Digital copier that approximates contours of a document image as straight lines or curves
US5677771A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 1994 |
| Grant date | Oct 14, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N1/409
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a digital copier, a trim mode may be entered on an operating section and a particular area of a document may be marked on a marking device. As an image scanner reads the document image, the resulting image data are written to a memory unit. A data separating section separates characters lying in the marked area of the document, and then a contour separating section separates the contours of the characters. An approximating section determines whether a continuous contour line is straight or curved on the basis of the angle and length thereof and then approximates contour data to a straight line or a curve. As a result, characters are trimmed and processed such that straight lines appear sharp while curves appear smooth. A drawing section writes the approximated contour data in a memory unit and paints the inside of the contour data to thereby draw an output image in the memory unit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.