Object information derived from object images

• US 9,036,949 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• 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:
  US14/073,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20140064561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/181, 382/305, 705 261- 272
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24554 Unary operations; Data partitioning operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• 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 16/5854 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 16/7335 Graphical querying, e.g. query-by-region, query-by-sketch, query-by-trajectory, GUIs for designating a person/face/object as a query predicate end-user interface involving hot spots associated with the video H04N21/4725; end-user interface for selecting a Region of Interest H04N21/4728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/25 Fusion techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/08 Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 : Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 : Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 : Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 : Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 : Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 : Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 : Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/255 : Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/768 : using context analysis, e.g. recognition aided by known co-occurring patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 : Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• 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 20/46 : Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/80 : Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 : Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 : Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 : Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 : Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Search terms are derived automatically from images captured by a camera equipped cell phone, PDA, or other image capturing device, submitted to a search engine to obtain information of interest, and at least a portion of the resulting information is transmitted back locally to, or nearby, the device that captured the image.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with on-screen video content, comprising:

obtaining, via a mobile device, image data associated with on-screen video content, wherein the image data comprises at least one of (a) data extracted from the on-screen video content and (b) data converted from the on-screen video content;

deriving a search term from the image data;

identifying at least a portion of the on-screen video content as including a target object by using the search term to query a data set indexing a collection of data associated with known target objects;

obtaining an address associated with content information pertinent to the target object; and

providing the content information to a second mobile device based on the address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying includes using the search term to query the data set indexing a proprietary collection of data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing video content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content comprises obtaining image data associated with entertainment content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content comprises obtaining image data associated with television programming.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content comprises obtaining image data associated with real-time television programming.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content comprises obtaining image data associated with at least one of a movie and a music video.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises a product.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises a clothing accessory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises a face.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises an advertisement.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises a vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises a sign.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object comprises an object in a scene.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-screen video content is related to a scene.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-screen content is associated with a promotion.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-screen content is related to a game.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing audio content.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing information of interest to a user of the second mobile device.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling the second mobile device to initiate an interaction associated with the on-screen video content.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the interaction comprises a streaming of at least one of video content and audio content.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the interaction comprises a transaction.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the interaction comprises a real-time transaction.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing an internet address.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing content information comprises providing at least one of a text, an audio, a video, and a graphic.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing an identity.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing an identity of the on-screen video content.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing an identity of the target object.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second mobile devices comprise the same device.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining image data comprises obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content comprising a tag.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining image data comprises obtaining image data associated with on-screen video content lacking a tag.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing content information at least partially dependent upon a time.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing content information at least partially dependent upon a location.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the location comprises at least one of a location of the second mobile device.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing content information at least partially dependent upon at least one of a location and a time.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing content information at least partially dependent upon a position.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing content information at least partially dependent upon an orientation.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the search term comprises a trademark.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the search term comprises a logo.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the search term comprises a text.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the search term comprises a proper name.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein the search term comprises at least one of an image and a sound.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-screen video content comprises computer screen content.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing the content information comprises providing audio content related to the on-screen video content to the second mobile device to assist a visually impaired user.

46. The method of claim 1, wherein the image data comprises data converted from the on-screen video content, and wherein the converted image data results from a subtracting out of background from the on-screen video content except for the target object.