System and image processing method and apparatus for re-using and re-editing images

• US 8,339,619 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Misawa, Reiji
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDOLPH, VINCENT M
• Application Number:
  US10/986,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,965 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00795 Reading arrangements details of scanning heads H04N1/024; scanning arrangements therefor H04N1/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40062 Discrimination between different image types, e.g. two-tone, continuous tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

This invention provides an image processing system and image processing method, which can acquire a document such as a paper document or the like as data of a format that allows easy re-use and re-edit processes. Image information is acquired by scanning a document, and its features are recognized. The image information is converted into character codes, vector data, or a predetermined image format in accordance with the recognized features. In this case, parameters used upon recognizing the features of the image information are variably set, and the operations of the character process, vectorization, and image conversion are controlled in accordance with the set parameters.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

an acquisition unit constructed to acquire image data;

a separation unit constructed to separate the image data into a plurality of regions, including a region of a text attribute;

a character processing unit constructed to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute;

a vectorization unit constructed to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data;

an accepting unit constructed to variably accept, from a user, a first instruction that causes the character processing unit to operate, a second instruction that causes the vectorization unit to operate, or both the first and second instruction; and

a control unit constructed to;

(i) control, in a case that the accepting unit accepts the first instruction and does not accept the second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute, and to cause the vectorization unit to not operate,

(ii) control, in a case that the accepting unit does not accept the first instruction and accepts the second instruction, to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data, and to cause the character processing unit to not operate, and

(iii) control, in a case that the accepting unit accepts both the first instruction and second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute and to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the vectorization unit comprises:

an outline conversion unit constructed to apply outline conversion to the image data in the region of the text attribute.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the character processing unit comprises:

a character recognition unit constructed to apply a character recognition process to characters in the document; and

a font-conversion unit constructed to substitute the characters by font data on the basis of a character recognition process result of the character recognition unit.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein

the font-conversion unit further comprises a format conversion unit constructed to convert a converted object into a format that can be handled by a predetermined software application.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit constructed to store the vector data converted by the vectorization unit at a predetermined storage location;

a generation unit constructed to generate information associated with the storage location of the vector data as additional information; and

a notifying unit constructed to notify a user of the additional information.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generating unit constructed to generate application data based on at least one of the character codes converted by the character processing unit and the vector data converted by the vectorization unit.

7. An image processing method comprising:

performing, by a computer, the following steps;

a scanning step of acquiring image data;

a separation step of separating the image data into a plurality of regions, including a region of a text attribute;

a character processing step of obtaining a character code based on image data in the region of the text attribute by a character processing unit;

a vectorization step of converting the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data by a vectorization unit;

an accepting step of variably accepting, from a user, a first instruction that causes the character processing unit to operate, a second instruction that causes the vectorization unit to operate, or both the first and second instruction; and

a control step of;

(i) controlling, in a case that the accepting step accepts the first instruction and does not accept the second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute, and to cause the vectorization unit to not operate,

(ii) controlling, in a case that the accepting step does not accept the first instruction and accepts the second instruction, to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data, and to cause the character processing unit to not operate, and

(iii) controlling, in a case that the accepting step accepts both the first instruction and second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute and to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the steps performed by the computer further comprise

a generating step of generating application data based on at least one of the character codes converted in the character processing step and the vector data converted in the vectorization step.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit constructed to acquire image data corresponding to a scanned document;

a separation unit constructed to separate the image data into a plurality of regions, including a region of a text attribute;

a character processing unit constructed to obtain a character code based on image data in the region of the text attribute;

a vectorization unit constructed to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data;

an accepting unit constructed to variably accept, from a user, a first instruction that causes the character processing unit to operate, a second instruction that causes the vectorization unit to operate, or both the first and second instruction; and

a control unit constructed to;

(i) control, in a case that the accepting unit accepts the first instruction and does not accept the second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute, and to cause the vectorization unit to not operate,

(ii) control, in a case that the accepting unit does not accept the first instruction and accepts the second instruction, to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data, and to cause the character processing unit to not operate, and

(iii) control, in a case that the accepting unit accepts both the first instruction and second instruction, to cause the character processing unit to obtain a character code based on the image data in the region of the text attribute and to cause the vectorization unit to convert the image data in the region of the text attribute into vector data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a generating unit, constructed to generate application data based on at least one of the character codes converted by the character processing unit and the vector data converted by the vectorization unit.