Image processing method and apparatus and storage medium storing processes of executing the method

• US 6,549,654 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1999
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumada, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K.
• Application Number:
  US09/296,303
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162-167, 382/112, 382/305, 358/512-528, 358/449-451, 345/418, 345/589, 345/590, 345/604, 348/661, 356/405
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/025 Simulating output on another printing arrangement, e.g. proof output matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers H04N1/6052
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 Colour printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

An image processing apparatus having a discriminating unit for discriminating a data type of a color document and a selecting unit for selecting an output device for outputting the color document from a plurality of output devices in accordance with a discrimination result by the discriminating unit and color reproduction range information of output devices. An optimum output device can be selected from a plurality of output devices, while taking into consideration the color reproduction ability of each output device with respect to the data type of each color document.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

discriminating means for discriminating an image type of a color document; and

selecting means for automatically selecting an output device for outputting the color image from among a plurality of output devices on the basis of a discrimination result obtained by said discriminating means and color gamut information of the plurality of output devices.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said discriminating means discriminates whether or not the color document contains only an image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting means for setting whether or not importance is attached to an image, in accordance with a user'"'"'s manual instruction; and

extracting means for extracting an image included in the color document if said setting means attaches importance to an image,

wherein said selecting means selects an output device for outputting a color image, in accordance with the extracted image and the color gamut information of the plurality of output devices.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color gamut information is written in profiles of the output devices.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said selecting means has a gamut check function of discriminating whether a subject color is in the color gamut, and wherein the gamut check function executing a gamut check process by using a gamut checking method corresponding to the discriminated image type.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting the plurality of output devices in accordance with a user instruction.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein driver software corresponding to the output device selected by said selecting means is activated to perform an image forming process.

8. An image processing method comprising:

a discriminating step, of discriminating an image type of a color document; and

a selecting step, of automatically selecting an output device for outputting the color document from among a plurality of output devices on the basis of a discrimination result obtained in said discriminating step and color gamut information of the plurality of output devices.

9. A storage medium for storing an image processing program, the image processing program comprising:

a discriminating function of automatically discriminating an image type of a color document; and

a selecting function of selecting an output device for outputting the color document from among a plurality of output devices on the basis of a discrimination result obtained with said discriminating function and color gamut information of the plurality of output devices.

10. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting color gamut information of a subject output device;

inputting color gamut information of a plurality of output devices different from the subject output device; and

automatically selecting an output device for performing a proof for the subject output device from the plurality of output devices, on the basis of the color gamut information of the subject output device and the color gamut information of the plurality of output devices.

11. An image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the color reproduction range information is stored in a multi-dimensional table, and wherein the number of grids of a multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the plurality of output devices is converted according to the number of grids of a multi-dimensional table indicating the color gamut information of the subject output device.

12. An image processing method according to claim 11, wherein an output device for performing a proof for the subject output device is automatically selected by comparing the number of grids indicating an inside of a color gamut of the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the subject output device with the number of grids indicating an inside of a color gamut included in the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of each of the plurality of output devices.

13. An image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the color gamut information is stored in a profile to be used by a color matching process.

14. An image processing method according to claim 10, wherein the subject output device and the plurality of output devices are network printers.

15. An image processing method according to claim 10, wherein a user is notified if a high precision proof is not possible.

16. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting a multi-dimensional table representing color gamut information of a first device and a multi-dimensional table representing color gamut information of a second device; and

comparing a color gamut of the first device with a color gamut of the second device by matching the number of grids of the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the first device and the number of grids of the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the second device.

17. An image processing apparatus comprising:

inputting means for inputting color gamut information of a subject output device and color gamut information of a plurality of output devices different from the subject output device; and

selecting means for automatically selecting an output device for performing a proof for the subject output device from among the plurality of output devices, on the basis of the color gamut information of the subject output device and the color gamut information of each of the plurality of color output devices.

18. A computer readable storage medium storing a program, the program comprising the steps of:

inputting color gamut information of a subject output device and color gamut information of a plurality of output devices different from the subject output device; and

selecting automatically an output device for performing a proof for the subject output device from among the plurality of output devices, on the basis of the color gamut information of the subject output device and the color gamut information of each of the plurality of color output devices.

19. A memory medium storing computer-executable code for effecting performance of an image processing method that comprises the steps of:

inputting a multi-dimensional table representing color gamut information of a first device and a multi-dimensional table representing color gamut information of a second device; and

comparing a color reproduction range of the first device with a color gamut of the second device by matching the number of grids of the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the first device and the number of grids of the multi-dimensional table representing the color gamut information of the second device.