Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090125226 | NETWORK-BASED NAVIGATION SYSTEM HAVING VIRTUAL DRIVE-THRU ADVERTISEMENTS INTEGRATED WITH ACTUAL IMAGERY FROM ALONG A PHYSICAL ROUTE - A network-based navigation system includes a user interface and a computer server system that can access a map database, an actual imagery database and an advertisement database in order to provide visual route guidance information having virtual drive-thru advertisements integrated with actual imagery from along a physical route. The user interface permits a user to submit a request for navigation information, receive visual route guidance information in response to the request and initiate a drive-thru presentation of at least a portion of a route. The computer server determines at least one route from the map database based on the request from the user and provides route guidance information to the user interface in response. The computer server also identifies actual imagery from the image database associated with the at least one route and selectively replaces at least one polygon region identified in the actual imagery associated with the at least one route with at least one advertisement from the ad database to create a drive-thru presentation with at least one virtual advertisement. At least a portion of the drive-thru presentation is presented to the user interface. In one embodiment, the computer server records a drive-thru charge for the virtual advertisements present in the portion of the drive-thru presentation provided to the user interface. | 05-14-2009 |
20090252376 | System for Road Sign Sheeting Classification - A system for classifying different types of sheeting materials of road signs depicted in a videostream compares estimated retroreflectivity values against known minimum retroreflectivity values for each of a plurality of colors. Once a road sign has been identified in the videostream, the frames associated with that road sign are analyzed to determine each of a plurality of colors present on the road sign. An estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors present on the road sign is then determined. By comparing the estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors against known minimum retroreflectivity values for the corresponding color for different types of sheeting materials, an accurate determination of the classification of the sheeting material of the road sign is established. Preferably, certain conditions of gross failure of the sheeting material are filtered out before classification of the sheeting material is determined. | 10-08-2009 |
20100082597 | Methods and apparatus for automated true object-based image analysis and retrieval - The present invention is an automated and extensible system for the analysis and retrieval of images based on region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of one or more true objects depicted by an image. The system uses a Regions Of Interest (ROI) database that is a relational or analytical database containing searchable vectors that represent the images stored in a repository. Entries in the ROI database are created by an image locator and ROI classifier that work in tandem to locate images within the repository and extract the relevant information that will be stored in the ROI database. Unlike existing region-of-interest search systems, the ROI classifier analyzes objects in an image to arrive at the actual features of the true object, instead of merely describing the features of the image of that object. Graphical searches are performed by the collaborative workings of an image retrieval module, an image search requestor and an ROI query module. The image search requestor is an abstraction layer that translates user or agent search requests into the language understood by the ROI query. | 04-01-2010 |
20110093350 | Network-Based Navigation System Having Virtual Drive-Thru Advertisements Integrated with Actual Imagery from Along a Physical Route - A network-based navigation system includes a user interface and a computer server system that can access a map database, an actual imagery database and an advertisement database in order to provide visual route guidance information having virtual drive-thru advertisements integrated with actual imagery from along a physical route. The user interface permits a user to submit a request for navigation information, receive visual route guidance information in response to the request and initiate a drive-thru presentation of at least a portion of a route. The computer server determines at least one route from the map database based on the request from the user and provides route guidance information to the user interface in response. The computer server also identifies actual imagery from the image database associated with the at least one route and selectively replaces at least one polygon region identified in the actual imagery associated with the at least one route with at least one advertisement from the ad database to create a drive-thru presentation with at least one virtual advertisement. At least a portion of the drive-thru presentation is presented to the user interface. In one embodiment, the computer server records a drive-thru charge for the virtual advertisements present in the portion of the drive-thru presentation provided to the user interface. | 04-21-2011 |
20120065940 | SYSTEM FOR ROAD SIGN SHEETING CLASSIFICATION - A system for classifying different types of sheeting materials of road signs depicted in a videostream compares estimated retroreflectivity values against known minimum retroreflectivity values for each of a plurality of colors. Once a road sign has been identified in the videostream, the frames associated with that road sign are analyzed to determine each of a plurality of colors present on the road sign. An estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors present on the road sign is then determined. By comparing the estimated retroreflectivity for each of the plurality of colors against known minimum retroreflectivity values for the corresponding color for different types of sheeting materials, an accurate determination of the classification of the sheeting material of the road sign is established. Preferably, certain conditions of gross failure of the sheeting material are filtered out before classification of the sheeting material is determined. | 03-15-2012 |
20120134583 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED TRUE OBJECT-BASED IMAGE ANALYSIS AND RETRIEVAL - An automated and extensible system is provided for the analysis and retrieval of images based on region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of one or more true objects depicted by an image. The system uses an ROI database that is a relational or analytical database containing searchable vectors representing images stored in a repository. Entries in the ROI database are created by an image locator and ROI classifier that locate images within the repository and extract relevant information to be stored in the ROI database. The ROI classifier analyzes objects in an image to arrive at actual features of the true object. Graphical searches may also be performed. | 05-31-2012 |
20120140990 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED TRUE OBJECT-BASED IMAGE ANALYSIS AND RETRIEVAL - An automated and extensible system for analysis and retrieval of images based on region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of one or more true objects depicted by an image is provided. The system uses an database that is a relational or analytical database containing searchable vectors that represent the images stored in a repository. Entries in the database are created by an image locator and ROI classifier working together to locate images within the repository and extract relevant information to be stored in the ROI database. The ROI classifier analyzes objects in an image to arrive at actual features of the true object. Graphical searches are performed by the collaborative workings of an image retrieval module, an image search requestor and an ROI query module. The image search requestor is an abstraction layer that translates user or agent search requests into the language understood by the ROI query. | 06-07-2012 |
20140036269 | System and Assessment of Reflective Objects Along a Roadway - A system for the assessment of reflective surfaces disposed along a roadway repeatedly illuminates an area along the roadway that includes at least one reflective surface using a light source. Multiple light intensity values are measured over a field of view which includes at least a portion of the area illuminated by the light source. A computer processing system is used to identifying a portion of the light intensity values associated with a reflective surface and analyze the portion of the light intensity values to determine assessment for that reflective surface. In one embodiment, a virtual nighttime drive through along a roadway is simulated using a plurality of intensity values to simulate reflections from each reflective surface disposed along the roadway during the virtual drive through. | 02-06-2014 |
20140270508 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED TRUE OBJECT-BASED IMAGE ANALYSIS AND RETRIEVAL - The present invention is an automated and extensible system for the analysis and retrieval of images based on region-of-interest (ROI) analysis of one or more true objects depicted by an image. The system uses an ROI database that is a relational or analytical database containing searchable vectors that represent the images stored in a repository. Entries in the database are created by an image locator and ROI classifier that work to locate images within the repository and extract relevant information that will be stored in the ROI database. The ROI classifier analyzes objects in an image identify actual features of the true object. Graphical searches are performed by the collaborative workings of an image retrieval module, an image search requestor and an ROI query module. The image search requestor is an abstraction layer that translates user or agent search requests into the language understood by the ROI query. | 09-18-2014 |