Method and apparatus for photograph finding
AssigneeIntellectual Ventures I LLC
InventorGary Stephen Shuster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Digital image data including discrete photographic images of a variety of different subjects, times, and so forth, are collected and analyzed to identify specific features in the photographs. In an embodiment of the invention, distinctive markers are distributed to aid in the identification of particular subject matter. Facial recognition may also be employed. The digital image data is maintained in a database and quarried in response to search requests. The search requests include criteria specifying any feature category or other identifying information, such as date, time, and location that each photograph was taken, associated with each photograph. Candidate images are provided for review by requesters, who may select desired images for purchase or downloading.
Claims21
(canceled)
A method, comprising:
- a computer system receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
- the computer system determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including a source of the digital image;
- the computer system searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
- the computer system selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include sources of respective ones of the stored digital images;
- and
- the computer system returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
A system, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more memories having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
- determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including a source of the digital image;
- searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
- selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include sources of respective ones of the stored digital images;
- and
- returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, via a wide area network, a search request that includes an uploaded digital image;
- determining one or more characteristics of the digital image, including a source of the digital image;
- searching, using the determined one or more characteristics, information specifying characteristics of respective ones of a plurality of stored digital images;
- selecting one or more of the plurality of stored digital images, based on a comparison of the determined one or more characteristics and one or more characteristics specified by the information, wherein the compared one or more characteristics include sources of respective ones of the stored digital images;
- and
- returning, via the wide area network, the selected one or more digital images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.