Snapchat applies for patent to serve ads by recognizing objects in your snaps

Snapchat has filed a patent application for a system of advertising that uses object recognition to serve users sponsored filters. The technology outlined by the company would identify items in users' pictures, and then offer them image overlays from brands related to these objects. It's the visual equivalent of buying advertising space based on keywords in Google searches -- but instead of looking for textual data in searches like "headphones" or "shoes," it's looking for the objects themselves. The patent application was filed in January last year, published by the US patent office earlier this month, and first spotted by Business Insider. Although it includes details about the advertising system described above, its primary purpose is outlining a more general system of "object recognition based photo filters."