Image processing method and apparatus, and storage medium therefore

• US 20050219619A1
• Filed: 01/11/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohnishi, Yoshinari
• Granted Patent: US 7,193,750 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/2.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1214 at the submitting node
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 involving combining data of different types

Abstract

Disclosed is an image processing method. According to the present invention, the image processing method, whereby a multi-value bit map development area, in which is stored a multi-value bit map that represents an output image, and a plurality of pattern planes, each of which corresponds to an attribute of an object, are employed to develop a drawing command and to perform a color process, comprises the steps of developing a multi-bit map in the multi-value bit map development area in accordance with a drawing command, determining an attribute for an object by using the drawing command, developing the bit map, which is consonant with the drawing command, in one of the pattern planes that corresponds to the attribute of the object, and controlling a color process for the multi-value bit map in accordance with the bit maps developed in the pattern planes.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A printer driver comprising:

developing means for developing a multi-bit map in accordance with a drawing command;

determination means for determining an attribute for an object based on the drawing command;

holding means for performing exception handling on flag information of a graphic object from among flag information according to the determined attribute for plural objects, and holding the exception-handled flag information and the multi-bit map according to the drawing command so that the flag information and the multi-bit map correspond to each other; and

control means for controlling a color process to be performed on the multi-bit map in accordance with the flag information.

9. A printer driver according to claim 8, wherein the color process includes a color conversion process and an n-valued process.

10. A control method for a printer driver, comprising:

a developing step of developing a multi-bit map in accordance with a drawing command;

a determination step of determining an attribute for an attribute for an object based on the drawing command;

a holding step of performing exception handling on flag information of a graphic object from among flag information according to the determined attributes for plural objects, and holding the exception-handled flag information and the multi-bit map according to the drawing command so that the flag information and the multi-bit map correspond to each other; and

a control step of controlling a color process to be performed on the multi-bit map in accordance with the flag information.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the color process includes a color conversion process and an n-valued process.