SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING CONTEXTUAL SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT BASED ON IMAGE CONTENT

• US 20090028434A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baumgartner, Julie A., Shah, Munjal, Gokturk, Salih Burak, Vanhoucke, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/60 Type of objects

Abstract

An image-based content item is analyzed to determine information about a subject of the content item. The analysis may include performing image analysis on at least an image of the content item. An inference may be programmatically made about one or more of (i) a viewer or holder of the content item, or (ii) the subject of content item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing content, the method comprising:

analyzing an image-based content item to determine information about a subject of the content item, wherein analyzing the content item includes performing image analysis on at least a portion of individual content items that includes an image;

programmatically making one or more inferences about one or more of (i) a viewer or holder of the content item, or (ii) the subject of content item, including making the one or more inferences based at least in part on the determined information about the subject of the content item;

wherein the one or more inferences exclude (a) information made explicit in the content item, and (b) information that is depicted with one or more foreground objects in the image of individual content items in the set so as to be recognizeable from performing recognition on the images of the individual content items;

selecting a supplemental content to provide the viewer or the owner based on the one or more inferences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing an image-based content item includes analyzing text provided with the content item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method is performed in an online environment between a website and one or more users that access the website with a browser, and wherein the method further comprises identifying information from an individual user'"'"'s browsing session, the identified information including one or more of (i) an address of the terminal of the user, or (ii) a browsing history of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically making the one or more inferences includes implementing one or more inference rules to the information determined from analyzing the content item.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein programmatically making the one or more inferences includes further making one or more probabilistic assumptions from the information determined from analyzing the content item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically making the one or more inferences includes making a location inference as to a location that is depicted or relevant to the subject of the content item based on (i) analyzing a background of the image in the content item, and (ii) making the location inference based in part on the color or texture of the background.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein making the location inference based in part on analyzing the background includes inferring one of an indoor scene or an outdoor scene is depicted.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein inferring the outdoor scene includes inferring a geographic type of outdoor scene.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically making the inference includes making a person inference as to a relationship amongst two or more who appear in the image of the content item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein programmatically making the inference includes making an event inference as to an event that is relevant to or depicted as the subject of the content item.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one or more classifications for the viewer or holder, from the inference, and wherein selecting a supplemental content includes selecting the supplemental content based on the classification of the viewer or holder.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the classification of the viewer or user includes a social-economic classification.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the classification of the viewer or user includes a gender classification.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the classification of the viewer or user includes a classification as to whether the holder or viewer is a parent.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental content is an advertisement.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing an image-based content item to determine information about a subject of the content item includes making a determination that the subject of the content item is a baby;

and wherein programmatically making one or more inferences about the viewer or holder includes making an inference that the viewer or holder is a parent.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing an image-based content item to determine information about a subject of the content item includes identifying product or service brands in the content item.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein programmatically making one or more inferences includes making the inference, based at least in part on the determined information, that the viewer has an interest in a particular brand or class of brands.

19. A computer-implemented method for providing content, the method comprising:

analyzing a set of image-based content item to determine whether a subject of the content item pertains to a class for either babies or toddlers;

wherein analyzing the content item includes performing image analysis on at least a portion of individual content items that includes an image to identify the class; and

programmatically making one or more inferences about a viewer or holder of the content item based at least in part on determining the subject of the content-item is the baby or the toddler.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein analyzing a set of image-based content items includes performing image analysis to identify a baby or a toddler in the image of one or more of the image-based content items.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein programmatically making one or more inferences about a viewer or holder of the content item includes making the inference that the viewer or holder is a parent or guardian of a corresponding baby or toddler.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein programmatically making one or more inferences about a viewer or holder of the content item includes making the inference that the viewer or holder is a parent or guardian of a corresponding baby or toddler.