Embodiments described herein relate generally to a technique for woven pattern image embedding processing in an image processing apparatus including a woven pattern printing function.
There is proposed an image processing apparatus including a woven pattern printing function for printing, when an original is obtained by printing document data of characters, photographs, or the like and woven pattern image data on one page of a print sheet with a printer and is read by a scanner and printed out, the original for the purpose of visualizing a woven pattern image such as “COPY” and printing the woven pattern image together with the document data to suppress a copying act.
In the woven pattern image, a latent image and a background are respectively formed by dots in, for example, a rectangular area of a predetermined size. The latent image cannot be recognized before copying but, when copied, remains after the copying. The background disappears or has low density compared with the visualized latent image after the copying to make it difficult to recognize the image.
As a pattern for embedding the woven pattern image, there are, for example, a pattern for embedding, at low density, a character string such as “copy prohibited” in a part of the one page of the original (a character string appearing pattern), a pattern for embedding, at high density, a character string over the entire one page of the original (a copy prohibition pattern), and a pattern for embedding, in a part of the one page of the original, identification information of a personal computer that outputs the document data to the printer and information such as output date and time (information tracking).
When the original is copied, if the visualized latent image overlaps a part of a document image, the character string appearing pattern makes the document image in the overlapping part unreadable. However, even if only a part of the document image has to be made unreadable, the visualized latent image cannot be superimposed on a place desired to be made unreadable.
When the original embedded with the woven pattern image by the copy prohibition pattern is copied, since the visualized latent image is copied to be superimposed on most of the document image, the document image is made unreadable. However, if confidentiality of the document image is low and the document image does not have to be completely prohibited from being copied, it is desired to make the document image readable even if the visualized latent image is printed.
In general, according to one embodiment, a woven pattern image processing apparatus includes: a woven-pattern-image-generation-area designating unit configured to arbitrarily designate one or plural woven pattern image generation areas in one page of a print sheet; a woven pattern image pattern memory configured to store at least a sign string appearing pattern and a copy prohibition pattern as woven pattern image patterns; a woven-pattern-image selecting unit configured to select the woven pattern image patterns to be stored in the woven pattern image pattern memory and selectively set the selected woven pattern image patterns in the woven pattern image generation areas; and an image control unit configured to combine, in the areas designated by the woven-pattern-image-generation-area designating unit, the woven pattern image patterns selected by the woven-pattern-image selecting unit with printing data of a document image to be printed in the one page of the print sheet.
In general, according to another embodiment, a woven pattern image processing method is a woven pattern image processing method for combining, in one page of a print sheet, a woven pattern image with printing data to be printed on the print sheet and printing the woven pattern image, the method including: designating one or plural woven pattern image generation areas for generating a woven pattern image in an arbitrary area in one page of a print sheet to be displayed on a screen; and selecting, from a woven pattern image pattern memory configured to store at least woven pattern image patterns including a sign string appearing pattern and a copy prohibition pattern, woven pattern image patterns to be generated in the designated woven pattern image generation areas.
A woven pattern image processing apparatus according to an embodiment is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In this embodiment, the MFP 1 includes a woven-pattern-image processing unit configured to embed a woven pattern image in one page of a sheet. The MFP 1 combines the woven pattern image with the printing data transmitted from the information processing terminal 2 to the MFP 1. An operator is allowed to set a woven pattern image embedding area in an arbitrary area in the one page of the sheet while looking at a screen of a control panel 7. The operator may be allowed to arbitrarily set the woven pattern image embedding area in the information processing terminal 2 while looking at a monitor 8.
The configuration of the image processing unit is explained below with reference to
An image processing unit 10 includes a system control unit 20 to which document data from the information processing terminal 2 is input via a system controller 21 and a page memory 30 configured to store, for each page of a print sheet, the document data input to the system control unit 20 in a printing-data memory unit 31.
The image processing unit 10 further includes an internal-data processing unit 40 including a woven pattern image pattern memory 41 configured to store patterns of a woven pattern image, a character string pattern memory 42 configured to store character string patterns, and a woven pattern rectangular area memory 43 configured to store woven pattern image embedding areas as rectangular areas. The internal-data processing unit 40 arbitrarily selects a woven pattern image pattern stored in the woven pattern image pattern memory 41 and a character string pattern stored in the character string pattern memory 42, which are displayed on a screen section 71 of the control panel 7, and causes a combination-data memory unit 32 of the page memory 30 to store the selected patterns. The internal-data processing unit 40 stores a woven pattern image embedding area designated on the screen section 71 of the control panel 7 in the woven pattern rectangular area memory 43 and causes the combination-data memory unit 32 to store the stored woven pattern image embedding area.
The image processing unit 10 includes an image control unit 50 configured to combine, for printing on a sheet, printing data and woven pattern image data stored in the printing-data memory unit 31 and the combination-data memory unit 32 of the page memory 30. Reference numeral 44 denotes a CPU for the internal-data processing unit 40.
The woven pattern image pattern memory 41 of the internal-data processing unit 40 has stored therein, as patterns of a woven pattern image, a character string (sign string) appearing pattern, a copy prohibition pattern, and an information tracking pattern. Since the principle of a woven pattern image is publicly known, the principle is briefly explained. As shown in
The character string appearing pattern is a pattern for embedding characters, numbers, or signs such as marks in, for example, a rectangular area in which characters are formed. The character string is not limited to a character string set in advance and can be arbitrarily set by, for example, the information terminal 2.
In the copy prohibition pattern, for example, the large-diameter dots and the small-diameter dots are alternately formed in a matrix shape in a rectangular area.
The information tracking pattern is a pattern for printing, for example, date and time of creation of an original, identification information of the information terminal 2 that transmits document data, and a name of an owner of the information terminal 2. The information tracking pattern is formed at an end of a sheet not to overlap printing data. A background of woven pattern data may be formed and information tracking data may be printed during copying of an original. When the information tracking data is printed on the original, the background may be omitted and the information tracking data may be recognized on the original. The background and the information tracking data may be able to be selected.
When printing of a woven pattern image is selected, as shown in
In this embodiment, in the character string pattern memory 42 of the internal-data processing unit 40, plural patterns having different character intervals are stored as the character string appearing pattern. As shown in
In this embodiment, the patterns of the woven pattern image have an area designation mode for allowing the operator to form the woven pattern image in an arbitrary position of one page of a sheet. As shown in
In the area designation, as shown in
In the area designation, the woven pattern rectangular area section 85 can be designated in one place or plural places. A pattern of the woven pattern image to be formed in a plurality of the designated woven pattern rectangular area sections 85 is not limited to one of the character string appearing pattern, the copy prohibition pattern, and the information tracking pattern. These patterns can be arbitrarily selected.
The selection of the pattern of the woven pattern image to be combined with the printing data to be printed on the one page of the sheet and the character sting pattern of the woven pattern image and the area designation for the woven pattern image are determined in this way. Then, the internal-data processing unit 40 stores, as data of one page of a print sheet, internal data as woven pattern image area designation data in the combination-data memory unit 32 of the page memory 30 as combination data together with the pattern of the woven pattern image and the character string pattern of the woven pattern image formed in the woven pattern rectangular area sections 85.
The printing data stored in the printing-data memory unit 31 of the page memory 30 and the combination data stored in the combination-data memory unit 32 are controlled by a page-memory (PM) control unit 33 of the system control unit 20 and transmitted to the image control unit 50.
The image control unit 50 receives the printing data from the PM control unit 20 via a printer I/F, receives the internal data as the woven pattern image area designation data via an internal data I/F, and receives the pattern of the woven pattern image and the character string pattern of the woven pattern image via a woven pattern I/F. The image control unit 50 transmits these received data to the printer unit and forms, in a designated area of a sheet, an image obtained by combining the selected pattern of the woven pattern image with the printing data in the selected character string pattern.
If the printing data of the pie chart in the area 91 has low confidentiality and the printing data of the characters in the area 92 has high confidentiality in the printing data printed on the original 90, when the original 90 is copied, in the printing data printed on a copied sheet, reading of the data having high confidentiality is disabled and reading of the data having low confidentiality is enabled. If the characters of the character appearing pattern interfere with the printing data and it is difficult to read the printing data, reading of the printing data is enabled by selecting a character string pattern having a wide character interval.
In a copy mode, the image control unit 50 stores an image signal read by the scanner unit in the printing-data memory unit 31 of the page memory 30 via a scanner I/F, outputs printing data to the printer unit via the printer I/F, and prints an image for each page.
An example of the operation of the internal-data processing unit 40 shown in
In ACT 1, the internal-data processing unit 40 displays an area designation screen shown in
If designation of an generation area in which a woven pattern image is embedded ends in ACT 2, the internal-data processing unit 40 proceeds to ACT 3.
In ACT 3, the internal-data processing unit 40 displays the woven pattern image patterns including the character string appearing pattern, the copy prohibition pattern, and the information track pattern shown in
In ACT 4, the internal-data processing unit 40 selects any one of the woven image patterns displayed in ACT 3 and proceeds to ACT 5.
In ACT 5, if the selected pattern is the character string appearing pattern, the internal-data processing unit 40 proceeds to ACT 6.
In ACT 6, the internal-data processing unit 40 selects the character string pattern shown in
In ACT 7, the internal-data processing unit 40 determines whether the selection of the woven pattern image pattern is ended. If the internal-data processing unit 40 determines that the selection of the woven pattern image pattern is ended, the internal-data processing unit 40 ends the operation. If the selection of the woven pattern image pattern is continued, the internal-data processing unit 40 returns to ACT 1.
If the woven pattern image pattern other than the character appearing pattern is selected in ACTS 4 and 5, in ACT 8, the internal-data processing unit 40 determines whether the woven pattern image pattern is the copy prohibition pattern.
If the internal-data processing unit 40 determines in ACT 8 that the copy prohibition pattern is selected, the internal-data processing unit 40 stores, in the woven pattern rectangular area memory 43, generation of the woven pattern image pattern of the copy prohibition pattern in the area designated in ACT 2 and proceeds to ACT 7. If the copy prohibition pattern is not selected, the internal-data processing unit 40 proceeds to ACT 9.
In ACT 9, the internal-data processing unit 40 sets the information tracking pattern, stores, in the woven pattern rectangular area memory 43, generation of the woven pattern image pattern of the set information tracking pattern in the area designated in ACT 2, and proceeds to ACT 7.
In the operation of the internal-data processing unit 40, the internal-data processing unit 40 performs the selection of the woven pattern image pattern and the area designation using the control panel 7 of the MFP 1. However, the internal-data processing unit 40 may perform the selection of the woven pattern image pattern and the area designation using the information processing terminal 2.
In the example of the processing explained with reference to
The present invention can be carried out in various other forms without departing from the spirit or the main characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiments are merely examples in every aspect and should not be limitedly interpreted. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of claims and is by no means restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modification and various improvements, substitutions, and alterations belonging to the scope of equivalents of the scope of claims are within the scope of the present invention.
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from: U.S. provisional application 61/303,905, filed on Feb. 12, 2010; the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61303905 | Feb 2010 | US |