JPH09311673A - Character font producing method, device therefor, and storage medium readable by computer storing program for performing the character font producing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a character font producing method, by which a character font can be produced by less labor, and a device therefor by using stroke information specific to each character and parts information common to the respective characters. SOLUTION: Stroke information specific to each letter and parts information accompanying the stroke information are related to each other and stored. When a character code and a character size of a character generating a character pattern are instructed (S1), the stroke information and the part information corresponding to the instructed character code are obtained, and according to the instructed character size, the stroke information is thickened, and consequently, a character pattern is generated (S5). The generated character pattern is outputted to a file (S6).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is readable by a computer that stores a character font creating method for creating various character fonts based on character stroke information and component information, an apparatus therefor, and a program for implementing the method. It relates to a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a character design for one typeface is created, a character design and pattern data are created for each character regardless of outline font or bitmap font. Therefore, enormous work is required to design and create font data including a large number of characters such as Japanese character fonts.

[0003]

In addition, for characters such as Japanese that have various typefaces, even if the characters have the same code, the character must be designed for each typeface. The labor and cost required were enormous.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and uses a stroke information unique to each character and component information common to each character to create a character font with less labor, and An object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores the apparatus and a program that implements the method.

It is another object of the present invention to create a character font corresponding to each typeface with less effort by using stroke information unique to each type of character and part information of each typeface common to each type character. It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores a method, an apparatus therefor, and a program for implementing the method.

It is another object of the present invention to use a stroke information unique to each character and part information edited in accordance with each typeface to create a character font corresponding to each typeface with a small effort. Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for implementing the apparatus and the method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a character font creating method capable of creating a bit map font or an outline font with a small effort by using stroke information unique to each character and component information common to each character. It is to provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores the apparatus and a program that implements the method.

Another object of the present invention is to use a stroke information unique to each character and part information of each typeface common to each character to generate a bitmap font or outline font corresponding to each typeface with a small effort. It is to provide a computer-readable storage medium that stores a method for creating a character font that can be created, an apparatus therefor, and a program that implements the method.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a character font creating apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, first storage means for storing stroke information of a character unique to each character, and second storage means for storing character component information common to each character and the stroke information of a predetermined character in association with each other. An instruction means for instructing a character code and a character size, and stroke information and component information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instructing means, and the stroke according to the character size instructed by the instructing means. And a character pattern generating means for generating a character pattern by fleshing out information. In order to achieve the above object, the character font creating method of the present invention includes the following steps. That is, a step of instructing a character code for creating a character font, a typeface and a character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and part information associated with the stroke information corresponding to the typeface. Reading from the memory to obtain, a designation step of designating either a character pattern or a character font corresponding to the character code, and a type of the designated character font according to the designation in the designation step. Correspondingly, the stroke information is fleshed according to the instructed character size to generate a character pattern or character contour data corresponding to the character code.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, before describing the embodiment of the present invention in detail, the basic configuration of the character pattern creating system (character creating system) of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the character pattern creating system of this embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU (central processing unit), which controls the entire device and performs arithmetic processing. 102 is a read-only memory (ROM)
The system startup program executed by the CPU 101, character pattern data, and the like are stored. The character pattern data is normally used as a system font and used for displaying menus and the like. The system font may be font data on the ROM 102 (16-dot bitmap font Mincho font, etc.) or a font designated by the user in advance. Reference numeral 103 denotes a random access memory (RAM), which is a data area without use restrictions, and each program and data shown in the flowcharts described below are loaded and executed for each various processing. 104 is a keyboard control unit (KBC),
The key input data input from the keyboard (KB) 105 is received and transmitted to the CPU 101. A display device (CRT) 106 includes a CRT control unit (CRT).
It receives and displays the data under the control of the RTC) 106. An external storage device 109, such as a floppy disk device (FD) or a hard disk device (HD), stores programs, data, etc., and these programs or data are referred to or RAM 103 is required when the programs are executed. Is loaded into. A printer control unit (PRTC) 110 controls data output to a printer device (PR) 111. Reference numeral 112 denotes a system bus, which should serve as a data path between the above-described components.

Next, the stroke information of a character will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2A shows the stroke of the character "A", and FIG. 2B shows the stroke of the character "Mute", both of which are simple examples showing the skeleton of the character.
As can be seen from FIG. 2, the stroke information of a character refers to the basic structure that determines the skeleton of the character, that is, the shape of the character, and the parts that characterize the shape of this stroke information (“uchikomi”, “ Ordinary characters are formed by adding "scale" or the like). The stroke information of the characters shown here is composed of only straight lines in order to represent a simple example, but it is also possible to express a curved portion using curved line data. The types and order of curve data that can be used here are not particularly limited here. The stroke data for these characters is stored in ROM1.
No. 02, or the external storage device 109 such as a floppy disk or a hard disk, and the data storage means is not particularly mentioned.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, character parts will be briefly described.

The character parts shown here are the basic parts constituting the characters used in Japanese fonts. In the case of Japanese, "Harai", "Hane", "Ten", "Uchikomi", "Uroko", etc. are listed as basic parts.
If "Harai" and the like are further classified, there are parts such as "Right" and "Left", but detailed description of the character parts is omitted here. These data are read out to the RAM 103 as needed at the time of system startup or during program operation, and the component information of these characters may be stored in the ROM 102, or an external storage device 109 such as a floppy disk or hard disk. May be stored in, and no particular reference is made to the data storage means.

With reference to FIG. 4, a data structure for associating the stroke information of the character "A" shown in FIG. 2A with the character parts will be described.

FIG. 4A shows the stroke of the character "A", and FIG. 4B shows the part name corresponding to the number given to the stroke of FIG. 4A. Thus, by having the component information at each end point of the stroke information of the character, the character pattern can be configured when the components of each stroke are connected. As shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to easily create a plurality of typeface data only by designing or changing only the parts by preparing these stroke information and the part data of the corresponding numbers in advance. Is possible.

4 (C) to 4 (E) are diagrams showing examples of patterns of parts, and FIG. 4 (C) shows "horizontal indentation".
(D) shows "vertical uchikomi", and FIG. 4 (E) shows "kaidoroko".

The stroke data and the component information associated with the stroke data are read out to the RAM 103 when the system is started up or while the program is operating. These data may be stored in the ROM 102 or may be stored in the external storage device 109 such as a floppy disk or a hard disk, and the data storage means is not particularly mentioned. Incidentally, it is desirable that these pieces of component information are stored in an outline font format so that they can be applied to various character sizes.

[Embodiment 1] Based on the above matters,
Next, the operation of the system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The control program for executing this process may be stored in the ROM 102, or may be loaded into the RAM 103 from a disk or the like set in the external storage device 109 and executed.

In the first embodiment, bitmap font data is automatically generated by providing character pattern parts based on the stroke information shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The processing for executing the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 may be prepared as a function of an editor for editing bitmap font data as shown in FIG. 6, or as a simple function of a character creating device. May be.

First, in step S1, the keyboard 105
Input the size information of the bitmap font to be created, such as that input from. Here, there is no particular limitation on the character size that can be designated. Next, in step S2, the start code (first character code) and the end code (last character code) of the bitmap font data to be created, which is input from the keyboard 105 or the like, are input. The codes that can be specified here include a JIS code, a shift JIS code, an EUC code, and a unicode. If the character can be uniquely determined, the specified code is not particularly limited. Next, in step S3, designation data for designating an output file for storing the created bitmap font data is input. And in step S4,
It is inquired whether or not the information input in steps S1 to S3 is to be corrected, and when an instruction to correct is input, the process returns to step S1 again and the above-mentioned processing is performed.

When there is no correction in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5, and the stroke information of the character for which font data is to be created and the character part data (FIG. 4) which are stored in advance are used, and step S1 is performed. RAM of the bitmap pattern of the character of the size specified by
Expand to 103. Regarding the bitmap pattern developed here, whether the black portion is "0" or "1", bitmap data suitable for the environment used can be developed. Further, in some cases, the expanded bitmap data may be grayscale.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the bit map expansion of a character pattern. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining, for example, FIG. 4A by adding character component information to stroke information. 7 shows a bit map pattern example in which a horizontal line above the character "A" is developed into a bit map, and 70 indicates a part "horizontal uchikomi" and 71 indicates a part "scale".
And an interpolating part 72 connecting these parts 70, 71
Is the line segment thickness information stored in advance (FIG. 7B).
Formed according to. It should be noted that this line segment thickness information is preliminarily determined according to the bitmap size designated in step S1.

Next, in step S6, the RAM is
The bitmap pattern data expanded in 103 is stored in the output file designated in step S3.
Then, the process proceeds to step S7, and it is determined whether the code currently being developed is the end code specified in step S2. If it is not the end code, it is determined that the code is a character code, and the process proceeds to step S5. As described above, the character code is expanded into bitmap data and stored in the output file. In this way, the above-described processing is repeated until the end code is detected in step S7, and when the end code is detected, this processing ends.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the stroke information of a character and its component information are stored in association with each other, a character pattern of a specified character size is created and designated. Can be stored in a file.

[Second Embodiment] Next, in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, by providing character stroke information and character part information associated with the stroke information,
The case of automatically generating outline font data will be described in detail.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a character font creating process according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in this flowchart may be prepared as a function of an editor for editing an outline font as shown in FIG. 9, or may be prepared as a function of a simple character creating device.

First, in step S11, the keyboard 10
Input the mesh size information of the outline font to be created, which is input from 5, etc. The mesh size here is the size of the outline data in the design coordinate system, and this mesh size affects the quality of the outline font and the size of generated data. If the mesh size is large, the quality of the font is improved, but the generated data size is large. On the other hand, if the mesh size is small, the quality of the font is low, but the size of generated data is small. Next, in step S12, the start code and the end code of the outline font data created by the keyboard 105 or the like are input.
The codes that can be specified here are JIS code,
There are shift JIS code, EUC code, unicode, etc., and as long as it is possible to uniquely determine a character character, the designated code is not particularly limited. Next, in step S13, designation data for designating an output file for storing the created outline font data is input. Then, in step S14, steps S11 to S11
It is inquired whether or not the information input in S13 is to be corrected, and when an instruction for correction is input, the process returns to step S11 again and the above-described processing is performed.

If there is no correction in step S14, the process proceeds to step S15, and the stroke information of the character, which is to be stored in advance and is to be used for creating font data, the component information associated with the stroke information, and the designation in step S11. A character pattern is generated based on the determined mesh size, and character outline contour pattern data is generated from the developed pattern in the RAM 103 based on the mesh size designated in step S11. Here, as a method of developing a character pattern from the character stroke information and the character parts, a hatched portion 72 in FIG.
Are complemented based on the line segment thickness information shown in FIG. 7 (B) accompanying the stroke information. It should be noted that the contour pattern data generated here can be generated in any format such as the “TrueType” or “Type1” format. Next, in step S16,
The outline font data generated in step S15 is output to the file specified in step S13 in a usable form. And step S17
Then, it is determined whether the character code currently being developed is the end code specified in step S12. If it is not the end code, the current code is advanced to step S1.
If it is an end code, the process ends.

[Third Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A case of automatically generating bitmap font and outline font data by providing character stroke information and character component information will be described in detail. In the third embodiment, the selection of FIG.
May be prepared as a function in the bitmap font editing editor as shown in FIG. 6 or may be prepared as a function in the outline bitmap font editing editor as shown in FIG. You may prepare as one function. It should be noted that this process is shown as a process in which the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 8 are combined.

First, in step S21, the user is made to select whether to create a bitmap font or an outline font for the data to be created. When creating a bitmap font, the process proceeds to step S22, and when creating an outline font, the process proceeds to step S30. In step S22,
Specify the size of the bitmap to be created. The size that can be specified here is not particularly limited.
After the bitmap size is designated in this way, the process proceeds to step S23. When creating an outline font, the process proceeds to step S30, the mesh size of outline data to be generated is designated, and the process proceeds to step S23. The mesh size here means the size of the design coordinate system of outline data,
This size affects the quality of outline fonts and the size of generated data. That is, if the mesh size is large, the quality of the font is improved, but the generated data size is large. Conversely, if the mesh size becomes small, the quality of the font will deteriorate, but the generated data size will become small.

Thus, in step S23, the start code and end code of the character to be created are designated. Codes that can be specified here are JIS code, shift JIS code,
The code to be specified is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to uniquely determine the character character such as EUC code and Unicode. Next, in step S24, an output file for storing the expanded bitmap pattern data or an output file for storing the generated outline font data is specified. Then, the process proceeds to step S25, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not there is an error in the information input up to that point. If there is a correction in the input information, the process returns to step S21 and the input is performed again.

If there is no correction, the process proceeds to step S26,
Based on the data input in step S21, if the bitmap font is specified, the process proceeds to step S27, and if the outline font is specified, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S27, the stroke information of the character and the component information associated with the stroke information are used to expand the bitmap pattern of the character in the RAM 103 with the expansion size specified in step S22.
With regard to the bitmap to be developed, it is possible to develop bitmap data that matches the environment in which the black portion is "0" or "1". Further, in some cases, the expanded bitmap data may have a gray scale. In addition, a method for developing a character pattern from character stroke information and character parts is shown in FIG.
As described above, the shaded portion 72 in (A) is complemented based on the line segment thickness information shown in FIG. 7B accompanying the stroke information.

In the case of the outline font, the process proceeds to step S31, a character pattern is generated based on the input character code, based on the character stroke information and the component information attached to the stroke information, and step S30.
Character outline data is generated from the developed pattern based on the mesh size specified in. A method of developing a character pattern from character stroke information and character part information in generating outline font data is described in FIG.
As described with reference to.

Then, the process proceeds to step S28, and step S
27 The bitmap pattern data developed in the RAM 103, or the outline font data generated in the RAM 103 in step S31 is set in step S24.
Output to the file specified in. And step S29
Then, the character code currently being expanded is the step S
It is judged whether or not the end code is designated by 23, and if it is not the end code, the current code is advanced to the step S26.
If it is an end code, this process is ended.

[Fourth Embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, when the font of a certain font is specified by the user in advance in the character part information described in the first to third embodiments, The font of a desired typeface can be created by providing the part information having the characteristics of the typeface.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the features of the character parts that make up the typeface. Part information corresponding to such a typeface is prepared in advance, and a font is created using the part information corresponding to the designated font. The location for storing this component information may be the ROM 102 or the external storage device 109 such as a floppy disk or hard disk.

Hereinafter, the flow of processing when the bitmap / font data is automatically generated when the typeface of the font data to be created is instructed will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the fourth embodiment, stroke information as shown in FIG. 4 (A) and part information of characters having different characteristics depending on the typeface are provided, and the user can select the typeface to be created. Automatically generate map font data. The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 may be prepared as a function in the bitmap font editing editor as shown in FIG. 6, or may be prepared as a simple function of the character creating device.

In FIG. 12, first in step S41,
ROM 102 or external storage device 1 at system startup
09, and the like, and reads the component information of characters prepared in advance by the system of the fourth embodiment, and creates a list of currently usable component information in the RAM 103 as shown in FIG. 13, for example. To do. In the example of FIG. 13, parts information of Mincho type, square Gothic type, and round Gothic type is stored. Next, in step S42, a list of selectable typefaces is displayed on the display device 107 or the like based on the part information list created in step S41, and the user is allowed to select using the keyboard 105 or the like. Next, in step S43, based on the typeface information selected in step S42, the component information of the character corresponding to the typeface is read and stored in the RAM 103, or the component information corresponding to the designated typeface information is read. Set the storage destination. Then, in step S44, the size of the bitmap font to be created is specified. There is no particular limitation on the size that can be specified. Next, proceeding to step S45, the start code and end code of the character for creating the bitmap data are designated. The code that can be specified is not particularly limited as to the code that can be specified as long as it is possible to uniquely determine a character character such as a JIS code, a shift JIS code, an EUC code, and a Unicode. Then, in step S46, an output file for storing the expanded bitmap pattern data is specified, and in step S47, an inquiry is made as to whether or not there is an error in the information input up to that point, and the input information is corrected. In this case, the process returns to step S42 and the input is performed again.

If there is no correction instruction in step S47, the process proceeds to step S48, and as in the above-mentioned flowchart,
Using the stroke information of the character and the component information associated with the stroke information, the bitmap pattern of the character is stored in the RAM 10 in the expanded size specified in step S44.
Expand to 3. Regarding the bitmap developed here, the black portion may be "0" or "1". Further, in some cases, the expanded bitmap data may be grayscale. Next, step S4
In step 9, the bitmap pattern data expanded in the RAM 103 is stored in the output file designated in step S46. Then, in step S50, it is determined whether or not the character code currently being developed is the end code,
If it is not the end code, the current code is advanced to the next step S48, and if it is the end code, the process is ended.

[Fifth Embodiment] The fifth embodiment is basically the same as the fourth embodiment except that an outline font of a desired typeface can be created.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the features of the character parts that make up the typeface. Part information corresponding to such a typeface is prepared in advance, and a font is created using the part information corresponding to the designated font. The location for storing this component information may be the ROM 102 or the external storage device 109 such as a floppy disk or hard disk.

Next, referring to the flow chart of FIG.
The flow of processing when automatically generating outline font data when a typeface is selected will be described in detail.

Steps S61 to S63 in FIG.
And step S65 to step S67 are the same as step S41 to step S43 and step S45 to FIG.
Since it is the same as the process of step S47, its description is omitted.

In step S64, the mesh size of the outline data to be generated is designated. As described above, the mesh size means the size of the outline data in the design coordinate system, and this size affects the quality of the outline font and the size of generated data. If the mesh size is large, the quality of the font is improved, but the generated data size is large. Conversely, if the mesh size becomes smaller,
The quality of the font is reduced, but the size of the generated data is reduced.

If there is no correction in the information input so far in step S67, the process proceeds to step S68, based on the character stroke information corresponding to the typeface of the input character code and the part information associated with the stroke information. A character pattern is generated, and based on the mesh size specified in step S64, character outline contour pattern data is created from the developed pattern and stored in the RAM 103.
The method for developing a character pattern from the character stroke information and the character component information is as described above with reference to FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S69, and the generated outline font data is output to the designated file. Then, in step S70, it is determined whether or not the character code currently being developed is the end code. If it is not the end code, the current code is advanced to the next step S70.
The process proceeds to 68 and ends if the end code.

[Sixth Embodiment] In the sixth embodiment, in addition to the configurations of the above-described fourth and fifth embodiments, the user selects either bit map font or outline font.
It can be specified.

This process is a combination of the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 and the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 14.

In steps S71 to S73 of FIG. 15, similarly to steps S41 to S43 described above, a list of selectable typefaces is displayed on the display 107 or the like on the basis of the previously prepared character component information. , Keyboard 10
The user is made to select a desired typeface by using 5 or the like. In step S74, the user is made to select whether the font data to be created is a bitmap font or an outline font. When creating a bitmap font, the process proceeds to step S75, and when creating an outline font, the process proceeds to step S83. In step S75, the size of the bitmap is designated. Here, the size that can be designated is not particularly limited. After this step S
Proceed to 76. Further, in step S83, the mesh size of the outline data to be generated is designated. The mesh size refers to the size of the design coordinate system of outline data, and this size affects the quality of outline fonts and the size of generated data. If the mesh size is large, the quality of the font is improved, but the generated data size is large. Conversely, if the mesh size becomes small, the quality of the font will deteriorate, but the generated data size will become small.

In this way, the process proceeds to step S76 to specify the start code and end code of the character for which the bitmap data is to be created. The code that can be specified is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to uniquely determine a character character such as a JIS code, a shift JIS code, an EUC code, or a Unicode. Next, step S7
In step 7, the output file for storing the expanded bitmap pattern data or the output file for storing the generated outline font data is designated. Then, in step S78, an inquiry is made as to whether or not there is an error in the information input so far. If the input information has a correction, the process returns to step S72 and the input is performed again.

If there is no correction, the process proceeds to step S79,
Based on the information input in step S74, if the data to be generated is a bitmap font, the process proceeds to step S80, and if it is an outline font, step S84.
Proceed to. Incidentally, these steps S80 and S84
Since each processing of is the same as the processing of step S48 and step S68 described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

Thus, step S80 or step S8
The font data generated in 4 is output to the output file designated in step S77. And step S82
If it is not the end code, the current code is advanced to step S79. If it is the end code, the process is ended.

[Seventh Embodiment] In the seventh embodiment, the user edits the character part information into a desired form.
It enables the creation of typefaces that cannot be represented by existing character part information. The means for the user to edit the character parts may use an outline font editor as shown in FIG. 9 or may be realized by a function of a specific character creating device. This component information is created in outline format so that it can be used when creating bitmap font data of any size.

The operation of the seventh embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S91, the type information of the typeface of the part information of the character to be created, that is, the Mincho typeface, the Gothic typeface, etc. is input. Next, in step S92, a file to store the character component information to be created is specified. Next, in step S93, an inquiry is made as to whether or not the component information is created based on the existing character component information.
If it is also based on the existing part information, the process proceeds to step S94, and if not, the process proceeds to step S96.

In step S94, the typeface relating to the component information of the underlying character is selected. When selecting this typeface, a list of the typefaces in which the component information of the referable characters is stored is displayed and the user selects the typeface. To display this typeface list, the typeface and character component data information table shown in FIG. 13 are referenced. Next, the process proceeds to step S96, and FIG.
Referring to the storage location of the component information from the typeface and the character component information table shown in FIG. 17, the character component information is read in the order of the character component information list shown in FIG. 17, and the outline of the component is displayed on the edit screen. To do.

In this way, the process proceeds to step S96 to edit the component information using the edit screen to create the outline font of the desired component information. When editing this component information, a screen such as a general outline font editor is used. Next, in step S97, the outline font of the character part for which the editing process is completed is written to the output file designated in step S92. The format of the outline font output here can be any format such as “TrueType” or “Type1” format. Furthermore,
Regarding the parts information of the characters edited and saved in this way,
It is added / updated to the character parts list shown in FIG. 17 as information to be used at the next reference. In this way, the process proceeds to step S98, and it is determined whether or not there is a component to be further edited by referring to the contents of the character component list table. If the component exists, the process proceeds to step S93. To finish.

Even when the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), a device including one device (for example, a copying machine or a facsimile device). Etc.)

Further, the object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium having a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus, and to supply a computer (or CPU or CPU of the system or apparatus). MP
U) is also achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (operating system) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) And the like perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, This also includes a case where a CPU or the like included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

When the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned storage medium, the storage medium stores the program code corresponding to the above-mentioned flow chart. Briefly, in the memory map example of FIG. Each module shown will be stored in the storage medium. That is, at least the “instruction process module”, the “acquisition process module”,
The program code of each module such as the “character pattern generation process module”, the “font generation process module”, and the “contour data generation process module” may be stored in the storage medium.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a character of one typeface is designed and created, the font creator's labor is minimized and parts common to the typeface are provided, or the typeface is provided. It is possible to automatically create font data for one font by designing common parts for each font.

[0070]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to create a character font with a small amount of labor by using stroke information unique to each character and component information common to each character.

Further, according to the present invention, the stroke information peculiar to each character and the part information of each typeface common to each character can be used to create a character font corresponding to each typeface with a small effort.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an effect that a character font corresponding to each typeface can be created with a little labor by using the stroke information unique to each character and the part information edited according to each typeface. .

Further, according to the present invention, the stroke information unique to each character and the component information common to each character can be used to produce a bitmap font or outline font with a small amount of labor.

According to the present invention, the stroke information unique to each character and the part information of each typeface common to each character are used to generate a bitmap font or outline font corresponding to each typeface with a small effort. It has the effect of being created.

[0075]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a character pattern creating system according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating stroke information of a character.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a component forming a character.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure that associates character stroke information with component information and component information.

FIG. 5 is a bitmap according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing at the time of font data creation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of font data created by a bitmap font editor.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining connection and complement of character stroke information and component information according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an outline diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing at the time of font data generation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of font data created by an outline font editor.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of selecting and generating either a bitmap font or an outline font according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating characteristics of part information in each typeface.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process of reading corresponding component information and generating bitmap font data by selecting a typeface according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table indicating a storage destination of component information corresponding to each typeface.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing a process of reading corresponding part information and generating outline font data by selecting a typeface according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a process of selecting a typeface and selecting and generating either a bitmap font or an outline font according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of editing part information according to a typeface according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a parts information table in the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a memory map of the storage medium of the present embodiment.

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A first storage means for storing stroke information of a character peculiar to each character, and a second storage means for storing component information of a character common to each character and the stroke information of a predetermined character in association with each other. The storage means, the instruction means for instructing the character code and the character size, the stroke information and the component information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instructing means, And a character pattern generating means for generating a character pattern by fleshing out the stroke information. 2. A first storage means for storing stroke information of a character peculiar to each character, and a second storage means for storing component information of a character common to each character and the stroke information of a predetermined character in association with each other. The storage means, the instruction means for instructing the character code and the character size, the stroke information and the component information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instructing means, And a character font generating means for generating contour data of the character code. 3. The character font creation device according to claim 1, wherein the component information is stored in an outline font. 4. A first storage unit for storing stroke information of a character peculiar to each character, and a second storage unit for storing component information of a character common to each character and the stroke information of a predetermined character in association with each other. The storage means, the instruction means for instructing the character code and the character size, the stroke information and the component information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instructing means, Character pattern generating means for fleshing out the stroke information to generate a character pattern, stroke information and part information corresponding to the character code designated by the instructing means, and the character size instructed by the instructing means. Character font generating means for generating contour data of the character code according to the above, and a character pattern by the character pattern generating means. Character font generation apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a selection unit for selecting whether to generate a character font, a by raised to either or the character font generator. 5. A first storage unit for storing stroke information of a character peculiar to each character, and component information of a character common to each character and corresponding to each typeface and the stroke information of a predetermined character. Second storage means for additionally storing, instruction means for instructing a character code, typeface and character size, stroke information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instruction means, and stroke information corresponding to the typeface. Character part generating means for acquiring the accompanying component information and generating a character pattern according to the typeface by fleshing out the stroke information in accordance with the character size instructed by the instructing means. Character font creation device. 6. A first storage unit for storing stroke information of a character unique to each character, and component information of a character common to each character and corresponding to each typeface and the stroke information of a predetermined character. Second storage means for additionally storing, instruction means for instructing a character code, typeface and character size, stroke information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instruction means, and stroke information corresponding to the typeface. A character font generating means for acquiring the accompanying component information and generating contour data corresponding to the typeface of the character code in accordance with the character size instructed by the instructing means. Creation device. 7. A first storage unit for storing stroke information of a character peculiar to each character, and component information of a character common to each character and corresponding to each typeface and the stroke information of a predetermined character are associated with each other. Second storage means for additionally storing, instruction means for instructing a character code, typeface and character size, stroke information corresponding to the character code instructed by the instruction means, and stroke information corresponding to the typeface. Acquiring the accompanying component information, a character pattern generating means for generating a character pattern corresponding to the typeface by fleshing out the stroke information according to the character size instructed by the instructing means, and instructed by the instructing means. The stroke information corresponding to the character code and the component information corresponding to the stroke information and associated with the stroke information are acquired, and the instruction means is used. A character font generating means for generating contour data corresponding to the typeface of the character code according to the indicated character size; and a character pattern generated by the character pattern generating means, or a character font generated by the character font generating means. And a selection means for selecting whether to generate the character font. 8. The character font creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that changes the component information stored in the second storage unit. 9. A step of instructing a character code for creating a character font and a character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information associated with the stroke information are read from a memory. And a step of fleshing out the stroke information according to an instructed character size to generate a character pattern. 10. A step of instructing a character code for creating a character font and a character size of the character font, reading stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information associated with the stroke information from a memory. And a step of generating contour data corresponding to the character code by fleshing out the stroke information according to an instructed character size. 11. The character font creating method according to claim 9, wherein the component information is stored in an outline font. 12. A step of instructing a character code for creating a character font and a size and type of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information associated with the stroke information are stored in a memory. The step of reading and acquiring, and the stroke information is fleshed according to the instructed character size according to the type of the instructed character font to obtain a character pattern or contour data of characters corresponding to the character code. And a step of generating the character font. 13. A character code for creating a character font,
A step of instructing a font and a character size of the character font, a step of reading stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and part information corresponding to the typeface and attached to the stroke information from a memory, and obtaining the information. And a step of generating a character pattern by fleshing out the stroke information in accordance with an instructed character size. 14. A character code for creating a character font,
A step of instructing a font and a character size of the character font, a step of reading stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and part information corresponding to the typeface and attached to the stroke information from a memory, and obtaining the information. Generating a contour data corresponding to the typeface of the character code according to an instructed character size. 15. A character code for creating a character font,
A step of instructing a font and a character size of the character font, a step of reading stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and part information corresponding to the typeface and attached to the stroke information from a memory, and obtaining the information. A designating step of designating either a character pattern or a character font corresponding to the character code, and a type of the designated character font according to the designation in the designating step and a designated character size. Generating a character pattern or character contour data corresponding to the character code by fleshing out the stroke information. 16. The character font creating method according to claim 9, further comprising a changing step of changing the component information stored in the second storage means. 17. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising an instruction process module for instructing a character code for creating a character font and a character size of the character font, and stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code. An acquisition process module that reads out and acquires the component information associated with the stroke information from the memory, and a character pattern generation process module that generates a character pattern by fleshing out the stroke information according to an instructed character size. A storage medium characterized by the above. 18. An instruction process module for instructing a character code for creating a character font and a character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information associated with the stroke information in a memory. And a contour data generation process module for generating contour data corresponding to the character code by fleshing out the stroke information according to a designated character size. Storage medium. 19. An instruction process module for instructing a character code for creating a character font and a size and type of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information associated with the stroke information. An acquisition process module that is read out from the memory and acquired, and a character pattern or a character corresponding to the character code by fleshing out the stroke information according to the instructed character size according to the instructed character font type. And a font generation process module for generating contour data of the storage medium. 20. A character code for creating a character font,
An instruction process module for instructing the typeface and the character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information corresponding to the typeface and associated with the stroke information are acquired from the memory. A storage medium, comprising: a process module; and a character pattern generation process module that generates a character pattern by filling in the stroke information according to an instructed character size. 21. A character code for creating a character font,
An instruction process module for instructing the typeface and the character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information corresponding to the typeface and associated with the stroke information are acquired from the memory. A storage medium, comprising: a process module; and a contour data generation process module that generates contour data corresponding to the typeface of the character code according to an instructed character size. 22. A character code for creating a character font,
An instruction process module for instructing the typeface and the character size of the character font, stroke information corresponding to the instructed character code, and component information corresponding to the typeface and attached to the stroke information are acquired from the memory. A process module, a designation process module for designating either a character pattern or a character font corresponding to the character code, and a designation in accordance with the designation in the designation process for the type of the designated character font. And a character font generating process module for generating character contour data corresponding to the character size or contour data of a character corresponding to the character code according to the character size.