Video surveillance visual recognition

• US 7,920,626 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NorthStar Systems LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lot 3 Acquisition Foundation LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fernandez, Irene Hu, Fernandez, Dennis Sunga
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/823,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20010029613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,659 Days
• Field of Search: 725/705, 725/706, 342/357.13, 342/457, 342/357.08, 455/445, 455/456.1, 455/428, 455/456.5, 455/456, 379/201.03, 709/226, 340/539, 348143-155, 705/417, 701/200, 701/208, 375/240.16
• US Class Current: 375/240.16
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

Integrated imaging and GPS network monitors remote object movement. Browser interface displays objects and detectors. Database stores object position movement. Cameras detect objects and generate image signal. Internet provides selectable connection between system controller and various cameras according to object positions.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting a fixed vendor in response to a first transaction message received from a hand-held mobile buyer unit configured to communicate with a network, wherein the hand-held mobile buyer unit comprises a detector to record an image of a buyer;

recognizing the image of the buyer recorded by the detector associated with by comparing the image of the buyer to a stored image of the buyer, wherein a visual analyzer module recognizes the image of the buyer using at least one of neural-based software or adaptive learning software; and

sending at least a portion of the first transaction message to the fixed vendor in response to the recognizing the image of the buyer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the image of the buyer and an image recognition confirmation to the fixed vendor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, to the hand-held mobile buyer unit, a second transaction message associated with the fixed vendor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first transaction message comprises an offer to buy at least one of a good or a service, and wherein the second transaction message comprises at least one of a counter-offer or an acceptance to sell at least one of the good or the service.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising facilitating a transaction between the hand-held mobile buyer unit and the fixed vendor in response to the first transaction message and the second transaction message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the fixed vendor in response to the fixed vendor providing at least one of a vendor service or a vendor product that matches a mobile buyer interest.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first location of the hand-held mobile buyer unit and selecting the fixed vendor in response to at least one of the fixed vendor being near the first location of the hand-held mobile buyer unit, or the fixed vendor being near a second location to which the hand-held mobile buyer unit will be moving.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the fixed vendor in response to at least one of a pattern of hand-held mobile buyer unit movement, a previous hand-held mobile buyer unit location, or a previous hand-held mobile buyer unit transaction message.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the second transaction message comprises at least one of a fixed vendor real-time inventory listing, fixed vendor service information, fixed vendor good information, a fixed vendor location, directions to the fixed vendor location, or location-based pricing of at least one of a vendor product or a vendor service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand-held mobile buyer unit is a cellular phone configured to communicate with the network via a wireless communicator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the buyer is a digital image that comprises at least one of an embedded watermark or a digital certificate configured to facilitate security of the digital image.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering at least one of a solicited product, a solicited service, an unsolicited product, or an unsolicited service to the hand-held mobile buyer unit in an electronic format in response to the sending at least the portion of the first transaction message to the fixed vendor.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering an electronic document to the hand-held mobile buyer unit in response to the sending at least the portion of the first transaction message to the fixed vendor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the buyer is received from the hand-held mobile buyer unit.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the image of the buyer is received from a fixed detector distinct from the hand-held mobile buyer unit.

16. A controller comprising:

a processor configured to utilize software to select a fixed vendor in response to a first transaction message received from a hand-held mobile buyer unit configured to communicate with a network, wherein the hand-held mobile buyer unit comprises a detector configured to record an image of a buyer;

a visual analyzer module configured to recognize the image of the buyer recorded by the detector using at least one of neural-based software or adaptive learning software, wherein the visual analyzer module is configured to recognize the image of the buyer by comparing the image of the buyer to a stored image of the buyer; and

a communicator configured to send at least a portion of the first transaction message to the fixed vendor in response to the visual analyzer module recognizing the image of the buyer.

17. The controller of claim 16, wherein the image of the buyer comprises a still image of the buyer.

18. The controller of claim 16, wherein the image of the buyer comprises a video image of the buyer.

19. The controller of claim 18, wherein the video image of the buyer comprises an audio component, and wherein the visual analyzer module is further configured to generate audio recognition information associated with the video image of the buyer.

20. The controller of claim 16, wherein the communicator is configured to receive the image of the buyer from a fixed detector configured to observe the buyer.

21. A hand-held mobile buyer unit, comprising:

a detector configured to record an image of a buyer associated with the hand-held mobile buyer unit; and

a communicator configured to send the image of the buyer and a first transaction message to a controller via a network, wherein the controller comprises a visual analyzer module configured to recognize the image of the buyer recorded by the detector by comparing the image of the buyer to a stored image of the buyer using at least one of neural-based software or adaptive learning software, and wherein the communicator is further configured to select a fixed vendor in response to the first transaction message and send at least a portion of the first transaction message to the fixed vendor in response to the visual analyzer module recognizing the image of the buyer.

22. The hand-held mobile buyer unit of claim 21, wherein the communicator is further configured to receive a second transaction message in response to the fixed vendor receiving the first transaction message and a buyer image recognition confirmation.

23. The mobile unit of claim 21, wherein the hand-held mobile buyer unit is a cellular phone and the buyer is a cellular phone user.

24. The mobile unit of claim 23, wherein the cellular phone comprises a locator configured to facilitate a determination of a cellular phone user location.