Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
1–10 of 15 posts
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#2Still working on some bugs, but it's easy to use already.
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#3This technique has been around for a long time but it was patented, and the patent finally expired a few years ago. Fun to see it commoditized like this.
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#4Nice work. Curious what value the patent holder extracted from the original patent that's expired
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#5This technique has been around for a long time but it was patented, and the patent finally expired a few years ago. Fun to see it commoditized like this.
What makes you think patents prevented photo mosaics? There were multiple programs anyone could buy for $50 over 20 years ago.
The basic technique is to scale down images and treat them as high dimensional points, then match them with patches of the main image, also treated as high dimensional points. This can be done efficiently with high dimensional nearest neighbors.
You might be thinking of SIFT, which was a patented and part of the methodology was more efficient high dimensional searching using best bin first kd-trees.
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#6This technique has been around for a long time but it was patented, and the patent finally expired a few years ago. Fun to see it commoditized like this.
I had no idea a patent existed for this type of software, I figured this current program out through trial and error and a couple of iterations.
How can a developer protect themselves from publishing patented software? Is there any way of knowing if a certain type of program is patented?
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#7This technique has been around for a long time but it was patented, and the patent finally expired a few years ago. Fun to see it commoditized like this.
What makes you think patents prevented photo mosaics? There were multiple programs anyone could buy for $50 over 20 years ago. The basic technique is to scale down images and treat them as high dimensional points, then match them with patches of the main image, also treated as high dimensional points. This can be done efficiently with high dimensional nearest neighbors. You might be thinking of SIFT, which was a pate…
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#8This technique has been around for a long time but it was patented, and the patent finally expired a few years ago. Fun to see it commoditized like this.
I had no idea a patent existed for this type of software, I figured this current program out through trial and error and a couple of iterations. How can a developer protect themselves from publishing patented software? Is there any way of knowing if a certain type of program is patented?
>> Is there any way of knowing if a certain type of program is patented?
If you've a seen similar thing pre-existing, chances are that it may be someone's intellectual property, and which then should be respected.
In this particular example, Wikipedia page on photographic mosaics [1] itself has a section on IP aspects of the same [2].
>> How can a developer protect themselves from publishing patented software?
The best approach is to respect the prior art and properly license the same as needed.
At times, a developer may have strong reasons to believe that the related prior patents are either not infringed or are invalid. In this case they should be ready to be challenged.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_mosaic
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_mosaic#Trademark_...
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
What makes you think patents prevented photo mosaics? There were multiple programs anyone could buy for $50 over 20 years ago. The basic technique is to scale down images and treat them as high dimensional points, then match them with patches of the main image, also treated as high dimensional points. This can be done efficiently with high dimensional nearest neighbors. You might be thinking of SIFT, which was a pate…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_mosaic#Trademark_...
Patents are about processes and if you read this patent it is very specific. Your link even mentions that there have been multiple programs that do this for a long time.
Re: Show HN: Create image mosaics with Polyfoto
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_mosaic#Trademark_...
Patents are about processes and if you read this patent it is very specific. Your link even mentions that there have been multiple programs that do this for a long time.
Patents are not only about processes, they can also cover the final product amongst other aspects. The patent in question also does the same [1], as visible via claims 14, 29, 46, 51, whereas the claim 1 is about the "method".
Reading the claim #1 of the said patent, I do not find it "very specific" as you said. It is quite broad within the purposes of making a mosaic image. One way of avoiding infringing claim 1 is to not use a computer for this.
I agree that the Wikipedia page mentions multiple programs doing this for long, however, it has not committed that there has no patent violation and a possibility that the patent holder "has chosen not to bring infringement proceedings" is also cited.
[1] https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/0267124...