Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Character generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-28
2001-12-11
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2676)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Character generating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329993
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a character processing apparatus and a character processing method respectively for generating the output pattern of a character if the character specified by a character code is output for example and a record medium recording a character processing program for instructing a computer to execute the processing of the character.
Heretofore, a character processing apparatus which
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generates a pattern of two-dimensional arrangement in a document image based upon character data showing outline thereof if the document image composed of a character including a mark and others is output to an output device such as a printer and a display is known. Such a character processing apparatus extracts character data specified by a character code of a character to be output from stored location thereof, generates a pattern in a format such as a bit map according to the resolution of an output device and temporarily stores the generated pattern in a storage area to use it when a document image is generated (synthesized).
The more patterns are stored in a storage area, the more processing speed when a document image is generated is enhanced. However, a storage area is limited though the size of the storage area differs depending upon the configuration of an individual processing apparatus and others. Thus, to store more patterns in a storage area, a generated pattern is compressed.
However, as processing for expanding a compressed pattern is required to obtain a desired pattern when a document image is generated though many generated patterns can be stored in a storage area according to a method for compressing and storing a pattern, there is a case that processing speed when a document image is generated is not greatly enhanced as a result.
As one of techniques for solving such processing speed, technique disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 7-44539 can be given. To explain the technique, first, when a generated pattern is stored, a pattern frequently used in a generated document image is not compressed, while a pattern seldom used is compressed and second, when a document image is generated, expanding processing is executed only if a desired pattern is compressed. Hereby, many patterns can be stored in a storage area and when a document image is generated, time required for extracting a desired pattern is reduced.
However, according to such prior art, for a frequently-used character pattern, though it can be processed at high speed, it requires a large storage area because it is not compressed. In the meantime, for a character pattern seldom used, though it does not require a large storage area, compression processing is required when the pattern is stored and further, expansion processing is required when a document image is generated.
Therefore, in view of processing from the generation of a pattern to the generation of a document image, it is conceivable that the improvement of processing speed, the reduction of an occupied storage area and others cannot be expected so much.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in view of the above problems and the object is to provide a character processing apparatus and a character processing method wherein if a character specified by a character code is output, processing requiring time such as compression/expression processing is not required and further, the speedup of the whole processing from the generation of a pattern to the generation of a document image and the reduction of a storage area occupied by a character pattern are enabled, and a record medium recording a character processing program for instructing a computer to execute character processing thereof.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, pattern format selecting means for selecting a pattern format based upon the data of a character to be output, pattern generating means enabling the generation of a character pattern in plural pattern formats for generating a character pattern based upon the data of the character to be output in the pattern format selected by the above pattern format selecting means, pattern storing means for storing the character pattern generated by the above pattern generating means together with format information showing the pattern format and conversion means for converting the character pattern corresponding to the above format information and stored in the above pattern storing means to a format required in the generation of an image if the format information shows that the format is a format required to be converted are provided.
According to the present invention, a character pattern is generated and stored in a pattern format selected based upon the data of a character to be output, while if the character pattern is in a format requiring conversion, the character pattern is converted to a format required in the generation of a document image.
For a criterion of selecting a pattern format to use for generation, the output size of a character to be output is conceivable. The reason is that a storage area required to store a pattern differs depending upon the size of a character. For example, in the case of a bit map format, a larger storage area is required in proportion to the square of size, however, in the case of the other pattern formats such as an edge list format, a large storage area is not required, compared with the bit map format. Therefore, when a character pattern is generated in a bit map format if size thereof is small and in a another pattern format if the size is large, a storage area can be reduced.
Also, at this time, if threshold-line size information is beforehand added to character data and a pattern format is selected based upon whether output size exceeds size information or nor, a desirable result is obtained.
Further, if an area in which a character pattern is stored is estimated and as a result of the estimate, a pattern format the storage area of which is the smallest is selected, a desirable result is further obtained. A case that the above estimate is made every character data one by one before a character pattern is generated and a case that the above estimate is collectively made for character data to some extent are conceivable.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5099435 (1992-03-01), Collins et al.
patent: 5959635 (1999-09-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 6016155 (2000-01-01), Hiraike
patent: 6061070 (2000-05-01), Sugaya
patent: 54-053835A (1979-04-01), None
patent: A-7-44539 (1995-02-01), None
Brier Jeffery
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Good-Johnson Motilewa
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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