US 4,897,638 AGranted

Method for generating character patterns with controlled size and thickness

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsMotohide Kokunishi, Tetsuzou Uehara, Satoru Sakamoto, Mamoru Tada

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Abstract

Skeleton pattern data and stroke thickness data are stored for each character composed of a plurality of strokes, and desired skeleton pattern data are converted into skeleton data enlarged or reduced by a scaling factor. Thickness data of the strokes after the scaling are generated based on the stroke thickness data and the scaling factor. An outline of each stroke of the character is generated based on the skeleton pattern data and the stroke thickness data to thereby generate outline pattern data of the character. When generating the outline pattern data based on the skeleton pattern data, a value different from the scaling factor for the skeleton pattern data is determined as a thickness scaling factor for the stroke of the character.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method of generating character patterns for display on a display device, each character pattern being made up of a plurality of strokes, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in a memory device stroke data representative of the positions of a plurality of skeleton points for each of the strokes making up a first character pattern and thickness data representative of the thickness of each of said strokes of said first character pattern, said plurality of strokes of said first character pattern constituting a first stroke group;
(b) designating a first scaling factor representative of the size of the character pattern to be generated in relation to the size of said first character pattern;
(c) determining the positions of skeleton points of a plurality of modified strokes in accordance with the first scaling factor and the positions of the skeleton points for each of the strokes of the first stroke group, the modified strokes making up a modified character pattern obtained by scaling said first character pattern by said first scaling factor and constituting a second stroke group;
(d) determining the thickness of said modified strokes by scaling the thickness of each of the strokes of said first character pattern by a second scaling factor different from said first scaling factor;
(e) generating an outline of each stroke of said second stroke group in accordance with the skeleton points and the thickness determined for said modified strokes to generate an outline of the character pattern;
and
(f) painting the inside of the generated outline to produce the generated character pattern.

4 more elements

A method of generating character patterns for display on a display device, each character pattern being made up of a plurality of strokes, said method comprising the steps of:

storing skeleton pattern data and stroke thickness data for each stroke of each of a plurality of character patterns;
converting stored skeleton pattern data for a desired character pattern into scaled skeleton pattern data, enlarged or reduced with respect to the corresponding stored skeleton pattern data for said desired character pattern by a size scaling factor;
generating scaled thickness data for each of said strokes of said desired character pattern based on said stored thickness data and said size scaling factor;
generating an outline of each stroke of said desired character pattern based on said scaled skeleton pattern data and said scaled stroke thickness data, to thereby generate an outline pattern for said desired character pattern;
and
determining, when generating said outline pattern a thickness scaling factor for each stroke of said desired character pattern, having a value different from the value of said size scaling factor.

3 more elements

A method of generating character patterns for display on a display device, each character pattern being made up of a plurality of strokes, said method comprising the steps of:

storing skeleton pattern data and stroke thickness data for each stroke of each of a plurality of character patterns;
generating an outline of each stroke of a desired character pattern based on said skeleton pattern data and said stroke thickness data, to thereby generate an outline pattern for said desired character pattern;
converting said generated outline pattern into a scaled outline pattern, enlarged or reduced with respect to said generated outline pattern by a size scaling factor;
obtaining scaled stroke thickness data for said desired character pattern based on said stored stroke thickness data and said size scaling factor;
and
determining, when generating said outline pattern, a stroke thickness scaling factor for said desired character pattern, having a value different from said size scaling factor.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.