MANAGING SOCIAL NETWORK DISTANCE IN SOCIAL NETWORKS USING PHOTOGRAPHS

• US 20140321720A1
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Globalfoundries US Incorporated (GlobalFoundries, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bank, Judith H., Harpur, Liam, Lyle, Ruthie D., O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Sun, Lin
• Application Number:
  US13/873,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20140321720A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/30 in albums, collections or shared content, e.g. social network photos or video
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/175 Static expression

Abstract

There are provided a method, a system and a computer program product for using a digital image in a social network. The system receives the digital image. The system runs an image processing technique on the digital image. The system determines, based on the run image processing technique, a social distance between the users in the digital image.

Claims

1. A method for using a digital image in a social network, the method comprising:

receiving the digital image;

running an image processing technique on the digital image;

identifying, based on the run image processing technique, users in the digital image; and

determining, based on the run image processing technique, a social distance between the users in the digital image,

wherein a processor coupled to a memory device performs the receiving, the running, the identifying, and the determining.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital image includes one or more of:

a 2-dimensional digital image;

a 3-dimensional digital image;

a 2-dimensional movie that includes a plurality of 2-dimensional image frames; and

a 3-dimensional movie that includes a plurality of 3-dimensional image frames.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital image is obtained from the social network or a database.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying the users in the digital image comprises:

accessing a social network directory or a corporation directory or both, which includes individual users'"'"' identifiers and corresponding facial images;

comparing faces of the users in the digital image against the facial images of the individual users in the accessed social network directory or the corporate directory or the both; and

in response to that a result of the comparing meets a pre-determined standard, determining that the users in the digital image correspond to the identifiers of the individual users in the social network directory or the corporate directory or the both.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing technique includes one or more of:

a face recognition technique;

a facial expression recognition technique;

a hand or body expression recognition technique;

or

an eye gaze detection technique.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the social distance comprises one or more of:

recognizing facial expressions of the users in the digital image;

recognizing a physical distance between the users in the digital image;

recognizing a hand or body expression of the users in the digital image;

or

detecting at least one direction that the users are looking at in the digital image.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the social distance comprises:

additionally receiving a plurality of digital images that show the users;

analyzing, by using the image processing technique, the received digital image and the received plurality of digital images, the analyzing including;

for each digital image, comparing a facial expression or a body expression of a user against facial expressions and body expressions of other users; and

assigning the social distance between the users based on the analyzing and the comparing.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the social distance comprises:

searching a contact list of each of the users;

determining whether the contact list of the each user includes one or more of the users in the digital image;

in response to determining that the contact list of the each user includes the one or more users, assigning the each user to a first-type social distance from the one or more users; and

in response to determining that the contact list of the each user does not include the one or more users, assigning the each user to a second-type social distance from the one or more users.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional digital image that displays one or more of the users; and

updating the social distance between the users based on the received additional digital image.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the updating the social distance between the users comprises:

determining a first social distance between the users based on a first digital image of the users;

determining a second social distance between the users based on a second digital image of the users; and

adding the first and second social distances,

wherein the social distance between the users is updated with a result of the adding.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the updated social distance is less than a pre-determined threshold;

in response to determining that the updated social distance is less than the pre-determined threshold, assigning the users to a first-type group; and

in response to determining that the updated social distance is equal to or larger than the pre-determined threshold, assigning the users to a second-type group.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from one of the users, an email message;

analyzing a content of the email message; and

suggesting, based on the analyzed content of the email message, an email recipient among the users.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically creating a social group in the social network that includes the users in the digital image.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that an input control device is hovered over a user in the digital image; and

displaying the determined social distance from the user.

15. A system for using a digital image in a social network, the system comprising:

at least one memory device;

a processor coupled to the memory device,

wherein the processor is configured to perform;

receiving the digital image;

running an image processing technique on the digital image;

identifying, based on the run image processing technique, users in the digital image; and

determining, based on the run image processing technique, a social distance between the users in the digital image.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image processing technique includes one or more of:

a face recognition technique;

a facial expression recognition technique;

a hand or body expression recognition technique;

or

an eye gaze detection technique.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein in order to determine the social distance, the processor is further configured to perform:

additionally receiving a plurality of digital images that show the users;

analyzing, by using the image processing technique, the received digital image and the received plurality of digital images, the analyzing including;

for each digital image, comparing a facial expression or a body expression of a user against facial expressions and body expressions of other users; and

assigning the social distance between the users based on the analyzing and the comparing.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein in order to determine the social distance, the processor is further configured to perform:

searching a contact list of each of the users;

determining whether the contact list of the each user includes one or more of the users in the digital image;

in response to determining that the contact list of the each user includes the one or more users, assigning the each user to a first-type social distance from the one or more users; and

in response to determining that the contact list of the each user does not include the one or more users, assigning the each user to a second-type social distance from the one or more users.

19. A computer program product for using a digital image in a social network, the computer program product comprising a storage medium that excludes a propagating signal, the storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions run by the processing circuit for performing a method, said method steps comprising:

receiving the digital image;

running an image processing technique on the digital image;

identifying, based on the run image processing technique, users in the digital image; and

determining, based on the run image processing technique, a social distance between the users in the digital image.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the determining the social distance comprises:

additionally receiving a plurality of digital images that show the users;

analyzing, by using the image processing technique, the received digital image and the received plurality of digital images, the analyzing including;

for each digital image, comparing a facial expression or a body expression of a user against facial expressions and body expressions of other users; and

assigning the social distance between the users based on the analyzing and the comparing.