KR20140025712A - Method of providing a product image - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a product image providing method to enable a user to selectively extract a desired product image from photographed images, input through an input device such as a digital camera or a scanner, and store and provide the extracted product image. In the method of enabling the user to select a desired product image information from the image information including at least one product image information and provide the selected information, the method comprises: an image information input step of inputting image information; an image region division step of dividing the input image information into the image regions based on colors; an image region selection step of displaying the color of the selected image region to be different from other image regions; an unselected image region removal step of removing other image regions except for the selected image region; and an image registration step of registering the selected image region. [Reference numerals] (12) Image extracting module; (20) Display; (30) Image input device

Description

How to provide a product image {Method of providing a product image}

The present invention relates to a product image providing method that allows the user to selectively extract, store and provide a desired product image from a captured image input through an input device such as a digital camera or a scanner.

The widespread use of the Internet has greatly increased the amount and type of information available to the general public. Currently, the most efficient way to acquire information through the Internet is to search through keywords. In this method, a user directly enters a keyword that is determined to be suitable for the desired information through a web browser and searches for related information.

The keyword search method provides an efficient search function if the user knows the exact keyword for the desired information. However, when the user does not know the exact keyword of the product or product he wants, great difficulty arises in obtaining the information he wants from a large amount of information.

Therefore, there is a need for a method that allows the user to obtain related information based on image information of a product or product owned by the user, away from the conventional keyword search method.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to create a product image providing method that allows a user to selectively register and utilize a product or a product image included in a photograph, etc., which has been created in view of the above circumstances.

A product image providing method according to a first aspect of the present invention for realizing the above object is a method in which a user selects and provides the desired product image information from the image information including at least one product image information, the image Image information input step of inputting information, image area classification step of dividing the input image information into image area based on color, image area selection step of displaying color of selected image area differently from other image area, selection And a non-selected image area removing step of removing image areas other than the determined image area, and an image registration step of registering a selected image area.

The method may further include an image adjusting step for adjusting an angle and a size of the selected image information after the image area selecting step.

In addition, after the image region selection step, a point editing step is provided so that the user can determine the outline of the image area.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the user can efficiently extract and register an image of the product or product from the captured image containing the product or product desired by the user. Therefore, the relevant information can be searched based on the product or product image.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product image providing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the procedure of registering a product image using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below show specific embodiments of the present invention, and examples of such embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the technical idea thereof.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a product image providing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

The product image providing apparatus includes a main body 10, a display 20, an image input device 30, and a user interface 40 (UI). As the product image providing apparatus, preferably, a personal computer can be used, and in addition, a smartphone or a PDA can be effectively used.

The main body 10 is provided with an operating system (OS) 11 for driving the device as in the usual, and includes an image extraction module 12 according to the present invention. The image extraction module 11 is provided in the form of software.

As the OS 11, for example, Microsoft's Windows is used, and the main body 10 may be preferably equipped with a web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera, Safari, and the like.

As the image input device 30, an apparatus capable of capturing and inputting an image of a product such as a digital camera or a scanner is used. As the user interface 40, a device for inputting image information such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, or the like is used. Hereinafter, an example of using a mouse as the user interface 40 will be described.

Next, a method of providing a product image according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

When the user inputs the imaging information including the desired product image through the image input device 30, the image extraction module 12 uses the contour detection and the flood-fill algorithm to image the image information. It is divided and displayed by area. At this time, each image area is displayed in a different color (Fig. 2a).

Subsequently, when the user selects a specific image area, for example, a bag area, from among the plurality of image areas displayed on the display 20 by using the mouse 40, the image extraction module 12 may determine an image area designated by the user ( The color of the bag region) is changed to a separate background color that can be distinguished from other image regions, and is displayed (FIG. 2B). In addition, the user may provide a resizing function that allows the user to adjust the size of the image area selected by the user. For example, when the user adjusts the mouse wheel while selecting the desired image area, the size of the image area is enlarged or reduced according to the rotation direction of the mouse wheel.

In addition, the point editing function is additionally provided considering the case that the image of the product desired by the user is composed of multiple colors instead of a single color. That is, the user can determine the outline of the desired product image by clicking on the outline of the desired product, that is, the bag area using the mouse 40 (FIG. 3C).

When the user determines the outline of the product image, the image extraction module 12 displays only the product image desired by the user by removing other portions except the image area portion selected by the user (FIG. 2D).

In addition, the image extraction module 12 provides a function that allows the user to change the angle or size of the image selected by the user using the mouse 40 when the user ends the product image setting, and when the product image setting is all finished The selected product image can be registered (FIG. 2F).

In addition, although not shown in detail in the drawing, the image extraction module 12 may provide a menu item display for selecting each step so that the user can easily select and execute the series of processes described above.

According to the above-described embodiment, the user can select and register only a specific product image from a captured image including various product images.

On the other hand, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration that allows a third party to search and look up the registered product image as described above.

In FIG. 3, the product search system includes a search server 100 and a product information database 200. The product information database 200 includes a search engine 210, an index unit 220, and an image storage unit 230.

The search engine 210 executes a product registration and search function, and the image storage unit 230 stores product image information registered by a user, that is, product image information input through the process described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. . The index unit 220 stores information related to a product image, for example, product name or weight information, that is, index information such as the number of times of inquiry of the product.

The product image registration process described in FIGS. 1 and 2 is executed through a separate management server (not shown). A person who wants to register a product connects to the management server and executes a product registration process. When the user connects to the management server and requests image registration, the management server sequentially requests the user for product image registration processing by performing the procedure according to FIGS. 1 and 2, and when the user completes the image registration processing, The product image input by the search engine 210 is stored in the image storage unit 230, and product related information, for example, a product name, is registered in the index unit 220.

When a user accesses the search system for product search and inputs a keyword, the search server 100 requests product information related to the keyword input by the user to the search engine 210 of the product information database 200. . The search engine 210 searches the index unit 220 when a search query request is input, searches for product information in order of weight information, for example, the products with the largest number of product inquiries, and then outputs the result information, that is, product image information. Read from the image storage unit 230 to provide to the user through the search server (100).

Therefore, according to the present invention, the user can easily register the desired product image and the like, and the third party can easily search for the registered product image information. Can be.

The embodiments according to the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the searching and searching of the product image registered by the user based on the index information related thereto, for example, the product name, has been described. However, the searching and querying may be performed using the image information.

When a user wants to search for a product with an image, like the image registration, the user selects an image to search through the procedure of FIGS. 1 and 2, and then executes an image search and inquiry based on the image.

When the image information to be searched is input from the search server 100, the image storage unit 230 based on the aspect ratio of the image and the color ratio (RGB ratio) of the product, which are distinguished by the color and the aspect ratio information of the image. Will be executed. In this case, preferably, when the search engine 210 registers an image in the image storage unit 240, the size ratio between the areas distinguished by the characteristics of the image, that is, the aspect ratio information and the color of the image, and The color value (RGB ratio) of the product is stored in the index unit 220, and when searching for an image later, the index unit 220 is searched based on the index information to quickly search for a corresponding image and use the result. Will be provided to

10: main body, 20: display,
30: image input device, 40: user interface.

Claims (5)

A method for providing a user's desired product image information from image information including at least one piece of product image information, the method comprising:
An image information input step of inputting image information,
An image region classification step of dividing the input image information into image regions based on colors;
An image region selection step of displaying the color of the selected image region differently from other image regions,
A non-selected image area removing step of removing an image area other than the selected image area;
And an image registration step of registering the selected image area. The method of claim 1,
And an image adjusting step for adjusting an angle and a size of the selected image information after the image area selecting step. The method of claim 1,
And a point editing step for allowing a user to determine an outline of the image area after the image area selection step. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And a product image provided by the user is used as a search keyword. 5. The method of claim 4,
The image search based on the product image is performed based on at least one of the horizontal-vertical size ratio of the image, the size ratio for each region of the image based on the color, or the color value of the image.

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