Evaluating subject interests from digital image records

• US 8,275,221 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Poetker, Robert B., Scalise, Anthony, DeLong, Kevin R., Blose, Andrew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Application Number:
  US13/235,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20120008876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 382305-306
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 Recognition assisted with metadata

Abstract

A method of evaluating a user subject interest is based at least upon an analysis of a user'"'"'s collection of digital image records and is implemented at least in part by a data processing system. The method receives a defined user subject interest, receives a set of content requirements associated with the defined user-subject-interest, and identifies a set of digital image records from the collection of digital image records each having image characteristics in accord with the content requirements. A subject-interest trait associated with the defined user-subject-interest is evaluated based at least upon an analysis of the set of digital image records or characteristics thereof. The subject-interest trait is associated with the defined user-subject-interest in a processor-accessible memory.

Claims

1. A method for identifying users with existing user profiles that meet a criteria for an advertiser comprising the steps of:

receiving a subject of interest from the advertiser;

receiving a set of content requirements from the advertiser, the set of content requirements being associated with the subject of interest received from the advertiser, and the set of content requirements stipulating a set of additional conditions for the subject of interest;

using a data processor to identify a set of users who have an interest in the subject of interest based at least upon their individual user profile;

selecting a set of digital image records associated with a user from the identified set of users;

using the set of content requirements to select a subset of digital image records that fulfill at least one of the set of additional conditions for the subject of interest;

identifying contextual information associated with the subset of digital image records of the user;

using the content requirements and the contextual information to analyze the subset of digital image records to determine if the user meets the advertiser'"'"'s criteria; and

storing an indication of this determination in processor accessible memory.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting a set of identified users that meet the criteria to the advertiser.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the content requirements are generated by a storage entity without involvement of the advertiser.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the content requirements are not related to the subject of interest but specify further criteria for identifying the set of users for the advertiser.