People searches by multisensor event correlation

• US 10,078,693 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Lisa Marie, Hampapur, Arun, Lu, Zuoxuan, Pankanti, Sharathchandra U., Senior, Andrew William, Shu, Chiao-Fe, Tian, Ying-Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Featherstone, Mark D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gmahl, Navneet
• Application Number:
  US11/454,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,477 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707737, 705 1- 10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7335 Graphical querying, e.g. query-by-region, query-by-sketch, query-by-trajectory, GUIs for designating a person/face/object as a query predicate end-user interface involving hot spots associated with the video H04N21/4725; end-user interface for selecting a Region of Interest H04N21/4728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/784 the detected or recognised objects being people
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A data indexing system and method includes acquiring activity data in a context and indexing the activity data in accordance with contextual conditions. The activity data is stored in accordance with indices. An event is correlated with the activity data by using the indices to review the activity data in the context.

Claims

1. A data indexing method, comprising:

acquiring activity data characterizing activities of an individual in a context;

indexing the activity data in accordance with contextual conditions;

associating separate observations of the individual using the indices;

storing the activity data in accordance with indices;

correlating a customer service claim by an individual with the activity data by using the indices, including activity data that tracks the individual in unmonitored areas based on correlated features entering or exiting such areas;

locating activity data, based on the indices, that shows the individual acting in a manner inconsistent with the customer service claim, wherein the located activity data shows video of the individual at a claimed time and place of an accident; and

displaying the correlated activity data to review the activity data in the context of the customer service claim and to aid in determining whether the customer service claim is fraudulent.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring activity data includes employing at least one of sensors and cameras.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein associating separate observations is performed while the individual remains in the retail establishment.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising enabling searches of a database storing the indices and conducting the searches to prevent one of returns fraud by an individual and insurance claim fraud.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the indices include one or more of:

facial appearance, speed, time of observation, color, anthropometric measurements, gait, biometric identifiers.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the indices include data from one or more of an RFID tag, a pressure pad, a motion sensor, a beam breaker, a local positioning system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising tracking an individual in the context to provide a history of the individual'"'"'s activities within the context.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising archiving the activity data in accordance with the indices.