Video-image control apparatus and method with image generating mechanism, and storage medium containing the video-image control program

• US 7,355,633 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2003
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurosawa, Takahiro, Tanaka, Kenichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Villecco; John M.
• Application Number:
  US10/679,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/14.04, 348/239, 348/159, 348/157, 348/211.8, 34833301-33312, 348/14.02, 348/14.05, 348/14.07, 348/14.08, 348/211.3, 348/211.12, 348/211.11, 348/218.1, 715/512, 725/105
• US Class Current: 348/211.8
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A video-image control apparatus enables a client to obtain the details of an object in a displayed video image. For this purpose, when the angle of a camera 1003 is changed in accordance with an instruction from an external device, it is determined whether or not the object (e.g., a copier) is within an image sensing view. If it is determined that the object is within the image sensing view, the current status of the object is obtained by request. Then, an image of a character string indicative of the status information is generated, and combined with the video image. The combined image is transferred via a communication interface unit to the external device.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving a video image obtained by a predetermined image sensing means;

generating means for generating an additional image to be combined and displayed with an image of an object in the video image received by said reception means;

control means for controlling generation of the additional image by said generating means, in accordance with image sensing condition of the video image received by said reception means; and

transmission means for transmitting first internet page data including the object image and the additional image to a client,

wherein the additional image is a link image which enables the client to start reception of second internet page data about the object from another network terminal which can provide information related to the object.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image sensing condition includes an image sensing angle.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image sensing condition includes a zoom ratio.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional image is an annotation on each object in the video image.

5. An image processing method comprising:

a reception step of receiving a video image obtained by a predetermined image sensing means;

a generating step of generating an additional image to be combined and displayed with an image of an object in the video image received at said reception step;

a control step of controlling generation of the additional image at said generating step, in accordance with image sensing condition of the video image received at said reception step; and

a transmission step of transmitting first internet page data including the object image and the additional image to a client,

wherein the additional image is a link image which enables the client to start reception of second internet page data about the object from another network terminal which can provide information related to the object.

6. A computer readable storage medium containing a computer-readable control program comprising:

reception process program codes of receiving a video image obtained by a predetermined image sensing means;

generating process program codes of generating an additional image to be combined and displayed with an image of an object in the video image received at said reception process;

control process program codes of controlling generation of the additional image at said generating process, in accordance with image sensing condition of the video image received at said reception process; and

transmission process program codes of transmitting first internet page data including the object image and the additional image to a client,

wherein the additional image is a link image which enables the client to start reception of second internet page data about the object from another network terminal which can provide information related to the object.