Database production method, database production program, database production apparatus and image content recording apparatus

• US 8,340,475 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Masaru
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES, JOSE
• Application Number:
  US11/876,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20080166051A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190, 382/305, 382/306, 707705-707, 707/790, 707/800, 707/802
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text

Abstract

The present invention provides a database production method including: a representative image selection step of selecting certain images each as a representative image which represents an image content from the image content; a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image; an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and a database production step of registering representative characteristic information extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method and the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step in an associated relationship with each other to produce a database for acquiring, using arbitrary image characteristic information for each image extracted from an arbitrary image content in accordance with the extraction method, substance character information corresponding to an image which the arbitrary image content has.

Claims

1. A database method comprising:

a representative image selection step of selecting a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a characteristic information extraction step of executing a characteristic information extraction process concurrently with a recording process of the image content;

a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production step of registering representative characteristic information, extracted from the representative image in the characteristic information extraction step in accordance with a predetermined extraction method, in an associated relationship with the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step to produce a database for acquiring substance character information corresponding to an arbitrary image extracted from an arbitrary image content using characteristic information of the extracted arbitrary image, wherein the representative characteristic information represents a block of images including images similar to each other.

2. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative image is selected using moving picture characteristic information produced from the image content in accordance with the extraction method.

3. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative image is selected for a scene change.

4. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the database production step, the image text information and a representative characteristic information identifier which represents the representative characteristic information are registered in an associated relationship with each other.

5. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, moving picture image characteristic information produced from the image content in accordance with the extraction method is recorded into a predetermined recording section and the representative image is selected using the moving picture image characteristic information.

6. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, moving picture image characteristic information extracted from the image content in accordance with the extraction method is recorded into a predetermined recording section and the representative image is selected using the moving picture image characteristic information;

and

at the database production step, a representative characteristic information identifier and the image text information are recorded into the database thereby to record the representative characteristic information and the image text information in an associated relationship with each other.

7. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein the image content is recorded in a predetermined recording section;

and the database production method further comprises;

a reproduction step of reproducing the image content recorded in the recording section concurrently to the representative image selection step.

8. The database production method according to claim 7, wherein, at the display processing step, when a process at a reproduction step ends, the representative image is displayed on the display apparatus.

9. The database production method according to claim 1, further comprising:

an arbitrary inputting step of allowing the user to input image text information corresponding to a selection image selected by the user in accordance with a request of the user; and

an arbitrary registration step of registering selection characteristic information extracted from the selection image in accordance with the extraction method and the image text information in an associated relationship with each other.

10. The database production method according to claim 9, wherein, at the arbitrary registration step, moving picture characteristic information corresponding to the selection image is acquired as the selection characteristic information from a recording section.

11. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the operation inputting step, a database production process which includes the representative image selection step, display processing step, operation inputting step, and database production step is stopped in response to an operation input from the user.

12. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, the representative image is selected using sound characteristic information extracted from sound data which the image content has.

13. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the representative image selection step, a first representative image and a second representative image are selected using moving picture characteristic information and the second representative image, which is not similar to the first representative image utilized as the extraction source of the representative characteristic information registered in the database, is selected as a new representative image.

14. The database production method according to claim 1, wherein, at the operation inputting step, the operation inputting step and the database production step regarding the representative image which is being displayed are omitted and a next representative image is displayed in response to an operation input from the user.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions for causing a computer to execute operations comprising:

a representative image selection step of selecting a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a characteristic information extraction step of executing a characteristic information extraction process concurrently with a recording process of the image content;

a display processing step of causing a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting step of allowing a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image; and

a database production step of registering representative characteristic information, extracted from the representative image in the characteristic information extraction step in accordance with a predetermined extraction method, in an associated relationship with the image text information inputted at the operation inputting step to produce a database for acquiring substance character information corresponding to an arbitrary image extracted from an arbitrary image content using characteristic information of the extracted arbitrary image, wherein the representative characteristic information represents a block of images including images similar to each other.

16. A database production apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a representative image selection section that uses the processor to select a representative image which represents an image content from the image content;

a hard disk for recording the image content;

an image analysis section that executes a characteristic information extraction process concurrently with recording of the image content on the hard disk;

a display processing section configured to cause a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting section configured to allow a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image;

a database production section that uses the processor to register representative characteristic information, extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method, in an associated relationship with the image text information inputted by said operation inputting section to produce a database for acquiring substance character information corresponding to an arbitrary image extracted from an arbitrary image content using characteristic information of the extracted arbitrary image, wherein the representative characteristic information represents a block of images including images similar to each other; and

a memory to store the database.

17. An image content recording apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a recording section configured to record an image content;

an image analysis section configured to extract characteristic information concurrently with recording of the image content;

a representative image selection section using the processor to select a representative image which represents the image content from the image content;

a display processing section configured to cause a display apparatus to display the representative image;

an operation inputting section configured to allow a user to input image text information corresponding to the representative image;

a database production section using the processor to register representative characteristic information, extracted from the representative image in accordance with a predetermined extraction method, in an associated relationship with the image text information inputted by said operation inputting section to produce a database for acquiring substance character information corresponding to an arbitrary image extracted from an arbitrary image content using characteristic information of the extracted arbitrary image, wherein the representative characteristic information represents a block of images including images similar to each other; and

a memory to store the database.