Patent US7064869B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US7064869B2
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US
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Method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having at least one group of similar color channels
Assignee: Eastman Kodak Co
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Filing: 2001-06-22
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Granted: 2006-06-20
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Expires: 2021-06-22
Abstract
Abstract A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, includes the steps of: providing a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cos t function; for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted matrix of dither values by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted matrix of dither values with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the matrix of dither values for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel of that group; for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image modularly addressing the matrix of dither values associated with that color channel using the location of a pixel in the digital color image to obtain ad addressed dither value; using the addressed dither value for each color channel, together with the pixel value for the corresponding color channel, to determine an output halftone image value for each color channel.
Inventors
- 👤 Kevin E. Spaulding
- 👤 Douglas W. Couwenhoven
- 👤 Qing Yu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:33
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/40087; H04N1/46; H04N1/52
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted matrix of dither values by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted matrix of dither values with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the matrix of dither values for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel of that group; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image modularly addressing the matrix of dither values associated with that color channel using the location of a pixel in the digital color image to obtain ad addressed dither value; d) using the addressed dither value for each color channel, together with the pixel value for the corresponding color channel, to determine an output halftone image value for each color channel; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
234 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted matrix of dither values by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted matrix of dither values with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the matrix of dither values for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel of that group; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image modularly addressing the matrix of dither values associated with that color channel using the location of a pixel in the digital color image to obtain ad addressed dither value; d) using the addressed dither value for each color channel, together with the pixel value for the corresponding color channel, to determine an output halftone image value for each color channel; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step d) includes the step of comparing the addressed dither value for each color channel with the pixel value for the corresponding color channel to determine the output halftone image value for each color channel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step d) includes the step of adding the addressed dither value for each color channel to the pixel value for the corresponding color channel and comparing the sum to a threshold value to determine the output halftone image value for each color channel.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step d) includes the step of using the addressed dither value to select a dither look-up table from a set of dither look-up tables, and using the pixel value of the corresponding color channel to address the selected dither look-up table to determine an output halftone image value for each color channel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the color channels is printed using more than two output levels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 5 wherein step d) includes the step of adding the addressed dither value for each color channel to the pixel value for the corresponding color channel and quantizing the sum to determine the output halftone image value for each color channel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the sum is quantized using a division operator.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the sum is quantized by addressing a quantization look-up table with the sum.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 5 wherein step d) includes the step of using the addressed dither value to select a dither look-up table from a set of dither look-up tables, and using the pixel value of the corresponding color channel to address the selected dither look-up table to determine the output halftone image value for each color channel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density cyan color channel and a high-density cyan color channel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density magenta color channel and a high-density magenta color channel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density yellow color channel and a high-density yellow color channel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density neutral color channel and a high-density neutral color channel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
A computer program product comprising computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that performs the method of claim 1 .
Claim 16
Independent Claim
152 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, said method comprising: providing a set of dither matrices including: a) a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted matrix of dither values formed by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted matrix of dither values being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the matrix of dither values for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
152 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, said method comprising: providing a set of dither matrices including: a) a matrix of dither values for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the matrices of dither values are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted matrix of dither values formed by subtracting the value of each element of the matrix of dither values for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted matrix of dither values being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the matrix of dither values for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
229 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two of the color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels wherein the dither bitmaps for at least two of the groups of similar color channels are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted set of dither bitmaps by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted set of dither bitmaps with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the set of dither bitmaps for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image, selecting the dither bitmap from the set of dither bitmaps associated with that color channel corresponding to the pixel value for a pixel in the multi-channel digital color image; d) for each color channel modularly addressing the selected dither bitmap with the location of the pixel to obtain an output halftone image value; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
229 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two of the color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels wherein the dither bitmaps for at least two of the groups of similar color channels are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted set of dither bitmaps by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted set of dither bitmaps with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the set of dither bitmaps for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image, selecting the dither bitmap from the set of dither bitmaps associated with that color channel corresponding to the pixel value for a pixel in the multi-channel digital color image; d) for each color channel modularly addressing the selected dither bitmap with the location of the pixel to obtain an output halftone image value; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 16 wherein at least one of the color channels is printed using more than two output levels.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 16 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density cyan color channel and a high-density cyan color channel.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 16 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density magenta color channel and a high-density magenta color channel.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 16 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density yellow color channel and a high-density yellow color channel.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 16 wherein one group of similar color channels is comprised of a low-density neutral color channel and a high-density neutral color channel.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
A computer program product comprising computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that performs the method of claim 16 .
Claim 26
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of dither bitmaps including: a) a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the sets of dither bitmaps are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of dither bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of dither bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of dither bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
148 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of dither bitmaps including: a) a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels wherein two or more of the sets of dither bitmaps are designed jointly to minimize a visual cost function; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of dither bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of dither bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of dither bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
200 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two of the color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a set of first bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted set of second bitmaps by subtracting the value of each element of the first bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted set of second bitmaps with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the set of first bitmaps for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image, selecting the bitmap from the set associated with that color channel corresponding to the pixel value for a pixel in the multi-channel digital color image; d) for each color channel modularly addressing the selected bitmap with the location of the pixel to obtain an output halftone image value; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
200 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two of the color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising the steps of: a) providing a set of first bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; b) for at least one group of similar color channels, forming an inverted set of second bitmaps by subtracting the value of each element of the first bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, associating the inverted set of second bitmaps with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and associating the set of first bitmaps for that group with the other low- or high-density color channel; c) for each color channel of the multi-channel digital color image, selecting the bitmap from the set associated with that color channel corresponding to the pixel value for a pixel in the multi-channel digital color image; d) for each color channel modularly addressing the selected bitmap with the location of the pixel to obtain an output halftone image value; and e) repeating steps c) and d) for each pixel in the multi-channel digital color image.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
129 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of dither bitmaps including: a) a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of dither bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of dither bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of dither bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
129 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of dither bitmaps including: a) a set of dither bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of dither bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the dither bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of dither bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of dither bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of bitmaps including: a) a set of first bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of second bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the first bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of second bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of first bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for halftoning a multi-channel digital color image having an x,y array of color pixel values, wherein at least two color channels are similar having substantially the same color but with low- and high-densities, comprising: providing a set of bitmaps including: a) a set of first bitmaps for each group of similar color channels; and b) for at least one group of similar color channels, an inverted set of second bitmaps formed by subtracting the value of each element of the first bitmaps for that group from a predetermined maximum value, the inverted set of second bitmaps being associated with one of the low- or high-density color channels, and the set of first bitmaps for that group being associated with the other low- or high-density color channel.
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