Methods and devices for displaying an overlay on a device display screen

• US 9,076,253 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Saunders, Christopher O'Byrne
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, M Good
• Application Number:
  US13/775,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/589, 345/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a camera unit configured to capture an image, and a microprocessor configured to control a display to display the image and an overlay substantially simultaneously. In one broad aspect, at least one of the level of transparency, the brightness level, or the color value of the overlay is determined based on at least one of a representative brightness level or a representative color value associated with the image being displayed.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a camera unit configured to capture an image, wherein the image comprises an object;

a display configured to display an overlay and the image; and

a microprocessor configured to perform acts comprising;

detecting the object in the image,

in response to detecting the object, determining the overlay that resembles at least a portion of the object from a plurality of pre-stored overlays,

processing the image to determine at least one of a brightness level and a color value associated with the image,

determining at least one of a transparency level, a brightness level, and a color value for the overlay as a function of the at least one of the brightness level and the color value associated with the image,

generating the overlay for display at the determined at least one of the transparency level, the brightness level, and the color value for the overlay, and

controlling the display to display the overlay and the image substantially simultaneously before a user direction to save the image being displayed into memory is received.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a barcode, and wherein the overlay comprises a barcode alignment reference.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is configured to repeat said acts when the image changes to a new image, without user intervention.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the brightness level associated with the image is an average brightness level associated with the image.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein determining the transparency level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default transparency level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default transparency level.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein determining the brightness level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default brightness level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default brightness level.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the color value associated with the image is an average hue associated with at least a part of the image.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value identifies a first location on a color wheel that represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, such that the at least one second numerical value identifies a second location substantially opposite to the first location on the color wheel; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, each second numerical value being computed as a function of a corresponding one of the at least one first numerical value; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.

11. A method of displaying an overlay and an image, the method comprising:

detecting an object in an image,

in response to detecting the object, determining an overlay that resembles at least a portion of the object from a plurality of pre-stored overlays,

processing the image to determine at least one of a brightness level and a color value associated with the image,

determining at least one of a transparency level, a brightness level, and a color value for the overlay as a function of the at least one of the brightness level and the color value associated with the image,

generating the overlay for display at the determined at least one of the transparency level, the brightness level, and the color value for the overlay, and

controlling a display to display the overlay and the image substantially simultaneously before a user direction to save the image being displayed into memory is received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the object comprises a barcode, and wherein the overlay comprises a barcode alignment reference.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeating the method when the image changes to a new image, without user intervention.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the brightness level associated with the image is an average brightness level associated with the image.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the transparency level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default transparency level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default transparency level.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the brightness level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default brightness level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default brightness level.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the color value associated with the image is an average hue associated with at least a part of the image.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value identifies a first location on a color wheel that represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, such that the at least one second numerical value identifies a second location substantially opposite to the first location on the color wheel; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, each second numerical value being computed as a function of a corresponding one of the at least one first numerical value; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a plurality of instructions executable by a processor of a device, wherein the instructions when executed configures the processor to perform acts of:

detecting an object in an image,

in response to detecting the object, determining an overlay that resembles at least a portion of the object from a plurality of pre-stored overlays,

processing the image to determine at least one of a brightness level and a color value associated with the image,

determining at least one of a transparency level, a brightness level, and a color value for the overlay as a function of the at least one of the brightness level and the color value associated with the image,

generating the overlay for display at the determined at least one of the transparency level, the brightness level, and the color value for the overlay, and

controlling a display to display the overlay and the image substantially simultaneously before a user direction to save the image being displayed into memory is received.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the object comprises a barcode, and wherein the overlay comprises a barcode alignment reference.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions when executed further configures the processor to repeat the acts when the image changes to a new image, without user intervention.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the brightness level associated with the image is an average brightness level associated with the image.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the transparency level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default transparency level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the transparency level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default transparency level.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the brightness level for the overlay comprises:

comparing the brightness level associated with the image to a benchmark brightness level;

if the brightness level associated with the image is lower than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is lower than a default brightness level; and

if the brightness level associated with the image is higher than the benchmark brightness level, then setting the brightness level for the overlay to a level that is higher than the default brightness level.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the color value associated with the image is an average hue associated with at least a part of the image.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value identifies a first location on a color wheel that represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, such that the at least one second numerical value identifies a second location substantially opposite to the first location on the color wheel; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein determining the color value for the overlay comprises:

determining at least one first numerical value, wherein the at least one first numerical value represents the color value associated with the image;

determining at least one second numerical value, each second numerical value being computed as a function of a corresponding one of the at least one first numerical value; and

setting the color value for the overlay to a color associated with the at least one second numerical value.