The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 31, 1999
Filed:
May. 29, 1996
Kimihiko Higashio, Kobe, JP;
Takahiro Fujii, Kobe, JP;
Shuji Nakao, Kobe, JP;
Kagumi Moriwaki, Itami, JP;
Masako Inoue, Sakai, JP;
Miyuki Ono, Akashi, JP;
Shuhei Taguchi, Katano, JP;
Tetsuji Abe, Neyagawa, JP;
Takuma Masuda, Ikeda, JP;
Masayuki Mukai, Toyonaka, JP;
Kinya Hasegawa, Hirakata, JP;
Akira Murakawa, Kobe, JP;
Shinichi Ban, Kobe, JP;
Takao Shudo, Kobe, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Kadoma, JP;
Abstract
In image data retrieval, image data that becomes the base of search is specified. When the search is to be carried out according to the distance from the image data on an image map, an automatic setting process of retrieval information is carried out. Here, a keyword, icon, chromaticity and the like of that image data are automatically set as retrieval information. The position of that image data on the image map becomes the center of a range when the ambiguity is set. By setting the ambiguity of the image map, keyword, icon, chromaticity, and the like in this state, the range of ambiguity is displayed, and image data within that range is automatically retrieved. As a result, analogous image data can be searched for according to subtle and ambiguous information or information that cannot be quantified.