Method, Apparatus and Computer Program Product for Providing a Visual Search Interface

• US 20090083237A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Wei-Chao, Gelfand, Natasha, Grzeszczuk, Radek, Xiong, Yingen
• Application Number:
  US11/858,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083237A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a visual search interface may include a processing element configured to receive indications of an image including an object, receive location information indicative of a location associated with a user providing the indications of the image, and enable performance of a visual search based on the location information and features of the image to identify candidate search results by comparing the image to source images stored in association with a location within a predetermined distance from the location associated with the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving indications of an image including an object;

receiving location information indicative of a location associated with a device providing the indications of the image; and

enabling performance of a visual search based on the location information and features of the image to identify candidate search results by comparing the image to source images stored in association with a location within a predetermined distance from the location associated with the device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an input making an association between a particular point of interest and the image in response to the identified candidate search results.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein enabling the performance of the visual search comprises querying a local database for a matching image to the image, in which the matching image includes the object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the matching image is found, the method further comprises providing a point of interest associated with the matching image as the particular point of interest and, in response to receiving the input from the user, updating a remote database based on the association.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the matching image is not found, the method further comprises providing a plurality of points of interest as the candidate search results, the plurality of points of interest being determined based on a location based search for proximate points of interest to the location associated with the device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising updating a remote database based on the association made responsive to receipt of the input for use in future visual searches.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a selection of an action to be performed with respect to the particular point of interest and launching an external application based on the selected action.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-fetching a subset of information corresponding to the location associated with the device.

9. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for receiving indications of an image including an object;

a second executable portion for receiving location information indicative of a location associated with a device providing the indications of the image; and

a third executable portion for enabling performance of a visual search based on the location information and features of the image to identify candidate search results by comparing the image to source images stored in association with a location within a predetermined distance from the location associated with the device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising a fourth executable portion for receiving an input making an association between a particular point of interest and the image in response to the identified candidate search results.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the third executable portion includes instructions for querying a local database for a matching image to the image, in which the matching image includes the object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein, if the matching image is found, the computer program product further comprises a fifth executable portion for providing a point of interest associated with the matching image as the particular point of interest and, in response to receiving the input from the user, updating a remote database based on the association.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein, if the matching image is not found, the computer program product further comprises a fifth executable portion for providing a plurality of points of interest as the candidate search results, the plurality of points of interest being determined based on a location based search for proximate points of interest to the location associated with the device.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising a fifth executable portion for receiving a selection of an action to be performed with respect to the particular point of interest.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising a fourth executable portion for pre-fetching a subset of information corresponding to the location associated with the device.

16. An apparatus comprising a processing element configured to:

receive indications of an image including an object;

receive location information indicative of a location associated with a device providing the indications of the image; and

enable performance of a visual search based on the location information and features of the image to identify candidate search results by comparing the image to source images stored in association with a location within a predetermined distance from the location associated with the device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing element is further configured to receive an input making an association between a particular point of interest and the image in response to the identified candidate search results.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing element is further configured to query a local database for a matching image to the image, in which the matching image includes the object.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein, if the matching image is found, the processing element is further configured to provide a point of interest associated with the matching image as the particular point of interest and, in response to receiving the input from the user, update a remote database based on the association.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein, if the matching image is not found, the processing element is further configured to provide a plurality of points of interest as the candidate search results, the plurality of points of interest being determined based on a location based search for proximate points of interest to the location associated with the device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processing element is further configured to update a remote database based on the association made responsive to receipt of the input for use in future visual searches.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processing element is further configured to receive a selection of an action to be performed with respect to the particular point of interest and launch an external application based on the selected action.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing element is further configured to pre-fetch a subset of information corresponding to the location associated with the device.

24. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving indications of an image including an object;

means for receiving location information indicative of a location associated with a device providing the indications of the image; and

means for enabling performance of a visual search based on the location information and features of the image to identify candidate search results by comparing the image to source images stored in association with a location within a predetermined distance from the location associated with the device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising means for receiving an input making an association between a particular point of interest and the image in response to the identified candidate search results.