METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VIRTUAL FITTING ROOMS OR HYBRID STORES

• US 20160063588A1
• Filed: 08/28/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Gadre, Akshay, Breslin, Kerri
• Granted Patent: US 10,332,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Disclosed are a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for digital inventories. An application interface module receives a request message from a user device at a physical store location linked to an online marketplace. The request message indicates a request to determine availability of a target item at the physical store location. The user device is linked to a user. In response to the request message, a database management module accesses inventory data of the online marketplace. An inventory engine determines whether the target item is available at the physical store location. Based on a determination that the target item is not available at the target store, a graphics processing module generates a digital representation of the user and the target item for display within a user interface rendered on the user device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an application interface module configured to receive, from a user device at a physical store location linked to an online marketplace, a request message to determine availability of a target item at the physical store location, the user device being linked to a user;

a database management module configured to access, in response to the receiving of the request message, inventory data of the online marketplace;

an inventory engine configured to determine, based on the accessed inventory data, whether the target item is available at the physical store location; and

a graphics processing module, including one or more processors, configured to generate, based on a determination that the target item is not available at the physical store location, a digital representation of the user and the target item, the application interface module being further configured to provide graphical data for display of the digital representation within a user interface rendered on the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the request message includes image data of an identifier of a physical item corresponding to the target item;

the graphics processing module is further configured to process the image data to determine the identifier; and

the inventory engine is configured to determine whether the target item is available at the physical store location by searching the inventory data for an item record matching the identifier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application interface module is configured to provide a graphical indicator for display on a client device linked to the online marketplace and linked to the physical store location, the graphical indicator indicating that the user of the user device provided the request message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory engine is configured to identify the physical store location based on a location of the user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the application interface module is configured to receive data useable to localize the user device, wherein the inventory engine is configured to identify the physical store location based on a location of the user device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application interface module is configured to receive coordinate data of the user device, wherein the inventory engine is configured to identify the physical store location based on coordinates of the user device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the request message includes an identifier of a second item and variation data, wherein the database management module is configured to determine the target item based on the request message by determining an item corresponding to the second item modified by the variation data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the variation data are indicative of modifying at least one of size or color of the second item.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital representation corresponds to a digital avatar of the user, the digital avatar being based on measurement data stored in a user account linked to the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital avatar includes selected personal items of a digital closet linked to a user account the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital representation corresponds to the target item superimposed onto video images of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital representation corresponds to the target item superimposed onto video images of the user, the video images captured by the user device in substantially real time.

13. A computer-implemented method to determine item availability, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user device at a physical store location linked to an online marketplace, a request message to determine availability of a target item at the physical store location, the user device being linked to a user;

accessing, in response to the receiving of the request message, inventory data of the online marketplace;

determining, based on the accessed inventory data, whether the target item is available at the physical store location;

generating, by one or more processors and based on a determination that the target item is not available at the physical store location, a digital representation of the user and the target item; and

providing graphical data for display of the digital representation within a user interface rendered on the user device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising processing image data of an identifier of a physical item corresponding to the target item, the image data being included with the request message, the determining of whether the target item is available at the physical store location includes searching the inventory data for an item record matching the identifier.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further including:

providing a graphical indicator for display on a client device linked to the online marketplace and linked to the physical store location, the graphical indicator indicating that the user of the user device provided the request message.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the identifying of the physical store location is based on a location of the user device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving data useable to localize the user device, wherein the identifying of the physical store location is based on a location of the user device.

18. A machine-readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a user device at a physical store location linked to an online marketplace, a request message to determine availability of a target item at the physical store location, the user device being linked to a user;

accessing, in response to the receiving of the request message, inventory data of the online marketplace;

determining, based on the accessed inventory data, whether the target item is available at the physical store location;

generating, by one or more processors and based on a determination that the target item is not available at the physical store location, a digital representation of the user and the target item; and

providing graphical data for display of the digital representation within a user interface rendered on the user device.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, further embodying instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

processing image data of an identifier of a physical item corresponding to the target item, the image data being included with the request message, the determining of whether the target item is available at the physical store location includes searching the inventory data for an item record matching the identifier.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, further embodying instructions that, when executed by the machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

providing a graphical indicator for display on a client device linked to the online marketplace and linked to the physical store location, the graphical indicator indicating that the user of the user device provided the request message.