Facial recognition for event venue cameras

• US 10,264,175 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prosports Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Cronin, John E., Cronin, Seth M., Fein, Gene, Reasner, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US14/829,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20160073010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00137 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An event venue with a performance area (e.g., a sport field or auditorium stage) and an eventgoer area (e.g., stadium seating or bleachers) may include a set of eventgoer cameras trained on various sections of the eventgoer area and a set of performance cameras trained on the performance area. The event venue may also include sensors. When an event occurrence (e.g., a goal or touchdown) is detected using the cameras and/or sensors, at least one photo or video of the event occurrence may be captured by the performance cameras, and at least one photo or video of the eventgoer reaction may be captured using the eventgoer cameras. Facial recognition may then be used to identify particular eventgoers in each photo or video. Identified eventgoers can then receive photos or videos in which they are identified along with performance photos or videos that were captured at roughly the same time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for event venue camera usage, the method comprising:

storing one or more reference photographs in a memory, the one or more reference photographs depicting at least a face of an eventgoer;

receiving sensor data from a collision camera located in an event venue during a sporting event;

detecting a collision involving a predetermined visually recognizable object in a performance area of the event venue based on computerized visual collision detection using the received sensor data, wherein the collision corresponds to a gameplay occurrence during the sporting event;

triggering capture of a performance visual media of the collision in the performance area of the event venue during the sporting event using a performance camera whose view includes at least a portion of the performance area;

triggering capture of an eventgoer visual media of an eventgoer area of the event venue using an eventgoer camera whose view includes at least a portion of the eventgoer area at a same time during the sporting event as the capture of the performance visual media of the collision, wherein the eventgoer camera is distinct from the performance camera, wherein the eventgoer area is distinct from the performance area;

recognizing that a face detected within the eventgoer visual media matches the face of the eventgoer as depicted in the stored one or more reference photographs;

sending, to a user device associated with the eventgoer, a confirmation request that includes at least a subset of the eventgoer visual media and that requests a confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer;

receiving, from the user device, the confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer; and

transmitting the eventgoer visual media and the performance visual media to the user device associated with the eventgoer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance visual media includes a video frame.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the eventgoer visual media includes a video frame.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the collision is also based on an indication that a sound is detected at a microphone, further comprising receiving the indication that the sound is detected via the microphone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the collision camera is the performance camera.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the collision is also based on an indication that pressure is detected at a predetermined area via a pressure sensor, further comprising receiving the indication that pressure is detected at the predetermined area via the pressure sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the eventgoer visual media includes a photograph.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising saving the eventgoer visual media to a network storage device accessible by the user device associated with the eventgoer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising printing the eventgoer visual media.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving payment information from the user device associated with the eventgoer.

11. A system for event venue camera usage, the system comprising:

a memory that stores one or more reference photographs depicting at least a face of an eventgoer;

a collision camera located in an event venue during a sporting event, wherein the collision camera produces sensor data during the sporting event;

a performance camera whose view includes at least a portion of a performance area of the event venue during the sporting event;

an eventgoer camera that is distinct from the performance camera and whose view includes at least a portion of an eventgoer area of the event venue that is distinct from the performance area; and

a processor of an eventgoer photo network device, wherein execution of instructions stored in the memory by the processor causes the eventgoer photo network device to;

detect a collision involving a predetermined visually recognizable object in the performance area of the event venue based on computerized visual collision detection using the sensor data, wherein the collision corresponds to a gameplay occurrence during the sporting event,

capture a performance visual media of the collision in the performance area of the event venue during the sporting event using the performance camera,

capture, at a same time during the sporting event as the capture of the performance visual media of the collision, an eventgoer visual media of the eventgoer area of the event venue using the eventgoer camera,

recognize that a face detected within the eventgoer visual media matches the face of the eventgoer as depicted in the stored one or more reference photographs,

send, to a user device associated with the eventgoer, a confirmation request that includes at least a subset of the eventgoer visual media and that requests a confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer,

receive, from the user device, the confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer, and

transmit the eventgoer visual media and the performance visual media to the user device associated with the eventgoer.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the performance visual media includes a video frame.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the eventgoer visual media includes a video frame.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein detecting the collision is also based on an indication that a sound is detected at a microphone, further comprising the microphone.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the collision camera is the performance camera.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein detecting the collision is also based on an indication that pressure is detected at a predetermined area via a pressure sensor, further comprising the pressure sensor.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the eventgoer visual media includes a photograph.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a network storage device accessible by the user device associated with the eventgoer, the network storage device to receive the eventgoer visual media from the eventgoer photo network in response to receipt of a payment from the user device to the eventgoer photo network.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a printer to print the eventgoer visual media in response to receipt of payment information from the user device to the eventgoer photo network.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for event venue camera usage, the method comprising:

storing one or more reference photographs in a memory, the one or more reference photographs depicting at least a face of an eventgoer;

receiving sensor data from a collision camera located in an event venue during a sporting event;

detecting a collision involving a predetermined visually recognizable object in a performance area of the event venue based on computerized visual collision detection using the received sensor data, wherein the collision corresponds to a gameplay occurrence during the sporting event;

triggering capture of a performance visual media of the collision in the performance area of the event venue during the sporting event using a performance camera whose view includes at least a portion of the performance area;

triggering capture of an eventgoer visual media of an eventgoer area of the event venue using an eventgoer camera whose view includes at least a portion of the eventgoer area at a same time during the sporting event as the capture of the performance visual media of the collision, wherein the eventgoer camera is distinct from the performance camera, wherein the eventgoer area is distinct from the performance area;

recognizing that a face detected within the eventgoer visual media matches the face of the eventgoer depicted in the stored one or more reference photographs;

sending, to a user device associated with the eventgoer, a confirmation request that includes at least a subset of the eventgoer visual media and that requests a confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer;

receiving, from the user device, the confirmation that the face detected within the eventgoer visual media is the face of the eventgoer; and

transmitting the eventgoer visual media and the performance visual media to the user device associated with the eventgoer.