Patent Document ID: 5432545
Application ID: 08161699
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for determining the color of an object with a label attached thereto so that the object may be sorted by color, the method comprising the steps of: forming an image of the object; digitizing the image into a plurality of pixels separated into pixel images of three color-defining parameters; using a selected one of the color-defining parameter pixel images to generate a primary mask; performing an AND operation with the primary mask and one of the other color-defining parameter pixel images as inputs so as to generate a further pixel image having the background of the object eliminated therefrom; using a histogram of said further pixel image to determine the color-defining parameter of one of the said other color-defining parameter pixel image having the greatest number of occurrences in the pixels of the further pixel image; and using the color-defining parameter so determined to determine the color of the greatest surface area of the object.