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US 6,608,932 B1Granted
Outline font for analytical assessment of printed text quality
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsD. Rene Rasmussen, Edul N. Dalal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention specifically covers one of the many image quality (IQ) metrics that can be part of an overall image quality (IQ) analysis engine. The specific problem with image quality addressed with this metric is that of printed text. Analytical outline font characters are used to represent certain traits of existing text characters, allowing proper image quality analysis while simplifying image processing. Preferably, a set of analytical outline font characters are used, with each representing a different trait.
Claims21
An image quality analysis system for determining image quality of printed text in an image output device, comprising:
- a test pattern pertinent to image quality determination that includes a set of analytical outline font characters, each representing a single isolated trait of an actual text font pertinent to printed text quality analysis purposes;
- a scanner that scans a hardcopy test image, which has been generated by the output device based on the test pattern, to form a digital raster image;
- and
- an image quality analysis module that receives the digital raster image, distinguishes one or more test targets from the digital raster image representing various ones of the analytical outline font characters, and performs image quality analysis on the test targets to obtain results quantifying image quality,
- wherein one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to accurate reproduction of serifs by providing a main stem of a predetermined width and a series of spaced perpendicular lines of a smaller width.
2 more elements
A method of performing image quality analysis on an image output device having an output station that generates a hardcopy image from a digital image, the method comprising:
- generating a hardcopy image output from the image output device based on a predetermined test pattern, the test pattern including a set of analytical outline font characters, each representing a single isolated trait of an actual text font pertinent to printed text quality analysis purposes;
- scanning the hardcopy image using a scanner to form a digital raster image containing a copy of at least one of the analytical outline font characters;
- and
- performing image quality analysis on the digital raster image to obtain results quantifying image quality by analyzing individual analytical outline font characters to determine image quality of the isolated traits,
- wherein one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to accurate reproduction of serifs by providing a main stem of a predetermined width and a series of spaced perpendicular lines of a smaller width.
2 more elements
An image quality analysis system for determining image quality of printed text in an image output device, comprising:
- a test pattern pertinent to image quality determination that includes a set of analytical outline font characters, each representing a single isolated trait of an actual text font pertinent to printed text quality analysis purposes, of which
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to accurate reproduction of serifs by providing a main stem of a predetermined width and a series of spaced perpendicular lines of a smaller width,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to maintaining equidistant line spacing by providing a series of equispaced and equiwidth lines,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing thin lines closely bound by larger printed objects,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing concentric circles by providing at least two closely spaced concentric circles, and
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing smooth inclined lines free from jagged edges;
- a scanner that scans a hardcopy test image, which has been generated by the output device based on the test pattern, to form a digital raster image;
- and
- an image quality analysis module that receives the digital raster image, distinguishes one or more test targets from the digital raster image representing various ones of the analytical outline font characters, and performs image quality analysis on the test targets to obtain results quantifying image quality.
6 more elements
A method of performing image quality analysis on an image output device having an output station that generates a hardcopy image from a digital image, the method comprising:
- generating a hardcopy image output from the image output device based on a predetermined test pattern, the test pattern including a set of analytical outline font characters, each representing a single isolated trait of an actual text font pertinent to printed text quality analysis purposes;
- scanning the hardcopy image using a scanner to form a digital raster image containing a copy of at least a subset of the analytical outline font characters, of which,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to accurate reproduction of serifs by providing a main stem of a predetermined width and a series of spaced perpendicular lines of a smaller width,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to maintaining equidistant line spacing by providing a series of equispaced and equiwidth lines,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing thin lines closely bound by larger printed objects,
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing concentric circles by providing at least two closely spaced concentric circles, and
- one of the analytical outline font characters includes an isolated trait relevant to reproducing smooth inclined lines free from jagged edges;
- and
- performing image quality analysis on the digital raster image to obtain results quantifying image quality by analyzing individual analytical outline font characters to determine image quality of the isolated traits.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.