Method and system for updating images in an image database

• US 20100228722A1
• Filed: 03/08/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Yu, Shengyu, Yue, Dajiong, Zhou, Chunyi
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• 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

Abstract

Updating images in an image database includes determining an updated image that is among a plurality of images in the image database, extracting a plurality of image features of the updated image and storing a plurality of image feature values that correspond to the plurality of image features, and associating the plurality of image features of the updated image with a search engine, including adding an array comprising the plurality of image feature values to an index of the search engine.

Claims

1. A method for updating an image database, comprising:

determining an updated image that is among a plurality of images in the image database;

extracting a plurality of image features of the updated image and storing a plurality of image feature values that correspond to the plurality of image features; and

associating the plurality of image features of the updated image with a search engine, including adding an array comprising the plurality of image feature values to an index of the search engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the updated image includes recording an image identifier of the updated image in an image update table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the updated image includes:

creating a trigger configured to detect an image update in the image database;

setting off the trigger in the event that an UPDATE command is detected in the image database; and

recording an image identifier of the updated image in the image update table.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the feature of the updated image includes:

comparing a modification time corresponding to an image identifier of the updated image in an image update table and an image feature table according to a preset schedule;

recording the plurality of image features in the image feature table, and

in the event that the image feature table does not include a modification time of the image, recording a current time as the modification time.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

recording in the image feature table an image identifier that exists in the image update table but does not exist in the image feature table.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the image feature of the updated comprising:

comparing a modification time corresponding to the same image identifier in an image update table and an image feature table according to a preset schedule; and

extracting the feature of the image corresponding to the image identifier, recording the image feature in the image feature table, and updating a current time as a modification time if the modification time in the image feature table is earlier than the modification time in the image update table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distributing the plurality of image features of the updated image to a distributed search engine.

8. An image updating system, comprising:

one or more processors coupled to the interface, configured to;

determining an updated image;

extracting an image feature of the updated image and storing the image feature; and

associating the plurality of image features of the updated image with a search engine.

One or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, configured to provide the processors with instructions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the updated image includes recording an image identifier of the updated image in an image update table.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the updated image includes:

creating a trigger configured to detect an image update in the image database;

setting off the trigger in the event that an UPDATE command is detected in the image database; and

recording an image identifier of the updated image in the image update table.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein extracting the feature of the updated image includes:

comparing a modification time corresponding to an image identifier of the updated image in an image update table and an image feature table according to a preset schedule;

recording the plurality of image features in the image feature table, and

in the event that the image feature table does not include a modification time of the image, recording a current time as the modification time.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

recording in the image feature table an image identifier that exists in the image update table but does not exist in the image feature table.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein extracting the image feature of the updated comprising:

comparing a modification time corresponding to the same image identifier in an image update table and an image feature table according to a preset schedule; and

extracting the feature of the image corresponding to the image identifier, recording the image feature in the image feature table, and updating a current time as a modification time if the modification time in the image feature table is earlier than the modification time in the image update table.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

distributing the plurality of image features of the updated image to a distributed search engine.

15. A computer program product for updating an image database, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining an updated image that is among a plurality of images in the image database;

extracting a plurality of image features of the updated image and storing a plurality of image feature values that correspond to the plurality of image features; and

associating the plurality of image features of the updated image with a search engine, including adding an array comprising the plurality of image feature values to an index of the search engine.