Avatar Clothing Matching From Camera Images in Messaging Apps

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing messaging systems lack the ability to dynamically update user avatars with clothing items that match the user's real-time attire, limiting the personalization and engagement in messaging experiences.

Innovation Solution

A messaging system that detects articles of clothing in a captured image, determines their attributes, and presents user-selectable avatar outfits that match or resemble the detected clothing, allowing users to update their avatars with similar outfits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the messaging system uses static avatar representations, then the system complexity is low, but the user personalization and engagement are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser personalizationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic avatar clothing updates by detecting clothing items in real-time images and automatically updating the avatar's appearance to match. This transforms the static avatar system into a dynamic one that adapts to user's current attire, resolving the contradiction between personalization and system complexity by introducing automated image recognition and matching algorithms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a visual copy of the user's detected clothing items and applies them to the avatar. By capturing the essence of the real clothing through image recognition and reproducing it on the avatar model, the system achieves high personalization without requiring complex 3D modeling or manual configuration

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If the system manually configures avatar clothing, then the personalization accuracy is high, but the time consumption and user effort increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclothing matching accuracyVSAvoidtime for avatar configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting clothing items in user-provided images, identifying their attributes, and updating the avatar without requiring manual user configuration. This automated process maintains high matching accuracy while eliminating the time users would otherwise spend manually selecting and configuring clothing items

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical manual configuration process with an automated image recognition and pattern matching system. Computer vision algorithms detect clothing attributes from images, and automated matching logic applies the appropriate clothing to the avatar, substituting manual user actions with intelligent automated systems that achieve both accuracy and efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If the system processes high-resolution images for clothing detection, then the detection accuracy improves, but the processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclothing detection accuracyVSAvoidcomputational processing power
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the image processing task by first detecting and isolating the clothing regions of interest before performing detailed attribute analysis. This segmentation approach allows the system to focus computational resources only on relevant areas of the image, maintaining high detection accuracy while reducing overall processing power requirements compared to analyzing the entire high-resolution image

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4172948B1Updating avatar clothing in a messaging system
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 SNAP INC
  • EP4172948B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4172948B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4172948B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing a program and method for updating avatar clothing of a user of a messaging system. The program and method provide for receiving, by a messaging application running on a device of a user, a request to identify at least one object depicted in an image captured by a device camera; determining, in response to receiving the request, an attribute of an object depicted in the image; selecting, from plural candidate articles of clothing for an avatar of the user, an article of clothing that is associated with the attribute of the object; and displaying the selected article of clothing with the avatar of the user.