Commercial shape search engine

• US 8,126,907 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NextPat Limited
• Original Assignee: NextEngine, Inc.
• Inventors: Knighton, Mark S., Agabra, David S., DeLaurentis, Peter J., McKinley, William D., Moyer, Todd C.
• Primary Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US10/911,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,765 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707 9- 10, 600/407, 705/10
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Embodiments including a system for searching through a database using two or three dimensional data or data derived from the two three dimensional data. The database may be populated by searching a network environment to compile two dimensional image or three dimensional model data. A search for two or three dimensional data may be utilized to determine related advertisements that may be shown on a results page in connection with the search results. A database being searched may contain pricing data related to products that are associated with two or three dimensional data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data over a distributed network, the data including at least one of a two dimensional raster image and information automatically derived from the two dimensional raster image; and

defining a search specification based on the received data at least in part by identifying a target in the two dimensional raster image data and masking data that is not part of the target;

conducting a search using the search specification;

identifying advertising data relating to at least one of the specification and the information found by the search; and

displaying the advertising data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein conducting a search comprises:

comparing the search specification to a plurality of aspects of a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) digital models; and

selecting a 3D digital model as a search result if comparison of the specification with an aspect achieves a match within a confidence interval.

3. A method comprising:

receiving data over a distributed network, the data including at least one of a two dimensional digital photographic image and information automatically derived from the two dimensional digital photographic image; and

defining a search specification based on the received data at least in part by identifying a target in the two dimensional digital photographic image data and masking data that is not part of the target;

conducting a search using the search specification;

identifying advertising data relating to at least one of the specification and the information found by the search; and

displaying the advertising data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein conducting a search comprises:

comparing the search specification to a plurality of aspects of a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) digital models; and

selecting a 3D digital model as a search result if comparison of the specification with an aspect achieves a match within a confidence interval.

5. A method comprising:

identifying a node on a distributed network containing an unmapped data;

accessing the node to identify within the unmapped data a three dimensional digital content (3D content);

analyzing the 3D content to extract attributes of interest;

creating a record of the attributes together with a link to the node;

storing the record on a resource connected to the distributed network; and

organizing the record within a plurality of records based on the attributes to facilitate searching the plurality of records.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein organizing comprises:

indexing the records.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the 3D content includes information relating to an image of a surface of a subject of the content.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein indexing comprises:

identifying a number of links to the node and ranking the node at least in part based on the number of links.