Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Character or font
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2003-07-01
Evans, Arthur G. (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Character or font
C358S001130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06587216
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and device for forming part or a whole of a whole image by converting character codes of characters, such as letters, numerals, and simple figure, to data of character images representative of the characters, based on a predetermined font, and properly arranging the data.
2. Prior Art
Generally, to print or display an image of characters, such as letters, numerals, symbols, simple figures, etc., or a character string formed by arranging the characters, it is required to read out font data corresponding to the text data (character code) of each character from a ROM or the like storing predetermined font data, and then, based on the font data, convert the character code to data representative of a character image and arrange the data of the character image in a predetermined area of a memory, thereby forming print image data or display image data as whole image data representative of the whole image.
As fonts (font data) for converting character codes to data of character images, there have been conventionally employed a dot font in which each character image is represented by a set of pixels (dots) in a manner defined by a dot matrix (bitmap font) of a predetermined size, and an outline font in which each character image is defined by the coordinates of several reference points for forming contour lines of the image, the attributes of lines (straight lines or curves) connecting the reference points to each other, etc.
The dot font provides images of characters fixed in size, and hence to print characters (character images) having various sizes in a clear and attractive manner, it is required to store font data suitable for each of the sizes for use, which necessitates a very large memory capacity. To enlarge each character image, i.e. to form an enlarged image, by using only dot font data of a predetermined size, it is required to replace one image pixel of each original character image by a plurality of image pixels. On the other hand, in forming a reduced image, image pixels have to be thinned.
In these cases, curved portions of the resulting character images are jagged, and to remove jaggedness from them, there is carried out a replacement process, in which blank pixels and image pixels at the curved portions are replaced by each other in a manner adjusted to the original curve such that the curved portion is smoothed. That is, so-called smoothing has to be carried out. However, the smoothing is complicated processing, and it is difficult to form a neater image than an image formed based on the outline font discussed hereafter.
The outline font provides character images each defined by the coordinates and attributes of contour lines thereof. Hence, the dot matrix of a character image having a desired size can be determined simply by converting the character code to image data corresponding thereto according to the desired size. That is, the font data as reference is expanded or reduced in size by calculation during the conversion of the character code, so that a clear enlarged or reduced image can be formed by converting the character code of the original character image and arranging the updated character image according to the expanded or reduced size of the same.
Therefore, when a character image is enlarged or reduced to display or print the same, i.e. when the enlarging/reducing processing of a display image or a print image is required, outline fonts are generally used. Further, display devices and printing apparatuses necessitating the above processing are generally provided with a ROM or the like for storing outline fonts.
However, when character images are displayed or printed, it can be preferable to form a partial image (part of the whole of the character images), e.g. when only part of character images can be displayed due to a limited area of the display screen or limited printing area of the printing object, or when it is desired to intentionally display or print part of the original character image (partial image) by enlarging/reducing the same, or when a combined image is desired to be formed by combining a plurality of character images.
In such cases, when the apparatus employs the conventional enlarging/reducing method, it is required to form a whole image in a dot matrix larger or smaller in size than the original image, and then cut out part of the whole image in the form of a smaller dot matrix. This necessitates an extra capacity of the memory for an unused portion of the whole image. For instance, when a combined image is desired to be formed from portions of a plurality of character images, all of the character images are formed by conversion from their character codes, and a required portion of each character image is extracted and arranged within an area for the combined image. This requires a markedly increased capacity of memory.
This inconvenience imposes limitations on the functions and performance of an inexpensive and small-sized apparatus, such as a tape printing apparatus and a stamp image-forming apparatus, which is provided with a display device and printing device as described above. On the other hand, it is the small-sized apparatus of this kind that requires the function of forming a partial image due to limited area of the display screen and limited printing area of a printing object.
Further, if the original character image is in a dot matrix, to enlarge/reduce part of the same, it is only required to cut out (extract) a required portion from the original character image as data in a dot matrix, and carry out the same enlarging/reducing processing as carried out when the whole image is enlarged/reduced in size.
Therefore, in the case of small-sized apparatuses which makes use of the outline font in normal display or printing, especially when a partial image of an enlarged image is formed, a whole image of each character image which can be displayed by the capacity of memory is formed first, and then cut out (extract) and enlarge part of the whole image. Further, in forming a combined image, the forming of a whole image and extraction of a required portion thereof is executed sequentially on each of all of the character images to store only a required portion of each whole image, so as to reduce the capacity of memory necessitated at one time.
However, in these cases, as described above, the smoothing of a curved portion becomes required. This makes the overall processing complicated, and what is worse, enlarged images and combined images thus produced are less attractive in appearance than when the outline font is utilized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an image-forming method and device which is capable of forming part or a whole of a whole image comprised of at least one character image formed by converting respective character code(s) to image data and arranging the image data, as an attractive image while saving or reducing the capacity of memory.
To attain the above object, according a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of forming an image, comprising the steps of:
defining a plurality of conversion modes to be selectively employed for converting character codes to character image data items each representative of a character image based on an outline font, the conversion modes including at least one partial conversion mode for carrying out conversion of each of the character codes such that only a required portion of each of the character image data items corresponding to the each of the character codes is obtained when at least one of at least one fully-converting condition peculiar to each of the conversion modes is not fulfilled in converting the each of the character codes,
setting a selected one of the conversion modes to an actual conversion mode;
setting an image-forming range in a whole image represented by whole image data to be created by converting at least one character code to character image data and arranging the character image data; and
forming partial image data
Evans Arthur G.
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Seiko Epson Corporation
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