Image processing apparatus and method for equalizing images outputted by different devices

• US 6,476,924 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1995
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.), United States Government As Represented By The Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Original Assignee: United States Government As Represented By The Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Inventors: Saito, Kazuhiro, Toda, Yukari, Sugiura, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): GARCIA, GABRIEL I
• Application Number:
  US08/522,456
• Time in Patent Office: 2,623 Days
• Field of Search: 395/101, 395/102, 395/109, 395/111, 395/112, 395/114, 395/117, 395/131, 395/331, 395/335, 395/570, 395/800, 382/162, 382/167, 382/164, 358/518, 358/448, 358/504, 345/1, 345/132, 345/150, 345/153, 345/154, 345/155, 399/28, 399/112, 399/184, 400/61
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1811 including high level document description only
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0014 Transforming the printer input data into internal codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 Colour printing

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to output a color-designated character code or line drawing to a visual image output device by efficiently and rapidly converting the character code or line drawing into color space data which depends on the visual image output device. To achieve this object, a code based on PDL is transmitted when document image data formed by, e.g., desk top publishing is output to a visual image output device such as a color printer. If the received code is a character or a graphic, R, G, and B color codes contained in the code are converted into Y, M, and C data. All significant bits of data, having one bit per dot, generated on the basis of the character code, are converted by the Y, M, and C data at once.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus which outputs an image via a first output device in accordance with image information, the image being color processed such that the image is matched to an image outputted via a second output device in accordance with the image information, said image processing apparatus comprising:

an inputting unit inputting color image information, including color data, described in a predetermined language;

an acquiring unit acquiring first characteristic data of the first output device and second characteristic data of the second output device from the first output device and the second output device;

a generating unit generating a color matching parameter based on said first and second characteristic data;

a color processor performing color processing on the color data using the color matching parameter to provide processed color data;

a developing unit developing the color image information into color image data for each pixel using the processed color data in accordance with control information for developing, included in the color image information described in the predetermined language; and

an outputting unit outputting the color image data to the first output device.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined language is a page description language.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first or second output device is a color printer.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first or second output device is a color monitor.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said color matching parameter is generated by combining the first characteristic data and the second characteristic data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic data of the first or second output device is a color reproducibility.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second characteristic data are received through a communication network.

8. An image processing method which outputs an image via a first output device in accordance with image information, the image being color processed such that the image is matched to an image outputted via a second output device in accordance with image information, said image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting color image information, including color data, described in a predetermined language;

acquiring first characteristic data of the first output device and second characteristic data of the second output device from the first output device and the second output device;

generating a color matching parameter based on said first and second characteristic data;

performing color processing on the color data using the color matching parameter to provide processed color data;

developing the color image information into color image data for each pixel using the processed color data in accordance with control information for developing, included in the color image information described in the predetermined language; and

outputting the color image data to the first output device.