System and Method for Using Image Analysis and Search in E-Commerce

• US 20120323738A1
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sumengen, Baris, Vu, Diem, Dalal, Navneet, Yang, Danny, Lin, Xiaofan, Khan, Azhar, Shah, Munjal, Anguelov, Dragomir, Torresani, Lorenzo, Vanhoucke, Vincent, GOKTURK, Salih Burak
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.63
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide a system and method for providing merchandise items at a network site. According to an embodiment, an image of a merchandise item is obtained. The image is programmatically analyzed to determine information about the merchandise item. The information is used to generate a presentation that includes the merchandise item.

Claims

1. A method for providing merchandise items at a network site, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of records, wherein each record includes at least one of (i) data representing an image of a merchandise item, or (ii) the image of the merchandise item, wherein each record further identifies a link to another network site where the merchandise item is purchasable;

enabling a user to enter a search criteria that is based on or includes image data;

performing a search of the plurality of records using the search criteria in order to identify a search result comprising one or more records from the plurality of records; and

displaying at least a portion of the search result to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a user to enter a search criteria includes enabling the user to specify an image of an object that is to form only a part of a given merchandise item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a user to enter a search criteria includes enabling the user to provide a non-textual input that corresponds to a visual characteristic of a given merchandise item or of a portion thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein enabling the user to provide the non-textual input includes:

enabling the user to specify one or more visual characteristics using a non-textual input feature; and

determining an equivalent textual terminology to the one or more visual characteristics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein enabling the user to specify one or more visual characteristics using the non-textual input feature includes enabling the user to specify a color characteristic using the non-textual input feature.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein enabling the user to specify a color characteristic using the non-textual input feature includes enabling the user to specify the color characteristic using one of a color picker or slider.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein enabling the user to specify one or more visual characteristics using the non-textual input feature includes enabling the user to specify a shading characteristic or a pattern characteristic using the non-textual input feature.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein enabling the user to specify a shading characteristic or a pattern characteristic using the non-textual input feature includes enabling the user to specify one of the shading characteristic, pattern characteristic or combination thereof using a selector or a slider for one or more of a shading and/or a pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a user to enter a search criteria that is based on or includes image data includes enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising processing the image to determine or identify data representing an object of the image, and using the data representing the object as at least a part of the search criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein performing a search of the plurality of records using the search criteria includes performing a similarity comparison of data representing objects in the plurality of records as compared against the data representing the determined or identified object in the search criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the data representing objects in the plurality of records and data representing the determined or identified object correspond to one or more signature vectors, and wherein performing the similarity comparison includes determining a distance between a signature vector of each of the objects represented by data in the plurality of records and the object represented by the data in the search criteria.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data includes enabling the user to specify content provided on a web page.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data includes enabling the user to submit an image copied from an external source.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data includes enabling the user to submit an image captured by the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a user to enter a search criteria that is based on or includes image data includes enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data, and wherein the method further comprises determining a merchandise item, or a class of merchandise items, from the specified image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing a search of the plurality of records using the search criteria includes performing a similarity comparison of data representing objects in the plurality of records as compared against data that represents at least a portion of either the merchandise item or the class of merchandise items.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein performing the similarity comparison includes comparing the data representing objects in the plurality of records to data that represents only a portion or a feature of either the merchandise item or the class of merchandise items.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein enabling the user to specify an image, or a portion thereof, as the image data includes enabling the user to specify content provided on a web page.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a user to enter a search criteria that is based on or includes image data includes enabling the user to specify at least one of a geometric shape, feature, or a color of the merchandise item.