AR Shopping Overlay for Safe Mobile Commerce

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Solution Overview

Problem

The danger of using smartphones while walking or biking poses a risk of accidents, making it difficult to safely conduct online shopping during movement.

Innovation Solution

A program that acquires and transmits position information to an information processing apparatus, receives display data related to products, identifies safe regions in real-time images, and outputs product information in those regions, allowing users to engage in electronic commerce safely while on the move.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If product display information is overlaid on the entire screen, then users can view product information, but user safety deteriorates due to distraction while moving

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct information visibilityVSAvoiduser safety risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively overlaying product display information only on safe regions identified in the image, rather than displaying it across the entire screen. The system determines safe regions based on image analysis and restricts information overlay to those specific areas, ensuring users can view product information without distraction in unsafe areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the display screen into multiple regions based on image analysis of the user's environment. By dividing the screen into safe and unsafe regions, the system can independently control information overlay in each region, allowing product information to be displayed only in safe regions while avoiding distraction in unsafe regions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If comprehensive product information is displayed, then shopping functionality is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates during movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshopping functionalityVSAvoidoperation safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamics by making the display region adaptive based on real-time image analysis. The system continuously identifies safe regions in the user's environment and dynamically adjusts the display overlay accordingly. This allows comprehensive shopping functionality when safe regions are available while automatically restricting display in unsafe conditions, maintaining ease of operation during movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies local quality by providing comprehensive product information only in safe regions where it does not compromise user safety. The display characteristics and information density are adjusted locally based on the identified safe regions, allowing rich shopping functionality in appropriate contexts while maintaining operational safety in movement scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11734898B2Program, information processing method, and information processing terminal
Publication Date: 2023.08.22 MERCARI INC(JP)
  • US11734898B2 patent drawing
  • US11734898B2 patent drawing
  • US11734898B2 patent drawing

AI summary

There is provided a program for causing an information processing terminal to execute a step of acquiring position information indicating a position of the information processing terminal, a step of transmitting the position information to an information processing apparatus, a step of receiving display data related to one or more products which is associated with the position information from the information processing apparatus, a step of acquiring a first region which satisfies a predetermined condition related to safety of a user, the first region being a region in an image taken by an image pickup unit, and a step of outputting the display data related to the one or more products to the acquired first region in a real space corresponding to the image or the image.