Image analysis – Applications – Reading paper currency
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-21
2001-02-06
Tran, Phuoc (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Applications
Reading paper currency
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185321
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming system including a main image forming apparatus such as a computer device provided with an image data processing function, a digital copying machine, etc., and sub-image forming apparatuses such as digital copying machines for printing the image data as processed, wherein the main image forming apparatus and the sub-image forming apparatuses are connected via a communication device so as to allow communication between them.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A digital copying machine as an example commercialized image forming apparatus produces a copy of an original image in the following manner. First, the original image is read by means of an image reading section. Then, the document image as read is subjected to the image processing function as specified, and the resulting image data are printed out by a recording section. In the digital copying machine, an image can be formed on the sheet by utilizing the image processing function of the digital copying machine.
On the other hand, an idea of constituting a network by interconnecting a plurality of image recording apparatuses or the like has been proposed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 116834/1978 (Tokukaisho 53-116834) discloses an arrangement wherein a plurality of image reading apparatuses and a plurality of image recording apparatuses are connected by a single control section.
According to the described arrangement, a copy of an original image as read by any one of the plurality of image reading apparatuses is printed out by any one of the plurality of image recording apparatuses. This arrangement reduces a stand-by time of the image-reading apparatus required for carrying out such processes as a replacement of an original document in the image-reading apparatus, etc.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 198958/1986 (Tokukaisho 61-198958) discloses an image forming system wherein a plurality of copying machines including an image reading section and an image recording section are connected by a control device. In the image forming system, according to a document copy mode as set, an image signal to be recorded is distributed into a plurality of copying machines, and a copying operation is performed parallelly in the plurality of copying machines.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 285977/1989 (Tokukaihei 1-285977) discloses an image processing section including determination means for determining if a copying of image data as read by an image reading section is permitted, i.e., if a duplication of the document image is prohibited, and has a function of controlling a copy output based on an output from the determination means when processing the document image.
However, the described conventional image forming systems have drawbacks in that a document image which is prohibited to be formed or processed cannot be prevented effectively.
For example, in the conventional digital copying machine, the determination means for determining if a copying of the image is permitted is incorporated in an image processing machine. The determination means basically has such a function that copy-prohibited data such as marketable securities, etc., are stored in a unit beforehand, and the determination of the image is carried out by collating the document image data with the copy-prohibited data as stored. In the described arrangement, as the unit is fixed in the digital copying machine, the data may be damaged as being stored for a long time within the unit, which causes an erroneous result when determining if the document is permitted to be copied.
Additionally, in the described digital copying machine provided with the determination means, a control of the copy-prohibited document image as processed is permitted; however, the copy-prohibited document can be copied by other image processing apparatus which is not provided with the determination means.
Furthermore, even after a new image processing apparatus provided with determination means of a higher level becomes available in the market with an increase in an amount of data or an improvement in algorithm, a determination still has to be carried out by the existing determination means of the image processing apparatus. For this reason, in the case where the determination means of a desired level is not provided in the digital copying machine of one's possession, or a digital copying machine provided with the determination means of a higher level becomes available in the market, the user is required to purchase a new digital copying machine only for obtaining the determination function of a higher level or improving the precision of the result of determination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system which can prevent an inhibit copy action even when using an image forming apparatus without an image determination function or with a simple image determining function.
In order to achieve the above object, the first image forming system of the present invention is characterized by including: a plurality of image forming apparatuses including at least one main image forming apparatus and at least one sub image forming apparatus; and a communication device for connecting the main image forming apparatus and the sub image forming apparatus to allow data to be transmitted and received between them, wherein the sub image forming apparatus includes a sub control section for transmitting image data to the main image forming apparatus via the communication device and requesting the main image forming apparatus to determine if the image data as transmitted are prohibited to be copied, the main image forming apparatus includes an image data determining section for determining if the image data as received via the communication device are prohibited to be copied and a main control section for transmitting determination history data including a result of determination via the communication device; and at least either one of the main image forming apparatus and the sub image forming apparatus includes memory means for storing the determination history data and transfer means for transferring the determination history data as stored to other image forming apparatus.
The image to be processed by the main image forming apparatus may be prohibited to be reproduced by law such as paper money, marketable securities, or may be prohibited to be copied by user setting.
In order to prevent a processing of an image which is prohibited by law or by user setting, the present invention is arranged such that the image data determining section determines if the image data as input are permitted to be processed. Here, as to whether or not it is permitted to process the image data by law or by user setting is determined by collating the image data with the registered prohibit image processes stored beforehand.
The determination history data including the result of determination, the name of the apparatus of the requesting end, the requesting data, the document size, the image data, the incidence of illegal action, the user's prohibit registration number, the incidence of violating the registered prohibit action based on the user setting are sent back to the sub image forming apparatus.
Accordingly, when the determination history data indicate that it is illegal to process the image data, the sub image forming apparatus prohibits the formation of a visible image of such prohibit image data by displaying a message indicative of the illegal action for the user, and the illegal image processing action can be prevented with respect to the image data which are prohibited to be processed by law or by user setting, thereby preventing an occurrence of an illegal action or a dishonest action of processing the image based on the user setting.
Moreover, since the described image data determining function is required to be provided only in the image forming apparatus which carries out a determination process, an increase in cost of each image form
Fukushima Tamotsu
Nakai Yasuhiro
Nakamura Masakatsu
Nishiyama Hidemoto
Yoshiura Syoichiro
Azarian Seyed
Conlin David G.
Dike Bronstein, Roberts & Cushman LLP
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Tran Phuoc
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