Techniques for providing improved perpetrator imaging

• US 8,730,334 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooley, Shaun
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSSELMAN, JOEL W
• Application Number:
  US12/964,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.3, 455/411, 382/118
• US Class Current: 348/211.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/65 Environment-dependent, e.g. using captured environmental data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Techniques for providing improved perpetrator imaging are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for providing improved perpetrator imaging comprising identifying a client device as at least one of lost and stolen, detecting, on the client device, a difference in first pixel data associated with a first frame of a visual image and second pixel data associated with a second frame of the visual image, and capturing, on the client device, a plurality of photographs in response to detecting the difference.

Claims

1. A method for providing improved perpetrator imaging comprising:

identifying a client device as at least one of lost and stolen;

detecting, on the client device, a difference in first pixel data associated with a first frame of a visual image and second pixel data associated with a second frame of the visual image;

capturing, on the client device, a plurality of photographs in response to detecting the difference;

determining, on the client device, a confidence level for each of the plurality of photographs; and

ranking, on the client device, the plurality of photographs based on the confidence level of each of the plurality of photographs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the client device as at least one of lost and stolen further comprises accessing client device status data stored on a server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the difference further comprises detecting a difference in first pixel data associated with a plurality of groups of pixels and second pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting the difference further comprises detecting an average difference in first pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels and second pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the difference further comprises detecting a difference that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the difference further comprises detecting a difference for a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to a server, one or more of the plurality of photographs with the highest rankings via a network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the confidence level further comprises executing a face detection algorithm.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining, on the client device, a location value that indicates a location of a potential face in a photograph for each of the plurality of photographs.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, on the client device, a size value that indicates a size of a potential face in a photograph for each of the plurality of photographs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein ranking the plurality of photographs further comprises ranking based on the confidence level, the location value, and the size value of each of the plurality of photographs.

12. At least one non-transitory processor readable storage medium for storing a computer program of instructions configured to be readable by at least one processor for instructing the at least one processor to execute a computer process for performing the method as recited in claim 1.

13. An article of manufacture for providing improved perpetrator imaging, the article of manufacture comprising:

at least one non-transitory processor readable medium; and

instructions stored on the at least one medium;

wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the at least one medium by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate so as to;

identify a client device as at least one of lost and stolen;

detect, on the client device, a difference in first pixel data associated with a first frame of a visual image and second pixel data associated with a second frame of the visual image;

capture, on the client device, a plurality of photographs in response to detecting the difference;

determine, on the client device, a confidence level for each of the plurality of photographs; and

rank, on the client device, the plurality of photographs based on the confidence level of each of the plurality of photographs.

14. A system for providing improved perpetrator imaging comprising:

one or more processors communicatively coupled to a network;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

identify a client device as at least one of lost and stolen;

detect, on the client device, a difference in first pixel data associated with a first frame of a visual image and second pixel data associated with a second frame of the visual image;

capture, on the client device, a plurality of photographs in response to detecting the difference;

determine, on the client device, a confidence level for each of the plurality of photographs; and

rank, on the client device, the plurality of photographs based on the confidence level of each of the plurality of photographs.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify the client device as at least one of lost and stolen by accessing client device status data stored on a server.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the difference by detecting a difference in first pixel data associated with a plurality of groups of pixels and second pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the difference by detecting an average difference in first pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels and second pixel data associated with the plurality of groups of pixels.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the difference by detecting a difference that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the difference by detecting a difference for a predetermined period of time.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

transmit, to a server, one or more of the plurality of photographs with the highest rankings via a network.