Shape, Icon, Or Feature-based Compression Patents (Class 382/243)
  • Patent number: 8446948
    Abstract: A method of progressively coding/decoding 3-D mesh information, and an apparatus therefor are provided. The progressive 3-D mesh information coding method includes the steps of reconstructing an input 3-D mesh into a plurality of mesh components, coding each of the plurality of mesh components, and multiplexing the plurality of coded mesh components into a compressed bit stream and transmitting the compressed bit stream. The method of progressively decoding the transmitted, compressed bit stream which has been coded by the coding method, includes dividing the transmitted bit stream into a plurality of coded mesh components, decoding each of the plurality of coded mesh components, and reconstructing a 3-D mesh by synthesizing the plurality of decoded mesh components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Euee-seon Jang, Sung-jin Kim, Mun-sup Song, Mahn-jin Han, Yang-seock Seo, Seok-yoon Jung
  • Patent number: 8442334
    Abstract: Provided is an image coding method for performing intra prediction achieving higher coding efficiency. The method for coding image data on a block-by-block basis includes: generating a predicted block by predicting a current block; computing a difference between the current block and the predicted block; coding the difference computed in the computing; decoding the difference coded in the coding; and adding the difference decoded in the decoding to the predicted block to generate a decoded block, wherein the generating includes: detecting an edge in a previously decoded block corresponding to a block adjacent to the current block; and extrapolating or interpolating previously decoded image data corresponding to a pixel included in the block adjacent to the current block, along a direction of the edge detected in the detecting to generate the predicted block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Virginie Drugeon, Thomas Wedi, Torsten Palfner, Hisao Sasai
  • Patent number: 8437563
    Abstract: A block (300) of image elements (310) is compressed by determining multiple base vectors (510, 520, 530, 540) based on the feature vectors (312) associated with the image elements. Additional vectors (560, 570) are calculated based on defined pairs of neighboring base vectors (510, 520, 530, 540). A vector among the base vectors (510, 520, 530, 540) and the additional vectors (560, 570) is selected as representation of the feature vector (312) of an image element (310). An identifier (550) associated with selected vector is assigned to the image element (310) and included in the compressed block (500) which also comprises representations of the determined base vectors (510, 520, 530, 540).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Tomas Akenine-Möller, Jacob Munkberg, Jacob Ström
  • Patent number: 8436856
    Abstract: A shader can include a series of instructions, among which are horizontal instructions and vertical instructions. Executing such shader for rendering animation information may mean many redundant computations on millions of graphic data points. Thus, vertical instructions are separated out from horizontal instructions and executed in a vertical manner, thereby reducing rendering time and cache space used during the process. That is, a block of instructions is recursively subdivided until a number of instructions that are to be executed in a horizontal manner are approximately minimized in each sub-block. All of the identified vertical sub-blocks can process each data point individually and independently from other data points, thereby achieving various advantages, including, but not limited to, temporary processing, index processing, efficient caching and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Pixar
    Inventors: Thomas Douglas Selkirk Duff, Robert L. Cook
  • Patent number: 8422553
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method which make it possible to transmit image data with high quality and low delay in more versatile situations. A control unit 111 obtains negotiation information including a transmission-allowed bit rate of a transmission line 103, which is defined in a standard, information regarding a receiving apparatus, or a measured value of the transmission-allowed bit rate, controls whether or not to encode image data and transmit the encoded image data, and performs settings in encoding, such as a resolution, a bit rate, and a delay time. Also, an encoding unit 113 controls a decomposition number of a chrominance component in accordance with the format of image data to be encoded. The present invention is applicable to, for example, a communication apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Fukuhara, Katsutoshi Ando
  • Patent number: 8422799
    Abstract: Complex image data is transformed to a holographic representation of the image. A subset of the holographic representation is modeled. Model parameters constitute a compressed image representation. A two-dimensional Fourier transform can be applied to obtain the holographic image. Modeling includes applying an analysis portion of an adaptive analysis/synthesis linear prediction methodology to a subset of the holographic representation to obtain an autoregressive model. Prior to modeling, one-dimensional Fourier transform can be performed on the holographic representation and the linear prediction is one-dimensional. Model parameters are preferably quantized. Embodiments include determining error between the model and the model's input data. There the compressed image representation the error, which also can be quantized. The subset of the holographic representation can be less than all the representation. The subset can be a plurality of complete rows; preferably substantially symmetric about 0 Hz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
    Inventors: Hanna Elizabeth Witzgall, Timothy F. Settle
  • Patent number: 8421877
    Abstract: A feature data compression device, a multi-directional face detection system and a detection method thereof. The feature data compression device comprises a mirror unit and a transposition unit. The mirror unit compares and computes a plurality of feature values each other to obtain a position of each mutual symmetric feature value and abandoning one of each two symmetric feature values to form first mirrored data, or to obtain a position of the feature value with the highest weight value to form second mirrored data. The transposition unit transposes at least one image template with an angle based on a transposition table for obtaining transposed data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventors: Tai-Chang Yang, Hong-Long Chou, Wen-Yan Chang
  • Patent number: 8411942
    Abstract: A Hybrid Compressor and method of compressing a tile of pixels within an image are disclosed. An Edge Processor of the Hybrid Compressor analyzes pixel runs of the tile and generates boundary data defining one or more regions comprising pixels of substantially identical color. A Palette Processor of the Hybrid Compressor generates data defining a color value for each region. An Image Processor of the Hybrid Compressor generates a representation of pixels not included in the one or more regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yu-Ling Chen, David Robert James Monaghan, Ian Geoffrey Combes, James Philip Andrew, Peter William Mitchell Ilbery, Anthony John Arnold, Dixon De Sheng Deng
  • Patent number: 8406506
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for fast sub-pixel optical flow estimation in a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional space. The system includes a pixel-level optical flow estimation module, a matching score map module, and a sub-pixel optical flow estimation module. The pixel-level optical flow estimation module is configured to estimate pixel-level optical flow for each pixel of an input image using a reference image. The matching score map module is configured to generate a matching score map for each pixel being estimated based on pixel-level optical flow estimation. The sub-pixel optical flow estimation module is configured to select the best pixel-level optical flow from multiple pixel-level optical flow candidates, and use the selected pixel-level optical flow, its four neighboring optical flow vectors and matching scores associated with the pixel-level optical flows to estimate the sub-pixel optical flow for the pixel of the input image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Morimichi Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 8406294
    Abstract: A method of assigning a priority for controlling a bit rate of a bitstream having a plurality of quality layers is provided. The method includes composing first quality layers for a reference picture, composing second quality layers for a current picture that is encoded with reference to the reference picture, and assigning a priority each of the first and second quality layers, wherein a low priority is assigned to a quality layer having a small influence on a video quality reduction of the current picture when the quality layer is truncated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manu Mathew, Kyo-hyuk Lee, Woo-jin Han
  • Patent number: 8406304
    Abstract: A motion estimator includes a shape, address and vector generator to produce control signals according to a selected size and shape of a search area comprising scan lines. A variable delay reads reference image data of a frame in which a matching macroblock is sought from a store under control of a variable delay control signal from the signal generator to align a current serial input stream of a current scan line with a serial input stream of an immediately preceding scan line. The aligned reference image pixel data is matched against pixel data of a current macroblock using a vector from the signal generator to produce a score representing a quality of the match. A best score together with the corresponding best vector is recorded and the best vector output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ericsson AB
    Inventor: Anthony Richard Huggett
  • Publication number: 20130070115
    Abstract: A feature data compression device, a multi-directional face detection system and a detection method thereof. The feature data compression device comprises a mirror unit and a transposition unit. The mirror unit compares and computes a plurality of feature values each other to obtain a position of each mutual symmetric feature value and abandoning one of each two symmetric feature values to form first mirrored data, or to obtain a position of the feature value with the highest weight value to form second mirrored data. The transposition unit transposes at least one image template with an angle based on a transposition table for obtaining transposed data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: ALTEK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tai-Chang Yang, Hong-Long Chou, Wen-Yan Chang
  • Patent number: 8401319
    Abstract: The invention provides devices and methods that process images. The invention processes a received signal representing information of texture and information of an image, which has the texture removed from at least one region. The image information is encoded to obtain encoded information of the image. An output signal is generated representing the texture information and the encoded image information. In another embodiment, the invention synthesizes texture based on the received texture information, decodes received image information, which is encoded, to obtain a decoded image, and then maps the synthesized texture onto the decoded image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Adriana Dumitras, Barin Geoffry Haskell
  • Patent number: 8396312
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide vision-based image compression. In one implementation, inpainting is the vision-based technique selected to augment a conventional signal-processing-based technique. For some regions of a source image, an exemplary system efficiently extracts and organizes structural edge information instead of compressing the regions. In one implementation, the system applies binary curve fitting to capture the edge information. A structure-aware inpainter in the decoder can then restore the regions via the edge information, which occupies very little data space or minimal bandwidth in a bitstream that is transmitted from encoder to decoder. Key visual components of the image can still be conventionally compressed. Extracting edge information for some regions instead of compressing them considerably increases overall image compression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Xiaoyan Sun, Feng Wu, Shipeng Li, Dong Liu
  • Patent number: 8396944
    Abstract: A rich media file is a self-contained file, including both the information to be viewed by a user and the viewer that displays the information to the user. The information can be formatted however the client likes: for example, the information can be split across several pages, and can include text and still and animated images. There can also be web links to pages on a network, and e-mail forms to simplify sending an e-mail message to the client. The rich media file can include viewing limitations, so that only the proper password can unlock the file, or that the rich media file will automatically expire after a specified condition occurs. The rich media file also assists the user in obtaining the latest version of the rich media file, by offering to retrieve a newer version for the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Marger Johnson & McCollom, P.C.
    Inventors: Robert M. Caruso, Konstantin J. Balashov
  • Patent number: 8385667
    Abstract: A video coding system that codes video objects as scalable video object layers. Data of each video object may be segregated into one or more layers. A base layer contains sufficient information to decode a basic representation of the video object. Enhancement layers contain supplementary data regarding the video object that, if decoded, enhance the basic representation obtained from the base layer. The present invention thus provides a coding scheme suitable for use with decoders of varying processing power. A simple decoder may decode only the base layer of video objects to obtain the basic representation. However, more powerful decoders may decode the base layer data of video objects and additional enhancement layer data to obtain improved decoded output. The coding scheme supports enhancement of both the spatial resolution and the temporal resolution of video objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Barin Geoffry Haskell, Atul Puri, Robert Lewis Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8379995
    Abstract: A method of coding video content. The method can include, identifying a first plurality of image blocks within a picture based on at least a first image characteristic that is common to each of the first plurality of image blocks. A first image block group can be dynamically defined. At least one of the image blocks can be selected as a predictor block to predict other image blocks within the first image block group. In another arrangement, at least a first image block and a second image block can be identified within a picture. The second image block can be predicted from the first image block. A displacement vector can be defined to associate the second image block with the first image block. A value representing the displacement vector can be included within a header of the second image block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Anthony R. May, Shih-Ta Hsiang, Faisal Ishtiaq, Zhu Li
  • Patent number: 8379996
    Abstract: An image processing method of finding a motion vector between an original image and a reference image, including dividing the original image to extract a block, searching for a similar region of the block from the reference image to detect a motion vector of the block, further dividing the block from which the motion vector has been detected to extract a lower block, and searching for a similar region to detect a motion vector of the lower block with a range in the vicinity of the motion vector found from the block before division as a start point. Thus, the method is characterized by reflecting a tree structure data of the motion vector obtained in this manner in the subsequent detection of motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Murata, Shigeru Doida
  • Patent number: 8374447
    Abstract: A method and apparatus prioritizing video information during coding and decoding. Video information is received and an element of the video information, such as a visual object, video object layer, video object plane or keyregion, is identified. A priority is assigned to the identified element and the video information is encoded into a bitstream, such as a visual bitstream encoded using the MPEG-4 standard, including an indication of the priority of the element. The priority information can then be used when decoding the bitstream to reconstruct the video information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Barin Geoffry Haskell, Atul Puri, Robert Lewis Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8369637
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing apparatus which able to shorten processing time and includes an image inputting unit that inputs an image, a region division unit that generates region information by dividing an input image input by the image inputting unit into regions having a plurality of different types of attributes, including a frame region attribute, a non-frame region processing unit that obtains data of respective regions other than frame regions by applying attribute-specific processing for respective regions, excluding frame regions, included in the input image on the basis of the input image and the region information, and executes processing of filling of the processed regions, and a frame region processing unit that executes reduction processing and vectorization processing for the frame region according to the region size of the frame region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Ishida
  • Patent number: 8363889
    Abstract: An image data processing system includes an image input module, a bit map generation module and an encoding module. The image input module receives an image and secret information and obtains at least one gray-level image according to image. The bit map generation module generates a bit map image according to gray-level image and generates an ordered dithering block truncation coding (ODBTC) image according to bit map image and gray-level image. The encoding module generates an encoded gray-level image according to bit map image and secret information, wherein the encoding module divides gray-level image into image blocks, finds candidate blocks with close black and white pixel numbers among the image blocks, selects high frequency blocks belong to the high frequency region of the image from candidate blocks, and randomly embeds secret information into high frequency blocks to generate encoded gray-level image with secret information embedded therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Jing-Ming Guo, Jia-Jin Tsai
  • Patent number: 8358877
    Abstract: In an image encoding process for encoding data of an inputted image and outputting encoded image data: an image-size condition including image size and target sharpness is stored in an image-size-condition storage; a reduced image of the inputted image having the above image size included in the image-size condition stored in the image-size-condition storage is produced; and the sharpness of the reduced image is calculated. When the calculated sharpness of the reduced image is higher than the target sharpness, the image size included in the image-size condition stored in the image-size-condition storage is reduced, and a further reduced image of the inputted image having the reduced image size is produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Yukinori Noguchi
  • Patent number: 8355590
    Abstract: There is provided a data compression method for increasing a reduction ratio, while keeping a sufficient characteristic amount, to seek speeding up of processing, the method being for compressing image data in pattern model positioning in image processing of searching out of an image to be searched and positioning a pattern model corresponding to a pre-registered image. The method includes the steps of: computing an edge strength image having edge strength information and an edge angle image having edge angle information with respect to each pixel constituting an image; transforming the edge angle image of each pixel into an edge angle bit image expressed by an edge angle bit indicating an angle with a pre-defined fixed width; and compressing the edge angle bit image to create an edge angle bit reduced image by taking a sum with respect to each edge angle bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Keyence Corporation
    Inventor: Manabu Kido
  • Patent number: 8356060
    Abstract: Techniques are described herein for automatically selecting the compression techniques to be used on tabular data. A compression analyzer gives users high-level control over the selection process without requiring the user to know details about the specific compression techniques that are available to the compression analyzer. Users are able to specify, for a given set of data, a “balance point” along the spectrum between “maximum performance” and “maximum compression”. The point thus selected is used by the compression analyzer in a variety of ways. For example, in one embodiment, the compression analyzer uses the user-specified balance point to determine which of the available compression techniques qualify as “candidate techniques” for the given set of data. The compression analyzer selects the compression technique to use on a set of data by actually testing the candidate compression techniques against samples from the set of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Vineet Marwah, Vikram Kapoor, Amit Ganesh, Jesse Kamp, Sachin Kulkarni, Roger Macnicol, Kam Shergill, Manosiz Bhattacharyya
  • Patent number: 8355440
    Abstract: A motion compensation module, that can be used in a video encoder for encoding a video input signal, includes a motion search module that generates a motion search motion vector for each motion search macroblock of a plurality of motion search macroblocks in at least one of a horizontally compressed and vertically uncompressed field of the video input signal and a horizontally compressed and vertically uncompressed frame of the video input signal. A motion refinement module generates a refined motion vector for each motion refinement macroblock of a plurality of macroblocks of at least one of an uncompressed field of the video input signal and an uncompressed frame of the video input signal, based on the motion search motion vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: ViXS Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gang Qiu, Xu Gang (Wilf) Zhao, Xinghai Li
  • Patent number: 8351692
    Abstract: A method, medium, and system effectively compressing and/or restoring binary images. By compressing pixel values making up a 2×2 block in an input image, using representative values representing the pixel values and a pattern of the pixel values represented by the representative values, it is possible to effectively compress and/or restore binary images having little similarities between pixel values. In addition, by extracting compressed values and a pattern of pixel values making up a 2×2 block in an image, from compressed data of the 2×2 block, and restoring pixel values using the compressed values and the pattern, it is possible to effectively restore binary images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-jo Lee, Si-hwa Lee, Do-hyung Kim
  • Patent number: 8351715
    Abstract: Systems and processes for compressing, translating and storing solid-state model data for a plurality of parts that form a solid-state model is provided. Compressing, translating and storing solid-state model data includes extracting the solid-state model data. Compressing, translating and storing solid-state model data also includes translating the sorted solid-state model data into one or more assembly components, a plurality of part components and a plurality of surface components. The process further requires storing each of the one or more assembly components, each of the plurality of part components and each of the plurality of surface components into a single file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Craig G. Carmichael, Joseph Pobiel
  • Patent number: 8340446
    Abstract: Disclosed are a chain code generating apparatus and a method thereof. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the chain code generating apparatus can include an image input unit, receiving an image signal from a camera and converting the received image signal to a digital image signal, and separating a synchronizing signal from the digital image signal and outputting the synchronizing signal; an image storing unit, storing image data corresponding to an active image section of the digital image signal in units of frame based on the synchronizing signal; and a code generating unit, reading the image data stored in the image storing unit and performing an outline search of the analysis portion, and generating a chain code according to a correlation between adjacent pixels forming an outline of the analysis portion in accordance with the searched result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration
    Inventors: Jae-Wook Jeon, Dong-Kyun Kim, Jung-Uk Cho, Seung-Hun Jin, Dae-Ro Lee, Jong-Hyun Park, Ki-Hoon Kim, Thien-Cong Pham
  • Patent number: 8331706
    Abstract: A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for creating a binary mask image from an a inputted digital image of a scanned document, comprising the steps of creating a binarized image by binarizing the inputted digital image, detecting first text regions representing light text on a dark background, and inverting the first text regions, such that the inverted first text regions are interpretable in the same way as dark text on a light background. A second aspect of the invention relates to a method for comparing in a binary image a first pixel blob with a second pixel blob to determine whether they represent matching symbols, comprising the steps of detecting a line in one blob not present in the other and/or determining if one of the blobs represents an italicized symbol where the other does not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: I.R.I.S.
    Inventors: Michel Dauw, Pierre Demuelenaere
  • Patent number: 8331670
    Abstract: A document alteration detection method compares a target image with an original image by comparing character shape features without actually recognizing the characters. Bounding boxes for the characters are generated for both images, each enclosing one or more connected groups of pixels of one character. The bounding boxes in the original and target images are matched into pairs. Addition and deletion of text is detected if a bounding box in one image does not have a matching one in the other image. Each pair of bounding boxes is processed to compare their shape features. The shape features include the Euler numbers of the characters, the aspect ratio of the bounding boxes, the pixel density of the bounding boxes, and the Hausdorff distance between the two characters. The two characters are determined to be the same or different based on the shape feature comparisons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventors: Songyang Yu, Wei Ming
  • Patent number: 8331705
    Abstract: This invention generates efficient encoded data to restore original image data from reduced image data. An input unit inputs block data of 2×2 pixels from original image data. A converter generates reduced image data having a size smaller than the original image data by sampling one pixel data at a preset position in the input block data. A generator generates encoded data to restore three non-sampling target pixel data in each block data so as to restore the original image data from the reduced image data generated by the resolution converter. To do this, the generator determines whether all non-sampling target pixels in a block of interest are restorable from a sampling target pixel in the block of interest or from sampling target pixels in three blocks adjacent to the block of interest, and generates and outputs three kinds of additional information based on the determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Shiraishi, Hiroshi Kajiwara, Naoki Ito, Hirokazu Tamura
  • Patent number: 8326066
    Abstract: A method of adjustable spatial and/or temporal compression of an image including a face includes identifying a group of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-acquired image. A first compression portion of the image including the group of pixels is determined. A second compression portion of the image other than the group of pixels is also determined. The first compression portion may be automatically compressed with higher-grade compression than the second compression portion to generate a compressed image including the face, or an option to provided the compressed image including the different grade compressions may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited
    Inventor: Eran Steinberg
  • Patent number: 8306346
    Abstract: A static image compression method, a computer readable data structure, and a computer readable storage medium are described. Firstly, an image is segmented into a plurality of sub-images. Then, each sub-image is sequentially compressed into a sub-data frame having a start character, so as to generate a compressed data with the sub-data frames interconnected according to a sequence of the sub-images. Finally, the addresses of the start characters are recorded to generate an index data. Thereby, the start character of a particular block can be obtained from the index data, and the sub-image of the particular block is preferentially decoded and displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Altek Corporation
    Inventor: Ming-Hung Lin
  • Patent number: 8300710
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a node structure for representing tactile information, and method and system for transmitting tactile information using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a node structure that represents tactile information for driving a tactile display device including an array of drivers as a tactile video, and to method and system for transmitting tactile information using the same. The invention provides a node structure for representing information for driving a driver array of a tactile display device. The node structure includes: a url field that indicates the position of the tactile video storing information on the driving strength of the driver array as intensity values of pixels! a start time field that indicates the playback start time of the tactile video; and a stop time field that indicates the playback stop time of the tactile video. In addition, the invention provides method and system for transmitting tactile information using the node structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Je-Ha Ryu, Yeong-Mi Kim, Jong-Eun Cha, Yong-Won Seo
  • Patent number: 8290282
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method comprising a coding step consisting in replacing the original values of the file with coding values of reduced brightness, a common coding value being attributed to a group of original values, a step of restitution consisting in setting correspondence values between the coding value and the restored value, selected from one of the values of the corresponding group, an insertion step consisting in modifying the successive redundant restored values so as to produce shades and a step which consists in reading the values resulting from the insertion step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: I-CES (Innovative-Compression Engineering Solutions)
    Inventors: Pascale épouse Gervais Loiseau, Than Marc Eric Gervais
  • Patent number: 8284452
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for screening color separations of a lenticular image with a lenticular frequency of the lenticular lenses needed for viewing the lenticular image. An amplitude-modulated halftone image is calculated for each of the color separations at a screen angle and at a screen frequency, the tangent of the screen angle being a rational number. For a specific color separation, a screen angle relating to the direction perpendicular to the image strips of the lenticular image is defined, a pair of whole numbers whose ratio is equal to the tangent of the screen angle is determined, and the screen frequency of the color separation is calculated as the product of the lenticular frequency and the square root of the sum of the squares of the two whole numbers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Dietrich Blum
  • Patent number: 8285064
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for processing images, texture pattern blocks representative of a typical texture of the images being stored in a memory, the method comprising the following steps: transforming the pixel grey levels of a current block into a current block of frequency coefficients using a predefined transform; building up a merger block, each frequency coefficient positioned at a defined place of the merger block being equal either to the frequency coefficient positioned at the same place of the current block, or to the frequency coefficient positioned at the same place of a texture pattern block among the texture pattern blocks stored in the memory; selecting a merger block according to a predefined function (J); and replacing in the image the current block by the selected merger block. The invention also concerns an electronic device for processing the corresponding images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Julien Haddad, Dominique Thoreau, Philippe Salmon, Xavier Castellan, Christophe Chevance
  • Patent number: 8285063
    Abstract: A block (300) of image elements (310) is compressed by identifying a base vector (460) based on normalized feature vectors (312) of the block (300). If a position-determining coordinate (420) of the base vector (460) is present inside a defined selection section (530) of feature vector space (500), the block (300) is compressed according to a default mode and an auxiliary mode to get a default and auxiliary compressed block (600), respectively. The compressed block (600) resulting in smallest compression error is selected. If the auxiliary mode is selected, the position-determining coordinate (420) is mapped to get a mapped coordinate (425) present outside the representable normalization portion (510) of vector space (500). The auxiliary compressed block (600) comprises a representation of this mapped coordinate (425). If the default mode is selected no such coordinate mapping is performed and the default compressed block (600) instead comprises a representation of the non-mirrored coordinate (420).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Tomas Akenine-Möller, Jacob Munkberg, Jacob Ström
  • Patent number: 8275033
    Abstract: An adaptive picture mode selection transcoder selects an encoding mode in a second format for frames of video previously encoded in a first format by determining a magnitude of interlacing phenomenon in the using picture information obtained during decoding of the video from the first format. In one aspect, the picture information includes discrete cosine coefficients for macroblocks in the frame. In another aspect, the picture information includes an encoding mode for the macroblocks in the first format. In yet another aspect, the picture information includes motion vector information for the macroblocks. In still another aspect, the determining is specific to an encoding mode for the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Ximin Zhang, Ming-Chang Liu
  • Patent number: 8275182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for delineating the contour of an object in captured medical images by first transforming the shape of the object into a simple geometric shape that is more computationally tractable than the shape of the object. After the contour of the transformed shape is detected, the inverse of the transformation is applied to the contour such that it represents the contour of the object in the captured medical image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: The University of British Columbia University-Industry Liaison Office
    Inventors: Sara Badiei, Septimiu Edmund Salcudean, Seyedeh Sara Mahdavi
  • Patent number: 8270742
    Abstract: A method of compressing data can include forming at least one container by grouping calls of data according to at least one data element of each call. The method can include arranging, via the processor, calls of the at least one container into a plurality of segments according to a minimal coordinate set and extracting common coordinates corresponding to a first coordinate type from the plurality of segments. Coordinates of a second coordinate type of each segment of the at least one container can be replaced with a segment start coordinate and first distance information specifying the coordinates of the second coordinate type. The common coordinates of the at least one container can be replaced with a common start coordinate and second distance information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Xilinx, Inc.
    Inventor: Chong M. Lee
  • Patent number: 8265157
    Abstract: A method for transcoding is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) generating a decoded frame by decoding an input video stream in an MPEG-2 format, the decoded frame including a plurality of decoded macroblocks; (B) determining a current search center to be used in encoding a current macroblock into an H.264 format, the current macroblock corresponding to a pair of the decoded macroblocks on consecutive macroblock rows, wherein when (i) the encoding uses a predictive field mode and (ii) a current field being encoded comprises a second field of a current frame and has a first field of the current frame as a reference field, the current search center comprises a temporally scaled version of a decoded motion vector from one of an upper macroblock of the pair and a lower macroblock in the pair; (C) generating a refined motion vector by searching in a temporal search direction about the current search center; and (D) generating an output video stream in the H.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Peter Joch, Michael D. Gallant
  • Patent number: 8244045
    Abstract: A method, system, and machine-readable medium for classifying an image element as one of a plurality of categories, including assigning the image element based on a ratio between an unoccluded perimeter of the image element and an occluded perimeter of the image element and coding the image element according to a coding scheme associated with the category to which the image element is classified. Exemplary applications include image compression, where categories include image foreground and background layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Leon Bottou, Patrick Guy Haffner
  • Patent number: 8229238
    Abstract: The invention provides an image encoding apparatus which can improve image quality of an output image while further reduce the amount of attribute. A determination unit determines an area including a character/line drawing as a foreground image area based on an input multi-valued image. A foreground image generator generates foreground image in binary representation so that a first encoder performs MMR encoding on the foreground image. A background image generator generates multi-valued background image data by replacing the value of a multi-valued pixel in a position of the character/line drawing in the foreground image area with a replacement value calculated from the pixel values in a position of the non-character/line drawing pixel. A second encoder performs JPEG encoding on the background image. A mask unit masks attribute for pixels within the foreground image area with a predetermined value to output the masked data to a third encoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuki Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8230017
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for a collaborative system, method and apparatus configured for optimal page sharing. The system of the invention can include a collaborative application disposed in a collaborative peer and configured for communicative coupling to other collaborative peers. The system can further include a compressor/decompressor disposed in the collaborative peer. The compressor/decompressor can include logic programmed to pre-process a shared page for the collaborative application by compressing the shared page before transmitting the shared page to the other collaborative peers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roderick C. Henderson, John R. Hind, Yongcheng Li
  • Patent number: 8224019
    Abstract: A method for embedding information in a document includes encoding information as a plurality of data carrying dot patterns. For each of a plurality of blocks of a document page to be rendered, the method includes determining whether the block is blank. Each of the plurality of data carrying dot patterns is embedded in a respective one of the blank blocks. The document with the embedded data carrying dot patterns is rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Zhigang Fan, Reiner Eschbach
  • Patent number: 8218895
    Abstract: A retargeted image substantially retains the context of an original image while emphasizing the information content of a determined region of interest within the original image. Image regions surrounding the region of interest are warped without regard to preserving their information content and/or aspect ratios, while the region of interest is modified to preserve its aspect ratio and image content. The surrounding image regions can be warped to fit the resulting warped image regions into the available display space surrounding the unwarped region of interest. The surrounding image regions can be warped using one or more fisheye warping functions, which can be Cartesian or polar fisheye warping functions, and more specifically linear or linear-polynomial Cartesian fisheye warping functions, which are applied along each direction or axis of the region of interest. The image region on each side of the region of interest can be modified using one or more steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
    Inventors: Michael Lee Gleicher, Feng Liu
  • Patent number: 8218887
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention discloses, a method for processing a document image. The method comprises segmenting the document image into a picture component and a non-picture component; compressing the non-picture component; and saving the uncompressed picture component and the compressed non-picture component in memory so that the document image may be recomposed to form a recomposed image based on the uncompressed picture component and the compressed non-picture component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: ABBYY Software, Ltd.
    Inventor: German Zyuzin
  • Patent number: 8219594
    Abstract: The present invention improves processing speed of search processing of objects. To achieve this, in an image processing apparatus capable of extracting an object contained in input data, and of storing data about the object in a storage device, there are provided a detecting section for detecting a relationship of one or more objects; a section for generating object related information for relating the one or more objects which have a relationship and are detected by the detecting section; a selecting section for selecting a single search type from a plurality of search types; a searching section for searching for the object data stored in the storage device and the object related information in accordance with the search type selected by the selecting section; and a display section for displaying the one or more objects searched in accordance with the object relating information searched by the searching section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Ono
  • Patent number: 8208738
    Abstract: In an image coding apparatus, a ROI setting unit sets a ROI region in an image. An entropy coding unit entropy-codes the image. A ROI information coding unit encodes information for specifying the ROI region. A codestream generator generates a codestream in a manner that the coded image and the coded information are explicitly included in the codestream. When a plurality of ROI regions are set in the image, the information may include a degree of priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Okada, Kazuhiko Taketa