Interleaved Color and Attribute Plane Encoding for Document Compression

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Solution Overview

Problem

Printing devices face challenges in efficiently compressing and storing large electronic documents, which leads to high storage requirements and slow data transfer, due to the need for both lossless and lossy compression techniques to handle various image types and color models effectively.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of cell-based compression techniques that divide color and attribute planes into m×n cells, allowing for lossy compression of image graphics and lossless compression of text and vector graphics, with interleaved encoding and decoding to optimize storage and transmission efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If lossless compression is applied to all image data, then image quality is preserved, but storage space and data transfer efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidstorage space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different compression strategies to different regions of the image based on their importance. Critical regions (text, vector graphics, line art) use lossless compression to preserve quality, while non-critical regions (photographs, gradients) use lossy compression to reduce storage space. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying quality preservation only where necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the image into multiple planes (color planes and attribute planes) and processes each plane separately with appropriate compression techniques. By dividing the image data into distinct segments, the system can apply lossless compression to specific planes containing critical information while using lossy compression on other planes, thereby optimizing both quality preservation and storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If lossy compression is applied to all image data, then storage space is reduced, but image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage spaceVSAvoidimage quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different compression strategies to different regions of the image based on their importance. Critical regions (text, vector graphics, line art) use lossless compression to preserve quality, while non-critical regions (photographs, gradients) use lossy compression to reduce storage space. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying quality preservation only where necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If separate compression techniques are used for different image types, then image quality is maintained, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidcompression system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image into multiple planes (color planes and attribute planes) and processes each plane separately with appropriate compression techniques. By dividing the image data into distinct segments, the system can apply lossless compression to specific planes containing critical information while using lossy compression on other planes, thereby optimizing both quality preservation and storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs dynamic plane selection and compression technique choice based on the content being processed. The system dynamically determines which planes require lossless compression and which can use lossy compression, adapting the compression strategy to the specific image characteristics rather than applying a static approach throughout.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Device complexity

If all color planes are compressed with the same technique, then device complexity is reduced, but compression efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompression systemVSAvoidcompression efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image into multiple planes (color planes and attribute planes) and processes each plane separately with appropriate compression techniques. By dividing the image data into distinct segments, the system can apply lossless compression to specific planes containing critical information while using lossy compression on other planes, thereby optimizing both quality preservation and storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9319565B1Interleaved encoding of compressed attribute and color planes
Publication Date: 2016.04.19 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC
  • US9319565B1 patent drawing
  • US9319565B1 patent drawing
  • US9319565B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An example embodiment may involve obtaining an a×b pixel macro-cell from an image with one or more color planes, and an a×b attribute macro-cell. The a×b pixel macro-cell may contain 4 non-overlapping m×n pixel cells, and the a×b attribute macro-cell may contain 4 non-overlapping m×n attribute cells. The pixels in the a×b pixel macro-cell may be associated with respective color values. The example embodiment may also involve determining 4 attribute output values associated respectively with the 4 non-overlapping m×n attribute cells. The example embodiment may further involve determining 1 to 4 color-plane output values for the non-overlapping m×n pixel cells, and writing an interleaved representation of the 4 attribute output values and the determined color-plane output values.