Photocopying – Contact printing – Light boxes
Patent
1995-04-21
1996-04-30
Moses, R. L.
Photocopying
Contact printing
Light boxes
380 51, G03G 2100
Patent
active
055129773
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a copying machine (a copier) with an encryption function for optically reading information printed, or described or written on a medium such as paper, enciphering (encrypting) or deciphering (decrypting) the read information, and printing or describing or writing the enciphered or deciphered information on the medium such as paper again or storing the enciphered or deciphered information in a medium in which information is to be electrically, magnetically or optically stored. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a copying machine with an encryption function for reading information from a medium on which information is to be electrically, magnetically or optically recorded, enciphering or deciphering the read information, and printing or describing or writing the read information on a medium such as paper.
BACKGROUND
When information printed on a medium such as paper is keep secret, the paper or the like is generally contained in a particular storage location, a book storeroom with a key, or the like. However, it is inconvenient to accommodate secret documents frequently created every day in a particular storage location, a book storeroom with a key, or the like one by one.
A method of enciphering information and printing the enciphered information on paper or the like is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 1-147750. This makes it possible to store printed paper without accommodating the paper in a particular storage location or the like. However, the cryptography described in this publication is to only convert document data (plaintext data) into ciphertext data in accordance with a predetermined encryption table. Accordingly, the rule of encryption may be easily analyzed by a third person so that the ciphertext data is easily deciphered. Consequently, it is difficult to maintain secrecy about information even by the method described in this publication.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a copying machine capable of generating an encryption key every time information described on a medium such as paper is copied, and enciphering the information using the generated encryption key and writing the enciphered information in another medium, thereby to make it difficult to analyze the enciphered information and make it possible to keep the information secret without storing the paper or the like in a particular storage location, a book storeroom or the like.
Another object of the present invention is to make it impossible for a third person to easily know an encryption key used when information is enciphered.
Still another object of the present invention is to automatically generate an encryption key.
A further object of the present invention is to prevent, when enciphered information is deciphered, a state where there occurs an error such as a defect in the information due to a reading error or a writing error of the information, and the information cannot be correctly deciphered in the entire range or a wide range of a portion connecting with a portion where the error occurs, thereby to keep the range in which the information cannot be deciphered to a minimum.
A copying machine with an encryption function according to the present invention, which optically reads information from a first medium on which information is printed or described or written, and prints or describes or writes the read information on the surface of a second medium, or stores the read information in a third medium in which information is electrically, magnetically or optically stored, or which reads information from a fourth medium in which information is electrically, magnetically or optically stored and prints or describes or writes the read information on the surface of a fifth medium: comprising information reading means for reading the information from the first or fourth medium; encryption key generating means capable of generating an encryption key for enciphering the information read by the informa
REFERENCES:
"Image Encryption Using Pseudo Random Number Generator" by Leon C. Williams, Xerox Disclosure Journal, vol. 17, No. 1 Jan./Feb. 1992.
Moses R. L.
Pumpkin House Incorporated
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