User interface of query by color statistics

• US 6,647,141 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1999
• Issued: 11/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Li, Zhouning
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Phuoc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Amir
• Application Number:
  US09/443,042
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/164, 382/165, 382/167, 382/168, 382/170, 382/171, 382/172, 382/173, 382/305, 382/251, 382/190, 382/205, 382/195, 382/220, 358/515, 358/518, 358/522, 358/523, 358/530, 345/418, 345/593
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour

Abstract

A system and method for manipulating a histogram to perform query by color statistics are described. In one embodiment, color elements of an object based upon a color space are quantized and a histogram is created from the color elements. Further, the histogram is manipulated and displayed. In one embodiment, a database of images is queried by comparing the edited histogram with at least one existing histogram maintained in the database and at least one image corresponding to the at least one existing histogram is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating a histogram, comprising:

quantizing color elements of an object based upon a color space;

generating a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

creating a first histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves;

manipulating the first histogram; and

displaying the manipulated first histogram.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

querying a database by comparing the edited first histogram with at least one existing histogram maintained in the database; and

displaying at least one image corresponding to the at least one existing histogram.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

parsing color elements of an image onto the octree based upon the color space, wherein first color elements of the image are parsed onto a first level of the octree, second color elements of the image are parsed onto a second level of the octree, and third color elements of the image are parsed onto a third level of the octree.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

pruning the octree to remove nodes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the color space is HSV and hue elements are parsed onto the first level, luminance elements are parsed onto the second level, and saturation elements are parsed onto the third level.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the color space is selected from the group comprising RGB, HSV, and CIELAB.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein manipulating the first histogram further comprises:

selecting a color range from a palette;

displaying the color range as a second histogram;

selecting at least one color from the second histogram; and

adding the selected at least one color to the first histogram.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein manipulating the first histogram further comprises:

selecting a color by choosing its color elements;

adding the color to the first histogram.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein manipulating the first histogram further comprises:

selecting at least one color from the first histogram; and

deleting the selected at least one color from the first histogram.

10. A method of manipulating a histogram comprising:

quantizing color elements of an image file based upon a color space;

generating a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

creating a histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves; and

displaying the histogram.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

pruning the octree to remove nodes.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein quantizing further comprises:

parsing color elements of an image onto the octree based upon the color space, wherein first color elements of the image are parsed onto a first level of the octree, second color elements of the image are parsed onto a second level of the octree, and third color elements of the image are parsed onto a third level of the octree.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the color space is HSV and hue elements are parsed onto the first level, luminance elements are parsed onto the second level, and saturation elements are parsed onto the third level.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the color space is chosen from the group comprising RGB, HSV, and CIELAB.

15. A system for manipulating a histogram, comprising:

means for quantizing color elements of an object based upon a color space;

means for generating a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

means for creating a first histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves;

means for manipulating the first histogram; and

means for displaying the manipulated first histogram.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

means for querying a database by comparing the edited first histogram with at least one existing histogram maintained in the database; and

means for displaying at least one image corresponding to the at least one existing histogram.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

means for pruning the octree to remove nodes.

18. A system of manipulating a histogram comprising:

means for quantizing color elements of an image file based upon a color space;

means for generating a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

means for creating a histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves; and

means for displaying the histogram.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for pruning the octree to remove nodes.

20. An article of manufacture including one or more computer-readable media with executable instructions therein, which, when executed by a processing device causes the processing device to:

quantize color elements of an object based upon a color space;

generate a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

create a first histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves;

manipulate the first histogram; and

display the manipulated first histogram.

21. The media of claim 20 further comprising:

query a database by comparing the edited first histogram with at least one existing histogram maintained in the database; and

display at least one image corresponding to the at least one existing histogram.

22. The media of claim 20 further comprising:

prune the octree to remove nodes.

23. An article of manufacture including one or more computer-readable media with executable instructions therein, which, when executed by a processing device causes the processing device to:

quantize color elements of an image file based upon a color space;

generate a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors;

create a histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves; and

display the histogram.

24. The media of claim 23 further comprising:

prune the octree to remove nodes.

25. A system for manipulating a histogram, comprising:

a quantizing module configured to quantize color elements of an object based upon a color space;

a histogram creation module configured to generate a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors, and to create a first histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves; and

a histogram editing module configured to manipulate the first histogram and display the manipulated first histogram.

26. The system of claim 25 further comprising:

a database query module configured to query a database by comparing the edited first histogram with at least one existing histogram maintained in the database, and configured to display at least one image corresponding to the at least one existing histogram.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the histogram creation module is further configured to:

parse color elements of an image onto the octree based upon the color space, wherein first color elements of the image are parsed onto a first level of the octree, second color elements of the image are parsed onto a second level of the octree, and third color elements of the image are parsed onto a third level of the octree.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the color space is HSV and hue elements are parsed onto the first level, luminance elements are parsed onto the second level, and saturation elements are parsed onto the third level.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the histogram creation module is further configured to prune the octree to remove nodes.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein the color space is chosen from the group comprising RGB, HSV, and CIELAB.

31. The system of claim 25 wherein the histogram editing module is further configured to:

select a color range from a palette;

display the color range as a second histogram;

select at least one color from the second histogram; and

add the selected at least one color to the first histogram.

32. The system of claim 25 wherein the histogram editing module is further configured to:

select a color by choosing its color elements;

add the color to the first histogram.

33. The system of claim 25 wherein the histogram editing module is further configured to:

select at least one color from the first histogram; and

delete the selected at least one color from the first histogram.

34. A system for manipulating a histogram comprising:

a quantizing module configured to quantize color elements of an image file based upon a color space;

a histogram creation module configured to generate a color space octree corresponding to the color elements, wherein leaves close together in the octree correspond to similar colors, and to create a histogram that groups like colors together by traversing the octree at the leaves; and

a histogram editing module configured to display the histogram.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the histogram creation module is further configured to prune the octree to remove nodes.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the quantizing module is further configured to:

parse color elements of an image onto the octree based upon the color space, wherein first color elements of the image are parsed onto a first level of the octree, second color elements of the image are parsed onto a second level of the octree, and third color elements of the image are parsed onto a third level of the octree.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the color space is HSV and hue elements are parsed onto the first level, luminance elements are parsed onto the second level, and saturation elements are parsed onto the third level.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein the color space is selected from the group comprising RGB, HSV, and CIELAB.