Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Photocell controlled circuit
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2004-02-24
Luu, Thanh X. (Department: 2878)
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Photocell controlled circuit
C399S366000, C382S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06696696
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a specific document determining apparatus, an image reading apparatus for, and a specific document determining method of making determination as to whether a document is a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein or not by detecting metallic fiber included in a document using a microwave, and to a computer-readable recording medium with a program for execution of the same stored therein, and more particularly to a specific document determining apparatus, an image reading apparatus, and a specific document determining method each always enabling determination of a specific document such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein at high accuracy even if a condition for detecting the metallic fiber has changed, and to a computer-readable recording medium with a program for execution of the same stored therein.
The present invention further relates to a specific document determining method for preventing a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein by detecting metallic fiber existing in a document from being illegally copied, a computer-readable recording medium with a program for execution of the method stored therein, a specific document determining apparatus, and an image reading apparatus available for the method, and more particularly to a specific document determining method for preventing a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein from being illegally copied, said method enabling detection of metallic fiber with improved accuracy, a computer-readable recording medium for execution of the method, a specific document determining apparatus and an image reading apparatus available for the method.
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus having a specific document determining function for preventing a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein from being illegally copied by detecting metallic fiber included in a document by means of using a microwave, an method of controlling an image reading apparatus having a specific document determining function, and a computer-readable recording medium with a program for execution of the control method stored therein, and more particularly to an image reading apparatus having a specific document determining function for preventing a human body from being affected by a microwave by preventing irradiation of a microwave to the human body, a method of controlling the image reading apparatus having the specific document determining function, and a computer-readable recording medium with a program for execution of the control program stored therein.
The present invention further relates to a specific document determining apparatus for making determination as to whether a document is a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein or not by detecting metallic fiber included in the document by means of using a microwave, and more particularly to a specific document determining apparatus with improved accuracy in determination of a specific document for making determination as to whether a microwave sensor for detecting metallic fiber is operating normally or not.
The present invention further relates to an image forming apparatus comprising a specific document determining apparatus for making determination as to whether a document is a specific document (note) such as bills or marketable securities and having a function to prevent a document determined as a specific document from being illegally copied, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus for preventing a specific document from being illegally copied and at the same time enabling continuous execution of the copying operation by restricting the functions or changing the image processing even when any abnormality occurs in the specific document determining apparatus due to a breakdown thereof or so and a processing for determination of a specific document can not be executed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, in association with improvement in the image processing technology as well as in the image forming technology it has become possible to form an image so precisely that a copied bill copied with a color copying machine can not easily be differentiated from an actual bill. For this reason there has been developed an apparatus for determining a specific document such as bills or marketable securities inhibited to be copied and for inhibiting an illegal operation for copying when it is determined that the document is a specific document, and also there has been proposed an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine with a function for determining a specific document incorporated therein.
As the specific document as described above, there are bills with metallic fiber included therein to indicate that the bills are specific documents. To differentiate the specific documents from ordinary documents as described above, it is required only to detect metallic fiber included in a document. For this purpose, as an image forming apparatus having a function to determine a specific document with metallic fiber included therein, there has been proposed an apparatus comprising a microwave sensor for irradiating a microwave to a document, detecting a transmitted wave or a reflected wave of the irradiated microwave, and outputting a detection signal, and a signal determining section for receiving the detection signal outputted from the microwave sensor and making determination as to whether metallic fiber is included in the document or not.
The microwave sensor in the image forming apparatus is provided generally in an image reading unit having a CCD or the like for photographing, reciprocates for scanning together with the image reading unit over a document placed on the document base, irradiates a microwave to the document for detecting metallic fiber and detects a reflected wave in the forward direction for scanning. Then the signal determining section receives the detection signal for the reflected wave outputted from the microwave sensor, compares a level of the received detection signal to a preset threshold value, and determines that metallic fiber is included in the document when the level of the detection signal exceeds the threshold value, and also determines that metallic fiber is not included in the document when the level of the detection signal does not exceed the threshold value. As a result, it is determined that the document is a specific document such as bills or marketable securities with metallic fiber included therein when it is determined that metallic fiber is included in the document.
However, in the conventional technology, for example, when a metallic member is included in a pressure plate, when an attached condition of the pressure plate is changed, or when a use environment of the apparatus is changed, a level of a detection signal outputted from the microwave sensor may change, which makes accuracy in detection of metallic fiber included in a document changed.
Also, in the conventional technology, any interference elements such as a noise due to an influence of vibrations of the image reading unit and changing in temperature or the like may sometimes be included in the detection signal outputted from the microwave sensor, so that it is not always possible to make determination of a specific document with high accuracy.
In the conventional technology, during the operation for making determination as to whether a document is a specific document or not, a user may unintentionally open the pressure plate. In this case, a microwave may directly be irradiated to the user, and for this reason, it is necessary to design the apparatus so as not to directly irradiate a microwave to a human body.
In the conventional technology, when the microwave sensor is not operating n
Hasegawa Yutaka
Maeda Mamoru
Ohtsubo Kazuhisa
Ukai Takeshi
Yamagata Hideaki
Luu Thanh X.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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