Method and apparatus for applying alterations selected from a set of alterations to a background scene

• US 20040169664A1
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Published: 09/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acclaima Limited
• Original Assignee: Acclaima Limited
• Inventors: Hoffman, Michael T., Petersen, Steven L.
• Application Number:
  US10/793,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20040169664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for capturing the visual appearance of each alteration in a set of potential physical alterations of an object or class of objects, such that the potential application of any combination of alterations from that set applied to an object of that class can be represented visually even if that combination of alterations has never actually been physically applied to an object of that class. The visual representation can be a digital image file of photographic quality and accuracy with no visible anomalies between the background image and the applied alterations. The physical alterations can be intended to communicate a textual message.

Claims

1. A method for the generation and placement of multiple overlay images at different locations in a single background image to generate an output image, each of the images including rows of pixels, comprising the steps of:

a) defining a background descriptor for a background image having rows of pixels;

b) defining an overlay element descriptor for each of an associated one of a plurality of overlay element images each having at least one row of pixels;

c) defining a selection descriptor including the background descriptor, a subset of the overlay element descriptors associated with selected ones of the overlay element images, formatting properties and imaging properties;

d) performing a configuration of a software engine utilizing the selection descriptor to generate objects, layout parameters and an imaging operation;

e) performing a layout of the overlay element images associated with the subset of the overlay element descriptors relative to the background image by assigning one of a drawing path and a drawing area to each of the selected ones of the overlay element images; and

f) performing an imaging by processing the background image and the selected ones of the overlay element images according to the layout to generate an output image.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said steps a) and b) are performed by creating the descriptors as digital files formatted in XML markup language.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step d) includes building an overlay image repository of the objects.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step c) includes setting a sequence of the overlay element images.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step e) includes parsing the sequence of the overlay element images into subset groups and assigning one of a drawing path and a drawing area to each of the subset groups.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step e) includes assigning at least a second one of a drawing path and a drawing area to one of the selected ones of the overlay element images.

7. The method according to claim 1 including a step of grouping related overlay element images into at least two different sets and said step c) is performed by selecting at least one of the overlay element images from each set for the subset.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein a first variation of one overlay element image is grouped in one set and a second variation of the one overlay element image is grouped in a second set.

9. The method according to claim 1 including performing said steps b) through d) to generate a textual message in the output image with the selected ones of the overlay element images.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step c) includes introducing a random quantity of at least one of horizontal, vertical and rotational positioning error to add photo-realism to the output image.

11. The method according to claim 1 said step e) is performed by building a RowIteratorGroup object for each of the selected one of the overlay element images and the background image and processing the RowIteratorGroup objects to generate the output image.

12. An apparatus for the generation and placement of multiple overlay images at different locations in a single background image to generate an output image, each of the images including rows of pixels, comprising:

a designer means for inputting a background image, a plurality of overlay element images and information related to positioning and relationship of the overlay element images to the background image;

a selector means for inputting selection information; and

an engine means having inputs connected to outputs of said designer means and said selector means for processing said background image, said overlay element images, said positioning and relationship information and said selection information to generate an output image containing said overlay elements images combined with said background image.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 including means for converting said background image and said overlay element images to descriptors for processing by said engine means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said means for converting generates one of said descriptors as a background descriptor associated with said background image including information as at least one of a background image URL, drawing boundaries, named 3D drawing paths and named 3D drawing areas.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said means for converting generates one of said descriptors as an overlay element descriptor for each of said overlay element images including information as to at least one of name, height, rotation, tracking, kerning pairs, element URL, location, width, X-offset and Y-offset and value.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said selection information includes said background descriptor, said overlay element descriptors and information as to at least one of an output image URL, a path or area name, an overlay sequence, a style, a size, a justification, an offset and an imaging operation.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said selection information includes an overlay sequence of said overlay element images and one of a drawing path and a drawing area within said background image, and wherein said engine means includes a formatting subsystem for positioning said overlay element images in said one of a drawing path and a drawing area in accordance with said overlay sequence.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said engine means includes an imaging subsystem responsive to said formatting subsystem for building a RowIteratorGroup object for each of said overlay element images and said background image and processing said objects to generate said output image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said formatting subsystem transforms said overlay element images and said background image into a plurality of RowIterator objects, each said RowIterator object containing pixel information for an associated row of one of said overlay element images and said background image, and forms said RowIteratorGroup objects as groups of said RowIterator objects.

20. The apparatus according to claim 12 including a computer and wherein said designer means, said selector means and said engine means are software components running on said computer.