Claims:1. A method for color recommendation, said method comprising:
receiving, atone or more processors of a color matching and recommendation engine, a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors;
extracting, at the one or more processors, a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets;
matching, at the one or more processors, the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset having information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and
determining, responsive to the matching, atthe one or more processors, a degree of matching of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of the predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of the predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching, wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recommendations are further sorted based on availability of the extracted prominent color with one or more service providers within nearby proximity of the computing device.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the matching is based on a combination of attributes of the one or more colors related to hue, temperature, value, or chroma.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, w herein the degree of matching is related to closeness and nearness of the prominent color to the plurality of the predefined colors.
5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the closeness and nearness is related to a color distance where a lower color distance pertains to the higher degree of matching.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein based on the color distance of the prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors, the plurality of predefined color are sorted in order of the higher degree of matching to lower degree of matching.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one related color includes any or a combination of a color code, a color manufacturer, and one or more colors related to the recommended color range.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prominent color is captured using a computing device, the prominent color is applied on a surface.
9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the surface is any one of a textile, wooden surface, vehicle body or wall.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prominent color is determined in terms of RGB values.
11. A system for color recommendation, said system comprising:
one or more processors, communicatively coupled to a memory, the memory storing one or more instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors upon execution of the one or more instructions causes the system to:
receive a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors;
extract a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets;
match the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and
responsive to the match, determine, a degree of match of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching, wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to color sampling. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for matching sampled color of a surface with database containing color data.

BACKGROUND
[0002] The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] There are situations in which it is desirable for a user to be able to accurately match colors of objects. This can be quite challenging to achieve by eye, particularly where the objects to be matched have different textures or materials and may be applied on different surfaces, or where lighting levels are inconsistent. Often, the matching has to be achieved from memory, without simultaneous direct visual contact with the two items to be matched, which many people find difficult.
[0004] For example, it is a general requirement when determining color to be painted to try to match the colors already painted on the surface with existing color schemes in a room in which they will be placed. Typically, this can only be accurately achieved by obtaining from the retailer a color sample (such as a swatch, fabric cutting or match pot of paint) and taking this color sample home, prior to deciding on the purchase.
[0005] There is therefore, a need in the art for method and system that facilitates convenient color matching and recommending colors with closest match.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0006] The present disclosure relates to color sampling. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for matching sampled color of a surface with database containing color data.
[0007] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate sampling colors from different surfaces and then matching the sampled colors with a color database to meet color matching requirements.
[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate locating matching colors from a database based on a least color difference between the sampled colors and stored colors in the database.
[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate capturing color directly from the environment and surfaces.
[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to facilitate determining a closeness and nearness value for the sampled color with the stored colors of the database.
[0011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide information related to manufacture’s name and details based on the closest matching color.

SUMMARY
[0012] The present disclosure relates to color sampling. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for matching sampled color of a surface with database containing color data.
[0013] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for color recommendation, said method comprising: receiving, by a one or more processors of a color matching and recommendation engine, a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors; extracting, by the one or more processors, a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets; matching, by the one or more processors, the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and responsive to the matching, determining, by the one or more processors, a degree of matching of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching , wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.
[0014] In an embodiment, the recommendations are further sorted based on availability of the extracted prominent color with one or more service providers within nearby proximity of the computing device.
[0015] In an embodiment, the matching is based on a combination of attributes of the one or more colors related to hue, temperature, value, or chrome.
[0016] In an embodiment, the degree of matching is related to closeness and nearness of the prominent color to the plurality of the predefined colors.
[0017] In an embodiment, the closeness and nearness is related to a color distance where a lower color distance pertains to the higher degree of matching.
[0018] In an embodiment, based on the color distance of the prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors, the plurality of predefined colors are sorted in order of the higher degree of matching to lower degree of matching.
[0019] In an embodiment, the at least one related color includes any or a combination of a color code, a color manufacturer, and one or more colors related to the recommended color range.
[0020] In an embodiment, the prominent color is captured using a computing device, the prominent color is applied on a surface. In an embodiment, the surface is any one of a textile, wooden surface, vehicle body or wall.
[0021] In an embodiment, the prominent color is determined in terms of RGB values.
[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for color recommendation, said system comprising: one or more processors, communicatively coupled to a memory, the memory storing one or more instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors upon execution of the one or more instructions causes the system to: receive a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors; extract a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets; match the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and responsive to the match, determine, a degree of match of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching , wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0024] The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation of the present disclosure, and wherein:
[0025] FIG. 1 indicates a network implementation of a color recommendation system that facilitates sampling colors and determining closest matching colors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional components of the color recommendation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary representations for color matching and recommendation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating a method for color matching and recommendation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer system to implement the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.
[0031] Embodiments of the present invention include various steps, which will be described below. The steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, firmware and/or by human operators.
[0032] Embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
[0033] Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
[0034] If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[0035] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0036] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this invention will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure).
[0037] While embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as described in the claim.
[0038] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for color recommendation, said method comprising: receiving, by a one or more processors of a color matching and recommendation engine, a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors; extracting, by the one or more processors, a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets; matching, by the one or more processors, the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and responsive to the matching, determining, by the one or more processors, a degree of matching of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching , wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.
[0039] In an embodiment, the recommendations are further sorted based on availability of the extracted prominent color with one or more service providers within nearby proximity of the computing device.
[0040] In an embodiment, the matching is based on a combination of attributes of the one or more colors related to hue, temperature, value, or chrome.
[0041] In an embodiment, the degree of matching is related to closeness and nearness of the prominent color to the plurality of the predefined colors.
[0042] In an embodiment, the closeness and nearness is related to a color distance where a lower color distance pertains to the higher degree of matching.
[0043] In an embodiment, based on the color distance of the prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors, the plurality of predefined colors are sorted in order of the higher degree of matching to lower degree of matching.
[0044] In an embodiment, the at least one related color includes any or a combination of a color code, a color manufacturer, and one or more colors related to the recommended color range.
[0045] In an embodiment, the prominent color is captured using a computing device, the prominent color is applied on a surface. In an embodiment, the surface is any one of a textile, wooden surface, vehicle body or wall.
[0046] In an embodiment, the prominent color is determined in terms of RGB values.
[0047] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for color recommendation, said system comprising: one or more processors, communicatively coupled to a memory, the memory storing one or more instructions executable by the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors upon execution of the one or more instructions causes the system to: receive a set of data packets from a computing device, the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors; extract a first set of data packets from the received set of data packets, the first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets, wherein the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets; match the extracted first set of data packets with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors; and responsive to the match, determine, a degree of match of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching , wherein the recommendations are sorted based on the highest degree of matching.
[0048] FIG. 1 indicates a network implementation 100 of a color recommendation system that facilitates sampling colors and determining closest matching colors in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0049] In an aspect, the color recommendation system 102 (also referred to as the system 102, hereinafter) is disclosed and is configured with a plurality of entities 108that can communicate with the system using one or more operatively coupled devices 106. The system 102 can facilitate capturing colors present on surfaces via computing devices and matching colors captured from the surfaces with a database of colors to determine a one or more closest matching color from various color providers. The system 102 implemented in any computing device can be configured/operatively connected with a server 110. As illustrated, the system 102 can be communicatively coupled with one or more entity devices 106-1, 106-2,.., 106-N (individually referred to as the entity device 106 and collectively referred to as the entity devices 106, hereinafter) through a network 104. The one or more entity devices 106 are connected to the living subjects/ users /entities 108-1, 108-2,..., 108N (individually referred to as the entity 108 and collectively referred to as the entities 108, hereinafter). Furthermore, the entities here can be such as service providers, service availing consumers and so forth.
[0050] In an embodiment, the system 102 can be implemented using any or a combination of hardware components and software components such as a cloud, a server, a computing system, a computing device, a network device and the like. Further, the system 102 can interact with any of the entity devices 106 through a website or an application that can reside in the entity devices 106. In an implementation, the system 102 can be accessed by website or application that can be configured with any operating system, including but not limited to, AndroidTM, iOSTM, and the like. Examples of the computing devices 106 can include, but are not limited to, a computing device associated with industrial equipment or an industrial equipment based asset, a smart camera, a smart phone, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device and the like.
[0051] The system 102 can facilitate to sense color information representative of the color of an article or a surface being sampled. Preferably, the color can be sampled using an optical sensor, although any form of calorimeter or spectrophotometer device could also be used. The sampled color can be used to generate a color definition for each article and the surface being sampled. The color definition can use RGB color values derived from the digital camera. The RGB color values offer a convenient 24-bit number representation which is useful for electronic storage and transmission.
[0052] In the preferred embodiment, the optical sensor can be a digital camera, and can preferably also include a viewfinder (not shown) for imaging the surface or the article in view. The viewfinder may incorporate a visual targeting device, such as a cross-hair or “box” in the viewfinder which indicates a portion of the imaged article for which color information will be generated. The color sampling area may include a predetermined number of pixels in order to ensure a representative mix of colors and hues to form an averaged single sample that is properly representative of the article or the surface. The viewfinder may determine the color of the surface or the article in view. The viewfinder may be connected to a server 110 via a communications network such as the internet. The server 120 may include a database which stores color information, reference information, product ID information and any other text, pictorial or numerical representation of information. In an embodiment, the viewfinder may not be connected to the network at all and may be a standalone device which has a color matching database stored on the system itself. The system may be implemented on a mobile communication device.
[0053] Further, the network 104 can be a wireless network, a wired network or a combination thereof that can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as Intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Internet, and the like. Further, the network 104 can either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network can represent an association of the different types of networks that can use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like.
[0054] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary functional components 200 of the color recommendation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0055] In an aspect, the system 102 may comprise one or more processor(s) 202. The one or more processor(s) 202 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 202are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory 204 of the system 102. The memory 204 may store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines, which may be fetched and executed to create or share the data units over a network service. The memory 204 may comprise any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory, and the like.
[0056] The system 102 may also comprise an interface(s) 206. The interface(s) 206 may comprise a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 206 may facilitate communication of the system 102 with various devices coupled to the system 102 such as an input unit and an output unit. The interface(s) 206may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the system 102. Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, processing engine(s) 208and database 210.
[0057] The processing engine(s) 208may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the processing engine(s) 208. In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine(s) 208may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine(s) 208 may comprise a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine(s) 208. In such examples, the system 102 may comprise the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the system 102 and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine(s) 208may be implemented by electronic circuitry.
[0058] The database 210 may comprise data that is either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of the processing engine(s) 208.
[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing engine(s) 208 may comprise a color matching unit 212, a color recommendation unit 214,and other units(s) 216.
[0060] It would be appreciated that units being described are only exemplary units and any other unit or sub-unit may be included as part of the system 102. These units too may be merged or divided into super- units or sub-units as may be configured.
Color Matching Unit 212
[0061] In an embodiment, a color matching unit 212 can facilitate receiving a set of data packets from a computing device where the set of data packets pertains to one or more attributes of one or more colors. The first set of data packets are extracted from received set of data packets. The first set of data packets pertains to a prominent color within the received set of data packets and where the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets. The extracted first set of data packets are matched with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors. The matching can be based on a combination of attributes of the colors related to hue, temperature, value, or chroma. Further, the degree of matching is related to closeness and nearness of the prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors. Furthermore, based on the color distance of the prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors, the plurality of predefined color are sorted in order of the higher degree of matching to lower degree of matching.
[0062] In an embodiment, the system 102 facilitates performing color identification for a surface sample or an article. The captured images of the articles or the surfaces via the viewfinder can be further looked for in the database of colors to find a best matching color. While capturing the colors from the surface or the article, the system determines and captures produced incident light, determines wavelength and intensity of reflected light from the surface or the article. By measuring certain characteristics of the surface sample or the article, such as wavelength and intensity of reflected light, the surface sample’s or the article’s color coordinates may be established and matched to known color points.
[0063] In an embodiment, the image can be captured using a camera (viewfinder) of a computing device such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop and so forth. Once the image is received, the system detects the most prominent color shade in the article image or the surface image in natural lighting through guided steps in terms of RGB values. Further, the viewfinder can be used to spatially integrate all reflected light from the surface or the article thereby eliminating effect of surface reflectivity.
[0064] In an exemplary embodiment, the system can determine closeness and nearness of the prominent color determined, from the captured set of images, to the plurality of predefined colors. The RGB value can be used for comparing the closeness and nearness of the captured color of the article or the surface in comparison to a color shade stored in the database. The database can contain multiple existing commercially available paint shades of multiple wall paint manufacturing companies. As an example, when an existing color shade on the surface or the article which is detected from the photo is: Red = 241, Green = 228, Blue = 221. Then , the colors in range of -50 to +50 are selected in R, G and B which implies that Red value should be in range between 241-50 or 241+50 and Green value should be in between 228-50 or 228+50 and Blue value should be in between 221-50 or 221+50 with color family = “Red”. The system determines for the compared set of images a Gossamer value with a least distance of 1.3904. The system then displays a set of paint shades with paint codes and manufacturer name. The system sorts the matching set of colors based on a closest distance of available colors to the prominent color. This is done for multiple available manufacturing companies and a best suited shade is recommended.
[0065] As shown in Table 1 is illustrated a color matching scheme.
[0066] Table 1: Matching stored RGB color values with the captured images colors.
Color distance is calculated with respect to Red = 241, Green = 228, Blue = 221 values.

Commercial Color Code Shade Name R G B Manufacturer Name Color Distance & Sorting
8052 Gossamer 247.14 234.93 228.62 Asian Paints 1.3904
509 Geranium 245.52 234.16 230.75 Asian Paints 1.9198
8068 Willow Crek 247.32 236.3 231.86 Asian Paints 1.9829
8084 Tinge Of Rose 246.52 231.43 228.16 Asian Paints 1.9982
8036 Soft Chenille 249.7 232.33 222.92 Asian Paints 2.0266
8060 Day Lily 248.44 233.74 229.82 Asian Paints 2.2068
8028 Peach Organza 246.99 235.82 223.67 Asian Paints 3.1497
8020 Desert Ivory 245.31 235.23 222.67 Asian Paints 3.8311
506 Deep Orange 241.26 228.47 221.77 Asian Paints 4.2026
7996 Cream Tone 246.92 238.87 223.87 Asian Paints 5.4585
8004 Mellow Orange 245.73 240.5 229.11 Asian Paints 5.6183
7972 Powder Puff 245.08 240.59 227.25 Asian Paints 6.2858
7940 Pale Pearl 245.27 241.3 228.05 Asian Paints 6.7457
7932 Balnk Canvas 244.82 242.06 227.91 Asian Paints 7.9309
7916 Firefly Flicker 244.14 241.95 224.62 Asian Paints 8.1406
7948 Crescent 245.98 241.28 221.6 Asian Paints 8.7763
7844 Mild Yellow 244.36 241.66 221.91 Asian Paints 9.092
7836 Vanilla Ice 244.29 242.5 223.55 Asian Paints 9.2375
7860 Thick Cream 243.22 241.23 221.52 Asian Paints 9.4707
7876 Soft Honey 245.7 243.29 223.51 Asian Paints 11.6066

[0067] In an embodiment, the system facilitates using color quantization methods known in the art such as an in International Color Consortium to determine and reduce the number of colors in the image by producing an optimized set of representative colors for considering one of the color, from the set of representative colors, as the prominent color. In another embodiment it may be desired to represent the prominent color as a single color. In some instances this could be matched to the name of a color or the name of a product color (e.g. a brand-specific paint color name). This color may then be more easily used for database searching. Further, the system 102 can facilitate a color correction according to a predefined color correction standard common to sampling devices. Alternatively, the system 102 may store data identifying conditions in respect of which correction should be made with the available color definitions.
Color Recommendation Unit 214
[0068] In an embodiment, the system can responsive to the matching determine a degree of matching of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching.
[0069] In an embodiment, the system can provide a set of paint shades which match closely to the most prominent color. The suggested paint shades can be suggested along with their paint codes and manufacturer’s name. The suggested shades can be made available for different manufacturing companies and a best suited color shade is suggested.
[0070] In an embodiment, the color recommendation can be based on availability of vendors and manufacturers that sell or manufacture the color for the customer. Further, the system can provide a set of vendors or the manufacturers that are in physical proximity of the customer seeking a closest match to the determined prominent color. Upon determining that the color is being sold in physical proximity of the customer, a closest match to the color based on matching of the color being looked out to the set of predefined available colors from a color manufacturer or a provider is performed. Also, the match can be determined based on the least distance of the captured color with the predefined set of colors, and one or more of determined matches are then sorted based on the degree of matching.
[0071] FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary representations 300 for color matching and recommendation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown an image of a surface or an article is captured using a capturing device. On capturing of the image with the capturing device the prominent color is selected from the captured image and is then displayed for the user. On determination and confirmation to proceed by the user on determining that the prominent color is correctly selected, a set of matching colors are looked for in the database of colors. The matching colors are selected based on a degree of closeness and nearness values. The matching colors are selected based on closest color distance , and the suggested colors are sorted in ascending order, with the color with least color distance being the best suggested color matching to the prominent color. Further, the recommended colors can be suggested along with the one or more manufacturer’s name, color codes and color shade name.
[0073] In an embodiment, the system preferably also provides a display device. The display device may be a simple, text only display device, or more preferably a display having color graphics capabilities. The display device can display the recommended best matched color. The user may then view the recommended color and may also determine the manufacturer’s name, the color code and the color name for the recommended color.
[0074] The color database may contain a set of colors of a plurality of data items preferably relating to a surface, an object or article of merchandise available from an associated retail outlet. These objects may be any one of an article of clothing, an article of furniture, a carpet, curtain material, or paint, or any other object having an associated color.
[0075] Where the prominent color matches one of the stored colors, the system may display the match, or the nearness of match on the display. This assists the user in coordinating the colors and provides an electronic mechanism for approving a match. The device may include a process for determining a color matching indicating a closeness of match, or a degree of complement between, the prominent color and each of a set of stored colors.
[0076] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram 400 illustrating a method for color matching and recommendation in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0077] In an embodiment, at block 402, a color matching and recommendation engine receives a set of data packets from a computing device. The set of data packets may pertain to one or more attributes of one or more colors. At block 404, the first set of data packets are extracted from the received set of data packets. The first set of data packets pertain to a prominent color within the received set of data packets and the prominent color is associated to a group of pixels within the first set of data packets. Further, at block 406, the extracted first set of data packets are matched with a preconfigured dataset comprising information related to a plurality of predefined colors. Furthermore, at block 408,a degree of matching of the extracted prominent color to the plurality of predefined colors is determined to identify and recommend at least one related color out of the plurality of predefined colors based on the highest degree of matching.
[0078] Advantageously, the system can also input further data for association with the image of the surface or the article associated with the color. This further data may identify a category of article or class of articles to which the image relates, and/or a category of article for which a color match is desired. For example, the user may store the image with a memory tag indicating that the color relates to a wall paint of office of the user. The user may also add data relating to article matching criteria, for example, defining that the user seeks a jacket in a matching color.
[0079] Further, in an embodiment, the system can facilitate determining a set of colors (e.g., previously known or newly created) by multiple color manufacturers and storing the set of colors in the database. The database can be accessed and looked for by the user looking for a similar match of the color. Upon looking for a similar match of the color from the database one or more colors from multiple colors manufacturers can be scanned and a closest matching color is suggested to the user. The closest match can be determined based on a minimum distance of the color being looked for by the user from the available commercial color code. As the color being looked for is compared to a pre-stored list containing multiple colors, the similar match of the color is done efficiently and can be done while requiring a reduced processing time and cycle.
[0080] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary computer system 500 to implement the proposed system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0081] As shown in FIG. 5, computer system can include an external storage device 510, a bus 520, a main memory 530, a read only memory 540, a mass storage device 550, communication port 560, and a processor 570. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that computer system may include more than one processor and communication ports. Examples of processor 570 include, but are not limited to, an Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2 processor(s), or AMD® Opteron® or Athlon MP® processor(s), Motorola® lines of processors, FortiSOC™ system on a chip processors or other future processors. Processor 570 may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present invention. Communication port 560 can be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. Communication port 560 may be chosen depending on a network, such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which computer system connects.
[0082] Memory 530 can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read only memory 540 can be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or BIOS instructions for processor 570. Mass storage 550 may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), e.g. those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 family) or Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g. an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays), available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc. and Enhance Technology, Inc.
[0083] Bus 520 communicatively couples processor(s) 570 with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 520 can be, e.g. a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects processor 570 to software system.
[0084] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g. a display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to bus 520 to support direct operator interaction with computer system. Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication port 560. External storage device 510 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, IOMEGA® Zip Drives, Compact Disc - Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc - Re-Writable (CD-RW), Digital Video Disk - Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0085] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” “component,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
[0086] Thus, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methods embodying this invention. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the entity implementing this invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named.
[0087] As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term "coupled to" is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are used synonymously. Within the context of this document terms "coupled to" and "coupled with" are also used euphemistically to mean “communicatively coupled with” over a network, where two or more devices are able to exchange data with each other over the network, possibly via one or more intermediary device.
[0088] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C …. and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
[0089] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0090] The present disclosure relates to color sampling. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for matching sampled color of a surface with database containing color data.
[0091] The present disclosure provides a system and method to facilitate sampling colors from different surfaces and then matching the sampled colors with a color database to meet color matching requirements.
[0092] The present disclosure provides a system and method that facilitates locating matching colors from a database based on a least color difference between the sampled colors and stored colors in the database.
[0093] The present disclosure provides a system and method to facilitate capturing color directly from the environment and surfaces.
[0094] The present disclosure provides a system and method that facilitates determining a closeness and nearness value for the sampled color with the stored colors of the database.
[0095] The present disclosure provides a system and method to provide information related to manufacture’s name and details based on the closest matching color.
[0096] The present disclosure provides a system and method for sampling colors from the environment and then accessing a search engine for locating details of products or articles that meet color matching requirements.