# US 9,438,767 B2 · Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,438,767 B2 - Document ID: US9438767B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/669,972 - Filed: 2015-03-26 - Published: 2015-10-08 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-04-02 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Taeko Yamazaki; Tetsuomi Tanaka - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438767B2 ## CPC - H04N 1/40: Picture signal circuits (H04N1/387 takes precedence) - H04N 1/04: Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence) - H04N 1/403: Discrimination between the two tones in the picture signal of a two-tone original - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Image compression that keeps a balance between improvement in visual recognizability by highlighting a character color of a reversed character and a reduction in an apparent difference between an input image and a restored image is implemented. An image processing apparatus including a specifying unit configured to specify a character within an image, a setting unit configured to set a representative color to the specified character by using colors of pixels constituting the specified character, a determination unit configured to determine whether the specified character is a reversed character, and a correction unit configured to correct the set representative color in the case where the specified character is determined to be a reversed character. ## Claims ### Claim 1 an image processing apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; a specifying unit configured to specify a character within an image; a setting unit configured to determine a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the specified character in the image; a determination unit configured to determine whether the specified character is a reversed character; and a correction unit configured to correct the representative color determined by the setting unit if the determination unit determines that the specified character is a reversed character, wherein the correction unit does not correct the representative color determined by the setting unit if the determination unit determines that the specified character is not a reversed character, wherein the processor and memory cooperate to function as the specifying unit, the setting unit, the determination unit and the correction unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit performs the correction by using a correction coefficient based on information about the specified character. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the specifying unit specifies a character area within the image and specifies the character in the specified character area, and the correction coefficient is determined based on the number of pixels of the specified character that is included in the specified character area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, the setting unit extracts, from the specified character area, the representative color for the specified character that is included in the specified character area, and wherein, the number of pixels of the specified character that is included in the specified character area is the total number of pixels of a character having an average color that can be regarded as approximate to the representative color extracted from the specified character area, and wherein, in a case where the total number of pixels is small, a correction coefficient that increases readability of the specified character is used. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein whether the specified character has an average color that can be regarded approximate to the representative color extracted from the specified character area is determined by using a distance on a color space between the representative color and the average color of the specified character. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the specifying unit specifies a character area within the image and specifies the character in the specified character area, and the correction coefficient is determined based on the number of specified characters that are included in the specified character area. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, the setting unit extracts, from the specified character area, the representative color for the specified character that is included in the specified character area, and wherein, the number of specified characters that are included in the specified character area is the number of characters having an average color that can be regarded approximate to the representative color extracted from the specified character area, and wherein, in a case where the number of characters is small, a correction coefficient that increases readability of the specified character is used. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the specifying unit specifies a character area within the image and specifies the character in the specified character area, and the correction coefficient is determined based on the size of a circumscribing rectangle of the specified character that is included in the specified character area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, the setting unit extracts, from the specified character area, the representative color for the specified character that is included in the specified character area, and wherein, the size of the circumscribing rectangle of the specified character is the size of a circumscribing rectangle of a character having an average color that can be regarded as approximate to the representative color extracted from the specified character area, and wherein, in a case where the size of the circumscribing rectangle is small, a correction coefficient that will increase readability of the specified character is used. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit determines the contents of the correction based on the font of the specified character. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the correction unit does not perform correction that will increase readability of the specified character in a case where the font of the specified character is boldface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the correction unit performs the correction by using a correction coefficient in accordance with the kind of the font of the specified character. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit determines the contents of the correction based on the resolution of the image. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The image processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the correction unit does not perform correction that will increase readability of the specified character in a case where the resolution of the image is higher than a predetermined value. ### Claim 15 An image processing method executed by a processor and a memory of an image processing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: specifying a character within an image; determining a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the specified character in the image; determining whether the specified character is a reversed character; and correcting the determined representative color if the specified character is determined to be a reversed character, wherein the determined representative color is not corrected if the specified character is determined not to be a reversed character. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method comprising the steps of: specifying a character within an image; determining a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the specified character in the image; determining whether the specified character is a reversed character; and correcting the determined representative color if the specified character is determined to be a reversed character, wherein the determined representative color is not corrected if the specified character is determined not to be a reversed character. ### Claim 17 An image processing apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; a specifying unit configured to specify a character within an input image; a setting unit configured to determine a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the character specified within the input image; a determination unit configured to determine whether the specified character is a reversed character; and a correction unit configured to correct the representative color determined for the reversed character if the determination unit determines that the specified character is the reversed character, wherein the processor and the memory cooperate to function as the specifying unit, the setting unit, the determination unit and the correction unit. ### Claim 18 An image processing method executed by a processor and a memory of an image processing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: specifying a character within an input image; determining a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the character specified within the input image; determining whether the specified character is a reversed character; and correcting the representative color determined for the reversed character if it is determined that the specified character is the reversed character. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method comprising the steps of: specifying a character within an input image; determining a representative color for the specified character based on colors of pixels constituting the character specified within the input image; determining whether the specified character is a reversed character; and correcting the representative color determined for the reversed character if it is determined that the specified character is the reversed character.