Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Character generating
Reexamination Certificate
1994-01-24
2001-10-30
Mengistu, Amare (Department: 2073)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Character generating
C345S472000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310624
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, wherein reference character data are defined as a coordinate point array on a stroke or edge, these coordinate points are developed into character pattern data corresponding to a designated character size, and the developed character pattern data is output.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional character pattern generator for receiving a character code and generating a character pattern corresponding to the input character code, character pattern data of each size is stored in a bit map font format, and dot pattern data corresponding to an input character code is read out and is used to display and print out data. When font data is stored in such a dot pattern format, character patterns of all sizes for each character pattern must be stored, and the required capacity of a font memory is greatly increased. A printer, a display unit, and the like capable of generating character patterns having various sizes are available in which font data representing a so-called vector or outline font capable of generating character patterns having free sizes ranging from a large size to a small size for each alphabetic character can be stored.
The most important advantage of the so-called vector, outline or scalable font is that characters having free sizes ranging from a small size to a large size can be generated for each alphabetic character, as described above. However, when a character pattern having a small size is to be generated, this character pattern is deformed, and readability of the character is degraded. This is mainly because an area for displaying and outputting the character is small, and line segments constituting the character contact each other. This phenomenon typically occurs in multi-stroke kanji characters such as “
,
,
,
,
,
, and
”. No countermeasures are taken for this “deformation” phenomenon in conventional printers and display units.
Even in a most advanced conventional device, font data designed to prevent this “deformation” phenomenon is prepared in advance. When pattern data of a given character expected to cause the “deformation” phenomenon is to be generated, the prepared font data is used to develop the corresponding character into a pattern. This arrangement, however, requires a memory for storing special font data. It is not economical to prepare these font data for all characters for small character patterns which may cause the “deformation” phenomenon.
The most important factor in the field of printing is readability, i.e., an easy-to-read printed document. For example, when characters are arranged to compose a sentence by using characters each of which has a face of a character designed to fully extend within a character frame and which has a predetermined relationship between the character size and the character face size, no problem is posed by a relatively large character size of 16 points or more. However, when the character size is decreased, adjacent characters adversely affect each other and become contiguous with each other, thereby greatly degrading readability of the character arrangement. To the contrary, when a character having a face designed to be smaller than a body frame in advance is used, the “deformation” phenomenon of the character arrangement using a smaller point can be prevented. However, a character arrangement having a large character size looks sparse, thus degrading readability.
In a character pattern generator using the outline or vector font described above, since a relationship between the character size and the character face size is predetermined regardless of different output sizes, a character having a small size is difficult to read.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, wherein when character patterns having various sizes are to be output, parameter data are multiplied with size data to output character patterns having optimal sizes for character arrangements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, wherein when a character pattern having a specific size is to be generated, the width of a line segment constituting this character pattern is adjusted to suppress a character “deformation” phenomenon, thereby outputting an easy-to-read character pattern.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, the apparatus for storing reference character font data as a coordinate point array on a character stroke or edge and generating character pattern data corresponding to an input character code on the basis of the character font data, comprising memory means for storing parameter data in correspondence with types of characters and/or character size data, means for converting the character size date in accordance with the parameter data, and pattern developing means for reading out the font data corresponding to the input character code and developing the readout font data into pattern data having the character size converted by the converting means.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, the apparatus for storing reference character font data as a coordinate point array on a character stroke or edge and generating character pattern data corresponding to an input character code on the basis of the character font data, comprising memory means for storing density data in correspondence with types of characters and/or character size data, pattern developing means for reading out the font data corresponding to the input character code and developing the readout font data into pattern data having a designated character size, and line segment width adjusting means for changing, on the basis of the density data, a line segment width of a character pattern-developed by the pattern developing means.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, the method comprising the steps of storing parameter data in correspondence to a type of character and/or character size data, converting designated character size data in accordance with the parameter data, reading out font data corresponding to an input character code, and developing the readout font data into pattern data having a converted character size.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating a character pattern, the method comprising the steps of storing density data in correspondence with a type of character and/or character size data, reading out font data corresponding to an input character code, and changing a line segment width of a character developed by the pattern data having the designated character size.
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“Vector Character Fonts in an All-Points-Addressable Printer”, in I.B.M. Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 28, No. 11 (4/86).
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Mengistu Amare
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