US3806641A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for forming halftone images
Assignee: INFORMATION INT Inc
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Filing: 1971-05-17
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Granted: 1974-04-23
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Expires: 1991-05-17
Abstract
Abstract Halftone images of an original scene are formed from halftone dots which are derived from a halftone dot character font. The halftone dot characters in the font comprise halftone dots of different sizes that correspond to different gray scale tones. The original scene to be reproduced is first dissected by taking a plurality of gray scale tonal measurements thereof. The tonal measurements are then utilized to call out from the halftone font the halftone dot characters that correspond to the tones measured. The halftone dot characters produced on a surface area a tonal density that is substantially equivalent to the density of the corresponding area in the original scene or photograph thereof.
Inventors
- 👤 H Crooks
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 01:38
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41B; B41B27/00; B41B27/28; B41B19/00; B41B19/01
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
The method of creating on a surface a halftone reproduction of an original scene comprising the steps of providing a font of electronic halftone dot character signals in digital form storing said halftone dot character signals in a digital storage device providing an indication of the tonal gradations of said original scene that are to be reproduced on said surface extracting from said storage device said halftone dot character signals that correspond to said tonal gradations, and utilizing said extracted halftone dot character signals to create corresponding halftone dots of various sizes on said surface so as to reproduce the tonal gradations of said original scene.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
106 words
The method of creating on a surface a halftone reproduction of an original scene comprising the steps of providing a font of electronic halftone dot character signals in digital form storing said halftone dot character signals in a digital storage device providing an indication of the tonal gradations of said original scene that are to be reproduced on said surface extracting from said storage device said halftone dot character signals that correspond to said tonal gradations, and utilizing said extracted halftone dot character signals to create corresponding halftone dots of various sizes on said surface so as to reproduce the tonal gradations of said original scene.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing an indication of the tonal gradations of said original scene includes providing a sequence of multibit identity codes, each different identity code representative of a particular tonal gradation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said step of storing includes storing said halftone dot character signals in addressable storage locations in a first section of said storage device and storing the addresses of said addressable Storage locations in locations in a second section of said storage device, each location in said second section being addressable by a different one of said identity codes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
119 words
A photocomposing system for producing a halftone replica of an original scene comprising in combination means for scanning said original scene to derive tonal repesentations thereof digitizing means responsive to said scanning means for producing digital signals corresponding to the density of said tonal representations an imaging device means providing a font of halftone dot characters, each consisting of a plurality of signals that create halftone dots on said imaging device a storage device for storing said signals of said font, and means responsive to said digitizing means for extracting from said storage device a plurality of said halftone characters corresponding to said digitized tonal representations to provide a substantial replica of said original scene on said imaging device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
119 words
A photocomposing system for producing a halftone replica of an original scene comprising in combination means for scanning said original scene to derive tonal repesentations thereof digitizing means responsive to said scanning means for producing digital signals corresponding to the density of said tonal representations an imaging device means providing a font of halftone dot characters, each consisting of a plurality of signals that create halftone dots on said imaging device a storage device for storing said signals of said font, and means responsive to said digitizing means for extracting from said storage device a plurality of said halftone characters corresponding to said digitized tonal representations to provide a substantial replica of said original scene on said imaging device.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-04-22 | 1977-10-22 | 1978-04-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-04-22 | 1981-10-22 | 1982-04-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-04-22 | 1985-10-22 | 1986-04-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |