Image filing system for protecting partial regions of image data of a document

• US 5,235,681 A
• Filed: 12/19/1991
• Issued: 08/10/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujinawa, Masaaki, Hirasawa, Akihisa, Minowa, Nobuyuki, Ito, Satoshi, Fujisawa, Hiromichi, Masuzaki, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/810,541
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144-148, 395/164-166, 340/750, 340/798-800
• US Class Current: 345/556
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

A partial region of an image is set as being a secret region and an ID code is put to data concerning this secret region, the data then being stored in a memory, so that, unless an ID code which is input from a keyboard is coincident with the stored ID code, the image is selectively prevented from being displayed on a CRT display, printed by a printer, or subjected to additional writing, revision, cutting on the display screen. Thus, it is possible to restrict the visual output or revision of secret portions of images and therefore possible to individually control images which need to be kept secret and those which need not.

Claims

1. An image processing method in an image filing system having input means for inputting image data, said image data represents characters and figures of a document, display means having a display screen for displaying said image data, and storage means for recording said image data, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting through said input means a piece of image data representative of a piece of a document which is no larger than the amount of image data capable of being displayed at one time on said display screen;

displaying on said display screen said piece of image data;

defining, on said display screen, a partial region within said piece of image data which represents a region of said document where secret image data is to be located;

assigning a specific code to said partial region;

recording said piece of image data with said specific code in said storage means;

reading said piece of image data with said specific code from said storage means in response to a read command and a code inputted by an operator;

comparing said specific code assigned to said partial region of said piece of image data with said code inputted by the operator; and

displaying said piece of image data representing a piece of said document and inhibiting the display of said secret image data in said partial region of said piece of image data representing a region of said document on the display screen when said specific code recorded in the storage means and said code inputted by the operator do not coincide.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of outputting secret image data in said partial region of said piece of image data for display on the display means when said specific code recorded in said storage means and said code inputted by the operator coincide.

3. The image processing method according to claim 2, wherein said step of assigning operates to set an identification code for said partial region as said specific code.

4. The image processing method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of superposing a regular dot pattern onto said partial region in the display of said piece of image data when said specific code recorded in said storage means and said code inputted by the operator do not coincide.

5. The image processing method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of inhibiting revision of secret image data in said partial region of said piece of image data when said specific code recorded in said storage means and said code inputted by the operator do not coincide.

6. An method of copying image data from a first storage into a second storage, comprising the steps of:

inputting original image data using input means;

setting a flag with respect to said inputted image data to identify it as original inputted data;

recording said inputted image data with said flag in said first storage;

reading recorded image data from said first storage;

checking whether or not said recorded image data read out of said first storage is original inputted data by determining if it is accompanied by a flag;

superposing a visual mark on said image data read out in order to show that said read-out image data is a duplicate copy when said read-out image data is original inputted data; and

recording said superposed visual mark and image data into said second storage.

7. The image copying method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of inhibiting revision of read-out image data when said read-out image data has a visual mark superposed thereon.

8. A method of transferring image data from a first storage into a second storage, comprising the steps off:

inputting original image data and image control information using input means;

setting a flag included in said image control information with respect to said inputted image data to identify it as original inputted data;

recording said inputted image data and said image control information with said flag in said first storage;

reading out recorded image data and image control information which includes a flag from said first storage;

transferring said read out image data and said image control information with said flag to said second storage;

checking whether or not said transferred image data read out of said first storage is original in putted data by determining whether said flag of said transferred image control information read out of said first storage is set; and

deleting read-out image data and image control information from said first storage when said read-out image data is original inputted data.

9. An image editing method in an image filing system having input means for inputting image data, said image data represents characters and figures of a document, display means including a display screen for displaying said inputted image data, and a storage means for recording said inputted image data, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting through said input means a piece of image data representative of a piece of a document which is no larger than the amount of image data capable of being displayed at one time on said display screen;

displaying said piece of image data on said display screen;

defining, on said display screen, a partial region within said piece of image data which represents a region of said document where restricted image data is located;

assigning a specific code to said partial region;

recording said image data with said specific code in said storage means;

displaying said image data including said partial region of said piece of image data representing said document on said display screen when the specific code recorded in said storage means and a code inputted by an coincide; and

permitting editing of said partial region of said piece of image data representing a region of said document displayed on said display screen when the specific code and the code inputted by the operator coincide.

10. The image editing method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

displaying said image data excluding said partial region of said piece of image data on said display screen when the specific code recorded in said storage means and a code inputted by an operator do not coincide; and

inhibiting editing of said partial region of said piece of image data displayed on said display means when the specific code and the code inputted by the operator do not coincide.