WO2016043320A1

WO2016043320A1 - Method and device for generating reduced image

Info

Publication number: WO2016043320A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/076741
Authority: WO
Inventors: 勉兼安; 清志多田
Original assignee: 株式会社コティレドン・テクノロジー; 勉兼安; 清志多田
Priority date: 2014-09-19
Filing date: 2015-09-18
Publication date: 2016-03-24

Abstract

　The present invention makes it possible for the content of a reduced thumbnail image displayed in a menu list provided at a website, etc., for informing about the location of a document or a website to be appropriately indicated. The present invention makes it possible for a template whose character or drawing area suitable for the feature of the document or website is rearranged in conformity with a category set by reflecting the feature to be presented to an operator. The present invention thereby makes it possible for a reduced image reflecting the content of the document or website to be created simply. Also, with regard to the presentation of a template, the present invention ensures that the frequency of use with regard to the category of the template is reflected.

Description

Reduced image generation method and apparatus

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a reduced image according to the content from a website or a website configured by pages including various contents and using the thumbnail as a thumbnail. .

Websites for the purpose of providing various types of information represented by the WWW (World Wide Web), through a coding process in a description language generally called HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), It includes content displayed by a browser such as an area made up of characters (text data) by an accessor, images, charts, and the like. FIG. 5 shows an example of a website 50 including an image area 51 and a character area 52 in a form displayed by a browser. In addition, depending on the website, contents such as PDF and XPS files that can be used after being downloaded to an accessor's personal computer or the like via some protocol, and electronic books such as EPUB and AZW formats (hereinafter referred to as convenience) "Downloadable file"). FIG. 6 shows an example of a downloadable file 60 composed of an image area 61 and a character area 62 in a downloaded and printed form as an explanatory diagram for facilitating understanding of the character.

These websites 50 and downloadable files 60 recorded on such websites 50 are generally composed of a plurality of pages, and each page includes the contents as described above.

However, with the proliferation of personal computers and other information terminals and the explosive increase in information due to the expansion of the Internet, it is estimated that the number of websites currently exceeds 1 billion worldwide, and there are users Even if a kind of information is desired and a search is performed by any search tool or search engine, it is not easy to narrow down information to be searched from the hit set.

In such cases, thumbnails for each website, that is, image data generated by reducing the content contained therein may be used for information retrieval. FIG. 7 shows a thumbnail 70 composed of an image area 71 and a character area generated from a website or downloadable file.

Thumbnails consisting of reduced images obtained from individual websites are automatically generated by software processing from the first page of the website, or mechanically without taking the contents into consideration in some form. Since it is generated based only on the first page, it does not necessarily reflect the contents of the website appropriately. Therefore, these thumbnails have a great limitation in terms of information retrieval. Furthermore, as a result of such automatic thumbnail generation and mechanical work, the features of documents and images that are originally included are not reflected, and only a uniform display is provided. It was even more difficult.

In particular, on websites that provide catalogs, specifications and product manuals for various products, it is more difficult to find the documents that users want if they are displayed uniformly. From the viewpoint of so-called CI, that is, corporate identity, if each document is created in a uniform format, the thumbnails of those documents are generated uniformly, and they have no discriminating power at all. Therefore, this problem is remarkable.

On the other hand, if a thumbnail tailored to the character of each electronic book is generated on an electronic book providing site or the like, the user's interest can be more easily attracted and the use of the electronic book can be promoted. On the other hand, if they consist only of a uniform cover, it can lead to a loss of user interest.

JP 2004-30145 A

In the present invention, when a user searches a website, thumbnails that can reflect the contents of the website can be generated and displayed only by a simple operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide information related to the above, and to easily indicate the presence of information desired by the user. It is another object of the present invention to enable a user to search for information with higher accuracy in a short time.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the present invention provides the following method. A method of extracting a certain area from an object composed of a plurality of areas and generating a reduced image composed of the contents, wherein a computer inputs an object category selected or input by an operator to the control unit. A category input step of storing as an object category, a region detecting step in which the computer detects the plurality of regions included in the content constituting the object, and a plurality of regions detected by the computer in the region detecting step A content rearrangement step for generating a layout in which a template prepared in advance according to the object category is applied and rearranged, and a computer generates a reduced image based on the layout generated by the rearrangement step. Image generation step to generate , Characterized by including the.

An object is a category (type) to which it belongs, for example, a document distributed by the company that handles the manufacture and sale of various products on its website, etc., and there are a product catalog, a product use manual, a product specification, etc. Each of them has features such as a lot of photographs and a lot of information such as texts and numerical values, and the manner and distribution of the contents included are different, but according to the present invention, selection is performed according to the category. Since the reduced template is applied to generate a reduced image, a reduced image more suitable for grasping the contents of the user can be provided.

In the rearrangement step, a plurality of layouts may be generated using a template prepared in advance and presented to the operator.

In the above case, a plurality of generated layouts may be displayed in descending order of frequency of use for the category.

This makes it possible for the operator to provide a reduced image optimal for the user of the website and the like more easily.

Further, a category changing step for changing or adding the object category may be further provided.

Further, the operator may be able to change the size or position of the area for the layout generated using the presented template.

With such a configuration, a more suitable reduced image can be obtained even when a template prepared in advance does not sufficiently express the contents.

According to the present invention, as described above, since the template selected according to the category is applied, a reduced image suitable for grasping the contents of the user can be generated. Therefore, by arranging such reduced images as thumbnails on the website, there is an excellent advantage that the user can easily find the location of the desired information.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a configuration relating to a reduced image generating method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a configuration relating to the reduced image generating method according to the present invention, in particular, the main part thereof. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram based on a flowchart showing a main operation in the reduced image generating method according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram based on a flowchart for explaining editing of a region of interest in the reduced image generation method according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a website. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a document in the form of a downloadable file. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a thumbnail generated from a website or a downloadable file. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the reduced image generation method according to the present invention, and shows an example of a screen immediately after uploading. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the reduced image generation method according to the present invention, and shows an example of a screen for changing the content type. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the reduced image generation method according to the present invention, and shows an example of a screen when a recommended cover template is selected. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation in the reduced image generation method according to the present invention, and shows an example of a screen when editing a region of interest.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a reduced image generation method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are explanatory diagrams schematically showing a configuration relating to a reduced image generation method according to the present invention. In the following example, the mode in which the operator directly operates the layout device is described. However, the operator accesses and operates the network from a terminal physically separated from a computer or the like that functions as the layout device. It can also be configured.

The personal computer 100 is preferable as the hardware as the layout apparatus 1 for actually performing the reduced image generation method. The personal computer 100 includes a control unit 110 on which an arithmetic device including a CPU is mounted, a display unit 120 that is connected to the control unit 110 and displays a screen, and is similarly connected to the control unit 110 to create a program and a program related to the creation method. A recording unit 130 that can store various contents of a website, and an operation unit 140 (eg, keyboard, mouse) that is an input unit when an operator refers to the display on the display unit and performs the operation. Including a typical structure. In addition, an input / output unit 150 may be provided. The input / output unit 150 may be a connection unit with an Internet line, a LAN, a connection interface with a WAN, or a storage device such as a modem or various USB memories. The contents and downloadable files of websites on the Internet may be stored in the recording unit 130 via the input / output unit 150 and called when a reduced image is generated.

2, the layout apparatus 1 includes a template holding unit 2 and an area holding unit 3 included in the recording unit 130. Moreover, the template presentation part 4 and the area | region presentation part 5 which are the site | parts displayed or non-displayed on the display part 120 based on control by the control part 110 are included. The display timing of these presentation units 4 and 5 will be described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 8 to 10, main operations relating to the reduced image generation method will be described. In the apparatus 1 as described above, the operator starts up the program and enters the main operation by logging in through the necessary ID and password input (S01). An initial screen (upload screen) 11 as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. On the screen 11, a menu button part 12, an upload area 13, and a file list display part 14 are displayed. The menu button 12 includes buttons such as “file list” (12a), “template change” (12b), “attention area editing” (12c), “personal setting” (12d), and “logout” (12e). Is provided, and the operator can perform a desired operation by clicking one of these. Further, when a cover template in which a region of interest is already set is registered in the template holding unit 2 of the recording unit,

thumbnails

15a, 15b, 15c,... Based on them are displayed as the file list display unit 14. . In addition, a

type button

16a, 16b, 16c,... Is displayed for each of these

thumbnails

15a, 15b, 15c,... If there is a type (for example, “catalog” or “manual”) that has already been set, the contents are displayed. Is done.

These types may be registered in advance in the template holding unit 2 as a kind of chick shape. For example, several types such as “catalog”, “use manual”, “specifications” that are genres of stored content are prepared in advance for sites of companies that handle the manufacture and sale of various products, etc. For e-book sales sites, types such as “literary books”, “manga”, and “science and engineering books”, which are genres of electronic books, may be prepared in advance and displayed on the file list display unit 14. . The change of these types will be described later.

A file can be uploaded by dragging and dropping a downloadable file icon to be processed in the upload area to the upload area 13. In particular, when the device is connected to the Internet via the input / output unit 150, the URL (uniform resource locator) of a website on the Internet can be dragged and dropped to the link destination address. It is possible to specify content. Furthermore, the processing target can also be selected by pressing a “file list” in the menu button 12. By performing such an operation, the operator designates contents such as the website 50 and downloadable file 60 to be processed (S02). This content is input to the template presentation unit 4. The control unit 110 analyzes the specified content, recognizes one or a plurality of areas included therein, and generates a thumbnail based on the content (S03).

At this stage, for example, when the type button 16a is “no type” and is pressed by the operator (S04), a type change dialog 21 as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed (S05). The operator can register a new type in the displayed type change dialog 21 using the operation unit 140 such as a keyboard (S06). This registration operation is completed by clicking on the portion displayed as “OK” in the dialog 21 (S07).

When any of the

set type buttons

16a, 16b, 16c,... Is selected (S08), the contents are input to the template presenting unit 4, and as a result, as shown in FIG. One or a plurality of recommended cover templates are displayed on the advance template display unit 22 on the screen (S09). This recommended cover template is based on the selected type. For example, if the type is a product catalog, a characteristic photograph of the product is automatically set as a region of interest as an image region. The selection of the area according to this type is performed at random, particularly at the initial stage of operation of the device, but at the stage when some data is collected as a result of operation of the device, learning is performed based on the selection results of those operators. And the selection result of the attention area may be displayed based on the learning result. The learning result is accumulated and recorded in the recording unit 130.

In addition, for example, the first photo in the product catalog is often about the entire product, and the resolution of the image data compared to other contents in the catalog such as other illustrations, logos, trademarks, etc. If the image size is often large and it is relatively easy to analyze the contents, it is recorded first, especially in the case where the catalog is specified as a type from the beginning of operation. The displayed image area may be recognized as the attention area by default and displayed. Such display-related processing is particularly effective when the number of processing cases based on the learning record is small.

If the type is a product specification, the part that describes the product specification rather than the photo is used as the attention area, so that it can be a thumbnail reflecting the characteristics of the document or content as the specification. However, also in this case, in order to emphasize the product format, a part written in characters larger than other parts may be automatically recognized as the attention area in the specification type.

If there is no desired recommendation cover template displayed, the operator can end the display of the recommendation cover cover template by operating the operation unit 140 such as a keyboard. As a result, selection from the original file list display unit 14 becomes possible.

When any one of the

thumbnails

15a, 15b, 15c,... Is pressed from the file list display unit 14 (S10), a predetermined template stored from the template holding unit 2 is called up based on the thumbnail, and the uploaded process is performed. A document (reduced image) in which the template is applied to the target file 60 or content is generated by the layout generation unit 6 and displayed on the display unit 120 (S11). The generated image is automatically saved appropriately in the recording unit 130 in the apparatus 1 (S12).

If the operator wants to further modify the image thus generated, the attention area editing button 12c is pressed (S13), whereby the attention area editing screen 25 as shown in FIG. (S14).

The attention area editing screen 25 is provided with a browsing editing bar 30, in which a continuous browsing button 31 (used for continuously browsing a processing target consisting of a plurality of pages), a reduced image display button 32. (Used to preview a reduced image), reduction button 33, enlargement button 34,

page feed buttons

35 and 36, page designation button 37, character string search button 38 (a specific character string is included in the processing target) And a character string search result clear button 39 (used to clear the result searched and displayed by the character string search button 38) and the like. Yes.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, based on the contents of the website 50 and downloadable file 60, the image area 41 and the character area based on the

image areas

51 and 61 and the

character areas

52 and 62 recorded therein. Region 42 is placed. Each area is provided with a content movement button 43 and a determination button 44. When the content movement button 43 is pressed, the area is moved to the next page and arranged there.

As shown in the flowchart in FIG. 4, in the attention area editing (S21), the attention area editing screen 25 is first displayed as described above (S22). At this stage, one or a plurality of

areas

41 and 42 are selected based on the information stored in the area holding unit 3 (being active). Note that an inactive area is also activated by selecting it with an input means (operation unit 140) such as a mouse, and can be edited as an attention area (S23). The

areas

41 and 42 in the active state can be edited, and can be enlarged / reduced as indicated by an arrow, or can be moved within the screen 25.

As described above, when the content movement button 43 arranged in each area is pressed (S24), the area is moved to the next page (S25). Further, by dragging the outer frame of the area (S26), enlargement, reduction, movement within the screen 25, etc. can be performed (S27). It is possible to exit from these processes by pressing an escape button (not shown) on the keyboard, for example (S28, S29). The edited image is stored in the recording unit 1 in the apparatus 1 and can be used as a thumbnail. Thus, the reduced image generated for each website or downloadable file is recorded (automatically saved) in the recording unit 130, and appropriately transferred to an external content server or search server via the input / output unit 150. Displayed when searching.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which an operator operates his / her personal computer as a layout device. However, when a layout device is provided / operated as an online service, an external registrant is connected to the device via a network. A reduced image may be generated by accessing via the URL and transmitted to the registrant.

In the present invention, documents, downloadable files include advertisements, company information, information for investors such as earnings information and company bulletins, catalogs, brochures, flyers, specifications, interface manuals, drawings. , Distribution media such as standard establishment documents, technical bulletins, etc., including product types such as education, clothing, food, toys, etc., or product prices, users and other product-related information, documents (characters) and images Any information may be used as long as it is information that represents the product or the like described in the above, or information that the product has, and is not particularly limited. In addition, the electronic book may be provided in any form or free of charge. In other words, it can be used in public libraries.

Further, in the present invention, a plurality of layout templates may be presented and selected by the user, and a plurality of such templates are prepared in advance according to the contents of the document / image, and all the plurality of templates are presented. Alternatively, the templates may be narrowed down according to the type of content that is further subdivided in various ways.

The template in the present invention has at least one character area or image area. The template according to the present invention may have at least one attention character area or attention image area, and at least a part of the page number or position extracted from a plurality of pages of the document / image or selected by the operator. It can also be arranged in the attention character area or the attention image area.

Since the present invention provides information with higher accuracy when searching a website, it has industrial applicability.

6 Layout generation part 11 Initial screen 12 Menu button 13 Upload area 14 File list display part 15 Thumbnail 16 Type button 21 Type change dialog 22 Recommended cover page template display part 25 Attention area edit screen 30 Browse edit bar 31 Continuous view button 32 Reduced image display Button 33 Display reduction button 34

Display enlargement button

35, 36 Page feed button 37 Page designation button 38 Character string search button 39 Character string search result

clear button

41, 51, 61, 71

Image area

42, 52, 62, 72 Character area 43 Content move button 44 Enter button 50 Website 60 Downloadable file 70 Thumbnail 100 Layout device (personal computer)
110 control unit 120 display unit 130 recording unit 140 operation unit 150 input / output unit

Claims

A method of extracting a certain area from an object composed of a plurality of areas and generating a reduced image composed of the contents,
A category input step in which a computer inputs an object category selected or input by an operator to the control unit and stores it as an object category;
A region detecting step in which the computer detects the plurality of regions included in the content constituting the object;
A content rearrangement step in which a computer generates a layout in which a plurality of areas detected in the area detection step are rearranged by applying a template prepared in advance according to the object category;
An image generation step in which a computer generates a reduced image based on the layout generated by the rearrangement step;
A method for generating a reduced image, comprising:
2. The reduced image generation method according to claim 1, wherein in the rearrangement step, the computer generates a plurality of layouts using a template prepared in advance and presents the layouts to the operator.
3. The reduced image generation method according to claim 2, wherein the computer displays a plurality of generated layouts in order from the most frequently used object category.
2. The reduced image generation method according to claim 1, further comprising a category change step in which the computer inputs an object category change or addition performed by an operator and updates the object category.
3. The reduced image generation method according to claim 2, wherein the size or position of the area can be changed by an operation of the operator by the computer with respect to the layout generated using the presented template.
6. A reduced image generation method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of areas are constituted by areas made up of images or areas made up of characters.
A recording unit that stores an object composed of a plurality of areas in which content is arranged, and a control unit that analyzes and detects the content for each area, and recognizes and inputs an object category input or selected by an operator And
The control unit generates a layout in which objects are rearranged by applying a template prepared in advance for the detected object according to the category, and generates a reduced image based on the layout. Reduced image generation device.
8. The reduced image generation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit generates a plurality of layouts using a template prepared in advance and presents the layout to an operator.
9. The reduced image generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of generated layouts are displayed in order from the most frequently used category with respect to the category.
8. The reduced image generating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operator can change or add an object category.
8. The reduced image generation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operator can change the size or position of the area of the layout generated using the presented template.
12. The reduced image generation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of areas in the object are configured by areas including images or areas including characters.
A program for extracting a certain region from an object composed of a plurality of regions and generating a reduced image composed of the content,
On the computer,
A category input step for inputting an object category selected or input by the operator to the control unit and storing the object category as an object category;
An area detecting step for detecting the plurality of areas included in the content constituting the object;
A content rearrangement step for generating a layout in which a plurality of regions detected in the region detection step are rearranged by applying a template prepared in advance according to the object category;
An image generation step for generating a reduced image based on the layout generated by the rearrangement step;
Reduced image generation program for executing