Image processing system and computer-readable recording medium

• US 6,618,168 B1
• Filed: 05/05/1998
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Nobuyoshi, Shiota, Kazuo, Ohtsuka, Shuichi, Haneda, Norihisa, Itoh, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VINH THI
• Application Number:
  US09/072,356
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• Field of Search: 358/527, 358/526, 358/506, 358/505, 358/487, 396/284, 396/314, 396/318, 396/319, 396/320, 355/28, 355/29
• US Class Current: 358/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00175 from a still image storage medium H04N1/00172, H04N1/0018 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00193 to a portable storage medium, e.g. a read-writable compact disk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32112 in a separate computer file, document page or paper sheet, e.g. a fax cover sheet H04N1/32122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3243 of type information, e.g. handwritten or text document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

When order processing for printing image data is carried out by recording the image data and an order file in an order processing recording medium, history of orders is managed by the recording medium so that the content of past orders can be confirmed or new ordering information can be generated by using the past order content, for example. A flag showing whether or not an order file describing the content of an order, such as the quantity and the size, should be processed in a laboratory (whether the file is valid or invalid) is recorded in the recording medium together with the order file. By judging this flag by using an image handling apparatus of an image processing system, only valid order files are processed.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

an ordering information reader for obtaining print ordering information by reading a computer storage medium storing digital image data for at least one photographic image, digital print ordering information, which comprises multiple print orders each describing the content of a print order for said digital image data, and file validity indicator information indicating whether or not a corresponding print order is valid, such that said computer storage medium stores a new print order for said digital image data without revising a previously-stored print order for said digital image data, even when said new print order contradicts said previously-stored print order, and said digital print ordering information represents print order history information indicating a history of multiple print orders for said digital image data;

a printer for processing and for generating at least one photographic print according to the obtained print ordering information; and

a validity judging unit for evaluating file validity indicator information on the computer storage medium, the validity judging unit selecting a print order for reading by the reader based upon the evaluation of the file validity indicator information.

2. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ordering information reader obtains only the print order whose validity indicator information is valid and also changes the validity indicator information thereof from valid to invalid upon reading the computer storage medium.

3. A computer-readable recording medium storing digital image data for at least one photographic image and digital print ordering information instructing photographic print generation for said digital image data, said digital print ordering information comprising multiple print orders each describing the content of a print order for said digital image data and validity information indicating whether a corresponding print order is valid or invalid, such that said computer-readable recording medium stores a new print order for said digital image data without revising a previously-stored print order for said digital image data, even when said new print order contradicts said previously-stored print order, and said digital print ordering information represents print order history information indicating a history of multiple print orders for said image data.

4. An image processing system comprising:

a reader for reading digital image data for at least one photograph image, digital print ordering information and a file validity indicator organized as at least one file on a computer storage medium, the file validity indicator being associated with the digital print ordering information, said digital print ordering information stored on said computer storage medium including multiple print orders for said digital image data such that said computer storage medium stores a new print order for said digital image data without revising a previously-stored print order for said digital image data, even when said new print order contradicts said previously-stored print order, and said digital print ordering information represents print order history information indicating a history of multiple print orders for said digital image data;

a validity judging unit for evaluating the file validity indicator and selecting a print order from the digital print ordering information based upon the evaluation of the file validity indicator; and

an image processing unit processing the digital image data in accordance with the selected print order.

5. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the digital print ordering information and the file validity indicator are organized into the at least one file including a flag as the file validity indicator.

6. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the digital print ordering information comprises a first file and wherein the file validity indicator comprises a second file associated with the first file.

7. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the digital print ordering information and the file validity indicator are stored as a pair of corresponding files within an order file directory.

8. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the file validity indicator comprises:

a time stamp generated upon recording of the ordering information.

9. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the file validity indicator comprises a time stamp generated at a printing time subsequent to processing by the image processing unit.

10. The image processing system according to claim 4 wherein the file validity indicator comprises a combination of a first time stamp indicating a recording time of the corresponding print order on the computer storage medium and a second time stamp indicating a printing time of the image data and wherein the validity judging unit compares the first time stamp with the second time stamp to determine whether the print order is valid.

11. The image processing system according to claim 10 wherein the ordering information obtaining unit is adapted to designate a print order as valid if the first time stamp is newer than the second time stamp.

12. The image processing system according to claim 10 wherein the validity judging unit is adapted to designate a print order as invalid if the first time stamp is older than the second time stamp.