Patents Examined by G. F. Cunningham
  • Patent number: 7091988
    Abstract: An object region data describing method of describing information about the object region in an image over a plurality of frames determines the region of a target object in an image using an approximate function that approximates the trajectory obtained by arranging, in the direction of frame advance, one representative point of an approximate figure for the object region and the difference values for determining the other representative points and describes information about the object region using a parameter for the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Osamu Hori, Toshimitsu Kaneko, Koji Yamamoto, Takeshi Mita, Koichi Masukura
  • Patent number: 7091987
    Abstract: A method for processing color-image pixel-data for outputting by a multi-bit (N) color-image output device including the steps of (a) characterizing color-image pixels into N successive, associated scan lines of pixels, which lines are bridged, effectively for processing purposes, by successive N×N pixel groups distributed along the associated scan lines, and (b) for each such pixel group, applying processing to the pixels in the group, including vector error diffusion processing, in a pixel-by-pixel and scan-line-by-scan-line manner employing, cyclically, N different color palettes, one each for the different scan lines—one of which palettes is bi-tonal, and other(s) of which is (are) of a higher bit level up to the level N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Ching-Wei Chang
  • Patent number: 7088373
    Abstract: In order to suppress undesired influence of interpolation at the time of color-converting image data, a link file generating program makes a computer execute the steps of coupling a monitor profile and a printer profile to generate a link file linking display-dependent colors (RGB data) to printer-dependent colors (CMYK data), and correcting the link file to adapt a printer-dependent color related to a prescribed one of the display-dependent colors to said prescribed one. Using a display-dependent color as a reference, a printer-dependent color related to the reference color is corrected. Accordingly, a link file can be generated that suppresses the undesired influence of interpolation at the time of color-converting the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Motohiro Asano
  • Patent number: 7084883
    Abstract: An image processing device and method for processing an image defined by a combination of unit graphic forms or polygons are provided with an interpolated line completion unit which determines an interpolated line which is the line that interpolates a space between two vertices from an interpolation vector used to determine a line interpolating a space between a given vertex and another vertex among vertices of the unit graphic forms and from the coordinates of those vertices. An interpolated point computation unit is provided which determines as vertices of sub-unit graphic forms or subpolygons into which the polygons are to be split by the processing image device, interpolated points which are the points on the interpolated line. The interpolated line is a Bezier curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Nobuo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7079152
    Abstract: When printing image data obtained by an input device, the present invention is intended to effectively utilize the color reproduction area of the printer. An image data processing method of the present invention comprises the steps of scale-down shifting a first color space point outside a maximum color reproduction area of an output unit to a second color space point within the maximum color reproduction area of the output unit; computing an amount of shift by which the first color space point is shifted to the second color space point; converting the second color space point to a third color space point within a color reproduction area smaller than the maximum color reproduction area of the output unit; and outputting an image to the output unit using image data obtained by scale-up shifting the third color space point to a fourth color space point within the maximum color reproduction area of the output unit based on the computed shift amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Akiyama, Makoto Torigoe, Manabu Yamazoe, Ryosuke Iguchi, Takashi Fujita
  • Patent number: 7079143
    Abstract: A waveform drawing routine is disclosed that includes receiving an array of predecessor image data points, wherein the predecessor image data points form a predecessor line that has a predecessor high end point and a predecessor low end point, receiving an array of successor image data points, wherein the successor image data points form a successor line having a successor high end point and a successor low end point, comparing the successor line to the predecessor line, and maintaining any portions of the predecessor line on a display that intersect with the successor line. The method described above for drawing each line segment that forms the waveform is repeated until a complete waveform is drawn on the display that consists of the concatenation of these individual lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: SPX Corporation
    Inventor: Harry M. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 7075538
    Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus for a computer network system to provide compact and efficient representations of graphics commands on drawing/displaying lines, circles, etc. The methods and apparatus exploit the redundancies and/or relations of the information in drawing/displaying lines, circles, etc. and allow for fewer bytes and faster transmission rate (e.g., more graphics primitives per second) to a client tier (e.g., to a thin client appliance and/or a display on the desktop appliance). For example, one embodiment of the present invention uses commands that take advantage of the structure of spans created by drawing commands to send a base fill command, followed by fills whose locations and size are expressed as deltas with respect to each previous fill in the list. The deltas may comprise a difference between two commands, a difference between a command and another difference, a difference between two differences, and/or a plurality of differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: John Kent Peacock
  • Patent number: 7075553
    Abstract: A method and system for displaying an image, includes steps and means for: storing image data in a manner that enables retrieval of different spatial regions of an image at different fidelities; determining an viewer's point of gaze on a display; retrieving image data for each spatial region of an image at a fidelity that is a decreasing function of the distance of the regions from the point of gaze; and displaying the retrieved image data on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Michael E. Miller, Paul W. Jones, Jian Yang, Majid Rabbani
  • Patent number: 7068282
    Abstract: An object may be colored to indicate draft angles of a pull direction at various locations of the object. The coloration advantageously employs a color map specifying a color spectrum for a range of trigonometric values of the draft angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2006
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Hanau
  • Patent number: 7064769
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for estimating self-luminous image elements and modifying images and image corrections for the presence of self-luminous elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon M. Speigle, John E. Dolan
  • Patent number: 7050067
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for providing anti-aliasing by introducing a falloff area around a graphics object to be rendered. The falloff area is shaded, using Gouraud shading or texture mapping to reduce the aliasing effects of the graphics object. The outside edge of the falloff area is set to be fully transparent, and the inside edge to an opacity matching the outer edge of the graphics object being rendered. To counteract bloating effects, the graphics object is shrunk by half the width of the falloff area. While the width of the falloff area may vary, generally, the width of the falloff area stays constant. In one embodiment, this width corresponds to the edge or diagonal of the square area mapped to each pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Raubacher, Gregory D. Swedberg, Ashraf A. Michail, Michael Kallay
  • Patent number: 7046252
    Abstract: A method and apparatus that allows a display device to adaptively and automatically control display contrast and color is disclosed. The method and system in accordance with the present invention can be described by the following sequential process: 1. Separating an input image data value into its luma and chroma components. 2. Collecting the luma distribution data over the entire image or a specified window. 3. Analyzing the luma distribution. 4. Generating an appropriate contrast control response that modifies the input luma component to generate an output luma component, on a pixel by pixel basis. 5. Analyzing the input luma component and the output luma component, and an input chroma component, to generate an appropriate modification for the chroma component, on a pixel by pixel basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Genesis Microchip Inc.
    Inventors: Hari Nair, Neha Agrawal, Saif Choudhary, Ashish Neema, Arun Johary
  • Patent number: 7046253
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods, apparatus (1) and computer readable media for rendering at least one graphic object (80, 90) described by at least one edge (82-86, 92-98) into a raster pixel image (78) having a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of pixel locations on each scan line. For each scan line, coordinates of intersection of those edges of the objects that intersect the scan line are determined in a predetermined order. This is preferably achieved by processing edge records (418) using a number of buffers (402, 404, 406, 412, 420, 422) thereby enabling efficient sorting of edge intersections into order. For each adjacent pair of edge intersections, information (530) associated with the corresponding object is examined to determining a set of active objects (508, 510) for a span of pixel locations between the corresponding pair of edge intersections. For each span of pixel locations, the corresponding set of active objects is used to determine (600) a value for each of the locations within the span.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Timothy Merrick Long, Christopher Fraser, Kevin Moore
  • Patent number: 7046254
    Abstract: A method, system and program for displaying transparent resource aids are provided. A user interface is displayed comprising at least one displayable object within a display area controlled by a computer system. Responsive to an initiating event, a transparent resource aid is placed within the display area in association with the initiating event, such that the at least one displayable object is not obscured by the transparent resource aid. The transparency resource aid may indicate resource usage of hardware, software, and graphical characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Wayne Brown, Andrew Douglas Hately, Kelvin Roderick Lawrence, Michael A. Paolini
  • Patent number: 7038680
    Abstract: A system for graphically displaying data, and for allowing users to interactively analyze said data, particularly with respect to detecting and analyzing any relationships within said data. The invention is particularly suited to analysis of large multi-variate matrix data or two-dimensional data sets that can be stored in a data array. The system includes a visual Data Pane, that is used by an operator to provide a focus+context view into the data. Each data item is initially presented as a small object or region on the operator's screen. In response to an operator signal, the source data value and data type of a source data item in the array is obtained and indirectly represented in the Data Pane image. During a focusing operation the area of interest within the constraints of the Data Pane window is expanded, and related or more detailed data is presented to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: XEROX Corporation
    Inventor: James E. Pitkow
  • Patent number: 7038701
    Abstract: An image is being presented on a display device connected to a storage unit, wherein said presentation image is loaded to the display device from said storage unit and said presentation image comprises at least one preselected, zoomable area. A method for zooming in the image comprises the steps of continuously zooming (26) in on the preselected area in the presentation image and during the step of continuous zooming, loading (28) a detail image information data set to the display device from the storage unit. The detail image information data set is used for presenting the preselected area in higher resolution than the presentation image. The method further comprises the step of improving (30) the resolution of the zoomed-in-on, preselected area in the presentation image on the display device by means of the loaded detail image information data set when the zooming in on the preselected area in the presentation image is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Scalado AB
    Inventor: Sami Niemi
  • Patent number: 7034843
    Abstract: Automatically and adaptively controlling contrast and color of a display device by computing a normalized histogram of a current image, computing degrees of correlation between the normalized histogram and a number of template histograms, sorting the template histograms based upon the associated degrees of correlation, selecting a number of the best correlated template histograms based on the sorting, blending the selected the transfer functions associated with the selected template histograms to form a blended transfer function, and applying the blended transfer function to the current image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Genesis Microchip Inc.
    Inventors: Hari N. Nair, Neha Agrawal, Saif Choudhary, Ashish Neema, Arun Johary
  • Patent number: 7030884
    Abstract: A system for resampling texture maps in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises memory and a texture map manager. The stores a first texture map defining a first texture, and the first texture map is based on an image of an object. The texture map manager is configured to resample the first texture map such that resampling of the first texture map, by the texture map manager, compensates for a surface distortion of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Noah Horton, Bradford A. Ritter
  • Patent number: 7027052
    Abstract: A treemap with cells that have a minimum size so that large data sets can be clearly represented. A treemap that represents a plurality of data elements is generated, the treemap including a plurality of two-dimensional cells. Each cell represents a corresponding data element in the data set. The treemap includes a portion of a display screen assigned to a first cell so that the first cell has a size. A portion of the display screen is then assigned to a subsequent cell. The size of the first cell is adjusted in order to compensate for a size of the subsequent cell and to maintain the minimum cell size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: The Hive Group
    Inventors: Matthew Thorn, Donald Hoffman
  • Patent number: 7027065
    Abstract: A method for retrieving an image texture descriptor for describing texture features of an image, including the steps of (a) filtering input images using predetermined filters having different orientation coefficients, (b) projecting the filtered images onto axes of each predetermined direction to obtain data groups consisting of averages of each directional pixel values, (c) selecting candidate data groups among the data groups by a predetermined classification method, (d) determining a plurality of indicators based on orientation coefficients of the filters used in filtering the candidate data groups, and (e) determining the plurality of indicators as the texture descriptor of the image. The texture descriptors which allow kinds of texture structure present in an image to be perceptually captured can be retrieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun-doo Shin, Yang-lim Choi, Peng Wu, Bangalore Manjunath