IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20070070088A1
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Tetsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/005 General purpose rendering architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a grouping unit configured to group rendering data into a first group that is to be rendered with a painter'"'"'s algorithm and a second group that is to be rendered with a scanline algorithm, and an output unit configured to output the rendering data grouped by the grouping unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a grouping unit configured to group rendering data into a first group that is to be rendered with a painter'"'"'s algorithm and a second group that is to be rendered with a scanline algorithm; and

an output unit configured to output the rendering data grouped by the grouping unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first rendering unit configured to perform rendering with the painter'"'"'s algorithm based on rendering data of the first group output by the output unit;

a second rendering unit configured to perform rendering with the scanline algorithm based on rendering data of the second group output by the output unit;

a synthesizing unit configured to synthesize an image rendered by the first rendering unit and an image rendered by the second rendering unit into a composite image; and

a printing unit configured to print the composite image obtained by the synthesizing unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first group includes a higher layer object, and

wherein the second group includes a lower layer object.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first group includes a top text object, and

wherein the second group includes an object other than the top text.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first group includes a background object, and

wherein the second group includes an object other than the background.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping unit and the output unit are incorporated within a device capable of performing bitmap processing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping unit and the output unit are incorporated within a printer driver of a computer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grouping unit and the output unit are incorporated within a printing device.

9. A method comprising:

grouping rendering data into a first group that is to be rendered with a painter'"'"'s algorithm and a second group that is to be rendered with a scanline algorithm; and

outputting the rendering data grouped into the first group and the second group.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

performing rendering with the painter'"'"'s algorithm based on rendering data of the first group;

performing rendering with the scanline algorithm based on rendering data of the second group;

synthesizing an image rendered based on the first group and an image rendered based on the second group into a composite image; and

printing the composite image.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first group includes a higher layer object, and

wherein the second group includes a lower layer object.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first group includes a top text object, and

wherein the second group includes an object other than the top text.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first group includes a background object, and

wherein the second group includes an object other than the background.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the grouping of the rendering data into the first group and the second group is performed by a printer driver of a computer.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the grouping of the rendering data into the first group and the second group is performed by a device capable of performing bitmap processing.

16. A machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

grouping rendering data into a first group that is to be rendered with a painter'"'"'s algorithm and a second group that is to be rendered with a scanline algorithm; and

outputting the rendering data grouped into the first group and the second group.

17. The machine-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprises:

performing rendering with the painter'"'"'s algorithm based on rendering data of the first group;

performing rendering with the scanline algorithm based on rendering data of the second group;

synthesizing an image rendered based on the first group and an image rendered based on the second group into a composite image; and

printing the composite image.

18. The machine-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the first group includes a higher layer object, and

wherein the second group includes a lower layer object.

19. The machine-readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the first group includes a top text object, and

wherein the second group includes an object other than the top text.

20. The machine-readable medium according to claim 17,

wherein the first group includes a background object, and wherein the second group includes an object other than the background.