VIRTUAL WEB STORE WITH PRODUCT IMAGES

• US 20090138375A1
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Robyn R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

A three dimensional web store having product images is created. Three dimensional product images are rendered from manufacturing information instead of the products themselves. The location of all products, advertisements, aisles, signs, and displays is determined for a real world store. The web store is then created using three dimensional internet or virtual world viewing and maneuvering capabilities, to appear identical to the real world store.

Claims

1. A method of creating a web store, comprising the steps of:

determining a location of each product, aisle, advertisement, sign and display within a real world store;

collecting information about each said advertisement, sign and display within said real world store;

receiving manufacturing information for fabricating each said product;

rendering a respective three dimensional product image for each said product from said manufacturing information; and

creating a web store using three dimensional internet or virtual world maneuverability, with images of each said aisle, said advertisement, said sign, and said display positioned at said determined location, and with each said respective product image positioned at a respective determined location within said real store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said location is determined using radio frequency identification tag technology or video camera technology or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said location is continuously determined, said information is continuously collected, said manufacturing information is continuously received, said product image is continuously rendered, and said web store is continuously recreated to have images of each said aisle, advertisement, sign display and product positioned at a respective determined location within said real world store.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of creating an additional area in said web store having images of products not available in said real world store.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said maneuverability includes capability for moving through said web store using a third person view.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said third person view is an avatar.

7. A method of creating three dimensional images of a product and product packaging, comprising the steps of:

receiving manufacturing information for fabricating said product and said product packaging; and

rendering said three dimensional images of said product and said product packaging from said manufacturing information without having said product or product packaging available.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing said manufacturing information in a database.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising rendering said images using a rendering software program operating on said information in said database.