METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING REAL-TIME PRODUCT AND VENDOR IDENTIFICATION

• US 20130179303A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Petrou, David, Adam, Hartwig, Neven, Hartmut, Garcia-Barrio, Laura
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enabling dynamic product and vendor identification and the display of relevant purchase information are described herein. According to embodiments of the invention, a recognition process is executed on sensor data captured via a mobile computing device to identify one or more items, and to identify at least one product associated with the one or more items. Product and vendor information for the at least one product is retrieved and displayed via the mobile computing device. In the event a user gesture is detected in response to displaying the product and vendor information data, processing logic may submit a purchase order for the product (e.g., for an online vendor) or contact the vendor (e.g., for an in-store vendor).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing sensor data via a sensor with a mobile computing device, the sensor data including at least one of image data or audio data;

transmitting the sensor data to a server device;

receiving purchase information data from the server device for at least one product identified from the sensor data;

augmenting a live view display of the mobile computing device to display the purchase information data for the least one product;

detecting a user gesture in response to displaying the purchase information data; and

transmitting a purchase order to the server device in response to detecting the user gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a user wearable computing device including a head mounted display.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a user head motion while the purchase information data for the at least one product is displayed on the head mounted display.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user wearable computing device comprises a head mounted gaze tracking device, the method further comprising:

detecting the user gazing at the displayed purchase information data for the at least one product past a threshold time value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sensor data includes image data identifying a plurality of items, and the method further comprises:

transmitting gaze direction information to the server device along with the sensor data for identifying the at least one product from the sensor data based on the gaze direction information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase information includes review information associated with the at least one product.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting location data identifying a location of the mobile computing device to the server device along with the sensor data;

wherein the received purchase information includes data identifying vendors proximate to the location of the mobile computing device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

capturing sensor data via a sensor with a mobile computing device, the sensor data including at least one of image data or audio data;

transmitting the sensor data to a server device;

receiving purchase information data from the server device for at least one product identified from the sensor data;

augmenting a live view display of the mobile computing device to display the purchase information data for the least one product;

detecting a user gesture in response to displaying the purchase information data; and

transmitting a purchase order to the server device in response to detecting the user gesture.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a user wearable computing device including a head mounted display.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

detecting a user head motion while the purchase information data for the at least one product is displayed on the head mounted display.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the user wearable computing device comprises a head mounted gaze tracking device, the method further comprising:

detecting the user gesture comprises detecting the user gazing at the displayed purchase information data for the at least one product past a threshold time value.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the sensor data includes image data identifying a plurality of items, the method further comprising:

transmitting gaze direction information to the server device along with the sensor data for identifying the at least one product from the sensor data based on the gaze direction information.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the purchase information includes review information associated with the at least one product.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

transmitting location data identifying a location of the mobile computing device to the server device along with the sensor data;

wherein the received purchase information includes data identifying vendors proximate to the location of the mobile computing device.

15. -28. (canceled)