Method of restoring a picture cell by estimation with high density

Claim 1

In a method of forming an image of a picture divided into plural equal square picture cells, wherein data compression is employed by sampling only selected of said cells in a checkered pattern in which each non-sampled cell is surrounded above, below and on both sides thereof by adjacent sampled picture cells, and said image is formed based on said sampled cells, the improvement comprising: generating sampled data indicative of the light density of each of said sampled picture cells adjacent each non-sampled picture cell; dividing each non-sampled cell into four separate sub-cells; firstly determining how many of said sub-cells of each non-sampled cell are to be assigned a first predetermined light density and how many thereof are to be assigned a second predetermined light density based on the generated sampled light density data indicative of the light density of said adjacent sampled picture cells; secondly determining which of said sub-cells are to be assigned said first predetermined light density and said second predetermined light density based on relative comparisons of the light density of predetermined sub-combinations of the sampled data of said adjacent sampled picture cells; generating restored data based on said steps of firstly determining and secondly determining, said restored data defining which of said sub-cells of each non-sampled picture cell have assigned thereto said first predetermined light density and which have assigned thereto said second predetermined light density; and reproducing said image of said picture based on the sampled data indicative of the light density of said sampled picture cells and the restored data indicative of the light density of each sub-cell of each non-sampled picture cell.