Method for generating numerous harmonious color palettes from two colors

• US 6,081,253 A
• Filed: 02/10/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bronson Color Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bronson Color Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Luke, Joy Turner, Luke, Stephen Colston
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU V
• Application Number:
  US09/021,297
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 345/133, 345/149, 345/150, 345/153, 345/155, 345/334, 345/22-24, 382/162-167, 382/154, 382/277, 382/293
• US Class Current: 345/604
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables

Abstract

When the positions of two points within a uniform three dimensional space are known, this invention finds all the planes in the space that pass through an axis determined by those two points. It identifies all the points on each plane by their location and preserves their spatial relationship to one another within the three dimensional space. Every plane in a set of planes derived from a particular pair of points is defined by a unique formula. This invention is especially useful when the points represent units with characteristics dependent on their position in the space. Color systems exemplify this relationship.

Several color systems exist in which all reproducible colors are arranged in a three dimensional color solid so that colors progressively change in lightness vertically, in saturation horizontally and in hue as the solid is rotated. Individual colors in these systems are represented by points within the color solid and spacing between these colors has been determined by studies to be perceptually equidistant. The embodiment described in this disclosure utilizes one of these color systems to create and manipulate orderly groups of colors, i.e., color palettes, in which each color is specified by a notational system defining both its location in the color space and its appearance.

The most useful form of this embodiment is computer software that generates numerous color palettes and allows the user to view and select color palettes and individual colors. Appendix A contains the source code for this embodiment.

Claims

1. An automated method of creating a color palette including two selected colors and a plurality of other colors visually compatible with the two selected colors, comprising the steps of:

providing a computing system;

defining in said computing system a three-dimensional coordinate mapping system which maps colors;

receiving a user input in the computing system defining the two selected colors and storing coordinates of said two selected colors according to said coordinate mapping system;

using said computing system, deriving an equation for at least one plane in the coordinate mapping system containing said coordinates of said two selected colors;

automatically selecting a plurality of spaced points on said plane, each said point defining a color, to form a color palette of points in said plane; and

generating an output providing information defining said planar color palette;

wherein said computing system automatically derives equations for a plurality of said planes containing the coordinates of said two selected colors, creates color palettes from said planes, and generates a plurality of outputs providing information defining said color palettes.

2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of arranging said outputs for said plurality of color palettes for sequential display according to a degree of color separation.

3. The method of claim 1 including the further step of arranging said outputs for said plurality of color palettes for sequential display according to a hue content.

4. The method of claim 3 including the further steps of:

selecting two of the three axes of said coordinate system;

calculating a ratio of coordinates of each palette along the selected two axes; and

using said ratio of coordinates to control the arrangement of said sequential display of the palettes.

5. The method of claim 1 including the further step of receiving a user scrolling control input and sequentially displaying the palettes in a predetermined order under user control.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of palettes are generated by combining a plurality of plane-defining equations derived from an equation of a line passing through said coordinates of said two selected colors.

7. The method of claim 6 including the further step of filtering the palettes to eliminate palettes which do not have a color difference that exceeds a defined threshold, as compared to other generated palettes.

8. The method of claim 6 including the further step of filtering the palettes to eliminate palettes which contain only colors having coordinates on the line between said coordinates of said two selected colors.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving a user input indicating a number of colors to be displayed, and filtering said output to provide color palettes with a desired number of colors.

10. The method of claim 1 including the further steps of:

for each color palette to be displayed, selecting two of the three axes of the coordinate system according to a predetermined formula based on the orientation of the plane of the color palette;

arranging the colors in each palette for display according to their relative coordinates on the selected two of the three axes of the coordinate system.

11. An automated system for creating a color palette including two selected colors and a plurality of other colors visually compatible with the two selected colors, comprising:

coordinate system defining means for defining a three-dimensional coordinate mapping system which maps colors;

input means for receiving a user input defining the two selected colors and storing coordinates of said two selected colors according to said coordinate mapping system;

calculating means associated with the coordinate system defining means and the input means, for deriving an equation for at least one plane in the coordinate mapping system containing said coordinates of said two selected colors;

palette creating means associated with the calculating means for automatically selecting a plurality of spaced points on said plane, each said point defining a color, to form a color palette of points in said plane; and

output means for generating an output providing information defining said planar color palette;

wherein said calculating means automatically derives equations for a plurality of said planes containing the coordinates of said two selected colors, said palette creating means creates color palettes from said planes, and said output means generates a plurality of outputs providing information defining said plurality of color palettes.

12. The system of claim 11 further including color separation output sequencing means for arranging said outputs for said plurality of color palettes for sequential display according to a degree of color separation.

13. The system of claim 11 further including hue output sequencing means for arranging said outputs for said plurality of color palettes for sequential display according to a hue content.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising coordinate ratio sequencing means for selecting two of the three axes of said coordinate system, calculating a ratio of coordinates of each palette along the selected two axes, and using said ratio of coordinates to control the arrangement of said sequential display of the palettes.

15. The system of claim 11 including scrolling means for receiving a user scrolling control input and sequentially displaying the generated palettes in a predetermined sequence under user control.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein said calculating means includes means for combining a plurality of plane-defining equations derived from an equation of a line passing through said coordinates of said two selected colors.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising filtering means associated with said palette creating means for filtering the palettes to eliminate palettes which do not have a color difference that exceeds a defined threshold, as compared to other generated palettes.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising filtering means for eliminating palettes which contain only colors having coordinates on the line between said coordinates of said two selected colors.

19. The system of claim 11 including display ordering means for selecting two of the three axes of the coordinate system according to a predetermined formula based on the orientation of the plane of each color palette, and arranging the colors in each palette for display according to their relative coordinates on the selected two of the three axes of the coordinate system.

20. The system of claim 11 further comprising color quantity selection means for receiving a user input indicating a number of colors to be displayed, and filtering said output to provide color palettes with a desired number of colors.