IP Library Granted Patent US 8,891,907
Granted Patent B2
US 8,891,907 · App. 13/693,665 · Granted Nov 18, 2014

System and method of identifying visual objects

Inventors: David Petrou (Brooklyn, NY); Matthew Bridges (New Providence, NJ); Shailesh Nalawadi (Morgan Hill, CA); Hartwig Adam (Marina del Rey, CA); Matthew R. Casey (San Francisco, CA); Hartmut Neven (Malibu, CA); Andrew Harp (New York, NY)
Assignee: Google Inc.
G06F17/30244G06K9/4652H04N5/225G06K9/3258G06K9/00993G06K9/228G06K9/6271G06K9/00671G06K9/78G06F3/048
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,891,907
App. No.
13/693,665
Filed
Dec 4, 2012
Granted
Nov 18, 2014
Kind
B2
Examiner
DANG, DUY M
Art Unit
2667
USPC
382/305
Abstract

A system and method of identifying objects is provided. In one aspect, the system and method includes a hand-held device with a display, camera and processor. As the camera captures images and displays them on the display, the processor compares the information retrieved in connection with one image with information retrieved in connection with subsequent images. The processor uses the result of such comparison to determine the object that is likely to be of greatest interest to the user. The display simultaneously displays the images the images as they are captured, the location of the object in an image, and information retrieved for the object.

Claims (45)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a first image and a second image;

identifying a first set of one or more image features in the first image, and a second set of one or more image features in the second image;

obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image;

determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image; and

generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are the same image feature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are different image features.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first image feature comprises an object.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

obtaining, from an index, a first text that describes the first image feature, and a second text that describes the second image feature.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

incorporating at least a portion of the first text that describes the first image feature into the search query.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising incrementing a frequency count for the first description based on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image,

wherein the search query is generated further based on the frequency count.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a first image and a second image;

identifying a first set of one or more image features in the first image, and a second set of one or more image features in the second image;

obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image;

determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image; and

generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are the same image feature.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are different image features.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first image feature comprises an object.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

obtaining, from an index, a first text that describes the first image feature, and a second text that describes the second image feature.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

incorporating at least a portion of the first text that describes the first image feature into the search query.

14. The system of claim 8 , the operations comprising incrementing a frequency count for the first description based on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image,

wherein the search query is generated further based on the frequency count.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a first image and a second image;

identifying a first set of one or more image features in the first image, and a second set of one or more image features in the second image;

obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image;

determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image; and

generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image.

16. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are the same image feature.

17. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the first image feature and the second image feature are different image features.

18. The medium of claim 15 , wherein obtaining a first description of the first image feature in the first image, and a second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

obtaining, from an index, a first text that describes the first image feature, and a second text that describes the second image feature.

19. The medium of claim 18 , wherein generating a search query based at least on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image comprises:

incorporating at least a portion of the first text that describes the first image feature into the search query.

20. The medium of claim 15 , the operations comprising incrementing a frequency count for the first description based on determining that the first description of the first description of the first image feature in the first image matches the second description of the second image feature in the second image,

wherein the search query is generated further based on the frequency count.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 2, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 044277/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 9, 2013
From: PETROU, DAVID; BRIDGES, MATTHEW; NALAWADI, SHAILESH; ADAM, HARTWIG; CASEY, MATTHEW R.; NEVEN, HARTMUT; HARP, ANDREW
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 031161/0004 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2013
From: PETROU, DAVID; BRIDGES, MATTHEW; NALAWADI, SHAILESH; ADAM, HARTWIG; CASEY, MATTHEW R.; NEVEN, HARTMUT; HARP, ANDREW
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 031078/0883 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61567611 · Dec 6, 2011
Related Publication 20130188886A1 · Jul 25, 2013