Abstract: A face image is detected for each frame at a predetermined interval in moving image data, and the face image is traced using a frame in which the face image is detected and frames subsequent to the frame. A face sequence including an interval in which the face can be traced and motion velocity vectors of the face indicating a change in the position of the face image in the interval is generated based on the tracing result. Further, camera operation information about when the moving image data is acquired is generated from the frame image of the moving image data. When there is an overlap in the plurality of intervals in which the face images are traced, the face being tracked by the camera is determined using the face sequence and the camera operation information of each of the plurality of face images. The face determined to be tracked is then determined to be a key object.

Abstract: Even when captions of a plurality of objects use an identical anchor expression, the present invention can associate an appropriately explanatory text in a body text as metadata with the objects.

Abstract: When retrieving an image from an archive of stored images that is similar to an inputted image, an image-processing apparatus (200) extracts more than one characteristic point from the inputted image (S504), computes a characteristic amount for the characteristic points thus extracted (S505), and evaluates the fluctuation in the characteristic amount when a prescribed alteration is applied to the inputted image (S506). The image-processing apparatus selects a characteristic point from among the characteristic points thus extracted from the inputted image, and retrieves (S508) a stored image that is similar to the inputted image, in accordance with the characteristic amount of the characteristic point thus selected.

Abstract: A page image is acquired. Area information that includes information on existence or absence of a text area and a picture area is extracted from the acquired page image. The page image is divided into a plurality of blocks. An image feature amount of each of the divided blocks is calculated. Whether the page image includes a picture area is determined on the basis of the extracted area information and the calculated image feature amounts of the blocks.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for extracting a more appropriate representative frame image from moving image data that includes a plurality of frames of image data arranged in a time series includes: an input unit configured to input moving image data; a detecting unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to a prescribed image pattern; a tracking unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to the image included in the detected frame image; a storage unit configured to store successive frame images that have been detected by the tracking unit; a splitting unit configured to split the moving image data into a plurality of time intervals; and an extracting unit configured to extract a representative frame image using different evaluation rules.

Abstract: A plurality of feature points are extracted from an inputted image, and a feature amount is computed with regard to the feature point thus extracted. A prescribed plurality of alterations, i.e., a rotation, an enlargement, or a reduction, are applied to the inputted image, a plurality of altered feature amounts are estimated with regard to the feature point, and an image is retrieved from among stored images that are stored upon a storage apparatus and that is most similar to the inputted image, in accordance with the plurality of the estimated altered feature amounts.

Abstract: In the display of a search result using a virtual space, the display and operation in the space is associated with an addition and change of search instruction to facilitate to grasp the content and to operate a search. A plurality of contents each of which having a keyword is arranged in the virtual space and displayed on a display screen. When one key is set, a content to be a search target is selected from among the plurality of contents based on a position at which the key is set, a search is performed on the selected search target with the set key, and an arrangement of the contents is changed and displayed based on a relationship with the key and the plurality of contents.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus successively designates each page of an input page image as a processing target, detects an anchor expression constituted by a specific character string, and associates a highlight position corresponding to the anchor expression with a link identifier. When the anchor expression and the link identifier are registered in a link configuration management table, if the same anchor expression is already registered in the table, the apparatus updates the table in such a way as to mutually associate the link identifiers of the same anchor expression. The apparatus generates page data of an electronic document based on a link identifier relating to a processing target page image and its highlight position and transmits the generated page data. The apparatus generates information usable to link the relevant link identifiers based on the link configuration management table, after completing the processing for all pages, and transmits the generated information.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises: unit configured to divide input document data into a body region, a caption region, and an object region; unit configured to acquire text information included in each of the body region and the caption region; unit configured to search the text information in the body region for an anchor term, to extract an anchor term from the text information in the caption region, and to generate a bi-directional link between a portion corresponding to the anchor term in the body region and a portion of the object region to which the caption region is appended; and unit configured to convert the input document data into digital document data in which the portion corresponding to the anchor term in the body region and the portion corresponding to the object region to which the caption region is appended are bi-directionally linked based on the link.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus comprises: a character information acquisition unit configured to acquire character information included in each of a body region and a caption region; an accumulation unit configured to divide the character information acquired from the body region into predetermined set units and to accumulate the character information and position information of the divided set unit in a memory; an anchor term extraction unit configured to extract an anchor term from the character information acquired from the caption region; an anchor term search unit configured to search, based on the character information accumulated in the memory for each set unit, for the set unit including the anchor term extracted; a link information generation unit configured to generate link generation information that associates the set unit found by the anchor term search unit with the object region to which the caption region including the anchor term is appended.

Abstract: A region division portion extracts an “object”, an “anchor expression accompanying the object” and a “text including the anchor expression” from image data based on a paper document and an electronic document. A link processing portion generates link information that associates, in two ways, the “object”, the “anchor expression included in the text” or the “text including the anchor expression” with each other. Then, a format conversion portion converts the link information into electronic document data including two-way link information. When this electronic document data is displayed by an application and one of the “object” and the “anchor expression included in the text” is selected, the other can be displayed according to the link information.

Abstract: Even when captions of a plurality of objects use an identical anchor expression, the present invention can associate an appropriately explanatory text in a body text as metadata with the objects.

Abstract: For multiple moving-image recorded on a storage medium, one piece of meta-data or each of multiple pieces of meta-data recorded for a part or all of the moving-image is managed by meta-data indices. A meta-data index keeps invalidity information indicating whether a piece of meta-data is going to be invalid and validity information indicating validity of the current piece of meta-data in the same form, when operations such as editing and processing are performed on a part or all of a moving-image that is an object of a piece of meta-data. When cutting-out occurs on a section of a moving-image that is an object of a piece of meta-data and the piece of meta-data cannot be recalculated, the invalidity information is copied to the validity information. In this manner, a meta-data added to the moving-image can be adapted and be used after the moving-image is edited.

Abstract: According to the present invention, it is possible to create electronic document data capable of highlighting an object detected through a search so that a user can easily recognize it. An image processing apparatus extracts an object from an input image and extracts metadata related to the object. The image processing apparatus, when determines to describe with a shape in accordance with the shape of the object, creates a vector path description of frame described with a shape in accordance with the shape of the object. Then, the image processing apparatus creates an electronic document including data of the input image and the vector path description of frame with which the metadata is associated. When a keyword search is performed on the created electronic document, highlight display is performed in accordance with the vector path description of frame with which metadata that matches the keyword is associated.

Abstract: An image search apparatus extracts a symmetric partial image based on acquired pairs of feature points, and divides the partial image at a symmetry axis of the partial image to decide two partial areas, as a first area and a second area based on the tendency of image features in the partial image. In determining the similarity between the query image and a comparison destination image, a coordinate transformation coefficient for a coordinate transformation process is set based on pairs of feature points extracted from the partial area decided as the first area of the two images, the coordinate transformation process using the coordinate transformation coefficient is applied to the pairs of feature points extracted from areas including areas other than the first area of the two images, and coordinates of the pairs of feature points after the coordinate transformation process are compared.

Abstract: An image search apparatus, which determines a similarity between an input query image and a registered comparison destination image and searches an image similar to the query image, extracts a plurality of corresponding pairs of feature points in two images based on feature points selected from the both images. A coordinate transformation coefficient to execute a coordinate transformation process is decided so that coordinates of the feature point of one of the two images match coordinates of the feature point of the other image, in relation to each pair. Only if an amount of transformation of coordinates satisfies the constraint conditions designated in advance, the coordinate transformation process using the coordinate transformation coefficient is executed in relation to the plurality of pairs of feature points, and coordinates of the feature points after the transformation of one image are compared with coordinates of the corresponding feature points of the other image.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus extracts an object area (e.g., character, picture, line drawing, and table) from an input image and acquires a metadata to be associated with the object. The image processing apparatus generates a transparent graphics description for an object area having an attribute that requires generation of the transparent graphics description, and generates an electronic document while associating the transparent graphics description with the metadata. As transparent graphics description, an arbitrary shape of graphics can be used. Accordingly, the image processing apparatus can generate electronic document data suitable for a highlight expression, which is easy for users to recognize in a search operation using a keyword to search an object included in an electronic document.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for extracting a more appropriate representative frame image from moving image data that includes a plurality of frames of image data arranged in a time series includes: an input unit configured to input moving image data; a detecting unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to a prescribed image pattern; a tracking unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to the image included in the detected frame image; a storage unit configured to store the successive frame images in association with time information; a splitting unit configured to split the moving image data into a plurality of time intervals with starting time and end time of each of one or more image sequences; and an extracting unit configured to extract a representative frame image.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for extracting a more appropriate representative frame image from moving image data that includes a plurality of frames of image data arranged in a time series includes: an input unit configured to input moving image data; a detecting unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to a prescribed image pattern; a tracking unit configured to detect a frame image, which includes an image similar to the image included in the detected frame image; a storage unit configured to store successive frame images that have been detected by the tracking unit; a splitting unit configured to split the moving image data into a plurality of time intervals; and an extracting unit configured to extract a representative frame image using different evaluation rules.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus reduces two input images to be compared by the predetermined number of times to generate two image groups, extracts a plurality of feature points and a local feature amount of each feature point from these image groups, and determines a combination of feature points in which local feature amounts are similar to each other, between the image groups. Then, the image processing apparatus determines a relation of a reasonable combination, assigns high weights to the reasonable combination, and calculates a similarity degree between the two input images.