Search engine supporting mixed image and text input

Abstract

An Internet infrastructure supports searching of images by correlating a category selection with that of plurality of images hosted in Internet based servers in selected categories. An image search server supports delivery of search result pages to a client device based upon a search image or category selection, and contains images from a plurality of Internet based web hosting servers. The image search server delivers characteristic analysis of an image to the client device upon request. The selection of images is based upon: (i) word match, that is, by selecting images, titles of which correspond to the search image; and (ii) image correlation, that is, by selecting images, image characteristics of which correlates to that of category selection. The selection of images in the search result page also occurs on the basis of popularity. The category selection server also selects category based upon user's choice.

1 . An online search system that services both a plurality of web servers and a plurality of users via an Internet, the plurality of web servers offering a plurality of web page data, the plurality of web page data including a plurality of links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a crawl processing service that gathers the plurality of images and, for each of the plurality of images, related text;   an image processing service that analyzes of each of the plurality of images to produce analysis data;   a database structure associatively storing, for each of the plurality of images, the analysis data and text data based at least in part on portions of the related text; and   a search system that, based on both of a first search image and first search text, interacts with the database structure to identify search results, the search results including a plurality of images that are at least similar to the first search image.   
     
     
         2 . The online search system of  claim 1 , the search system further using a first category selection to identify the search results. 
     
     
         3 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system assists in delivery of at least a portion of the plurality of images to support a visual presentation for a first user. 
     
     
         4 . The online search system of  claim 3 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of a second selection of images of the plurality of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         5 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the search system identifies a search category;   the search system further interacts with the database structure to identify the search results based upon the search category.   
     
     
         6 . The online search system of  claim 5 , wherein the search category is based upon a categorization of the first search image. 
     
     
         7 . The online search system of  claim 5 , wherein the search category is based upon the first search text. 
     
     
         8 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further identifies the search results based upon popularity of images of the plurality of images. 
     
     
         9 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further orders the plurality of images based upon a closeness of match between images of the selection of images and the first search image. 
     
     
         10 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further interacts with the database structure to identify a second selection of images from the plurality of images based upon a second search input. 
     
     
         11 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further filters the plurality of images based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         12 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system supports a series of search input interactions that sequentially arrive in response to user presentation of a corresponding series of search results. 
     
     
         13 . An online search system that services both a plurality of web servers and a plurality of users via an Internet, the plurality of web servers offering a plurality of web page data, the plurality of web page data including a plurality of links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a crawl processing service that gathers the plurality of images and, for each of the plurality of images, related text;   an image processing service that analyzes of each of the plurality of images to produce analysis data;   a storage that contains the analysis data and text data for each of the plurality of images, the text data being based at least in part on portions of the related text;   a search system that identifies first images from first search input and second images from second search input, the first images and second images corresponding to selections from the plurality of images, the first search input comprising a first search image and the second search input comprising first search text; and   the search system at least assisting in a delivery of at least portions of both the first images and the second images to support at least one visual presentation for a first user of the plurality of users.   
     
     
         14 . The online search system of  claim 13 , the search system further using a category selection to identify at least one of the first images and second images. 
     
     
         15 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of a third selection of images of the plurality of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         16 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the search system identifies a search category;   the search system further interacts with the database structure to identify the search results based upon the search category.   
     
     
         17 . The online search system of  claim 16 , wherein the search category is based upon a categorization of the first search image. 
     
     
         18 . The online search system of  claim 16 , wherein the search category is based upon the first search text. 
     
     
         19 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein the search system further identifies the search results based upon popularity the first images. 
     
     
         20 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein the search system further orders the first images based upon a closeness of match of the first images with the first search image. 
     
     
         21 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein the search system further filters at least one of the first images and the second images based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         22 . The online search system of  claim 13 , wherein the search system supports a series of search input interactions that sequentially arrive in response to user presentation of a corresponding series of search results. 
     
     
         23 . A computer program for instructing a user's computer of a user to perform a method supporting Internet based interaction with an online search system, the online search system gathering a plurality of web page related data including a plurality of related images from a plurality of web hosting servers, the method comprising:
 directing the user's computer to produce a first visual presentation for the user to support gathering of a first search image from the user;   directing the user's computer to deliver the first search image to the online search system to the online search system support a first search to identify first images from the plurality of related images;   directing the user's computer to produce a second visual presentation for the user based on the first images; and   directing the user's computer to gather and deliver first search text relating to the first search image to the online search system to support a second search to identify second images from the plurality of related images, the first search text originating from the user.   
     
     
         24 . The computer program of  claim 23 , the method further comprising directing the user's computer to produce a third visual presentation for the user based on the first images and the second images. 
     
     
         25 . The computer program of  claim 23 , the second visual presentation supporting gathering of a category selection from the user, and the method further comprising:
 directing the user's computer to deliver the category selection to the online search system; and   directing the user's computer to produce a third visual presentation for the user including third images selected based upon the category selection, the third images being at least similar to the first image.   
     
     
         26 . The computer program of  claim 23 , the second visual presentation providing a category based visual presentation for the user. 
     
     
         27 . The computer program of  claim 23 , the second visual presentation supporting gathering of a restriction input from the user, and the method further comprising:
 directing the user's computer to deliver the restriction input to the online search system; and   directing the user's computer to produce a third visual presentation for the user including third images selected based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         28 . The computer program of  claim 23 , wherein the first images also based upon popularity of images. 
     
     
         29 . The computer program of  claim 23 , wherein the first images ordered based upon a closeness of match between images of the first selection of images and the first image. 
     
     
         30 . The computer program of  claim 23 , wherein the first images filtered by the online search system based upon at least one adult filter parameter.