Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis, LLP
Image data processing method and image processing device
 A method of image data processing for an image including halftone areas and single-contrast areas includes the steps of expressing a virtual unit of the image by a respective unit of data, each data unit selected from a plurality of data values, wherein each virtual image unit relating to a halftone area is expressed by a value within a first range of the plurality of data values and each virtual image unit relating to a single-contrast area is expressed by a value within a second range of the plurality of data values; separating the data units into halftone data units and single-contrast data units; processing the halftone data units with a halftone processing unit; and processing the single-contrast data units with a single-contrast processing unit. An image data processing apparatus includes an analyzing unit that analyzes image data received from an outside source; a memory that stores the image data analyzed by the analyzing unit; a determination unit that determines whether the image data read out of the memory is a first type image data or a second type image data; a first processing unit that processes the image data determined to be the first type image data as two or more items of high resolution single-contrast image data; a halftone processing unit that performs gradation reproduction of the image data determined to the second type of image data; and a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the image data processed from the first processing unit and from the halftone processing unit. 
Minolta Co., Ltd.
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G06K H04N H04N G06K H04N
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Hirokazu
Yamada