Image reader having an editor for setting a threshold value

• US 5,208,873 A
• Filed: 05/09/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nakajima, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Razavi, Michael T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KLOCINSKI, STEVEN
• Application Number:
  US07/701,348
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 382/50, 382/52, 382/53, 382/9, 358/456, 358/457, 358/462, 358/464, 358/466, 358/453
• US Class Current: 382/282
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/403 Discrimination between the two tones in the picture signal of a two-tone original

Abstract

An image reader for reading an image of a document by an image sensor and for outputting image data after processing obtained image data includes an arrangement for binarizing image data read by the image sensor through comparison of the image data with a threshold. A system is provided for entering the threshold value from an exterior source and for giving the threshold value to the binarizing arrangement. Also, a control device is provided for controlling that system.

Claims

1. An image reader for reading an image of a document by an image sensor and for outputting image data after processing obtained image data, comprising:

binarization means for binarizing image data ready by said image sensor by comparing respective image data with a fixed threshold, said fixed threshold being held constant at a predetermined value during processing image data belonging to at least one image area of a document, wherein said at least one image are a of the document defines a portion of the image of the document;

means for designating and entering said at least one image area of the document and for designating and entering said fixed threshold to be compared with image data of the designated image area from an exterior source;

means for giving said designated image area of the document and said designated fixed threshold to said binarization means; and

control means for controlling said giving means so as to give said designated image area and said designated fixed threshold entered by said designating and entering means to the binarization means;

wherein said designating and entering means includes;

memory means for memorizing designated and entered fixed thresholds by image areas.

2. An image reader for reading an image from a document with an image sensor and for processing the image read from the document, comprising:

means for processing the image read by said image sensor based upon attribute information, said attribute information including at least threshold information for binarizing the image;

rewritable non-volatile memory means for storing said attribute information;

designating means for allowing an operator to designate said attribute information;

means for writing said designated attribute information into said non-volatile memory means and for automatically giving said designated attribute information to said processing means when a power switch of the image reader is switched on.

3. An image reader as claimed in claim 2, in which said attribute information further includes a magnification for reading an image of a document.

4. An image reader as claimed in claim 2, in which said attribute information further includes a size of a document to be read.

5. An image reader as claimed in claim 2 wherein said attribute information is a threshold fixed at a specified value during processing of the image belonging to at least one portion of the document, and wherein said designating means allows an operator to alter the specified value.

6. An image reader as claimed in claim 2 wherein said designating means includes an editor.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said attribute information is selected from a group comprising instructions concerning binary value processing, dither matrix processing, image inversion processing, and image deletion processing.

8. An image reader for reading an image of a document by an image sensor and for outputting image data after processing obtained image data, comprising:

means for processing image data read by said image sensor based upon attribute information, said attribute information including at least threshold information for binarizing image data;

rewritable non-volatile memory means for storing said attribute information;

means for selecting and entering said attribute information;

means for writing the selected and entered attribute information into said non-volatile memory means and for automatically giving said selected and entered attribute information to said processing means when a power switch of the image reader is switched on

wherein said threshold information is a threshold fixed at a specified value during processing image data belonging to at least one image area of a document, and said selecting and entering means enters values to be altered from respective specified values.