Systems and methods for block recomposition for compound image compression

• US 20100290704A1
• Filed: 05/18/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Christiansen, Bernd Oliver
• Granted Patent: US 8,532,437 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30176 Document
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/17 the unit being an image region, e.g. an object
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/187 the unit being a scalable video layer

Abstract

A new approach is proposed that contemplates systems and methods to support block-based compression of a compound image by skipping “don'"'"'t care” blocks in the layers of the image while neither introducing significant overhead nor requiring changes to the compression method used. The block-based compression approach first segments a compound image into multiple layers and then recomposes a new set of image layers, possibly with new dimensions, from only the non-“don'"'"'t care” blocks in the layers of the original image. The approach may later decompress the compressed image layers and restore the image by copying the decompressed blocks to their respective positions in the original image.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an image segmentation engine running on a host, which in operation, decomposes a compound image into one or more original image layers;

an layer recomposition engine running on the host, which in operation,

identifies “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in each of the one or more original image layers;

recomposes one or more new image layers by skipping the “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the one or more original image layers;

an layer compression engine running on the host, which in operation, processes and compresses each of the one or more newly created image layers with its own compressor.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an image decompression and composition engine running on the host, which in operation,

retrieves, decompresses, and processes each of the compressed one or more layers;

reconstructs the original image from the decompressed one or more layers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the host is a computing device, a communication device, s storage device, or any electronic device capable of running a software component.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the image segmentation engine decomposes the compound image based on Mixed Raster Content (MRC) imaging model.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the MRC imaging model comprises a foreground layer, a background layer, and a mask layer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the mask layer is implicitly coded by a transparent color in the foreground layer.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the MRC imaging model comprises one background layer and one or more pairs of foreground and mask layers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the image segmentation engine decomposes and represents the compound image as one, two, three, or more layers, depending on the content of the image.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the layer recomposition engine selects possible new dimensions for each of the one or more new image layers that hold all non-“

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the corresponding original image layers.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the layer recomposition engine recomposes each of the one or more new image layers by copying all non-“

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in each of the one or more original image layers into the corresponding new image layer.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the layer recomposition engine eliminates or reduces overhead introduced by “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the one or more original image layers.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the compressor is one of JPEG, MMR, JBIG, PWC, and PNG.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the compressor adopts its own compression approach and compression parameters.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the layer compression engine chooses the compressor for each of the new image layer based on type of content of the layer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the layer compression engine packages the compressed one or more layers in a format suitable for delivery.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the image decompression and composition engine reconstructs the original image based on the MRC imaging model used.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the image decompression and composition engine reconstructs the original image by copying every block in the one or more new image layers to its original position in the original image.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

segmenting a compound image into one or more original image layers;

identifying “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in each of the one or more original image layers;

recomposing one or more new image layers by skipping the “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the one or more original image layers;

processing and compressing each of the one or more recomposed image layers with its own compressor chosen based on content of the layer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

retrieving, decompressing, and processing each of the compressed one or more layers;

reconstructing the original image from the decompressed one or more layers.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

decomposing the compound image based on Mixed Raster Content (MRC) imaging model.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

decomposing and representing the compound image as one, two, three, or more layers, depending on the content of the image.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting possible new dimensions for each of the one or more new image layers that hold all non-“

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the corresponding original image layers.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

recomposing each of the one or more new image layers by copying all non-“

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in each of the one or more original image layers into the corresponding new image layer.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

eliminating or reducing overhead introduced by “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the one or more original image layers.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

choosing the compressor for each of the new image layer based on type of content of the layer.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

packaging the compressed one or more layers in a format suitable for delivery.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

choosing the compressor for each of the new image layer based on type of content of the layer.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reconstructing the original image based on the MRC imaging model used.

29. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reconstructing the original image by copying every block in the one or more new image layers to its original position in the original image.

30. A machine readable medium having software instructions stored thereon that when executed cause a system to:

segment a compound image into one or more original image layers;

identify “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in each of the one or more original image layers;

recompose one or more new image layers by skipping the “

don'"'"'t care”

blocks in the one or more original image layers;

compress each of the one or more recomposed image layers with its own compressor chosen based on content of the layer;

retrieve, decompress, and process each of the compressed one or more layers;

reconstruct the original image from the decompressed one or more layers.