Database Production Method, Database Production Program, Database Production Apparatus and Image Content Recording Apparatus

• US 20080166051A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: MIYAMOTO, Masaru
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• 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 16/5846 using extracted text

Abstract

The present invention provides a database production method including: a representative image selection step of selecting certain images each as a representative image which represents an image content from the image content; a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image; an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and a database production step of registering representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.

Claims

1. A database production method, comprising:

a representative image selection step of selecting certain images each as a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production step of registering representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.

2. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative image is selected using moving picture characteristic information produced from the image content in accordance with the extraction method.

3. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative image is selected for each scene change.

4. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the database production step, the image text information and a representative characteristic information identifier which represents the representative characteristic information are registered in an associated relationship with each other.

5. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, all moving picture image characteristic information produced from the image content in accordance with the extraction method is recorded into a predetermined recording section and the representative image is selected using the moving picture image characteristic information.

6. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, all moving picture image characteristic information extracted from the image content in accordance with the extraction method are recorded into a predetermined recording section and the representative images are selected using the dynamic picture image characteristic information;

and

at the database production step, a representative characteristic information identifier and the image text information are recorded into the database thereby to record the representative characteristic information and the image text information in an associated relationship with each other.

7. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein the image content is recorded in a predetermined recording section;

and the database production method further comprises;

a reproduction step of reproducing the image content recorded in the recording section concurrently to the representative image selection step.

8. The database production method according to claim 7, wherein, at the display processing step, when a process at a reproduction step ends, the representative images are displayed on the display apparatus.

9. The database production method according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arbitrary inputting step of allowing the user to input image text information corresponding to a selection image selected by the user in accordance with a request of the user; and

an arbitrary registration step of registering selection characteristic information extracted from the selection image in accordance with the extraction method and the image text information in an associated relationship with each other.

10. The database production method according to claim 9, wherein, at the arbitrary registration step, moving picture characteristic information corresponding to the selection image is acquired as the selection characteristic information from a recording section.

11. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the operation inputting step, a database production process which includes the representative image selection step, display processing step, operation inputting step and database production step is stopped in response to an operation input from the user.

12. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic information extraction process is executed in parallel to the recording process of the image content.

13. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative images are selected using sound characteristic information extracted from sound data which the image content has.

14. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the certain images are selected using the moving picture characteristic information and one of the certain images, which is not similar to the representative images utilized as the extraction source of the representative characteristic information registered already in the database, is selected as a new representative image.

15. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the operation inputting step, the operation inputting step and the database production step regarding any of the representative images which is being displayed are omitted and a next representative image or images are displayed in response to an operation input from the user.

16. A database production program for causing a computer to execute:

a representative image selection step of selecting certain images each as a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production step of registering representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.

17. A database production apparatus, comprising:

a representative image selection section configured to select certain images each as a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a display processing section configured to cause a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting section configured to allow a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production section configured to register representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted by said operation inputting section in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.

18. An image content recording apparatus, comprising:

a recording section configured to record an image content;

a representative image selection section configured to select certain images each as a representative image which represents the image content from the image content;

a display processing section configured to cause a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting section configured to allow a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production section configured to register representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted by said operation inputting section in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.