US20140244430A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20140244430A1
Application number: US14/270,227
Authority: US
Inventors: Hilliard B. Siegel; Varun Narang
Original assignee: Amazon Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Amazon Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2004-06-09
Filing date: 2014-05-05
Publication date: 2014-08-28
Also published as: US8725595B1

Abstract

A system and method for a librarian facilitates appraising the value of all or selected products in a collection of products. The collection of products may be part of a library that includes one or more photographic images of the library, and an inventory of the products revealed in those images. The librarian facilitates appraising the value of products in the collection with reference to the images. Appraisals may be automatically updated, and users notified in accordance with user notification preferences. An automated referral may be provided to the user to sell all or selected ones of the appraised inventory of products, individually or together. An extended appraisal may be provided to facilitate enhancing the value of a collection in the library.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/920,149, filed on Aug. 17, 2004 and entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, which, in turn, is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,291, filed on Jun. 9, 2004 and entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INVENTORY VERIFICATION, priority from the filing dates of both of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120. The subject matter of applications numbered Ser. Nos. 10/920,149 and 10/864,291 are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for appraising a collection of products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The information age has produced an explosion of media for people to enjoy, whether a book, a video or audiocassette, a CD, or DVD, including music, movies, and video games. Keeping track of which titles a consumer has in their media library can be challenging.

Systems to help home and other users catalog books, movies and other media are known in the art. For example, there are a number of proprietary database applications that help users create databases to store and manage information about their collections. The information may be typed in, or even scanned from a barcode that is affixed to the product, as is done in large scale inventory control systems for libraries or retailers. In at least one application, the information may be obtained from online sources, such as library or retailer web sites.

One of the problems with current systems is that they are typically standalone products that require manual entry of information about each title in a user's physical library or media inventory. The database resides on the user's computer, which can make it difficult to access remotely. The database may also not be readily transportable by the user. Moreover, the information in the database is only accurate and up-to-date if the user takes the time to maintain the database.

Another problem with known database catalogs is that there is no direct connection between the information about a particular title and its current physical location (e.g., in a bookcase(s), CD tower(s), etc.). In addition, the user's physical library may be distributed amongst multiple geographic locations (e.g., different rooms in a home, both at a home and an office, at multiple homes, etc.). Further, it may be difficult to ascertain the value of the products in a user's library.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address the above-described problems and other shortcomings in the prior art, the present invention provides a method for a user to obtain an appraisal of all or selected products in a collection of products. The products in the collection may include products depicted in an image from which an inventory of the products has been generated. Included is a method for updating the appraisal of the products, periodically or on demand, and notifying the user about the appraisal in accordance with the user's notification preferences.

In one aspect of the invention, an automated referral may be provided to the user to sell all or selected products in the appraised collection of products, individually or together. An appraisal interface may also be provided to, among others, facilitate the selection of products for which an appraisal is requested, including by product or by collection, link to the automated referral to sell the appraised products, indicate a condition of the products for which the appraisal is requested, including by product or by collection, display additional products that may be acquired to increase the appraised value of a collection, link to an interface to purchase the additional products, and indicate preferences for the frequency of and notification about the appraisal.

In another aspect of the invention, the collection of products may be inventoried as part of a library to which a user has access. The library's inventory may include one or more images of the products as they are stored in the library, and an inventory of the products revealed in those images. The library may include any type of product that is typically stored in a manner that reveals a side of the product or the product packaging that contains product identification information, such as books or CDs that are stored vertically or horizontally on a shelf to reveal the book spine or the title edge of the CD case, or any other type of product, either packaged or without packaging, which can be identified and inventoried. Certain embodiments of the invention may use methods for identifying and maintaining an inventory of products that are described in commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,291, filed on Jun. 9, 2004, and entitled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INVENTORY VERIFICATION, the content of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram showing an exemplary operating environment for implementing a method and system for appraising products in a library in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting an arrangement of certain computing components for implementing an embodiment of a library appraisal system and method consistent with the operating environment depicted inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an arrangement of functional components for implementing an embodiment of a library appraisal system and method consistent with the operating environment and computing components shown inFIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4A-4E are flow diagrams a library appraisal method formed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian administrator interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian create/update interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian viewer interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian inventory interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian viewer interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention illustrating an updated inventory fromFIG. 8;

FIG. 10 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian locator interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a user interface to a user to send a library to another user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian adviser interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 13A-13C depict a browser program with example Web pages presenting a librarian appraisal interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian acquisition interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 15 depicts a browser program with an example Web page presenting a librarian organizer interface to a user in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates one environment for implementing an embodiment of the present invention. The environment shown includes alibrarian system100 with database and librarian servers that use images of products stored in a library to facilitate the maintenance of the library. The environment also includes various electronic user devices, such as acomputer system102 and aPDA104 that individuals can use to communicate with thelibrarian system100. In the environment shown inFIG. 1, the

user devices

102,104 communicate with thelibrarian system100 via one or more computer networks, such as the Internet106. Protocols and components for communicating via the Internet are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art of computer network communications. Communication between

user devices

102,104 and thelibrarian system100 may also be enabled by local wired or wireless computer network connections.

Thelibrarian system100 depicted inFIG. 1 operates in a distributed computing environment comprising several computer systems that are interconnected via communication links, e.g., using one or more computer networks or direct connections. However, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that thesystem100 could equally operate in a computer system having fewer or greater number of components than are illustrated inFIG. 1. Thus, the depiction of thelibrarian system100 inFIG. 1 should be taken as exemplary, and not limiting to the scope of the invention.

Thelibrarian system100, as illustrated, includes alibrarian server108, adatabase server110, and a back-end interface112. Each of the

servers

108 and110 are described below in more detail. The back-end interface112 allows an operator of thelibrarian system100 to monitor and adjust the operation of the

servers

108 and110 as needed.

In brief, thelibrarian server108 is generally responsible for providing front-end user communication with various user devices, such as

devices

102 and104. The front-end communication provided by thelibrarian server108 may include generating user interfaces comprising text and/or graphics, possibly organized as a Web page using hypertext transfer protocols, for communicating images and information about the users' home libraries to and from the

various user devices

102,104.

In one suitable implementation, thelibrarian server108 enables a user to upload images of products stored in a library to thedatabase server110. The library may comprise products stored for warehousing, retailing, reading, reference, lending, or any other purpose, and may even comprise products that are stored in separate physical locations, such as separate buildings, rooms, or shelves. From the images thelibrarian server108 generates an inventory of the products depicted in the images, stores the images and inventory on thedatabase server110, and enables the user to view the images and inventory in an easy to use graphical user interface. In a typical embodiment, the inventory is generated as described in commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,291, which was previously incorporated herein by reference. Through the interface, the user is given an opportunity to verify that the inventory accurately reflects the products stored in the library, as well as to view and locate products in the library online. In one embodiment, the images may be obtained from digital images of products stored in the library, e.g., on the bookshelves. The digital images may be actively uploaded on demand or passively uploaded at predetermined times directly to thelibrarian server108. The uploaded images may be optionally stored in a database maintained by thedatabase server110.

In one embodiment, the inventory database stored indatabase server110 includes information about various stored products, including (but not limited to) books, audiobooks (cassettes or CDs), music CDs, DVDs, or any other type of product that is capable of being stored in a library such that the product identification information is revealed on one or more sides of the product when captured in a photographic image of the stored product, and from which a visual identification of the product may be readily made. Typically, the product identification information includes any human-comprehensible text or other features that appear on a visible part of a product, such as a book spine, or the edge of a CD case, and that help to identify the product without machine intervention. For example the product identification information might include such information as the title, author, or performer, or a logo associated with an author or performer. In one embodiment, the inventory information included in the inventory database may be obtained directly from the product identification information revealed on the product as captured in the above-described photographic images using various text and feature recognition techniques. In one embodiment, the inventory information includes information that indicates a relative or absolute location of the product, or a combination of both. The relative location may be the location of a product as compared to other products captured in the image. The absolute location may be identified in a visible label affixed to the bookshelf or media storage unit depicted in the image. In some cases, the location may be represented by a filename associated with the image in which the product is depicted.

Alternatively, or in addition, the inventory information may be manually input by a user into thelibrarian server108 by reading and entering the information in conjunction with an upload or display of the image of the stored product. For example, the location of products captured in the image may be the location of the bookshelf in a user's home as the user indicated when actively uploading the image using their digital camera, such as the living room, or den. As another example, the location of products captured in the image may the location of a bin in a warehouse, as automatically captured during a passive uploading of the image of the contents of the bin using an embedded camera. Regardless of how the information is obtained, whether actively or passively, or whether from the image itself or from information supplied with the image, or a combination of both, the inventory information may include various attributes that describe and identify the inventoried products, including (but not limited to) title, author/performer, publisher, and storage location. The inventory database may further include an index that enables thelibrarian server108 to organize and present the inventoried products and corresponding images to a user according to one or more of these attributes. In a typical embodiment, the inventory information is generated or obtained as described in commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,291, which was previously incorporated herein by reference.

Thelibrarian server108 further provides back-end inventory services in cooperation with thedatabase server110, including generating inventory transactions to update the information and attributes contained in the inventory database. Thedatabase server110, as will be further described below, maintains the databases from which thelibrarian server108 generates the user interfaces, including the above-described image and inventory databases.

FIG. 2 illustrates certain exemplary computing components that are responsible for the operation of thelibrarian system100 shown inFIG. 1. Thedatabase server110 includes a masterlibrary images database208, a currentlibrary images database210, ahistory database212, and a searchablelibrary inventory database214. The masterlibrary images database208 contains images that capture the stored products at a certain point in time and from which the inventory information has already been verified using the services of thelibrarian server108. Thecurrent library images210 contain new images of some or all of the same locations captured in themaster images208 of the library, but at a later point in time.

Thehistory database212 contains historical data relating to the purchasing history and behavior of the owner of the library. The historical data are used to complement the recognition of stored products when the images of the products are not of sufficient quality to recognize the products that they depict. Lastly, theinventory database214 contains the product identification and storage location information that make up the inventory of the library. In one embodiment, theinventory database214 contains product appraisal information associated with the inventory of the library, if any, including appraisals of individual products and appraisals of all or a subset of products taken together as a whole, i.e., a collection of products.

In one embodiment, thedatabase server110 is configured to receive instructions from thelibrarian server108 and return images from the

image databases

208,210, as well as information from theinventory database214. The images and inventory information enable thelibrarian server108 to display to the user in an integrated manner the presence, location, and identification of books, CDs, and other products stored in the library for purposes of taking and verifying an inventory, determining whether a product is in inventory, and where it is located. For example, thelibrarian server108 may display to the user an image of a bin or bookshelf superimposed with a graphic that points to the location of a product that is already present in the library. Since the latest available image of the product may be out-of-date, the graphic may point to the location where the product was when last captured in an image.

In the illustrated embodiment, thelibrarian server108 anddatabase server110 are shown including an

operating system

202B and202A, respectively, that provide executable program instructions for the general administration and operation of the

servers

108,110. Suitable implementations for the

operating systems

202B and202A are known or commercially available, and are readily implemented by persons having ordinary skill in the art, particularly in light of the disclosure herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thelibrarian server108 anddatabase server110 will also typically employ a

memory

204B and204A, respectively, and

processor

206B and206A in which program instructions are stored and executed for operation of the servers. Thelibrarian server108 further includes computer program instructions for implementing alibrarian300 that operates in cooperation with thedatabase server110 to facilitate the maintenance of a library. Likewise, thedatabase server110 further includes executable program instructions for maintaining and updating the

databases

208,210,212, and214, and responding to requests received from thelibrarian server108.

For the sake of convenience, much of the description herein is provided in the context of maintaining an inventory of books in a library, but it should be well understood that the description herein is also applicable to facilitating the maintenance of an inventory of CD and DVD products, as well as other media and non-media products that can be stored in various commercial or private environments, such as a warehouse, a retail store, a lending library, public or private, or a user's home. References herein to specific types of products, such as books, audiobooks, etc., are only illustrative and do not serve to limit the general application of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting an arrangement of certain exemplary functional computing components for implementing thelibrarian300, as shown and described in the illustrated embodiment with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2. Thelibrarian300 includes, among others, a process for auser interface302 to generate a user-friendly graphical user interface for use when maintaining a library, as will be described in further detail with reference toFIGS. 5-15.

In one embodiment, thelibrarian300 further includes anadministrator304 that is responsible foradministrative functions310 such as library creation, inventory taking, library update, and sharing the library with others via email or other communications medium. Thelibrarian300 may further include a viewer/locator306 process that is responsible forfunctions312 of generating and displaying a view of the library images and inventory to a user in response to a request from a user to view, verify, change, or otherwise use the inventory information derived from the images, and to locate particular items of inventory by searching for search terms that may appear in the inventory information associated with an item in the library. In one embodiment, thefunction312 of generating and displaying a view of the library to the user in response to the user's request includes afunction312 that will serve to restrict searching the library to a particular collection of the library. A collection is an arbitrary grouping of one or more items of inventory in the library as defined by the user.

Thelibrarian300 may further include anadviser process308 that is responsible for performingfunctions314 such as appraisals of all or selected products in a collection of products stored in a library, making acquisition recommendations based on the inventory of the library to enhance the library in some manner, including increasing an appraised value of a collection of products in the library, and further making organization recommendations, also based on the inventory of the library as well as any current organization, e.g., the user's collection designations, where a collection is defined as an arbitrary grouping of one or more items of inventory in the library.

FIGS. 4A-4E are flow diagrams describing one embodiment of alibrarian process400 that enables an implementation of alibrarian system100, as illustrated inFIGS. 1-3. Beginning with reference toFIG. 4A, atprocess block402, thelibrarian process400 displays a librarian user interface, examples of which are illustrated in detail below with reference toFIGS. 5-15, each of which illustrate abrowser program500 displaying Web pages in which a user is able to interface with thelibrarian300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The Web pages may be generated by thelibrarian server108 and delivered to the user's

computing device

102,104 via theInternet106.

With reference toFIG. 4A andFIG. 5, theprocess400 initially displays, atprocess block402, anadministrator Web page502 in which a user is able to select an existing library or to create a new library. In the illustrated example inFIG. 5, theadministrator Web page502 includes a title “The Librarian” and a subtitle “Administrator” at

reference numerals

504 and506, respectively, to identify the page function, along with two options, “Select a Library,” atreference numeral508, and “Enter New Library Name,” atreference numeral514. For the “Select a Library”option508, the user is prompted to enter an existing library name atreference numeral510, in this case by pulling down the list of existing library names atreference numeral511, and selecting the desired name, here “John's Library.” For the “Enter New Library Name”option514, the user is prompted to enter a new library name atreference numeral516 intext box517, here “Mary's Library.” Once the name has been supplied, the user is prompted to enter “GO” in command buttons at

reference numerals

512,518, respectively, to branch to the next Web page, illustrated inFIG. 6.

Continuing now with the description inFIG. 4A, atprocess block404, thelibrarian process400 uploads images of a library into the currentlibrary images database210 to be stored on thedatabase server110 using the example Web page interface illustrated inFIG. 6. The Web page interface includes a createWeb page602, identified here with the title “Create or Update A Library” atreference numeral604, to receive user input for creating or updating a library, beginning with the prompt “Enter new or existing library name” and accompanyingtext box606, in this example “Mary's Library.” Atreference numeral608, the user is further prompted to “Supply new/updated images” withmultiple input areas610A-C, and612A-C, in which to enter the image filename and, optionally, a collection name that the user wishes to use to identify the subset of books, CDs, etc. that that comprise a collection, and happen to be stored on the particular bookshelf or other storage unit depicted in the image stored in the file designated by the corresponding filename. In the illustrated example inFIG. 6, the user has entered the filename “Shelf1.jpg” atreference numeral610A and a collection name of “Mysteries” atreference numeral612A, the filename “Shelf2.jpg” at reference numeral610B and a collection name of “Kids” atreference numeral612B, and the filename “CDSHELF.jpg” at reference numeral610C and a collection name of “Music” atreference numeral612C. Greater or fewer filenames and corresponding collection names may be entered, depending on how many images the user wishes to upload. Although the image filenames in the illustrated example are all files of type “.jpg” indicating a JPEG type of image file, other kinds of image file formats may be used, e.g., TIFF, BMP, etc.

Once the filenames of the images have been supplied along with any of the optional collection names, the user is further prompted to upload the images into his or her library, the name of which was input atreference numeral606, at command button labeled “UPLOAD IMAGES” atreference numeral614. Activating the command button “UPLOAD IMAGES” atreference numeral614 will cause thelibrarian process400 to begin the process of uploading the images to a new or existing library in the currentlibrary images database210 as explained in further detail below.

Continuing now with the description inFIG. 4A, atprocess block406, thelibrarian process400 generates inventory to be stored in thelibrary inventory database214 for the library named intext box606 inFIG. 6. The generation of the inventory is based primarily on the identification information revealed in the images that were uploaded to the currentlibrary images database210 atprocess block404. In a typical embodiment, the inventory is generated as described in commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,291, which was previously incorporated herein by reference. For example, in one embodiment, the product identification information may include various distinguishing attributes of the product or the product's packaging. The attributes may include text, e.g., author, performer, title, publisher, ISBN number, etc., graphics, e.g. cover artwork, logo, typeface, etc., and/or physical characteristics, e.g., product dimensions, shape, color, reflectivity, etc., with or without packaging, however the product is stored. Generating the inventory from the product identification information may include recognizing the product identification through the heuristic application of one or more recognition techniques to the image in an effort to resolve ambiguities and improve the reliability of the recognition without having to resort to manual efforts to determine what products are stored on a particular shelf or location. The recognition techniques include the application of text recognition or other optical character or feature recognition techniques to the attributes contained in the product identification information, e.g., the product's text, graphics, and/or other physical characteristics.

In one embodiment, since the image or images of the library may include more than one product stored in a particular location, in one embodiment recognizing the product identification may employ various pattern recognition techniques known in the art, such as edge detection, to first isolate a portion of the photographic image before attempting to recognize the product identification, where the isolated portion of the image is of a single product stored in the location. In addition, the method for recognizing the product identification may rotate the image in different orientations prior to the application of the recognition technique so as to maximize the chances of recognizing products stored in different orientations, e.g., horizontal, vertical, or somewhere in between.

In one embodiment, recognition of the product identification may be achieved through comparison to a reference image of the product. This is particularly useful when the received photographic image, or isolated portion of the image, carries insufficient detail for proper recognition or is otherwise deficient, such as when the storage location is in partial shadow, improperly lighted, or where the stored products are worn or used such that the appearance of the distinguishing attributes comprising the product's identification information has deteriorated. The reference image typically includes a complete reference identification of a product, such as an image of a book spine complete with title and author, and in some cases may be obtained from a photographic image or digital scan of the product carried out especially for that purpose when the item is initially unboxed and added to inventory. The reference image may be further inferred from an image of the product that includes that portion of the image that is to be used as the reference image, such as when the reference image is an image of the spine of a book that has been inferred from one or more images of the book's front and back covers.

In one embodiment, recognizing the product identification revealed on one or more sides of the product as captured in the photographic image may rely on a previous recognition of that product, i.e., the method is self-learning. For example, the reference image may be obtained from previously-received photographic images of the product from which accurate recognition was achieved. Comparison to such a reference image may increase the reliability of recognition when receiving subsequent photographic images that include the product in question.

In one embodiment, should the identification information revealed in the images be inadequate to fully recognize the identity of the books, CDs, etc. depicted in the images, thelibrarian process400 consults historical data obtained from thehistory database212 to determine whether there exists any information associated with the user that provides a hint as to the identity of the books, CDs, etc. depicted in the image. The historical data may be any data gathered about the user with respect to the contents of his or her library. For example, the historical data may provide information as to the identity of books and CDs that the user has purchased in the past, or the genres that the user is most likely to have in their library.

After exhausting attempts to recognize products directly from the uploaded photographic image, either alone or in combination with a reference image or a hint present in the historical data, recognition may be achieved through display of the image of the home library to the user and prompting him or her to resolve any remaining ambiguities in recognizing the identification of the product by entering the product identification information, such as author, title, etc., as necessary. The entered product identification information is associated with the uploaded photographic image of the product, thereby further increasing the chances of accurate recognition when receiving subsequent uploaded photographic images that include the product in question.

Continuing now with the description inFIG. 4A, atprocess block408, thelibrarian process400 updates the masterlibrary images database208 with thecurrent library images210. Any previous images of the library may be archived or discarded. Atprocess block410, thelibrarian process400 generates a view of the library, the view comprising a display of the images of the library as stored on the masterlibrary images database208, in conjunction with the list of the inventory depicted in the image as stored on thelibrary inventory database214. An example of the view generated by thelibrarian process400 atprocess block410 is illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 9, withFIG. 7 illustrating a view of the “Kids” collection in “Mary's Library” before any corrections to the inventory data as described inFIG. 8 (and process block412 inFIG. 4B, below), andFIG. 9 illustrating the same view after corrections. Specifically,FIGS. 7 and 9 illustrate an example Web page interface for a library viewer, including a viewer Web page at

reference numerals

702,902, identified here with the title “View My Library” at

reference numeral

704,904. The

viewer Web page

702,902 further includes a prompt to enter the library name in the accompanying

text box

706,906, in this example “Mary's Library.” At

reference numeral

708,908, is a command button labeled “GO,” which, when activated, will cause thelibrarian process400 to display an image associated with Mary's Library, as well as the inventory information corresponding to the image. In the illustrated example, at

reference numeral

710,910, the user is further prompted to select from a drop-down box at

reference numeral

712,912, the name of the collection in “Mary's Library” that the user would like to view, in this example the “Kids” collection. After the selection has been made, the image from the masterlibrary images database208 associated with the “Kids” collection of “Mary's Library” is displayed at

reference numeral

720,920. Alongside the display of the image, thelibrarian process400 further displays the corresponding inventory information as obtained from thelibrary inventory database214, here entitled “Titles-Top to Bottom and Left to Right” at

reference numeral

714,914, followed by the inventory information identifying the titles “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” at

reference numeral

716A,916A “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” at

reference numeral

716B,916B “Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix” [sic], atreference numeral716C (corrected at reference numeral916C), and “Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams,” at

reference numeral

716D,916D.

Returning now toFIG. 4B, thelibrarian process400 continues at process block412 to update, correct, and reorganize the inventory in response to user input to the viewer interface generated atprocess block410. In the illustrated viewer interface inFIG. 7, the user has selected the third Harry Potter title atreference numeral716C, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix,” [sic] to correct the error in the spelling of Phoenix, as further described below. As shown in the illustrated example, when the user selects a particular title, the images appearing at

reference numerals

720,920 are overlaid with a graphic718,918 that calls attention to the location in the image of the selected title as described in further detail with reference to process block416 inFIG. 4B. In this example, the graphic718,918 is an arrow that contains the title of the selection, and whose endpoint clearly points to the selected title.

Returning now toFIG. 4B, thelibrarian process400 continues atprocess block418, to allow the user to send the library to another user upon request. As illustrated inFIG. 4B, the process of sending the library to another user includes generating a library object atreference numeral420, where the library object is a file that contains the image or images that comprise the library, as well as the inventory information derived from those images, and possibly corrected, changed, and/or added during user interaction with thelibrarian300. Thelibrary object420 is typically in a file format that allows the object to be attached to an electronic mail message for sending to another user via theInternet106, e.g., attached to a message “Here's my bookshelf!” The user receiving thelibrary object420 may open it to browse the sender's library using the view interface of the library as described with reference to process block410 inFIG. 4A, and as illustrated with reference toFIGS. 7 and 9. In one embodiment, thelibrary object420 is self-executing so that it may operate on any number ofclient devices102 even though the device has no access to the library and

database servers

108,110.

In the illustratedsend interface1102 inFIG. 11, entitled “Send My Library to Others” atreference numeral1104, the user has entered the library named “Mary's Library” in a text box atreference numeral1106, and optionally a collection within the library, here entered in a text box atreference numeral1110 as the “Kids” collection. The user is further prompted to enter in a text box appearing inreference numeral1112, a recipient email address of the other user to whom the library is to be sent, in this example entered as “jane@doe.com.” Thelibrarian process400 further provides a command button atreference numeral1108 labeled “SEND,” which, when activated, will cause theprocess400 to prepare to send the library to the other user. In one embodiment, sending the library may include packaging the specified library, or collection from the library, into an object that comprises the image or images and inventory associated with the images, where the object is capable of transport to another user on another computer, in this case to the email addressee “jane@doe.com.” In an alternate embodiment, the “SEND” button will cause theprocess400 to generate or obtain a pointer to the specified library, or collection from the library, and to send or otherwise notify the other user that the pointer may be used to access the library. It should be understood that the example inFIG. 11 is provided for the sake of illustration only. Other means of communication besides electronic mail, objects, and pointers may be used to provide access to a library to another user.

Returning now toFIG. 4C, when the user has requested advice regarding an appraisal of their library atprocess block424, thelibrarian process400 computes or otherwise obtains an appraisal of the inventory associated with the designated library as stored in thelibrary inventory database214, and, optionally, confines the appraisal to a collection of products in the library if so designated by the user in the adviser interface described above with reference toFIG. 12. Theprocess400 further continues atdecision block426 to determine whether user wishes to sell their library, and, if so, branches to process block428, where the user can link to a seller interface to arrange to sell the contents of their library online.

Referring now toFIG. 4E, as an example of the appraisal process, atprocess block442, thelibrarian process400 causes theWeb program500 to display an appraisal interface in response to the user's request, as illustrated inFIGS. 13A-13C. With reference toFIG. 13A atreference numeral1302, entitled “LIBRARY APPRAISAL,” atreference numeral1304. Thelibrarian process400 continues at process block444 to obtain the name of the library, collection, or product for which an appraisal has been requested, as the case may be. For example, as shown inFIG. 13, the name of the library, “Mary's Library,” for which an appraisal is requested appears in a text box atreference numeral1306 along with the name of the collection atreference numeral1310, here selected as the “Kids” collection as appears in drop-down box atreference numeral1312. In one embodiment, an appraisal may be requested for a particular product in the library by library by selecting, for example, the particular title similar to the title selection shown inFIG. 10.

Thelibrarian process400 continues at process block446 to determine the condition of the product or products, e.g., the title or collection, for which an appraisal is requested, as needed. For example, as shown inFIG. 13, the user is prompted atreference numeral1310 to enter or select a description of the overall condition of the collection, e.g., whether the condition is fair, poor, good, missing dust covers, missing liner notes, etc. In the illustrated example, the overall condition of the selected “Kids” collection is specified as “GOOD,” as appears in drop-down box atreference numeral1310. It is understood, however, that the condition of a product may not always be relevant to the computation of a particular appraisal. For example, when the product is a compact disk (CD), the medium is generally very durable, and will not deteriorate to any great degree over a period of time, unless the wear is excessive. Accordingly, atprocess block446, in one embodiment thelibrarian process400 instead determines an expected condition of the product based on the age of the product, and without further reference to the actual condition of the product, whether or not that information has been indicated by the user. In some cases, the condition of the product may be determined from the absence or presence of any parts of the product, e.g. a book's dust cover, a CD's liner notes, etc., as indicated by the user in the description of the condition of the product atreference numeral1310.

Thelibrarian process400 continues atprocess block448, by providing the user with acommand button1308 labeled “APPRAISE,” which may be activated by the user to cause thelibrarian process400 to compute an appraisal for the product, collection and/or library already specified prior to navigating to the appraisal interface, or to compute or otherwise obtain an appraisal for a newly specified product, collection and/or library. Thelibrarian process400 may compute or otherwise obtain appraisals in various ways, including prompting the user to self-assess the condition of each product in a collection, and consulting a resale value database (not shown) to obtain resale values for a product in the assessed condition. Other ways of computing and/or otherwise obtaining the appraisal for the specified product, collection and/or library may include, as previously described, determining an expected condition of the product based on the age of the product, and consulting a resale value database (not shown) to obtain resale values for the product in the described condition.

Once computed, the resale values comprising the appraisal may be listed for individual products in the library, a collection of products, or for the entire library. Returning again toFIGS. 4C,4D, andFIG. 13A, thelibrarian process400 notifies the user about the appraisal as requested, atprocess block450, and returns the computed appraisal to the adviser user interface atprocess block452. Thelibrarian process400, in turn, atprocess block424, displays the appraisal of the collection (or library) in the form of text appearing atreference numeral1314, in this example “In good condition, your KIDS collection is valued at approximately $32.50 if sold together as a collection.” Along with the textual appraisal, thelibrary appraisal interface1304 typically includes a detailed appraisal of each product in the inventory associated with the library and/or collection. For example, atreference numeral1316, the text “For a detailed appraisal of an individual book, please click on any of the titles below:” appears above a list of the individual products in the KIDS collection, here including the books entitled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,” atreference numeral1318A, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, atreference numeral1318B, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” atreference numeral1318C, and “Fantastic Beasts & Where to find Them,” atreference numeral1318D. The detailed appraisal may appear as described with reference toFIG. 13B. In another embodiment, the appraisal for the collection (or library) and/or detailed appraisal may be displayed with the image of the corresponding product(s). In addition or in the alternative, the appraisal may be displayed with the corresponding inventory information for the product(s).

Continuing with reference toFIG. 13A, thelibrary appraisal interface1304 may include a display entitled “CURRENT RESALE VALUE KIDS COLLECTION,” atreference numeral1320, beneath which is displayed the appraised value of the collection, here “$32.50,” atreference numeral1322. As shown, thelibrary appraisal interface1304 may further includes a command button labeled “SELL COLLECTION NOW!” atreference numeral1324, so that the user can navigate to an interface that will assist the user in placing the collection up for sale. InFIG. 13B, the resale values comprising the appraisal may be also be displayed individually, i.e., the detailed appraisal, to provide the user with a more comprehensive appraisal of their library.

Continuing with reference toFIG. 13B, the detailedlibrary appraisal interface1326 further includes command buttons labeled “SELL” atreference numeral1336 to sell each individual title shown at

reference numerals

1338A,1338B,1338C, and1338D, respectively, and a command button labeled “SELL ALL” to aggregate the sale of all of the selected titles, e.g., an entire inventory of titles associated with a selected collection or library, atreference numeral1344. As shown in the illustrated example, the text “TOTAL APPRAISED VALUE IF SOLD INDIVIDUALLY,” atreference numeral1340 is displayed together with the value “$21.80,” atreference numeral1342 to indicate to the user the total value of selling each of the listed titles individually at their detail appraised values. The total value may or may not be the same as selling all of the products together as a collection, i.e., the collection as a whole may be worth more or less than the individual products comprising the collection. In one embodiment, thelibrarian process400 may provide the user with additional information related to the appraised value. For example, text such as “FOR VALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR COLLECTION, CLICK HERE!” atreference numeral1346 may be displayed to alert the user to information that may help them increase the value of their collection. In the illustrated example, clicking on the text will transfer the user to another interface, such as the extended appraisal interface described with reference toFIG. 13C below.

Continuing with reference toFIG. 13B, when the sell links are activated by the user, thelibrarian process400 transfers the user to another Web page (not illustrated) containing a seller interface in which the user may arrange to sell the contents of their library by listing their books for sale on a merchant web site. In a typical embodiment, thelibrarian process400 pre-populates the various data fields used to present the titles for sale on the merchant web site wherever possible to facilitate the sale.

Referring now toFIG. 4E, as an example of an extended appraisal process, atprocess block442, thelibrarian process400 causes theWeb program500 to display an extended appraisal interface in response to the user's request, e.g., when the user clicks on the additional information link atreference numeral1346 inFIG. 13B. For example, thelibrarian process400 at process block448 may have computed an extended appraisal, such as identifying one or more additional products that a user may add to a collection in a library to enhance the summary appraised value of the collection. Alternatively, or in addition to a monetary value, thelibrarian process400 at process block448 may have computed an extended appraisal that includes such non-monetary information as a relative scarcity of a particular product, e.g., rare vs. common, or such information as whether the collection is or is not complete, e.g., adding a third and final book in a series would complete a collection of books in a series. Once computed, the extended appraisal may be displayed as shown in the illustrated example inFIG. 13C, in which thelibrarian process400 displays an extended appraisal interface atreference numeral1348, here for products contained in “MARY'S LIBRARY>KIDS COLLECTION>MORE INFO>” as identified atreference numeral1355. As inFIG. 13A, thelibrarian process400, atprocess block424, displays the summary appraisal of the collection (or library) in the form of text appearing atreference numeral1352, in this example “In good condition, your KIDS collection is valued at approximately $32.50 if sold together as a collection.” Beneath the summary appraisal is displayed a command button captioned “CLICK HERE TO SELL KIDS COLLECTION NOW FOR $32.50,” atreference numeral1354, so that the user may navigate away from the extended appraisal atreference numeral1348, to immediately sell the collection as it currently stands. However, if the user is interested in extending the value of their collection, the user is further alerted to the extended appraisal in highlighted text “IF YOU ADD THE BELOW TITLES 5-8 TO YOUR COLLECTION:” “YOUR COLLECTION WOULD BE VALUED AT” at

reference numerals

1356 and1320, and a monetary value comprising the extended appraisal, here “$52.00” atreference numeral1322, an increase in value of nearly $20 more than the KIDS collection as it currently exists. Such extended appraisal information may function as an incentive for a user to augment their collection with products that are identified as part of the extended appraisal, particularly if they can obtain them for less than $20.00, thereby insuring a subsequent profitable sale of the KIDS collection. In the illustrated example, a list of the products that were identified as part of the extended appraisal appears beneath the highlighted text, in this case including the titles “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” atreference numeral1358A, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone,” atreference numeral1358B, “Quidditch Through the Ages,” atreference numeral1358C, and “Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Latin edition),” atreference numeral1358D. As shown, theextended appraisal interface1348 may further includes a command button labeled “ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION NOW!” atreference numeral1360, which, when activated by the user, cause thelibrarian process400 to transfer the user to another Web page (not illustrated) containing a merchant interface in which the user may arrange to purchase the recommended titles, similar to thelibrarian process400 for library acquisition as described below with reference toFIG. 4D andFIG. 14.

Referring once again toFIG. 4E, thelibrarian process400 atprocess block450, notifies the user about the appraisal of the title, collection, or selected library as requested. The notification is made in accordance with the notification preferences previously specified, e.g., weekly updates via email containing a link to theappraisal interface1304 described above. Accordingly, the process atreference number448 may be performed on demand, or may be repeated in accordance with the notification preferences offrequency1224 andcommunication method1226 as previously described with reference toFIG. 12. In the illustrated example, the notification may have been sent to the user in the form of an email message that, when activated, caused theWeb browser500 to display the library user interface as shown inFIG. 13, populated with appraisals in the form of resale values atreference link1320.

Referring now toFIG. 4D, thelibrarian process400 continues atprocess block429, to display an acquisition user interface to the user in response to a request for advice from thelibrarian300 regarding suggested acquisitions for a particular library. Theprocess400 further continues atdecision block430 to determine whether user wishes to buy the recommended titles, and, if so, branches to process block432, where the user can link to a merchant interface to arrange to purchase the recommended titles online.

In the illustrated acquisition interface inFIG. 14 atreference numeral1402, entitled “Library Acquisition” atreference numeral1404, the user has entered the name of the library “Mary's Library” atreference numeral1406 for which the user is seeking acquisition recommendations or suggestions. The user is optionally prompted to select the name of a particular collection atreference numeral1410 within the library for which acquisition recommendations are sought using a drop-down box atreference numeral1412, here selecting the “Kids” collection. Thelibrarian process400 prompts the user with the acquisition recommendations for the specified collection (or library) in the form of text appearing atreference numeral1414, in this example “We suggest acquiring the below titles to complement your KIDS collection.”

In one embodiment, thelibrarian process400 generates the acquisition recommendations in consultation with an acquisition database (not shown), in which is stored pre-defined recommendations by genre, category, age group, etc. In one embodiment, the recommendations may be dynamically generated to complement historical data obtained from thehistory database212 for the user. Below thetext1414, thelibrary acquisition interface1402 typically includes a list of one or more items that thelibrarian300 recommends adding to the library. In the illustrated example, thelibrarian process400 causes theWeb browser program500 to display three items, including “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets,” atreference numeral1416A, “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban,” atreference numeral1416B, and “Quidditch Through the Ages” atreference numeral1416C. Along with the list of each book is displayed a command button labeled “PURCHASE” at

reference numerals

1418A,1418B, and1418C, which, when activated by the user, cause thelibrarian process400 to transfer the user to another Web page (not illustrated) containing a merchant interface in which the user may arrange to purchase the recommended titles.

Returning now toFIG. 4D, thelibrarian process400 continues atprocess block434, to display an organization user interface to the user in response to a request for advice from thelibrarian300 regarding suggestions for organizing a particular library. Theprocess400 further continues atdecision block436 to determine whether the user wishes to organize their library as suggested, and, if so, branches to process block438, where the user is transferred to the library creation and update interface illustrated atFIG. 6 so that the user can begin the process of uploading new images of their reorganized library. Alternatively, the user is transferred to the library viewer and inventory interfaces atFIGS. 7-9 so that the user may update the inventory information directly to reflect the new organization.

For example, in the illustrated organization interface inFIG. 15 atreference numeral1502, entitled “Library Organizer” atreference numeral1504, the user has entered the name of the library “Mary's Library” atreference numeral1506 for which the user is seeking organization advice. The user is optionally prompted to select the name of a particular collection atreference numeral1510 within the library for which organization advice is sought using a drop-down box atreference numeral1512, here selecting the “Kids” collection. Thelibrarian process400 prompts the user with organization advice for the specified collection (or library) in the form of text appearing atreference numeral1514, in this example “We suggest organizing the following 3 titles in a new collection entitled “CHILDREN'S FANTASY,” below which thelibrary organization interface1502 typically includes a list of one or more items that thelibrarian300 recommends reorganizing to a different shelf or collection within the library. In the illustrated example, thelibrarian process400 causes theWeb browser program500 to display three items, including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” atreference numeral1516A, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” atreference numeral1516B, and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” atreference numeral1516C. Along with the list of each book is displayed a command button labeled “MOVE” at

reference numerals

1518A,1518B, and1518C, which, when activated by the user, cause thelibrarian process400 to automatically update the inventory using the generated suggestions displayed in thelibrary organizer interface1502. Activating the “MOVE”

buttons

1518A,1518B, and1518C may alternatively transfer the user to the library create/update interface602 illustrated inFIG. 6 so that the user may reorganize their home bookshelves according to the suggestions, and upload new images of the reorganized bookshelves. Alternatively, theprocess400 may transfer the user to the library viewer and inventory interfaces at

reference numerals

702 and802 inFIGS. 7 and 8, to allow the user the opportunity to update the inventory to reflect the suggested organization, which update may be performed manually.

It will be appreciated that describing thelibrarian process400 by reference to the flow diagrams inFIGS. 4A-4E enables one skilled in the art to develop computer-executable instructions to carry out the process on suitably configured computers. The flow diagrams do not, however, constrain the execution of such instructions to carry out the process in any particular order, nor do they require that every aspect of thelibrarian process400 described herein be carried out in every embodiment. In addition, the computer-executable instructions to carry out the process described inFIGS. 4A-4E may be written in a computer programming language or may be embodied in firmware logic. If written in a programming language conforming to a recognized standard, such instructions can be executed on a variety of hardware platforms and interface with a variety of operating systems.

It will be further appreciated that the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language, and it will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described. Furthermore, it is common in the art to speak of software, in one form or another (e.g., program, procedure, process, application . . . ), as taking an action or causing a result. Such expressions are merely a shorthand way of saying that execution of the software by a computer causes the processor of the computer to perform an action or a produce a result.

It will be further appreciated that the Web page interfaces described for thelibrarian300 with reference toFIGS. 5-15 are only illustrative and do not serve to limit the general application of the invention. For example, links as referenced herein may be embodied by the command buttons illustrated and described at

reference numerals

512,518,614,708,808,1008,1108,1208,1308,1322,1324,1336,1344,1360,1418, and1518, by hypertext links, or by other selectable connections that, when activated, will cause thelibrarian process400 to take the described action, such as transferring the user to another Web page interface, or generating an additional or updated display on the current Web page interface.

While typical embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described above, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from scope of the claims that follow. For example, although the described embodiments refer primarily to implementations of the invention in the context of appraising a collection of products in a library containing books, other implementations in the context of appraising a collection of products in a library of music and videos, or other media products, are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A system comprising:

an electronic data store configured to at least store images of items associated with a user; and

a computing system comprising one or more hardware computing devices, said computing system in communication with the electronic data store and configured to at least:

identify at least one of the items associated with the user, wherein the at least one item is identified at least in part by analyzing visual elements of at least one of the images stored in the electronic data store;

determine a recommended item for the user based at least in part on a determination that the recommended item is complementary to the identified at least one item; and

generate a user interface that provides a selectable option to purchase the recommended item.

3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the items associated with the user comprise items owned by the user.

4. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the items associated with the user are items in an inventory associated with the user.

5. The system ofclaim 2, wherein identifying the at least one of the items associated with the user comprises identifying a product identifier of a product depicted in an image stored in the electronic data store.

6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the product identifier includes product identification information that is part of the product and is visible in the image.

7. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the recommended item is determined to be complementary to the identified at least one item based at least in part on predefined recommendation information.

8. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the recommended item is further determined based at least in part on at least one of a genre or a category associated with the at least one item.

9. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the recommended item is further determined based at least in part on an age group.

10. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the recommended item is further determined based at least in part on purchasing history of the user.

11. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the recommended item is further determined based at least in part on a determination that the recommended item is complementary to a collection of items owned by the user.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions,

identifying an item depicted in an image, wherein the item is identified based at least in part by analyzing visual elements of the image;

determining a recommended item based at least in part on a determination that the recommended item is complementary to the item identified in the image; and

generating a selectable option to purchase the recommended item.

13. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, further comprising identifying a plurality of items that are each depicted in one or more of a plurality of images, wherein the recommended item is determined to be complementary to two or more of the plurality of items.

14. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, further comprising enabling a user to select the image prior to identifying the item depicted in the image.

15. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, wherein the item depicted in the image comprises a book.

16. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 15, wherein the item is identified based at least in part on at least one of an author or a title visible in the image.

17. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, wherein the item is identified based at least in part on a heuristic application of one or more image recognition techniques.

18. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 17, wherein the one or more image recognition techniques include at least one of text recognition, optical character recognition or feature recognition.

19. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, wherein the item is identified based at least in part by comparing the image to a reference image of a product.

20. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 12, wherein the image is retrieved from a data store configured to store images associated with each of a plurality of products in a library associated with at least one of warehousing, retailing, reading, reference or lending operations.

21. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

generating a user interface element that facilitates purchase of the recommended item.

22. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium ofclaim 21, wherein identifying the item depicted in the image comprises identifying a product identifier of a product depicted in the image.

23. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium ofclaim 22, wherein the product identifier includes product identification information that is part of the product and is visible in the image.

24. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium ofclaim 21, wherein the item is identified based at least in part on a heuristic application of one or more image recognition techniques.

25. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium ofclaim 21, wherein the image is retrieved from an electronic data store that stores a plurality of images that are each associated with one of a plurality of items, wherein the plurality of items comprise items owned by a user or items included in an inventory.