Method and apparatus to process scanned images

• US 20050162714A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kang-hoon, Park, Eun-ok
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3935 with modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions

Abstract

There are provided a scanned image processing method and a scanned image processing apparatus to create a plurality of page images (PI) by sequentially scanning two or more printed papers in a predetermined resolution, reducing the created page images, arranging the reduced page images (RPI) in integrated page region (IPR), and creating one integrated page image. The method includes setting the scan environment by a user, dividing the integrated page region if a multi scan request is input from the user, creating and storing page images by sequentially scanning printed papers to be fed according to a predetermined method, reducing the stored page images by a predetermined ratio, creating and storing the reduced page images, and creating one integrated page image by reading the reduced, stored page images and arranging in a predetermined arranging order, whereby the file can be managed more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method of processing scanned images, the method comprising:

setting a scan environment by a user;

creating and storing a plurality of page images by sequentially scanning a plurality of printed papers;

creating and storing a plurality of reduced page images by reducing the plurality of page images by a predetermined ratio; and

creating one integrated page image by reading the plurality of reduced page images and arranging the plurality of reduced page images in a predetermined arrangement order.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the integrated page image to an external device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the external device comprises a terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two or more printed papers are fed manually and/or automatically.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of creating one integrated page image comprises forming an integrated page region when a multi scan request is input from the user.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the forming of the integrated page region when a multi scan request is input from the user comprises:

dividing the integrated page region into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user if the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user is an even number, or

dividing the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user if the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user is an odd number.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sizes of the divided page regions in the integrated page region are equal in size to one another.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined ratio is a ratio of the size of one of the plurality of page regions to the size of one of the scanned page images, and is determined based on a resolution of one of the plurality of page images and a resolution of the integrated page image.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement order is selected by the user from at least one predetermined format.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scan environment is set by using a terminal and/or a liquid crystal display.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scan environment includes a number of the printed papers to be scanned and an arrangement order of the reduced page images.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

checking for an end of scan operation after creating and storing each of the plurality of page images;

adding 1 to a number of scanned pages after creating and storing each of the plurality of page images; and

repeating the checking and adding operations until an end of scan operation is received or the number of scanned pages equals a number of printed papers to be scanned entered by a user,

wherein the integrated page region is divided into a plurality of page regions of which the number is equal to either the number of scanned pages or the number of scanned pages plus 1.

13. A method of processing scanned images, the method comprising:

creating a plurality of page images by sequentially scanning two or more printed papers;

reducing the plurality of page images into a plurality of reduced page images; and

arranging the plurality of reduced page images in an integrated page region to create an integrated page image.

14. An apparatus to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an image creating means for creating a plurality of images for two or more printed papers by sequentially scanning the two or more printed papers;

an image integration means for producing a plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images and arranging the plurality of reduced images in one integrated page region; and

a control means for controlling the image creating means and the image integration means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a storage means for storing the plurality of images created in the image creating means and the plurality of reduced images created in the image integration means.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control means controls the image creation means to create the plurality of images by scanning the two or more printed papers, controls the image integration means to create the plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images created in the image creation means and to create one integrated image by arranging the plurality of reduced images in the integrated page region, and controls the storage means to store the plurality of images and the plurality of reduced images.

17. An apparatus to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an image integration unit to receive a plurality of images, to create a plurality of reduced images from the plurality of images, and to create an integrated page image by arranging the plurality of reduced images in a predetermined order; and

a controlling unit to control the image integration unit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an optical module to create the plurality of images by scanning two or more printed papers in a predetermined resolution.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

an automatic sheet feeder cassette to feed the printed papers to the apparatus to process scanned images.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising:

an operating panel device to receive a number of the two or more printed papers to be scanned and the predetermined order.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the number of the two or more printed papers to be scanned and the predetermined order are selected from either a terminal or a liquid crystal display.

22. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a memory to store the plurality of images and the plurality of reduced images.

23. The apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

an I/O interface unit to interface with an external device.

24. An apparatus to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an optical module to create a plurality of images corresponding to two or more printed papers by sequentially scanning the two or more printed papers;

an image integration unit to produce a plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images and arranging the plurality of reduced images in at least one integrated page region; and

a controlling unit to control the optical module and the image integration unit.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising:

a storage device to store the plurality of images created by the optical module and the plurality of reduced images created by the image integration unit.