IMAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, IMAGE MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20140184821A1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: TANEICHI, Satoshi, Ito, Takeshi, Watanabe, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

The present invention is concerning to an image management system that communicates with a first communication terminal via a communication network, the image management system comprising: an image storage unit configured to store image data; a receiving unit configured to receive, from the first communication terminal, link information that includes image identification information for identifying the image data and includes predetermined-area information that indicates a predetermined area in the image data; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the first communication terminal, the image data that is indicated by the image identification information included in the link information received by the receiving unit and the predetermined-area information included in the link information.

Claims

1. An image management system that communicates with a first communication terminal via a communication network, the image management system comprising:

an image storage unit configured to store image data;

a receiving unit configured to receive, from the first communication terminal, link information that includes image identification information for identifying the image data and predetermined-area information that indicates a predetermined area in the image data; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the first communication terminal, the image data that is indicated by the image identification information included in the link information received by the receiving unit and the predetermined-area information included in the link information.

2. The image management system according to claim 1, further comprising a link-information generation unit configured to generate the link information that includes the image identification information and the predetermined-area information, wherein

via the communication network, the image management system communicates with a second communication terminal that is identical to or different from the first communication terminal and communicates with a link-information management system that manages the link information, and

the receiving unit receives the image identification information and the predetermined-area information from the second communication terminal,

the link-information generation unit generates the link information that includes the image identification information and the predetermined-area information that are received by the receiving unit, and

the transmitting unit transmits the link information generated by the link-information generation unit to the link-information management system.

3. The image management system according to claim 2, further comprising a thumbnail generation unit configured to generate thumbnail data from the predetermined area in the image data by using the image data indicated by the image identification information received by the receiving unit and the predetermined area indicated by the predetermined-area information, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits, to the link-information management system, the thumbnail data generated by the thumbnail generation unit.

4. The image management system according to claim 2, wherein

the link-information generation unit generates the link information that includes specific information for identifying a location of the image management system in the communication network as well as the image identification information and the predetermined-area information.

5. The image management system according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving unit receives, from the second communication terminal, comment data with regard to the image data as well as the image identification information and the predetermined-area information, and

the transmitting unit transmits, to the link-information management system, the comment data received by the receiving unit as well as the link information.

6. The image management system according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving unit receives, from the second communication terminal, user identification information for identifying a user who uses the second communication terminal as well as the image identification information and the predetermined-area information, and

the transmitting unit transmits, to the link-information management system, the user identification information received by the receiving unit as well as the link information.

7. The image management system according to claim 1, further comprising a read unit configured to read the image data from the image storage unit on the basis of the image identification information included in the link information received by the receiving unit, wherein

the transmitting unit transmits, to the first communication terminal, the image data read by the read unit as the image data that is indicated by the image identification information included in the link information.

8. The image management system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is a Mercator image data that is displayable as a fully-spherical panoramic image.

9. An image management method performed by an image management system that includes an image storage unit that stores image data and that communicates with a first communication terminal via a communication network,

the image management method comprising:

receiving, from the first communication terminal, link information that includes image identification information for identifying the image data and predetermined-area information that indicates a predetermined area in the image data;

reading the image data from the image storage unit on the basis of the image identification information included in the link information received at the receiving; and

transmitting, to the first communication terminal, the image data read at the reading and the predetermined-area information included in the link information received at the receiving.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium that contains a computer program that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from the first communication terminal, link information that includes image identification information for identifying the image data and predetermined-area information that indicates a predetermined area in the image data;

reading the image data from the image storage unit on the basis of the image identification information included in the link information received at the receiving; and

transmitting, to the first communication terminal, the image data read at the reading and the predetermined-area information included in the link information received at the receiving.