Patent ID: 8208163
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing apparatus, comprising: a features extracting section for extracting features of input image data; a reference features obtaining section for obtaining, from a communicably connected server or a reference storage section of the image processing apparatus, reference image information in which identification information of a reference image and features of the reference image correspond to each other; a similarity determination section for comparing the features of the input image data with the features of the reference image so as to determine whether the input image data is similar to the reference image or not; a control section for controlling a process for the input image data in accordance with a determination result given by the similarity determination section; and an external connection section for allowing information to be transmitted to and from an external storage device, said image processing apparatus further comprising a common process information obtaining section for obtaining, from the server or a common process information storage section of the image processing apparatus, (i) common process information in which a common process rule indicative of a process commonly applied to input image data determined as being similar to the reference image regardless of a user or attribute of the user corresponds to the identification information of the reference image and (ii) version information of the common process information, wherein the control section obtains, from the external storage device, (I) merged process information in which the identification information of the reference image corresponds to a merged process rule obtained by merging the common process rule with an individual process rule which is indicative of a process applied to the input image data determined as being similar to the reference image and which is set for each user or to attribute of the user and (II) version information of the merged process information, and a process based on the merged process rule corresponding to the reference image determined as being similar to the input image data by the similarity determination section is carried out only in case where the version information of the merged process information is identical to version information of the common process information or in case where the version information of the merged process information is latter than a predetermined version.