Information device and computer product

• US 7,496,215 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Takeda, Akihiro, Taniguchi, Shigeki, Kikuchi, Misao, Tanaka, Kenichi, Yamamoto, Mitsuhiko, Kage, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabatabai; Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US10/862,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20040233221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/116, 382/117, 382/118, 382/155, 382/282, 382/285, 345/6, 345/419, 345/420, 345/506, 345/619, 345/663, 345/678, 348/267, 348/824, 455/422.1
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• 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 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0014 via e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• 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 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

A transmission-side cellular phone sends, via a mail server, to a reception-side cellular phone a face image and its attribute information as an attachment to an email. The reception-side cellular phone extracts the face image from the email, selects face part images from among a plurality of face part images stored in the face part storing section, combines the face image and the selected face parts, and displays the combined image. The reception-side cellular phone selects the face part images based on, for example, a number of times a telephone call from a person was not attended in a predetermined period.

Claims

1. An information device comprising:

an image obtaining unit that obtains a first face image and a second face image;

a method determining unit that determines a method for combining from a plurality of methods; and

an image combining unit that combines the first face image and the second face image based on the method for combining to obtain a combined face image, wherein the plurality of methods include at least one of a method of using a total face or face parts, a method of using random numbers to determine which parts of a face image are to be used, a method of using a position or a shape of a total face and face parts of a face image, and a method of using an intermediate value of face parts of a face image.

2. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising a communications unit that transmits the first face image, the second face image, or the combined face image to other information device.

3. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising

a digital camera that acquires the first face image and the second face image, and the image obtaining unit obtains the first face image and the second face image acquired by the digital camera.

4. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising

a memory that stores the first face image and the second face image acquired via a communications line and the image obtaining unit obtains the first face image and the second face image from the memory.

5. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a digital camera that acquires the first face image; and

a memory that stores the second face image acquired via a communications line, and the image obtaining unit obtains the first face image from the digital camera and the second face image from the memory.

6. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising

an operating unit with which an operator can select the first face image and the second face image from among a plurality of face images.

7. The information device according to claim 1, the method for combining is one or more selected from group consisting of

using eyes and mouth of the first face image and using a total face and other face parts of the second face image,

using parts of the first face image and the second face image based on generation of random numbers,

using a position information of the total face and the face parts of the first face image, and using shapes of the total face and the face parts of the second face image, and

using an intermediate value of the face parts of the first face image and the second face image.

8. The information device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays the first face image, the second face image, or the combined face image.

9. A computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program containing instruction which when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform:

acquiring a first face image and a second face image;

determining a method for combining;

combining the first face image and the second face image based on the method for combining to obtain a combined face image; and

displaying the combined face image, wherein the method includes at least one of a method of using a total face or face parts, a method of using random numbers to determine which parts of a face image are to be used, a method of using a position or a shape of a total face and face parts of a face image, and a method of using an intermediate value of face parts of a face image.