JPH0432411B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a word processor equipped with an image processing function.

In recent years, as Japanese word processors have become popular and their uses have expanded, documents processed by word processors have been processed with photos, photos, etc. related to the documents.
There has been a demand for printing images such as drawings together. However, none of the conventional word processors has the function of processing and outputting documents and images in correspondence with each other. That is, conventionally, when combining images into a document processed by a word processor, images such as photographs and diagrams related to the document were inserted manually after the document was printed out. Therefore, in the past, it took a lot of effort and time to insert an image into a document processed by a word processor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a word processor that can automatically associate documents and images and print them out.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the figure, 101 is an image reading device that reads images by, for example, optical scanning (or laser scanning).
Reference numeral 102 denotes an image file unit using, for example, a video cassette recorder, which files images read by the image reading device 101 together with information referred to during image retrieval. 103 is an image input controller. In order to store the image information read by the image reading device 101 in the image file unit 102, the image input controller 103 arranges it into image storage data and sends it to the image file unit 102 via the image file controller 108. At the same time, information referenced during image retrieval is also stored in the image file memory 1.
Send on 02. Reference numeral 104 denotes a document code file memory for storing character-coded documents.
A character pattern memory 105 stores various character patterns corresponding to each character code to be handled, and is accessed when patterning the document code read from the document code file memory 104 character by character. Reference numeral 106 denotes a document pattern memory that stores patterned documents in units of pages or lines. 107 is a document processing device. This document processing device 107 has a document code file memory 104.
According to the file name, document name, etc. specified on the operation unit 111, all document codes (document information) of the document are read out from the character pattern memory 10.
It has a function of writing into the document pattern memory 106 after forming a pattern using 5. The document processing device 107 also has a function of replacing format codes such as line breaks or tabs included in the document code with patterns such as spaces (blanks) to make it printable, and image designation information attached to the document code. It has a function of sending the image file to the image file controller 108. Furthermore, the document processing device 107 has a function of sending an image retrieval command to the image file controller 108 based on a page break code, image designation information, etc. included in the document code. 108 is an image file controller. This image file controller 108 has a control function for storing image storage data sent from the image input controller 103 and information to be referred to during image retrieval in the image file unit 102, and also has a control function for storing the image storage data sent from the image input controller 103 in the image file unit 102, and a control function for storing the image storage data sent from the image input controller 103 in the image file unit 102. and has the ability to directly transfer information. The image file controller 108 also has a function of reading out an image specified from the image file unit 102 in accordance with image designation information, an image retrieval command, etc. sent from the document processing device 107 or the operation unit 111. 10
9, document pattern information sent from the document pattern memory 106 and the image file controller 10;
This is a print data controller that receives the image information sent from 8, synchronizes and superimposes each piece of information, and obtains print data. 11
0 is a printing device that prints out documents, images, etc. according to print data obtained from the print data controller 109.

Here, the operation of the word processor with the above configuration will be explained. The image reading device 101 is, for example,
Image information is read in units of pages of A4 format, and this read information is sent to the image input controller 103.
The image input controller 103 organizes the input image reading information into image storage data that can be stored in the image file unit 102, sends it to the image file controller 108, and further reads out the image information page by page after it is filed. In order to enable this, the information referred to during image retrieval is also sent to the image file controller 108. The image file controller 108 stores input image storage data and information referred to during a search in the image file section 102 in units of pages. At this time, decide in advance where the image to be input (read) will be inserted in the text printed on the same page, and determine the area allocation (the insertion position and shape of the image, and the text Match the empty position and shape. Further, documents to be printed out are coded and stored in the document code file memory 104 in advance. The means for inputting the document into the document code file memory 104 at this time is a well-known technology in existing word processors (for example, word processors having a kana-kanji conversion function), and therefore, its explanation will be omitted here. Here, in the print page of the document to be written to the document code file memory 104,
When inserting an image, the page and designation information of the image used there (image page information) are added to the head of the document code, and the document code is saved in the document code file memory 1.
Write it in 04. This writing into the document code file memory 104 is performed under the control of the document processing device 107. When the document processing device 107 receives a print command from the operation unit 111, it reads the image designation information attached to the head of the document code from the document code file memory 104, and then reads the document code. After sending the read image designation information to the image file controller 108, the document code is stored as 1 using the character pattern memory 105.
The patterned document (document pattern) is patterned character by character and stored in the document pattern memory 106.
Store in. At this time, the document processing device 107 sends an image retrieval command to the image file controller 108 when image designation information in the document code is detected. When the image file controller 108 receives the image designation information, it searches for the designated image in accordance with this information. When an image retrieval command is received, the image data of the searched page is read out. This image data and the document pattern stored in document pattern memory 106 are input to print data controller 109 . The print data controller 109 synchronizes the input document pattern and image data, superimposes them page by page, replaces them with print data, and then sends them to the printing device 110. The printing device 110 prints out documents and images according to the input print data. When no image is selected, only the document is printed out, similar to a normal word processor. Further, when printing an image over the entire surface of one page, by leaving the corresponding page of the document as a blank page, one page of only the image is printed.

Further, when printing out an image read by the image reading device as it is, a hard copy command is sent from the operation unit 111 to the image file controller 108. Upon receiving this command, the image file controller 108 sends the output information of the image input controller 103 as is to the print data controller 109. As a result, the image reading device 101
The image read in is printed out by the printing device 110.

Further, when it is desired to make a hard copy of the image stored in the image file section 102, image designation information and an image retrieval command are inputted through the operation section 111. Thereby, the image file controller 108 searches for an image of the page according to the inputted image designation information, and sends the read image data to the print data controller 109. As a result, the designated file image is printed out by the printing device 110.

By adopting the system configuration described above, it is possible to print documents and images in combination, significantly expanding the usage of word processors, and also printing ordinary hard copies (electronic copies) as well as arbitrary image files and images. Since arbitrary copying and the like can be performed in one system, it becomes an economically advantageous system configuration with a wide range of use.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a word processor that can automatically associate documents and images and print them out.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figure is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 101... Image reading device, 102... Image file unit, 103... Image input controller, 104... Document code file memory, 105... Character pattern memory, 106... Document pattern memory, 107...
Document processing device, 108... Image file controller, 109... Print data controller, 11
0...Printing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image reading unit that reads an image; an image storage unit that stores the image read by the image reading unit; a document storage unit that adds and stores specified image designation information; a document processing unit that reads the document information stored in the document storage unit, patterns it in character units, and detects the image designation information; a document pattern memory that stores document patterns patterned by the document processing section in page units; and a document pattern memory that stores document patterns patterned by the document processing section in page units; an image selection unit that selectively extracts an image specified by image specification information; and a document pattern of a specified page stored in the document pattern memory based on the image specification information and the specification extracted by the image selection unit. A printing information generation unit that combines images and converts them into printing pattern information, and a printing unit that prints out documents and images according to the printing pattern information generated by the printing information generation unit. A word processor featuring