Method and system for image-based identification

• US 8,861,896 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Becker, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOYER, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US12/955,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20120134593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 Recognition assisted with metadata

Abstract

The present invention may provide a method for image-based identification. The method may include providing a digital photo of an unidentified item; transmitting, over a network, the digital photo to an identification service; in response to transmitting the digital photo, receiving, over the network, item information from the identification service, wherein the item information includes textual identification information about the item; and displaying the textual identification information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a digital photo of an unidentified item;

transmitting, over a network, the digital photo to an identification service;

in response to transmitting the digital photo, receiving, over the network, item information from the identification service, wherein the item information includes a highest ranked textual identification information result about the item and includes information relating to a highest ranked source of a matched scanned image at the identification service, wherein

the rank of the source is based on a predefined parameter;

the identification service is automatically populated with scanned image data, for a plurality of scanned images from various sources, generated by a plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel, wherein, for each scanned image,

the scanned image data comprises scanned image metadata corresponding to each detection algorithm stored in a scanned image multi-layered data structure,

the detection algorithms generate scanned image metadata with different metadata structures;

the scanned image multi-layered data structure comprises a plurality of metadata layers corresponding to the different scanned image metadata structures generated by the detection algorithms; and

the scanned image metadata is compared with other scanned imaged metadata and if there is a match, grouping image reference information for the matched images together; and

displaying the textual identification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is an object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is a person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the digital photo is taking a digital photo with a camera.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving a photo of an item over a communication network from a device;

applying a plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel on the photo to generate unique photo image metadata corresponding to each detection algorithm, wherein the detection algorithms generate photo image metadata with different metadata structures;

storing the photo image metadata in a photo image multi-layered data structure, wherein the multi-layered data structure comprises a plurality of metadata layers corresponding to the different photo image metadata structures generated by the detection algorithms;

searching a database for the photo image metadata, wherein the database is populated with scanned image data, for a plurality of scanned images automatically collected from various sources, generated by the plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel, wherein, for each scanned image, the scanned image data comprises scanned image metadata corresponding to each detection algorithm stored in a scanned image multi-layered data structure and the detection algorithms generate scanned image metadata with different metadata structures;

matching the photo image metadata with the scanned image data in the database, wherein the scanned image data further comprises a plurality of ranked reference identification information for each image stored in the database, wherein reference identification information includes information relating to a source of the corresponding stored image and the reference identification information is ranked based on the corresponding source, wherein the rank is based on a predetermined parameter;

in response to matching the photo image metadata, retrieving only the highest ranked reference identification information for the matched scanned image metadata from the database; and

transmitting only the highest ranked reference identification information to the device over the communication network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the item is an object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the detection algorithms is an object detection algorithm.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the item is a person.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the detection algorithms is a face detection algorithm.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication network is a wireless network.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising retrieving and transmitting all the corresponding reference identification information.

13. A method, comprising:

automatically crawling a plurality of source locations;

scanning images from the plurality of source locations using a plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel;

for each scanned image,

automatically creating scanned image identification metadata from the scanned image using each of the detection algorithms and creating image reference information from the source of the scanned image, wherein each detection algorithm generates scanned image identification metadata with different metadata structures;

comparing scanned image identification metadata with other scanned imaged identification metadata; and

if there is a match, grouping image reference information for the matched images together;

storing, in a database, the scanned image identification metadata and the image reference information, and for each scanned image, storing the scanned image identification metadata created by each detection algorithm in corresponding metadata layers of a multi-layered data structure;

ranking the image reference information according to a rank of the source location for each image reference information, wherein the rank of the source is based on a predefined parameter; and

transmitting only the highest ranked image reference information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the image is a picture of an object.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the image is a picture of a person.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one source location is a website from the world wide web.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one source location is a private database.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor to control operations of the apparatus;

a memory to store a photo of an item;

a communication system comprising a transmitter to transmit the photo over a communication network and a receiver to receive only a highest ranked identification information result of a plurality of ranked identification information for the item in response to transmitting the photo, wherein the identification information includes information relating to a highest ranked source of a matched stored image at an identification service and the source is ranked based on a predetermined parameter, wherein

the identification service is automatically populated with stored image data for a plurality of scanned images, from various sources, generated by a plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel, wherein, for each scanned image;

the stored image data comprises scanned image metadata corresponding to each detection algorithm stored in a scanned image multi-layered data structure;

the detection algorithms generate scanned image metadata with different metadata structures;

the scanned imaged multi-layered data structure comprises a plurality of metadata layers corresponding to the different scanned image metadata structures generated by the detection algorithms;

the scanned image metadata is compared with other scanned imaged metadata and if there is a match, grouping image reference information for the matched images together; and

a display to display the identification information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a camera to take the photo.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the communication system is a wireless communication system.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the item is an object.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the item is a person.

23. A system, comprising:

a communication system to receive a request to identify an item in a photo;

a database to store scanned image metadata comprising scanned image identification information, wherein the database is automatically populated with scanned image metadata generated by a plurality of detection algorithms operating in parallel on a plurality of scanned images automatically collected from various sources, wherein, for each scanned image,

each detection algorithm generates scanned image metadata with different metadata structures and the database stores scanned image metadata created by each detection algorithm in corresponding metadata layers of a multi-layered data structure;

comparing scanned image identification information with other scanned imaged identification information; and

if there is a match, grouping image reference information for the matched images together,

a processor to rank the identification information based on a source of the identification information, apply the plurality detection algorithms on the photo to generate photo image metadata corresponding to each algorithm, and to match the photo image metadata with the scanned image metadata in the database,

wherein the communication system is configured to transmit only the highest ranked identification information in response to the request, the identification information including information relating to a highest ranked source of the corresponding scanned image, wherein the rank of the source is based on a predefined parameter.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the communication system is a wireless communication system.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the item is an object.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the item is a person.