Previewing system and method

• US 7,062,454 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1999
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pangram Acquisitions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Jarbridge Incorporated
• Inventors: Giannini, Robert, Parkinson, Joseph L., Hoover, David S., Kimock, Fred M., Barkley, Leslie L., Kowalchuk, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US09/307,261
• Time in Patent Office: 2,595 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/26.81
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 2007/195 Virtual display of clothes on the wearer by means of a mirror, screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A method and system for previewing accessories prior to purchasing is disclosed. In one embodiment a first image of a portion of a person can be provided to an input device. Then, a second image including an image of an accessory is selected from an electronic database of accessory images. After obtaining the first and second images, data of the first and second images are used to generate data of a composite image, preferably on a server computer. The composite image is displayed on an output device and includes an image of the accessory on the person. The input device, the output device, and the client computer can be located at a first location, while the server computer is located at a second location. In this image, the accessory can be previewed by the customer before purchasing the accessory. Preferably, the accessories include sunglasses, jewelry, eyeglasses or other personal fashion items, which are purchased over the Internet or at a kiosk in communication with the Internet.

Claims

1. A method for previewing an accessory to be worn by a person, the method comprising:

providing a first image to an input device at a first location, the first image including at least a portion of the person;

transmitting data of the first image to a server computer at a second location, the server computer being linked to different accessory-provider computer sites respectively having different accessories for viewing;

selecting a second image from an electronic database of images on or accessible to the server computer, the second image comprising an image of one of the accessories to be worn on the portion of the person in the first image;

generating data of a composite image from the data of the first image and data of the second image with the server computer, the composite image including the accessory worn on the portion of the person; and

displaying the composite image on an output device at the first location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting data of the first image to a server computer comprises transmitting the data over the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first image comprises the face of the person, and wherein selecting the second image is performed in accordance with the person'"'"'s interpupil distance.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising purchasing the accessory after displaying the composite image.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

manipulating data of the first image to modify a size of the first image to correspond to a template having a predetermined size, and wherein selecting the second image comprises using the template to select the second image.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

manipulating data of the first image to modify a size of the first image to correspond to a template having a predetermined size, and wherein generating data of the composite image comprises using data of the template to generate data of the composite image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessory comprises sunglasses.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a third image of a background setting prior to generating data of a composite image, and wherein generating data of a composite image comprises generating data of a composite image from the data of the first image, data of the second image, and data of the third image.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the input device comprises a digitai camera.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessory comprises cosmetics or jewelry.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first location includes a kiosk.

12. A method for previewing a pair of sunglasses to be worn by a person, the method comprising:

providing a first image to an input device at a first location, the first image including at least a face portion of the person;

transmitting data of the first image to a server computer at a second location;

selecting a second image from an electronic database of images on or accessible to the server computer, the second image comprising an image of a pair of sunglasses to be worn on the portion of the person in the first image;

generating data of a composite image from the data of the first image and data of the second image with the server computer, the composite image including the pair of sunglasses worn on the portion of the person;

displaying the composite image on an output device at the first location; and

displaying a shaded image, wherein a shade of the shaded image corresponds to a shade seen by a person wearing the pair of sunglasses.

13. A method for previewing an article, the method comprising:

providing data of a first image of at least a portion of an intended recipient of the article to a server computer, the server computer being linked to different article-provider computer sites respectively having different articles for viewing;

selecting a second image from an electronic database of images, the second image comprising an image of one of the articles to be worn on the portion of the intended recipient in the first image;

generating data of a composite image illustrating the article being worn on said portion from the data of the first image and data of the second image with the server computer;

transmitting the data of the composite image from the server computer to a client computer; and

displaying the composite image on an output device in communication with the client computer.

14. The method of claim 13, whrein the article comprises sunglasses.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the output device is located at the customer'"'"'s home.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the client computer is located at a kiosk.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising manipulating data of the first image so that the first image is modified and corresponds to a template.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising selecting plural article images from the database with the template and displaying the plural article images.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein transmitting the data of the composite image from the server computer to the client computer comprises transmitting the data of the composite image from the server computer to the client computer via the Internet.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein displaying the composite image on the output device comprises displaying the composite image on a Web page.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein providing data of the first image comprises retrieving data of the first image from an information storage medium on or accessible to the server computer.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the intended recipient of the article is a customer.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein the article comprises jewelry or cosmetics.

24. The method of claim 13 further comprising manually entering data of an intended recipient'"'"'s body parameters, selecting a plurality of article images from the electronic database of images in accordance with the data of the intended recipient'"'"'s body parameters, and displaying the plurality of article images.

39. The system of claim 22 wherein the intended recipient is a customer.

25. A system for previewing an accessory, the system comprising:

an input device for receiving a first image, wherein the first image includes an image of at least a portion of a person;

a client computer operatively coupled to the input device;

a server computer including a first computer program for selecting data of a second image from an electronic database of images, the server computer being linked to different accessory-provider computer sites respectively having different accessories for viewing, the second image comprising an image of one of the accessories to be worn on the portion of the person in the first image, and a second computer program for generating data of a composite image illustrating the accessory being worn on said portion of a person from data of the first image and data of the second image, wherein the server computer is operatively coupled to the client computer; and

an output device for displaying the composite image, wherein the output device is operatively coupled to the client computer,

wherein the input device, client computer, and the output device are at a first location and wherein the server computer is located at a second location.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the server compuer and the client computer are operatively coupled via the Internet.

27. The system of claim 25 further comprising a firewall between the server computer and the client computer.

28. The system of claim 25 further comprising an Internet service provider intermediate between the client computer and the server computer.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the server computer comprises a third computer program for processing purchases.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein the accessory comprises sunglasses.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the server computer comprises a third computer program for selecting a background image from an electronic database of background images.

32. A system for previewing an accessory, the system comprising:

an information storage medium comprising a first electronic database of images of people;

a server computer, the server computer being linked to different accessory-provider computer sites respectively having different accessories for viewing, and the server computer including (i) a first computer program for selecting a first image from the first electronic database, the first image comprising an image of an intended recipient of an accessory, (ii) a second computer program for selecting a second image from a second electronic database, the second image comprising an image of one of the accessories to be worn on the intended recipient in the first image and (iii) a third computer program for generating data of a composite image illustrating the accessory being worn on the intended recipient from the data of the first image and data of the second image;

a client computer for receiving the data of the composite image, wherein the client computer is operatively coupled to the server computer; and

an output device for displaying the composite image. wherein the output device is operatively coupled to the client computer.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the client computer and the server computer are operatively coupled via the Internet.

34. The system of claim 32 further comprising an input device operatively coupled to the client computer.

35. The system of claim 32 wherein the accessory comprises sunglasses.

36. The system of claim 32 further comprising a kiosk, wherein the client computer is at the kiosk.

37. The system of claim 32 wherein the server computer further comprises:

a fourth computer program for processing a purchasing transaction.

38. The system of claim 32 wherein the information storage medium includes two or more databases, each of the databases containing different accessories.

40. The method of claim 32 wherein the computer sites are electronic databases.