Image Processing Apparatus Two-Color Character Highlighting

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional two-color print methods fail to effectively maintain the highlighting effect of both red and blue characters when converting documents into two-color outputs, as either the red characters become indistinguishable from black or the blue characters lose their highlighting effect due to inadequate color representation.

Innovation Solution

An image processing apparatus and method that determines the color of characters, converts chromatic colors into specific colors like red or blue, and achromatic colors into black, while processing either color or black characters to ensure the converted color characters remain noticeable compared to black characters, thereby maintaining highlighting effects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the first two-color print method is used to convert chromatic colors into red and achromatic colors into black, then red characters are highlighted effectively, but blue characters (and other non-red color characters) become indistinguishable from black characters

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehighlighting effect of red charactersVSAvoidcolor distinction between blue and black characters

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different conversion rules to different color characters based on their original color properties. Red characters are converted to red with thick painting to maintain highlighting, while blue and other non-red color characters are converted to black with thin painting to preserve their distinguishability from original black characters. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by treating different color types differently rather than applying a uniform conversion rule.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments color characters into different categories (red color characters, blue color characters, other color characters, and black characters) and applies specific processing to each segment. By dividing the color conversion process into distinct segments with different handling rules, the system maintains the highlighting effect for red characters while preserving the distinguishability of blue and other color characters from black characters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If the second two-color print method is used to convert color characters similar to red into red and other color characters into black, then blue characters remain distinguishable from black characters, but the highlighting effect of blue characters is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor distinction between blue and black charactersVSAvoidhighlighting effect of blue characters

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different conversion rules to different color characters based on their original color properties. Red characters are converted to red with thick painting to maintain highlighting, while blue and other non-red color characters are converted to black with thin painting to preserve their distinguishability from original black characters. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by treating different color types differently rather than applying a uniform conversion rule.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If color characters are converted precisely as they are in two-color output, then color accuracy is maintained, but the highlighting effect of color characters is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor representation accuracyVSAvoidhighlighting effect of color characters

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different conversion rules to different color characters based on their original color properties. Red characters are converted to red with thick painting to maintain highlighting, while blue and other non-red color characters are converted to black with thin painting to preserve their distinguishability from original black characters. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by treating different color types differently rather than applying a uniform conversion rule.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS8305639B2Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer program product

Publication Date: 2012.11.06 RICOH CO LTD

AI summary

A determining unit determines a color of a character. A color converting unit converts a chromatic color having a predetermined hue into the predetermined color and a chromatic color having a hue other than the predetermined hue and an achromatic color into a black color. A processing unit processes either one of a color character and a black character determined by the determining unit such that the color character having the chromatic color converted into the black color is relatively noticeable to the black character.