IP Library Granted Patent US 9,942,473
Granted Patent B2
US 9,942,473 · App. 15/185,009 · Granted Apr 10, 2018

Apparatuses and methods for capture of expected data in visual media

Inventors: Gary D. Cudak (Wake Forest, NC); Shareef F. Alshinnawi (Apex, NC); Brian E. Finley (Allen, TX); David R. Kinnie (Rochester, MI); Marc K. Fisher (Austin, TX); Jamie Johnston (Austin, TX)
Assignee: LENOVO ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
H04N5/23222G06K9/18G06K9/3241H04N5/23293
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,942,473
App. No.
15/185,009
Granted
Apr 10, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for providing guidance for image capture includes a recognition module that recognizes data objects in data available to an image capture device. At least a portion of the data includes characters. The apparatus includes a context module that determines a context associated with a first image available from the image capture device. The context includes one or more expected data objects, where the first image includes at least a portion of the recognized data objects. The apparatus includes a data module that compares the expected data objects for the determined context, with the recognized data objects from the first image to identify missing expected data objects not found in the first image. The apparatus includes a guidance module that, in response to identified missing data, provides guidance for capturing a second image expected to include the missing expected data objects.

Claims (45)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a recognition module that recognizes data objects in data available to an image capture device, wherein at least a portion of the data comprises characters;

a context module that determines a context associated with a first image available from the image capture device, the context having one or more expected data objects, wherein the first image comprises at least a portion of the recognized data objects;

a data module that compares the expected data objects for the determined context, with the recognized data objects from the first image to identify missing expected data objects not found in the first image; and

a guidance module that, in response to identified missing data, provides guidance via one or more of an audio, graphical, or electronic interface of the image capture device for capturing a second image expected to include the missing expected data objects,

wherein said modules comprise one or more of a hardware circuit, a programmable hardware device and a processor executing code.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determined context is one of a plurality of contexts, each of the plurality of contexts comprising one or more expected data objects.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the determined context comprises a context of the plurality of contexts with a greatest number of expected data objects corresponding to the recognized data objects.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein one or more of the plurality of contexts comprise one or more of:

data previously captured by the image capture device, wherein the image capture device is used by a user;

data previously captured by another image capture device linked to the user of the image capture device; and

contexts associated with one or more of accounts and vendors associated with the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a storage module that temporarily stores the data available to the image capture device (“temporarily stored data”) for processing by the recognition module.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first image comprises a portion of the temporarily stored data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the data module further determines an expected location of missing expected data objects based on one or more of:

relative locations of recognized data objects within the temporarily stored data; and

relative locations of expected data objects to each other for the determined context.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the relative location of recognized data objects to each other is determined taking into account changes in image capture parameters occurring as the data is temporarily stored.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the temporarily stored data comprises relative locations of each of the data objects within the temporarily stored data, the relative locations of the data objects with respect to each other.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guidance module provides guidance comprising one or more of panning, zooming, lighting, and focusing, the guidance calculated to facilitate capturing the second image, based on an expected location of the missing expected data objects.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image comprises an image available in a viewer of the image capture device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the guidance module provides the guidance via the viewer of the image capture device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recognition module recognizes data objects in the data available to the image capture device using optical character recognition.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data available to the image capture device comprises one or more of image data, speech data, textual data, geographical data, and user data.

15. A method comprising:

recognizing data objects in data available to an image capture device, wherein at least a portion of the data comprises characters;

determining a context associated with a first image available from the image capture device, the context having one or more expected data objects, wherein the first image comprises at least a portion of the recognized data objects;

comparing the expected data objects for the determined context, with the recognized data objects from the first image to identify missing expected data objects not found in the first image; and

providing, in response to identified missing data, guidance via one or more of an audio, graphical, or electronic interface of the image capture device for capturing a second image expected to include the missing expected data objects.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the determined context is one of a plurality of contexts, each of the plurality of contexts comprising one or more expected data objects, wherein one or more of the plurality of contexts comprise one or more of:

data previously captured by the image capture device, wherein the image capture device is used by a user;

data previously captured by another image capture device linked to the user of the image capture device; and

contexts associated with one or more of accounts and vendors associated with the user.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the determined context comprises a context of the plurality of contexts with a greatest number of expected data objects corresponding to the recognized data objects.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining an expected location of the missing expected data objects by one or more of:

temporarily storing the data available to the image capture device (“temporarily stored data”), wherein relative locations of the recognized data objects within the temporarily stored data are used to determine the expected location of the missing expected data objects, and wherein the first image comprises a portion of the temporarily stored data; and

determining relative locations of expected data objects to each other from the determined context.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining an expected location of the missing expected data objects takes into account changes in image capture parameters occurring as the data is temporarily stored.

20. A system comprising:

an image capture device comprising a processor; and

a computer readable storage device in the image capture device comprising:

a recognition module that recognizes data objects in data available to the image capture device, wherein at least a portion of the data comprises characters;

a context module that determines a context associated with a first image available from the image capture device, the context having one or more expected data objects, wherein the first image comprises at least a portion of the recognized data objects;

a data module that compares the expected data objects for the determined context, with the recognized data objects from the first image to identify missing expected data objects not found in the first image; and

a guidance module that provides, in response to identified missing data, guidance via one or more of an audio, graphical, or electronic interface of the image capture device for capturing a second image expected to include the missing expected data objects.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 10, 2025
From: LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 069869/0614 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2019
From: LENOVO ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD.
To: LENOVO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL LTD
Reel/Frame 050310/0988 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 17, 2016
From: CUDAK, GARY D.; ALSHINNAWI, SHAREEF F.; FINLEY, BRIAN E.; KINNIE, DAVID R.; FISHER, MARC K.; JOHNSTON, JAMIE
To: LENOVO ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 038940/0215 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170366744A1 · Dec 21, 2017