Image Processing Apparatus and Image Forming Apparatus

Abstract

An image processing apparatus can include an acquiring portion that acquires image data, a judging portion that determines if specified image data is included in image data, a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion judges that specified image data is included, wherein the number of times is X, an outputting portion that capable of outputting the image data, a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output, a control portion that, when X is less than a predetermined number, causes the outputting portion to start output before a determination by the judging portion is completed, and when X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, causes the outputting portion to start output after the judging portion determines that the image data does not include specified image data.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative aspects in accordance with the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is an oblique perspective view showing the outer appearance of a multifunction device according to one illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an oblique perspective view of the multifunction device that shows a state in which an original cover is raised;

FIG. 3 is a cross section showing a schematic configuration of a main body portion;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that conceptually shows the electrical configuration of the multifunction device;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of printing processing;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of post-judgment output processing;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of concurrent judgment and output processing;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 14 is a flowchart that illustrates the flow of print processing according to another illustrative aspect of the present invention.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an acquiring portion that acquires image data;a judging portion that determines if specified image data is included in image data that is acquired by the acquiring portion;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion judges that specified image data is included, wherein the number of times is X;an outputting portion that capable of outputting the image data;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion that refers to the history information, and when X is less than a predetermined number, causes the outputting portion to start output the image data before a determination by the judging portion is completed, and when X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, causes the outputting portion to start outputting the image data after the judging portion determines that the image data does not include specified image data.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring portion includes an original reading portion; and when the number X is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control portion causes the original reading portion to acquire image data for a determination that is separate to image data for outputting by the outputting portion, and after the judging portion determines that the image data does not include specified image data, the control portion causes the outputting portion to output concurrently with acquisition of the image data for output by the original reading portion.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a reading operation for acquiring the image data for judgment by the original reading portion is performed at a lower resolution than a reading operation for acquiring the image data for output.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data storage portion that stores image data acquired by the acquiring portion, wherein the acquiring portion includes an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image; andwhen the number X is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control portion causes image data that is acquired by the original reading portion to be stored in the data storage portion during a period until a determination by the judging portion is completed, and after the judging portion determines that the image data does not include specified image data, the control portion causes the outputting portion to output based on the image data that is stored in the data storage portion.

5. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an acquiring portion that acquires image data;a judging portion that determines if specified image data is included in the image data;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion determines that specified image data is included, wherein the number is X;an outputting portion capable of outputting the image data;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion that refers to the history information, and when the number X is less than a predetermined number, causes the judging portion to make a determination based on a first judgment condition, and when the number X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, causes the judging portion to make a determination based on a second judgment condition, wherein conditions for determining that a specified image is not included are stricter than in the first judgment condition.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second judgment condition is stricter by including at least one of conditions related to color and conditions related to size.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the judging portion uses a concordance rate between the image data and reference data to determine if the specified image data is present; and in the second judgment condition the concordance rate for judging that specified image data is included is low as compared to the concordance rate in the first judgment condition.

8. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an acquiring portion that acquires image data;a judging portion that determines if specified image data is included in the image data;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion determines that specified image data is included, wherein the number is X;a data storage portion that stores image data that is acquired by the acquiring portion;an outputting portion that capable of outputting the image data that is stored by the data storage portion;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion capable of accessing the history information, wherein the number X is less than a predetermined number, an amount of the image data that is stored in the data storage portion reaches a first threshold value the control portion causes the outputting portion to start output based on the image data, and when the number X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, an amount of the image data that is stored in the data storage portion reaches a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, the control portion causes the outputting portion to start output based on the image data.

9. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an acquiring portion that acquires image data;a judging portion that determines if specified image data is included in the image data;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion determines that specified image data is included, wherein the number is X;an outputting portion that capable of outputting the image data;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion capable of accessing the history information, and performs control so that a time from acquisition of image data by the acquiring portion until commencement of output based on that image data by the outputting portion increases in accordance with an increase in the number X.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring portion includes an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the judging portion is capable of a main judgment processing that determines if specified image data is included in image data and a preliminary judgment processing that determines if there is a high possibility that specified image data is included in image data at a higher speed than the main judgment processing; and when the judging portion determines by the preliminary judgment processing that there is not a high possibility that specified image data is included in image data, the control portion causes the outputting portion to start output before a determination according to the main judgment processing is completed, and when the judging portion judges by the preliminary judgment processing that there is a high possibility that specified image data is included, the control portion starts output by the outputting portion after the judging portion determines by the main judgment processing that the image data does not include specified image data.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in the preliminary judgment processing the judging portion uses a judgment item including at least one of a color and a size of an original image.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the original reading portion comprises an original placement portion on which an original is placed, a reading device that reads an original that is placed on the original placement portion, and an original feeding portion that conveys the original; and when reading an original the control portion causes the original reading portion to acquire image data for judgment that is separate to image data output by the outputting portion, and after the judging portion determines that specified image data is not included in the image data for judgment, the control portion causes output to start concurrently with acquisition of the image data for output by the original reading portion, and when reading the original at a time when an amount of the image data is less than the amount of the image data for determination, the control portion causes the outputting portion to start output based on that image data, to perform output by the outputting portion and determination of the image data by the judging portion concurrently.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number is one time.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the history storage portion includes a nonvolatile memory.

16. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image;a judging portion that judges if specified image data is included in image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion judges that specified image data is included;an image forming portion capable of printing onto a recording medium an image based on the image data;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion capable of accessing the history information, and when the number X is less than a predetermined number, causes the image forming portion to start printout based on the image data before completion of a determination by the judging portion, and when the number X is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control portion causes the image forming portion to start printout based on the image data after the judging portion determines that the image data does not include specified image data.

17. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image;a judging portion that judges if specified image data is included in image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion judges that specified image data is included;an image forming portion capable of printing onto a recording medium an image based on the image data;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion capable of access to the history information, and when a number X is less than a predetermined number, causes the judging portion to make a judgment based on a first judgment condition, and when the number X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, causes the judging portion to make a judgment based on a second judgment condition wherein the second judgment condition includes more judgment items than in the first judgment condition.

18. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image;a judging portion that judges if specified image data is included in image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion determines that specified image data is included, wherein the number is X;a data storage portion that stores image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;an image forming portion that prints onto a recording medium an image based on image data that is stored by the data storage portion;a prohibiting portion capable of at least one of stopping output of the image data and performing an invalidation output; anda control portion capable of accessing the history information, where the number X is less than a predetermined number, and when an amount of image data that is stored in the data storage portion reaches a first threshold value the control portion causes the image forming portion to start printout based on the image data, wherein the number X is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, and when an amount of image data that is stored in the data storage portion reaches a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value the control portion causes the image forming portion to start printout based on the image data.

19. An image forming apparatus, comprising: an original reading portion that acquires image data by reading an original image;a judging portion that judges if specified image data is included in image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;a history storage portion that stores history information relating to a number of times the judging portion judges that specified image data is included;an image forming portion that prints out onto a recording medium an image based on image data that is acquired by the original reading portion;a prohibiting portion that, in a case where the judging portion judges that specified image data is included in acquired image data, causes the image forming portion to stop printout thereof or to perform an invalidated printout; anda control portion capable of accessing the history information and performs control so that a time from acquisition of image data by the acquiring portion until commencement of printout based on that image data by the image forming portion increases in accordance with an increase in the number of times that the judging portion judges that specified image data is included.