William O Dargel

6763148, Jul 13, 2004

Nov 13, 2000

09/711493

Stanley R. Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI
William Dargel - Ann Arbor MI
John W. Lennington - Ann Arbor MI
Thomas Voiles - Ann Arbor MI

Visual Key, Inc. - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 932

382293, 382295

Physical objects, including still and moving images, are transformed into more compact forms for identification and other purposes using a method unrelated to existing image-matching systems which rely on feature extraction. An auxiliary construct, preferably a warp grid, is associated with an image, and a series of transformations are imposed to generate a unique visual key for identification, comparisons, and other operations. Search methods are also disclosed for matching an unknown image to one previously represented in a visual key database. Broadly, a preferred search method sequentially examines candidate database images for their closeness of match in a sequential order determined by their a priori match probability. Thus, the most likely match candidate is examined first, the next most likely second, and so forth. With respect to the recognition of video sequences and other information streams, inventive holotropic stream recognition principles are deployed, wherein the statistics of the spatial distribution of warp grid points is used to generate index keys.

7474759, Jan 6, 2009

Nov 13, 2001

10/416560

Stanley Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI, US
William Dargel - Ann Arbor MI, US
John W Lennington - Ann Arbor MI, US
Thomas Voiles - Ann Arbor MI, US

Pixel Velocity, Inc. - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 9/00
G06K 9/32
G06K 9/36

382100, 382276, 382293

Physical objects, including still and moving images, sound/audio and text are transformed into more compact forms for identification and other purposes using a method unrelated to existing image-matching systems which rely on feature extraction. An auxiliary construct, preferably a warp grid, is associated with an object, and a series of transformations are imposed to generate a unique visual key for identification, comparisons, and other operations. Search methods are also disclosed for matching an unknown image to one previously represented in a visual key database. Broadly, a preferred search method sequentially examines candidate database images for their closeness of match in a sequential order determined by their a priori match probability. Thus, the most likely match candidate is examined first, the next most likely second, and so forth. With respect to the recognition of video sequences and other information streams, inventive holotropic stream recognition principles are deployed, wherein the statistics of the spatial distribution of warp grid points is used to generate index keys.

7756291, Jul 13, 2010

Dec 9, 2008

12/276901

John W. Lennington - Ann Arbor MI, US
Thomas Voiles - Ann Arbor MI, US
Stanley Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI, US
William Dargel - Ann Arbor MI, US

Pixel Velocity, Inc. - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 9/00
G06K 9/36
H04N 1/40

382100, 382276, 358 328

One of the embodiments of the invention includes a method of identifying illegal uses of copyright material. The steps of the method preferably include the steps of: (a) providing a primary digital media object, (b) associating an auxiliary construct with the object, (c) transforming the construct using at least one of the attributes of the object to generate a unique key representative of the primary object, (d) receiving a plurality of secondary digital media objects, (e) performing steps (b) and (c) on the secondary objects to generate unique keys representative of the secondary objects, (f) comparing the keys of the secondary objects with the key of the primary object to identify if any of the secondary objects are substantially similar to the primary object.

8019118, Sep 13, 2011

May 18, 2010

12/782593

Stanley Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI, US
William Dargel - Ann Arbor MI, US
John W. Lennington - Ann Arbor MI, US
Thomas Voiles - Ann Arbor MI, US

Pixel Velocity, Inc. - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 9/00

382100, 382181

One of the embodiments of the invention includes a method of identifying illegal uses of copyright material. The steps of the method preferably include the steps of: (a) providing a primary digital media object, (b) associating an auxiliary construct with the object, (c) transforming the construct using at least one of the attributes of the object to generate a unique key representative of the primary object, (d) receiving a plurality of secondary digital media objects, (e) performing steps (b) and (c) on the secondary objects to generate unique keys representative of the secondary objects, (f) comparing the keys of the secondary objects with the key of the primary object to identify if any of the secondary objects are substantially similar to the primary object.

20120095982, Apr 19, 2012

Sep 12, 2011

13/230728

John W. Lennington - Ann Arbor MI, US
Thomas Voiles - Ann Arbor MI, US
Stanley Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI, US
William Dargel - Ann Arbor MI, US

G06F 17/30

707706, 707741, 707E17083, 707E17069

One preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a method of automatically responding to a search query. The method of the preferred embodiment can include steps performed at or by a database, including electronically receiving a query digital media object from a first computer and electronically generating a query index identification of the query digital media object wherein the query index identification includes a query keyword relating to the query digital media object. The method of the preferred embodiment can also include searching the database for an index identification of a digital media object including a keyword relating to the digital media object; and in response to a predetermined level of similarity between the query keyword and the keyword, electronically returning the digital media object in response to the query.

42900492, Sep 15, 1981

Sep 10, 1979

6/073816

Stanley R. Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI
Robert M. Lougheed - Ann Arbor MI
William O. Dargel - Ann Arbor MI

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 912

3401463MA

Dynamic data generator circuitry is disclosed for use in an image analyzer system. The system includes a plurality of storage devices for temporarily storing a neighborhood in the image matrix comprised of a central data point and its surrounding points in the matrix. A transformation generator includes neighborhood contribution circuitry for operating on the values of each point in the neighborhood when they are loaded in the storage devices. The maximum value associated with any of the adjusted points in the neighborhood is provided as a transformation output signal. To aid in the maximum value selection process, the value of the central data point in the neighborhood is sensed and used to provide a correction value so that all of the adjusted data points in the neighborhood are within a particular range of values so that the maximum value selection circuitry may accurately identify the data point in the neighborhood truly having the maximum value associated with the image.

44843461, Nov 20, 1984

Apr 28, 1983

6/489669

Stanley R. Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI
William O. Dargel - Ann Arbor MI
Robert M. Lougheed - Ann Arbor MI
David L. McCubbrey - Ann Arbor MI
Ralph E. Richardson - Eatontown NJ

G06K 900
G06F 1520

382 27

A system for analyzing images represented by a serial stream of digital electrical signals corresponding to values of pixels in a matrix of points constituting an image. The system includes a pipeline of substantially identical neighborhood transformation stages. Each stage includes a processor portion for analyzing the pixel values and a memory portion communicating with the processor portion for sequentially providing a window of neighboring pixels to the processor for analysis. A central programmable controller communicates with the pipeline over a single communication link which provides both the pixel value data to the pipeline and transformation control instructions to the processor portions of each stage. The memory portion preferably includes a random access memory which serves as a line storage device which may be readily adjusted to accommodate different raster scan line lengths from various image sensors. Each stage includes improved logic circuitry capable of performing a wide variety of analyses on both two-dimensional image data represented by binary pixel values and three-dimensional image data represented by multi-valued pixel values.

44647883, Aug 7, 1984

Sep 8, 1981

6/300328

Stanley R. Sternberg - Ann Arbor MI
Robert M. Lougheed - Ann Arbor MI
William O. Dargel - Ann Arbor MI

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan - Ann Arbor MI

G06K 900
G06F 1520

382 41

Dynamic data generator circuitry is disclosed for use in an image analyzer system. The system includes a plurality of storage devices for temporarily storing a neighborhood in the image matrix comprised of a central data point and its surrounding points in the matrix. A transformation generator includes neighborhood contribution circuitry for operating on the values of each point in the neighborhood when they are loaded in the storage devices. The maximum value associated with any of the adjusted points in the neighborhood is provided as a transformation output signal. To aid in the maximum value selection process, the value of the central data point in the neighborhood is sensed and used to provide a correction value so that all of the adjusted data points in the neighborhood are within a particular range of values so that the maximum value selection circuitry may accurately identify the data point in the neighborhood truly having the maximum value associated with the image.