Image capture, processing and delivery at group events

• US 10,121,061 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SocialVenu, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SocialVenu, Inc.
• Inventors: Dickinson, William, Magy, Daniel, Correia, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Fitzpatrick, Atiba O
• Application Number:
  US15/720,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20180025220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1963 Arrangements allowing camera rotation to change view, e.g. pivoting camera, pan-tilt and zoom [PTZ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for image acquisition and distribution of individuals at large events. In one aspect, a method for providing an image of attendees at an event includes operating one or more image capturing devices to record images of attendees of an event situated at locations in an event venue, processing the images to form a processed image, and distributing the processed image to the individual. The processing includes mapping the locations to a grid including coordinates corresponding to predetermined positions associated with the event venue, defining an image space containing an individual at a particular location in the event venue based on the coordinates, and forming the processed image based on the image space.

Claims

1. A method for providing an image of attendees at an event, comprising:

operating one or more image capturing devices to record images of attendees of an event situated at locations in an event venue;

processing the images, the processing including;

mapping the locations to a grid including coordinates corresponding to predetermined positions associated with the event venue,

defining an image space containing an individual at a particular location in the event venue based on the coordinates, and

forming a processed image based on the image space; and

distributing the processed image to the individual in real time during the event, the distributing including;

identifying the event the individual attended based on geolocation information of a mobile device of the individual;

receiving a confirmation from the mobile device of the individual that the individual checks-in to the event; and

transmitting the processed image to the mobile device of the individual.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event venue includes at least one of a stadium, an arena, a ballpark, an auditorium, a music hall, an amphitheater, a building to host the event, or an outdoor area to host the event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attendees include fans or spectators at a sporting event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined positions include seating in the event venue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating includes manually triggering the one or more image capturing devices to record the images at an operator-selected instance based on an occurrence of the event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating includes automatically triggering the one or more image capturing devices to record the images based on at least one of sound, visual stimulus, or mechanical perturbation generated at the event venue.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating includes temporally capturing a series of images of the attendees after one of a manual triggering or an automatic triggering of the one or more image capturing devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the series of images are captured at a speed of at least two images per second.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more image capturing devices are automated to record the images by continuously panning in one or both of horizontal and vertical directions along a predetermined trajectory to capture the series of images with a predetermined focusing of the locations in the event venue.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more image capturing devices are automated to record the images by moving to and stopping at a plurality of imaging positions along a predetermined trajectory to capture the series of images while stopped at the corresponding imaging position, wherein the one or more image capturing devices are configured to have a predetermined focusing of the locations in the event venue.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more image capturing devices are configured to have a predetermined focusing of the locations in the event venue.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the processed image based on the image space includes producing a segmented image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the producing the segmented image includes cropping at least one of the recorded images to a size defined by the image space.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the producing the segmented image further includes overlapping two or more of the recorded images to form a merged image.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributing includes wirelessly transmitting the processed image to a mobile device of the individual.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising producing a graphical user interface on the mobile device to present the processed image to the individual.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical interface further presents event-related content with the processed image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the event-related content includes one or both of information associated with the event and an image of an occurrence of the event, the occurrence temporally corresponding to the processed image.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical interface includes an interface to report a security-related incident to authorities at the event venue.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing the images further includes attaching meta data with image data of the processed image.