Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
Apparatus for modifying colours in image reproduction systems, including means for providing digital signals corresponding to the values of colour components of an image to be reproduced; and characterised by a set of look-up tables (30) to which the respective colour component values of each pixel are applied and which, according to the colour component values, provide digital output signals indicating whether a processing operation is to be carried out for that pixel and defining one of a plurality of possible processing operations; and control means (36-44) capable of carrying out any one of the said plurality of possible processing operations and responsive to the output of the look-up tables (30) for selecting and carrying out the defined processing operation on the current pixel colour component values.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
127 words
Apparatus for modifying colours in image reproduction systems, including means for providing digital signals corresponding to the values of colour components of an image to be reproduced; and characterised by a set of look-up tables (30) to which the respective colour component values of each pixel are applied and which, according to the colour component values, provide digital output signals indicating whether a processing operation is to be carried out for that pixel and defining one of a plurality of possible processing operations; and control means (36-44) capable of carrying out any one of the said plurality of possible processing operations and responsive to the output of the look-up tables (30) for selecting and carrying out the defined processing operation on the current pixel colour component values.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which the said set of look-up tables (30) selects the processing operation to be performed on a pixel in accordance with a combination of the values of at least two colour component signals.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or .2, in which at least one of the possible processing operations involves treating the values of different colour components of an image pixel in different ways.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the control means includes an operation-select table (36) which converts the digital output of the said set of look-up tables (30) into a digital operation-defining signal for each colour component of a pixel for which a processing operation is to be carried out.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which the control means includes means operable, under the control of the operation-select table, to carry out at least one of the following processing operations on a colour-component signal, namely retouching, replacement by a tint value, and drop-out.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which at least one processing operation involves the replacement of at least one colour component value of a pixel by a tint value and in which the control means includes a tint-value look-up table (38) responsive to the output of the said set of look-up tables (30) to define the tint value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which at the control means includes a drop-out circuit responsive to the operation select table (38) to block the passage of at least one colour component signal to achieve a dropout in that colour component.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which in the control means includes a retouching look-up table (44) responsive to the output of the operation-select table (38) to modify at least one colour component value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, including priority selection means operative when a given range of one colour component occurs in each of two colour component definitions for which different processing operations are required, to give priority to another colour component, for which such overlap does not occur, for the selection of the processing operation to be carried out.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 or 2, in which the average colour component value of a number of adjacent pixels is used to determine when a processing operation is carried out.