Consolidating information relating to duplicate images

• US 8,774,561 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Martin, Timothy B., Lindley, Gregory Charles, Wojtyna, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Heidemann, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/873,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20120051668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/162 Delete operations erasing in storage systems G06F3/0652
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/022 Electronic editing of analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for resolving duplicate images. In one aspect, a method includes obtaining a selection of a single image from among a plurality of duplicate images. Each duplicate image has an associated set of metadata. The method also includes aggregating each set of metadata into aggregated information, and storing the selected image together with the aggregated information on data storage accessible to a data processing apparatus.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying, in a user interface, a plurality of duplicate images, wherein each duplicate image includes associated metadata comprising one or more image attributes;

obtaining a selection of a single image from among the plurality of duplicate images;

generating, for the selected image, aggregated information based on the metadata associated with the plurality of duplicate images, wherein the aggregated information includes one or more aggregated attributes, at least one aggregated attribute generated based on image attributes that are associated with at least two of the duplicate images and are of a same type; and

storing the selected image together with the aggregated information on data storage accessible to the data processing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an image attribute includes one of:

an image label;

an acquisition time;

an acquisition geo-location;

a time when the duplicate image was modified;

identity of faces depicted in the duplicate image;

an address of a network location to which the image has been uploaded; and

information including an adjustment that was applied to the image, and a time when the adjustment was applied.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an aggregated attribute corresponding to a respective image attribute comprises a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, wherein the primary attribute and the set of additional attributes associated with a same aggregated attribute include information of a same type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more aggregated attributes includes a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, the method comprising:

organizing the stored image along with other non-duplicate images on the data storage based on the primary attributes of the one or more aggregated attributes associated with the stored image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the organizing comprises at least one of sorting, grouping, joining or classifying.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more aggregated attributes includes a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, the method comprising:

providing, to a user, a report of activity related to the stored image based on information corresponding to the sets of additional attributes of the one or more aggregated attributes associated with the stored image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more aggregated attributes includes a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, and wherein the aggregating comprises:

assigning, as the primary attribute of an aggregated attribute, an image attribute of one of the duplicate images based on an assignment rule; and

forming the set of additional attributes of the aggregated attribute using image attributes of the remaining duplicate images that include information of a same type as the primary attribute.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the assignment rule comprises mapping a image attribute of the selected image to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute, wherein the image attribute of the selected image includes information of a same type as the aggregated attribute.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the assignment rule comprises mapping, to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute, a image attribute of one of the duplicate images that was selected by a user associated with the data storage, wherein the mapped image attribute of the duplicate image includes information of a same type as the aggregated attribute.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the assignment rule comprises mapping a image attribute of an earliest duplicate image to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute, wherein the mapped image attribute of the earliest duplicate image includes information of a same type as the aggregated attribute.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the assignment rule comprises mapping a image attribute of a latest duplicate image to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute, wherein the mapped image attribute of the latest duplicate image includes information of a same type as the aggregated attribute.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the assignment rule comprises mapping a image attribute that is not null to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute, wherein the mapped image attribute that is not null includes information of a same type as the aggregated attribute.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein an aggregated attribute includes address of a network location at which the selected image is available, the method comprising:

mapping the address of the network location at which the selected image is available to the primary attribute of the aggregated attribute associated with the selected image; and

mapping additional addresses of network locations associated with unselected duplicate images to additional attributes of the aggregated attribute associated with the selected image.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the plurality of duplicate images except for the selected image.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the selection of the single image comprises:

suggesting, by the data processing apparatus and to a user associated with the data processing apparatus, the single image from among the plurality of duplicate images; and

selecting the suggested single image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining the selection of the single image comprises:

receiving an indication of selection of the single image from a user associated with the data storage.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein an aggregated attribute is generated by consolidating information provided by image attributes that are of same type as the aggregated attribute and are associated with at least two of the duplicate images.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein information provided by the image attributes associated with the aggregated attribute are of a different type from information provided by image attributes that are not associated with the aggregated attribute.

19. A non-transitory computer storage device encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

displaying, in a user interface, a plurality of duplicate images, wherein each duplicate image includes associated metadata comprising one or more image attributes;

obtaining a selection of a single image from among the plurality of duplicate images;

generating, for the selected image, aggregated information based on the metadata associated with the plurality of duplicate images, wherein the aggregated information includes one or more aggregated attributes, at least one aggregated attribute generated based on image attributes that are associated with at least two of the duplicate images and are of a same type;

storing the selected image together with the aggregated information on data storage accessible to the data processing apparatus; and

discarding the duplicate images except for the selected image.

20. The computer storage device of claim 19, wherein an aggregated attribute corresponding to a respective image attribute comprises a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, wherein the primary attribute and the set of additional attributes associated with a same aggregated attribute include information of a same type, and wherein generating the aggregated information comprises:

assigning, as the primary attribute of an aggregated attribute, an image attribute of one of the duplicate images based on an assignment rule; and

forming the set of additional attributes of the aggregated attribute using image attributes of the remaining duplicate images that include information of a same type as the primary attribute.

21. A system comprising:

data storage configured to store frames; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled with the data storage and configured to perform operations comprising;

displaying, in a user interface, a plurality of duplicate frames stored on the data storage, wherein each duplicate frame includes associated metadata comprising one or more frame attributes;

obtaining a selection of a single frame from among the plurality of duplicate frames;

generating, for the selected frame, aggregated information based on the metadata associated with the plurality of duplicate frames, wherein the aggregated information includes one or more aggregated attributes, at least one aggregated attribute generated based on frame attributes that are associated with at least two of the duplicate frames and are of a same type, wherein an aggregated attribute corresponding to a respective frame attribute comprises a primary attribute and a set of additional attributes, wherein the primary attribute and the set of additional attributes associated with a same aggregated attribute include information of a same type, and wherein generating the aggregated information comprises;

assigning as the primary attribute of an aggregated attribute, a frame attribute of one of the duplicate frames based on an assignment rule; and

forming the set of additional attributes of the aggregated attribute using frame attributes of the remaining duplicate frames that include information of a same type as the primary attribute;

storing the selected frame together with the aggregated information on the data storage; and

discarding the plurality of duplicate frames except for the selected frame.