Patent ID: 7424152

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: an image memory storing an entered color image; a feature detector, arranged for reading the entered color image out of said image memory, for detecting a feature signal from the color image, and for storing the feature signal in an address of said image memory, where the address follows the entered color image, the feature signal representing a feature of the entered color image; an outputter, arranged for reading a plurality of color component signals of the entered color image and the feature signal thereof out of said image memory, and outputting the plurality of color component signals and feature signals as a recording signal; and a plurality of processors, arranged for respectively processing one of a plurality of color components, which represent color image information, in accordance with the recording signal, wherein the reading of the plurality of color component signals and feature signal thereof from said image memory by said outputter is started while the detection of the feature signal and the storage of the feature signal in said image memory are performed by said feature detector; and wherein each of the color component signals is read, by said outputter, at a reading interval in accordance with the arrangement of the plurality of processors.