Patent ID: 8315465

Claim:
A computer-implemented classification method, comprising: obtaining a plurality of electronic training images that are each classified as displaying substantially pictures; electronically identifying with a processor a plurality of local image features in each of the plurality of electronic training images; recursively applying a plurality of weak classifiers to the plurality of local image features, wherein during each iteration a weak classifier that accurately classifies the local image features is selected, wherein after each selection of a weak classifier features that were misclassified by the selected weak classifier are given greater weight than features that were classified correctly by the selected weak classifier; performing for each selected weak classifier a hillclimbing algorithm to attempt to improve the weak classifier; producing a strong classifier that is a weighted combination of the selected weak classifiers on which hillclimbing algorithms have been performed; and producing a plurality of strong classifiers, and classifying features in a subsequent image according to a vote of the plurality of strong classifiers, wherein the vote is a majority vote of the strong classifiers or a weighted combination vote, where each strong classifier is given a weight.