Image processing apparatus and method

• US 6,430,311 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1998
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumada, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERALI, ISHRAT I
• Application Number:
  US09/015,324
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/167, 358/518, 358/1.1, 358/1.6, 358/1.15, 358/504-505, 358/523, 358/500, 358/468, 358/1.9, 358/442, 358/444, 358/404, 395/118, 707/528, 345/431, 345/418, 345/153-155, 345/619, 345/603, 345/589, 345/604
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method which perform a color matching process in a networked system using a profile storage for storing a plurality of profiles corresponding to devices, an image data base for storing a plurality of image files corresponding to images, color process module storage for storing a color process module, a communicator for communicating with a network client through a network, wherein the image data representing an image stored in the image data base, the color process module and a profile stored in the profile storage means are down-loaded to the network client through the communicator in accordance with a demand by the network client.

Claims

1. A network server comprising:

a profile memory storing a plurality of profiles corresponding to devices;

an image data base memory storing a plurality of image files corresponding to images;

a color process module memory storing a color process module;

a communication circuit adapted for communicating with a network client through a network, wherein image data representing an image stored in said image data base memory, said color process module, and a profile stored in said profile memory are down-loaded to the network client through the network, and wherein the network client performs color matching processing on the down-loaded image data using the down-loaded profile and the down-loaded color process module; and

a color matching process circuit adapted for performing the color matching processing on the image data by using a profile corresponding to an image forming apparatus and a source profile added to the image file, wherein, when the network client demands image forming processing, said color matching process circuit performs the color matching processing and said communication circuit sends the color matching processed image data to an image forming unit in order to form an image from the color matching processed image data.

2. A network server according to claim 1, wherein, when the source profile is not added to the image file, the color matching processing for the image forming processing is performed by using a profile corresponding to a monitor of the network client as the source profile.

3. An image processing method used in a network system, which comprises a network server, a network client, and a network printer, said method comprising the steps of:

when a color matching result is confirmed at the network client;

sending low-resolution data in an image file to the network client by the network server; and

performing color matching processing on the low-resolution data by the network client, and displaying a result of the color matching processing on a monitor of the network client, and

when image forming is performed by the network printer;

performing color matching processing on high-resolution data in the image file at the network server using a profile corresponding to an image forming apparatus and a source profile added to the image file; and

sending the color matching processed high-resolution data to the network printer by the network server,

wherein, when the network client demands image forming processing by the network printer, said color matching processing step performs the color matching processing and the color matching processed image data is sent to an image forming unit in order to form an image from the color matching processed image data.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the color matching processing is performed using a color management module and a device profile.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein a resolution of the low-resolution data is close to a resolution of the monitor.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein a resolution of the high-resolution data is close to a resolution of the network printer.

7. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied in the medium for implementing a method of using a network server, said computer program product including:

computer-readable program code for storing a plurality of profiles corresponding to devices in a profile memory;

computer-readable program code for storing a plurality of image files corresponding to images in an image data base memory;

computer-readable program code for storing a color process module in a color process module memory;

computer-readable program code for communicating with a network client through a network, wherein image data representing an image stored in the image data base, the color process module, and a profile stored in the profile memory are down-loaded to the network client through the network, and wherein the network client performs color matching processing on the down-loaded image data using the down-loaded profile and the down-loaded color process module; and

computer-readable program code for performing color matching processing on the image data by using a profile corresponding to an image forming apparatus and a source profile added to the image file, wherein, when the network client demands image forming processing, the color matching processing is performed and the color matching processed image data is sent to an image forming unit in order to form an image from the color matching processed image data.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied in the medium for implementing a method of using a network system, which comprises a network server, a network client, and a network printer, said computer program product including:

computer-readable program code for sending low-resolution data in an image file to the network client by the network server;

computer-readable program code for performing color matching processing on the low-resolution data by the network client, and displaying a result of the color matching processing on a monitor of the network client when a color matching result is confirmed at the network client; and

computer-readable program code for performing color matching processing on high-resolution data in the image file, and sending the color matching processed high-resolution data to the network printer by the network server when image forming is performed by the network printer,

wherein the color matching processing is performed on image data using a profile corresponding to an image forming apparatus and a source profile added to the image file, and

wherein, when the network client demands image forming processing, the color matching processing is performed and the color matching processed image data is sent to an image forming unit in order to form an image from the color matching processed image data.

9. A network server comprising:

a profile memory storing a plurality of profiles corresponding to devices;

an image database memory storing a plurality of image files corresponding to images, each of the plurality of image files including image data of a different resolution, respectively, for a same image;

a color process module memory storing a color process module;

a communication unit adapted for communicating with a network client and a printer through a network; and

a color matching processing unit adapted for performing color matching processing using the color process module and a profile of a device stored in said profile memory,

wherein image data having a first resolution stored in said image database memory, the color process module, and the profile of the device stored in said profile memory are downloaded to the network client through the network,

wherein the network client performs color matching processing on the downloaded image data using the downloaded profile and the downloaded color process module, and displays a resulting color matching processed image,

wherein color matching processing is performed on image data having a second resolution stored in said image database memory using the color process module and the profile of the device stored in said profile memory by said color matching processing unit, and

wherein the first resolution is lower than the second resolution.