System and method for displaying contextual supplemental content based on image content

• US 9,047,654 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Vanhoucke, Vincent, Gokturk, Salih Burak, Shah, Munjal, Baumgartner, Julie
• Primary Examiner(s): Fitzpatrick, Atiba O
• Application Number:
  US13/858,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20130336520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/60 Type of objects

Abstract

An image-based content item is analyzed to determine one or more interests of a viewer of the content item. The analysis may include performing image analysis on the content item to determine geographic information that is relevant to an image of the content item. The one or more interests may be determined based on an assumption or probabilistic conclusion about a subject of the content item. Further, the one or more interests may be determined by applying one or more rules that utilize the geographic information. For some embodiments, a supplemental content item may be provided to the viewer based on the one or more interests.

Claims

1. A method for providing content, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

analyzing a content item to determine geographic information that is relevant to an image of the content item;

analyzing, by the one or more processors, content depicted by the image to detect one or more objects depicted by the image;

generating a probabilistic conclusion about a subject of the content item based on the one or more objects;

determining one or more interests of a viewer of the content item based on the probabilistic conclusion about the subject of the content item, wherein the one or more interests are determined from application of one or more rules that utilize the geographic information; and

selecting a supplemental content item to provide to the viewer based on the one or more interests.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more interests includes determining the one or more interests based, at least in part, on information about the viewer of the content item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the viewer includes at least one of (i) an internet protocol (IP) address, (ii) stored profile information, or (iii) browsing history of the viewer of the content item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more interests includes determining the one or more interests based, at least in part, on information about an owner of the image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the content item includes analyzing a text provided with the content item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the content item includes (i) analyzing a background of the image of the content item, and (ii) determining the geographic information based at least in part on the color or texture of the background.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein analyzing the content item further includes determining that the image depicts one of an indoor scene or an outdoor scene.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more interests includes determining the one or more interests based, at least in part, on an identity or classification of the viewer of the content item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more interests includes determining the one or more interests based on an event that is relevant to or depicted as the subject of the content item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the content item includes performing image analysis on the image of the content item to determine the geographic information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the geographic information includes determining a geographic characterization for the content item, based on geographic information determined from performing the image analysis.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more interests includes determining the one or more interests based on an event that occurred at a location identified from the geographic information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental content item is an advertisement.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

analyzing a content item to determine geographic information that is relevant to an image of the content item;

analyzing content depicted by the image to detect one or more objects depicted by the image;

generating a probabilistic conclusion about a subject of the content item based on the one or more objects;

determining one or more interests of a viewer of the content item based on the probabilistic conclusion about the subject of the content item, wherein the one or more interests are determined from application of one or more rules that utilize the geographic information; and

selecting a supplemental content item to provide to the viewer based on the one or more interests.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for determining the one or more interests include instructions for determining the one or more interests based, at least in part, on information about the viewer of the content item.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information about the owner includes at least one of (i) an IP address, (ii) stored profile information, or (iii) browsing history of the viewer of the content item.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for analyzing the content item include instructions for performing image analysis on the image of the content item to determine the geographic information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining the geographic information include instructions for determining a geographic characterization for the content item, based on geographic information determined from performing the image analysis.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions for determining the one or more interests include instructions for determining the one or more interests based on an event that occurred at a location identified from the geographic information.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

analyze a content item to determine geographic information that is relevant to an image of the content item;

analyze content depicted by the image to detect one or more objects depicted by the image;

generating a probabilistic conclusion about a subject of the content item based on the one or more objects;

determine one or more interests of a viewer of the content item based on the probabilistic conclusion about the subject of the content item, wherein the one or more interests are determined from application of one or more rules that utilize the geographic information; and

select a supplemental content item to provide to the viewer based on the one or more interests.