Image Recognition Indexing for Digital Photo Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital image processing technologies lack efficient methods for organizing, searching, and retrieving digital images based on their content, particularly for consumer photographs, as they rely primarily on text-based metadata and manual folder organization, which is cumbersome and ineffective for large collections.
Innovation Solution
The development of a system and method that enables image recognition techniques to analyze and index digital images based on objects within them, such as people, text, and clothing, allowing for automatic categorization, search, and retrieval using recognition signatures and correlation information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If text-based metadata and manual folder organization are used to organize digital images, then the system is simple to implement, but the efficiency of searching and retrieving images deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically analyzing image content and generating recognition signatures, object detections, and metadata tags before search operations occur. This pre-processing enables rapid retrieval without requiring complex manual organization structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical folder organization with automated image recognition technology. Computer vision algorithms automatically detect objects, people, and scenes in images, substituting human manual sorting operations with intelligent automated systems that improve search efficiency
2Ease of operation
If manual folder organization is used for digital images, then the method is easy to operate, but the ability to search and retrieve images based on content deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The image management system performs self-service by automatically analyzing image content, generating recognition signatures, and creating searchable metadata without user intervention. The system serves itself by autonomously organizing images based on their visual content rather than requiring manual folder structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms images from unsearchable visual data into searchable structured data by extracting recognition parameters such as object detections, scene classifications, and metadata tags. This parameter extraction enables content-based search while maintaining ease of operation
3Speed
If image collections are not automatically indexed by content, then storage and management are simple, but retrieval speed and accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary indexing actions by automatically generating recognition signatures and extracting object detections from images before retrieval operations. This pre-computed metadata enables rapid search and retrieval without requiring complex real-time analysis during access operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual image retrieval processes with automated recognition-based search. Computer vision algorithms automatically index images by their visual content, substituting simple but slow manual search methods with intelligent automated retrieval systems
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment provides for enabling retrieval of a collection of captured images that form at least a portion of a library of images. For each image in the collection, a captured image may be analyzed to recognize information from image data contained in the captured image, and an index may be generated, where the index data is based on the recognized information. Using the index, functionality such as search and retrieval is enabled. Various recognition techniques, including those that use the face, clothing, apparel, and combinations of characteristics may be utilized. Recognition may be performed on, among other things, persons and text carried on objects.