Patents Examined by Nathan Bloom
  • Positional measurement of a feature within an image
    Patent number: 8718403
    Abstract: The position of a feature within an image is determined by determining an initial estimate of the feature position to within a fraction of a pixel, translating the feature by an amount equal to that fraction of a pixel, determining a further estimate of the translated feature position to within a fraction of a pixel and summing the pixel fraction of the previous estimate with the further estimate of the position to arrive at a refined estimate of the feature position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Imetrum Limited
    Inventors: Kevin David Potter, Christopher Setchell
  • Dot templates for object detection in images
    Patent number: 8712112
    Abstract: Dot templates are used for detecting objects within images. A computer-implemented method is performed for each of a number of dot templates corresponding to the object to be detected within an image. Each dot template is defined as a collection of points. At each position within the image, a value of the image is determined at each point of the dot template. The dot template is effectively overlaid at the given position within the image. A score of the dot template at this position is determined, based on the values of the image determined at the points of the dot template. Where the score is greater than a predetermined threshold, it can be concluded that the object is at least potentially located within the image at the position in question at which the dot template has been effectively overlaid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Quantum Signal, LLC
    Inventors: Victor E. Perlin, Mitchell M. Rohde, Robert M. Lupa
  • Image processing apparatus, camera apparatus, image processing method, and program
    Patent number: 8699820
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a combining processing unit combining plural images into a piece of combined image. The plural images is taken by a plurality of image-capturing from a certain position to different plural directions. The combining processing unit configured to extract a parameter by performing block matching processes at individual boundaries in such a manner that boundaries a plurality of selected images are disposed in overlapping relation, perform block matching processes of all boundaries to be combined based on the parameter, evaluate results of the block matching processes with respect to all the boundaries, and perform combining the images to reduce errors by updating an optical axis direction so as to reduce errors in all the boundaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Noriyuki Yamashita
  • Image processing method, image processing system, and computer program
    Patent number: 8687918
    Abstract: Based on a difference image of three temporally consecutive frame images, a moving object region where a moving object is displayed and a background region are extracted from a central frame image. A processing of becoming a clear image such as contrast enhancement is performed on an image of the moving object region. On the other hand, a blurring processing such as an averaging processing is performed on an image of the background region. The image of the background region is blurred in this blurring processing so that the degree of blurring increases as the ratio of the moving object region in the frame image is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hikaru Tamura
  • Method and system for generating accented image data
    Patent number: 8682093
    Abstract: A method and system for producing accented image data for an accented image is disclosed. The method includes decomposing each of a first and a second image into a gradient representation which comprises spectral and edge components. The first image comprises more spectral dimensions than the second image. The edge component from the first image is combined with the spectral component from the second image to form a combined gradient representation. Accented image data for the accented image is then generated from data including the combined gradient representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: University of East Anglia
    Inventors: David Connah, Mark S. Drew, Graham Finlayson
  • Whiteboard archiving and presentation method
    Patent number: 8639032
    Abstract: The present invention discloses methods of archiving and optimizing lectures, presentations and other captured video for playback, particularly for blind and low vision individuals. A digital imaging device captures a preselected field of view that is subject to periodic change such as a whiteboard in a classroom. A sequence of frames is captured. Frames associated with additions or erasures to the whiteboard are identified. The Cartesian coordinates of the regions of these alterations within the frame are identified. When the presentation is played back, the regions that are altered are enlarged or masked to assist the low vision user. In another embodiment of the invention, the timing of the alterations segments the recorded audio into chapters so that the blind user can skip forward and backward to different sections of the presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Freedom Scientific, Inc.
    Inventors: Garald Lee Voorhees, Robert Anders Steinberger, Ralph Ernest Ocampo
  • Ensuring image integrity using document characteristics
    Patent number: 8639062
    Abstract: Image integrity in an archive can be verified using document characteristics. Embodiments of the invention provide a way to verify the integrity of a stored document image by determining document characteristics, which can also be embedded in the image file. Before allowing access to the image file by an application, the characteristics data from an image analysis can be compared to either or both of, characteristics information otherwise stored, or embedded characteristics data. The embedded data can optionally be encrypted. In example embodiments the data can include a result of an optical character recognition of contents of the document, a length of data describing the image, a percentage of a specified color of pixels in the image, or a checksum. Example embedding techniques can include those making use of a tagged image file format (TIFF) header, a steganographic watermark, or an image artifact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew A. Calman, Lisa Gibson, Lowell R. Huff, James G. Ronca
  • Image processing apparatus and control method thereof
    Patent number: 8630499
    Abstract: When an image processing apparatus capable of connecting to a digital camera is to perform image-correction processing on irreversible-compression encoded image data acquired from the digital camera, it is determined whether the image-correction processing can be executed by the connected digital camera. When the processing can be executed, it is confirmed whether or not RAW data that corresponds to the irreversible-compression encoded image data is present in the digital camera. If the corresponding RAW data is present in the digital camera, the digital camera is requested to execute the image-correction processing based on the RAW data. This makes it possible to suppress degradation in the image quality more than when directly correcting an irreversible-compression encoded image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Shikata, Teruki Kikkawa, Yoshikazu Shibamiya, Hirofumi Urabe, Daisuke Takayanagi, Chika Masuda
  • Superresolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI)
    Patent number: 8625863
    Abstract: Statistical analysis techniques based on auto- and cross-correlations/cumulants, of image stacks of fluctuating objects are used to improve resolution beyond the classical diffraction limit and to reduce the background. The time trajectory of every pixel in the image frame is correlated with itself and/or with the time trajectory of an adjacent pixel. The amplitude of these auto- or cross-correlations/cumulants of each pixel, at a given time lag or averaged or integrated over an interval of time lags, is used as the intensity value of that pixel in the generated superresolved optical fluctuation image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Sofast GmbH
    Inventor: Joerg Enderlein
  • Method for event-based semantic classification
    Patent number: 8611677
    Abstract: A method of automatically classifying images in a consumer digital image collection, includes generating an event representation of the image collection; computing global time-based features for each event within the hierarchical event representation; computing content-based features for each image in an event within the hierarchical event representation; combining content-based features for each image in an event to generate event-level content-based features; and using time-based features and content-based features for each event to classify an event into one of a pre-determined set of semantic categories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC
    Inventors: Madirakshi Das, Alexander C. Loui, Mark D. Wood
  • Interactive refocusing of electronic images
    Patent number: 8559705
    Abstract: A method is performed to refocus a digital photographic image comprising a plurality of pixels. In the method, a set of images is computed corresponding to the digital photographic image and focused at different depths. Refocus depths for at least a subset of the pixels are identified and stored in a look-up table. At least a portion of the digital photographic image is refocused at a desired refocus depth determined from the look-up table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Lytro, Inc.
    Inventor: Yi-Ren Ng
  • Automated system for anatomical vessel characteristic determination
    Patent number: 8553954
    Abstract: A system enables a user to mark a ROI of a vessel portion having detected boundaries and extend the detection of vessel boundaries into a region identified by the user. An anatomical blood vessel detection and display system includes a user interface enabling a user, via a display of an image presenting anatomical vessels, to, mark a region of interest in a vessel identified by detected boundaries in the image and extend the marked region of interest of the vessel. A detector automatically detects a boundary of the vessel in the extended marked region of interest by detecting an edge representing a change in luminance in data representing the image. An image data processor identifies a minimum vessel diameter in the extended marked region of interest between the detected boundaries and initiates identification of the location of the minimum vessel diameter in the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Hrishikesh Saikia
  • Image upscaling technique
    Patent number: 8538203
    Abstract: A method for interpolation includes receiving an input image having a plurality of pixels. The edge direction proximate a first pixel of the input image is estimated using a first technique from a plurality of discrete potential directions. An edge direction is selected based upon the estimating the edge direction proximate the first pixel of the input image using a second technique. The pixels proximate the first pixel are interpolated based upon the selected edge direction. The pixels proximate the first pixel are interpolated based upon another technique. An output image is determined pixels having more pixels than the plurality of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Hao Pan
  • Methods and apparatus for chatter reduction in video object segmentation using optical flow assisted gaussholding
    Patent number: 8520975
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for chatter reduction in video object segmentation using optical flow assisted gaussholding. An optical flow assisted gaussholding method may be applied to segmentation masks generated for a video sequence. For each frame of at least some frames in a video sequence, for each of one or more other frames prior to and one or more other frames after the current frame, optical flow is computed for the other frame in relation to the current frame and used to warp the contour of the segmentation mask of the other frame to generate warped segmentation mask for the other frames. The weighted average of the warpedsegmentation masks and the segmentation mask of the current frame is then computed; this weighted average may be blurred spatially, for example using a Gaussian filter. The initial smoothed mask may be thresholded to produce a binary smoothed mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Jue Wang, David P. Simons, Daniel M. Wilk, Xue Bai
  • Generation of frequency distribution for objects
    Patent number: 8515151
    Abstract: The solution provides a frequency distribution of a dimension of objects projected onto an image, the distribution being generated by measuring the dimension of the objects in a space in which the position of each object is at least partly free, the dimension of each object in the image depending on the position of the object. The frequency distribution of the projected objects is weighted by a weighting operation compensating for the impact of the projection in order to generate a real frequency distribution of the objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Metso Automation Oy
    Inventors: Antti Salopuro, Pekka Lehtikoski
  • Method of determining PSF using multiple instances of a nominally similar scene
    Patent number: 8494299
    Abstract: A digital image acquisition system includes a portable apparatus for capturing digital images and a digital processing component for detecting, analyzing and informing the photographer regarding motion blur, and for reducing camera motion blur in an image captured by the apparatus. The digital processing component operates by comparing the image with at least one other image, for example a preview image, of nominally the same scene taken outside the exposure period of the main image. In one embodiment the digital processing component identifies at least one feature in a single preview image which is relatively less blurred than the corresponding feature in the main image, calculates a point spread function (PSF) in respect of such feature, and de-convolves the main image using the PSF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited
    Inventors: Eran Steinberg, Peter Corcoran, Yury Prilutsky
  • Method of notifying users regarding motion artifacts based on image analysis
    Patent number: 8494300
    Abstract: A digital image acquisition system includes a portable apparatus for capturing digital images and a digital processing component for detecting, analyzing and informing the photographer regarding motion blur, and for reducing camera motion blur in an image captured by the apparatus. The digital processing component operates by comparing the image with at least one other image, for example a preview image, of nominally the same scene taken outside the exposure period of the main image. In one embodiment the digital processing component determines the degree of artifacts and whether to inform the user that the image is blurred by identifying at least one feature in a single preview image which is relatively less blurred than the corresponding feature in the main image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited
    Inventors: Eran Steinberg, Peter Corcoran, Yury Prilutsky
  • Digital auto-focusing apparatus and method
    Patent number: 8483504
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for digital auto-focus are provided. The apparatus includes a local block generator generating a local block from an input image, a distance-estimation unit estimating distances of each image of the local block, a focal-distance-setting unit setting one of the estimated distances of the local block image as a focal distance of the input image, a reblurred-image generator generating a reblurred image from the local block image, a reconstructed image generator generating an in-focus image focused to the estimated distances from the local block image, a local-block-image-matching unit matching the reblurred image to the in-focus image with different weight values based on the set focal distance, and a final-image generator generating a final image by summing the matched local block images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Guyn Lim, Joo-Young Kang, Hyun-Wook Ok, Seong-Deok Lee
  • Invariant pulse latency coding systems and methods systems and methods
    Patent number: 8467623
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing image signals are described. One method comprises obtaining a generator signal based on an image signal and determining relative latencies associated with two or more pulses in a pulsed signal using a function of the generator signal that can comprise a logarithmic function. The function of the generator signal can be the absolute value of its argument. Information can be encoded in the pattern of relative latencies. Latencies can be determined using a scaling parameter that is calculated from a history of the image signal. The pulsed signal is typically received from a plurality of channels and the scaling parameter corresponds to at least one of the channels. The scaling parameter may be adaptively calculated such that the latency of the next pulse falls within one or more of a desired interval and an optimal interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Brain Corporation
    Inventors: Eugene M. Izhikevich, Botond Szatmary, Csaba Petre
  • Film grain simulation method
    Patent number: 8447127
    Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present principles, simulation of a block of film grain for addition to a block of an image occurs by first establishing at least one image parameter in accordance with at least one attribute of the block. Thereafter, a block of film grain is established in accordance with the image parameter. Deblocking filtering can be applied to the film grain block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Cristina Gomila, Joan Llach, Jeffrey Allen Cooper