Automatic morphing photography booth

• US 6,229,904 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1997
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Alpha, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Alpha, Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Sming, Hiraiwa, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US08/968,231
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 396/1, 396/2, 396/3, 396/4, 396/5, 396/6, 396/7, 396/9, 396/14, 396/16, 396/18, 396/310, 345/473, 345/113, 345/114, 345/425, 345/427, 345/435, 354/78
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/53 for automatically delivering a finished picture after a signal causing exposure has been given, e.g. by pushing a button, by inserting a coin
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

The present invention teaches a computerized automatic morphing photography booth for generating a synthesized composite or altered image from two or more initial images and a method therefor. The initial images to be converted may be real-time images taken on sight and/or stored images previously programmed into the memory of the computer. The computer maps out the essential characteristics of each image and converts the two images into the composite image by blending, merging and/or superimposing some or all of the characteristics mapped out for each initial image. The invention further teaches stationary or moving cameras which are capable of centering the composite in a picture frame.

Claims

1. Automatic morphing photography booth for printing a photographic image having a back wall and which contains a sensor and a single camera for receiving at least one real-time facial image of a subject-user a microprocessor for operating the photographic functions and for receiving said at lease one real-time facial image, and a monitor, the improvement which comprises said microprocessor containing a memory having a plurality of stored images and a software program which recognizes specific points on a face for mapping out the facial image using a system of vectors and polygon and then generating a three-dimensional image of the face using said map, said software program subtracting out all the color from the back wall to determine the exact position of said subject-user and in combination with said facial map centering the image, and then morphing or altering said three-dimensional image to produce a composite image, said booth including control means positioned in the booth and operably connected to said microprocessor for enabling the subject-user to control operation thereof;

the control means being adapted for activation by said subject-user to select at least one of a plurality of stored images for display and on said monitor and to effect operation of the camera to focus upon the subject user to obtain a real time facial image, said control means being further adapted to fix the selected real time image and to effect operation of said microprocessor to produce the mapped image, whereby the sensor, microprocessor and camera function together to center the facial image.

2. The photography booth of claim 1 wherein said stored image is selected from the group consisting of geographical sights, animals, humans and works of art.

3. The photography booth of claim 1, wherein said software program comprises at least three subprograms, said first subprogram including means for converting at least two of said real-time images into said composite image, said second subprogram including means for converting at least one of said real-time images and at least one of said geographical sight images into said composite image, and said third subprogram including means for converting at least one of said real-time images and at least one of said animal images, human images or works of art images into said composite image.

4. The photography booth of claim 3, wherein said resulting composite image of said first and third subprograms consists of a blend of some of the characteristics of each selected real-time or stored image and said resulting composite image of said second subprogram consists of an incorporation of all of the characteristics of each selected real-time or stored image.

5. The photography booth of claim 3, wherein said resulting composite image of said first and third subprograms consists of a blend of some of the characteristics of each selected real-time stored image and said resulting composite image of said second subprogram consists of an incorporation of all of the characteristics of each selected real-time or stored image.

6. The booth of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor memory contains a plurality of physical attributes which can be assigned to said composite image and said control means include means for selecting one or more of said attributes to assign to said composite image, wherein said attributes comprise characteristics selected from the group consisting of gender, age, hair, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, lips, ears, cheeks, neck, chin, color and ethnicity.