Systems and methods for checking image/document quality

• US 6,778,684 B1
• Filed: 01/20/2000
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Bollman, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Ryan J.
• Application Number:
  US09/487,805
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 382/112, 382/110, 382/113, 382/167, 382/274, 382/309, 382/310
• US Class Current: 382/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A method and apparatus for modifying the perceived quality of a document or image. The method includes inputting image or document data representing the image or document to be modified, analyzing the image or document data for one or more objects, evaluating the objects as one or more of acceptable, improvable or deficient based on one or more quality factors. For each object that is evaluated as other than acceptable, the method and apparatus creates, displays and possibly applies a quality recommendation for the objects.

Claims

1. A method for modifying electronic image data of an image to alter a perceived quality of the image, comprising:

inputting the electronic image data, the electronic image data representing the image to be modified;

analyzing the electronic image data to identify a plurality of data portions, each data portion representing a specific type of electronic data within the electronic image data;

evaluating at least one of the plurality of identified data portion as one or more of at least acceptable, improvable or deficient based on one or more quality factors;

creating at least one quality recommendation for each evaluated data portion that is identified as at least one of at least improvable or deficient, wherein each quality recommendation identifies a modification that can be made to at least the corresponding data portion of the image data to alter the perceived quality of at least that corresponding data portion;

displaying at least one of the at least one quality recommendation;

allowing a user to selectively apply levels of a modification identified by the at least one quality recommendation; and

allowing the user to select for display the original electronic image and the modified electronic image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the quality recommendations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for at least one data portion, applying at least one of the at least one quality recommendation for that data portion to that data portion to alter the perceived quality of that data portion of the electronic image data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising re-evaluating at least one of the at least one data portion after at least one quality recommendation is applied to that data portion.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

at least one recommendation includes a recommended amount of modification; and

applying the quality recommendation comprises applying at least one of the at least one quality recommendation that includes a recommended amount of modification in an amount of modification that is different than the recommended amount of modification.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying at least one of the at least one quality recommendation that includes a recommended amount of modification in an amount of modification that is different than the recommended amount of modification comprises one of:

applying a reduced amount of modification; and

applying an increased amount of modification.

7. The method of claims 6, wherein the electronic image data is re-evaluated after the applied amount of modification of a quality recommendation that includes a recommended amount of modification is increased or reduced.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic image data is one or more of a raster file, postscript file, JPG file, TIF file, BMP file, GIF file, scanner data, digital camera data, digital copier data, and facsimile device data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic image data is a document file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data portions are one or more of character, line, region, value and total colors.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying that electronic image data based on at least one of the at least one quality recommendation.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising re-evaluating the data portion after the image data is modified.

13. An apparatus that modifies electronic image data of an image to alter a perceived quality of the image, comprising:

a memory structure that stores at least one of one or more quality recommendations, one or more quality factors, one or more data portion properties, and electronic image data;

at least one processing circuit that analyzes the electronic image data to identify a plurality of data portions of the electronic image data, each analyzed data portion representing a specific type of electronic data within the electronic image data;

at least one evaluation circuit capable of determining a feature of each analyzed data portion as one or more of at least acceptable, improvable or deficient and that generates at least one quality recommendation for at least one analyzed data portion, wherein each quality recommendation identifies a modification that can be made to at least the corresponding data portion of the electronic image data to alter the perceived quality of at least that corresponding data portion; and

at least one modification circuit capable of selectively applying levels of a modification identified by the at least one quality recommendation and capable of displaying the original image and a modified image;

wherein the apparatus is capable of outputting electronic data in a format suitable for display of the original image and the image with at least one of the modifications identified by the at least one quality recommendations applied.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one processing circuit applies at least one of the at least one quality recommendation to the corresponding at least one analyzed data portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one processing circuit re-analyzes the image data after at least one of the at least one quality recommendation is applied.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

at least one quality recommendation includes a recommended amount of modification; and

the processing circuit applies at least one of the at least one quality recommendation that includes a recommended amount of modification in an amount of modification that is different than the recommended amount of modification.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processing circuit re-analyzes the electronic image data after the quality recommendation is applied using the different amount of modification.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing circuit re-analyzes the image data after the image data has changed.

19. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a first display area that displays electronic image data from an image data source;

a second display area that displays at least one quality recommendation determined based on an evaluation of the electronic image data, wherein each quality recommendation identifies a modification that can be made to at least one of a plurality of portions of the electronic image data that have been identified as at least one of at least improvable or deficient to alter the perceived quality of at least that portion of the image data, each of the plurality of portions represents a specific type of electronic data within the electronic image; and

a third display area capable of displaying the electronic image data with at least one of the modifications identified by the at least one quality recommendations applied.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 19, wherein each of the at least one recommendation is selectable.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 19, wherein:

at least one quality recommendation includes a recommended amount of modification; and

the amount of modification of at least one quality recommendation that includes a recommended amount of modification, to be applied to the electronic image data is incrementally selectable.