Patent Document ID: 5513277
Application ID: 08077702
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of performing image processing on an N-dimensional image that includes text, where N is two or more; the image including two or more connected components that form the text; the connected components together having a prominent size or spacing in a measuring direction in the image; the image being accessible as an array of locations each with N coordinates, the array including a data item at each location; for each line that extends in the measuring direction, two of the N coordinates varying along the line so that the line is not parallel to either of the two coordinates axes; the method comprising steps of: measuring two or more distances between edges of the connected components along lines extending in the measuring direction to obtain, for each of the distances, respective measurement data indicating the distance; each distance being measured by: obtaining N starting coordinates of a starting location at an edge of a connected component; obtaining N incremental values, with one of the N incremental values for each of the N coordinates; the N incremental values together defining an incremental line that extends in the measuring direction; performing a series of iterations that includes a first iteration and a last iteration, each iteration having N initial coordinates of an initial location and N final coordinates of a final location; the N initial coordinates of the first iteration being the N starting coordinates; each iteration comprising: using the iteration's N initial coordinates and the N incremental values to obtain the iteration's N final coordinates, the iteration's final location being displaced incrementally from the iteration's initial location along a line that extends in the measuring direction which is not parallel to either of the coordinate axes; using the iteration's N final coordinates to access a data item at a location in the array; determining whether the accessed data item is at a location at another edge of a connected component; and if the accessed data item is at a location at another edge of a connected component, obtaining measurement data indicating a distance between the starting location and the iteration's final location, the iteration that obtains measurement data being the last iteration in the series; using the measurement data to obtain distribution data, the distribution data indicating a distribution of the distances between edges of the connected components in the measuring direction; the distances being measured between edges of a sufficient number of the connected components that the distribution data further indicate a measure of the prominent size or spacing of the connected components in the measuring direction for the image.