Image storing/retrieving apparatus using a mark sheet to enable user selection of images

• US 5,579,419 A
• Filed: 05/17/1993
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Kunio, Ozaki, Hidenori, Asai, Hidehiko, Makitani, Hideyuki, Yaguchi, Hiroyuki, Inaba, Keishi, Kikugawa, Makoto, Itoh, Hirohiko
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNS, ANDREW W
• Application Number:
  US08/061,743
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 382/44, 382/45, 382/46, 382/61, 382/289, 382/291, 382/297, 382/305, 382/306, 382/317, 283/37, 364/419.19, 395/145, 395/146, 395/148, 395/149, 358/403
• US Class Current: 382/305
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning

Abstract

Image retrieving and storing processes by a mark sheet are facilitated. It is determined whether or not a mark sheet is directed in a correct direction by determining the positional relation between a direction discriminating mark and mark sheet identifying marks. If the mark sheet is directed in a wrong direction, the direction of the mark sheet is corrected. If it is determined in a primary retrieval operation that there are a plurality of candidate images, a mark sheet for a second retrieving operation is output.

Claims

1. An image storing apparatus for storing an image in a storage medium on the basis of data written on a mark sheet having a marking area used to set index data, said image storing apparatus comprising:

reading means for reading an image of the mark sheet;

a memory for storing the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means;

discrimination means for discriminating whether the mark sheet was read upside down on the basis of special data contained in the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means;

correction means for correcting a positional relation of top and bottom of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory when said discrimination means discriminates that the mark sheet was read upside down; and

setting means for detecting a marked marking area on the basis of the image of the mark sheet which has been corrected by said correction means and for setting the index data of the image to be stored in said storage medium.

2. The image storing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said correction means changes an address of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory.

3. The image storing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said discrimination means discriminates whether the mark sheet was read upside down by determining whether or not the special data is present at a predetermined position.

4. The image storing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising determination means for determining whether or not the image read by said reading means is a mark sheet, and wherein when said determination means determines that the read image is the mark sheet, said discrimination means discriminates whether the mark sheet was read upside down.

5. An image retrieving apparatus for retrieving an image stored in a storage medium on the basis of data written on a mark sheet having a marking area used to set index data, said image retrieving apparatus comprising:

reading means for reading an image of the mark sheet;

a memory for storing the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means;

discrimination means for discriminating whether the mark sheet was read upside down on the basis of special data contained in the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means;

correction means for correcting a positional relation of top and bottom of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory when said discrimination means discriminates that the mark sheet was read upside down; and

setting means for detecting the marked marking area on the basis of the image of the mark sheet which has been corrected by said correction means and for setting the index data of the image to be retrieved from said storage medium.

6. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said correction means changes an address of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory.

7. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said discrimination means discriminates whether the mark sheet was read upside down by determining whether or not the special data is present at a predetermined position.

8. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising determination means for determining whether or not the image read by said reading means is a mark sheet, and wherein when said determination means determines that the read image is the mark sheet, said discrimination means discriminates whether the mark sheet was read upside down.

9. A method of creating a mark sheet on which an index image used to store an image in a storage medium or to retrieve the image from said storage medium is set, said method comprising the steps of:

a) reading out a plurality of index image items stored in said storage medium and storing the read index image items in a memory in a predetermined format, wherein each of the plurality of index image items can be used as an index of a plurality of images stored in said storage medium;

b) generating image data representing a plurality of marking areas, each of which is used to designate each of the plurality of index image items;

c) synthesizing the image data generated in said step (b) with the plurality of index image items stored in said memory in said predetermined format so that each of the plurality of index images corresponds to each of the plurality of marking areas; and

d) creating the mark sheet on the basis of the data synthesized in said step (c).

10. The method of creating a mark sheet according to claim 9, further including a step of generating identifying data identifying the mark sheet and positional data used to detect a positional error of the mark sheet, and wherein in said step (c), the generated identifying data and positional data is also synthesized with the plurality of index image items stored in said memory.

11. The method of creating a mark sheet according to claim 9, wherein in said step (a), images indicating said plurality of index image items are stored in a matrix form.

12. An image retrieving apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting retrieval data;

retrieval means for retrieving images from a storage medium on the basis of the retrieval data input by said input means;

creating means for creating a mark sheet having a plurality of marking areas in which a checkmark indicating each of a plurality of images that have been retrieved by said retrieval means is marked; and

reading means for reading an image of the mark sheet created by said creating means,

wherein said retrieval means further retrieves the image in the plurality of images on the basis of the checkmark marked by an operator in the marking area of the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means.

13. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said creating means reads out from said storage medium index data corresponding to each of the plurality of images retrieved by said retrieving means, and creates the mark sheet on the basis of the index data read from said storage medium.

14. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said index data read from said storage medium includes a file name of the retrieved image.

15. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said index data read from said storage medium includes a reduced image of the retrieved image.

16. An image retrieving apparatus comprising:

creating means for creating a mark sheet including a plurality of index data for retrieving an image stored in a storage medium and a plurality of marking areas in which marks for selecting each of said plurality of index data should be written; and

selecting means for selecting a first mode for outputting character information for discriminating a stored image as the index data contained in said mark sheet or a second mode for outputting image information for discriminating said stored image as the index data contained in said mark sheet,

wherein said creating means creates a mark sheet in accordance with the mode selected by said selecting means.

17. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said creating means outputs character information indicating a title of the image stored in said storing medium as index data in said first mode and outputs a reduced image of the image stored in said storing medium as index data in said second mode.

18. The image retrieving apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said creating means outputs the reduced image of the first page of the image stored in said storage medium as index data in said second mode.

19. A controlling method in an image storing apparatus comprising the steps of:

reading an image of a mark sheet having a marking area to be used to set index data;

storing the read image in a memory;

determining whether the mark sheet was read upside down on the basis of special data contained in the image of the mark sheet;

correcting a positional relation of top and bottom of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory when it is determined that the mark sheet was read upside down;

detecting the marked marking area on the basis of the image of the mark sheet which has been corrected; and

setting index data of the image to be stored in a storage medium.

20. The controlling method according to claim 19, wherein in said correcting step an address of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory is corrected.

21. The controlling method according to claim 19, wherein in said determining step, the determination whether or not the mark sheet was read upside down is made by determining whether said special data is in a predetermined place.

22. A controlling method in an image retrieving apparatus comprising the steps of:

reading an image of a mark sheet having a marking area to be used to set index data;

storing the read image in a memory;

determining whether the mark sheet was read upside down on the basis of special data contained in the image of the mark sheet;

correcting a positional relation of top and bottom of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory when it is determined that the mark sheet was read upside down;

detecting the marked marking area on the basis of the image of the mark sheet which has been corrected; and

setting index data of the image to be retrieved from a storage medium.

23. A controlling method according to claim 22, wherein in said correcting step an address of the image of the mark sheet which has been stored in said memory is corrected.

24. A controlling method according to claim 22, wherein in said determining step, the determination whether or not the mark sheet was read upside down is made by determining whether said special data is in a predetermined place.

25. A controlling method in an image retrieval apparatus comprising the steps of:

inputting retrieval data;

retrieving images from a storage medium based on input retrieval data;

creating a mark sheet having a plurality of marking areas in which a checkmark designating each of a plurality of images that have been retrieved is marked;

reading the image of the created mark sheet; and

retrieving the image from said plurality of images on the basis of the checkmark marked by an operator in the marking area of the image of the mark sheet which has been read by said reading means.

26. A controlling method according to claim 25, wherein in said creating step index data corresponding to a plurality of images which have been retrieved is read from said storage medium, and a mark sheet is created on the basis of the read index data.

27. A controlling method in an image retrieval apparatus comprising the steps of:

selecting a first mode for outputting character information for discriminating the image stored in a storage medium as the index data contained in a mark sheet or a second mode for outputting image information for discriminating said stored image as the index data contained in said mark sheet; and

generating index data in accordance with the selected mode and creating a mark sheet.

28. A controlling method according to claim 27, wherein in said generating step, when a first mode is selected, character information indicating a title of the image stored in said storage medium as index data is generated, and when a second mode is selected, the reduced image of the image stored in said storage as index data is generated.