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US 6,126,342 AGranted
Output device capable of high quality output of characters over a large range of sizes
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTsuneaki Kurumida
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An output device has storage means for storing a compressed font, representing characters by compressed data corresponding to dot patterns, a first generation unit for generating dot patterns based on the compressed data, and a second generation unit for generating outline information of characters from the compressed data and then generating dot patterns. The first generation unit or the second generation unit is selected in accordance with an output condition.
Claims21
A character processing apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing font data;
- discrimination means for discriminating a size of a character to be output;
- and
- control means for controlling outputting a character according to the character size discriminated by said discrimination means such that outline data representing a character outline is generated based on the font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output and a character is outputted using the generated outline data, or a character is outputted using the font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output without generating the outline data.
1 more element
A character processing apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing compressed font data;
- discrimination means for discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- generation means, responsive to the output condition discriminated by said discrimination means, for generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing a character outline using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generation means generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output when that character has a size smaller than a predetermined size, or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character has a size not smaller than the predetermined size.
2 more elements
A character processing apparatus comprising:
- memory means for storing compressed font data;
- discrimination means for discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- generation means, responsive to the output condition discriminated by said discrimination means, for generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing a character outline using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generation means generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output when that character is to be output with a rotation of 90.degree., 180.degree. or 270.degree., or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in said memory means in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character is to be output with a rotation other than 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree..
2 more elements
A character processing method using a memory for storing font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating a size of a character to be output;
- and
- controlling outputting a character according to the character size discriminated by said discriminating step such that outline data representing a character outline is generated based on the font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and a character is outputted using the generated outline data, or a character is outputted using the font data stored in said memory in correspondence to the character to be output without generating the outline data.
A character processing method using a memory for storing compressed font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- responsive to the discriminated output condition, generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing a character outline using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generating step generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence of the character to be output when that character has a size smaller than a predetermined size, or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character has a size not smaller than the predetermined size.
1 more element
A character processing method using a memory for storing compressed font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- responsive to the discriminated output condition, generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing a character outline using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generating step generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output when that character is to be output with a rotation of 90.degree., 180.degree. or 270.degree., or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character is to be output with a rotation other than 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree..
1 more element
A computer readable medium having recorded thereupon codes for implementing a computer implementable method of character processing using a memory for storing font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating a size of a character to be output;
- and
- controlling outputting a character according to the character size discriminated by said discriminating step such that outline data representing a character outline is generated based on the font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and a character is outputted using the generated outline data, or a character is outputted using the font data stored in said memory in correspondence to the character to be output without generating the outline data.
A computer readable medium having recorded thereupon codes for implementing a computer implementable method of character processing using a memory for storing compressed font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- responsive to the discriminated output condition, generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing a character outline using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generating step generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output when that character has a size smaller than a predetermined size, or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character has a size not smaller than the predetermined size.
1 more element
A computer readable medium having recorded thereupon codes for implementing a computer implementable method of character processing using a memory for storing compressed font data, comprising the steps of:
- discriminating an output condition for a character to be output;
- and
- responsive to the discriminated output condition, generating a character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output, or (2) by generating outline data representing character outline using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data,
- wherein said generating step generates the character pattern either (1) by using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output when that character is to be output with a rotation of 90.degree., 180.degree. or 270.degree., or (2) by generating the outline data using the compressed font data stored in the memory in correspondence to the character to be output and by using the generated outline data when that character is to be output with a rotation other than 90.degree., 180.degree. and 270.degree..
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.