Complex character generator

• US 4,286,329 A
• Filed: 12/17/1979
• Issued: 08/25/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Powell, Carl G., Goertzel, Gerald, Tseng, Samuel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US06/104,342
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 364/900 MS File, 364/523, 358/260, 358/261, 340/146.3 AC, 340/146.3 AE, 340/728, 340/731, 340/748, 340/750, 340/751, 340/790, 340/799, 340/803, 340/804, 178/30
• US Class Current: 345/467
• CPC Class Codes: B41B 19/01 having electron-beam tubes producing an image of at least one character which is photographed
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/10 by matrix printers G06K15/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0028 characterised by the format per se
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/246 of ideographic or arabic-like characters

Abstract

A character compaction and generation method and apparatus which is particularly adapted to the generation of complex characters such as Kanji characters. A dot matrix defining a given character is compacted into a sparse matrix, with the original character being reconstructed for printing or display from the compacted character defined in the sparse matrix. Each character in the complex character set is compacted and stored in memory one time only, with decompaction being performed each time a given character is to be generated. A set of symbols are defined to represent different patterns which occur frequently in the entire complex character set. Different combinations of the symbols define a given character. The information stored for each sparse matrix representing a given character is comprised of each symbol in the sparse matrix, its position, and its size parameter if the symbol represents a family of patterns which differ only in size. Three groups of different patterns are defined which occur frequently in the complex character set, namely, a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern.

Claims

1. In character generating apparatus, a method of generating characters in a complex character set on a utilization device, with each character in said complex character set being described by an original m by n element matrix, where m and n are integers which may or may not be equal, said method comprising the steps of:

defining in terms of elements, three groups of different patterns which occur frequently in said complex character set, namely, a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern;

assigning a different symbol to represent each one of said different patterns;

defining a sparse m by n character matrix for each character in said complex character set in terms of the combination of symbols assigned to represent the combination of patterns defining the corresponding original character matrix, with at least certain ones of said characters having elements of different patterns which overlap, such that the elements that overlap are generated for each pattern of which they form a part, with each symbol being positioned in the sparse matrix where a predetermined one of the elements forming the pattern defined by that symbol is positioned in the original character matrix;

storing in binary form in a storage device each sparse matrix representation in said complex character set as a compacted character, with the binary information stored for each compacted character being;

(a) the symbols in the sparse matrix, (b) the positions of the symbols in the sparse matrix, and (c) the size parameters of the pattern represented by the symbol, if the symbol is in said second or third group of patterns; and

generating on said utilization device a given complex character in response to retrieving and decoding the binary information stored which defines the corresponding compacted complex character, with the elements that overlap patterns being generated for each pattern of which they form a part.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein said generating on said utilization device a given complex character is accomplished by generating a given pattern simultaneously with a different pattern being decoded.

3. In character generating apparatus, a method of generating characters in a Kanji character set on a utilization device, with each character in said Kanji character set being described by an original m by n element matrix, where m and n are integers which may or may not be equal, said method comprising the steps of:

defining in terms of elements, three groups of different patterns which occur frequently in said Kanji character set, namely, a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern;

assigning a different symbol to represent each one of said different patterns;

defining a sparse m by n character matrix for each character in said Kanji character set in terms of the combination of symbols assigned to represent the combination of patterns defining the corresponding original character matrix, with at least certain ones of said characters having elements of different patterns which overlap, such that the elements that overlap are generated for each pattern of which they form a part, with each symbol being positioned in the sparse matrix where a predetermined one of the elements forming the pattern defined by the symbol is positioned in the original character matrix;

storing in binary form in a storage device each sparse matrix representation in said Kanji character set as a compacted character, with the binary information stored for each compacted character being;

(a) the symbols in the sparse matrix, (b) the positions of the symbols in the sparse matrix, and (c) the size parameters of the pattern represented by the symbol, if the symbol is in said second or third group of patterns; and

generating on said utilization device a given Kanji character in response to retrieving and decoding the information stored which defines the corresponding compacted Kanji character, with the elements that overlap patterns being generated for each pattern of which they form a part, and for a given Kanji character, one pattern being decoded while another pattern is being generated on said utilization device.

4. In character generating apparatus, a method of generating characters in a complex character set on a utilization device, with each character in said complex character set being described by an original m by n elements matrix, where m and n are integers which may or may not be equal, said method comprising the steps of:

defining in terms of elements, three groups of different patterns which occur frequently in said complex character set, namely, a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern;

assigning a different symbol to represent each of said different patterns;

defining a sparse m by n character matrix for each character in said complex character set in terms of the combination of symbols assigned to represent the combination of patterns defining the corresponding original character matrix, with at least certain ones of said characters having elements of different patterns which overlap, with the elements that overlap patterns being generated for each pattern of which they form a part, with each symbol being positioned in the sparse matrix where a predetermined one of the elements forming the pattern defined by that symbol is positioned in the original character matrix;

storing in binary form in a read only storage device each sparse matrix representation in said complex character set as a compacted character, with the information stored for each compacted character being;

(a) the symbols in the sparse matrix, (b) the positions of the symbols in the sparse matrix, and (c) the size parameters of the pattern represented by the symbol, if the symbol is in said second or third group of patterns;

storing in a memory device information needed to generate each of said different patterns contained in said three groups of patterns;

storing information relative to all of the different symbols, all of the positions in the sparse matrix, and all of the size parameters specified for the patterns in said second and third groups of patterns, in a programmed logic array,

retrieving from said read only storage device, the information stored which defines a given compacted character; and

responding to the retrieved information relative to said given compacted character by the information stored in said programmed logic array and the information stored in said memory device to generate each of said different patterns for generating the original character corresponding to said compacted character, with the element that overlap patterns being generated for each pattern of which they form a part.

5. A method of compacting characters in a complex character set, with each character in said complex character set being described by an original m by n element matrix, where m and n are integers which may or may not be equal, said method comprising the steps of:

defining in terms of elements, three groups of different patterns which occur frequently in said complex character set, namely a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern;

assigning a different symbol to represent each one of said different patterns;

defining a sparse m by n character matrix for each character in said complex character set in terms of the combination of symbols assigned to represent the combination of patterns defining the corresponding original character matrix, with at least certain ones of said characters having elements of different patterns which overlap, such that the elements that overlap are described for each pattern of which they form a part, with each symbol being positioned in the sparse matrix where a predetermined one of the elements forming the pattern defined by that symbol is positioned in the original character matrix; and

storing in binary form in a storage device each sparse matrix representation in said complex character set as a compacted character, with the binary information stored for each compacted character being;

(a) the symbols in the sparse matrix, (b) the positions of the symbols in the sparse matrix, and (c) the size parameters of the pattern represented by the symbol, if the symbol is in said second or third group of patterns.

6. In a complex character generator for generating a complex character set, with each character in said complex character set being described by an original m by n element matrix, where m and n are integers which may or may not be equal, defining in terms of elements, three groups of different patterns which occur frequently in said complex character set, namely, a first group which has a fixed size for each pattern, a second group which has one size parameter which must be specified for each pattern, and a third group which has a plurality of size parameters which must be specified for each pattern, assigning a different symbol to represent each of of said different patterns, defining a sparse m by n character matrix for each character in said complex character set in terms of the combination of symbols assigned to represent the combination of patterns defining the corresponding original character matrix, with at least certain ones of said characters having elements of different patterns which overlap, such that when the character is generated, the elements that overlap patterns are generated for each pattern of which they form a part, with each symbol being positioned in the sparse matrix where a predetermined one of the elements forming the pattern defined by that symbol is positioned in the original character matrix, the combination comprising:

a storage device in which each sparse matrix representation in said complex character set is stored as a compacted character, with the information stored for each compacted character being;

(a) the symbols in the sparse matrix, (b) the positions of the symbols in the sparse matrix, and (c) the size parameters of the pattern represented by the symbol, if the symbol is in said second or third group of patterns;

a memory means in which information needed to generate each of said different patterns contained in said three groups of patterns is stored;

a programmed logic array in which information is stored relative to all of the different symbols, all of the positions in the sparse matrix, and all of the size parameters specified for the patterns in said second and third group of patterns;

means of retrieving from said storage device the information stored which defines a given compacted character; and

means for responding to the retrieved information relative to said given compacted character by said logic array and the information stored in said memory means to generate each of said different patterns for generating the original character corresponding to said compacted character, with the elements that overlap patterns being generated for each pattern of which they form a part.