Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method, system and computer program product for detecting and recognizing text in the images captured by cameras and scanners. First, a series of image-processing techniques is applied to detect text regions in the image. Subsequently, the detected text regions pass through different processing stages that reduce blurring and the negative effects of variable lighting. This results in the creation of multiple images that are versions of the same text region. Some of these multiple versions are sent to a character-recognition system. The resulting texts from each of the versions of the image sent to the character-recognition system are then combined to a single result, wherein the single result is detected text.

Abstract: Generally described, embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to generate a universal query result set from several different search index result sets by including identifications of items from the different search index result sets in an accurate manner. After a query has been submitted, search index result sets are received from several different search indexes, an allocation score for each search index is computed and a universal item score for the top-level item identified in each search index is computed. The method then combines the allocation score and the universal item score for the top level item for each search index result set and adds the item with the highest combined score to the universal query result set.

Abstract: Techniques for peer-binding are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for peer-binding includes receiving a security sequence submission entered through a trusted script provided with the content from a first client computing device, rendered on the first client computing device. In response to receiving the security sequence submission from a second client computing device and entered through the trusted script, a common communication channel between the first and second client computing devices is established such that an event generated on one of the first and second client computing devices is sent to another of the first and second client computing devices. The submission results from a user action on one or more content elements included in the content. The trusted script is configured, when executed, to detect user actions and determine security sequences resulting from the user actions.

Abstract: Techniques for experimentation on live content in a production environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for live experimentation comprises receiving a first request from a client computing device for an instance of content, sending a second request for an instance of content to a content provider, receiving the instance of content from the content provider in response to the second request, associating a test script with the received instance of content, and sending the instance of content with the associated test script to the client computing device. The client computing device is configured to execute the test script on the instance of content without modifying content executed by the content provider.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for encoding an image is provided. The image that needs to be represented is represented in the form of a Gaussian pyramid which is a scale-space representation of the image and includes several pyramid images. The feature points in the pyramid images are identified and a specified number of feature points are selected. The orientations of the selected feature points are obtained by using a set of orientation calculating algorithms. A patch is extracted around the feature point in the pyramid images based on the orientations of the feature point and the sampling factor of the pyramid image. The boundary patches in the pyramid images are extracted by padding the pyramid images with extra pixels. The feature vectors of the extracted patches are defined. These feature vectors are normalized so that the components in the feature vectors are less than a threshold.

Abstract: Systems and approaches for searching a content collection corresponding to query content are provided. In particular, false positive match rates between the query content and the content collection may be reduced with a minimum content region test and/or a minimum features per scale test. For example, by correlating content descriptors of a content piece in the content collection with query descriptors of the query content, the content piece can be determined to match the query content when a particular region of the content piece and/or a particular region of a query descriptor have a proportionate size meeting or exceeding a specified minimum. Alternatively, or in addition, the false positive match rate between query content and a content piece can be reduced by comparing content descriptors and query descriptors of features at a plurality of scales. A content piece can be determined to match the query content according to descriptor proportion quotas for the plurality of scales.

Abstract: A reusable distributed computing framework may be established in which contributors of computing resources may participate by using a web browser to visit a web page that incorporates a distributed computing participation component. A distributed computing job provider may submit distributed computing jobs to a web-based distributed computing service. A distributed computing job may include browser-executable code in accordance with a particular distributed computing programmatic interface and data to be processed by the browser-executable code. The web-based distributed computing service may assign independently processable portions of the job data to browsers visiting a donor page for processing with the job code. Results returned by the donor browsers may be indexed and made available in real-time, as may a status of the distributed computing job such as with respect to processing the job data.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable a computing device to perform tasks such as processing an image to recognize text or an object in an image to identify a particular product or related products associated with the text or object. In response to recognizing the text or the object as being associated with a product available for purchase from an electronic marketplace, one or more advertisements or product listings associated with the product can be displayed to the user. Accordingly, additional information for the associated product can be displayed, enabling the user to learn more about and purchase the product from the electronic marketplace through the portable computing device.

Abstract: Various algorithms are presented that enable an image of a machine-readable code, captured by a camera of an electronic device, to be decoded on the device without need to upload the image information to a server for processing. The algorithms can account for variations in focus of the image, as may result in blur due to move movement or auto-focus features. The approaches can handle multiple machine-readable code formats, and can handle machine-readable code on curved surfaces, machine-readable code with damaged areas, or machine-readable code that are otherwise uneven. Such algorithms are highly accurate while being fast and lightweight enough to execute on portable electronic devices, such as tablet computers and smart phones.

Abstract: A number of approaches for using a camera or other device to capture an image of an arbitrary signature, drawing and/or other scribble rendered on a package and utilizing the captured image as electronic postage for shipping the package to the recipient destination. A sender wishing to send a package handwrites a signature or other scribble directly onto the package that is to be shipped. A mobile device (e.g., smartphone) can be used to capture an image of the scribble and perform image recognition to determine whether the captured image contains sufficient features to be distinct from other images stored in a database. If the image is sufficiently distinct, the image can be accepted as electronic postage for the package. When the package is picked up, the delivery person scans the scribble and matches it to the image on file to determine the recipient address and other shipping information.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for matching images is provided. The images to be matched are represented by feature points and feature vectors and orientations associated with the feature points. First, putative correspondences are determined by using feature vectors. A subset of putative correspondences is selected and the topological equivalence of the subset is determined. The topologically equivalent subset of putative correspondences is used to establish a motion estimation model. An orientation consistency test is performed on the putative correspondences and the corresponding motion estimation transformation that is determined, to avoid an infeasible transformation. A coverage test is performed on the matches that satisfy orientation consistency test. The candidate matches that do not cover a significant portion of one of the images are rejected. The final match images are provided in the order of decreasing matching, in case of multiple images satisfying all the test requirements.

Abstract: Requests for resources can be throttled based on relative allocations, whereby the actual usage of a client or sub-client over time can be monitored in order to make intelligent throttling decisions. A centralized throttling service can maintain throttling information according to a hierarchical allocation tree, and can determine whether to throttle a request based at least in part whether any tokens, or available resource units, are available for a class or node of the tree corresponding to the request. In some cases, an empty token bucket for a node can borrow tokens from a parent node, in order to allow a user to exceed an allocation when the capacity of the system allows for such usage. When a user has been exceeding an allocation or otherwise inappropriately taxing various resources, the system can prevent that user from borrowing tokens for at least a specified period of time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, system, and a computer program product for delivering content to a communication device, in response to an image sent by the communication device. The received image is matched with a plurality of images, and, when a match is found for the received image, content corresponding to the image is delivered to the communication device. The plurality of images is stored in an image database, and the corresponding content is stored in a content repository. The present invention enables a content provider to automatically update the image database and the content repository without any human intervention.

Abstract: Substrings within strings, such as words within words, are identified based at least in part on recorded behavior of users that have submitted the strings or substrings as search queries. The behavior may relate to actions taken by the users upon having submitting the search queries. The actions may be actions taken in connection with an electronic marketplace, such as actions related to the consumption of items offered in the electronic marketplace. The identified strings and corresponding substrings are used in connection with processing search queries. The strings and substrings may be used to update a search index and/or to modify received search queries for processing.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for creating contour images that represent the contour of objects reflected in images, calculating contour histogram descriptors of the contour images, and classifying images based in part on the histogram descriptors of the contour images. For example, a contour image of an image is created. A radial-polar grid having a plurality of radial-polar bins is then positioned on the contour image. A contour histogram descriptor is created to include a number of bins that correspond to the radial-polar bins of the radial-polar grid, where the contents of the bins of the contour histogram descriptor represent the number of pixels of the contour image that are located in the corresponding radial-polar bins of the radial-polar grid. Images are classified at least based in part on comparisons between contour histogram descriptors of the images and contour histogram descriptors of training images.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for matching images is provided. The images to be matched are represented by feature points and feature vectors and orientations associated with the feature points. First, putative correspondences are determined by using feature vectors. A subset of putative correspondences is selected and the topological equivalence of the subset is determined. The topologically equivalent subset of putative correspondences is used to establish a motion estimation model. An orientation consistency test is performed on the putative correspondences and the corresponding motion estimation transformation that is determined, to avoid an infeasible transformation. A coverage test is performed on the matches that satisfy orientation consistency test. The candidate matches that do not cover a significant portion of one of the images are rejected. The final match images are provided in the order of decreasing matching, in case of multiple images satisfying all the test requirements.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for encoding an image is provided. The image that needs to be represented is represented in the form of a Gaussian pyramid which is a scale-space representation of the image and includes several pyramid images. The feature points in the pyramid images are identified and a specified number of feature points are selected. The orientations of the selected feature points are obtained by using a set of orientation calculating algorithms. A patch is extracted around the feature point in the pyramid images based on the orientations of the feature point and the sampling factor of the pyramid image. The boundary patches in the pyramid images are extracted by padding the pyramid images with extra pixels. The feature vectors of the extracted patches are defined. These feature vectors are normalized so that the components in the feature vectors are less than a threshold.

Abstract: The present invention provides a software facility for identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the facility receives a query specifying one or more query terms. In response, the facility generates a query result identifying a plurality of items that satisfy the query. The facility then produces a ranking value for at least a portion of the items identified in the query result by combining the relative frequencies with which users selected that item from the query results generated from queries specifying each of the terms specified by the query. The facility identifies as most relevant those items having the highest ranking values.

Abstract: Techniques for injecting synthetic electronic advertisements into a production electronic advertisement system to test the effectiveness of new categories of electronic advertisement are provided. Synthetic advertisement content may be provided to real users of the production system in order to determine the effectiveness of new electronic advertisements and/or new categories of electronic advertisements. The synthetic advertisements content appears to users to be regular production advertisement that may include navigational element such as a hypertext link and associated text and/or graphics to be displayed in the electronic interface. Statistics regarding the effectiveness of the new electronic advertisements and/or new categories are gathered and may be used to determine which new electronic advertisements and/or new categories of electronic advertisements are effective enough to include in the production system.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of systems, methods and computer readable mediums for matrix viewing. In one embodiment, among others, a system comprises at least one computing device and an application executable in the at least one computing device. The application comprises logic that searches and gathers a plurality of item representations based at least in part on a search query retrieved from a client computing device. The application further comprises logic that encodes a network page for rendering by the client computing device. The network page provides a matrix view of at least a portion of the item representations. Also, the matrix view includes a plurality of streams. At least one of the streams comprises a moving progression of the item representations across at least a portion of the network page.