Devices, systems and methods of capturing and displaying appearances

• US 8,624,883 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eyesmatch, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissi Vilcovsky
• Inventors: Vilcovsky, Nissi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US13/088,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 996 Days
• Field of Search: 345204-215, 348/333.01, 434/395
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 2007/195 Virtual display of clothes on the wearer by means of a mirror, screen or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/16 involving the use of mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/2726 for simulating a person's appearance, e.g. hair style, glasses, clothes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments of the invention include systems, devices and/or methods enabling appearance comparison. The system, according to some demonstrative embodiments, may include at least one interactive imaging and display station. The station may include, for example, a mirror-display device capable of selectably operating in either or both a mirror mode or a display mode; an imaging device to capture one or more appearances appearing in a field of view in front of the mirror-display device; and/or an image control unit to select the mode of operation of the mirror-display device according to a user command. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A system to enable appearance comparison, the system comprising:

at least one interactive imaging and display station connected to a network, the station comprising;

a mirror-display device capable of selectably operating in mirror mode, a display mode, or both a mirror and a display mode;

an imaging device to capture video of one or more appearances from a field-of-view in front of said mirror-display device;

a storage device to store the video; and

an image control unit to select the mode of operation of said mirror-display device according to a user command, and to display a mirrored image of the video retrieved from the storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said image control unit includes an input device to receive said user command from a user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said image control unit includes an interface for downloading the video to a mobile storage device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said mirror-display device is capable of being partitioned into at least first and second simultaneously-displayable frames, the first frame selectably operable both in a mirror mode and a display mode, and the second frame operable in a mirror mode.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said imaging device is capable of capturing three-dimensional images of said appearances.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said mirror-display device is capable of displaying images of appearances at predefined sequences.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said image control unit is able to selectively enable a user to access images of appearances authorized to said user, based on user-identifying input received from said user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one interactive imaging and display station comprises two or more interactive imaging and display stations able to communicate over the network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said two or more stations are able to communicate between each other data representing images of appearances.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said mirror-display device is embedded in a semi-reflective mirror.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the mirror-display device comprises a high definition television.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said imaging device comprises a camera for scanning a face and performing face recognition.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising a biometric input device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said imaging device comprises a stereoscopic camera.

12. A method to enable appearance comparison, the method comprising:

providing a mirror-display device capable of being selectably operated in either a mirror mode or a display mode;

capturing a video from a field-of-view in front of said mirror-display device;

storing said video;

selecting the display mode of operation of said mirror-display device;

retrieving said video and displaying a mirrored image of the video on said mirror-display device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending the video via a network interface to a control center.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising downloading the video onto a portable storage device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising downloading discounts onto the portable storage device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising verifying a user using face recognition.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising rendering virtual effects on the mirror-display device.