Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Microsoft Corporation

Geraldine G Wade

Leroy B Keely

Gregory Carl Hitchcock

Tanya Matskewich

David H Salesin

Douglas E Zongker

Michael J Duggan

William Hill

Beat Stamm

Michael Robert Thomas

Charles Edward Jacobs

Alicia Hungerford Kramer

Leroy Bertrand Keely, Jr

Jerry Jay Dunietz

John L Beezer

David M Silver

Deborah Ann Hanley

Greg C Hitchcock

Gregory Hitchcock

Gregory C Hitchcock

Systems and methods are provided for assigning color values to pixels based on object structure. For example, when rendering a writing system symbol on an electronic display, a non-color characteristic of the symbol can be measured and the measurement can be used to select a color value for a pixel associated with the symbol. Legibility of open and closed line-based graphical objects can be increased by inferring spatial depth and distance through application of a color assignment model.

Assigning color values to pixels based on object structure

Generating an error from an error metric quantifying differences between reference objects representing characters and representations of the reference objects. One embodiment includes a method which includes accessing a reference object representing a character. One or more reference object characteristics are quantified. The reference object characteristics are related to character structural and color information of at least a portion of the reference object to generate a reference object metric. A representation object of the reference object is accessed. One or more representation object characteristics are quantified to create a representation object metric. The representation object characteristics are related to character structural and color information of a portion of the representation object of the reference object corresponding to the portion of the reference object. An error is calculated based on a difference between the reference object metric and the representation object metric. The error is output to a user.

Error metrics for characters

Computer-storage media, computerized methods and systems for formatting a page layout according to form factors of a display area are provided. Initially, search results are received and dynamically converted into respective block-level elements, where each of the block-level elements is associated with a portion of content from one of the received search results. Form factors are retrieved from a graphical user interface. Typically the form factors are associated with properties of a display area initiated to present the search results. At least one adaptive template is selected according to the retrieved form factors. The portion of content of each of the block-level elements is formatted based on at least one adaptive template. Also, the adaptive template is utilized to establish content panes within the page layout, as directed by the form factors. These content panes are populated with one or more of the block-level elements.

Adaptive page layout utilizing block-level elements

Selectively applying graphical filtering to characters can include the identification of observer characteristics and characteristics associated with different portions of the character. Corresponding filters can then be identified and selectively applied to the characters and, in some instances, without applying the filter to the entire character.

Adaptive contextual filtering based on observer colorblindness characteristics

Selectively applying graphical filtering to a portion of an object can include accessing an object to be rendered and identifying at least one characteristic of a portion of the object. A corresponding filter is then selectively applied to the at least one determined characteristic and, in some instances, without applying the filter to at least one other portion of the object.

Adaptive contextual filtering based on typographical characteristics

Optimizing objects output to a user. One method includes accessing a reference object of a character representing an idealized output. A different representation of the reference object is accessed. The reference object is compared to the representation of the reference object to generate an error metric. An optimization is applied to the representation of the reference object. The optimization is directed to causing the representation of the reference object to more closely approximate the reference object. Comparing objects and applying optimizations is repeated until an acceptable representation of the reference object is achieved. The acceptable representation of the reference object is displayed.

Optimizing character rendering

Selectively applying graphical filtering to a portion of an object. One method described herein includes a method including accessing an object to be rendered. At least one characteristic of a portion of the object is determined. A filter is selected that has been pre-specified for the at least one determined characteristic. The filter is applied to the portion of the object, while not applying the filter to at least one other portion of the object.

Adaptive contextual filtering

Methods, systems, and computer program products for adding hinting instructions to a character in order to improve a character bitmap produced from an outline of the character at a certain size and output resolution when the character outline is scan converted. A character is retrieved to be output. A determination is made that the character belongs to a semantic character classifications, and hinting instructions that are associated with the semantic character classification are accessed. The hinting instructions preserve semantic meaning for the character while altering either stroke presence, stroke location, or both for at least one stroke of at least one feature of the character based on a reference character size and output resolution. If the actual character size and output resolution for the character is within a reference character size and output resolution for the hinting instructions, the hinting instructions are executed.

Simplifying complex characters to maintain legibility

Mechanisms for rendering an object on a portion of a display that includes pixel sub-components for each pixel. The pixel sub-components are striped along a certain direction (e.g., vertically or horizontally). The computing system determines that the object has spatial frequency dominance a direction which happens to be parallel to the striping direction. The computing system then performs sub-component based sampling assuming that the striping direction is perpendicular to the actual striping direction. Then the object is rendered on the display. This may be performed for each object to be displayed. Counterintuitively, this improves the resolution of the character being displayed as compared to performing pixel sub-component based sampling assuming that the striping direction is the same as the actual striping direction.

Sub-component based rendering of objects having spatial frequency dominance parallel to the striping direction of the display

Methods and systems for automatically hinting fonts, particularly TrueType fonts, by transferring hints from one font to another are described. In one embodiment, a character or glyph (i.e. a source character) from a first font is selected and provides hints that are to be transferred to a character or glyph of a second font (i.e. a target character). The hints comprise statements defined in terms of control points or knots that define the shape or appearance of a character. A match is found between individual control points on the different characters and then used as the basis for transferring the hints. In one embodiment, hints are transferred by modifying values in a control value table (CVT) that contains entries that are used to constrain the control points of the source character. The CVT values are modified so that they now constrain corresponding control points in the target character.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Geraldine G Wade