Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1997-07-31
2001-04-24
Homere, Jean R. (Department: 2776)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C382S166000, C382S173000, C382S232000, C382S235000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223181
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to an image processing system and method for rotating an image. In particular, this invention relates to an image processing system that conserves memory during rotation while providing flexibility in the techniques that can be used for image reconstruction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As complex image processing systems, such as printers, facsimile machines, and electronic devices become more advanced, it is often necessary for original images having a scan format in one direction, to be transferred to an output device having a scan format in a different direction. As such, it has become increasingly necessary to perform rotation processing on an image prior to transferring the image to the output device. Given that the amount of system memory needed for rotation processing can often be great due to the size and content of the image being processed, conservation of memory during rotation has become an important consideration in image processing design.
An image processing system that has attempted to solve the problem of conservation of memory is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,476 to Lotspiech (“the '476 patent”). In this system, a digital image can be rotated into a vertical scan format for printing. In an effort to conserve memory, a processor determines when a nominal amount of the image is present in a file, and then rotates and compresses the image. Adjacent portions of the image are thus rotated, compressed and stored in adjacent memory locations, where an electronic knitting of adjacent image boundaries takes place. The knitting process is the digital integration of a portion of compressed image data with adjacent portions. As described in this patent, when each portion of the image is integrated with other compressed portions, reconstruction of the entire rotated image can take place using a run length decoding technique.
Although memory is saved in the system of the '476 patent, there are problems associated with such a system. In particular, the knitting process can only be carried out on adjacent blocks, thus limiting the areas of memory in which compressed portions of the image can be stored. Moreover, the knitting technique cannot be used with other standard compression techniques such as Joint Bitonal Imaging Experts Group (JBIG), in which a current value of a compressed image block depends on data existing in memory in blocks that are not adjacent to the image block.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for performing rotation of an image, that is capable of reducing the memory needed for rotation while providing flexibility in the compression techniques that can be used to reconstruct the image.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing system and method for performing rotation of an image. The image processing system independently rotates, compresses and stores image sections, resulting in a conservation of memory and an increased compatibility with differing compression techniques.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises an image processing module and a memory module having one or more buffers of reduced size. The image processing module comprises a processing module, an encoder/decoder module and a rotator module. In one embodiment, the processing module determines whether a memory buffer sized to accommodate the entire image should be used, or whether a smaller memory buffer should be used to rotate smaller sized image sections. In the event that the image is of a certain size and division into smaller sections is desirable, rotation processing commences when an image section fills the selected memory buffer. The rotation module operates on each image section independently, such that each section is rotated by 90° and transferred to an encoder/decoder module where each section is compressed in accordance with one or more compression techniques.
After compression, each of the compressed sections are stored in separate, and random memory locations. The random memory locations can further be memory locations that are not adjacent, that is, non-contiguous locations in the memory module. When the rotated image is requested by the output device, one or more of the sections are retrieved, decompressed and reconstructed in accordance with appropriate compression techniques.
The system and method of the present invention thus eliminates the need to use a large memory buffer to rotate and compress the entire image. Additionally, the system and method of the present invention further eliminates the need to store the rotated and compressed image sections in contiguous locations in memory for proper reconstruction thereof. Moreover, as the sections of the image can be rotated and compressed independently, the system and method of the present invention allows differing compression techniques to be used on different sections of the image.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
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Besen Peter
Goldberg Jonathan A.
Shulsinger Donald
Homere Jean R.
Oak Technology, Inc.
Testa, Hurwitz and Thibeault
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