System and method for reliable content access using a cellular/wireless device with imaging capabilities

• US 7,575,171 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Issued: 08/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zvi Haim Lev
• Original Assignee: Zvi Haim Lev
• Inventors: Lev, Zvi Haim
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US11/468,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20070175998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 235/470, 382/154, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/470
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/7515 Shifting the patterns to accommodate for positional errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00355 Mark-sheet input sensing record carriers G06K7/00; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00363 Bar codes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 Processing of the additional information

Abstract

A system and method for reliable content access using a cellular/wireless device with imaging capabilities, to use part of a printed or displayed medium for identifying and using a reference to access information, services, or content related to the reference, including capturing an image of the reference with an imaging device, sending the image via a communications network to a processing center, pre-processing to identify relevant frames within the image and to perform general purpose enhancement operations, detecting the most relevant frame within the image, and frame properties, applying geometric, illumination, and focus correction on the relevant frame, using color, aspect ration, and frame color, to perform a coarse recognition and thereby limit the number of possible identifications of a reference within the relevant frame, and using specific techniques of resealing, histogram equalization, block labeling, edge operation, and normalized cross correlation, to identify the reference within the image.

Claims

1. A method to use part of a printed or displayed medium for identifying a reference and using the reference to access at least one of information, services, and content related to the reference, the method comprising:

capturing an image of the reference with an imaging device;

sending the image via a communications network to a processing center;

pre-processing by the processing center to identify at least one relevant frame within the image and to perform general purpose enhancement operations;

detecting most relevant frame within the image and frame properties comprising at least one of pixels, axis ratio, and illumination characteristics;

applying geometric, illumination, and focus correction on the most relevant frame;

using color, aspect ration, and frame color, to perform a coarse recognition and thereby limit a number of possible identifications of the reference within the most relevant frame; and

using rescaling, histogram equalization, block labeling, edge operation, and normalized cross correlation, to identify the reference within the image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the identified reference is correlated with stored information related to the reference; and

said stored information is sent via the communication network to a user of the imaging device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the reference is one of a plurality of banners and logos associated with the stored information;

the stored information is accessed via any of the plurality of banners and logos; and

the stored information is sent to the user via the communication network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

relative sizes of various data within the image are used to identify the reference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the identified reference is a banner; and

the stored information is sent to the user via the communication network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the identified reference is an electronic banner.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the identified reference is a printed banner.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reference within the image is at least one of;

a logo, a portrait or drawing of a person, a portrait or drawing of scenery, an advertising slogan, a graphical symbol, alphanumeric code, a customer designed frame, a representation of at least one texture.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

said at least one template is used to identify the reference within the image.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

if the at least one relevant frame containing the reference is not identified using automated techniques, then a message is sent to a user of the imaging device, asking the user to identify the at least one relevant frame within the image; and

the user selects the at least one relevant frame within the image, and communicates the selection, using the communication network, to the processing center.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

if the reference within the most relevant frame is not identified using automated techniques, then a message is sent to a user of the imaging device, asking the user to identify the reference within the most relevant frame within the image; and

the user selects the reference within the most relevant frame of the image, and communicates the selection, using the communication network, to the processing center.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

knowledge of a type of specific imaging device is used to detect the most relevant frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the type of specific imaging device is identified by type of communication protocol used by the imaging device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the type of specific imaging device is identified by a specific identification number associated with the imaging device that is communicated to the processing center.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

knowledge of a type of specific imaging device is used to detect the reference.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the type of specific imaging device is identified by type of communication protocol used by the imaging device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the type of specific imaging device is identified by a specific identification number associated with the imaging device that is communicated to the processing center.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reference is identified with an aid of at least one of normalized cross-correlation, multiple normalized cross-correlation, multiple color band analysis, aspect ratio analysis, image histograms, analysis of text density distribution, and analysis of control points.

19. The method of claim 1, which is further used to determine effectiveness of an advertising medium, the method further comprising:

a service provider captures and records information about images taken by a user of the imaging device;

the service provider analyzes said information to determine whether and when the user has reacted to images in at least one of billboards, newspapers, magazines, Web sites, television ads, and other communication media; and

the service provider sends said information to at least one provider of the images.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one relevant frame is not a generated bounding space.

21. A computer program product, comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform a method comprising:

capturing an image of a reference with an imaging device;

sending the image via a communications network to a processing center;

pre-processing by the processing center to identify at least one relevant frame within the image and to perform general purpose enhancement operations;

detecting most relevant frame within the image, and frame properties comprising at least one of pixels, axis ratio, and illumination characteristics;

applying geometric, illumination, and focus correction on the most relevant frame;

using color, aspect ratio, and frame color, to perform a coarse recognition and thereby limit a number of possible identifications of the reference within the most relevant frame; and

using specific techniques of rescaling, histogram equalization, block labeling, edge operation, and normalized cross correlation, to identify the reference within the image.