Abstract: An implementation of a technology is described herein for recognizing the perceptual similarity of the content of digital goods. At least one implementation, described herein, introduces a new hashing technique. More particularly, this hashing technique produces hash values for digital goods that are proximally near each other, when the digital goods contain perceptually similar content. In other words, if the content of digital goods are perceptually similar, then their hash values are, likewise, similar. The hash values are proximally near each other. This is unlike conventional hashing techniques where the hash values of goods with perceptually similar content are far apart with high probability in some distance sense (e.g., Hamming). This abstract itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. The scope of the present invention is pointed out in the appending claims.

Abstract: A system that detects the location as well as the luminance transition range of slant image edge in a digital image. The variance value of the pixels inside a rectangular image window centered with a current pixel is checked to determine if the current pixel is in an edge region or a in non-edge region. If the current pixel is in a non-edge region, no further checking is performed. Otherwise, it is determined if the current pixel is a center pixel in a luminance transition range of a slant edge. The values of the current pixel and its neighboring pixels inside the rectangular window are used to determine if the selected pixel is the center pixel in a luminance transition range of a slant edge. If it is, then the exact length of the luminance transition range of the slant edge is determined. Through such a detection process, both the center position and the luminance transition range of slant image edge can be determined.

Abstract: A system and method for scaling raster image data in multiple directions. One embodiment of the present invention comprises obtaining input scan lines containing a raster image and obtaining at least one scaling value. The method involves a process for altering the length of the scan lines to produce modified scan lines. The method also involves the generation of a plurality of masks, wherein the masks comprise a number of selected bits, and wherein the number of selected bits is based on the scaling value. The method processes sequences of the modified scan lines with individual masks to produce a plurality of output scan lines. The output scan lines are configured to form a raster image having a modified scale in multiple directions.

Abstract: A compact authentication device that prevents user from feeling pressure and is strong against external light, when capturing an image of a finger blood vessel pattern with transmitted light. The device includes a guidance part for determining the finger position, a light source disposed on at least one side of the guidance part to emit light to be transmitted though the finger, an image capture part for capturing the transmitted light, a shading unit for limiting an irradiation region of the light, a finger thickness measuring unit, a unit for controlling a light amount of the light source based on a result of the measurement, a unit for recording registered image patterns of the finger, a unit for collating a captured image pattern from the image capture part with the registered patterns, and a unit for controlling different processing according to the collation result.

Abstract: An algorithm is provided for reducing distortion in an image captured by a camera or other imaging system having more than one optical viewpoint. The algorithm can use a captured image, statistical information regarding the depths of scene objects, and information regarding the geometrical characteristics of the imaging system to generate an approximation of a perspective projection representing the scene. The virtual viewpoint of the approximate perspective projection is selected so as to reduce distortion. The resulting image has less distortion than that of an image generated under an assumption that scene objects are infinitely distant. In addition, the parameters of any distortion reducing function can be optimized by minimizing an objective function representing the amount of image distortion.

Abstract: A method and a system for separating an image signal into a set of image planes. The system comprises a min-max module, a dynamic threshold module and a separation module. The min-max module receives the image signal, searches for a minimum and maximum within at least one window centered on a current pixel in the image signal. The dynamic threshold module computes, for the window, based on the respective minimum and maximum received from the min-max module and the current pixel, a respective indicator representing the distance and direction of the current pixel relative to a respective threshold plane, and outputs a control signal based on the indicator. The separation module separates the image signal into the set of image planes in accordance with the control signal by including a representation of the current pixel in at least one of the image planes.

Abstract: A first interpolation processing apparatus that engages in processing on image data which are provided in a calorimetric system constituted of first˜nth (n?2) color components and include color information corresponding to a single color component provided at each pixel to determine an interpolation value equivalent to color information corresponding to the first color component for a pixel at which the first color component is missing, includes: an interpolation value calculation section that uses color information at pixels located in a local area containing an interpolation target pixel to undergo interpolation processing to calculate an interpolation value including, at least (1) local average information of the first color component with regard to the interpolation target pixel and (2) local curvature information corresponding to at least two color components with regard to the interpolation target pixel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that reduces the inaccuracies in the tone map operation in the dark areas of an image.

Abstract: The present invention provides a color image processing device and a color image processing method which is In order to perform natural and excellent sharpness processing to image data, the color image processing device of invention comprises: a color space converter (1) for converting image signals (RGB) to luminance signals (L), first chromaticity signals (C1) and second chromaticity signals (C2); a luminance signal correcting unit for correcting the luminance signal (L) of a target pixel based on an average luminance signal (LA) obtained from the luminance signals of the target pixel and predetermined pixels surrounding the target pixel and the saturation signal (S) of the target pixel; a chromaticity signal correcting unit for correcting the first chromaticity signal (C1) and the second chromaticity signal (C2) of the target pixel based on the first and second average chromaticity signals (C1A, C2A) obtained from the chromaticity signals of the target pixel and the predetermined pixels surrounding the tar

Abstract: The registering method and apparatus read out contents associated with a modification pattern modifying a transmission image to be displayed on a second image display unit of a second communication device when a first communication device including a first image display unit of a first person in communication is communicating with the second communication device of a second person in communication through a relay center, copy the modification pattern from the contents, and register the modification pattern in such a manner that the first person in communication or the first communication device is capable of using the modification pattern. The reproducing method and apparatus reproduce the registered modification pattern.

Abstract: A grid detector detects the existence and the location of grids in DCT compressed videos. When a grid is detected in the input video, a post-processor is turned on and the de-blocking processing is applied on the grid detected by the grid detector. When no grid is detected, indicating that the input video is either an uncompressed video or an already de-blocked video, post-processing turned off to avoid degrading the picture quality.

Abstract: A method for recognizing an object in an image is disclosed wherein a fractal map of the image is generated by estimating the fractal dimension of each pixel in the image. The fractal map is segmented by thresholding and locations of candidate objects are determined. The pixel value of the image pixel corresponding to the same location where the candidate object is found in the fractal map is compared to a threshold value. If the pixel value is greater than the threshold value, the candidate object is recognized as a valid object.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an identifying section configured to analyze image information and identify object information and detect the size of the object information and a concentration difference between the object information and the background information, an image processing section configured to perform image processing based on at least one of the size of the object information and a concentration difference relative to the background information, and a printer section configured to form an image based on image information on which the image processing is performed. By doing so, it is possible to effect proper image correction while giving consideration to a color “area” effect.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for compressing data representing a set of symbols such that each symbol of the set can be separately accessed and decompressed. Each symbol of the set of symbols is encoded in the form of a two-part code wherein a first part of the code is common for all encoded symbols and a second part of the code encodes the data representing a symbol. An identifier is given for each symbol for permitting each encoded symbol to be separately accessed and decompressed. The invention is particularly useful for storing large fonts such as a Chinese or Japanese character set.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying bleedthrough in an image in which a reference tone point of a first image is determined, putative bleedthrough pixels in the first image are identified as a function of the reference tone point, the putative bleedthrough pixels are mapped into a putative bleedthrough representation of said first image, and the putative bleedthrough pixel mapping is analyzed to determine if bleedthrough is present in said first image. Also disclosed are systems and methods for removing bleedthrough from an image in which a document is scanned to provide an electronic first image and an electronic second image, a putative bleedthrough pixel mapping for the first image is generated, the putative bleedthrough pixel mapping is processed using information with respect to said second image, and pixels of the first image corresponding to putative bleedthrough pixels of said mapping are replaced.

Abstract: A system and method for compressing and storing image data. The system and method creates for each of a plurality of original images a plurality of resultant images by altering the content of each of the plurality of original images a corresponding plurality of different ways. Each of the resultant images is then compressed. From the compressed, resultant images created from each of the plurality of original images one resultant image is selected. Each of the selected one of the plurality of resultant images is then stored such that each of the selected one of the plurality of resultant images is retrievable to be displayed as a representation of its corresponding original image.

Abstract: In automated computation-based interpretation of images, the accuracy and reliability of the detection and delineation of objects, known as “object segmentation,” is implemented so as to provide efficient performance. In a multi-step process, objects are first detected and captured into regions of interest (ROIs). Sets of pixels belonging to respective objects are then identified. Preferably object detection is achieved using both a two-dimensional (2D) low pass filter and a 2D edge enhancement filter. Two different gradient based edge enhancement filters are disclosed. One embodiment of the invention defines a (ROI) by first determining the center of objects by executing a plurality of decimations on the filtered image data, and then establishing object boundaries. In a second embodiment the ROI is defined by generating an amplitude histogram of the filtered image data, and for histograms exceeding a threshold determining by pixel which rows are to be included in the ROI.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image comparison apparatus and method in which images are acquired using a photograph unit and comparing them with a registration of memorized images. The photograph unit acquires a plurality of images of the photograph object during a period from detection of the photograph object by the object detection sensor until a press of a button. After which, the acquired image is compared with previously memorized registration images and a comparison result indicating whether or not a match exists is outputted.

Abstract: A method of testing for color consistency between corresponding portions of two-dimensional images or photographs that are used to create three-dimensional models of scenes or objects. The testing method makes use of histograms in order to determine whether color consistency exists. In the event that color consistency does exist, voxels or other modeling primitives that are viewed in the portions of the images tested are included in the three-dimensional model.

Abstract: An image brightness level conversion method and apparatus which converts a multi-valued brightness level of an input pixel to a bi-valued brightness level using a threshold value. If the input pixel is determined to belong to an edge area, a predetermined reasonable distance by which dots should be isolated is reduced by a noise component and the threshold value is produced using the reduced distance. If the input pixel is determined not to belong to the edge area, the threshold value is produced without using the noise component. The method provides a uniform distribution of dots on the 2-dimensional space, a decrease in a generation of a void region where no dots appear around the edge area, a reduction of unpleasant appearing fixed patterns between dots, and a decrease in the generation of a typical pattern in which dots with a same color are diagonally arrayed.