Patents Examined by Aklilu K Woldemariam
  • Patent number: 7526133
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises a compression coding unit that performs compression coding of image data according to JPEG2000 algorithm. A coding style selection unit selectively activates coding functions of the compression coding unit in response to a discriminating signal, so that the active coding functions of the compression coding unit are suited to characteristics of the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Nomizu, Hiroyuki Sakuyama, Junichi Hara, Nekka Matsuura, Takanori Yano, Taku Kodama, Toshio Miyazawa, Yasuyuki Shinkai, Takayuki Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7522760
    Abstract: A method for processing document image data wherein the quality of the document image is determined by examination of a vital document area includes determining a confidence level for the document by calculating two or more confidence factors for each vital document area. These confidence levels include calculations based on number, mass, and quality of identified characters within the vital area, the distribution of pixels horizontally across the document, and empirically determined norms for image density and distribution. The confidence levels are combined to give a confidence level for the document image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Carreker Corporation
    Inventors: Terry Anthony Will, Mike (Mahmoud) Chouffani
  • Patent number: 7522773
    Abstract: A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, includes providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons; storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features that are distance measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest at an associated time; and providing an individual recognition classifier that uses the appearance model and the associated time to identify the particular person of interest in images from the collection of digital images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Andrew C. Gallagher, Madirakshi Das, Peter O. Stubler
  • Patent number: 7512275
    Abstract: When first and second images are input, a partial image feature calculating unit calculates feature values of partial images of the two images. A maximum matching score position searching unit searches for a position of the second image that attains to the highest matching score with each of the partial images of the first image. A movement-vector-based similarity score calculating unit calculates similarity between the first and second images, using information related to that partial image whose movement vector has direction and length within a prescribed range, which movement vector representing positional relation between a reference position for measuring, for each of the partial images, the position of the partial image in the first image and the position of the maximum matching score corresponding to the partial image searched out by the maximum matching score position searching unit. The images as the object of collation may belong to the same category classified based on the feature values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Manabu Yumoto, Yasufumi Itoh, Takashi Horiyama, Manabu Onozaki, Toshiya Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7502512
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus, including: an averaging processing section to periodically carry out an averaging processing on image data of an averaging target, the averaging processing calculating an average value of pixel values of pixels which correspond to a position of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional averaging pattern designating averaging target pixels and replacing each pixel value of the pixels which correspond to the position of the averaging pattern with the average value; and a screen processing section to, by using a screen pattern, periodically carry out a screen processing on the image data on which the averaging processing has been carried out, a periodicity of the screen processing is same as that of the averaging processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kosuke Toura
  • Patent number: 7499578
    Abstract: The present invention is a multi-stage detection algorithm using a successive nodule candidate refinement approach. The detection algorithm involves four major steps. First, the lung region is segmented from a whole lung CT scan. This is followed by a hypothesis generation stage in which nodule candidate locations are identified from the lung region. In the third stage, nodule candidate sub-images pass through a streaking artifact removal process. The nodule candidates are then successively refined using a sequence of filters of increasing complexity. A first filter uses attachment area information to remove vessels and large vessel bifurcation points from the nodule candidate list. A second filter removes small bifurcation points. The invention also improves the consistency of nodule segmentations. This invention uses rigid-body registration, histogram-matching, and a rule-based adjustment system to remove missegmented voxels between two segmentations of the same nodule at different times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony P. Reeves, David Yankelevitz, Claudia Henschke, Antoni Chan
  • Patent number: 7499565
    Abstract: A technology of digital watermarking for binary images (including documents) is provided, which is capable of adjusting the amount of information to be embedded while avoiding the deterioration of image quality as far as possible. The watermark information is inserted by giving the standard for judgment of modification and the order of preference for modification according to the characteristic properties of the human visual sense for binary images and performing modification on pixels sequentially in the descending order of preference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Fujii, Kazunori Nakano, Isao Echizen, Hiroshi Yoshiura
  • Patent number: 7496233
    Abstract: A user defines a job flow of desired service cooperation according to a GUI screen displayed on a client terminal where parallel processing of plural parallel-executable jobs can be set. According to the thus-defined job flow, an instruction data generation server generates instruction data defining the content of processes, a storage location of a document as a subject, and other items. When the user selects desired one of the instruction data, the selected instruction data is sent to a cooperative processing server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuko Kirihara, Yuji Hikawa, Yukio Tajima, Akihiro Enomoto, Hidekazu Ozawa
  • Patent number: 7486806
    Abstract: In iris authentication, iris regions are extracted from a plurality of images (2a, 2b). The extracted iris regions are subjected to polar coordinate transformation (3a, 3b) and band limitation (4a, 4b). Thereafter, an iris code is generated from the coordinate-transformed, band-limited iris regions (5a, 5b). The iris code is subjected to rotational compensation (6a, 6b). A plurality of resultant iris codes are synthesized into a single iris code by determining the bit value of each bit based on a majority rule (7a, 7b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Takeo Azuma, Kenji Kondo, Masahiro Wakamori
  • Patent number: 7483587
    Abstract: Filtering image information to generate a dithered image includes receiving input image information corresponding to an image generated using a first array comprising a first number of smaller pixels. Intermediate image information is generated from the input image information. The intermediate image information is generated to produce the image using a second array comprising a second number of larger pixels, where the second number less than the first number. A frequency response associated with the image produced using the second array exhibits effects. The intermediate image information is repeatedly filtered to generate updated image information from the intermediate image information and to compensate for the effects. Sub-image information is generated from the updated image information, the sub-image information corresponding to a dithered image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Andrew Ian Russell
  • Patent number: 7477790
    Abstract: A method of decoding an encoded digital image, the encoded data of the image comprising a plurality of predefined resolutions, comprises the steps of: selecting a resolution lower than the highest of the predefined resolutions, determining the predefined resolution immediately above the selected resolution, determining a quantity of data of the determined predefined resolution, as a function of the ratio between the selected resolution and the determined predefined resolution, decoding the image at the determined predefined resolution, as a function of the determined quantity of data, subsampling the decoded image, as a function of the ratio between the selected resolution and the determined predefined resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Félix Henry
  • Patent number: 7474782
    Abstract: In an apparatus for processing holographic data reproduced from a holographic medium, a data arranging unit arranges input data in a form of M1×M2 data pixels on a page basis to thereby generate arranged data. Then, a holographic data detector outputs a page image including a detected data image, each data pixel of the arranged data corresponding to P1×P2 image pixels of the detected data image. Thereafter, a resized pixel detector finds a resized vertical length V and a resized horizontal length H of the detected data image. Finally, a sampling unit extracts image pixels at different intervals depending on whether the horizontal length and/or the vertical length of the detected data image is increased or decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Daewoo Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Byung-Bok Kang
  • Patent number: 7469062
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of modifying a classification scheme for classifying hand-written characters to thereby make the classification scheme user dependent. The classification scheme includes a number of allographs, each allograph representing a respective style of a respective letter. The method includes obtaining at least one hand-written character, and then selecting an allograph representing the character. One or more of the allographs are then modified in accordance with the selection, to thereby reflect the fact that the allograph corresponds to a style of letter used by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Jonathon Leigh Napper
  • Patent number: 7466857
    Abstract: An image processing method for correcting pixel values of each pixel constituting color image data by shifting, in a coordinate system, a mathematical correction function defining correction values for input values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Nishi, Koji Kita
  • Patent number: 7466861
    Abstract: An output mechanism of a character recognition device includes a category classifier for classifying image data of characters to be recognized for each category recognized in character recognition processing, a clustering processor for determining feature values related to shapes of characters included in the image data in each category classified by the category classifier, and for classifying the image data into one or more clusters based on the feature values, and a screen creator for creating a confirmation screen for displaying the image data for each cluster classified by the clustering processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Shin Katoh, Toshimichi Arima, Michitoshi Sumikawa
  • Patent number: 7463756
    Abstract: A finger position sensing apparatus, typically used in a fingerprint sensing system, includes a position pickup plate disposed generally orthogonally with respect to an expected direction of movement of a finger and a plurality of position drive plates having different spacings from the position pickup plate to define plurality of position sensor gaps between respective position drive plates and the position pickup plate. The position drive plates are dimensioned and spaced from the position pickup plate to sense the bulk of a finger rather than fingerprint features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: Validity Sensors, Inc.
    Inventor: Fred G. Benkley, III
  • Patent number: 7454088
    Abstract: Exemplary methods for estimating an orientation angle and a translation values for scanned images are disclosed. The methods described herein may be embodied as logic instructions on a computer-readable medium. In one exemplary implementation meaningful image information is removed from a scanned image, resulting in a transformed image that comprises alternating, parallel lines disposed at an orientation angle relative to an orthogonal axis. The orientation angle may be determined using geometric techniques or statistical correlation techniques, and statistical correlation techniques may be implemented to determine translation values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mustafa Kesal, M. Kivanc Mihcak, Gary K. Starkweather
  • Patent number: 7447350
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a color difference judgment apparatus for judging a color difference between a first color and a second color in RGB color space. The method is comprising: distance calculating means for calculating distance between the first and second colors in RGB color space; threshold-value candidate storage means for storing a plurality of threshold-value candidates; threshold-value selecting means for selecting a threshold value from among the plurality of threshold-value candidates that have been stored in the threshold-value candidate storage means; and comparing decision means for comparing the distance calculated by the distance calculating means and the threshold value selected by the threshold-value selecting means and deciding that the color difference between the first and second colors lies within an allowable range if the distance is less than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahisa Akaishi
  • Patent number: 7447361
    Abstract: A processor is operable to identify characters in a file that represents a scanned image, and generate a font that includes the identified characters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Marvell International, Ltd.
    Inventor: Charles E. Evans
  • Patent number: 7433541
    Abstract: In an image synthesizer (1), code stream analyzers (10, 11), code block extraction units (12, 13) and EBCOT decoders (14, 15) work together to decode encoded code streams (D10, D11) encoded according to the MPEG-2000 Standard and generate quantization coefficients (D16, D17) for each code block. In a cross-fading unit (16), multipliers (17, 18) multiply the quantization coefficients (D16, D17) by coefficients (?(t), (1??(t))) and an adder (19) adds together the results of multiplication to provide a cross-fading quantization coefficient (D20). An EBCOT encoder (20), rate controller (21) and code stream generator (22) work together to encode the cross-fading quantization coefficient (D20) to provide a final encoded code stream (D23). Therefore, the image synthesizer (1) can combine two encoded code streams easily and effectively with a reduced use of a memory capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Fukuhara, Seiji Kimura, Hitoshi Kiya