Image forming apparatus with copy function

• US 8,149,426 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKLEY, JONATHAN R
• Application Number:
  US11/615,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.2, 358/2.1, 358/2.99, 358/3.31, 358/1.11, 358/407, 358/448, 358/3.03, 358 113- 115, 358/3.28, 358/1.16, 358/1.18, 382/162, 382/164, 382/176, 382/177, 382/182, 382/229, 382/290
• US Class Current: 358/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/245 Font recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2307 Circuits or arrangements for the control thereof, e.g. using a programmed control device, according to a measured quantity H04N1/27, H04N1/29 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/233 according to characteristics of the data to be reproduced, e.g. number of lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image forming apparatus with a copy function may include a reading device, a recognition device, a conversion device, and a print device. The reading device reads characters on a first recording medium. The recognition device recognizes the characters based on a result of reading performed by the reading device. The conversion device converts a result of recognition performed by the recognition device into image data which indicates shapes of the characters. The print device prints the characters on a second recording medium based on the image data.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus with a copy function comprising:

a reading device that reads characters on a first recording medium;

a password extraction device that extracts a password from a graphic code provided on the first recording medium;

a determination device that determines whether or not the extracted password matches an input password received from a password input device;

a font information extraction device that extracts font information of the characters from the graphic code when the determination device determines that the extracted password matches the input password;

a setting device that;

sets the font information extracted by the font information extraction device as font information used for conversion when all of the font information extracted by the font information extraction device is determined to be stored in the image forming apparatus, and

sets one of predetermined default font information and the font information stored in the image forming apparatus as font information for conversion based on an input, instead of the font information extracted by the font information extraction device, when part of the font information extracted by the font information extraction device is determined to be not stored in the image forming apparatus;

a recognition device that recognizes the characters based on a result of reading performed by the reading device;

a conversion device that converts a result of recognition performed by the recognition device into image data which indicates shapes of the characters, wherein the characters are formed based on the font information set by the setting device; and

a print device that prints the characters on a second recording medium based on the image data.

2. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the recognition device recognizes character codes, which indicate the characters, and font information of the characters based on the result of reading, and

wherein, when the font information is not extracted by the font information extraction device, the conversion device converts the character codes into image data, which indicates shapes of the characters, based on the font information recognized by the recognition device.

3. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 2 furthermore comprising a user interface by which font information is adapted to be inputted by a user

wherein, when the conversion device does not perform conversion into the image data based on the font information recognized by the recognition device, the conversion device performs conversion of the characters recognized by the recognition device into the image data based on font information inputted via the user interface.

4. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 2 wherein, when the conversion device does not perform conversion into the image data based on the font information recognized by the recognition device, the conversion device performs conversion of the characters recognized by the recognition device into the image data based on predetermined font information.

5. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1 wherein the font information comprises information regarding at least one of a size, a type, a style, and a color of font, and spacing between characters.

6. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1 furthermore comprising a code extraction device that extracts character codes from the graphic code

wherein, when character codes are extracted from the graphic code by the code extraction device, the conversion device performs conversion into the image data based on the character codes extracted by the code extraction device.

7. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 6 wherein, when character codes are not extracted from the graphic code by the code extraction device, the recognition device recognizes character codes, which indicate characters on the first recording medium, based on the result of reading, and the conversion device performs conversion into the image data based on the character codes recognized by the recognition device.

8. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1 furthermore comprising a user interface by which font information is adapted to be inputted by a user

wherein, when the conversion device does not perform conversion into the image data based on the font information set by the setting device, the conversion device performs conversion of the characters recognized by the recognition device into the image data based on font information inputted via the user interface.

9. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1 wherein, when the conversion device does not perform conversion into the image data based on the font information set by the setting device, the conversion device performs conversion of the characters recognized by the recognition device into the image data based on the predetermined default font information.

10. The image forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein a process for extracting the font information conducted by the font information extraction device is performed after a character recognition process conducted by the recognition device.

11. The image forming apparatus with the copy function as set forth in claim 1 wherein a character recognition process conducted by the recognition device is performed after a process for extracting the font information conducted by the font information extraction device.

12. The image forming apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the recognition device recognizes the characters when the determination device determines that the extracted password matches the input password;

the conversion device converts the result of recognition performed by the recognition device when the determination device determines that the extracted password matches the input password; and

the print device prints the characters on a second recording medium when the determination device determines that the extracted password matches the input password.