IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20070157827A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: MIKAMI, Fumio
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/2
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/043 by using an original which is not reproducible or only reproducible with a different appearence, e.g. originals with a photochromic layer or a colour background
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00299 Confidential, e.g. secret documents
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00932 Security copies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00883 Auto-copy-preventive originals, i.e. originals that are designed not to allow faithful reproduction

Abstract

Two or more designated images are combined (S1254), and the type of security process to be performed for the combined image is input (S1253). The security process is performed for the combined image by using the information associated with the input type of security process (S1255).

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

determination unit adapted to determine whether a presetting image which presets, as a composing target, a security image designated as a composing target for each of a plurality of images which are designated to be combined exists among said plurality of images;

setting unit adapted to make setting to compose a security image with an image other than the presetting image and to output the composed image, when said determination unit determines that the presetting image exists; and

a combining unit adapted to combine the image, which is set by said setting unit to compose with a security image and to output, with the presetting image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit adapted to receive an instruction to combine said plurality of images from an external apparatus, and

a unit adapted to receive an instruction to compose with the security image with not less than one of said plurality of images and to output the composed image from the external apparatus.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the security image includes a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image and a digital watermark image.

4. An image processing apparatus comprising:

combining unit adapted to obtain a third image by combining a first image for which setting is made to perform a first process with a second image for which setting is made to perform a second process; and

processing unit adapted to perform at least one of the first process and the second process for the third image obtained by said combining unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said processing unit includes

selection unit adapted to make a user select a process to be performed for the third image from the first process and the second process, and

second processing unit adapted to perform the process selected by said selection unit for the third image obtained by said combining unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said combining unit obtains the third image by canceling the setting made to perform the first process for the first image and the setting made to perform the second process for the second image and combining the first image and the second image from which the setting has been canceled.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first process and the second process are security processes.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the first process is a process of composing another image with the first image, and

the second process is a process of composing another image with the second image.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

combining unit adapted to obtain a third image by combining a first image with which first process information is associated with a second image with which second process information is associated; and

processing unit adapted to perform a process based on at least one of the first process information and the second process information for the third image obtained by said combining unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first process information associated with the first image indicates that encrypting applied to the first image has already been canceled.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second process information associated with the second image indicates that setting is made to perform the second process for the second image.

12. An image processing method comprising:

a determination step of determining whether a presetting image which presets, as a composing target, a security image designated as a composing target for each of a plurality of images which are designated to be combined exists among the plurality of images;

a setting step of making setting to compose a security image with an image other than the presetting image and to output the composed image, when it is determined in the determination step that the presetting image exists; and

a combining step of combining the image which is set in the setting step to compose with a security image and to output, with the presetting image.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising

a step of receiving an instruction to combine the plurality of images from an external apparatus, and

a step of receiving an instruction to compose with the security image with not less than one of the plurality of images and to output the composed image from the external apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the security image includes a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image and a digital watermark image.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method defined in claim 12.

15. An image processing method comprising:

a combining step of obtaining a third image by combining a first image for which setting is made to perform a first process with a second image for which setting is made to perform a second process; and

a processing step of performing at least one of the first process and the second process for the third image obtained in the combining step.

16. An image processing method comprising:

a combining step of obtaining a third image by combining a first image with which first process information is associated with a second image with which second process information is associated; and

a processing step of performing a process based on at least one of the first process information and the second process information with respect to the third image obtained in the combining step.

18. An image processing method comprising:

a first holding step of holding an image group;

a second holding step of holding information associated with a security process which is performed to protect security of an image;

a combining step of combining not less than two designated images of the image group held in the first holding step;

an input step of inputting a type of security process, of security processes corresponding to pieces of information held in the second holding step, which is performed for the images combined in the combining step; and

a processing step of performing a security process for the images combined in the combining step by using information, of the pieces of information held in the second holding step, which is associated with security process having the type input in the input step.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein the security process includes a digital watermark process, an encrypting process, and a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image superimposition process.

27. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method defined in claim 18.

19. An image processing method comprising:

a holding step of holding a plurality of sets each including an image and information associated with a security process which is performed to protect security of the image;

a combining step of combining not less than two designated images of an image group held in the holding step;

an input step of inputting a type of security process to be performed for the images combined in the combining step;

a processing step of performing a security process for the images combined in the combining step by using information, of the respective pieces of information held in the holding step in sets with said not less than two images, which is associated with security process having the type input in the input step; and

a management step of managing the combined image for which the security process has been performed in the processing step and the information associated with security process having the type input in the input step in association with each other.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein in the combining step, not less than two images, of the image group held in the holding step, which are designated from an external apparatus are combined.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein in the input step, a type of security process to be performed for the images combined in the combining step is input from an external apparatus.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein

the combining step includes a first selection step of selecting not less than two images to be combined from the image group held in the holding step, and

in the combining step, the images selected in the first selection step are combined.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein

the processing step includes a second selection step of selecting one of pieces of information which are held in the holding step in sets with the respective images selected in the first selection step, and

in the processing step, a security process based on the information selected in the second selection step is performed for the images combined in the combining step.

25. An image processing apparatus comprising:

first holding unit adapted to hold an image group;

second holding unit adapted to hold information associated with a security process which is performed to protect security of an image;

combining unit adapted to combine not less than two designated images of the image group held by said first holding unit;

input unit adapted to input a type of security process, of security processes corresponding to pieces of information held by said second holding unit, which is performed for the images combined by said combining unit; and

processing unit adapted to perform a security process for the images combined by said combining unit by using information, of the pieces of information held by said second holding unit, which is associated with security process having the type input by said input unit.

26. An image processing apparatus comprising:

holding unit adapted to hold a plurality of sets each including an image and information associated with a security process which is performed to protect security of the image;

combining unit adapted to combine not less than two designated images of an image group held by said holding unit;

input unit adapted to input a type of security process to be performed for the images combined by said combining unit;

a processing unit adapted to perform a security process for the images combined by said combining unit by using information, of the respective pieces of information held by said holding unit in sets with said not less than two images, which is associated with security process having the type input by said input unit; and

a management unit adapted to manage the combined image for which the security process has been performed by said processing unit and the information associated with security process having the type input by said input unit in association with each other.