Image storage method and apparatus

• US 6,813,394 B1
• Filed: 08/30/1999
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kunihiro, Kusama, Kiyoshi, Enokida, Miyuki, Matsumoto, Kentaro
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/384,965
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 382/162, 382/173, 382/190, 382/192, 382/195, 382/232, 382/233, 707/1, 707/5, 707/7, 707/100, 707/200-205, 707/530, 345/593, 345/581, 345/612, 345/686, 358/1.9
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

A plurality of images and a feature of each of these images are stored in one image file. An attribute information area stores attribute information necessary to read out and display the images stored in the image file. A feature data area continuously stores features of the images stored in the image file. An image data area continuously stores image data of the images stored in the image file. Since one image file has the attribute information, the feature data area continuously storing the features of all images, and the image data area continuously storing all images, high-speed access to the image data and simple management of the image data are realized.

Claims

1. An image storage method of storing a plurality of images and a feature of each of the plurality of images, comprising:

a first writing step, of writing attribute information necessary to read out and display an image into an attribute information area formed in an image file;

a second writing step, of forming a feature data area in said image file and continuously storing features of the plurality of images in said feature data area; and

a third writing step, of forming an image data area in said image file and continuously storing image data of the plurality of images in the image data area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file stores data in the order of the attribute information area, the feature data area, and the image data area.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file stores data in the order of the feature data area, the attribute information area, and the image data area.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file stores data in the order of the image data area, the attribute information area, and the feature data area.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file stores data in the order of the feature data area, the image data area, and the attribute information area.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image file stores data in the order of the image data area, the feature data area, and the attribute information area.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information stored in the attribute information area contains at least one of information indicating a version of a method of storing image data in the image file, information indicating the number of images, information indicating a size of an image, information indicating an image compression method, and information indicating a method of calculating an image feature stored in the feature data area.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature is a value calculated from pixel values contained in each segmented area when an image is segmented into N parts.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the feature data area stores the same number of feature data for each of the plurality of images.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data area stores a compressed image obtained by compressing each image by a predetermined method.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data area stores an uncompressed image of each image.

12. An image storage apparatus for storing a plurality of images and a feature of each of the plurality of images, comprising:

first writing means for writing attribute information necessary to read out and display an image into an attribute information area formed in an image file;

second writing means for forming a feature data area in said image file and continuously storing features of the plurality of images in said feature data area; and

third writing means for forming an image data area in said image file and continuously storing image data of the plurality of images.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image file stores data in the order of said attribute information area, said feature data area, and said image data area.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image file stores data in the order of said feature data area, said attribute information area, and said image data area.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image file stores data in the order of said image data area, said attribute information area, and said feature data area.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image file stores data in the order of said feature data area, said image data area, and said attribute information area.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image file stores data in the order of said image data area, said feature data area, and said attribute information area.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the attribute information stored in said attribute information area contains at least one of information indicating a version of a method of storing image data in said image file, information indicating the number of images, information indicating a size of an image, information indicating an image compression method, and information indicating a method of calculating an image feature stored in said feature data area.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the feature is a value calculated from pixel values contained in each segmented area when an image is segmented into N parts.

20. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said feature data area stores the same number of feature data for each of the plurality of images.

21. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image data area stores a compressed image obtained by compressing each image data by a predetermined method.

22. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image data area stores an uncompressed image of each image data.

23. A storage medium storing a control program for allowing a computer to realize a process of storing a plurality of images and a feature of each of the plurality of images, said control program comprising:

a code of a first writing step, of writing attribute information necessary to read out and display an image into an attribute information area formed in an image file;

a code of a second writing step, of forming a feature data area in said image file and continuously storing features of the plurality of images in the feature data area; and

a code of a third writing step, of forming an image data area in said image file and continuously storing image data of the plurality of images in the image data area.

24. A storage medium storing a plurality of images and a feature of each of the plurality of images in a computer-readable form, comprising:

an attribute information area formed in an image file and storing attribute information necessary to read out and display an image;

a feature data area formed in said image file and continuously storing features of the plurality of images; and

an image data area formed in said image file and continuously storing image data of the plurality of images in the image data area.