Method and apparatus for displaying notification that a color corrected image is being viewed

• US 6,693,647 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: LightSurf Technologies, Inc. (VeriSign, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hilliard, William J., Bernard, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/422,215
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700-702, 345/716, 345/727, 345/728, 345/733, 345/760, 345/764, 345/772, 345/810, 345/835, 345/156, 345/173, 345/589, 345/593, 345/594, 345/597, 345/690
• US Class Current: 715/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32512 of different type, e.g. internal and external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32529 of different type, e.g. internal and external devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing critical end user feedback as to the color correction status of imagery shown on a client display, thus notifying the user that the color image being viewed is color accurate. In particular, the invention includes server and or client based applets which automatically informs viewers and/or other receivers of digital images as to the state of color correction for a particular digital image, thus notifying a viewer of the visual integrity of the digital image being displayed. The notification may be an icon that provides users with a visible indication about the integrity of color imagery currently being viewed by the client at a specific web site. It does this by briefly flashing the cursor for a fraction of a second to indicate if whether or not the page is being viewed utilizing calibrated color. This icon can be implemented in addition, or instead, in the OS, in a web-enabled application, or in a browser (when implemented on as a client-side application); or it can be implemented as an image, tag, program, or watermark embedded within a web page by the web server or by any of the links between server and client within the network infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a user as to color correction status of an image on a local display, comprising:

determining presence of color correction information in an image displayed on a user'"'"'s system;

determining a state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system; and

notifying said user of a color correction status of said image in accordance with said determining the presence of color correction information in said image and determining a state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a software process loaded into an Internet browser.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a software process loaded into a content browsing application.

4. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a software process loaded into server technology that is viewed by a remote client.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a software process loaded into server technology that is viewed by a local client.

6. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is implemented both as a software process loaded into a content browsing application and server technology approximately simultaneously, together with an arbitration mechanism to determine the proper notification of status.

7. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said color correction information comprises HTML color information.

8. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said information on the state of calibration of said users'"'"' system comprises HTML color information.

9. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting whether HTML tags that designate color properties are present in a web page associated with said image.

10. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting whether HTML tags that designate color properties are sent via one server, referencing said image sent by a different server.

11. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the information about the state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system is determined by said server by detecting HTML tags sent by said server.

12. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said color correction information comprises ICC profile color correction information.

13. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein the state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system comprises ICC-format profile information.

14. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting whether ICC profiles are embedded within the image, or associated with the file, based upon ICC profile format specifications.

15. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting GIF-formatted images based upon GIF profile format specifications.

16. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image comprises:

detecting PNG-formatted images based upon PNG profile format specifications.

17. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting JPEG-formatted images based upon JPG profile format specifications.

18. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting images in a known color space.

19. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining presence of color correction information in said image further comprises:

detecting images in a predefined color space.

20. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said notifying said user of color correction status in accordance with said determining the presence of color correction information in said image and determining state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system further comprises:

providing a visual notification regarding the status of color correction status of said image.

21. The method claimed in claim 20, wherein said visual notification is an icon.

22. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said notifying said user of color correction status in accordance with said determining the presence of color correction information in said image and determining state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system further comprises:

providing auditory notification regarding the status of color correction status of said image.

23. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said notifying said user of color correction status in accordance with said determining the presence of color correction information in said image and determining state of calibration of said user'"'"'s system further comprises:

providing audio-visual sensory notification regarding color correction status of said image.

24. A computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by one or more client processors to indicate to an end user a state of color correction of digital images being viewed, said instructions comprising:

an icon having a first state indicating that images being viewed are color corrected as viewed and a second state indicating that images being viewed are not color corrected as viewed;

logic for determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display; and

logic for inserting a selected state of the icon into the digital image being viewed based on said determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said icon is initiated to the second state indicating that images being viewed are not color corrected as being viewed as a default state.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said logic for determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for evaluating HTML tags sent by a server to determine whether said image has been color corrected.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said logic for evaluating HTML tags sent by a server to determine whether said image has been color corrected further comprises:

logic for evaluating predetermined HTML title tags sent by a server to determine whether said image has been color corrected.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said logic for determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for detecting the presence of a transfer function in a client system.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said logic for determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for detecting the presence of characterization parameters.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising:

a flag having a first state indicating that the display devices associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display and second state indicating that the display devices associated with the use is not calibrated for corrected color display; and

logic for determining if the display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display for determining a selected state of the flag.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said logic for inserting a selected state of the icon in the digital image being viewed based on said determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for inserting the icon having the first state indicating that images being viewed are color corrected and the display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said logic for inserting a selected state of the icon in the digital image being viewed based on said determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for inserting the icon having the second state indicating that images being viewed are not color corrected or the display device associated with the use is not calibrated for corrected color display.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein said logic for inserting a selected state of the icon in the digital image being viewed based on said determining if the image being viewed includes a color notification tag and a display device associated with the use is calibrated for corrected color display further comprises:

logic for leaving the icon in the default second state indicating that the images being viewed are not color corrected or the display device is not calibrated for corrected color display.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein said icon also identifies color correction by a particular server.

35. A computer-readable medium containing instructions executable by one or more server processors to indicate to an end user a state of color correction of digital images being viewed, said instructions comprising:

an icon having a first state indicating that images being viewed are color corrected as viewed and a second state indicating that images being viewed are not color corrected as viewed;

logic for determining if a client has a specific, known calibration and the images to be viewed are color corrected; and

logic for inserting a selected state of the icon in the digital image to be viewed based on said determining if a client has a specific, known calibration and the images to be viewed are color corrected.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein said logic for determining if a client has a specific, known calibration and the images to be viewed are color corrected further comprises:

logic for determining the presence of an HTML stream sent by a browser associated with said client.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said logic for determining the presence of an HTML browser associated with said client further comprises:

logic for inserting the icon having the first state indicating that images being viewed are color corrected when a HTML stream is detected.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said logic for determining the presence of a HTML stream sent by a browser associated with said client further comprises:

logic for inserting the icon having the second state indicating that images being viewed are not color corrected when a HTML stream is not detected.