Digital Image Search System And Method

• US 20140079298A1
• Filed: 09/07/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: FaceDouble Incorporated
• Inventors: Shah, Alex, Myers, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,223,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

A method and system for of identifying an unknown individual from a digital image is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the present invention allows an individual to photograph a facial image an unknown individual, transfer that facial image to a server for processing into a feature vector, and then search social networking Web sites to obtain information on the unknown individual. The Web sites comprise myspace.com, facebook.com, linkedin.com, www.hi5.com, www.bebo.com, www.friendster.com, www.igoogle.com, netlog.com, and orkut.com. A method of networking is also disclosed. A method for determining unwanted individuals on a social networking website is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for utilizing facial recognition technology for identifying an unknown individual from a digital image, the system comprising:

a server configured to acquire an unknown facial image of an individual transmitted from a sender over a network to the server, the server configured to analyze the facial image to determine if the unknown facial image is acceptable, the server configured to process the unknown facial image to create a processed image, the server configured to compare the processed image to a plurality of database processed images, the server configured to match the processed image to a database processed image of the plurality of database processed images to create matched images, wherein the database processed image is a facial image of the individual from the individual'"'"'s Web page of a Web site, the Web page containing personal information of the individual and a uniform resource locator for the Web page, and the server configured to transmit the database processed image, the personal information of the individual and the uniform resource locator for the Web page to the sender over the network.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the Web site is a publicly available Web site.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the personal information of the individual comprises the individual'"'"'s name, address, telephone number, email address, age, school, friends, favorite entertainments and/or favorite foods.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein acquiring an unknown facial image of an individual comprises photographing the individual with a camera phone.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the processed image is processed as a primary feature vector and the plurality of database processed images is a plurality of database feature vectors, and wherein comparing the processed image to a plurality of database processed images comprises comparing the primary feature vector to each of the plurality of database feature vectors.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the primary feature vector and each of the plurality of database feature vectors are based on a plurality of factors comprising facial expression, hair style, hair color, facial pose, eye color, texture of the face, local feature analysis, eigenfaces, principle component analysis, color of the face and facial hair.

7. The system according to claim 1 further comprising crawling a plurality of Web sites for images of individuals to process each of the images to add to the databases of processed images, each of the images of the databases of processed images having a tag for linking to the Web site pertaining to the image.

8. A system for utilizing facial recognition technology for networking, the system comprising:

a server;

a network;

a plurality of publicly accessible websites;

wherein the server is configured to identify a first photograph or first video with images of a plurality of primary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to generate a plurality of feature vectors for each of the primary individuals of the plurality of primary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to determine an entity to create a network of contact individuals to link to the entity from a main primary individual of the plurality of primary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to search the plurality of publicly accessible websites comprising a plurality of digital images or digital videos of secondary individuals and primary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to identify a digital image or digital video of secondary individuals and primary individuals containing at least one primary individual of the plurality of primary individuals based on the plurality of feature vectors for the at least one individual;

wherein the server is configured to generate a link from the at least one primary individual of the plurality of primary individuals to the at least one secondary individual of the plurality of secondary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to generate a plurality of feature vectors for the at least one secondary individual of the plurality of secondary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to search over the network the plurality of publicly accessible websites for a digital image or digital video of the at least one secondary individual and at least one of a plurality of tertiary individuals;

wherein the server is configured to create a link from the main primary individual of the plurality of primary individuals to the at least one primary individual of the plurality of primary individuals to the at least one secondary individual to plurality of tertiary individuals to the entity by searching the plurality of publicly accessible websites for images of a previously identified individual based on the generation of a plurality of feature vectors for the previously identified individual and then linking that previously identified individual to a subsequent individual to form the link.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the plurality of feature vectors are based on a plurality of factors comprising facial expression, hair style, hair color, facial pose, eye color, local feature analysis, eigenfaces, principle component analysis, texture of the face, color of the face and facial hair.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the entity is the president of a corporation or an investor.

11. The system according to claim 8 wherein the entity is a company.

12. The system according to claim 8 wherein the main primary individual only knows the plurality of primary individuals, and the plurality of secondary individuals and plurality of tertiary individuals are all strangers to the main primary individual

13. The system according to claim 8 wherein the link from the main individual to the entity comprises at least five individuals.