How Phones Use Photos to Buy or Research Products
A method for using a smartphone camera to photograph a product and send that image to a remote server to trigger a purchase or retrieve product information.
Original patent title: “Portable communication device and method of use”
A method for using a smartphone camera to photograph a product and send that image to a remote server to trigger a purchase or retrieve product information. Granted to Wounder GmbH LLC in 2012 with 31 claims and 4 forward citations.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a process where a mobile device uses its camera to capture an image of a product. The device stores this image and, upon a specific user input, transmits it over a cellular network to a remote computer. That remote system analyzes the image to identify the item, then either processes a purchase request or fetches relevant web data to send back to the user's phone. This allows a user to effectively 'scan' an object in the real world to interact with e-commerce platforms or search engines.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover image processing performed entirely on the local mobile device without a remote server.
- Does not cover systems that rely solely on QR codes or barcodes rather than general product imagery.
- Does not cover augmented reality overlays that do not involve a specific request to purchase or retrieve product information.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The patent shifts the heavy lifting of image recognition and web data retrieval from the resource-constrained phone to a remote server, enabling complex commerce tasks on 2010-era mobile hardware.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Google Lens
Amazon mobile app visual search
Pinterest Lens
Snapchat Scan
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent captures the early logic behind visual search and 'shoppable' images. By formalizing the link between a mobile camera, cellular data, and backend e-commerce servers, it outlines the foundation for modern visual shopping experiences.
Filed
May 7, 2010
Granted
June 19, 2012
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major technology companies like Google, Amazon, and Pinterest have built extensive visual search ecosystems that utilize the client-server architecture described here. These companies have evolved the basic image-to-server request into sophisticated real-time computer vision services.
Market impact
This patent reflects the industry's transition from mobile devices as simple communication tools to active portals for e-commerce. It highlights the shift toward using the camera as a primary input device for web-based services, a standard feature in almost all modern retail applications.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a process where a mobile device uses its camera to capture an image of a product. The device stores this image and, upon a specific user input, transmits it over a cellular network to a remote computer. That remote system analyzes the image to identify the item, then either processes a purchase request or fetches relevant web data to send back to the user's phone. This allows a user to effectively 'scan' an object in the real world to interact with e-commerce platforms or search engines.
The clever bit
The patent shifts the heavy lifting of image recognition and web data retrieval from the resource-constrained phone to a remote server, enabling complex commerce tasks on 2010-era mobile hardware.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover image processing performed entirely on the local mobile device without a remote server.
- Does not cover systems that rely solely on QR codes or barcodes rather than general product imagery.
- Does not cover augmented reality overlays that do not involve a specific request to purchase or retrieve product information.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
14/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$59K – $188K
Midpoint $118K · 3.9 yr remaining · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
31 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Jr., M. L. B. (2012). How Phones Use Photos to Buy or Research Products (U.S. Patent No. 8,204,793). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8204793/fulfillment-by-amazon-fba
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Phones Use Photos to Buy or Research Products cover?
A method for using a smartphone camera to photograph a product and send that image to a remote server to trigger a purchase or retrieve product information.
Who owns patent US 8204793?
Wounder GmbH LLC owns this patent, granted in 2012.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 19, 2032, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 8204793 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 4 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent captures the early logic behind visual search and 'shoppable' images. By formalizing the link between a mobile camera, cellular data, and backend e-commerce servers, it outlines the foundation for modern visual shopping experiences.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover image processing performed entirely on the local mobile device without a remote server.
Patent monitoring