Charles K Chui

6343155, Jan 29, 2002

Jan 4, 2001

09/755718

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA
Lefan Zhong - Santa Clara CA

PicSurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G06K 936

382240, 382248, 37524019

A digital camera includes a data capture device and data processing circuitry for processing image data representing captured images. The data processing circuitry processes tiles of the image data in a predefined order to generated processed image data, which is then stored as a data image file. The tiles are nonoverlapping portions of the image data. Each tile of image data is processing by applying a predefined sequence of transform layers to the tile of image data so as to generate successive layers of transform coefficients. In a preferred embodiment, the transform layers are successive applications of a wavelet-like decomposition transform. While each tile is processed, a predefined set of edge transform coefficients from a plurality of the transform layers are saved in memory for use while processing neighboring tiles. Further, the step of processing each tile includes applying at least a plurality of the transform layers to both transform coefficients generated by a prior transform layer and corresponding ones of the edge transform coefficients that were previously saved in memory while processing tiles neighboring the tile being processed. However, for some tiles along the edge of the image, there will be no edge transform coefficients from previously processed tiles to be used while processing the current tile.

6347157, Feb 12, 2002

May 7, 2001

09/850947

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA

Picsurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G06K 936

382240, 382248, 37524019

A system and method for compressing a video data stream receives a sequence of video frames, each video frame containing an array of image data representing an image. A spatial transform module performs a spatial decomposition transform on the video frames to generate spatially transformed video frames. A temporal transform module performs a temporal decomposition transform on blocks of the spatially transformed video frames, each block containing a predefined number of the spatially transformed video frames in a sequence corresponding to the sequence of the corresponding video frames. The temporal transform module applies a temporal decomposition transform to at least one low spatial frequency subband of data in the spatially transformed video frames so as to generate temporally transformed video data. A data encoder encodes, for each block of video frames, the temporally transformed video data and the subbands of data, if any, to which the temporal decomposition transform was not applied.

6389160, May 14, 2002

Apr 9, 1999

09/289458

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA
Haishan Wang - Stanford CA

PicSurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G06K 900

382166, 382239, 382240

A data encoder and method encodes color image data. The image data include Y, U and V data. A data image quality level is selected, which corresponds to a compression ratio. The Y data is encoded using a wavelet or wavelet-like compression method in accordance with the selected data image quality level. When the compression ratio is less than a threshold value, indicating a low compression ratio, the U and V data are compressed using a JPEG compression method. Otherwise the U and V data are compressed using the wavelet or wavelet-like compression method. The encoded image data includes an indication of which compression method was used to encode the U and V data. When encoded image data is decoded by a data decoder, the decoder determines which compression method was used to encode the U and V data, and then decodes the encoded image data accordingly.

6407747, Jun 18, 2002

May 7, 1999

09/307547

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA
Haishan Wang - Stanford CA

Picsurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G09G 500

345660, 345671, 345668, 345669, 345661, 345667

An image magnifying method and apparatus magnifies a portion of an image displayed on a computer display device. The user of the computer selects a first region (called a magnification window) of the displayed image, for instance using a mouse or trackball pointer device. Image data from the screen buffer for the user selected magnification window is copied to a first buffer. A magnified image is generated from the copied image data and the magnified image is stored in the screen buffer so as to replace the copied image data. When the user moves the screen cursor, or otherwise selects a second magnification window that overlaps with the first, the magnification application copies image data for a combined window, covering both the first and second magnification windows, from the screen buffer to a second buffer. The image data stored in the first buffer is copied into the portion of the second buffer corresponding to the first magnification window, at which point the second buffer contains unmagnified data for the entire combined window. The application generates a magnified image for the second magnification window and stores it in a portion of the second buffer corresponding to the second magnification window.

6411305, Jun 25, 2002

May 7, 1999

09/307548

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA

Picsurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G09G 500

345660, 345671, 345668, 345669, 345661, 345667

An initial magnified image is generated using a lowpass magnification filter. The resulting image will generally have smaller image data gradients than the original image. Portions of the image that the user, or an application, want to sharpen are selected, and the corresponding portions of the original image data are highpass filtered by one or more highpass filters to generate sharpening data. The initial magnified image data and the sharpening data are combined to generate a sharpened magnified image. In a preferred embodiment, two highpass filters are used, and a distinct sharpening parameter is used to scale the coefficients in each of the two highpass filters. The sharpening parameters are user selectable. This gives the user greater control over the image sharpening process than use of a single highpass filter.

6496608, Dec 17, 2002

Jan 15, 1999

09/232174

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA

Picsurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G06K 936

382300, 382284, 382293, 382294, 382298, 382299, 348453, 358428, 358525

A pixel filling system or method begins with an initial set of image data that is a subset of data values in a data array f representing data values at corresponding positions (k,l). Some of the f values are initially undefined, while others, at positions where both k and l are even numbers, have initially defined values. An interpolated value is generated for initially undefined f values in accordance with the pixel filling filter equation: wherein n is a positive integer, d are the subset of f values which have defined values prior to the generation of the interpolated f values; P are coefficients, no more than sixteen of which have non-zero values; and each non-zero P coefficient is an integer divided by an integer power of two. The pixel values generated in accordance with the pixel filling filter equation represent a surface that is smooth, has continuous two-dimensional spatial first derivative, and preserves sharp edges, if any, in the initial set of image data. Further, if a local set of the initial data points d (e. g.

6549674, Apr 15, 2003

Oct 12, 2000

09/687467

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA
Lefan Zhong - Santa Clara CA

Picsurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

G06K 936

382240, 382239, 382251, 382264

An image processing system tiles an image data array. Each tile of image data is processed by applying a family of transform layers to the tile of image data so as to generate successive sets of transform coefficients. Each set of transform coefficients include edge coefficients positioned at outside boundaries of the set of transform coefficients and non-edge coefficients positioned at interior locations of the set of transform coefficients. The transform filters include a short edge transform filter that is applied to image data at boundaries of the tile and to coefficients positioned at and near boundaries of each of the earlier sets of transform coefficients so as to generate the edge coefficients, and a long interior filter that is applied to image data at interior locations of the tile and to coefficients at interior locations of the earlier sets of transform coefficients so as to generate the non-edge coefficients.

6587507, Jul 1, 2003

Mar 24, 2000

09/445100

Charles K. Chui - Menlo Park CA
Lefan Zhong - Santa Clara CA

PicSurf, Inc. - Mountain View CA

H04N 712

37524019

A system and method for encoding a two dimensional array of data utilizes a library having entries corresponding to a set of predefined two dimensional adaptive spline wavelet waveforms. Each predefined two dimensional adaptive spline wavelet waveform is formed by the superposition of one or more B-splines. The data encoding method identifies a set of best matches between the array of data and the predefined two dimensional adaptive spline wavelet waveforms by generating the inner product of the array of data and each of the predefined two dimensional adaptive spline wavelet waveforms. Each inner product is generated by FIR filtering the data with a corresponding set of FIR filter coefficients, and then determining which of the inner products have largest values. Once a set of best matches has been found, the data encoding method generates data representing the identified set of best matches. The generated data indicates for each match: one of the library entries, a position within the array of data at which the match was found, and a magnitude of the match.