Patent ID: 6144774
Filing Date: 2000-11-07
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A method of compressing first data representing characters, the first data having segments each corresponding to a pixel, the method comprising the steps of:quantizing every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the first data into a 1-pixel-corresponding segment of second data, wherein every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the second data is changeable among a first predetermined number of different states corresponding to different luminance levels respectively;generating information of a predetermined special effect with respect to the characters in response to the second data, the information having pieces each corresponding to a pixel and each representing whether or not the corresponding pixel should be a portion corresponding to the special effect;converting every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the second data into a 1-pixel-corresponding segment of third data, wherein every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the third data is changeable among a second predetermined number of different states corresponding to different luminance levels respectively;multiplexing every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the third data and every 1-pixel-corresponding piece of the information of the special effect into a 1-pixel-corresponding segment of fourth data, wherein every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the fourth data is changeable among a third predetermined number of different states, and wherein at least one of the different states of every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the fourth data is assigned to a 1-pixel-corresponding piece of the information of the special effect which represents that a corresponding pixel should be a portion corresponding to the special effect while others of the different states of every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the fourth data are assigned to every 1-pixel-corresponding segment of the third data and a 1-pixel-corresponding piece of the information of the special effect which represents that a corresponding pixel should not be a portion corresponding to the special effect; andcompressing the fourth data into fifth data of a predetermined code.