 8,655,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

There is disclosed a method for custom hair coloring formulation. The method includes accepting user input of user characteristics including natural hair color, current hair coloring, hair treatments, hair coloring characteristics and hair treatment characteristics. The method further includes accepting user input of desired hair coloring and identifying a hair colorant suitable to create the desired hair coloring in view of the user characteristics. An order is then generated for the hair colorant.

Claims

1. A method for custom hair coloring formulation using a computer comprising:

accepting user input of user characteristics including natural hair color, current hair coloring and hair treatments;

identifying unavailable hair colors and available hair colors, the unavailable colors and the available hair colors identified based upon the user characteristics;

providing indicia of the available hair colors to the user;

accepting user input of desired hair color selected from among the available hair colors;

identifying automatically a hair colorant suitable to create the desired hair color in view of the user characteristics; and

receiving an order for the hair colorant.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the accepting user input of user characteristics further includes accepting a time of the last hair coloration, hair coloring characteristics, hair treatment characteristics, a current length of the hair, and a current style of hair.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hair colorant includes a base color and a tone and further wherein the base color is to be applied in one step and the tone is to be applied in another step.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the accepting user input of natural hair color, current hair coloring and desired hair coloring includes accepting user selections with reference to a table of hair colors visible on a computer display.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

processing the order for the hair colorant to thereby identify and request shipment of the hair colorant; and

shipping the hair colorant according to the order.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the user inputs are accepted via a plurality of web pages and further wherein on each of the plurality of web pages, the user is presented with a number of options from which to choose.

7. An apparatus for custom hair coloring formulation comprising a server for:

accepting user input of user characteristics including natural hair color, current hair coloring, hair treatments, hair coloring characteristics and hair treatment characteristics;

identifying unavailable hair colors and available hair colors, the unavailable colors and the available hair colors identified based upon the user characteristics;

providing indicia of the available hair colors to the user;

accepting user input of desired hair coloring, the desired hair coloring selected from among the available hair colors;

identifying a hair colorant suitable to create the desired hair coloring in view of the user characteristics; and

generating an order for the hair colorant.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the accepting user input of user characteristics further includes the time of the last hair coloration, hair coloring characteristics, hair treatment characteristics and the current length of the hair and the current style of hair.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the hair colorant includes a base color and a tone and further wherein the base color is to be applied in one step and the tone is to be applied in another step.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the accepting user input of natural hair color, current hair coloring and desired hair coloring includes user selection with reference to a table of hair colors visible on a computer display.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:

a distribution system for processing the order for the hair colorant to thereby identify and request shipment of the hair colorant; and

a shipping system for preparing the shipment of the hair colorant according to the order.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of the user input are accepted via a web page and further wherein at each of the user input acceptance stages, the user is presented with a number of options from which to choose.

13. Apparatus comprising a storage medium storing program instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

accept user input of user characteristics including natural hair color, current hair coloring and hair treatments;

identify unavailable hair colors and available hair colors, the unavailable colors and the available hair colors identified based upon the user characteristics;

provide indicia of the available hair colors to the user;

accept user input of desired hair coloring, the desired hair coloring selected from among the available hair colors;

identify a hair colorant suitable to create the desired hair coloring in view of the user characteristics; and

generate an order for the hair colorant.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the instruction to accept user input of user characteristics further includes the time of the last hair coloration, the time of the last hair treatment, hair coloring characteristics, hair treatment characteristics and the current length of the hair and the current style of hair.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the hair colorant includes a base color and an tone and further wherein the base color is to be applied in one step and the tone is to be applied in another step.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the instruction to accept user input of natural hair color, current hair coloring and desired hair coloring includes user selection with reference to a table of hair colors visible on a computer display.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

process the order for the hair colorant to thereby identify and request shipment of the hair colorant; and

generate a shipping request in order to ship the hair colorant according to the order.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein each of the user input are accepted via a web page and further wherein at each of the user input acceptance stages, the user is presented with a number of options from which to choose.