Abstract: The invention provides a paper supply apparatus for an image reading apparatus, an image reading apparatus with a paper supply apparatus and a paper supply apparatus which can be used suitably with an image scanner wherein a large amount of paper sheets can be taken out one by one with certainty and read successively and rapidly. The paper supply apparatus successively supplies paper sheets accommodated therein to a paper transport mechanism along which an optical image reading mechanism is disposed, and comprises a paper supply hopper, a paper supply roller located above the paper supply hopper for forwarding the paper sheets accommodated in the paper supply hopper, a paper supply roller driving mechanism for rotating the paper supply roller, and a paper separation mechanism for preventing two or more paper sheets forwarded by the paper supply roller from being sent to the paper transport mechanism.

Abstract: A digital printing system includes a plurality of decomposers which operate simultaneously and independently. Each decomposer outputs page images of decomposed data at essentially random times. The page images from the decomposers are retained in a buffer until requested by a marker which controls the printer hardware. A buffer manager records where in the buffer each page image is stored, and a stream handle is assigned to every set of page images intended to form a multi-page document. When the marker requests a particular set of page images for printing, the marker invokes a stream handle. The buffer manager, receiving the stream handle, retrieves the necessary page images from recorded locations in the buffer.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a scanner for scanning an image on a document, a memory for storing image data of the scanned image in a storage medium, a reading device for reading out the image data from the storage medium, and an image forming device for forming an image on an image formation medium. An instruction device instructs a time at which the edit process of the image data scanned by the scanner is executed, according to the content of a designated edit process. On the basis of the instruction, the edit process is executed when the image is stored in the storage medium, or when the image formation is performed by the image forming device. For example, the time at which the edit process is executed is determined in accordance with the possibility of a variable magnification process at a time of output based on the designated edit process and a variable magnification ratio designated by a designation device.

Abstract: A color image is by an optical scanner for conversion into three primary color data corresponding to the respective densities of the three primary colors. An edge detector detects a pixel of an edge based on the three primary color data. A pixel color judging device judges a color of a target pixel based on the three primary color data of the target pixel and its adjacent pixels. Based on edge detection results of the edge detector and pixel color judgment results of the pixel color judging device, detected is a pixel of a black edge. Judgement conditions for the pixel color judgement are established based upon characteristics that depend upon the order of arrangement of color filters in a scanner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rapid delivery of facsimile or other data sets to a massive number of recipients is disclosed. In accordance with the invention, the data set is distributed and delivered by a number of general purpose computers. A scheduling computer defines the paths for communicating the data set via a plurality of general purpose computers. A broadcasting job comprising the fax to be delivered and the distribution instructions for a first GP computer and the other GP computers in its assigned path is delivered to a first general purpose computer. The first general purpose computer communicates a portion of its fax broadcast job to a second GP computer. The broadcast job is distributed in an exponential tree having at least two, and preferably many, levels. Through the use of an exponential distribution tree, the fax is delivered quickly through the use of many general purpose computers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for scanning a surface of an object, transversely to a direction of motion. A scanner is provided for flying over the object at a flight altitude and flight velocity, having a system focal length, a scanning element rotating at a rotation speed which scans a surface over a scanning angle and a detector row, arranged at right angles to the scanning direction. A detector row is provided with a plurality of equal size individual detectors, which are capable of generating fundamental object pixels of a size which depends upon the distance from the object up to a maximum scanning distance. A standard object pixel, of a size corresponding to a fundamental object pixel, is driven at the maximum scanning distance. For each scanning sweep, via a sampling process, a uniform grid is formed which is composed of standard object pixels of a size corresponding to a fundamental object pixel at the maximum scanning distance in several lines and without gaps and/or overlaps.

Abstract: A printer control system for controlling a print characteristic of a printer for printing a print pixel signal synchronized to horizontal lines of an image. The print pixel signal has an arbitrary horizontal resolution and includes white print pixel signals representing white pixels of the image and black print pixel signals representing black pixels of the image.

Abstract: A scanning apparatus providing separate fixed object focal planes for transmissive and reflective original documents to be scanned, wherein a scan carriage containing illumination, sensor, and optical elements is moved together to scan an original document and to obtain a digitized representation thereof. The movable scan carriage has an illumination source disposed between the reflective and transmissive object focal planes, with the object focal plane to be used selected by changing the position of a single mirror by a linear distance equal to the separation between the two object focal planes.

Abstract: In a printer which produces images as a function of the combination of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) colorants on an output color print, responsive to device independent colorimetric description of an image, there is provided a method of printing in a color printer so that scanned color images defined in terms of colorimetric color signals may be printed on a color printer responsive to printer colorant signals to render a color print with a set of three primary colorants and black on a substrate, the printing method comprising the ordered steps of scanning an image to derive a set of device independent colorimetric color signals, converting said colorimetric color signals into device dependent primary colorant signals, each primary colorant signal defining a density of colorant to be used in rendering a color print, said conversion accounting for a subsequent black colorant addition, determining, for minimum and maximum values of the combination of primary colorant signals a black colorant

Abstract: A selective call receiver includes a receiver (103), a controller (105), and a display (113) for presenting a recovered source document. The receiver (103) provides a received paging message that was generated from the facsimile message of the original source document (208). The received paging message is interpreted and decoded by the controller (105). Using the display (113), a decoded scan line compressed document (1101) is presented in a format that substantially resembles the facsimile message of the original source document (1100).

Abstract: In a document processing method and apparatus, having both a communication function and a data processing function, when the communication function is performed during execution of the data processing function, data of the interrupted data processing, which had been stored in a first memory means, is saved in a second memory means pending completion of the communication. When performance of the communication function has ended, a restoring means restores to the first memory means the data so saved. Thus, the first memory means is used both for the communication function and the data processing function.

Abstract: A multi-format scanner, has first and second laterally spaced film gates which are dimensioned to accomodate film of respective different widths lengthwise therethrough for scanning. Each gate has an aperture through which light can pass. A light source illuminates film at the aperture of at least a selected one of the gates. A sensor receives light from the light source which has passed through film at the aperture of the selected gate. A film input and output track set is aligned with the selected gate to lengthwise convey elongated film of either width, into and out of the selected gate. A drive moves the film lengthwise through the selected gate. At least one of: the film gates, the sensor or track set, can be laterally moved so that either gate can serve as the selected gate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a greyscale input of an image, particularly of a shipping label, into a binary output image in which foreground information is segmented from the background information and contrasts between adjacent regions having different background densities are obliterated is described. A neuron employing a 5.times.5 input neighborhood having a unique neuron activation function is shown. No explicit line process is employed. Output is biased toward a particular one of the output values by employing non-linear feedback as a function of both the grey scale value for the pixel corresponding to the label site being updated and the most recent value of the label site. The otherwise strong contribution from a gradient term in the energy function is suppressed by a shunting inhibition when the shunting inhibition function detects that the pixel lies on or near a boundary between adjacent regions of differing background intensities.

Abstract: Downsampling and inverse motion compensation are performed on compressed domain representations for video. By directly manipulating the compressed domain representation instead of the spatial domain representation, computational complexity is significantly reduced. For downsampling, the compressed stream is processed in the compressed (DCT) domain without explicit decompression and spatial domain downsampling so that the resulting compressed stream corresponds to a scaled down image, ensuring that the resulting compressed stream conforms to the standard syntax of 8.times.8 DCT matrices. For typical data sets, this approach of downsampling in the compressed domain results in computation savings around 80% compared with traditional spatial domain methods for downsampling from compressed data. For inverse motion compensation, motion compensated compressed video is converted into a sequence of DCT domain blocks corresponding to the spatial domain blocks in the current picture alone.

Abstract: Input chromatic densities IC, IM, and IY are first converted into corrected chromatic densities I'C, I'M, and I'Y based on the input density IK. The input density IK is then added with the corresponding weighted error sum EK, so that a modified density IKmod is obtained. Similarly, the corrected chromatic densities I'C, I'M, and I'Y are added with the weighted error sums EC, EM, and EY, respectively, so that modified densities ICmod, IMmod, and IYmod are obtained. Then, the modified density IKmod is compared with the threshold T, and an output OK is determined. When the obtained output OK is zero, the ICmod, IMmod, and IYmod are compared with the threshold T, and output data OC, OM, and OY are obtained. On the other hand, when the obtained output OK is a dot-forming data, the output data OC, OM, and OY are forcibly set to a non-dot forming data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an imaging lens, an area image sensor having solid-state imaging elements arranged in a planar manner, and an imaging device for converting an image of an imaging object read by the area image sensor into image information. The imaging device is switchable between an electronic camera function mode and image scanner function mode. When the device is switched into the electronic camera function mode, the image information for one frame is outputted, whereas when the imaging device is switched into the image scanner function mode, the image information derived when an object to be read is manually scanned by the area image sensor in response to a moving amount of the manual scanning operation is outputted as continuous image information. Image information may thus be acquired over a wide range by employing a single image information processing apparatus.

Abstract: A block adaptive differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) system includes both a lossless DPCM processor responsive to blocks of pixel values for producing encoder command signals and a lossy DPCM compressor responsive to blocks of pixel values for producing encoder command signals. An encoder receives the encoder command signals from the lossless DPCM processor and lossy DPCM compressor and produces a compressed encoded bit stream. A switch responsive to a compression configuration signal and to the encoder command signals from the lossy compressor selectively passes the encoder command signals from the lossless processor or the lossy compressor to the encoder.

Abstract: A moving mechanism installed in a scanner to move a scanning mechanism and a reflecting unit to achieve a scanning operation, the moving mechanism including a pulley wheel transmission mechanism and a belt transmission mechanism, the scanning mechanism being fixed to the rope of the pulley wheel transmission mechanism, the reflecting unit being pivoted to the movable pulley wheels of the pulley wheel transmission mechanism and driven by the belt transmission mechanism to move the scanning mechanism or the reflecting unit, permitting the rope of the pulley wheel transmission mechanism to be moved relative to the movable pulley wheels at the speed ratio of 2:1 so that the scanning mechanism is relatively moved when the belt transmission mechanism is driven to move the scanning mechanism or the reflecting unit, and the optical distance between the document and the CCD is maintained unchanged.

Abstract: A method of and system for rendering a halftone image of a gray scale image by utilizing a pixel-by-pixel comparison of the gray scale image against a blue noise mask is disclosed in which the gray scale image is scanned on a pixel-by-pixel basis and compared on a pixel-by-pixel basis to an array of corresponding data points contained in a blue noise mask stored in a PROM or computer memory in order to produce the desired halftoned image. Both digital and optically implemented halftone methods are disclosed. Application specific modifications of the blue noise mask as well as its use for producing halftoned color images are also disclosed.

Abstract: A code conversion system converts an MH code into an arithmetic code. In code conversion system, a template 93 which is necessary for an arithmetic decoding process is obtained in such a manner that MH code words corresponding to the template 93, which are derived from already MH coded reference lines 90 and 91 respectively, are decoded, and the decoded data are shifted in three shift registers A77, B72 or C80. By means of a signal indicative of completion of the arithmetic decoding process in an arithmetic decoding device 71 and a signal indicative of completion of a shift-in process in shift registers A77 and so on, the process of the arithmetic decoding device 71, a decoding process of an MH code word in an MH decoding device and an MH coding process in an MH coding device 74 can be executed simultaneously.