Image analysis – Applications – Animal – plant – or food inspection
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-03
2001-07-03
Patel, Jayanti K. (Department: 2623)
Image analysis
Applications
Animal, plant, or food inspection
C382S218000, C382S305000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256401
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage, retrieval, and display of graphical information, and more specifically to such storage, retrieval, and display of such information in connection with identification of specimens in public marine aquariums.
2. Description Relative to the Prior Art
This invention is intended to be used in large-scale public marine aquariums, such as the Boston Aquarium, Sea World of Orlando, Fla., the Seaquarium of Miami, Fla., etc. The invention has the object of providing information about specimens in the aquarium, such as the name, habitat, size, habits, diet, history, and other such information, hereinafter referred to as demographic information., in an improved and interactive environment. The intended audience for this invention is the visiting public attending the aquarium.
Currently this type of information is commonly provided in limited form by means of displays comprising posters, signs, and the like located in some proximity to the specimen to which the display relates. Often the display has the picture of a specimen, such as a fish, so that the visitor can attempt to identify the specimen by its likeness in the display. The display also may have a certain amount of statistical data about the specimen. However, the current systems of this type have a number of drawbacks:
1. The specimens in the aquarium often appear very different from the pictures in the display;
2. The number of such displays in a particular area are limited by the space available for such displays;
3. As new specimens are added or removed (or expire), the displays need to be constantly updated;
4. These display systems are often underutilized through lack of interest, difficulty in seeing the displays when the aquarium is crowded, and the requirement of reading long paragraphs of text.
A desired improvement in the prior art is the use of graphic techniques to identify particular specimens, including fish, invertebrates, etc., by first capturing a graphic image of the specimen as it appears in the aquarium, next identifying the specimen by comparing its image to a library of such images stored on the system, and then, upon identification, providing other information associated with the specimen, both graphic, textual, sonic, and otherwise, to the viewer.
To provide such a system requires the use of a number of different technologies, including graphic identification of the specimen images. A number of recent improvements in the technology provide assistance in this graphic identification requirement. In particular, the Face Recognition Machine described by Lambert in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,522, describes a technology which may be helpful in this regard. However, the nature of the marine specimens to be so identified have characteristics which make other means of graphic identification more appropriate than the face recognition system of the Lambert patent. The variation in human faces is not very great compared to the variation in the shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns found in the marine aquarium. Thus other means of graphic identification, utilizing colors, patterns, size variations, etc., are used in the current invention.
The current invention solves most of problems described above. One or two electronic display screens, such as VDT or computer monitors, replace the multiplicity of display signs currently used. The information is conveyed to the visitors either visually, through text and pictures, through sound, or a combination of the two. And because the system utilizes an aquarium-wide network with a single database, the updating of images and information is done at a single location out of the way of the visitors and the aquarium tanks and viewing areas. This updating may be done at the convenience of the personnel doing the updating, since it does not interfere in any way with the visitors who may be viewing the displays being updated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A general object of the current invention is to provide a system for enhancing the experience of visitors at public aquariums.
A specific object of this invention is to provide such a system by means of one or more viewing stations available to these visitors, each of which may be used to designate a particular specimen within the aquarium by its location and then to automatically identify the specimen and display various demographic data concerning the specimen.
According to one aspect of the invention, the system includes means for determining the location of a specimen under investigation (SUI), and means for capturing the video image of the SUI. The system further includes means for storing a database of specimens comprising identification information and demographic information. The system also provides means for comparing the video image to the database, means for selecting a specimen of the database as a result of the comparison, and means for displaying the demographic information corresponding of the specimen.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the means for capturing the video image further includes means for indicating the location of the SUI within the field of view, and means for optically scanning a restricted area around the location.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the means for comparing further includes means for bulk-shape filtering the image and means for color filtering the image, and the database further includes, for each specimen, a multiplicity of images representing different view of the specimen, and, for each different view, a multiplicity of images each of which has been subjected to a different color filter. The means for comparison further includes means for subjecting the SUI image to a multiplicity of color filters prior to comparison with the database.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the system further includes one or more viewing stations, each of which contains the means for determining the location of the SUI, the means for capturing the video image of the SUI, the means for displaying the demographic information corresponding of the specimen, and a computer network connected to each of the viewing stations. This computer network contains the means for storing the database of specimens, as well as the means for comparing the video image to the database, and the means for selecting a specimen of the database.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a method is described for storage, retrieval, and display of information relating to specimens in public aquariums, which includes storing a database of specimens comprising identification information and demographic information; and then, further including in the following order, the steps of determining the location of a specimen under investigation (SUI) in an aquarium, capturing the video image of the SUI at said location, comparing the video image to the database, selecting a specimen of the database as a result of said comparison, and displaying the demographic information corresponding of the specimen.
According to one more aspect of the invention, the capturing the video image further includes indicating the location of the SUI within the field of view, and optically scanning a restricted area around the location.
According to a final aspect of the invention, the comparing further includes bulkshape-filtering the image and color-filtering the image, wherein the database further includes, for each specimen, a multiplicity of images representing different view of the specimen, and, for each different view, a multiplicity of images each of which has been subjected to a different color filter. The comparison further includes subjecting the SUI image to a multiplicity of color filters prior to comparison with the database.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4449189 (1984-05-01), Feix et al.
patent: 4963035 (1990-10-01), McCarthy et al.
patent: 5012522 (1991-04-01), Lambert
patent: 5164992 (1992-11-01), Turk et al.
patent: 5378194 (1995-01-01), Hjorth
patent: 5680619 (1997-10-01), Gudmundson et al.
patent: 5751286 (1998-05-0
Patel Jayanti K.
White Mark P.
LandOfFree
System and method for storage, retrieval and display of... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with System and method for storage, retrieval and display of..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and System and method for storage, retrieval and display of... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2552802