Patent ID: 8260689
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for displaying and managing products in a virtual display environment, comprising: selecting a plurality of sets of raster images of consumer products from a non-transitory computer readable medium on a network device with one or more processors to display in a virtual display environment with a progressive resolution display; creating a set of vector images for each selected set of raster images of the consumer products by selecting different portions of the selected set of raster images and by selecting different views of the selected set of raster images including different levels of detail from general details to specific details; connecting each selected set of raster images of the consumer products with the created set of vector images, wherein the created set of vector images overlay the selected set of raster images as a plurality of vector image layers in a pre-determined image layer ordering; determining a display layout for the selected plurality of sets of raster images of the consumer products, wherein the display layout includes a pre-determined display ordering for the plurality of selected sets of raster images of the consumer products; selecting one or more sets of electronic information from the non-transitory computer readable medium that will be displayed in one or more pre-determined vector image layers in the plurality of vector image layers overlaying the plurality of selected sets of raster images of the consumer products, wherein the one or more sets of electronic information includes different types of electronic information including general electronic information and specific electronic information about the consumer products included in the plurality of selected sets of raster images of the consumer products; adding one or more sets of electronic links to connect the selected one or more sets of electronic information to one or more individual vector images in the one or more pre-determined vector image layers, wherein the one or more sets of electronic links includes selected ones of the electronic links that link specific electronic information to one or more individual vector images in one or more vector image layers at a first set of layers in the plurality of vector image layers and wherein the one or more sets of electronic links includes other selected ones of the electronic links that link general electronic information to one or more other individual vector images in one or more other vector image layers at a second set of layers in the plurality of vector image layers; creating in the non-transitory computer readable medium a multi-resolution mosaic (MRM) digital image including a plurality of layers of a shelf layout in the determined display layout by combining the created plurality of sets of vector images overlaying the plurality of selected sets of raster images of the consumer products, the selected one or more sets of electronic information, and the added one or more sets of electronic links; providing the created MRM digital image for progressive resolution display of the created plurality of vector images in the plurality of vector image layers from the non-transitory computer readable medium from the network device via a communications network to allow virtual shopping via the communications network, thereby creating a customized on-line store of the consumer products; displaying the created MRM digital image with the progressive resolution display, wherein the progressive resolution display allows displaying, zooming in and zooming out on selected portions of the created MRM digital image; and displaying during a first portion of the progressive resolution display only selected ones of the added one or more sets of electronic links in pre-determined layers in the plurality of vector image layers and allowing linking to the only selected ones of the one or more sets of electronic information from different vector image layers in the plurality of vector image layers during the first portion of the progressive resolution display of the created MRM digital image; displaying during a second portion of the progressive resolution display only one or more sets of electronic links added to a current vector image layer currently being viewed in the created MRM digital image, wherein the second portion of progressive resolution display allows display of different sets of electronic links from the one or more added sets of electronic links providing current electronic links to selected electronic information including general electronic information and specific electronic information as different current vector images are viewed in the plurality of vector image layers.