Image processing apparatus and method using image information and additional information or an additional pattern added thereto or superposed thereon

• US 20020054356A1
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Published: 05/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akiko Kanno, Katsuyoshi Maeshima, Koichi Ishimoto, Masahiro Funada, Mitsuru Kurita, Yasumichi Suzuki, Yoichi Takaragi
• Original Assignee: Akiko Kanno, Katsuyoshi Maeshima, Koichi Ishimoto, Masahiro Funada, Mitsuru Kurita, Yasumichi Suzuki, Yoichi Takaragi
• Inventors: Takaragi, Yoichi, Suzuki, Yasumichi, Ishimoto, Koichi, Kanno, Akiko, Funada, Masahiro, Kurita, Mitsuru, Maeshima, Katsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,061,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00843 based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote pattern authentication and markers therefor, forgery detection G06V20/95; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40; testing paper currency or similar valuable papers for genuineness G07D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00848 by detecting a particular original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00867 with additional data, e.g. by adding a warning message details of embedding additional information in an image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0087 with hidden additional data, e.g. data invisible to the human eye
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping

Abstract

Predetermined additional information is superposed as a dot pattern on image information read by an image scanner, and the image information superposed with the additional information is modulated. The modulated information is demodulated and recorded on a recording medium to perform a series of operations, i.e., to simultaneously satisfy both pattern addition and modulation/demodulation.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for outputting image information to image forming means which forms an image on a medium, comprising:

superposing means for superposing predetermined additional information on input image information; and

processing means for performing modulation of the image information superposed with the additional information by said superposing means,

wherein when said image forming means forms an image in accordance with the image information obtained by performing demodulation of the image information modulated by said processing means, said superposing means superposes the additional information so as to make it difficult for the human eye to identify said additional information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional information comprises a predetermined pattern having a mark representing a position where the additional information is added to the image information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pattern is formed by dots distributed within a predetermined range, so that an arrangement of the dots represents predetermined information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modulation is performed in accordance with a predetermined function, and the demodulation is performed by an inverse function of the predetermined function.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining the presence/absence of said superposing means and means for setting the image information superposed with the additional information to a fixed value on the basis of the determination result.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing gradation conversion of the image information is with the additional information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional information is at least one of apparatus identification information and apparatus operator identification information.

8. An image processing apparatus having image forming means for forming an image on a medium, comprising:

input means for inputting image information on which modulation has been performed;

processing means for performing demodulation of the modulated image information input from said input means; and

superposing means for superposing predetermined additional information on the image information demodulated by said processing means,

wherein when said image forming means forms an image in accordance with the image information superposed with the additional information by said superposing means, said superposing means superposes the additional information so as to make it difficult for the human eye to identify said additional information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the additional information comprises a predetermined pattern having a mark representing a position where the additional information is added to the image information.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the pattern is formed by dots distributed within a predetermined range, so that an arrangement of the dots represents predetermined information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the modulation is performed in accordance with a predetermined function, and the demodulation is performed by an inverse function of the predetermined function.

12. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the additional information is at least one of apparatus identification information and apparatus operator identification information.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the additional information comprises a predetermined pattern having a mark representing a position where the additional information is added to the image information.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the additional information is at least one of apparatus identification information and apparatus operator identification information.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the dot is obtained by modulating image information constituted by one pixel or a plurality of adjacent pixels.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the additional information is represented by a relative positional relationship between a dot position of a line formed by equidistantly arranging dots in a first direction and a dot position of an adjacent line equidistantly arranging in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the additional information is represented by a plurality of ones of the line which are repeated in the second direction.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein when the plurality of lines correspond to predetermined identification information, another dot different from an original dot is added to a specific line of the plurality of lines, thereby forming a division in the predetermined identification information.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the specific line comprises two specific lines of the plurality of lines corresponding to the predetermined identification information, thereby determining the division in the identification information and an arrangement direction of the identification information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the additional information is superposed for a color most unnoticeable to a human eye in element colors representing an image.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined process is at least one of magnification, color conversion, MTF correction, and modulation.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said external equipment is a host computer.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the additional information comprises a predetermined pattern having a mark representing a position where the additional information is added to the image information.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the pattern is formed by dots distributed within a predetermined range, so that an arrangement of the dots represents predetermined information.

27. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the additional information is at least one of apparatus identification information and apparatus operator identification information.

28. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the additional information is superposed for a color most unnoticeable to a human eve in element colors representing an image.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said determining means detects a dot shape having a predetermined color component to determine the presence/absence of the predetermined pattern.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the color component is a color most unnoticeable to a human eye in element colors representing the image information.

32. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising means for superposing predetermined additional information to the image information from which the predetermined pattern is removed.

33. The apparatus according to claim 29, further comprising means for comparing the image information with a specific image and means for designating that the image information is output at said recording unit as an image which cannot be determined when the image information is the specific image.

13. An image processing apparatus having image forming means for forming an image on a medium, comprising:

processing means for performing a predetermined process of input image information; and

means for superposing predetermined additional information to the image information processing by said processing means,

wherein when said image forming means forms an image in accordance with the image information superposed with the additional information by said superposing means, said superposing means superposes the additional information so as to make it difficult for the human eye to identify said additional information.

23. An image processing apparatus comprising:

means for inputting an image signal from an external equipment;

means for reading an original image;

means for synthesizing a first image signal input from said external equipment with a second image signal read by said reading means to generate a third image signal; and

means for superposing predetermined additional information on the third image information,

wherein the third image signal is formed prior to superposition by said superposing means.

29. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

determining means for determining whether input image information contains a predetermined pattern; and

means for eliminating the predetermined pattern from the image information when said determining means determines that the image information contains the predetermined pattern.