Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Detail of image placement or content
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-22
2001-08-07
Coles, Edward (Department: 2722)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Detail of image placement or content
C358S501000, C358S001900, C382S181000, C382S199000, C382S162000, C382S165000, C382S167000, C382S299000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06271930
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method, which can add predetermined additional information to an input image so as not to be easily identified by human eyes, and a storage medium which stores a program for performing the method.
Related Background Art
In recent years, along with the improvement of performance of image recording apparatuses such as color printers, color copying machines, and the like, higher-quality images can be formed. Owing to this, it is becoming easy to form an image having nearly the same image quality as that of securities such as bank notes and the like.
In order to inhibit such illicit image formation, a method of determining the formation conditions of an image by decoding the formed image is known.
For example, a dot pattern that represents the machine number of an image recording apparatus may be hidden in a color image to be printed.
Since this dot pattern is hidden in a specific color component (yellow) of the color image, it is hardly identified by the human eyes. Hence, the printed image seems nearly the same as an original image.
On the other hand, a conventional image recording apparatus, which can print on both an OHT (a transparent film used in an OHP) and normal paper, can print in correspondence with the fixing characteristics of recording agents (toner, ink) for these recording media by changing the image formation process (the traveling speed of each recording medium).
However, the conventional apparatus always adds a dot pattern with a constant density irrespective of different image formation processes of the image forming means. For example, in the image formation process for the OHT, since the OHT travels at a low speed to allow easy fixing of the recording agent, the dot pattern which should have a constant density becomes unwantedly conspicuous. As a technique for solving this problem, the type of recording sheet is detected using, e.g., a sensor, and additional information is added by a method suitable for the detected recording sheet. However, the apparatus becomes expensive since it must additionally comprise the sensor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned prior arts, and has as its principal object to efficiently implement control for adding additional information to an input image in correspondence with the types of recording sheets without any sensors for detecting the types of recording sheets.
More specifically, it is another object of the present invention to provide a technique for adding additional information by an appropriate method and controlling whether or not additional information is added using the fact that the type of image formation process is likely to be selected in correspondence with the type of recording sheet.
In order to achieve the above objects, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for outputting image data to image forming means which can execute a plurality of different kinds of image formation processes, comprising:
adding means for determining in accordance with the kind of image formation process to be executed by the image forming means whether or not additional information is to be added to input image data to be hardly identified by a human eye, and executing the addition in accordance with a determination result; and
output means for outputting image data to which the additional information is added by the adding means to the image forming means.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a technique for adding additional information by an appropriate method and controlling whether or not additional information is added using the fact that the type of image processing mode is likely to be selected in correspondence with the type of recording sheet.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus, which selectively uses a plurality of image processing modes suitable for different types of recording sheets, comprising:
adding means for determining in accordance with the image processing mode used by the image processing apparatus to process input image data whether or not additional information is to be added to the input image data to be hardly identified by a human eye, and executing the addition in accordance with a determination result; and
output means for outputting image data to which the additional information is added by the adding means to image forming means.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5832186 (1998-11-01), Kawana
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Coles Edward
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lamb Twyler
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