Patent ID: 8380004

Claim:
A method for matching object images to a root object image, comprising: (a) determining a list of object image lists, wherein: (i) each object image in the list of object image lists is at an origin of one of the object image lists, (ii) each object image list is ordered according to the similarity of each object image in the object image list to the object image at the origin of the object image list, and (iii) an object image list ordered according to the similarity of each image to the root object image is at the origin of the list of object image lists; (b) initializing an object extraction matrix with a column and a row corresponding to the object image list at the origin of the list of object image lists; repeatedly for respective object image lists in the list of object image lists, until the object extraction matrix is determined to follow a particular pattern in step (d): (c) repeatedly selecting, on a computing device, a previously unselected object image from the object image list such that the object images are selected from the object image list in an order based on a degree of similarity to the origin object image, for each selected object image: (i) comparing, on a computing device, the selected object image to the object image at the origin of the object image list, and (ii) flagging, on a computing device, a position (x, y) in the object extraction matrix, wherein position x corresponds to each object image from the origin of the list of object image lists and position y corresponds to the selected object image in step (c); (d) determining whether the flagged positions in the object extraction matrix follows the particular pattern; and (e) when the object extraction matrix is determined to follow the particular pattern, determining, on a computing device, a range of object images in the object image list at the origin of the list of object image lists, the range following the particular pattern, wherein each object image in the range of object images matches the root object image.