US2012246140A1PendingUtilityA1

Image search engine supporting image categorization

55
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Jun 5, 2008Filed: May 29, 2012Published: Sep 27, 2012
Est. expiryJun 5, 2028(~1.9 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:James D. Bennett
G06F 16/532G06F 16/9535G06F 16/5838G06F 16/951
55
PatentIndex Score
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Claims

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.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
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 text data and a plurality of text based links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a crawl processing service that interacts with each of the plurality of web servers to gather both the plurality of images and, for each of the plurality of images, related text data;   an image processing service that analyzes each of the plurality of images to produce analysis data;   a categorization service that establishes categorization data for each of the plurality of images through association of each of the plurality of images with at least one of a plurality of categories;   a database structure associatively storing, for each of the plurality of images, the analysis data, the categorization data, and link data;   a search support system that receives search input that originates from a first user of the plurality of users, the search input including a first category selection and a first image; and   a search system that, using at least a portion of the search input, searches the database to identify a selection of images from the plurality of images that are similar to the first image.   
     
     
         2 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a second category selection from the first user; and   searches the database to identify a second selection of images from the plurality of images based upon the second category selection that are similar to the first image.   
     
     
         3 . The online search system of  claim 2 , wherein the search system assists in delivery of at least portions of both the selection of images and the second selection of images to support a category based visual presentation for the first user. 
     
     
         4 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further:
 assists in delivery of at least a portion of the selection of images to the first user;   receives a restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of a second selection of images of the selection of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         5 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the search system identifies a search category based upon the search input;   the search system further searches the database to identify a selection of images from the plurality of images that are similar to the first image 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 image. 
     
     
         7 . The online search system of  claim 5 , wherein the search category is based upon the search input. 
     
     
         8 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the first category selection is an image search option. 
     
     
         9 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further identifies the selection of images from the plurality of images that are similar to the first image based upon popularity of images of the selection of images. 
     
     
         10 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further orders the selection of images based upon a closeness of match between images of the selection of images and the first image. 
     
     
         11 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further searches the database to identify a second selection of images from the plurality of images based upon the first user's input. 
     
     
         12 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further filters the selection of images based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         13 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search input comprises a series of search input interactions that sequentially arrive in response to user presentation of a corresponding series of search results. 
     
     
         14 . 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 text data and a plurality of text based links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a crawl processing service that interacts with each of the plurality of web servers to gather both the plurality of images and, for each of the plurality of images, related text data;   an image processing service that analyzes of each of the plurality of images to produce analysis data;   a categorization service establishes categorization data for each of the plurality of images through association of each of the plurality of images with at least one of a plurality of categories;   a database structure associatively storing, for each of the plurality of images, the analysis data, the categorization data, and link data;   the search system that, based at least in part on a first analysis of a first image received as search input from a first user, searches the database to identify a first selection of images from the plurality of images in a first of the plurality of categories and a second selection of images from the plurality of images in a second of the plurality of categories; and   the search system at least assisting in a delivery of at least portions of both the first selection of images and the second selection of images to support a category based visual presentation for the first user.   
     
     
         15 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a category selection from the first user;   identifies a third selection of images from the plurality of images based upon the category selection that are similar to the first image; and   assists in delivery of at least a portion of the third selection of images for visual presentation for the first user.   
     
     
         16 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of a modified selection of images of the selection of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         17 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the search system identifies a search category based upon the search input;   the search system further determines the first selection of images from the plurality of images in the first of the plurality of categories and the second selection of images from the plurality of images in a second of the plurality of categories based upon the search category.   
     
     
         18 . The online search system of  claim 17 , wherein the search category is based upon a categorization of the first image. 
     
     
         19 . The online search system of  claim 17 , wherein the search category is based upon the search input. 
     
     
         20 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system receives an image search option from the first user. 
     
     
         21 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further identifies the first selection of images based upon popularity of images of the first selection of images. 
     
     
         22 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further orders the first selection of images based upon a closeness of match between images of the selection of images and the first image. 
     
     
         23 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further searches the database to identify a third selection of images from the plurality of images based upon the first user's input. 
     
     
         24 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search system further filters the first selection of images based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         25 . The online search system of  claim 14 , wherein the search input further comprises a series of search input interactions that sequentially arrive in response to user presentation of a corresponding series of search results. 
     
     
         26 . 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 servers, the method comprising:
 directing the user's computer to produce a first visual presentation for the user to support gathering of search input from the user, the search input including an image category and a first image;   directing the user's computer to deliver the search input to the online search system to support a first search by the online search system based on the image category and the first image; and   directing the user's computer to produce a second visual presentation for the user based on results received from the first search, the second visual presentation including a first selection of images selected from the plurality of related images, the first selection of images being at least similar to the first image.   
     
     
         27 . The computer program of  claim 26 , the second visual presentation supporting gathering of a second category selection from the user, and the method further comprising:
 directing the user's computer to deliver the second category selection to the online search system; and   directing the user's computer to produce a third visual presentation for the user including a second selection of images selected from the plurality of related images based upon the second category selection, the second selection of images being at least similar to the first image.   
     
     
         28 . The computer program of  claim 26 , the second visual presentation providing a category based visual presentation for the user. 
     
     
         29 . The computer program of  claim 26 , 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 a second selection of images selected from the plurality of related images based upon the restriction input, the second selection of images being at least similar to the first image.   
     
     
         30 . The computer program of  claim 26 , wherein the first selection of images also based upon popularity of images.

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