Patents Examined by Thomas A Conway
  • Patent number: 8379996
    Abstract: An image processing method of finding a motion vector between an original image and a reference image, including dividing the original image to extract a block, searching for a similar region of the block from the reference image to detect a motion vector of the block, further dividing the block from which the motion vector has been detected to extract a lower block, and searching for a similar region to detect a motion vector of the lower block with a range in the vicinity of the motion vector found from the block before division as a start point. Thus, the method is characterized by reflecting a tree structure data of the motion vector obtained in this manner in the subsequent detection of motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Murata, Shigeru Doida
  • Patent number: 8379915
    Abstract: A method of extracting objects from a video includes the identification of regions to be tracked, tracking the regions across several frames, calculating motions of the regions, and identifying new regions to be tracked. Regions of a selected frame of the video that are appropriate for tracking are selected. Tracking of the identified regions is then performed across frames subsequent to the selected frame of the video. Motions of the identified regions are calculated, and new regions for tracking are identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Videosurf, Inc.
    Inventors: Eitan Sharon, Achi Brandt
  • Patent number: 8374454
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting objects and background in digital images using range information includes receiving the digital image representing a scene; identifying range information associated with the digital image and including distances of pixels in the scene from a known reference location; generating a cluster map based at least upon an analysis of the range information and the digital image, the cluster map grouping pixels of the digital image by their distances from a viewpoint; identifying objects in the digital image based at least upon an analysis of the cluster map and the digital image; and storing an indication of the identified objects in a processor-accessible memory system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Sen Wang
  • Patent number: 8374382
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing device of a sequence of video images intended to be displayed by a digital cinema projection system, a projection system for the digital cinema and a video signal designed to be used by such a system. The use of an anti-camcorder method against copying films is generally carried out entirely in the digital cinema projection system. However, this method requires complex video processing and costly means in the projection system. According to the invention, it is proposed to carry out part of the video processing at the level of the post-production of the video sequence and to save the result of this “pre-processing” in the form of metadata. The remaining part of the video processing is carried out from this metadata in the video projection system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Louis Chevallier, Pascal Bourdon, Didier Doyen
  • Patent number: 8369579
    Abstract: According to one aspect, a method of determining motion of at least one feature present in a plurality of images, the plurality of images captured by a single camera of a scene, each of the plurality of images resulting from light passing through an aperture positioned at a different location for each of the plurality of images is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventor: Federico Frigerio
  • Patent number: 8369626
    Abstract: A plurality of images inputted in an image signal input portion are divided into a plurality of regions by an image dividing portion, and a feature value in each of the plurality of regions is calculated by a feature value calculation portion and divided into a plurality of subsets by a subset generation portion. On the other hand, a cluster classifying portion classifies a plurality of clusters generated in a feature space into any one of a plurality of classes on the basis of the feature value and occurrence frequency of the feature value. And a classification criterion calculation portion calculates a criterion of classification for classifying images included in one subset on the basis of a distribution state of the feature value in the feature space of each of the images included in the one subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishimura, Tetsuo Nonami
  • Patent number: 8363962
    Abstract: A plurality of images inputted in an image signal input portion are divided into a plurality of regions by an image dividing portion, and a feature value in each of the plurality of regions is calculated by a feature value calculation portion and divided into a plurality of subsets by a subset generation portion. On the other hand, a cluster classifying portion classifies a plurality of clusters generated in a feature space into any one of a plurality of classes on the basis of the feature value and occurrence frequency of the feature value. And a classification criterion calculation portion calculates a criterion of classification for classifying images included in one subset on the basis of a distribution state of the feature value in the feature space of each of the images included in the one subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishimura, Tetsuo Nonami
  • Patent number: 8358819
    Abstract: A system and methods for the efficient segmentation of globally optimal surfaces representing object boundaries in volumetric datasets is provided. An optical surface detection system and methods are provided that are capable of simultaneously detecting multiple interacting surfaces in which the optimality is controlled by the cost functions designed for individual surfaces and by several geometric constraints defining the surface smoothness and interrelations. The graph search applications use objective functions that incorporate non-uniform cost terms such as “on-surface” costs as well as “in-region” costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: University of Iowa Research Foundation
    Inventors: Xiaodong Wu, Mona Garvin, Michael David Abramoff, Milan Sonka
  • Patent number: 8358874
    Abstract: At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a method and/or a computed-tomography system and/or a computed-tomography system assembly for displaying tomographic records, with a first computed-tomography display data record displaying structures of a first type and of a second type by way of a complex recording technique, with an area of interest with structures of a second type being marked there and with relative positions of the structures being determined, with a second computed-tomography display data record subsequently being created by a simpler recording technique, in which only structures of the first type can be identified, and the structures of the second type are made visible in this display on the basis of the known relative positions with respect to the visible structures of the first type or at least their position, or a surrounding boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Gabriel Haras
  • Patent number: 8351657
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, which comprises the capturing of image data representing a physical object using an electronic device. First visual objects are determined in the image data. Second objects are determined among the first visual objects. Position information is determined for the second visual objects within the physical object. Third visual object are obtained based on the position information from object data storage. The third visual objects are matched to the first visual objects and differences between third visual objects and the first visual object are indicated to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Kaj Makela, Jukka Nurminen, Olli Immonen, Petteri Saarinen, Panu Vartiainen
  • Patent number: 8345939
    Abstract: A method of apprehending a criminal, including scanning fingerprint images from a contact area of at least one item at a point-of-sale (POS) location and/or point-of-entry (POE) location and transmitting the fingerprint images to a local or remote electronic device to identify the criminal is presented. A fingerprint recognition and collection device is also presented including a fingerprint scanner for scanning fingerprint images from a contact area of at least one item; a transmitting unit for transmitting the fingerprint images; a receiving unit for receiving the fingerprint images; and an analyzing unit for analyzing the fingerprint images to identify persons of interest. The fingerprint scanner operates concurrently with a price scanner and/or ticket scanner. The fingerprint scanner is fixedly secured at the POS location and/or the POE location and operates concurrently with the price scanner and/or ticket scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Inventor: Theodosios Kountotsis
  • Patent number: 8345980
    Abstract: According to the present invention, authenticities of paper fingerprint information and of document information are collectively determined through formation of an original that is given an encoded image in which both paper fingerprint information and document information are encoded. By collectively guaranteeing identities of the paper form and of the document, it becomes possible to realize the more reliable authenticity guarantee.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Aya Mitome
  • Patent number: 8335381
    Abstract: A wordspotting system and method are disclosed for processing candidate word images extracted from handwritten documents. In response to a user inputting a selected query string, such as a word to be searched in one or more of the handwritten documents, the system automatically generates at least one computer-generated image based on the query string in a selected font or fonts. A model is trained on the computer-generated image(s) and is thereafter used in the scoring the candidate handwritten word images. The candidate or candidates with the highest scores and/or documents containing them can be presented to the user, tagged, or otherwise processed differently from other candidate word images/documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Jose A. Rodriguez Serrano, Florent C. Perronnin
  • Patent number: 8331734
    Abstract: A processing device performs a geometry process as preprocessing for rendering a three-dimensional object on a display by modeling the three-dimensional object using a polygon mesh. The geometry process includes a vertex process that is performed for each of the vertices of the polygon mesh by a different one of a plurality of processors, and processed vertex data obtained by the vertex process is notified among the processors so that a polygon process can be performed in each of the processors. Because each processor can continuously perform the polygon process immediately after the vertex process, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the unbalance of timing in performing the vertex process and the polygon process, thereby efficiently performing computation while minimizing the wasteful idle time of the processors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Yorihiko Wakayama
  • Patent number: 8326040
    Abstract: Various technologies and techniques are disclosed that improve handwriting recognition operations. Handwritten input is received in training mode and run through several base recognizers to generate several alternate lists. The alternate lists are unioned together into a combined alternate list. If the correct result is in the combined list, each correct/incorrect alternate pair is used to generate training patterns. The weights associated with the alternate pairs are stored. At runtime, the combined alternate list is generated just as training time. The trained comparator-net can be used to compare any two alternates in the combined list. A template matching base recognizer is used with one or more neural network base recognizers to improve recognition operations. The system provides comparator-net and reorder-net processes trained on print and cursive data, and ones that have been trained on cursive-only data. The respective comparator-net and reorder-net processes are used accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Qi Zhang, Ahmad A. Abdulkader, Michael T. Black
  • Patent number: 8326019
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and medium for dividing regions by using feature points and a mobile robot cleaner using the same are provided. A method includes forming a grid map by using a plurality of grid points that are obtained by detecting distances of a mobile robot from obstacles; extracting feature points from the grid map; extracting candidate pairs of feature points, which are in the range of a region division element, from the feature points; extracting a final pair of feature points, which satisfies the requirements of the region division element, from the candidate pair of feature points; forming a critical line by connecting the final pair of feature points; and forming a final region in accordance with the size relationship between regions formed of a closed curve which connects the critical line and the grid map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Su-jinn Lee, Hyeon Myeong, Yong-beom Lee, Seok-won Bang
  • Patent number: 8311279
    Abstract: The image analysis system includes a processor and memory and displays an image to a first user. The image analysis system tracks gaze of the first user and collects initial gaze data for the first user. The initial gaze data includes a plurality of gaze points. The image analysis system identifies one or more ignored regions of the image based on a distribution of the gaze data within the image; and displays at least a first subset of the image. The first subset of the image is selected so as to include a respective ignored region of the one or more ignored regions and the first subset of the image is displayed in a manner that draws attention to the respective ignored region. In some embodiments, the ignored region is visually emphasized within the image. In some embodiments, only the first subset of the image is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Pernilla Quarfordt, Jacob Biehl, Gene Golovchinsky
  • Patent number: 8306305
    Abstract: A method of automatically identifying bone components in a medical image data set of voxels, the method comprising: a) applying a first set of one or more tests to accept voxels as belonging to seeds, b) applying a second set of one or more tests to accept seeds as bone seeds, and c) expanding the bone seeds into bone components by progressively identifying candidate bone voxels, adjacent to the bone seeds or to other previously identified bone voxels, as bone voxels, responsive to predetermined criteria which distinguish bone voxels from voxels of other body tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Algotec Systems Ltd.
    Inventors: Hadar Porat, Gad Miller, Shmuel Akerman, Ido Milstein
  • Patent number: 8300955
    Abstract: A plurality of images inputted in an image signal input portion are divided into a plurality of regions by an image dividing portion, and a feature value in each of the plurality of regions is calculated by a feature value calculation portion and divided into a plurality of subsets by a subset generation portion. On the other hand, a cluster classifying portion classifies a plurality of clusters generated in a feature space into any one of a plurality of classes on the basis of the feature value and occurrence frequency of the feature value. And a classification criterion calculation portion calculates a criterion of classification for classifying images included in one subset on the basis of a distribution state of the feature value in the feature space of each of the images included in the one subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishimura, Tetsuo Nonami
  • Patent number: 8290235
    Abstract: A biological sample such as a tissue section is stained with one or more quantum dots and possibly other fluorophores (total number of fluorophores N). A camera coupled to a microscope generates an image of the specimen at a plurality of different wavelengths within the emission spectral band of the N fluorophores. An analysis module calculates coefficients C1 . . . CN at each pixel from the set of images and reference spectral data for the N fluorophores. The coefficients C1 . . . CN are related to the concentration of each of the individual fluorophores at each pixel location. Morphological processing instructions find biological structures, e.g., cells, cellular components, genes, etc., in the images of the specimen. Quantitative analysis is performed on the identified biological structures. A display module displays the quantitative analysis results to the user, along with images of the specimen. The images can include images constructed from one or more of the coefficients C1 . . . CN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Ventana Medical Systems, Inc
    Inventors: G. Scott Lett, Ned C. Haubein, Gary Pestano