IMAGE-RELATED HANDLING SUPPORT SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE-RELATED HANDLING SUPPORT METHOD

• US 20120321131A1
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,338,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00183 Photography assistance, e.g. displaying suggestions to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

An image handling support system extracts an image corresponding to a support target image from images associated with a user with use of information indicating association established between the user and the images, from a user'"'"'s activity on an SNS. Then, the image handling support system supports handling of the support target image based on the extracted image. The image handling support system provides support for acquisition of an output image that matches various image conditions and complies with a user'"'"'s preference without requiring a complicated operation to be performed in advance.

Claims

1. An image handling support system comprising:

an extraction unit configured to extract an image corresponding to a support target image based on information indicating association between a user and images from at least one of an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image favorably evaluated by the user, an image corresponding to another person favorably evaluated by yet another person who is favorably evaluated by the user, an image favorably evaluated by another person corresponding to an image favorably evaluated by the user, and an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image corresponding to the user; and

a support unit configured to support handling related to the support target image based on the image extracted by the extraction unit.

2. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating association between the user and images is based on an evaluation that the user makes on an image.

3. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating association between the user and images is based an evaluation that the user makes on a person corresponding to an image.

4. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the support unit presents the image extracted by the extraction unit.

5. The image handling support system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selection unit configured to select any of a plurality of images extracted by the extraction unit,

wherein the support unit supports the handling related to the support target image based on the image selected by the selection unit.

6. The image handling support system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate a degree of association between the user and an image based on the information indicating association between the user and images;

a sort unit configured to sort the plurality of images extracted by the extraction unit based on the degree of association calculated by the calculation unit; and

a display unit configured to display the images extracted by the extraction unit in the sorting order by the sort unit,

wherein the selection unit selects any of the images displayed by the display unit.

7. The image handling support system according to claim 1, further comprising an update unit configured to update the information indicating association between the user and images based on the image used by the support unit in the support, in a case where the user performs the handling related to the support target image based on the support by the support unit.

8. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the extraction unit extracts an image corresponding to an imaging condition in an imaging apparatus, and

wherein the support unit provides the support when the imaging apparatus captures the support target image.

9. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the extraction unit extracts an image including an object corresponding to an object in the support target image, and

wherein the support unit supports correction of the support target image.

10. The image handling support system according to claim 1, further comprising a re-extraction unit configured to extract an image corresponding to the support target image from images having a lower degree of association with the user than a degree of association of the image extracted by the extraction unit, in a case where no image is selected to be used in the support by the extraction unit,

wherein the support unit supports the handling related to the support target image based on the image extracted by the re-extraction unit.

11. The image handling support system according to claim 1, wherein the support unit supports the handling related to the support target image based on an image uploaded by another person or said yet another person onto an external apparatus.

15. The image handling support system according to claim 1,

wherein the image handling support system comprises at least a server apparatus and a client apparatus,

wherein the information indicating association between the user and images is indicating association between the user and images uploaded in asocial networking service and is based on an evaluation that the user makes on a image in the social networking service,

wherein the extraction unit extracts an image uploaded by the social networking service user and favorably evaluated in the social networking service, and

wherein the image extracted by the extraction unit coincides with the support target image regarding at least one of a photographing condition, color tone and an object.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an extraction unit configured to extract an image corresponding to a support target image based on information indicating association between a user and images from at least one of an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image favorably evaluated by the user, an image corresponding to another person favorably evaluated by yet another person who is favorably evaluated by the user, an image favorably evaluated by another person corresponding to an image favorably evaluated by the user, and an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image corresponding to the user; and

a support unit configured to support handling related to the support target image based on the image extracted by the extraction unit.

13. An image handling support method comprising:

extracting an image corresponding to a support target image based on information indicating association between a user and images from at least one of an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image favorably evaluated by the user, an image corresponding to another person favorably evaluated by yet another person who is favorably evaluated by the user, an image favorably evaluated by another person corresponding to an image favorably evaluated by the user, and an image corresponding to another person that favorably evaluates an image corresponding to the user; and

supporting handling related to the support target image based on the extracted image.

14. A storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute the image handling support method according to claim 13.