Patent Document ID: 20070103731
Application ID: 11268147
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for converting edge-tagged pixels of image data to pixels of contone image data, comprising: (a) converting an image described in a page description language to a contone image; (b) halftoning and encoding the contone image to generate image data including edge tag data and image data; (c) determining a tagged state value of each pixel of image data within a predefined neighborhood of pixels, each pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels having an associated image value, a first pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels being associated a first pixel of contone image data; (d) filtering, using a predetermined set of filter weighting values wherein each pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels has an associated filter weighting value, each image value of each pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels having a tagged state value indicating that the pixel of image data is a non-edge pixel to generate a filtered image value for each pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels having a tagged state value indicating that the pixel of image data is a non-edge pixel; (e) assigning a predetermined filtered image value to each pixel of image data within the predefined neighborhood of pixels having a tagged state value indicating that the pixel of image data is an edge pixel; (f) summing all filtered image values for the predefined neighborhood of pixels to produce an image data sum value; and (g) assigning, when the tagged state value of the first pixel of image data indicates the first pixel of image data is a non-edge pixel, the image data sum value as an image data value for the first pixel of contone image data.