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US 6,191,870 B1Granted
Image communication method and apparatus therefor
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasahiro Takayanagi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Image data received via a communication line is stored in a data memory. The image data that has been stored in the image memory is not output intact but is subjected to a pixel reducing operation by a CPU. As a result, the image data is compressed in such a manner that an integral number of image pages will fit on one page on the receiving side. The resulting image is developed in a bit-map memory. Upon observing an output of an compressed image, the operator selects the necessary data and designates the required image using a keyboard. The designated image is read out of the data memory, developed intact in the bit-map memory and printed out in the received size.
Claims27
A print control apparatus comprising:
- a receiver adapted to receive and store a plurality of pages of image data, each stored page having a predetermined size;
- a first designation unit adapted to designate a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- an editor adapted to reduce the size of the stored pages to provide respective reduced pages each having a reduced size, said editor combining each of the designated number of the reduced pages to form a combined image for printing on one sheet of paper;
- a first print controller adapted to control a printer to print the combined image on the one sheet of paper;
- a second designation unit adapted to designate a desired one of the stored pages, the designation being made after the combined image has been printed on the one sheet of paper;
- a second print controller adapted to control the printer to print the designated page on another sheet of paper without receiving the designated page again;
- and
- a selector adapted to select data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of received sages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, said selector selects whether or not a combined image of the nr reduced pages are to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing image data to be printed on a remainder portion of the sheet of paper.
7 more elements
A print control method comprising:
- a receiving step of receiving and storing a plurality of pages of image data, each stored page having a predetermined size;
- a first designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- an edit step of reducing the size of the stored pages to provide respective reduced pages each having a reduced size, said edit step combining each of the designated number of reduced pages to form a combined image for printing on one sheet of paper;
- a first print control step of controlling a printer to print the combined image on the one sheet of paper;
- a second designation step of designating a desired one of the stored pages having a predetermined size, the designation being made after the combined image is printed on the one sheet of paper;
- a second print control step of controlling the printer to print the designated page on another sheet of paper without receiving the designated page again;
- and
- a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of received pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, said selection step selects whether or not a combined image of the nr reduced pages are to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing image data to be printed on a remainder portion of the sheet of paper.
7 more elements
A computer-readable storage medium storing a print control program executable by a computer, the program comprising:
- program code for a receiving step of receiving and storing a plurality of pages of image data, each stored page having a predetermined size;
- program code for a first designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- program code for an edit step of reducing the size of the stored pages to provide respective reduced pages each having a reduced size, the edit step combining each of the designated number of reduced pages to form a combined image for printing on one sheet of paper;
- program code for a first print control step of controlling a printer to print the combined image on the one sheet of paper;
- program code for a second designation step of designating a desired one of the stored pages, the designation being made after the combined image has been printed on the one sheet of paper;
- program code for a second print control step of controlling the printer to print the designated page on another sheet of paper without receiving the designated page again;
- and
- program code for a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of received pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, the selection step selects whether or not a combined image of the nr reduced pages are to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing image data to be printed on a remainder portion of the sheet of paper.
7 more elements
A print control apparatus comprising:
- an input unit adapted to input a plurality of pages of image data;
- a designation unit adapted to designate a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- an editor adapted to edit the plurality of pages of image data input using said input unit such that the designated number of pages are printed on one sheet of paper;
- and
- a selector adapted to select data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of input pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, said selector selects whether or not edited data of a remaining nr reduced pages is to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing data to be printed on a remaining portion of the sheet of paper.
4 more elements
A printing control method comprising:
- an input step of inputting a plurality of pages of image data;
- a designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- an edit step of editing the plurality of pages of image data input in said input step such that the designated number of pages are printed on one sheet of paper;
- and
- a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of input pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, said selection step selects whether or not edited data of a remaining nr reduced pages is to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing data to be printed on a remaining portion of the sheet of paper.
4 more elements
A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for implementing a printing control method, the program comprising:
- program code for an input step of inputting a plurality of pages of image data;
- program code for a designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- program code for an edit step of editing the plurality of pages of image data input in the input step such that the designated number of pages are printed on one sheet of paper;
- and
- program code for a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of input pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, the selection step selects whether or not edited data of a remaining nr reduced pages is to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing data to be printed on a remaining portion of the sheet of paper.
4 more elements
A computer program product loadable into a memory of a computer, said program product comprising:
- program code for an input step of inputting a plurality of pages of image data;
- program code for a designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- program code for an edit step of editing the plurality of pages of image data input in the input step such that the designated number of pages are printed on one sheet of paper;
- and
- program code for a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of input pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, the selection step selects whether or not edited data of a remaining nr reduced pages is to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing data to be printed on a remaining portion of the sheet of paper.
4 more elements
A computer program product loadable into a memory of a computer, said program product comprising:
- program code for a receiving step of receiving and storing a plurality of pages of image data, each stored page having a predetermined size;
- program code for a first designation step of designating a number of pages to be combined on a sheet of paper;
- program code for an edit step of reducing the size of the stored pages to provide respective reduced pages each having a reduced size, the edit step combining each of the designated number of reduced pages to form a combined image for printing on one sheet of paper;
- program code for a first print control step of controlling a printer to print the combined image on the one sheet of paper;
- program code for a second designation step of designating a desired one of the stored pages, the designation being made after the combined image has been printed on the one sheet of paper;
- program code for a second print control step of controlling the printer to print the designated page on another sheet of paper without receiving the designated page again;
- and
- program code for a selection step of selecting data to be printed,
- wherein the designated number is represented as an integer ng, a total number of stored pages is represented as an integer nt, and a remainder number of final pages at an end of the plurality of received pages is represented as nr, where nr equals nt-modulo-ng, and
- wherein, when nr does not equal zero, the selection step selects whether or not a combined image of the nr reduced pages are to be printed on a first portion of a sheet of paper, with ensuing image data to be printed on a remainder portion of the sheet of paper.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.