1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a contour image generator for generating a contour image from an input image generated by reading, as a multi-valued image, print contents of printed matter;
a contour adder for adding contours to said contour image by referring to a contour density distribution in said contour image to generate a contour added image; and
an image synthesizer for superimposing said input image and a smoothed image obtained by performing a smoothing process for said input image, by referring to said contour added image, to generate a synthesized image,
wherein said contour adder comprises:
a determination unit which scans said contour image with a predetermined window, and determines whether a density of contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than a threshold value concerning the density;
a calculator which calculates an average value of contour levels of contour pixels in said predetermined window; and
a change unit which changes a contour level of a target pixel in said predetermined window to said average value if the density of the contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than said threshold value concerning the density and a contour level of a target pixel in said predetermined window is smaller than said average value,
wherein the density of the contour pixels is calculated by dividing a number of pixels in said predetermined window that have a contour level higher than a predetermined level by a total number of pixels in said predetermined window.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said contour image generator includes a deletion unit which deletes a contour pixel within said contour image, said contour pixel satisfying at least one condition wherein a contour level of said contour pixel is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined threshold value is a value for a contour level higher than a contour level caused by printing dots that result from printing and moire patterns that occur when the print contents are read.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesizer determines a superimposition ratio for a pixel value of a pixel in said input image and a pixel value of a corresponding pixel in said smoothed image by referring to the contour levels of respective pixels in said contour added image.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said superimposition ratio is determined by substituting said contour levels of said respective pixels in said contour added image into a predetermined function.
6. An image processing method, comprising:
generating a contour image from an input image generated by reading, as a multi-valued image, print contents of printed matter;
adding contours to said contour image by referring to a contour density distribution in said contour image and generating a contour added image; and
superimposing said input image and a smoothed image obtained by performing a smoothing process for said input image, by referring to said contour added image, and generating a synthesized image,
wherein said adding comprises
scanning said contour image with a predetermined window, and determining whether a density of contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than a threshold value concerning the density;
calculating an average value of contour levels of contour pixels in said predetermined window; and
changing a contour level of a target pixel in said predetermined window to said average value if the density of the contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than the threshold value concerning the density and the contour level of the target pixel in said predetermined window is smaller than said average value,
wherein the density of the contour pixels is calculated by dividing a number of pixels in said predetermined window that have a contour level higher than a predetermined level by a total number of pixels in said predetermined window.
7. The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein said generating includes deleting a contour pixel within said contour image, said contour pixel satisfying at least one condition wherein a contour level of said contour pixel is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
8. The image processing method according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined threshold value is a value for a contour level higher than a contour level caused by printing dots that result from printing and moire patterns that occur when the print contents are read.
9. The image processing method according to claim 6, wherein said synthesizing comprises determining a superimposition ratio of a pixel value of a pixel in said input image and a pixel value of a corresponding pixel in said smoothed image by referring to the contour levels of respective pixels in said contour added image.
10. A computer program product stored on a storage medium and including an image processing program for execution on a computer, said image processing program comprising:
generating a contour image from an input image generated by reading, as a multi-valued image, print contents of printed matter;
adding contours to said contour image by referring to a contour density distribution in said contour image, and generating a contour added image; and
superimposing said input image and a smoothed image obtained by performing a smoothing process for said input image, by referring to said contour added image, and generating a synthesized image,
wherein said adding comprises
scanning said contour image with a predetermined window, and determining whether a density of contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than a threshold value concerning the density;
calculating an average value of contour levels of contour pixels in said predetermined window; and
changing a contour level of a target pixel in said predetermined window to said average value if the density of the contour pixels in said predetermined window is equal to or greater than the threshold value concerning the density and the contour level of the target pixel in said predetermined window is smaller than said average value,
wherein the density of the contour pixels is calculated by dividing a number of pixels in said predetermined window that have a contour level higher than a predetermined level by a total number of pixels in said predetermined window.
11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said generating includes deleting a contour pixel within said contour image, said contour pixel satisfying at least one condition wherein a contour level of said contour pixel is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value.
12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined threshold value is a value for a contour level higher than a contour level caused by printing dots that result from printing and moire patterns that occur when the print contents are read.
13. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said synthesizing comprises determining a superimposition ratio for a pixel value of a pixel in said input image and a pixel value of a corresponding pixel in said smoothed image by referring to the contour levels of respective pixels in said contour added image.
14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein said superimposition ratio is determined by substituting said contour levels of said respective pixels in said contour added image into a predetermined function.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A container holder comprising:
a. a top ring cover, a container, and a bottom ring attachment, the top ring cover having a top circumference with circular inner cylindrical wall extending to a bottom interior circumference and an outer curved declining outwardly extending wall extending from the top circumference to a bottom exterior circumference, the circular inner cylindrical wall and outer curved wall joined at a top circumference to form a round opening of said top ring cover;
b. said container is a generally a cylindrically shaped apparatus having a first cylindrical section and a second cylindrical section, said first cylindrical section having a top round opening extending to a transverse outer ring which connects to a top of the second cylindrical section which has a closed flat bottom, with a short height circular wall vertically affixed to an outer side of said bottom of the container;
c. said bottom planar ring attachment having a planar ring containing a central round opening, and a first and second short height circular wall which are vertically affixed onto the planar ring, said first and second short height wall are concentric and separated by a gap which matches a thickness of the circular wall on the bottom of the container;
d. said top ring cover covers said top round opening of the container, said bottom planar ring attachment is affixed to the bottom of the container by insertion of the short height circular wall of the container into the gap of the bottom planar ring attachment, which creates an air gap between the bottom of the container and a bottom surface of the bottom planar ring attachment;
e. a double layer bag with a top opening having a top hem containing an elastic means, an outer wall and an inner wall with a gap between the walls, said double layer bag securely affixed to an outer side of the container by having the top hem of the bag detachably attached onto the top of the outer transverse ring of the container and retained thereon by the elastic means, the outer curved wall of the top ring cover shielding the top hem at the location where the double layer bag is retained on the outer transverse ring;
f. the top ring cover press fit onto the container so that the circular inner cylindrical wall is press fit within the first cylindrical section of the container;
g. a multiplicity of granules retained within the gap between the outer and inner walls of the double layer bag to provide a squeezable feel to the double layer bag; and
h. the combination of the top ring cover and container being sized to retain a beverage container therein.
2. The container in accordance with claim 1 wherein said granules are selected from the group comprising beans and sand.
3. The container in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inner and outer walls of the double layer bag extend to below the bottom planar ring attachment and the gap between the walls extends to below the bottom planar ring attachment with the gap area below the bottom planar ring attachment having a multiplicity of granules therein.
4. The container in accordance with claim 1 wherein said granules are comprised of material which can be heated to retain heat and can be frozen to retain cold.
5. A container holder comprising:
a. a top ring cover and a container, the top ring cover having a top circumference with circular inner cylindrical wall extending to a bottom interior circumference and an outer curved declining outwardly extending wall extending from the top circumference to a bottom exterior circumference, the circular inner cylindrical wall and outer curved wall joined at a top circumference to form a round opening of said top ring cover;
b. said container is a generally a cylindrically shaped apparatus having a first cylindrical section with a wall and a second cylindrical section with a wall and with a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical, said first cylindrical section having a top round opening extending to a transverse outer ring which connects to a top of the second cylindrical section which has a closed flat bottom;
c. said top ring cover covers said top round opening of the container by having the top ring cover press fit onto the container so that the circular inner cylindrical wall is press fit within the wall of first cylindrical section of the container and is aligned with the wall of the second cylindrical section;
d. a double layer bag with a top opening having a top hem containing an elastic means, an outer wall and an inner wall with a gap between the walls, said double layer bag securely affixed to an outer side of the container by having the top hem of the bag detachably attached onto the top of the outer transverse ring of the container and retained thereon by the elastic means, the outer curved wall of the top ring cover shielding the top hem at the location where the double layer bag is retained on the outer transverse ring;
e. a multiplicity of granules retained within the gap between the outer and inner walls of the double layer bag to provide a squeezable feel to the double layer bag; and
f. the combination of the top ring cover and container being sized to retain a beverage container therein.
6. The container in accordance with claim 5 wherein said granules are selected from the group comprising beans and sand.
7. The container in accordance with claim 5 wherein the inner and outer walls of the double layer bag extend to below the bottom wall of the container and the gap between the walls extends to below the bottom wall of the container with the gap area below the bottom wall having a multiplicity of granules therein.
8. The container in accordance with claim 5 wherein said granules are comprised of material which can be heated to retain heat and can be frozen to retain cold.
9. A container holder comprising:
a. a top ring cover and a container, the top ring cover having an interior wall and an exterior wall both joined at a top circumference to form a round opening of said top ring cover;
b. said container is a generally cylindrically shaped apparatus having a first cylindrical section and a second cylindrical section, said first cylindrical section having a top round opening extending to a transverse outer ring which connects to a top of the second cylindrical section which has a closed flat bottom;
c. said top ring cover covers said top round opening of the container by having the top ring cover press fit onto the container so that the interior wall is press fit within the first cylindrical section of the container;
d. a double layer bag with a top opening having a top hem containing an elastic means, an outer wall and an inner wall with a gap between the walls, said double layer bag securely affixed to an outer side of the container by having the top hem of the bag detachably attached onto the top of the outer transverse ring of the container and retained thereon by the elastic means, the outer wall of the top ring cover shielding the top hem at the location where the double layer bag is retained on the outer transverse ring;
e. a multiplicity of granules retained within the gap between the outer and inner walls of the double layer bag to provide a squeezable feel to the double layer bag; and
f. the combination of the top ring cover and container being sized to retain a beverage container therein.
10. The container in accordance with claim 9 wherein said granules are selected from the group comprising beans and sand.
11. The container in accordance with claim 9 wherein the inner and outer walls of the double layer bag extend to below the bottom wall of the container and the gap between the walls extends to below the bottom wall of the container with the gap area below the bottom wall having a multiplicity of granules therein.
12. The container in accordance with claim 9 wherein said granules are comprised of material which can be heated to retain heat and can be frozen to retain cold.
13. A container holder comprising:
a. a top ring cover and a container, the top ring cover having an interior wall and an exterior wall both joined at a top circumference to form a round opening of said top ring cover;
b. said container having a first section and a second section with a retaining means located at the intersection of the two sections, the first section having a wall and the second section having a wall with a smaller diameter than the first section, the first and second sections forming an interior chamber with a bottom wall on the second section;
c. said top ring cover covers said interior chamber by having the top ring cover press fit onto the container so that the interior wall is press fit within the first cylindrical section of the container and is aligned with the wall of the second section;
d. a double layer bag with a top opening having a top hem containing an elastic means, an outer wall and an inner wall with a gap between the walls, said double layer bag securely affixed to an outer side of the container by having the top hem of the bag detachably attached onto the retaining means of the container and retained thereon by the elastic means, the outer wall of the top ring cover shielding the top hem at the location where the double layer bag is retained on the outer transverse ring;
e. a multiplicity of granules retained within the gap between the outer and inner walls of the double layer bag to provide a squeezable feel to the double layer bag; and
f. the combination of the top ring cover and container being sized to retain a beverage container therein.
14. The container in accordance with claim 13 wherein said granules are selected from the group comprising beans and sand.
15. The container in accordance with claim 13 wherein the inner and outer walls of the double layer bag extend to below the bottom wall of the container and the gap between the walls extends to below the bottom wall of the container with the gap area below the bottom wall having a multiplicity of granules therein.
16. The container in accordance with claim 13 wherein said granules are comprised of material which can be heated to retain heat and can be frozen to retain cold.