Abstract: An image processing system includes a label image assigning unit and an image output unit. The label image assigning unit respectively assigns label images, each label image corresponding to each of address terms of image elements, to each position corresponding to each of the image elements in an object image, with respect to each of the image elements contained in the object image, the object image acquired as an object to be viewed by a plurality of viewers. The image output unit outputs an assigned image in which the label images are assigned to the object image.

Abstract: A method of labeling pixels in an image is described where the pixel label is selected from a set of three or more labels. The pixel labeling problem is reduced to a sequence of binary optimizations by representing the label value for each pixel as a binary word and then optimizing the value of each bit within the word, starting with the most significant bit. Data which has been learned from one or more training images is used in the optimization to provide information about the less significant bits within the word.

Abstract: A rendering system includes a determination unit and a generation unit. The determination unit determines whether a processing object is a common object capable of being used a plurality of times and rendering of which is time-consuming when deformation thereof is performed. If the determination unit determines that the processing object is not a common object capable of being used a plurality of times and rendering of which is time-consuming when deformation thereof is performed, then the generation unit does not generate a deformed new object. If the determination unit determines that the processing object is a common object capable of being used a plurality of times and rendering of which is time-consuming when deformation thereof is performed, then the generation unit generates a deformed new object.

Abstract: A method and system for generating stabilized intravascular ultrasonic images are provided. The system includes a probe instrument, having an ultrasonic signal transmitter and a reflected ultrasonic signal receiver, the reflected signals containing information about a tubular environment, and a processor and post-processor, capable of converting inputted signals into one or more, preferably a series of, images. The method for stabilizing images involves the processor and post-processor input and output. The post-processor determines the environment center at each reflection position, detects the tubular environment edges, and aligns the image center with the environment center thereby limiting image drift and stabilizing the images. The processor may also filter images to improve image stabilization and remove motion interference and/or extract the environment's 3D shape. The method and device are of particular use in a vascular lumen, where image drift may occur due to heart beat or blood flow.

Abstract: This invention relates to creating a narrative description of media content. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method describes content of a group of images. The group of images includes a first image and a second image. A first object in the first image is recognized to determine a first content data. A second object in the second image is recognized to determine a second content data. Finally, a narrative description of the group of images is determined according to a parameterized template and the first and second content data.

Abstract: The performance of image processing is assured by executing region segmentation of an image at high speed. Pixels are classified into clusters conforming to a feature such as color. In a case where a suitable cluster for classifying a pixel is undefined, a new cluster is defined and the pixel is classified into this cluster. An upper-limit value on number of clusters is set prior to classification. If the number of clusters exceeds the upper-limit value, clusters already defined are merged. This limits an increase in the number of clusters.

Abstract: Locations of word images corresponding to words in a document image are ascertained. The word images are grouped into clusters. For each of multiple of the clusters, a respective compressed word image cluster is determined based on a joint compression of respective ones of the word images that are grouped into the cluster. The positions of the word images in the document image are associated with the respective ones of the compressed word image clusters corresponding to the clusters respectively containing the word images.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.

Abstract: A feature point calculating section binarizes the image data to obtain a centroid of a consecutive component in which pixels are connected as a feature point, reverses the image data, obtains a centroid as a feature point from the reversed image data similarly, and adds them as a feature point of the image data. A features calculating section calculates a predetermined invariant based on the feature point containing the feature point obtained from the reversed image data, and calculates a hash value based on the predetermined invariant. A vote process section retrieves a hash table based on the calculated hash value, votes for a document of an index stored in association with the hash value, and accumulatively adds the vote. A similarity determination process section compares the number of votes calculated by the vote process section with a predetermined threshold value to determine a similarity.

Abstract: Methods and systems for classifying markings on images in a document are undertaken according to marking types. The document containing the images is supplied to a segmenter which breaks the images into fragments of foreground pixel structures that are identified as being likely to be of the same marking type by finding connected components, extracting near-horizontal or -vertical rule lines and subdividing some connected components to obtain the fragments. The fragments are then supplied to a classifier, where the classifier provides a category score for each fragment, wherein the classifier is trained from the groundtruth images whose pixels are labeled according to known marking types. Thereafter, a same label is assigned to all pixels in a particular fragment, when the fragment is classified by the classifier.

Abstract: A method (100) and system (300) is described for processing video data comprising a plurality of images. The method and apparatus is for obtaining for labelling of a plurality of objects or regions in an image of a sequence of images followed by label propagation to other images in the sequence based on an inference step and a model.

Abstract: A method for segmenting at least a pair of regions of an image, such method comprising: obtaining data of the image; computing watersheds of the image from intensity gradients of such image data; extracting a watershed region adjacency graph from the computed watersheds, such graph comprising a plurality of nodes corresponding to the watersheds and node interconnecting edges; assigning weights to the interconnecting edges; identifying each of the pair of regions in the image; identifying the nodes corresponding to the pair of identified regions in the adjacency graph; applying constrained graph-partitioning in the adjacency graph using the edge-weights to label unmarked nodes corresponding to each one of the pair of regions; and extrapolating the obtained label nodes on the graph to the image to segment each one of the pair of regions of the image.

Abstract: According to one embodiment there is provided a method of selecting a plurality of M atlases from among a larger group of N candidate atlases to form a multi-atlas data set to be used for computer automated segmentation of novel image data sets to mark objects of interest therein. A set of candidate atlases is used containing a reference image data set and segmentation data. Each of the candidate atlases is segmented against the others in a leave-one-out strategy, in which the candidate atlases are used as training data for each other. For each candidate atlas in turn, the following is carried out: registering; segmenting; computing an overlap; computing a value of the similarity measure for each of the registrations; and obtaining a set of regression parameters by performing a regression with the similarity measure being the independent variable and the overlap being the dependent variable.

Abstract: A technique for prioritizing portions of compressed multi-resolution medical image data to be processed. More relevant portions of medical image data are compressed at a higher resolution than less relevant portions of medical image data. A mask is created from the image data and used to assign data compression quality factors to corresponding image blocks in the image data. The image data in each region is compressed based on their assigned quality factor. During processing of the compressed image data, the compressed image data and the mask are accessed. The mask is used to direct the processing of the compressed image data.

Abstract: Image registration of low contrast image sequences is provided. In one aspect, a desired region of an image is automatically segmented and only the desired region is registered. Active contours and adaptive thresholding of intensity or edge information may be used to segment the desired regions. A transform function is defined to register the segmented region, and sub-pixel information may be determined using one or more interpolation methods.

Abstract: An image editing application (or a blur classification module thereof) may automatically estimate a coherent defocus blur map from a single input image. The application may represent the blur spectrum as a differentiable function of radius r, and the optimal radius may be estimated by optimizing the likelihood function through a gradient descent algorithm. The application may generate the spectrum function over r through polynomial-based fitting. After fitting, the application may generate look-up tables to store values for the spectrum and for its first and second order derivatives, respectively. The use of these tables in the likelihood optimization process may significantly reduce the computational costs of a given blur estimation exercise. The application may minimize an energy function that includes a data term, a smoothness term, and a smoothness parameter that is adaptive to local image content. The output blur map may be used for image object depth estimation.

Abstract: A method for producing a slide show video from a collection of hardcopy media, the method includes digitizing the media and detecting handwritten information and estimating the age of the media; determining an order of presentation for the slide show video based on the detected handwritten information and estimated ages; and producing a slide show video from the hardcopy media using the determined order of presentation.

Abstract: An image processing device including a registration unit that registers plurality pieces of style information is provided. In the device, one object or a plurality of objects is extracted from image data. By comparing the extracted objects with objects included in the plurality pieces of style information that are registered on the registration unit, style information to be output is selected. An object which is not included in the selected style information is selected among the extracted objects as an output object. An electronic file in which the selected output object is recorded on a page description part, and the selected style information is recorded on a style description part, is output.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for exporting metadata from an image capture device, for example a scanner, preferably using a standard application programming interface. The metadata may be associated with a pixel, a page, or a region/object of the image, and could be used by an application, for example, to improve the quality of the image when printed or to facilitate the conversion from a single layer of image information to multi-mask mixed raster content (MRC).

Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-point image labeling method, which adopts an image labeling device to label an object pixel matrix containing image data and makes adjacent array elements with image data have an identical image label value. Next, the image labeling device provides a multi-point label window, which designates a non-zero temporary labeled value to store in the register according to the temporary labeled value of the adjacent array elements. Next, the image labeling device provides a label-equivalence window, which generates label-equivalence information according to the adjacent temporary labeled values. Next, an equivalent-substitution processing process is performed on the temporary labeled values according to the label-equivalence information to generate label-equivalence substitution information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes detecting means for detecting the number of face image elements, which are one or more image elements of faces, included in an image, and associating means for associating the image with the detected number of face image elements.

Abstract: Systems and methods related to providing error correction in a text caption are disclosed. A method may comprise displaying a text caption including one or more blocks of text on each of a first device and a second device remote from the first device. The method may also include generating another block of text and replacing a block of text of the text caption with the another block of text. Furthermore, the method may include displaying the text caption on the second device having the block of text of the first text caption replaced by the another block of text.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for distinguishing biological materials. The method provides: providing at least one segmented image of at least two cells; applying a distance transform to the at least one segmented image of the confluent cells; applying a region growing technique to the distance transform of the at least one segmented image to form a region grown image, wherein a plurality of regions are formed in the at least one segmented image; assigning at least one label to at least one of the plurality of regions of the at least one segmented image of the confluent cells; applying a merging technique to at least two of the plurality of regions if it is determined that at least two of the plurality of regions are neighboring regions; determining whether to assign a same label to the neighboring regions or retain existing labels; and merging the neighboring regions of the region grown image if labels are changed to form at least one image of at least one cell.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to methods and systems for segmenting a digital image into regions. A frequency-of-occurrence of image values may be determined excluding a portion of pixels in a digital image. An image value associated with a peak in the frequency-of-occurrence of image values may be identified and associated with an image label. Pixel locations may be labeled based on the associated labels and image values. Additionally, unreliable pixels may be determined and labeled based on the associated labels and image values, and an unreliable pixel may be assigned a label after multiple scan passes of a classification map.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a color region segmentation unit configure to segment a processing object image into color regions, a linkage information acquisition unit configured to acquire information about linkage regions in each segmented color region, a determination unit configured to determine whether the processing object image is graphics based on the information acquired by the linkage information acquisition unit.

Abstract: A method for labeling connected components and a computer system using the method are provided. With the method, during a process of scanning an image for the first time, each object pixel in the image is assigned a temporary label, and a relationship between each temporary label and a representative label is established after the completion of the process of scanning the image for the first time. Thereafter, the temporary label of each object pixel is replaced by the corresponding representative label during a process of scanning the image for the second time. As a result, the labeling of the connected components can be accomplished by only scanning the image twice such that the efficiency of labeling the connected components can be significantly improved.

Abstract: The operability of a user when reusing a vectorized illustration is improved. An image processing apparatus of the present invention comprises an illustration region specifying component configured to specify an illustration region within an input image, a color region extracting component configured to extract a color region from the specified illustration region, a contour line extracting component configured to extract a contour line from the extracted color region, a vector data generating component configured to generate vector data from image data of the illustration region, a kind discriminating component configured to discriminate a kind of the generated vector data, and a circumscribed rectangle coordinate deriving component configured to derive circumscribed rectangle coordinates in accordance with the kind discriminated by the kind discriminating component.

Abstract: A method of text extraction in color compound documents is described. The method connects similarly colored pixels of an image of a color compound document into connected components (CCs); classifies each CC as either text or non-text; refines the text CC classification for each text CC using global color context statistics; groups text CCs into text blocks; recovers misclassified non-text CCs into a nearby text block; and removes extraneous CCs from each text block using local color context statistics to thereby provide the extracted text in the text blocks. Also described is a method of locating graphics objects in a color compound document image.

Abstract: An image-processing device includes: an integration unit that, if connection information has been assigned to predetermined corresponding end points of both a first image component and a second image component from among image components, integrates the adjacent image components; a calculation unit that calculates the sum of values, the values being assigned corresponding to the connection information assigned to each end point of the image components in an integrated image component that is composed of a plural image components integrated by the integration unit; and a tabular region extraction unit that, if the value calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value corresponding to the number of image components included in the integrated image component, extracts a region of the integrated image component as a tabular region.

Abstract: A printing apparatus, including a user input unit which receives a first user command to initiate a printing operation, a display unit which displays information relating to the printing operation, a printing unit which performs printing with respect to printing data, and a controller which controls the display unit to display reference information of the printing data before the printing, and which controls the printing unit to perform the printing according to a second user command.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a defined binary image generating unit configured to generate a defined binary image associated with a level image, which is associated with an input image, the level image having pixel values of pixels represented using a first value, by regarding a pixel as a defined or undefined region pixel and setting the pixel to have a predetermined second or third value; and an estimated foreground color image generation unit configured to generate an estimated foreground color image associated with the input image, by setting the pixel values of the pixels regarded as the undefined region pixels in the defined binary image to pixel values of pixels in the input image corresponding to pixels for which distances each obtained from an integrated value of the amounts of change in continuity information are shortest from among the pixels that are regarded as the defined region pixels.

Abstract: A technique for selecting portions of a multi-resolution medical image data set to be stored and the portions of the multi-resolution medical image data set to be discarded in order to reduce the overall amount of image data that is stored for each image data set. The selection is based on the clinical purpose for obtaining the medical image data. The clinical purpose for obtaining the medical image is used to select a segmentation algorithm to segment the image data into several regions based on their relevance to the purpose for obtaining the image data. A mask is created from the segmented data. The mask is used to assign data compression quality factors to corresponding regions in the image data. The image data in each region is compressed based on their assigned quality factor. The image data that is highly relevant is compressed with lossless data compression. The image data in regions of lesser relevance are compressed with lossy data compression.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for rendering graphical objects in a printing system. According to one aspect of the present invention a graphic list may be partitioned, and the graphic-list partitions may be rendered “out-of-order” or concurrently.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed include methods and systems for three dimensional connected component labeling, including determining a location value for each of one or more labels, each location value identifying a maximum “y” extent and a maximum “z” extent of an associated label region; storing each of the one or more labels that refer to areas subsumed in a determination of the maximum y extent in the maximum “z” extent as a yzMax location value; buffering in a frame buffer the one or more of labels; and providing access via a three-dimensional kernel to one or more values in a current line buffer and/or a current array and/or a previous array.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed include methods for connected component labeling including labeling groups of raw data as one or more regions, the labeling including designating one or more data structures as containing information about the one or more regions; designating one or more of the regions as one or more subregions to expose a spatial distribution of one or more region features; and arranging at least one memory array with a 1:1 correspondence to a data array associated with the raw data to enable one or more data structures to include feature labels of the one or more subregions, the 1:1 correspondence enabling acquisition of the one or more region features with a controllable precision.

Abstract: A region separation unit separates an inputted color document image into a plurality of types of regions such as a character region, a clip art region and a photo image region, and a clip art region extraction unit identifies the clip art region from among the separated regions. A clip art region dividing unit divides the clip art region based on the color features of the clip art region, and a clip art background identify unit identifies the background portion of the clip art region from among the divided regions. A filling unit for filling portions other than the background of a clip art fills a portion of the clip art other than the background with the background color, and a JPEG compression unit compresses the result obtained from the process for filling a clip art portion.

Abstract: A system for providing information to a user via a printed substrate. The system includes the printed substrate, an optically imaging pen device and a display device. The optically imaging pen device is configured for reading coded data from the substrate; generating interaction data using the coded data; and sending the interaction data to a computer system. Receipt of the interaction data by the computer system causes the computer system to: identify and retrieve a page description corresponding to the printed substrate; generate a query expression including one or more search terms; form a request using the query expression; and send the request to the display device.

Abstract: A method of interacting with a substrate and communicating with a computer system using an optical sensing device operable in a plurality of modes including a cursor control mode and a hyperlinking mode. The method includes the steps of: actuating a nib switch of the optical sensing device when a nib force exceeds a predetermined threshold; optically imaging coded data printed on the substrate; generating cursor control data when the optical sensing device is in said cursor control mode; generating interaction data using the imaged coded data when the optical sensing device is in the hyperlinking mode; and communicating the cursor control data or the interaction data to a computer system. The cursor control data initiates a cursor control response in the computer system while the interaction data initiates a hyperlinking response in the computer system.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to allow a user to easily and simply designate or input an image serving as a document search key. That is, a search apparatus reads a document image (S7001) to obtain image data, extracts an image region in the image data (S7004), and displays, on display means, a list of images corresponding to the extracted image regions (S7008). When a user selects at least one of the images displayed in the list via an input means (S7009), the search is executed by using the selected image as a search key (S7010).

Abstract: A document to be segmented is converted into a common representation format, if necessary. Parsing of the document results in a document model that is analyzed based on at least one structure-dependent function to identify segments within the document. In one embodiment, the structure-dependent function may comprise a template, or a best-fit template of a plurality of templates, used for comparison with the document model. In other embodiments, the structure-dependent function may comprise table of contents information, font properties within the document model and/or an average segment size determined according to previously identified segments in one or more additional documents that are related to the document under consideration. Semantic-content dependent functions may be applied to further refine the analysis by identifying sub-segments within the extracted segments, or by identifying segments that may be properly merged according to the similarity of their respective semantic content.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for automatically classifying images of pages of a source, such as a book, into classifications such as front cover, copyright page, table of contents, text, index, etc. In one embodiment, three phases are provided in the classification process. During a first phase of the classification process, a first classifier may be used to determine a preliminary classification of a page image based on single-page criteria. During a second phase of the classification process, a second classifier may be used to determine a final classification for the page image based on multiple-page and/or global criteria. During an optional third phase of classification, a verifier may be used to verify the final classification of the page image based on verification criteria. If automatic classification fails, the page image may be passed on to a human operator for manual classification.

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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for detecting and classifying events during motion actions, in particular “offside” event in the football game. The system allows determining such event in a real-time and semi-automatic context, by taking into account the variability of the environmental conditions and of the dynamics of the events which can be traced back to the offside. The present invention proposes itself with a not-invasive technique, compatible with the usual course of the match.

Abstract: A method for decomposition and rendering of video content and user interface for operating the method thereof is disclosed. First, a plurality of target shots are recognized from a video, the video is decomposed into a plurality of video units based on the playtime of each target shot. Then, the video frame of target shot is decomposed into a background scene and at least one foreground object. The editing process is performed on the background to generate the plentiful visual effect. The video content of each video unit is known by analyzing the information of the foreground object, and therefore each video unit can be annotated. Furthermore, the user interface reintegrates the foreground object in the background scene and generates the customized video content according to users' request, so that viewers may get more enjoyment on game watching.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for connected-component labeling.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.

Abstract: An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.