Shared image database with geographic navigation

• US 9,552,426 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Friedmann, Michael Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US14/812,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/53 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and device for operating an image database shared by a plurality of users. In an embodiment, each image captured by a user and stored in a shared image database is associating with the geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was captured. A search engine for the image database is configured to accept geographic coordinates as a search criterion for locating at least one captured image stored in the shared image database. The images having location coordinates within a predefined range of geographic coordinates is displayed to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed on a computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of geographic coordinates from a geographic subsystem on the computing device, the plurality of geographic coordinates defining a geographic region;

causing a search of a shared external image database for all images within the region defined by the plurality of geographic coordinates, the causing including sending, to the external database, the plurality of geographic coordinates; and

displaying a plurality of images from the search.

2. The computer-implement method of claim 1, wherein the geographic subsystem is a mapping application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining is based on a selection of the geographic region.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein causing the search based on the geographic coordinates comprises searching for one or more images within a predetermined range of the geographic coordinates.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is a wireless communications device.

6. A computing device for searching an external image database, the computing device comprising:

a processor configured for obtaining a plurality of geographic coordinates from a geographic subsystem of the computing device, the plurality of geographic coordinates defining a geographic region;

an interface for causing a search of a shared external image database for all images within the region defined by the plurality of geographic coordinates, including sending, to the external image database, the plurality of geographic coordinates; and

user interface comprising a display for displaying a plurality of images from the search.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the geographic subsystem is a mapping application.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to obtain the plurality of geographic coordinates based on a selection of the geographic region.

9. The computing device of claim 6 wherein the interface is configured to cause the search based on the geographic coordinates by searching for one or more images within a predetermined range of the geographic coordinates.

10. The computing device of claim 6 wherein the computing device is a wireless communications device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions in code which when loaded in memory and executed by a processor of a computing device cause the device to:

obtain a plurality of geographic coordinates from a geographic subsystem on the computing device, the plurality of geographic coordinates defining a geographic region;

cause a search of a shared external image database for all images within the region defined by the plurality of geographic coordinates, including sending, to the external image database, the plurality of geographic coordinates; and

display a plurality of images from the search.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the geographic subsystem is a mapping application.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code that obtains the plurality of geographic coordinates utilizes a selection of the geographic region.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein code that causes the search based on the geographic coordinates comprises code for searching for one or more images within a predetermined range of the geographic coordinates.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computing device is a wireless communications device.