Method of determining skin type, choosing skin care products and procedures and promoting skin care products
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of assigning a diagnostic phenotype to a human user of skin care products whereina questionnaire consisting of four sets of questions is administered to the user, wherein each set is a condition-specific pairing of skin parameters, each condition-specific pairing consisting of two phenotypes, said pairings being selected from (i) a phenotype of oily skin (designated by the letter O) or a phenotype of dry skin (designated by the letter D), (ii) a phenotype of sensitive skin (designated by the letter S) or a phenotype of resistant skin (designated by the letter R), (iii) a phenotype of pigmented skin (designated by the letter P) or a phenotype of non-pigmented skin (designated by the letter N), and (iv) a phenotype of tight skin (designated by the letter T) or a phenotype of wrinkled skin (designated by the letter W),wherein for each set of condition-specific pairings of skin parameters, the user answers a first question for the pairing, the answer to the first question for the pairing is assigned a numerical score and, based on the user'"'"'s answer to the first question for the pairing, the user is asked at least one follow-up question, where each answer to each of the at least one follow-up question is assigned a numerical score, and the scores for each pairing are totaled and, based on a total score for the skin parameter, the user is assigned a phenotype from each of the four pairings.
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Abstract
The invention comprises a system and method for assigning a skin type and/or hair type to an individual, where a preferred example is one of sixteen hair types and one of sixteen skin types. The hair or skin type score uses at least four factors related to the condition of the skin or hair, or a section of it. The invention also comprises using the hair type and skin type scores assigned to an individual to recommend or suggest certain skin and/or hair care products, as well as skin and/or hair care products that can be avoided. A preferred embodiment employs the skin or hair type in an online marketing, web-based sales network, or other computer-implemented or electronic interface, so that customers can use skin or hair type scores to receive information about products, ingredients, or to buy recommended products in a variety of ways.
8 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of assigning a diagnostic phenotype to a human user of skin care products wherein
a questionnaire consisting of four sets of questions is administered to the user, wherein each set is a condition-specific pairing of skin parameters, each condition-specific pairing consisting of two phenotypes, said pairings being selected from (i) a phenotype of oily skin (designated by the letter O) or a phenotype of dry skin (designated by the letter D), (ii) a phenotype of sensitive skin (designated by the letter S) or a phenotype of resistant skin (designated by the letter R), (iii) a phenotype of pigmented skin (designated by the letter P) or a phenotype of non-pigmented skin (designated by the letter N), and (iv) a phenotype of tight skin (designated by the letter T) or a phenotype of wrinkled skin (designated by the letter W), wherein for each set of condition-specific pairings of skin parameters, the user answers a first question for the pairing, the answer to the first question for the pairing is assigned a numerical score and, based on the user'"'"'s answer to the first question for the pairing, the user is asked at least one follow-up question, where each answer to each of the at least one follow-up question is assigned a numerical score, and the scores for each pairing are totaled and, based on a total score for the skin parameter, the user is assigned a phenotype from each of the four pairings.
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10. A method of assigning a diagnostic skin type to a human user consisting of the steps of administering a questionnaire to the user, said questionnaire assessing four sets of condition-specific questions, wherein the user answers answer denominated “
- a”
, “
b”
, “
c”
, “
d”
or “
e”
, wherein each questionnaire answer is assigned a numerical score, and the scores for each set of condition-specific questions are totaled to assign the user a diagnostic skin type having four parameters, wherein(i) a first parameter of the diagnostic skin type assigns a phenotype of oily skin (designated by the letter O) or dry skin (designated by the letter D) and is based on the user'"'"'s responses to the following eleven questions (1) two to three hours after washing her/his face, but not applying any moisturizer, sunscreen, toner, powder, or other products, the user is asked to describe the appearance or feel of her/his forehead and cheeks by selecting one of the following four answers, where (a) is very rough, flaky, or ashy, (b) is tight, (c) is no reflection of light and well hydrated and (d) is shiny with reflection of bright light; (2) the user is asked to select the frequency her/his face appears shiny, from one of four answers, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently (d) is always; (3) two or three hours after applying a facial makeup foundation, but no powder, the user is asked to describe the appearance of her/his makeup by selecting one of the following five answers, where (a) is flaky or caked in wrinkles, (b) is smooth, (c) is shiny, (d) is streaked and shiny and, if the user does not wear a facial makeup foundation she/he answers (e); (4) when in a low humidity environment, and the user does not use moisturizers or sun-screen, the user is asked to select one of the following five answers to describe the appearance or feel of her/his facial skin, where (a) is feels very dry or cracks, (b) is feels tight, (c) is feels normal, (d) is looks shiny or the user does not believe she/he needs to use moisturizer, and the user answers (e) if none of the foregoing apply; (5) when the user looks in a magnifying mirror, she/he is asked how to grade the number of large pores, the size of the end of a pin or greater, that she/he sees by selecting one of the following four answers, where (a) is none, (b) is a few in the t-zone (forehead and nose) only, (c) is many, and (d) is a very large number; (6) the user is asked to describe her/his facial skin by selecting one of the following four characterizations where (a) is dry, (b) is normal, (c) is combination and (d) is oily; (7) after cleansing her/his facial skin with a soap that suds, bubbles, and foams vigorously, the user is asked to describe how her/his skin feels after cleansing by selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) indicates skin that feels dry or cracks, (b) indicates skin that feels slightly dry but does not crack, (c) indicates skin that feels normal, and (d) indicates skin that feels oily, and where a user does not use soap or other foaming cleansers, because such use makes her/his skin feel dry, the user is instructed to select (a); (8) if the user does not use a facial moisturizer, she/he is asked to specify the frequency her/his facial skin feels tight by selecting one of the following four responses, where (a) is always (b) is sometimes, (c) is rarely and (d) is never; (9) the user is asked to specify the frequency she/he has clogged pores (blackheads or whiteheads) by selecting one of the following four responses, where (a) is never (b) is rarely, (c) is sometimes and (d) is always; (10) the user is asked to specify the frequency her/his face is oily in the t-zone (forehead and nose) by selecting one of the following four responses, where (a) is never (b) is rarely, (c) is sometimes and (d) is always; (11) two to three hours after applying moisturizer to her/his cheeks, the user is asked to describe the appearance or feel of her/his cheeks by selecting from one of four answers where (a) is very rough, flaky, or ashy, (b) smooth, (c) is slightly shiny, and (d) is shiny and slick, and where the user does not use moisturizer, she/he is instructed to select (d); and
wherein the user assigns 1 point for every “
a”
answer, 2 points for every “
b”
answer”
, 3 points for every “
c”
answer, 4 points for every “
d”
answer, and 2.5 points for every “
e”
answer; and
further whereinthe user adds her/his scores, and if the user'"'"'s total score is between 17-44, the user is diagnosed as having an oily skin phenotype (O), and if the user'"'"'s score is between 11-16, the user is diagnosed as having a dry skin phenotype (D), and a first parameter of the diagnostic skin type of O or D is assigned; and (ii) a second parameter of the diagnostic skin type assigns a phenotype of sensitive (designated by the letter S) or resistant (designated by the letter R) and is based on the user'"'"'s responses to the following eighteen questions (1) the user is asked to describe the frequency of red bumps on her/his face by selecting one of the following four characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) is at least once a month and (d) is at least once a week; (2) the user is asked to describe the frequency when using skin products that she/he breaks out, or experiences a rash, itch, or sting on her/his face by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) often and (d) always, and the user is instructed to select (e) if she/he does not wear skincare products on her/his face; and (3) the user is asked to whether she/he has ever been diagnosed with acne or rosacea by selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is no, she/he does not have acne or rosacea (b) the user has been told by a friend or acquaintance that she/he has acne or rosacea, (c) yes, she/he does have acne or rosacea, (d) yes, she/he does have severe acne or rosacea, and (e) if the user is unsure whether she/he has acne or rosacea; (4) the user is asked to how often she/he gets a rash when wearing jewelry that is not 14-carat gold, by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) is often, (d) is always and (e) is unsure; (5) the user is asked to how often application of a sunscreen make her/his skin itch, burn, break out, or turn red by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) is often, (d) is always and (e) the user never wears sunscreen; (6) the user is asked whether she/he has ever been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis by selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) the user does not have atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis (b) the user has been told by a friend that she/he has atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis, (c) the user has atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis, (d) the user has severe atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis and (e) if the user is unsure whether she/he has atopic dermatitis, eczema, or contact dermatitis; (7) the user is asked to how often she/he gets a rash when wearing jewelry that is not 14-carat gold, by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) is often, (d) is always and (e) is unsure; (8) the user is asked the frequency that Fragranced bubble bath, massage oil, or body lotions make her/his skin break out, itch, or feel dry, by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is never, (b) is rarely, (c) is often, (d) is always and (e) these products are never used, but the user is instructed to select (d) if lack of use or these products is related to skin that breaks out, itches, or feels dry; (9) the user is queried whether she/he can you use the soap provided in hotels on your body or face without a problem, and responds by selecting one of the following five responses, where (a) is yes, (b) is most of the time, I don'"'"'t have a problem, (c) is no, my skin itches, turns red, or breaks out, (d) is I would not use hotel soap because of too many problems in the past, and (e) is unsure, because the user travels with her/his own soap when staying in a hotel; (10) the user is asked whether someone in her/his family has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis or eczema by selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) indicates no member of the user'"'"'s family has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis or eczema, (b) indicates one family member has been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis or eczema, (c) indicates several family members have been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis or eczema, (d) indicates many of the user'"'"'s family members have dermatitis, eczema, asthma, and/or allergies, and (e) is unsure; (11) the user is asked to describe what occurs if she/he uses scented laundry detergents or static control sheets in the dryer, by selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is, “
My skin is fine”
, (b) is “
My skin feels slightly dry, (c) is “
My skin itches, (d) is My skin itches or gets a rash, and (e) is “
unsure”
because scented laundry detergents or static control sheets in the dryer have not been used;(12) the user is asked to characterize the frequency her/his face and/or neck gets red after moderate exercise, and/or with stress or a strong emotion, such as anger, by selecting from selecting one of the following four characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always; (13) the user is asked how often she/he gets red and flushed after drinking alcohol by selecting from selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always, or the user does not drink because she/he becomes flushed and red after drinking alcohol, and (e) the user never drinks alcohol; (14) the user is asked how often she/he gets red and flushed after eating spicy or hot (temperature) foods or beverages drinking alcohol by selecting from selecting one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always, and (e) is the user never eats spicy food, but the user is instructed to select (d) if she/he does not eat spicy or hot food because of facial flushing; (15) the user is asked how many visible red or blue broken blood vessels on her/his face and nose does she/he have, or did she/he have prior to a skincare treatment, by selecting from one of the following four characterizations, where (a) is none, (b) is one to three on entire face including nose, (c) is four to six on entire face including nose, and (d) is more than seven on entire face including nose; (16) the user is asked to describe how often her/his face looks red in photographs, by selecting from one of the following four characterizations, where (a) is never, or the user has not noticed redness, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always; (17) the user is queried about the frequency that others ask if she/he is sunburned, even when she/he is not sunburned, by selecting from one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always, and (e) is “
I always am sunburned”
;(18) the user is queried about the frequency she/he experiences redness, itching, or swelling from makeup, sunscreen, or skin care products, by selecting from one of the following five characterizations, where (a) is never, (b) is sometimes, (c) is frequently, and (d) is always, and (e) indicates the user does not use makeup, sunscreen, or skin care products, but the user is instructed to select (d) if she/he does not use these products because of redness, itching, or swelling; and
whereinthe user assigns 1 point for every “
a”
answer, 2 points for every “
b”
answer”
, 3 points for every “
c”
answer, 4 points for every “
d”
answer, and 2.5 points for every “
e”
answer; and
further whereinthe user adds her/his scores, and if the user has received a diagnosis of acne, rosacea, contact dermatitis, or eczema from a dermatologist, the user adds 5 points to her/his score, or if the user has received a diagnosis of acne, rosacea, contact dermatitis, or eczema from a physician other than a dermatologist, the user adds 2 points to her/his score, and if the user'"'"'s total score is between 30-72, the user is diagnosed as having a sensitive skin phenotype (S), and if the user'"'"'s score is between 17-29, the user is diagnosed as having a resistant skin phenotype (R), and a second parameter of the diagnostic skin type of S or R is assigned; and
wherein(iii) a third parameter assigns a phenotype of pigmented (designated by the letter P) or non-pigmented (designated by the letter N) and is based on the user'"'"'s responses to the following thirteen questions (1) after she/he has a pimple or ingrown hair, the user is queried about the frequency it is followed by a dark, brownish/black spot, and is asked to select from one of the following five characterizations, (a) never, (b) sometimes, (c) frequently, (d) always and (e) the user never gets pimples or ingrown hairs; (2) the user is asked to describe how long a brown, not pink, mark remains after the user cuts herself/himself by selecting one of the following four characterizations, (a) the user does not develop a brown mark, (b) a week, (c) a few weeks, and (d) months (3) the user is queried about the number of dark spots the appeared on her face when she was pregnant, using birth control pills, or taking hormone replacement therapy and is asked to select one of the following five answers, where (a) is none, (b) is one, (c) is a few, (d) is a lot, and (e) indicates that the question is not applicable because the user is male or has never been pregnant, or taken birth control pills, or taken hormone replacement therapy; (4) the user is queried about whether she/he has any dark spots or patches on the upper lip or cheeks, or whether she/he had any dark spots or patches on the upper lip or cheeks that were removed where, and the user is asked to select one of the following four answers (a) is none, (b) indicates the user is uncertain, (c) indicates the dark spots or patches are, or were, slightly noticeable, (d) indicates the dark spots or patches are, or were, very noticeable; (5) in response to a question whether dark spots on her/his face become more pronounced when exposed to the sun, the user is asked to select one of the following five characterizations, where (a) the user has no dark spots, (b) user is unsure, (c) the dark spots become “
slightly worse”
, (d) the dark spots become “
a lot worse” and
(e) the user wears sunscreen on her/his face every day, but if the user uses sunscreen daily because of concern about developing dark patches or freckles, the user is instructed to answer (d);(6) the user is queried about whether she/he has been diagnosed with melasma, tan or brown patches, on her/his face and is asked to select one of the following four responses, where (a) is no, (b) is once, but the melasma, tan or brown patches went away, (c) is yes, (d) is yes, a servere case and (e) the user is unsure; (7) the user is queried about the number of small brown spots (freckles or sun spots) on her/his face, chest, back, or arms and is asked to select one of the following five response, where (a) is none, (b) is one to five, (c) is six to fifteen and (d) is sixteen or more; (8) when exposed to sun for the first time in several months, the user is asked to characterize her/his skin'"'"'s response from one of the following four responses (a) burns only, (b) burns then gets darker, (c) gets darker, and (d) the user'"'"'s skin is already dark so it is hard to see if it gets darker. (9) when the user is exposed to many consecutive days of sun exposure, she/he is asked to characterize her/his skin'"'"'s response from one of the following five responses (a) the user'"'"'s skin sunburns and blisters, but her/his skin does not change color, (b) the user'"'"'s skin becomes slightly darker, (c) the user'"'"'s skin becomes much darker, (d) the user'"'"'s skin is already dark so it is hard to see if it gets darker, and (e) unsure; (10) the user is queried about the number of freckles, defined as small 1-2 mm, pinpoint-sized flat spots, that she/he develops when exposed to sun, and the user is asked to characterize her/his skin'"'"'s response from one of the following five responses (a) the user never develops freckles, (b) the user develops a few new small freckles each year, (c) the user develops new freckles often, (d) the user'"'"'s skin is already dark so it is hard to see if she/he has freckles, and (e) the user does not go in the sun; (11) the user is asked to describe whether either of her/his parents have freckles, and, if so, the number of freckles by selecting one of the following five characterizations (a) neither parent had freckles (b) one or both parent(s) had a few freckles on the face, (c) one or both parent(s) had a many freckles on the face, (d) one or both parent(s) had a many freckles on the face, chest, neck, and shoulders and (e) unsure; (12) the user is asked to describe her/his natural hair color from the group consisting of (a) blonde, (b) brown, (c) black and (d) red; (13) the user is asked to describe whether she/he or any of her/his immediate family members have a history of melanoma by selecting one of the following five response (a) no, (b) one immediate family member, (c) more than one immediate family member, (d) the user has melanoma, and (e) unsure; and
further whereinthe user assigns 1 point for every “
a”
answer, 2 points for every “
b”
answer”
, 3 points for every “
c”
answer, 4 points for every “
d”
answer, and 2.5 points for every “
e”
answer; and
further whereinthe user adds her/his scores, and if the user has dark spots on her/his skin in areas of sun exposure, the user add five points to her/his score, and if the user'"'"'s total score is between 29-52, the user is diagnosed as having a pigmented phenotype (P), and if the user'"'"'s score is between 13-28, the user is diagnosed as having a non-pigmented phenotype (N), and a third parameter of the diagnostic skin type of P or N is assigned; and (iv) a fourth parameter of the diagnostic skin type assigns a phenotype of wrinkled skin (designated by the letter W) or tight skin (designated by the letter T) and is based on the user'"'"'s responses to the following twenty questions, (1) when asked whether she/has facial wrinkles, the user selects one of the following five responses, (a) no wrinkles, not even with facial muscle movements such as smiling, frowning, or lifting my eyebrows, (b) wrinkles only with facial movements, such as smiling, frowning, or lifting my eyebrows, (c) wrinkles with facial muscle movement and a few wrinkles when the user is not smiling, frowning, or lifting brows, (d) wrinkles are present even if the user is not smiling, frowning, or lifting brows; (2) when asked about the appearance of her/his mother'"'"'s facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses (a) five to ten years younger than her age, (b) her age, (c) five years older than her age, (d) more than five years older than her age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (3) when asked about the appearance of her/his father'"'"'s facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses (a) five to ten years younger than his age, (b) his age, (c) five years older than his age, (d) more than five years older than his age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (4) when asked about the appearance of her/his maternal grandmother'"'"'s facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses, the maternal grandmother looked (a) five to ten years younger than her age, (b) her age, (c) five years older than her age, (d) more than five years older than her age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (5) when asked about the appearance of her/his maternal grandfather'"'"'s facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses, the maternal grandfather looked (a) five to ten years younger than his age, (b) his age, (c) five years older than his age, (d) more than five years older than his age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (6) when asked about the appearance of her/his paternal grandmothers facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses, the paternal grandmother looked (a) five to ten years younger than her age, (b) her age, (c) five years older than her age, (d) more than five years older than her age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (7) when asked about the appearance of her/his paternal grandfather'"'"'s facial skin, the user selects one of the following five responses, the paternal grandfather looked (a) five to ten years younger than his age, (b) his age, (c) five years older than his age, (d) more than five years older than his age, or (e) not applicable, because the user was adopted or cannot remember; (8) when asked about the number of years in which the user'"'"'s skin was tanned for more than two times per week, the user selects from one of the four following responses (a) never, (b) one to five years, (c) five to ten years, and (d) more than ten years; and (9) when asked whether she/he has tanned two weeks per year or less, the user selects from one of the four following responses (a) never, (b) one to five years, (c) five to ten years, and (d) more than ten years; (10) when asked how much lifetime sun exposure the user experienced, the user selects one of the four following responses (a) little, (b) some, (c) moderate and (d) a lot; (11) when asked how the user thinks she/he looks, the user responds by selecting (a) one to five years younger than her/his age, (b) her/his age, (c) five to ten years older than her/his age, and (d) more than ten years older than her/his age; (12) when asked to characterize the frequency during the last five years the user has allowed her/his skin to tan either intentionally or unintentionally through outdoor sports or other activities, the user responds by selecting (a) never, (b) once a month, (c) once a week or (d) daily; (13) when asked to characterize the frequency the user has been on a tanning bed, the user responds by selecting (a) never, (b) one to five times, (c) five to ten times or (d) many times; (14) when asked how many cigarettes she/he has smoked, or been exposed to, the user responds by selecting (a) none, b) a few packs, (c) several to many packs, (d) she/he smoke everyday, (e) the user has never smoked but has lived, been raised by, or worked with people who regularly smoke in her/his presence; (15) the user is asked to characterize the air quality where she/he resides from (a) the air is fresh and clean all of the year, (b) the air is fresh and clean for part, but not all of the year, (c) the air is slightly polluted, (d) the air is very polluted; (16) the user is asked to describe the frequency of her/his use of facial creams containing a retinoid by selecting (a) many years, (b) occasionally, (c) once for acne when I was younger and (d) never; (17) the user is asked to describe frequency with which she/he eats fruits and vegetables by selecting (a) at every meal, (b) once a day, (c) occasionally, and (d) never; (18) the user is asked to describe over her/his lifetime, the percentage of her/his daily diet that has consisted of fruits and vegetables from (a) 75-100 percent, (b) 25-75 percent, (c) 10-25 percent, and (d) 0-10 percent; (19) the user is asked to describe her/his natural skin color from (a) dark, (b) medium tone, (c) light, (d) very light; (20) the user is asked to describe her/his ethnicity from (a) African-American/Caribbean/Black, (b) Asian/Indian/Mediterranean, (c) Latin-American/Hispanic and (d) Caucasian;
whereinthe user assigns 1 point for every “
a”
answer, 2 points for every “
b”
answer”
, 3 points for every “
c”
answer, 4 points for every “
d”
answer, and 2.5 points for every “
e”
answer; and
further whereinthe user adds her/his scores, and if the user is sixty-five years of age or older, the user add five points to her/his score, and if the user'"'"'s total score is between 20-40, the user is diagnosed as having an pigmented phenotype (T), and if the user'"'"'s score is between 41-85, the user is diagnosed as having a non-pigmented phenotype (W), and a fourth parameter of the diagnostic skin type of W or T is assigned.
- a”
- 11. A method of assigning a diagnostic skin type skin selected from sixteen, diagnostic skin types, each having a four-letter designation and selected from OSPW, OSNW, OSPT, OSNT, ORPW, ORNW, ORPT, ORNT, DSPW, DSNW, DSPT, DSNT, DRPW, DRNW, DRPT, or DRNT to a human user consisting of the steps of administering a questionnaire to the user, said questionnaire assessing four sets of condition-specific questions, in which the answers are input into, and a score is output by, via an electronic device, a terminal or a computer, or through an online network.
Specification
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Current AssigneeLeslie S. Baumann
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Original AssigneeLeslie S. Baumann
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InventorsBaumann, Leslie S.
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Application NumberUS14/025,546Publication NumberTime in Patent OfficeDaysField of SearchUS Class Current600/300CPC Class CodesA61B 5/441 Skin evaluation, e.g. for s...G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation...G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided...
