Patent · US Expired

System and method for determining a level of similarity among more than one image and a segmented data structure for enabling such determination

US6373979B1 · kind B1 · utility

78Cited by
4References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 29, 1999
Grant dateApr 16, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 29, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06T2207/20021
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for determining a level of similarity among more than one image. Anticipated spatial characteristics of an image are used for automatically identifying segments within the image and for identifying weights to be added to the color characteristics associated with the identified segments. To determine similarity, comparisons are made between weighted color characteristics of corresponding segments of different images. The identified segments have attributes such as size, position and number which are based on the anticipated spatial characteristics of the image. The anticipated spatial characteristics of the image include, among other things, differences in image characteristics that are anticipated at relative positions within the image. Additionally, a standard for representing image data including feature descriptors for color characteristics is disclosed, the color feature descriptor being divided into plural units corresponding to segments within the image identified based on anticipated spatial characteristics therefor.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.