Patent ID: 7502510

Claim:
A drawing data processing method comprising: extracting run length data from an image, as raster-graphic data representing a figure to be drawn, the extracting comprising: extracting coordinate system values of a starting point and an ending point of the run length data by scanning the image along a scanning line that is parallel to a coordinate axis of a coordinate system that defines the image; and storing run length data, in which the coordinate system values of the starting point and the ending point are stored in a data memory, the starting point and the ending point being related to a line number defining the scanning line; grouping the run length data to become grouped run length data, the grouping comprising: detecting run length data duplication in which duplication of first run length data on a first scanning line and second run length data on a second scanning line, adjacent to the first scanning line is detected, based on the coordinate system values of starting points and ending points of the first run length data and the second run length data and line numbers of the first scanning line and the second scanning line; and creating, when a duplication of the first and the second run length data is detected in the detecting run length data duplication, a starting points group by grouping the starting points of the first run length data on the first scanning line and the second run length data on the second scanning line and an ending points group by grouping the ending points of the first and second run length data; and creating outline vector-graphic data, having a smaller data amount than a data amount of the raster-graphic data, and based on an outline of the figure represented by the grouped run length data.