Apparatus with anti-forgery provision

• US 5,321,470 A
• Filed: 03/15/1993
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yuichi, Masuda, Ryuichi, Hasuo, Kamon, Outa, Ken-Ichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Horgan, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US08/032,210
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 283/902, 355/77, 355/133, 355/201, 355/206, 380/3, 380/4, 380/5, 380/54, 382/10, 382/14, 382/30, 382/34, 382/41, 382/48, 382/50, 382/56, 356/71
• US Class Current: 399/366
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/01 for producing multicoloured copies colour correction in photography G03C; colour correction in printing plate production
• 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: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/17 Apparatus characterised by positioning means or by means responsive to positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00838 Preventing unauthorised reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00843 based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote pattern authentication and markers therefor, forgery detection G06V20/95; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40; testing paper currency or similar valuable papers for genuineness G07D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00846 based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00848 by detecting a particular original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00859 Issuing an alarm or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00864 Modifying the reproduction, e.g. outputting a modified copy of a scanned original details of composing or otherwise geometrically modifying originals H04N1/387
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00867 with additional data, e.g. by adding a warning message details of embedding additional information in an image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00872 by image quality reduction, e.g. distortion or blacking out
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/506 Reproducing the colour component signals picture-sequentially, e.g. with reproducing heads spaced apart from one another in the subscanning direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/902 Anti-photocopy

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for processing an input image and recording the image on a recording medium, and particularly a color copying apparatus which permits color copying of an original, and makes it possible to discriminate a specific original for the sake of prevention of forgery of a banknote, a negotiable instrument, or the like. The specific original is provided with copying processing which is different from that provided for an ordinary original.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

supplying means, having a single scanning device for scanning an original and for supplying electrical image data representing the original;

means for determining whether or not the original represented by the electrical image data is an original having a specific pattern on the basis of the electrical image data supplied by said supplying means;

means for processing the electrical image data supplied by said supplying means and for outputting a processed image; and

means for controlling the processed image of said processing means on the basis of the determination result of said determining means,

wherein the single scanning device is used by said supplying means to supply the electrical image data to both said determining means and said processing means and wherein the determining and the processing are performed in parallel.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scanning device further comprises means for reading the original and outputting color component signals.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein determining means comprises means for storing a specific pattern in advance and makes a determination by comparing the specific pattern stored in the storage means with a pattern extracted from the original to be copied.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific pattern is an image pattern.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific pattern is a watermark pattern provided in the original to be copied.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means prohibits the output signal of said processing means when it is determined by said determining means that the original to be copied has the specific pattern.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said prohibition of the output signal of said processing means is effected by prohibiting said processing means from processing the image data supplied by said supplying means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means changes processing of the image data when it is determined by said determining means that the original represented by the image data has the specific pattern.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said change of processing is a change from a colored image to a monochrome image.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling means changes a copying operation when the original to be copied has the predetermined pattern.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of a scanning operation.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of an image forming operation.

35. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific pattern is a non-textual pattern.

13. A copying apparatus comprising:

reading means having a single scanning device for scanning an original and generating image data representing the original;

determining means for determining whether or not the original represented by the image data is an original having a specific pattern on the basis of the image data generated by said reading means;

processing means for processing image data generated by said reading means and for outputting a reproduction image; and

controlling means for controlling a condition of said copying apparatus on the basis of the determination result obtained by said determining means,

wherein the single scanning device is used by said reading means to supply the image data to both said determining means and said processing means and wherein the determining and the processing are performed in parallel.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the specific pattern is determined on the basis of a color spectrum.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said controlling means prohibits an output of said processing means when it is determined by said determining means that the original has the specific pattern.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said prohibition of an output of said processing means is effected by prohibiting said processing means from processing the image data supplied by said supplying means.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said prohibition of an output of said processing means if effected by disposal of a copied product.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said controlling means changes processing of the image data when it is determined by said determining means that the original represented by the image data has the specific pattern.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said change of processing is a change from a colored image to a monochrome image.

20. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said controlling means changes a copying operation when the original to be copied has the predetermined pattern.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of a scanning operation.

22. An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of an image forming operation.

36. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the specific pattern is a non-textual pattern.

23. An image processing apparatus comprising:

supplying means, having a single scanning device for scanning an original and for supplying image data representing the original;

means for processing the image data supplied by said supplying means, said processing means having a first processing mode which accurately reproduces the supplied image data and a second processing mode which prohibits normal processing of the supplied image data;

means for determining whether or not the original is an original which is to be prohibited from being processed by the normal processing, on the basis of the image data supplied by said supplying means; and

means for selecting between the first processing mode and the second processing mode of said processing means, in accordance with the determination result obtained by said determining means,

wherein the single scanning device is used by said supplying means to supply the image data to both said processing means and said determining means and wherein the processing and the determining are performed in parallel.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said processing means prohibits an output of copying in the second processing mode when it is determined by said determining means that the original to be processed is a specific original.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said prohibition of an output of copying is effected by prohibiting an output of an image signal.

26. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said prohibition of an output of copying is effected by disposal of a copied product.

27. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said processing means changes an output of copying in the second processing mode when it is determined by said determining means that the original to be processed is a specific original.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said change of an output of copying is a change from a colored image to a monochrome image.

29. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said processing means changes a copying operation in the second processing mode when the original to be copied is a predetermined original.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of a scanning operation.

31. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said change in the copying operation is omission of an image forming operation.

37. An image processing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said determining means makes its determination on the basis of a non-textual characteristic of the original.

32. An image processing apparatus comprising:

first determination means for determining whether or not an original represented by input image data is an original having a first specific pattern on the basis of the input image data;

second determination means, arranged independently from said first determination means, for determining whether or not an original represented by the input image data is an original having a second specific pattern different from the first specific pattern on the basis of the input image data; and

generation means for generating a control signal for controlling an image processing on the basis of the determination results provided by said first and second determination means,

wherein said first determination means and said second determination means perform their respective determinations at the same time.

33. An apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising reading means for scanning an original and generating image data as the input image data.

34. A controlling method for controlling an image processing apparatus which comprises means for supplying image data representing an original and means for processing the image data supplied by the supplying means and outputting a processed image, said method comprising the steps of:

scanning the original, using a single scanning device, to produce the image data and supplying the image data;

determining whether or not the original represented by the image data is an original having a specific pattern, on the basis of the image data produced by the single scanning device and supplied in said scanning step; and

controlling the processing means to process the image data produced by the single scanning device and supplied in said scanning step, on the basis of the determination result obtained in said determining step,

wherein the determining and the processing by said processing means are performed in parallel.