IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20090073462A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: YAMAUCHI, Yasuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.200
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/0849 Detection or control means for the developer concentration
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5029 by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/556 for toner consumption, e.g. pixel counting, toner coverage detection or toner density measurement

Abstract

The image processing apparatus is provided with: a reception unit that receives image information; an acquisition unit that acquires target information on a targeted level of an image forming material used at image formation based on the image information received by the reception unit; and a determination unit that determines a content of processing for reducing the image forming material for each portion of the image information received by the reception unit in accordance with the target information acquired by the acquisition unit.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a reception unit that receives image information;

an acquisition unit that acquires target information on a targeted level of an image forming material used at image formation based on the image information received by the reception unit; and

a determination unit that determines a content of processing for reducing the image forming material for each portion of the image information received by the reception unit in accordance with the target information acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the acquisition unit further acquires processing information in which a type of processing for reducing the image forming material is determined for each portion of the image information;

and

the determination unit determines the content of the processing for reducing the image forming material by determining data to be used in the processing of a type provided by the processing information acquired by the acquisition unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the portion of the image information is an object constituting the image information;

and

the determination unit determines a specific object on the basis of a characteristic of the specific object, and determines a content of the processing for reducing the image forming material so that a better reduction effect of the image forming material is obtained for the specific object than for an object other than the specific object.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the acquisition unit further acquires guideline information to be a guideline for reducing the image forming material;

and

the determination unit determines the specific object on the basis of the guideline information acquired by the acquisition unit.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines the specific object on the basis of designation of a type of the specific object.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines the specific object on the basis of an area occupied by the specific object in the image information.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines the specific object on the basis of a position of the specific object in the image information.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit determines execution of an exception processing which is set in advance as a processing that has a better reduction effect of the image forming material, if the determination unit is unable to determine a content of processing satisfying a given standard.

9. An image processing method comprising:

receiving image information;

acquiring target information on a targeted level of an image forming material used at image formation based on the received image information; and

determining a content of processing for reducing the image forming material for each portion of the received image information in accordance with the acquired target information.

10. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for toner reduction, the process comprising:

receiving image information;

acquiring target information on a targeted level of an image forming material used at image formation based on the received image information; and

determining a content of processing for reducing the image forming material for each portion of the received image information in accordance with the acquired target information.