Image forming apparatus with display device for displaying before and after image processing data

• US 5,937,232 A
• Filed: 12/26/1995
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Yutaka, Sakai, Yoshihiro, Taguchi, Kazushige
• Primary Examiner(s): BEATTY, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US08/578,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 399/81, 399/158, 399/182-185, 358/448, 358/452, 358/453, 358/462, 358/300
• US Class Current: 399/81
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00397 Switches, knobs or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00416 Multi-level menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00432 using tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00482 outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming

Abstract

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises an operating unit for displaying a mode setting screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode by means of selecting one of the keys, a system control unit for executing a control processing according to the processing mode inputted from the operating unit, an image processing unit for executing a specified image processing to the image data according to a control signal from the system control unit, and an image display unit for switchably displaying image data prior to and after processing outputted from the image processing unit.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium, comprising:

operating means for displaying a mode setting key screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode according to a key selection on said mode setting key screen;

system controlling means for executing control processing according to the inputted processing mode;

image processing means for executing specified image processing to said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means; and

image display means for switchable displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said image processing means prior to and after processing, respectively;

wherein said image processing means identifies and said operating means displays discretely a character section, a halftone section, and a photograph section, and displays a select key corresponding to each discrete area onto said operating means.

2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing means executes correction for the area according to an instruction by the select key outputted and displayed on said image display means.

3. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium, comprising:

operating means for displaying a mode setting key screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode according to a key selection on said mode setting key screen;

system controlling means for executing control processing according to the inputted processing mode;

image processing means for executing specified image processing to said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means, wherein the image processing means includes a plurality of image processing blocks;

a select circuit for fetching data inputted to and outputted from each of the plurality of image processing blocks and outputting image data; and

image display means for simultaneously displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said select circuit prior to and after processing respectively.

4. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image processing means switchably displays image data, corresponding to the same document image, prior to and after processing, respectively, on the same image display means.

5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting parameters for scanner γ

-correction (γ

-correction for each of R, G, and B data) and said image processing means executes image processing form said image data when the select key is selected.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting parameters for printer γ

-correction (γ

-correction for each of M, C, Bk data) and said image processing means executes image processing for said image data according to selection of said select key.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting processing or editorial works including inclination, shadowing, mirroring, inside-blanking, and coloring and said image processing means executes image processing for said image data according to selection of said select key.

8. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein image data is displayed in a row on the same image display means once for a plurality of reading operations.

9. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein image data prior to and after processing is displayed on the same image display means once for each reading operation.

10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an image is synthesized and displayed on said image display means once for a plurality of reading operations.

11. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein any portion of a document image is synthesized and displayed on said image displaying means according to a reading operation.

12. An image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image processing means comprises a plurality of serially connected image processing units.

13. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium, comprising:

operating means for displaying a mode setting key screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode by selecting a key on said mode setting key screen;

system controlling means for executing control processing according to the inputted processing mode;

image processing means for executing specified image processing to said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means; and

image display means for switchable displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said image processing means prior to and after processing, respectively;

wherein said image processing means has a plurality of image processing blocks and displays image data prior to and after processing from each image processing block onto said image display means;

wherein said image processing means identifies and said operating means displays a character section, a half tone section, and a photograph section discretely, and displays a select key corresponding to each discrete area onto said operating means.

14. An image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said image processing means executes correction for the area according to an instruction by the select key outputted and displayed on said image display means.

15. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium, comprising:

operating means for displaying a mode setting key screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode by selecting a key on said mode selecting key screen;

system controlling means for executing a control processing according to the inputted processing mode;

image processing means for executing specified image processing to said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means; and

image display means for simultaneously displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said image processing means prior to and after processing, respectively;

wherein said image display means comprises processing means for providing control over operations for image data on a display screen, a storage section and a converting section;

the converting section for converting image data to display data and storing the display data in the storage section for output to the display screen, and

the image display means for processing the stored display data according to an instruction from the processing means for output to the display screen and for storing the instruction in the storing section for output to the system controlling means, wherein the system controlling means provides control of image processing by the image processing means according to the transmitted instruction.

16. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said image processing means displays image data, corresponding to the same document image, prior to and after processing, respectively, on the same image display means.

17. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting parameters for scanner γ

-correction (γ

-correction for each of R, G, and B data) and said image processing means executes image processing for said image data when the select key is selected.

18. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting parameters for printer γ

-correction (γ

-correction for each of M, C, Bk data) and said image processing means executes image processing for said image data when the select key is selected.

19. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said operating means displays a select key for selecting processing or editorial works including inclination, shadowing, mirroring, inside-blanking, and coloring and said image processing means executes image processing for said image data when the select key is selected.

20. An image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein image data prior to and after processing is displayed on the same image displayed means once for each reading operation.

21. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium comprising:

operating means for displaying a mode setting key screen for obtaining a desired image and inputting a processing mode by selecting a key on said mode selecting key screen;

system controlling means for executing a control processing according to the inputted processing mode;

image processing means for executing specified image processing to said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means; and

image display means for switchable displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said image processing means prior to and after processing, respectively;

wherein said image display means has display section processing means for providing control over operations for image data on a display screen, sends an instruction from said display section processing means via said system controlling means to said image processing means, and said image processing means executes image processing according to said instruction; and

wherein said image processing means identifies and displays discretely each of a character section, a halftone section, and a photograph section, and displays a select key corresponding to each discrete area onto said operating means.

22. An image forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said image processing means executes correction for the area according to an instruction by the select key outputted and displayed on said image display means.

23. An image forming apparatus for optically reading a document image, executing specified processing to the digitized image data of said image, and forming the image on a recording medium, comprising:

operating means comprising a scanner γ

-correction key for selecting density correction for read image data, a printer γ

-correction key for selecting density correction for outputted image data, an automatic image separating key for automatically and discretely processing a character section, a photograph section, a halftone section of read image data, and a processing/editing key for selecting processing and editorial works;

system controlling means for executing control processing according to a key input from said operating means;

image processing means for executing specified image processing corresponding to said key input of said image data according to a control signal from said system controlling means; and

image display means for simultaneously displaying image data, corresponding to the same document image, outputted from said image processing means prior to and after processing, respectively.

24. An image forming apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said operating means comprises a create/edit key for executing processing including inclination, mirroring, shadowing, and inside-blanking when the processing/editing key is pressed down, and a color processing key for executing processing including color conversion, deletion of a specified color, and under color when the processing/edit key is pressed down.