Patent ID: 7333675

Claim:
A method for extracting a portion of data from an ordered set of data arrays, with each data array being organized in rows and columns, the method comprising: preliminarily establishing vertex data locations of the portion of data to be extracted from each data array; locating, as a function of row and column indices, coordinates identifying the vertex data locations of the portion of data to be extracted, and identifying the vertex data location with a largest row index and the vertex data location with a smallest row index; scanning rows of data between the largest row index and the smallest row index, and identifying border data of the portion of data to be extracted by calculating differences between the column indices and between the row indices for each pair of consecutive vertex data locations, approximating to a smallest absolute value of the calculated differences with a power in base two raised to an integer exponent, and calculating an integer incremental ratio by truncating any decimal of the integer incremental ratio between the differences of a largest absolute value and the power in base two raised to an integer exponent, and identifying border data locations of the portion of data to be extracted on the row being scanned belonging to a perimeter segment joining the pair of vertices as a function of the integer incremental ratio; and extracting the portion of data bordered by the border data belonging to the perimeter segment and the pairs of vertices.