SEARCH SUPPORTING SYSTEM, SEARCH SUPPORTING METHOD AND SEARCH SUPPORTING PROGRAM

• US 20130022275A1
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Sasaki, Hideki, Hamada, Tomohide, Inoue, Hideya, IWAOKA, Toru, HATORI, Masayuki, NOBORISAKA, Michiko, Iwasaki, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/195
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• 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 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

In a database, product image data is accumulated. A search portion acquires product image data having the image characteristics information that is the same as or similar to the image characteristics information that indicates the characteristics of the image of input image data from the database for the input image data. A search server outputs information on another product that is different from the product corresponding to the product image data together with the product image data acquired by the search portion.

Claims

1. A search supporting system comprising:

a database in which product image data is accumulated; and

a search portion that acquires the product image data having image characteristics information that is the same as or similar to the image characteristics information representing the characteristics of an image of input image data for the input image data from the database,

wherein information on another product that is different from a product corresponding to product image data is output together with the product image data that is acquired by the search portion.

2. The search supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the another product is a product that can be combined with the product corresponding to the product image data that is acquired by the search portion.

3. The search supporting system according to claim 2, wherein composed image data acquired by composing the image of the product image data that is acquired by the search portion and an image of the product image data corresponding to the another product is output.

4. The search supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the image characteristics information includes at least one of the form, the color, the shape, and the texture.

5. The search supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the information on the product includes at least one of product image data, the name of the product, a sales store that sells the product, and the price of the product.

6. The search supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the product includes at least one of goods, an electro-chemical product, furniture, a drawing, a building including a store or a company, a plant, an animal, real estate, and a landscape.

7. A method of supporting a search, the method comprising:

a search process for acquiring product image data having image characteristics information that is the same as or similar to the image characteristics information that represents the characteristics of an image of input image data for the input image data from a database; and

a process for outputting information on another product that is different from a product corresponding to the product image data together with the product image data that is acquired by the search process.

8. A computer-executable search supporting program that allows a computer to perform the operations of:

a search process for acquiring product image data having image characteristics information that is the same as or similar to the image characteristics information that represents the characteristics of an image of input image data for the input image data from a database; and

a process for outputting information on another product that is different from a product corresponding to the product image data together with the product image data that is acquired by the search process.

9. A search supporting system comprising:

a database in which target image data for a target searched by a user is accumulated;

an extraction portion that extracts a searching portion of input image data that has been input;

a search portion that acquires the target image data that coincides with or has high similarity for image data of the searching portion from the target image data from the database by comparing image characteristics information that represents the characteristics of an image of the image data of the searching portion with image characteristics information that represents the characteristics of an image of the target image data that is included in the database.

10. The search supporting system according to claim 9, further comprising a type determining portion that determines the type of the target corresponding to the searching portion,

wherein the search portion performs a search for the target image data based on the type that is determined by the type determining portion.

11. The search supporting system according to claim 10, further comprising a preference extracting portion that accumulates determination results acquired by displaying a plurality of the target image data of other targets that are the same type as that of the target determined by the type determining portion and are different from the target and allow the user to select determination on likes or dislikes of the other targets that are different from the target in the database as preference information.

12. The search supporting system according to claim 11, wherein the preference information includes at least one of the form, the color, the shape, and the texture.

13. The search supporting system according to claim 9,

wherein target information is stored in the database to be in association with the target image data, and

wherein the target information associated with the target image data that found by the search portion is output.

14. The search supporting system according to claim 13, wherein the target information includes at least one of a name, a sales store, and a price.

15. The search supporting system according to claim 9, wherein the target image data of another target that is different from the searching target is output together with the target image data that is acquired by the search portion.

16. The search supporting system according to claim 15, wherein the type of the another target is the same as that of the searching target.

17. The search supporting system according to claim 15, wherein the type of the another target is different from that of the searching target.

18. The search supporting system according to claim 9, further comprising a combination extracting portion that extracts the target image data of a target of a different type that can be combined with a target corresponding to the target image data that is acquired by the search portion from the database,

wherein the target image data that is extracted by the combination extracting portion is output.

19. The search supporting system according to claim 18, further comprising a preference extracting portion that accumulates determination results acquired by displaying a plurality of the target image data of other targets that are the same type as that of the target determined by the type determining portion and are different from the target and allow the user to select determination on likes or dislikes of the other targets that are different from the target in the database as preference information,

wherein the combination extracting portion extracts the target image data of the target of a different type that can be combined based on the preference information that is accumulated in the database.

20. The search supporting system according to claim 19, wherein the combination extracting portion extracts the target image data of the target having the preference information that coincides with the preference information accumulated in the database and the target image data of the target having the preference information that is extremely opposite to the preference information accumulated in the database.

21. The search supporting system according to claim 18,

wherein the combination extracting portion generates composed image data acquired by composing the image of the target image data that is acquired by the search portion and the target image data that has been extracted, and

wherein the composed image data that is generated by the combination extracting portion is output.

22. The search supporting system according to claim 9, further comprising a combination extracting portion that extracts the target image data of the target of a different type that can be purchased in combination with the target corresponding to the target image data that is acquired by the search portion with high probability from the database,

wherein the target image data that is extracted by the combination extracting portion is output.

23. The search supporting system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a user terminal that is a user'"'"'s terminal; and

a server device,

wherein the extracting portion is included in the user terminal,

wherein the database and the search portion are included in the server device, and

wherein the user terminal has a transmission portion that transmits the image data of the searching portion extracted by the extraction portion to the server device.

24. The search supporting system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a user terminal that is a user'"'"'s terminal; and

a server device,

wherein the extracting portion is included in the user terminal,

wherein the database, the search portion, and the type determining portion are included in the server device, and

wherein the user terminal has a transmission portion that transmits the image data of the searching portion extracted by the extracting portion to the server device.

25. The search supporting system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a user terminal that is a user'"'"'s terminal; and

a server device,

wherein the extracting portion is included in the user terminal,

wherein the database, the search portion, and the preference extracting portion are included in the server device,

wherein the user terminal has a transmission portion that transmits the image data of the searching portion extracted by the extracting portion to the server device,

wherein the server device has a transmission portion that transmits a plurality of the target image data of a type, which is the same as the type of the target determined by the type determining portion, of targets different from the target to the user terminal, and

wherein the preference extracting portion extracts the user'"'"'s preference information based on the target image data that is selected by the user terminal from the plurality of the target image data and is received through the transmission portion of the user terminal.

26. The search supporting system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a user terminal that is a user'"'"'s terminal; and

a server device,

wherein the extracting portion is included in the user terminal,

wherein the database and the search portion are included in the server device,

wherein the user terminal has a transmission portion that transmits the image data of the searching portion extracted by the extracting portion to the server device, and

wherein the server device has a transmission portion that transmits the target information corresponding to the target image data searched by the search portion to the user terminal.

27. The search supporting system according to claim 18, further comprising:

a user terminal that is a user'"'"'s terminal; and

a server device,

wherein the extracting portion is included in the user terminal,

wherein the database, the search portion, and the combination extracting portion are included in the server device,

wherein the user terminal has a transmission portion that transmits the image data of the searching portion extracted by the extracting portion to the server device, and

wherein the server device transmits the target image data that is extracted by the combination extracting portion to the user terminal.

28. The search supporting system according to claim 23, wherein the input image data is image data that is input by the user terminal.

29. The search supporting system according to claim 23, wherein the input image data is stored in the user terminal in advance and is the image data selected in the user terminal.

30. A method of supporting a search, the method comprising:

an extraction process for extracting a searching portion of a target from input image data that has been input; and

a search process for extracting the target image data that coincides with or is highly similar to the image data within the searching portion by comparing the image data within the searching portion and the target image data that is accumulated in the database from the database.

31. A computer-executable search supporting program that allows a computer to perform the operations of:

an extraction process for extracting a searching portion of a target from input image data that has been input; and

a search process for extracting the target image data that coincides with or is highly similar to the image data within the searching portion by comparing the image data within the searching portion and the target image data that is accumulated in the database from the database.