Appeal No. 2001-2620
Application No. 09/110,613
BACKGROUND
Appellant’s invention relates to image retrieval from large
databases based on determining a degree of similarity between a
target image and each of a plurality of reference images. The
similarity is measured based on the human perceptive system such
that images that appear to be similar in color have a higher
similarity measure than those with dissimilar colors. Similar
colors in corresponding partitions in both the reference image
and the target image are compared and associated with each other.
Representative independent claim 1 is reproduced as follows:
1. A method for comparing a first image to a second image
comprising the steps of:
partitioning the first image into a first plurality of
partitions and the second image into a second plurality of
partitions, each partition of the first plurality of partitions
having a corresponding partition of the second plurality of
partitions,
determining proportions of colors in each of the partition
of the first plurality of partitions and the second plurality of
partitions,
determining a color distance between similar colors in each
corresponding partition of the first and second pluralities of
partitions,
comparing the proportions of the similar colors in each of
the partition of the first plurality of partitions and the second
plurality of partitions,
determining a shape-independent similarity measure between
the first image and the second image that is based on the
proportions of similar colors and the color distance.
2
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