Mobile Price Search via Optical Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online shoppers face difficulties in finding the best prices for products without knowing the exact model number and having to navigate away from websites to search for prices, with concerns about biased vendor listings.
Innovation Solution
A system using a mobile device to electronically read product prices from display screens, compare prices with other available products, and present purchase options, incorporating barcode scanning and price search/comparison engines to find the best deals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users manually search for prices by navigating away from the product website and typing model numbers, then price comparison can be performed, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-loads and stores product information including model numbers, descriptions, and images in a local database on the mobile device. When a user points the camera at a product, the system can immediately retrieve and compare prices without requiring the user to manually search or type model numbers, thus eliminating time loss while maintaining accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mobile application that acts as a bridge between the product and price comparison services. The application captures product information via camera, automatically retrieves relevant data from stored databases or online sources, and presents comparison results. This intermediary automates the entire process, eliminating manual navigation and typing errors while providing fast, accurate price comparisons
2Reliability
If users click on items to search for prices, then price information can be obtained, but vendor bias may influence the results
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile application serves as an independent intermediary that automatically retrieves price information from multiple sources without requiring user interaction with vendor websites. The system uses optical recognition to identify products and queries multiple price comparison databases simultaneously, ensuring unbiased results while maintaining system simplicity through automated processes
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically capturing product information through the camera, identifying the product via optical recognition, querying price databases, and presenting comparison results without user intervention. This automation eliminates vendor bias while keeping the interface simple, as the system handles all complex operations independently
3Productivity
If the system stores comprehensive product information locally, then price comparison speed increases, but device memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements local quality by storing only essential product identification information (such as key product codes, truncated model numbers, or hashed identifiers) locally in the mobile device's memory. When a product is scanned, the system uses this local information to quickly retrieve detailed product data and price comparisons from online databases, thus achieving fast comparison speed without requiring large local storage capacity
Data Source
AI summary
Price searching via a mobile device reading display screen graphics is provided. A system for obtaining pricing information comprises at least one subsystem that electronically reads a price of a product using a mobile device scanning a display screen, at least one subsystem that searches for other available products and price data to compare to the electronically read price and product data, at least one subsystem that compares the price data of the other products to the electronically read price data, and at least one subsystem that presents purchase options based upon results of the comparison of the price and product data.