Patents
 
US20070177213
A system for characterizing dot gain in pixel-based document rendering devices, such as a printer, receives information relative to current dot size characteristics of the device relative to variou...
 
US20060197989
A hybrid halftoning system and method that provides for improved output image rendering. Electronic document data containing image data is segmented into several regions. These regions include a highlight region, a midtone region and a s...
 
US20060072127
The present invention is directed to a system and method for increasing the perception of detail in the highlight areas of a digital image during color space conversion using replacement of the gray component in a first color space to a ...
 
US20060072129
A method for processing an image. The method includes receiving an image having image values and described in a first color space and determining the image color space from a received image. Image values in the first color space are asso...
 
US20060012829
The present invention is directed to a system and method for halftone screening. A system for halftone screening includes means adapted to receive image data having a desired number of tonal levels representative of a continuous tone ima...
 
US20060007492
The present invention is directed to a system and method for halftone screening. A system for halftone screening includes means adapted to receive image data having a number of tonal levels representative of a continuous tone image. The ...
 
US20060007493
The present invention is directed to a system and method for halftone screening. A system for halftone screening includes a memory including a look-up table, the look-up table including screen frequency data representative of the selecte...
 
6976797
Methods and systems for rendering printing marks in multiple-device printing environments such as printshops are disclosed. In general, one or more printers among a plurality of printers in a multiple device printing environment can be i...
 
US20050157921
A system converts grayscale image data into device independent image data that mimics highlight printing of the grayscale image at a full color printer. The system is preferably implemented in a plug-in for a document control program so ...
 
US20050152727
Methods and systems for rendering printing marks in multiple-device printing environments such as printshops are disclosed. In general, one or more printers among a plurality of printers in a multiple device printing environment can be i...
 
6803921
A method for determining and assigning colorimetry and authorship device information to an image of unknown colorimetry includes iteratively displaying the image on a display device and selecting possible source device profiles for trans...
 
US20030142113
A hint editor for editing raster content image rendering hints including a hint reader for separating the rendering hints from the image and a hint display for displaying the rendering hints apart from the image. The hint editor can also...
 
5625766
A software based proofing method allowing to proof and measure registration between both sides of a press sheet by displaying, on a color monitor, both sides superimposed on each other. By making the paper appear transparent the front-to...
Note.Stephen Herron the consultant for Creo/Kodak on the project was the provider of the superimposition idea and method.
 
Patents Proposed and Pending
 
  1. Automatic creation of book sections for multiple-printer output
  2. A method of collecting Human Visual System (HVS) data and processing the data for grayscale printer emulation
  3. Automatic vector color-description replacement with preferred color description within a digital vector drawing or page-layout document.
  4. Capturing data conversion errors in a halftone process
  5. Elimination of partial halftone dots by combining isotropic screens with cluster-dot screens
  6. Metadata controlled multi-phase halftone
  7. A method to produce a halftone bit-mask lookup table from two or more halftone threshold arrays
 
 
Published Trade Secrets
  1.  
  2. Icefields standard error diffusion
  3. Quadtone reproduction resulting in a significant increase in gray levels from an 8-bit image
  4. Halftone conversion to another halftone
  5. Soft-proofing algorithm to read and display dot-screen data
  6. Quadtone ink density chemistry
 
 
Trade Secrets
 
  1. Icefields low-resolution error diffusion
  2. Icefields high-resolution error diffusion
  3. RGB color space conversion to CMYK halftones
  4. RGB to CMYK duotone transformation
  5. Decorative halftone-dot gradient screening program
  6. Cirlipse halftone dot (The first PostScript elliptical dot)
  7. Bilevel hybrid FM screens for Canon and Epson printers
  8. Halftone uniquely suited for the automotive silkscreen printing operation
  9. Screening technology for stamp making equipment
  10. Duotone to CMYK conversion
 
Selected Publications
 
  1. Using Errors in Halftoning to Increase Reproduction Accuracy, IS&T/SPIE EI 2006
  2. Original research describing how to capture data lost in the contone to halftone process
  3.  
  4. Building a Contone to Halftone RIP tutorial, IS&T NIP21 2005
  5.  
  6. Memory Colors Test Forms: Representation and Evaluation, IS&T/SPIE EI 2004
  7. Original research connecting memory color to objects and language
  8.  
  9. Image Quality and Halftoning tutorial, IS&T PICS 2002 and 2003
  10.  
  11. The Technology of Duotone Color Transformations in a Color-Managed Workflow, IS&T/SPIE EI 2003
  12. Survey of duotone to color space transformations
  13.  
  14. Re-purposing Device-Dependent Screens for Unintended Printers, IS&T NIP 2001
  15. Halftone to halftone transformations not requiring inverse transforms
  16.  
  17. Analysis of a Threshold Modulation Dither Using Space Curve Point Movement, Forward Propagation and Noise Removal, SPIE EI 2000
  18. Technical description of Herron’s Standard FM screen
  19.  
  20. The Technology Used for Quadtone Inkjet Printing, SPIE EI 1999
  21. Original research describing printing with four and six shades of gray ink
  22.  
  23. Recent Progress in Digital Halftoning II, (2 papers) IS&T publisher, 1999
  24.  
  25. Color Management without Cost, Graphic Exchange magazine, 1998
  26.  
  27. Color Gamut Analysis of Frequency Modulated Screen Reproduction, IS&T PICS 1998
  28. Original research describing how various halftones determine the shape of the color gamut
  29.  
  30. An Exploration of the Pantone Hexachrome Six-Color System Reproduced by Stochastic Screens, Proceedings of IS&T’s Fourth Color Imaging Conference, 1996
  31.  
  32. An Analysis of the Hexachrome Color Mixing System, Graphic Exchange magazine, 1996
  33.  
  34. Image Mapping to Control Frequency Modulated Screening, Proceeding of IS&T’s Fourth Technical Symposium on Prepress, 1995
  35. Original research describing segmenting an image for object appropriate halftones
 
 
Many of Stephen Herron’s papers are available for download from the Library Page.
The complete patents are found on freepatentsonline.com by clicking on the title of each patent.
Stephen Herron is a color technology expert, with experience in color image processing including color management, image processing
filters, image pipeline architecture, printer controllers and print-engine marking technology. He has extensive experience in product management, technology development of practical solutions, and industry training.
He served the Society for Imaging Science & Technology as Audio/Visual Chairman, 2002 and 2003 PICS, and 2005 CIC13 Conferences.

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