Got a patent for Image Search

So I got a patent. It's a quite long process. Started back in Sept 2005 and endend in Sept 2010.

Abstract: "A system and method for determining if a set of images in a large collection of images are near duplicates allows for improved management and retrieval of images. Images are processed, image signatures are generated for each image in the set of images, and the generated image signatures are compared. Detecting similarity between images can be used to cluster and rank images."

Please note that the patent has been submitted before the classical paper PageRank for Product Image Search (2008) from Google, which presented similar ideas.

The algorithms described in the patent were used in Ask.com Image Search, which had the following judgement by PC-World 2007 "Returned very accurate image results, and it has a well-designed search results page. This is a worthy alternative to Google"

Inventors are:

Gulli'; Antonino (Pisa, IT)
Savona; Antonio (Sora, IT)
Yang; Tao (Santa Barbara, CA)
Liu; Xin (Piscataway, NJ)
Li; Beitao (Piscataway, NJ)
Choksi; Ankur (Somerset, NJ)
Tanganelli; Filippo (Castiglioncello, IT)
Carnevale; Luigi (Pisa, IT)

This idea has been ispired by a quite famous Andy Warhol painting



I am particularly proud of this patent, since it proves that innovation can be carried out even from Pisa, a "nowhere place in Italy" ;-). Bet won!