Patent US6014457A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6014457A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Image processing apparatus
Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp
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Filing: 1997-10-27
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Granted: 2000-01-11
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Expires: 2017-10-27
Abstract
Abstract An image processing apparatus for converting input color image signals to image recording signals to be sent to an image forming apparatus. The image processing apparatus comprises: a first color converting unit for converting the input color image signals to three-variable color signals independent of devices; a second color converting unit for converting the three-variable color signals to the image recording signals; and a parameter determining unit for determining parameters of the first color converting unit. The parameter determining unit determines the parameters so as to make characteristic colors in the input color image signals coincide with predetermined colors and to maintain linearities of color reproduction characteristics of an output image from the image forming apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Masahiko Kubo
- 👤 Nobuyuki Kato
- 👤 Koichiro Shinohara
- 👤 Masahiro Takamatsu
- 👤 Kazuhiro Iwaoka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:53
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/46; H04N1/56; H04N1/60; H04N1/62; H04N1/628; G; G06; G06T; G06T11/00; G06T11/10; H04N1/603
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
An image processing apparatus for converting input color image signals to image recording signals to be sent to an image forming apparatus, said image processing apparatus comprising: first color converting means for converting said input color image signals to three-variable color signals independent of devices; second color converting means for converting said three-variable color signals to said image recording signals; and parameter determining means for determining parameters of said first color converting means and for inputting said parameters to said first color converting means; said parameter determining means determining said parameters so as to make characteristic colors in said input color image signals coincide with predetermined colors and to maintain linearities of color reproduction characteristics of an output image from said image forming apparatus.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
124 words
An image processing apparatus for converting input color image signals to image recording signals to be sent to an image forming apparatus, said image processing apparatus comprising: first color converting means for converting said input color image signals to three-variable color signals independent of devices; second color converting means for converting said three-variable color signals to said image recording signals; and parameter determining means for determining parameters of said first color converting means and for inputting said parameters to said first color converting means; said parameter determining means determining said parameters so as to make characteristic colors in said input color image signals coincide with predetermined colors and to maintain linearities of color reproduction characteristics of an output image from said image forming apparatus.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
194 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said parameter determining means comprises: characteristic describing means for describing color reproduction characteristics of said image forming apparatus; characteristic color region extracting means for extracting characteristic color regions from said input color image signals; evaluation data setting means for setting evaluation data for evaluating linearities of color reproduction characteristics of said output image; characteristic color evaluating and predicting means for using data described in said characteristic describing means in order to predict and evaluate output colors of said image forming apparatus regarding the regions extracted by said characteristic color region extracting means; linearity predicting and evaluating means for using the data described in said characteristic describing means in order to predict and evaluate output colors of said image forming apparatus regarding evaluation data set by said evaluation data setting means; evaluation value integrating means for integrating an evaluation value from said characteristic color predicting and evaluating means and an evaluation value from said linearity predicting and evaluating means; and parameter changing means for changing parameters of said first color converting means on the basis of an overall evaluation value from said evaluation value integrating means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said characteristic colors are memory skin colors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
98 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said characteristic color region extracting means extracts color image signals from specific ranges of said input color image signals, said specific ranges being constituted by a data value range of at least one color signal as well as by a data value ratio range regarding the color signals that may be involved, said character color region extracting means further preparing a histogram for each of said color signals regarding the extracted color image signals, whereby representative values of the histograms are output as signals denoting said characteristic color regions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the representative value of each of said histograms is any one of a mode, a median and a mean of the histogram in question.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said characteristic color predicting and evaluating means outputs as said evaluation values deviations between predicted output colors of said image forming apparatus regarding the regions extracted by said characteristic color region extracting means on the one hand, and predetermined characteristic colors on the other hand.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said deviations include deviations in terms of lightness, chroma and hue.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said linearities include linearity of a lightness gradation characteristic, linearity of a chroma gradation characteristic and linearity of hues.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
49 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said linearity predicting and evaluating means outputs variances from predetermined ideal values as said evaluation values, said variances being related to predicted output colors of said image forming apparatus regarding the evaluation data set by said evaluation data setting means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said evaluation data includes color gradation data about red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan and gray.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said evaluation value integrating means weighs and adds up individual evaluation values furnished by said characteristic color predicting and evaluating means as well as individual evaluation values provided by said linearity predicting and evaluating means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said characteristic describing means describes a color reproduction range of said image forming apparatus as a color reproduction characteristic of said image forming apparatus.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
53 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first color converting means comprises a color converting part and color adjusting means, said color converting part converting said input color image signals into a three-variable color space independent of devices, said color adjusting means performing color adjustments in said three-variable color space.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said three-variable color space is a CIE-L*a*b* color space.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
127 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said color converting part is three-dimensional interpolation color converting means for expressing a color reproduction range of said image forming apparatus by use of a dodecahedron having vertexes constituted by maximum density points of red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan and gray as well as by a white point of an image forming medium utilized by said image forming apparatus, said three-dimensional interpolation color converting means further dividing said dodecahedron into six tetrahedrons each including the maximum density point of gray and the white point of said image forming medium, said three-dimensional interpolation color converting means further performing interpolation inside each of said tetrahedrons so as to convert said input color image signals into a uniform color space.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
51 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said color converting part is any one of a matrix type color converting circuit, a neural network type color converting circuit and a direct look-up table type color converting circuit for converting said input color image signals into a uniform color space.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said color converting part is a color converting circuit for carrying out computations based on definition expressions so as to convert said input color image signals into a uniform color space.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said color adjusting means converts color signals in a uniform color space into lightness, chroma and hue for color adjustment.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said color adjusting means performs color adjustment using look-up tables assigned to lightness, chroma and hue.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said parameter changing means changes parameters of said first color converting means so as to minimize said overall evaluation value from sa id evaluation value integrating means.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
39 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said parameter changing means optimizes parameters of said first color converting means using as an objective function said overall evaluation value from said evaluation value integrating means for nonlinear optimization.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said nonlinear optimization is carried out by use of a simplex method.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
42 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the look-up tables assigned by said color adjusting means to lightness, chroma and hue are used as the parameters to be determined by said parameter determining means for said first color converting means.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
60 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein at least one coordinate from the look-up table assigned for hue adjustment is used as parameters for performing a first optimization process, and wherein at least one coordinate from each of the look-up tables assigned for lightness and hue adjustment is used as parameters for carrying out a second optimization process.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
23 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 24, wherein initial values of the look-up tables are straight lines tilted at 45 degrees each.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
44 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said color adjusting means converts color signals in a uniform color space into lightness, chroma and hue for color adjustment, and resorts to a look-up table for each of lightness and chroma for further adjustment.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
50 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the coordinates of the vertexes of said dodecahedron and the look-up tables assigned by said color adjusting means to lightness and hue are used as the parameters to be determined by said parameter determining means for said first color converting means.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
59 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the hues of the coordinates representing the vertexes of said dodecahedron are used as parameters for performing a first optimization process, and wherein at least one coordinate from each of the look-up tables assigned for lightness and hue adjustment is used as parameters for carrying out a second optimization process.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
48 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 28, wherein initial values of the coordinates representing the vertexes of said dodecahedron constitute a color reproduction range of said image forming apparatus, and wherein initial values of each of said look-up tables are straight lines tilted at 45 degrees each.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
40 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second color converting means is any one of a direct look-up table type color converting circuit, a matrix type color converting circuit and a neural network type color converting circuit.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input color image signals are composed of RGB image data made up of red, green and blue image data items.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
30 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input color image signals are composed of image data acquired by scanning any piece of photographic films and printed matter.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
25 words
An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said input color image signals are composed of image data acquired from a digital still camera.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-01-10 | 2003-07-12 | 2004-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-01-10 | 2007-07-12 | 2008-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-01-10 | 2011-07-12 | 2012-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |