Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090193715 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROBOTIC OCEAN FARMING FOR FOOD AND ENERGY - A robotic ocean farm includes a plant support means such as a grid, with a submersible towing system incorporating means for navigation of the support grid in the open ocean, and means for positioning of the support grid in a first surfaced position for sunlight exposure of the plants and a second submerged position for nutrient gathering by the plants. The submersible towing system incorporates one or more tow boats connected to a forward periphery of the grid, each of the tow boats incorporating a propulsion system for navigation of the grid and maintaining lateral tension in the forward periphery of the grid. Additionally, one or more reaction boats are connected to an aft periphery of the grid. Each of the reaction boats incorporates a propulsion system for maintaining lateral tension in the aft periphery of the grid and reacting in concert with the tow boats to maintain longitudinal tension in the grid. A system for harvesting multiple independently operating farms incorporates a harvesting station which is placed or positions itself to meet the farms at predetermined locations during their voyage to harvest and replenish the plants carried on the farm grid. Base stations, separately or as a part of the harvesting station, communicate with the farms provide mutual support and informational exchange for optimized operation of the farms. | 08-06-2009 |
20100319252 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ROBOTIC OCEAN FARMING FOR FOOD AND ENERGY - A robotic ocean farm includes a plant support means such as a grid, with a submersible towing system incorporating means for navigation of the support grid in the open ocean, and means for positioning of the support grid in a first surfaced position for sunlight exposure of the plants and a second submerged position for nutrient gathering by the plants. The submersible towing system incorporates one or more tow boats connected to a forward periphery of the grid, each of the tow boats incorporating a propulsion system for navigation of the grid and maintaining lateral tension in the forward periphery of the grid. Additionally, one or more reaction boats are connected to an aft periphery of the grid. Each of the reaction boats incorporates a propulsion system for maintaining lateral tension in the aft periphery of the grid and reacting in concert with the tow boats to maintain longitudinal tension in the grid. A system for harvesting multiple independently operating farms incorporates a harvesting station which is placed or positions itself to meet the farms at predetermined locations during their voyage to harvest and replenish the plants carried on the farm grid. Base stations, separately or as a part of the harvesting station, communicate with the farms provide mutual support and informational exchange for optimized operation of the farms. | 12-23-2010 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080298608 | Sound Generating Device with Removable Memory - A sound generating device for transforming an object into a loudspeaker is includes an exciter module adapted for receiving audio signals stored on a portable micro-memory card or the like and a mounting device connected to the exciter module for removably connecting the exciter module to an object such that the object is transformed into a loudspeaker when the exciter module is energized by the audio signals. | 12-04-2008 |
20080304680 | Sound Generating Device - A sound generating device for transforming an object into a loudspeaker is includes an exciter module adapted for receiving audio signals from an audio source and a mounting device connected to the exciter module for removably connecting the exciter module to an object such that the object is transformed into a loudspeaker when the exciter module is energized by the audio source. | 12-11-2008 |
20090017932 | GOLF CLUB ALIGNMENT DEVICE - An alignment device for attachment to the striking face of a golf club head includes a pair of elongate guide rods, a pair of connection plates for attachment between the proximal ends of the guide rods and the striking face of the head, and an adhesive layer for mounting the connection plates to the striking face. Each guide rod includes a magnet and each connection plate is constructed of a magnetically attractive material so that the guide rods can be used during practice and removed during play. | 01-15-2009 |
20100215188 | Vehicle Mounted Cradle and Sound Amplifier for a Personal Communication Device - The present invention is a vehicle mounted cradle and sound amplifier for a personal communication device, the cradle and amplifier comprising a microphone, amplifier, flat panel speaker, power source, and power saving means. A personal communication device used in conjunction with the cradle and sound amplifier is secured and oriented such that a control interface of the communication device faces towards a vehicle driver's seat. A microphone placed in close proximity to the speaker on a common communication device detects sound emitted from the communication device. A flat panel speaker then amplifies that sound for the user of the communication device to hear. A power saving means is disclosed for regulating power from said power source, the power saving means including an audio-level based lower-power standby mode. The cradle amplifies the communication device while minimizing audio feedback. Further, because the amplifier is only supplied power when the communication device is inserted, it exhibits excellent battery life. Finally, the simplicity of the device increases reliability during its use, decreases the cost of manufacturing, and makes the safety of hands free mobile phone use more greatly accessible to the public. | 08-26-2010 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140192996 | Wireless Audio Control Apparatus - A wireless audio control apparatus comprises a U-shaped outer shell having an outer surface, an inner surface and a plurality of side surfaces. A spring clip is attached to the inner surface of the outer shell. A speaker, a microphone and at least one control interface are located on the outer surface of the outer shell. A jack sealed behind a jack cover is located on at least one of the plurality of side surfaces of the outer shell. A wireless transceiver, an amplifier and a rechargeable battery are located inside the outer shell. The wireless audio control apparatus is configured to control the audio output from a wirelessly attached personal audio device while being removably affixed to a generally planar object worn by a user. | 07-10-2014 |
20150341712 | DEVICE ACCESSORY WITH SPEAKERS - A device accessory to produce high quality high volume sound, comprising a clip case for holding the mobile device and a speaker unit that provides high quality high volume sound produced from the mobile device. The clip case further comprises a base portion attached to a plurality of side walls and a first pivotal attachment means. An outer side of the base portion includes at least one magnet and a configured to hold a support means. At least one of the pluralities of side walls recess includes a pair of side magnets. The speaker unit comprises a pair of lower magnets, a support means magnet, a second pivotal attachment means, a pair of speaker side magnets, a charging port, an ON/OFF button, an indicator, at least one flat panel speaker having at least one carbon fiber board excited by a mini exciter positioned inside the speaker unit and a microphone. | 11-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090106825 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER PASSWORD PROTECTION - A system and method are disclosed for protecting a password assigned to a user, the method comprising: providing a password entry screen having a virtual keyboard, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys arranged in a non-QWERTY format; authenticating the user if a password submitted by the user accessing the password entry screen matches a user password retrieved from a password database; and denying access to the user if the submitted password does not match the retrieved user password. The system comprises a storage module and a computer program for performing the method. | 04-23-2009 |
20090106827 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USER PASSWORD PROTECTION - A system and method are disclosed for protecting a password assigned to a user, the method comprising: providing a password entry screen having a virtual keyboard, the virtual keyboard including a plurality of character keys arranged in a non-QWERTY format; authenticating the user if a password submitted by the user accessing the password entry screen matches a user password retrieved from a password database; and denying access to the user if the submitted password does not match the retrieved user password. The system comprises a storage module and a computer program for performing the method. | 04-23-2009 |
20100161369 | APPLICATION OF RELATIONSHIP WEIGHTS TO SOCIAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS - A method and system for relationship weighting in social networks are provided. The method includes identifying a plurality of sources of relationship data and extracting from each source a list of connected contacts with a relationship strength for each connection. The lists of contacts from the sources are aggregated into an aggregated list, with each source having a source weighting. The aggregated list is applied to an un-weighted social network to provide relationship strengths between contacts. | 06-24-2010 |
20100174747 | METHODS FOR RECOMMENDING NEW INDIVIDUALS TO BE INVITED INTO A CONFIRMED SOCIAL NETWORK BASED ON MINED SOCIAL DATA - A computer-implemented method that inputs a confirmed social network of a user, performs data mining of electronically accessible data for the user to produce a mined social network including individuals having a social relationship with the user and having an electronically accessible link to the user, subtracts the confirmed social network of the user from the mined social network to produce a recommendation list, in which the recommendation list includes at least one new individual not belonging to the confirmed social network of the use, and in which the recommendation list recommends the at least one new individual not belonging to the confirmed social network for membership in the confirmed social network, and outputs the recommendation list to the user. | 07-08-2010 |
20110246482 | AUGMENTED AND CROSS-SERVICE TAGGING - According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for cross-service tagging is provided. The method includes creating connections to multiple applications, each application having multiple entities. Relationships are determined between the entities within a single application and between entities across multiple applications. A tag is associated with a selected one of the entities in a first one of the multiple applications. Entities in other applications besides the first application are identified that are related to the selected entity, based on the determined relationships. The tag is propagated across multiple applications by associating the tag with the identified entities in the other applications. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a method for inferring tags suggestions is provided. This method includes analyzing email messages to create keywords from text analysis, from bringing content and tags from other email messages or directory applications. Tags suggestions from the various sources are merged and weighed according to an algorithm. | 10-06-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110291043 | Aluminum Substituted Mixed Transition Metal Oxide Cathode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries - A mixed transition metal oxide is provided described wherein Aluminum is partially substituted for Cobalt in a Li[Ni | 12-01-2011 |
20130189602 | MICROSTRUCTURED ELECTRODE STRUCTURES - A structure for use in an energy storage device, the structure comprising a backbone system extending generally perpendicularly from a reference plane, and a population of microstructured anodically active material layers supported by the lateral surfaces of the backbones, each of the microstructured anodically active material layers having a void volume fraction of at least 0.1 and a thickness of at least 1 micrometer. | 07-25-2013 |
20140050969 | ELECTRODE STRUCTURES FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL BATTERIES - An electrode structure for use in an energy storage device comprising a population of electrodes, a population of counter-electrodes and a microporous separator separating members of the electrode population from members of the counter-electrode population. Each member of the electrode population comprises an electrode active material layer and an electrode current conductor layer, and each member of the electrode population has a bottom, a top, a length L | 02-20-2014 |
20140272547 | SEPARATORS FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL BATTERIES - An electrode structure for use in an energy storage device, the electrode structure comprising a population of electrodes, a population of counter-electrodes and an electrically insulating material layer separating members of the electrode population from members of the counter-electrode population, each member of the electrode population having a longitudinal axis A | 09-18-2014 |
20140329132 | MICROSTRUCTURED ELECTRODE STRUCTURES - A structure for use in an energy storage device, the structure comprising a backbone system extending generally perpendicularly from a reference plane, and a population of microstructured anodically active material layers supported by the lateral surfaces of the backbones, each of the microstructured anodically active material layers having a void volume fraction of at least 0.1 and a thickness of at least 1 micrometer. | 11-06-2014 |
20140335395 | IONICALLY PERMEABLE STRUCTURES FOR ENERGY STORAGE DEVICES - An electrochemical stack comprising carrier ions, an anode comprising an anode active material layer, a cathode comprising a cathode active material layer, a separator between the anode and the cathode comprising a porous dielectric material and a non-aqueous electrolyte, and an ionically permeable conductor layer located between the separator and an electrode active material layer. | 11-13-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20150032941 | NON-VOLATILE MEMORY INTERFACE - In an embodiment, a memory interface may send an indication that a request is being sent. The indication may be sent to a non-volatile memory via a point-to-point bus between a memory interface and the non-volatile memory. The memory interface may send the request to the non-volatile memory via the bus. The request may include an address that may be used to identify a location for storing or reading data. The non-volatile memory may acquire the request from the bus and process the request. After processing the request, the non-volatile memory may send an indication to the memory interface that indicates the non-volatile memory has a response to send to the memory interface. The memory interface may grant access to the bus to the non-volatile memory. After being granted access to the bus, the non-volatile memory may send the response to the memory interface. | 01-29-2015 |
20150178204 | COMMON PLATFORM FOR ONE-LEVEL MEMORY ARCHITECTURE AND TWO-LEVEL MEMORY ARCHITECTURE - Technologies for one-level memory (1LM) and two-level memory (2LM) configurations in a common platform are described. A processor includes a first memory interface coupled to a first memory device that is located off-package of the processor and a second memory interface coupled to a second memory device that is located off-package of the processor. The processor also includes a multi-level memory controller (MLMC) coupled to the first memory interface and the second memory interface. The MLMC includes a first configuration and a second configuration. The first memory device is a random access memory (RAM) of a one-level memory (1LM) architecture in the first configuration. The first memory device is a first-level RAM of a two-level memory (2LM) architecture in the second configuration and the second memory device is a second-level non-volatile memory (NVM) of the 2LM architecture in the second configuration. | 06-25-2015 |
20160041595 | Controlling Reduced Power States Using Platform Latency Tolerance - In an embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of cores and power management logic. The power management logic may be to, in response to a first break event during a reduced power state in the processor, set an exit timer based on a platform latency tolerance, block a first plurality of break events from interrupting the reduced power state, and in response to a expiration of the exit timer, terminate the reduced power state. Other embodiments are described and claimed. | 02-11-2016 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110182797 | Nitrogen-Permeable Membranes and Uses Thereof - A nitrogen-permeable structure includes a porous support and a nitrogen-permeable membrane adjacent to the porous support. The nitrogen-permeable membrane includes a first metal and a second metal, wherein the first metal is selected from niobium, tantalum, and vanadium, and the second metal is different from the first metal. | 07-28-2011 |
20140286844 | SORBENTS FOR CARBON DIOXIDE CAPTURE - Provided herein are sorbents for carbon dioxide (CO | 09-25-2014 |
20150232340 | Microporous/Mesoporous Carbon - Hierarchically porous graphitic (HPG) carbon is provided via improved methods. The first approach is based on forming a 3-D polymer network from a first precursor and a second precursor and carbonizing it. The carbon in the resulting carbon structure comes from the first precursor, while the second precursor volatizes to form the pores. However, the second precursor is temperature resistant, such that carbonization of the first precursor is underway when the second precursor volatizes. The second approach is based on forming a structured polymer from first and second precursors. More specifically, the second precursor forms a second polymer having a micelle structure and the first precursor forms a first polymer that coats the micelle structure of the second polymer. The structured polymer is carbonized. Here also the carbon in the resulting carbon structure comes from the first precursor, while the second precursor volatizes to form the pores. | 08-20-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140156196 | MOLDED WRISTBAND CASE - A biometric monitoring device and multiple carrying cases for same are provided. In some implementations, the case may be made from a flexible viscoelastic material and the biometric monitoring device may be slipped into a receptacle in the case through an opening in the case; the opening may become distended during the insertion of the biometric monitoring device. In some implementations, the case may feature a display window that, in combination with materials of the biometric monitoring device, may mask a display of the biometric monitoring device from view when the display is off and may allow the display to be seen when the display is displaying content. | 06-05-2014 |
20140174958 | INTERCHANGEABLE CASES FOR BIOMETRIC MONITORING DEVICES - A biometric monitoring device and multiple carrying cases for same are provided. In some implementations, the case may be made from a flexible viscoelastic material and the biometric monitoring device may be slipped into a receptacle in the case through an opening in the case; the opening may become distended during the insertion of the biometric monitoring device. In some implementations, the case may feature a display window that, in combination with materials of the biometric monitoring device, may mask a display of the biometric monitoring device from view when the display is off and may allow the display to be seen when the display is displaying content. | 06-26-2014 |
20140180019 | WEARABLE BIOMETRIC MONITORING DEVICES, INTERCHANGEABLE ACCESSORIES AND INTEGRATED FASTENINGS TO PERMIT WEAR - A biometric monitoring device and multiple carrying cases for same are provided. In some implementations, the case may be made from a flexible viscoelastic material and the biometric monitoring device may be slipped into a receptacle in the case through an opening in the case; the opening may become distended during the insertion of the biometric monitoring device. In some implementations, the case may feature a display window that, in combination with materials of the biometric monitoring device, may mask a display of the biometric monitoring device from view when the display is off and may allow the display to be seen when the display is displaying content. | 06-26-2014 |
20140200412 | INTERCHANGEABLE CASES FOR BIOMETRIC MONITORING DEVICES - A biometric monitoring device and multiple carrying cases for same are provided. In some implementations, the case may be made from a flexible viscoelastic material and the biometric monitoring device may be slipped into a receptacle in the case through an opening in the case; the opening may become distended during the insertion of the biometric monitoring device. In some implementations, the case may feature a display window that, in combination with materials of the biometric monitoring device, may mask a display of the biometric monitoring device from view when the display is off and may allow the display to be seen when the display is displaying content. | 07-17-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090313267 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORGANIZING FILES IN A GRAPH-BASED LAYOUT - An adaptive, interactive visual workspace for viewing groups of files based on their relationships. Relationships of files are visualized using iterative refinement of categories through a direct-manipulation graph-based layout. The visual workspace starts with a fully connected graph linking thumbnail images of related files that is then partitioned into neighborhoods in response to a user creating file stacks corresponding to different categories. Normalized spring lengths improve the overall quality of the layout. Different modes for membership in neighborhoods avoid confusing motion of files and help a user to manually organize the workspace. Additionally, retrieved files can be added without having to significantly move the previous files. Different visualization techniques indicate which files are related to each other. An elliptical-shaped window displaying rings of elliptic thumbnail images presents a group of files in an easily visible and space-efficient way. Different zoom rates are used for file location, and surrogate sizes allow users to increase the separation between files while still increasing the surrogate sizes. | 12-17-2009 |
20110154174 | EMBEDDED MEDIA MARKERS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING AND USING THEM - Embedded Media Markers (EMM) are optical-filter-like overlaid marks that can be printed on a part of a paper document that signify the existence of media associated with that part of the document. Users take a picture of an EMM-signified document patch using a cell phone camera, and the media associated with the EMM-signified document location is retrieved and displayed on the phone. Unlike bar codes, EMMs are nearly transparent and thus do not interfere with the document contents. Retrieval of media associated with an EMM is based on image local features of the captured EMM-signified document patch. A semi-automatically technique places an EMM at a location in a document, in such a way that the EMM encompasses sufficient identification features with minimal disturbance to the original document. | 06-23-2011 |
20110197166 | METHOD FOR RECOMMENDING ENTERPRISE DOCUMENTS AND DIRECTORIES BASED ON ACCESS LOGS - Systems and methods recommend documents or directories in an enterprise context by analyzing use proximity in the organizational hierarchy to find similar users. Evidence may be used from different sources to gage the degree of interest a user may have in a document. Such pieces of evidence may include viewing page thumbnails, viewing the document online, or printing, saving, or bookmarking the document. To make managing these different sources of evidence from users related by different degrees tractable, a model may be created where evidence values decay by different amounts over time and are combined with different weights. Additionally, these systems and methods also can make use of the directory structure of the document space to recommend directories as well as individual documents. | 08-11-2011 |
20120037695 | EMBEDDED MEDIA BARCODE LINKS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING AND USING THEM - Embedded Media Barcode Links (EMBL), are optimally blended iconic barcode marks printed on paper documents that signify the existence of media associated with that part of the document. EMBLs are used for media retrieval with a camera phone. Users take a picture of an EMBL-signified document patch using a cell phone, and the media associated with the EMBL-signified document location is displayed on the phone. Unlike traditional bar code which requires an exclusive space, EMBLs are optimally blended with contents and thus have less interference with the original document layout and can be moved closer to a media associated location. Unlike Embedded Media Makers (EMM) which requires underlying document features for the marker identification, EMBL has no requirement to underlying features. Moreover, EMBL can take the advantage of users' knowledge to traditional barcode. Retrieval of media associated with an EMBL is based on the barcode identification of the captured EMBL. | 02-16-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090134968 | SEGMENTING TIME BASED ON THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVITY IN SENSOR DATA - The invention segments detector input according to the time and the level of activity in different geographic regions of a locality. In one embodiment of the invention the detector input is comprised of video stream from one or more cameras to identify activity in the video. In one embodiment of the invention the detector input is comprised of sensor outputs such as RFID, pressure plates, etc. Various embodiments of the invention include identifying boundaries based on the level of activity. In embodiments of the invention, the boundaries can be used to select time dimensions. In one embodiment, by recognizing time dimensions with distinctive activity patterns, systems can better present overviews of activity over time. | 05-28-2009 |
20090162025 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING MULTI-LEVEL HYPERVIDEO SUMMARIES - A hypervideo summary comprised of multiple levels of related content and appropriate navigational links can be automatically generated from a media file such as a linear video. A number of algorithms and selection criteria can be used to modify how such a summary is generated. Viewers of an automatically-generated hypervideo summary can interactively select the amount of detail displayed for each portion of the summary. This selection can be done by following explicit navigational links, or by changing between media channels that are mapped to the various levels of related content. | 06-25-2009 |
20090199099 | Video browser for navigating linear video on small display devices using a similarity-based navigation hierarchy of temporally ordered video keyframes with short navigation paths - A computer-based method is provided for enabling navigation of video using a keyframe-based video browser on a display device with a limited screen size, for a video segmented into video shots. The video shots are clustered by similarity, while temporal order of the video shots is maintained. A hierarchically organized navigation tree is produced for the clusters of video shots, while the path lengths of the tree are minimized. | 08-06-2009 |
20100030778 | RETRIEVING AND SHARING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS USING PAPER - In an embodiment of the invention, an electronic document (e-document) can be searched and found by capturing an image of the printed document. Instead of typing in a file name or searching through multiple directories, the user simply takes a picture of the document with a camera and the system uses the document image to locate the e-document. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, an image of a printed document can be useful for remote document sharing. In various embodiments of the invention, sharing an image of a printed document can be used to email a high quality paper document, send a high quality fax, or open a document to a page containing an annotation. Through co-design of the feature extraction and search algorithm in the system, the image feature detection robustness and search speed are improved at the same time. | 02-04-2010 |
20100310135 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ORGANIZING DIGITAL MEDIA BASED ON FACE RECOGNITION - In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for organizing digital media, particularly digital photos, using face recognition. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a computer-based method for organizing digital photos comprises: extracting objects of interest from a plurality of photographs; cropping said plurality of photographs to generate images of isolated objects of interest; applying a recognition algorithm to determine the similarity of isolated objects of interest with a reference; displaying a plurality of objects arranged as a function of the determined similarity; and receiving user input to associate said objects with a particular classification. | 12-09-2010 |
20140286543 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ORGANIZING DIGITAL MEDIA BASED ON FACE RECOGNITION - In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for organizing digital media, particularly digital photos, using face recognition. According to a first aspect of the present invention, a computer-based method for organizing digital photos comprises: extracting objects of interest from a plurality of photographs; cropping said plurality of photographs to generate images of isolated objects of interest; applying a recognition algorithm to determine the similarity of isolated objects of interest with a reference; displaying a plurality of objects arranged as a function of the determined similarity; and receiving user input to associate said objects with a particular classification. | 09-25-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140233789 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPLEMENTING AND USING OFF-CENTER EMBEDDED MEDIA MARKERS - Provided is an off-center embedded media marker, which may have a form of an iconic marker printed outside the boundary of a region of interest in a document or other article and indicating an available media object or a function associated with the aforesaid region of interest. This marker is used by defining a sight element with the boundary shape of the marker near the edge of a viewable portion of a display, aligning the sight element with the marker and capturing an image of a predetermined region of the document without using a visible region boundary on the hardcopy document. The media or function associated with the marker is automatically determined by performing a feature-based analysis of the captured image similarly to the techniques developed in connection with the conventional embedded media markers. Upon the determination, the associated media is retrieved of the associated function is performed. | 08-21-2014 |
20140270708 | VIDEO CLIP SELECTION VIA INTERACTION WITH A HIERARCHIC VIDEO SEGMENTATION - A video segment selection method and system that determines a set of segment boundaries in the video, determines a segment boundary tree from the set of segment boundaries, presents a video timeline that shows a plurality of segment boundaries from a first level of the segment boundary tree, receives a first selection point and a first request to change a zoom factor for an interval of the video timeline around the first selection point, and, in response to the first request to change the zoom factor for the interval of the video timeline around the first selection point, updates the video timeline in the interval around the first selection point to show a plurality of segment boundaries from a second level of the segment boundary tree corresponding to the changed zoom factor. | 09-18-2014 |
20150332087 | Systems and Methods for Identifying a User's Demographic Characteristics Based on the User's Social Media Photographs - A method identifies user demographic characteristics, such as age and gender. First, a plurality of photos are acquired from postings to a social media site by a specific user. A plurality of facial images are identified in the acquired photos. Using a selected subset of the facial images, the method estimates one or more demographic characteristics of the user. In some cases, the estimation uses a profile photograph of the user. In some cases, the facial images are clustered based on similarity. The cluster that most closely matches the profile photo is used for demographic analysis to estimate the characteristics of the user. In some cases, a cluster is selected based on cluster purity, and the images in the cluster are used to estimate the characteristics of the user. In some cases, other self-portrait features are used, such as large facial images or arms along the perimeter of photographs. | 11-19-2015 |