Method and apparatus for image collection and analysis

• US 9,911,057 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy, Hilliard, Brandon B.
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, JOSE L
• Application Number:
  US15/363,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20170076172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/80 Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 Target detection
• 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 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• 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 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor that can detect an event, access location information for a group of mobile communication devices that are each automatically capturing images, and identify a subset of the group of mobile communication devices that are in proximity to the event based on the location information. The processor can provide first image analysis criteria to the subset of the group of mobile communication devices without providing the first image analysis criteria to remaining devices of the group of mobile communication devices where the first image analysis criteria includes first characteristics associated with an object. The processor can receive a first target image that includes the object from a first mobile communication device of the subset of the group of mobile communication devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a processing system including a processor, first image analysis criteria to a first mobile communication device to enable the first mobile communication device to perform a first analysis of first image content stored at the first mobile communication device, wherein the first mobile communication device is selected according to a location associated with an event, wherein the first image analysis criteria include first characteristics associated with the event;

receiving, by the processing system, second image analysis criteria from the first mobile communication device, wherein the second image analysis criteria are determined based on the first analysis;

receiving, by the processing system, target content from the first mobile communication device, the target content satisfying the first image analysis criteria, wherein the target content comprises a target image;

receiving, by the processing system, an accuracy score for the target image generated by the first mobile communication device, the accuracy score indicating a degree of satisfaction of the first image analysis criteria; and

providing, by the processing system, the second image analysis criteria and the target content to a second mobile communication device to enable the second mobile communication device to perform a second analysis of second image content stored at the second mobile communication device,

wherein the first image analysis criteria and the second image analysis criteria are based on capabilities of the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target image is identified from the first image content using image pattern recognition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the capabilities of the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device comprise an audio content capture capability, a video content capture capability, a content capture schedule, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accuracy score for the target image is provided to the second mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of target images are received in an order based on the accuracy score of each of the plurality of target images.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second image analysis criteria comprise second characteristics associated with the event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of the first image analysis criteria are distributed to each of a first plurality of mobile communication devices within a threshold distance from the event, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the first plurality of mobile communication devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of the second image analysis criteria and a subset of the target content are distributed to each of a second plurality of mobile communication devices in communication with the processing system, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the second plurality of mobile communication devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image analysis criteria comprise a description of the event, a sample image, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image content and the second image content comprise content captured by the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the captured content comprises still images, video content, audio/video content, or combinations thereof.

12. A device comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

providing first image analysis criteria to a first mobile communication device to enable the first mobile communication device to perform a first analysis of first image content stored at the first mobile communication device, wherein the first mobile communication device is selected according to a location associated with an event, wherein the first image analysis criteria include first characteristics associated with the event;

receiving second image analysis criteria from the first mobile communication device, wherein the second image analysis criteria are determined based on the first analysis;

receiving a target image from the first mobile communication device, wherein the target image is identified from the first image content using image pattern recognition and satisfies the first image analysis criteria;

receiving an accuracy score for the target image generated by the first mobile communication device, the accuracy score indicating a degree of satisfaction of the first image analysis criteria; and

providing the second image analysis criteria and the target image to a second mobile communication device to enable the second mobile communication device to perform a second analysis of second image content stored at the second mobile communication device,

wherein the first image analysis criteria and the second image analysis criteria are based on capabilities of the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the capabilities comprise an audio content capture capability, a video content capture capability, a content capture schedule, or combinations thereof.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein a subset of the first image analysis criteria are distributed to each of a first plurality of mobile communication devices within a threshold distance from the event, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the first plurality of mobile communication devices.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein a subset of the second image analysis criteria and the target image are distributed to each of a second plurality of mobile communication devices in communication with the processing system, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the second plurality of mobile communication devices.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the first image content and the second image content comprise content captured by the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.

17. A machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

providing first image analysis criteria to a first mobile communication device to enable the first mobile communication device to perform a first analysis of first image content stored at the first mobile communication device, wherein the first mobile communication device is selected according to a location associated with an event, wherein the first image analysis criteria include first characteristics associated with the event;

receiving second image analysis criteria from the first mobile communication device, wherein the second image analysis criteria are determined based on the first analysis;

receiving target content from the first mobile communication device, the target content satisfying the first image analysis criteria, wherein the target content comprises a target image;

receiving an accuracy score for the target image generated by the first mobile communication device, the accuracy score indicating a degree of satisfaction of the first image analysis criteria; and

providing the second image analysis criteria and the target content to a second mobile communication device to enable the second mobile communication device to perform a second analysis of second image content stored at the second mobile communication device,

wherein the first image analysis criteria and the second image analysis criteria are based on capabilities of the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein a subset of the first image analysis criteria are distributed to each of a first plurality of mobile communication devices within a threshold distance from the event, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the first plurality of mobile communication devices.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein a subset of the second image analysis criteria and a subset of the target content are distributed to each of a second plurality of mobile communication devices in communication with the processing system, in accordance with respective device capabilities of each of the second plurality of mobile communication devices.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first image content and the second image content comprise content captured by the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device respectively.