Method, system and apparatus for media customization

• US 8,401,334 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Neville, William Kennedy, Kravits, Donald, Groth, Barbara Ann, Cohan, Maya, Carpenter, Jason Andrew, Carpenter, Michael Andrew, Rindfuss, Robert, Norpchen, Lars Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Cunningham, Gregory F
• Application Number:
  US12/340,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 345/620, 345/624, 382/190, 382/284
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• 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 1/00143 Ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00148 Storage information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00161 Viewing or previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00183 Photography assistance, e.g. displaying suggestions to the user
• 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 1/00198 Creation of a soft photo presentation, e.g. digital slide-show
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method for customizing media is provided. The method comprises obtaining an image including at least one image of a portion of a person. The method further comprises extracting the at least one image of a portion of a person from the image based on object finding and generating customized media including the at least one image of a portion of a person extracted from the scene image. An amusement park attraction is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for customizing media comprising:

obtaining from a first computing system a first image including at least one image of a portion of a person;

extracting by a second computing system the at least one image of a portion of a person from the first image based on object finding;

tagging the extracted at least one image of a portion of a person thereby associating it with the first image; and

generating by a third computing system customized media including the tagged at least one image of a portion of a person extracted from the first image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of extracting comprises extracting at least one facial image associated with the at least one image of a portion of a person from the image based on face finding.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising cropping the at least one facial image along a boundary of the facial image.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the operation of generating customized media includes generating customized media including the at least one cropped facial image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the customized media includes a stock animation with at least one character customized to include the at least one cropped facial image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of extracting comprises extracting an at least partially obscured image of a portion of a person from the scene image.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising altering the at least one cropped guest image.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the operation of obtaining an image comprises obtaining a ride image of at least one guest in an amusement park ride car;

the operation of extracting comprises extracting the at least one image of a portion of the guest from the ride image based on object finding;

cropping the at least one image of a portion of the guest; and

the operation of generating customized media includes generating customized media including the at least one cropped image of a portion of the guest extracted from the at least one ride image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one image of a portion of a guest comprises at least a portion of a guest facial image, the operation of extracting comprises extracting the at least one guest facial image from the image based on face finding, the operation of cropping comprises cropping the at least one guest facial image, and the operation of generating customized media comprises generating customized media including the at least one cropped guest facial image extracted from the at least one ride image.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

associating metadata with the at least one image of a portion of the guest.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

associating a sequence of data with the at least one image of a portion of the guest sufficient to identify a guest vehicle and seat location from a plurality of guest vehicle and seat locations.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the operation of associating a sequence of data further comprises associating a time identifier with the at least one image of a portion of the guest.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a selection of a particular stock media from a plurality of stock media;

wherein the operation of generating customized media includes customizing the selected stock media to include the at least one image of a portion of the guest on a stock character of the selected stock media.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

transmitting the image to a remote computer;

at the remote computer, extracting the at least one image of a portion of the guest from the image based on object finding;

cropping the at least one image of a portion of the guest;

generating customized media including the at least one cropped at least one image of a portion of the guest extracted from the at least one ride image;

displaying the customized media on a display positioned on the amusement park ride car based on the sequence of data associated with the at least one image of a portion of the guest.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

transmitting the customized media to a computing device positioned on the amusement park ride car, the computing device in communication with the display.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a second image including a second portion of the person;

extracting the second portion of the person from the second image; and

tagging the second portion of the person, thereby associating it with the first image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating customized media comprises utilizing at least the tagged extracted at least one image of a portion of a person and the extracted second portion of the person.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the first computer system, the second computer system and the third computer system comprise one computer system.