Computer-implemented method for performing similarity searches

• US 8,311,289 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Vanhoucke, Vincent, Gokturk, Salih Burak, Anguelov, Dragomir, Lee, Kuang-chih, Shah, Munjal, Tengli, Ashwin
• Primary Examiner(s): STREGE, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US12/819,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/30 in albums, collections or shared content, e.g. social network photos or video
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/179 metadata assisted face recognition

Abstract

A similarity search may be performed on the image of a person, using visual characteristics and information that is known about the person. The search identifies images of other persons that are similar in appearance to the person in the image.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for using image analysis, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

identifying an image provided with an account of a user of a social network;

identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image;

analyzing the image and the at least one of the text or metadata to determine an age classifier of a person depicted in the image; and

in response to the user performing a search for other users of the social network, providing a search result based at least in part on the image;

wherein providing the search result includes performing a similarity comparison between the person depicted in the image and one or more images of other persons associated with an account of another user, wherein the similarity comparison includes the age classifier that is determined from the image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes using biographical biographical information about the person in the image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the image includes detecting a face of the person from the image, including one or more features of the face.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising formulating a search query for the user to utilize in performing the search, the search query including image data that represents one or more visual characteristics of a face of the person depicted in the image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes identifying a text contained in a file that includes the image of the person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes identifying a label or a tag provided with the image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes identifying a text contained in the image.

5. The method of 1, further comprising providing the search result by selecting one or more images in a collection that depict persons with the same age classifier.

9. A computer-readable medium for using image analysis, the computer-readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

identifying an image provided with an account of a user of a social network;

identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image;

analyzing the image and the at least one of the text or metadata to determine an age classifier of a person depicted in the image; and

in response to the user performing a search for other users of the social network, providing a search result based at least in part on the image;

wherein providing the search result includes performing a similarity comparison between the person depicted in the image and one or more images of other persons associated with an account of another user, wherein the similarity comparison includes the age classifier that is determined from the image.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image include instructions for using biographical information about the person in the image.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions for detecting a face of the person from the image, including one or more features of the face.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for formulating a search query for the user to utilize in performing the search, the search query including image data that represents one or more visual characteristics of a face of the person depicted in the image.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein instructions for identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image include instructions for identifying a text contained in a file that includes the image of the person.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein instructions for identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes instructions for identifying a label or a tag provided with the image.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein instructions for identifying at least one of text or metadata associated with the image includes instructions for identifying a text contained in the image.

13. The computer-readable medium of 9, further comprising instructions for providing the search result by selecting one or more images in a collection that depict persons with the same age classifier.

17. A computer system for using image analysis, the computer system comprising:

a memory that stores a set of instructions;

one or more processors that use instructions stored in the memory to;

identify an image provided with an account of a user of a social network;

identify at least one of text or metadata associated with the image;

analyze the image and the at least one of the text or metadata to determine an age classifier of a person depicted in the image; and

in response to the user performing a search for other users of the social network, provide a search result based at least in part on the image, including performing a similarity comparison between the person depicted in the image and one or more images of other persons associated with an account of another user, wherein the similarity comparison includes the age classifier that is determined from the image.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors identify at least one of text or metadata associated with the image by using biographical information about the person in the image.

19. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors detect a face of the person from the image, including one or more features of the face.