Image processing apparatus

• US 20070188810A1
• Filed: 07/19/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanada, Kouichi, Sawaki, Toyotsugu, Nakagama, Kiyohari, Ito, Hiroji
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/2.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00076 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32315 Selecting a particular method from amongst a plurality of methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

Combining section 21 creates the composite image data by combining the image data of the original image and the additional image, and log management section 22 stores the condition of composite images at the time of image combining as log information 40. Printer section 18 prints the composite image based on the composite image data, and a scanner section 16 optically reads the printed composite image. Judgment section 23 judges the condition of adding the additional image in the composite image (presence or absence of overlapping, etc.,) based on stored log information 40 and on the image data obtained by reading out the composite image, and notification control section 24 notifies the user of the judgment result either by displaying or by printing out.

Claims

1. A image processing apparatus, comprising:

a combining section to create first composite image data by combining image data with additional image data;

a storage section to store log information showing a combining condition used in creating the first composite image data;

a printing section to print a first composite image based on the first composite image data;

a scanning section to scan the first composite image and obtain second composite image data;

a judgment section to judge a condition of an additional image represented by the additional image data in the first composite image based on the log information and the second composite image data; and

a notification section to notify a judgment result by the judgment section.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a notification condition setting section to set a notification condition of the notification section, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of only page where the judgment result by the judgment section meets the notification condition.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the judgment section judges overlapping between the image and the additional image.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image overlap each other, and the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image may overlap each other, and the notification section does not notify the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image do not overlap each other.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the log information includes combining position information of the additional image.

6. The image processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the judgment section specifies an area to be judged in the composite image data based on the combining position information.

7. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the log information includes contents information of the additional image.

8. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage section stores contents of the additional image in a form of character code, the judgment section judges positional relationship between the image and the additional image based on the contents of the additional image represented by the character code and the composite image data.

9. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage section stores contents of the additional image in a form of bit map data, the judgment section judges positional relationship between the image and the additional image based on the contents of the additional image represented by the bit map data and the composite image data.

10. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a scanning section to scan a composite image including an image and an additional image added to the image, and obtain composite image data;

a judgment section to judge a condition of the additional image in the composite image based on log information showing a combining condition used in creating the composite image and the composite image data; and

a notification section to notify a judgment result by the judgment section.

11. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a notification condition setting section to set a notification condition of the notification section, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of only page where the judgment result by the judgment section meets the notification condition.

12. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the judgment section judges overlapping between the image and the additional image.

13. The image processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image overlap each other, and the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image may overlap each other, and the notification section does not notify the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image do not overlap each other.

14. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the log information includes combining position information of the additional image.

15. The image processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the judgment section specifies an area to be judged in the composite image data based on the combining potion information.

16. The image processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the log information includes contents information of the additional image.

17. An image processing apparatus, comprising

an information obtaining section to obtain image data, additional image data added to the image data and log information showing a combining condition used in creating the composite image by combining the image data with the additional image data;

a judgment section to judge a condition of the additional image represented by the additional image data in the composite image based on the image data, the additional image data and the log information; and

a notification section to notify a judgment result by the judgment section.

18. The image processing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a notification condition setting section to set a notification condition of the notification section, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of only page where the judgment result by the judgment section meets the notification condition.

19. The image processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the judgment section judges overlapping between the image and the additional image.

20. The image processing apparatus of claim 19, wherein the notification section notifies the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image overlap each other, and the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image may overlap each other, and the notification section does not notify the judgment result of page where the image and the additional image do not overlap each other.

21. The image processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the log information includes combining position information of the additional image.

22. The image processing apparatus of claim 21, wherein the judgment section specifies an area to be judged in the composite image data based on the combining position information.

23. The image processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the log information includes contents information of the additional image.