Patent Document ID: 4774569
Application ID: 07077718
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. In a system for processing a scanned image stored within a frame buffer, wherein the scanned image contains pixels that collectively form an image of a document, a method for extracting pixel values from said frame buffer and associated with at least a portion of the image of the document, said method comprising the steps of: determining horizontal pixel locations for left and right edges of the image of the document for each of a plurality of scan lines located within said scanned image, wherein each of said scan lines contains at least one pixel that comprises the image of the document; ascertaining, in response to the left and right edges in said plurality of scan lines, first and second vertical pixel locations of corresponding top and bottom edges of an escribing rectangle located within a frame buffer that stores said scanned image, wherein said escribing rectangle completely contains said image of the document; determining, in response to said horizontal pixel locations for said left edge, a location where a first pre-determined percentage of said left edges has occurred in order to select a first horizontal pixel location in said scanned image at which a leading edge of the escribing rectangle occurs; determining, in response to said horizontal pixel locations for said right edge, a location where a second pre-determined percentage of said right edges has occurred in order to select a second horizontal pixel location in said scanned image at which a trailing edge of said escribing rectangle occurs; determining, in response to said first and second horizontal pixel locations and said first and second vertical pixel locations, memory addressing information relating to where pixel values, that are contained within said escribing rectangle, are located within said frame buffer; accessing, in response to said information, contents of various memory locations, stored within said frame buffer, in order to obtain selected pixel values; and providing said selected pixel values to an output connection as the pixel values that are associated with at least a portion of the image of the document.