System and method for search with the aid of images associated with product categories

• US 8,892,594 B1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Inventors: Khafizov, Farid, Khafizova, Margarita
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Application Number:
  US13/168,540
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 707/704, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof

Abstract

The present application describes performing a user initiated search query comprising receiving user input comprising description details of at least one desired object, retrieving a plurality of objects from a database sharing one or more of the description details of the user input, retrieving an image of the at least one desired object based on one or more of the plurality of objects, generating a contour of the image and comparing the generated contour with other related contours of other images stored in the database, displaying all of the available contours of all of the images that match the generated contour, receiving a selection of one of the available contours from the user and performing the search query based on the user selected contour.

Claims

1. A method of performing a user initiated search query, the method comprising:

receiving, via a receiver, user input comprising description details of at least one desired object;

retrieving a plurality of objects from a database sharing one or more of the description details of the user input;

retrieving an image of the at least one desired object based on one or more of the plurality of objects;

identifying at least one contour image stored in the database as a category relevant to the image;

comparing the at least one contour image to an edge of the image to identify a matching factor between the at least one contour image and a corresponding contour of the image;

displaying, via the processor, all available contours of all images that match the corresponding contour of the image;

receiving, via the receiver, a selection of one of the available contours from the user; and

performing the search query based on the user selected contour.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

constructing a tree data structure based on the description details of the plurality of objects, the tree data structure comprising one or more attributes related to each of the plurality of objects retrieved.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if no image is available of the at least one desired object, displaying categories of at least one value attribute of a level of the tree data structure that does not include images;

determining whether additional levels of the tree data structure are available that the user has not yet viewed; and

if so, displaying additional categories of the at least one value attribute of another level of the tree data structure that does not include images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user initiated search query is performed via a user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user input is a description of a desired product.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the categories of the at least one value attribute and the additional categories of the at least one value attribute include at least one numeric predefined attribute value comprising at least one of a product price range, product warranty period, product length, and product weight.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is at least one of text, audio and a digital image.

8. An apparatus configured to performing a user initiated search query, the apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive user input comprising description details of at least one desired object; and

a processor configured to

retrieve a plurality of objects from a database sharing one or more of the description details of the user input,

retrieve an image of the at least one desired object based on one or more of the plurality of objects,

identify at least one contour image stored in the database as a category relevant to the image;

comparing the at least one contour image to an edge of the image to identify a matching factor between the at least one contour image and a corresponding contour of the image;

display all of available contours of all images that match the corresponding contour of the image,

receive and process a selection of one of the available contours from the user, and

perform the search query based on the user selected contour.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to construct a tree data structure based on the description details of the plurality of objects, the tree data structure comprising one or more attributes related to each of the plurality of objects retrieved.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein if no image is available of the at least one desired object, the processor is configured to display categories of at least one value attribute of a level of the tree data structure that does not include images, and determine whether additional levels of the tree data structure are available that the user has not yet viewed, and if so, to display additional categories of the at least one value attribute of another level of the tree data structure that does not include images.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the categories of the at least one value attribute and the additional categories of the at least one value attribute include at least one numeric predefined attribute value comprising at least one of a product price range, product warranty period, product length, and product weight.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user initiated search query is performed via a user interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user input is at least one of text, audio and a digital image.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the user input is a description of a desired product.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform a user initiated search query, the processor being further configured to perform:

receiving user input comprising description details of at least one desired object;

retrieving a plurality of objects from a database sharing one or more of the description details of the user input;

identifying at least one contour image stored in the database as a category relevant to the image;

comparing the at least one contour image to an edge of the image to identify a matching factor between the at least one contour image and a corresponding contour of the image;

displaying, via the processor, all available contours of all images that match the corresponding contour of the image;

receiving a selection of one of the available contours from the user; and

performing the search query based on the user selected contour.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

constructing a tree data structure based on the description details of the plurality of objects, the tree data structure comprising one or more attributes related to each of the plurality of objects retrieved.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

if no image is available of the at least one desired object, displaying categories of at least one value attribute of a level of the tree data structure that does not include images;

determining whether additional levels of the tree data structure are available that the user has not yet viewed; and

if so, displaying additional categories of the at least one value attribute of another level of the tree data structure that does not include images.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user initiated search query is performed via a user interface.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the user input is at least one of text, audio and a digital image.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the user input is a description of a desired product.