Abstract: An apparatus and method for image data compression performs a modified zero-tree coding on a range of image bit plane values from the largest to a defined smaller value, and a vector quantizer codes the remaining values and lossless coding is performed on the results of the two coding steps. The defined smaller value can be adjusted iteratively to meet a preselected compressed image size criterion or to meet a predefined level of image quality, as determined by any suitable metric. If the image to be compressed is in RGB color space, the apparatus converts the RGB image to a less redundant color space before commencing further processing.

Abstract: A method for recognizing an object image comprises the steps of extracting a candidate for a predetermined object image from an image, and making a judgment as to whether the extracted candidate for the predetermined object image is or is not the predetermined object image. The candidate for the predetermined object image is extracted by causing the center point of a view window, which has a predetermined size, to travel to the position of the candidate for the predetermined object image, and determining an extraction area in accordance with the size and/or the shape of the candidate for the predetermined object image, the center point of the view window being taken as a reference during the determination of the extraction area.

Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing characters read by a reading unit. A circumscribing rectangle of a read character is formed, and the degree of narrowness of that circumscribing rectangle is acquired. Characters having a degree of narrowness that is equal to or greater than a predetermined value are selected and blank areas are added to the circumscribing rectangle to yield a character area with a corrected degree of narrowness. The character is normalized by converting the character area to a specified size, and is recognized based on the normalized character. It is therefore possible to normalize even characters significantly elongated vertically or horizontally for easier recognition and to group their character patterns.

Abstract: A combined digital reproduction apparatus suitable for making prints in response to actuation of keys on an operating panel (e.g. copies of documents scanned with a scanner) and making prints on its own initiative (prints in accordance with a digital print file received from a network). In this apparatus, a user present at the apparatus for a print order is given priority. The control process of the apparatus for this purpose executes any print orders arriving via the network only if it does not detect any signs indicative of the fact that a user is preparing or executing a reproduction process at the apparatus. Such signs may, for example, be in the form of actuation of a key on the operating panel or the actual execution of a copying order. If the control process detects such signs, it does not start the print orders received via the network. If the control process does not detect such signs, it announces the print order first for a predetermined time period, e.g.

Abstract: An improved grid moving method of an object image and an apparatus using the same which are capable of reducing the amount of information with respect to the image of an object by moving the grid in accordance with a position in which an image of the object having shape information exists, which include the steps of: a moving step for forming a grid over an image of an object having shape information, segmenting the image into a plurality of unit regions, and moving the formed grid; a judging step for judging an amount of the information at each position to which the grid is moved in the moving step: a detecting step for detecting a position at which the amount of the information is reduced; a compaction step for reforming the grid in accordance with the position detected in the detecting step and for coding the image of the object existing in unit regions of the reformed grid; and a motion estimation step for reforming the grid in accordance with the position detected in the detecting step and for estimating

Abstract: A color image processing system for performing undercolor removal. The system includes input of a color image signal, generation of a grayness signal from the color image signal, generation of a darkness signal from the color image signal, and performance of undercolor removal based on the grayness signal, the darkness signal, and a black signal corresponding to the color image signal. The system also includes control of an amount of undercolor removal performed on the color image signal so that a gradient of an amount of undercolor removal performed on the color image signal relative to the grayness signal at a first darkness signal level is lower than a gradient of an amount of undercolor removal performed on the color image signal relative to the grayness signal at a second darkness signal level, wherein the second darkness signal level is lower than the first darkness signal level.

Abstract: A terminal printer can simultaneously receive print data from a plurality of host devices. The terminal printer has one reception buffer memory to which reception buffers are allocated on the basis of number information of the connected host devices, and a buffer management memory which manages the reception buffer memory. The buffer management memory is configured by region which respectively store terminal addresses of the host devices using the reception buffers, and regions which respectively store serial numbers of lastly received packets in correspondence with the reception buffers. When a packet is received, the terminal address of the host device included in the packet is compared with the terminal addresses stored in the buffer management memory. Subsequently, the packet is stored into the reception buffer of the reception buffer memory which is designated by the coincident terminal address.

Abstract: A system and method can generate a singular solution where a color is represented by an unique set of values in a first color space corresponding to more than one set of values which represent the same color in a second color space. One preferred method determines a singular set of colorant values from an N dimensional system for a given set of values from an N minus M dimensional system, 1.ltoreq.

Abstract: A vector error diffusion system for quantizing pixel value in color images, which initially determines whether any pixel should be white or colored, and subsequently determines whether the pixel should be a primary color, a secondary color or black.

Abstract: A multiprocessor unit (11) for a printer system. The multiprocessor unit (11) is comprised of a master processor (21) and multiple parallel processors (22). The processing unit (11) interprets a page description program or some other graphics programming. A master processor (21) selects certain interpretation tasks that are to be executed as "cofunctions" and queues these tasks. Cofunctions of the same type are placed in the same queue (30). Parallel processors (22) access the queues and execute the cofunctions.

Abstract: A histogram of densities represented by image signal components of an image signal obtained by reading out an image from a photographic film is created. The density at a particular point on the histogram and the dynamic range of the image signal are obtained. It is determined that the photographic film was underexposed when the density of the particular point is smaller than a first predetermined density and at the same time the dynamic range of the image signal is smaller than a predetermined value, and that the photographic film was overexposed when the density of the particular point is larger than a second predetermined density and at the same time the dynamic range of the image signal is smaller than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adaptive bit allocation and hybrid lossless entropy encoding in a lossy compression system. The invention includes three components: (1) a transform stage to decorrelate image data into a baseband and multiple subbands, (2) a quantization stage to quantize the resulting transform coefficients, and (3) a lossless entropy coder stage to encode the quantized indexes. In the preferred embodiment, the transform stage uses a wavelet transform algorithm. The quantization stage adaptively estimates values for parameters defining an approximation between quantization size and the logarithm of quantization error, and recursively calculates the optimal quantization size for each band to achieve a desired bit rate. The baseband and subbands are transformed into quantization matrices using the corresponding quantization sizes.

Abstract: For handling data having a fixed-order context, a data compression system uses a pipeline control unit to enable an occurrence frequency modeling unit and entropy coding unit to operate in pipelining. A data restoration system uses a pipeline control unit to enable an entropy decoding unit and occurrence frequency modeling unit to operate in pipelining. For handling data having a blend context, occurrence frequency modeling units associated with orders are operated in parallel for data compression or data restoration. Furthermore, word data is separated byte by byte, and byte data items are encoded or restored on the basis of the correlation thereof in a word-stream direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading device which extracts character images from an original document image read by an image reader. The reading device further extracts an area of predetermined size including a single character from the extracted character images, and detects punctuation marks among characters included in the respective extracted areas based on a distribution of image elements in the respective extracted area so as to discriminate the directional orientation of the character image based on a position of punctuation marks. Alternatively, the reading device detects the presence of white space in the extracted character images so as to discriminate the directional orientation of the character images based on a distribution of the detected white space.

Abstract: A method in which first and second representations of a document are provided, for example, by being made available on one or more server computers connected to a computer network, such as the Internet or a corporate intranet. The first and second representations are resolution-dependent structured representations and have, respectively, first and second characteristic resolutions, the second resolution being greater than the first. The first representation, but not the second, is provided in digital form to an untrusted recipient. For example, the first representation can be transmitted through the network from the server on which the first representation is available to a client computer connected to the network. The second representation is converted to a third representation of the document, the third representation being a representation in a human-readable, nondigital form.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image matching method which allows non-ear image positional shifts to be corrected on a real time basis, and an economical product testing system using this method. A two dimensional test image, consisting of pixels arranged as a matrix of bits distributed in both the vertical direction and the horizontal scanning direction, and an associated reference image are subjected to template matching at a cell matching arithmetic unit for each of line blocks consisting of a plurality of scan lines. The result of the template matching are quantitatively evaluated at an evaluation unit as being good or bad, and positional shifts are sequentially computed according to good evaluation results. Based on the positional shifts thus obtained, the comparative pixel addresses are accordingly corrected before the two images are compared at the comparator.

Abstract: A coding and decoding apparatus is constructed so that the coding side transmits coded data together with identifying information for identifying the device of decoding the coded data, and the decoding side is capable of storing a number of decoding schemes so as to perform decoding based on one of the previously stored schemes. The apparatus further has devices for storing the received tools and tool-correspondent information which numerically represents the capacities of the tools so that it can make a comparison between the decoding capacity and the processing capacities of the tools to determine the possibility of the operations of the received tools. Further, a set of the tools are hierarchized so that the coded data produced by the n-ranked tool can be decoded by the (n+1)-ranked tool.

Abstract: An image enhancing method using a mean-separate histogram equalization method is disclosed. An input image signal is divided into two sub-images in a picture unit according to a mean level of the input image signal. Then, cumulative density functions for each of the sub-images are calculated. Afterwards, the input sample is mapped into two gray levels, each of which belongs to a first range and a second range, by using first and second transform functions defined by use of the cumulative density functions, respectively. Finally, one of two mapped levels is selected depending on the magnitude of the input sample. As a result, the brightness of the given image can be preserved while the contrast is enhanced.

Abstract: An image information coding apparatus includes a block generator for dividing image information into pixel blocks, each of which consists of a predetermined number of pixels. A block selector selects a pixel block in a position different from that of a pixel block selected in a preceding block line in a main scanning direction from the pixel blocks generated by the block generator. A parameter setting device sets a coding parameter to a predetermined value. A first variable-length coding device conducts variable-length coding of the pixel block selected by the block selector using the coding parameter. A code amount controller changes a value of the coding parameter so that the code amount of the pixel block selected by the block selector and coded by the first variable-length coding device is not more than a predetermined code amount, and a second variable-length coding device conducts variable-length coding of all of the pixel blocks using a coding parameter changed by the code amount controller.

Abstract: An image processor determines a binarization threshold value used for binarizing a multi-valued image, and performs binarization processing on the multi-valued image. The multi-valued image is input line-sequentially, the binarization threshold values are determined sequentially in units of predetermined size blocks each including a plurality of pixels, and the multi-valued image data is binarized line-sequentially. The inputting of data, determining the threshold value, and binarization of the multi-value image data is performed by pipeline processing.