Patent ID: 8429531

Claim:
An object selecting apparatus for allowing a user to select an object in a video image, the apparatus comprising: a processor; a video processing section which causes an external display device to display a video image; a storage device which stores data of the video image caused to be displayed by the video processing section; an input section which receives an input operation by which the user attempts to designate a display position of an object in the video image displayed on the display device; an input analyzing section which generates, when the input operation is received by the input section, time information indicating a time of receipt and position information indicating an inputted position in the video image; a video analyzing section which extracts, using the processor, one or more objects in the video image based on the data of the video image stored in the storage device, which analyzes one or more paths of the respective one or more objects, and which generates, with respect to each of the one or more objects, path information indicating a path history of the object; and a determination section which, with respect to each of the one or more objects, performs anticipated path determination which: estimates an anticipated path, on which the user would anticipate that the object might be displayed at around the time of receipt indicated by the time information outputted by the input analyzing section, based on the path information occurring during a certain period of time prior to a point in time which is the start of a predetermined period of time before the time of receipt, the certain period of time excluding the time of receipt; compares an anticipated position on the anticipated path, which anticipated position corresponds to the time of receipt, with the position information generated by the input analyzing section; and determines, when the distance between the anticipated position and the position information is in a predetermined range, the object, which is a close object, as the object selected by the user.