Image searching method and image processing method

• US 20040236791A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinjo, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,421,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/44 Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The image searching method extracts or recognizes specific information for an image that exists in the image and/or accompanies it, allows either the specific information itself or related information thereof to be appendant to image data for the image, stores the image data as well as either information appendant to the image data as accessory information in a database, designates at least a portion of the accessory information as a searching condition, searches through the database under the designated searching condition, determines a degree of agreement with the accessory information appendant to a selected image data and reads an image having the degree of agreement not lower than a predetermined value. The image processing method utilizes the image searching method. These methods are capable of efficient image detection or search using as a key specific information such as the shape of subjects.

Claims

1-35. -35. (Cancelled)

36. An image processing method;

comprising the steps of;

extracting specific figures or specific subjects from a plurality of images within a single order; and

performing image processing of image frames to yield prints that are finished to have quality within a predetermined range if said image frames are similar in terms of positions and sizes of said specific figures or subjects.