Automatic cataloging of people in digital photographs

• US 6,606,398 B2
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Cooper, Frederick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US09/163,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/118, 382/115, 382/305, 382/307, 382/306, 235/487, 358/448, 358/450, 358/403, 358/404, 358/453, 358/527
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions

Abstract

A method for cataloging facial images stores an image associated with at least one facial image in a face database. Each of the facial images is further associated with at least one identification parameter. The method automatically catalogs a new image into the face database according to pre-existing matching facial images located in the face database.

Claims

1. A method for creating a digital family album of a particular family comprising:

(i) receiving the image data;

(ii) locating a first whole facial image data of a first person within the image data, wherein said first person bears a relationship to said family;

(iii) matching said first whole facial image data of said first person to an entry of a face database (FDB) as part of said digital family album; and

(iv) adding the image data to said FDB.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said entry of said face database in a second whole facial image data of said first person stored along with an identification information associated with said first person.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said identification information represents the identity of said first person.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the image data contains a plurality of facial images data.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said identification information is selected from the group consisting of the name, the age, and the gender of said first person.