Image retrieval apparatus and image retrieval program storage medium

• US 20070070409A1
• Filed: 09/27/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Tomohiro, Ebihara, Takayuki
• Application Number:
  US11/527,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20070070409A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00135 Scanning of a photographic original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2183 the stored images being distributed among a plurality of different locations, e.g. among a plurality of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An image retrieval apparatus includes: an image storage section that stores two or more photographic images and receives an access for the photographic images; an access detection section that detects an access for the photographic images stored in the image storage section; an access image analyzing section that analyzes a subject of the photographic image detected in the access by the access detection section to determine a word associated with the subject; and an image retrieval section that retrieves a photographic image associated with the word determined by the access image analyzing section, of said two or more photographic images.

Claims

1. An image retrieval apparatus comprising:

an image storage section that stores two or more photographic images and receives an access for the photographic images;

an access detection section that detects an access for the photographic images stored in the image storage section;

an access image analyzing section that analyzes a subject of the photographic image detected in the access by the access detection section to determine a word associated with the subject; and

an image retrieval section that retrieves a photographic image associated with the word determined by the access image analyzing section, of said two or more photographic images.

2. An image retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image retrieval apparatus further comprises a full image analyzing section that analyzes individual subjects of said two or more photographic images to determine words associated with the individual subjects, and

the image retrieval section that retrieves, of said two or more photographic images, a photographic image in which a same word as the word determined by the access image analyzing section is determined.

3. An image retrieval program storage medium storing an image retrieval program, which causes a computer to operate as an image retrieval apparatus when the image retrieval program is executed in the computer, the image retrieval apparatus comprising:

an image storage section that stores two or more photographic images and receives an access for the photographic images;

an access detection section that detects an access for the photographic images stored in the image storage section;

an access image analyzing section that analyzes a subject of the photographic image detected in the access by the access detection section to determine a word associated with the subject; and

an image retrieval section that retrieves a photographic image associated with the word determined by the access image analyzing section, of said two or more photographic images.