Information processing apparatus, method, storage medium and program

• US 20040220898A1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Uzawa, Mitsuru, Eguchi, Takami
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

More accurate retrieval of original documents is conducted by adaptively evaluating retrieval results, which are obtained by retrieving attributes, in accordance with layout information. To achieve this, there is provided an information processing method for retrieving image data that is similar to an entered document image, the method including a step (S402) of segmenting the entered document image into a plurality of areas on a per-attribute basis; a step of calculating degree of similarity, for every area obtained by segmentation, using a retrieval step suited to the attribute; and a step (S406) of calculating overall degree of similarity in which the degree of similarity calculated for every area obtained by segmentation is weighted.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for retrieving image data that is similar to an entered document image, comprising:

segmentation unit adapted to segment the entered document image into a plurality of areas on a per-attribute basis;

similarity calculation unit adapted to calculate degree of similarity, for every area obtained by segmentation, using retrieval unit suited to the attribute; and

overall-similarity calculation unit adapted to calculate overall degree of similarity in which the degree of similarity calculated for every area obtained by segmentation is weighted.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said retrieval unit includes:

unit adapted to conduct a full-text search based upon text data extracted by character recognition from a text area among the areas obtained by said segmentation unit;

unit adapted to conduct a concept search based upon the text data; and

unit adapted to conduct an image search based upon a feature extracted from an image area among the areas obtained by said segmentation unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said overall-similarity calculation unit performs weighting based upon share of each area, which has been obtained by segmentation, in the entered document image.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising communication unit adapted to communicate with a server that stores information relating to copyright royalty of each item of image data;

wherein the information relating to copyright royalty can be acquired with regard to the image data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the information relating to copyright royalty exists, no processing regarding the image data is executed as long as permission is not received from the server.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising billing unit adapted to execute billing processing of a user that is based upon the copyright royalty.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

billing unit adapted to bill a user for a fee when the entered document image is converted to vector data;

vector data conversion unit adapted to convert the entered document image to vector data in a case where a procedure for payment of the fee billed by said billing unit has been executed; and

storage unit adapted to store a document image that has been converted to the vector data.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said billing unit bills a fee when a copyright royalty of the document image that has been converted to the vector data is managed.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

vector data conversion unit adapted to convert the entered document image to vector data; and

candidate category output unit adapted to output candidate categories of storage destinations based upon a feature of the document image that has been converted to the vector data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

category selection unit adapted to allow a user to select a category of a storage destination from among the candidate categories of storage destinations that have been output by said candidate category output unit; and

storage unit adapted to store the document image, which has been converted to the vector data, at the category of storage destination.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising storage unit adapted to automatically store the document image, which has been converted to the vector data, with respect to a first-ranked candidate category that has been output by said candidate category output unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in a case where an original data file corresponding to the document image could not be found based upon result of calculation by said overall-similarity calculation unit, said vector data conversion unit converts the document image to vector data.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in a case where an original data file corresponding to the document image is an image file, said vector data conversion unit converts the document image to vector data.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising layout-similarity calculation unit adapted to calculate layout degree of similarity of comparison-target image data that is to be compared with the entered document image, exercising control so as to execute processing by said similarity calculation unit and said overall-similarity calculation unit with regard to the comparison-target image data for which the calculated layout degree of similarity is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and exercising control so as not to execute processing by said similarity calculation unit and said overall-similarity calculation unit with regard to the comparison-target image data for which the calculated layout degree of similarity is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising selection unit adapted to allow selection of an area, which is used in calculation of degree of similarity, from among the plurality of areas obtained by segmentation by said segmentation unit;

wherein said similarity calculation unit calculates degree of similarity, using retrieval unit suited to the attribute, with regard to an area that has been selected by said selection unit.

16. An information processing method for retrieving image data that is similar to an entered document image, comprising:

a segmentation step of segmenting the entered document image into a plurality of areas on a per-attribute basis;

a similarity calculation step of calculating degree of similarity, for every area obtained by segmentation, using a retrieval step suited to the attribute; and

a overall-similarity calculation step of calculating overall degree of similarity in which the degree of similarity calculated for every area obtained by segmentation is weighted.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said retrieval step includes:

a step of conducting a full-text search based upon text data extracted by character recognition from a text area among the areas obtained at said segmentation step;

a step of conducting a concept search based upon the text data; and

a step of conducting an image search based upon a feature extracted from an image area among the areas obtained at said segmentation step.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said overall-similarity calculation step performs weighting based upon share of each area, which has been obtained by segmentation, in the entered document image.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a communication step of communicating with a server that stores information relating to copyright royalty of each item of image data;

wherein the information relating to copyright royalty can be acquired with regard to the image data.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein in a case where the information relating to copyright royalty exists, no processing regarding the image data is executed as long as permission is not received from the server.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a billing step of executing billing processing of a user that is based upon the copyright royalty.

22. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

a billing step of billing a user for a fee when the entered document image is converted to vector data;

a vector data conversion step of converting the entered document image to vector data in a case where a procedure for payment of the fee billed at said billing step has been executed; and

a storage step of storing a document image that has been converted to the vector data.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said billing step bills a fee when a copyright royalty of the document image that has been converted to the vector data is managed.

24. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

a vector data conversion step of converting the entered document image to vector data; and

a candidate category output step of outputting candidate categories of storage destinations based upon a feature of the document image that has been converted to the vector data.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

a category selection step of allowing a user to select a category of a storage destination from among the candidate categories of storage destinations that have been output at said candidate category output step; and

a storage step of storing the document image, which has been converted to the vector data, at the category of storage destination.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising a storage step of automatically storing the document image, which has been converted to the vector data, with respect to a first-ranked candidate category that has been output at said candidate category output step.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein in a case where an original data file corresponding to the document image could not be found based upon result of calculation at said overall-similarity calculation step, said vector data conversion step converts the document image to vector data.

28. The method according to claim 24, wherein in a case where an original data file corresponding to the document image is an image file, said vector data conversion step converts the document image to vector data.

29. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a layout-similarity calculation step of calculating layout degree of similarity of comparison-target image data that is to be compared with the entered document image, exercising control so as to execute processing at said similarity calculation step and said overall-similarity calculation step with regard to the comparison-target image data for which the calculated layout degree of similarity is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and exercising control so as not to execute processing at said similarity calculation step and said overall-similarity calculation step with regard to the comparison-target image data for which the calculated layout degree of similarity is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

30. The method according to claim 16, further comprising a selection step of allowing selection of an area, which is used in calculation of degree of similarity, from among the plurality of areas obtained by segmentation at said segmentation step;

wherein said similarity calculation step calculates degree of similarity, using a retrieval step suited to the attribute, with regard to an area that has been selected at said selection step.

31. A storage medium storing a control program for causing a computer to implement the information processing method set forth in claim 16.

32. A control program for causing a computer to implement the information processing method set forth in claim 16.