Visual search using a pluraligy of visual input modal

Abstract

A system, a method and a computer readable storage medium which are used for web scaled visual search and use combination of visual input modals. An edge element index is created and comprises shape descriptors corresponding to every image of a plurality of images, and the shape descriptors comprise expressions based on edge elements. Each expression based on the edge elements comprsies pixels describing edges or border outlines of the images, and is created at least partially through dividing the images into a pluraltiy of image segments and executing polyphase contour detection on every image segment. After search queries having visual query input are received, the visual query input is converted to the shape descriptors containing the expressions based on the edge elements, and the shape descriptors of every image of a plurality of images and containing containing the expressions based on the edge elements are compared with the shape descriptors of the visual query input and containing the expressions based on the edge elements, so as to identify at least one image from the images, matched with the visual query input.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61 / 548,585, filed October 18, 2011, which is incorporated by reference as if set forth in its entirety herein. Background technique

[0003] The Internet provides a huge and rapidly growing repository of information and resources through its billions of Web pages. In order to find desired content, computer users often utilize search tools. Exemplary Internet search engines are well known in the art, for example, a commonly known commercial engine is Bing, offered by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington. ? search engine. Many current commercial image search techniques use text queries to obtain results from large databases of crawled images indexed primarily by text data. This limits the scope of what images can be searched, which in turn affects the quality and relevance of search results. In addition, usability is affected ...

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