Showing papers by "Hartwig Adam published in 2012"

Method and apparatus for enabling virtual tags

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling virtual tags is described. The method may include receiving a first digital image data and virtual tag data to be associated with a real-world object in the first digital image data, wherein the first digital image data is captured by a first mobile device, and the virtual tag data includes metadata received from a user of the first mobile device. The method may also include generating a first digital signature from the first digital image data that describes the real-world object, and in response to the generation, inserting in substantially real-time the first digital signature into a searchable index of digital images. The method may also include storing, in a tag database, the virtual tag data and an association between the virtual tag data and the first digital signature inserted into the index of digital images.

Object detection with false positive filtering

Abstract: Embodiments of this invention relate to detecting and blurring images. In an embodiment, a system detects objects in a photographic image. The system includes an object detector module configured to detect regions of the photographic image that include objects of a particular type at least based on the content of the photographic image. The system further includes a false positive detector module configured to determine whether each region detected by the object detector module includes an object of the particular type at least based on information about the context in which the photographic image was taken.

System and method of identifying visual objects

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.

Method and apparatus for enabling real-time product and vendor identification

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling dynamic product and vendor identification and the display of relevant purchase information are described herein. According to embodiments of the invention, a recognition process is executed on sensor data captured via a mobile computing device to identify one or more items, and to identify at least one product associated with the one or more items. Product and vendor information for the at least one product is retrieved and displayed via the mobile computing device. In the event a user gesture is detected in response to displaying the product and vendor information data, processing logic may submit a purchase order for the product (e.g., for an online vendor) or contact the vendor (e.g., for an in-store vendor).

Systems and methods for matching visual object components

Abstract: Systems and methods for modeling the occurrence of common image components (e.g., sub-regions) in order to improve visual object recognition are disclosed. In one example, a query image may be matched to a training image of an object. A matched region within the training image to which the query image matches may be determined and a determination may be made whether the matched region is located within an annotated image component of the training image. When the matched region matches only to the image component, an annotation associated with the component may be identified. In another example, sub-regions within a plurality of training image corpora may be annotated as common image components including associated information (e.g., metadata). Matching sub-regions appearing in many training images of objects may be down-weighted in the matching process to reduce possible false matches to query images including common image components.

Method and apparatus for enabling a searchable history of real-world user experiences

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling a searchable history of real-world user experiences is described. The method may include capturing media data by a mobile computing device. The method may also include transmitting the captured media data to a server computer system, the server computer system to perform one or more recognition processes on the captured media data and add the captured media data to a history of real-world experiences of a user of the mobile computing device when the one or more recognition processes find a match. The method may also include transmitting a query of the user to the server computer system to initiate a search of the history or real-world experiences, and receiving results relevant to the query that include data indicative of the media data in the history of real-world experiences.

Providing Image Search Templates

Abstract: Techniques for providing image search templates are provided. An image search template may be associated with an image search query to aid the user in capturing an image that will be appropriate for processing the search query. The template may be displayed as an overlay during an image capturing process to indicate an appropriate image capturing pose, range, angle, or other view characteristics that may provide more accurate search results. The template may also be used in the image search query to segment the image and identify features relevant to the search query. Images in an image database may be clustered using characteristics of the images or metadata associated with the images in order to establish groups of images from which templates may be derived. The generated templates may be provided to users to assist in capturing images to be used as search engine queries.

Method and apparatus for enabling event-based media data capture

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling media data capture based on a real-world user experience is described herein. According to embodiments of the invention, media data is captured by a mobile computing device and transmitted to a server computer system in response to identifying one or more events from sensor data. The server computer system adds the captured media data, along with data identifying the event that initiated the capture of the media data, to a history of real-world experiences of a user of the mobile computing device. The server computer system may further perform one or more recognition processes on the captured media data and, when the one or more recognition processes find a match, associate the recognized items to the captured media data.

Method and apparatus for user query disambiguation

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling user query disambiguation based on a user context of a mobile computing device. According to embodiments of the invention, a first user search query, along with sensor data, is received from a mobile computing device. A recognition process is performed on the sensor data to identify at least one item. In response to determining the at least one item is a result for the first search query, data identifying the at least one item is transmitted to the mobile computing device as a response to the first search query. In response to determining the at least one item is not the result for the first search query, search results of a second search query is transmitted to the mobile computing device as the response to the first search query, the second search query comprising a query of the at least one item.

Augmented reality image annotation

Abstract: A method and system for performing augmented reality processing generates annotation information for display on a device. An annotation request for an image is sent to an annotation service. The annotation service identifies elements in the image indicative of an individual and obtains user profile results for the individual. The user profile results are used to generate annotation information, which is presented for display on a device as an overlay to the image. The annotation information may include links to information that are selectable by a user of the device.

Content sharing system

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sharing captured media data via a social networking service is described herein. The method includes receiving a list of one or more media data files captured via a mobile (i.e., portable) computing device, the list to include, for each of the media data files, data identifying one or more real-world experiences of a user of the social networking service associated with the respective media data file. The method also includes transmitting information for providing an interface to the mobile computing device to enable the user to share one or more of the media data files in the social network with one or more other users by identifying each media data file with the data identifying a corresponding real-world experience. Furthermore, the method allows for the sharing of data related to the context of each corresponding real-world experience.

Extracting documents from a natural scene image

Abstract: The present technology proposes techniques for extracting forms and other types of documents from images taken with a mobile client device. By calculating and making adjustments along a document's detected borders, an input image can be transformed such that the document within the image may be properly aligned and background clutter completely removed. The resulting text fields of the extracted document are thus upright, aligned and locatable at predictable points.