Showing papers on "Image file formats published in 2000"

Automatically storing and presenting digital images using a speech-based command language

Abstract: A method for automatically storing and presenting digital images is disclosed. The method includes capturing digital images with a digital camera and storing the images in an image file, where the file includes at least one speech field and at least one text-based tag. A categorization process is then initiated whereby a user speaks at least one category voice annotation into the digital camera to categorize an image, and the category voice annotation is stored in the speech field of the corresponding image file. The category voice annotation is then translated into at a text annotation using voice recognition, and the image and the text annotation are automatically stored in a database. An album may then be dynamically created by retrieving selected images and corresponding text annotations from the database in response to a request from the user, and displaying each image on the album along with the text annotations.

Interactive conference content distribution device and methods of use thereof

Abstract: A multimedia distribution device includes an embedded stream encoder and an embedded stream server for encoding and transmitting, through utilization of streaming technology, audio and video content originating from a videoconference site and received through a network interface, to network-connected terminals. In situations in which the videoconference includes the presentation of slides or other content, the device may include a file conversion engine for converting the presentation content received through a data interface into a standard graphic image format, for synchronous distribution with the audio and video content stream. The multimedia content may be viewed in a multiple-window interface, wherein the audio and video content is presented by a streaming media player, and the presentation content is displayed in a separate window. Additionally, the interface may include an interactive text entry interface, through which the viewer may submit comments or questions to the conference presenters. In an operating architecture that includes a separate remote streaming server and a separate network server, a method of distributing content to a large number of viewers includes continuously transmitting the current and successive presentation images to the network server for caching, whereby the viewer web browser can request and locally cache the images prior to arrival of the associated audio and video content.

Storing a computer disk image within an imaged partition

Abstract: The invention provides systems and methods for storing and recovering images in a computer partition, and more particularly to tools and techniques for placing and extracting images to and from the same partition that is imaged. Both a factory image and a user-updateable image may be stored on the same partition. Copies of a portion of the partition data and/or the system data for the imaged partition can be stored at a specified location within the imaged partition, in a separate partition, or on a removable recovery medium, thereby allowing images to be recovered after disruption of the imaged partition's system data. The image may be stored contiguously or non-contiguously. The image may also be stored as a system file or as an image container which comprises one or more than one image file. To speed restoration time and to assist recovery, the image may be stored at or near the end of the partition. Familiar or novel image formats may be used. By storing one or more partition images in the imaged partition, the invention eliminates consumer confusion between bootable partition size and disk size, without sacrificing the advantages provided by imaging.

Metadata internet platform for enabling customization of tags in digital images

Abstract: A system and method for customizing tags in digital images captured with an image capture device that stores the digital images in image files is disclosed. The method and system include storing a key ID and a definition of one or more custom tags on a server on a network. Thereafter a plurality of image files are received over the network, wherein each of the image files includes image data, the key ID, and the custom tags containing data. The method and system further include automatically recognizing the image files by the key ID and using the stored definition to extract the data from the custom tags to make the data available to a user along with the image data.

Audio-attached image recording and playback device

Abstract: The inability to attach more than one audio file to a single image file is an example of a problem encountered in image recording devices that include an audio recording function whereby audio information can be recorded and played back along with previously captured image files A major disadvantage of prior image capturing systems is that only one audio file could be attached to a single image file The present invention discloses an audio-attached image recording and playback device that allows one or more audio files to be associated with a single image file using an audio file identifier for each audio file The audio file identifier includes an audio file attachment position that has coordinate information about a specific portion of the image that is displayed on a monitor The user defines the specific portion by using a cursor to select the specific portion Audio information is recorded and is associated with that position on the image During playback of the image file, the user can trigger playback of the audio file by using the cursor to select the audio file attachment position for that audio file The audio file attachment position can be displayed on the monitor as a circle having a radius centered about the audio file attachment position Additionally, the present invention allows one or more image files to be associate with an audio file The audio file contains timing information so that the order in which the images were captured during the audio recording can be duplicated when the audio file is played back For each image file, the audio file can include an image file identifier that includes image start and end time information

System for verification and association of documents and digital images

Abstract: This invention provides a process and apparatus, using a computer system, peripheral equipment and uniquely designed software, for electronically capturing the image(s) of one or more persons and/or objects, associating such image(s) with a database record and printing or otherwise transferring to a document (including, but not limited to, tickets, cards, tags and passes) a unique coding or symbology. When later required, the person(s) and/or object(s) associated with the document can be verified by visually comparing such person(s) or object(s) with the displayed image(s) recalled from the computer memory by using the symbology on the document to locate the database record and image file, or reconstructed from the symbology or coding on the document itself by using various decoding algorithms.

System and method for purging database update image files after completion of associated transactions.

Abstract: A primary computer system has a database, application programs that modify the local database, and a transaction manager that stores audit records in a local image trail reflecting those application program modifications to the local database. In a remote backup system, a Receiver process receives audit records from the primary system. The audit records include audit update and audit backout records indicating database updates and database backouts generated by transactions executing on the primary system. The Receiver stores the audit update and audit backout records in one or more image trails. For each image trail there is an Updater process that applies to a backup database volume the database updates and backouts indicated by the audit update and audit backout records in the image trail. The remote backup system periodically executes a file purge procedure, which identifies the oldest transaction table from among the transaction tables in the last image trail file accessed for each of the image trails. Then, for each image trail, the file purge procedure accesses the image trial files in a predefined chronological order and for each accessed image trail file it compares a first set of newest transaction identifiers in the file's transaction table with a second set of oldest transaction identifiers in the identified oldest transaction table. The procedure purges the accessed image trail file only when all of the transaction identifiers in the first set are older than corresponding transaction identifiers in the second set.

Image forming device

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device for not inviting large burdens on a user at the time of reutilizing image data preserved to form images by a copying machine and at the time of retrieval and preventing loads in terms of a system from becoming too large on a digital copying machine side as well. SOLUTION: This image formation device is provided with an input means for inputting the image data to form the images by the copying machine and copying setting as an image profile to form the images based on the image data and a control means for relating the image data to form the images and the copying setting as the image profile to form the images based on the image data inputted by the input means and automatically preserving them in an image file storage area incorporated in the copying machine as one image file simultaneously with copying by the copying machine.

Integrating content with virtual advertisements using vector graphics images obtainable on the web

Abstract: A system and method for virtual advertising on the web are disclosed. According to this system and method, scalable vector graphic (SVG) images representing advertising content may be inserted into web pages so that they are unobtrusively superimposed over other SVG images on the page. This technique is analogous to the familiar practice in television of electronically inserting advertising images into an image before it is broadcast. An ad server, working cooperatively with a web server, provides SVG virtual advertising images to be placed on web pages requested by a client. Since SVG image files are text-based, they are easily edited. Thus, the ad server, web server or client can modify the image to include a virtual advertisement.

Picture and video storage management system and method

Abstract: An image processing system (100) stores image files in a memory device (108) at a number of incremental quality levels. Each image file has an associated image quality (that is fidelity or resolution) level corresponding to a quality level at which the corresponding image has been encoded. The images are initially encoded by applying a predefined transform, such as a DCT transform or wavelet-like transform (200), to image data received from an image capture mechanism (102) and then applying a data compression method to the transform data (200). The image is regenerated by successively applying a data decompression method and an inverse transform to an image file (202). Image file size reduction circuitry (212) and one or more state machines are used to lower the quality level of a specified one of the image files, including circuitry for extracting a subset of the data in the specified image file and forming a lower quality version of the specified image file that occupies less space in the memory device than was previously occupied by the specified image data structure. As a result, the amount of space occupied by image files in the memory device can be reduced so as to make room for the storage of additional image files or to allow more rapid transmission in a restricted bandwidth environment.

Transmission bandwidth and memory requirements reduction in a portable image capture device by eliminating duplicate image transmissions

Abstract: A system and method for reducing storage and transmission bandwidth requirements of a portable image capture device capable of establishing a communications connection on a network are disclosed. The method includes assigning an image identifier to captured images uploaded to a server on a network, wherein each of the images is stored in an image file having a particular size. The size of each of the image files corresponding to the uploaded images on the image capture device may then be reduced, thereby reducing storage requirements. In response to a user request to apply an action to one of the uploaded images, only the image identifier of the image and the requested action are transmitted to the server, thereby eliminating the need to retransmit the image and reducing transmission bandwidth requirements.

Electronic printing system and method

Abstract: A user of an electronic printing system in accordance with the invention may create custom print designs locally and provide those custom print designs to a local or remote printer for printing. Upon a user creating a custom print design, the electronic printing system may store the custom design information until an order is placed by the user. Every order may have associated design files and an order file (for example, multiple items in an order). The design file(s) may describe the initial layout of a print design and may reflect updates to the initial layout based upon the custom design created by a user. An imaging engine resident on the remote server(s) of the electronic printing system may convert the information in the design file(s) into an image file for on-screen representation as well as a “ready-to-print” output file that may be retrieved electronically by a remote or local printer facility. The order file may contain user information and product data, such as a user's billing and shipping address, payment information and the media type desired. When an order is submitted, both the design file(s) and the order file may staged for conversion. The files may be converted into printer specific files and may be retrieved electronically by a remote or local printing facility and the user's order may be carried out by the printing facility and may be sent to the user when completed.

Method and apparatus for ordering photographic prints and printing apparatus for producing the same

Abstract: A digital camera loaded with a removable memory card storing image files and a print order file, in a wireless mode, sends the files to a computer via a handy phone set, and prepares a directory information file in which the files are virtually positioned in a preselected layer, so that the directory structure of the memory card can be reconstructed. The camera then accesses the handy phone set to send the files to the computer. The computer reconstructs the original directory structure and file names based on the directory information file and then prints out the image data of the image files in accordance with the print order file. The computer produces prints in the same manner as when directly reading the image data from the memory card.

A method for encoding animation in an image file

Abstract: A method of processing a multi-layer image file (100) comprising a first plurality of image layers (106-108), and a second plurality of control blocks (120-122) is disclosed. The processing produces an animation sequence. The method comprises processing an image layer (eg 106) in accordance with a corresponding control block (eg 120), thereby providing an image for said animation sequence. The method further comprises tagging the image layer (106) for reprocessing, if the image layer (106) is to be used again in the image sequence, said tagging using a relative address referred to one of (i) an address of said corresponding control block (120) and (ii) an address of a control block corresponding to another image layer.

Image file equipment, and database creating method in an image file equipment

Abstract: Image data is stored in any MO medium, and association information for associating image information in an MO medium with identification information for specifying the MO medium is managed by the respective image management tables of a plurality of image file apparatus. Each of the image file apparatus presents the identification information of an MO medium storing desired image data therein and thus makes a request for mounting the desired MO medium, thereby to obtain the desired image data. It is accordingly permitted to share image data among the plurality of image file apparatus.

Digital camera with image file transmission

Abstract: A digital camera includes an interface connected with a memory card. To the memory card is recorded an image file including a compressed main-image data and compressed thumbnail image data of a subject taken. When the operator selects a transmit mode and performs predetermined key operation, the image file recorded on the memory card is transmitted to an Internet server via a communication circuit. After completing the transmission, the image files already transmitted are erased leaving the compressed thumbnail image data.

Methods and apparatus for processing medical images

Abstract: A system for analysing a brain image compares the image with a brain atlas, labels the image accordingly, and annotating the regions of interest and/or other structures. This atlas-enhanced data is written to a file (or more than one file) in the Dicom format or any web-enabled format such as SGML or XML format. The image used may be produced by any medical imaging modality. A fast algorithm is proposed for a landmark-based piecewise linear mapping of one volumetric image into another volumetric image. Furthermore, a new set of brain landmarks are proposed, and algorithms for the automatic identification of these landmarks are formulated for three orientations, axial, coronal, and sagittal.

Method, system, and program for magnifying content downloaded from a server over a network

Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method, and program for magnifying displayed content downloaded from a server over a network. Information is received indicating selection of a region of the displayed content to magnify. A determination is made of at least one region of the selected region including image content. The server maintains a high resolution file version and a low resolution file version of the image content. A determination is then made as to whether the selected image content from the displayed image file is the low resolution file version. If so, a command is generated to retrieve from the server specific byte locations from the high resolution file version including the image content in the selected region. The specified bytes are less than all the image data bytes in the high resolution version of the file if the image content in the selected region comprises less than all of the image content maintained in the high resolution version of the file.

Classifying Web Defects with a Back-Propagation Neural Network by Color Image Processing

Abstract: The aim of this research is to construct an appropriate back-propagation neural network topology to automatically recognize neps and trash in a web by color image processing. After studying the ideal background color under moderate conditions of brightness and contrast to overcome the translucent problem of fibers in a web, specimens are reproduced in a color BMP image file format. Assuming that neps and trash can be distinguished without difficulty from the color image, the image-taking device in the system can be easily altered as long as the optical conditions for other color image resources (i.e., CCD) are considered to ensure image quality. With a back-propagation neural network, the RGB (red, green, and blue) values corresponding with the image pixels are used to perform the recognition, and three categories (i.e., normal web, nep, and trash) can be recognized. The numbers and areas of both neps and trash can also be determined. According to experi mental analysis, the recognition rate can reach 99....

Image processing system utilizing digital watermarks in predetermined regions

Abstract: An image processing system comprises an image providing apparatus which provides an image file, from which a digital watermark information can be extracted by using a watermark key that includes an authentication information which authenticates the image file provided by an valid provider, and the watermark key of the image file; and an image utilizing apparatus which extracts the digital watermark information from the image file provided by the image providing apparatus using the watermark key provided by the image providing apparatus, verifies whether the watermark key has been tampered or not using the authentication information in the watermark key, verifies whether the image file has been tampered or not using the verified watermark key, and displays the verified image file.

Computer-readable recorded medium on which image file is recorded, device for producing the recorded medium, medium on which image file creating program is recorded, device for transmitting image file, device for processing image file, and medium on which image file processing program is recorded

Abstract: An object of the invention is to enable a provider who provides an image file to provide a user of the image file reliably with information that the provider desires to provide. Another object of the invention is to enable a provider who provides an image file to provide a user on the basis of one image file reliably with a plurality of sets of information that the provider desires to provide. A still another object of the invention is to make it possible to conduct investigation into e.g. the access made by a user relatively easily. The objects are achieved by a computer-readable recorded medium on which an image file is recorded, characterized in that in a data stream of the image file, identification information specific to the image file, a pointer or pointers of one or more sets of information, an index of a menu item corresponding to the image file, or/and the entity of a predetermined program are recorded.

System and method for editing digital images using inductive image generation with cached state-specific image tiles

Abstract: A system and method using inductive image generation with cached, state-specific image tiles for editing digital images. A computer system contains an archival digital image to be edited and viewed, a transformation state list, describing editing operations to be applied to the archival image in order to produce the current edited image rendition, and a viewing data set, describing the resolution, offset and extent of the current view of the current edited image rendition. The current view is constructed from a set of image tiles kept in a tile cache. In response to an instruction to generate the current view, the system identifies the requisite tiles, and then generates each tile by an inductive image generation process. The latter process comprises (a) ascertaining if the tile is in the tile cache, and, if not (b) ascertaining if the image is unedited and if so obtaining the requisite tile from the image file, and, if not (c) generating the tile by identifying and assembling the requisite supplier tiles in the previous state of the image-editing process and by then applying the current state's editing transformation function to the supplier tiles. The inductive image-generation process is recursive in that in case it is necessary to assemble supplier tiles in the course of the inductive image-generation process then they too are assembled by the process of inductive image generation.

Method and apparatus for processing a table and displaying multimedia cell data

Abstract: PCT No. PCT/JP96/03039 Sec. 371 Date Jun. 13, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Jun. 13, 1997 PCT Filed Oct. 21, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO97/15892 PCT Pub. Date May 1, 1997A method and apparatus for processing a table, in which image data is stored as cell data of table data, so that an operation and procedure for processing the image data as cell data (e.g., an image process of the image data or an output of the image data to a designated cell) can be simple. In a table data output process, it is discriminated whether the type of a designated cell is numerical, character, image or sound data, and the corresponding data is read from a table data file, an image file or a sound file in accordance with the discriminated cell type. The read data is then output to an output region of the designated cell.

System and method for image retrieval

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actualize an image retrieval system which can efficiently find a target document image in a short time without any omission of retrieval. SOLUTION: A character recognition result is registered as retrieval data of the document image in a database and at the time of this registration, a proper registration system based upon reliability is decided in a registering method deciding processing (step S13). The character recognition results of respective document images are classified and registered in three databases 201, 202, and 203, i.e., A, B, and C according to the reliability. At the time of retrieval, a retrieving processing (step S114) corresponding to the databases 201, 202, and 203 as retrieval destinations is performed. A document image that a user selects on a retrieval result screen is read out of a document image file storage part 200 and displayed on the screen.

Image management system and its method

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To unitarily manage diagnostic images on a network while satisfying the security of medical records and patient's privacy protection. SOLUTION: An image file server receives and stores diagnostic images having various attributes such as 'generated', 'checked' and 'read' through a network. Access right corresponding to a duty level is provided to each staff such as a doctor, a nurse and a radiation engineer in a hospital. When an access request to the diagnostic images is outputted, access control is executed in accordance with a combination between the access right of a requesting source user and the attributes of the images. For instance, diagnostic images whose access right is not owned are excluded from the display of a list so as not to be accessed. COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO

Methods for quantizing and compressing digital image data

Abstract: There are disclosed methods for quantizing image data with signal-dependent noise to a fewer number of values so that noise information is discarded while signal information is maintained. This is achieved by deriving a set of equations, the solution to which may be numerically computed and whose solution constitutes an optimal relative mean square error quantization for a signal with noise. Two low complexity explicit heuristic formulas for quantization are also provided. Also disclosed are methods for compressing image files containing signal dependent noise by means of near lossless compression so as to maintain signal information in the compressed data while discarding noise information, and methods for compressing multi-component color image data so that psycho-visually significant color information is maintained in the compressed data while other color information is discarded and a method for compressing multi-component color image data which is linearly proportional to high dynamic range light intensities so that color information significant for display and printing is maintained in the compressed data while other color information is discarded.

An image transport protocol for the Internet

Abstract: Images account for a significant and growing fraction of Web downloads. The traditional approach to transporting images uses TCP, which provides a generic reliable, in-order byte-stream abstraction, but which is overly, restrictive for image data. We analyze the progression of image quality at the receiver with time and show that the in-order delivery abstraction provided by a TCP-based approach prevents the receiver application from processing and rendering portions of an image when they, actually, arrive. The end result is that an image is rendered in bursts interspersed with long idle times rather than smoothly. This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Image Transport Protocol (ITP) for image transmission over loss-prone congested or wireless networks. ITP improves user-perceived latency using application level framing (ALF) and out-of-order pplication data unit (ADU) delivery achieving significantly better interactive performance as measured by the evolution of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) with time at the receiver ITP runs over UDP, incorporates receiver-driven selective reliability uses the congestion manager (CM) to adapt to network congestion, and is customizable for specific image formats (e.g., JPEG and JPEG2000). ITP enables a variety of new receiver post-processing algorithms such as error concealment that further improve the interactivity and responsiveness of reconstructed images. Performance experiments using our implementation across a variety of loss conditions demonstrate the benefits of ITP in improving the interactivity of image downloads at the receiver.

Device and method for preparing digital album

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a method for easily preparing a digital album by utilizing binary data to which meta-data are preliminarily added. SOLUTION: In a step S401, a scenario desired to be prepared is selected among prepared scenarios, in a step S402, an image data group desired to be made an album is selected. Next, in a step S403, the selected image data group is read, the keyword of the meta-data of additional information is compared with the keyword of each template to be analyzed, and in a step S404, image data are classified in each different template on the basis of analysis results. Further, in a step S405, the image data classified in each different template are inserted into their own image data frame, and in a step S406, a prepared digital album is stored as an SVG file format or a JPGE image file.

TRUEVIZ: a groundtruth/metadata editing and visualizing toolkit for OCR

Abstract: Tools for visualizing and creating groundtruth and metadata are crucial for document image analysis research. In this paper, we describe TrueViz which is a tool for visualizing and editing groundtruth/metadata for OCR. TrueViz is implemented in the Java programming language and works on various platforms including Windows and Unix. TrueViz reads and stores groundtruth/metadata in XML format, and reads a corresponding image stored in TIFF image file format. Multilingual text editing, display, and search module based on the Unicode representation for text is also provided. This software is being made available free of charge to researchers.