The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 19, 2001
Filed:
Feb. 13, 1998
Masahiro Nagatani, Yokohama, JP;
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
Image quality is improved when monochrome printing by using an image processing method having a monochrome printing mode and a color printing mode for reproducing a gray image using a plurality of colors in a case where the monochrome printing mode is set. The image processing method includes the steps of inputting gray image data, converting the gray image data into color image data composed of a plurality of color components, performing a quantization process to the color image data, and performing an error diffusion process for distributing a quantization error of the color image data to peripheral pixels of an objective pixel in accordance with a direction set for each of the color components.