Systems and methods for analytic data gathering from image providers at an event or geographic location

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and method of gathering and analyzing data from device operators aiming their image capture devices and thereby creating a line of sight to an object of interest, for example through the process of obtaining photographs, videos or other digital images of an event or geographical location, where the real-time or embedded location, compass heading, and time data from each of a plurality of image providers are communicated from the plurality of image-capture devices to one or more servers for statistical analysis of the proportionate amount of providers focusing on each image target or sub-target at the event or location.

1 .- 41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A system for determining objects of interest at events or locations, which comprises:
 a computer system running at least an application program that receives a real time stream of data over a network from a plurality of remote portable image capture devices and analyzes the data, and a database for storing at least some of the received data wherein the application program is configured to:
 receive a continuous stream of data including the direction that each device is pointing when the devices are using image capturing capabilities of their devices; 
 identify one or more particular object(s) of interest from a location where a line of sight from each of the two or more devices could intersect; 
 identify a cluster of users that is associated with each of the one or more particular object(s) of interest in real time; 
 track the change in the points of intersection over time to determine changes in the position and size of the cluster(s) of users, wherein changes in the number of points forming the cluster(s) of users identifies shifting levels of interest between objects of interest; 
 determine a dynamic state of one or more cluster(s) of users using the received stream of data, and 
 store information regarding the dynamic state of the cluster, data relating to user(s) associated with each cluster, and the user cluster's association with a particular object of interest in computer memory; 
   wherein the computer system analyzes the data by:
 analyzing the distance between the points of intersection to determine where a subset of the points forms one or more intersection cluster(s), wherein the intersection cluster is a subset of points located within a predetermined distance from all the other points, and each intersection cluster is associated with a particular object of interest; 
 tracking the change in the points of intersection over time to determine changes in the position and size of the intersection cluster(s), wherein changes in the number of points forming the intersection cluster identifies shifting levels of interest between particular objects of interest at the event. 
   
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the computer system is geographically separated from the plurality of image capture devices, and wherein the devices are mobile telephonic devices. 
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 42 , wherein the real time stream of data includes GPS coordinates and compass heading from the devices and the application program calculates the location of the potential object of interest by triangulation using GPS coordinates and compass heading from the devices to determine distances and angles between the devices. 
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 44 , wherein the computer system stores the location(s) of the potential objects of interest, and an algorithm of the application program analyzes the stored locations to determine a dynamic state of the cluster(s). 
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 45 , wherein the computer system transmits the detection of the location of a cluster or a rapid increase in the users within the cluster(s) to a third party to alert them of its existence, so the third party can respond to the cluster(s). 
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46 , which further comprises storing results of the detections for future decisions regarding which locations to target at certain times. 
     
     
         48 . A system for determining objects of interest at events or locations, which comprises:
 a computer system running at least an application program that receives a real time stream of data over a network from a plurality of remote portable image capture devices and analyzes the data, and a database for storing at least some of the received data wherein the application program is configured to:
 receive a continuous stream of data about the direction that each device is pointing when the devices are using image capturing capabilities of their devices; 
 calculate a location where a line of sight from each of the two or more devices could intersect to identify a potential object of interest from the continuous stream of data about the direction the devices are pointing from each of the plurality of image capture devices; 
 identify one or more particular object(s) of interest from the calculation; 
 identify from the intersection calculations a cluster of users that is associated with each of the one or more particular object(s) of interest in real time; 
 track the change in the points of intersection over time to determine changes in the position and size of the cluster(s) of users, wherein changes in the number of points forming the cluster(s) of users identifies shifting levels of interest between objects of interest; 
 determine a dynamic state of one or more cluster(s) of users using the received stream of data, wherein the determination comprises adjusting the users that are associated with a particular cluster after the particular object of interest is identified, and 
 store information regarding the dynamic state of the cluster, data relating to user(s) associated with each cluster, and the user cluster's association with a particular object of interest in computer memory. 
   
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the system is geographically separated from the two or more devices, and wherein the devices are mobile telephonic devices. 
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 48 , wherein the real time stream of data includes GPS coordinates and compass heading from the devices and the application program calculates the location of the potential object of interest by triangulation using GPS coordinates and compass heading from the devices to determine distances and angles between the devices. 
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 50 , wherein the computer system stores the location(s) of the potential objects of interest, and an algorithm of the application program analyzes the stored locations to determine to determine a dynamic state of the cluster. 
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 51 , wherein the computer system transmits the location of a cluster or a rapid increase in the users within the cluster to a third party to alert them of its existence, so the third party can respond to the cluster. 
     
     
         53 . A computer implemented method for obtaining information from a plurality of image capture devices, wherein all steps are conducted by a computer, which method comprises:
 receiving a continuous stream of data from each of a plurality of image capture devices, wherein the data steam comprises GPS position data, compass heading data, and time data;   processing the data using a software application that determines locations where each electronic device was focused;   determining the number of electronic devices focused on each location at approximately a same time from the processed data;   determining the total number of electronic devices focused on all of the locations at approximately a same time from the processed data, and form a set of the total number of electronic devices;   identifying a cluster of users from the number of devices determined to be focused on a particular location;   repeating the analysis of the number of electronic devices focused on each location at approximately a same time to identify all subsets of users forming user clusters at a particular time;   identifying an object of interest associated with a particular user cluster; and   determining the level of interest in the identified object based on the proportion of the number of electronic devices focused on the location in the subset forming the particular associated user cluster compared to the total number of electronic devices forming the set;   generating information representing a momentum of interest in a particular location by performing statistical calculations of a proportional number of electronic devices focused on that location at a specific time or period of time; and   determining changes in the momentum of interest by identifying increases or decreases in the proportion of the number of electronic devices focused on the location in the subset forming the particular associated user cluster over time, including determining over time whether the shifts from a particular location to another location or from one person or object to another person or object.   
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , which further comprises storing the results of the determined changes in the momentum of interest for future decisions regarding which locations to target at certain times. 
     
     
         55 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions executable by a computer processing system stored thereon, the computer-readable instructions comprising:
 compiling location, direction, and time data received from mobile devices for analysis;   analyzing the compiled data to determine where a line of sight based on the directional data of at least two of the remote devices' could intersect to identify a target of focus for each of the plurality of remote devices;   calculating the number of remote devices focused on a particular target at a particular time based on the number of points of intersection at the target's particular location; and   determining the amount of interest in each target from the results of statistical calculations of the proportional number of remote devices focused on a particular target at a particular time compared to other targets.   
     
     
         56 . A system comprising a computer system running one or more applications, wherein the computer system receives data from portable cameras over a network when individual are using their cameras to point at objects, collects and processes data in real time to determine from one or more line of sight of the cameras a location that is of shared interest between two or more users, identifies a plurality of clusters of users and users contained in each cluster based on the shared interest in a location, and stores user data in association with each cluster. 
     
     
         57 . A computer implemented method for obtaining information from a plurality of image capture devices, wherein all steps are conducted by a computer, which method comprises:
 processing a continuous stream of data from each of a plurality of image capture devices using a software application that determines locations of focus for each electronic device in order to identify an object of interest associated with a cluster of users from the number of devices determined to be focused on the object of interest; and   determining a changing level of interest in the identified object based on the proportion of the number of electronic devices focused on the location in the subset forming the particular associated user cluster compared to the total number of electronic devices forming the set;   wherein the determining includes:
 analyzing the distance between the points of intersection of the set to determine where the subsets of the points forms one or more intersection cluster(s), wherein the intersection cluster is a subset of points located within a predetermined distance from all the other points, and each intersection cluster is associated with an object of interest; 
 tracking the change in the points of intersection over time to determine changes in the position and size of the intersection cluster(s), wherein changes in the number of points forming the intersection cluster identifies shifting levels of interest between different objects of interest; and 
   thereby determining changes in interest of objects including determining over time whether the interest shifts from a particular location to another location or from one person or object to another person or object.