Augmented Reality Product Visualization for Custom Print Ordering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Photo kiosks face challenges in allowing customers to envision the actual physical dimensions of products, leading to hesitation in purchases and high costs for kiosk installation and maintenance, which occupies valuable retail space.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using augmented reality on a mobile device to recognize physical products displayed in a video, overlay digital information, and allow users to select digital images for custom print products, eliminating the need for physical kiosks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If photo kiosks are installed in retail stores to allow customers to order print products, then customers can conveniently select and customize products, but the cost of installation and maintenance becomes substantial and valuable retail space is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical kiosks with digital replicas displayed on mobile devices. Customers can view product catalogs, specifications, and place orders through their smartphones or tablets, which display virtual versions of the kiosk interface. This eliminates the need for expensive physical hardware while maintaining the same customer functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical and electronic systems of physical kiosks with software-based solutions running on mobile devices. The ordering system, product display, and customization features are delivered through applications or web interfaces rather than dedicated hardware, reducing infrastructure costs and space requirements.
2Loss of information
If digital products are displayed on kiosk screens, then product information is accessible, but customers have difficulty envisioning actual physical dimensions leading to purchase hesitation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional screen displays to three-dimensional augmented reality visualizations. Customers can view products in 3D space with accurate scaling, allowing them to understand actual dimensions, proportions, and how products will appear in their environment. This dimensional enhancement resolves the disconnect between digital information and physical reality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces augmented reality technology as an intermediary between digital product information and customer perception. AR overlays provide contextual information, size references, and visualizations that bridge the gap between abstract digital data and tangible product understanding, helping customers make informed decisions.
3Ease of operation
If physical kiosks are placed in high-traffic premium locations, then customer accessibility is improved, but valuable floor space is taken away from the retailer's ability to sell other products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the ordering system universal by implementing it across multiple mobile devices that customers already possess. Instead of requiring a single physical kiosk location, the system can be accessed anywhere in the store through smartphones, tablets, or laptops. This multiplies accessibility points from one physical location to potentially thousands of device instances, eliminating the need to sacrifice premium retail space.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing a custom print product comprises displaying a video that includes an exhibited physical product; comparing feature or attribute data associated with the exhibited product with a feature or attribute associated with the available product; displaying a digital overlay in the video and in association with the displayed exhibited product if the displayed exhibited product corresponds to the available product; allowing for the selection of the digital overlay and then a digital image, wherein the selected digital image is not representative of the displayed exhibited physical product, and wherein the selected digital image is configured to be disposed on a selected physical product representative of the displayed exhibited physical product associated with the selected digital overlay to provide the customized print product.