System and method for framing an image

• US 7,184,061 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2003
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Rao, Sumita
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US10/701,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/634, 382/162, 382/307
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation

Abstract

A method of applying a frame to an image is provided, with the method operating on an image processor. The framing method uses a compact and flexible frame description for building a frame in a particular style. The frame description includes one or more graphical frame assets that are indicative of a portion of the frame. A frame rule provides instruction to the image processor on how to process and place the frame asset(s) into the frame, and how to apply the frame to the image. The framed image may then be published for local viewing, remote viewing, printing, or storing.

Claims

1. A method of framing an image on a mobile wireless communication device comprising:

providing an image processor on the mobile wireless communications, a memory readable by the image processor on the mobile wireless device, a frame description in the memory comprising a frame rule and at least one frame asset, the frame rule and a first frame asset usable by the image processor to generate a first portion of a frame usable to form a partial frame around an image, further requiring at least a second portion to be generated to make a complete frame, the image having a size and resolution, and where each frame portion is generated using a scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image;

retrieving a first frame asset associated with the frame description;

generating a plurality of first frame blocks using the first frame asset, the first frame blocks being generated according to the frame rule; and

placing the first frame blocks according to the frame rule, the first frame blocks positioned to form at least a portion of the frame for the image.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a second frame asset;

generating a plurality of second frame blocks using the second frame asset, the second frame blocks being generated according to the frame rule; and

placing the second frame blocks according to the frame rule, the first frame blocks and the second frame blocks positioned to form the frame for the image.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

accepting user input from a control; and

adjusting at least one of the first frame blocks responsive to the user input.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the user input specifies a width.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the frame extends continuously around the image.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the first frame blocks are positioned on the image.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the first frame blocks generated using the corner asset are positioned at at least one corner of the image.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the first frame blocks are positioned adjacent to the image.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first frame asset is a corner asset, and generating the first frame blocks includes rotating the corner asset.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first frame asset is a tile, and the first frame blocks generated using the tile are positioned to form a portion of the frame along an edge of the image.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first frame asset is a graphics file.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first frame asset is a formula.

13. A method of framing an image on a mobile wireless communication device comprising:

providing an image processor on the mobile wireless communications, a memory readable by the image processor on the mobile wireless device, a frame description in the memory comprised of a frame rule and at least one frame asset, the frame rule and a first frame asset usable by the image processor to generate a first portion of a frame usable to form a partial frame around an image, further requiring at least a second portion to be generated to make a complete frame, the image having a size and resolution, and where each frame portion is generated using a scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image;

retrieving a corner asset associated with the frame description, the corner asset being indicative of a corner segment of a frame, the frame having a scalable dimension, the scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image;

generating four corner blocks using the corner asset, the corner blocks being generated by rotating the corner asset 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees, respectively; and

placing one of the corner blocks at each corner of the image.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

retrieving an edge asset, the edge asset being indicative of an edge segment of the frame; and

generating edge frame blocks using the edge asset, the edge frame blocks being sufficient to fill between two of the corner blocks along a side of the image.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising generating other edge frame blocks by rotating the edge asset, the other edge frame blocks being sufficient to fill between two of the corner blocks along another side of the image.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

generating edge frame blocks using the corner asset, the edge frame blocks being sufficient to fill between two of the corner blocks along a side of the image.

17. A mobile wireless communication device comprising:

an image processor on the mobile wireless communications device;

a memory readable by the image processor on the mobile wireless device; and

a frame description in the memory comprising

at least one frame asset, the frame asset being a graphics file indicative of a segment of a frame, and,

a frame rule, the frame rule including instructions on processing the frame asset into a first frame block usable for framing an image by the image processor, the image having a size and a resolution, and placing the first frame block to form a portion of a frame, the first frame block having a scalable dimension, the scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image, further requiring at least a second frame block to be generated by the image processor to make a complete frame, the second frame block also having a scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image.

18. A mobile wireless communication device comprising:

an image processor on the mobile wireless communications device;

a memory readable by the image processor on the mobile wireless device;

a frame description in the memory comprising

a corner asset, the corner asset being a graphics file indicative of a corner segment of a frame, and,

an edge asset, the edge asset being a graphics file indicative of an edge segment of the frame, and,

a frame rule, the frame rule including instructions on processing by the image processor the corner asset and the edge asset into a plurality of frame blocks, and placing the frame blocks to form the frame, the frame blocks having a scalable dimension, the scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of an image to be framed.

19. A method of publishing a framed image on a mobile wireless communication device comprising:

providing an image processor on the mobile wireless communications device, a memory readable by the image processor on the mobile wireless device, a frame description in the memory comprised of a frame rule and at least one frame asset, the frame rule and a first frame asset usable by the image processor to generate a first portion of a frame usable to form a partial frame around an image, further requiring at least a second portion to be generated to make a complete frame, the image having a size and resolution, and where each frame portion is generated using a scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image;

selecting a frame style;

retrieving the frame rule and the one or more frame assets that are associated with the frame style;

generating frame blocks using the frame asset(s) in accordance with the frame rule;

placing the frame blocks in accordance with the frame rule to form a frame for the image, the frame having a scalable dimension, the scalable dimension independent from the size and resolution of the image;

generating the framed image using the frame and the image; and

publishing the framed image.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the acquiring step includes taking the image with a digital camera module.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein the acquiring step includes downloading the image over a wireless network.

22. The method according to claim 19 wherein the selecting step includes previewing a thumbnail of the frame.

23. The method according to claim 19 wherein the frame rule includes instructions on rotating one of the assets to generate one of the frame blocks.

24. The method according to claim 19 wherein the frame rule accepts a user input in placing at least one of the frame blocks.

25. The method according to claim 19 wherein the frame rule accepts a user input in sizing at least one of the frame blocks.

26. The method according to claim 19 wherein the frame is placed adjacent to the image.

27. The method according to claim 19 wherein the frame is on the image, and deforms image pixels.

28. The method according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the frame assets is retrieved from a local memory.

29. The method according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the frame assets is retrieved from a remote server.

30. The method according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the frame assets is retrieved from a remote server using a wireless network.

31. The method according to claim 19 wherein the publishing step includes transmitting the framed image using a wireless network.

32. The method according to claim 19 wherein the placing step includes accepting user input from a user control.

33. The method according to claim 19 wherein the placing step includes using the image processor to analyze the image and placing at least one of the frame blocks responsive to the analysis.

34. The method according to claim 19 wherein the image is a picture.

35. The method according to claim 19 wherein the image is a sequence forming an animation.

36. The method according to claim 19 wherein the image is a is a sequence forming a movie.