The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2000
Filed:
Jun. 15, 1998
Shigeo Murakami, Kyoto, JP;
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd., Kyoto, JP;
Abstract
A positive image which resembles an object is obtained from a negative image which has various color distributions. An image analysis part judges how far image data of a negative image are from a gray line, and finds an intensity value of one optional color which provides a point on the gray line when combined with each of other colors, to thereby identify an HP (highlight point) and an SP (shadow point) on the negative image. At this stage, a pixel at which the sum of RGB-values on the negative image is approximately the largest is defined as a first HP candidate. Maximum values in the negative image are calculated for planes of the respective colors, and one set of the RGB-values is defined as a second HP candidate. Whether the first HP candidate is close to the gray line is judged. If the first HP candidate is close to the gray line, the first HP candidate is directly used as an HP. If the first HP candidate is far from the gray line, whether the second HP candidate is close to the gray line is judged. If the second HP candidate is close to the gray line, the second HP candidate is directly used as an HP. If the second HP candidate is far from the gray line, RGB-values in a white and a black regions in a gray scale are used as an HP and an SP. An image conversion part converts the negative image which is read from an image holding part into image data of a positive image which has a proper contrast, based on information regarding the HP and the SP on the negative image supplied from the image analysis part.