ORGANIZING IMAGES BY CORRELATING FACES

• US 20100172550A1
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Albouze, Jeff, Leifer, Simeon, Martin, Timothy B., Lindley, Gregory Charles, Bhatt, Nikhil, Fagans, Joshua David, Gilley, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for organizing images including receiving an image that includes a representation of a human face; generating a correlation value indicating a likelihood that the human face corresponds to a stored facial profile associated with one or more profile images including a human face; evaluating the received image and the generated correlation value to determine, depending on a result of the evaluating, whether the image corresponds to the stored facial profile; associating the received image with the stored facial profile; and storing an indication of the associating.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for organizing images, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an image that includes a representation of a human face;

generating a correlation value indicating a likelihood that the human face corresponds to a stored facial profile associated with one or more profile images including a human face;

evaluating the received image and the generated correlation value to determine, depending on a result of the evaluating, whether the image corresponds to the stored facial profile;

associating the received image with the stored facial profile; and

storing an indication of the associating.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the correlation value indicates that the image corresponds to another stored facial profile, and wherein evaluating further comprises evaluating first metadata of the image and second metadata of the one or more profile images.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the one or more profile images and profile information associated with the one or more profile images from an address book application; and

generating the stored facial profile based on the one or more profile images and the profile information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting, based on the evaluating, a user for confirmation that the human face corresponds to the stored facial profile; and

accepting, in response to the prompting, confirmation that the human face corresponds to the stored facial profile.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein accepting further comprises accepting via a user interface having an affirmative response option and a negative response option.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing detection information indicating less than a 90% likelihood that the image represents a human face;

establishing that the image depicts skin-tone colors and sharp image details; and

confirming, based on the establishing, that the image represents a human face.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting the image as a key image based on one or more of the detection information, the image, or the correlation value; and

displaying the key image as an icon for the stored facial profile.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the image comprises one or more of a sharpness indication, a capture date, or an image resolution of the image.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the detection information comprises one or more of a distance from the human face to another human face depicted in the image, or an angle of the human face relative to the image.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the human face comprises a first human face, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

deriving a potential correspondence between a second human face, represented in the image, and the stored facial profile; and

ignoring the derived potential correspondence based on the correlation value and the first human face corresponding to the stored facial profile.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving unsorted images representing human faces, unsorted image information, and unsorted correlation values indicating likelihoods that the human faces correspond to the stored facial profile;

establishing an initial correlation value threshold;

grouping the unsorted images based on the initial correlation value threshold and the unsorted correlation values;

deriving a revised correlation threshold based on amounts of unsorted images grouped together and a total number of groups of unsorted images;

regrouping the unsorted images based on the revised correlation threshold and the unsorted correlation values; and

associating one or more groups of unsorted images with the stored facial profile based on the regrouping.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the stored facial profile comprises a first stored facial profile and the human face comprises a first human face, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

presenting the first stored facial profile and a second stored facial profile in a user interface, wherein the second stored facial profile includes one or more images representing a second human face;

receiving an indication in the user interface associating the first stored facial profile with the second stored facial profile; and

generating a combined album including one or more profile images from the first stored facial profile and the second stored facial profile.

13. A system comprising:

a user interface device;

a storage device operable to store executable software instructions and image data; and

one or more computers operable to interact with the user interface device and the storage device, and to perform operations comprising;

receiving an image that includes a representation of a human face;

generating a correlation value indicating a likelihood that the human face corresponds to a stored facial profile associated with one or more profile images including a human face;

evaluating the received image and the generated correlation value to determine, depending on a result of the evaluating, whether the image corresponds to the stored facial profile; and

displaying, using the user interface device, the received image in association with the stored facial profile.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

an external input operable to receive data, and to perform input operations comprising;

obtaining the one or more profile images and profile information associated with the one or more profile images through the external input.

15. The system of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

generating the stored facial profile based on the obtained one or more profile images and the profile information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the external input comprises an address book application adapter for obtaining the one or more profile images and the profile information from an address book application.

17. The system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

prompting, based on the determining, a user via the user interface device for confirmation that the human face corresponds to the stored facial profile; and

accepting, in response to the prompting, confirmation via the user interface device that the human face corresponds to the stored facial profile.

18. The system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

selecting the image as a key image based on one or more of the image or the correlation value; and

displaying the key image as an icon in association with the stored facial profile.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the image comprises one or more of a sharpness indication, a capture date, or an image resolution of the image.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the human face comprises a first human face, the operations further comprising:

deriving a potential correspondence between a second human face, represented in the image, and the stored facial profile; and

ignoring the derived potential correspondence based on the correlation value and the first human face corresponding to the stored facial profile.

21. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving unsorted images representing human faces with associated correlation values indicating likelihoods that the human faces correspond to the stored facial profile;

establishing an initial correlation value threshold;

grouping the unsorted images based on the initial correlation value threshold and the associated correlation values;

deriving a revised correlation threshold based on numbers of unsorted images grouped together and a total number of groups of unsorted images;

regrouping the unsorted images based on the revised correlation threshold and the unsorted correlation values; and

associating one or more groups of unsorted images with the stored facial profile based on the regrouping.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the stored facial profile comprises a first stored facial profile and the human face comprises a first human face, the system further comprising:

presenting the first stored facial profile and a second stored facial profile through the user interface device, wherein the second stored facial profile includes one or more images representing a second human face;

receiving an indication through the user interface device to associate the first stored facial profile with the second stored facial profile; and

generating a combined album including one or more profile images from the first stored facial profile and the second stored facial profile.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable instructions therein for organizing images by correlating faces, the computer program product comprising computer readable instruction devices configured to cause a computer system to:

receive an image including a human face;

generate a correlation value indicating a likelihood that the human face corresponds to a facial profile;

determine, using the image and the facial profile, that the image corresponds to the facial profile; and

store the image in association with the facial profile.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

prompt a user for confirmation that the human face corresponds to the facial profile; and

accept, in response to prompting, confirmation that the human face corresponds to the facial profile.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the human face comprises a first human face, the computer program additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

derive a potential correspondence between a second human face, represented in the image, and the facial profile; and

ignore the derived potential correspondence based on the correlation value and the first human face corresponding to the facial profile.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

receive unsorted images representing human faces, unsorted image information, and unsorted correlation values indicating likelihoods that the human faces correspond to the facial profile;

establish an initial correlation value threshold;

group the unsorted images based on the initial correlation value threshold and the unsorted correlation values;

derive a revised correlation threshold based on amounts of unsorted images grouped together and a total number of groups of unsorted images;

regroup the unsorted images based on the revised correlation threshold and the unsorted correlation values; and

associate one or more groups of unsorted images with the facial profile based on the regrouping.

27. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the facial profile comprises a first facial profile and the human face comprises a first human face, the computer program additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

present the first facial profile and a second facial profile in a user interface, wherein the second facial profile includes one or more images representing a second human face;

receive an indication in the user interface associating the first facial profile with the second facial profile; and

generate a combined album including one or more profile images from the first facial profile and the second facial profile.

28. The computer program product of claim 23, additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

receive one or more profile images representing the human face; and

associate the one or more profile images with the facial profile.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein to determine comprises to determine that the correlation value indicates the image corresponds to other than the facial profile, and that the image information, including first metadata, corresponds to second metadata associated with the one or more profile images.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

obtain the one or more profile images and profile information associated with the one or more profile images from an external source; and

generate the facial profile based on the one or more profile images and the profile information.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the external source comprises a user interface.

32. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the external source comprises an address book application.

33. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

accessing detection information indicating less than a 90% likelihood that the image represents a human face;

establishing that the image depicts skin-tone colors and sharp image details; and

confirming, based on the establishing, that the image represents a human face.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, additionally comprising computer readable instructions configured to cause the computer system to:

select the image as a key image based on one or more of the image information, the detection information, or the correlation value; and

display the key image as an icon in association with the facial profile.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the image information comprises a capture date.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the detection information comprises an angle of the human face relative to the image.