Patent ID: 6731826
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
An image search apparatus for searching for desired image data from an image database that stores a plurality of image data in correspondence with image feature amounts of the image data, comprising:input means for inputting a stroke or strokes that form an image using an input window displayed on a display unit wherein the stroke or strokes are handwritten stroke or strokes and can be inputted successively and directly in the input window; image feature amount computing means for computing an image feature amount of an image drawn every time a stroke that forms a partial of the image is input by said input means; image similarity computing means for computing image similarity every time a stroke that forms the image is input by said input means on the basis of the image feature amount computed by said image feature amount computing means; and image search means for searching for desired image data from the image database every time a stroke that forms the image is input by said input means on the basis of the image similarity computed by said image similarity computing means.