Multilevel silhouettes in an online shopping environment

• US 9,846,903 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Kundu, Rini
• Primary Examiner(s): Civan, Ethan D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shui, Ming
• Application Number:
  US13/852,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Selecting a first silhouette image of an item at a client machine displays a plurality of silhouette images representing aspects of the item such as style, length type and sleeve type. Selecting any of those aspects allows a server to search a database for listings of similar items that have those aspects. Concurrently selecting one or more of the images representing those aspects and one or more sizes, allows a server to search a database for listings of similar items that have those aspects and those sizes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

using a server, providing at least one first user-selectable silhouette image of an item for rendering on a user interface at a client machine and an electronic signal which, when activated, causes the at least one first user-selectable silhouette image to move its position on the user interface to uncover space on the user interface;

detecting activation of the electronic signal at the client machine;

responsive to detecting the activation of the electronic signal, searching a database for a plurality of images representing aspects of the item;

presenting for rendering at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, at least some of the plurality of images representing the aspects of the item, as user-selectable silhouette images;

detecting the selection of one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable silhouette images representing the aspects and, responsive to detecting the selection, querying a database for a listing of the item that includes at least one of the aspects; and

presenting for rendering on the user interface at the client machine a listing of the item that includes at least one of the represented aspects.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the at least one first user-selectable silhouette image of an item comprises a plurality of first user-selectable silhouette images of the item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing for rendering at the client machine a grayed-out image indicating that no image representing the aspects of the item was found.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting concurrent selection of (1) one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects and (2) at least one user-selectable interface element representing a feature comprising one of size of the item, brand of the item, price of the item, condition of the item, format of the sale, or seller type, and

responsive to detecting the concurrent selection, searching the database for images of the item that include the at least one of the aspects represented by the plurality of user-selectable images and the represented feature.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the aspects comprise one of style, length type, and sleeve type.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the rendering of at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects of the item, at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, comprises communicating to the client machine a second electronic signal to render, at the client machine, the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects of the item at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine.

7. One or more computer-readable hardware storage device having stored therein a set of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

providing at least one first user-selectable image of an item for rendering on a user interface at a client machine and an electronic signal which, when activated, causes the at least one first user-selectable image to move its position on the user interface to uncover space on the user interface;

detecting activation of the electronic signal at the client machine;

responsive to detecting the activation of the electronic signal, searching a database for a plurality of images representing aspects of the item;

rendering at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, at least some of the plurality of images representing the aspects of the item, as user-selectable images;

detecting the selection of one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects and, responsive to detecting the selection, querying a database for listings of the item that include at least one of the aspects; and

rendering at the user interface at the client machine listings of the item that include at least one of the represented aspects.

8. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7 wherein the at least one first user-selectable image of an item comprises a plurality of first user-selectable images of the item.

9. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7 wherein the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects of the item comprise silhouette images.

10. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7 further comprising providing for rendering at the client machine a grayed-out image indicating that no image representing the aspects of the item was found.

11. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting concurrent selection of (1) one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects and (2) at least one user-selectable interface element representing a feature comprising one of size of the item, brand of the item, price of the item, condition of the item, format of the sale, or seller type, and

responsive to detecting the concurrent selection, searching the database for images of the item that includes the at least one of the aspects represented by the plurality of user-selectable images and the represented feature.

12. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7 wherein the aspects comprise one of style, length type, and sleeve type.

13. The one or more computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 7 wherein the rendering of at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects of the item, at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, comprises communicating to the client machine a second electronic signal to render, at the client machine, the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images representing the aspects of the item at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine.

14. A system comprising one or more hardware processors configured to include:

a transmit module configured to provide at least one first user-selectable silhouette image of an item for display on a user interface at a client machine and an electronic signal which, when activated, causes the at least one first user-selectable silhouette image to move its position on the user interface to uncover space on the user interface;

a detection module configured to detect activation of the electronic signal at the client machine; and

a search module configured to search a database for a plurality of images that represent aspects of the item, responsive to detection of the activation of the electronic signal,

wherein the transmit module is further configured to provide for display at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, at least some of the plurality of images that represent aspects of the item, as user-selectable silhouette images,

wherein the detection module is further configured to detect the selection, at the client machine, of one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable silhouette images that represent aspects of the item,

wherein the search module is further configured to search, responsive to the detection of the selection, the database for listings of the item that includes at least one of the represented aspects, and

wherein the transmit module is further configured to provide, for display at the user interface at the client machine, listings of the item that include at least one of the represented aspects, responsive to finding listings of the item that include at least one of the represented aspects.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one first user-selectable silhouette image of an item comprises a plurality of first user-selectable silhouette images of the item.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect concurrent selection of (1) one of the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images that represent the aspects and (2) at least one user-selectable interface element that represents a feature that comprises one of size of the item, brand of the item, price of the item, condition of the item, format of the sale, or seller type, and

wherein the search module is further configured to search the database for images of the item that include the at least one of the aspects represented by the plurality of user-selectable images and the represented feature, responsive to detecting the concurrent selection.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the aspects comprise one of style, length type, and sleeve type.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the display of at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images that represent the aspects of the item, at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine, comprises communication to the client machine of a second electronic signal to display, at the client machine, the at least some of the plurality of user-selectable images that represent the aspects of the item, at the uncovered space on the user interface of the client machine.