Sub-clustering photographs for a digital picture frame
A method for automated routing of pictures taken on mobile electronic devices to a digital picture frame including a camera integrated with the frame, and a network connection module allowing the frame for direct contact and upload of photos from electronic devices or from photo collections of community members. The integrated camera is used to automatically determine an identity of a frame viewer and can capture gesture-based feedback. The displayed photos are automatically shown and/or changed according to the detected viewers. The photos can be filtered and cropped at the receiver side. Clustering photos by content is used to improve display and to respond to photo viewer desires.
1. A method of displaying photos on a digital picture frame including a digital display mounted within a frame, and a network connection module, the method comprising:
automatically clustering photos within a digital photo collection into a plurality of sub-clusters, each for a corresponding common detected content in the photos selected from a person, a thing, a places, an activity, or combinations thereof, wherein each of the plurality of sub-clusters is formed for the corresponding common detected content of interest at a similar time and/or age;
extracting one or more photo features from the corresponding common detected content within the each of the sub-clusters of photos to form a cluster representation, wherein the photo features are predetermined as having the limited change over a timeframe;
comparing the cluster representation of the each of the sub-clusters to further cluster representations of other of the sub-clusters to determine related sub-clusters for the corresponding common detected content;
linking the related sub-clusters together to form a cluster of the corresponding common detected content for display; and
automatically displaying a slideshow on the digital display of the photos from the digital photo collection as a function of the clustering.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing metadata of the photos to identify or confirm the photos in the sub-clusters.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically clustering the photos of a preselected photographed person.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising automatically identifying the photographed person and/or clustering the photos by facial features.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising filtering clusters of photos as a function of quality and/or content, wherein photos of low quality or photos including predetermined people, activities, and/or locations are removed from the clusters.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cluster representation comprises a cluster centroid of averaged photo features within each of the plurality of sub-clusters, and further comprising:
comparing centroids between the plurality of sub-clusters to determine the related clusters; and
linking or grouping the related clusters for display as a function of similar centroids.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing clusters of photos across more than one digital photo collection over a network and sharing related clusters over the network for viewing on the digital picture frame.
8. A method of displaying photos on a digital picture frame including a digital display mounted within a frame, and a network connection module, the method comprising:
automatically clustering photos of a digital photo collection over a timeframe for display to the viewer, wherein the clustering comprises:
preparing a plurality of sub-clusters, each for a corresponding common detected content in the photos selected from a person, a thing, a places, an activity, or combinations thereof, wherein each of the plurality of sub-clusters is formed of the corresponding common detected content of interest at a similar time and/or age;
extracting one or more photo features from the corresponding common detected content within the each of the sub-clusters of photos to form a cluster representation, wherein the photo features are predetermined as having the limited change over a timeframe;
comparing the cluster representation of the each of the sub-clusters to further cluster representations of others of the sub-clusters to determine related sub-clusters for the corresponding common detected content;
linking the related sub-clusters together to form a cluster of the corresponding common detected content for display; and
automatically displaying a slideshow on the digital display of the photos from the digital photo collection as a function of the clustering.
9. The method of claim 8 , automatically clustering photos of a digital photo collection of the viewer stored on a viewer electronic device and of a second digital photo collection of a community member stored on a community member electronic device, wherein each of the viewer electronic device and the community member electronic device includes a digital picture frame interaction application that performs the clustering.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
ranking the photos to be circulated in the slideshow; and
automatically determining an order of presentation, a number of display repetitions, and/or a time period of display for each of the photos as function of the ranking.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising comparing metadata of the photos to identify or confirm related photo content.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising automatically clustering the photos of a preselected photographed person by predetermined facial features.
13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising filtering clusters of photos as a function of quality and/or content, wherein photos of low quality or photos including predetermined people, activities, and/or locations are removed from the clusters.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising comparing clusters of photos across more than one digital photo collection over a network and sharing related clusters over the network for viewing on the digital picture frame.
15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining whether a second digital photo collection includes a predetermined threshold of photos of an individual before displaying photos from the second digital photo collection.
16. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
downloading a digital picture frame interaction application to an electronic device of the viewer;
automatically scanning pictures of the electronic device with the downloaded digital picture frame interaction application; and
clustering photos of the electronic device according to content in the plurality of clusters within the digital picture frame interaction application.
17. A method of displaying photos on a digital picture frame including a digital display mounted within a frame, and a network connection module, the method comprising:
automatically clustering from a digital photo collection, via automated content recognition, photos over a multi-year timeframe of a content of interest to the viewer to obtain clustered photos of the content of interest, wherein the clustering comprises:
preparing a plurality of sub-clusters each including digital photos of the content of interest at a similar time and/or age;
extracting photo features within each of the plurality of sub-clusters that comprise a predetermined limited change over the timeframe to form a cluster representation of the content of interest;
comparing each cluster representation to further cluster representations of others of the plurality of sub-clusters to determine related clusters of the content of interest over the timeframe as a function of the cluster representation; and
linking or grouping related sub-clusters to form the clustered photos of the content of interest for display; and
automatically displaying on the digital display the clustered photos of the content of interest from the digital photo collection as a function of the clustering.
18. The digital picture frame of claim 17 , wherein the digital photo collection is determined from a viewer profile of the viewer and the digital picture frame automatically changes the display as a function of the viewer profile upon detection of the viewer through the camera.
19. The digital picture frame of claim 17 , further comprising:
automatically detecting via the camera a physical response from the viewer to one of the displayed photos, wherein the physical response is a hand gesture toward the digital picture frame while the one of the displayed photos is displayed on the digital display; and
assigning an interest level grade of the viewer to the one of the displayed photos as a function of the physical response hand gesture.
20. The digital picture frame of claim 17 , further comprising:
downloading a digital picture frame interaction application to an electronic device of the viewer;
automatically scanning pictures of the electronic device with the downloaded digital picture frame interaction application;
clustering photos of the first electronic device according to content in the plurality of sub-clusters within the digital picture frame interaction application.