Method and apparatus to process scanned images

• US 7,773,251 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kang-hoon, Park, Eun-ok
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US11/043,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/404, 358/444, 358/443, 358/1.2, 358/1.6, 358/1.12, 358/1.16, 358/450, 358/451, 358/468, 358/483, 358/464
• US Class Current: 358/1.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3935 with modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions

Abstract

There are provided a scanned image processing method and a scanned image processing apparatus to create a plurality of page images (PI) by sequentially scanning two or more printed papers in a predetermined resolution, reducing the created page images, arranging the reduced page images (RPI) in integrated page region (IPR), and creating one integrated page image. The method includes setting the scan environment by a user, dividing the integrated page region if a multi scan request is input from the user, creating and storing page images by sequentially scanning printed papers to be fed according to a predetermined method, reducing the stored page images by a predetermined ratio, creating and storing the reduced page images, and creating one integrated page image by reading the reduced, stored page images and arranging in a predetermined arranging order, whereby the file can be managed more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method of processing scanned images by an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device, the method comprising:

setting a scan environment by using the external device or by using an operating panel equipment of the image processing apparatus;

scanning a plurality of printed papers;

creating and storing a plurality of page images corresponding to the plurality of printed papers;

creating and storing a plurality of reduced page images by reducing the plurality of page images by a predetermined ratio; and

creating one integrated page image by reading the plurality of reduced page images and arranging the plurality of reduced page images in a predetermined arrangement order,

wherein the operation of creating one integrated page image comprises forming an integrated page region when a multi scan request is input from the user, the forming of the integrated page region comprises;

dividing the integrated page region into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user if the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user is an even number, or

dividing the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user if the number of the plurality of printed papers set by the user is an odd number.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the integrated page image to an external device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two or more printed papers are fed manually and/or automatically.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sizes of the divided page regions in the integrated page region are equal in size to one another.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined ratio is a ratio of the size of one of the plurality of page regions to the size of one of the scanned page images, and is determined based on a resolution of one of the plurality of page images and a resolution of the integrated page image.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement order is selected by the user from at least one predetermined format.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scan environment is set by using a terminal and/or a liquid crystal display.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scan environment includes a number of the printed papers to be scanned and an arrangement order of the reduced page images.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking for an end of scan operation after creating and storing each of the plurality of page images;

adding 1 to a number of scanned pages after creating and storing each of the plurality of page images; and

repeating the checking and adding operations until an end of scan operation is received or the number of scanned pages equals a number of printed papers to be scanned entered by a user,

wherein the integrated page region is divided into a plurality of page regions of which the number is equal to either the number of scanned pages or the number of scanned pages plus 1.

10. A method of processing scanned images by an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device, the method comprising:

setting a scan environment by using the external device or by using an operating panel equipment of the image processing apparatus;

scanning two or more printed papers;

creating a plurality of page images corresponding to the two or more printed papers;

reducing the plurality of page images into a plurality of reduced page images; and

arranging the plurality of reduced page images in an integrated page region to create an integrated page image, which comprises dividing the integrated page region into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the two or more printed papers set by the user if the number of the two or more printed papers set by the user is an even number, or dividing the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the two or more printed papers set by the user if the number of the two or more printed papers set by the user is an odd number.

11. An apparatus which includes an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an image creating means for creating a plurality of images for two or more printed papers by scanning the two or more printed papers;

an image integration means for producing a plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images and arranging the plurality of reduced images in one integrated page region; and

a control means for controlling the image creating means and the image integration means,

wherein the image integration means forms an integrated page region when a multi scan request is input from a user and divides the integrated page region into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the two or more printed papers set by the user if the number of the two or more printed papers set by the user is an even number, or divides the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the two or more printed papers set by the user if the number of the two of more printed papers set by the user is an odd number.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a storage means for storing the plurality of images created in the image creating means and the plurality of reduced images created in the image integration means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control means controls the image creation means to create the plurality of images by scanning the two or more printed papers, controls the image integration means to create the plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images created in the image creation means and to create one integrated image by arranging the plurality of reduced images in the integrated page region, and controls the storage means to store the plurality of images and the plurality of reduced images.

14. An apparatus which includes an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an image integration unit to receive a plurality of scanned images, to create a plurality of reduced images from the plurality of scanned images, and to create an integrated page image by arranging the plurality of reduced images in a predetermined order;

a controlling unit to control the image integration unit;

an optical module to create the plurality of images by scanning two or more printed papers in a predetermined resolution; and

a memory to store the plurality of images and the plurality of reduced images,

wherein the image integration unit divides the integrated page into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an even number, or divides the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an odd number.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an automatic sheet feeder cassette to feed the printed papers to the apparatus to process scanned images.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an operating panel device to receive a number of the two or more printed papers to be scanned and the predetermined order.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the number of the two or more printed papers to be scanned and the predetermined order are selected from either a terminal or a liquid crystal display.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an I/O interface unit to interface with an external device.

19. An apparatus which includes an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device to process scanned images, the apparatus comprising:

an optical module to create a plurality of images corresponding to two or more printed papers by scanning the two or more printed papers;

an image integration unit to produce a plurality of reduced images by reducing the plurality of images and arranging the plurality of reduced images in at least one integrated page region;

a controlling unit to control the optical module and the image integration unit; and

a storage device to store the plurality of images created by the optical module and the plurality of reduced images created by the image integration unit,

wherein the image integration unit divides the integrated page into a plurality of page regions of which a number is equal to a number of the plurality of images if the number of the plurality of images is an even number, or divides the integrated page region into an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of images if the number of the plurality of images is an odd number.

20. A method of processing scanned images by an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device, comprising:

scanning a plurality of images;

reducing plurality of scanned images; and

generating an arranged image that includes a plurality of page regions where each of the plurality of page regions corresponds to one of the plurality of reduced scanned images, which comprises forming the plurality of page regions to be equal to the number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an even number, or forming the plurality of page sections to be an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an odd number.

21. An apparatus which includes an image processing apparatus which is able to connect to an external device to process scanned images, comprising:

a scanning unit to scan a plurality of images;

an integration unit to reduce the plurality of scanned images and to generate an arranged image that includes a plurality of page regions where each of the plurality of page regions corresponds to one of the plurality of reduced scanned images; and

a controller to control the scanning unit and the integration unit,

wherein the integration unit forms the plurality of page regions to be equal to the number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an even number, or forms the plurality of page regions to be an even number of page regions by adding 1 to the number of the plurality of scanned images if the number of the plurality of scanned images is an odd number.