# How Virtual Fitting Rooms Work for Online Shopping

> A method for creating a virtual dressing room where a user's photo is combined with images of clothing from different websites to see how they look together.

- **Patent:** US 6903756
- **Original title:** Merged images viewed via a virtual storage closet
- **Owner:** Jarbridge Inc
- **Granted:** 2005
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 35
- **Field:** ecommerce, software, consumer_electronics

## What it does

This patent describes a central host website that acts as a bridge between a shopper and multiple different online clothing retailers. When a user selects a personal structure—like a saved photograph of themselves—the host site fetches images of clothing from various external retail sites. It then creates a composite image by digitally overlaying the selected clothing onto the user's structure. The system also manages a virtual storage closet to keep track of these clothing images, allowing users to save items for future viewing or comparison.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover physical try-on technology or augmented reality mirrors that use real-time video feeds.
- Does not cover automated body measurements or AI-driven size recommendations.
- Does not cover the specific image processing algorithms used to blend the clothing onto the body.
- Does not cover local software applications that perform image editing without a web-linkable host-site architecture.

## The clever bit

The innovation lies in the 'virtual closet' architecture that manages partial-data sets (like size and style codes) from third-party retailers, allowing a user to mix and match items from different stores within a single, unified interface.

## Real-world examples

1. Virtual dressing room features on fashion e-commerce sites
2. Online outfit builder and styling applications
3. Digital wardrobe management platforms

## Why it matters

Filed in 2000, this patent represents an early attempt to solve the 'fit and style' problem in e-commerce. By proposing a centralized host that pulls data from disparate retailers, it anticipated the rise of aggregator sites and virtual styling platforms that are common in modern fashion tech.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How Virtual Fitting Rooms Work for Online Shopping cover?

A method for creating a virtual dressing room where a user's photo is combined with images of clothing from different websites to see how they look together.

### Who owns patent US 6903756?

Jarbridge Inc owns this patent, granted in 2005.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.

### What is patent US 6903756 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 35 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

Filed in 2000, this patent represents an early attempt to solve the 'fit and style' problem in e-commerce. By proposing a centralized host that pulls data from disparate retailers, it anticipated the rise of aggregator sites and virtual styling platforms that are common in modern fashion tech.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover physical try-on technology or augmented reality mirrors that use real-time video feeds.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6903756/expos-window-management

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US6903756

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._