Patent US5757384A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5757384A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for font thinning and bolding based upon font outline
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1997-07-15
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Granted: 1998-05-26
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Expires: 2017-07-15
Abstract
Abstract This invention offers a font processor which performs thinning processing, standard processing and bolding processing in outline font according to a resolution level of an output apparatus. According to this invention, a rasterizer generates a raster image in a first area from the outline font, which is stored in a font memory. An outline producer produces an outline image in a second area according to an outline width, which is determined by an outline width determiner. An operation unit makes an logical operation of the raster image and the outline image, and generates an thinned or bolded raster image.
Inventors
- 👤 Nobuyuki Ikeda
- 👤 Hiroshi Sakurai
- 👤 Yoshito Kobayashi
- 👤 Toshinori Otsuka
- 👤 Hirokazu Yamamoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 15:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K15/00; G06K15/02; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/20; G06T5/30; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/22; G09G5/24; G09G5/28; G06K2215/00; G06K2215/0002; G06K2215/004; G06K2215/0054; G09G5/246
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 46
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a font generator, coupled to the outline producer, for generating a font image based on the outline image; and output means, coupled to the font generator, for outputting the font image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a font generator, coupled to the outline producer, for generating a font image based on the outline image; and output means, coupled to the font generator, for outputting the font image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
136 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a rasterizer, coupled to the font memory, for producing an outline according to the outline font information and for converting the outline to a raster image which includes the outline and an inside area of the outline; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a processing unit, coupled to the outline producer and the rasterizer, for processing the raster image with the outline image so as to modify the raster image to create a modified raster image; and output means, coupled to the processing unit, for outputting the modified raster image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
136 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a rasterizer, coupled to the font memory, for producing an outline according to the outline font information and for converting the outline to a raster image which includes the outline and an inside area of the outline; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a processing unit, coupled to the outline producer and the rasterizer, for processing the raster image with the outline image so as to modify the raster image to create a modified raster image; and output means, coupled to the processing unit, for outputting the modified raster image.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
128 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a bold line producer, coupled to the outline producer, for producing a raster image based on the outline image, the raster image including the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; a processing unit processing the raster image with the outline image so as to modify the raster image to create a modified raster image; and output means, coupled to the processing unit, for outputting the modified raster image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
128 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a bold line producer, coupled to the outline producer, for producing a raster image based on the outline image, the raster image including the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; a processing unit processing the raster image with the outline image so as to modify the raster image to create a modified raster image; and output means, coupled to the processing unit, for outputting the modified raster image.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
122 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; an exclusive image producer, coupled to the outline producer, for processing an exclusive image which includes the outline image and an outside area of the outline; a rasterizer, coupled to the exclusive image producer, for excluding the exclusive image from a predefined area so as to produce a raster image; and output means, coupled to the rasterizer, for outputting the raster image produced by the rasterizer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
122 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; an exclusive image producer, coupled to the outline producer, for processing an exclusive image which includes the outline image and an outside area of the outline; a rasterizer, coupled to the exclusive image producer, for excluding the exclusive image from a predefined area so as to produce a raster image; and output means, coupled to the rasterizer, for outputting the raster image produced by the rasterizer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
110 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a bold line producer, coupled to the outline producer, for producing a raster image based on the outline image, the raster image including the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; and output means, coupled to the bold line producer, for outputting the raster image produced by the bold line producer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
110 words
A font processor comprising: a font memory for storing outline font information; a width indicator for indicating a width in pixels of lines forming an outline; an outline producer, coupled to the font memory and the width indicator, for producing an outline image according to the outline font information, having lines defined by the width indicator; a bold line producer, coupled to the outline producer, for producing a raster image based on the outline image, the raster image including the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; and output means, coupled to the bold line producer, for outputting the raster image produced by the bold line producer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
70 words
The font processor of claim 2, wherein the raster image and the outline image are each formed with a plurality of elements, each of the plurality of elements being represented by a binary element signal of ON and OFF, wherein the processing unit selects an element of the modified raster image when an element of the outline image is OFF and a corresponding element of the raster image is ON.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
71 words
The font processor of claim 2, wherein the raster image and the outline image are formed with a plurality of elements, each of the plurality of elements being represented by a binary element signal of ON and OFF, wherein the processing unit selects an element of the modified raster image when at least one of an element of the raster image and a corresponding element of the outline image is ON.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The font processor of claim 1, wherein the outline producer produces an outline image for a font based on a plurality of outlines, and wherein the outline producer deletes an overlapped area created by an overlap among the plurality of outlines.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
The font processor of claim 1, further comprising an output unit, coupled to the output means, the output unit having a predefined output resolution, wherein the width indicator determines the line width based on the predefined output resolution.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
The font processor of claim 1, further comprising an output unit, coupled to the output means, the output unit having a predefined size of an output area, wherein the width indicator determines the line width based on the predefined size of the output area.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
The font processor of claim 1, wherein the outline font information includes a plurality of font types, wherein the width indicator determines the line width based on each of the font types.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The font processor of claim 1, wherein the outline font information includes a plurality of character types, wherein the width indicator determines the line width based on each of the character types.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The font processor of claim 1, wherein the width indicator determines the line width based on a received value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
35 words
The font processor of claim 2, wherein the rasterizer uses a first pattern for rasterizing the outline and a second pattern that is different from the first pattern for the inside area of the outline.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The font processor of claim 3, wherein the bold line producer uses different patterns for rasterizing the outline and the inside area of the outline.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
The font processor of claim 1, wherein the raster image includes a line with a thickness, the font processor further comprising a decision unit for determining the thickness of the line according to a predefined criterion.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The font processor of claim 16, wherein the decision unit uses an output resolution as the predefined criterion.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
18 words
The font processor of claim 16, wherein the decision unit uses a received value as the predefined criterion.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
57 words
The font processor of claim 1, further comprising an image store memory for storing the font image outputted by the output means, and a utilization unit for checking whether the font image is stored in the image store memory and for reading the font image from the image store memory when the raster image is stored therein.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
80 words
A font processing method for creating a modified raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline based on outline font information and rasterizing the outline and an inside area of the outline to produce a raster image; producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on the outline font information; and modifying the raster image with the outline image by performing a predefined operation, to create the modified raster image.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
80 words
A font processing method for creating a modified raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline based on outline font information and rasterizing the outline and an inside area of the outline to produce a raster image; producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on the outline font information; and modifying the raster image with the outline image by performing a predefined operation, to create the modified raster image.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
78 words
A font processing method, for creating a modified raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on outline font information that is associated with the outline image; producing a raster image from the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; and modifying the raster image with the outline image by performing a predefined operation to create the modified raster image.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
78 words
A font processing method, for creating a modified raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on outline font information that is associated with the outline image; producing a raster image from the outline image and an inside area of the outline image; and modifying the raster image with the outline image by performing a predefined operation to create the modified raster image.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
80 words
A font processing method, for producing a raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on outline font information that is associated with the outline image; producing an image that represents an exclusive logical combination of pixels of the outline image and pixels of an outside area of the outline image; and producing the raster image by eliminating the exclusive image for a predefined area.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
80 words
A font processing method, for producing a raster image, comprising the steps of: producing an outline image formed by lines, the lines having a width in pixels that is based on outline font information that is associated with the outline image; producing an image that represents an exclusive logical combination of pixels of the outline image and pixels of an outside area of the outline image; and producing the raster image by eliminating the exclusive image for a predefined area.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
16 words
The font processing method of claim 20, further including the step of determining the outline width.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
35 words
The font processing method of claim 23, wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on at least one of a display size, a typeface, and a character type.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
43 words
The font processing method of claim 20, further including the step of receiving outline width data indicative of a desired outline width, and wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on the received outline width data.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
30 words
The font processing method of claim 20, wherein the step of modifying the raster image includes determining a difference between the raster image and an inverse of the outline image.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
27 words
The font processing method of claim 20, wherein the step of modifying the raster image includes determining a sum of the raster image and the outline image.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
34 words
The font processing method of claim 20, further including the step of determining a resolution of an output device, and wherein the predefined operation is determined based on the resolution of the output device.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
16 words
The font processing method of claim 21, further including the step of determining the outline width.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
The font processing method of claim 29, wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on at least one of a display size, a typeface, and a character type.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
43 words
The font processing method of claim 21, further including the step of receiving outline width data indicative of a desired outline width, and wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on the received outline width data.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
30 words
The font processing method of claim 21, wherein the step of modifying the raster image includes determining a difference between the raster image and an inverse of the outline image.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
27 words
The font processing method of claim 21, wherein the step of modifying the raster image includes determining a sum of the raster image and the outline image.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
34 words
The font processing method of claim 21, further including the step of determining a resolution of an output device, and wherein the predefined operation is determined based on the resolution of the output device.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
16 words
The font processing method of claim 22, further including the step of determining the outline width.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
35 words
The font processing method of claim 35, wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on at least one of a display size, a typeface, and a character type.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
43 words
The font processing method of claim 22, further including the step of receiving outline width data indicative of a desired outline width, and wherein the step of determining the outline width includes determining the outline width based on the received outline width data.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
34 words
The font processing method of claim 22, further including the step of determining a resolution of an output device, and wherein the predefined operation is determined based on the resolution of the output device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-05-25 | 2001-11-24 | 2002-05-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-05-25 | 2005-11-24 | 2006-05-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-05-25 | 2009-11-24 | 2010-05-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |