Connecting users to entities based on recognized objects

• US 10,691,314 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Original Assignee: State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm)
• Inventors: Freeman, James M., Pillai, Vaidya Balasubramanian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US14/703,982
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 715835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/751 Comparing pixel values or logical combinations thereof, or feature values having positional relevance, e.g. template matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/09 Recognition of logos
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes detecting a distinct area within an image, comparing detected features of the distinct area within the image to reference features corresponding to a reference image, and determining that the detected distinct area matches the reference image based on the comparison between the detected features and the reference features. The method further includes receiving an indication that the user selects the detected distinct area within the image, retrieving contact information corresponding to the reference image, and causing the client device to display an interface allowing the user to contact the entity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting, by one or more processors, a distinct area within a digital image, wherein the digital image is a webpage portion as sourced by a client device from a website of a first entity;

detecting, by one or more processors, one or more features associated with the distinct area defining a detected distinct area, the one or more detected features including one or more first detected features and one or more second detected features that are different than one another;

identifying, by the one or more processors, which of a plurality of stored reference images has one or more first reference features matching the one or more first detected features to provide a narrowed subset of the plurality of stored reference images;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a reference image from among the narrowed subset of the plurality of stored reference images having one or more second reference features matching the one or more second detected features;

receiving, from the client device, (i) an indication that a user has selected the detected distinct area within the digital image and (ii) a geographic location of the client device, wherein the reference image is stored remotely from the client device and is compared remotely to the detected distinct area as selected by the user;

retrieving, by the one or more processors, contact information corresponding to the reference image, the contact information indicating at least one method of contacting one or more branches of the first entity represented by the reference image;

identifying, by the one or more processors, a proximate branch of the one or more branches of the first entity that is proximate to the geographic location of the client device;

determining, by the one or more processors, a first method of contacting the proximate branch, the first method being one of the at least one methods of contacting one or more branches of the first entity; and

causing, by the one or more processors, the client device to display an interface allowing the user to contact the proximate branch according to at least the first method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether the one or more second detected features match the one or more second reference features corresponding to the reference image includes sequentially comparing the one or more second detected features of the distinct area to the one or more second reference features corresponding to each reference image from among the subset of the plurality of stored reference images until it is determined that the one or more second detected features of the detected distinct area match one or more second reference features of the reference image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether the one or more second detected features match the one or more second reference features corresponding to the reference image includes simultaneously comparing the one or more second detected features of the distinct area to the one or more second reference features corresponding to each of two or more images, respectively, from among the subset of the plurality of stored reference images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether the one or more second detected features match the one or more second reference features corresponding to the reference image includes comparing a detected color within the distinct area to a reference color within each reference image from among the subset of the plurality of stored reference images.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining whether the one or more second detected features match the one or more second reference features corresponding to the reference image includes comparing a detected edge within the distinct area to a reference edge within a reference image from among the subset of the plurality of stored reference images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of retrieving the contact information corresponding to the reference image includes retrieving the contact information indicating a plurality of methods of contacting the first entity including the first method of contacting the first entity, and

wherein the act of causing the client device to display the interface includes causing the client device to display the interface allowing the user to selectively contact the first entity according to one of the plurality of methods of contacting the first entity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, the at least one method of contacting one or more branches of the first entity based on the retrieved contact information and a property of the client device, wherein the property includes the geographic location of the client device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first detected features and the one or more second detected features include one or more of:

colors;

shapes;

a number of edges;

texture; and

image entropy.

9. A system for facilitating communications, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory memories coupled to the one or more processors,

wherein the one or more non-transitory memories include computer executable instructions configuring a client device such that, when executed by the one or more processors, the computer executable instructions cause the one or more processors to;

detect a distinct area within a digital image, wherein the digital image is a webpage portion as sourced by the client device from a website of a first entity;

detect one or more features associated with the distinct area defining a detected distinct area, the one or more detected features including one or more first detected features and one or more second detected features that are different than one another;

identify which of a plurality of stored reference images has one or more first reference features matching the one or more first detected features to provide a narrowed subset of the plurality of stored reference images;

identify a reference image from among the narrowed subset of the plurality of stored reference images having one or more second reference features matching the one or more second detected features;

receive (i) an indication that a user has selected the detected distinct area within the digital image and (ii) a geographic location of the client device, wherein the reference image is stored remotely from the client device and is compared remotely to the detected distinct area as selected by the user;

retrieve contact information corresponding to the reference image, the contact information indicating at least one method of contacting one or more branches of the first entity represented by the reference image;

identify a proximate branch of the one or more branches of the first entity that is proximate to the geographic location of the client device;

determine a first method of contacting the proximate branch, the first method being one of the at least one methods of contacting one or more branches of the first entity; and

cause the client device to display an interface allowing the user to contact the proximate branch according to at least the first method.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first entity is a business.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reference image depicts a logo of the business.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the contact information indicates a phone number of the business, and

wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to cause the client device to display the interface allowing the user to contact the business by displaying the interface allowing the user to call the phone number of the business.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the contact information indicates the website of the business, and

wherein the computer executable instructions further the one or more processors to cause the client device to display the interface allowing the user to contact the business by displaying the interface allowing the user to visit the website of the business via a web browser application.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the contact information indicates an email address of the business, and

wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to cause the client device to display the interface allowing the user to contact the business by displaying the interface allowing the user to email the email address of the business.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital image depicts a website.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to cause the client device to:

display the digital image to the user along with an indication of the detected distinct area within the digital image, and

receive the indication that the user has selected the detected distinct area within the digital image by receiving the indication that the user has selected the detected distinct area on the displayed digital image.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to cause the client device to:

retrieve the contact information corresponding to the reference image by retrieving the contact information indicating a plurality of methods of contacting the first entity represented by the reference image including the first method of contacting the first entity represented by the reference image; and

display the interface allowing the user to selectively contact the first entity by displaying one or more of the plurality of methods of contacting the first entity.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more first detected features and the one or more second detected features include one or more of:

colors;

shapes;

a number of edges;

texture; and

image entropy.