Method and apparatus for removing erroneous elements from digital images

Claim 1

An apparatus for altering erroneous data elements generated by a thresholding operation during the scanning of a document to produce a facsimile image, comprising: first means for receiving a plurality of data elements obtained by scanning said document, said first means including storage means for storing a specific number of said data elements at any particular time; second means coupled to said first means for determining whether any of said data elements stored within said first means are erroneous and should be altered, said second means including means for selectively testing said stored data elements for errors, said testing means including multiple logic masks contained in a field programmable logic array device, said multiple logic masks being applied simultaneously to selectively test said stored data elements for errors; third means, coupled to said first and second means, for altering any data elements which are deemed to be erroneous by said second means; and control means, coupled to said first means, for generating a plurality of control signals for use in controlling the transfer of said data elements into and out of said first means.

Claim 2

An apparatus for altering erroneous data elements generated by a thresholding operation during the scanning of a document to produce a facsimile image, comprising: first means for receiving a plurality of data elements obtained by scanning said document, said first means including storage means for storing a specific number of said data elements at any particular time; second means coupled to said first means for determining whether any of said data elements stored within said first means are erroneous and should be altered, said second means including means for selectively testing said stored data elements for errors, said testing means including multiple logic masks contained in a field programmable logic array device, said multiple logic masks being applied simultaneously to selectively test said stored data elements for errors; third means, coupled to said first and second means, for altering any data elements which are deemed to be erroneous by said second means; and control means, coupled to said first means, for generating a plurality of control signals for use in controlling the transfer of said data elements into and out of said first means.

Claim 11

A method for removing erroneous data elements generated by a document scanning operation to produce a thresholded facsimile image, said method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a single data element from a plurality of data elements generated by said scanning operation; (b) storing said data element into a storage means, which may contain a specific number of data elements stored in a pre-defined pattern at any particular time; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) a sufficient number of times to load said storage means with the desired number of data elements to provide said pattern; (d) examining the data elements stored in said pre-defined pattern by a simultaneous comparison of the data elements stored in said pattern with each of multiple masks contained in a field programmable logic array device to determine whether any of the data elements stored in said pattern are erroneous and should be altered; (e) altering any data elements which have been deemed to be erroneous by logically combining said erroneous element with an associated control signal from said field programmable logic array device to reverse the state of said erroneous element; and (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) until all of the data elements generated by said scanning operation have been examined for errors.

Claim 12

A method for removing erroneous data elements generated by a document scanning operation to produce a thresholded facsimile image, said method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a single data element from a plurality of data elements generated by said scanning operation; (b) storing said data element into a storage means, which may contain a specific number of data elements stored in a pre-defined pattern at any particular time; (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) a sufficient number of times to load said storage means with the desired number of data elements to provide said pattern; (d) examining the data elements stored in said pre-defined pattern by a simultaneous comparison of the data elements stored in said pattern with each of multiple masks contained in a field programmable logic array device to determine whether any of the data elements stored in said pattern are erroneous and should be altered; (e) altering any data elements which have been deemed to be erroneous by logically combining said erroneous element with an associated control signal from said field programmable logic array device to reverse the state of said erroneous element; and (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) until all of the data elements generated by said scanning operation have been examined for errors.

Claim 13

A method for removing erroneous data elements generated by a document scanning operation to produce a thresholded facsimile image, said method comprising the steps of: shifting a sequence of data elements generated by said scanning operation into a storage means and selectively through a matrix in said storage means at each clock time; simultaneously comparing at each clock time the group of data elements in said matrix with each of multiple masks contained in a field programmable logic array device to determine whether any data element in at least one preselected location within said matrix is erroneous and should be altered; and altering at each clock time any data element in said at least one preselected location that has been deemed to be erroneous by said field programmable logic array device by logically combining any said erroneous data element with an associated control signal from said field programmable logic array device to reverse the state of said erroneous element.

Claim 14

A method for removing erroneous data elements generated by a document scanning operation to produce a thresholded facsimile image, said method comprising the steps of: shifting a sequence of data elements generated by said scanning operation into a storage means and selectively through a matrix in said storage means at each clock time; simultaneously comparing at each clock time the group of data elements in said matrix with each of multiple masks contained in a field programmable logic array device to determine whether any data element in at least one preselected location within said matrix is erroneous and should be altered; and altering at each clock time any data element in said at least one preselected location that has been deemed to be erroneous by said field programmable logic array device by logically combining any said erroneous data element with an associated control signal from said field programmable logic array device to reverse the state of said erroneous element.