System and method for automatically collecting images of objects at geographic locations and displaying same in online directories

• US 7,272,501 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Manber, Udi, Gold, Jonathan A, Dorfman, Barnaby M
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAULIEU, YONEL
• Application Number:
  US11/392,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20070043504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 701/25, 701200-202, 701207-209, 701213-215, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.12, 340/988, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/006 Representation of non-cartographic information on maps, e.g. population distribution, wind direction, radiation levels, air and sea routes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A method and system are provided for collecting images of objects at geographic locations for publication in an online directory, such as online Yellow Pages. A camera and a GPS receiver, both receiving time information from a synchronized clock, are mounted on a vehicle. Time-stamped images captured by the camera and time-stamped geographic locations (e.g., longitude and latitude coordinates) determined by the GPS receiver are recorded. Each image is then associated with a geographic location based on corresponding respective time-stamps. Thereafter, each image is correlated with a street addresses based on each image'"'"'s associated geographic location, for example by referring to a lookup table that correlates addresses with geographic coordinates. The address-correlated images may then be used in an online directory, where each listing (e.g., business) can be displayed with an image of an object (e.g., store front) taken at the address in the listing.

Claims

1. A method of collecting address-correlated images of objects at geographic locations, comprising:

mounting on a vehicle at least one camera and a GPS receiver, wherein the camera and the GPS receiver receive time information from a synchronized clock;

capturing images of objects at geographic locations with the camera and recording geographic locations as determined by the GPS receiver, wherein each image and each determination of geographic location is time-stamped by the synchronized clock;

automatically associating each image with a geographic location based on corresponding respective time-stamps;

automatically correlating each image with an address based on each image'"'"'s associated geographic location, wherein one or more images are correlated with each address; and

mounting a range finder on the vehicle and recording a distance to an object being imaged by the camera, the range finder receiving time information from a synchronized clock.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the images of objects are captured using a digital video camera.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the images of objects are captured using a digital still camera.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple cameras are mounted on the vehicle for capturing images in different directions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein two cameras are mounted on the vehicle for capturing images in opposite directions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each recorded distance is time-stamped by the clock and used in automatically associating an image of an object with a geographic location.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronized clock is separate from the GPS receiver and the camera.

7. A method of collecting address-correlated images of objects at geographic locations, comprising:

mounting on a vehicle at least one camera and a GPS receiver;

capturing images of objects at geographic locations with the camera and recording geographic locations as determined by the GPS receiver, wherein the geographic location as determined by the GPS receiver is embedded onto a corresponding image captured at the geographic location by the camera, so as to produce images each associated with a geographic location;

automatically correlating each image with an address based on each image'"'"'s associated geographic location, wherein one or more images are correlated with each address; and

mounting a range finder on the vehicle and recording a distance to an object being imaged by the camera, the range finder receiving time information from a synchronized clock.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the images of objects are captured using a digital video camera.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein each recorded distance is time-stamped by the synchronized clock and used in automatically associating an image of an object with a geographic location.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein the synchronized clock is separate from the GPS receiver and the camera.

9. A server system in communication with a client system for supporting an online directory, wherein multiple images of objects respectively taken at multiple geographic locations are stored in association with their geographic locations, the server system being configured with subsystems that:

(a) receive from a client system a request for a listing;

(b) provide for a display on the client system the requested listing, wherein the listing is associated with an address;

(c) identify one or more images corresponding to said address by matching the geographic location of said address with the geographic locations of images;

(d) provide for a display on the client system the one or more images identified in step (c) above;

(e) prompt a user to select the listing appearing in the one or more images; and

(f) store the user'"'"'s selection in correlation with the listing.

10. The server system of claim 9, wherein the user selects the listing by clicking on the listing in the one or more images.

11. The server system of claim 9, which is further configured with subsystems that:

(g) provide for a display on the client system an image corresponding to a listing requested by the client system, wherein the listing is associated with an address;

(h) receive from the client system a request for manipulating the displayed image; and

(i) provide for a display on the client system the image as manipulated according to the request received in step (h) above.

12. The server system of claim 11, wherein a request for manipulating the image received in step (h) is selected from a group consisting of:

a zoom-in request, a zoom-out request;

a scroll-to-the-right request;

a scroll-to-the-left request;

a “

what'"'"'s on the other side of the street”

request; and

a request to view a montage of images.

13. The server system of claim 11, which is further configured with a subsystem that provides for a display on the client system a range of addresses when multiple images corresponding to multiple listings, each being associated with an address, are displayed on the client system.

14. A server system in communication with a client system for supporting an online directory, wherein multiple images of objects respectively taken at multiple geographic locations are stored in association with their geographic locations, the server system being configured with subsystems that:

(a) receive from a client system a request for a listing;

(b) provide for a display on the client system the requested listing, wherein the listing is associated with an address;

(c) identify one or more images corresponding to said address by matching the geographic location of said address with the geographic locations of images;

(d) provide for a display on the client system the one or more images identified in step (c) above;

(e) prompt a user to indicate whether the one or more images are useful or not; and

(f) store the user'"'"'s indication.

15. The server system of claim 14, which is further configured with subsystems that:

(g) provide for a display on the client system an image corresponding to a listing requested by the client system, wherein the listing is associated with an address;

(h) receive from the client system a request for manipulating the displayed image; and

(i) provide for a display on the client system the image as manipulated according to the request received in step (h) above.

16. The server system of claim 14, wherein a request for manipulating the image received in step (h) is selected from a group consisting of:

a zoom-in request, a zoom-out request;

a scroll-to-the-right request;

a scroll-to-the-left request;

a “

what'"'"'s on the other side of the street”

request; and

a request to view a montage of images.

17. The server system of claim 16, which is further configured with a subsystem that provides for a display on the client system a range of addresses when multiple images corresponding to multiple listings, each being associated with an address, are displayed on the client system.