METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN MAPPING IDENTIFIED VISUAL FEATURES OF VISUAL IMAGES TO LOCATION AREAS

• US 20130321646A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Meike, Rodger Charles, Katz, Fabio Dario, Youssef, Adel Amin Abdel Azim
• Granted Patent: US 9,313,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00336 with an apparatus performing pattern recognition, e.g. of a face or a geographic feature image or video recognition or understanding of scenes G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

In one example, a computer device includes one or more processors and a camera module coupled to the one or more processors. The camera module is configured to capture visual images. The one or more processors are configured to analyze image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a visual feature, and produce a message which includes a visual feature indication and a location indication. The visual feature indication indicates whether the visual image includes the visual feature, and the location indication indicates a location at which the visual image was captured.

Claims

1. A method for use in a computer device, the method comprising:

analyzing image data of a visual image to identify whether the visual image includes a visual feature; and

producing a message which includes a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual feature indication comprises a count of a number of times the visual image includes the visual feature.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual feature is a facial expression indicative of mood.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

including in the message a count of a number of times the visual image includes a human face.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including in the message a strength indication which indicates a strength regarding an accuracy of detection of the visual feature.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including in the message at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was captured.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each one of a plurality of visual images;

capturing the visual image; and

geotagging the visual image with location data corresponding to the location indication.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the message to a server.

9. The method of claim 8, which is performed without sending the visual image to the server.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending the visual image to the server.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

repeating the analyzing, the producing, and the sending of the message for each one of a plurality of additional visual images.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer device comprises a wireless communication device configured to communicate in a wireless communication network, and wherein the act of sending the message to the server comprises transmitting the message to the server via the wireless communication network.

13. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium;

the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of a computer device for;

analyzing image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a visual feature; and

producing a message which includes a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

15. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the visual feature indication comprises a count of 1 number of times the visual image includes the visual feature.

17. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

include in the message a strength indication which indicates a strength regarding an accuracy of detection of the visual feature.

18. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or, more processors are further configured to:

include in the message at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was captured.

19. The computer device of claim 13, further comprising:

a transceiver coupled to the one or more processors; and

the one or more processors being further configured to send the message to a server.

20. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

repeat the analyzing, the producing, and the sending of the message for each one of a plurality of additional visual images.

14. A computer device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a camera module coupled to the one or more processors, the camera module being configured to capture visual images;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being configured to;

analyze image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a visual feature; and

produce a message which includes a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

16. The computer device of claim 14, wherein the visual feature is a facial expression indicative of mood.

21. A method for use in a server, the method comprising:

reading a plurality of visual image data records associated with a plurality of visual images from a plurality of computer devices, each data record including a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether a visual image includes a visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured;

counting a number of times the visual feature is indicated by the visual feature indications in the visual image data records for visual image data records indicating locations within a same location area;

producing an aggregate count of the visual features identified within the same location area;

repeating the counting and producing for a plurality of location areas; and

mapping the aggregate counts to location area indications corresponding to the location areas.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing, to a computer device, access of the mapping of the aggregate counts to the location area indications.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, from the computer devices, messages which include the visual image data records.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the visual feature indication comprises a count of a number of times the visual image includes the visual feature.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the visual feature is a facial expression indicative of mood.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each data record further comprises a count of the number of times the visual image includes a human face.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein each data record further comprises a strength indication which indicates a strength regarding an accuracy of detection of the visual feature.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein each data record further comprises at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was is captured.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

producing the aggregate counts of the visual features indicated in the same location areas for visuals images captured within a same time frame.

30. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium;

the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of a server for;

reading a plurality of visual image data records associated with a plurality of visual images from a plurality of computer devices, each data record including a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether a visual image includes a visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured;

counting a number of times the visual feature is indicated by the visual feature indications in the visual image data records for visual image data records indicating locations within a same location area;

producing an aggregate count of the visual features identified within the same location area;

repeating the counting and producing for a plurality of location areas; and

mapping the aggregate counts to location area indications is corresponding to the location areas.

31. A server which is configured to read a plurality of visual image data records associated with a plurality of visual images from a plurality of computer devices, each data record including a visual feature indication and a location indication, the visual feature indication indicating whether a visual image includes a visual feature, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured;

count a number of times the visual feature is indicated by the visual feature indications in the visual image data records for visual image data records indicating locations within a same location area;

produce an aggregate count of the visual features identified within the same location area;

repeat the counting and producing for a plurality of location areas; and

map the aggregate counts to location area indications corresponding to the location areas.

32. The server of claim 31, which is further configured to provide, to a computer device, access of the mapping of the aggregate counts to the location area indications.

33. The server of claim 31, which is further configured to receive from the computer devices messages which include the visual image data records.

34. The server of claim 31, wherein the visual feature indication comprises a count of a number of times the visual image includes the visual feature.

35. The server of claim 34, wherein the visual feature is a facial expression indicative of mood.

36. The server of claim 35, wherein each data record further comprises a count of a number of times the visual image includes a human face.

37. The server of claim 31, which is further configured to:

analyze image data of the visual images for identifying whether the visual images include the visual feature; and

produce the visual image data records.

38. The server of claim 31, wherein each data record further comprises at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was captured.

39. The server of claim 38, being further configured to produce the aggregate counts of the visual features indicated in the same location areas for visuals images captured within a same time frame.