IP Library Granted Patent US 10,440,232
Granted Patent B2
US 10,440,232 · App. 16/133,947 · Granted Oct 8, 2019

Image forming apparatus

Inventor: Hiroyuki Inoue (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Oki Data Corporation
H04N1/6008G03G15/0121G03G15/0808G03G15/1625G03G15/6585H04N1/46H04N1/6016G03G15/043G03G15/6591G03G2215/00527H04N1/54
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,440,232
App. No.
16/133,947
Granted
Oct 8, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image processing section and an image forming section. The image processing section corrects, on the basis of pieces of image data, a pixel value corresponding to an auxiliary color developer in a first pixel and thereby causes a developer amount in the first pixel to fall within a predetermined range. The pieces of image data correspond to respective developers including one or more basic color developers that configure an image and the auxiliary color developer. The developer amount in the first pixel is a total amount of the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer in the first pixel when the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer are disposed on each other. The image forming section forms an image on a transfer print medium on the basis of the pieces of processed image data processed.

Claims (17)

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image processing section that corrects, on a basis of a plurality of pieces of image data, a pixel value corresponding to an auxiliary color developer in a first pixel and thereby causes a developer amount in the first pixel to fall within a predetermined range, the plurality of pieces of image data corresponding to respective developers including one or more basic color developers that configure an image and the auxiliary color developer, the developer amount in the first pixel being a total amount of the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer in the first pixel when the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer are disposed on each other; and

an image forming section that forms an image on a transfer print medium on a basis of the pieces of image data processed by the image processing section.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processing section corrects the pixel value corresponding to the auxiliary color developer and thereby causes the developer amount to become no smaller than a predetermined amount.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the image processing section corrects the pixel value corresponding to the auxiliary color developer and thereby causes the developer amount to become equal to the predetermined amount, when the developer amount is smaller than the predetermined amount.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the image processing section sets the predetermined amount on a basis of pixel values in the first pixel in the respective pieces of image data.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the image processing section sets the predetermined amount on a basis of number of pixel values that are not zero among the pixel values in the first pixel in the respective pieces of image data.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:

an operation section that receives a user operation; and

a setting section that sets the predetermined amount on a basis of an instruction provided from the operation section.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein

the image formed on the transfer print medium is an image to be transferred onto a transfer target surface of an object, and

the instruction provided from the operation section includes information on a condition of the transfer target surface of the object.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processing section further corrects a pixel value corresponding to the auxiliary color developer in a second pixel and thereby causes a developer amount in the second pixel to fall within the predetermined range, the developer amount in the second pixel being the total amount of the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer in the second pixel when the one or more basic color developers and the auxiliary color developer are disposed on each other.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming section forms, on the transfer print medium, the image by disposing the auxiliary color developer on the one or more basic color developers.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary color developer has a color of white.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein any of the one or more basic color developers has one of colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Mar 14, 2022
From: OKI DATA CORPORATION
To: OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 059365/0145 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: INOUE, HIROYUKI
To: OKI DATA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046896/0962 →