Clothing Authenticity Detection Using Smartphone Neural Networks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for determining the authenticity of clothing products are time-consuming, subjective, and require expensive hardware or complex enhancements, making them impractical for individual use and difficult to scale across different brands.

Innovation Solution

A method using a neural network trained on a dataset of annotated and enriched images of distinguishing features, allowing authenticity determination via a smartphone without additional hardware, through a synergistic combination of phases including data preparation, training, and execution phases.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If human experts manually analyze products to determine authenticity, then accuracy and detail are improved, but time consumption and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthenticity determination accuracyVSAvoidanalysis time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual visual inspection by human experts with an automated image processing system. The system captures images of product distinguishing features and automatically analyzes them using digital image processing algorithms, eliminating the need for human intervention while maintaining high accuracy in authenticity determination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates digital copies (images) of the product features and analyzes these copies rather than physically examining the products. By working with image data, the system can rapidly process multiple products without the time constraints of physical inspection, achieving both speed and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If automatic image analysis is used to speed up authentication, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to expensive hardware requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication speedVSAvoidhardware requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs standard smartphone cameras instead of expensive specialized hardware to capture product images. The processing is performed through software algorithms that can run on ordinary devices, making the authentication system accessible to individuals without requiring costly equipment investments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The system is designed to work with standard smartphone cameras and processing capabilities rather than requiring specialized hardware. The same image processing algorithms can be applied to various product types and brands, providing universal functionality across different devices and scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If standard smartphone cameras are used for image capture, then device complexity is reduced, but image quality and measurement precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware simplicityVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system compensates for the limited quality of smartphone camera images by adjusting processing parameters. The image processing algorithms are specifically tuned to handle the characteristics of smartphone-captured images, extracting meaningful features even from images with varying lighting conditions, angles, and resolutions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary image enhancement and feature extraction steps before authenticity determination. By pre-processing the images to improve quality and highlight distinguishing features, the system maximizes the information available for accurate authentication despite the limitations of smartphone cameras.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If extensive image enhancement is applied to improve authentication accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but processing time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the image analysis into distinct segments: capturing distinguishing features, processing images to enhance specific characteristics, and determining authenticity. By focusing enhancement operations only on the specific features that matter for authentication rather than the entire image, the system achieves high accuracy without excessive processing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250245979A1Automatic method to determine the authenticity of a product

Publication Date: 2025.07.31 EBAY INC

AI summary

A method that comprises receiving at a network connected server from a first client terminal, a message comprising, an user application ID of a user selecting a media object using a user interface presented on a display of the first client terminal and the media object, generating a web document which presents a browser user interface and the media object when accessed by a browser, the web document having a network accessible storage address, sending the network accessible storage address from the network connected server to allow a browser installed in a second client terminal to use of the network accessible storage address to display the media object the browser user interface, identifying a usage of the browser user interface for inputting a reaction to the media object by a user of the second client terminal, and forwarding the reaction to the first client terminal using the sender user ID.