SPORTING EVENT IMAGE CAPTURE, PROCESSING AND PUBLICATION

• US 20100158315A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Strands Incorporated (CRIBIS Holding SRL)
• Original Assignee: Strands Incorporated (CRIBIS Holding SRL)
• Inventors: Martin, Francisco
• Granted Patent: US 7,876,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

Systems, methods and software are disclosed for capturing and/or importing and processing media items such as digital images or video (202) associated with a sporting event such as a marathon or bicycle race (FIG. 3). The media items are processed, including bib number or facial recognition if necessary (204, 206, 504), to associate them with an individual participant. Other input sources may include spectator uploads (506), external web sites and media sharing (508) or social networking (510) services. The system (500) aggregates, organizes and generates content, and distributes it (580) via various output channels, which may include event web sites (256), personal feeds (250), and other output channels (260, 254, 252, FIG. 4). Preferably, selected content is associated with at least one individual participant in the event, and that content is automatically distributed to channels that are associated with that individual participant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented digital media clearinghouse system for an athletic event comprising:

(a) a communications component to implement communications with the system via a wired or wireless network, the communications component arranged to support the media item import interface and the distribution service;

(b) media item import interfaces, including a spectator interface and a web site interface, for importing digital media items and data associated with the athletic event;

(c) the spectator interface arranged to receive digital media items uploaded by a user;

(d) the web site interface arranged to receive digital media items imported from a remote web site;

(e) a database access component for accessing an event database, the event database storing registration data for each registered participant in the event, wherein the registration data for each participant includes personal identifying data and a bib number that is unique for the event;

(f) an image processing module coupled to the import interfaces to receive the digital media items and to store the received digital media items and associated metadata in a media item database;

(g) the image processing module including or coupled to a machine-recognition component to recognize a bib number worn by a registrant who appears in acquired received media item, and if a bib number is not recognizable, to identify a human face that appears in the received media item, and to associate the processed media item with the corresponding registrant; and

(h) a distribution service for generating and distributing digital output content, wherein the distribution service aggregates together media items from all sources that have been recognized as associated with a specific registrant;

(i) wherein said identifying a human face includes acquiring at least one digital image of the face of at least one registered participant for comparison, and

the image processing module is arranged for accessing at least one remote web site, searching the remote web site to identify images tagged with the name of the registrant, downloading the identified image files, and associating the downloaded image files with the corresponding registrant.

2. The system according to claim 1 and wherein:

the remote web site provides an application programming interface (API) to enable another system to access user data; and

the web site interface interacts with the API to identify and download the digital image of the face of the registered participant.

3. The system according to claim 1 and wherein the remote web site implements a digital media item sharing service.

4. The system according to claim 3 and wherein the sharing service has an account associated with the event, and the web site interface is arranged to import digital media items associated with the event that were posted to the sharing service event account.

5. The system according to claim 1 and wherein:

the registration data of a registrant includes the registrant'"'"'s personal login credentials for a remote web site where the registrant is a user; and

the web site intake interface applies the registrant'"'"'s login credentials to access the remote web site, identify media items associated with the event, and to download the identified media items associated with the event from the remote web site.

6. The system according to claim 5 and wherein the remote web site implements a social networking service of which the registrant is a member, and the digital media items are associated with the event by a label or tag.

7. The system according to claim 5 and wherein the remote web site or a web page on the remote web site is itself associated with the event.

8. The system according to claim 5 and wherein the remote web site or a web page on the remote web site is itself associated with the registered participant.

9. A computer-implemented system programmed to perform operations comprising:

(a) electronically importing digital media items from multiple input sources, and storing the media items in a database, wherein the media items are associated with a predetermined event;

(b) associating each of the stored media items with at least one participant in the event;

(c) identifying which of the stored media items are associated with a selected participant in the event;

(d) aggregating the identified media items to form output content associated with the selected participant; and

(e) electronically distributing the aggregated content to an output channel that is associated with the selected participant; and

wherein—

the output channel comprises the selected participant'"'"'s own web site or web page;

the selected participant'"'"'s registration data includes credentials for posting content to his/her web site; and

the distributing operation includes applying the user'"'"'s credentials for posting the aggregated content to the selected participant'"'"'s personal web site or web page.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein:

the output channel comprises the participants'"'"' personal outbound syndication feed;

the selected participant'"'"'s registration data includes credentials for posting to his/her outbound syndication feed; and

the distributing operation includes applying the credentials for posting the aggregated content to the selected participant'"'"'s outbound syndication feed for sharing the participant'"'"'s aggregated content over the syndication feed.

11. The system according to claim 9 wherein:

the distributed aggregated content includes at least one of data, text, graphics, media items and URL link types of content.

12. The system according to claim 9 wherein the distributing operation includes posting media items on behalf of a selected participant in the event to a remote server that implements a digital media item sharing service.

13. The system according to claim 9 wherein electronically importing digital media items includes:

crawling the web to identify web sites that have content associated with the event; and

importing media items associated with the event from at least one of the identified web sites.

14. The system according to claim 9 wherein the system implements an API to enable a user to search for or browse images based on a combination of any one or more parameters including without limitation participant bib number, participant name, elapsed time, course location, and distances.