Multi-mode image capture systems and methods

• US 9,860,426 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E-Imagedata Corporation
• Original Assignee: E-Imagedata Corporation
• Inventors: Kahle, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US15/137,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20160248938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 345175, 345418, 345 58, 345589, 345606, 345619, 345635, 345639, 345661, 3482071, 358 113, 382128, 382162, 382173, 382176, 382290, 382298, 382305, 715244
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2104 for one or a few pictures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40087 Multi-toning, i.e. converting a continuous-tone signal for reproduction with more than two discrete brightnesses or optical densities, e.g. dots of grey and black inks on white paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/48 Picture signal generators for halftone screening H04N1/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/52 Circuits or arrangements for halftone screening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/325 Modified version of the image, e.g. part of the image, image reduced in size or resolution, thumbnail or screennail

Abstract

Systems and methods to generate a multi-mode image containing different modes such as color, grayscale, and black and white to minimize digital file size while retaining the desired modes for selected portions of the image.

Claims

1. A method for generating a multi-mode image file, the method comprising:

receiving a digital image of a document captured by a digital imager;

selecting a region of the digital image to be modified, wherein the selected region;

is in a first capture mode, and

has a pixel variation;

assigning a second capture mode different than the first capture mode to the selected region of the digital image;

reducing the pixel variation in the selected region to support the second capture mode; and

storing the modified digital image as a multi-mode image file in memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-mode image file has a smaller file size than a single-mode image file which supports only the first capture mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further including displaying the multi-mode image on a monitor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the multi-mode image displayed on the monitor includes black and white and grayscale.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting a region includes a user selecting the region of the image on the monitor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the region of the image on the monitor includes at least one of highlighting the region, placing a box around the region, and clicking on the monitor near the region.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the monitor is a touch screen monitor, and wherein selecting the region on the monitor includes touching the monitor for selecting the region.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the region of the image on the monitor makes the region an active region.

9. The method of claim 8, further including adjusting a brightness or a contrast of the active region.

10. The method of claim 8, further including providing a software selection menu on the monitor, the software selection menu providing a selection of a plurality of capture modes for assigning to the active region.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of capture modes includes color, grayscale, and black and white.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the received image is streamed from a digital imager for displaying on a monitor in real-time, the digital image of the document being generated by the digital imager.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture mode is a color mode, and the second capture mode is one of a grayscale mode and a black and white mode.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first capture mode is a color mode or a grayscale mode; and

the second capture mode is a grayscale mode or a black and white mode.

15. The method of claim 1, further including:

assigning a third capture mode different from the first capture mode and the second capture mode to another selected region of the digital image, the another selected region having a second pixel variation; and

reducing the second pixel variation in the another selected region to support the third capture mode.

16. The method of claim 15, further including saving the digital image in a non-volatile storage medium in a selected file type, wherein the digital image supports at least two of color, grayscale, and black and white modes.

17. A method for generating a multi-mode image, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting an image on a video display, the image being displayed in a first capture mode;

receiving an indication of a select region of the image for assigning a second capture mode;

converting the select region from the first capture mode to the second capture mode by reducing pixel variation in the select region to generate a multi-mode image; and

displaying the multi-mode image on the display, the multi-mode image on the display displaying both the first capture mode and the second capture mode.

18. The method of claim 17, further including:

generating a multi-mode image file from the multi-mode image; and

storing the multi-mode image file in a selected non-volatile storage medium in a selected file type.

19. The method of claim 17, further including the step of converting the image to a lower resolution image before presenting the image on the video display.

20. The method of claim 17, further including printing the multi-mode image without saving the multi-mode image to an image file.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first capture mode is a color mode and the second capture mode is a grayscale mode or a black and white mode.

22. A digital imaging system comprising:

a digital imaging apparatus configured to image a document to generate a digital image;

a computer including at least one processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium readable by the at least one processor, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium being encoded with computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of;

receiving a digital image captured by the digital imaging apparatus, the digital image having a first capture mode;

selecting a region of the digital image, the region having a pixel variation;

assigning a second capture mode to the selected region of the digital image;

limiting the pixel variation in the region to support the second capture mode; and

generating a multi-mode image file having a multi-mode image with both the first capture mode and the second capture mode.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the first capture mode is color or grayscale; and

the second capture mode is grayscale or black and white.

24. A digital imaging system comprising a non-transitory computer-readables storage medium readable by a processor, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium being encoded with instructions executable to perform the steps of:

receiving a digital image of a document, the digital image having been captured in a first capture mode by a digital imaging apparatus;

selecting a region of the digital image;

assigning a second capture mode to the selected region of the digital image;

limiting pixel variation in the selected region of the digital image to convert the selected region from the first capture mode to the second capture mode; and

storing the digital image as a multi-mode image file with both the first capture mode and the second capture mode.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein:

the first capture mode is color or grayscale; and

the second capture mode is grayscale or black and white.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is further encoded with instructions executable to perform the steps of:

assigning a third capture mode different from the first capture mode and the second capture mode to another selected region of the digital image, the another selected region having a second pixel variation;

reducing the second pixel variation in the another selected region to support the third capture mode, wherein the digital image supports the color, grayscale, and black and white modes.