Methods and apparatus for use in mapping identified visual features of visual images to location areas

• US 9,313,344 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Meike, Roger Charles, Katz, Fabio Dario, Youssef, Adel Amin Abdel Azim
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINI, AMANDEEP SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/486,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20130321646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/00336 with an apparatus performing pattern recognition, e.g. of a face or a geographic feature image or video recognition or understanding of scenes G06V20/00
• 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 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4524 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; systems specially adapted for using geographical information in broadcast systems H04H60/70; protocols in which the network application is adapted for the location of the user terminal in communication control or processing H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

In one example, a computer device includes one or more processors and a camera module coupled to the one or more processors. The camera module is configured to capture visual images. The one or more processors are configured to analyze image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a visual feature, and produce a message which includes a visual feature indication and a location indication. The visual feature indication indicates whether the visual image includes the visual feature, and the location indication indicates a location at which the visual image was captured.

Claims

1. A method for use in a computer device, the method comprising:

in a user wireless communication device comprising a camera module;

capturing a visual image;

analyzing image data of the visual image to identify whether the visual image includes a first and a second visual features; and

producing a message which includes two visual feature indications and a location indication, a first visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the first visual feature, the first visual feature indication comprising a first count of a number of times the visual image includes the first visual feature, a second visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication comprising a second count of a number of times the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication indicating a relationship between the first count and the second count, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual feature of the visual feature indication included in the message is a facial expression indicative of mood.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

including in the message a count of a number of times the visual image includes a human face.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including in the message a strength indication which indicates a strength regarding an accuracy of detection of the visual feature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including in the message at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was captured.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each one of a plurality of visual images;

capturing the visual image; and

geotagging the visual image with location data corresponding to the location indication.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the message to a server.

8. The method of claim 7, which is performed without sending the visual image to the server.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

sending the visual image to the server.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

repeating the analyzing, the producing, and the sending of the message for each one of a plurality of additional visual images.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer device comprises a wireless communication device configured to communicate in a wireless communication network, and wherein the act of sending the message to the server comprises transmitting the message to the server via the wireless communication network.

12. A non-transitory computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium;

computer instructions stored in the computer readable medium;

the computer instructions being executable by one or more processors of a user wireless communication device comprising a camera module for;

analyzing image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a first and a second visual features; and

producing a message which includes two visual feature indications and a location indication, a first visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the first visual feature, the first visual feature indication comprising a first count of a number of times the visual image includes the first visual feature, a second visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication comprising a second count of a number of times the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication indicating a relationship between the first count and the second count, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

13. A user wireless computer device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a camera module coupled to the one or more processors, the camera module being configured to capture visual images;

a memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the one or more processors being configured to;

analyze image data of a visual image for identifying whether the visual image includes a first and a second visual features; and

produce a message which includes two visual feature indications and a location indication, a first visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the first visual feature, the first visual feature indication comprising a first count of a number of times the visual image includes the first visual feature, a second visual feature indication indicating whether the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication comprising a second count of a number of times the visual image includes the second visual feature, the second visual feature indication indicating a relationship between the first count and the second count, the location indication indicating a location at which the visual image was captured.

14. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the visual feature of the visual feature indication included in the message is a facial expression indicative of mood.

15. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

include in the message a strength indication which indicates a strength regarding an accuracy of detection of the visual feature.

16. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

include in the message at least one of a date and a time when the visual image was captured.

17. The computer device of claim 13, further comprising:

a transceiver coupled to the one or more processors; and

the one or more processors being further configured to send the message to a server.

18. The computer device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

repeat the analyzing, the producing, and the sending of the message for each one of a plurality of additional visual images.