Patent Document ID: 9098584
Application ID: 13553500
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of controlling access to visual query results, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining, by a unified search entity, from a requester, a visual query comprising at least a first facial image, the unified search entity comprising and entity the providers at least visual query based web searching and an associated mechanism for expressing privacy preference that provides for individual subject of the visual query to express the privacy preferences to suppress the requester from receiving a visual query result that is associated with the individual, for the requester not being logged into an online account of the unified search entity, or the requester not being in a social group of the individual; Identifying, by the unified search entity, via facial recognition on the at least first facial image, of at least one of: an identity of an individual subject of the at least first facial image; and at least a second facial image associated with the at least first facial image, the at least second facial image being of the individual subject; obtaining, by the unified search entity, from the individual subject of the least first facial image, via the mechanism for expressing privacy preference, a plurality of privacy preferences including a visual query preference of the individual subject of the at least first facial image; and for the visual query preference of the individual subject permitting the requester to receive the visual query result, communicating at least one of the identity of the individual subject and the at least second facial image, from the unified search entity, to the requester; and for the visual query preference of the individual subject suppressing the requester from receiving the visual query result, providing the requester with one of, an indication that the individual exists but does not permit the visual query of his or her facial image by a user not in the social group of the individual, and an option to invite the individual to a sharing group.