Image based search engine
First Claim
1. An interactive searching system comprising:
- an electronic mobile device configured to be operated by a user, the electronic mobile device having an optical sensor configured to capture a representation of an item;
a server computer coupled to a network, the server computer having a categorized database,wherein the user uploads at least the representation of the item to the server computer via the network,wherein results are returned to the user, andwherein at least one third party corresponding to the results is automatically contacted via an electronic message,wherein the at least one third party corresponds to one or more constraints selected by the user; and
a plurality of computers configured to access the network,wherein the at least one third party uses at least one of the plurality of computers to access the electronic message and ascertain whether an item corresponding to the representation of the item uploaded to the categorized database is present in an inventory of the at least one third party.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An image based consumer to business search engine is described and taught. The consumer can take a video or capture an image of an item and upload to the search engine along with an optional textual description. The returned search results are automatically contacted via email with the search information. The third party vendor can then, through a variety of channels, contact the consumer with information specific to the item, giving the consumer ample opportunity to make an informed purchasing decision. Once the consumer has decided the query is no longer necessary, the query is terminated and the offers cease. Alternatively, the search results may be presented by an analytical algorithm that mines the textual description and image(s) for data to compare to existing products and vendors to create matches for the consumer.
58 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An interactive searching system comprising:
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an electronic mobile device configured to be operated by a user, the electronic mobile device having an optical sensor configured to capture a representation of an item; a server computer coupled to a network, the server computer having a categorized database, wherein the user uploads at least the representation of the item to the server computer via the network, wherein results are returned to the user, and wherein at least one third party corresponding to the results is automatically contacted via an electronic message, wherein the at least one third party corresponds to one or more constraints selected by the user; and a plurality of computers configured to access the network, wherein the at least one third party uses at least one of the plurality of computers to access the electronic message and ascertain whether an item corresponding to the representation of the item uploaded to the categorized database is present in an inventory of the at least one third party. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of image based searching using a search engine comprising:
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a user creating, a query comprising at least a representation of an item and/or a textual descriptors; sending said query to a search engine; receiving a first set of search results, wherein at least one electronic message is automatically sent to at least one third party corresponding to the first set of search results, wherein the at least one third party corresponds to one or more constraints selected by the user, and wherein the first set of search results are indexed web pages; receiving a second set of search results, wherein receiving the second set of search results comprises a third party contacting the user directly; and the user removing the query from the search engine. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification