Systems and methods for identifying objects and providing information related to identified objects

• US 8,781,262 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenblatt, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US13/555,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 382/306, 382/317, 235/385, 705/14.25, 705/14.53, 705/14.54, 705/26.8, 705/28
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/462 Salient features, e.g. scale invariant feature transforms [SIFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying an object and presenting additional information about the identified object are provided. The techniques of the present invention can allow the user to specify modes to help with identifying objects. Furthermore, the additional information can be provided with different levels of detail depending on user selection. Apparatus for presenting a user with a log of the identified objects is also provided. The user can customize the log by, for example, creating a multi-media album.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a history of identified objects, the apparatus comprising:

memory operative to store the identified objects;

an output operative to provide a log of the identified objects to a user;

an input operative to accept user selections;

a display; and

a processor operative to;

accept an input user selection of an identified object in the log;

determine information related to the selected object for display to the user on the display; and

send the information to the display, wherein the processor provides the user with capability to sort the identified objects in the log based on previously-defined modes used by the apparatus to identify the objects.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor provides the user with capability to archive the identified objects in the log.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the log includes dates that the objects were identified.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a first object of the objects was identified by the apparatus in a first mode of the previously-defined modes, and wherein at least a second object of the objects was identified by the apparatus in a second mode of the previously-defined modes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor provides the user with capability to create a multi-media album that includes each identified object of the identified objects that was identified by the apparatus in a particular mode of the previously-defined modes.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor provides the user with the capability to request the information to be displayed on the display with incrementally increasing levels of detail associated with the identified objects.

7. An apparatus for providing a history of identified objects, the apparatus comprising:

memory operative to store the identified objects;

an output operative to provide a log of the identified objects to a user;

an input operative to accept user selections;

a display; and

a processor operative to;

accept an input user selection of an identified object in the log;

determine information related to the selected object for display to the user on the display; and

send the information to the display, wherein the processor automatically deletes at least one identified object of the identified objects in the log that have not been accessed for a period of time.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, for each one of the previously-defined modes, the apparatus uses a different respective set of parameters to search an identification database for identifying at least one of the objects.

9. A method for finding data related to a plurality of objects on an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining, using an identification (“

ID”

) module of the electronic device, whether at least one instruction to provide a log of a sub-plurality of the plurality of objects has been received, wherein the sub-plurality of the plurality of objects have been previously identified by the electronic device in a previously-defined mode of the electronic device;

in response to determining that the at least one instruction to provide the log has been received, providing, using a display screen of the electronic device, the log of the sub-plurality of the objects;

determining, using the ID module, whether a selection of at least one object of the sub-plurality of the objects has been received; and

in response to the determining that the selection of the at least one object of the sub-plurality of the objects has been received, searching, using the ID module, for information associated with the at least one object.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing, using the display screen, a user with the information associated with the at least one object.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing, using the display screen, the user with an option to receive additional information associated with the at least one object.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising in response to the determining that the selection of the at least one object of the sub-plurality of the objects has not been received, determining, using the ID module, whether a selection of a customized option of the log has been received.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising in response to determining that the selection of the customized option for the log has been received, providing, using the display screen, options to perform at least one of:

deleting at least a first object from the log of the sub-plurality of objects;

archiving at least the first object from the log of the sub-plurality of objects prior to the deleting; and

creating a multi-media album of the sub-plurality of objects.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the providing the log comprises providing, using the display screen, a listing of the sub-plurality of objects.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein, for each one of the previously-defined modes, the electronic device uses a different respective set of parameters to search an identification database for identifying at least one of the objects of the plurality of objects.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a display; and

a processor operative to;

identify a first subset of a plurality of objects according to a first mode of the electronic device;

identify a second subset of the plurality of objects according to a second mode of the electronic device;

direct the display to display a listing of identification information associated with the plurality of objects;

receive a user selection of at least one object of the first subset of the plurality of objects from the listing of the identification information, wherein the user selection is based on a user provided selection of the first mode specifying the type of object the user wants to identify;

direct the display to display basic information associated with the at least one selected object and at least one selectable option for accessing additional information associated with the at least one selected object;

receive a user selection of the at least one selectable option; and

in response to the user selection of the at least one selectable option, access additional information associated with the at least one selected object on a database.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the database is located on at least one of a storage medium of the electronic device and an external source.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a storage medium operative to store the additional information associated with the at least one selected object.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising an identification module operative to activate an RFID tag reader to read passive RFID tags of the plurality of objects.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is operative to identify the first subset according to the first mode by searching using a first set of parameters, and wherein the processor is operative to identify the second subset according to the second mode by searching using a second set of parameters that is different than the first set of parameters.

21. An electronic device comprising:

a display;

a processor operative to;

direct the display to display a listing of identification information associated with a plurality of objects;

receive a user selection of at least one object of the plurality of objects from the listing of the identification information, wherein the user selection is based on a user provided mode specifying the type of object the user wants to identify;

direct the display to display basic information associated with the at least one selected object and at least one selectable option for accessing additional information associated with the at least one selected object;

receive a user selection of the at least one selectable option; and

in response to the user selection of the at least one selectable option, access additional information associated with the at least one selected object on a database; and

communications circuitry to;

determine a location of the electronic device; and

in response to determining the location, detect the plurality of objects that are positioned near the location of the electronic device via at least one electronic signal being broadcasted from the plurality of objects.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the processor is operative to determine the identification information based on the user provided mode and the location of the electronic device.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the communications circuitry comprises wireless circuitry operative to connect to a communications line to access the additional information.