International Business Machines Corporation

Tomio Echigo

Takaaki Murao

Masayoshi Teraguchi

Ken Masumitsu

Junji Maeda

Alberto Tomita, Jr

Jung-Kook Hong

Masato Kurokawa

Mikihiro Ioka

Shunichi Asaka

Hiroki Nakano

Shigeki Ishikawa

Ajith Kumar Narayanan

Shinichiro Hazeki

Meta data about content is converted into characteristic values. Each characteristic value is associated with one or more content segments of content. The content can be audio, video, or other data or combinations of data. Importance levels for content segments are determined from content scores. Content scores are generally an indication of how one person would rate a particular characteristic value. The content scores may be estimated by using previously determined scores of similar content segments. The similarity is preferably determined by a particular metric. A user may also supply his or her own content scores for content segments. The user profile content scores can be combined with the determined content scores or completely supplant these scores. Based on the importance levels for content scores for content segments, content segments may be packaged into a content digest that a user may view.

Content digest system, video digest system, user terminal, video digest generation method, video digest reception method and program therefor

The present invention provides methods for extracting an image region segment from a video image, a system for extracting an image region segment, a program for extracting an image region segment, a method for distributing an extracted video image, and a method for generating content. Motion compensation data is calculated using sequential video images captured by a video camera, and the sequential video images are employed to prepare an estimation of the video camera operation. Based on the estimated camera operation, the center position (xc, yc) of an area that is aimed at in a video image is estimated under predetermined conditions (rules), an image feature is designated in the vicinity of the center position of the target area, and an image segment is specified that includes this image feature.

Content generation, extraction and distribution of image region segments from video images

Methods and apparatus for effectively identifying the occlusion of objects, such as persons, having a high degree of freedom. In an example embodiment, after initialization, an image is input, and an image region is extracted from image data. The distance is employed that is obtained when the shape of a two-dimensional histogram in the color space is transformed into the feature space. A graph is formed by using the regions between the frames. A confidence factor is provided and image features are provided as weights to the edges that connect the nodes. Processing is performed and the confidence factor is examined. A connection judged less possible to be a path is removed. When there is only one available connection for the occlusion point, this connection is selected.

Extraction and tracking of image regions arranged in time series

To implement more appropriate QoS control by compressing contents data distributed via a network taking into consideration meaning of contents and preferences of users. A network system comprises a content provider that provides content and client that acquires the content. The content provider attaches information on communication priorities to the content based on the content's importance which is determined from the meaning of the content's and sends the content to the client using a protocol which controls quality of service based on the priority and the client receives the content transmitted by the content provider.

Content provisioning system and method

Image processing method, image processing system and storage medium therefor

The object of the invention is to extract from a moving picture and display at least a portion of team play, especially in a field sport, that is considered to be important for detailed analysis, so that the teamwork involved is easily discerned. A team play analysis apparatus comprises: a multi-resolution team play extraction unit for extracting a multi-resolution team play based on the trajectory of a player in the moving picture; a multi-resolution team play display unit for displaying at least a part of the multi-resolution team play through the interaction with a content creator; a parameter adjustment acceptance unit for accepting, from the content creator, the adjustment of a resolution in the multi-resolution team play display unit and the selection of groups, which constitute a series of desired plays to be picked up as an event, and collaborated movement of the groups; and a team play display unit for displaying a team play that is prepared through the adjustment and selection that are accepted by the parameter adjustment acceptance unit.

Method for team play analysis

An object of the present invention is to provide a description method for efficiently representing contents of motion picture with a small data volume. The organization of the present invention (1) represents a trajectory of how each object has moved over time by using reference plane representing position information of each object, (2) sets a description unit based on a type of action of each object by using changes in shape of each object, (3) has actions of each object represented as each behavioral section, and (4) comprises a description facility capable of reading and interpreting definition of an object dependent on video contents, definition of classes of actions, and definition of interpretation of a scene by interaction of plural objects.

Method and device for describing video contents

An index generator that generates an index, which is data description contents, such as video contents, comprises: an index description device, for defining in advance basic index information concerning an index; a video display device for the input, the display or the output of contents to which an index is to be added; a triggering action input device, for accepting a triggering action in the contents that is displayed or output; and an index determination device, for generating index data based on the basic index information, which is defined by the index description device, and triggering action input history information, which is entered by the triggering action input device.

Index generation method, index generation apparatus, index addition system, and program and storage medium thereof

A method and an apparatus for using the trajectory of an object to access video contents, for example, to specify and display a specific video image scene. Such a video contents access method comprises the steps of: extracting objects from video contents; displaying movements of the objects as trajectories on a specific projection screen; specifying locations on the trajectories; and accessing a desired scene of the video contents. An apparatus is so designed that it performs the above method.

Video contents access method that uses trajectories of objects and apparatus therefor

The invention provides a method for classifying the motion of an object such as a human being in a moving picture. A template is prepared in advance, which includes the Gabor wavelet expansion coefficients of an object image in a plurality of frames of a video image sequence representing each of a plurality of different reference motions of an object in a moving picture. Then, processing is performed to obtain the Gabor wavelet expansion coefficients of an object image in a plurality of frames of a video image sequence representing an unknown motion of the object. Matching factors are calculated based on the expansion coefficients for the unknown motion and the expansion coefficients for the reference motions in the template, and finally the unknown motion is classified based on the matching factors.

Method for classifying an object in a moving picture

Edge information sensitive to a visual characteristic is efficiently stored, block artifacts are reduced, and highly efficient compression is accomplished by an image compressing method. The system encodes a digital image and includes: an image input for inputting the digital image; a segmenter for segmenting the digital image into a plurality of primitive regions and computing parameters about the luminance and chrominances of the primitive region for each the primitive region; a first merger for merging the plurality of primitive regions to generate first-order block candidates and classifying each of the first-order block candidates into any of a plurality of predetermined patterns; a first clusterer for clustering, among the first-order block candidates belonging to the same classification, the first-order block candidates, where the parameters about the luminance and chrominances of the primitive regions thereof can be approximated with linear transformation, as a first-order block, and representing a transformation coefficient of the linear transformation with a parameter; a second merger for merging a plurality of the first-order blocks to generate second-order block candidates and classifying the second-order block candidate in accordance with the pattern of each the first-order blocks of the second-order block candidate; a second clusterer for clustering, among the second-order block candidates belonging to the same classification, the second-order block candidates, where the transformation coefficients of the first-order blocks thereof can be approximated with linear transformation, as a second-order block, and representing a transformation coefficient of the linear transformation with a parameter; a controller for recursively executing the clustering of the block candidates while raising the order of the block in sequence until the clustering of the blocks becomes impossible; and an encoder for encoding the parameters of the coexisting multi-order blocks.

Method of and system for encoding digital images

An encoding method is provided with which users can select picture quality and a quantity of data in multiple stages and with which an image of higher picture quality can be regenerated by scalable selection, i.e., by further adding data to compressed data that can be decoded. Image data is compressed using: means (62) for segmenting an original image into a plurality of object regions where each region pixels all correlate with one another and for determining a hierarchical structure of the object regions; means (63) for approximating each of the object regions with at least one polygonal surface so that errors of a intensity of luminance and chrominances in each the pixel are less than a predetermined threshold value; means (64) for obtaining residual images by subtracting the approximated image from the original image or by subtracting a decompressed image of a compressed nth-order residual image from the original nth-order residual image; means (65) for compressing the nth-order residual image (n.gtoreq.1) by encoding; means (66) for storing the approximated image and the coded nth-order residual image; and means (67) for decompressing the compressed nth-order residual image from the nth-order residual image.

System for and method of processing digital images

An apparatus for detecting a velocity of a moving object includes: a camera for photographing a predetermined area in which the object moves, at intervals of time T; a projector for projecting brightness information of each pixel in an image photographed at the intervals of time T by the camera, onto a longitudinal axis along a moving direction of the object, and for accumulating each brightness value on the longitudinal axis to generate pieces of one-dimensional projected information; a buffer for storing the pieces of one-dimensional projected information from the camera; and a detector for determining the velocity of the object moving in the predetermined area from the pieces of one-dimensional projected information stored in the buffer. Information to be processed becomes one-dimensional projected information, so even if there are a large number of pieces of one-dimensional projected information, they will be nearly the same as an amount of information of an image photographed at intervals of time T. Accordingly, information can be processed simply and a velocity can be detected accurately.

Apparatus and method for detecting a velocity of a moving object

An apparatus and method for efficiently displaying information for an object two-dimensionally. A two-dimensional pattern displayed in a two-dimensional tag comprises a first region consisting of a locational reference region that is square and located in the center of the first region for identifying the location and an identification region that surrounds the locational reference region and is a single data cell, a second region in which a black pattern and a white pattern appear alternately for identifying the starting location for reading information, and a third region for displaying coded information about the object. Detection of the square region in the first region allows detection of the location of the two-dimensional tag in which the two-dimensional pattern is displayed, while detection of the data cell of the second region in which black and white appear alternately allows detection and correction of the location of the two-dimensional tag. This constitution enables effective use of the outer circumference in which much information can be displayed.

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Yokohama, Japan

Tomio Echigo