Apparatus and method of conducting a transaction in a virtual environment

• US 9,225,880 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frances Barbaro Altieri
• Original Assignee: Barbaro Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Altieri, Frances Barbaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh M
• Application Number:
  US13/629,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20130088615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for conducting a transaction—such as the purchase of goods and services—including the collection, conversion, storage, tagging and the integration of a live inventory system, mark-up, mark-down system, live auction, and bartering system in an interactive software application, virtual world, social network, commercial and/or game application, which provides a real world experience to the user.

Claims

1. An image capturing system comprising:

an input device having a unique serial number, which captures images and transfers said images in image files to an inventory storage device;

wherein said inventory storage device is one of internal to said input device or on a separate storage system;

wherein said input device embeds a description set onto each of said captured images;

a polling mechanism which polls at least said input device to determine when said input device is a duplicate input device;

wherein when said polling mechanism determines that said input device is not a duplicate input device, said description set is embedded onto each of said captured images;

a formatting mechanism which formats data of said captured images, such that said captured images can be displayed in a virtual environment in which a user interacts;

a tagging mechanism which tags each of said captured images with a removable ticket inventory identification, such that each of said captured images displays said ticket inventory identification in said virtual environment; and

a GPS system which is used to locate at least one of vendors, merchandise, sale booths, auctions, locations of store markdowns, or avatars using a thematic application environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said description set includes a device serial number, vendor identification (ID) and/or any type of unique ID differentiating each of said captured images from another of said captured images.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said ID is non-removable.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said ticket inventory identification includes at least one of an item name, date, time, color, type, vendor, class, size, price and vendor identification or serial number.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when said ticket inventory identification is a duplicate, a unique inventory number is provided.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured images are converted to at least one of line art, halftone, hologram, or 3D image based on a setting selected on said input device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said captured images are in a line art form or form designed for game play.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein a user can select one of said captured images and view an actual article, and covert said view back to an image view.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a tracking mechanism attached to an article, which allows tracking of an article tagged by said tracking mechanism.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said tracking mechanism includes one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag or chip, a bar code, a metallic ink, company thread, company anti-counterfeiting dust, ink, or GPS system.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an image capturing system which projects an image of a user, and configures and projects said captures images onto said image of said user.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein a hologram is used to project said captured images.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said tagging mechanism marks down merchandise.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein a signal is generated when said ticket inventory identification is removed, to create another ticket inventory identification.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a voice activation system, which is incorporated into an auction application.

4. An image capturing system comprising:

an input device having a unique serial number, which captures images and transfers said images in image files to an inventory storage device;

wherein said inventory storage device is one of internal to said input device or on a separate storage system;

wherein said input device embeds a description set onto each of said captured images;

a polling mechanism which polls at least said input device to determine when said input device is a duplicate input device;

wherein when said polling mechanism determines that said input device is not a duplicate input device, said description set is embedded onto each of said captured images;

a formatting mechanism which formats data of said captured images, such that said captured images can be displayed in a virtual environment in which a user interacts; and

a tagging mechanism which tags each of said captured images with a removable ticket inventory identification, such that each of said captured images displays said ticket inventory identification in said virtual environment;

wherein when said polling mechanism determines that said input device is a duplicate input device, said description set is amended for user approval.

12. An image capturing system comprising:

an input device having a unique serial number, which captures images and transfers said images in image files to an inventory storage device;

wherein said inventory storage device is one of internal to said input device or on a separate storage system;

wherein said input device embeds a description set onto each of said captured images;

a polling mechanism which polls at least said input device to determine when said input device is a duplicate input device;

wherein when said polling mechanism determines that said input device is not a duplicate input device, said description set is embedded onto each of said captured images;

a formatting mechanism which formats data of said captured images, such that said captured images can be displayed in a virtual environment in which a user interacts;

a tagging mechanism which tags each of said captured images with a removable ticket inventory identification, such that each of said captured images displays said ticket inventory identification in said virtual environment; and

an intelligent sensor which sends a signal to activate a thematic environment for processing at least one of a store, inventory, hologram/avatar of the owner/sales associate, merchandise, transactions/purchasing, or store walkthrough.

18. A method of capturing images comprising:

capturing images using an input device having a unique serial number, and transferring files of said captured images to an inventory storage device;

embedding said captured images with a description set;

polling said input device to determine when said input device is a duplicate input device;

wherein when said input device is not a duplicate input device, said description set is embedded onto each of said captured images;

formatting data of said captured images such that said captured images can be displayed in a virtual environment in which a user interacts; and

tagging each of said captured images with a removable ticket inventory identification, such that each of said captured images displays said ticket inventory identification in said virtual environment; and

locating at least one of vendors, merchandise, sale booths, auctions, locations of store markdowns, or avatars using a thematic application environment, using a GPS system.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing a program having a set of executable instructions comprising:

capturing images using an input device having a unique serial number, and transferring files of said captured images to an inventory storage device;

embedding said captured images with a description set;

polling said input device to determine when said input device is a duplicate input device;

wherein when said input device is not a duplicate input device, said description set is embedded onto each of said captured images;

formatting data of said captured images such that said captured images can be displayed in a virtual environment in which a user interacts; and

tagging each of said captured images with a removable ticket inventory identification, such that each of said captured images displays said ticket inventory identification in said virtual environment; and

locating at least one of vendors, merchandise, sale booths, auctions, locations of store markdowns, or avatars using a thematic application environment, using a GPS system.