US 11,853,377 B2
Image searching method and apparatus
Sandra Mau, Toowong (AU)
Assigned to SEE-OUT PTY LTD, Toowong (AU)
Appl. No. 14/916,720
Filed by SEE-OUT PTY LTD, Toowong (AU)
PCT Filed Sep. 26, 2014, PCT No. PCT/AU2014/050251
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 4, 2016,
PCT Pub. No. WO2015/035477, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 19, 2015.
Claims priority of application No. 2013903476 (AU), filed on Sep. 11, 2013; and application No. 2013905002 (AU), filed on Dec. 20, 2013.
Prior Publication US 2016/0196350 A1, Jul. 7, 2016
Int. Cl. G06F 16/9538 (2019.01); G06F 16/951 (2019.01); G06F 16/51 (2019.01); G06F 16/248 (2019.01); G06F 16/22 (2019.01); G06F 16/2457 (2019.01); G06T 7/90 (2017.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06F 16/583 (2019.01); G06F 16/58 (2019.01); G06F 18/10 (2023.01); G06F 18/21 (2023.01); G06T 3/40 (2006.01); G06T 5/00 (2006.01); G06V 30/10 (2022.01)
CPC G06F 16/9538 (2019.01) [G06F 16/2228 (2019.01); G06F 16/248 (2019.01); G06F 16/24578 (2019.01); G06F 16/51 (2019.01); G06F 16/58 (2019.01); G06F 16/583 (2019.01); G06F 16/5838 (2019.01); G06F 16/5846 (2019.01); G06F 16/5854 (2019.01); G06F 16/951 (2019.01); G06F 18/10 (2023.01); G06F 18/2178 (2023.01); G06T 3/40 (2013.01); G06T 5/002 (2013.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06T 7/90 (2017.01); G06V 30/10 (2022.01); G06V 2201/09 (2022.01); G06V 2201/10 (2022.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for performing trademark searching of a plurality of reference trademark images, the apparatus including one or more electronic devices that:
a) process a sample image including a composite trademark by segmenting the sample image to form a plurality of sample sub-images, each sample sub-image including at least one of: text, a logo, or a logo part;
b) crop the sample sub-images to form one or more cropped sample sub-images;
c) generate a sample feature vector for a selected cropped sample sub-image of the one or more cropped sample sub-images;
d) search the plurality of reference trademark images to identify first reference trademark images visually similar to the selected cropped sample sub-image by comparing the sample feature vector to reference feature vectors that correspond to sub-images of the reference trademark images;
e) identify image tags associated with at least one of the first reference trademark images;
f) search the plurality of reference trademark images to identify second reference trademark images using at least one of the image tags;
g) determine a first image ranking in accordance with a similarity of first reference trademark images with the sample image;
h) determine a second image ranking in accordance with a similarity of second reference trademark images with the image tags;
i) determine a results ranking of the first and second reference trademark images, wherein the results ranking is determined in accordance with the first and second image rankings; and
j) combine the results into a single list including at least some first reference trademark images and at least some second reference trademark images by sorting the first and second reference trademark images using the results ranking.