Display device and method for determining an area of importance in an original image

• US 8,659,619 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Fund 83 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Cannon, James W., Belz, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sams, Michelle L
• Application Number:
  US10/810,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20050212817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,623 Days
• Field of Search: 345/423, 345/619, 345/620, 345/621, 345/622, 345/623, 345/624, 345/625, 345/628, 345/642, 345/671, 345/660, 345/661, 382/173, 382/190, 382/195, 382/199, 382/200, 382/203, 382/218, 382/209, 382/168, 382/255, 382/171
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

Display devices and methods for operating a display device are provided. A display device has a source of an original image and a display. A user input system is adapted to generate a non-directional signal in response to a user input action. A controller is provided and is adapted to detect the non-directional signal and to successively designate a different one of a set of portions of the original image in response to each non-directional signal. The controller is further adapted to cause the display to present a portion evaluation image showing the currently designated portion of the original image and to determine and area of importance in the original image based upon the currently designated portion. At least one of the portions of the set of portions of the original image is non-central with respect to the original image.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a source of an original image;

a display;

a user input system adapted to generate a signal in response to a user input action, wherein the user input action is not directional in that there is no apparent correlation between a direction of movement of user input controls and a location of a designated portion of the original image; and

a controller adapted to determine a set of portions of the original image, the set of portions determined based at least on a frequency analysis of the original image to identify areas of the original image that are in focus and the set of portions defined corresponding to each of the identified in focus areas in the image, the set of portions including at least one portion having less than all of another portion, each portion including less than all of the original image and with the set having at least one portion that is non-central with respect to the original image and to successively designate a different one of a set of portions of the original image in response to the signal and adapted to cause the display to present a portion evaluation image showing the currently designated portion of the original image and to determine an area of importance in the original image based upon the currently designated portion;

wherein each portion evaluation image shows the currently designated portion having a magnification, that is greater than the magnification that the currently designated portion has when the currently designated portion is presented as a part of the original image.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to generate area of importance data defining the portion of the original image determined to be the area of importance based upon the determined area of importance and to associate the area of importance data with the original image so that a person having access to the original image can also determine which area of the image was determined to be the area of importance.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the controller associates the area of importance data with the original image by storing the area of importance data as metadata in a digital image that comprises the original image.

4. The display device of claim 2, wherein the controller associates the area of importance data with the original image by storing the area of importance data as metadata on a photosensitive film bearing the original image.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further adapted to generate a revised image based upon image information from the area of importance and to store the revised image.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein the controller is further adapted to resample the revised image so that the revised image has image characteristics that correspond to the image characteristics of the original image.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the user input system generates a save input in response to a save user input action and, in response thereto, the controller uses the currently designated portion to determine an area of importance.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the user input system generates a reset signal in response to a reset user input action and the controller does not designate an area of importance for an image when a reset action is detected.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the set of predetermined portions of the original image include less than 10 portions.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the user input system is adapted to receive a magnification input and to generate a magnification signal in response thereto and wherein the controller is adapted to use more than one set of portions of image information from the original image with each set having at least one portion therein that is sized differently from at least one portion in another set of the more than one set of portions, and with the controller selecting one of the more than one set based upon the magnification input.

11. A method comprising:

generating, using a processor, a signal in response to an input action;

determining, using the processor, a set of portions of an original image by identifying areas of the original image that are in focus, wherein each portion in the set includes less than all of the original image and the set includes at least one portion that is non-central with respect to the original image;

designating, using the processor, one of the set of portions of the original image in response to the generated signal;

presenting on a display a portion evaluation image showing the designated one of the set of portions of the original image; and

determining, using the processor, an area of importance in the original image based on the designated one of the set of portions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the areas of the original image are identified as in focus by performing a frequency analysis of the original image.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising successively designating a different one of the set of portions of the original image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the area of importance is based on a last designated portion.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the portion evaluation image shows the currently designated portion having a magnification that is greater than the magnification that the currently designated portion has when the currently designated portion is presented as a part of the original image.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating, using the processor, a revised image based on image information from the area of importance.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing, in a memory, area of importance data with the original image by storing metadata in the original image.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a source configured to provide an original image;

an input system configured to generate a signal in response to an input action; and

a controller configured to determine a set of portions of the original image by identifying areas of the original image that are in focus, wherein each portion in the set includes less than all of the original image and the set includes at least one portion that is non-central with respect to the original image, wherein the controller is further configured to designate one of the set of portions of the original image in response to the generated signal and determine an area of importance in the original image based on the designated one of the set of portions; and

a display configured to present a portion evaluation image showing the designated one of the set of portions of the original image.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the input action is not directional in that there is no apparent correlation between a direction of movement of input controls and a location of a designated portion of the original image.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the areas of the original image are identified as in focus based on a frequency analysis of the original image.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to successively designate a different one of the set of portions of the original image.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the area of importance is based on a last designated portion.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the portion evaluation image shows the currently designated portion having a magnification that is greater than the magnification that the currently designated portion has when the currently designated portion is presented as a part of the original image.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a storage configured to store a revised image generated based on image information from the area of importance.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the storage is configured to store area of importance data with the original image by storing metadata in the original image.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions for generating a signal in response to an input action;

instructions for determining a set of portions of an original image by identifying areas of the original image that are in focus, wherein each portion in the set includes less than all of the original image and the set includes at least one portion that is non-central with respect to the original image;

instructions for designating one of the set of portions of the original image in response to the generated signal;

instructions for presenting a portion evaluation image showing the designated one of the set of portions of the original image; and

instructions for determining an area of importance in the original image based on the designated one of the set of portions.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions for successively designating a different one of the set of portions of the original image.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the area of importance is based on a last designated portion.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the portion evaluation image shows the currently designated portion having a magnification that is greater than the magnification that the currently designated portion has when the currently designated portion is presented as a part of the original image.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions for generating a revised image based on image information from the area of importance.