System and method for providing automated clothing fashion recommendations

Abstract

A client-server social-network for providing automated clothing suggestions. Fashion interested users form social networks, upload records of their respective wardrobes and fashion preferences, and display their wardrobe items and outfits other members of the network, often displaying entire outfits using customizable virtual mannequins. The social network members can evaluate the fashion merits of both their outfits and their friend's outfits, and the system will further store data pertaining to the social network group's fashion assessments. The system may also make statistical inferences as to what types of clothing may be favored and disfavored by the user's social network group, and present these recommendations to the user. Other factors, such as weather, event type, and user's recent history of wearing various wardrobe items can also be considered. The system can additionally assist in shopping and gift giving, provide fashion related games, spot fashion trends, and provide advanced data for fashion suppliers.

1 . A client-server social-network method for providing automated clothing suggestions, said method comprising:
 using at least one server comprising at least one processor, memory, fashion social network software, and a network connection to the internet to provide a fashion social network comprising a plurality of users, and a database configured to store, on a per user basis, user clothing information, user fashion preferences, user social network linkages, and social network fashion preferences;   said user clothing information comprising user wardrobe items, each user wardrobe item further comprising item type, item color, item style, item image, and item history information;   said at least one server further configured to receive information pertaining to said user clothing information, user fashion preferences, and user friend information from at least one client computerized device, and store said user clothing information and user fashion preferences and user friend information in said database;   using said at least one server and said user friend information to establish social network linkages between said plurality of users, thereby establishing user social networks;   further receiving, on a per user basis, social network fashion preferences from said user social network, said social network fashion preferences comprising preferences of at least one different social network linked contact pertaining to at least one user wardrobe item, or at least one outfit comprising a plurality user wardrobe items;   wherein said at least one server uses said user clothing information, user fashion preferences, said social network fashion preferences and a scoring algorithm to suggest at least one user wardrobe item, or at least one outfit, for said user to wear;   wherein said scoring algorithm gives weighting to user wardrobe items or outfits according to a function of said social network fashion preferences, said user fashion preferences, and said item history information;   further receiving information pertaining to an actual choice of said user, at a given time, of at least one user wardrobe item or at least one outfit and storing said actual choice and time in said database, and using said actual choice as at least part of said user fashion preferences.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further sorting said user wardrobe items or said outfits according to any of said item types, item colors, item styles, item history information, user fashion preferences, and social network fashion preferences, producing sorted user wardrobe items or sorted user outfits, and using said item images to display said sorted user wardrobe items or said sorted user outfits on said at least one client computerized device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further displaying said sorted user wardrobe items or said sorted user outfits on a virtual mannequin using least one client computerized device; or
 further uploading images of said user to said at least one server, and using said images of said user to customize an appearance of said virtual mannequin to resemble said images of said user, thereby producing a customized virtual mannequin, and further displaying said sorted user wardrobe items or said sorted user outfits on said customized virtual mannequin using said least one client computerized device. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further uploading background images or a link to a dynamic background for said mannequin to said at least one server, and further displaying said sorted user wardrobe items or said sorted user outfits on said customized virtual mannequin against said background images or dynamic background. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further receiving a present or reported future locations of said user and at least some individuals in at least said user's social network;
 determining if said present or reported future locations of said user and at least some individuals in at least said user's social network are within a given location criteria;   and if said present or reported future locations of said user and at least some individuals in at least said user's social network are within said given location matching criteria, performing any of:   a) receiving information pertaining to wardrobe items or outfits that said user and at least some individuals in said at least said user's social network are wearing or plan to wear, and providing a collision warning if at least some of said item styles or item colors are either similar or identical;   b) receiving information pertaining to wardrobe items or outfits that said user and at least some individuals in said at least said user's social network are wearing or plan to wear, and providing data reporting on which specific wardrobe items, item styles or item colors are either similar or identical.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further providing at least some of said item images by using said client computerized device to upload optical codes or catalog information pertaining to said user wardrobe items, and using said optical codes or catalog information to retrieve said item images from at least one database of item images; or
 wherein said client computerized device further comprises at least one software controlled camera, further using said client computerized device to photograph at least one of said items, thereby producing item images, and uploading said item images to said server.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said client computerized device further comprises at least one camera and a display screen;
 further generating a template of at least one item on said display screen, and instructing said user to use said template to as a photographic guide while photographing said item, thereby producing template delineated images;   and using only portions of said template delineated images that fall inside of said template for said item images.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said user clothing information further comprises potential user clothing purchases;
 further receiving said potential user clothing purchases, and receiving social network fashion preferences comprising preferences of at least one different social network linked contact pertaining to said potential user clothing purchase; and   using a potential purchase scoring algorithm that operates according to a function of said social network fashion preferences to give feedback on a merit of said potential user clothing purchase to said user;   wherein said potential user clothing purchases may be obtained from at least one of said user, at least one different social network based contact, clothing advertiser, clothing retailer, or clothing manufacturer.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further using wardrobe items from at least different social network linked contacts, said user's wardrobe items, and said user fashion preferences, to determine popular wardrobe items not owned by said user and recommend these items to either said user or to at least one different social network linked contact. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further receiving information pertaining to a present or future location of said user, and anticipated weather conditions proximate to said present or future location of said user;
 further analyzing said user wardrobe items or outfits according to at least one of item type, item color, or item style, and further ranking said wardrobe items or outfits by weather suitability;   wherein said scoring algorithm also gives weighting to the weather suitability of said wardrobe items or outfits.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further receiving information pertaining to at least one event type;
 further analyzing said user wardrobe items or outfits according said at least one event type, and further ranking said wardrobe items or outfits by at least one event suitability;   wherein said scoring algorithm also gives weighting to at least one event suitability of said wardrobe items or outfits.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further receiving calendar information pertaining to the calendar scheduling of said at least one event types;
 further suggesting at least one user wardrobe item or at least one outfit for said user to wear for each of said at least one event types according to said calendar information.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further tracking wardrobe items in at least said user social networks as a function of time, and reporting statistics on trends in said wardrobe items as a function of time. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said user has a user geographic location, and wherein said server further comprises trend prediction software, said trend prediction software configured to use said user fashion preferences, social network fashion preferences, said trends in said wardrobe items as a function of time, and sales data pertaining to clothing sales in said user's geographic location to predict latest fashion trends with respect to wardrobe item types, item colors, and item styles. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , either allowing members of said user social networks to vote on which member has a best fashion sense, and reporting these results; or
 scoring mutual social network fashion preferences among members of said user social network, and automatically ranking a plurality of members according to their overall cumulative fashion sense score.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further providing an advice exchange forum for all users, wherein said all users may direct questions to either all users, specific users, or users with a specified overall cumulative fashion preference score;
 and wherein any answers may be directed to either all users, specific users, or the user who submitted the question;   and wherein said user who submitted the question may rank the quality of said answer according to a quality score, thus awarding answer points to the answering user who submitted said answers;   and wherein said server may award prises to answering users with high cumulative answer points.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further providing fashion games methods, said fashion games methods being at least one of:
 a) using a plurality of client computerized devices equipped with accelerometers or buttons to determine which said users are presently activating their client computerized devices by shaking or pressing at least one of said buttons; and   for all users with presently activated client computerized devices, sharing information pertaining to said user wardrobe items;   b) receiving, from said users, guesses at what other members of said user's social networks are wearing, and reporting on a score of an accuracy of said guesses;   c) providing a virtual fashion carnival by inviting a plurality of other members to exhibit their clothing selections as either user wardrobe items, user outfits, or customized virtual mannequins, providing access to said virtual fashion carnival to viewers comprising either members of said user's social network or members of said social network and individuals outside of said user's social network, and receiving fashion rating votes from at least some of said viewers;   wherein said fashion rating votes are added to said member's said overall cumulative fashion sense score.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further receiving and storing in said database, information pertaining to daily user choice of wardrobe items and outfits;
 using said information pertaining to daily user choice of wardrobe items and outfits to construct a history of said user's daily user choices;   and using said history of said user's daily user choices in said scoring algorithm.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said client computerized device comprises at least one processor, memory, and a display, and wherein said client computerized device uses either fashion client software or a web browser to send and receive information from both said at least one server and said user. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said client computerized device is a smartphone or tablet device further comprising a video camera, wherein said display is a touch sensitive display, and wherein said fashion client software is a downloadable app.