Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and image processing program

• US 20060215204A1
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Arai, Hiroshi, Sugiyama, Naoki, Tone, Takeharu, Kawamoto, Hiroyuki, Ohkawa, Satoshi, Nishida, Taira, Ohyama, Maki, Miyamoto, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00225 details of image data generation, e.g. scan-to-email or network scanners using an image reading device as a local input to a computer H04N1/00241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40068 Modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions H04N1/3935 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/186 the unit being a colour or a chrominance component
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/80 Details of filtering operations specially adapted for video compression, e.g. for pixel interpolation H04N19/635, H04N19/86 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data

Abstract

An image processing apparatus implements appropriate image processing on image data stored in a storage unit of the image processing apparatus easily and efficiently, and distributes the image data to an external apparatus. An image format conversion-unit implements image processing such as resolution conversion processing, filter processing, γ correction processing, and halftone processing on image data stored in an HDD serving as an image data storage unit so that the image data conform to conditions, such as image quality and format, specified by an external client apparatus. The image-processed image data are then distributed to the external client apparatus.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that can be connected to a client apparatus via a network, comprising:

image reading means for reading an original image and generating a predetermined image signal;

image processing means for implementing predetermined image processing on said image signal generated by said image reading means;

storage means for storing image data subjected to said image processing by said image processing means;

image format converting means for converting said image data stored in said storage means into a format which conforms to attributes of image data handled by said client apparatus; and

transmitting means for transmitting said image data subjected to format conversion by said image format converting means to said client apparatus.

2. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image processing means generates multi-value data or binary data from said image signal generated by said image reading means.

3. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means converts said image data stored in said storage means into image data in a color space corresponding to said client apparatus.

4. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means expands said image data stored in said storage means in order to convert said format of said image data, or compresses said image data for distribution to said client apparatus, such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

5. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means outputs said image data stored in said storage means after converting a resolution thereof such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

6. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means outputs said image data stored in said storage means after converting a magnification thereof such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

7. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means performs predetermined filter processing on multi-value image data generated by said image processing means.

8. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means performs predetermined halftone processing on multi-value image data generated by said image processing means.

9. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means implements predetermined density γ

conversion processing on multi-value image data generated by said image processing means.

10. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means implements predetermined isolated point removal processing on multi-value image data generated by said image processing means.

11. The image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image format converting means executes said predetermined image processing on said image signal generated by said image reading means on the basis of parameters determined from attribute information attached to said image data and attributes requested by said client apparatus.

12. An image processing method in which image processing is performed by an image processing apparatus that can be connected to a client apparatus via a network, comprising:

an image reading step of reading an original image and generating a predetermined image signal;

an image processing step of implementing predetermined image processing on said image signal generated in said image reading step;

a storage step of storing image data subjected to said image processing in said image processing step;

an image format converting step of converting said image data stored in said storage step into a format which conforms to attributes of image data handled by said client apparatus; and

a transmitting step of transmitting said image data subjected to format conversion in said image format converting step to said client apparatus.

13. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image processing step, multi-value data or binary data are generated from said image signal generated in said image reading step.

14. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein;

in said image format converting step, said image data stored in said storage step are converted into image data in a color space corresponding to said client apparatus.

15. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, said image data stored in said storage step are expanded in order to convert said format of said image data or compressed for distribution to said client apparatus, such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

16. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, said image data stored in said storage step are output after a resolution there of is converted such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

17. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, said image data stored in said storage step are output after a magnification thereof is converted such that said image data conform to said attributes of said image data handled by said client apparatus.

18. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, predetermined filter processing is performed on multi-value image data generated in said image processing step.

19. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, predetermined halftone processing is performed on multi-value image data generated in said image processing step.

20. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, predetermined density γ

conversion processing is implemented on multi-value image data generated in said image processing step.

21. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, predetermined isolated point removal processing is implemented on multi-value image data generated in said image processing step.

22. The image processing method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, in said image format converting step, said predetermined image processing is executed on said image signal generated in said image reading step on the basis of parameters determined from attribute information attached to said image data and attributes requested by said client apparatus.

23. An image processing program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method in which image processing is performed by an image processing apparatus that can be connected to a client apparatus via a network, said image processing method comprising:

an image reading step of reading an original image and generating a predetermined image signal;

an image processing step of implementing predetermined image processing on said image signal generated in said image reading step;

a storage step of storing image data subjected to said image processing in said image processing step;

an image format converting step of converting said image data stored in said storage step into a format which conforms to attributes of image data handled by said client apparatus; and

a transmitting step of transmitting said image data subjected to format conversion in said image format converting step to said client apparatus.