Image processing system which forms two-color images

• US 6,462,834 B1
• Filed: 02/05/1998
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Hiroyuki, Adachi, Hideki, Nozaki, Tetsuya, Hirooka, Kazuhiko, Yamamoto, Masahito, Suzuki, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VINH THI
• Application Number:
  US09/019,194
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 358/518, 358/520, 358/515, 358/523, 358/529, 358/538, 358/539, 358/540, 358/1.9, 358/1.1, 358/1.15, 358/434, 382/162, 382/163, 382/167
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/60 Colour correction or control H04N1/54 takes precedence

Abstract

The color determination circuit 308 detects hue of the color image information, and the controller 205 decides a color component to be separated (separation color) in accordance with the detected hue. Output color by the printer 204 is set in correspondence with the separation color. The two-color-separating circuit 303 separates the color image information into image information on at least two color components in accordance with the decided separation colors. The separated image information on the each color is transmitted to the printer 204 via printer density correction circuits 304 and 305, and a buffer 306. Thereby it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus capable of setting and changing the separation color and the output color by automatic operation or by simple manual operation, thus the expression of the image forming can be improved.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for separating two-color component data from input color image information which represents a full color image, comprising:

color determination means for counting frequencies of red, green and blue colors included in the full color image, and selecting a color from the colors in correspondence with comparison between the counted frequencies;

separating means for separating color component data corresponding to the selected color and black color component data from the color image information;

deciding means for deciding two-output colors; and

output means for outputting the selected color component data and the black color component data separated by said separating means to an image forming apparatus which forms a two-color image on a recording medium using two color recording materials corresponding to the two-output colors.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means separates the color component data from the color image information by performing a linear operation using predetermined angle data.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising designating means for designating an area of the full color image,

wherein said color determination means performs the count in the designated area.

3. An image processing apparatus for separating two-color component data from input color image information which represents a full color image, comprising:

first designating means for designating a color component to be separated from the color image information in accordance with an instruction of a user;

second designating means for designating a type of color recording material for use by an image forming apparatus corresponding to the designated color component in accordance with the instruction;

separating means for separating the two-color component data from the color image information based on the designated color component; and

output means for outputting the two-color component data as image data for the designated type to the image forming apparatus which forms a two-color image on a recording medium using two color recording materials.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said separating means separates the two-color component data from the color image information by performing a linear operation using predetermined angle data.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the two-color component data includes black component data.

7. An image processing method for separating two-color component data from input color image information which represents a full color image, comprising the steps of:

counting frequencies of red, green and glue colors included in the full color image;

selecting a color from the colors in correspondence with comparison between the counted frequencies;

separating color component data corresponding to the selected color and black color component data from the color image information;

deciding two-output colors; and

outputting the selected color component data and the black color component data separated in the separating step to an image forming apparatus which forms a two-color image on a recording medium using two color recording materials corresponding to the two-output colors.

8. An image processing method for separating two-color component data from color image information which represents a full color image, comprising the steps of:

designating a color component to be separated from the color image information in accordance with an instruction of a user;

designating a type of color recording material for use by an image forming apparatus corresponding to the designated color component in accordance with the instruction;

separating two-color component data from the color image information based on the designated color component; and

outputting the two-color component data as image data for the designated type to the image forming apparatus which forms a two-color image on a recording medium using two color recording materials.