Client/server based color density measurement system

• US 6,519,050 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IDX Investment Corporation (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Rtimage, Ltd.
• Inventors: Dementiev, Roman, Eintracht, Zvika
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/376,549
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/1.15, 358/500, 358/504, 358/2.1
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6033 using test pattern analysis H04N1/6055 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only

Abstract

A client/server system for reading, measuring and displaying color density of documents located on a remote file system accessed over a WAN such as the Internet. The color density information displayed corresponds to specific coordinates of documents that are located on the remote image file servers. The invention provides means for reading, displaying and recording color density measurements of original digital images located on remote image file servers rather than representations of these digital images stored on the user'"'"'s local computer or LAN. A web server application on the server side functions to capture measurement requests from one or more client applications for measuring, sending, recording and retrieving color density measurements related to specific positions of specific documents located on an image filer server. On the client side a client software application functions to display the document that the user wishes to read color density information from and provides the tools necessary to permit the user to measure, send, record and retrieve color density measurements. Additional information regarding spot colors and position in a digital color book can also be displayed as requested by the user. Further, the user can record the results of the color density measurement by pressing an annotation button in the color densitometer window. In response, a note containing the color values is created and placed over the document.

Claims

1. A client/server based color density measurement system, comprising:

an original document stored in a document file in an image database on a server coupled to a network, said document file for storing a digital representation of a document;

one or more clients each in communication with a server over a network, each client operative to locally display a representation of said original document stored remotely on said server, to accept requests from a user for color density measurements at specific coordinate locations in said original document and to present results of color density measurements received from said server to said user; and

said server operative to receive said requests for color density measurements from said one or more clients over said network and in response thereto, retrieve color density information from said original document and send said color density information to said clients for presentation to said user.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for measuring and displaying color density information relating to spot colors and their CMYK equivalent used within said original document.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for recording color density measurement results in a note associated with said original document file.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for calculating an entry in a color book whereby a color patch in said color book is selected that corresponds to the color density measurement results returned by said server.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said means for calculating an entry in a color book is implemented on said server.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said means for calculating an entry in a color book is implemented on said one or more clients.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said server and said client comprise means for obtaining color density information of an original document that has not yet been fully displayed by said client.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said server is adapted to vary the number of pixels used to measure the color density in accordance with the ratio between the number of pixels displayed on a monitor associated with said client and the corresponding number of pixels in said original document stored on said server.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client is adapted to display the results of the color density measurement with an indication that said result is not accurate in the event the zoom factor is other than 1:

1.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client is adapted to display an indication of the transparency of a particular color separation or element of said document.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said client comprises:

a computer display monitor;

network communication means;

a processor suitably programmed to;

run a web browser application; and

a client plug-in adapted to run within said web browser, said client plug-in operative to locally display a representation of said original document remotely stored on said server in said document file and to permit a user to measure and display color density of said original document at a specific coordinate location.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises the Internet.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises an Intranet.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises a Wide Area Network (WAN).

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises a TCP/IP based network.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein said server comprises

network communication means;

a processor suitably programmed to;

provide web server services;

provide densitometer agent services; and

to measure color density information from said original document in response to a request received from a client over said network, said server sending via said network the results of the color density measurement to said client for display to said user.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said densitometer agent services comprises an Internet Server Application Programming Interface (ISAPI).

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein said server is adapted to receive said color density measurement requests from said one or more clients and respond to said requests utilizing the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP).

19. The system according to claim 1, further comprising security means for providing Universal Resource Locator (URL) translation and redirection services so as to provide user level security for documents and notes stored on said server.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein said security means comprises a Document Location Table and a Client Access Key Table.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein said document comprises an image.

22. The system according to claim 1, wherein said document is represented using a page description language.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein said representation of said original document displayed on said client comprises a compressed document.

24. The system according to claim 1, wherein said representation of said original document displayed on said client comprises a non-compressed document.

25. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for retrieving and displaying color density information relating to spot colors and their LAB equivalent used within said original document.

26. In a client/server system coupled to a network, a method of measuring the color density of a document, comprising the steps of:

storing an original document as a digital representation of a document in a document file in an image database on a server coupled to a network;

displaying locally on one or more clients in communication with said server over said network a representation of said original document remotely stored on said server;

accepting a request from a user to measure color density of said original document at a specific coordinate location;

retrieving color density information from said original document in response to said request received from a client over said network; and

sending said color density information to said client over said network for display to said user.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of measuring and displaying color density information relating to spot colors and their CWYK equivalent used within said original document.

28. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of recording color density measurement results in a note associated with said original document file.

29. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of said client calculating an entry in a color book whereby a color patch in said color book is selected that corresponds to the color density measurement results returned by said server.

30. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of said server calculating an entry in a color book whereby a color patch in said color book is selected that corresponds to the color density measurement results returned by said server.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein color density information of said original document is measured while the document has not yet been fully displayed by said client.

32. the method according to claim 26, wherein said step of measuring color density information comprises the step of varying the number of pixels used to measure the color density in accordance with the ratio between the number of pixels displayed on a monitor associated with said client and the corresponding number of pixels in said original document stored on said server.

33. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of displaying the results of the color density measurement with an indication that said result is not accurate in the event the zoom factor is other than 1:

1.

34. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of displaying an indication of the transparency of a particular color separation to element of said document.

35. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of said server receiving said color density measurement requests from said one or more clients and responding to said requests utilizing the Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP).

36. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of providing Universal Resource Locator (URL) translation and redirection services so as to provide user level security for documents and notes stored on said server.

37. The method according to claim 26, wherein said step of displaying locally a representation of said original document on said client comprises transmitting a compressed document from said server to said client.

38. The method according to claim 26, wherein said step of displaying locally a representation of said original document on said client comprises transmitting a non-compressed document from said server to said client.

39. The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of retrieving and displaying color density information relating to spot colors and their LAB equivalent used within said original document.

40. A server based color density measurement system, comprising:

means for storing digital representations of a plurality of original documents in an image database;

means for receiving requests for color density measurements from a plurality of clients in communication with said server over a network;

means for retrieving color density information from said original documents in response to said requests; and

means for sending said color density information to respective requesting clients over said network.

41. A computer program product for use in the client side of a color density measuring system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for measuring color density information of an original document stored remotely in an image file database on a server, said computer program product comprising;

computer readable program code means for locally displaying a representation of an original document remotely stored on a server in communication with said client over a network;

computer readable program code means for accepting user requests for color density measurements of said original document at specific coordinate locations;

computer readable program code means for sending said user requests to said server over said network;

computer readable program code means for receiving color density information retrieved by said server over said network; and

computer readable program code means for presenting said retrieved color density information to said user.

42. A computer program product for use in a server side of a color density measuring system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for measuring color density information of an original document, said computer program product comprising;

computer readable program code for storing digital representations of a plurality of original documents in an image database;

computer readable program code for receiving requests for color density measurements from a plurality of clients in communication with said server over a network;

computer readable program code for retrieving color density information from said original documents in response to said requests; and

computer readable program code for sending said color density information to respective requesting clients over said network.

43. A method in a computer system for communicating color density information of an original document stored remotely on a server, said server in communication with said system over a network, said method comprising the steps of:

presenting a densitometer icon to a user which when pressed displays a densitometer window for showing color density measurements;

presenting the coordinates of a location whose color density is to be measured as selected by said user; and

presenting color density information received from said server in said densitometer window.

44. A client based color density measurement system, comprising:

means for locally displaying a representation of an original document remotely stored on a server in communication with said client over a network;

means for accepting user requests for color density measurements of said original document at specific coordinate locations;

means for sending said user requests to said server over said network;

means for receiving color density information retrieved by said server over said network; and

means for presenting said retrieved color density information to said user.