Method and apparatus for data compression based on modeling schemes
Granted: September 10, 2002
Patent Number:
6449393
A method and apparatus for compression of data. The invention provides for the application of a plurality of compression schemes to the data such that improved compression ratios are achieved. A first embodiment provides for compression of each pixel by one of a plurality of different entropy-based compression schemes based upon a probability cost analysis. A second embodiment provides for compression of each pixel based on a hybrid context formed using a plurality of compression schemes…
Low memory printer controller
Granted: August 6, 2002
Patent Number:
6429949
Apparatus and methods are provided that enables color printers to render color or black and white files in a reduced memory configuration, and in a time efficient fashion.
Exposure slit with light reflection hood
Granted: June 4, 2002
Patent Number:
6400443
An exposure slit for an image recording apparatus comprises a plate having an opening for the passage of light. First and second inclined walls extend toward each other from the plate to form a slit over the opening. The inclined walls form a light trap which reduces the occurrence of fogging in the image recorder.
Method for determining printer colorant levels
Granted: April 30, 2002
Patent Number:
6381036
A method is provided for determining colorant levels required by a printer to match a target color. A set of candidate colors is generated on a computer and printed on the printer. Color neighbors in the candidate color sets are calculated based on the colorants of the particular printer being used, but are presented to the user according to their human-natural organization by hue, lightness and saturation. One or more further sets of candidate colors are generated on the computer in…
Marking device for electronic presentation board
Granted: April 16, 2002
Patent Number:
6373003
A transmitter device is disclosed for use with a conventional pen in which the ultrasound transmitter is a cylindrical element lying coaxial with the pen and adjacent to its tip, and a jointed eraser structure. Conventional triangulation techniques are used to track the position and motion of a writer or eraser. An encoding facility associated with the pen provides the ability to distinguish whether the pen is used for marking or an as erasing implement, as well as determining the nature…
Color measurement instrument with asymmetric tapered sample area optical enclosure
Granted: April 9, 2002
Patent Number:
6369895
A color measurement instrument such as a reflection densitometer or a spectral reflectometer is fitted with an asymmetric tapered sample area optical enclosure to allow an improved operator sight line to the sample target area and allow ease of placement on the sample target, while allowing for the standard 45° illumination/90° measurement geometry. The disclosed structure is particularly suitable for use as a hand-held instrument.
Toner usage estimation system
Granted: March 12, 2002
Patent Number:
6356359
A toner usage estimation system is provided, in which an image file is analyzed to determine the relative usage of one or more toners used to define an image on a substrate. The image file is analyzed as a basis for estimating the cost of processing a particular print job. In one embodiment, a pixel coverage counter is added in the hardware path of a printer to count pixel coverage mapping, which allows the consumable usage of toner to be determined. In another embodiment, a software…
Method and system for image format conversion
Granted: February 19, 2002
Patent Number:
6348978
A method and system are provided for converting image data between planar format and a chunky format. A barrel shifter sorts the image bytes by color plane for output to a plurality of memory cells. Two addresses of each memory cell are not interconnected and function as a set of selection lines, whose binary values determine the number of positions that the data stored in the memory cells are shifted in response to the action of the barrel shifter. The sorted bytes are stored according…
Preprocessing method for a variable data print job system
Granted: January 22, 2002
Patent Number:
6341018
Methods of translating a print object stream into a print job stream are claimed. The print object stream contains a succession of print objects. The print job stream contains print job objects.
Interface code architecture
Granted: January 22, 2002
Patent Number:
6341307
A display interface system that uses a server-client approach. The server contains all of the necessary information regarding display information, while the client deals with the specific display type that it is connected to. The server contains generic descriptions of user interface screens which allow the server to be independent of specific display types. This allows one version of software to support many types of displays, rather than several software revisions for each display…
Interleaved-to-planar data conversion
Granted: January 22, 2002
Patent Number:
6341017
Interleaved data are converted to a planar format by an algorithm that follows map cycles throughout a frame buffer. Such map cycles result from iterating a function that maps planar addresses to CMYK addresses. There are three phases to the algorithm: In phase I, a 1-Cycle is processed and all of its member indices that are <=MAX_HIT in the array firstHit[] are saved. In phase II, all indices between 1 and MAX_HIT are visited, skipping any indices that have already…
Gamut correction with color separation and methods and apparatuses for performing same
Granted: January 22, 2002
Patent Number:
6340975
Methods and apparatuses for correcting gamut limitations of a color device. A method includes creating a predefined color space for use in gamut correction due to the gamut limitations of the color device, such as a color printer, and producing a set of color data values using the predefined color space. The set of color data values is for use in converting from a first color space (e.g., RGB) to a second color space (e.g., CMYK). A method in another embodiment includes creating a first…
Method and apparatus for automatically generating single-channel critical color transformations
Granted: December 18, 2001
Patent Number:
6331899
The invention described herein uses minimization techniques to find a good single-channel transformation that preserves the accuracy of critical colors. The invention takes as inputs a set of critical colors and from these colors determines a set of constraints on the output device and simulated device colorants that is used for the minimization. The constraints are selected to allow the minimization step to determine a consistent single-channel transformation. Then, the color…
Variable data print job system
Granted: December 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6330071
A variable data print job system that reduces the master and variable jobs into a single job sent from the client to the printer that does not require indefinite disk storage on the printer. The first part of the job contains the master data pages and the second part of the job contains the variable data. The print job is assembled and sent to the printer which detects that the job is a two part job. It places the master data in the page buffer and copies it to another area of the page…
Apparatus and method for hybrid compression and decompression of raster data
Granted: December 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6330363
From a raster page, patches of connected pixels of the same color are identified. Patches of at least a predetermined sized, typically corresponding to text or line art objects, are subjected to a lossless compression. Patches below the predetermined size, typically corresponding to image or photo objects, are substantially subjected to a lossy compression. The patch predetermined size controls the mix of lossless and lossy compression procedures. Optimum compression is achieved by…
Marking device for electronic presentation board
Granted: December 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6326565
A transmitter device is disclosed for use with a conventional pen in which the ultrasound transmitter is a cylindrical element lying coaxial with the pen and adjacent to its tip, and a jointed eraser structure. Conventional triangulation techniques are used to track the position and motion of a writer or eraser. An encoding facility associated with the pen provides the ability to distinguish whether the pen is used for marking or an as erasing implement, as well as determining the nature…
Automatic scanner calibration
Granted: December 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6327047
An automatic scanner calibration method and apparatus is disclosed in which a calibrated target, such as a Kodak® gray strip, is attached to a scanning surface of a scanner. The target is thin and has a width or length of platen of a scanner. During a normal scan, the calibration target area can be ignored or scanned depending on user selection. If the strip is scanned, then the resulting information is used to calibrate the scanner automatically. Such calibration is more accurate…
Printing method and apparatus having multiple raster image processors
Granted: December 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6327050
A multiple raster image processor (RIP) system which enables faster system performance over multiple processors includes a zero RIP feature consisting of a language interpreter sub-RIP that interprets a print instruction file but does not process the graphics rendering steps or the post-language processing operators. The zero RIP discovers page related attributes for individual pages within a multipage job and reports any potential errors or warnings with the file. A thumb RIP consists…
Color data inversion and reconversion
Granted: December 4, 2001
Patent Number:
6327052
A color data inversion and reconversion system provides improved systems, methods, and data structures for processing and printing color data which convert colorant amounts (c, m, y, k) for pixels into corresponding color amounts (r′, g′, b′) for the pixels and to accurate colorant amounts (c′, m′, y′, k′) for the pixels. This supports accurate printing of such pixels even where the colorant amounts (c, m, y, k) are inacurate, and can be used…
Text enhancement system
Granted: October 30, 2001
Patent Number:
6310697
A general purpose method for text enhancement that is independent of the type of scanner that is used to scan a document or the device printing the document and is tolerant of the artifacts and defects that the scanning process introduces on the text, mainly blurring. A window of size W×W is constructed on a scanned page with the target pixel at the center of the window and the amount of ink in the window is calculated and the number of pixels that are darker than the center pixel…
