Person identifier and management system

• US 6,038,333 A
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, John Y. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Werner, Brian P.
• Application Number:
  US09/039,990
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/116, 382/118, 382/313, 382/321, 382/324, 382/124, 382/125, 382/126, 382/127, 707/6, 707/9, 348/150, 348/151, 348/156, 348/158, 356/71, 395/186, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/179 metadata assisted face recognition

Abstract

A person identifier and management system is described. The person identifier and management system includes a face image database that stores the face feature data of each of a number of face images and the person-identifying data associated with each of the face images. A camera is also included in the person identifier and management system for capturing an input face image. A face analysis system is then coupled to the camera and the image database to extract the face feature data of the input face image and to compare the face feature data of the input face image with that of each of the face images stored in the database such that the person-identifying data of any stored face image similar to the input face image can be retrieved from the image database. A method of retrieving person-identifying information of an input face image from a face image database is also described.

Claims

1. A person identifier and management system, comprising:

(A) an image database that stores face feature data of each of a plurality of face images and person-identifying data associated with each of the face images, wherein the person-identifying data include name, affiliation, and time and occasion of meetings;

(B) an image capturing system that captures an input face image;

(C) a face analysis system coupled to the image capturing system and the image database to locate and retrieve the person-identifying data of any stored face image similar to the input face image from the image database;

(D) a display system that displays the input face image and the person-identifying data of the stored face image determined to be similar to the input face image by the face analysis system, wherein the person identifier and management system is a single stand-alone portable hand held device that fits into a user'"'"'s single hand, wherein the image database, the image capturing system, the display system, and the face analysis system all physically reside in the single stand-alone portable hand held device.

2. The person identifier and management system of claim 1, wherein the face analysis system locates and retrieves the person-identifying data from the image database by extracting the feature data of the input face image and comparing the face feature data of the input face image with that of each of the face images stored in the face image database.

3. The person identifier and management system of claim 1, wherein the face analysis system further comprises

(I) a face detection and feature extraction system that detects the input face image and extracts the face feature data from the input face image;

(II) a search engine that compares the face feature data of the input face image with that of the face images stored in the image database.

4. The person identifier and management system of claim 3, wherein the face analysis system further comprises a user interface that allows the input face image and the person-identifying data to be displayed on a display and that allows a user to input and associate the person-identifying data with a face image displayed.

5. The person identifier and management system of claim 1, wherein the image capturing system is an integrated digital camera.

6. The person identifier and management system of claim 1, further comprising a display that displays the person-identifying data along with the input face image.

7. The person identifier and management system of claim 6, wherein the display is a touch screen display that also allows input of the person-identifying data into the face image database.