Patent ID: 6074111
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: B41J,H04N

Abstract:
A printing system comprising a photographing apparatus and a printing apparatus, said photographing apparatus including:photographing means (20, 21, 22, 23, 24a, 24b) for photographing an image of an object to be photographed,image display means (35) for displaying the image photographed by said image photographing means (20, 21, 22, 23, 24a, 24b),image fetching means (30, ST13) for fetching the image photographed by said photographing means (20, 21, 22, 23, 24a, 24b),image storing means (27) for storing the image fetched by said image fetching means (30, ST13), andphotographed image supplying means (38) for supplying the image stored in said image storing means (27) to said printing apparatus,said printing apparatus including:decoration pattern storing means (46) connected to said photographing apparatus via a communication medium and provided for storing decoration patterns,image receiving means (45) for receiving the image supplied from said photographed image supplying means (38),image combining means (40, W9) for combining the image received by said image receiving means (45) and one of the decoration patterns stored in said decoration pattern storing means (46) with each other, thereby creating a composite image, andprinting means (47) for printing the composite image created by said image combining means (40, W9),wherein:said photographing apparatus further includes:pattern receiving means (38) for receiving, from said printing apparatus through said communication medium, a display pattern having the same shape as the decoration pattern combined with the image received by said image receiving means (45),pattern storing means (27, 29) for storing the display pattern received by said pattern receiving means (38),image display control means (30, ST10) for supplying the display pattern stored in said pattern storing means (27, 29) to said image display means (35), together with the image photographed by said photographing means (20, 21, 22, 23, 24a, 24b),pattern information generating means (30) for generating pattern information specifying the display pattern which said image display control means (30, ST10) supplies to said image display means (35), andpattern information supplying means (38) for supplying, to said printing apparatus through said communication medium, the pattern information generated by said pattern information generating means (30),said printing apparatus further includes:pattern supplying means (45) for supplying said display pattern to said pattern receiving means (38),pattern information receiving means (45) for receiving the pattern information supplied from said pattern information supplying means (38),decoration pattern readout means (40) for reading out, from said decoration pattern storing means (46), one of said decoration patterns which is specified by the pattern information received by said pattern information receiving means (45), andimage combining control means (40, W9) for supplying the image received by said image receiving means (45) and the decoration pattern read out by said decoration pattern readout means (40) to said image combining means (40, W9) and for controlling said image combining means (40, W9) to create said composite image.