# US 9,519,977 B2 · Letterbox coloring with color detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,519,977 B2 - Document ID: US9519977B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/201,683 - Filed: 2014-03-07 - Published: 2014-11-13 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2013-05-13 - Assignees: eBay Inc. - Applicants: eBay, Inc. - Inventors: Ladd Van Tol; Tyler Yong Nugent; Jonathan David Chard; Bradley Roberts - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519977B2 ## CPC - G06T 11/10: Texturing; Colouring; Generation of textures or colours (retouching, inpainting or scratch removal G06T5/77) - G06F 16/5838: {using colour} - G06F 40/103: Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents (automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191) - G06Q 30/0601: Electronic shopping [e-shopping] - G09G 5/00: Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators (image data processing or generation, in general G06T) - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - G06Q 30/06: Buying, selling or leasing transactions - G06Q 30/0603: {Catalogue creation or management} - G06Q 30/0623: {by investigating goods or services} - G06Q 30/0631: {Recommending goods or services} - G06Q 30/0641: {utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping} - G06Q 30/0643: {graphically representing goods, e.g. 3D product representation} - G06T 5/10: using non-spatial domain filtering - G09G 2310/0232: Special driving of display border areas - G09G 2340/0442: Handling or displaying different aspect ratios, or changing the aspect ratio - G09G 2340/14: Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed - G09G 2360/16: Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract A system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for generating background for an image. A graphical interface module arranges an image in a display element. The arrangement of the image in the display element defines a space between the perimeters of image and the display element. A color detection module determines an estimate of a color of the image about the perimeter of the image. A background generator module determines a variation of color of the image about the perimeter of the image. The background generator module determines a background based at least on the estimate of the color and the variation of color. A display module provides the arrangement of the image in the display element with the background at least filling a portion of the space defined between the perimeters. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a processor of a machine; a graphical interface module configured to arrange an image in a display element of a graphical interface, the image including a first perimeter, the display element including a second perimeter, the arrangement of the image within the display element defining a space between the first perimeter of the image and the second perimeter of the display element; a color detection module configured to determine, using the processor, an estimate of a color of a portion of the image about the first perimeter by determining a central tendency of the color of the portion of image about the first perimeter; a background generator module configured to determine a variation of the color of the portion of image about the first perimeter with respect to the estimate of the color, the background generator module being further configured to determine a background based at least on the estimate of the color and the variation of the color, the background generator module being further configured to fill at least a portion of the space in the display element defined between the first perimeter and the second perimeter with the determined background; and a display module configured to provide, for display on a device, the image within the display element with the determined background. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the color detection module is further configured to determine the estimate of the color by determining an average color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter, the estimate of the color being based at least on the average color. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the average color is determined in a first color space type including at least one of a CIE 1976 color space, a CIELUV color space, a CIELAB color space, or a CIEUVW color space. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, further comprising a color space converter module configured to convert the portion of the image from a second color space type to the first color space type, the average color being based at least on the portion of the image converted to the first color space type. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface module being further configured to scale the image in the display element such that the first perimeter extends, along an axis, to the second perimeter, and the portion of the image at least partly defining the space between the first perimeter and the second perimeter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the background generator module is configured to determine a background color by adjusting a saturation of the estimate of the color, the saturation being adjusted based on the variation of the color. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the background generator module is configured to adjust the saturation of the estimate of the color by comparing the variation of the color and a predetermined threshold, wherein the background generator module is further configured to adjust the saturation to a gray value if the variation of the color is greater than the predetermined threshold and, otherwise, to not adjust the saturation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the background generator module is further configured to adjust saturation of the estimate of the color by using a continuous, decreasing function of the variation of the color. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the background generator module is further configured to determine the background by selecting, based on the estimate of the color and the variation of the color, one of a plurality of predetermined backgrounds. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of predetermined backgrounds is determined based on a theme of the graphical interface. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the background generator module is configured to adjust the saturation of the estimate of the color by comparing the variation of the color to a predetermined threshold, wherein the background generator module is configured to generate the background including a border for placing around the first perimeter if the variation of the color is greater than the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the background generator module is configured to detect a color gradient of the portion of the image about the first perimeter, the background generator module being further configured to determine the background to have a color gradient matching the color gradient of the portion of the image. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface module is further configured to access a plurality of images including the image, the accessing being responsive to receiving an indication to display a list containing the plurality of images. ### Claim 14 A method for determining backgrounds, the method comprising: arranging an image in a display element of a graphical interface, the image including a first perimeter, the display element including a second perimeter, the arrangement of the image within the display element defining a space between the first perimeter of the image and the second perimeter of the display element; determining, using one or more processors, an estimate of a color of a portion of the image about the first perimeter by determining a central tendency of the color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter; determining a variation of the color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter with respect to the estimate of the color; determining a background based at least on the estimate of the color and the variation of the color; filling at least a portion of the space in the display element defined between the first perimeter and the second perimeter with the determined background; and providing, for display on a device, the image in the display element with the determined background. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of the estimate of the color includes determining an average color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter, the estimate of the color being based at least on the average color. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the determining of the average color is determined in a first color space type including at least one of a CIE 1976 color space, a CIELUV color space, a CIELAB color space, or a CIEUVW color space. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising converting the portion of the image from a second color space type to the first color space type, the average color being based at least on the portion of the image converted to the first color space type. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of the background color comprises adjusting a saturation of the estimate of the color, the saturation being adjusted based on the variation of the color. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: arranging an image in a display element of a graphical interface, the image including a first perimeter, the display element including a second perimeter, the arrangement of the image within the display element defining a space between the first perimeter of the image and the second perimeter of the display element; determining, using one or more computer processors, an estimate of a color of a portion of the image about the first perimeter by determining a central tendency of the color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter; determining a variation of the color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter with respect to the estimate of the color; determining a background based at least on the estimate of the color and the variation of the color; filling at least a portion of the space in the display element defined between the first perimeter and the second perimeter with the determined background; and providing, for display on a device, the image in the display element with the determined background. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the determining of the estimate of the color includes determining an average color of the portion of the image about the first perimeter, the estimate of the color being based at least on the average color.