Abstract: A method and apparatus for skew compensation in an optical reader is described. The method provides for calculating the amount of skew between the read scan line used to read the data and the recording path line used when the data was written on the recording media. By determining the position of each end of the scan line by counting delimiter marks along the two edges of the data being read, the skew can be calculated by determining the difference in delimiter counts. The data is divided into bands along the direction of scan within which the skew will not cause trouble misreadings at the extreme bits of the scan line within a band. The data is scanned multiple times during the transition of the data strip so that at least one good read of each data band in the data strip will occur.

Abstract: A high definition bit mapped page display system for graphics and text utilizing multiple beams in a CRT is disclosed. Information for the several lines which are written simultaneously is made available in parallel. The invention is described in terms of a character set and text generation, but the same principles apply to any other graphic or bit map and to storage in ROMs or loadable RAMs. Eah beam of a multiple CRT tube is biased to generate a portion of a character or graphic as it scans across the tube. It takes 12 lines to scan a character with a N-beam tube, 12 over N character scans are therefore required. With the same scanning speed as with a single beam, this factor can be used to increase definition (i.e. number of lines). The invention utilizes CRTs with shaped electron beams, a bit map for storing bits utilized for generating bit patterns which are used to control the shaped electron beams.

Abstract: A high definition page display system for graphics and text utilizing multiple beams in a CRT is disclosed. Information for the several lines which are written simultaneously is made available in parallel. The invention is described in terms of a character set and text generation, but the same principles apply to any other graphic or bit map and to storage in ROMs or loadable RAMs. Each beam of a multiple CRT tube is biased to generate a portion of a character or graphic as it scans across the tube. It takes 12 lines to scan a character with a N-beam tube, 12 over N character scans are therefore required. With the same scanning speed as with a single beam, this factor can be used to increase definition (i.e. number of lines). Also the advantage of multiple beams can be used to reduce scanning speed, if this is useful to improve brightness or spot definition, or to increase the number of dots per line.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for changing the horizontal and vertical resolution of an image while the image is in digitized and compressed form, where the image is first scanned and digitized to be represented as a number of discrete picture elements (pixels) and then the digitized image data is compressed. To change the resolution of an image and thereby be able to display it in smaller or larger form, the compressed image data is first analyzed and the data for certain scan lines is replicated or eliminated to respectively increase or decrease the vertical resolution of the image by a selected vertical resolution change factor. Then the compressed image data with scan lines replicated or eliminated is further processed using a selected horizontal resolution change factor to increase or decrease the horizontal resolution by respectively increasing or decreasing the number of pixels representing each scan line. The image data may also be processed so that windowing on the image may be performed.

Abstract: An optical storage card reading system using a cylindrical lens is disclosed which provides for a large viewing cone at the surface of the optical storage card thus improving the ability to read optically recorded data despite scratches or dust on the optical storage card.

Abstract: A high definition page display system for graphics and text utilizing multiple beams in a CRT is disclosed. Information for the several lines which are written simultaneously is made available in parallel. The invention is described in terms of a character set and text generation, but the same principles apply to any other graphic or bit map and to storage in ROMs or loadable RAMs. Each beam of a multiple CRT tube is biased to generate a portion of a character of graphic as it scans across the tube. It takes 12 lines to scan a character with a N-beam tube, 12 over N character scans are therefore required. With the same scanning speed as with a single beam, this factor can be used to increase definition (i.e. number of lines). Also the advantage of multiple beams can be used to reduce scanning speed, if this is useful to improve brightness or spot definition, or to increase the number of dots per line.

Abstract: A high definition page display system for graphics and text utilizing shaped beams in a CRT is disclosed. Information for the several lines which are written simultaneously is made available in parallel. The invention is described in terms of a character set and text generation, but the same principles apply to any other graphic or bit map and to storage in ROMs or loadable RAMs. Each beam of a multiple CRT tube is biased to generate a portion of a character or grahic as it scans across the tube. It takes 12 lines to scan a character with a N-beam tube, 12 over N character scans are therefore required. With the same scanning speed as with a single beam, this factor can be used to increase definition (i.e. number of lines.) Also the advantage of multiple beams can be used to reduce scanning speed, if this is useful to improve brightness or spot definition, or to increase the number of dots per line.