Method and system for facilitating augmented reality environments through facial recognition

1 . A processor-implemented method comprising:

receiving, with at least one processor, a digital image of a face, wherein the face is associated with a first user;

processing, with the at least one processor, the digital image of the face of the first user to extract one or more features of the first user's face, wherein the one or more features are analyzed according to a facial recognition processing model;

associating, with the at least one processor, an output of the facial recognition processing model with a globally unique identifier in an application database, wherein the globally unique identifier is associated with a charitable fundraising campaign, wherein the charitable fundraising campaign is associated with the first user in the application database;

presenting, at a display of a smartphone comprising a camera, an instance of a mobile software application comprising a graphical user interface to a second user, wherein the display comprises a touch-screen interface;

scanning, with the camera of the smartphone, a live environment by the second user;

displaying, at the display of the smartphone, a real-time view of the live environment at the graphical user interface of the mobile software application;

processing, with the at least one processor in real-time, digital images received at the camera according to the facial recognition processing model,

wherein the facial recognition processing model is configured to recognize at least one face from the live environment and determine whether the at least one face comprises the first user's face; and

rendering, with the at least one processor via the instance of the mobile software application, a first graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment in response to determining the at least one face comprises the first user's face,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered in proximity to the first user's face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered at a position defined by a predetermined spatial offset relative to a facial bounding region of the first user's face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the facial bounding region is determined for each of the digital images received at the camera, and

wherein the first graphical element is responsive to maintain the predetermined spatial offset relative to the facial bounding region as the first user moves in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein, when a second face is detected in the real-time view of the live environment, the first graphical element continues to be rendered according to the facial bounding region of the first user's face unless the second user provides an input selecting the second face,

wherein the first graphical element comprises at least one embedded operation configured to command at least one function of the instance of the mobile software application in response to the second user tapping the first graphical element at the display of the smartphone,

wherein the first graphical element is configured according to an output of the facial recognition processing model.

2 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising rendering a second graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment, wherein the second graphical element comprises a graphical display of a fundraising total for the charitable fundraising campaign, wherein the fundraising total is determined by querying a transaction database storing donation transaction data for the charitable fundraising campaign executed via a payment gateway.

3 . The processor-implemented method of claim 2 further comprising updating the second graphical element in real-time to display a real-time fundraising total associated with the first user for the charitable fundraising campaign, wherein updating the second graphical element in real-time comprises updating the fundraising total in response to receiving transaction data from the payment gateway and storing the transaction data in the transaction database.

4 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 wherein, upon determining the at least one face comprises the first user's face, the first graphical element is configured to comprise a graphical display of a word or image personalized for the first user.

5 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising updating in real-time, with the at least one processor via the instance of the mobile software application, the first graphical element in response to recognizing a second or subsequent face from the digital images received at the camera.

6 . The processor-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the second or subsequent face is different from the first user's face.

7 . The processor-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising rendering a second graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment, wherein the second graphical element is rendered in proximity to a different face than the first user's face.

8 . A processor-implemented system comprising:

a smartphone comprising a camera and a touch-screen display; and

at least one server communicably engaged with the smartphone via a communications network, wherein the at least one server comprises at least one processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations comprising:

processing one or more digital images of one or more faces according to a facial recognition processing model to identify a first face;

associating the first face in the one or more faces with a globally unique identifier in an application database, wherein the globally unique identifier is associated with a charitable fundraising campaign stored in the application database;

providing a mobile software application to the smart phone, wherein the mobile software application comprises a graphical user interface comprising a real-time viewer for the camera, wherein the graphical user interface is rendered at the touch-screen display of the smartphone;

scanning a live environment with the camera of the smartphone;

displaying a real-time view of the live environment at the graphical user interface;

processing digital images from the real-time view of the live environment according to the facial recognition processing model, wherein the facial recognition processing model is configured to identify the first face from one or more faces present in the real-time view of the live environment; and

rendering a first graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment in response to identifying the first face from the digital images from the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered in proximity to the first face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered at a position defined by a predetermined spatial offset relative to a facial bounding region of the first face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the facial bounding region is determined for each of the digital images from the real-time view of the live environment, and

wherein the first graphical element is responsive to maintain the predetermined spatial offset relative to the facial bounding region as the first face moves in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein, when a second face is detected among the one or more faces present in the real-time view of the live environment, the first graphical element continues to be rendered according to the facial bounding region of the first face unless a user provides an input selecting the second face,

wherein the first graphical element comprises at least one embedded operation configured to command at least one function of the mobile software application in response to a user tapping the first graphical element at the touch-screen display of the smartphone,

wherein the first graphical element is configured according to an output of the facial recognition processing model.

9 . The processor-implemented system of claim 8 wherein the first graphical element comprises a graphical display of a fundraising total for the charitable fundraising campaign, wherein the fundraising total is stored in the application database, wherein the fundraising total is determined by querying a transaction database storing donation transaction data for the charitable fundraising campaign executed via a payment gateway.

10 . The processor-implemented system of claim 9 wherein the one or more operations further comprise updating the first graphical element in real-time to display a real-time fundraising total for the charitable fundraising campaign in the real-time view of the live environment, wherein updating the first graphical element in real-time comprises updating the fundraising total in response to receiving transaction data from the payment gateway and storing the transaction data in the transaction database.

11 . The processor-implemented system of claim 8 wherein the at least one function of the mobile software application comprises rendering a payment form for the charitable fundraising campaign at the graphical user interface in response to the user tapping the first graphical element, wherein rendering the payment form comprises rendering the payment form within the instance of the mobile software application at the touch-screen display; and wherein the payment form is pre-associated with the globally unique identifier for the charitable fundraising campaign.

12 . The processor-implemented system of claim 8 wherein the one or more operations further comprise rendering a second graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment in response to the facial recognition processing model identifying a second or subsequent face in the real-time view of the live environment.

13 . The processor-implemented system of claim 12 wherein the one or more operations further comprise determining whether the second or subsequent face is associated with a second or subsequent charitable fundraising campaign stored in the application database.

14 . The processor-implemented system of claim 8 wherein the at least one embedded operation comprises a hyperlink configured to render a transaction form associated with the charitable fundraising campaign, wherein the hyperlink comprises the globally unique identifier.

15 . A processor-implemented method comprising:

providing, with at least one processor, an end user application comprising an augmented reality interface to a smartphone comprising a camera and a touch-screen display,

scanning a live environment with the camera of the smartphone;

displaying a real-time view of the live environment at the augmented reality interface;

processing, with the at least one processor, images received from the real-time view of the live environment according to a facial recognition processing model, wherein the facial recognition processing model is configured to identify a first face from one or more faces present in the real-time view of the live environment; and

rendering a first graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment in response to identifying the first face from the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered in proximity to the first face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the first graphical element is rendered at a position defined by a predetermined spatial offset relative to a facial bounding region of the first face in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein the facial bounding region is determined for each of the images received from the real-time view of the live environment, and

wherein the first graphical element is responsive to maintain the predetermined spatial offset relative to the facial bounding region as the first face moves in the real-time view of the live environment,

wherein, when a second face is detected among the one or more faces present in the real-time view of the live environment, the first graphical element continues to be rendered according to the facial bounding region of the first face unless a user provides an input selecting the second face,

wherein the first graphical element comprises at least one embedded operation configured to command at least one function of the end user application in response to a user tapping the first graphical element at the touch-screen display of the smartphone,

wherein the first graphical element is configured according to an output of the facial recognition processing model.

16 . The processor-implemented method of claim 15 wherein the first graphical element comprises a graphical display of a fundraising total for a charitable fundraising campaign, wherein the fundraising total is determined by querying a transaction database storing donation transaction data for the charitable fundraising campaign executed via a payment gateway.

17 . The processor-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising updating, with the at least one processor via the end user application, the first graphical element in real-time to display a real-time fundraising total for the charitable fundraising campaign in the real-time view of the live environment, wherein updating the first graphical element in real-time comprises updating the fundraising total in response to receiving transaction data from the payment gateway and storing the transaction data in the transaction database.

18 . The processor-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising rendering in real-time, with the at least one processor via the end user application, a second graphical element in the real-time view of the live environment in response to identifying a second or subsequent face in the real-time view of the live environment.

19 . The processor-implemented method of claim 18 further comprising determining, with the at least one processor, whether the second or subsequent face is associated with a second or subsequent charitable fundraising campaign stored in the application database.

20 . The processor-implemented method of claim 15 wherein the at least one embedded operation comprises a hyperlink configured to render a transaction form associated with the charitable fundraising campaign at the touch-screen display of the smartphone.