Search engines and systems with handheld document data capture devices

• US 20060023945A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Stafford-Fraser, James Q., King, Martin T., Grover, Dale L., Kushler, Clifford A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/316 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/14 Tree-structured documents parsing G06F40/205; validation G06F40/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0016 : Selecting or retrieving of images by means of their associated code-marks, e.g. coded microfilm or microfiche microfilm reading G03B21/11; computers therefor G06F16/00; teaching devices G09B5/02; accessing record carriers G11B27/002; static digital stores using optical elements G11C13/04; intermediate storage of facsimile picture signals H04N1/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 : Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 : Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 : specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 : Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 : Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 : Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 : Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 : Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 : Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 : Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 : Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 : Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 : Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 : Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 : Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 : using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 : Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 : based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/248 : involving plural approaches, e.g. verification by template match; Resolving confusion among similar patterns, e.g. "O" versus "Q" G06V30/242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/262 : using context analysis, e.g. lexical, syntactic or semantic context
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 : Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 : for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 : Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 : Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00363 : Bar codes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 : on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00381 : Input by recognition or interpretation of visible user gestures manual input means, e.g. digitisers, writing tablets H04N1/00392; gesture input to computers G06F3/017; recognition algorithms G06V40/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 : with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 : for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2187 : with image input from a plurality of different locations or from a non-central location, e.g. from one or more users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/34 : for coin-freed systems ; Pay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 : Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 : of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 : data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 : Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3263 : of a graphical motif or symbol, e.g. Christmas symbol, logo H04N2201/3211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3266 : of text or character information, e.g. text accompanying an image H04N2201/3226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 : The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 : Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 : Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 : Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 : Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 : Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosed innovations provide systems and methods for locating data associated with rendered documents. Some embodiments support the use of a handheld document data capture device.

Claims

1. A method, implemented in a computer system, of searching for electronic content comprising:

capturing information from a rendered document;

locating electronic content associated with the scanned information; and

returning the location of the electronic content to the query source

2. The method of claim 1, wherein locating the electronic content further comprises using context to reduce the search space.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the context further comprises at least one selected from the group of scan context, user context, system context, and document context.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic content further comprises:

at least one of a web page, image, text, Adobe Portable Document Format, or word processing file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the electronic content on a display associated with a user of the scanner.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the display associated with a user of the scanner further comprises:

a display associated with the user through proximity or via a previous action of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the electronic content or a link to the electronic content in a document repository.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the document repository further comprises:

an online repository.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the document repository further comprises:

a repository stored on a computing device of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the locating electronic content corresponding to the scanned information further comprises:

charging a fee to locate and provide, display, and/or archive the electronic content corresponding to the scanned information.

11. A system for locating and retrieving information, comprising:

an aggregated search index comprising document indexes from multiple restricted sources; and

a search engine operatively coupled with the aggregated search index;

wherein the search engine searches the aggregated search index in response to receiving a search query.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the aggregated search index further comprises:

indications of whether indexed electronic content corresponds to one or more printed documents.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electronic content further comprises:

at least one of a web page, image, text, Adobe Portable Document Format, or word processing file.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the document indexes from multiple restricted sources further comprises:

indexes specific to at least one of particular publications or periodicals.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the search engine supports search queries comprising at least one selected from the group of a time stamp, a location stamp, a capture device identifier, a billing identifier, and a subscriber identifier.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising moving at least a portion of the aggregated index closer to the device initiating the search query.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein context information is used to select the portion of the aggregated index.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the aggregated search index including indications that indexed electronic content is restricted access.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the aggregated search index further comprises:

indications of whether indexed electronic content corresponds to one or more printed documents.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the search engine, in response to receiving a user selection, further provides search results and facilitates access to restricted content associated with a search result when the user selects the search result and the user is a subscriber or other party authorized to use the search engine or when the user is a subscriber or other party having authorization to access the restricted content.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the search index further comprises:

indications of whether indexed electronic content corresponds to one or more printed documents.

22. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

logic to determine which access permissions for the electronic content are available to a user or users of the scanner.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the logic to determine which access permissions for the electronic content are available to a user or users of the scanner further comprises:

logic to determine if the user is a subscriber to the publisher of the electronic content.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the logic to determine which access permissions for the electronic content are available to a user or users of the scanner further comprises:

logic to determine if registration with the content publisher is required to access the electronic content, and if so, to assist the user of the scanner with registration with the content publisher.

25. The system of claim 25, wherein the electronic content further comprises:

at least one of a web page, image, text, Adobe Portable Document Format, or word processing file.