Image processing device, image processing system, image processing method, and program

• US 9,483,649 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takaoka, Tomohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyzocha, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/031,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

There is provided an image processing device including a photographic subject position acquisition unit that acquires position information of a photographic subject corresponding to a person image included in a photographic image, a transmission unit that transmits the position information of the photographic subject to an information processing device that compares the position information of the photographic subject with position information of a communication terminal transmitted from the communication terminal, and a determination unit that determines whether a process of protecting the person image is performed based on information according to a result of the comparison received from the information processing device.

Claims

1. An information processing device that includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory storing instructions for execution by the CPU, wherein the information processing device is communicably coupled to a first terminal and a second terminal via a network, wherein the CPU is configured to:

acquire, from the first terminal, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the first terminal;

acquire position information, of the second terminal, transmitted from the second terminal which is corresponding to the photographic subject;

acquire an environment state, of the second terminal, transmitted from the second terminal, wherein the environment state is determined based on the position information of the second terminal; and

determine whether a process of protecting the image of the person is performed based on a comparison of the position information of the photographic subject acquired from the first terminal, the position information of the second terminal acquired from the second terminal, and the acquired environment state of the second terminal.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal is held by the photographic subject.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1,

wherein the result of the comparison includes information prescribing whether to perform the process of protecting the image of the person, and

wherein the CPU is configured to determine that the process of protecting the image of the person is performed in an event the information prescribing to perform the process of protecting the image of the person is included.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal is configured to:

perform mask processing on the image of the person as the process of protecting the image of the person.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal is configured to acquire the position information of the photographic subject based on position information of the first terminal.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is configured to determine whether the process of protecting the image of the person is necessary based on a resolution of the image of the person.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the photographic image is image information before photographing is performed by the first terminal.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the photographic image is image information after photographing is performed by the first terminal.

9. An information processing device including a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory storing instructions for execution by the CPU, wherein the information processing device is communicably coupled to a first terminal and a second terminal via a network, wherein the CPU is configured to:

store, in the memory, position information of the second terminal received from the second terminal;

receive, from the first terminal, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the first terminal;

acquire an environment state, of the second terminal, transmitted from the second terminal, wherein the environment state is determined based on the position information of the second terminal;

compare the position information of the second terminal stored in the memory with the position information of the photographic subject received from the first terminal; and

transmit, to the first terminal, information prescribing whether to perform a process of protecting the image of the person according to a result of the performed comparison and the acquired environment state of the second terminal.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the CPU is configured to:

determine whether the environment state of the second terminal satisfies a condition regarding the process of protecting the image of the person,

transmit, to the first terminal, the information prescribing whether to perform the process of protecting the image of the person according to the result of the performed comparison and a result of the determination.

11. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the environment state is measured by the second terminal or is acquired from an external device by the second terminal.

12. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the condition regarding the process of protecting the image of the person is a condition regarding a time at which the process of protecting the image of the person is performed.

13. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the condition regarding the process of protecting the image of the person is a condition regarding registration content of a relationship between a user of the information processing device and a possessor of the second terminal in a social networking service.

14. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the CPU is configured to receive the condition regarding the process of protecting the image of the person from the second terminal.

15. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the CPU is configured to:

store a unique identifier associated with each respective image of the person in each respective photographic image captured from the first terminal;

wherein the process of protecting each respective image of the person is associated with the respective unique identifier.

16. An image processing system comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal; and

a server communicably coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal via a network, wherein the server comprises a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory storing instructions for execution by the CPU,

wherein the second terminal is configured to;

acquire position information of the second terminal,

determine an environment state of the second terminal based on the acquired position information, and

transmit the acquired position information and the determined environment state to the server,

wherein the server is configured to;

store the position information and the environment state of the second terminal received from the second terminal in a memory,

receive, from the first terminal, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the first terminal,

compare the position information of the second terminal stored in the memory with the position information of the photographic subject received from the first terminal, and

transmit, to the first terminal, information prescribing whether to perform a process of protecting the image of the person according to a result of the performed comparison and the stored environment state of the second terminal, and

wherein the first terminal is configured to;

acquire the position information of the photographic subject,

transmit the position information of the photographic subject to the server, and

determine whether the process of protecting the image of the person is performed based on the information received from the server.

17. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring, from a first terminal, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the first terminal;

transmitting the position information of the photographic subject to an information processing device that is configured to compare the position information of the photographic subject acquired from the first terminal with position information of a second terminal transmitted from the second terminal, and receive an environment state of the second terminal transmitted from the second terminal,

wherein the environment state is determined based on the position information of the second terminal; and

determining whether a process of protecting the image of the person is performed based on information according to a result of the comparison and the environment state received from the information processing device.

18. An information processing method comprising:

storing position information and an environment state of a terminal received from the terminal, wherein the environment state of the terminal is determined based on the position information of the terminal;

receiving, from an image processing device, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the image processing device;

comparing the stored position information of the terminal with the position information of the photographic subject received from the image processing device; and

transmitting, to the image processing device, information prescribing whether to perform a process of protecting the image of the person according to a result of the comparison and the stored environment state of the terminal.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon, a set of computer-executable instructions that causes a computer to perform the steps comprising:

acquiring, from an image processing device, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the image processing device;

transmitting the position information of the photographic subject to an information processing device that is configured to compare the position information of the photographic subject received from the image processing device with position information of a terminal transmitted from the terminal, and receive an environment state of the terminal transmitted from the terminal,

wherein the environment state is determined based on the position information of the terminal; and

determine whether a process of protecting the image of the person is performed based on information according to a result of the comparison and the environment state received from the information processing device.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon, a set of computer-executable instructions that causes a computer to perform the steps comprising:

store, in a memory, position information and an environment state of a terminal received from the terminal, wherein the environment state of the terminal is determined based on the position information of the terminal;

receive, from an image processing device, position information of a photographic subject corresponding to an image of a person included in a photographic image captured from the image processing device;

compare the position information of the terminal stored in the memory with the position information of the photographic subject received from the image processing device; and

transmit, to the image processing device, information prescribing whether to perform a process of protecting the image of the person according to a result of the performed comparison and the stored environment state of the terminal.