Visual Information Search Tool for Electronic Documents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current search engines and file browsers are not well-suited for searching electronic documents based on visual criteria, limiting graphic designers' ability to find similar or dissimilar designs using graphical and visual attributes.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates and utilizes visual information metrics, such as whitespace, contrast, and balance, to catalog and search electronic documents, allowing users to select desired visual metrics for searching across a user's computer, database, or network, using image processing filters and metadata analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional search engines or file browsers are used to search for electronic documents, then keyword-based searching is possible, but searching based on visual characteristics of designs cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the search parameter from textual keywords to visual characteristics by applying image processing filters that extract visual metrics (contrast, brightness, color distribution, etc.) from document images. This allows the search system to operate on visual parameters rather than text parameters, enabling designers to search based on visual attributes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer of visual feature extraction and metadata generation between the user's visual search query and the document database. Image processing filters act as mediators that convert visual characteristics into searchable metadata, bridging the gap between visual perception and database querying.
2Adaptability or versatility
If visual information metrics are generated and stored for all electronic documents, then visual-based searching becomes possible, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies image processing filters and generates visual metadata in advance during document ingestion or preprocessing. By performing visual feature extraction beforehand, the system avoids the need for complex real-time analysis during search operations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining visual search capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential visual characteristics needed for searching (such as contrast ratios, color distributions, and layout patterns) rather than storing complete image data or all possible visual features. This selective extraction reduces data storage requirements and simplifies the search index structure.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to generating a search result comprising one or more candidate documents selected based at least in part on one or more criteria associated with an input value of a visual information metric.