IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND PRINT CONTROLLING METHOD FOR THE SAME

• US 20090021765A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/04018 Image composition, e.g. adding or superposing informations on the original image composition of facsimile picture signals H04N1/387
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/326 by application of light, e.g. using a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5025 by measuring the original characteristics, e.g. contrast, density
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/04 Preventing copies being made of an original
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/046 by discriminating a special original, e.g. a bank note
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00299 Confidential, e.g. secret documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a combining unit configured to combine a document image and a coded image; a setting determining unit configured to determine whether a setting for combining a document image including a previously combined coded image and an other coded image is made when a reproduction of the document image is instructed; and a prohibiting unit configured to prohibit the combining unit from combining the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image according to the setting when the result of the determination indicates that the setting is made.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a combining unit configured to combine a document image and a coded image;

a setting determining unit configured to determine whether a setting for combining a document image including a previously combined coded image and an other coded image is made when a reproduction of the document image is instructed; and

a prohibiting unit configured to prohibit the combining unit from combining the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image according to the setting when the result of the determination indicates that the setting is made.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting determining unit determines whether a setting for combining still another coded image at an area overlapping an area of the document image including the previously combined coded image is made.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scanning unit configured to scan a document image,

wherein the reproduction of the scanned document image including the previously combined coded image is instructed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, the image forming apparatus being connected to an information processing apparatus, the image forming apparatus further comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a document image including a previously combined coded image from the information processing apparatus,

wherein the reproduction of the received document image including the previously combined coded image is instructed.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information contained by the coded image includes print restriction information and tracking information.

2. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a combining unit configured to combine a document image and a coded image;

a setting determining unit configured to determine whether a setting for combining a document image including a previously combined coded image and an other coded image is made when a reproduction of the document image is instructed; and

a print suspending unit configured to suspend printing of an image obtained by the combining unit'"'"'s combining the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image when the result of the determination indicates that the setting is made.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a matching determining unit configured to determine whether information contained by the coded image having been previously combined with the document image matches information contained by the other coded image; and

a print permitting unit configured to permit printing of the document image including the previously combined coded image without combining the document image and the other coded image,

wherein, if the result of the determination indicates the information do not match, the print suspending unit suspends printing of an image obtained by the combining unit'"'"'s combining the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image, whereas, if the result of the determination indicates the information match, the print permitting unit permits printing of the document image including the previously combined coded image without combining the document image and the other coded image by the combining unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a print permitting unit configured to permit printing of the document image including the previously combined coded image without combining the document image and the other coded image if the result of the determination indicates that the setting is not made.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive permission to print the document image including the previously combined coded image without combining the document image and the other coded image if the setting is made,

wherein, if permission is not received, the print suspending unit suspends printing of an image obtained by combining the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image, whereas, if permission is received, the print permitting unit permits printing of the document image including the previously combined coded image without combining the document image and the other coded image.

10. A print controlling method for an image forming apparatus that includes a combining unit configured to combine a document image and a coded image and that prints the document image according to a print instruction, the method comprising:

determining whether a setting for combining a document image including a previously combined coded image and an other coded image is made when a reproduction of the document image is instructed; and

prohibiting the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image from being combined according to the setting when the result of the determination indicates that the setting is made.

11. A program stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the program allowing a computer to execute a print control method, the method comprising:

determining whether a setting for combining a document image including a previously combined coded image and an other coded image is made when a reproduction of the document image is instructed; and

prohibiting the document image including the previously combined coded image and the other coded image from being combined according to the setting when the result of the determination indicates that the setting is made.