Locating objects using images from portable devices

• US 9,734,411 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Briggs, Simon A. S., Hook, James K., Hunt, Hamish C., Lincoln, Nicholas K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US15/254,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• 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 assists in locating objects using their images. One or more processors receive a set of one or more machine readable reference images of an object, and then distribute the set of one or more machine readable reference images to a plurality of computing devices, where each computing device from the plurality of computing devices is capable of capturing an image. Each computing device from the plurality of computing devices captures a set of one or more images. For each set of one or more images in each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, machine logic within each computing device determines whether each set of one or more images includes an image portion corresponding to the object.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method comprising:

receiving a set of one or more machine readable reference images of an object;

specifying use of a plurality of computing devices according to profiles of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the profiles identify a level of trustworthiness and a physical location of each of the plurality of computing devices;

distributing the set of one or more machine readable reference images to the plurality of computing devices, wherein each computing device from the plurality of computing devices is capable of capturing an image;

capturing, by each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, a set of one or more images;

for each set of one or more images in each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, determining, by machine logic within said each computing device, whether said each set of one or more images includes an image portion corresponding to the object;

in response to a determination that any of the one or more images captured by the plurality of computing devices includes an image of 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 a local physical device, one or more of the stored images associated with the object to determine a location of the lost object.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a user input requesting a search for the object, wherein determining whether said each set of one or more images includes the image portion corresponding to the object is in response to said receiving the user input requesting the search for the object.

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

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

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

4. The processor-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

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

wherein;

the set of one or more images is associated with the identifier; and

the one or more images from the set of one or more images are determined to be reviewed based on the identifier that is associated with the object.

5. The processor-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the one or more images comprises a portion of video.

6. The processor-implemented 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 the 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 processor-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification metrics and stored images cannot be viewed on one or more remote physical devices.

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

in response to the object being lost by a user, 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 processor-implemented 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 processor-implemented method as claimed in claim 1, wherein identification metrics associated with the one or more reference images of the object shared with the one or more remote physical devices are reference images of the object.

11. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to receive a set of one or more machine readable reference images of an object;

program instructions to specify use of a plurality of computing devices according to profiles of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the profiles identify a level of trustworthiness and a physical location of each of the plurality of computing devices;

program instructions to distribute the set of one or more machine readable reference images to a plurality of computing devices, wherein each computing device from the plurality of computing devices is capable of capturing an image;

program instructions to capture, by each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, a set of one or more images;

program instructions to, for each set of one or more images in each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, determine, by machine logic within said each computing device, whether said each set of one or more images includes an image portion corresponding to the object;

program instructions to, in response to a determination that any of the one or more images captured by the plurality of computing devices includes an image of the object, store one or more of the one or more images as stored images and to associate the stored images with the object; and

program instructions to, in response to the object being lost by a user, review one or more of the stored images associated with the object to determine a location of the lost object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions to receive a user input requesting a search for the object, wherein determining whether said each set of one or more images includes the image portion corresponding to the object is in response to said receiving the user input requesting the search for the object.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions to capture, by a local physical device, one or more images on an area of a user interface in which the object may be located; and

program instructions to determine, by the local physical device and using identification metrics associated with one or more reference images of the object with one or more remote physical devices, whether any of the one or more images captured includes the object.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

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

wherein;

the set of one or more images is associated with the identifier; and

the one or more images from the set of one or more images are determined to be reviewed based on the identifier that is associated with the object.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the one or more of the one or more images comprises a portion of video.

16. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to receive a set of one or more machine readable reference images of an object;

program instructions to specify use of a plurality of computing devices according to profiles of the plurality of computing devices, wherein the profiles identify a level of trustworthiness and a physical location of each of the plurality of computing devices;

program instructions to distribute the set of one or more machine readable reference images to a plurality of computing devices, wherein each computing device from the plurality of computing devices is capable of capturing an image;

program instructions to capture, by each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, a set of one or more images;

program instructions to, for each set of one or more images in each computing device from the plurality of computing devices, determine, by machine logic within said each computing device, whether said each set of one or more images includes an image portion corresponding to the object;

program instructions to, in response to a determination that any of the one or more images captured by the plurality of computing devices includes an image of the object, store one or more of the one or more images as stored images and to associate the stored images with the object; and

program instructions to, in response to the object being lost by a user, review one or more of the stored images associated with the object to determine a location of the lost object.

17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

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

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

18. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

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

program instructions to, 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, transmit a message to the local physical device indicating that an image of the lost object has been captured.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the one or more remote physical devices is selected from one or more groups of the one or more remote physical devices.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein identification metrics associated with the one or more reference images of the object shared with the one or more remote physical devices are reference images of the object.