Image processing method and apparatus

Claim 1

A method of line scanning a document to detect a region which is designated by a closed loop, wherein a plurality of subregions of said region designated by the closed loop are detectable at a plurality of scanning lines and wherein an inside area of said loop is solidly colored with a predetermined color so that said region is designated as a solidly painted region, said method comprising: (a) scanning a document line by line to detect closed loop markings on the document and to generate present scanning line loop-detection signals P; (b) extracting, from a preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q and from said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, continuous signals pn which are common to both said signals Q and P, said preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q having been memorized in a first memory means; (c) processing said continuous signals pn to obtain a present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' which corresponds to an interval from a left end of said continuous signals pn to a right end of said continuous signals pn; (d) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to obtain a present scanning line region-division signal R' which represents a present scanning line region which is outside of said region designated by the closed loop and which is located between subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; (e) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' and said present scanning line region-division signal R' to obtain a present scanning line region indicating signal Q'", said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" representing all subregions of said region designated by the closed loop at the present scanning line; (f) memorizing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" in said first memory means as a new preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q; and (g) repeating said steps of a) to f) for each subsequent scanning line; (h) processing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" and said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to obtain a present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T which corresponds to an interval between a left end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a left end of said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" and a right end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a right end of said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'"; (i) detecting an image of an original to obtain an image signal O; (j) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said image signal O and said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" to obtain a present scanning line colored region signal P' which indicates said colored region; (k) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line colored region signal P' and said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T to obtain a present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S", said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" inhibiting from dividing at least one of said subregions into separated subregions of said region designated by the closed loop, and said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" being memorized in a second memory means; and (l) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T and said present scanning line division inhibiting signal S" to obtain a present scanning line region divisible signal R", said present scanning line region-divisible R" indicating at least one of said subregions which can be divided at a following scanning line, and said present scanning line region-divisible signal R" being memorized in a third memory means; wherein said step g) repeats said steps of a) to f) and said steps h) to l) for each subsequent scanning line.

Claim 2

A method of line scanning a document to detect a region which is designated by a closed loop, wherein a plurality of subregions of said region designated by the closed loop are detectable at a plurality of scanning lines and wherein an inside area of said loop is solidly colored with a predetermined color so that said region is designated as a solidly painted region, said method comprising: (a) scanning a document line by line to detect closed loop markings on the document and to generate present scanning line loop-detection signals P; (b) extracting, from a preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q and from said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, continuous signals pn which are common to both said signals Q and P, said preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q having been memorized in a first memory means; (c) processing said continuous signals pn to obtain a present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' which corresponds to an interval from a left end of said continuous signals pn to a right end of said continuous signals pn; (d) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to obtain a present scanning line region-division signal R' which represents a present scanning line region which is outside of said region designated by the closed loop and which is located between subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; (e) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' and said present scanning line region-division signal R' to obtain a present scanning line region indicating signal Q'", said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" representing all subregions of said region designated by the closed loop at the present scanning line; (f) memorizing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" in said first memory means as a new preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q; and (g) repeating said steps of a) to f) for each subsequent scanning line; (h) processing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" and said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to obtain a present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T which corresponds to an interval between a left end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a left end of said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" and a right end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a right end of said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'"; (i) detecting an image of an original to obtain an image signal O; (j) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said image signal O and said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q'" to obtain a present scanning line colored region signal P' which indicates said colored region; (k) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line colored region signal P' and said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T to obtain a present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S", said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" inhibiting from dividing at least one of said subregions into separated subregions of said region designated by the closed loop, and said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" being memorized in a second memory means; and (l) processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T and said present scanning line division inhibiting signal S" to obtain a present scanning line region divisible signal R", said present scanning line region-divisible R" indicating at least one of said subregions which can be divided at a following scanning line, and said present scanning line region-divisible signal R" being memorized in a third memory means; wherein said step g) repeats said steps of a) to f) and said steps h) to l) for each subsequent scanning line.

Claim 6

An apparatus for line scanning a document to detect a region designated by a closed loop, wherein a plurality of subregions of said region are detectable at a plurality of scanning lines and wherein the inside of said loop is solidly colored with a predetermined color so that said region is designated as a solidly colored region, said apparatus comprising: means for scanning a document line by line to detect closed loop markings on the document and for generating present scanning line loop-detection signals P; means for extracting, from a preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q and from said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, continuous signals pn which are common to both said signals Q and P; means for producing said continuous signals pn to generate a present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' which corresponds to an interval from a left end to a right end of said continuous signals pn, and for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to generate a present scanning line region-division signal R' which corresponds to a present scanning line region which is outside of said region designated by the closed loop and which is located between subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' and said present scanning line region-division signal R' to generate a present scanning line region-indicating signal Q"', said region-indicating signal Q"' representing all of said subregions of said region designated by the closed loop at the present scanning line; and first memory means for memorizing said region-indicating signal Q"' as a new preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q; means for processing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q"' and said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to generate a present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T which indicates an interval between a left end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a left end of said present scanning line region-designating signal Q"' and a right end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a right end of said present scanning line region-designating signal Q"'; means for detecting an image of an original to generate an image signal O; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said image signal O and said present scanning line region indicating signal Q"' to obtain a present scanning line colored region signal P', said present scanning line colored region signal P' indicating said solidly painted region; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line colored region signal P' and said present scanning line inside region signal T to obtain a present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S", said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" inhibiting from dividing at least one of said subregions into separated subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; second memory means for memorizing said division inhibiting signal S"; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T and said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" to generate a present scanning line region-divisible signal R" which indicates at least one of said subregions which can be divided at a following scanning line; and third memory means for memorizing said present scanning line region-divisible signal R".

Claim 7

An apparatus for line scanning a document to detect a region designated by a closed loop, wherein a plurality of subregions of said region are detectable at a plurality of scanning lines and wherein the inside of said loop is solidly colored with a predetermined color so that said region is designated as a solidly colored region, said apparatus comprising: means for scanning a document line by line to detect closed loop markings on the document and for generating present scanning line loop-detection signals P; means for extracting, from a preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q and from said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, continuous signals pn which are common to both said signals Q and P; means for producing said continuous signals pn to generate a present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' which corresponds to an interval from a left end to a right end of said continuous signals pn, and for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to generate a present scanning line region-division signal R' which corresponds to a present scanning line region which is outside of said region designated by the closed loop and which is located between subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line temporary region-indicating signal Q' and said present scanning line region-division signal R' to generate a present scanning line region-indicating signal Q"', said region-indicating signal Q"' representing all of said subregions of said region designated by the closed loop at the present scanning line; and first memory means for memorizing said region-indicating signal Q"' as a new preceding scanning line region-indicating signal Q; means for processing said present scanning line region-indicating signal Q"' and said present scanning line loop-detection signals P to generate a present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T which indicates an interval between a left end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a left end of said present scanning line region-designating signal Q"' and a right end one of said present scanning line loop-detection signals P which is located at a right end of said present scanning line region-designating signal Q"'; means for detecting an image of an original to generate an image signal O; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said image signal O and said present scanning line region indicating signal Q"' to obtain a present scanning line colored region signal P', said present scanning line colored region signal P' indicating said solidly painted region; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line colored region signal P' and said present scanning line inside region signal T to obtain a present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S", said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" inhibiting from dividing at least one of said subregions into separated subregions of said region designated by the closed loop; second memory means for memorizing said division inhibiting signal S"; means for processing said present scanning line loop-detection signals P, said present scanning line inside region-indicating signal T and said present scanning line division-inhibiting signal S" to generate a present scanning line region-divisible signal R" which indicates at least one of said subregions which can be divided at a following scanning line; and third memory means for memorizing said present scanning line region-divisible signal R".