Abstract: Provided are a system for analyzing a mask topography, which can reduce calculation time and increase calculation accuracy in consideration of a mask topography effect, and a method of forming an image using the system. The system and method simultaneously obtains a first electric field using a Kirchhoff method without considering a pitch formed on a mask and obtains a second electric field using an electromagnetic field analysis method considering the pitch, and then determines a third electric field on a pupil surface of a projection lens by combining the first electric field and the second electric field of forming an image, so as to calculate the image of an optical lithography system which includes an illumination system and a projection optical system and to which the projection lens belongs.

Abstract: Systems and methods of segmenting images are disclosed herein. The similarity of images in a set of images is compared. A group of images is selected from the set of images. The images in the group of images are selected based on compared similarities among the images. An informative image is selected from the group of images. User-defined semantic information of the informative image is received. The group of images as a graph is modeled as a graph. Each image in the group of images denotes a node in the graph. Edges of the graph denote a foreground relationship between images or a background relationship between images. One or more images in the group of images are automatically segmented by propagating the semantic information of the informative image to images in the group of images having a corresponding graph node that is related to a graph node corresponding to the informative image. Segmentation results can be refined according to user provided image semantics.

Abstract: A coding method, apparatus, and medium with software encoded thereon to implement a coding method. The coding method includes encoding cluster of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients, the encoding of a cluster including jointly encoding joint events that each are defined by at least two parameters: the number of zero-valued coefficients preceding the cluster, and the number of non-zero-valued coefficients in the cluster. The encoding of the cluster also includes encoding a parameter indicative of the number of amplitude-1 trailing non-zero-valued coefficients in the cluster, in one version with the parameter indicative of the number of trailing amplitude-1 coefficients part of the joint events such that the coding is according to a 3-dimensional joint variable length coding table. The method further includes encoding the amplitudes of the non-zero-valued coefficients that are not encoded by the joint encoding, e.g., encoding the amplitudes of the other than the trailing amplitude-1 coefficients.

Abstract: An apparatus and method encodes into block units an image in which halftone images and character and/or line images are mixed, and makes a substitution value, substituting for pixels in which pixels of a character and/or line image exist, a value whereby the occurrence of quantization errors of direct current components after frequency conversion is substantially zero, thereby minimizing block distortion of images when decoding. Therefore, a blocking unit inputs images in 8×8 pixel blocks. An acquisition unit acquires pixel data of character and/or line images as acquisition color information and acquires identification information identifying character and/or line image pixel positions. A substitution unit substitutes pixel data acquired as character and/or line images in image data of input blocks with a substitution value determined based on pixel data having halftone attributes.

Abstract: A coding method, apparatus, and medium with software encoded thereon to implement a coding method. The coding method includes jointly encoding joint events that each are defined by a cluster of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients, each joint event defined by three parameters: the number of zero-valued coefficients preceding the cluster, the number of non-zero-valued coefficients in the cluster, and an indication of which trailing coefficients up to a maximum number of M trailing coefficients have amplitude greater than 1, with the coding using a 3-dimensional joint VLC table. The method further includes encoding the amplitude of the non-zero-valued trailing coefficients that have amplitude greater than 1 encoding the amplitude of any remaining non-zero-valued coefficients in the clusters that have more than M non-zero-valued coefficients.

Abstract: An image rendering method for masking a visual defect is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes determining a location of the visual defect, identifying a plurality of sub-pixels neighboring the visual defect and utilizing contrast sensitivity functions and visual masking characteristics of a human visual system to optimize adjustments to the plurality of neighboring sub-pixels to mask the visual defect.

Abstract: An image display apparatus is disclosed that includes an image projecting unit that projects a projection image on a projection screen, a written image capturing unit that captures a written image of a writing screen that is arranged opposite the projection screen, a written image area extracting unit that extracts a written image area from the captured written image captured by the written image capturing unit, an image compositing unit that composites the written image area extracted by the written image area extracting unit and the projection image projected by the image projecting unit. The written image area extracting unit includes an external light value detecting unit that detects an external light value and an image processing unit that performs an image correction process on the captured written image based on the external light value detected by the external light detecting unit.

Abstract: A method for analyzing image identifications. An optical character recognition (OCR) identification of an image, an associated confidence value, and a photograph of the image are received. After determining that the received confidence value is below a predefined threshold, a data store is searched to find OCR identifications matching the received OCR identification. If the searching fails to find a matching OCR identification, then a manual agent males a correct identification of the image in the received photograph; otherwise a search score associated with each OCR identification is received. If no received search scores is above a predetermined threshold, then the message is sent to the manual agent for correct identification; otherwise the correct identification is determined based on the OCR identifications associated with the search scores above the predetermined threshold and the correct identification thus determined is subsequently transmitted to a billing system.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus for capturing an image with solid state imaging devices may include a compressing section, a memory, a decompressing section, and a signal processing section. The compressing section may compress digitalized data of an image captured with the solid state imaging devices. The memory may temporarily store the compressed image data that is compressed by the compressing section. The decompressing section may decompress the compressed image data that is read out from the memory. The signal processing section may perform an image quality correction operation on the image data decompressed by the decompressing section. The compressed image data may contain a maximum value and a minimum value of pixel data in a block, information regarding positions of the maximum value and the minimum value in the block, and quantized data.

Abstract: The grayscale of an input signal is converted without amplifying noise components thereof. A grayscale conversion portion performs grayscale conversion on an input signal IS to create a converted signal TS, a noise reduction degree determining portion determines a noise reduction degree NR that expresses a strength of noise reduction processing to be applied to the converted signal based on the input signal IS and the converted signal TS, and a noise reducing portion executes noise reduction processing on the converted signal TS based on the noise reduction degree NR. By doing this, it is possible to convert the grayscale of the input signal without enhancing the noise.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to steganography, data hiding and digital watermarking as they may apply to maps, images and video. One claim recites a method of identifying locations on a map. The map is to be displayed via a computer display. The method includes: receiving data representing a first image; analyzing the data to obtain information steganographically encoded therein, the information comprises or links to first location information associated with the first image; providing a map including an area associated with the first location information, wherein the map is to be displayed via a computer display; and visually or graphically identifying a first location on the map that is associated with the first location information. Of course, other combinations are provided and claimed as well.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a production apparatus for index information with link information. The apparatus includes a database in which a corresponding relationship between region identification information applied to a key region which provides a partial region in a main image specified arbitrarily by an operator and link information for accessing to related information of the partial region is listed. The apparatus further includes an information embedding section configured to refer to said database to embed, into index information in which a corresponding relationship between the region identification information applied to the key region and time information is listed, the corresponding link information.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes systems and methods relating to digital image modification using pyramid vignettes. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a method that includes receiving a request associated with rendering a photorealistic variation of a master digital image at an original resolution, selecting a digital image template from a number of digital image templates comprising image data associated with the master digital image at various resolutions, the selected image data at a different resolution from the original resolution, and rendering the photorealistic variation of the master digital image using the selected template.

Abstract: A method and system provides intelligent node-link diagram creation and editing, including an electronic display device having a surface on which a writing and/or drawing canvas is provided. An input device permits writing and/or drawing of electronic ink strokes, and a computing device is in operative association with the electronic display and the input device, and has stored therein for operation in connection with actions of the input device, a user interface (UI). The UI includes a graphical user interface (GUI) module, which controls input and display of the ink strokes applied to the canvas by the input device, and a recognition module which interprets the ink strokes by performance of structure recognition operations.

Abstract: In embodiments consistent with the subject matter of this disclosure, a user may input strokes as digital ink to a processing device. The processing device may partition the input strokes into multiple regions of strokes. A first recognizer and a second recognizer may score grammar objects included in regions and represented by chart entries. The scores may be converted to a converted score, which may have at least a near standard normal distribution. The processing device may present a recognition result based on highest converted scores according to a recurrence formula. The processing device may receive a correction hint with respect to misrecognized strokes and may add a penalty score with respect to chart entries representing grammar objects breaking the correction hint. Incremental recognition may be performed when a pause is detected during inputting of strokes.

Abstract: A spread spectrum signal demodulating method whereby spread-code synchronous acquisition and carrier synchronous acquisition are performed using FFT at high speed, wherein a received signal, of which the carrier wave is modulated with a signal obtained by spectrum-spreading data with a spread code, is subjected to the FFT and the result of the FFT is stored in a first memory. The FFT result of the received signal stored in the first memory and the result of FFT of the spread code stored in a second memory are read out and multiplied to detect the correlation between the received signal and the spread code. A readout address of either the FFT result of the received signal or the FFT result of the spread code is shifted by an amount corresponding to a carrier frequency of the received signal.

Abstract: A method for digitally magnifying images applied to an electronic device includes the steps of: reading in a preview image inputted into the electronic device; executing a 2-fold image magnifying process to the preview image; executing a fuzziness removing process to the preview image; segmenting the preview image into a background area and a text area, executing a correspondingly text strengthening process to the text area; and determining if the preview image is magnified up to a predetermined amplification factor; if yes, outputting the preview image after being magnified to a display screen for displaying the preview image; and otherwise, going back to re-execute the 2-fold image magnifying process to the magnified preview image, and then executing the fuzziness removing process and the text strengthening process, in order to generate the preview image magnified about 4-fold or more.

Abstract: A method for accessing image data and a method for accessing YUV420 image data are disclosed. The method for accessing image data uses two different approaches to a buffer for accessing the JPEG image data, so that the method can achieve instant JPEG image data compression with only one buffer.

Abstract: A system and process for recognizing documents by type and understanding at least a portion of the contents thereof. The process includes the steps of providing a document in electronic form, determining a set of facts, data and information about the document, providing the set of facts, data and information to a reasoning management unit, receiving formatted knowledge from a rule verification, validation and management unit, using the formatted knowledge to prepare an expert system having an inference engine, matching the facts, data and information against formatted knowledge using the inference engine and determining a set of applicable rules and executing actions of applicable rules.

Abstract: The present invention relates to digital watermarking. In one implementation, a system is provided to read a digital watermark from digital imagery which includes data representing a number of pixels. Each pixel of the number of pixels is defined by a set of values representing color components of the particular pixel. The digital watermark is embedded in the digital imagery through modifications to at least some data representing the digital imagery. The system includes a filter to calculate values of pixels along a preferred projection axis, the preferred projection axis corresponds to a direction of embedding determined based on color characteristics of at least some pixels associated with the digital imagery; and a digital watermark reader which operates on values calculated by the filter. Other implementations are provided as well.