System and Method for Searching for Text and Displaying Found Text in Augmented Reality

• US 20130113943A1
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Wormald, Christopher R., Seaman, Conrad Delbert, Cheung, William Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/634,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20130113943A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition

Abstract

A system and a method for searching for text in one or more images are provided. The method, performed by a computing device, comprises receiving an input. The computing device generates a search parameter from the input, the search parameter comprising the text. Optical character recognition is applied to the one or more images to generate computer readable text. The search parameter is applied to search for the text in the computer readable text and, if the text is found, an action is performed.

Claims

1. A method for searching for text in at least one image, the method performed by a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving an input;

generating a search parameter from the input, the search parameter comprising the text;

applying optical character recognition to the at least one image to generate computer readable text;

applying the search parameter to search for the text in the computer readable text; and

if the text is found, performing an action.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising continuously capturing additional images in real-time, automatically applying the optical character recognition to the additional images to generate additional computer readable text, and, if the text is found again, performing the action again.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is a mobile device comprising a camera, and the at least one image are provided by the camera.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the input is text.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the text is provided by a user.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the action performed is highlighting the text that is found on a display.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one image are of one or more pages, and the computing device records the one or more pages on which the text that is found is located.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more pages are each identified by a page number, determined by applying optical character recognition to the page number.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more pages are each identified by a page number, the page number determined by counting the number of pages reviewed in a collection of pages.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising recording the number of instances of the text that is found on each of the one or more pages.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the input is a location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the search parameter generated are one or more road names based on the location.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the search parameter is generated from the set of directions to reach the location, the search parameter comprising the one or more road names.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein upon having found the text of at least one of the one or more road names, the action performed is providing an audio or a visual indication to move in a certain direction based on the set of direction.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein one or more road names are identified which are near the location, the search parameter comprising the one or more road names.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein upon having found the text of at least one of the one or more of the road names, the action performed is providing a second location comprising the road name that has been found.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a camera configured to capture at least one image; and

a processor connected to the display and the camera, and configured to receive an input, generate a search parameter from the input, the search parameter comprising the text, apply optical character recognition to the at least one image to generate computer readable text, apply the search parameter to search for the text in the computer readable text, and if the text is found, perform an action.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the input is text.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the action performed is highlighting the text that is found on the display.

20. A system comprising:

a display;

a camera configured to capture at least one image; and

a processor connected to the display and the camera, and configured to receive an input, generate a search parameter from the input, the search parameter comprising the text, apply optical character recognition to the at least one image to generate computer readable text, apply the search parameter to search for the text in the computer readable text, and if the text is found, perform an action.