System and method for improving the readability of text

• US 20020113801A1
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sedna Patent Services LLC
• Inventors: Reavy, Maire, Jesup, Randell
• Granted Patent: US 6,788,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

Display data comprising text and a background are processed. A combination of the text and background is evaluated against one or more objective criteria to provide one or more objective values. A determination is made whether the one or more objective values exceed one or more respective thresholds that are indicative of text-background combinations that are difficult to read. The text or the background or both are adjusted if any of the one or more thresholds is exceeded, so that the one or more thresholds are no longer exceeded after the adjusting.

Claims

1. A method for processing display data comprising text and a background, comprising the steps of:

(a) evaluating a combination of the text and background against one or more objective criteria to provide one or more objective values;

(b) determining whether one or more of the objective values is beyond one or more respective thresholds that are indicative of text-background combinations that are difficult to read; and

(c) adjusting one of the group consisting of the text and the background if the one or more objective values are beyond any of the one or more thresholds, so that the objective values are within the one or more thresholds after the adjusting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective criteria include at least one of the group consisting of text color hue, text color saturation, text color luminosity, background color hue, background color saturation, background color luminosity, text font, text font size, and text characteristics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the text characteristics include at least one of the group consisting of shadowing, underlining, bold, italics, and blinking text.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the display data comprising the text and background from the Internet before step (a); and

displaying the adjusted display data on a television after step (c).

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising storing the adjusted display data in a cache at a cable headend.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes reducing a difference in phase angle between respective colors of the text and background.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes adjusting the text to be white or black.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes increasing a difference in luminosity between the text and the background.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the increase in difference in luminosity is calculated to compensate for gamma effects.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes reducing a level of saturation of the text or background.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes adjusting a size of the text.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the objective criteria include at least one of the group consisting of text color hue, text color saturation, text color luminosity, background color hue, background color saturation, background color luminosity, text font, text font size, and text characteristics.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for receiving the display data comprising the text and background from the Internet; and

means for displaying the adjusted display data on a television.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the evaluating means, determining means and adjusting means are included in a processor at a cable headend, the system further comprising a cache at a cable headend for storing the adjusted display data.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the adjusting means reduces a difference in phase angle between respective colors of the text and background.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the adjusting means adjusts the text to be white or black.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the adjusting means increases a difference in luminosity between the text and the background.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the increase in difference in luminosity is calculated to compensate for gamma effects.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the adjusting means reduces a level of saturation of the text or background.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the adjusting means adjusts a size of the text.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the evaluating means, determining means and adjusting means are located in a processor in a set top converter box.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the objective criteria include at least one of the group consisting of text color hue, text color saturation, text color luminosity, background color hue, background color saturation, background color luminosity, text font, text font size, and text characteristics.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the display data comprising the text and background from the Internet before step (a); and

displaying the adjusted display data on a television after step (c).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises storing the adjusted display data in a cache at a cable headend.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein step (c) includes reducing a difference in phase angle between respective colors of the text and background.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein step (c) includes adjusting the text to be white or black.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein step (c) includes increasing a difference in luminosity between the text and the background.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the increase in difference in luminosity is calculated to compensate for gamma effects.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein step (c) includes reducing a level of saturation of the text or background.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein step (c) includes adjusting a size of the text.

12. A system for processing display data comprising text and a background, comprising:

means for evaluating a combination of the text and background against one or more objective criteria to provide one or more objective values;

means for determining whether one or more of the objective values is beyond one or more respective thresholds that are indicative of text-background combinations that are difficult to read; and

means for adjusting one of the group consisting of the text and the background if the objective values are beyond any of the one or more thresholds, so that the objective values are within the one or more thresholds after the adjusting.

23. A computer readable medium comprising computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the processor performs a method for processing display data comprising text and a background, comprising the steps of:

(a) evaluating a combination of the text and background against one or more objective criteria to provide one or more objective values;

(b) determining whether one or more of the objective values are beyond one or more respective thresholds that are indicative of text-background combinations that are difficult to read; and

(c) adjusting one of the group consisting of the text and the background if any of the objective values is beyond the one or more thresholds, so that the one or more objective values are within the one or more thresholds after the adjusting.

33. An electrical signal encoded with computer program code, wherein when the computer program code is executed by a processor, the processor performs a method for processing display data comprising text and a background, comprising the steps of:

(a) evaluating a combination of the text and background against one or more objective criteria to provide one or more objective values;

(b) determining whether one or more of the objective values is beyond one or more respective thresholds that are indicative of text-background combinations that are difficult to read; and

(c) adjusting one of the group consisting of the text and the background if the one or more objective values are beyond any of the one or more thresholds, so that the objective values are within the one or more thresholds after the adjusting.