Image processing apparatus and method having detection of background color and encoding of color image data

A method of color image processing comprising the steps of:

• inputting first color image data representing a first color image of a picture;
• judging a background color in the first color image on the basis of the first color image data input in said inputting step;
• removing the background color judged in said judging step from at least a part of the first color image and thereby generating second color image data representing a second color image of the picture, the second color image not including the background color;
• encoding the second color image data;
• and
• outputting the encoded data.

A method of image processing comprising the steps of:

• inputting image data;
• determining whether the input image data input in said inputting step represents a color image or a black-and-white image;
• detecting a background color of an image represented by the input image data;
• and
• removing the background color from the image data when it is determined in said determining step that the input image data represents the black-and-white image.

A method of image processing comprising the steps of:

• inputting image data;
• detecting a background color of an image represented by the input image data input in said inputting step;
• determining whether the image other than its background-color portion is a color image or a black-and-white image;
• and
• removing the background color from the image when it is determined in said determining step that the image other than the background-color portion is the black-and-white image.

A color image processing apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting color image data having a plurality of color components;
• detecting means for detecting backgroud color of a color image represented by the input color image data input by said input means;
• removing means for removing the background color from the color image data having the plurality of color components;
• encoding means for encoding the color image data with the background color removed;
• transmission means for transmitting the color image data with the background color removed encoded by said encoding means;
• and
• selecting means for manually selecting between a first mode, in which said removing means is operated, and a second mode, in which said removing means is not operated.

A color image processing method comprising the steps of:

• inputting color image data having a plurality of color components;
• detecting background color of a color image represented by the input color image data input in said inputting step;
• removing the background color from the color image data having the plurality of color components;
• encoding the color image data after removal of the background color in said removing step;
• transmitting the encoded color image;
• and
• manually selecting between a first mode, in which said removinq step is performed, and a second mode, in which said removing step is not performed.

A color image processing apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputing color imaaqe data having a plurality of color components;
• detectinq means for detecting background color of a color image represented by the input color image data input by said input means;
• removing means for removing the background color from the color image having the plurality of color components;
• encoding means for encoding the color image data with the background color removed;
• transmitting means for transmitting the color image data with the background color removed encoded by said encoding means;
• and
• control means for controlling said removing means so as to operate or so as not to operate in accordance with an apparatus at the reception side of transmission by said transmission means.

A color image processing apparatus comprising:

• receiving means for receiving encded color image data having a plurality of color components;
• decoding means for decoding the encoded color image data to output reproducing color image data having a plurality of color components;
• removing means for removing background color of a color image represented by the reproducing color image data;
• and
• selecting means for manually selecting between a first mode, in which said removing means is operated, and a second mode, in which said removing means is not operated.

A color image processing method comprising the steps of:

• receiving encoded color image data having a plurality of color components;
• decoding the encoded color image data and outputting reproducing-color image data having a plurality of color components;
• removing background color of a color image represented by the reproducing-color image data;
• and
• manually selecting between a first mode, in which said removing step is performed, and a second mode, in which said removing step is not performed.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting image data;
• determining means for determining whether the input image data input by said input means represents a color image or a black-and-white image;
• detecting means for detecting a background color of an image represented by the input image data;
• and
• removing means for removing the background color from the image data when said determining means determines that the input image data represents the black-and-white image.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• input means for inputting image data;
• detecting means for detecting a background color of an image represented by the input image data input by said input means;
• determining means for determining whether the image other than its background-color portion is a color image or a black-and-white image;
• and
• removing means for removing the background color from the image when said determining means determines that the image other than the background-color portion is the black-and-white image.

A color image processing method comprising the steps of:

• inputting color image data having a plurality of color components;
• detecting background color of a color image represented by the input color image data input in said inputting step;
• removing the background color from the color image data having the plurality of color components;
• encoding the color image data after removal of the background color in said removing step;
• transmitting the encoded color image;
• and
• controlling so as to perform or so as not to perform said removing step in accordance with an apparatus at the reception side of transmission of said transmitting step.