METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING IMAGE DATA TO REPRESENT INVENTORY

• US 20140003655A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gopalakrishnan, Praveen, Lortz, Victor B., Corrion, Bradley W., Guo, Xingang, Colson, William J.
• Application Number:
  US13/538,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20140003655A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms for generating image data representing a storage region in a commercial establishment. In an embodiment, image recognition analysis of first image data detects a difference between respective states of inventory storage represented by different areas of a captured image. In another embodiment, other image data is generated to represent a modified version of the image, wherein, based on the detected difference, a filter is applied to only one two portions of the first image data.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed, cause a device to perform a method comprising:

receiving first image data representing an image of a storage region, the first image data comprising a first portion for a first area of the image and a second portion for a second area of the image;

based on an image recognition analysis of the first image data, detecting a difference between a first state of inventory storage represented by the first area and a second state of inventory storage represented by the second area; and

automatically generating second image data representing a modified version of the image, the generating including;

based on the difference, applying a filter to only one of the first portion and the second portion.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, the method further comprising performing the image recognition analysis to generate image recognition information describing the first image data.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area does not include any indication of the first product type.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area includes an indication of a second product type.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the detecting the difference is further based on a release rule indicating a conflict between the first product type and the second product type.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the conflict between the first product type and the second product type includes a conflict between a first commercial entity associated with the first product type and a second commercial entity associated with the second product type.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting a failure of image recognition analysis to specify a state of inventory storage for the second area.

8. An apparatus comprising:

an evaluation unit including circuit logic to receive first image data representing an image of a storage region, the first image data comprising a first portion for a first area of the image and a second portion for a second area of the image, the evaluation unit further to detect, based on an image recognition analysis of the first image data, a difference between a first state of inventory storage represented by the first area and a second state of inventory storage represented by the second area; and

a filter unit including circuit logic to automatically generate second image data representing a modified version of the image, including the filter unit to apply a filter, based on the difference, to only one of the first portion and the second portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the evaluation unit further to perform the image recognition analysis to generate image recognition information describing the first image data.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area does not include any indication of the first product type.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area includes an indication of a second product type.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference is further based on a release rule indicating a conflict between the first product type and the second product type.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the conflict between the first product type and the second product type includes a conflict between a first commercial entity associated with the first product type and a second commercial entity associated with the second product type.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect a failure of image recognition analysis to specify a state of inventory storage for the second area.

15. A system comprising:

an image sensor device to generate first image data representing an image of a storage region, the first image data comprising a first portion for a first area of the image and a second portion for a second area of the image; and

a server coupled to the image sensor, the server including;

a network interface to receive the first image data from the image sensor;

an evaluation unit including circuit logic to detect, based on an image recognition analysis of the first image data, a difference between a first state of inventory storage represented by the first area and a second state of inventory storage represented by the second area; and

a filter unit including circuit logic to automatically generate second image data representing a modified version of the image, including the filter unit to apply a filter, based on the difference, to only one of the first portion and the second portion.

16. The system of claim 15, the evaluation unit further to perform the image recognition analysis to generate image recognition information describing the first image data.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area does not include any indication of the first product type.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area includes an indication of a second product type.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference is further based on a release rule indicating a conflict between the first product type and the second product type.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the conflict between the first product type and the second product type includes a conflict between a first commercial entity associated with the first product type and a second commercial entity associated with the second product type.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the evaluation unit to detect the difference includes the evaluation unit to detect a failure of image recognition analysis to specify a state of inventory storage for the second area.

22. A method comprising:

receiving first image data representing an image of a storage region, the first image data comprising a first portion for a first area of the image and a second portion for a second area of the image;

based on an image recognition analysis of the first image data, detecting a difference between a first state of inventory storage represented by the first area and a second state of inventory storage represented by the second area; and

automatically generating second image data representing a modified version of the image, the generating including;

based on the difference, applying a filter to only one of the first portion and the second portion.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area does not include any indication of the first product type.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting that the first area includes an indication of a first product type and that the second area includes an indication of a second product type.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the detecting the difference is further based on a release rule indicating a conflict between the first product type and the second product type.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the conflict between the first product type and the second product type includes a conflict between a first commercial entity associated with the first product type and a second commercial entity associated with the second product type.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the detecting the difference includes detecting a failure of image recognition analysis to specify a state of inventory storage for the second area.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein applying the filter is to provide a blurred representation of the second area in the modified version of the image.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein applying the filter is to provide a masked representation of the second area in the modified version of the image.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein applying the filter is to prevent any representation of the second area in the modified version of the image.