Interactive electronic shopping system and method
First Claim
1. An interactive electronic shopping system, comprising:
- means for converting images of a shopping facility into encoded digital signals representing the images as would be seen by a shopper at a physical embodiment of the shopping facility;
means for storing the encoded digital signals in a computer data base, wherein said encoded digital signals are stored in identifiable image segments;
means for displaying a video representation of the shopping facility in response to the stored encoded digital signals;
control means for the shopper to control said means for displaying such that the means for displaying causes the displayed video image to change at the shopper'"'"'s command to correspond to what the shopper would see were the shopper to move through a physical embodiment of the shopping facility; and
means for replacing the encoded digital signals of a selected image segment with different encoded digital signals such that said different encoded digital signals represent a different image for the selected image segment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interactive electronic shopping system and method create a virtual shopping facility from an actual shopping facility, such as a grocery store, restaurant, or office. A shopper at a computer or other suitable display device can move through the virtual shopping facility and see replicas of what would be seen in moving through the actual shopping facility. Various lists of items selected for purchase can be made, and predetermined lists and information can be displayed. Changes in the actual shopping facility, such as a change in a display of goods, can be accommodated by replacing prior data with new data so that the virtual shopping environment is kept current with the actual shopping facility.
584 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An interactive electronic shopping system, comprising:
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means for converting images of a shopping facility into encoded digital signals representing the images as would be seen by a shopper at a physical embodiment of the shopping facility; means for storing the encoded digital signals in a computer data base, wherein said encoded digital signals are stored in identifiable image segments; means for displaying a video representation of the shopping facility in response to the stored encoded digital signals; control means for the shopper to control said means for displaying such that the means for displaying causes the displayed video image to change at the shopper'"'"'s command to correspond to what the shopper would see were the shopper to move through a physical embodiment of the shopping facility; and means for replacing the encoded digital signals of a selected image segment with different encoded digital signals such that said different encoded digital signals represent a different image for the selected image segment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An interactive electronic shopping system, comprising:
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a digital camera to provide in response to an existing actual shopping facility digital signals representing images of actual shopping space of the shopping facility; a central computer data base to store the digital signals, wherein the central computer data base is accessible through the Internet and further wherein the digital signals are stored in identifiable image segments to enable replacement of a selected image segment with different encoded digital signals such that the different encoded digital signals represent a different image for the selected image segment corresponding to a change in the actual shopping space of the shopping facility; a local computer connected to access the central computer data base through the Internet; and a control interface connected to the local computer to enable a shopper to control the local computer such that the local computer obtains data from the central computer data base through the Internet in response to the digital signals stored therein and displays continuous motion video images of the actual shopping space of the shopping facility in response to the obtained data.
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20. A method of providing for interactive shopping by computer, comprising:
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maintaining an existing actual physically embodied shopping facility in which a shopper can purchase from among a plurality of products, including from time-to-time changing the appearance of an actual shopping space of the shopping facility; converting actual images of at least a portion of the actual shopping space of the shopping facility and the plurality of products into encoded digital signals and chancing the encoded digital signals consistent with changes to the appearance of the actual shopping space; storing the encoded digital signals in a computer storage medium; and providing for remote computer communication link access to the stored encoded digital signals such that at least portions of the stored encoded digital signals are selectable and transmissible over the communication link to a computer for displaying, on a monitor of the computer, virtual movement within a continuous motion visual representation of the then-existing actual shopping space of the shopping facility and for permitting examination of visual representations of selected products in response to selected stored encoded digital signals.
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21. A computer-implemented method of simulating movement of a shopper through an existing actual shopping facility to enable an individual to observe, inspect and select a product in the shopping facility through operation of a computer in substantially the same visual manner as if the individual were actually in the shopping facility at that time, said method comprising:
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simulating, for a selected existing actual shopping facility having a known actual configuration of products displayed at the selected shopping facility such that a shopper at the actual shopping facility can move among the displayed products to observe, inspect and select from among the displayed products, the configuration of displayed products in a computer, including translating the known configuration of displayed products into encoded configuration-defining electrical signals in memory of a first computer and using the electrical signals to create in a second computer continuous motion video representations of the configuration of displayed products; indicating, by communication over a computer network communication link between the first computer and the second computer, a shopper'"'"'s selected assumed first position in the shopping facility and displaying through a monitor of the second computer the video representation of the configuration of displayed products from the viewpoint of the first position; and indicating, by communication over the communication link between the first computer and the second computer, a selected assumed continuous change from the first position to a second position and displaying through the monitor of the second computer a changing continuous motion video representation of the configuration of displayed products corresponding to a moving scene the shopper would see in moving from the first position to the second position if the shopper were then actually moving from the first position to the second position in the shopping facility. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A computer-implemented method of simulating movement of a shopper through a shopping facility to enable an individual to observe, inspect and select a product in the shopping facility through operation of a computer, said method comprising:
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selecting a shopping facility having a known configuration of products displayed at the selected shopping facility such that a shopper can move among the displayed products to observe, inspect and select from among the displayed products; simulating the configuration of displayed products in a computer, including translating the known configuration of displayed products into encoded configuration-defining electrical signals in memory of a first computer and using the electrical signals to create in a second computer video representations of the configuration of displayed products; indicating to at least the second computer a first position of a shopper in the shopping facility and displaying through a monitor of the second computer the video representation of the configuration of displayed products at the first position; indicating to at least the second computer a continuous change from the first position to a second position and displaying through the monitor of the second computer a changing video representation of the configuration of displayed products corresponding to a moving scene the shopper would see in moving from the first position to the second position in the shopping facility; storing the encoded configuration-defining electrical signals in the first computer such that identifiable image segments are defined therein; and replacing the encoded configuration-defining electrical signals of a selected image segment with different encoded electrical signals such that the different encoded electrical signals represent a different image for the selected image segment.
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Specification