Patents Examined by Claire X Wang
  • Patent number: 8422767
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method of transforming a sample of content data by utilizing known samples in a learning best to best determine coefficients for a linear combination of non-linear filter functions and applying the coefficients to the content data in an operational phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Gabor Ligeti
    Inventor: Gabor Ligeti
  • Patent number: 8422741
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting the proper motion of an real-world object, comprising the steps of acquiring, by an image capturing device (ICD), a first image (I1) of the object at a first point in time (t1) and a second image (I2) at a second point in time (t2); obtaining a third (hypothetical) image (I3), based on an estimated effect of the motion of the image capturing device (ICD) itself (EMF) between the first and the second point in time (t1, t2), wherein the effect of the motion of the image capturing device (ICD) itself is estimated based on the forward kinematics of the image capturing device; determining an optical flow (OF) between the second image (I2) and the third image (I3); and evaluating the optical flow (OF) by incorporating uncertainties of the optical flow (OF) and the ego-motion-flow (EMF) in order to determine the proper motion of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH
    Inventors: Julian Eggert, Sven Rebhan, Jens Schmudderich, Volker Willert
  • Patent number: 8422773
    Abstract: An image processing method according to the present invention is contrived to change the gradation level (of the color component corresponding to the complementary color of yellow) for a pixel within a zone located on a corner of a rectangular image so as to maximize the difference between the gradation level of a pixel that is a processing target and the gradation level of a pixel in a background area in the surrounding area of the pixel that is the processing target, that is, lowering the gradation level. This means the pixel that is a result of applying the process for changing the gradation levels looks yellowish. The human eye has difficulty in recognizing yellow and therefore the change applied to the pixel is inconspicuous as compared to the case of placing a mark or frame on the outside of a rectangular zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Genta Suzuki, Kenichiro Sakai, Hirotaka Chiba
  • Patent number: 8422751
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a recording medium a method and an apparatus for generating virtual teeth and recording media storing a program performing the method. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for generating virtual teeth includes (a) acquiring a tooth image having three-dimensional information from teeth including a damaged tooth; (b) determining an image of a virtual tooth to be inserted into a position of the damaged tooth in a tooth image library having predetermined three-dimensional information and inserting the determined virtual tooth image into the acquired tooth image; and (c) modifying the virtual tooth image by considering tooth images positioned at upper and lower sides or right and left sides of the virtual tooth image. According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to produce a prosthesis most suitable for the state of patient's teeth only once and an operator can minimize post-processing of the produced prosthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: E-Woo Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Heon Joo Kim, Jae Doc Kim, Sung Kuk Kim
  • Patent number: 8422814
    Abstract: Unnecessary flare correction at the boundary between a blanking area and video signal area is suppressed. An image quality improving apparatus includes 2-dimensional low-pass filter circuit 2 that extracts low-frequency components from an input video signal; subtractor circuit 4 that obtains high-frequency components by subtracting the low-frequency components extracted by 2-dimensional low-pass filter circuit 2 from the input video signal; and adder circuit 6 that adds the high-frequency components obtained by subtractor circuit 4 as a correction signal to the input video signal. The input video signal contains blanking signals without any video information. 2-dimensional low-pass filter circuit 2 starts extraction of the low-frequency components after a lapse of a predetermined unit time from when the input video signal changed from the blanking signal to the signal that contains the video information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: NEC Display Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: Eifu Nezu
  • Patent number: 8422730
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for analyzing forensic digital evidence using an image filter and a method thereof. The system for analyzing forensic evidence using an image filter includes: a duplicator that creates a copy of digital evidence; a verifying unit that discriminates whether a copy and the original of the digital evidence are the same; an original storage that stores the original of the digital evidence; an evidence analyzer that classifies image files for the copy of the digital evidence stored in the original storage, on the basis of an image filtering model created by a learning model in accordance with predetermined categories, and then analyzes the evidence; and a reporting unit that creates a report about the result of evidence analysis. The image evidence analyzer includes an image file extractor, an image filtering model learning unit, an image filter, and a plurality of analyzers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Youngsoo Kim, Dowon Hong
  • Patent number: 8422781
    Abstract: A method for creating an appearance model of an object includes receiving an image of the object and creating a hierarchical appearance model of the object from the image of the object. The hierarchical appearance model has a plurality of layers, each layer including one or more nodes. Nodes in each layer contain information of the object with a corresponding level of detail. Nodes in different layers of the hierarchical appearance model correspond to different levels of detail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Jau-Hong Kao, Chih-Yang Lin, Wen-How Wang, Yi-Ta Wu
  • Patent number: 8417032
    Abstract: A first conversion characteristic is calculated from image information of a first image region including target pixel of an input image, a second conversion characteristic is calculated from image information of a second image region including the first image region, and a third conversion characteristic is calculated using the first and second conversion characteristics and a weighted coefficient. Then, a luminance value of the target pixel is converted and outputted based on the third conversion characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryosuke Mizuno, Yukihiko Sakashita
  • Patent number: 8417002
    Abstract: A method for analyzing a digital image containing the result of an agglutination assay to generate a quantitative result value representative of the degree of agglutination of the sample is provided. The method for analyzing the digital image includes: applying a filter to extract a component of the image or portion of a spectrum where a signal to noise ratio between agglutinated and background is maximized; extracting a set of features that characterize the agglutination pattern, obtaining a quantification function which maps measured features to the actual concentration of the sample and computing a quantitative result for each sample in the assay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Laboratorios Celsius S.A.
    Inventors: Julio Batistoni, Juan Andres Abin, Alvaro Pardo
  • Patent number: 8417039
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for acceleration techniques for improved image remoting. A rolling 2D hash of a first image sent to a client is computed. When the server has a second image to send to the client, it calculates a rolling 2D hash of the new image. It also calculates “pivot points” for the images based on the rolling 2D hashes. Based on the pivot points, it determines possible matching hash windows between the two images that correspond to window moves or scrolls. Where a match is confirmed, it determines whether a “larger” a larger matching rectangle exists between the two images. It then instructs the client to display the matching rectangle that exists in the first image that the client has in the appropriate location in the second image, thereby saving the bandwidth requirements to re-transmit it to the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Voicu Anton Albu, Nadim Y. Abdo, Charles Lawrence Zitnick, III
  • Patent number: 8416983
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for placing a time stamp in a remotely applied watermark is disclosed. The method permits a time stamp of high resolution to be added remotely while minimizing the number of bits necessary in the time stamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventor: Kuriacose Joseph
  • Patent number: 8417068
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus configured to preferentially extract an image with high user satisfaction when multiple images are automatically extracted from an image group. A user specifies the number of images to be extracted from the image group. The image group is classified into a first image group with high user satisfaction and a second image group with low user satisfaction. When the number of images extracted from the first image group does not reach the specified number, an image having only a dissatisfaction factor acceptable to the user is additionally extracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Manabu Yamazoe
  • Patent number: 8416986
    Abstract: Systems and devices for processing image or other data using non-linear methods to compensate for localized slopes are described. In one implementation, the slope of the sample values in an image or other dataset is estimated in one or more directions using a non-linear filter, such as a median filter. The values of at least some of the samples of interest are compensated using the estimated slope values to remove the effects of the slope. The compensated values may then be processed to determine if the target is present in the samples of interest, or for any other purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Darin S. Williams
  • Patent number: 8411962
    Abstract: A computing device may select a source tile from a source image. From the source tile, the computing device may select a first rectangular feature and a second rectangular feature. Based on the first and second rectangular features, the computing device may calculate a source feature vector. The computing device may also select a search area of a target image, and a target tile within the within the search area. Based on the target tile, the computing device may calculate a target feature vector. The computing device may determine that a difference between the source feature vector and the target feature vector is below an error threshold, and based on this determination, further determine a mapping between the source image and the target image. The computing device may then apply the mapping to the source image to produce a transformed source image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Geiss, Marc Levoy
  • Patent number: 8411919
    Abstract: A method for segmenting image data within a data processing system includes acquiring an image. One or more seed points are established within the image. An advection vector field is computed based on image influences and user input. A dye concentration is determined at each of a plurality of portions of the image that results from a diffusion of dye within the computed advection field. The image is segmented into one or more regions based on the determined dye concentration for the corresponding dye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Atilla Peter Kiraly, Leo Grady, Christopher V. Alvino
  • Patent number: 8411982
    Abstract: Systems and methods of performing quantitative measurements of image blur in digital images and digital image sequences that are computationally efficient, and that employ no reference information in the measurement process. Each of the image blur measurements is performed using a Markov Chain, where a gradient image array is calculated for a pixel array derived from a given digital image, and a transition probability matrix is constructed for the transition probabilities between adjacent elements in the gradient image array. The transition probability data contained in the transition probability matrix can be pooled or otherwise accumulated to obtain a quantitative measurement of image blur in the given digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Dialogic Corporation
    Inventor: Chunhua Chen
  • Patent number: 8406455
    Abstract: A digital watermark embedding device and a digital watermark detecting device are obtained, which can realize stable digital watermark detection using fewer, and embed and detect a larger amount of digital watermark information with an identical number of pixels used for digital watermark embedding in a conventional technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Magai, Hiroshi Ito, Ryousuke Fujii, Mitsuyoshi Suzuki, Kohtaro Asai, Tokumichi Murakami
  • Patent number: 8406495
    Abstract: When correcting attenuation in a nuclear image (e.g., PET or SPECT), an MR-based attenuation correction (AC) map (16) is generated using MR image data (14) of a subject (60). The subject (60) is then placed in a nuclear imaging device with a radioactive point or line source (18, 18?) from which transmission data is measured as the patient is imaged. In order to resolve ambiguity between air voxels and bone voxels in the MR-based AC map (16), estimated transmission data (24) is generated from the AC map and compared to the measured transmission data (22) from the point or line source. An error is iteratively calculated for the estimated and measured transmission data, and attenuation values of the AC map (16) are refined to minimize the error. The refined AC map (32) is used to correct attenuation in collected nuclear data (41) which is reconstructed into an attenuation corrected image (99) of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Daniel Gagnon, Zhiqiang Hu
  • Patent number: 8406553
    Abstract: A map encoding module is described for creating a sample map in which sample values are placed within respective cells of an organizing grid structure, as governed, in part, by a Poisson disk distribution. The map encoding module efficiently represents the locations of the samples using respective integer values. A location determination module can determine a location of a sample value within a particular cell using a decoding algorithm. The decoding algorithm receives selection information and uses a cryptographic hashing algorithm to transform the selection information into location information which identifies the location of the sample value within the particular cell. Various graphics applications can use the map encoding module and the location determination module to reduce aliasing in displayed images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Li-Yi Wei
  • Patent number: 8406488
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which coronary plaque is classified in an image and visually displayed using an iterative adaptive process, such as an expectation maximization process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Saad Ahmed Sirohey, Gopal B. Avinash, Sandeep Dutta, John V. Skinner, Patricia Le Nezet