System for distributing and controlling color reproduction at multiple sites
DCFirst Claim
1. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at multiple sites wherein each of said sites has at least one color input or output device and said user interface is operable at a computer comprising:
- means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites;
means for enabling the production of information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of said different color devices to each other; and
means for defining user preferences for color reproduction by at least one of the color devices.
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Abstract
The system provides for controlling color reproduction of input color image data representing one or more pages or page constituents in a network having nodes (or sites). Each one of the nodes comprises at least one rendering device. The system distributes the input color image data from one of the nodes to other nodes, and provides a data structure (virtual proof) in the network. This data structure has components shared by the nodes and other components present only at each node. Next, the system has means for providing color calibration data at each node characterizing output colors (colorants) of the rendering device of the node, and means for producing at each node, responsive to the color calibration data of the rendering device of the node, information for transforming the input color image data into output color image data at the rendering device of the node. The information is then stored in the data structure in different ones of the shared and other components. Means are provided in the system for transforming at each node the input color image data into output color image data for the rendering device of the node responsive to the information in the data structure. The rendering device of each node renders a color reproduction of the page constituents responsive to the output color image data, wherein colors displayed in the reproduction at the rendering device of each node appear substantially the same within the output colors attainable by the rendering devices. The system further has means for verifying at each node that the information for the rendering device of the node properly transformed the input color image data into the output color image data, and means for revising the information stored in the data structure at the node responsive to results of the verifying means. Shared components of the data structure may also store color preferences selected by a user. The information producing means of the system may further operate responsive to both the color calibration data and the color preferences. The rendering devices in the system can provide color reproductions having three or four colorants, and may provide more than four output colors (color inks).
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at multiple sites wherein each of said sites has at least one color input or output device and said user interface is operable at a computer comprising:
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means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites; means for enabling the production of information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of said different color devices to each other; and means for defining user preferences for color reproduction by at least one of the color devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at multiple sites wherein each of said sites has at least one color input or output device and said user interface is operable at a computer comprising:
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means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites; means for enabling the production of information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of said different color devices to each other; and means for displaying characteristics of said color transformation at one or more sites. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for associating different image rendering devices with each other to define the color transformation of digital images between two or more rendering devices, comprising the steps of:
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producing a model relating different ones of said rendering devices to each other in which rendering devices having similar color rendering characteristics are grouped in a class; generating an object defining each said class; and sharing color transformation information between one or more rendering devices of each said class by inheritance.
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19. An apparatus for controlling color reproduction with improved color matching at multiple rendering devices comprising:
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a computer system representing a server having memory and a network interface, said computer system being capable of communicating with a plurality of sites through said network interface; and said memory stores information for transforming color image data for rendering devices at said sites, wherein said information is transforming comprises at least information relating to the color gamuts of said rendering devices, said information for transforming is modifiable responsive to user preference for color reproduction, and said information for transforming is accessible from said computer system by said sites or distributed by said computer system to said sites with or without the color image data. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An apparatus for controlling color reproduction by multiple rendering devices comprising:
a computer system connectable to a plurality of sites along a network for communication with said sites which produce information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for rendering devices at said sites such that colors produced by the rendering devices appear substantially the same within output colors attainable by the rendering devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises at least information relating the color gamuts of said rendering devices to one another, wherein said information for transforming comprises gamut operations that are reciprocal. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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31. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at multiple sites wherein each of said sites has at least one color input or output device and said user interface is operable at a computer comprising:
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means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites; and means for enabling the production of information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of said different color devices to each other, wherein said information for transforming comprises one or more gamut operations that are reciprocal.
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32. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at multiple sites wherein each of said sites has at least one color input or output device and said user interface is operable at a computer comprising:
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means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites; and means for enabling the production of information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of said different color devices to each other, wherein said means for enabling a user to select a plurality of sites and to connect said plurality of sites further comprises means for enabling a user to graphically configure the topology of the sites to select said sites for connection.
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33. A method for controlling color reproduction of digital color image data captured by a digital color input device comprising the steps of:
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providing information for interpreting said image data with respect to the relationships between color gamut of said input device and the color coordinate system of said image data; and storing said information to enable reproduction on a color rendering device which improves the match between the color gamut of said input device and color gamut of said color rendering device in accordance with one or more gamut operations in which at least one of said gamut operations is capable of being reciprocal.
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34. A method for providing control to a user for processing color images comprising the steps of:
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providing an interface operable at a computer through which the user is able to select a plurality of sites having one or more color input or output devices; communicating between said sites through a network interfaces at said sites; and providing information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating the color gamuts of different ones of said color devices to each other and user preferences for color reproduction for at least one of the color devices. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method for providing control to a user for processing color images comprising the steps of:
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providing an interface through which said user is able to select a plurality of sites having one or more color input or output devices; communicating between said sites through a network protocol; and providing information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for each of the color input or output devices at each of said plurality of sites such that colors produced by the color devices appear substantially the same within colors attainable by each of the devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises one or more gamut operations that are reciprocal. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A user interface for controlling color reproduction at one or more sites having color reproduction devices comprising:
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a display and pointing device enabling a user to select on said display at least one site different from the site where said user interface is operated, wherein said sites are capable of being remote from each other; a computer system coupled to said display and said pointing device; and a network interface through which said computer system communicates with said at least one different site information enabling at least one of proofing or simulation of color reproduction by at least one color reproduction device of another color reproduction device, in which the color reproduction devices are capable of being of different types or models, or have different colorants, and said display presents to said user one or more characteristics of said proofing or simulation of color reproduction, said characteristics comprising at least information related to the sites and said information enabling said proofing or simulation. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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51. A user interface for controlling color reproduction of an image at multiple sites comprising:
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a display capable of presenting graphical elements to a user; and a pointing device enabling said user to choose among graphical elements presented on said display for selecting at least one of different gamut operations upon said image, wherein at least one of said gamut operations is reciprocal and at least one of said color data or information defining the gamut operation is capable of being communicated between at least two of the sites.
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52. A method for providing control to a user for processing color images comprising the steps of:
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providing a user interface operable at a computer having a display through which said user is able to select a plurality of sites having one or more color input or output devices; communicating between said sites through network interfaces at said sites; providing information for transforming input color image data into output color image data for the color input or output devices at said plurality of sites to improve color matching of colors produced by the color devices, wherein said information for transforming comprises information relating color gamuts of said different color devices to each other; and outputting to said display one or more characteristics of said information for transforming at one or more sites. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method for controlling color reproduction between a color image input device and one or more color rendering devices comprising the steps of:
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converting said image into digital data represented in coordinates of a color space in which said converting provides scaling of the gamut of colors of said image according to one or more gamut operations, wherein at least one of said operations compresses said colors invertibly; storing information related to said scaling and said digital image data in memory such that said information and said digital image data are separable; saving at least one of default settings or user preferences for color reproduction with said stored information; and making said information and said settings or said user preferences available for the production of one or more color transformations useable by said one or more color rendering devices, wherein said color transformations are capable of expanding the gamut of colors of said digital image data reciprocally for improved color rendering. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
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Specification