DETECTING A LABEL FROM AN IMAGE

• US 20150199581A1
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Lun, Chu, Rufeng, Zhang, Chunhui
• Granted Patent: US 9,811,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/184 by analysing segments intersecting the pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks

Abstract

Determining a label from an image is disclosed, including: obtaining an image; determining a first portion of the image associated with a special mark; determining a second portion of the image associated with a label based at least in part on the first portion of the image associated with the special mark; and applying character recognition to the second portion of the image associated with the label to determine a value associated with the label.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

determine a location associated with a special mark in an image;

determine a label in the image based at least in part on the location associated with the special mark in the image;

apply recognition to a portion of the image associated with the label to determine a value associated with the label; and

perform a search using the value associated with the label; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the one or more processors with instructions.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the image is obtained based at least in part on one or more of the following:

receiving the image via a camera, receiving the image via a scanner, and downloading the image.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein to determine the location associated with the special mark in the image comprises to detect in the image a shape with one or more boundaries associated with a special mark pattern.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein to determine the location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises to:

compare content enclosed by the one or more boundaries to a designated content associated with the special mark pattern; and

in the event that the content enclosed by the one or more boundaries matches the designated content, determine that the shape with the one or more boundaries is associated with the location associated with the special mark.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein to determine the location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises to:

determine whether a line of pixels within the one or more boundaries matches a black-white pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in the event it is determined that the line of pixels within the one or more boundaries matches the black-white pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determine that the shape with the one or more boundaries is associated with the location associated with the special mark.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, prior to applying recognition to the portion of the image associated with the label to determine the value associated with the label, extract the portion of the image associated with the label from the image.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein to perform the search using the value associated with the label comprises to submit the value associated with the label as a search query to a search engine.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to present one or more search results at a user interface.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein to determine the label in the image based at least in part on the location associated with the special mark in the image comprises to search for the label in an area of the image near the location associated with the special mark.

11. A method, comprising:

determining, using one or more processors, a location associated with a special mark in an image;

determining a label in the image based at least in part on the location associated with the special mark in the image;

applying recognition to a portion of the image associated with the label to determine a value associated with the label; and

performing a search using the value associated with the label.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the image is obtained based at least in part on one or more of the following:

receiving the image via a camera, receiving the image via a scanner, and downloading the image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the location associated with the special mark in the image comprises detecting in the image a shape with one or more boundaries associated with a special mark pattern.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises:

comparing content enclosed by the one or more boundaries to a designated content associated with the special mark pattern; and

in the event that the content enclosed by the one or more boundaries matches the designated content, determining that the shape with the one or more boundaries is associated with the location associated with the special mark.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises:

determining whether a line of pixels within the one or more boundaries matches a black-white pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in the event it is determined that the line of pixels within the one or more boundaries matches the black-white pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determining that the shape with the one or more boundaries is associated with the location associated with the special mark.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising, prior to applying recognition to the portion of the image associated with the label to determine the value associated with the label, extracting the portion of the image associated with the label from the image.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein performing a search using the value associated with the label comprises submitting the value associated with the label as a search query to a search engine.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising presenting one or more search results at a user interface.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the label in the image based at least in part on the location associated with the special mark in the image comprises searching for the label in an area of the image near the location associated with the special mark.

20. A computer program product, the computer program product comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining a location associated with a special mark in an image;

determining a label in the image based at least in part on the location associated with the special mark in the image;

applying recognition to a portion of the image associated with the label to determine a value associated with the label; and

performing a search using the value associated with the label.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein determining the location associated with the special mark in the image comprises detecting in the image a shape with one or more boundaries associated with a special mark pattern.