Patent ID: 6879720

Claim:
A method of generating an outline of a two-dimensional region, comprising the steps of: (a) defining a two-dimensional region within a two dimensional array containing elements represented by a first axis and a second axis that is non-collinear with said first axis; (b) defining a morphological mask having at least two dimensions and having at least one element, said morphological mask having at least one set element and at least one test element; (c) defining a two-dimensional output array corresponding to said two-dimensional array containing said region; (d) orienting said morphological mask with respect to said two-dimensional array containing said region; (e) computing a result based on the properties of said at least one set element of said morphological mask and the corresponding elements of said two-dimensional array containing said region, the result being to turn off the test elements of said morphological mask if and only if a condition selected from the group of conditions consisting of all of the set elements of the mask are in positions corresponding to elements of the region and none of the set elements of the mask are in positions corresponding to elements of the region is true, and the result being to set the test elements of the morphological mask otherwise; (f) plotting the computed result in the two-dimensional output array at one or more elements corresponding to said at least one test element of said morphological mask; and (g) repeating steps (e) and (f) while moving said morphological mask stepwise along said first axis and said second axis over the portion of the two-dimensional array containing said region until every element of said region has been analyzed.