Vision-based method and apparatus for detecting an event requiring assistance or documentation
First Claim
1. A method for detecting an assistance-invoking event at a monitored location, comprising:
- establishing a rule defining said assistance-invoking event, said rule including at least one condition;
processing at least one image of said monitored location to identify said condition; and
providing assistance if said rule is satisfied.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring a location using vision-based technologies to recognize predefined assistance-invoking events. One or more image capture devices are focused on a given location. The captured images are processed to identify one or more predefined events and to initiate an appropriate response, such as sending assistance or recording the event for evidentiary purposes. A number of rules define various assistance-invoking events. Each rule contains one or more conditions that must be satisfied and a corresponding action-item that should be performed when the rule is satisfied. At least one of the conditions for each rule identifies a feature that must be detected in an image using vision-based techniques. An event monitoring process is also disclosed that analyzes the captured images to detect one or more assistance-invoking events defined by the event rules.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for detecting an assistance-invoking event at a monitored location, comprising:
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establishing a rule defining said assistance-invoking event, said rule including at least one condition;
processing at least one image of said monitored location to identify said condition; and
providing assistance if said rule is satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 12)
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6. A method for detecting an assistance-invoking event, comprising:
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obtaining at least one image of a monitored location;
analyzing said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said assistance-invoking event; and
providing assistance if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for documenting an event that may be involved in litigation, comprising:
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obtaining at least one image of a monitored location;
analyzing said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said event; and
recording said at least one image if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images. - View Dependent Claims (13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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14. A system for detecting an assistance-invoking event, comprising:
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a memory that stores computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;
obtain at least one image of a monitored location;
analyze said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said assistance-invoking event; and
provide assistance if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images.
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20. A system for documenting an event that may be involved in litigation, comprising:
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a memory that stores computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;
obtain at least one image of a monitored location;
analyze said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said event; and
record said at least one image if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. An article of manufacture for detecting an assistance-invoking event, comprising:
a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to obtain at least one image of a monitored location;
a step to analyze said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said assistance-invoking event; and
a step to provide assistance if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images.
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25. An article of manufacture for documenting an event that may be involved in litigation, comprising:
a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to obtain at least one image of a monitored location;
a step to analyze said image using video content analysis techniques to identify at least one predefined feature in said image associated with said event; and
a step to record said at least one image if said predefined feature is recognized in one of said images.
Specification