Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphic processing system
Reexamination Certificate
1993-06-01
2001-04-10
Chauhan, Ulka J. (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphic processing system
C345S520000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215506
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portrait drawing apparatus for allowing patterns of the eyes, nose and other facial parts to be selected and combined as desired in order to draw a portrait.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional portrait drawing apparatuses generally comprise a display unit that displays portrait image data, a memory unit that stores facial part pattern data, and an input unit used to determine the facial parts with which to draw a portrait. As shown in
FIG. 7
, the display unit comprises a display screen
81
having a facial part name display area
83
and a portrait drawing area
82
. The facial part name display area
83
displays such facial part names
84
as the eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, ears, hair, facial contour, mustache, wrinkles and sideburns with which to construct a likeness. The portrait drawing area
82
is an area in which the operator draws a portrait using the facial parts whose names are listed in the area
83
.
With the conventional portrait drawing apparatus, the operator selects appropriate facial parts from the facial part names
84
in the facial part name display area
83
, and arranges suitably the selected facial parts in the portrait drawing area
82
. More specifically, the operator first determines the facial part with which to construct the portrait (step
91
in FIG.
8
). When the facial part (e.g., the nose) is selected, candidates of the selected facial part are displayed successively in the “nose” position of the portrait drawing area
82
in
FIG. 7
(step
92
)
The operator then selects one nose from among the candidates successively overwritten in the “nose” position of the portrait drawing area
82
, the selected nose best representing the characteristic of the model's nose (steps
94
and
95
).
With the nose thus selected and positioned, other facial parts still need to be selected (NO in step
96
). Thus step
91
is reached again, and another facial part is selected (steps
92
through
95
).
In this manner, the remaining facial parts are selected and positioned. When all facial parts have been selected (YES in step
96
), the drawing of the portrait comes to an end.
One disadvantage of the prior art portrait drawing apparatus is this: because each facial part needs to be selected from all those previously stored candidates of the part, the candidates being displayed successively in a predetermined order, it takes time for the operator to select the most likely candidate. In addition, the operator must be fully cognizant of the model's facial characteristics in order to make suitable decisions on the facial part candidates displayed. The more facial parts to be determined, the more time required to draw the portrait.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above and other deficiencies and disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a portrait drawing apparatus which stores for each facial part a plurality of attributes thereof (race, sex, age-group, specific shape such as snub or aquiline for nose, etc.) and allows the facial part candidates selected as per the designated attributes to be displayed preferentially over the candidates having other attributes so that the operator will determine the appropriate facial parts with ease and combine them into a portrait in the shortest possible time.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a portrait drawing apparatus comprising: image display means for displaying portrait image data; storage means for storing pattern data on a plurality of facial parts; attribute storage means for storing information on the attributes corresponding to the facial part pattern data; input means for inputting attribute information as the condition under which to search for a facial part pattern; searching means for searching for the appropriate facial part pattern based on the attribute information derived from the attribute storage means; and display control means for displaying on the image display means the facial part pattern searched and retrieved by the searching means.
In operation, the input means first admits attribute information under which to search for each facial part. Given the attribute information input, the searching means searches for the target facial part pattern using the facial part pattern data from the storage means and the attribute information from the attribute storage means. Once the appropriate facial part pattern is searched and retrieved, that pattern is displayed on the image display means.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following description and appended drawings.
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patent: 5974422 (1999-10-01), Kagami et al.
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patent: 4-208191 (1992-07-01), None
Wu, J., Ang, Y., Lam, P., Moorthy, S., Narasimhalu, A., “Facial Image Retrieval, Identification, and Inference System”, Proceedings of the First ACM International Conference on Multimedia, Aug. 1993, pp. 47-55.*
R. Curtis, S. Scarfone, “XFace, an X Tool for Presenting Multivariate Data, and its Use with Software Metrics”, IPCCC '92 pp. 525-530.*
S. Morishima, H. Harashima, “Image Synthesis & Editing System for a Multi-Media Human Interface with Speaking Head”, ICIP '92 pp 270-273.*
S. Morishima et al, “A Facial Image Synthesis System for Human-Machine Interface”, IEEE, 1992, pp. 363-368.
A. Levi et al, “A New Approach to Face Composites Construction Superimposition of Whole Face Images”, IEE, pp. 3/1-3/4.
“Name Land KL-1200” (Owner's Manual) manufactured by Casio 10/92.
Kawai Mina
Makino Satoru
Takeda Yumiko
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Chauhan Ulka J.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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