Patent US6128398A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US6128398A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

System, method and application for the recognition, verification and similarity ranking of facial or other object patterns

Assignee: Miros Inc
•
Filing: 1998-02-09
•
Granted: 2000-10-03
•
Expires: 2018-02-09
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A system and method is disclosed for determining the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source. It is able to do this without having previously been exposed to either of the object patterns. This system utilizes an adaptive processor trained to make this determination using a large number of example patterns in different views and orientations. It accommodates large verifications of how an object source is presented in an image. The system also does not require the storage of any information about any particular pattern, which greatly minimizes the storage requirements and improves the throughput of the system. Further, there is no need for accessing a database of previously stored features from a given pattern source. The system is particularly useful for object patterns which consist of facial images. The system employs a new technique for locating an object of interest within a pattern using an adaptive processor to determine a region of interest. The technique is resistant to irrelevant overlapping patterns. The system and method of the present invention employ a technique for performing authentication of the validity of a card or a user's image on a computer network system which has a user's face image stored within. Finally, this invention provides a new technique for naturally aligning the face. This technique, which is convenient to use and yields candid shots, is useful in facial verification.

Inventors

  • 👤 Michael Kuperstein
  • 👤 James A. Kottas

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 17:00
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06V; G06V40/00; G06V40/10; G06V40/16; G06V40/172; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/22; G07C9/25; G07C9/253

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 195 words
A system for determining the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the dame object source, said system comprising: a. means for receiving first and second object patterns each including a plurality of feature components having a plurality of values; b. Means for assigning a predetermined weight to each said feature component in each of said object patterns, wherein the assigned weights are one of a plurality of weights in corresponding first and second weight sets in a neural network, wherein each weight set includes a plurality of weight subsets, each weight subset corresponding to the location of one of said feature components, wherein particular weights in each subset are assigned according to the value of the component; and c. means for determining an output of said neural network by calculating a comparison function of the assigned weights in the two respective weight sets, wherein the values of the weights are predetermined such that the output is a measure of the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, wherein the value of said predetermined weights are derived from a training procedure and are independent of the value of the feature component.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 195 words
A system for determining the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the dame object source, said system comprising: a. means for receiving first and second object patterns each including a plurality of feature components having a plurality of values; b. Means for assigning a predetermined weight to each said feature component in each of said object patterns, wherein the assigned weights are one of a plurality of weights in corresponding first and second weight sets in a neural network, wherein each weight set includes a plurality of weight subsets, each weight subset corresponding to the location of one of said feature components, wherein particular weights in each subset are assigned according to the value of the component; and c. means for determining an output of said neural network by calculating a comparison function of the assigned weights in the two respective weight sets, wherein the values of the weights are predetermined such that the output is a measure of the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, wherein the value of said predetermined weights are derived from a training procedure and are independent of the value of the feature component.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 134 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising a learning unit which comprises: means for generating sets of training pairs of first and second training object patterns derived from known object sources, the training pairs comprising first and second training object patterns that vary from each other, some of which derive from the same object source; means for adjusting the value of said assigned weights of the first and second weight sets to have a greater difference for said training pairs arising from two different object sources that generate an output incorrectly indicating the same source; and means for adjusting the value of said assigned wights of the first and second sets to have a smaller difference measure for said pairs arising from the same object source that generate an output incorrectly indicating different sources.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 32 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising: means for defining a bounding region around said object pattern within a larger pattern, the region wherein portions outside of the bounding region are discarded.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 19 words
The system of claim 3 further comprising a neural network for deriving the location of said bounding region adaptively.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 57 words
The system of claim 3 wherein said object patterns each comprise human facial images and further comprising means for locating the position of the eyes in said human face; and means for rotating the facial image about a fixed point until the eyes are level horizontally, and registering the two object patterns based on said eye positions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 54 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising: means for discretizing each feature value in discrete bins as a function of the value's proportion of the mean of the feature values; and means for assigning each feature value to one of a set of possible weight values in said weight set based on said discretizing.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 188 words
A method for determining the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, said method comprising: a. receiving first and second object patterns each including a plurality of feature components having different values; c. assigning a predetermined weight to each said feature component in each of said object patterns, wherein the assigned weights are one of a plurality of weights in corresponding first or second weight sets in a neural network, wherein each weight set includes a plurality of weight subsets, each weight subset corresponding to the location of one of said feature components, wherein particular weights in each subset are assigned according to the value of the component; and d. determining an output of said neural network by calculating a comparison function of the assigned weights in the two respective weight sets, wherein the values of the weights are predetermined such that the output is a measure of the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, and wherein the value of said predetermined weights are derived from a training procedure and are independent of the value of the feature component.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 188 words
A method for determining the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, said method comprising: a. receiving first and second object patterns each including a plurality of feature components having different values; c. assigning a predetermined weight to each said feature component in each of said object patterns, wherein the assigned weights are one of a plurality of weights in corresponding first or second weight sets in a neural network, wherein each weight set includes a plurality of weight subsets, each weight subset corresponding to the location of one of said feature components, wherein particular weights in each subset are assigned according to the value of the component; and d. determining an output of said neural network by calculating a comparison function of the assigned weights in the two respective weight sets, wherein the values of the weights are predetermined such that the output is a measure of the likelihood that two object patterns arise from the same object source, and wherein the value of said predetermined weights are derived from a training procedure and are independent of the value of the feature component.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 142 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising performing a training procedure to determine said weight values, the training procedure comprising the steps of: generating sets of training pairs of first and second training object patterns derived from known object sources, the training pairs comprising first and second training object patterns that vary from each other, some of which derive from the same object source; adjusting the value of said assigned weights of the first and second weight sets to have a greater difference measure for said training pairs arising from two different objects sources that generate an output incorrectly indicating the same source; and adjusting the value of said assigned weights of the first and second weight sets to have a smaller difference measure for said training pairs arising from the same object source that generate an output incorrectly indicating different sources.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 30 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising: defining a bounding region around said object pattern within a larger pattern, the region wherein portions outside of the bounding region are discarded.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising a neural network for deriving the location of said bounding region adaptively.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 46 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising: locating the position of the eyes, by determining the average eye position; and rotating the facial image about the average eye position until the eyes are level horizontally, and registering the two object patterns based on said eye positions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 47 words
The method of claim 7 further comprising: ranking each feature value as a function of the value's proportion of the mean of the feature values; and assigning each feature value to one of a set of possible weight values in said weight set based on said ranking.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4975969A Cited
US5056147A Cited
US5199081A Cited
US5161204A Cited
US5432864A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2003-10-03 2004-04-03 2004-10-03 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2007-10-03 2008-04-03 2008-10-03 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2011-10-03 2012-04-03 2012-10-03 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag