APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FINDING A MISPLACED OBJECT USING A DATABASE AND INSTRUCTIONS GENERATED BY A PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20110222729A1
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Original Assignee: TrackThings LLC
• Inventors: Gabara, Constance
• Granted Patent: US 8,212,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes

Abstract

The basic invention uses a portable device that can contain a camera, a database, and a text, voice or visual entry to control the storage of an image into a database. Furthermore, the stored image can be associated with text, color, visual or audio. The stored images can be used to guide the user towards a target that the user does not recall its current location. The user'"'"'s commands can be issued verbally, textually or by scrolling through the target images in the database until the desired one is found. This target can be shoes, pink sneakers, a toy or some comparable items that the user needs to find.

Claims

1. A portable device apparatus comprising:

a database containing desired objects;

at least one camera that scans a region of space producing at least one image;

the device is moved to scan an adjacent region of space to produce additional images;

all of the images are stored in the database;

the images within the database are pasted together forming a composite image; and

a recognition unit that matches objects within the composite image to the desired objects, thereby forming matched objects.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a location of the matched objects can be determined.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the database can be distributed over different physically distinct memories, wherein each memory can be individually queried.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a search engine can be used to locate the matched object;

and.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction means using the composite image and the recognition unit to locate matched objects.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions includes an audible signal to direct the user towards the matched object.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a display screen that issues instructions to move a user towards the matched object, whereby the instructions includes an arrow pointing towards the matched object.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a means for continuously scanning the regions of space.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the location of the matched objects are updated in the database if these objects are moved.

10. A method of locating positions of desired objects in an image comprising the steps of:

storing the desired objects into a database;

scanning the image using a camera in a portable device;

viewing portions of the image on a display screen of the portable device;

storing the image into the database;

identifying at least one object within the image;

placing approximate boundaries around the identified object in the image;

comparing the identified object against the desired objects in the database; and

finding a match, thereby locating the positions of the desired objects in the image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the match is determined by a recognition algorithm.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

moving the device to scan additional images; and

combining the image with the additional images.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

continuously scanning images from the camera.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

updating the position of the identified objects in the database if these objects are moved.

15. A portable device apparatus comprising:

a database containing previously stored objects;

at least one camera scrolls a visual image of a region of space on a display screen;

a recognition unit matching the visual image to the previously stored object, whereby the visual image is identified as the previously stored object in the database forming a matched object.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a location of the matched object can be determined.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein when the recognition unit fails to recognize the visual image in the database, a user issues a verbal command to store the visual image into the database.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a wireless access to a second database;

the second database is in another portable device, a personal computer or a server; and

a search engine that matches the stored object in all databases to the visual image.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

an instruction means using the visual image and the recognition unit to locate the matched object; and

a display screen that issues instructions to move a user towards the matched object.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

the instructions includes an audible signal to direct the user towards the matched object.