Image processing apparatus

• US 5,666,207 A
• Filed: 04/25/1995
• Issued: 09/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohmura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACARES, RAFAEL D
• Application Number:
  US08/428,844
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 358/75, 358/80, 358/443, 358/444, 358/468, 358/488, 358/500, 358/501, 358/448, 358/452
• US Class Current: 358/500
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/46 Colour picture communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/626 Detection of non-electronic marks, e.g. fluorescent markers

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus for subjecting a desired image processing area of an original to desired processing to obtain an output image, it is so arranged that the desired area is bounded by a line of a color corresponding to the type of processing. This is read into the apparatus, which is then made to execute copying processing.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

setting means which permit setting, in correspondence with each of plural colors, at least one image processing function from among plural different image processing functions;

recognition means for recognizing a color of an input image; and

decision means for deciding on an image processing function for said input image on the basis of said recognized color and on the basis of an image processing function set in correspondence to said recognized color by said setting means;

wherein said setting means includes;

designating means for designating a position on an original;

reading means for reading the original image at the designated position; and

selecting means for selecting one image processing function to be applied to the color of the image read by said reading means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes:

display means for displaying a list of colors to be set; and

first selecting means for selecting one color from the list of colors displayed by said display means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes:

an IC memory card for storing colors and the image processing functions available for each color; and

reading means for reading contents stored on said IC memory card.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes means for setting an upper-limit value and a lower-limit value of a color to be set.

5. An image processing apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing a plurality of colors and for storing at least one of a plurality of different image processing functions corresponding to each of said plurality of colors;

designating means for designating a desired color in said memory means;

decision means for deciding on an image processing function on the basis of said desired color and on the basis of an image processing function stored in correspondence to said desired color; and

processing means for processing an area of said desired color on an input image based on the image processing function decided by said decision means; and

registration means for registering, in said memory means, said colors and said image processing function corresponding to said color, wherein said registration means includes position designating means for designating the designated position on the original, reading means for reading the original image at the designated positions, and selecting means for selecting one image processing function to be applied to the color of the image read by said reading means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said memory means includes an IC memory card.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of keys corresponding to sets of colors and image processing functions corresponding to each of the colors stored in said memory means, wherein said designating means makes a designation in response to pressing of a desired key among said plurality of keys.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising setting means for setting an upper-limit value and a lower-limit value of a color to be designated.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said memory means stores a plurality of colors of frames, types of processing corresponding to these colors and information whether or not images of said frames are to be processed.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

setting means which permit setting, in correspondence with each of plural colors, at least one image processing function from among plural different image processing functions;

recognition means for recognizing a color of an input image; and

decision means for deciding on an image processing function for said input image on the basis of said recognized color and on the basis of an image processing function set in correspondence to said recognized color by said setting means;

wherein said setting means sets a color of a frame which identifies an image to be processed, a type of processing of said image, and information whether or not the image of the frame is included in the image to be processed.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

first setting means for setting a different image processing function corresponding to each of plural colors;

input means for inputting an image which has a portion bounded by a line of a desired color;

control means for causing the portion bounded by the line of the desired color in the image inputted by said input means to be subjected to the image processing function that corresponds to the same color as the color of the line; and

second setting means for setting information to designate whether or not a frame image portion of said desired color is included in image processing by said control means.

12. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image processing means, each for changing a shape of a color image, each of said plurality of image processing means changing the shape of the color image differently from others of said plurality of image processing means;

input means for inputting a color image;

recognizing means for recognizing a color in the color image input by said input means; and

selecting means for selecting one of said plurality of image processing means based on the color recognized by said recognizing means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one of said plurality of image processing means is comprised by mirror-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a mirror image from the color image.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one of said plurality of image processing means is comprised by slanted-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a slanted image from the color image.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one of said plurality of image processing means is comprised by bold-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a bold image from the color image.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein one of said plurality of image processing means is comprised by bold-thinning-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating one of either a bold image or a thinned image from the color image.

17. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting a color image;

recognizing a color in the color image input in said inputting step; and

selecting one of a plurality of image processing means based on the color recognized in said recognizing step, each of the plurality of image processing means for changing a shape of a color image, and each of the plurality of image processing means changing the shape of the color image differently from others of the plurality of image processing means.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of image processing means is comprised by a mirror-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a mirror image from the color image, and wherein said selecting step selects the mirror-image processing means.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of image processing means is comprised by slanted-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a slanted image from the color image, and wherein said selecting step selects the slanted-image processing means.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of image processing means is comprised by bold-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating a bold image from the color image, and wherein said selecting step selects the bold-image processing means.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of image processing means is comprised by bold-thinning-image processing means for changing a shape of a color image by generating one of either a bold image or a thinned image from the color image, and wherein said selecting step selects the bold-thinning-image processing means.