Method and system for optimizing the display of a subject of interest in a digital image

• US 7,006,091 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Masera, Eric, Risson, Valery J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRENDERGAST, ROBERTA D
• Application Number:
  US10/306,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20030103065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 345/625, 345/638, 345/660, 345/667, 345/670, 345/698, 345/428
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32507 a plurality of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32523 a plurality of output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33315 reading or reproducing mode only, e.g. sheet size, resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3875 combined with enlarging or reducing enlarging or reducing per se H04N1/393
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of digital imaging. It relates to a method and a system for selecting a subject of interest in a digital image, so as to be able to then display this subject of interest on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity. The present invention enables the display directly and automatically on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity, of subjects of interest, previously selected in an original image. This is done based on a simple operation or request executed from the terminal with low display capacity. This enables the image to be exploited correctly, by viewing the subjects of interest of the original image, in the best possible conditions of image rendering, given the display capacity of said terminal. The application of the present invention is in the area of the users of terminals with low display capacity.

Claims

1. An automatic method for viewing on a screen of a terminal with low display capacity, at least two subjects of interest selected in an original still digital image previously requested and displayed on a terminal with sufficient display capacity that can communicate with the terminal with low display capacity, said method comprising the steps of:

a) operating a request for the original image, from the terminal with low display capacity;

b) automatically determining the limits, in the original image, of at least two areas in which the at least two selected subjects of interest are enclosed;

c) automatically saving pixel data characterizing the at least two areas of the at least two subjects of interest;

d) automatically determining, according to stored display characteristics of the terminal with low display capacity from which the request is operated, at least two optimal framing formats of the at least two areas of the at least two subjects of interest; and

e) automatically displaying on the screen of the terminal with low display capacity, successive optimized modified images corresponding to the at least two framing areas determined in step d).

2. A system for viewing on a screen of a terminal with low display capacity, at least two subjects of interest selected in an original still digital image previously requested and displayed on a screen of a terminal with sufficient display capacity, the system comprising:

a) at least one terminal having a screen with low display capacity;

b) at least one device, comprising the terminal with sufficient display capacity, adapted to intercommunicate and to enable a display and a saving of the original digital image;

c) an interface device linked to the terminal having a screen with low display capacity, said interface device enabling a communication by a specific link of image digital data between said terminal and said at least one device; and

d) a software program enabling, based on a request operated from the terminal with low display capacity, an automatic display on the screen of said terminal of successive optimized modified images corresponding to framing areas of the at least two subjects of interest of the original image, said framing areas being optimized in relation to stored display characteristics of said terminal.