System and method for initiating communication from actual, notional, or dissociated previewed images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9532198-B2
Application number	US-201414326844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A communication device includes a communication circuit, an imager, and one or more processors. One or more memory devices store one or more reference images. The one or more processors can receive an image being previewed by the imager and determine whether the image being previewed by the imager corresponds to a stored image of the one or more reference images. Where the image being previewed by the imager corresponds to the stored image, the one or more processors can determine a communication identifier associated with the stored image and initiate communication with a remote device using the communication identifier. Where the object is a plurality of objects, the one or more processors can initiate a group communication with remote devices corresponding to all or a subset of the plurality of objects.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication device, comprising:
a camera;
a touch-sensitive display;
one or more processors; and
one or more memory devices operable to store contact information, a profile entry of the contact information comprising a reference image associated with an entity and a communication identifier associated with the entity,
wherein the one or more processors are operable to:
responsive to receiving an image being previewed by the camera, output, for display by the touch-sensitive display, the image being previewed by the camera;
receive, from the touch-sensitive display, an indication of a user input detected by the touch-sensitive display, the user input to select a portion of the image being previewed by the camera;
responsive to receiving the indication of the user input:
compare an object within the portion of the image being previewed by the camera to an object within the reference image associated with the entity;
determine, based on the comparison, whether the portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the entity; and
responsive to determining that the portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the entity, initiate, using the profile entry, communication with a remote device associated with the entity.

2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
responsive to determining that the portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the entity, output, for display by the touch-sensitive display, a user actuation target.

3. The communication device of claim 2 , wherein the user input is a first user input, and wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
receive an indication of a second user input detected by the touch-sensitive display at a location of the touch-sensitive display at which the user actuation target is displayed; and
initiate the communication with the remote device associated with the entity in response to receiving the indication of the second user input at the user actuation target.

4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the object within the reference image associated with the entity is a representation of a person.

5. The communication device of claim 4 , wherein the image being previewed by the camera is an imaged photograph of the person.

6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein:
the object within the reference image associated with the entity is a representation of an inanimate object associated with the entity.

7. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the object within the reference image associated with the entity is a user definable symbol.

8. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein
the user definable symbol is a notional representation of the entity.

9. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein
the user definable symbol is dissociated from the entity.

10. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication identifier is an electronic mail address associated with the entity and wherein the one or more processors are operable to:
responsive to determining that the portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the entity, output, without further user input, to the electronic mail address associated with the entity, an electronic mail that includes a predefined communication message.

11. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the user input is a first user input, wherein the portion is a first potion, and wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
receive, from the touch-sensitive display, an indication of a second user input detected by the touch-sensitive display, the second user input to select a second portion of the image being previewed by the camera.

12. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the communication identifier is a telephone number associated with the entity and wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
responsive to determining that the portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the entity, establish, without further user input, a communication session with the telephone number associated with the entity.

13. The communication device of claim 11 , wherein:
the profile entry is a first profile entry;
the entity is a first entity;
the contact information further includes a second profile entry that includes a reference image associated with a second entity and a communication identifier associated with the second entity; and
the one or more processors are further operable to:
responsive to receiving the indication of the second user input:
compare an object within the second portion of the image being previewed by the camera to an object within the reference image associated with the second entity;
determine, based on the comparison of the object within the second portion of the image being previewed by the camera to the object within the reference image associated with the second entity, whether the second portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the second entity; and
responsive to determining that the second portion of the image being previewed by the camera corresponds to the second entity, initiate, using the second profile entry, communication with a remote device associated with the second entity.

14. The communication device of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
initiate a conference call to the remote device associated with the first entity using the first profile entry and the remote device associated with the second entity using the second profile entry.

15. A method, comprising:
previewing, by a camera, an image;
outputting, by one or more processors, for display by a touch-sensitive display, the image being previewed by the camera;
receiving, by the one or more processors, from the touch-sensitive display, an indication of a user input detected by the touch-sensitive display, the user input to select a plurality of portions of the image;
responsive to receiving the indication of the user input:
comparing, by the one or more processors, for each portion of the plurality of portions, an object within a respective portion of the image being previewed by the camera to an object within a reference image associated with an entity, the reference image being included in a profile entry that includes a communication identifier associated with the entity;
determining, by the one or more processors, based on the comparison, for each portion of the plurality of portions, whether a respective portion corresponds to the entity to determine a plurality of profile entries for a group communication; and
responsive to determining the plurality of profile entries for the group communication,
initiating, by the one or more processors, using the plurality of profile entries for the group communication, the group communication.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the group communication is one or more of a group electronic mail, group text message, group multimedia message, group conference call, group video conference call, or group social media post.

17. A communication device, comprising:
a camera;
a touch-sensitive display;
one or more processors; and
one or more memory devices being operable to store contact information, a first profile entry of the contact information comprising a reference image associated with a first entity and a communication identifier associated with the first entity and a second profile entry of t

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc
• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Mannan Azimul
• Raghavan Krishnan

Classifications

• H04W4/16 Primary

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title

• H04M1/2755

  by optical scanning · CPC title

• H04M2250/52

  including functional features of a camera · CPC title

• H04M1/72522

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/72403

  with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality · CPC title