Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Attribute control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-20
2003-02-04
Rogers, Scott (Department: 2624)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Attribute control
C358S001150, C358S001180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06515762
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, which can add additional information to an input image, and a storage medium which stores the method.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 8
is a block diagram showing a conventional image processing unit
102
and image forming unit
101
, which can execute color printing.
In
FIG. 8
, a CPU
5
controls the operations and operation timings of the respective units included in the image processing unit
102
.
A host interface unit
1
interfaces various data communications between the image processing unit
102
, and a host computer
100
as external equipment, and has an output buffer for temporarily storing data to be transmitted to the host computer
100
, and an input buffer for temporarily holding data received from the host computer
100
.
The host interface unit
1
not only exchanges various data with the host computer
100
but also controls communications with the host computer
100
.
Hence, various data must be exchanged between the image processing unit
102
or image forming unit
101
and the host computer
100
via the host interface unit
1
.
A communication line
2
connects the image processing unit
102
and host computer
100
.
When image data (code data which contains character codes, graphic formation information, and control information and described in a predetermined description format) to be subjected to image processing or image formation is input from the host computer
100
to the image processing unit
102
, the input image data is stored in a page memory
3
as code data.
The page memory
3
has a capacity capable of storing code data for at least one page of image, and stores code data containing character codes, graphic formation information, and control information for an image of each page in the reception order via the host interface unit
1
.
A font memory
4
stores character pattern data corresponding to character codes. A program ROM
8
stores an image mapping program (a program for interpreting and mapping code data of character codes and graphic formation information to image data that can be processed by the image forming unit
101
).
Hence, the character code in the code data which is received from the host computer
100
and stored in the page memory
3
is converted into bit pattern data using the data in the font memory
4
and image mapping program, and the graphic formation information in the code data is also converted into bit pattern data using the image mapping program. These converted bit pattern data are mapped as image data for printing on an image memory
6
(to be described later) in units of pages, respectively.
Note that the program ROM
8
also stores a control program required for controlling the entire image processing unit, and the CPU
5
controls the entire apparatus in accordance with that control program.
A random access memory (RAM)
7
is used as a work area used by the CPU
5
when it reads/writes various temporary data used upon executing processing using the control program.
The image memory
6
stores the bit pattern data generated by the image mapping program stored in the program ROM
8
as image data, and can store image data for at least one page of image in correspondence with the code data stored in the page memory
3
.
The generation sequence of image data will be described in detail below. The CPU
5
interprets the character code, graphic formation information, and control information stored in the page memory
3
on the basis of the image mapping program stored in the program ROM
8
to generate various kinds of object information. Parallel to generation of such object information, the CPU
5
executes rasterization and pseudo gradation processing in turn.
In the rasterization, the CPU
5
converts R, G, and B (additive color mixing) as display color data contained in the graphic formation information into Y, M, C, and K (subtractive color mixing) that can be processed by the image forming unit
101
, converts each character code into pre-stored font data such as bit pattern data, outline font data, or the like, and so forth to generate bitmap data. Also, the CPU
5
performs the pseudo gradation processing for the generated bitmap data to generate image data that can be processed by the image forming unit
101
.
Note that the image data is binary or n-valued image data corresponding to the image forming unit
101
.
A FIFO (First In First Out) memory
9
receives image data from the image memory
6
, and outputs it to an image forming unit's interface unit
10
. Image data output from the FIFO memory
9
is output as a video signal to the image forming unit
101
via the image forming unit's interface unit
10
.
The image forming unit's interface unit
10
has an output buffer for temporarily holding a video signal to be output to the image forming unit
101
and a communication signal (command and the like) used in communications with the image forming unit
101
, and an input buffer for temporarily holding a signal sent from the image forming unit
101
. The image forming unit's interface unit
10
not only exchanges signals with the image forming unit
101
but also controls communications with the image forming unit
101
.
A communication line
11
is used in data exchange between the image processing unit
102
and the image forming unit
101
shown in the block diagram in FIG.
8
.
An operation panel
13
is comprised of command input means such as a keyboard, and the like, and a display device such as a CRT display and the like. With this command input means, the operator can make designation inputs for setting the operation environments of the respective units, e.g., setting the online/offline state of the host interface unit
1
, and the like. With the display device, the operator can monitor the operation state (e.g., printing is ready or not, and so forth) of the image forming unit
101
, and the operation state (mapping of code data is in progress, and so forth) of the image processing unit
102
.
A command signal input from the operation panel
13
is supplied onto a data bus
14
and address bus
15
via an operation panel's interface unit
12
, and an image signal to be displayed on the display device is output to the operation panel
13
via the operation panel's interface unit
12
.
A clock signal
30
output from a clock generation circuit
16
is used as that for the CPU
5
.
In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as color copying machines, color printers, and the like can form higher-quality color images and, hence, images with quality equivalent to those of bills, securities, and the like.
However, formation of such images is illegal. Therefore, a technique for inhibiting such images from being formed is known.
For example, additional information that specifies a given image forming apparatus or user can be embedded in all images formed by that image forming apparatus to be hardly perceivable or discernible by the human eye.
With such information, even when an image is illicitly formed, various situations upon forming this image can be detected by decoding the additional information in that formed image using a dedicated decoding apparatus.
Note that this additional information is embedded in the Y component alone of a color image made up of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) to conceal the presence of the additional information from the human eye.
In general, the final stage (that is, a printer engine) of the image forming processes adds additional information to an original image. Otherwise, there is only one equipment having a function of adding additional information in a system from when image data is generated until it is printed.
Conventionally, a system until generated image data is finally formed as a visible image includes only one equipment having a function of adding additional information.
Hence, when the system until the generated image data is finally formed as a visible image includ
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Rogers Scott
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