Patent Document ID: 5379349
Application ID: 07937732
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. The method of matching an unknown input pixel symbol with a library of enhanced pixel templates by recognition enhancement of a library of L unenhanced pixel images (I.sub.1 I.sub.2 I.sub.3. .. I.sub.j. .. I.sub.L) with respect to a pre-existing group of G unknown input pixel symbols (S.sub.1 S.sub.2 S.sub.3. .. S.sub.i. .. S.sub.G) for providing a library of G recognition enhanced pixel templates (T.sub.1 T.sub.2 T.sub.3. .. T.sub.i. .. T.sub.G) of the G pixel symbols, comprising the steps of: providing a library of L unenhanced pixel images (I.sub.1 I.sub.2 I.sub.3. .. I.sub.j. .. I.sub.L) to be enhanced to provide a library of G recognition enhanced pixel templates (T.sub.1 T.sub.2 T.sub.3. .. T.sub.i. .. T.sub.G); providing a pre-existing group of G unknown input pixel symbols (S.sub.1 S.sub.2 S.sub.3. .. S.sub.i. .. S.sub.G); comparing each of the G unknown input pixel symbols with each of the L pixel images to obtain G.times.L comparisons forming G sets of L comparisons (C.sub.1 C.sub.2 C.sub.3. .. C.sub.j. .. C.sub.L), one set of L comparisons for each unknown input pixel symbol S.sub.i of the G pixel symbols, each set of comparisons having a comparison C.sub.i for each pixel image I.sub.j ; identifying the primary comparison C* from the L comparisons within each of the G sets of comparisons having the closest comparison with the unknown input pixel symbol S.sub.i for that set of comparisons forming a collection of G primary comparisons C* (C.sub.1 * C.sub.2 * C.sub.3 *. .. C.sub.i *. .. C.sub.L *); identifying the secondary comparison C** from the L-1 remaining comparisons within each of the G sets of comparisons having the next closest comparison with the unknown input pixel symbol S.sub.i for that set of comparisons forming a collection of G secondary comparisons C** (C.sub.1 ** C.sub.2 ** C.sub.3 **. .. C.sub.i **. .. C.sub.L **), to provide G pairs of identified comparisons C* and C**, one pair from each of the G sets of comparisons; determining G recognition margins (M.sub.1 M.sub.2 M.sub.3. .. M.sub.i M.sub.G), one recognition margin between each pair of identified comparisons C* and C**; selecting the single pair of identified comparisons C* and C** having the smallest recognition margin M* of all of the G pairs of identified comparisons from the G sets of comparisons; identifying the single pair of pixel images I* and I** corresponding to the pair of identified comparisons C* and C**; weighting certain pixels of the closest pixel image I* and the next closest pixel image I** corresponding to the selected pair of identified comparisons C* and C** in order to incrementally increase the recognition margin M* therebetween causing the pixel images to become the closest pixel template T* or the next closest pixel template T** or both; iterating the comparing, identifying, determining, selecting, and weighting steps until the library of pixel images has become a library of enhanced symbol templates (T.sub.1 T.sub.2 T.sub.3. .. T.sub.i. .. T.sub.G) which have been recognition enhanced with respect to the pre-existing group of G unknown input pixel symbols (S.sub.1 S.sub.2 S.sub.3. .. S.sub.i. .. S.sub.G), at least some templates of which have weighted pixel abberations not present in the corresponding pixel symbol of the pre-existing group of G unknown input pixel symbols; and matching an unknown input pixel symbol of the group of G pixel symbols (S.sub.1 S.sub.2 S.sub.3.. . S.sub.i. .. S.sub.G) with the library of enhanced templates (T.sub.1 T.sub.2 T.sub.3. .. T.sub.i. .. T.sub.G) by comparing the unknown pixel symbol with each of the enhanced pixel templates in the library of enhanced templates and selecting the enhanced template with the closest comparison.