METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE EXISTENCE OF AT LEAST ONE OBJECT IN AN IMAGE

• US 20190361931A1
• Filed: 08/09/2019
• Published: 11/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angel Technologies Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Angel Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Frigon, Mark Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 10,628,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A system, computer program, and method for storing and sharing images such as photographs via a communications network (16) and for permitting the identification of objects within the images. The invention allows the identification of objects such as persons within the photos without requiring the person submitting the photos to type in identification information for each and every photo in a photo album. The invention also allows users to automatically share their photos with others and to automatically search for photos and/or certain people in photos.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining information relating to an existence of at least one object in an image comprising:

obtaining image data comprising at least one object;

obtaining identifying information from a user wherein said identifying information relates to an existence of said at least one object in said image data;

storing identifying information associated with said image data; and

presenting said identifying information to said user upon selection of at least one of said at least one object and said one image data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said image data comprises a photograph.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said at least one object comprises a subset of said photograph.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said subset represents a person.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said subset represents a tangible object.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said subset represents a set of coordinates bound within said image data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said obtaining identifying information from said user further comprises:

presenting at a client computer an interface to said user to collect said identifying information;

providing said identifying information to a server system via an interconnection fabric.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said server system comprises a plurality of computers connected to said interconnection fabric.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating said identifying information with coordinates of said at least one object, wherein said coordinates identify a location of said at least one object in said image data.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting said identification information from a list.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

said identifying information identifying at least one attribute of said at least one object within said image.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one attribute comprises a name associated with said at least one object.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one attribute comprises an electronic mail address associated with said at least one object.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one attribute comprises a network address associated with said at least one object.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one attribute comprises contact information associated with at least on object.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of displaying said naming information further comprises visually accentuating said at least one object upon selection of said location.

16. A method for displaying information about the existence of at least one object in at least one image comprising:

obtaining a request for image data;

obtaining said image data in response to said request;

obtaining naming information associated with said at least one object wherein said naming information is supplied by a providing user;

displaying said image data and said naming information to a receiving user initiating said request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said naming information is further associated with coordinates of said at least one image, wherein said coordinates identify a location of said at least one object in said image data.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

obtaining input from said receiving user, said input comprising selecting a location of at least one object in said image data and displaying said naming information to said receiving user upon selection of said location.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

said identifying information identifying at least one attribute of said at least one object within said image.

21-77. -77. (canceled)