US8738622B2
Active / In Force
US
⏱️ 4.1 years remaining
Processing captured images having geolocations
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 2010-12-01
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Granted: 2014-05-27
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Expires: 2030-12-01
Abstract
Abstract Methods ( 105 ), apparatuses ( 600 ), and computer readable storage mediums for processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture are disclosed. A representative geolocation is associated ( 110 ) with each group of images previously captured at the same location. For each representative geolocation, based on at least the timestamp of the images associated with the representative geolocation, the probability is determined ( 120 ) that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation. For representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold, the respective representative geolocation is associated ( 130 ) with at least one personal place.
Inventors
- 👤 Sammy Chan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 09:47
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/29; G06V; G06V20/00; G06V20/70
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with a group of images previously captured at or near the same location; and for the representative geolocation, determining, based on timestamps associated with the capture of the images, whether the representative geolocation is a predetermined place where at least one further image is predicted to be captured within a time interval associated with the predetermined place.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
85 words
A method of processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with a group of images previously captured at or near the same location; and for the representative geolocation, determining, based on timestamps associated with the capture of the images, whether the representative geolocation is a predetermined place where at least one further image is predicted to be captured within a time interval associated with the predetermined place.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined place is a personal place.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; for each representative geolocation, determining, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associating the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; for each representative geolocation, determining, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associating the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising the step of capturing an image having a geolocation related to the captured image at the time of capture.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 or 4 , further comprising the step of suppressing at least one metadata value of a captured image when the geolocation related to the captured image is at or near at least one predetermined place.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the at least one metadata value is suppressed by at least one of storing the metadata value in an external data store separately from the captured image and encrypting the metadata value.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the at least one metadata value is suppressed by replacing the metadata value with a different value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the different value is a blank value or a value reducing resolution of the metadata value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the captured image is captured using an image capturing apparatus adapted to acquire a geolocation related to the captured image at the time of image capture.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising the step of suppressing at least one metadata value of a captured image when the geolocation related to the captured image is at or near at least one personal place.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising the step of specifying the representative geolocation as a personal location.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method as claimed in claim 11 , wherein specifying the representative geolocation as a personal location comprises inputting textual addresses, or importing addresses from a contact list, or manually entering the representative geolocation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the geolocations and at least the timestamps of the images are stored for further processing, the images being downloaded separately.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the predetermined place is a personal place.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
125 words
An apparatus for processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said apparatus comprising: at least one processor and memory, cooperating to function as: a first association unit which associates a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; a determination unit which, for each representative geolocation, determines, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and a second association unit which, for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associates the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
125 words
An apparatus for processing captured images having geolocations related to the captured images at the time of capture, said apparatus comprising: at least one processor and memory, cooperating to function as: a first association unit which associates a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; a determination unit which, for each representative geolocation, determines, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and a second association unit which, for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associates the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising a suppression unit which suppresses at least one metadata value of a captured image when the geolocation related to the captured image is at or near at least one predetermined place.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
41 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the at least one metadata value is suppressed by at least one of storing the metadata value in an external data store separately from the captured image and encrypting the metadata value.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the at least one metadata value is suppressed by replacing the metadata value with a different value.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the different value is a blank value or a value reducing resolution of the metadata value.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising an image capturing apparatus adapted to acquire a geolocation related to a captured image at the time of image capture.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the geolocations and at least the timestamps of the images are stored in a memory of said image capturing apparatus for further processing, allowing the images to be downloaded from said image capturing apparatus and removed from the memory.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the predetermined place is a personal place.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
105 words
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded therein a computer program for causing a computer to execute a method, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; for each representative geolocation, determining, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associating the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
105 words
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having recorded therein a computer program for causing a computer to execute a method, said method comprising the steps of: associating a representative geolocation with each group of images previously captured at the same location; for each representative geolocation, determining, based on at least timestamps of the images associated with the representative geolocation, a probability that a further image will be captured at or near the representative geolocation within a time interval; and for representative geolocations with a determined probability above a predetermined threshold and based on said time interval, associating the representative geolocations with at least one predetermined place.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
43 words
The storage medium as claimed in claim 23 , said method further comprising a step of suppressing at least one metadata value of a captured image when the geolocation related to the captured image is at or near at least one predetermined place.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
42 words
The storage medium as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the at least one metadata value is suppressed by at least one of storing the metadata value in an external data store separately from the captured image and encrypting the metadata value.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
35 words
The storage medium as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the images are captured using an image capturing apparatus adapted to acquire a geolocation related to a captured image at the time of image capture.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
31 words
The storage medium as claimed in claim 23 , wherein the geolocations and at least the timestamps of the images are stored for further processing, allowing the images to be downloaded.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2017-05-26 | 2017-11-25 | 2018-05-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2021-05-26 | 2021-11-25 | 2022-05-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2025-05-26 | 2025-11-25 | 2026-05-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |