OCR Tire Placard Recognition for Online Purchase Accuracy
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers face difficulties in accurately entering tire size information when purchasing tires online, leading to incorrect purchases and subsequent returns due to the complexity of tire size notation and lack of awareness about the correct size information on vehicle placards.
Innovation Solution
A method involving optical character recognition (OCR) that allows consumers to upload photos of their vehicle's placard, where the OCR program identifies and correlates the tire size information with a database, ensuring accurate selection of correctly sized tires through an online system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If consumers manually enter tire size information on a website, then they can purchase tires online, but the information is often entered incorrectly leading to wrong size tires being purchased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical input method (typing tire size information) with an automated optical recognition system. The system captures an image of the tire placard and uses optical character recognition to automatically extract and identify the tire size information, eliminating manual entry errors while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically extracting tire size information from the placard image without requiring consumer intervention in the data entry process. The optical recognition system independently identifies and correlates the tire size information with vehicle requirements, allowing consumers to simply upload the placard image.
2Reliability
If consumers visit a physical tire store to purchase tires, then they can receive assistance with tire selection, but the process is time-consuming and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the physical visit to a tire store with an automated online system. The optical character recognition system automatically verifies tire size information by correlating it with vehicle requirements stored in a database, providing reliable verification without requiring physical presence or manual verification by technicians.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of tire size information before the purchasing process begins. By automatically extracting and validating the tire size from the placard image against stored vehicle requirements, the system ensures correct tire selection is established in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming in-store verification.
3Adaptability or versatility
If consumers research and compare multiple tire options online, then they can find the best deal, but the complexity of tire size notation confuses consumers leading to incorrect purchases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual interpretation of complex tire size notation with automated optical recognition. The system captures the placard image and automatically extracts the tire size information, eliminating the need for consumers to manually read and interpret the complex notation while maintaining access to all available tire size options.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical recognition system acts as an intermediary between the complex tire size notation on the placard and the consumer's purchasing decision. It automatically translates the visual information on the placard into structured data that can be correlated with vehicle requirements, simplifying the information processing without limiting the range of available tire options.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and convenient online purchasing of correctly sized tires by automatically extracting and verifying tire size information, reducing errors and the need for manual input, thereby enhancing consumer confidence and reducing returns.
Implementation Method 1
An optical character recognition program that is in communication with the web server is provided, and the photo is analyzed with the optical character recognition program. Characters are identified in the photo corresponding to tire size information on the placard.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A method of obtaining and processing tire information (22) is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: providing a web site (34) stored on a web server (54), the web site (34) being accessible from a computing device (32); displaying on the web site (34) a web page (38) for a consumer including: instructions for locating, on a vehicle (14) on which tires (12) are to be mounted, a placard (16) containing tire information (22); a request to take a photo (64) of the placard (16); and a request to upload the photo (64) of the placard (16) to the web site (34); upon the consumer locating the placard (16), taking the photo of the placard and uploading the placard to the web site (34), storing the photo (64) on the web server (54); providing an optical character recognition program (74) in communication with the web server (54); analyzing the photo (64) with the optical character recognition program (74); identifying characters (76) in the photo (64) corresponding to tire size information (26) on the placard (16); correlating the identified tire size information (26), in a database (58) in communication with the web server (54), with a listing of pre-stored tire information, thereby verifying whether the identified tire size information (26) is appropriate for the vehicle (12); and returning a message to the web site (38) from the web server (54) including results of the identification and correlation.