Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a receiving unit, a search unit, a processing unit and an output unit. The storage unit stores information of drawn image elements. The receiving unit receives a transformation instruction to transform a part of the image elements specified by the information of the image elements. The search unit searches the storage unit for an image element that (i) has a relation, being based on a predetermined condition, with the image elements, which are a target of the transformation instruction, and (ii) is not the target of the transformation instruction. The processing unit performs a transformation process on (i) the image elements, which are the target of the received transformation instruction, and (ii) the image element, which is found as the search result, based on the received transformation instruction. The output unit outputs the result of the transformation process.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a receiving unit, an image-element group determining unit and a shape changing unit. The receiving unit receives (i) a command to form a blank space and (ii) information specifying a position where the blank space is to be formed in a drawing space for displaying a drawn image. The image-element group determining unit determines, as an image-element group, image elements having a predetermined relation with each other and being drawn in the drawing space. The shape changing unit performs a shape changing process collectively for the image elements of image-element group.

Abstract: A commodity-information provision evaluation method for visualizing information contributing to evaluating of commodity information provided by a commodity provider, includes performing, according to an operator's selection operation, process display processing that includes superimposing and displaying at least two of intention information, expectation information and practical information on a screen in a matrix format, to visualize a gap between the commodity information provision media, or image display processing that includes superimposing at least two of target image information, design image information and user image information on an image map screen in which information regarding image is allocated to each of regions into which a display screen is divided so that the at least two are displayed in regions to which the at least two are allocated.

Abstract: A medium evaluation method for evaluating a commodity information provision medium that commodity consumers expect to use as an acquisition unit of commodity information provided by a commodity provider at each step of a purchase process wherein: expectation information is associated with kinds of commodity information provision media that commodity consumers expect to use at each step of the purchase process, and access information is used to access the consumers from whom the expectation information is acquired, the method includes: in response to specifying a certain commodity information provision medium at a certain step of the purchase process in the expectation information, specifying access information of a consumer who expects to use the specified commodity information provision medium at the specified step of the purchase process from the access information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a receiving unit, an image-element group determining unit and a shape changing unit. The receiving unit receives (1) a command to form a blank space and (ii) information specifying a position where the blank space is to be formed in a drawing space for displaying a drawn image. The image-element group determining unit determines, as an image-element group, image elements having a predetermined relation with each other and being drawn in the drawing space. The shape changing unit performs a shape changing process collectively for the image elements of image-element group.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a receiving unit, a search unit, a processing unit and an output unit. The storage unit stores information of drawn image elements. The receiving unit receives a transformation instruction to transform a part of the image elements specified by the information of the image elements. The search unit searches the storage unit for an image element that (i) has a relation, being based on a predetermined condition, with the image elements, which are a target of the transformation instruction, and (ii) is not the target of the transformation instruction. The processing unit performs a transformation process on (i) the image elements, which are the target of the received transformation instruction, and (ii) the image element, which is found as the search result, based on the received transformation instruction. The output unit outputs the result of the transformation process.

Abstract: A questionnaire apparatus includes: a question storage unit that holds plural questions; a selection condition reception unit that receives a selection condition for selecting a question; and a question selection unit that selects a next question from among the questions stored in the question storage unit, based on a question, an answer to the question and a selection condition received by the selection condition reception unit.

Abstract: A commodity-information provision evaluation method for visualizing information contributing to evaluating of commodity information provided by a commodity provider, includes: performing process display processing that includes superimposing and displaying, for each consumer cluster, at least two of intention information, expectation information and practical information on a screen in a matrix format of kinds of commodity information provision media and respective steps of a purchase process, to visualize a gap between the commodity information provision media, or image display processing that includes superimposing at least two of target image information, design image information and user image information on an image map screen in which information regarding image is allocated to each of regions into which a display screen is divided so that the at least two are displayed for each cluster in regions to which the at least two are allocated.

Abstract: A medium evaluation method for evaluating a commodity information provision medium that commodity consumers expect to use as an acquisition unit of commodity information provided by a commodity provider at each step of a purchase process wherein: expectation information is associated with kinds of commodity information provision media that commodity consumers expect to use at each step of the purchase process, and access information is used to access the consumers from whom the expectation information is acquired, the method includes: in response to specifying a certain commodity information provision medium at a certain step of the purchase process in the expectation information, specifying access information of a consumer who expects to use the specified commodity information provision medium at the specified step of the purchase process from the access information.

Abstract: A commodity-information provision evaluation method for visualizing information contributing to evaluating of commodity information provided by a commodity provider, includes performing, according to an operator's selection operation, process display processing that includes superimposing and displaying at least two of intention information, expectation information and practical information on a screen in a matrix format, to visualize a gap between the commodity information provision media, or image display processing that includes superimposing at least two of target image information, design image information and user image information on an image map screen in which information regarding image is allocated to each of regions into which a display screen is divided so that the at least two are displayed in regions to which the at least two are allocated.

Abstract: To divide and transfer a printing job so that the printing job can be efficiently rasterized by plural processors and improve the processing rate of the whole system in a printing system in which plural processors are roughly connected via a network, the following means are provided: Processing resource information extracting means extracts resource information required every divided job. If a processor is not provided with a required resource, it instructs a processor provided with the resource to transfer it using resource transfer means and receives the resource. Prior information means informs a processor and others of required processing prior to transfer. As the processor and others execute required processing based upon the contents of prior information, they can immediately start processing when a file is transferred.

Abstract: Command sequences that form a meaningful unit in terms of syntax are integrated into drawing and environment contents corresponding to the type of command. Clusters are formed from the drawing contents and the environment contents required to process those drawing contents, and the clusters are assigned to processors, respectively. The assignment of the clusters to the processors is carried out on the basis of drawing loads and the efficient distribution of resource information. The processing results of the processors are recovered in the order in which the command sequences are produced, whereby the completeness of an image is assured.

Abstract: When an instruction sequence is divided into a plurality of subsequences and executed by a plurality of painting instruction operators, an effective parallel schedule can be drawn up even if there may exist image elements overlapped one another, thus enabling high-speed painting instruction to be executed. There are provided a control information configuror for giving a directed branch to a subsequence having order dependence upon receipt of subsequences divided by a sequence divider and for excluding, when the subsequence with the branch given has another subsequence having order dependence, the subsequence from the determination targets for order dependence; and a scheduler for processing, when on allocating subsequences to a painting instruction operator at the execution target, the subsequences to be allocated are dependent upon subsequences to be executed outside of the allocatee, after the processing of subsequences at the host is awaited.

Abstract: An overlap judgment device writes job sequence divided by a job sequencing device to map memory constituted at coarser resolution than the resolution of a final generated image. At this time, if an image element where a job sequence number is already written is overwritten, the dependence of the job sequence upon processing order is extracted and if an image element is not overwritten, the independence of the job sequence is extracted. A number allocated to job sequence is written to the map memory, if an image element is overwritten, the number of the preceding job sequence is allocated to the overwritten job sequence and referred to when a final image is generated.

Abstract: The invention provides an image output device for use with a host computer connected to a network including an input unit for getting an image formation command for an image edit processing transmitted from the host computer through the network and inputting the image formation command to inside of the device, a raster image data conversion unit for sequentially converting the image formation command input by the input unit to raster image data, an image data coding unit for coding the raster image data converted by the raster image data conversion unit, a storing unit for storing the image formation command and raster image data coded by the image data coding unit, a decoding unit for decoding the raster image data stored in the storing unit in accordance with the image formation command, and an output unit for outputting the raster image data decoded by the decoding unit.

Abstract: In a print processing system and method that carries out rasterize processing in order to obtain pixel information for printing purposes from a source file which includes print information written in a predetermined print control language, command sequences that form a meaningful unit in terms of syntax are integrated into drawing and environment contents corresponding to the type of command. Clusters are formed from the drawing contents and the environment contents required to process those drawing contents, and the clusters are assigned to processors, respectively. The assignment of the clusters to the processors is carried out in consideration of overlaps between image elements so as to assure the order of arrangement of the image elements.

Abstract: An interactive man-machine interface system displays an animated face that exhibits human-like emotions. The system stores data representing each of eight basic emotions and continually changes the level of each basic emotion depending on environmental stimuli, internal reactions between the emotions, and the passage of time. The environmental stimuli include, for example, specific comments made by the user that are recognized by the system, the successful completion of a task, and failure to complete a task. The degree of internal reactions between emotions is programmed before operation. For example, an increase in anger causes a predetermined decrease in joy. Finally, all eight basic emotions are made to reduce in intensity over time. Based on a database of facial expressions, the system displays a composite expression corresponding to the intensity levels of all eight basic emotions.