Detecting a label from an image

• US 9,811,749 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhang, Lun, Chu, Rufeng, Zhang, Chunhui
• Primary Examiner(s): BEKELE, MEKONEN T
• Application Number:
  US14/602,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 382165, 382182, 382170, 382140, 382105, 382120, 382201, 382203, 382195
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/184 by analysing segments intersecting the pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks

Abstract

Determining a label from an image is disclosed, including: obtaining an image; determining a first portion of the image associated with a special mark; determining a second portion of the image associated with a label based at least in part on the first portion of the image associated with the special mark; and applying character recognition to the second portion of the image associated with the label to determine a value associated with the label.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

determine a first location associated with a special mark in an image by determining a portion of the image that matches a special mark pattern, wherein;

the special mark comprises a shape; and

the special mark comprises a pixel ratio comprising a ratio of at least a number of pixels of a first color to a number of pixels of a second color within at least one line of pixels associated with the shape;

use the special mark as a reference to locate a second location associated with a label in the image by searching for the label in the image within a predetermined area associated with the first location associated with the special mark in the image;

apply recognition to the second location associated with the label in the image to determine a value associated with the label; and

perform a search using the value associated with the label; and

one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the one or more processors with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the image is obtained based at least in part on one or more of the following:

receiving the image via a camera, receiving the image via a scanner, and downloading the image.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine the first location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises to:

determine that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern; and

compare content of the portion of the image that is enclosed by one or more boundaries associated with the shape to a designated content associated with the special mark pattern.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine the first location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises to:

determine that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern;

determine that a line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in response to the determination that the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determine that the portion of the image is associated with the first location associated with the special mark.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, prior to applying recognition to the second location associated with the label in the image to determine the value associated with the label, extract a portion of the image associated with the label from the image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein to perform the search using the value associated with the label comprises to submit the value associated with the label as a search query to a search engine.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to present one or more search results at a user interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein to locate the second location associated with the label in the image within the predetermined area associated with the first location associated with the special mark in the image comprises to search for the label in the predetermined area of the image near the first location associated with the special mark.

9. A method, comprising:

determining, using one or more processors, a first location associated with a special mark in an image by determining a portion of the image that matches a special mark pattern, wherein;

the special mark comprises a shape; and

the special mark comprises a pixel ratio comprising a ratio of at least a number of pixels of a first color to a number of pixels of a second color within at least one line of pixels associated with the shape;

using the special mark as a reference to locate a second location associated with a label in the image by searching for the label in the image within a predetermined area associated with the first location associated with the special mark in the image;

applying recognition to the second location associated with the label in the image to determine a value associated with the label; and

performing a search using the value associated with the label.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the image is obtained based at least in part on one or more of the following:

receiving the image via a camera, receiving the image via a scanner, and downloading the image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the first location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises:

determining that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern; and

comparing content of the portion of the image that is enclosed by one or more boundaries associated with the shape to a designated content associated with the special mark pattern.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the first location associated with the special mark in the image further comprises:

determining that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern;

determining that a line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in response to the determination that the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determining that the portion of the image is associated with the first location associated with the special mark.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising, prior to applying recognition to the second location associated with the label in the image to determine the value associated with the label, extracting a portion of the image associated with the label from the image.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the search using the value associated with the label comprises submitting the value associated with the label as a search query to a search engine.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising presenting one or more search results at a user interface.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein locating the second location associated with the label in the image within the predetermined area associated with the first location associated with the special mark in the image comprises searching for the label in the predetermined area of the image near the first location associated with the special mark.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the first location associated with the special mark in the image includes:

determining that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern;

determining that a line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in response to the determination that the line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determining that the portion of the image is associated with the first location associated with the special mark.

17. A computer program product, the computer program product comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed perform the following steps:

determining a first location associated with a special mark in an image by determining a portion of the image that matches a special mark pattern, wherein;

the special mark comprises a shape; and

the special mark comprises a pixel ratio comprising a ratio of at least a number of pixels of a first color to a number of pixels of a second color within at least one line of pixels associated with the shape;

using the special mark as a reference to locate a second location associated with a label in the image by searching for the label in the image within a predetermined area associated with the first location associated with the special mark in the image;

applying recognition to the second location associated with the label in the image to determine a value associated with the label; and

performing a search using the value associated with the label.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein determining the first location associated with the special mark in the image includes:

determining that the portion of the image matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern;

determining that a line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern; and

in response to the determination that the line of pixels within the portion of the image that matches the shape associated with the special mark pattern also matches the pixel ratio associated with the special mark pattern, determining that the portion of the image is associated with the first location associated with the special mark.