Patent ID: 8341145

Claim:
One or more computer-readable storage media that store executable instructions to index faces based on visual and social data, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising: analyzing an image of a first face to produce a vector that quantifies features of said first face; creating one or more first text strings that represent said vector, said creating of said one or more text strings comprising: defining a first set of planes in a space in which said vector exists; determining which side of each of said planes said vector lies; encoding which side of each of said planes said vector lies in a text string, said text string being one of said one or more first text strings; defining a plurality of sets of planes, said first set of planes being one of said plurality of sets of planes; and creating a separate text string based on side-of-plane decisions for each of said plurality of sets of planes; obtaining social data concerning a first photo in which said first face appears; associating said first face with said one or more first text strings and said social data; storing said first face in a database in association with said one or more first text strings and said social data; receiving an image of a second face; creating one or more second text strings based on a visual appearance of said second face; obtaining social data from a second photo in which said second face appears; creating a text query comprising said one or more second text strings and said social data; obtaining, based on said query, a set of results that comprises said first face, wherein including of said first face in said results is based on said first face being indexed by terms that are in said query; and performing an action based on said results, said action comprising providing, to a user, one or more faces that are of the same person as said second face, said first face being determined to be of the same person as said second face based on said first face's inclusion in said results or based on said first face's rank in said results.