Patent ID: 8724161
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for processing image data, comprising: a memory unit having a single work area for combining image data of plural images to be combined on an area of a recording medium; a layout pattern correspondence management database configured to include (i) plurality of layout patterns indicating orders of the image data to be arranged on the area of the recording medium and (ii) respective memory sizes of a portion of the memory unit that is to be reserved as the single work area and that are needed to store image data of a first image to be arranged in a first area along a direction orthogonal to an image output direction of the recording medium, the plurality of layout patterns and the memory sizes being associated with each other, and the memory sizes corresponding to the layout patterns being less than a memory size needed to store all of the image data of the plural images; a layout specifying unit configured to specify a layout pattern for arranging the image data in sequence to the area of the recording medium, the specified layout pattern being one of the plurality of layout patterns registered in the layout pattern correspondence management database; a reserving unit configured to reserve as the single work area, a memory size corresponding to the specified layout pattern based on the layout pattern correspondence management database; an image obtaining unit configured to obtain, in a sequence corresponding to, and same as, the arranging order of the specified layout pattern, the image data of the plural images to be combined on the area of the recording medium; an input processor configured to perform input processing of the image data in the sequence that is the same as the arranging order of the specified layout pattern; a writing unit configured to write sequentially the image data in the single work area that is reserved by the reserving unit based on the specified layout pattern; a determining unit configured to determine whether or not a first image to be arranged in a first a along a direction orthogonal to an image output direction of the recording medium is stored in the single work area that is reserved by the reserving unit; and an output processor configured to perform, in a case that the determining unit has determined that image data of the first image is stored in the single work area that is reserved by the reserving unit, output processing of the image data of the first image to the recording medium before the image obtaining unit obtains second image data of another of the plural images that is to be arranged in a second area next to the first area along the direction orthogonal to the image output direction, wherein, after the output processing of the image data of the first image is finished and before the image obtaining unit obtains the second image data, the single work area that stores the image data of the first image is cleared for storing next the second image data to the single work area, or after the image obtaining unit obtains the second image data, the single work area is overwritten with the second image data.