Searching images
AssigneeBritish Telecommunications plc
InventorFrederick Stentiford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A database of visual images includes metadata having, for a particular image, at least one entry specifying: a part of that image, another stored image, and a measure Sabi of the degree of similarity between that specified part and the specified other image. The searching method comprises displaying one or more images; receiving input from a user (for example by using a gaze tracker) indicative of part of the displayed images; determining measures of interest for each of a plurality of non-displayed stored images specified by the metadata for the displayed image(s), as a function of the similarity measure(s) and the relationship between the user input and the part specified; and, on the basis of these measures, selecting, from those non-displayed stored images, further images for display.
Claims8
A method of retrieval of stored images stored with metadata for at least some of the stored images, the metadata comprising at least one entry specifying
- (a) a part of the respective image;
- (b) another stored image;
- and
- (c) a measure of the degree of similarity between the specified part and the specified other stored image;
- the method comprising
- i. displaying one or more images;
- ii. receiving input from a user indicative of part of the displayed images;
- iii. determining measures of interest for each of a plurality of non-displayed stored images specified by the metadata for the displayed image (s), as a function of the similarity measure (s) and the relationship between the user input and the part specified;
- iv. selecting from those non-displayed stored images, on the basis of the determined measures, further images for display.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.