Patent Document ID: 20110085218
Application ID: 12577798
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for transforming a color contone description of an image into a reduced quantization version of the image according to a desired edge modification, the method comprising: for each contone pixel in the image, selecting the contone pixel as a target pixel: receiving contone pixel values of the target pixel of the image which call for colorant densities of a plurality of colorants of an associated image rendering device, the plurality of colorants including a first colorant associated with at least a first pixel value of the target pixel and a second colorant associated with at least a second pixel value of the target pixel; receiving contone color error values associated with marking decisions made in regard to at least one previously processed contone pixel of the image or initial contone error values; combining the contone pixel values with the contone error values, thereby generating a set of error modified pixel values; selecting marking decisions based on the set of error modified pixel values and at least one function of at least one of the received contone pixel values of the target pixel, wherein a color error modified pixel value associated with at least the first colorant is a factor in selecting a marking decision regarding at least the second colorant, wherein marking decisions for a given pixel may sacrifice color accuracy in favor of placing a mark for a given set of error modified pixel values and wherein the at least one function biases the marking decision associated with a respective error modified pixel value toward making a mark as a respective value of the received contone pixel values increases in darkness when the desired edge modification is an edge enhancement and wherein the at least one function biases the marking decision associated with a respective error modified pixel value away from making a mark as a respective value of the received contone pixel values decreases in darkness when the desired edge modification is an edge attenuation; determining color error associated with the selected marking decision; storing the determined color error for use in processing a subsequent pixel of the contone image; at least one of storing or rendering the selected marking decisions; thereby transforming the image into a reduced quantization version of the image.