Abstract:
A personal optical viewer enables a person to view images of how the person looks wearing an accessory and compare images of how the customer looks wearing different accessories. A seller provides an accessory to a person. A capturing device captures a photograph or a video of the person and stores the image in a memory device. The personal optical viewer displays each image to the person and the person chooses which images to keep, reject, delete, or compare. The personal optical viewer replaces rejected images with other images stored in the memory device, and when the stored images have been exhausted the personal optical viewer automatically enlarges the remaining displayed images.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. The Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention pertains to the field of wearing apparel and accessories. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with displaying images of a person wearing different accessories, like glasses.  
         [0003]     2. The Relevant Art  
         [0004]     The eyewear industry is a $16 billion a year business. In an attempt to capitalize on the eyewear industry, designers and manufacturers have introduced more fashionable and stylish eyeglass frames. Naturally, many eyeglass wearers are interested in looking attractive as well as staying abreast of the latest fashions and trends. For many eyeglass wearers, vision centers located at malls and department stores provide an ideal mechanism for evaluating the latest styles and fashions. In this environment, consumers may try on a variety of eyeglasses and attempt to determine which eyeglasses are most aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, depending on the customers&#39; prescriptions, many must rely on their best-guess, or other people&#39;s opinions, on how styles of glasses look on them. In other words, since many people may not see very well without their prescription glasses, they may not see what they look like when trying on the sample “plain glass” glasses. Thus, the customers may not see how they look with their new eyewear until after they have had their prescribed lenses installed and are having the glasses fitted. The customers are now stuck with their best-guess decision or another person&#39;s opinion.  
         [0005]     One recent survey showed that approximately seventy percent of all customers who come in for glasses also choose new frames. Between twenty-five and fifty percent of the customers do not clearly see their choice of new frames in a mirror. Approximately fifty percent of the same customers relied on another&#39;s opinion of how the frames looked to them. Finally, one hundred percent of the eyewear specialists said that it would definitely be helpful if all the customers were able to personally see their choice in eyewear frame/styles clearly.  
         [0006]     Similarly, stores are consistently filled with customers trying out the latest styles and fashions. The customers are generally confined to a small dressing room with an inadequate number of mirrors and lights when trying on new clothes. The customers are unable to view how the new apparel looks on their body and must wait until they get home to try the apparel with different mirrors, different lights, different views, and different opinions.  
         [0007]     The current state of the art has not resolved those issues and is therefore deficient for the reasons stated above. For example, one system uses a computer, in a home for example, to adjust the size of a product to fit to a predetermined image of a customer. The system then allows a customer to determine which eyeglasses look the best and place an order electronically. In another system, the customer visits a vision center, picks out a particular eyeglass frame, and has a digital photograph taken which is sent by modem over telephone lines directly to another computer located at the opticians office wherein the lens is manufactured to optical specifications and to dimensional specifications dictated by spatial, angular, and dimensional relationships established from the digital photograph.  
         [0008]     The first system described above is deficient because the customer does not have the benefit of actually trying on the eyeglasses, rather, the eyeglasses are electronically superimposed. Accordingly, the customer does not get to determine the comfort level, the weight, or the feel of the eyeglasses. In addition, the first system is deficient because the customer must then order the eyeglasses rather than make an instant purchase. The second system is deficient because the customer may not see how the eyeglass frame looks while being worn.  
         [0009]     Therefore, what is needed is a system and method to enable a customer to try a variety of eyeglass frames or apparel and, before making a purchase, be able to view, review, and compare images of how the customer looks wearing the various accessories. Beneficially, such a method would provide to the customer a certain level of confidence and satisfaction with the new items before purchasing them. In addition, such a method would benefit the optician, eyeglass frame providers, and store sales by limiting the number of returns due to dissatisfied customers.  
         [0010]     Additional features and advantages will become apparent in studying the ensuing drawings and description.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The various elements of the present invention have been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available methods of enabling eyeglass and apparel shoppers, for example, to clearly view themselves wearing their choice of frames and clothing. Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved method that overcomes many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.  
         [0012]     In accordance with the present invention, a method provides for enabling people to view and compare images of themselves, on a display screen, wearing various accessories, comprising the steps of capturing images of the person, storing the images in a memory, displaying the images to the person, and reviewing the images with the use of a command module.  
         [0013]     The present invention includes a system for enabling people to view and compare images of themselves wearing various accessories and comprises a capturing device, a memory device, a display device, and a command module.  
         [0014]     The various elements and aspects of the present invention provide people with a higher level of confidence that they will look good with the goods they are purchasing and will provide sellers of goods with a higher level of customer satisfaction as well as decrease the number of returns. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
         [0015]     Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.  
         [0016]     Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.  
         [0017]     These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]     In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a customer using the personal optical viewer in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is another embodiment of the personal optical viewer set up to be used with multiple users;  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is another embodiment illustrating the personal optical viewer including a remote and memory device;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of another embodiment of the personal optical viewer including a memory device;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is another illustration of an embodiment of the personal optical viewer using showing the virtual primary and secondary sections;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is another illustration of an embodiment of the personal optical viewer using the memory device to generate a compare image;  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is another illustration of an embodiment of the personal optical viewer using the memory device to regenerate the preferred image and generate a compare image; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the method of using a personal optical viewer in accordance with the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a personal optical viewer  20 . Accordingly, a customer  10  is stationed in front of a capturing device  12 , like a camera, wearing an accessory provided by a particular retailer, but chosen by the customer  10 . The capturing device  12  may be programmed for auto focus or customer controlled zoom using a command module  16 . The capturing device  12  may take both still photographs and motion pictures. In this particular embodiment, the capturing device  12  is positioned to tilt forward and backward to focus on different accessories worn by the customer  10 . In other embodiments, the capturing device  12  may rotate up to 360 degrees to give the optician, or the customer  10 , the ability to adjust the area of focus. The personal optical viewer  20  includes a monitor  14  for displaying the field observed by the digital capturing device  12 . The monitor  14  maybe wall mounted, portable, or placed on a table or desk.  
         [0029]     In this embodiment, the command module  16  is comprised of buttons  17  to initiate the program, zoom, capture, enlarge, review, delete, and change the sequence of the images  19 . For example, to review the images  19  taken by the capturing device  12 , the customer  10  may initiate the review process by pressing one of the buttons  17 . During the review process the images  19  are displayed to the customer  10  in series, for example, either four, six, eight or ten images may displayed at a time. The customer  10  controls the number of images  19  displayed using the command module  16  and may remove images  19  that may not be favorable. The buttons  17  may be operated by the customer  10  or by another individual. It should be recognized that any type of command module  16  may be used, such as a touch-screen.  
         [0030]     The personal optical viewer  20  includes a customer selector  34  to allow numerous customers  10  the ability to use the personal optical viewer  20  at the same time. For example, although Adam has been using the personal optical viewer  20  and has captured numerous images  19 , Eve may use the personal optical viewer  20  while Adam is searching for other accessories to sample. Eve may capture images  19  and store the image data on a memory file. While Eve continues looking for other accessories, Adam may continue to capture additional images  19  or he may review his captured images  19 , and choose his favorite items from those images  19  stored in his particular memory file.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein the store may dedicate capturing devices  12  to dressing rooms, or another part of the store, each capturing device  12  being wired to a predetermined file on a memory device  22 . The customer  10  in the dressing room controls the capturing device  12  to take the images  19 , which are then automatically stored in the dressing room&#39;s predetermined file. This particular aspect of the invention would provide the customer  10  with more privacy, and efficiency, as the customer  10  would not have to leave the dressing room to capture an image for each sample article. There may be a single, or multiple display devices  14 , throughout the store, or may include a display device  14  in each individual dressing room.  
         [0032]     It is noted that the memory device  22  may be a permanent internal memory within the display  14 , an external memory, or a removable memory, such as a recordable CD, DVD, floppy, or USB card. However, it will be recognized that any suitable memory device may be used. Removable memory devices give the added advantage of allowing the customers to transfer the files to their personal computers.  
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is another representative embodiment illustrating the personal optical viewer  20 . In this embodiment a remote control  18  is used as an alternative to the command module  16 . The remote  18  may, for example, use current wireless technologies or it may be hardwired to prevent theft or loss.  
         [0034]     The display  14  presents at least one or more of the images  19 . In one embodiment, the customer  10  may change the number of viewable images  19 . For example, if the customer  10  has loaded ten images, the monitor  14  will, by default in this example, only display four of the images  19 , which are then positioned to fill the entire screen. The customer  10  may override the default display using the command module  16  options and choose to display two, four, six, eight, or all ten of the images  19 .  
         [0035]     In another embodiment, while viewing the images  19 , if the customer  10  determines that a certain accessory is not favorable, the image  19  may be deleted or removed from the display  14  and the remaining images  19  would automatically enlarge to fill the display  14 . Ultimately, the customer&#39;s  10  favorite images  19  remain and a purchase may be made according to the most favorable images  19 .  
         [0036]     Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 4 . In certain circumstances the customer  10  may choose to view only four images  19  at a time. When one image  19  is deleted or removed from the display  14  the software automatically generates another image  19  from the memory device  22  to fill the empty position on the display  14 . This process repeats until the images in the memory device  22  have been exhausted. At such a point, when an image  19  is rejected from the display  22 , the remaining displayed images  19  enlarge to fill the screen.  
         [0037]     Referring to the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 , the screen maybe virtually sectioned into primary  26  and secondary sections  28 . The primary section  26  displays a preferred image  19   i  while the secondary section  28  displays a compare image  19   j.  For example, if the customer  10  prefers the preferred image  19   i  over the compare image  19   j,  the compare image  19   j  is deleted or removed through the command module  16  options, and another image  19   k  stored in the memory device  22  is displayed in its place (see  FIG. 6 ). If the customer  10  prefers the compare image  19   j  over the preferred image  19   i,  the preferred image  19   i  is deleted or removed and the compare image  19   k  regenerates in the primary section  26  while a new compare image  19 L generates in the secondary section  28  (see  FIG. 7 ).  
         [0038]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart of a process of one embodiment of the current invention. First, the customer  10  selects  30  any accessory to wear to view on the display  16 . As an example, the customer  10  may choose an eyeglass frame, an outfit, or a combination of both. The customer  10  stations  32  him/herself in front of the wall mounted, portable, or desk top personal optical viewer  20 . The customer controls  34  the zoom, the focus, and the focus area of the digital capture device  12  with the selection module  16 . The customer  10  or a third party user initiates the digital capture device  12  to capture at least one image of the customer  10 . This process may be repeated any number of times for different accessories. The images are stored  36  in the memory device  22 . The personal optical viewer  20  displays  38  the images  19  on the display  14  screen and the customer  10  selects  40  the images  19  to view, delete, remove, save, or enlarge.  
         [0039]     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.