Abstract: A system and method for computing a place profile are disclosed. The method includes providing a geographical definition of a place, retrieving a set of images based on the geographical place definition. With a classifier, image-level statistics for the retrieved images are generated. The classifier has been trained to generate image-level statistics for a finite set of classes, such as different activities. The image-level statistics are aggregated to generate a place profile for the defined place which may be displayed to a user who has provided information for generating the geographical definition or used in an application such as a recommender system or to generate a personal profile for the user.

Abstract: An advertising system and method are disclosed for generating advertising content based on a user's images. These can be photographs owned by a user of a web page. An advertising template for an advertising sponsor is provided. For a user viewing the web page, a set of the user's images is categorized, based on image content of the images in the set. The categorization is performed with at least one classifier which has been trained on a finite set of image categories. An advertising image is selected for advertising content based on the categorization of the user's images. The template is combined with the selected advertising image to form the advertising content. The advertising content can then be displayed to the user on the web page. A user profile is also disclosed which can be used as the categorized user images.

Abstract: A system and a method for playing a photograph-based game are provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between a game playing system and one or more game playing devices, each of which is operated by a respective player. Game rules are presented to the player(s) on the respective game playing device(s). The game rules include at least one task for the submission of at least one photographic image. Provision is made for receiving a photographic image in the game playing system which has been submitted via the established link from the game playing device in response to the presented task. An image signature is computed for the submitted photographic image based on visual features extracted from the image and a relevance to the task is computed, based on the computed image signature. A score for the game is output for each player, based on the computed relevance of the submitted images for each of the tasks.

Abstract: Methods and systems for improved license plate signature matching by similarity learning on synthetic images comprise generating a plurality of synthetic license plate images; applying one or more transformations to the synthetic license plate images to cause the synthetic license plate images to more closely resemble authentic license plate image captures; and providing the synthetic license plate images as inputs to a machine distance learning algorithm in which weighted similarity scores are calculated between signatures of analogous and non-analogous license plate images and one or more sets of signature weights are iteratively adjusted to increase the likelihood that comparing analogous license plate images results in high weighted signature similarity scores and comparing non-analogous license plate images results in low weighted signature similarity scores.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for conducting text-based searches of images using a visual signature associated with each image. A measure of string similarity between a query and an annotation associated with each entry in a first database is computed, and based upon the computed string similarity measures, a set of entries from the first database is selected. Each entry of the first database also includes an associated visual signature. At least one entry is then retrieved from a second database based upon a measure of visual similarity between a visual signature of each of the entries in the second database and the visual signatures of the entries in the selected set. Information corresponding to the retrieved entries from the second database is then generated.

Abstract: Methods and systems for improved license plate signature matching by similarity learning on synthetic images comprise generating a plurality of synthetic license plate images; applying one or more transformations to the synthetic license plate images to cause the synthetic license plate images to more closely resemble authentic license plate image captures; and providing the synthetic license plate images as inputs to a machine distance learning algorithm in which weighted similarity scores are calculated between signatures of analogous and non-analogous license plate images and one or more sets of signature weights are iteratively adjusted to increase the likelihood that comparing analogous license plate images results in high weighted signature similarity scores and comparing non-analogous license plate images results in low weighted signature similarity scores.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for conducting text-based searches of images using a visual signature associated with each image. A measure of string similarity between a query and an annotation associated with each entry in a first database is computed, and based upon the computed string similarity measures, a set of entries from the first database is selected. Each entry of the first database also includes an associated visual signature. At least one entry is then retrieved from a second database based upon a measure of visual similarity between a visual signature of each of the entries in the second database and the visual signatures of the entries in the selected set. Information corresponding to the retrieved entries from the second database is then generated.

Abstract: A system and a method for playing a photograph-based game are provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between a game playing system and one or more game playing devices, each of which is operated by a respective player. Game rules are presented to the player(s) on the respective game playing device(s). The game rules include at least one task for the submission of at least one photographic image. Provision is made for receiving a photographic image in the game playing system which has been submitted via the established link from the game playing device in response to the presented task. An image signature is computed for the submitted photographic image based on visual features extracted from the image and a relevance to the task is computed, based on the computed image signature. A score for the game is output for each player, based on the computed relevance of the submitted images for each of the tasks.

Abstract: A system and method for computing a place profile are disclosed. The method includes providing a geographical definition of a place, retrieving a set of images based on the geographical place definition. With a classifier, image-level statistics for the retrieved images are generated. The classifier has been trained to generate image-level statistics for a finite set of classes, such as different activities. The image-level statistics are aggregated to generate a place profile for the defined place which may be displayed to a user who has provided information for generating the geographical definition or used in an application such as a recommender system or to generate a personal profile for the user.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a photobook are provided. The method includes receiving a set of images and automatically selecting a subset of the images as candidates for inclusion in a photobook. At least one design element of a design template for the photobook is automatically selected, based on information extracted from at least one of the images in the subset. Placeholders of the design template are automatically filled with images drawn from the subset to form at least one page of a multipage photobook. The exemplary system and method address some of the problems of photobook creation, thorough combining automatic methods for selecting, cropping, and placing photographs into a photo album template, which the user can then post-edit, if desired. This can greatly reduce the time required to create a photobook and thus encourage users to print photo albums.

Abstract: An advertising system and method are disclosed for generating advertizing content based on a user's images. These can be photographs owned by a user of a web page. An advertising template for an advertising sponsor is provided. For a user viewing the web page, a set of the user's images is categorized, based on image content of the images in the set. The categorization is performed with at least one classifier which has been trained on a finite set of image categories. An advertising image is selected for advertising content based on the categorization of the user's images. The template is combined with the selected advertising image to form the advertising content. The advertising content can then be displayed to the user on the web page. A user profile is also disclosed which can be used as the categorized user images.