Image classification and information retrieval over wireless digital networks and the internet

• US 7,450,740 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2006
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FaceDouble Incorporated
• Inventors: Shah, Alex, Myers, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US11/534,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20070071290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 779 Days
• Field of Search: 382115-118, 382/181, 382/218, 382/232, 382/260, 382/305, 382/312, 707/104.1, 455/410
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The invention provides a internet hosted system to find, compare, contrast and identify similar characteristics among two or more individuals or objects using a digital camera, cellular telephone camera, wireless device for the purpose of returning information regarding similar objects or faces to the user. The system features classification of images from a variety of Internet accessible sources, including mobile phones, wireless camera-enabled devices, images obtained from digital cameras or scanners that are uploaded from PCs, third-party applications and databases. Once classified, the matching person'"'"'s name, or the matching object, image and associated meta-data is sent back to the user. The image may be manipulated to emphasize similar characteristics between the received facial image and the matching facial image. The meta-data sent down with the image may include sponsored links and advertisements.

Claims

1. A method for matching an unknown image of an individual with a known image of another individual, the method comprising:

acquiring an unknown facial image of an individual;

transmitting the unknown facial image from a sender over a network to a server;

analyzing the facial image at the server to determine if the unknown facial image is acceptable;

processing the unknown facial image to create a processed image;

comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images;

matching the processed image to a database processed image of the plurality of database processed images to create matched images, wherein the database processed image is a facial image of another individual;

determining a perception value of the matched images;

transmitting the matched images and the perception value to the sender over the network; and

wherein the processed image is processed as a primary feature vector and the plurality of database processed images is a plurality of database feature vectors, and wherein comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images comprises comparing the primary feature vector to each of the plurality of database feature vectors, and

wherein the primary feature vector and each of the plurality of database feature vectors are based on a plurality of factors comprising facial expression, hair style, hair color, facial pose, eye color, texture of the face, color of the face and facial hair.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein matching the processed image to a database processed image of the plurality of database processed images to create matched images comprises selecting a database feature vector with a value that is most similar to the value of the primary feature vector.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of database processed images comprises at least 10,000 database processed images.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images further comprises applying a statistical model based on human perception as determined by user'"'"'s votes of previous third party matched images.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of database processed images comprises from 50,000 database processed images to 100,000 database processed images.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method occurs within a time period of 60 seconds.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising filtering the database processed image to provide a preferred database processed image for the matched images.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein transmitting the unknown facial image from a sender to a server comprises transmitting the unknown facial image to a male server site or a female server site.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the unknown facial image is acquired by a digital camera and transmitted from a computer over the internet to the server, or the unknown facial image is acquired by a camera of a mobile telephone and transmitted from the mobile telephone over a wireless network to the server.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the unknown facial image is a JPEG image transmitted as a MMS.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the matched images and perception value is transmitted from the server over a wireless network to the mobile telephone.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the matched images and perception value are transmitted to a sender'"'"'s web page on a web site.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the perception value ranges from 0% to 100%.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein analyzing the unknown facial image at the server comprises determining if a plurality of facial image factors are acceptable, the plurality of facial image factors comprising the lack of a facial image, the lack of eyes, uneven lighting, the brightness of the facial image, pose angle of the facial image, relative size of the facial image and pixel strength of the facial image.

15. The method according to claim 1 further comprising transmitting a biography summary of a celebrity of the matched image from the server to the sender.

16. A system for matching an unknown facial image of an individual with an image of a celebrity, the system comprising:

a mobile communication device comprising means for generating a digital facial image of an individual and means for wireless transmitting the digital facial image;

an image classification server for receiving the digital facial image from the mobile communication device, the image classification server comprising

means for analyzing the digital facial image,

means for processing the digital facial image to generate a processed image,

means for comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images,

means for matching the processed image to a database processed image of the plurality of database processed images to create matched images,

means for determining a perception value of the matched images, and

means for transmitting the matched images and the perception value to the mobile communication device;

a wireless network for transmissions between the mobile communication device and the image classification server; and

wherein the processed image is processed as a primary feature vector and the plurality of database processed images is a plurality of database feature vectors, and wherein comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images comprises comparing the primary feature vector to each of the plurality of database feature vectors, and

wherein the primary feature vector and each of the plurality of database feature vectors are based on a plurality of factors comprising facial expression, hair style, hair color, facial pose, eye color, texture of the face, color of the face and facial hair.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the image classification server further comprises means for applying a statistical model based on human perception as determined by user'"'"'s votes of previous third party matched images.