IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20080218805A1
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: DOKUNI, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/448 Rendering the image unintelligible, e.g. scrambling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image processing apparatus prevents reproduction and display of an image file in a viewer of a client PC, etc., by encrypting “fileType” and “version” contained in an Image File Header (IFH), which is file format information, and “tagCount”, “sig_tag0 to 2”, “type0 to 2”, “pointer0 to 2”, and “size0 to 2”, which are file structure information, of small amounts of data, without encrypting image data (data0, data1, data2) themselves each having a large amount of data in the image file of a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF format).

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image data generation unit arranged to generate image data by reading a document;

an image file generation unit arranged to generate an image file from the image data generated by the image data generation unit; and

an encryption unit arranged to encrypt file format information and file structure information contained in the image file generated by the image file generation unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the file structure information includes at least information concerning a stored position of the image data.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image file generation unit generates an image file containing a plurality of image data generated by the image data generation unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the file structure information includes information indicating stored positions of the plurality of image data contained in the image file.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the encryption unit encrypts at least information indicating the stored position of the image data stored at a position closest to a head of the image file.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the encryption unit encrypts the information using at least one encryption level.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an encrypted file is generated with information indicating a range of encrypted data added to the head of the image file in which a portion of or all of the data is encrypted.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an encrypted file is generated with information indicating an amount of the encrypted data added to the head of the image file in which a portion of or all of the data is encrypted.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein an extension of the encrypted file is changed.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a hash value is generated during encryption, and the hash value is contained in the encrypted file.

11. An encryption processing method comprising the steps of:

generating image data by reading a document;

generating an image file from the generated image data; and

encrypting file format information and file structure information contained in the generated image file.