Context aware input system for focus control

1. A method for controlling a focus operation for an image-capturing device, the method comprising:

receiving, using a computing device processor, a focus instruction, wherein the focus instruction describes an object of focus;

sending, using a computing device processor, first context data to an external system, wherein the first context data comprises a location of the image-capturing device;

in response to sending first context data to the external system, receiving, using a computing device processor, second context data from the external system, wherein the second context data comprises social network data associated with the object of focus;

identifying, using a computing device processor, the object of focus based on the received second context data; and

determining, using a computing device processor, a focus distance based on the identified object.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing an image or a stream of images based on the determined focus distance.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sending step comprises:

determining whether the object of focus can be identified based on the focus instruction and based on data stored in the image-capturing device; and

in response to determining the object of focus cannot be identified based on the focus instruction and based on data stored in the image-capturing device, sending the first context data to the external system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying step comprises identifying the object of focus based on both the first context data and the second context data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the focus instruction comprises at least one of a voice instruction received at a microphone associated with the image-capturing device or a text-based instruction received at the image-capturing device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the object of focus comprises at least one of a living entity or a non-living entity.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first context data comprises data associated with at least one of: the focus instruction, date, time, weather, intensity of light, one or more image frames to be captured by the image-capturing device, or one or more images previously captured by the image-capturing device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the location of the image-capturing device is determined using at least one of a cell site identification system or a global positioning system (GPS).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second context data associated with the object of focus comprises biometric data.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the social network data comprises at least one of textual data, photographic data, or video data, and wherein the social network data may be searched based on the local context data.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the biometric data is at least one of extracted from the social network data or is obtained separately from the social network data.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the image-capturing device or the external system analyzes at least one of the biometric data or the social network data with respect to the first context data in order to identify the object of focus.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining at least one of a location of the image-capturing device or a time of day associated with receiving the focus instruction;

determining at least one of whether an object has previously been present in a vicinity of the image-capturing device at or around the same time of day or whether the object has previously been captured by the image-capturing device at or around the same location of the image-capturing device; and

in response to determining the object has previously been present in the vicinity of the image-capturing device at or around the same time of day or the object has previously been captured by the image-capturing device at or around the same location of the image-capturing device, determining that the object is the object of focus.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second context data is stored in the image-capturing device, and wherein the second context data further comprises data regarding other objects in an image-frame.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external system comprises an external datastore, and wherein the first context data is a query to search data associated with the external datastore.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying, based at least partially on accessing at least one of the first context data or the second context data, the focus distance when the object of focus moves from a first position to a second position.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying, based at least partially on accessing at least one of the first context data or the second context data, the focus distance based on a facial movement associated with the object of focus.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image-capturing device is part of a portable mobile communication device.

19. An image-capturing device comprising:

a memory;

a processor;

a module, stored in the memory and executable by the processor, configured to:

receive a focus instruction, wherein the focus instruction describes an object of focus;

send first context data to an external system, wherein the first context data comprises a location of the image-capturing device;

in response to sending first context data to the external system, receive second context data from the external system, wherein the second context data comprises social network data associated with the object of focus;

identify the object of focus based on the received second context data; and

determine a focus distance based on the identified object.

20. A computer program product for controlling a focus operation for an image-capturing device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code configured to:

receive a focus instruction, wherein the focus instruction describes an object of focus;

send first context data to an external system, wherein the first context data comprises a location of the image-capturing device;

in response to sending first context data to the external system, receive second context data from the external system, wherein the second context data comprises social network data associated with the object of focus;

identify the object of focus based on the received second context data; and

determine a focus distance based on the identified object.