US7113649B2
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US
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Enhancing the tonal characteristics of digital images
Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures LLC
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Filing: 2002-06-24
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Granted: 2006-09-26
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Expires: 2022-06-24
Abstract
Abstract A method of producing a tone scale function which can operate on a source digital image to improve tonal characteristics, includes generating the tone scale function having a highlight tone scale segment and a shadow tone scale segment defined relative to a reference point on the tone scale function, and that is adapted to operate on the source digital image to improve its tonal characteristics by: using a first function with a monotonically decreasing slope characteristic to produce the highlight tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or greater than the reference point; and using a second function with a monotonically increasing slope characteristic to produce the shadow tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or less than the reference point.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward B. Gindele
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:26
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/407; H04N1/4072; H04N1/4074
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
A method of producing a tone scale function which can operate on a source digital image to improve tonal characteristics, comprising the steps of: generating the tone scale function having a highlight tone scale segment and a shadow tone scale segment defined relative to a fixed reference point on the tone scale function, and that is adapted to operate on the source digital image to improve its tonal characteristics by: i) using a first function with a monotonically decreasing slope characteristic to produce the highlight tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or greater than the fixed reference point; and ii) using a second function with a monotonically increasing slope characteristic to produce the shadow tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or less than the fixed reference point wherein the slopes of the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are unequal at the fixed reference point.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
153 words
A method of producing a tone scale function which can operate on a source digital image to improve tonal characteristics, comprising the steps of: generating the tone scale function having a highlight tone scale segment and a shadow tone scale segment defined relative to a fixed reference point on the tone scale function, and that is adapted to operate on the source digital image to improve its tonal characteristics by: i) using a first function with a monotonically decreasing slope characteristic to produce the highlight tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or greater than the fixed reference point; and ii) using a second function with a monotonically increasing slope characteristic to produce the shadow tone scale segment that includes points that are equal to or less than the fixed reference point wherein the slopes of the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are unequal at the fixed reference point.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 using the tone scale function and the source digital image to generate an enhanced digital image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 2 using a sigmoid shaped rendering function independent of the source digital image and the enhanced digital image to generate a rendered digital image.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 2 further including using a spatial filter in applying the tone scale function to the source digital image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the source digital image includes pixels having at least three different colors.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the pixels of the source digital image have a logarithmic relationship to original scene intensities.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the first function with a linear function to produce the highlight tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the linear function to the highlight tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the second function with a linear function to produce the shadow tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the linear function to the shadow tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the first function with a third function that has a monotonically decreasing slope characteristic to produce the highlight tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the third function to the highlight tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the second function with a third function that has a monotonically increasing slope characteristic to produce the shadow tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the third function to the shadow tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the first function with a third function that has a monotonically decreasing slope characteristic and a fourth linear function to produce the highlight tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the fourth linear function to the highlight tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 1 further including combining the second function with a third function that has a monotonically increasing slope characteristic and a fourth linear function to produce the shadow tone scale segment wherein the contribution of the fourth linear function to the shadow tone scale segment is selected by at least one controllable parameter.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of producing a tone scale function which can operate on a source digital image to improve tonal characteristics, comprising the steps of: generating a tone scale function having a highlight tone scale segment and a shadow tone scale segment defined relative to a fixed reference point on the tone scale function, and that is adapted to operate on the source digital image to improve its tonal characteristics, wherein: i) the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are defined by different non-linear mathematical functions; and ii) the shape of the highlight tone scale segment is controlled independently of the shape of the shadow tone scale segment.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of producing a tone scale function which can operate on a source digital image to improve tonal characteristics, comprising the steps of: generating a tone scale function having a highlight tone scale segment and a shadow tone scale segment defined relative to a fixed reference point on the tone scale function, and that is adapted to operate on the source digital image to improve its tonal characteristics, wherein: i) the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are defined by different non-linear mathematical functions; and ii) the shape of the highlight tone scale segment is controlled independently of the shape of the shadow tone scale segment.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 13 using the tone scale function and the source digital image to generate an enhanced digital image.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 14 using a sigmoid shaped rendering function independent of the source digital image and the enhanced digital image to generate a rendered digital image.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the slopes of the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are each equal at the fixed reference point.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the slopes of the highlight and shadow tone scale segments are unequal at the fixed reference point.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 13 further including the step of using the pixels of the source digital image to produce the highlight and shadow tone scale segments.
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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) | 2009-09-25 | 2010-03-27 | 2010-09-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2013-09-25 | 2014-03-27 | 2014-09-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2017-09-25 | 2018-03-27 | 2018-09-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |