System and method for compiling images from a database and comparing the compiled images with known images

• US 20020114522A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cobion AG (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Seeber, Rene
• Granted Patent: US 7,130,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for discovering from a database an object which is confusingly similar with a known object. A database, such as the internet, is searched for objects which, when discovered, may be duplicated and stored. A determination is then made if any object from the database is confusingly similar with a known object. A computer-readable storage medium storing program for causing a processing system to perform the steps of duplicating objects from a database to produce duplicated objects; storing the duplicated produce to produce stored duplicated objects; and determining if any stored duplicated object is confusingly similar with a known object.

Claims

1. A method for discovering from a database an object which is confusingly similar with a known object comprising:

a) searching a database for objects;

b) providing a known object; and

c) determining if any object in the database is confusingly similar with the known object.

2. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising duplicating the objects from the database to produce duplicated objects;

and storing the duplicated objects to produce stored duplicated objects.

3. The method of claim 2 additionally comprising determining the degree of similarity of any stored duplicated object with the known object.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said objects are selected from the group consisting of graphic images, videos, audio sounds, and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said objects is an intellectual property selected from the group consisting of logos, trademarks, service marks, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said database comprises the Worldwide Internet.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said searching a database comprises searching the database with a web crawler.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said web crawler sweeps the database including the worldwide Internet by following hyperlinks contained in web site elements.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said web crawler sweeps web sites that are not linked.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein additionally comprising duplicating URLs and hyperlinks for the objects.

11. The method of claim 10 additionally comprising storing URLs for the objects.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining if any object is confusingly similar with the known object comprises determining if the object is one or more of a video, an image, an audio sound.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining if any object is confusingly similar with the known object comprises determining if all of the necessary metadata is available for any of the stored duplicated objects.

14. The method of claim 1 where said determining if any object is confusingly similar with the known object comprises developing necessary metadata for any of the objects.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining if any object is confusingly similar with the known object comprises performing one or more of the following process steps:

a) conducting an optical character recognition analysis on the object;

b) conducting a facial analysis on the object;

c) conducting a watermark analysis on the object;

d) conducting a signature analysis on the object; and

e) conducting an object similarity analysis on the object;

18. The system of claim 17 additionally comprising means for determining the degree of similarity of any stored duplicated object with the known object.

20. The system of claim 19 additionally comprising determining the degree of similarity of any stored duplicated object with the known object.

29. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising determining what region of the object the known object is located.

30. The system of claim 19 wherein said search engine includes a web crawler.

31. The system of claim 19 wherein said determining means comprises a comparison engine.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a processing system to perform the steps of:

searching a database for objects;

duplicating the objects from the database to produce duplicated objects;

storing the duplicated objects to produce stored duplicated objects; and

determining if any stored duplicated object is confusingly similar with a known object.

17. A system for discovering from a database an object which is confusingly similar with a known object comprising:

means for searching a database for objects;

means for duplicating the objects from the database to produce duplicated objects;

means for storing the duplicated objects to produce stored duplicated objects; and

means for determining if any stored duplicated object is confusingly similar with a known object.

19. A system for discovering from a database an object which is confusingly similar with a known object comprising:

a search engine for searching a database for objects;

a duplicator coupled to the search engine for duplicating the objects from the database to produce duplicated objects;

a store coupled to the duplicator for storing the duplicated objects to produce stored duplicated objects; and

determining means, coupled to the store, for determining if any stored duplicated objects is confusingly similar with a known object.

21. A method comprising:

accessing a store that stores duplicated objects from an Internet database; and

determining if any of the duplicated objects stored in the store are similar with a known object.

22. A system operating in a computer networks having a service comprising determining if any stored duplicated objects which were duplicated from a database is confusingly similar with a known object.

24. The method of claim 23 additionally comprising providing a threshold degree of similarity to set a standard for confusingly similarity between the known object and the duplicated object.

25. The method of claim 24 additionally comprising displaying the degree of similarity if the degree of similarity is at least equal to the threshold degree of similarity.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said analyzing the content of the duplicated object to produce a matrix of numbers comprises assigning a number for each pixel in the duplicated object.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said duplicated object is a frame of a video.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein said duplicated object is a logo.

23. A method for determining a degree of similarity between a known object and an object duplicated from a database comprising:

duplicating an object from a database to produce a duplicated object;

analyzing the content of the duplicated object to produce a matrix of numbers;

producing a model template from a known object;

comparing the model template of the known object with the matrix of numbers to determine the degree of similarity between the duplicated object and the known object.