US5803629A — Method and apparatus for automatic, shape-based c…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 141 words

Apparatus for setting character placement for rendering on an output device, the apparatus comprising: a. means for storing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; and b. means for analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements and deriving therefrom a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 141 words

Apparatus for setting character placement for rendering on an output device, the apparatus comprising: a. means for storing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; and b. means for analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements and deriving therefrom a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 47 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the intercharacter distance measurements define a range from a smallest distance measurement to a largest distance measurement, the intercharacter contour distance measurements upon which the intercharacter spacing is based being a fraction of the range beginning with the smallest distance measurement.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 20 words

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the fraction consists of all distances no greater than 33% of the largest distance.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 35 words

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the fraction extends from the smallest distance measurement to an intermediate distance measurement, tile intermediate distance measurement being specified by a filter percentage multiplied by the largest distance measurement.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 26 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the filter percentage is determined by overlap among interior portions of adjacent characters at a plurality of degrees of superimposition.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 48 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein, at each of a plurality of degrees of superimposition, adjacent characters have an intersection height and an intersection zone, the filter percentage being determined by the ratio of the intersection height to the intersection zone at a plurality of degrees of superimposition.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 11 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the filter percentage is 0.78.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 26 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the opposed contour segments have rates of change associated therewith, the filter percentage being determined by the rates of change.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 23 words

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising user-responsive means for altering how many intercharacter contour distance measurements the intercharacter spacing is based upon.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 13 words

The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising user-responsive means for altering the fraction.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 14 words

The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising user-responsive means for altering the filter percentage.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 18 words

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising user-responsive means for altering the final intercharacter spacing in proportion thereto.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 25 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the intercharacter spacing is set based on a statistical measure of a portion of the intercharacter contour distance measurements.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the statistical measure is at least one of standard deviation, mean, first quartile and third quartile.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 29 words

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a. user-responsive means for receiving user selections of characters; and b. means for storing, in the storage means, codes specifying the characters.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 53 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the initial intercharacter spacing between a pair of adjacent characters, which have an associated font having a font height and a font width, is determined by at least one of (a) a percentage of the font height and (b) a ratio of font height to font width.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 52 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of said characters is larger than the other of said characters, the initial intercharacter spacing between first and second adjacent charactersis being determined by one of (a) the height of an upper-case version of the larger of said characters or (b) a total font height.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 18 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the initial intercharacter spacing is determined by a vertical character stem width.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 51 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the initial character spacing value is a touch distance, the touch distance specifying a distance along the axis such that displacement by said distance of one of the characters toward the other along the axis causes the opposed contour segments to touch but not overlap.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 40 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the filter percentage is adjusted if the adjacent characters (a) have one close point, (b) have two close points, (c) have three close points, or (d) have one close point and an exverted diagonal.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 73 words

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the final intercharacter spacing is determined by subtracting the statistical measure from the initial intercharacter spacing to produce a difference, and subtracting the difference from a touch distance to produce a final intercharacter spacing, the touch distance specifying a distance along the axis such that displacement by said distance of one of the characters toward the other along the axis causes the opposed contour segments to touch.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 95 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the intercharacter measurements comprise a range from a smallest distance measurement to a largest distance measurement and the final intercharacter spacing is adjusted based on at least one of: a. relative sizes of the adjacent characters; b. the font; c. whether the characters comprise serifs; and d. a ratio of (i) a fraction of the range beginning with the smallest distance measurement and ending at an intermediate distance measurement, and (ii) a fraction of the range beginning at the intermediate distance measurement and ending at the largest distance measurement.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 36 words

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a. means for generating output-ready character representations based on the final intercharacter spacing; and b. means for driving an output device to render the characters based on the representations.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 149 words

A rendering device for outputting characters, the device comprising: a. means for storing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; b. means for analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements and deriving therefrom a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis; and c. means for outputting the characters in accordance with the final intercharacter spacings.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 149 words

A rendering device for outputting characters, the device comprising: a. means for storing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; b. means for analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements and deriving therefrom a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis; and c. means for outputting the characters in accordance with the final intercharacter spacings.

Claim 27

Independent Claim 137 words

A method of setting character placement for rendering on an output device, the method comprising; a. providing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; and b. analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements to derive a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis.

Claim 28

Independent Claim 137 words

A method of setting character placement for rendering on an output device, the method comprising; a. providing specifications of at least two characters to be rendered adjacently along a spacing axis, the specifications including a font associated with each of the characters, each character having an associated interior portion defined by a surrounding contour, adjacent characters having opposed contour segments separated, at an initial intercharacter spacing, along the spacing axis by a plurality of intercharacter contour distance measurements between the opposed contour segments, each intercharacter contour distance measurement being taken in a direction parallel to the spacing axis at a different location along an axis perpendicular to the spacing axis; and b. analyzing at least some of the intercharacter contour distance measurements to derive a final intercharacter spacing between pairs of adjacent characters along the spacing axis.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 47 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the intercharacter distance measurements define a range from a smallest distance measurement to a largest distance measurement, the intercharacter contour distance measurements upon which the intercharacter spacing is based being a fraction of the range beginning with the smallest distance measurement.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 19 words

The method of claim 26 wherein the fraction consists of distances no greater than 33% of the largest distance.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 35 words

The method of claim 26 wherein the fraction extends from the smallest distance measurement to an intermediate distance measurement, the intermediate distance measurement being specified by a filter percentage multiplied by the largest distance measurement.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 28 wherein the filter percentage is determined by overlap among interior portions of adjacent characters at a plurality of degrees of superimposition.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 11 words

The method of claim 28 wherein the filter percentage is 0.78.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 28 wherein the opposed contour segments have rates of change associated therewith, the filter percentage being determined by the rates of change.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the intercharacter spacing is set based on a statistical measure of a portion of the intercharacter contour distance measurements.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 22 words

The method of claim 32 wherein the statistical measure is at least one of standard deviation, mean, first quartile and third quartile.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the initial intercharacter spacing between a pair of adjacent characters, which have an associated font having a font height and a font width, is determined by at least one of (a) a percentage of the font height and (b) a ratio of font height to font width.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 43 words

The method of claim 25 wherein one of said characters is larger than the other of said characters, the initial intercharacter spacing between first and second adjacent charactersis being determined by the height of an upper-case version of the larger of said characters.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 18 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the initial intercharacter spacing is determined by a vertical character stem width.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 48 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the initial character spacing value is a touch distance, the touch distance specifying a distance along the axis such that displacement by said distance of one of the characters toward the other along the axis causes the opposed contour segments to touch.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 43 words

The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of adjusting the filter percentage if the adjacent characters (a) have one close point, (b) have two close points, (c) have three close points, or (d) have one close point and an exverted diagonal.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 75 words

The method of claim 32 wherein the final intercharacter spacing is determined by steps comprising subtracting the statistical measure from the initial intercharacter spacing to produce a difference, and subtracting the difference from a touch distance to produce a final intercharacter spacing, the touch distance specifying a distance along the axis such that displacement by said distance of one of the characters toward the other along the axis causes the opposed contour segments to touch.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 96 words

The method of claim 25 wherein the intercharacter distance measurements comprise a range from a smallest distance measurement to a largest distance measurement and the final intercharacter spacing is adjusted based on at least one of: a. relative sizes of the adjacent characters; b. the font; c. whether the characters comprise serifs; and d. a ratio of (i) a fraction of the range beginning with the smallest distance measurement and ending at an intermediate distance measurement, and (ii) a fraction of the range beginning at the intermediate distance measurement and ending at the largest distance measurement.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 35 words

The method of claim 25 further comprising the steps of: a. generating output-ready character representations based on the final intercharacter spacing; and b. driving an output device to render the characters based on the representations.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2001-09-07	2002-03-09	2002-09-08	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2005-09-07	2006-03-09	2006-09-08	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2009-09-07	2010-03-09	2010-09-08	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method and apparatus for automatic, shape-based character spacing

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