Apple granted patents for automatic synthesis of font tables for character layout and others
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jun 20, 2006 at 9:39am
On June 20, the US Patent & Trademark Office revealed that Apple was granted four new patents which included “Method and apparatus for configuring a computer,” “Methods and apparatus for displaying a frame with contrasting text,” ” Icon for a portion of a display screen” and ” “Automatic synthesis of font tables for character layout.”
Apple’s granted patents
Patent 7,065,533: Method and apparatus for configuring a computer
This invention relates to the field of computer software, and, more specifically, to network protocols and configuration.
Abstract: A method and apparatus for configuring a computer. One embodiment of the invention combines all of the prior art control panels related to networking into a consolidated Network Setup Control Panel. In addition, the invention provides for computer configuration by scripting. The configuration may be for a type of system setting or for network configurations and protocols. Through scripting, a computer may be configured locally or remotely on a network. One embodiment of the invention provides for a centralized database or Configuration Library consisting of collected data relating to available configuration settings. This database is not limited to configuration information and can be used as a general database containing information the user desires to store. To modify a configuration by scripting, the invention provides for a Scripting Interface consisting of a Scripting Server and Scripting Plug-In. The Scripting Server receives the script forwarded from a user or network administrator, parses the script and determines the appropriate Scripting Plug-In to forward the desired action to. The Scripting Plug-In receives the commands and executes the appropriate actions to modify the configuration as directed.
Inventors: Yan Arrouye, John Comiskey; Chris Nebel, Richard Ford, Michel Guittet; Michel and Alice Li.
Patent 7,064,759: Methods and apparatus for displaying a frame with contrasting text
The present invention relates generally to displaying text or an image and, more specifically, to increasing the visibility of the text or image against a background over which the text or image is displayed.
Abstract: An area within a frame is defined in which text or an image is to be generated. The text or image may also include an optional border surrounding and adjacent to the text or image. In accordance with one embodiment, in order to increase the contrast between the text or image and the background area of the frame, one or more color component values are selected for use in generating the text/image (or associated border). Specifically, a complement of one or more color component values associated with one or more pixels of the frame are determined. The complement may, for example, be obtained from an average color component value over a set of pixels. Alternatively, the complement may be obtained directly for each of a set of pixels in the frame from which an average value may then be obtained. The complemented-averaged color component value(s) may then be used to generate the text/image and/or associated border.
Patent D523,441: Icon for a portion of a display screen
Claim: The ornamental design for an icon for a portion of a display screen, as shown and described.
The single FIGURE shows a front view of an icon for a portion of a display screen; the broken line drawing of a portion of a display screen is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of the claimed design.
Inventors: Markus Sapp (Pinneberg, DE); Henning Rogge (Hamburg, DE); Thomas Sauer (Rellingen, DE)
Patent 7,064,757: Automatic synthesis of font tables for character layout
The present invention relates to the display and printing of font characters, and more particularly to a method and system for automatically synthesizing font tables that determine the manner in which images of characters are processed for printing and display.
Abstract: Data tables that are required for the proper processing of font glyphs are automatically synthesized if they do not form part of an original font definition. The synthesized tables are stored in an annex file that is associated with the font, rather than being incorporated into the font definition. As a result, the integrity of the original font data is maintained, and does not adversely affect font protection systems that are based upon font data.
Inventors: David G. Opstad, and Alexander B. Beaman
Notice
Macsimum News presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or grant is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent applications and/or grants should be read in its entirety for further details.
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Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
