Individual record verification based on features

• US 9,317,736 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siddiqui, Ahmed Fuad
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherali, Ishrat I
• Application Number:
  US13/890,151
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 382/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/54 for retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location

Abstract

Embodiments of methods, systems, and storage medium associated with providing user records associated with characteristics that may be used to identify the user are disclosed herein. In one instance, the method may include obtaining features of an individual, determining identifying characteristics associated with the obtained features, and initiating a search for a record associated with the individual based in part on the identifying characteristics associated with the obtained features, and, based on a result of the search, a verification of the record associated with the individual. The method may further include receiving at least a portion of the record associated with the individual, based at least in part on a result of the verification. The verification may be based in part on a ranking associated with the record. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing information associated with an individual, comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, an image of an individual;

determining, by the computing device, one or more identifying facial characteristics associated with the obtained image;

initiating, by the computing device, a search for a record associated with the individual, based at least in part on the identifying facial characteristics associated with the obtained image;

initiating, by the computing device, a verification of the record associated with the individual, wherein the verification is based at least in part on a ranking associated with the record prior to initiation of the search; and

receiving, by the computing device, at least a portion of the record associated with the individual, based at least in part on a result of the verification.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the initiating a search includes causing, by the computing device, an electronic entity accessible by the computing device to search a storage location associated with the electronic entity for the record associated with the individual, based at least in part on the identifying facial characteristics associated with the obtained image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the initiating a verification includes causing, by the computing device, the electronic entity to determine whether the ranking associated with the record prior to initiation of the search exceeds a threshold permitting a provision of records associated with one or more users and stored at the storage location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein each record includes at least a name of the user, and wherein the ranking associated with the record prior to initiation of the search is based on at least one of:

a number of prior requests to obtain the individual'"'"'s record, duration of storage of the individual'"'"'s record, a number of changes occurred in the individual'"'"'s record during the duration of storage, or an amount of data included in the individual'"'"'s record.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the record includes, depending on a result of the search and verification, at least a name of the individual or an error message.

6. A computer-implemented method for identifying an individual, comprising:

obtaining, by a computing device, one or more features of an individual; and

initiating, by the computing device, a search for a record associated with the individual, based at least in part on one or more identifying facial characteristics derived from the obtained features, and a verification of the record, on locating the record, based at least in part on a ranking associated with the record prior to initiation of the search.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the computing device is a mobile device that includes a camera, wherein the obtaining one or more features of the individual includes capturing an image of the individual with the camera of the mobile device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

extracting, by the computing device, the one or more facial characteristics from the obtained image as facial data of the individual; and

providing, by the computing device, the facial data of the individual to an electronic entity accessible by the computing device, wherein the electronic entity is associated with a storage location configured to store records associated with a plurality of users, including the record associated with the individual, wherein at least some of the records include at least one image of a user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, requesting, by the computing device, to add the obtained image to the record associated with the individual and stored at the storage location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the initiating a search for record includes causing, by the computing device, the electronic entity to perform a matching of the provided facial data with at least some of the images of users stored at the storage location, and

wherein the initiating a verification of the record includes causing, by the computing device, the electronic entity to determine, based on a result of the matching, whether to provide at least a portion of the record associated with the individual to the computing device, wherein the determining is based at least in part on establishing whether the ranking exceeds a verification threshold.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, the portion of the record associated with the individual, based on a result of the determining of whether the record is to be provided.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the computing device, a communication to the individual, requesting a permission to add the record associated with the individual to an address book accessible by the computing device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, whether any user of those whose records are included in the address book is located in a vicinity of the computing device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the ranking is based on at least one of:

a number of prior requests to obtain the individual'"'"'s record, duration of storage of the individual'"'"'s record, a number of changes occurred in the individual'"'"'s record during the duration of storage, or an amount of data included in the individual'"'"'s record, and wherein the one or more features include information obtained via an image capture, video recording, sound recording, or biometric capture.

15. A computer system for processing requests for records, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory having processor-executable instructions that, in response to execution by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

match one or more identifying facial characteristics associated with an individual to at least some of facial characteristics stored at a storage location accessible by the computer system, each of the characteristics associated with a corresponding record;

based on a result of the match, verify a record associated with the matched facial characteristics, wherein the verification is based at least in part on a ranking associated with the record prior to the match; and

determine to provide at least a portion of the record, based on a result of the match and verification.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor, in response to execution, to obtain the identifying facial characteristics, wherein the identifying facial characteristics are provided by an application requesting the match of the identifying facial characteristics to the facial characteristics stored at the storage locations, and verification of the corresponding record.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the application resides on a mobile device configured to access the computer system.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processor-executable instructions that cause the at least one processor to verify the record further cause the processor, in response to execution, to determine whether the ranking meets one or more threshold criteria.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein one or more features of an individual include information obtained via an image capture, video recording, sound recording, or biometric capture.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the processor-executable instructions further cause the at least one processor, in response to execution, to assign the ranking to the record, prior to the match, based on at least one of:

a number of prior requests to obtain the record, duration of storage of the record, a number of changes occurred in the record during the duration of storage, or an amount of data included in the record, wherein the record is associated with an individual.

21. A non-transitory computing device-readable medium comprising computing device-executable instructions for providing a record associated with an individual, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

obtain one or more features of an individual; and

initiate a search for a record associated with the individual, based at least in part on one or more identifying facial characteristics derived from the obtained features, and a verification of the record, on locating the record, based at least in part on a ranking associated with the record prior to initiation of the search.

22. The non-transitory computing device-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the record includes at least one of:

a name of the individual, a telephone number of the individual, an email address of the individual, an address of the individual, and an expiration date of the record.

23. The non-transitory computing device-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the one or more features include the image of the individual, and wherein the one or more identifying facial characteristics include facial data extracted from the image.

24. The non-transitory computing device-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the computing device-executable instructions that cause the computing device to initiate a search for a record and a verification of the record further cause the computing device, in response to execution, to generate a request to search for the record and a verification of the record, the request including the facial data extracted from the image.

25. The non-transitory computing device-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the computing device-executable instructions further cause the computing device, in response to execution, to receive the requested record and determine to add the record to an address book accessible by the computing device.