Search Engine Thumbnail Grouping by Visual Similarity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Search engine results, particularly on the internet, often present disordered and ungrouped thumbnails, making it difficult for users to find relevant information among numerous search results, even with the inclusion of thumbnail images to facilitate visual identification.
Innovation Solution
A method that compares and groups similar thumbnails by performing image analysis to identify and cluster results that represent the same object, using techniques such as H264 encoding and high-resolution image access to quantify pixel differences and determine similarity thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of digitized documents accessible through search engines increases, then the comprehensiveness of search results improves, but the difficulty of finding relevant information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the search results into distinct families or groups based on visual similarity of thumbnails. Each family represents a category of visually similar results, allowing users to navigate through organized groups rather than a flat list, thereby making it easier to locate relevant information among large numbers of results.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual thumbnails as an intermediary element between the search query and the full results. These thumbnails provide a visual preview that helps users quickly identify and navigate to relevant result families, serving as a mediator that simplifies the information-seeking process.
2Ease of operation
If thumbnails are added to search results to facilitate visual identification, then the ease of identifying results improves, but the disorder and difficulty of exploiting results persists
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the search results by grouping thumbnails into visual families. This segmentation transforms the disordered presentation into structured groups, where each family contains visually similar thumbnails. The segmentation principle resolves the contradiction by maintaining visual identification ease while eliminating disorder through systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the organizational parameter of search results from traditional text-based or URL-based ordering to visual similarity-based grouping. This parameter change allows thumbnails to be arranged according to their visual characteristics, creating an ordered structure that reduces disorder while preserving visual identification capabilities.
3Loss of information
If similar thumbnails are grouped into families, then the readability of search results improves, but the complexity of image comparison and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing image comparison only on essential visual features rather than analyzing every pixel in detail. This approach achieves sufficient grouping accuracy for improving readability while avoiding the excessive computational complexity that would result from exhaustive image analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses simplified image representation methods that create lightweight, easily comparable thumbnail versions for grouping purposes. These simplified representations require less processing power and memory, allowing the system to perform image comparison and grouping operations efficiently without requiring complex, resource-intensive processing infrastructure.
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for generating the result of a search carried out using a search engine, in which a list of results is established after said search operation, characterized in that said method comprises the different steps of: identifying (101) the thumbnail images (301-308) associated with illustrated results from the list of results; carrying out an analysis operation (105) of the images that comprises comparing, by pairs, the identified thumbnail images; grouping (124), into image families (311; 312), the thumbnail images sharing a similarity predetermined by the operation of comparing the thumbnail images; and generating the result of the search on the basis of the groupings into image families.