Categorization of digital media based on media characteristics

• US 9,600,483 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lindley, Gregory Charles, Martin, Timothy B.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US13/626,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20130041903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 707705-707, 707/730, 707797-798, 707831-822, 382/118, 382/254, 382/224, 382/305, 382/307, 345418-419, 345/581
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• 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 16/784 the detected or recognised objects being people
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/786 using motion, e.g. object motion or camera motion

Abstract

Digital media categorization can include receiving information including a plurality of media objects and a metadata tag descriptive of at least a first media object; comparing the first media object with a second media object; and selectively associating the first media object'"'"'s metadata tag with the second media object based on a result of the comparison. Each media object can include a digital image.

Claims

1. A non-transitory program storage device, readable by a processor and comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to:

receive a plurality of media objects, including at least a first media object comprising a first digital image, a first feature, and a first set of metadata, and a second media object comprising a second digital image, a second feature, and a second set of metadata;

wherein the first feature comprises at least a portion of a first person'"'"'s face, and wherein the first set of metadata comprises a metadata tag identifying the first person, and

wherein the second feature comprises at least a portion of a face, and wherein the second set of metadata does not comprise a metadata tag identifying the first person when received;

compare the second feature against a plurality of features stored in a facial recognition database;

identify similarities between the second feature and the plurality of features stored in the facial recognition database;

determine, based on the identified similarities, that the second feature comprises portions of the first person'"'"'s face; and

modify the second set of metadata to comprise a metadata tag that identifies the first person.

2. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 1, wherein the facial recognition database comprises information corresponding to the first person'"'"'s face.

3. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to:

provide a user interface to present the first media object; and

display in the user interface a prompt that requests the metadata tag for the first media object.

4. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to:

provide a user interface to present the second media object; and

display in the user interface a prompt that requests confirmation of a metadata tag of the second set of metadata for the second media object.

5. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 1, wherein the first digital image of the first media object comprises a frame of a first digital video.

6. The non-transitory program storage device of claim 5, wherein the second digital image of the second media object comprises a frame of either the first digital video or a second digital video.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, information comprising a plurality of media objects, including at least a first media object comprising a first digital image, a first feature, and a first set of metadata, and a second media object comprising a second digital image, a second feature, and a second set of metadata;

wherein the first feature comprises at least a portion of a first person'"'"'s face, wherein the first set of metadata comprises a first metadata tag identifying the first person, and

wherein the second feature comprises at least a portion of a face, wherein the second set of metadata does not comprise a metadata tag identifying the first person when received;

comparing the second feature against a plurality of features stored in a facial recognition database;

identifying similarities between the second feature and at least some of the plurality of features stored in the facial recognition database;

determining, based on the identified similarities, that the second feature comprises portions of the first person'"'"'s face; and

modifying the second set of metadata to comprise a second metadata tag identifying the first person.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the facial recognition database comprises information corresponding to the first person'"'"'s face.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first metadata tag comprises a name of the first person.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a user interface to present the first media object; and

displaying in the user interface a prompt that requests a first metadata tag for the first media object.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a user interface to present the second media object; and

displaying in the user interface a prompt that requests a confirmation of the second metadata tag.