IMAGE CAPTURE FOR PURCHASES

• US 20110320317A1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuan, Jian, Jing, Yushi
• Application Number:
  US13/222,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320317A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• 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

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-implemented item identification method that includes identifying an item in an image received from a remote electronic device; transmitting search results containing information about the item for one or more vendors of the item; and transmitting to the remote device code for executing an order for the item from the one or more vendors of the item.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method performed by one or more computing devices, comprising:

receiving an image over a computer network, the image comprising an object and having feature points that distinguish the object;

obtaining feature points from the received image;

comparing obtained feature points from the received image to feature points of images stored in an image library comprised of images having previously-obtained feature points, wherein images stored in the library have metadata tags that identify at least one aspect of the images;

identifying, based on the comparing, an image from the image library that is a candidate for matching the object, the candidate having at least some feature points in common with the received image;

associating metadata tags from the candidate image with the object;

using the metadata tags to conduct an online search for information relevant to the object;

outputting at least some of the information for use in generating a graphical display on a computing device;

receiving a response to the graphical display; and

performing an action in reply to the response.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the object is a first object, and the response comprises receiving a second image comprising a second object;

and

wherein performing the action comprises repeating the obtaining, comparing, identifying, associating, using, and outputting using the second image in place of the first image and the second object in place of the first object.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the response comprises receiving an information command, the information command requesting additional information about an item included in the graphical display;

and

wherein performing the action comprises;

identifying a type of the item;

conducting a second online search for the type of the item; and

outputting results of the second online search for using in generating a second graphical display.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the response comprises receiving a command to provide more results;

and

wherein performing the action comprises outputting more of the information for use in generating a graphical display.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the graphical display comprises a product for purchase, the product corresponding substantially to the object;

and

wherein performing the action comprises;

authenticating a purchaser of the product;

identifying a vendor of the product and communicating with the vendor regarding purchase of the product;

transmitting a checkout page to a computing device of the purchaser, the checkout page identifying at least the product, the vendor, and a price of the product;

receiving confirmation of purchase from the computing device via the checkout page; and

initiating the purchase.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein obtaining the feature points comprises performing optical character recognition on text associated with the object.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the image is part of a collection of images received over the computer network, the images in the collection comprising objects and having feature points that distinguish the objects;

wherein obtaining comprises obtaining feature points from the images in the collection;

wherein comparing comprises comparing obtained feature points from the images in the collection to feature points of images stored in the image library; and

wherein identifying comprises identifying the image from the library that is a candidate for matching the objects, the candidate having at least some feature points in common with the images in the collection.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the received image is a first image, the object is a first object, and the response comprises receiving a second image comprising a second object;

and

wherein performing the action comprises;

obtaining feature points from the second image;

comparing obtained feature points from the second image to feature points of images stored in the image library; and

identifying an image from the image library that is a candidate for matching both the first object and the second object, the candidate having at least some feature points in common with the first object and the second object.

29. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

identifying an object in an image received via a computer network, the object being identified by comparing display elements of the received image to display elements of other images that are part of an image library;

extracting descriptive tags from an image in the image library having display elements that correspond, at least in part, to the display elements of the received image;

performing a search of online sites for objects having at least one feature in common with the object in the received image, the search being performed using the extracted descriptive tags; and

outputting results of the search for display on a computing device, the results comprising objects having at least one feature in common with the object in the received image.

30. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 29, wherein the object comprise a product for purchase;

and

wherein the operations further comprise outputting, along with the results of the search, information for generating purchase buttons on a display screen, the purchase buttons being associated with products that are part of the search results and being operable to initiate purchase of the products.

31. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 29, wherein the object in the received image is a first object;

and wherein the operations further comprise;

in response to the search results, receiving a second image having a second object that has at least one feature in common with the first object;

using one or more descriptive tags associated with the second image to refine the search; and

outputting additional search results obtained via the refined search.

32. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 29, wherein the descriptive tags comprise metadata tags, and wherein the display elements comprise feature points, the feature points comprising at least one of (i) an area of the image that changes suddenly, and (ii) text contained in the image.

33. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 29, wherein the descriptive tags are extracted from more than one image in the image library having display elements that correspond, at least in part, to the display elements of the received image.

34. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying plural objects in plural images received via the computer network, the plural objects being identified by comparing display elements of the received plural images to display elements of other images that are part of the image library;

wherein extracting comprises extracting the descriptive tags from one or more images in the image library having display elements that correspond, at least in part, to display elements of the received plural images.

35. A system comprising:

a feature point generator to identify feature points in an image received via a computer network, the received image comprising an object distinguished by the feature points, the feature points corresponding to at least one of text in the image relating to the object and a variation between a feature of the object and features bounding the object;

an image comparator to compare feature points of the received image to feature points of other images that are part of an image library, and to identify a candidate image in the image library having at least some feature points that correspond to feature points of the received image, the candidate image having descriptive tags stored in association therewith in the image library; and

a search engine to (i) to perform an online search using at least some of the descriptive tags for objects having at least one feature in common with the object in the received image, the at least one feature being defined by the at least some of the descriptive tags, and (ii) to output results of the online search for display on a computing device, the results comprising one or more objects having at least one feature in common with the object in the received image;

wherein the feature point generator, image comparator, and the search engine are executable on one or more processing devices.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the one or more objects comprises a product for purchase;

and

wherein the system further comprises;

a payment authenticator to authenticate a purchaser of the product;

a transaction module to identify a vendor of the product and to communicate with the vendor regarding purchase of the product; and

a checkout interface module to transmit a checkout page to a computing device of the purchaser, the checkout page identifying at least the product, the vendor, and a price of the product, and to receive confirmation of purchase from the computing device via the checkout page.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the search engine is configured to output, along with the results of the online search, information for generating purchase buttons for display on a display screen, the purchase buttons being associated with the one or more objects and being operable to initiate purchase of the one or more objects.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the feature point generator is configured to identify feature points in plural images received via a computer network, the received image being among the plural received images, the received images comprising objects distinguished by the feature points, the feature points corresponding to at least one of text in the image relating to an object and a variation between a feature of the object and features bounding the object;

wherein the image comparator is configured to compare feature points of the received images to feature points of other images that are part of the image library, and to identify the candidate image in the image library having at least some feature points that correspond to feature points of the received images, the candidate image having descriptive tags stored in association therewith in the image library; and

wherein the search engine is configured (i) to perform an online search using at least some of the descriptive tags for objects having at least one feature in common with the objects in the received images, the at least one feature being defined by the at least some of the descriptive tags, and (ii) to output results of the online search for display on a computing device, the results comprising one or more objects having at least one feature in common with the objects in the received images.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein the received image is a first image and the object in the received image is a first object;

wherein the feature point generator is configured to identify second feature points in a second image received via a computer network, the second image comprising a second object distinguished by the second feature points;

wherein the image comparator is configured to compare second feature points of the second image to feature points of other images that are part of an image library, and to identify a second candidate image in the image library having at least some feature points that correspond to second feature points of the second image, the second candidate image having second descriptive tags stored in association therewith in the image library; and

wherein the search engine is configured (i) to perform an online search using at least some of the first descriptive tags and at least some of the second descriptive tags for objects having at least one feature in common with the first object, the at least one feature being defined by the at least some of the first descriptive tags and at least some of the second descriptive tags, and (ii) to output results of the online search for display on a computing device, the results comprising one or more objects having at least one feature in common with the first object in the first image.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein, in response to a command from the computing device, the feature point generator is configured to identify second feature points in second image via a computer network, the second image comprising a second object distinguished by the second feature points;

wherein the image comparator is configured to compare second feature points of the second image to feature points of other images that are part of an image library, and to identify a second candidate image in the image library having at least some feature points that correspond to second feature points of the second image, the second candidate image having second descriptive tags stored in association therewith in the image library; and

wherein the search engine is configured (i) to perform an online search using at least some of the second descriptive tags for objects having at least one feature in common with the second object, the at least one feature being defined by the at least some of the second descriptive tags, and (ii) to output results of the online search for display on a computing device, the results comprising one or more objects having at least one feature in common with the second object in the second image.