Image capture and identification system and process

• US 8,873,891 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nant Holdings IP, LLC (NantWorks, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nant Holdings IP, LLC (NantWorks, LLC)
• Inventors: Boncyk, Wayne C., Cohen, Ronald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherali, Ishrat I
• Application Number:
  US13/907,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20130266183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/305, 382/181, 382/165, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/08 Devices or methods enabling eye-patients to replace direct visual perception by another kind of perception
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/70 Game security or game management aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 : Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 : by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 : Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/217 : Validation; Performance evaluation; Active pattern learning techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 : Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/23 : Clustering techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/12 : Classification; Matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 : Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 : Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 : Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 : specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 : Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 : Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 : Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 : Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3567 : Software being in the reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 : Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 : involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 : Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 : During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 : User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 : at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 : Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 : Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 : Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 : Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 : Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 : Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 : Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/10 : Segmentation; Edge detection motion-based segmentation G06T7/215
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 : Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 : Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 : involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 : involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 : using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/337 : involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/462 : Salient features, e.g. scale invariant feature transforms [SIFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 : relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/7515 : Shifting the patterns to accommodate for positional errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 : Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 : in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 : using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 : of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 : Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 : Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 : Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 : using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 : involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 : Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 : Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 : Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 : End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 : Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3254 : Orientation, e.g. landscape or portrait; Location or order of the image data, e.g. in memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 : Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 : Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 : Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A digital image of the object is captured and the object is recognized from plurality of objects in a database. An information address corresponding to the object is then used to access information and initiate communication pertinent to the object.

Claims

1. A method of linking objects of interest to a user, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a digital device, sensor data representative of a scene comprising an object, the sensor data acquired from a sensor;

decomposing, by the digital device, the sensor data into quantifiable salient parameters;

storing an information address that points to information content associated with the object in a database by indexing the information address according to the quantifiable salient parameters;

identifying, by the digital device, the object as a target object of interest;

linking the information content with the target object of interest via the information address; and

enabling a user mobile device to (a) recognize the target object of interest via similar parameters to the quantifiable salient parameters, wherein the similar parameters are derived from a digital representation, (b) obtain the information address based on the similar parameters, (c) retrieve the information content via the information address, and (d) present at least one action based on the information content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object of interest comprises a physical object of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object of interest comprises an area of interest.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a boundary of the area of interest.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising cropping the area of interest based on the boundary.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the object comprises identifying a tag represented in the sensor data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tag comprises at least one of the following:

a logo, a symbol, a feature, a bar code, a matrix code, and alphanumeric characters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data comprises an image of the scene.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object of interest comprises at least one of the following:

a game object, an automobile, a storefront, a vehicle, and a building.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object of interest comprises a person.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the target object of interest comprises a face of the person.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user mobile device comprises at least one of a robot and a mobile telephone.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising redirecting the information content to the user mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the information address that points to the information content to the user mobile device over a network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of providing the information address includes providing a uniform resource locator as the information address.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the user mobile device to present options including the at least one action.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising causing the user mobile device to present a menu of the options.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action includes at least one of the following:

a transaction, a purchase, an interaction with the information content, an interaction with a game, a payment, a communication, making a payment, an interaction with a point of sales terminal, an interaction with print media, a registration of a vote, an interaction with a company, and an interaction with a person.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user mobile device to initiate a call to a person based on the information content.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user mobile device to send information to another computer device based on the information content.

40. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further enables the user mobile device to send information to another computer device based on the information content.

21. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to acquire sensor data representative of a scene comprising an object; and

a processor configured to;

decompose the sensor data into quantifiable salient parameters;

store an information address that points to information content associated with the object in a database by indexing the information address according to the quantifiable salient parameters;

identify the object as a target object of interest;

link information content with the target object of interest via the information address; and

wherein the database enables a user mobile device to (a) recognize the target object of interest via similar parameters to the quantifiable salient parameters, wherein the similar parameters are derived from a digital representation, (b) obtain the information address based on the similar parameters, (c) retrieve the information content via the information address, and (d) present at least one action based on the information content.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the target object of interest comprises a physical object of interest.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the target object of interest comprises an area of interest.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a boundary of the area of interest.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to crop the area of interest based on the boundary.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to identify a tag represented in the sensor data.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the tag comprises at least one of the following:

a logo, a symbol, a feature, a bar code, a matrix code, and alphanumeric characters.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor data comprises an image of the scene.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the target object of interest comprises at least one of the following:

a game object, an automobile, a storefront, a vehicle, and a building.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the target object of interest comprises a person.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the target object of interest comprises a face of the person.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein the user mobile device comprises at least one of a mobile telephone.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein the database is further configured to redirect the information content to the user mobile device.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein the database is further configured to provide the information address that points to the information content to the user mobile device over a network.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the database is further configured to provide a uniform resource locator as the information address.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein the database is further configured to cause the user mobile device to present options including the at least one action.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the database is further configured to cause the user mobile device to present a menu of the options.

38. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one action includes at least one of the following:

a transaction, a purchase, an interaction with the information content, an interaction with a game, a payment, a communication, making a payment, an interaction with a point of sales terminal, an interaction with print media, a registration of a vote, an interaction with a company, and an interaction with a person.

39. The system of claim 21, wherein the user mobile device is further configured to initiate a call to a person based on the information content.

41. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that cause at least one processor to execute the steps of:

obtaining sensor data representative of a scene comprising an object, the sensor data acquired from a sensor;

decomposing the sensor data into quantifiable salient parameters;

storing an information address that points to information content associated with the object in a database by indexing the information address according to the quantifiable salient parameters;

identifying the object as a target object of interest;

linking the information content with the target object of interest via the information address; and

enabling a user mobile device to (a) recognize the target object of interest via similar parameters to the quantifiable salient parameters, wherein the similar parameters are derived from a digital representation, (b) obtain the information address based on the similar parameters, (c) retrieve the information content via the information address, and (d) present at least one action based on the information content.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the target object of interest comprises a physical object of interest.

43. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the target object of interest comprises an area of interest.

44. The computer program product of claim 43, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of determining a boundary of the area of interest.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of cropping the area of interest based on the boundary.

46. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the step of identifying the object comprises identifying a tag represented in the sensor data.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein the tag comprises at least one of the following:

a logo, a symbol, a feature, a bar code, a matrix code, and alphanumeric characters.

48. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the sensor data comprises an image of the scene.

49. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the target object of interest comprises at least one of the following:

a game object, an automobile, a storefront, a vehicle, and a building.

50. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the target object of interest comprises a person.

51. The computer program product of claim 50, wherein the target object of interest comprises a face of the person.

52. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the user mobile device comprises at least one of a robot and a mobile telephone.

53. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of redirecting the information content to the user mobile device.

54. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of providing the information address that points to the information content to the user mobile device.

55. The computer program product of claim 54, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of providing a uniform resource locator as the information address.

56. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of causing the user mobile device to present options including the at least one action.

57. The computer program product of claim 56, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of causing the user mobile device to present a menu of the options.

58. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the at least one action includes at least one of the following:

a transaction, a purchase, an interaction with the information content, an interaction with a game, a payment, a communication, making a payment, an interaction with a point of sales terminal, an interaction with print media, a registration of a vote, an interaction with a company, and an interaction with a person.

59. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of initiating a call to a person based on the information content.

60. The computer program product of claim 41, further comprising instructions that cause the at least one processor to execute the step of sending information to another computer device based on the information content.