Photo Automatic Linking System and method for accessing, linking, and visualizing "key-face" and/or multiple similar facial images along with associated electronic data via a facial image recognition search engine

• US 20070172155A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elizabeth T. Guckenberger, Ronald J. Guckenberger, VR Rehab Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Elizabeth Guckenberger
• Inventors: Guckenberger, Elizabeth
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for input of images containing faces for accessing, linking, and or visualizing multiple similar facial images and associated electronic data for innovative new on-line commercialization, medical and training uses. The system uses various image capturing devices and communication devices to capture images and enter them into a facial image recognition search engine. Embedded facial image recognition techniques within the image recognition search engine extract facial images and encode the extracted facial images in a computer readable format. The processed facial images are then entered for comparison into at least one database populated with facial images and associated information. Once the newly captured facial images are matched with similar “best-fit match” facial images in the facial image recognition search engine'"'"'s database, the “best-fit” matching images and each image'"'"'s associated information are returned to the user. Additionally, the newly captured facial image can be automatically linked to the “best-fit” matching facial images, along with comparisons calculated, and/or visualized. Key new use innovations of the system include but are not limited to: input of user selected facial images for use finding multiple similar celebrity look-a-likes, with automatic linking that return the look-a-like celebrities'"'"' similar images, associated electronic information, and convenient opportunities to purchase fashion, jewelry, products and services to better mimic your celebrity look-a-likes; health monitoring and diagnostic use by conveniently organizing and superimposing periodically captured patient images for health professionals to view progress of patients; entirely new classes of semi-transparent superimposed training your face to mimic other similar faces, such as mimic celebrity look-a-like cosmetic applications, and or facial expressions; intuitive automatic linking of similar facial images for enhanced information technology in the context of enhanced and improved organization, classification, and fast retrieval objects and advantages; and an improved method of facial image based indexing and retrieval of information from the web-crawler or spider searched Web, USENET, and other resources to provide new types of intuitive easy to use searching, and/or combined use with current key-word searching for optimized searching.

Claims

1. A system for accessing multiple similar key-face images and associated electronic data by providing an image containing faces, the system comprising:

a means for capturing an image containing faces;

a means for transmitting said image to a facial image recognition search engine with associated facial image database wherein the engine comprises;

a means to receive said image;

a means of extracting the facial images from the captured image, a means to access said image'"'"'s “

best-fit”

matching facial images and associated electronic data with each image; and

a means to transmit said “

best-fit”

matching facial images and associated data to a display unit, a key-face means such as celebrity facial images with associated marketing, advertising, endorsements, and convenient point of sale that are linked and automatically retrievable.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said image containing faces is captured from at least one selected from the group consisting of visual entity, sensor entity, printed material, electronic display unit, electronic message packets, and projected visual information.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for capturing an image containing faces from at least one selected from the group consisting of camera, scanner, sensor, frame-buffer utilities, network utilities, and Computer Input Devices.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for capturing an image and means for transmitting said image to a facial image recognition search engine or to a database comprise a Communicable-Imaging Device.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein said Communicable-Imaging device comprises said display unit, with display processing that is at least one selected from the group consisting of opaque, semi-transparent, fading, morphing, blinking, overlapping, mirroring, adjacent, superimposing, time-sequencing, warping, distorting, scaling, coloring, highlighting, and grouping said facial images.

6. A system according to claim 4 wherein said Communicable-Imaging device comprises processing means which perform facial image recognition search engine and facial matching functions to process said captured image.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein said facial image recognition search engine comprises processing means which perform facial image recognition functions and facial matching functions to process said captured image.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein said facial image recognition search engine and facial matching functions with database are accessed through a network.

9. A system according to claim 1 wherein said database comprise a registry of stored facial images and associated electronic data.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said stored facial images are linked to said electronic data.

Whereby, said stored facial images can be key-faces such as celebrities that are linked to said electronic data that comprises a key-face means such as celebrity facial images with associated marketing, advertising, endorsements, and convenient point of sale that are linked and automatically retrievable.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said captured image is matched to said stored facial images in said database to find “

best-fit”

matching facial images.

whereby, said captured image is matched against said stored facial images which are key-faces.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein said captured images are linked to said “

best-fit”

matching stored facial images and said linked electronic data.

Whereby, such automated linking of the currently captured facial images linked to other “

best-fit”

matching stored facial images enables entirely new classes of innovative medical monitoring and diagnostics by processing images for standard formats and display positioning along with time sequenced visualization of similar facial images periodically captured from a specific patient. The visualization includes but is not limited to;

opaque, semi-transparent, fading, morphing, blinking, overlapping, mirroring, adjacent, superimposing, time-sequencing, warping, distorting, scaling, coloring, highlighting, and grouping said facial images. Examples;

color tone monitoring could automate detection of yellowing skin in jaundice;

convenient doctor patient reviews with the time lapse images showing at a glance what is now all mental workload, stress, and memory burdens for busy doctors making rounds regarding patients'"'"' weight loss or gain from facial changes, skin color, redness of the eyes, dark circles under the eyes, over days, etc. This object is particularly useful in the context of the expanding home care and remote telemedicine fields. Combined with automated control of the capture camera, and light levels in the room this object can provide entirely new classes of non invasive and extremely accurate new medical tools. Further objects and advantages are the use of automated means to read and record the universal emotions from patients'"'"' faces utilizing the Facial Action Coding System. A patient'"'"'s morale and emotional state are so important to their recovery, so this automated means can be utilized to judge and help the patients in such a manner.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein electronic data comprises an alphanumeric identifier used to search the Internet for information associated with said alphanumeric identifier.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein said alphanumeric identifier is at least one selected from the group consisting of related information, related products, related services, description, name, title, and associated links of each stored facial image.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein said information is displayed on said display unit.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein Boolean expressions are used with narrowing parameters to narrow said matching process.

17. A method according to claim 13 wherein narrowing parameters are at least one selected from the group consisting of search category, alphanumeric boundaries, textual description, strings, wildcards, time, and location.

Whereby, returning key faces of celebrities, actors, and/or models in ads or media and/or multiple similar best-fit matched faces have multiple new business uses, especially on-line business uses to exploit the rising wave of on-line social network participatory users with convenient and effective advertising, marketing and sales. These innovative combined use of facial image recognition search engines with selected “

key-face”

facial databases to link celebrities, actors, and/or models facial images enables automated retrieval and organization of celebrity associated information, merchandising, endorsements, advertising, and/or convenient point-of-sale links. Our viable niche image search solutions comprises a method of Automated Facial Image Linking to Endorsements, Marketing, Advertising, and/or Points-Of-Sale for Related Products and Services that support multiple new business models including but not limited to “

pay-per-facial key image”

selection or click;

advertiser paid bid prices for list position and rankings for each celebrity, actor, model, etc.;

percentage of facial image invention driven sales

18. A method of extracting similar key-face images and electronic data from a database by providing an facial image captured by capturing means, wherein said method comprises:

providing computer coded facial images stored on the database and further linked to electronic data;

entering captured image;

performing facial image recognition functions “

best-fit”

matching said captured image;

to said computer coded images stored on the database;

linking said captured images to said matched similar facial images and linked electronic data; and

presenting said electronic data on a display unit.

Whereby, the said extracting similar key-face images can comprise celebrity facial images, and said electronic data can comprise all or selected marketing, advertising, endorsements, and convenient points of sale for each key-face. This enables multiple business models for relating all products and services to each celebrity key-face to take advantage of our celebrity driven popular culture and associated consumerism; and

custom key-faces such as a model in a magazine ad which is linked to a specific advertisement, product, or service.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the said linking of said captured images to said matched similar facial images and linked electronic data;

and presenting said electronic data on a display unit with display processing that is at least one selected from the group consisting of opaque, semi-transparent, fading, morphing, blinking, overlapping, mirroring, adjacent, superimposing, time-sequencing, warping, distorting, scaling, coloring, highlighting, and grouping said facial images.

Whereby, A further object of the invention is the creation of a system which enables innovative uses of the returned similar facial images for semi-transparent superimposed display of the user'"'"'s facial image within sequences of similar facial images to train cosmetic application, facial expression mimicking, etc;

This method is exploits innate highly developed Human mimicry capacities in a very intuitive and easy to use manner with the semi-transparent superimposed training face video acting as a real-time guide to follow with own face cosmetic make-up applications, practicing facial expressions, (sequence, timing, and extents).

20. A method and new use of a facial image recognition search engine utilized with Web-crawlers or spider means to examine the web for image information and to seek facial images, recognize, index, and/or link the Webs images containing faces for “

key-face”

searches to replace or at least augment the current key word search methodologies.

Whereby, this method and new use would produce a universal facial database across the web where entering an image containing faces, would return all the similar faces across the entire Web (or at least the percentage of the Web currently crawled and updated). To further increase the efficiency and speed of such image and information retrievals a captured image or interest and it'"'"'s returned similar images can be linked, saved, and reused by the user or others. Specifically, if a commercial ad facial image is anticipated to generate good advertising traffic, the matched images can be pre-recorded and used from a cache, or placed near the front of the facial image database indexes to be searched.