Patent · US Expired

Cell-based text enhancement for a color printer by complete excess-color stripping, based on previous regions

US6176566A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
9References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateMar 10, 1997
Grant dateJan 23, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 10, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N1/6072
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An image that includes black-and-white text--from which most chromatic-colorant data in text areas have already been stripped--is enhanced by removing all chromatic-colorant data from a region of the image data array, independent of object type. Removal occurs only if color-data conditions are met; the data array is then applied to print the image. The system includes storage and automatic retrieval of instructions for automatically evaluating the condition, removing chromatic-colorant data, and applying the color-stripped data in printing. The conditions include whether the amount of chromatic-colorant data in (A) the region is less than a certain threshold; (B) an entire row immediately above the region is less than a second threshold; (C) a region adjacent to the region is less than a third threshold; and (D) a vertical column above the particular region exceeds a fourth threshold. In this last case the system counts a number of consecutive regions, vertically above the region, from which chromatic-colorant data have been removed; and then refrains from removing chromatic-colorant data from the region if the count exceeds the fourth threshold. The system thus limits the effect o…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.