Embedding hot spots in imaged documents

• US 8,949,287 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hull, Jonathan J., Erol, Berna, Graham, Jamey, Van Olst, Daniel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED HAROON
• Application Number:
  US11/461,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20070047818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,109 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/102, 382/103
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition

Abstract

A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system and associated techniques are disclosed. The MMR system provides mechanisms for forming a mixed media document that includes media of at least two types (e.g., printed paper as a first medium and digital content and/or web link as a second medium). In one particular embodiment, the MMR system includes a method, system, and computer program product for adding a hotspot to an imaged document. A source document is converted to an imaged document, from which features are extracted. Hotspots are added to the imaged document, and the imaged document, hotspot definitions, and the feature representation are stored.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of adding a hotspot definition to an imaged document to create a mixed media document, the method executed by a computer and comprising:

converting a source document into the imaged document from which a feature representation can be extracted;

extracting features from the imaged document to create the feature representation;

receiving a first user input for the hotspot definition that comprises a first coordinate location of a first bounding box for a hotspot in the imaged document and at least one of a media or an action that is associated with the first coordinate location, wherein the hotspot comprises a portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box;

determining whether the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot is in a database based on an amount of information included in the first bounding box;

in response to determining that the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box does not uniquely identify the hotspot in the database, receiving a second user input to change the hotspot definition to a second coordinate location of a second bounding box, the second bounding box comprising the first bounding box and containing a larger amount of information than the first bounding box, wherein the larger amount of information contained in the second bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in the database; and

storing, as the mixed media document, the imaged document, the hotspot definition, and the feature representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting comprises scanning the source document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein converting comprises rendering the source document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the features further comprises, in response to a print command, capturing coordinates corresponding to a printed representation of the imaged document.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a page layout using the feature representation, the page layout comprising a printed representation of the imaged document including the hot spot.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing the page layout.

7. A computer program product for adding a hotspot definition to an imaged document to create a mixed media document, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, coded on the medium, for;

converting a source document into the imaged document from which a feature representation can be extracted;

extracting features from the imaged document to create the feature representation;

receiving a first user input for the hotspot definition that comprises a first coordinate location of a first bounding box for a hotspot in the imaged document and at least one of a media or an action that is associated with the first coordinate location, wherein the hotspot comprises a portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box;

determining whether the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in a database based on an amount of information included in the first bounding box;

in response to determining that the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box does not uniquely identify the hotspot in the database, receiving a second user input to change the hotspot definition to a second coordinate location of a second bounding box, the second bounding box comprising the first bounding box and containing a larger amount of information than the first bounding box, wherein the larger amount of information contained in the second bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in the database; and

storing, as the mixed media document, the imaged document, the hotspot definition, and the feature representation.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein converting comprises scanning the source document.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein converting comprises rendering the source document.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein extracting the features further comprises, in response to a print command, capturing coordinates corresponding to a printed representation of the imaged document.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising computer program code coded on the medium for rendering a page layout using the feature representation, the page layout comprising a printed representation of the imaged document including the hot spot.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising computer program code coded on the medium for storing the page layout.

13. A system for adding a hotspot definition to an imaged document to create a mixed media document, comprising:

one or more processors;

a conversion module stored on a memory and executable by the one or more processors, the conversion module for converting a source document into the imaged document from which a feature representation can be extracted;

a feature extraction module stored on the memory and executable by the one or more processors, the feature extraction module for extracting features from the imaged document to create the feature representation;

a hot spot module stored on the memory and executable by the one or more processors, the hot spot module for receiving a first user input for the hotspot definition that comprises a first coordinate location of a first bounding box for a hotspot in the imaged document and at least one of a media or an action that is associated with the first coordinate location, wherein the hotspot comprises a portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box, and determining whether the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in a database based on an amount of information included in the first bounding box, in response to determining that the portion of the imaged document that is included in the first bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in the database, receiving a second user input to change the hotspot definition to a second coordinate location of a second bounding box, the second bounding box comprising the first bounding box and containing a larger amount of information than the first bounding box, wherein the larger amount of information contained in the second bounding box uniquely identifies the hotspot in the database; and

a storage module stored on the memory and executable by the one or more processors, the storage module for storing, as the mixed media document, the imaged document, the hotspot definition, and the feature representation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein converting comprises scanning the source document.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein converting comprises rendering the source document.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the feature extraction module is further configured for, in response to a print command, capturing coordinates corresponding to a printed representation of the imaged document.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising a render module for rendering a page layout using the feature representation, the page layout comprising a printed representation of the imaged document including the hot spot.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the storage module is further configured for storing the page layout.