Frame specifying method

• US 8,020,188 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Urushihara, Masashi, Terasaki, Takashi, Komai, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US12/169,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 725/78, 725/90, 725/113
• US Class Current: 725/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

To provide a technology of properly specifying a process target frame in a dynamic image in accordance with a user'"'"'s instruction. A frame specifying device plays a dynamic image, receives, when a user performs an operation of instructing execution of a process about a partial scene in the dynamic image, an instruction signal based on the user'"'"'s operation, and specifies, as triggered by receiving the instruction signal, a frame under the play or a frame distanced by a predetermined length of time from the frame under the play as the process target frame when receiving the instruction signal in the frames constructing the dynamic image.

Claims

1. A frame specifying method executed by a computer, comprising:

playing a dynamic image;

receiving an instruction signal based on an operation of instructing execution of a process about a partial scene in the dynamic image by a user; and

specifying, as triggered by receiving the instruction signal, a frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal as a process target frame in the frames constructing the dynamic image, and if a keyword character does not exist in the process target frame, specifying any one of a first frame and a second frame oppositely distanced to each other by a predetermined length of time from the process target frame;

wherein the predetermined length of time is determined based on a time-lag between the user'"'"'s operation and receiving the instruction signal.

2. A frame specifying method according to claim 1, wherein the frame anterior to the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal in the series of frames constructing the dynamic image, is specified as the process target frame.

3. A frame specifying method according to claim 1, wherein the frame disposed at a predetermined interval in the series of frames constructing the dynamic image is specified as the process target frame.

4. A frame specifying method according to claim 1, wherein the frame satisfying a condition for a CM (Commercial Message) is specified as the process target frame from the partial scene by comparing the frames in the dynamic image.

5. A frame specifying method according to claim 4, wherein the frame within a predetermined period in the plurality of frames satisfying the condition for the CM and in a frame group defined as a group of frames that are continuous in time-series, is set as the process target frame.

6. A frame specifying method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined period corresponds to a second half area in the frame group, or an area after a predetermined length of time from the beginning, or an area before the predetermined length of time from the end.

7. A frame specifying method according to claim 1, wherein the process includes extracting the keyword character from the process target frame.

8. A frame specifying method according to claim 7, wherein the frame before the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal, is set as the process target frame, and

if the keyword character still does not exist, the frame after the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal, is set as the process target frame.

9. A frame specifying method according to claim 8, wherein the frames are stored in a storage unit, and

the frame before the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal, is read from the storage unit and set as an analysis target frame.

10. A frame specifying device comprising:

a playing unit to play a dynamic image;

an instruction receiving unit to receive an instruction signal based on an operation of instructing execution of a process about a partial scene in the dynamic image by a user; and

a frame specifying unit to specify, as triggered by receiving the instruction signal, a frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal as a process target frame in the frames constructing the dynamic image, and if a keyword character does not exist in the process target frame, to specify any one of a first frame and a second frame oppositely distanced to each other by a predetermined length of time from the process target frame;

wherein the predetermined length of time is determined based on a time-lag between the user'"'"'s operation and receiving the instruction signal.

11. A frame specifying device according to claim 10, wherein the frame specifying unit specifies, as the process target frame, the frame anterior to the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal in the series of frames constructing the dynamic image.

12. A frame specifying device according to claim 10, wherein the frame specifying unit specifies, as the process target frame, the frame disposed at a predetermined interval in the series of frames constructing the dynamic image.

13. A frame specifying device according to claim 10, wherein the frame specifying unit specifies, as the process target frame, the frame satisfying a condition for a CM (Commercial Message) from the partial scene by comparing the frames in the dynamic image.

14. A frame specifying device according to claim 13, wherein the frame specifying unit specifies, as the process target frame, the frame within a predetermined period in the plurality of frames satisfying the condition for the CM and in a frame group defined as a group of frames that are continuous in time-series.

15. A frame specifying device according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined period corresponds to a second half area in the frame group, or an area after a predetermined length of time from the beginning, or an area before the predetermined length of time from the end.

16. A frame specifying device according to claim 10, further comprising an extracting unit to extract, by way of the process, the keyword character from the process target frame.

17. A frame specifying device according to claim 16, wherein the frame specifying unit sets, as the process target frame, the frame before the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal, and sets, as the process target frame, if the keyword character still does not exist, the frame after the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal.

18. A frame specifying device according to claim 17, wherein the frames are stored in a storage unit, and

the frame before the predetermined length of time from the frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal, is read from the storage unit and set as an analysis target frame.

19. A frame specifying device according to claim 10, wherein the dynamic image is defined as TV broadcasting signals that are televised.

20. A storage medium readable by a computer, tangible embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps comprising:

playing a dynamic image;

receiving an instruction signal based on an operation of instructing execution of a process about a partial scene in the dynamic image by a user; and

specifying, as triggered by receiving the instruction signal, a frame under the play when receiving the instruction signal as a process target frame in the frames constructing the dynamic image, and if a keyword character does not exist in the process target frame, specifying any one of a first frame and a second frame oppositely distanced to each other by a predetermined length of time from the process target frame;

wherein the predetermined length of time is determined based on a time-lag between the user'"'"'s operation and receiving the instruction signal.