Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of image placement or content
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2002-12-24
Wallerson, Mark (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of image placement or content
C358S001140, C358S515000, C358S517000, C345S418000, C400S615200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06498659
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and device for laying out a plurality of lines of character string images comprised of images of characters, such as letters and symbols, in a desired layout range, to obtain a print image for printing on a tape to form a label or the like and a stamp image for engraving on the stamping face of a stamp.
2. Prior Art
In word processors and the like, there have been conventionally employed a technique called “line appearance modification” for laying out characters of a character string within a range defined by the width of a printing paper or a range (layout range) designated by ruled lines. Typical methods of the line appearance modification are “uniform layout” for arranging character images on each line at equal space intervals of space, “left end alignment” for aligning the left end of each line, “right end alignment” for aligning the right end of each line, and “center alignment” (centering) for aligning the center of each line.
The layout methods of the above mentioned kinds used in the word processors and the like can be also applied to a stamp making method to lay out stamp images with reference to a predetermined size of the stamping face of each stamp. Similarly, these layout methods can be applied to a tape printing apparatus, for arranging print images with reference to a length of fixed length printing set by the user. On the other hand, for the tape printing apparatus, there has also been proposed a method of the line appearance modification which determines a layout range therefor with reference to the longest line of a plurality of lines of character strings when the fixed length printing is not carried out (see FIG.
34
).
In the tape printing apparatus, however, there is a case where a particular one of a plurality of lines, such as a line of a menu title or a name of a person or firm in a label, is desired to be made conspicuous. However, when such a particular line is not the longest one, the line cannot be made conspicuous so long as the line appearance modification is carried out with reference to the longest line.
Further, in order to make a line of interest conspicuous in the cases of a layout range being determined with reference to the length of fixed length printing set in advance, it is required to take into account the layout, the arrangement, and the scale up/down ratio not only of the line of interest but also of the other lines. Conventionally, manual calculation has been only means for obtaining values of settings for realizing them, which requires troublesome and time-consuming operations.
The second-mentioned problems concerning the fixed length printing are commonly encountered by a stamp making apparatus. In the case of the stamp making apparatus, the stamping face of a stamp has a predetermined limited size and the number of characters on each line is small. For this reason, a line desired to be particularly conspicuous and a line desired to be inconspicuous can be much more different in layout from each other, which presents a critical problem to the stamp making apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a character image layout method and device which is capable of laying out character images through simple operations by setting a desired one of a plurality of lines of character string images to a reference line.
To attain the object, according a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of laying out character images by carrying out layout processing on n lines (2≦n≦m) out of m lines (m≧2) of character string images,
the method comprising the steps of:
selecting a desired one of the n lines of character string images as a reference line;
carrying out the layout processing on the n lines of character string images in a manner such that the n lines of character string images are laid out to a layout range defined as a predetermined range of length of the reference line; and
carrying out scale-down processing on a character string image of any of the n lines in a manner such that the character string mage is reduced to be adapted in size to the layout range, if a length of the character string image of the any of the n lines of character string images is longer than a length of the layout range.
To attain the above object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a character image layout device for laying out character images by carrying out layout processing on n lines (2≦n≦m) out of m lines (m≧2) of character string images,
the character image layout device comprising:
a reference line-selecting section for selecting a desired one of the n lines of character string images as a reference line;
a layout section for carrying out the layout processing on the n lines of character string images in a manner such that the n lines of character string images are laid out to a layout range defined as a predetermined range of length of the reference line; and
a scale-down processing section for carrying out scale-down processing on a character string image of any of the n lines in a manner such that the character string mage is reduced to be adapted in size to the layout range, if a length of the character string image of the any of the n lines of character string images is longer than a length of the layout range.
According to the above character image layout method and device, n lines (2≦n≦m) out of m lines of character string images (m≧2) are designated as lines to be laid out, and a desired line is selected from the n lines as a reference line for carrying out a character image layout operation to set the range of a full length of a character string image on the reference line to a layout range, whereby each character string image on the other lines is laid out within the layout range. In this process, if the length of a character string image on any of the lines to be laid out is longer than the length of the layout range, character images on the line are reduced in size to lay out the resulting character images within the layout range.
That is, since a line of interest can be selected as a reference line, and at the same time, character images on a line longer than the reference line are reduced in size, each character image on the reference line can be made conspicuous than the character images on the longer lines. Further, the user is only required to select the reference line to carry out the above processes, and hence it is possible to lay out character string images in a desired layout range by the simple operation.
Preferably, the method includes the step of designating a range of length of an image of at least one character on the reference line as the layout range.
Preferably, the character image layout device includes a layout range-designating section for designating a range of length of an image of at least one character on the reference line as the layout range.
According to these preferred embodiments, n lines (2≦n≦m) out of m lines of character string images (m≧2) are designated as lines to be laid out, and a desired one of the n lines is selected as a reference line for carrying out a character image layout operation, similarly to the above. Typically, however, not the full length of the reference line but a range of a length of part of the character string image on the reference line is designated as a layout range, and each character string image on the other lines is laid out within the layout range.
That is, not the whole reference line but part thereof is designated as a layout range for layout of the other lines, whereby it is possible to make a line of interest (reference line) more conspicuous and lay out or arrange character string images in various manners, without spoiling the simplicity of the layout operation. If the apparatus is configured such that this method and the method of designating the whole of a reference line as a layout range can be employed in combination, the apparatus further enables the user to lay o
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Lamb Twyler
Seiko Epson Corporation
Wallerson Mark
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