Method and system of facilitating search by color

• US 8,577,134 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2007
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tirumalareddy, Sundeep, Kolukisaoglu, Hayrettin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarka, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEH, EUENG NAN
• Application Number:
  US11/835,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20090041345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,282 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/165, 345/589, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 382/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/56 Processing of colour picture signals H04N1/52 takes precedence

Abstract

A system and method of facilitating search by color processes an image of an item to obtain its color space parameter values and/or color names based on the color space parameter values, and adds the color space parameter values and/or color names as color attribute of the item. When a user inputs a color as a search criterion, the method searches the color attributes of items, and returns a list of items matching the color selected by the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, in an attribute information database, color parameter values for items;

wherein storing color parameter values for items includes, for each item of a plurality of items, storing, in association with the item, at least one color parameter value that represents a color of the item;

receiving, from a user, a search request identifying a particular color;

querying whether the user is interested in similar colors;

in response to an indication that the user is interested in similar colors;

determining a color parameter value range based on the particular color identified by the search request;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that falls within the color parameter value range; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that fall within the color parameter value range;

in response to an indication that the user is not interested in similar colors;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that exactly matches the particular color identified by the search request; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that exactly match the particular color identified by the search request;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the color parameter value range is set around a plurality of color parameter values that map to a same color name.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items are items that are shown on an online shopping website.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing images of the one or more items to determine the color parameter values.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the color parameter value range is a first range of values for a hue component, a second range of values for a saturation component, and a third range of values for a value component, wherein a color parameter value falls within the color parameter value range if a particular hue component of the color parameter value falls within the first range, a particular saturation component of the color parameter value falls within the second range, and a particular value component of the color parameter value falls within the third range.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the color parameter value range is set by a server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the color in the search request is a color parameter value selected by the user from a color palette.

8. A server, comprising:

a processing unit;

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform;

storing, in an attribute information database, color parameter values for items;

wherein storing color parameter values for items includes, for each item of a plurality of items, storing, in association with the item, at least one color parameter value that represents a color of the item;

receiving, from a user, a search request identifying a particular color;

querying whether the user is interested in similar colors;

in response to an indication that the user is interested in similar colors;

determining a color parameter value range based on the particular color identified by the search request;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that falls within the color parameter value range; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that fall within the color parameter value range;

in response to an indication that the user is not interested in similar colors;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that exactly matches the particular color identified by the search request; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that exactly match the particular color identified by the search request.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the color in the search request is a color parameter value selected by the user from a color palette.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of:

storing, in an attribute information database, color parameter values for items;

wherein storing color parameter values for items includes, for each item of a plurality of items, storing, in association with the item, at least one color parameter value that represents a color of the item;

receiving, from a user, a search request identifying a particular color;

querying whether the user is interested in similar colors;

in response to an indication that the user is interested in similar colors;

determining a color parameter value range based on the particular color identified by the search request;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that falls within the color parameter value range; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that fall within the color parameter value range;

in response to an indication that the user is not interested in similar colors;

searching the attribute information database for items having a color parameter value that exactly matches the particular color identified by the search request; and

in response to the search request, displaying one or more items that are associated with color parameter values that exactly match the particular color identified by the search request.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the color parameter value range is set around a plurality of color parameter values that map to a same color name.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein one or more items are items that are shown on an online shopping website.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further storing instructions that cause performance of:

processing images of the one or more items to determine the color parameter values.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the color parameter value range is a first range of values for a hue component, a second range of values for a saturation component, and a third range of values for a value component, wherein a color parameter value falls within the color parameter value range if a particular hue component of the color parameter value falls within the first range, a particular saturation component of the color parameter value falls within the second range, and a particular value component of the color parameter value falls within the third range.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the color parameter value range is set by a server.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the color in the search request is a color parameter value selected by the user from a color palette.