Dynamically indentifying individuals from a captured image

• US 8,611,601 B2
• Filed: 01/01/2012
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Calman, Matthew A., Ross, Erik Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US13/342,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20120230540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 716 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382106-107, 382115-118, 382/155, 382/162, 382/168, 382/173, 382/181, 382/199, 382/203, 382/209, 382/214, 382/219, 382/232, 382/243, 382/254, 382/274, 382/276, 382/291, 382/294, 382/305, 382/312, 235/462.45, 707/769, 455/446, 455/414.2, 455/437
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/179 metadata assisted face recognition

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and apparatuses for capturing a real-time video stream using a mobile device, determining, using a processor, which images from the real-time video stream are associated with individuals meeting a user defined criteria, and presenting on a display of the real-time video stream, one or more indicators, each indicator being associated with an image determined to be a person meeting the predefined criteria.

Claims

1. A method of identifying individuals comprising:

capturing with a mobile device a real-time video stream of a user'"'"'s environment, the video stream including images from the user'"'"'s environment;

determining, via a processor, which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria, wherein determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria comprises identifying an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream, and wherein identifying an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream comprises;

collecting images available to the user,

comparing identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user, wherein comparing identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user comprises modifying the images available to the user to adjust for changes that are likely to have occurred to the individual due to the passage of time, and

identifying information about the individual if the comparison of the captured image to the images available to the user suggests a match; and

presenting, via a display on the mobile device, one or more indicators, each indicator associated with an image determined to be a person meeting a predetermined criteria.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a mobile phone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria further comprises:

collecting additional information regarding the identified individual; and

correlating the additional information to the predetermined criteria.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual comprises at least one of publicly available information, information from social networking sites wherein the user and identified individual are connected, information from electronic communications available to the user concerning the identified individual or information stored on the identified individual'"'"'s computing devices if the devices are in communication with the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual is collected from account history data, transactional data and biographical data available to a merchant.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria further comprises receiving from the user one or more criteria.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the images available to the user comprise at least one of publicly available images, image from social networking sites of which the user is a member, images stored on an accessible memory source.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of communicating information to persons identified as meeting the predetermined criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with additional information about the person meeting the predetermined criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user with the ability to take a first action in relation to the person meeting the predetermined criteria.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first action comprises at least one of sending an electronic message to the person, calling the person, purchasing goods and sending the goods to the person or purchasing services for the person.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a device for capturing a real-time video stream of a user'"'"'s environment, the video stream including images from the user'"'"'s environment;

a processor operably connected to the device, configured to determine which

images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria, wherein the processor, in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria, is configured to identify an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream, and wherein the processor in identifying an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream, is further configured to;

collect images available to the user,

compare identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user, wherein the processor, in comparing identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user, is further configured to modify the images available to the user to adjust for changes that are likely to have occurred to the individual due to the passage of time, and

identify information about the individual if the comparison of the captured image to the images available to the user suggests a match; and

a display operably connected to the processor, for presenting one or more indicators, each indicator associated with an image determined to be a person meeting a predetermined criteria.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the device is a mobile device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor, in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria, is further configured to:

collect additional information regarding the identified individual; and

correlate the additional information to the predetermined criteria.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual comprises at least one of publicly available information, information from social networking sites wherein the user and the identified individual are connected, information from the electronic communication available to the user or information stored on the identified individual'"'"'s computer devices if the devices are in communication with the mobile device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual is collected from account history data, transactional data and biographical data available to a merchant.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a predetermined criteria further comprises receiving from the user one or more criteria.

19. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the images available to the user comprise at least one of publicly available images, images from social networking sites of which the user is a member, or images stored on an accessible memory source.

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to communicate information to persons identified as meeting the predetermined criteria.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user, via the display, with additional information about the person meeting the predetermined criteria.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to present the user with the ability to take a first action in relation to the person meeting the predetermined criteria upon selection of an indicator.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first action comprises at least one of sending an electronic message to the person, calling the person, purchasing goods and sending the goods to the person or purchasing services for the person.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable code stored thereon, the computer executable code comprising;

a first code portion configured to capture, via a mobile device a real-time video stream of a user'"'"'s environment, the video stream including images from the user'"'"'s environment;

a second code portion configured to determine which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a user defined criteria, wherein the second code portion, in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a user defined criteria, is configured to identify an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream, and wherein the second code portion, in identifying an individual from the image captured in the real-time video stream, is further configured to;

collect images available to the user;

compare identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user, wherein the second code portion, in comparing identifiable characteristics from the captured images with the images available to the user, is configured to modify the images available to the user to adjust for changes that are likely to have occurred to the individual due to the passage of time;

identify information about the individual if the comparison of the captured image to the images available to the user suggests a match; and

a third code portion configured to present on a display one or more indicators, each indicator associated with an image determined to be a person meeting the user defined criteria.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the second code portion, in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a user defined criteria, is further configured to:

collect additional information regarding the identified individual; and

correlate the additional information to the user defined criteria.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual comprises at least one of publicly available information, information from social networking sites wherein the user and the identified individual are connected, information from the electronic communication available to the user or information stored on the identified individual'"'"'s computer devices if the devices are in communication with the mobile device.

28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the additional information regarding the identified individual is collected from account history data, transactional data and biographical data available to a merchant.

29. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the second code portion in determining which images from the real-time video stream are associated with a person meeting a user defined criteria is further configured to receive from the user one or more criteria.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the images available to the user comprise at least one of publicly available images, images from social networking sites of which the user is a member, or images stored on an accessible memory source.

31. The computer program product of claim 25 further comprising a fourth code portion configured to communicate information to persons identified as meeting the user defined criteria.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the indicators are selectable by the user.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the indicators, upon being selected present the user, via the display, with additional information about the person meeting the user defined criteria.

34. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third code portion is further configured to present the user with the ability to take a first action in relation to the person meeting the user defined criteria upon selection of an indicator.

35. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the first action comprises at least one of sending an electronic message to the person, calling the person, purchasing goods and sending the goods to the person or purchasing services for the person.