Color Image Processing Patents (Class 382/162)
  • Patent number: 9858336
    Abstract: Electronic natural language processing in a natural language processing (NLP) system, such as a Question-Answering (QA) system. A receives electronic text input, in question form, and determines a readability level indicator in the question. The readability level indicator includes at least a grammatical error, a slang term, and a misspelling type. The computer determines a readability level for the electronic text input based on the readability level indicator, and retrieves candidate answers based on the readability level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Donna K. Byron, Devendra Goyal, Lakshminarayanan Krishnamurthy, Priscilla Santos Moraes, Michael C. Smith
  • Patent number: 9846803
    Abstract: A makeup supporting device includes: a makeup presentation unit that generates a simulation image by superimposing a makeup image on an image obtained by photographing a face, the makeup image indicating a state in which makeup is applied to the face; a makeup correction unit that receives correction of the makeup image included in the generated simulation image from a user; and a correction information recording unit that records correction information which indicates a region of a post-correction makeup image using a relative position to a facial feature points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomofumi Yamanashi, Rieko Asai, Aoi Muta, Chie Nishi, Kaori Ajiki
  • Patent number: 9836670
    Abstract: A image processing method includes computing an initial phase corresponding to a difference between a position of a first pixel of an input image and a position of a first pixel of an output image using at least one of scaling ratio information between the input and output images, chroma subsampling format conversion information applied between the input and output images, or rotation angle information of the input image, and determining the position of the first pixel of the output image based on the initial phase and the position of the first pixel of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seong Woon Kim, Sung Chul Yoon, Ha Na Yang
  • Patent number: 9836839
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems and methods for determining a presence and an amount of an analyte in a biological sample. The systems and methods for determining the presence of an analyte utilize a plurality of images of a sample slide including multiple fields-of-view having multiple focal planes therein. The systems and methods utilize algorithms configured to color and grayscale intensity balance the plurality of images and based thereon determine if the plurality of images contain the analyte therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: TOKITAE LLC
    Inventors: Cary Richard Champlin, Charles Delahunt, Matthew P. Horning, Liming Hu, Shawn Keith McGuire, Courosh Mehanian, Clay Matthew Thompson, Benjamin K. Wilson
  • Patent number: 9824291
    Abstract: Systems, components, devices, and methods for generating suggestions based on extracting colors from an image are provided. A non-limiting example is a method for generating suggestions for arranging content based on matching colors in an image. The method includes the step of receiving a content file. The content file includes a content region and an image. The method also includes the step of analyzing the image to identify candidate colors in the image. Additionally, the method includes the step of generating a suggestion for the content region. The suggestion includes the image and a suggested design element. The suggested design element matches one of the identified candidate colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Michael Maloney, Gilberto Aristides Apodaca Aragon
  • Patent number: 9824491
    Abstract: A method for generating a personalized scaffold for an individual includes acquiring images of an anatomy of interest corresponding to an intended scaffold location and acquiring test results related to the anatomy of interest. One or more functional specifications are generated based on the images and test results and one or more scaffold parameters are selected based on the functional specifications. A final scaffold may then be generated using the one or more scaffold parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GmbH
    Inventors: Sasa Grbic, Dorin Comaniciu
  • Patent number: 9811890
    Abstract: In one embodiment, it is proposed a method for obtaining at least one high dynamic range image via aligning and fusion of at least two low dynamic range images. The method is remarkable in that it comprises: obtaining a first low dynamic range image, said first low dynamic range image comprising several color components in a color space; obtaining a second low dynamic range image in said color space, comprising, for at least one component color, at least a part of pixels of said second low dynamic range image, defining a region, for which Euclidean distance between a value of a pixel in said region in said second low dynamic range image and a value of a corresponding pixel in said region in said first low dynamic range image is below a threshold; and said aligning comprising matching features obtained from said at least one component color of said first low dynamic range image and from said at least one component color of said second low dynamic range image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: THOMSON LICENSING
    Inventors: Laurent Blonde, David Touze, Valter Drazic
  • Patent number: 9805458
    Abstract: A method for detecting defective pixels and screen imperfections is provided and include the steps of: positioning a mobile device having a display screen in a testing chamber, capturing an image of the display screen using a camera directed to a the display screen, and performing a perform a pixel detection analysis of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Communications Test Design, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald J. Parsons, Michael P. Parsons, Leo D. Parsons, Nidhin Davis, Andrew Sieben, Sean Parsons, Mohammad R. Paknejad, Marc Aurel Kamsu Tennou, John J. McGrath
  • Patent number: 9799254
    Abstract: A method of driving a display device includes displaying both a natural image and a color vision test image on the display unit. The color vision test image is an image used to determine whether a person has a color vision impairment. A color adjustment user interface for adjusting color of the display unit is displayed on the display unit. A color adjustment instruction that instructs to adjust color of the display unit is received via an input unit. Supply image data supplied to the display unit is adjusted based on the color adjustment instruction by using a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignees: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD., SAMSUNG LIFE PUBLIC WELFARE FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Chanyoung Park, Se Woong Kang, Sang Jin Kim, Kyung Ah Park, Ilnam Kim, Wonsang Park, Hongshik Shim
  • Patent number: 9798640
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for testing customer premise equipment in an offline fashion. According to certain embodiments, a testing system including one or more computing devices can identify a test scenario that includes information associated with one or more commands and expected results associated with the commands. Such commands can be executed by customer premise equipment. One or more respective images associated with the execution of a command can be captured, and information associated with the command, the associated expected result, and one or more respective images can be displayed for evaluation by a user to determine whether the command is operating properly in the customer premise equipment that executed the command. Certain embodiments describe a confidence level which can correspond to a number of images to be captured in order to decrease the possibility that content was not captured for evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Cox Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael David Rucker
  • Patent number: 9792301
    Abstract: A privacy-preserving multi-query parking management system and method. An image of a vehicle with respect to a specific part (e.g., license plate) can be captured when the vehicle enters via an entry point. An image signature can be computed by embedding the image into a descriptor space and the image signature can be stored in a database together with relevant metadata. An image of a vehicle with respect to the specific part can be captured when the vehicle exits via at least one exit point and an image signature can be computed. An entry-exit association with respect to the vehicle can be performed by searching for a most similar image signature in the database. Additionally, given a textual query (e.g., a license plate number), a signature can be computed by embedding the text into the same descriptor space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC
    Inventors: Jose Antonio Rodriguez-Serrano, Florent Perronnin
  • Patent number: 9794738
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to systems and methods for verifying that a device is using its Wi-Fi circuitry in compliance with the regulations governing the location in which the device is located. Embodiments discussed herein can verify the location using location verification tools that evaluate locally ascertainable factors that contribute to a probability determination of the device's location. Locally ascertainable factors include information that be gleaned from the surroundings of the device. The surroundings or environment in which the device resides may provide clues as to whether the device is located in a particular regulatory domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Grant Michael Erickson, Hirofumi Honjo, David Sloo
  • Patent number: 9785649
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for associating colors or color names with a color image based on hue. A set of hue values can be extracted from color data, such as a color palette, corresponding to a color image. A representative hue can be derived from the set of hue values. Colors included in the color data that are attributable to the representative hue can be identified and one or more colors can be derived therefrom as representative of a subject depicted by the color image. Color names matching the representative colors can be identified and associated with the color image. In particular, a common color name can be determined therefrom and associated with the subject of the color image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Shearer Dorner, Jenny Ann Blackburn, Eva Manolis, Timothy Andrew Ong, Paul Barnhart Sayre, III
  • Patent number: 9779647
    Abstract: A display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a display panel including a plurality of pixels respectively displaying a first color, a second color, and a third color; and a signal controller controlling the display panel by processing an input image signal, wherein, in a color weakness mode, at least one color among the first to third colors is displayed with a higher gray than an input gray of the input image signal, and the other colors are displayed with the same gray as the input gray of the input image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chan Young Park, Jong Sung Bae, Dong Hyeon Lee, Jusuck Lee, Hee Soon Jeong, Seong Min Cho, Eun Sil Han, Jeong Jin Hong
  • Patent number: 9778109
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method for obtaining a full reflectance spectrum of a surface and an apparatus therefor. The method for obtaining a full reflectance spectrum of a surface, comprises the steps of: (a) calculating a combination value of spectral characteristics of a light source and response characteristics of a camera for an image of a reference object, the full reflectance spectrum of a surface of which is known, by utilizing the known full reflectance spectrum of a surface; (b) obtaining an image by photographing an object irradiated with light according to a predetermined lighting environment; and (c) obtaining a full reflectance spectrum of a surface for the object by utilizing the combination value of the spectral characteristics of the light source and the response characteristics of the camera for the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: INDUSTRY-UNUIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Jong-Il Park, Moon-Hyun Lee, Byung-Kuk Seo
  • Patent number: 9781400
    Abstract: An image processing method and apparatus, where the method includes determining m boundary points of a target image, acquiring a color component of a non-boundary point in a jth area, where the jth area is a neighborhood of the jth boundary point in the m boundary points, 1?j?m, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and performing synthesis processing according to the color component of the non-boundary point in the jth area, to obtain a color component of the jth boundary point, and by means of processing on a boundary point of a target image, precision of image matting and synthesis processing may be improved, and may be applied to a real-time image matting and synthesis process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yanhao Shen, Yin Zhao, Mengjian Li
  • Patent number: 9767077
    Abstract: The attribute of an object to be newly inserted into image data is determined based on an attribute of an object of a type corresponding to the object to be inserted from one or a plurality of objects already included in the image data. A display device is caused to display the image data in which the object having the determined attribute is inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshikaz Kinkoh
  • Patent number: 9734164
    Abstract: The invention provides a method, server apparatus and terminal apparatus for providing an image, which can achieve an image search in accordance with a color, helps to make a user obtain an image of a color desired thereby, and can help a buyer to obtain a product of a color desired thereby in a comparatively accurate manner upon an application to the e-commerce field. The method comprises: a server receiving analysis data of color main components of an image to be inquired transmitted by a terminal device, then comparing the analysis data of the color main components of the image to be inquired with analysis data of color main components of a plurality of images in an image database, and transmitting identifications of the plurality of images having the greatest degree of similarity of a main color tone to the image to be inquired in the image database to the terminal device so that the terminal device acquires the images in accordance with the identifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignees: BEIJING JINGDONG SHANGKE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO, LTD., BEIJING JINGDONG CENTURY TRADING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yongzhou Gan, Zhengang Jing, Huiman Hou, Yuhong Xiong, Jianming Jin
  • Patent number: 9736410
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element including a plurality of pixels corresponding to a plurality of respective micro lenses and the first photoelectric conversion portion and the second photoelectric conversion portion that are included in each of the pixels and share a corresponding one of the micro lenses, and a signal processing unit configured to correct an addition signal of outputs from the first photoelectric conversion portion and the second photoelectric conversion portion included in each of the pixels and a first signal generated from a plurality of signals of the first photoelectric conversion portions corresponding to the micro lenses, and the signal processing unit corrects the addition signal for each of the pixels and corrects the first signal for the first photoelectric conversion portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Mineo Uchida
  • Patent number: 9723169
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is configured to capture an object image, generate a RAW image, perform simple development on the RAW image during the image capturing operation, and store not only the developed image but also the RAW image in a storage medium. If the imaging apparatus displays an image during the image capturing operation and immediately after the image capturing operation, the imaging apparatus displays the image processed by the simple development. When the imaging apparatus completes processing of high-quality image development, the imaging apparatus replaces the image processed by the simple development with the image processed by the high-quality image development and displays the image processed by the high-quality image development.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Nozawa, Masamichi Ito
  • Patent number: 9721187
    Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product for providing a lasso selection tool for a stereoscopic image is disclosed. The method includes the steps of obtaining a lasso region of a stereoscopic image pair based on a path defined by a user using a lasso selection tool. An object in a first image of the stereoscopic image pair is identified, where the object is at least partially included within the lasso region and the object is identified in a second image of the stereoscopic image pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: David R. Cook
  • Patent number: 9710928
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, system and computer program product for identifying the Main Colors and the matching colors of a visual object, and then viewing on a mobile device select items comprising the matching colors, such as from a merchant's catalogue. A visual object is analyzed for color content, and the results are stored on a system database located on the device or on a remote server. The color analysis of the objects comprise advanced image processing techniques, such as Main Color extraction using color space transformation comprising HSV, RGB and CYMK to map between pixels in the image. The user can subsequently view a display on their mobile identifying the visual object's Main Colors and at least one Harmonic Color; and then select and view all items (i.e. products in a database) comprising one Harmonic Color, and/or all items of a specific type and Harmonic Color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Inventors: Alon Atsmon, Dan Atsmon
  • Patent number: 9710885
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a region determiner configured to receive image data and perform a region determination by determining whether each of a plurality of sub-pixels included in the image data is included in an in-focusing region that is focused or an out-focusing region that is not focused; and an interpolator configured to perform demosaicing with respect to a sub-pixel included in the in-focusing region by using a first algorithm and perform the demosaicing with respect to a sub-pixel included in the out-focusing region by using a second algorithm, according to a result of the region determination, wherein, when the demosaicing with respect to the sub-pixel included in the in-focusing region is performed, one or more peripheral sub-pixels having phases that are different from a phase of the sub-pixel, on which the demosaicing is performed, are used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jee-hong Lee, Nyeong-kyu Kwon
  • Patent number: 9704069
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an image processing evaluating apparatus and image processing method. The processing apparatus comprising: a confidence generation means for generating a classification confidence for each region in the image, the classification confidence represents the probability of an region belonging to a predefined class; and a classification means for classifying the regions in the image, which are obvious to be classified by their classification confidences, to respective classes based on the calculated confidences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: You Lv, Yong Jiang, Bo Wu
  • Patent number: 9697592
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for converting a low dynamic range (LDR) image to a high dynamic range (HDR) image, including obtaining an input LDR image; and in an HDR image database, selecting one or more HDR images that match the input LDR image as candidate images. Further, the candidate images are warped according to a spatial correspondence between the candidate images and the input LDR image. The input LDR image is decomposed to an illumination component and a texture component. The illumination component and the texture component are reconstructed respectively based on the warped candidate images. The reconstructed illumination component and the reconstructed texture component are combined to produce an output HDR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: TCL RESEARCH AMERICA INC.
    Inventors: Qiqin Dai, Xiaobo Ren, Haohong Wang
  • Patent number: 9697796
    Abstract: Techniques related to generating downscaled image or image frame data in a luma chroma separated color space for an image or video pipeline architecture are discussed. Such techniques may include converting input image data to the luma chroma separated color space based on adaptive color coefficients determined based on an illumination indicator associated with the input image data and storing downscaled color converted image data to an input image buffer of the image or video pipeline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Nir Darshan, Gilad Michael, German Voronov
  • Patent number: 9686435
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is configured to capture an object image, generate a RAW image, perform simple development on the RAW image during the image capturing operation, and store not only the developed image but also the RAW image in a storage medium. If the imaging apparatus displays an image during the image capturing operation and immediately after the image capturing operation, the imaging apparatus displays the image processed by the simple development. When the imaging apparatus completes processing of high-quality image development, the imaging apparatus replaces the image processed by the simple development with the image processed by the high-quality image development and displays the image processed by the high-quality image development.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Nozawa, Masamichi Ito
  • Patent number: 9686446
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit with a reduction mode using a reduced consumption of the color material. The reduction rule includes a rule of conversion configured to, in a constant hue plane of the input color value, move all color values on a straight line passing through a lowest brightness color value and the input color value in a direction from a highest saturation color value to a highest brightness color value, so as to convert into color values on a straight line passing through the lowest brightness color value and a converted input color value where the input color value is converted, the lowest brightness color value being indicative of a color value of lowest brightness, the highest saturation color value being indicative of a color value of highest saturation, the highest brightness color value being indicative of a color value of highest brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yuka Miyanaga
  • Patent number: 9679032
    Abstract: A device information providing system has a search request receiving unit that receives, as a search request for searching for a device, a search request including an output requirement for specifying a desired output result, a processing module DB in which information concerning a processing module that receives, as inputs, outputs from one or a plurality of other devices and combines the inputs to generate a new output is registered with respect to a plurality of the processing modules together with at least an input requirement for specifying an input of a processing module and an output requirement for specifying an output of the processing module, and a device DB in which information concerning the device is registered with respect to a plurality of the devices together with at least an output requirement for specifying an output of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Uenoyama, Atsushi Hisano
  • Patent number: 9669585
    Abstract: A computer implemented method and apparatus for embedding a 2D image in a 3D model. The method comprises generating a 3-dimensional (3D) print matrix representing a 2-dimensional (2D) image, wherein the print matrix comprises a plurality of sub-regions, the base plane of each sub-region angled with respect to a top surface of the print matrix so as to produce a plurality of shades, each shade representing a shade of the 2D image; and embedding the print matrix in a (3D) model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Mayur Hemani, Abhishek Kumar, Naveen Prakash Goel
  • Patent number: 9672442
    Abstract: A method for detecting differences between two digital images includes the steps of: transforming the images by resizing the images in order to get identical image sizes, by aligning pixels of the images and by normalizing colors of the images; determining plural binary masks from the pixels of the transformed images, each binary mask being composed of one element per couple of pixels of the transformed images having same coordinates; determining plural energy functions, each energy function being the sum of a first term representative of transformed images and of one binary mask and of a second term which is only dependent on said one binary mask; minimizing the energy function over other plural energy functions; and selecting the binary mask corresponding to the minimized energy function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: LTU TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Régis Behmo, Fabien Freling, Yannick Allusse, Simon Dolle
  • Patent number: 9667836
    Abstract: A color conversion apparatus to output image data to a printer obtains roughness data to indicate the roughness of each pixel in an image expressed by the image data, derives a reduction ratio of a color gamut in each pixel according to a roughness of each pixel in the roughness data, changes color gamut data indicating for the printer on a substantially flat surface according to the derived reduction ratio to derive color gamut data in each pixel, and then performs color conversion on each pixel in the image data using the derived color gamut data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kimitaka Arai
  • Patent number: 9661331
    Abstract: Methods of optimal encoding of signals to be compatible with characteristics of target receivers while meeting constraints pertinent to sizes of encoded signals or capacities of paths communicating signals to the target receivers are disclosed. The methods are based on analytical modeling of the encoding process guided by experimental data relating measured performance indicators of encoded signals of diverse classifications to respective encoding parameters. A computationally-efficient technique is devised to determine optimal encoding parameters based on pre-processed data derived from the analytical models. The methods may be implemented at an encoder of original signals or a transcoder of pre-encoded signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Vantrix Corporation
    Inventors: Didier Joset, Stéphane Coulombe, Maged E. Beshai
  • Patent number: 9652687
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of performing development by adjusting the saturation level of each color signal, without losing gradation in a high-luminance area. Saturation levels of color signals of three colors are calculated on photographed data. Color signal values in each pixel of the photographed data are acquired as pixel information. If it is determined, based on the saturation levels and the pixel information, to perform substitution, substitution for a color signal having the second highest saturation level is performed according to a color signal having the highest saturation level, and substitution for a color signal having the lowest saturation level is performed according to the color signals having the highest and second highest saturation levels. Predetermined processing is performed on photographed data on which substitution processing has been performed to thereby generate the developed data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Noriaki Sato
  • Patent number: 9645831
    Abstract: A guide is configured in an authoring program to aid the user in editing objects on a document. The guide can be a horizontally or vertically oriented guide line and can be created from a single ruler, either a vertical or horizontal ruler displayed on the workspace. To create a horizontal guide, the user can position the cursor on a horizontal ruler. The user can click-and-hold and drag the cursor to create and position a horizontal guide over the workspace. To create a vertical guide, the user can position the cursor in the horizontal ruler and click and release. The user can create both vertical and horizontal guides using the vertical ruler in a corresponding manner, where clicking on the vertical ruler creates a horizontal guide, and click-and-hold and dragging creates a vertical guide. Guides can be individually configured or altered in their visual characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel John Altin
  • Patent number: 9646352
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for associating comments with playback of media content. At an input device, a parallel echo version of media content being played on a second device is provided, and a selection is received of a portion of the parallel echo version of the media content. A comment associated with the selected portion of the parallel echo version of the media content is received, and the received comment is associated with a portion of the media content associated with the selected portion of the parallel echo version. At an output device, a parallel echo version of media content being played on a second device is provided, a current point in the parallel echo version of the media content is determined, and an indicator of a comment associated with a point in the media content corresponding to the current point in the parallel echo version is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Quib, Inc.
    Inventor: James Burns McClements, IV
  • Patent number: 9646368
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for automatic color correction of image and video content are provided. A computer-implemented method may include generating an auto-level linear transform and a histogram equalization transform of a color distribution histogram for an original image among a set of sequential images. The auto-level linear transform and the histogram equalization transform are blended to create a modified image. Pixel color is adjusted in the modified image so that a color difference between a pixel and neighboring pixels in the modified image corresponds to a color difference between respective pixels in the original image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: William Brendel
  • Patent number: 9639740
    Abstract: The present invention provides, in at least one aspect, methods and systems that detect at least one face in at least one digital image, determine and store area co-ordinates of a location of the at least one detected face in the at least one digital image, apply at least one transformation to the at least one detected face to create at least one portrait of the at least one detected face, rotate the at least one portrait at least until the at least one portrait is shown in a vertical orientation and a pair of eyes of the at least one face shown in the at least one portrait are positioned on a horizontal plane; and store the rotated at least one portrait.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED RECOGNITION INC.
    Inventors: Ray Ganong, Donald Craig Waugh, Yong Man Ro, Konstantinos Plataniotis, Chris Studholme
  • Patent number: 9633249
    Abstract: A data processing system for performing face detection on a stream of frames of image data, the data processing system comprising: a skin patch identifier configured to identify one or more patches of skin color in a first frame and characterize each patch in the first frame using a respective patch construct of a predefined shape; a first search tile generator configured to generate one or more first search tiles from the one or more patch constructs; and a face detector configured to detect faces in the stream by performing face detection in one or more frames of the stream within the first search tiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Imagination Technologies Limited
    Inventors: Szabolcs Cséfalvay, Paul Brasnett
  • Patent number: 9626744
    Abstract: Techniques to generate global tone-mapping operators (G-TMOs) that, when applied to high dynamic range images, visually approximate the use of spatially varying tone-mapping operators (SV-TMOs) are described. The disclosed G-TMOs provide substantially the same visual benefits as SV-TMOs but do not suffer from spatial artifacts such as halos and are, in addition, computationally efficient compared to SV-TMOs. In general, G-TMOs may be identified based on application of a SV-TMO to a down-sampled version of a full-resolution input image (e.g., a thumbnail). An optimized mapping between the SV-TMO's input and output constitutes the G-TMO. It has been unexpectedly discovered that when optimized (e.g., to minimize the error between the SV-TMO's input and output), G-TMOs so generated provide an excellent visual approximation to the SV-TMO (as applied to the full-resolution image).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Graham D. Finlayson, Jakkarin Singnoo
  • Patent number: 9619901
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image information acquisition unit, an elimination color setting unit, and a processing unit. The image information acquisition unit acquires image information of a document image in which multiple colors that are different from a predetermined document color are added to an image which is rendered in the predetermined document color. The elimination color setting unit sets a color which is defined as an elimination color from among the multiple colors. The processing unit performs predetermined processing for a color among the multiple colors that is different from the elimination color set by the elimination color setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mikuriya, Taro Mori
  • Patent number: 9609176
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to cause image content to be adjusted in a manner consistent with the corresponding viewing direction, such as the viewing direction of a user of a head-mounted display device. In regards to a method, one or more first anchor frames are determined within a multi-frame image, a user's viewing direction is determined relative to the multi-frame image and at least one second anchor frame is identified based on the user's viewing direction. The method also includes determining one or more tonal modification parameters of a frame in relation to the viewing direction based upon the one or more first anchor frames and the at least one second anchor frame. Further, the method generates a plurality of modified frames based on the one or more tonal modification parameters. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Veldandi Muninder, Daniel Vaquero
  • Patent number: 9607404
    Abstract: A system for normalizing, codifying and categorizing divergent color systems into a universal color system. A server connected to a communications network receives, processes, codifies and categorizes divergent color data from a merchant system. A middleware engine of the server receives a data feed comprising a plurality of color swatches or images from the merchant system, and normalizes the data feed into a common format. A server processor extracts image data comprising a plurality of product images from the normalized data feed, identifies and converts at least one dominant product color in each product image to a digital value, and assigns a hexadecimal code of the universal color system to each product image that is closest to the digital value of each product image based on color component intensity values of at least one dominant product color in each product image. A product categorization engine categorizes each product image into one of a plurality of product categories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: ZENCOLOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dann Gershon, David Robinson, Jonathan Wilder, Maurice W. Schonfeld
  • Patent number: 9591234
    Abstract: A digital camera accesses, processes and displays a combination image composed of visible light and near non-visible (“NNV”) light. A method can include accessing, by a digital camera, raw data having first information associated with a first electromagnetic spectrum range and second information associated with a second electromagnetic spectrum range. The first electromagnetic spectrum range is substantially within the visible spectrum and the second electromagnetic spectrum range is substantially within the NNV spectrum. The method can also include optimizing the raw data for the visible spectrum, thereby generating a first visual image representation, and optimizing the raw data for the NNV spectrum, thereby generating a second visual image representation. The method can also include combining the first visual image representation and the second visual image representation to generate a combination image. The digital camera can then initiate the display of the combination image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventor: Dylan C. Reid
  • Patent number: 9576343
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a content-adaptive photo-enhancement recommender that produces multiple enhanced images based on content and color layout parameters derived from related high-quality images are disclosed. In some embodiments, a user-uploaded image is enhanced based on parameters learned from high-quality images similar in content to the user-uploaded image and obtained using content-based image retrieval techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Arizona State University
    Inventors: Baoxin Li, Parag Shridhar Chandakkar, Qiongjie Tian
  • Patent number: 9571696
    Abstract: A print data generating apparatus executes color conversion on image data using a color conversion profile to generate print data. In the color conversion profile, each of a plurality of sets of specific color data defined in a specific color space are associated with a set of first ink color data defined in an ink color space. A part of the plurality of sets of specific color data are further associated with a set of second ink color data defined in the ink color space. In bi-directional printing, a print executing unit uses the first ink color data to execute one of forward print and backward print, and uses both the first ink color data and the second ink color data to execute another of forward print and backward print.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shota Morikawa
  • Patent number: 9569866
    Abstract: Techniques involving flexible video object boundary tracking are described. One or more curves, such as Bezier curves, are received as drawn by a user on an initial frame of video to define a boundary of an object in the frame. The curves are then mapped to a subsequent or previous frame of the video where the object is included but has a new or changed boundary. A segmentation boundary is determined for the object in the subsequent frame and endpoints of segments of the curves are snapped to the segmentation boundary. Additionally, confidence values are determined for subregions of the frame that include portions of the curves. These confidence values are used to update control points on the curve segments to fit the curve segments to the new or changed boundary of the object in the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventors: Xue Bai, Jue Wang, Yao Lu
  • Patent number: 9569088
    Abstract: A mobile terminal having a touch screen or a touch pad is disclosed. In a user environment, when a displayed menu list is moved according to a flicking operation, a feedback indicating the reaching of the end (the last item) of the menu list is issued in a visible, audible or tactile manner to a user, thereby increasing the user convenience of menu searching and the durability of the mobile terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Woo-Young Kwak, Seung-Jun Lee, So-Young Park
  • Patent number: 9558510
    Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method to provide services associated with an image is disclosed. The method includes receiving image data of an item of interest from a client device. The image data is used to identify a similar item from an image catalog based on the image data of the item. Attribute information associated with the similar item is retrieved and used to pre-populate a template. The pre-populated template is sent to the client device, and modified data from the client device is received in response, with the modified data resulting in a final template. A listing based on the final template is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Melcher, Dane Howard
  • Patent number: 9554109
    Abstract: Examples of the disclosure accurately define a gray region for automatic white balancing. Ratios corresponding to possible gray areas are white balanced before color distance metrics are calculated with respect to white points under different light sources. The color distance metrics of each point in the image data are compared with a predetermined threshold value to identify a gray region. Gray points within a captured image are identified using the gray region and input to any AWB method to accurately white balance the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Meng Yao