Abstract: A system for halftone processing is provided. The system includes a programmable halftone segmentation system having one or more programmable parameters to accommodate different input image parameters, such as different printer or scanner parameters, and configured to generate output control data as a function of image input data. A programmable output processor receives the output control data and the image input data and generates image output data that compensates for halftone regions in the image input data.

Abstract: A system and method for defringing chromatic aberrations that occur in imaging devices such as scanners. The system comprises shift filters to shift lines in the various color planes together. In addition in each color plane, a spread filter is used to compensate for the unequal point spread functions of each color. Furthermore, the results can be enhanced by filtering in the luminance-chrominance space.

Abstract: A novel system (method and apparatus) for printing compressed digital images with rotation, wherein the image is rotated as an integral part of the decompression process. Furthermore, the system is configured so that selected sections of the image can be printing even as other sections of the image are still being processed. As a result, the new approach reduces system memory requirements, avoids reductions in image quality and minimizes printing delays.

Abstract: A system and method for defringing chromatic aberrations that occur in imaging devices such as scanners. The system comprises shift filters to shift lines in the various color planes together. In addition in each color plane, a spread filter is used to compensate for the unequal point spread functions of each color. Furthermore, the results can be enhanced by filtering in the luminance-chrominance space.

Abstract: A system for halftone processing is provided. The system includes a programmable halftone segmentation system having one or more programmable parameters to accommodate different input image parameters, such as different printer or scanner parameters, and configured to generate output control data as a function of image input data. A programmable output processor receives the output control data and the image input data and generates image output data that compensates for halftone regions in the image input data.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method for accelerating the production of a standalone copy of a document by a peripheral device. The invention employs a white space map of the document to be copied. The map is generated by the ASIC chip, preferably at an early stage in the processing pipeline, and is used by the device to identify white areas of the outputted copy that do not require subsequent image processing calculations and do not require ink or toner markings on the paper. Use of the white space map allows the system to reduce the processing resources necessary to image process and subsequently physically print the copy, thus speeding up copy production.

Abstract: A method of rotating a digital image includes performing a first pass to process a selected image tile of a source image. The first pass includes copying a set of pixels of the selected image tile from a first memory to a processor memory, where the set of pixels comprises a portion of the selected image tile. The first pass further includes grouping the set of pixels into blocks of pixels and writing each of the blocks of pixels to a memory location. The method further includes repeating the first pass until each of the pixels of the selected image tile is processed, performing a second pass to process the blocks of pixels, and repeating the second pass until each of the blocks of pixels is processed. The second pass includes copying blocks of pixels, regrouping the blocks of pixels, and writing the regrouped pixels to a destination image location.

Abstract: A method of rotating a digital image includes performing a first pass to process a selected image tile of a source image. The first pass includes copying a set of pixels of the selected image tile from a first memory to a processor memory, where the set of pixels comprises a portion of the selected image tile. The first pass further includes grouping the set of pixels into blocks of pixels and writing each of the blocks of pixels to a memory location. The method further includes repeating the first pass until each of the pixels of the selected image tile is processed, performing a second pass to process the blocks of pixels, and repeating the second pass until each of the blocks of pixels is processed. The second pass includes copying blocks of pixels, regrouping the blocks of pixels, and writing the regrouped pixels to a destination image location.

Abstract: A processor is provided that includes a primary memory and color conversion logic. The primary memory may store a first color look-up table (LUT) related to a second color space. The color conversion logic, in response to a received set of pixels having color values in a first color space, converts the received set of pixels to a second color space. The color conversion logic selectively accesses, based on a comparison of one or more pixel parameters to a threshold, one of the primary memory and a secondary memory located on a second device to obtain a color value of the second color space that is associated with each pixel of the set of pixels. The color conversion logic monitors the number of times that each of the primary memory and the secondary memory are accessed and automatically adjusts the threshold to maintain an access ratio.

Abstract: A method of rotating a digital image includes performing a first pass to process a selected image tile of a source image. The first pass includes copying a set of pixels of the selected image tile from a first memory to a processor memory, where the set of pixels comprises a portion of the selected image tile. The first pass further includes grouping the set of pixels into blocks of pixels and writing each of the blocks of pixels to a memory location. The method further includes repeating the first pass until each of the pixels of the selected image tile is processed, performing a second pass to process the blocks of pixels, and repeating the second pass until each of the blocks of pixels is processed. The second pass includes copying blocks of pixels, regrouping the blocks of pixels, and writing the regrouped pixels to a destination image location.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are various embodiments of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC includes a plurality of functional units. Each functional unit may include a plurality of connections. The ASIC may also include a plurality of input and/or output pins configured to couple the ASIC to a circuit board. A programmable client may be associated with each pin, and each programmable client may be programmed to selectively connect the pin with which it is associated to one of the plurality of connections of one of the plurality of functional units. In various embodiments, the programmable client may be embodied as a multiplexer or a crossbar switch. Further, the programmable client may be programmed using any of boot firmware, hardware jumpers, and/or non-volatile programming registers.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method for accelerating the production of a standalone copy of a document by a peripheral device. The invention employs a white space map of the document to be copied. The map is generated by the ASIC chip, preferably at an early stage in the processing pipeline, and is used by the device to identify white areas of the outputted copy that do not require subsequent image processing calculations and do not require ink or toner markings on the paper. Use of the white space map allows the system to reduce the processing resources necessary to image process and subsequently physically print the copy, thus speeding up copy production.

Abstract: The present invention solves the problem set forth above by providing a method for accelerating the production of a standalone copy of a document by a peripheral device. The invention employs a white space map of the document to be copied. The map is generated by the ASIC chip and is used by the device to identify areas of the outputted copy that do not require ink or toner. This reduces the processing resources necessary to print the copy, thus speeding up copy production.

Abstract: A processor is provided that includes a primary memory and color conversion logic. The primary memory may store a first color look-up table (LUT) related to a second color space. The color conversion logic, in response to a received set of pixels having color values in a first color space, converts the received set of pixels to a second color space. The color conversion logic selectively accesses, based on a comparison of one or more pixel parameters to a threshold, one of the primary memory and a secondary memory located on a second device to obtain a color value of the second color space that is associated with each pixel of the set of pixels. The color conversion logic monitors the number of times that each of the primary memory and the secondary memory are accessed and automatically adjusts the threshold to maintain an access ratio.

Abstract: A processor is provided that includes a primary memory of a processor and color conversion logic. The primary memory is to store a first color look-up table (LUT) related to a second color space. The color conversion logic is responsive to a received set of pixels, where each pixel of the set of pixels includes a color value in a first color space. The color conversion logic includes decision logic to selectively access the first color LUT and a second color LUT of a secondary memory to obtain a color value of the second color space that is associated with each pixel of the set of pixels based on a comparison of each pixel to at least one neighboring pixel.

Abstract: A method of directly obtaining a Y value for a luminance/chrominance representation of a scanline of a color scanned image produced by a color contact image sensor device having a linear sensor array to collect reflected light, wherein said contact image sensor device comprises red, green and blue light sources and wherein an optimal on time for each of the light sources is calibrated, the method comprising the step of illuminating the scanline during a single pulse independently with the red, the green and the blue light sources and allowing the linear sensor array to accumulate the reflected light from all of the light sources.

Abstract: A memory of allocating memory for use by a subfunction of a computer chip, wherein the subfunction uses contiguous memory regions, the method comprising the steps of (a) creating a placeholder for contiguous memory buffers used by the subfunction of the chip by reserving a region of memory subsystem space, wherein the region does not need to be backed by true physical storage and the size is at least as large as the contiguous memory buffer required by the subfunction, (b) allocating pages of remaining memory in the memory subsystem to satisfy the amount of memory required by the subfunction, wherein the allocated pages do not necessarily result in a contiguous memory region, (c) remapping the allocated pages of step b into a contiguous region of the placeholder created in step a and (d) disabling the remapping after the subfunction is completed to free the memory in the placeholder.

Abstract: There is provided a method for enhancing text reproduction by a color copier in a copy of a document that includes both text and graphic regions, the method includes creating an ink density map from a data image of the document identifying a region of the ink density map as a text region, a partial text region, a color region or a white region and modifying the data image for corresponding regions identified as text areas.

Abstract: A method of compensating for image intensity variation in a scanline of a scanned image caused by variation in sensor integration time in a non-shuttered CCD image sensor comprising the steps of (a) determining for the scanline a multiplicative compensation factor, Kc (b) multiplying the sensed intensity of light received by sensor elements present in the CCD image sensor for the scanline by Kc to produce a compensated intensity value for the scanline and (c) employing the compensated intensity value in an image processing pipeline to produce the scanned image.

Abstract: An inkjet firing architecture for use in association with a device utilizing an ink jet head. The inkjet firing architecture includes a fire synchronization block including an N-entry delay line, at least one vector sequencing block, and a vector compositing block. The N-entry delay line is operable to simultaneously delay multiple incoming external events for varying periods of time prior to passing each of the events to one of M event sub-dividing stages and provide a fire synchronization block output that is related at least in part to the delayed incoming external events. Each of the M event sub-dividing stages emits a programmable series of sub-events, each of the sub-events being separated in time by a sub-event interval. Each programmable series of sub-events ends with an independent Mth level sub-event that is passed along as the fire synchronization block output to the at least one vector sequencing block.