IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100215288A1
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ushiku, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/282
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00233 details of image data reproduction, e.g. network printing or remote image display using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer H04N1/00238; digital output from computer to printer unit G06F3/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0072 Detecting the status of a connected apparatus

Abstract

This invention provides an image processing apparatus which handles process target image data as data of various kinds of layouts without storing image data of each layout in a memory, a method of controlling the same, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. To accomplish this, the image processing apparatus creates, from stored image data, output data complying with an output method. If the layout of the stored image data is not appropriate to the output method, the image processing apparatus executes a conversion process of the image data.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for outputting image data in accordance with requested output conditions, comprising:

a storage unit that stores image data as a target of image processing;

a determination unit that, when outputting the image data stored in said storage unit, determines whether an output method included in the output conditions indicates print output or display output, and determines whether or not a layout of the image data stored in said storage unit is appropriate to the determined output method;

a conversion unit that, if said determination unit has determined that the layout of the image data stored in said storage unit is not appropriate to the determined output method, converts the image data into a layout appropriate to the determined output method; and

a transmission unit that transmits the image data converted by said conversion unit to an output device corresponding to the output method included in the output conditions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion unit comprises:

a unit that compares an output size upon outputting the image data stored in said storage unit with an output size included in the output conditions; and

an enlargement/reduction unit that, when the output size of the image data and the output size of the output condition are different, executes one of an enlargement process and a reduction process of the image data so as to make the output size of the image data equal to the output size of the output condition.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion unit comprises:

a unit that compares an output direction upon outputting the image data stored in said storage unit with an output direction included in the output conditions;

a division unit that divides a page laid out in correspondence with the image data when the output direction of the image data and the output direction of the output condition are different, and the output direction of the output condition indicates horizontal; and

a composition unit that composites a plurality of pages laid out in correspondence with the image data when the output direction of the image data and the output direction of the output condition are different, and the output direction of the output condition indicates vertical.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said division unit comprises:

a unit that determines whether or not an object exists at a division position where the page laid out in correspondence with the image data is to be divided; and

a unit that, if the object exists, lays out, in one of divided pages, the object that exists at the division position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said division unit further comprises a unit that reduces an output size of the object when laying out the object that exists at the division position.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conversion unit comprises:

a unit that, when the output method indicates display output, determines whether or not the image data converted by said conversion unit is displayable on the output device; and

a unit that, when the converted image data is not displayable, converts an object included in the converted image data so as to make the object displayable.

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

a reception unit that receives, from a display apparatus connected via a network, an enlargement request to enlarge an image of a partial region concerning the image data transmitted by said transmission unit;

a specifying unit that, upon receiving the enlargement request, specifies an object in the enlargement target image based on information of the enlargement request; and

a generation unit that generates image data by enlarging the specified object.

8. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus for outputting image data in accordance with requested output conditions, the apparatus including a storage unit that stores image data as a target of image processing, comprising:

when outputting the image data stored in the storage unit, determining whether an output method included in the output conditions indicates print output or display output, and determining whether or not a layout of the image data stored in the storage unit is appropriate to the determined output method;

if it is determined in the determining that the layout of the image data stored in the storage unit is not appropriate to the determined output method, converting the image data into a layout appropriate to the determined output method; and

transmitting the image data converted in the converting to an output device corresponding to the output method included in the output conditions.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that causes a computer to execute an image processing apparatus control method of claim 8.