Method of processing plurality of images arranged in chronological order

• US 7,984,370 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugahara, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton; Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dasgupta; Soumya
• Application Number:
  US11/803,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20070269090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 715/202, 715/211, 715/238, 715/249, 715/277, 715/726, 715/730
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals

Abstract

A meeting data conversion application executed in a PC successively obtains the first and last images and an image immediately before reduction of display content, among a plurality of images arranged in chronological order. Among the obtained images, an image immediately before reduction of display content by a prescribed amount or more and the last image are registered as delimiting images. Among the obtained images, the images from the image immediately after the delimiting image to the next delimiting image are processed as one image group.

Claims

1. A method for processing all of a plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order, comprising the steps of:

comparing two consecutive images in the plurality of captured images;

determining whether the latter image of the consecutive images has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image of the consecutive images and whether the reduction in the amount of display content meets a certain threshold,

when the latter image has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image, identifying the earlier image as a selected image;

when the reduction in the amount of display content meets the certain threshold, identifying the earlier image as a delimiting image;

displaying the selected images and the delimiting images.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying as a selected image a first image of said plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying as a last delimiting image a last image of said plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order.

4. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of processing one or more selected images from a selected image immediately after said delimiting image to a next delimiting image, as one image group.

5. The image processing method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of outputting said one or more selected images in said image group as a still image to a medium.

6. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein said medium is at least one of paper and electronic paper.

7. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of said one or more selected images are output in an overlapped manner in said medium.

8. The image processing method according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of one or more selected images are arranged in order of time and overlapped in such a manner that a first image is lighter and a last image is darker.

9. The image processing method according to claim 8, wherein an order in which said plurality of one or more selected images are arranged is chronologically ascending order or descending order.

10. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein

a still image having a plurality of layers can be displayed in said medium, and

the one or more selected images from a selected image immediately after said delimiting image to a next delimiting image are arranged in respective layers and output.

11. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the display content of the earlier image entirely disappearing in the latter image.

12. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the display content of the earlier image being reduced by at least half in the latter image.

13. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the latter image being indistinguishable in a medium on which the latter image is displayed.

14. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes that a rectangular region including display content in the earlier image is reduced by at least half in the latter image.

15. A non-transient computer-readable recording medium having a program stored therein for processing all of a plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order, said program causing a computer to perform the following steps:

comparing two consecutive images in the plurality of captured images;

determining whether the latter image of the consecutive images has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image of the consecutive images and whether the reduction in the amount of display content meets a certain threshold;

when the latter image has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image, identifying the earlier image as a selected image;

when the reduction in the amount of display content meets the certain threshold, identifying the earlier image as a delimiting image; and

displaying the selected images and the delimiting images.

16. The recording medium according to claim 15, said program further causing a computer to perform the step of identifying as a selected image a first image of said captured images arranged in chronological order.

17. The recording medium according to claim 15, said program further causing a computer to perform the step of identifying as a last delimiting image a last image of said plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order.

18. The recording medium according to claim 15, said program further causing a computer to perform the step of processing one or more selected images from a selected image immediately after said delimiting image to a next delimiting image, as one image group.

19. The recording medium according to claim 18, said program further causing a computer to perform the step of outputting said one or more selected images in said image group as a still image to a medium.

20. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 19, wherein said medium is at least one of paper and electronic paper.

21. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 19, wherein a plurality of said one or more selected images are output in an overlapped manner in said medium.

22. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 21, wherein said plurality of said one or more selected images are arranged in order of time and overlapped in such a manner that a first image is lighter and a last image is darker.

23. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 22, wherein an order in which said plurality of said one or more selected images are arranged is chronologically ascending order or descending order.

24. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 19, wherein

a still image having a plurality of layers can be displayed in said medium, and the one or more selected images from a selected image immediately after said delimiting image to a next delimiting image are arranged in respective layers and output.

25. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 15, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the display content of the earlier image entirely disappearing in the latter image.

26. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 15, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the display content of the earlier image being reduced by at least half in the latter image.

27. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 15, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes the latter image being indistinguishable in a medium on which the latter image is displayed.

28. The program stored in the recording medium according to claim 15, wherein said reduction of the amount of display content meeting the certain threshold includes that a rectangular region including display content in the earlier image is reduced by at least half in the latter image.

29. An image processing apparatus adapted for processing all of a plurality of captured images arranged in chronological order, comprising a processor and a memory, the processor programmed to:

compare two consecutive images in the plurality of images,

determine whether the latter image of the consecutive images has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image of the consecutive images and whether the reduction in the amount of display content meets a certain threshold,

when the latter image has a reduced amount of display content relative to the earlier image, identify the earlier image as a selected image,

when the reduction in the amount of display content meets the certain threshold, identify the earlier image as a delimiting image, and

display the selected images and the delimiting images.