Photo automatic linking system and method for accessing, linking, and visualizing “key-face” and/or multiple similar facial images along with associated electronic data via a facial image recognition search engine
View Patent ↗A system for accessing multiple similar key-face images and associated electronic data by providing an image containing a face, the system including a means for capturing an image containing a face, a means for transmitting said image to a facial image recognition search engine. The engine includes a means to receive said image, a means of extracting a facial image from the captured image, a web crawler or spider configured to seek “best-fit” matching facial images disposed on the internet, a means to access said facial image's “best-fit” matching facial images and associated electronic data with each “best-fit” image, a means to transmit said “best-fit” matching facial images and associated data to a display unit, and a mirror imaging device configured to superimpose at least one “best-fit” image on an other facial image, wherein at least one of the images is semi-transparent such that both can be seen superimposed simultaneously.
1. A system for accessing multiple similar key-face images and associated electronic data by providing an image containing a face, the system comprising:
a means for capturing an image containing a face;
a means for transmitting said image to a facial image recognition search engine to find images of different faces with “best-fit” matching facial images, wherein the engine comprises:
a means to receive said image;
a means of extracting a facial image from the captured image,
a web crawler or spider configured to seek said “best-fit” matching facial images disposed on the internet;
a means to access said facial image's “best-fit” matching facial images and associated electronic data with each “best-fit” image;
a means to transmit said “best-fit” matching facial images and associated data to a display unit;
a mirror imaging device comprising a projected semi-transparent mirror with a back and a reflective front configured to superimpose at least one “best-fit” image on an other facial image, wherein at least one of the images is semi-transparent such that both can be seen superimposed simultaneously;
wherein at least one “best-fit” match is projected onto the back and is visible from the front, and wherein an operator can see both the operator's reflection and the at least one “best-fit” match simultaneously on the front, thereby enabling the operator to mimic the at least one “best-fit” match.
2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said image containing a face is captured from at least one selected from the group consisting of visual entity, sensor entity, printed material, electronic display unit, electronic message packets, and projected visual information.
3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for capturing an image containing a face is at least one selected from the group consisting of camera, scanner, sensor, frame-buffer utilities, network utilities, and Computer Input Devices.
4. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means for capturing an image and means for transmitting said image to a facial image recognition search engine or to a database comprise a Communicable-Imaging Device.
5. A system according to claim 4 wherein said Communicable-Imaging device comprises processing means which perform facial image recognition search engine and facial matching functions to process said captured image.
6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said display unit comprises display processing that is at least one selected from the group consisting of opaque, semi-transparent, fading, morphing, blinking, overlapping, mirroring, adjacent, superimposing, time-sequencing, warping, distorting, scaling, coloring, highlighting, and grouping said facial images.
7. A system according to claim 1 wherein said facial image recognition search engine comprises processing means which perform facial image recognition functions and facial matching functions to process said captured image.
8. A system according to claim 1 wherein Boolean expressions are used with narrowing parameters in a search of the associated electronic data to narrow said matching process.
9. A system according to claim 8 wherein narrowing parameters are at least one selected from the group consisting of search category, alphanumeric boundaries, textual description, strings, wildcards, time, and location.
10. A system according to claim 1 wherein related information found on the internet about said associated data is presented on the display.
11. A system according to claim 1 wherein a hyperlink to a source of the related information is displayed.
12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the other facial image is the facial image from the captured image.
13. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the other facial image is an operator's facial image in real time video.
14. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the other facial image is a second image of the operator captured subsequent to transmission of the “best-fit” facial image to the display.
15. A system according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one “best-fit” facial image is scaled to match a size of the operator's reflection.
16. The system according to claim 1 , further comprises a means to scale at least one of one of said “best-fit” matching images and a feature within the at least one of said “best-fit” matching images to match a scale of an other, independent facial image.
17. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the facial image further comprises at least one of other body parts, and other objects.
18. A method of extracting similar images and electronic data from a database by providing an facial image captured by capturing means, wherein said method comprises:
providing computer coded facial images stored on the database and further linked to electronic data;
entering a captured image of a face not stored on the database;
performing facial image recognition functions for “best-fit” matching of said captured image to said computer coded images stored on the database;
linking said captured images to said “best-fit” matched similar facial images and linked electronic data;
displaying the “best-fit” matched facial images on the display unit; and
displaying a real time image of an operator's face on the display unit, thereby enabling the operator to generate a mirror image of the “best-fit” facial image on the operator's face with a mirror imaging device comprising a projected semi-transparent mirror with a back and a reflective front configured to superimpose at least one “best-fit” image on the real time image of the operator's face wherein at least one of the images is semi-transparent such that both can be seen superimposed simultaneously and at least one “best-fit” match is projected onto the back and is visible from the front, and wherein an operator can see both the operator's reflection and the at least one “best-fit” match simultaneously on the front, thereby enabling the operator to mimic the at least one “best-fit” match.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the real time image of the operator on the display is superimposed on at least one “best-fit” match such that the operator can see both images simultaneously.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the display unit alternates between displaying the real time image of the operator and at least one “best-fit” match in a same location.
21. The method of claim 18 , wherein stored facial images are stored as key-faces.
22. The method according to 18 , wherein the linked electronic data is used to search the internet for information related to the at least one “best-fit” match, and wherein related information found on the internet is displayed on the display.
23. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the linked electronic data comprises an alphanumeric identifier used to search the Internet for information associated with said alphanumeric identifier.
24. The method according to 23 , wherein a hyperlink to a source of the related information is displayed on the display unit.