EP1118845A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method and instrument for selecting personal compatible colors
Assignee: Chromatics Color Sciences International Inc
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Filing: 1994-05-09
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Granted: —
•
Expires: 2014-05-09
Abstract
Abstract A process of identifying skin color categories based on skin color undertones of an individual person. The process involving using a color measuring device to determine the value of a yellow-blue factor of the skin color of an individual person, said yellow-blue factor being inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color. Once this is done, the skin color of the individual person is classified into one of plural categories of skin color based solely upon the location of the determined value in one of pre-established plural numerical value ranges defining said categories.
Inventors
- 👤 Fred W. Billmeyer Jr.
- 👤 David Kenneth Macfarlane
- 👤 Darby Simpson Macfarlane
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:32
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/44; A61B5/448; A45; A45D; A45D44/00; A45D44/005; A61B5/103; A61B5/1032; A61B5/1034; A61B5/72; A61B5/7235; A61B5/7264; G; G01; G01J; G01J3/00; G01J3/46; G01J3/52; G01J3/524; G01J3/526; G01J3/528; G01J3/463; G01J3/465; G16; G16H; G16H50/00; G16H50/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 49
Claim 1
Independent Claim
97 words
A process of identifying skin color categories based on skin color
undertones of an individual person, the process characterized by the steps of: (a) using a color measuring device, determining the value of a yellow-blue
factor of the skin color of an individual person, said yellow-blue factor being inversely weighted
by a function of the lightness of the color, and (b) classifying the skin color of the individual person into one of plural
categories of skin color based solely upon the location of the determined value in one of
preestablished plural numerical value ranges defining said categories.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
53 words
The process according to claim 1, further characterized by said yellow-blue
factor comprising the combination of a first function weighted in a first portion of the
spectrum and a second function weighted in a second portion of the spectrum, said combination
being inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized by the value
of said yellow-blue factor being dependent on the relative content of yellow and blue in the skin
color of the individual.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process according to claim 1, further characterized by the step of
determining including measuring the value of Hunter b in the skin color of the individual person.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
90 words
The process according to claim 1, further characterized by the process of
identifying skin color categories comprising identifying said categories for compatibility with
colors of non-skin materials based on skin color undertones of the individual person including
the step (a) comprising determining the value of the yellow-blue factor of the skin color of the
individual person using the color measuring device, and the process further comprising the step
of (c) selecting as compatible with the skin color of the individual person one or more
preselected colors assigned to said categories.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process according to claim 2, further characterized by the first
function having maximum weighting in the yellow to red region of the spectrum, and the second
function having maximum weighting in substantially the blue region of the spectrum.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The process according to claim 6, further characterized by the yellow-blue
factor being the difference between the first function and the second function, inversely weighted
by a function of the lightness of the skin color.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process according to claim 7, further characterized by the yellow-blue
factor being substantially that of Hunter b.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process according to claim 8, further characterized by the step of
determining the Hunter b value including measuring first Y and Z using a tristimulus
colorimeter, then calculating said value substantially that of Hunter b.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
84 words
The process according to claim 8, further characterized by step (b)
comprising: (i) storing ranges or values substantially those of Hunter b in computer
memory, (ii) generating a signal representative of the Hunter b value of the individual
person's skin color, (iii) electrically comparing the signal representative of the value substantially
that of Hunter b of the individual person's skin color with the ranges stored in memory, and (iv) generating an output representative of the category into which the
individual person's skin color falls.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
The process according to claim 10, further characterized by the step of
determining the value substantially that of Hunter b the skin color of the individual person
comprising calculating an average value from a number of determinations of that value in the
person's skin color.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
89 words
The process of claim 8, further characterized by the step of determining
the value substantially that of Hunter b including measuring skin color characteristics at the
person's cheek, the step of classifying the skin color of the individual person into one of plural
categories of skin color comprising comparing the value that is substantially that of Hunter b of
the person's skin at the cheek with four ranges of values having boundary values substantially as
follows: 11.2, 12.7 and 14.3, said ranges corresponding to four categories of skin color.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
99 words
The process of claim 8, further characterized by the step of determining
the value that is substantially that of Hunter b including measuring skin color characteristics at
the back of the person's hand, the step of classifying the skin color of the individual person into
one of the plural categories of skin color comprising comparing the value that is substantially
that of Hunter b of the person's skin color at the back of the hand with four ranges of values
having boundary values substantially as follows: 9.8, 11.0 and 12.1, said ranges corresponding to
four categories of skin color.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process according to claim 1 or 2, further characterized by step (a)
comprising providing a value defining at least one boundary dividing two of said numerical
value ranges defining said categories.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process according to claim 14, further categorized by said boundary
dividing two numerical value ranges corresponding to a first region of increased first color
content in skin coloration and a second region of increased second color content in skin
coloration.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
42 words
The process according to claim 14 or 15, further characterized by step (a)
comprising measuring by instrument at least one skin coloration characteristic value of an
individual person sufficient to locate the skin coloration of the individual in one of said
categories.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
138 words
The process according to claim 16, further characterized by the process
being a process of identifying skin color categories for compatibility with colors of non-skin
materials, step (a) including providing said at least one boundary between at least one category
of skin coloration greater in yellow content and at least one category of skin coloration greater in
blue content, storing in computer memory the value of a color factor defining said at least one
boundary, and step (b) including measuring the value of said color factor in skin coloration of an
individual person based on the yellow and blue content of said coloration, and assigning to the
individual person a skin color category based solely upon the relationship of the measured color
factor value in skin coloration with respect to the value defining said at least one boundary.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
63 words
The process of identifying skin color categories according to either of
claim 15 or 17 further characterized by increasing values of skin coloration above the value
defining said at least one boundary being representative of colors of increasingly yellow content,
and decreasing values of skin coloration below the value defining said at least one boundary
being representative of colors of increasingly blue content.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
69 words
The process according to claim 17 or 18, further characterized by the
value defining said at least one boundary being defined by the value of a yellow-blue factor
comprising the combination of a first function weighted in the yellow portion of the spectrum
and a second function weighted in the blue portion of the spectrum, said combination being
inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
The process according to claim 18, further characterized by the value
defining the boundary being substantially that of a Hunter b value of substantially 12.7 for
measurements at the cheek of an individual.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process according to claim 18, further characterized by the value of
the at least one boundary being substantially that of a Hunter b value of substantially 11.0 for
measurements at the hand of an individual.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
The process according to claim 14 or 15, further characterized by the step
of determining further boundaries dividing in two said first and second regions of coloration on
either side of the at least one boundary, and storing in memory the further boundaries.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process according to claim 22, further characterized by the step of
assigning to the individual person a skin color category further including determining the
location of the measured value of skin coloration with respect to said further boundaries.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
50 words
The process according to claim 18, further characterized by providing
said at least one boundary including providing a central boundary measure between yellower and
bluer regions of skin coloration, the boundary having a color value corresponding to a particular,
predetermined value of a color factor substantially that of Hunter b.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
50 words
The process according to claim 24, further characterized by the
particular, predetermined value substantially that of Hunter b varying with the location of
measurement of skin coloration on the individual person and being in the range of values of
substantially that of Hunter b from substantially 11.0 to substantially 12.7.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
68 words
The process according to claim 18, further characterized by the steps of
providing at least two further boundaries to establish, on the basis of blue and yellow content, at
least four ranges of measurable values of skin coloration, and further comprising the step of
assigning skin coloration to one of the ranges thereby enabling identification, on the basis of the
skin coloration assignment, of color compatible non-skin matter.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
83 words
The process according to claim 14, further characterized by step (a)
comprising the steps of measuring and establishing skin coloration categories based on blue and
yellow content, and including the steps of providing at least one boundary dividing an
increasingly yellow content of skin coloration region from an increasing blue content region, and
measuring by instrument at least one skin coloration characteristic value of an individual person
sufficient to locate the skin coloration of the individual in one of the categories thus established.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
118 words
An instrument for identifying skin color categories compatible with
particular sets of colors, the instrument characterized by: (a) means for determining the value of a factor of an individual person's skin
color, the factor comprising the combination of a first function weighted in a first portion of the
spectrum and a second function weighted in a second portion of the spectrum, said combination
being inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color; and (b) means for comparing the determined value of the factor of the individual
person's skin color to stored plural predetermined ranges of values of the factor corresponding to
plural skin color categories to identify the stored range wherein the determined value lies.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
54 words
The instrument according to claim 28, further characterized by the means
for determining the value of the factor comprising means for determining the value of a color
factor dependent on the relative content of yellow and blue in the skin color of an individual
person and a function of the lightness of the color.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
51 words
The instrument according to claim 28 or 29, further categorized by: means for classifying the skin color of the individual person into one of
plural categories of skin color based solely upon the location of the at least one determined value
in one of plural numerical value ranges defining said categories.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
34 words
The instrument according to claim 30, further characterized by said means
for classifying comprising: (d) means for producing an output indicative of the category
corresponding to the stored range wherein the determined value lies.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
43 words
The instrument according to any one of claims 28-31, further
characterized by said first function having maximum weighting in substantially the yellow to red
region of the spectrum, and said second function having maximum weighting in substantially the
blue region of the spectrum.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
37 words
The instrument according to any one of claims 28-32, further
characterized by the factor being the difference between the first function and the second
function, inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the skin color.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
24 words
The instrument according to any one of claims 28-33, further
characterized by the value of the factor being substantially the value of Hunter b.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
24 words
The instrument according to claim 34, further characterized by the means
for determining the value substantially that of Hunter b being a tristimulus colorimeter.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
46 words
The instrument according to claim 34, further characterized by the stored
ranges of values substantially those of Hunter b values being four ranges of values having
boundaries substantially as follows: 11.2, 12.7 and 14.3, representing the boundaries of
categories of skin color measured at the cheek.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
49 words
The instrument according to claim 34, further characterized by the stored
ranges of values substantially those of Hunter b values being four ranges of values having
boundaries substantially as follows: 9.8, 11.0 and 12.1, representing the boundaries of categories
of skin color measured at the back of the hand.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
53 words
The instrument according to any one of claims 28-31, further characterized
by said means for determining the value of a factor comprising means for storing at least one
boundary dividing values in a first region of skin coloration from values in a second region of
skin coloration to establish the skin color categories.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
39 words
The instrument according to claim 38, further characterized by: means for measuring at least one skin coloration characteristic value of an
individual person, and means for locating the skin coloration of the individual in one of the
established categories.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
43 words
The instrument according to claim 38, further characterized by said means
for storing comprising means storing at least a color value central between yellower and bluer
regions of skin coloration and substantially corresponding to a particular, predetermined value
substantially that of Hunter b.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
51 words
The instrument according to claim 40, further characterized by said
predetermined value substantially that of Hunter b being a value in the range from substantially
11.0 to substantially 12.7, and that resides at a single value in said range in dependence on the
location of the measurement on the individual person.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
78 words
The instrument according to claim 38, further characterized by the means
for storing comprising means storing at least two further boundaries to establish, on the basis of
content of two opponent colors, at least four ranges of measurable values of skin coloration, and
said means for locating the measured coloration characteristic of an individual person's skin in a
category being a means for assigning the measured coloration to one of at least four categories
delineated by the boundaries.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
130 words
A process of identifying skin color categories based on skin color
undertones of an individual person comprising the steps of determining at least the value of a
color factor dependent on the relative content of two colors in the skin color of an individual
person using a color measuring device, the color factor comprising the combination of a first
function weighted in a first portion of the spectrum and a second function weighted in a second
portion of the spectrum, said combination being inversely weighted by a function of the lightness
of the color, and classifying the skin color of the individual person into one of plural categories
of skin color based solely upon the location of the determined value in one of plural numerical
value ranges defining said categories.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
122 words
A process of identifying skin color categories based on skin color
undertones of an individual person comprising the steps of determining at least the value of a
yellow-blue factor of the skin color of an individual person using a color measuring device, the
yellow-blue factor comprising the combination of a first function weighted in a first portion of
the spectrum and a second function weighted in a second portion of the spectrum, said
combination being inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color, and classifying
the skin color of the individual person into one of plural categories of skin color based solely
upon the location of the determined value in one of plural numerical value ranges defining said
categories.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
151 words
An instrument for identifying skin coloration categories based exclusively
upon the value of a yellow and blue skin color characteristic inversely weighted by a function of
the lightness of the color comprising a means for retaining identification of at least one boundary
between skin coloration categories dividing regions increasingly of yellow in skin color content
and increasingly of blue in skin color content both inversely weighted by a function of the
lightness of the color content, means for measuring the value of said yellow and blue color
characteristic inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color content of an
individual person's skin coloration, and means for assigning the measured value of said yellow
and blue color characteristic inversely weighted by a function of the lightness of the color
content in the coloration of an individual person's skin to a category defined by the means for
retaining boundary identification.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
93 words
An instrument for identifying skin coloration categories based on blue and
yellow skin color content comprising means for retaining identification of at least one boundary
between a skin coloration category representing increasingly yellow content and a skin
coloration category representing increasingly blue content both inversely weighted by a function
of the lightness of the color content, means for measuring an individual person's skin coloration
based on blue and yellow content, and means for assigning the measured coloration of an
individual person's skin to a category defined by the means for retaining boundary identification.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
41 words
The instrument according to claim 46, wherein the means for retaining
boundary identification comprises means for storing at least a color value central between
yellower and bluer regions of skin coloration and corresponding to a particular, predetermined
value of Hunter b.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
46 words
The instrument according the claim 47, wherein the value of Hunter b is a
value in the range from substantially 11.0 to substantially 12.7, and that resides at a single value
in said range in dependence on the location of the measurement on the individual person.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
76 words
The instrument according to claim 46, wherein the means for retaining
boundary identification comprises means storing at least two further boundaries to establish on
the basis of blue and yellow content at least four ranges of measurable values of skin coloration,
and said means for assigning the measured coloration of an individual person's skin to a category
being a means for assigning the measured coloration to one of at least four categories delineated
by the boundaries.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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