IMAGE FORMING DEVICE

• US 20100067062A1
• Filed: 09/18/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: YANAGAWA, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 8,422,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/3.270
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone

Abstract

An image forming device includes a display unit, an original image display unit, a touch panel, a detecting unit, a selected region determining unit, an image forming unit, and a control unit. The display unit includes a display region. The original image display unit displays an original display image in the display region based on original image data. The touch panel is superposed on the display region. The touch panel enables a user of the image forming device to specify a prescribed position on the touch panel. The detecting unit detects a prescribed position touched by the user and generates position data based on the prescribed position. The selected region determining unit determines, based on the position data, a selected region in the original display image when the original image display unit displays the original display image in the display region. The image forming unit forms an image on a recording medium. The control unit controls the image forming unit to form a partially enhancement image on the recording medium based on the original image data. The partially enhancement image includes an enhancement part and a non-enhancement part, the enhancement part corresponding to the selected region, the non-enhancement part corresponding to a non-selected region that is outside of the selected region in the original display image.

Claims

1. An image forming device comprising:

a display unit that includes a display region;

an original image display unit that displays an original display image in the display region based on original image data;

a touch panel that is superposed on the display region, the touch panel enabling a user of the usage forming device to specify a prescribed position on the touch panel;

a detecting unit that detects a prescribed position touched by the user and generates position data based on the prescribed position;

a selected region determining unit that determines, based on the position data, a selected region in the original display image when the original image display unit displays the original display image in the display region;

an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; and

a control unit that controls the image forming unit to form a partially enhancement image on the recording medium based on the original image data, the partially enhancement image including an enhancement part and a non-enhancement part, the enhancement part corresponding to the selected region, the non-enhancement part corresponding to a non-selected region that is outside of the selected region in the original display image.

2. The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising a selected region display unit that displays a partially enhancement display image in the display region when the selected region determining unit determines the selected region, the partially enhancement display image including an enhancement region and a non-enhancement region, the enhancement region corresponding to the selected region, the non-enhancement region corresponding to the non-selected region.

3. The image forming device according to claim 2, wherein the selected region display unit includes:

a filter image superimposing unit that superimposes a filter image on the original display image when the original image display unit displays the original display image, the filter image having a colored transparency, thereby making the original display image behind the filter image visible; and

a filter image erasing unit that erases a part of the filter image corresponding to the selected region, the enhancement region corresponding to the part, the non-enhancement region corresponding to a remaining part of filter image.

4. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes:

a first control unit that controls the image forming unit to form a normal image based on the original image data, the normal image having same tone levels as the original image; and

a second control unit that controls the image forming unit to form the partially enhancement image on the recording medium, the non-enhancement part having tone levels lower than tone levels of the enhancement part.

5. The image forming device according to claim 4, wherein the first control unit controls the image forming unit to form the normal image unless the selected region determining unit determines the selected region.

6. The image fowling device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user-specified region specifying unit that specifies, based on the position data, a user-specified region in the original display image; and

a fixing unit that enables the user to fix the user-specified region, and

wherein the selected region determining unit determines the user-specified region as the selected region when the user-specified region is fixed by the user via the fixing unit.

7. The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user-specified region specifying unit that specifies, based on the position data, a user-specified region in the original display image; and

a colored part determining unit that determines whether or not the user-specified region encompasses a colored part, and

wherein the selected region determining unit determines the user-specified region as the selected region when the colored part determining unit determines that the user-specified region encompasses a colored part.

8. The image forming device according to claim 7, wherein the colored part is different from a blank part.

9. The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising a scanning unit that scans an original image and generates the original image data.

10. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel enables the user to trace a path;

wherein the detecting unit detects the path and generates the position data based on the path; and

wherein the selected region determining unit determines, as the selected region, a region defined by the path and a surrounding area from the path.

11. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel enables the user to specify two points;

wherein the detecting unit detects the two points and generates the position data; and

wherein the selected region determining unit determines, as the selected region, a rectangular region formed by setting the two points as diagonal vertices of a rectangle.

12. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the enhancement part is formed at same density as a corresponding part of the original image, and the non-enhancement part is formed with lower density than a corresponding part of the original image.

13. A method executed by an image forming device, the method comprising:

displaying an original display image in a display region based on original image data;

enabling a user of the image forming device to specify a prescribed position on a touch panel;

detecting a prescribed position touched by the user;

generating position data based on the prescribed position;

determining, based on the position data, a selected region in the original display image; and

controlling an image forming unit to form a partially enhancement image on a recording medium based on the original image data, the partially enhancement image including an enhancement part and a non-enhancement part, the enhancement part corresponding to the selected region, the non-enhancement part corresponding to a non-selected region that is outside of the selected region in the original display image.

14. A computer-readable recording medium that stores an image forming program, the image forming program comprising instructions for:

displaying an original display image in a display region based on original image data;

enabling a user to specify a prescribed position on a touch panel;

detecting a prescribed position touched by the user;

generating position data based on the prescribed position;

determining, based on the position data, a selected region in the original display image; and

controlling an image forming unit to form a partially enhancement image on a recording medium based on the original image data, the partially enhancement image including an enhancement part and a non-enhancement part, the enhancement part corresponding to the selected region, the non-enhancement part corresponding to a non-selected region that is outside of the selected region in the original display image.