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:
Mar. 09, 2004
Filed:
Apr. 14, 2000
Osamu Shimizu, Shizuoka, JP;
Yasuko Sonoda, Shizuoka, JP;
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., Kanagawa, JP;
Abstract
It is one objective of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that increases the printing stability for a highlighted portion, and that can form a high quality image without causing a barrier due to the application of excessive energy to a shadow portion. In an image forming apparatus that, when gray level image data are input, divides the data into a plurality of blocks and, for gray level recording, converts the gray level image data into multi-valued data, in accordance with a gray level transformation characteristic determined in accordance with relative pixel positions in each of the blocks, the gray level transformation characteristic is so set that B<0.85A is established, wherein A denotes a maximum value for multi-valued data when the printing density of the gray level image data is equal to or lower than a half tone, and B denotes a minimum value for an envelope that is obtained by coupling extrema of multi-valued data, relative to transform property curves for the printing density, that are equal to or higher than the half tone.