Abstract: A method of defining input to an image-based search engine includes displaying and image on a screen and detecting at least three points touched by a user on the image. An object in the image is identified having the at least three points as vertices. The identified object is inputted to an image-based search engine. Portions of the image not included within the object are excluded from the input to the image-based search engine.

Abstract: A method of searching a database of component parts includes capturing a plurality of images of an object. The capturing is performed by use of a camera of a mobile electronic device. The images are captured from at least two different angles. The captured images are submitted as a group into a search engine. The database of component parts is searched by use of the search engine. A result of the searching is dependent upon each of the captured images in the group.

Abstract: A method of providing a 3D printing database includes collecting 3D printing data from a plurality of users to form a 3D printing database. A first exclusive group is formed including a first subset of the users. Users who are members of the exclusive group are provided with access to a first portion and to other portions of the 3D printing database. The first portion is contributed to the database by the users who are members of the exclusive group. Users excluded from the exclusive group are denied access to the first portion of the component part database. The users excluded from the exclusive group are provided with access to the other portions of the 3D printing database. Each of the users is enabled to furnish an image of a desired component part and to search only the portions of the 3D printing database to which the user has been provided access. The searching is based upon the furnished image of the desired component part.

Abstract: A method of defining input to an image-based search engine includes displaying and image on a screen and detecting at least three points touched by a user on the image. An object in the image is identified having the at least three points as vertices. The identified object is inputted to an image-based search engine. Portions of the image not included within the object are excluded from the input to the image-based search engine.

Abstract: A method of providing a 3D printing database includes collecting 3D printing data from a plurality of users to form a 3D printing database. A first exclusive group is formed including a first subset of the users. Users who are members of the exclusive group are provided with access to a first portion and to other portions of the 3D printing database. The first portion is contributed to the database by the users who are members of the exclusive group. Users excluded from the exclusive group are denied access to the first portion of the component part database. The users excluded from the exclusive group are provided with access to the other portions of the 3D printing database. Each of the users is enabled to furnish an image of a desired component part and to search only the portions of the 3D printing database to which the user has been provided access. The searching is based upon the furnished image of the desired component part.

Abstract: A method of visually clustering a database of component parts includes indexing a set of image data associated with the component parts, and storing the indexed image data in the database. The indexed image data is clustered dependent upon a visual criterion.

Abstract: A method of providing a searchable parts database includes collecting component part data from a plurality of users to form a component part database. An exclusive group is formed including a subset of the users. User members of the exclusive group are provided with access to the component part data contributed to the database by other user members of the exclusive group. Users excluded from the exclusive group are denied access to the component part data contributed to the database by the user members of the exclusive group. The user members in the exclusive group are enabled to provide images of desired component parts and to search the component part database based upon the images of desired component parts.

Abstract: The method and program for indexing shapes contained on a digital page for storage in a database for subsequent searching and retrieval includes an indexing routine for generating the database of indexed shapes by removing extraneous information on the digital page, and orienting the shapes in a predetermined orientation for storage in the shape database, and a querying routine for identifying indexed shapes that are similar or identical to a search shape by extracting the search shape from a digital page using the indexing routine and comparing the extracted shape to the indexed shapes in the database.