Patent ID: 7043079

Claim:
An image processor, comprising: an image receptor adapted to receive an image, the image comprising care pixels and don't care pixels, identification of care pixels and don't care pixels being based, at least in part, upon a binary mask; and an image smoother adapted to smooth the image by altering a value of at least one don't care pixel based, at least in part, on a weighted average of care pixels, the image smoother utilizing the equation: v = v 1 ⁢ ⅇ - d 1 + v 2 ⁢ ⅇ - d 2 + v 3 ⁢ ⅇ - d 3 + v 4 ⁢ ⅇ - d 4 ⅇ - d 1 + ⅇ - d 2 + ⅇ - d 3 + ⅇ - d 4 where v is the smoothed value of the at least one don't care pixel, v 1 is the value of a first care pixel, v 2 is the value of a second care pixel, v 3 is the value of a third care pixel, v 4 is the value of a fourth care pixel, d 1 is the distance from the at least one don't care pixel to the first care pixel, d 2 is the distance from the at least one don't care pixel to the second care pixel, d 3 is the distance from the at least one don't care pixel to the third care pixel, d 4 is the distance from the at least one don't care pixel to the fourth care pixel, for alteration of the at least one don't care pixel.