System And Method For Annotating Images

• US 20140236720A1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Stewart Shunock
• Original Assignee: Mark D'Cunha
• Inventors: Sojoodi, Sina, Shunock, Michael Stewart, Arhin, Linda, Kartick, Sherwin, D'Cunha, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 11,514,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• 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 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

A method and system for electronically annotating an image, or preferably, specific portions of an image, with information. In one aspect, a user may generate an image, annotate the image, and upload or otherwise disseminate the annotated image to a web page or the like. Annotations are provided as labels that provide information about the image or items therein. Further users may access the labels to access the information. The labels further enable searching and contextual advertising.

Claims

1. A method for annotating an image, the method comprising:

(a) enabling a first user of a plurality of users to access an image;

(b) enabling the application of one or more labels to one or more respective items appearing in the image to create an annotated image; and

(c) enabling the communication of the annotated image to a second user of the plurality of users to enable the second user to access the one or more labels.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the second user to edit one or more of the labels with a respective web page address to enable any of the plurality of users to access a web page corresponding to the web page address by selecting the respective item in the annotated image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second user is an administrator and applies labels corresponding to administrator fields not editable by the first user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the item corresponds to a product that can be purchased via the web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first user and second user apply a rating label to a rating field.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rating label is a qualitative label.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the qualitative label is one of like, love, want and have.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user applies the one or more labels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the image comprises capturing the image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a video image.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the plurality of users to access a search utility operable to search for additional annotated images having at least one label that is associated with at least one label of the annotated image.

12. A system for annotating an image, the system comprising a client computer operable to:

(a) enable a first user of a plurality of users to access an image;

(b) apply one or more labels to one or more respective items appearing in the image to create an annotated image; and

(c) communicate the annotated image to a second user of the plurality of users to enable the second user to access the one or more labels.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second user is a server linked to the client computer, the server operable to edit one or more of the labels with a respective web page address to enable any of the plurality of users to access a web page corresponding to the web page address by selecting the respective item in the annotated image.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second user is an administrator and applies labels corresponding to administrator fields not editable by the first user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the item corresponds to a product that can be purchased via the web page.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the second user is a further client computer.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more of the first user and second user apply a rating label to a rating field.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the rating label is a qualitative label.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the qualitative label is one of like, love, want and have.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the first user applies the one or more labels.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein accessing the image comprises capturing the image.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the image is a video image.

23. The system of claim 12, further comprising a search utility operable to search for additional annotated images having at least one label that is associated with at least one label of the annotated image.

24. A method of providing contextual advertising on a web page, the method comprising:

(a) providing one or more images on said web page, at least one of said images comprising one or more labels that provide a context; and

(b) providing one or more advertisements on said web page, at least one of said advertisements selected based on said context.