Image analysis – Color image processing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-30
2001-05-22
Tran, Phuoc (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Color image processing
C382S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236750
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to systems and methods of creating and providing different digitized views of an image, wherein an object in the image is shown in a different color in each view.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Internet is quickly becoming an important resource for various types of information. Before buying an expensive consumer product, for example, many consumers use the Internet to obtain detailed information, reviews, and comparisons regarding the product.
In the automobile environment, as an example, many potential buyers appreciate the ability to view pictures of different automobiles before making a final purchasing decision. General Motors is an example of an automobile manufacturer that has provided a Web site with this functionality—an example is found at “http://www.gmc.com/jimmy/jm_color2.htm”. The Web page example found at this URL (uniform resource locator) has a small image of a car, along with smaller color samples. As the user moves a mouse pointer over the color samples, the car automatically changes colors to match the sample.
Although a vast amount of information is available through the Internet, available bandwidth is often inadequate for delivering this information in a convenient time frame. Thus, the General Motors Web site page mentioned above loads rather slowly. An examination of the HTML source code for the referenced HTML page indicates that the page works by downloading a separate image for each of the different color options. As a user selects a different color, the image is completely replaced with a different image that has been previously downloaded in its entirety. Thus, eight entire car images must be preloaded to provide the ability to change between different colors. Although this scheme works, it does not make efficient use of available bandwidth.
Furthermore, current automated methods of digitally changing the color of an object in an image generally produce unacceptable results with objects such as automobiles that have highly reflective surfaces. Acceptable results can be obtained by an artist, but only with considerable manual effort. Alternatively, separate pictures must be taken for each car color. This is quite costly.
The invention, however, allows a car color to be electronically changed with little work by a graphics designer. Furthermore, the described method is very effective with highly reflective automobile surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention allows a network client to download an image once, and to then calculate pixel colors at the client to change an object in the picture to different colors. Much of the actual conversion work, however, is performed before the client receives the image. The particular method is especially effective when used with reflective surfaces such as those found on an automobile.
The process starts with a design procedure in which a designer identifies those pixels that are part of an object that will be subject to color changes. This design procedure is automated. First, the designer selects a pixel in the object that represents a base color of the object. The designer then specifies ranges of allowable HLS (hue, luminance, and saturation) values around the HLS values of the base color. Any pixels having HLS values within the specified ranges are selected as part of the object whose color will be changeable. This is an interactive process, in which the designer alters the ranges until the proper pixels have been identified and verified visually.
The design procedure continues with an automated process of calculating an HLS differential for each pixel of the selected object. The HLS differential includes a hue component, a luminance component, and a saturation component.
The hue component of the HLS differential for an individual pixel contains a target hue and a variation degree. A target hue is a hue toward which the pixel is tinted from the hue of the selected base color. For example, an object with a red base color might have certain pixels that are tinted from red toward green. If so, green is chosen as the target hue. The variation degree is the degree by which the pixel's hue is tinted from the hue of the base color, indicated as a percentage of the difference between the base color hue and the target hue.
The luminance component of the HLS differential indicates the difference between the luminance value of a particular pixel and the base color luminance. The saturation component indicates the difference between the saturation value of a particular pixel and the base color saturation.
When a client requests a particular image from a server, the server provides both background and foreground portions of the image. The foreground image contains those pixels that were selected as part of the design process described above, which are specified as HLS differentials. The background portion contains the remaining pixels, which are specified in conventional terms such as RGB or HLS values.
The server also provides an executable component such as a JavaScript applet that performs a rendering process at the client. The applet accepts a base color selection from a user, and then calculates each pixel of the foreground image based on the base color and the HLS differentials. An individual pixel is calculated by shifting the selected base color by the components of the pixel's HLS differential. The hue value of the pixel is obtained by shifting or tinting the hue of the selected base color toward the pixel's target hue by the pixel's variation degree. The luminance and saturation values are obtained by adjusting the luminance and saturation values of the selected base color by the luminance and saturation components specified in the HLS differentials.
The pixels are recalculated and displayed every time a user selects a new base color.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5334992 (1994-08-01), Rochat et al.
patent: 5630038 (1997-05-01), Itoh et al.
patent: 5909220 (1999-06-01), Sandow
Lee & Hayes PLLC
Microsoft Corporation
Tran Phuoc
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