Device for capturing video image data and combining with original image data

• US 6,285,381 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sawano, Takao, Endo, Takashi, Matsuoka, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/190,601
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/339, 345/433-435, 345/423, 345/425-426, 348/576, 348/584, 348/586, 348/589, 358/906, 358/909.1
• US Class Current: 715/726
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/22 Cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2004 Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2021 Shape modification

Abstract

A frame of still picture data is captured at an instant specified by a user from video signals supplied from a given video source, such as a television receiver, a video camera, etc., and the image data is displayed. When the user specifies an area of image to be cut out from the displayed still picture, the image data in the specified area is cut out and recorded as a cutout image. Each cutout image recorded is displayed in the form of an icon. When any of the icons is selected by the user, the corresponding cutout image data is read and pasted in a part to be changed in the original image data. Thus an image can be easily created by user'"'"'s choice.

Claims

1. An image creating device for capturing image data supplied from a given video source and combining the image data with original image data to create a desired image, or an image obtained by processing the original image, and displaying the desired image on display means, said image creating device comprising:

operation input means for inputting instructions required for image creation according to operation by a user;

original image data storing means for temporarily storing the original image data;

first temporarily storing means for temporarily storing captured image data;

second temporarily storing means for temporarily storing at least one piece of cutout image data cut out from the captured image data;

third temporarily storing means for storing image data for said desired image to be displayed;

program storing means for storing program data for the image creation; and

processing means for conducting processings for the image creation on the basis of the program data for the image creation stored in said program storing means;

wherein the program data stored in said program storing means includes,

a first write program responsive to operation of said operation input means, for capturing the image data supplied from said given video source and writing the image data into said first temporarily storing means as said captured image data,

a first read/display program for reading the captured image data stored in said first temporarily storing means and displaying the captured image in said display means,

a cutout program for, when said operation input means is operated to specify an area of image to be cut out from the captured image displayed in said display means, temporarily storing the image data corresponding to the specified area into said second temporarily storing means as said cutout image data,

a second read/display program for reading the cutout image data stored in said second temporarily storing means and displaying the cutout image data as an icon in part of screen of said display means,

a second write program for reading the original image data stored in said original image data storing means and writing the original image data into said third temporarily storing means,

a third write program for, when said operation input means is operated to select the icon of said cutout image in order to combine and display said cutout image in an image display position corresponding to a part of the original image displayed in said display means to be changed which was specified by operation of said operation input, writing the corresponding cutout image data stored in said second temporarily storing means upon the corresponding region in said third temporarily storing means, and

a third read/display program for reading the combined image data stored in said third temporarily storing means in which said cutout image data is written and displaying the combined image data in said display means.

2. The image creating device according to claim 1, wherein said program storing means further contains a correcting program for applying correcting processing to the image data in a peripheral part in the cutout area specified by said operation input means before said cutout image data is written into said second temporarily storing means.

3. The image creating device according to claim 2, wherein said cutout program cuts out the image data in a rectangular area specified by said operation input means, and

said correcting program corrects said cutout image data in the rectangular area by shading off a peripheral part around a shape defined by excluding the four corners of the specified rectangular area.

4. The image creating device according to claim 1, wherein said program storing means further contains a motion giving program for giving motion to individual parts of the original image, and

when reading the combined image data stored in said third temporarily storing means on the basis of said third read/display program, said processing means applies given processing to the combined image data on the basis of said motion giving program to change motion of the individual parts of the combined image.

5. The image creating device according to claim 1, wherein said cutout program temporarily stores the cutout image data corresponding to the specified area into said second temporarily storing means each time said operation input means is operated to specify an area of image to be cut out, and

said second read/display program reads the plurality of cutout image data stored in said second temporarily storing means and separately displays the plurality of cutout image data in part of the screen of said display means.

6. The image creating device according to claim 1, wherein

said original image data storing means stores the original image data in the form of polygon data composed of a group of a plurality of polygons to display an image of a moving object as the original image,

said program storing means further contains a motion giving program for giving motion to individual parts of said object,

said second write program creates display image data on the basis of the plurality of polygon data stored in said original image data storing means and writes the display image data into said third temporarily storing means,

said third write program writes the cutout image data stored in said second temporarily storing means into a storage region in said third temporarily storing means corresponding to a polygon position of the part to be changed which was specified by operation of said operation input means, and

said processing means reads the combined image data stored in said third temporarily storing means to display an image obtained by combining the image based on the polygon data with the cutout image in said display means, and writes image data changed so that the individual parts based on the polygon data can be moved at predetermined cycle on the basis of said motion giving program, into said third temporarily storing means.

7. The image creating device according to claim 6, wherein said program storing means further contains a display control program for controlling display of said moving object, and

said display control program includes

a program for displaying a background image for said moving object, and

a program responsive to operation of said operation input means, for giving change different from original motion to the motion of the moving object.