US6246790B1
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Image indexing using color correlograms
Assignee: Cornell Research Foundation Inc
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Filing: 1998-12-28
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Granted: 2001-06-12
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Expires: 2018-12-28
Abstract
Abstract A color correlogram is a three-dimensional table indexed by color and distance between pixels which expresses how the spatial correlation of color changes with distance in a stored image. The color correlogram may be used to distinguish an image from other images in a database. To create a color correlogram, the colors in the image are quantized into m color values, ci . . . cm. Also, the distance values kepsi[d] to be used in the correlogram are determined where [d] is the set of distances between pixels in the image, and where dmax is the maximum distance measurement between pixels in the image. Each entry (i, j, k) in the table is the probability of finding a pixel of color ci at a selected distance k from a pixel of color ci. A color autocorrelogram, which is a restricted version of the color correlogram that considers color pairs of the form (i,i) only, may also be used to identify an image.
Inventors
- 👤 Jing Huang
- 👤 Shanmugasundaram Ravi Kumar
- 👤 Mandar Mitra
- 👤 Wei-Jing Zhu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 09:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/90; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/50; G06F16/58; G06F16/583; G06F16/5838; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/40; G06V10/56; G06T2207/00; G06T2207/10; G06T2207/10024
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
A computer-implemented method for indexing images, comprising the steps of: quantizing colors into color values in an image having a plurality of pixels; selecting a distance value to be used as the distance between pixels to be evaluated for color value; analyzing said image according to said color values and said selected distance value; determining in response to the analyzing step a probability of finding a pixel of a particular color value at said distance value from a selected pixel of a selected color value; and entering said probability into a color correlogram whereby the image is represented by the color correlogram for the purpose of indexing the image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
A computer-implemented method for indexing images, comprising the steps of: quantizing colors into color values in an image having a plurality of pixels; selecting a distance value to be used as the distance between pixels to be evaluated for color value; analyzing said image according to said color values and said selected distance value; determining in response to the analyzing step a probability of finding a pixel of a particular color value at said distance value from a selected pixel of a selected color value; and entering said probability into a color correlogram whereby the image is represented by the color correlogram for the purpose of indexing the image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said analyzing step further comprises the step of counting all the pixels at said distance value in a radius of said selected distance value around said selected pixel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said analyzing step comprises the step of counting the number of pixels in a positive horizontal and vertical direction at a distance equal to said selected distance value from said selected pixel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said particular color value and said selected color value are the same.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: selecting a plurality of distance values; and performing said analyzing step, said determining step, and said entering step using said plurality of distance values.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the provided corellogram is a banded correlogram and the method further comprises the steps of: summing, for each color pair, the probability values obtained using the plurality of distance values to obtain a probability sum for each color pair; and, entering the probability sum into the banded correlogram.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the particular color value and the selected color value of each said color pair are the same.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the provided correlogram is an edge correlogram and the method further comprises the steps of: segmenting the color values into edge color values and non-edge color values; and, determining whether a particular pixel is part of an edge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: storing said color correlogram in a database.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of: determining a query color correlogram of a query image; and comparing the query color correlogram with stored color correlograms in the database to determine a similarity between a stored image and the query image.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of presenting, as a result of said comparing step, a plurality of stored images which are determined to be similar to said query image.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
114 words
A system for indexing images, comprising: means for quantizing colors into color values in an image having a plurality of pixels; means for selecting a distance value to be used as the distance between pixels to be evaluated for color value; means for analyzing said image according to said color values and said distance value; means for determining, in response to said analyzing means, a probability of finding a pixel of a particular color value at said distance value from a selected pixel of a selected color value; and means for entering the probability into a color correlogram, whereby the image is represented by the color correlogram for the purpose of indexing the image.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
114 words
A system for indexing images, comprising: means for quantizing colors into color values in an image having a plurality of pixels; means for selecting a distance value to be used as the distance between pixels to be evaluated for color value; means for analyzing said image according to said color values and said distance value; means for determining, in response to said analyzing means, a probability of finding a pixel of a particular color value at said distance value from a selected pixel of a selected color value; and means for entering the probability into a color correlogram, whereby the image is represented by the color correlogram for the purpose of indexing the image.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system for indexing images of claim 12 wherein said means for analyzing further comprises a means for counting all the pixels at said distance value in a radius of said selected distance value around said selected pixel.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system for indexing images of claim 12 wherein said means for analyzing further comprises a means for counting the number of pixels in a positive horizontal and vertical direction at a distance equal to said selected distance value from said selected pixel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system for indexing images of claim 12 wherein said particular color value and said selected color value are the same.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
72 words
The system for indexing images of claim 12 further comprising: means for selecting a plurality of distance values; means for analyzing said image according to said color values and said plurality of distance values; and means for determining, in response to said analyzing means, a probability of finding a pixel of a particular color value for each of said plurality of distance values from a selected pixel of a selected color value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system for indexing images of claim 12 further comprising: a database for storing said correlogram.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The system for indexing images of claim 17 further comprising: means for determining a query color correlogram of a query image; and means for comparing the query color correlogram with stored color correlograms in the database to determine a similarity between a stored image and the query image.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-06-11 | 2004-12-11 | 2005-06-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-06-11 | 2008-12-11 | 2009-06-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-06-11 | 2012-12-11 | 2013-06-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |