Method and instrument for selecting personal compatible colors

• US 5,311,293 A
• Filed: 01/29/1993
• Issued: 05/10/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Color Data, LLC
• Original Assignee: Chromatics Color Sciences International, Inc.
• Inventors: MacFarlane, David K., Billmeyer, Fred W., MacFarlane, Darby S.
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANS, FANNIE L
• Application Number:
  US08/013,200
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 356/402, 356/421, 356/422, 356/423, 356/424, 434/98, 434/99, 434/100
• US Class Current: 356/421
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/005 for selecting or displaying personal cosmetic colours or hairstyle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1034 by means of colour cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/448 Hair evaluation, e.g. for hair disorder diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/465 taking into account the colour perception of the eye; using tristimulus detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/52 using colour charts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/524 Calibration of colorimeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/528 using colour harmony theory
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Skin coloration categories are identified based upon blue and yellow undertones of the skin using a color measuring device, developing the Hunter b value, utilizing that value alone to determine which of several categories of skin coloration a subject'"'"'s skin exhibits. Category selection is made by comparison of measured Hunter b with ranges of Hunter b value of skin color categories. Instrumentation to effect the method includes the color measuring device, a central processing unit (CPU), memory storing the ranges of Hunter b, and an output device such as a printer, LCD, or CRT. The skin color Hunter b is calculated and compared to stored ranges to assign a category. The output device displays the category of skin color based upon the central processing unit'"'"'s comparison. Colors compatible with skin color categories are identified or formulated based upon broad color family designation, yellow, brown, red, etc., and a comparison of measured and stored ranges of known or specially developed color characteristics for the particular family.

Claims

1. A color chart bearing representations of product colors, the chart having regions thereon identified solely by skin coloration categories, a plurality of product color representations in each of the categories, each color representation in each category having at least one blue or yellow content adjusting characteristic predetermined to determine compatibility with skin color of the associated skin coloration category in the identified color family of that color representation.