JP2871794B2 - Information processing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an information processing method for receiving and recording information to be recorded.

2. Description of the Related Art When recording information such as characters and graphics in color, the recording information and the color to be recorded are received in code form from a recording information source such as a host computer.

The color recording device converts the character or graphic code into a corresponding image pattern and separates the designated recording color into the color components of the basic colors (R, G, B or Y, M, C, K). By superimposing and recording a pattern for each color component, characters and figures of a designated color are reproduced on recording paper.

In such a recording apparatus, the output density values of the respective color components are stored in a table form in advance at an address corresponding to the color code (or the identification code) in order to separate the designated color into the basic color component. Memory is used.

The values of the color components are transmitted in advance from the host computer and stored in the memory by the central processing unit of the color printing apparatus.

The number of pieces of information stored in the memory can be variably set. For this reason, it is necessary to provide the color code stored in the memory and the directory table indicating the storage address in the memory.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in order to specify a color to be recorded prior to image recording, a user first looks at a code conversion table indicating a relationship between a color name and a color code, and then performs recording. The color code of the desired color and the value of the color component must be input to the host computer. Also, when checking the registered color code and color component on the display screen of the host computer, the conventional apparatus has a problem that it is difficult for the user to understand the color tone only by the color code.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing method that solves the above-mentioned disadvantages.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention associates a component value of a basic color with character string information indicating a name corresponding to a synthesis result of the basic color and stores the character string information in a storage medium. In recording, the character string information is received from a host, and a component value of a basic color corresponding to the character string information is extracted from the storage medium based on the received character string information.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

 FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

The color printing apparatus according to the present embodiment performs a color printing apparatus by combining a plurality of basic color materials.

In FIG. 1, the storage means 100 stores character string information indicating the name of the recording-related information together with a plurality of recording-related information in advance. The search means 200 receives the name of the recording-related information used for recording as character string information, and extracts the corresponding recording-related information from the storage means by keyword search based on the received character string information.

 FIG. 2 shows a specific circuit configuration of the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, an input buffer 11, a central processing unit (CPU) 12, a read-on memory (ROM) 13, a random access memory (RAM) 14, a color table RAM 15, and an interface 16 are connected by a bus.

The input buffer 11 receives, from the host computer, character / graphic information to be recorded, image information, color information to be recorded, and control commands relating to the recording operation, and temporarily stores them.

The CPU 12 controls the entire apparatus, and sets the color components of the basic color material used for recording based on the received color information. The CPU 12 operates as search means.

The control procedure executed by the CPU 12 is stored in the ROM 13 in advance. This control procedure stores a control procedure related to the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in addition to a control procedure for a recording operation which has been conventionally known.

The RAM 14 is used for temporarily storing information received from the host computer 1, image information to be recorded, and a result of the calculation by the CPU 12. The color table RAM 15 stores a color table to be described later for converting into a color component (recording-related information) of a composite color and a basic color. By CPU12,
By performing a keyword search on this color table,
Extract the color component of the composite color. Therefore, the color table RAM 15 operates as storage means.

A printing mechanism 17 is connected to the interface 16,
The recording operation command of the CPU 12 is transferred to the printing mechanism 17 via the interface 16.

FIG. 3 shows the contents of the color table to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 3, R ·
A column for storing values of color components of the basic colors G and B, a column for entering names, a pointer area, and a column for entering second and subsequent names are provided.

For example, general color names such as "RED" for red and "GREEN" for green are registered in advance in character names as character string information together with color components. In this example, a plurality of names can be registered for the same color component, and a name entry column is provided for this purpose. For example, a plurality of names such as “red”, “red”, and “Red” can be considered even for the same red. In such a case, the same color with a different name can be designated. The name entry field includes a pointer area, in which attribute information indicating whether or not the name of the next field is stored is stored. For example, when this pointer area stores bit "0", it indicates that no name is entered in the next column.

In such a color table, it is possible to register a name for the same color component and a name for a new color component via the host computer 1.

The operation of such a circuit will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

A) When Registering the Name When the image information to be recorded and the character code string of “BLUE” indicating the name of the recording color are sent from the host computer 1 together with the recording command, these information are transmitted to the input buffer 11.
(Step S5 in FIG. 4). The CUP 12 identifies the code of the content of the information stored in the input buffer and detects that it is a recording command (step in FIG. 4).
S5 → S10 → S30).

Based on this detection, the CPU 12 searches the color table (see FIG. 3) of the color table RAM 15 by keyword for the received name “BLUE”. If the value of the pointer area indicates "1", the next name in the same table is also read, and the received name is compared with the keyword (step S31 in FIG. 4).

Specifically, a match between the received name and each name in the color table is compared, and a color component accompanying the match name is read.

The recording of the received image information is executed using the color components (step S32 in FIG. 4).

B) When Initial Registration or Additional Registration is Performed by Name When the name and color component to be registered are sent together with the registration command from the host computer 1, the CPU 12 identifies the type of the received registration command by code, and executes the initial registration command. , The head table portion of the blank area of the color table is detected, and the reception name and color component are written in the color table (steps S10 → S15 → S20 in FIG. 4).

FIG. 5 shows a registration procedure corresponding to an actual program language. In the procedure of FIG. 5, when the same name as the name of the reception is described in the color table, the color component having the same name in the color table is changed to the color component of the reception.

When an instruction for additional registration is received, the name portion of the basic color in the received name is extracted, and the name area of the basic color portion in the color table is searched. The name and color component are described (steps S10 → S15 → S25 in FIG. 4).

C) In the case of outputting the contents of the color table When the output command of the contents of the color table is received from the host computer 1, the name and its color components are sequentially read out from the head address of the color table by the CPU 12, and
Send to host computer 1. The host computer 1 displays the received information on the display (steps S10 → S30 → S40 → S41 in FIG. 4).

As described above, in this embodiment, the color components described in the color table are extracted by performing a keyword search based on the name. For this reason, it is possible to easily grasp the color tone represented by the color components of the color table.

 The following example can be considered in addition to the present embodiment.

1) A user creates a hatched pattern or an overlay form in a host computer or a document processing apparatus, and adds a name to these character / graphic patterns to create a code / pattern conversion table in a memory of the recording apparatus. May be. At this time, the character / graphic pattern is converted from the received code into an image pattern for recording using the keyword search function of the CPU 12.

2) In addition to the processing described in the present embodiment, it goes without saying that processing such as changing the name described in the color table and deleting registered data may be added.

3) In this embodiment, the input and display of the color components and names by the user are performed on the host computer 1 side, but may be performed on the recording device side. In this case, a keyboard input device and a display are installed in the recording device.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the component values of the basic colors and the character string information indicating the names corresponding to the synthesis results of the basic colors are stored in the storage medium in association with each other. Since the character string information is received from the host and the corresponding basic color component value is extracted from the storage unit based on the received character string information, the operator can easily remember when accessing the basic color component value. Character string information indicating a name corresponding to the result of combining basic colors can be used, and operability can be improved as compared with the related art in which access using a color code is performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing contents of a color table of the embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing control procedures executed by the CPU 12 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 ... host computer, 11 ... input buffer, 12 ...
... CPU, 15 ... RAM for color table, 17 ... printing mechanism.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of storing a basic color component value and character string information indicating a name corresponding to a synthesis result of the basic color in a storage medium, receiving the character string information from a host at the time of recording, and receiving the character string information. An information processing method, wherein a component value of a basic color corresponding to the character string information is extracted from the storage medium based on the character string information.