Fujitsu Corporation

Mutsumi Ohtomo

Shinichiro Motokado

Tomoko Motokado

Toshikuni Yoshida

Hellmann Antonius

Antonius Hellmann

Hiroki Mitsuhashi

A character generating method and apparatus which arrange a plurality of partial patterns constituting a character to the start positions of the partial patterns to generate a character pattern. A memory of the apparatus stores origin position data of the partial patterns firstly in a partial-pattern coordinate system, set by a character coordinate system, start position data of basic patterns in the partial-pattern coordinate system and shape data of the basic patterns. The origin position data of those individual partial patterns which constitute a desired character pattern and the start position data of those basic patterns which constitute the partial patterns are read out from the memory and the absolute start positions of the basic patterns are computed from the read origin position data and start position data in a character generating circuit of the apparatus, and the basic patterns, defined by the shape data, at the respective absolute start positions are arranged to generate the desired character pattern. The memory of the character generating apparatus is formed by a common file for storing origin position data of the partial patterns in a partial-pattern coordinate system, set by a character coordinate system, and start position data of the basic patterns in the partial-pattern coordinate system, and an individual file for storing shape data of the basic patterns.

Character generating method and apparatus

In an output apparatus capable of outputting characters in a visible state, one character is first formed by combining a plurality of parts and the formed character is then output in a designated size. At this time, positions of at least two points which are the basis of the positioning of each part are determined and then an outline of the character is determined. Thus, when outputting a character in an arbitrarily enlarged or reduced size in the output apparatus, it is possible to keep a shape or balance of the character very good and thus to contribute to a high quality character output.

Method and apparatus for processing characters

In a character generating method and apparatus for dividing each character pattern into a plurality of partial patterns, storing the partial patterns, selecting the proper partial patterns from the stored ones, and arranging the selected partial patterns at respective start points, a memory stores common start point data representing an absolute start point, common to corresponding partial patterns of a plurality of characters having the same arrangement of partial patterns constituting a character pattern, as coordinate values from a set origin, relative position data representing positions of the partial patterns of the plurality of characters from the common start points as relative positions, and shape data of the partial patterns, representing shapes of the patterns. The common start point data, the relative position data and the shape data are read out from the memory. The coordinate values of the absolute start points of the individual partial patterns are computed from the common start point data and the relative position data. The partial patterns having the shape matching the shape data are arranged at the coordinates of the absolute start points to generate a character pattern corresponding to the character code.

In a character generating method and an apparatus for converting outline data of a character to coordinates of a desired character size to generate a bit map image of that character size, each piece of outline coordinate data expressing a contour line of the character in logical coordinates is converted into coordinates of the designated size. The method further comprises replacing converted coordinates of designated points on the contour line with coordinates on a reference line determined by coordinates of specific reference points and rounding the individual converted coordinates of the contour and converting the rounded coordinates line into physical coordinates expressed by integers. The apparatus has a font memory for storing outline font data expressing a contour line of the character in coordinates, a character developing circuit for reading each piece of outline data from the font memory, converting the read outline data into coordinates of a designated size, replacing converted coordinates of designated points on the contour line with coordinates on a reference line determined by coordinates of specific reference points, rounding the individual converted coordinates of the contour line, and converting the rounded coordinates into physical coordinates expressed by integers. A drawing circuit is provided for generating a bit map image of the character from the converted physical coordinates.

A character generating method and apparatus for producing a character from outline font data, wherein the font data stored in a font memory are converted into coordinate values of a coordinate system of a designated size in a character developing circuit, the converted coordinate values are then rounded to integer coordinate values, and the integer coordinate values are adjusted by a hinting process. The integer coordinate values are developed including the adjusted coordinate values to produce a bit map image in the character developing circuit. In one mode of the hinting process, the sum of intervals between a plurality of strokes extending in the same direction are computed from coordinates after the rounding process, the sum is compared with the number of target strokes minus 1, and the integer coordinate values are changed so as to adjust a line width of a desired stroke of the target strokes when the sum is smaller than a value resulting from a subtraction. In another mode of the hinting process, scaling factors of individual intervals are computed from intervals between individual strokes before the rounding and intervals between individual strokes after the rounding, the difference between the largest scaling factor and the smallest scaling factor is computed, and the integer coordinate values of a desired stroke among the strokes are shifted so as to make the difference smaller.

Method and apparatus for generating character patterns expressed by

A method and apparatus for combining a character pattern of a first typeface with a character pattern of a second typeface to generate a character pattern of a third typeface, wherein searching for corresponding part patterns or contour points among part patterns constituting a character pattern of the first typeface and part patterns or contour points among part patterns constituting a character pattern of the second typeface is performed, based on identical code data affixed to the corresponding part patterns or contour points. The corresponding part patterns or contour points are combined to prepare part patterns or contour points of a character pattern of the third typeface. The apparatus has a typeface data memory having a first typeface file for storing individual part patterns of each character pattern of the first typeface with code data being affixed to the part patterns, and a second typeface memory for storing individual part patterns of each character pattern of the second typeface with the same code data affixed to the part patterns of the first typeface being affixed to corresponding part patterns of the each character pattern of the second typeface which correspond to the part patterns of the first typeface. A character processing circuit is provided for combining corresponding part patterns, affixed with the same code data to prepare part patterns of a character pattern of the third typeface.

Method and apparatus for combining characters

In a character generating method and apparatus for producing a bit map image of a designated character size from outline data, a character developing circuit calculates a shearing factor of a target stroke when a conversion scaling factor is smaller than a predetermined scaling factor, performs shearing compensation on coordinates of individual points of the target stroke along a coordinate axis according to a type of the target stroke, based on the shearing factor, and converts outline coordinate data obtained through the shearing compensation, to physical coordinates, for the designated size based on the conversion scaling factor. A drawing circuit produces a bit map image of the designated character size from the converted physical coordinates. The character generating apparatus further has a font memory for storing the outline data. The character developing circuit calculates the shearing factor of the target stroke, read from the font memory from coordinates of two predetermined points of a stroke expressed by the outline data.

Growing community of inventors

Sapporo, Japan

Mutsumi Ohtomo