LOCATING OBJECTS USING IMAGES FROM PORTABLE DEVICES

• US 20150063711A1
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hook, James K., Briggs, Simon A. S., Hunt, Hamish C., Lincoln, Nicholas K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,519,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

A method and/or computer program product assists in locating objects using a local physical device and one or more remote physical devices having image capture capability. A local physical device captures one or more reference images of an object, and shares identification metrics associated with one or more reference images of the object with one or more of the remote physical devices. One or more remote physical devices captures one or more images of an area in which the object may be located, and determines, using the identification metrics, whether any of the images captured includes the object. In response to a determination that any of the images captured includes the object, those images are stored and associated with the object. In response to the object being lost by a user, the local physical device reviews the stored images to determine a location of the lost object.

Claims

1. A method for assisting in locating objects using a local physical device and one or more remote physical devices, the local physical device and the one or more remote physical devices having image capture capability, the method comprising:

capturing, by the local physical device, one or more reference images of an object;

sharing, by the local physical device, identification metrics associated with one or more reference images of the object with one or more of the remote physical devices;

capturing, by the one or more of the remote physical devices, one or more images of an area in which the object may be located;

determining, by one or more of the one or more remote physical devices and using the identification metrics, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object;

in response to a determination that any of the one or more images captured includes the object, storing one or more of the one or more images as stored images, and associating the stored images with the object; and

in response to the object being lost by a user, reviewing, by the local physical device, one or more of the stored images associated with the object to determine a location of the lost object.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, by the local physical device, one or more images of an area in which the object may be located; and

determining, by the local physical device and using the identification metrics, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

assigning an identifier to captured one or more images of the object, the identifier being associated with the object; and

wherein;

the stored images are associated with the identifier; and

the one or more of the stored images to be reviewed are determined using the assigned identifier.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the one or more images stored comprises a portion of video.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storing step also associates a time with the one or more of the one or more images to be stored.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

in further response to the object being lost, determining, by the local physical device and in real time, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the lost object; and

in response to determining that one or more images captured includes the lost object, transmitting a message indicating that an image of the lost object has been captured.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification metrics cannot be viewed on the one or more remote physical devices.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the object being lost by a user, the one or more remote physical devices determining in real time whether any of the one or more images captured includes the lost object; and

in response to the one or more remote physical devices determining in real time that any of the one or more images captured includes the lost object, transmitting a message to the local physical device indicating that an image of the lost object has been captured.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more remote physical devices is selected from one or more groups of the one or more remote physical devices.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification metrics associated with the one or more reference images of the object shared with the one or more remote physical devices are the reference images of the object.

11. A system for use with a local physical device and one or more remote physical devices, the local physical device and the one or more remote physical devices having image capture capability, for assisting in locating objects, the system comprising:

a local physical device having;

an image capture portion for capturing one or more reference images of the object;

a communication portion for sending identification metrics associated with the one or more reference images of the object with one or more of the remote physical devices and for receiving one or more images of an area around the one or more remote physical devices associated with the object from the one or more remote physical devices; and

wherein the one or more images of the area are stored images

a review portion for reviewing one or more stored images associated with the object to determine the location of the lost object, the one or more stored images being captured by the one or more remote physical devices; and

one or more remote physical devices having;

an image capture portion for capturing one or more images of an area around the one or more remote physical devices;

a comparison portion for determining using the one or more reference images, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object and responsive to a determination that any of the one or more images captured includes the object, storing one or more of the one or more images as stored images and associating the stored images with the object; and

a communication portion for receiving identification metrics and sending one or more images of an area around the one or more remote physical devices associated with the object.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the image capture portion of the local physical device captures one or more images of an area in which the object may be located and determines, using the identification metrics, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an identifier associated with the captured one or more images of the object, the identifier being associated with the object;

and

wherein;

the stored images are associated with the identifier; and

one or more of the stored images to be reviewed are determined using the assigned identifier.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stored images comprises a portion of video.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the comparison portion associates a time with the stored images.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein further responsive to the object being lost, the local physical device determines in real time whether any of the one or more images captured includes the lost object and responsive to the determination, indicates that an image of the lost object has been captured.

17. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stored images cannot be viewed on the one or more remote physical devices.

18. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein further responsive to the object being lost, the one or more remote physical devices determine in real time whether any of the one or more images captured includes the lost object and responsive to the determination, indicate to the local physical device that an image of the lost object has been captured.

19. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the identification metrics associated with the one or more reference images of the object shared with the one or more remote physical devices are the reference images of the object.

20. A computer program product for assisting in locating objects using a local physical device and one or more remote physical devices, the local physical device and the one or more remote physical devices having image capture capability, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, and wherein the program code is readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

capturing, by the local physical device, one or more reference images of an object;

sharing, by the local physical device, identification metrics associated with one or more reference images of the object with one or more of the remote physical devices;

capturing, by the one or more of the remote physical devices, one or more images of an area in which the object may be located;

determining, by one or more of the one or more remote physical devices and using the identification metrics, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object;

in response to a determination that any of the one or more images captured includes the object, storing one or more of the one or more images as stored images, and associating the stored images with the object; and

in response to the object being lost by a user, reviewing, by the local physical device, one or more of the stored images associated with the object to determine a location of the lost object.