Automatic photo studio

• US 7,668,446 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Takeshi, Nakahara, Yuka, Ohmizu, Manabu, Morimoto, Keiko, Kanou, Shigeru, Dote, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey; W. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fenwick; Warren K
• Application Number:
  US11/476,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20070014550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 396/1, 396/2, 348/722
• US Class Current: 396/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/00 Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
• 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 1/00145 from a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00151 with selective access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00161 Viewing or previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00164 at a remote location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

The present invention enables a user to photograph and edit a photograph suiting one'"'"'s taste slowly and while having fun. The automatic photo studio of this invention has a counter for a person to receive a user, a plurality of satellites having a function of receiving operations of a user and a function of showing various displays to the user, and a plurality of studios for photographing a subject. The automatic photo studio further includes a counter system provided in the vicinity of the counter for performing visitor processing and checkout processing to the user, a printer system provided in the vicinity of the counter for printing images based on subject images photographed in the studio, a satellite system provided to the satellite for enabling the user to edit the subject images photographed in the studio, and a studio system provided to the studio for controlling the photo shooting conditions and photo shoot timing. The satellite system and the studio system determine whether the user is an authorized user based on information written in a player information storage medium as an information storage medium in the possession of the user, and permit the user to use the satellite or the studio when the user is an official user as the authorized user.

Claims

1. An automatic photo studio having a counter for a person to receive a user, a plurality of satellites having a function of receiving operations of the user and a function of showing various displays to the user, and a plurality of studios for photographing a subject, said automatic photo studio comprising:

a counter system provided in the vicinity of said counter for performing visitor processing and checkout processing to the user;

a printer system provided in the vicinity of said counter for printing images based on subject images photographed in said studio;

a satellite system provided to said satellite for enabling the user to edit the subject images photographed in said studio; and

a studio system provided to said studio for controlling photo shooting conditions and photo shoot timing;

wherein said satellite system determines whether the user is an authorized user based on information written in a player information storage medium as an information storage medium in the possession of the user, and permits the user to use said satellite when the user is an official user as said authorized user, and

wherein said studio system determines whether the user is an authorized user based on information written in said player information storage medium in the possession of the user, and permits the user to use said studio when the user is an official user as said authorized user.

2. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein said counter system and said printer system are permitted to be used based on an operator information storage medium as an information storage medium in the possession of an operator on an operation side of said automatic photo studio.

3. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1,

wherein said studio system is controlled to photograph a prescribed number of images in one photo shoot play in said studio;

and

said satellite system displays a screen for the user to select an image as a candidate to be edited among a prescribed number of photo result images as photograph results.

4. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1,

wherein said studio system sends a photo result image to be thumbnailed on said satellite system while performing processing of separating a photographed image into an image of the subject and an image of a background, and sends images of a processing result after said separation processing is complete to a server system managing various files to be used in the overall system of said automatic photo studio.

5. The automatic photo studio according to claim 4, wherein said studio system abandons the photographed image when an image of the subject does not exist in said photographed image.

6. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein said studio system has a plurality of cameras installed at different heights, and said studio system takes photographs by simultaneously using at least two cameras selected among said plurality of cameras.

7. The automatic photo studio according to claim 6, wherein said studio system has a plurality of computer systems respectively corresponding to said plurality of cameras, and performs image processing respectively in at least two computer systems corresponding to the cameras that took the photos.

8. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein said studio system has position detection means capable of detecting a position of the subject, and said studio system performs focus control and strobe light control according to the position of the subject detected with said position detection means.

9. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1,

wherein said studio system has pressure detection means capable of detecting jump timing of the subject who jumped, and said studio system takes photos at the jump timing of the subject detected with said pressure detection means.

10. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein said studio system comprises:

photo shoot means for photographing the subject per frame;

detection means for detecting movement of the subject from a frame difference of the subject image photographed with said photo shoot means;

storage means storing a program of a game that advanced upon changing movement of a game character based on the detected movement of the subject;

image generation means for generating a synthesized image by synthesizing a game character image pre-stored in said storage means, and said subject image; and

display means for displaying said synthesized image;

wherein said studio system executes game processing in which the movement of said subject changes said game character according to a response to a detection signal from said detection means, and determines whether preset photo shooting conditions are satisfied during the execution of said game processing; and

stores a subject image photographed when said photo shooting conditions are satisfied in said storage means as a photo result image that is selectable by the user with said satellite.

11. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein said studio system comprises:

photo shoot means for photographing the subject per frame;

detection means for detecting the movement of the subject from the frame difference of the subject image photographed with said photo shoot means;

storage means storing a program of a game that advanced upon changing the movement of a game character based on the detected movement of the subject;

image generation means for generating a synthesized image by synthesizing a game character image pre-stored in said storage means, and said subject image; and

display means for displaying said synthesized image;

wherein said studio system executes game processing based on said game program, and displays on said display means a synthesized image generated in a time series with said image generation means; and

stores a subject image photographed when a photo shoot timing set to coincide with said game progress in said storage means as a photo result image that is selectable by the user with said satellite.

12. The automatic photo studio according to claim 1, wherein the studio system comprises:

a photo shoot means for photographing the subject per frame;

a detection means for detecting movement of the subject from a frame difference of the subject image photographed with said photo shoot means;

a storage means storing a program of a game that advances upon changing a movement of a game character based on the detected movement of the subject;

an image generation means for generating a synthesized image by synthesizing a game character image pre-stored in the storage means, and the subject image; and

a display means for displaying the synthesized image;

wherein the studio system executes game processing based on the game program, and displays on the display means a synthesized image generated in a time series with the image generation means; and

stores a subject image photographed when a photo shoot timing set to coincide with said game progress in the storage means as a photo result image that is selectable by the user with the satellite.

13. An automatic photo studio comprising:

a plurality of satellites configured to receive operations of a user and to show various displays to the user;

a plurality of studios configured to photograph a subject;

a satellite system provided to any one of the plurality of satellites, the satellite system enabling the user to edit subject images photographed in any one of the studios; and

a studio system provided to any one of the plurality of studios, the studio system controlling photo shooting conditions and photo shoot timing;

an authentication system operable to determine whether the user is an authorized user based on information stored in a player information storage medium in the possession of the user and to permit the user to use one or both of the satellite and studio systems when the user is determined as the authorized user.

14. The automatic photo studio according to claim 13,

wherein the studio system sends a photo result image to be thumbnailed on the satellite system while performing processing of separating a photographed image into an image of the subject and an image of a background, and sends images of a processing result after a separation processing is complete to a server system managing various files to be used in the automatic photo studio, and

wherein the studio system abandons the photographed image when an image of the subject does not exist in the photographed image.

15. The automatic photo studio according to claim 13,

wherein the studio system has a plurality of cameras installed at different heights, and the studio system takes photographs by simultaneously using at least two cameras selected among the plurality of cameras.

16. The automatic photo studio according to claim 15,

wherein the studio system has a plurality of computer systems respectively corresponding to the plurality of cameras, and performs image processing respectively in at least two computer systems corresponding to the cameras that took the photos.

17. The automatic photo studio according to claim 13,

wherein the studio system has a pressure detection means capable of detecting jump timing of the subject who jumped, and the studio system takes photos at the jump timing of the subject detected with the pressure detection means.

18. The automatic photo studio according to claim 13, wherein the studio system comprises:

a photo shoot means for photographing the subject per frame;

a detection means for detecting movement of the subject from a frame difference of the subject image photographed with the photo shoot means;

a storage means storing a program of a game that advances upon changing a movement of a game character based on the detected movement of the subject;

an image generation means for generating a synthesized image by synthesizing a game character image pre-stored in the storage means, and the subject image; and

a display means for displaying the synthesized image;

wherein the studio system executes game processing in which the movement of the subject changes the game character according to a response to a detection signal from the detection means, and determines whether preset photo shooting conditions are satisfied during the execution of the game processing; and

stores a subject image photographed when the photo shooting conditions are satisfied in the storage means as a photo result image that is selectable by the user with the satellite.