Communication service method and communication apparatus thereof for transmitting advertisements in a private communication environment

• US 8,156,014 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2001
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakade, Motoki, Tanaka, Jun, Shiraishi, Yoshito, Kuroda, Etsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer, Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johns, Christopher C
• Application Number:
  US09/817,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20010039520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,033 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/14.67, 705 271- 272, 715/700, 715/705, 715/706, 715/708, 715716-719, 715/730, 715/731, 715/733, 715/764, 345629-634
• US Class Current: 705/27.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• 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 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 : Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 : Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 : Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Each user terminal apparatus is connected with a service business enterprise system by a connection business enterprise system in a state that a live image can mutually be transmitted through the service business enterprise system. An user beforehand sets its live image to be appropriately utilized as an advertisement medium, and chooses selling goods to be advertised. A live image transmitted from the user terminal apparatus of the user who performed the aforesaid setting receives a superposed image, for example, by the superposing the T shirt of the user or the like with the image signal of the selling goods as the advertisement object in the service business enterprise system, and then the processed live image signal is transmitted to the user terminal apparatus of a communication companion. When the communication companion clicks this image signal, the user terminal apparatus of the communication companion is further connected with the sponsor system of the selling goods, and can receive a further explanation of the selling goods and can perform the transactions of the selling goods.

Claims

1. A communication service method comprising the steps of:

connecting a plurality of communication terminal apparatus with each other;

transmitting audio signals and image signals between said plurality of communication terminal apparatus via a transmitting means;

generating third image data by superposing a prescribed area of first image data transmitted from a first communication terminal apparatus utilized by a first user with second image data of one or more products selected by the first user, the first image data including an image of said first user,

wherein the third image data includes an image in which the first user is superposed with the one or more products, uses the one or more products, or holds the one or more products;

detecting at least the first user'"'"'s face, hands, outwear and a position of the first user'"'"'s face, hands, and outwear by using information stored in a database to match feature points that are extracted from the first image data according to luminance and color of the first image data,

wherein the first image data is received from said first user and includes a real-time moving image signal; and

transmitting the third image data to a second communication terminal apparatus utilized by a second user;

wherein, for every selling product, the database includes information of objects that are possible to be superimposed with the selling product and an order of priority for the objects to be selected for a superimposing purpose,

wherein the prescribed area in the first image data is determined based on the feature points of the first image data and a usage of the one or more products,

wherein detailed information of the one or more products is supplied to the plurality of communication terminal apparatus in response to a demand from the plurality of communication terminal apparatus, and

wherein the communication terminal apparatus performs telephone calls, and the transmitting step transmits the third image data to the second communication terminal apparatus over a telephone link when the first communication terminal apparatus and the second communication terminal apparatus are connected for a telephone call, and advertising audio data other than voices of the first user and the second user are added in the audio signals as a background of the telephone call, and

wherein an environment for performing transactions of the one or more products is displayed to the one of said plurality of communication terminal apparatus to which the detailed information is supplied.

2. The communication service method according to claim 1,

wherein said first image data that was received from said one of said plurality of communication terminal apparatus is superposed with said second image data of the one or more products so that said third image data includes an image in which said first user of said communication terminal apparatus is superposed on the one or more products, uses the one or more products or holds the one or more products generated.

3. The communication service method according to claim 1,

wherein a compensation is paid to said first user, wherein said compensation is determined based on a number of times of the transmission of said third image data of the one or more products, a period of time of the transmission, or a predetermined condition for processing concerning the one or more products performed by said first user.

4. The communication service method according to claim 3,

wherein said compensation is paid by money, by countervailing of the consideration with a utility rate of the communication service, or by countervailing of the consideration with money to be paid at a time of prescribed one or more product transactions.

5. The communication service method according to claim 1,

wherein said third image data including an image of said one or more products selectively transmitted to said one of said plurality of communication terminal apparatus depending on the first and second user thereof.

6. The communication service method according to claim 1,

wherein said one or more products included in said third image data are changed in sequence at every series of the connection, at every predetermined period of time, in response to a demand from said one of said plurality of communication terminal apparatus utilized by said first user that generates said first image signal, or in response to a demand from said one of said plurality of communication terminal apparatus utilized by said second user.

7. A communication service apparatus comprising:

communicating means for transmitting and receiving audio data and image data,

wherein the communicating means receives first image data;

detecting means for detecting at least a face, hands, outwear and a position thereof by using information stored in a database to match feature points that are extracted from the first image data according to luminance and color of the first image data;

image data superposing means for generating third image data by superimposing a prescribed area of said first image data with second image data of one or more products selected by the first user, the first image data including an image of the first user,

wherein the third image data includes an image in which the first user is superposed with the one or more products, uses the one or more products, or holds the one or more products; and

wherein the communicating means transmits said third image data;

wherein the first image data is received from said first user and includes a real-time moving image signal,

wherein, for every selling product, the database includes information of objects that are possible to be superimposed with the one or more products and an order of priority for the objects to be selected for a superimposing purpose,

wherein the prescribed area in the first image data is determined based on the feature points of the first image data and a usage of the one or more products,

wherein detailed information of one or more products is supplied to a user upon a request from the user, and

wherein the communicating means transmits the third image data together with data of a telephone call over a telephone link, and advertising audio data other than a voice of the user are added in the audio data as a background of the telephone call, and

wherein an environment for performing transactions of the one or more products is transmitted to the terminal which receives third image data.

8. The communication service apparatus according to claim 7, said apparatus further comprising:

first recording means for recording said second image data, wherein

said image data superposing means generates said third image data by superposing said second image data recorded in said first recording means with said first image data.

9. The communication service apparatus according to claim 8, said apparatus further comprising:

second recording means for recording information including said second image data of said one or more products to be advertised, wherein

said image data superposing means generates said third image data by superposing selected said second image data of said one or more products recorded in said second recording means with said first image data.

10. The communication service apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

third recording means for recording predetermined data concerning actual results of superposing processing of said first image data with said second image data of each user; and

adjusting means for paying consideration to each user based on contents recorded in said third recording means.

11. The communication service apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

fourth recording means for recording data for a hobby and a preference of the user, wherein

said image data superposing means generates said third image data by selecting said image data of said one or more products based on contents recorded in said fourth recording means.

12. The communication service method according to claim 7,

wherein said second image signal includes an image of a user;

and said image data superposing means superposes said first image data with said second image data so that said third image data includes an image superposed on the one or more products.

13. The communication service apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said one or more products included in said third image data are changed at each phone call, after a prescribed time, or in response to a demand from the user.

14. The communication service apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said communicating means further transmits information of more detailed information of said one or more products or a connecting destination of a system which proposes an environment for performing transactions of said one or more products.