Wang Laboratories, Inc.

Kodak Limited

Quickbuy, Inc.

Other

Quickbut, Inc.

David M. Barrett

Kenneth C. Knowlton

Kenneth C Knowlton

Gary Steven Miliefsky

Karen Donoghue

Hiroshi Kondo

A Julie Kadashevich

Mark Setteducati

Alex J Harui

David J Angel

Stephen R Levine

Michael W Schirpke

David M Barrett

Mary F Harvey

Stephen P Boylan

Donna Ajgaonkar

Alexander N Jourjine

Chia-Chuan Hsiao

Gregory Scarle

Mary Jane Boyd

Bruce Eric Brown

Charles Paress

A mosaic puzzle set has a predetermined number of pieces () with unique, directionally visible, identifiers and different brightness characteristics, three for grey scale and five for color, comprising average brightness(es), and direction and magnitude of brightness gradients, enabling assembly to copy any user selected target picture () by following a dedicated table/chart (). An internet server () storing piece characteristics and accessible for target picture upload and chart download by an access code in the purchased set, divides (S) the target picture () into a same number of data areas () as pieces, analyzes their brightness characteristics and assembles the chart () by provisionally assigning pieces to respective target areas () and exchanging them for each other when sums of respective mismatch values between pieces and respective target areas are thereby reduced (S-S). Alternatively, pieces are divisions of an iconic source picture or only screen images. Pieces in a humped brightness histogram, population distribution provide greater detail. A grid-form tray supports and aligns pieces during assembly. Internet () billing is possible.

Personalized mosaic puzzle set

A visual link mechanism residing in a local system for identifying addresses of locations in the plurality of remote systems wherein the local system is connected through a network to the plurality of remote systems. The visual link mechanism includes a visual link library and a network access mechanism responsive to a visual link including a displayable graphic icon for accessing the location represented by a selected graphic icon. Various structures of visual links are described, each being an entity existing independently of the system environment in which it resides, and the network access mechanism includes a layout table for storing a plurality of plans for arranging and displaying a plurality of visual link graphic icons in a display, a visual links organizer, a visual link screen saver, and a hash protection mechanism for detecting the unauthorized construction or modification of visual links or other forms of files. Also described is a visual link capture engine for extracting graphics information from a data file and generating a corresponding graphic icon and a display layout generator for generating display layouts of sets of predetermined numbers of displayable visual objects.

Mechanism for the capture of graphical representations

A data processing system is coupled to a facsimile device which receives and transmits facsimile images between the data processing system and a telephone line. The data processing system includes the capability to receive a facsimile image, interpret certain images as specified commands for the data processor, and to retrieve, manipulate and transmit data in response to the specified commands.

Data retrieval, manipulation and transmission with facsimile images

A method is disclosed for operating a computer system to reduce the size of an image, which comprises the following steps. First, data representing an image, a size of the image, and a desired size of a corresponding compressed image is received by the system. If processing of the image is finished, then data representing the compressed image is emitted, otherwise the image is partitioned into at least one strip to omit and a plurality of subimages, each represented by data representing the subimage, a size of the subimage, and a desired size for a corresponding compressed subimage. Then the above steps are repeated for each subimage.

Method for reducing the size of an image

Apparatus and methods for executing business transactions and transferring subscribed for and periodically updated information across networks by means of encapsulated, self contained visual link objects that include a displayable image representing the contents of the visual link object, a dataset forming the contents of the object, and additional information wherein the contents of a visual link object are determined by the nature of an intended transaction or the nature of the information to be distributed. Also described are apparatus and methods for creating and distributing graphical user interfaces for application programs, for customization of applications programs, and methods for multi-level encapsulation of visual link objects to protect the contents thereof from unauthorized access, together with alternate implementations of visual link objects.

Methods for executing commercial transactions in a network system using

Apparatus and methods for executing business transactions and transferring subscribed for and periodically updated information across networks using of encapsulated, self contained visual link objects that include a displayable image representing the contents of the visual link object, a dataset forming the contents of the object, and additional information wherein the contents of a visual link object are determined by the nature of an intended transaction or the nature of the information to be distributed. Also described are apparatus and methods for creating and distributing graphical user interfaces for application programs, for customization of applications programs, and methods for multi-level encapsulation of visual link objects to protect the contents thereof from unauthorized access, together with alternate implementations of visual link objects.

Network commercial system using visual link objects

Display layout generator for graphical representations

Protection mechanism for visual link objects

System for the capture and indexing of graphical representations of

A handwritten character recognition system that includes a document scanner for generating scanned images of a previously created document containing handwritten characters, and a pen and digitizing tablet for real time entry of handwritten characters by a user. The handwritten character recognition system includes an image processor connected from the document scanner for receiving the scanned image of a previously created document and generating one or more ordered cluster arrays. The ordered cluster arrays contain spatially ordered coordinate arrays of skeletal image arcs representing and corresponding to the strokes of the handwritten characters wherein the spatial order represents an induced time ordered sequence of creation of the strokes of the handwritten characters that emulates the sequence of creation of the character strokes. A low level recognition processor is connected from the time order induction processor for receiving the ordered cluster arrays and generating a sequential character array wherein the sequential character array contains a character list for each ordered cluster array and wherein each character list contains at least one character identification representing a possible interpretation of the corresponding ordered cluster array. A linguistic post processor may be connected from the low level recognition processor for receiving the sequential character array and generating an output string representing the most probable interpretation of the handwritten characters of the document.

Character recognition system indentification of scanned and real time

A method enables a dithered representation of an image to be converted to a continuous tone representation of the image. This undithering method compares the regions of dithered representation with sections of dither patterns to determine an appropriate continuous tone representation from which the dithered image could have resulted. When the continuous tone representation is found the region is converted into a continuous tone representation. This procedure may be spatially iterated on a pixel by pixel basis until all of the initial representation of the image is converted into a continuous tone representation. The procedure may also be modified to account for line art. Furthermore, the procedure may be applied to produce adjustments in the size of the picture including miniaturizations and enlargements of the original image. In accordance with this application, dithered portions of the original image are redithered in a manner to produce a alternative size output image. Similarly line art portions of the original image are treated as grey scale values and redithered to produce the alternative size representations of the line art.

Image undithering apparatus and method

A method, and apparatus for executing the method, for processing digitized image data representative of a page. The method includes the steps of (a) processing the image data on a scanline by scanline basis to partition the image data into a plurality of rows and columns of N.times.M arrays (14a) of image pixels. The step of partitioning includes the steps of, for each row of an N.times.M array of image pixels, (b) detecting occurrences, if any, along any scanline of an image pixel having a foreground value; for a non-zero number of detected occurrences within one N.times.M array of image pixels, (c) incrementing a corresponding array row count and a corresponding array column count; and (d) for at least one detected occurrence, adjusting the boundary of a bounding box so as to enclose the at least one detected occurrence and substantially all previously detected occurrences. The method includes the terminal steps of examining the boundary of the bounding box and, if the boundary is set at an initial unrealizable condition, declaring the page to be blank, else if the boundary is not set at the initial condition, declaring that the binary image of the page includes information within the boundary of the bounding box. Methods for deriving an iconic image of the digitized image data are also described.

Automatic determination of blank pages and binary images' bounding boxes

A document processing system (10) includes a user interface (22, 24, 25) and a memory (18) for storing bitmap data (18a) representing a document (14) that includes text. The user interface includes a display (22, 22a) for visualizing an image of the bitmap data and an input device, such as a mouse (25), for specifying locations within the displayed image corresponding to locations within the stored bitmap data. The document processing system further includes a bitmap data processor (20) that is responsive to a first specified location designating a start of an area of the image containing text to a second specified location designating a termination of the area of the image containing text, for processing bitmap data corresponding to the area. The bitmap processor operates to determine a lateral extent of lines of text within the area, to determine an amount of slope, if any, of the lines of text within the area, to determine a center-to-center spacing of the lines of text within the area, and to determine a location of a top line of the text. That is, the bitmap processor operates to refine the boundary of the area specified by the input device so as to provide a geometric specification of all text appearing within the bitmap data that corresponds to the originally specified area. The bitmap processor preferably operates to first laterally compress the bitmap data prior to operating on same.

Method and apparatus for automatically specifying a portion of text from

A data processing system provides a desk view which serves as a graphical user interface to the system. The desk view displays detailed miniaturized images of all documents possessed by the user. The compressed document images are user moveable and stackable in the desk view. The desk view also enables user selected operations including mailing, disposing, annotating, stapling, unstapling and printing of documents. User interaction with items of the desk view is communicated through an electronic-stylus. Different actions with the stylus provide naturally expected effects. The stylus and desk view provide a simulation of a common office desk and user interaction therewith.

Method for color image reduction based upon determination of color

Computer apparatus and method replicates a book in screen views of a video display unit. A book representation is formed of a multiplicity of entities positioned in a series and successively overlapping each other. Data of only non-overlapped entities or portions thereof are viewable. Processor means changes display of the series such that desired entities are displayed non-overlapped in a respective position in the series. Each entity succeeding the desired entity in the series overlaps a respective succeeding entity, if any, and each entity preceding the desired entity in the series overlaps a respective preceding entity, if any, to display the desired entity non-overlapped in the series. Screen view position of viewable data in the series thus changes as a function of entity providing the data and corresponding serial position of the entity. A processor procedure adjusts position of user definable tabs coupled to entities to maximize viewability of tabs. Page numbers and other markers are employed to provide indications of the positions of the entities in the series. Alternatively, entities nearest the non-overlapped entity are less overlapped by neighboring entities than entities farther away from the non-overlapped entity are overlapped by respective neighboring entities.

Growing community of inventors

Merrimack, NH, United States of America

Kenneth C Knowlton