Methods and systems for content processing

• US 8,873,853 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayat, Ali
• Application Number:
  US13/275,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20130011062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/165, 382/167, 382/173, 382/190, 382/276, 382/305, 382/232, 348/453, 345/589, 345/591, 345/593, 345/597, 358/403, 358/404
• US Class Current: 382/173
• 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 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/40 Software arrangements specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. user interfaces or toolboxes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/00 Indexing scheme for image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/945 User interactive design; Environments; Toolboxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

Cell phones and other portable devices are equipped with a variety of technologies by which existing functionality can be improved, and new functionality can be provided. Some relate to visual search capabilities, and determining appropriate actions responsive to different image inputs. Others relate to processing of image data. Still others concern metadata generation, processing, and representation. Yet others relate to coping with fixed focus limitations of cell phone cameras, e.g., in reading digital watermark data. Still others concern user interface improvements. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method involving captured imagery comprising:

storing first data corresponding to the captured imagery in one or more first channels of an image format, each of said channels having a first size and a first bit-depth;

deriving additional information based on the captured imagery;

storing second data corresponding to the derived additional information in one or more second channels of said image format, each of said one or more second channels having said first size and said first bit-depth; and

sending the first and second data from a device in said image format.

2. The method of claim 1 that includes storing the second data in an alpha channel of an RGBA or YUVA image format.

3. The method of claim 1 in which said deriving comprises determining a location of one or more facial features for a face depicted in the captured imagery.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said deriving comprises recognizing text depicted in the captured imagery, and said storing comprises storing a barcode based on the recognized text.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said deriving comprises recognizing an object depicted in the captured imagery.

6. The method of claim 1 in which storing the second data comprises storing a depiction of a machine-readable 2D indicia that encodes the second data, in a second channel of the image format.

7. A method comprising:

receiving imagery;

recognizing an element depicted in the imagery, employing a hardware device configured to perform such act;

representing data related to said recognized element using a first visible 2D graphical pattern;

storing data depicting said first visible 2D graphical pattern, together with data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file;

deriving additional information, different than the recognized element, based on the imagery;

representing data related to said additional information in a second visible 2D graphical pattern; and

storing data depicting said second visible 2D graphical pattern, together with data depicting said first visible 2D graphical pattern, in said common file.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the first visible 2D graphical pattern has a size or position related to a size or position of said element in the imagery.

9. The method of claim 7 in which the first visible 2D graphical pattern serves to convey plural bits of information is a machine-readable format.

10. A method comprising the acts:

receiving imagery;

recognizing a face depicted in the imagery, employing a hardware device configured to perform such act;

encoding data related to said recognized face in a first 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting said data symbology;

wherein said first 2D machine readable data symbology has a size or position related to a size or position of said recognized face in the imagery.

11. The method of claim 10 in which:

said storing act comprises storing data depicting said first 2D machine readable data symbology, together with data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file;

wherein a subsequent process can obtain data related to the recognized face from the file that contains the data corresponding to the imagery, without having to recognize the face from the imagery.

12. The method of claim 10 in which the first 2D machine readable data symbology serves to convey plural bits of information.

13. The method of claim 10 that includes:

deriving additional information, different than the recognized face, based on the imagery;

representing data related to said additional information in a second 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting both said first and second 2D machine readable data symbologies, and data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations on captured imagery, comprising:

storing first data corresponding to the captured imagery in one or more first channels of an image format, each of said channels having a first size and a first bit-depth;

deriving additional information based on the captured imagery;

storing second data corresponding to the derived additional information in one or more second channels of said image format, each of said one or more second channels having said first size and said first bit-depth; and

sending the first and second data from a device in said image format.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations on received imagery, comprising:

recognizing a face depicted in the imagery;

encoding data related to said recognized face in a first 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting said data symbology;

wherein said first 2D machine readable data symbology has a size or position related to a size or position of said recognized face in the imagery.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, in which:

said storing act comprises storing data depicting said first 2D machine readable data symbology, together with data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file;

wherein a subsequent process can obtain data related to the recognized face from the file that contains the data corresponding to the imagery, without having to recognize the face from the imagery.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, in which the first 2D machine readable data symbology serves to convey plural bits of information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, in which said instructions are operative to cause the computing device to perform operations on the received imagery comprising:

deriving additional information, different than the recognized face, based on the imagery;

representing data related to said additional information in a second 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting both said first and second 2D machine readable data symbologies, and data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file.

19. A portable computing device including a processor, a non-transitory memory, and a camera, the memory containing software instructions that configure the device to perform operations on imagery captured by the camera including:

recognizing a face depicted in the imagery;

encoding data related to said recognized face in a first 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting said data symbology;

wherein said first 2D machine readable data symbology has a size or position related to a size or position of said recognized face in the imagery.

20. The device of claim 19 in which said storing comprises storing data depicting said first 2D machine readable data symbology, together with data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file;

wherein a subsequent process can obtain data related to the recognized element from the file that contains the data corresponding to the imagery, without having to recognize the element from the imagery;

wherein said first 2D machine readable data symbology has a size or position related to a size or position of said recognized face in the imagery.

21. The device of claim 19 in which:

said storing operation comprises storing data depicting said first 2D machine readable data symbology, together with data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file;

wherein a subsequent process can obtain data related to the recognized face from the file that contains the data corresponding to the imagery, without having to recognize the face from the imagery.

22. The device of claim 19 in which the first 2D machine readable data symbology serves to convey plural bits of information.

23. The device of claim 19 in which said instructions are operative to cause the computing device to perform operations on the received imagery comprising:

deriving additional information, different than the recognized face, based on the imagery;

representing data related to said additional information in a second 2D machine readable data symbology; and

storing data depicting both said first and second 2D machine readable data symbologies, and data corresponding to the imagery, in a common file.

24. A method comprising:

processing imagery captured by a camera-equipped portable device, to derive semantic information for at least one subject depicted in the imagery, said processing employing a particular apparatus, namely said camera-equipped portable device; and

producing data in a four-plane data format, wherein three of said planes comprise a three-plane representation of said imagery, and a fourth of said planes comprises some of the semantic information derived from said imagery.

25. The method of claim 24 in which said processing comprises applying an image recognition process.

26. The method of claim 24 in which said processing comprises applying a facial recognition process.

27. The method of claim 24 in which said processing comprises applying an optical character recognition process.

28. The method of claim 24 in which the fourth of said planes comprises a machine readable graphical indicia that encodes said some of the semantic information.

29. The method of claim 24 that includes sending the imagery and the semantic information from the portable device in said four-plane data format, wherein a subsequent process can obtain the semantic information with the imagery information in said data format, without having to derive the semantic information from the imagery information.

30. The method of claim 24 in which said four-plane data format comprises RGBA or YUVA.