JP2001218008A - Picture processor, picture processing method and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make strict judgment of a copy inhibition picture compatible with detection of the comparatively small operation quantity of copy inhibition pictures. SOLUTION: A picture processor identifies the copy inhibition picture by conducting a program for attaining the purpose. The processor has an input means inputting picture data corresponding to the picture, a decision means deciding an area being the object of feature detection from picture data inputted by the input means, a detection means detecting a feature for identifying the copy inhibition picture with respect to picture data corresponding to the area being the object of feature detection, which is decided by the decision means, in the pictures and an output means outputting a signal showing a detection result by the detection means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, forgery of banknotes, securities, and the like has generally been performed using a color copier alone.
For this reason, it has been proposed that a color copier be equipped with an image recognition processing function for preventing counterfeiting of bills, securities, and the like. If it is determined that the target image data of the copy generation is a forgery prevention target image, the image data is (1) painted in some color and printed out, and (2) some symbols or figures are printed. Superimpose and print out, (3) change color and image size and output,
(4) Normal copy output is prevented from being performed, such as not performing print output at all.

[0003] By the way, since a copying machine is basically to faithfully copy an object placed on a platen except for a copy prohibited matter such as a bill, an image similar to a bill (not a bill, but
When an image that can be legally copied is input, it is necessary to recognize that the image is not a bill and to perform the copy processing as it is. Therefore, determination of whether or not the image to be recognized corresponds to the image to be counterfeited requires extremely strict recognition accuracy.

On the other hand, in recent years, the image quality of images obtained by color scanners and color printers, which are inexpensive compared to color copiers, has also been dramatically improved. Similar counterfeiting has become possible through the combined use of machine components. For this reason, even in an image processing system using an inexpensive color scanner or color printer, countermeasures against counterfeiting of bills, securities, and the like by mounting an image recognition processing function and the like have been desired.

A method of determining whether a document is a copy-prohibited object is based on each pixel value (a set of R, G, and B values corresponding to a three-color signal) in image data. The color spectrum distribution of the image data obtained by scanning the original is compared with the data registered in advance in the ROM 13 (the difference is obtained as the sum of the absolute values of the differences between the numerical values, and the cross-correlation value between the distributions is obtained). Or the like, or a method of calculating an evaluation value by comparing a comprehensive image pattern of a part or the whole of an original with pattern data registered in advance in a ROM or the like. I have.

Recently, by using a technique called “digital watermarking”, it has become possible to create a printed document including information indicating that the document is a copy-prohibited object. ing. That is, when a document that is a copy-prohibited object is created as a printed matter, the original digital information (main information) that is the original digital data (electronic image information) is created beforehand. In this case, a printout is created from image data (also electronic image information) containing copy-inhibited object information generated by embedding second digital information (sub-information) indicating that the object is a copy-inhibited object. Is the way. This copy-inhibited object information (sub-information) can be extracted from the image data containing the copy-inhibited object information before printing the original (electronic watermarking technology itself), and the image containing the copy-inhibited object information can be extracted. If the conditions at the time of creating a printed matter from the data (electronic image information) are compatible with the conditions of reading and extraction processing, the printed matter (original) created from the electronic image information containing the information is read by a color scanner. It is also possible to extract from electronic image data obtained by reading by a document reading device such as a digital document. Therefore, application of this technology called "digital watermarking" to applications that prevent illegal duplication of printed documents. Has begun to attract attention.

Further, a scanner, a facsimile machine,
In various digital image generation processes such as a digital copying machine, it is extremely difficult to read the image without any inclination or movement, and the generated image includes many so-called margins.

[0008]

In such a case, the process of recognizing the copy-prohibited object is performed by the above-described pixel values (the values of R, G, and B corresponding to the three-color signal) in the image data. Based on the set, the color spectrum distribution of the image data obtained by scanning the original is compared with the data registered in the ROM 13 in advance (the difference is obtained as the sum of the absolute values of the differences between the numerical values, Calculating the cross-correlation value between them) or comparing the comprehensive image pattern of a part or the whole of the document with pattern data registered in advance in a ROM or the like to calculate the evaluation value. However, if the orientation (angle) or position of the original is not determined, the comparison with pre-registered spectrum data and image pattern data is more difficult than in the case where it is determined. Even when the total amount of operations to be able to correspond is in dramatically larger trend.

[0009] On the other hand, in an inexpensive color scanner or color printer, it is desirable to prevent counterfeiting of a copy prohibited object at a lower cost than a relatively expensive color copier. For this purpose, it is possible to use a software-based realization method as much as possible, instead of a hardware-based realization method that uses electronic circuits and the like for the copy prohibition target recognition processing function.

On the other hand, if an attempt is made to determine a copy-prohibited image by a software-based realization method, there is a problem that the processing time required for recognition and determination tends to be significantly longer because the total amount of operations is large. If you flip it over,
In order to reduce the amount of computation required for recognition and determination, generally, it tends to be difficult to determine a copy-inhibited image that requires strict recognition accuracy. As a result, it becomes difficult to detect a copy-prohibited object such as a bill from an image read by intentionally changing reading conditions (mounting angle of the document on the reading surface, mounting position, etc.), or reversely. Even if an image similar to a banknote (not a banknote, but an image that can be legally copied) is input, it is incorrectly recognized as a copy prohibition target image, and normal output is not performed. There is a possibility that the function as the image processing system is impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and has as its object the object of the present invention to perform more strict copying than in the past even in recognition / determination processing with a relatively small amount of computation. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program storage medium that enable recognition of whether an image is a prohibition target image.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus for identifying a copy-inhibited image by executing a program for solving the above-mentioned problems, comprising: input means for inputting image data corresponding to an image; Determining means for determining a feature detection target area from the image data input by the input means; and identifying the copy-inhibited image with respect to image data corresponding to the feature detection target area determined by the determining means in the image. And a output unit for outputting a signal indicating a result of the detection by the detection unit.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In an image processing apparatus proposed in the present application, as shown in FIG. 1, an image data acquisition means 120 for inputting image data from an image data source 110 represented by a color image scanner or an external storage medium. The characteristic detection target area determining means 130 for specifying the specific image characteristic detection target area from the position data of the document in the image data obtained through the image data obtaining means 120, and the characteristic detection target area determining means 130 A feature detection target image data generating unit 150 for generating image data of a feature detection target region from image data obtained through the image data obtaining unit 120 using the feature detection target region data, and a feature detection target image data generating unit 150 Specific image recognizing means 160 for determining whether or not to prohibit copying from the feature detection target image data obtained in Certification information transmitting unit 1 for delivering
70. In the figure, reference numeral 180 denotes certification information receiving means such as a display device for receiving certification information and displaying to the operator of the image processing system or the like that the original is a copy prohibition designation image. Represents a storage medium such as a RAM for storing temporary data, and 200 represents a control unit for controlling the operation of the entire image system.

In the above configuration, each functional block (means) operates as follows. By operating an instruction unit (not shown) of the image processing system by an operator of the image system, image data obtained based on a document set in advance in a data source is converted into a feature detection target through the image data acquisition unit 120. It is input to the area determination means 130. In the feature detection target area determination means 130, the feature detection target image data composed of the area including the four corners of the pure document image existing in the image data is stored in the storage unit, and the control unit 20
Informed to 0. Here, the control unit 200 instructs the image data acquisition unit 120 to acquire image data again, and the image data is output to the feature detection target image data generation unit 150. The feature detection target image data generation means 150 is based on the data obtained from the feature detection target area determination means 130.
The feature detection target image data is generated from the data of the second pass output from the image data acquisition unit 110 and output to the specific image recognition unit 160. The specific image recognition means 160
It is determined whether or not the image data output from the feature detection target image data generating means 150 is a copy prohibition target, and the result is output to the control unit 200. If the result of the determination is a copy-prohibited object, the authorization information sending means 17 is sent to notify the fact to an operator of the image processing system, for example.
0 to the certification information receiving means 180.

In the following, as an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that information indicating that the object is a copy-prohibited object contained in a manuscript is created by a technique called “digital watermark”. I will explain. That is, the original, which is a copy-prohibited object, is a second digital information indicating that the original is digitally-produced image data (electronic image information) which is a source of a printed matter. The following description is based on the premise that the digital information is generated as a printed matter from image data (also electronic image information) containing copy-inhibited object information generated by embedding the digital information. The above-mentioned digital watermark is an invisible digital watermark that embeds information in a specific spatial frequency of image data, a visible digital watermark that embeds information with an array of yellow (system) dots that are hardly visible to human eyes, and the like. May be.

As described above, in various digital image generation processes such as a scanner, a facsimile machine, and a digital copier, it is extremely difficult to read the image without any tilt or movement. It contains many things called margins. For this reason, the processing time for extracting the digital watermark data embedded by the digital watermark technique from the generated image can be greatly improved by reducing the margin.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 2 shows an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a color image scanner as an image input device, 2 denotes a personal computer as a computer system, and 3 denotes a connection cable for exchanging data between the 1 color image scanner and the 2 computer systems. I have.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram in which main parts in the configuration of FIG. 2 are represented by blocks as functional modules. In the figure, 11 is a CPU, 12 is a RAM, 13 is R
OM, 14 is a display control unit, 15 is a display, 16
Is an operation input such as a keyboard and a mouse, and 17 is a connection of operation input devices such as a device keyboard and a mouse.
Reference numeral 8 denotes an external storage device such as a hard disk device, 19 denotes a connection I / O of the external storage device, 20 denotes a bus, 21 denotes a color image scanner, and 22 denotes a connection I / O to an image input device such as a color image scanner. Reference numeral 23 denotes an interface unit with communication means such as a network.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for implementing an example of the present invention on the configuration shown in FIGS. A computer-executable program describing the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG.
After the program stored in the OM 13 or previously stored in the external storage device 19 is read into the RAM 12, the CPU 11 executes the program to execute the processing of this flowchart. Note that such a program is realized as one function of the scan driver.

In the flowchart of FIG. 4, when a series of processing is started, in step S10, the CPU 11
For the color image scanner 21 via the / O unit 22,
An instruction is given to read a document placed on the reading surface at a reading density (for example, 100 dpi) that is rougher than the final desired reading density (for example, 400 dpi [dot / inch]). The color image scanner 22 reads a document at the designated rough density. The read image data of the coarse density is taken into the RAM 12 via the I / O unit 22. The reading at the rough density is implemented by using a known function provided by a color image scanner driver, although detailed description is omitted.

Next, when the process proceeds to step S20, the process proceeds to step S20.
The document placement position α on the platen of the scanner is calculated from the image data read at a rough density on the RAM 12 read in 10 and the process proceeds to step S30. In step S30, based on the calculation result of the document placing position α on the platen of the scanner in step S20, in the example of FIG. 5, the inner surface area including the four corners such as poles A, B, C, and D of the pure document image For example, a quadrilateral region whose two sides are parallel to each other in the main scanning direction X and the sub-scanning direction Y is determined like the region S in FIG. 5, and the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, the CPU 11 controls the I / O unit 22
And instructs the color image scanner 21 to read a document placed on the reading surface at a finally desired reading density (for example, 400 dpi) specified by the operator. The color image scanner 21 reads a document at the designated reading density. The read image data is taken into the RAM 12 via the I / O unit 22. When step S40 ends, the process proceeds to step S50.
At this time, at the time of pre-scan by a malicious operator,
In order to prevent the original from being changed or replaced during the main scan, the similarity between the image data during the prescan and the image data during the main scan is compared. Since it is not preferable that the processing amount is increased by this comparison, for example, FIG.
The similarity is compared only for one point among B, C, and D. When the similarity is low for this one point, it goes without saying that the similarities are compared for the other three points.

In step S50, a characteristic check (the above-described digital watermark check) is performed to determine whether or not the image data read in step S40 is a copy-prohibited object.
Proceed to step S60. In step S60, step S50
It is determined whether the image is a copy prohibition target image from the result of checking the characteristics of (1). If it is determined that the image is a copy prohibition target image, the process proceeds to step S70. If not, the process proceeds to step S80.

In step S70, image data that is not normal image data is output. That is, as mentioned earlier,
(1) Output image data filled with some color, (2) Output image data with some symbols or graphics superimposed, (3) Output image data with changed color or image size, etc. , Or an abnormal (not read image data itself) image obtained by a combination thereof. To generate these abnormal images, a program module for performing known image processing by using an image read from the RAM 12 as an input is executed by a CPU.
It can be easily configured by executing in step 11. The generated abnormal image data is output to the external storage device 18 via the I / O 19 as an image data file.
When step S70 ends, a series of processing ends.

Step S80 corresponds to the case where it is determined that the image is not a copy prohibition target image, and the image data read in step S50 is used as an image data file as an I / O
Output to the external storage device 18 via O19. Step S80
Is completed, a series of processing ends.

In step S70 described above, not only is it configured to always output any image data file, but also (4) no image data is output.
It may be configured as follows. (5) The display control unit 14 may be configured to output, to the display device 15, a caution / warning signal indicating that the copy prohibited object is an original.

In the process of calculating the document placement position on the document reading surface performed in step S20, the pixel value when the platen cover of the scanner is read and the background portion of the document are read, for example, as in an angle detection method. The position of the original is detected by detecting the position of the edge of the original for each scanning line by detecting the difference in pixel value when the original is detected, and detecting the positions of the four corners of the original from the information on the change in the position of the original edge. I do. The feature check of the copy-prohibited object performed in step S50
It is configured to perform the above-described method by extracting a document as a printed matter created from original image data containing copy-inhibited object information using the digital watermark technology from image data obtained by photoelectrically scanning with a scanner. .

In step S60, depending on whether or not copy prohibition target information has been extracted in step S50, the process proceeds to step S70 if it has been extracted, and to step S90 if it has not been extracted.

The above-described inner surface area such as the area S shown in FIG. 5 is not necessarily required to be rectangular, but is determined to be an area including the extreme points A, B, C and D. Needless to say. As described above, since the digital watermark extraction process for determining whether or not a document is a copy-prohibited object can be limited to image data in an area where a document is placed, the amount of calculation when performing software determination can be reduced. In addition, as for the specification of the area where the document is placed, the area can be specified at high speed because the data having the rough density is used. Also, unlike the area specification, in the digital watermark extraction processing, the image data of the density specified by the operator is used, so that the operator can determine exactly what he / she wants to read.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the copy-inhibited object feature check performed in step S50 is based on the original image data containing copy-inhibited object information using digital watermark technology. An example has been described in which the method is configured to extract a document as a printed matter created from the above from image data obtained by photoelectrically scanning with a scanner, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The copy-inhibited object feature check performed in step S50 is based on each pixel value (a set of R, G, and B values corresponding to a three-color signal) in the image data described above. The color spectrum distribution of the image data obtained by scanning is compared with the data registered in advance in the ROM 13 (the difference is obtained as the sum of the absolute values of the difference between numerical values, or the cross-correlation value between the distributions is calculated). Or an evaluation value may be calculated by comparing a comprehensive image pattern of a part or the whole of a document with pattern data registered in advance in a ROM or the like.

In this case, in step S60, step S60
Determine the evaluation value (sum of absolute values of difference values, cross-correlation value between distributions, etc.) based on a predetermined threshold value (for example, when the sum of absolute values of difference values does not exceed the threshold value) Is regarded as a copy-prohibited object, otherwise it is determined that it is not a copy-prohibited object, or if the cross-correlation value exceeds a threshold, it is regarded as a copy-prohibited object, otherwise it is regarded as a copy-prohibited object Etc.).

(Third Embodiment) In the first and second embodiments, step S20
And the calculation of the document placement position performed in step S30 and the four corners determined, a quadrilateral image including the four corners is generated, but the present invention is not limited to this. In step S20, not only the document placing position but also the document placing table
A pure manuscript image in a digital image obtained by reading a manuscript placed obliquely on a (platen) can be extracted by performing a scaling process or a shift process.

That is, the step S20 in FIG. 4 is changed to the processing for recognizing the placement position of the pure original image as in the step S21 in FIG. 6, and accordingly, the step S30 in FIG.
It may be changed to the generation of a pure original image (FIG. 7) as shown in FIG.
As a result, it is possible to further reduce the blank area and perform a copy-prohibited object check.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the first to third embodiments, the calculation of the document placement position shown in step S20 or step S21 is performed based on the image obtained by the prescan shown in step S10. Although described as performing, it is not limited to this. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the main scan (scan with the pixel density designated by the operator) performed in step S40 is performed in step S10, and the image read in this main scan is stored in the RAM 12 or the external storage device 18. Keep in
Of course, in step S50 and subsequent steps of the above embodiment, the processing may be performed using the stored image. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the main scan performed in step S40 is performed first, and after calculating each image position, the process may proceed to step S50.

In this case, it is necessary to provide in the apparatus storage means having a capacity sufficient to hold the entirety of the scanned image. There is an advantage that it can be shortened.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the first to fourth embodiments, the description has been made on the premise that the characteristic of the copy-inhibited object is checked for the image read by the color scanner. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Not something. That is, the check target is not necessarily limited to the color image read by the color scanner. For example, the check target can be obtained through an interface unit with a communication unit such as a network shown in FIG. By mounting a medium (for example, a smart media, a compact flash, a magneto-optical disk, or the like) on a drive device connected to the image processing system (not shown), the data is held on the removable storage medium. May be obtained by taking in color image data. In this case, the program for realizing the communication means such as a network (for example, Internet browser software) and the program for acquiring the image from the recording medium include the above-mentioned program for checking the characteristic of the copy-prohibited object.

In this case, the processing procedure is as follows. The image capture in step S10 and step S40 is performed via an I / O unit with a removable storage medium drive (not shown).
The image data held on the removable storage medium mounted on the driving device may be read into the RAM 12. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a processing procedure is performed such that after the image including the document is obtained in step S40, the document placement position is calculated (the margin image data is removed) based on the image. It is needless to say that the images may be captured in steps S10 and S40 via an interface with a communication unit such as a network such as the Internet.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the first to fifth embodiments, whether the image data is output as normal image data or the abnormal image data,
Although the case where the image data file is output to the external storage device 18 (such as a hard disk in the image processing system) via the / O 19 has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the output form may be a case where the image is output to a color printer to which the image processing system is connected, or the case where the image is output to the outside of the image processing system via an interface with a communication unit such as a network. In this case, a program for realizing communication means such as a network and a printer driver include the above-described copy prohibited object characteristic check program.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an image processing system according to this embodiment. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes a personal computer as a computer system, 4 denotes a color printer as an image output device, and 5 denotes a connection cable for exchanging data between the 2 computer system and the 4 color printer.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram in which main parts in the configuration of FIG. 10 are represented by blocks as functional modules. 3, reference numeral 25 denotes a connection I / O to an image output device such as a color printer, and reference numeral 24 denotes a color printer. The other components are exactly the same as those in FIG. In this case, in steps S70 and S80 in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4, 6, 8, and 9 in the first to fifth embodiments, the image data output is performed via the I / O 25 in the image processing system. It is configured to output to the connected color printer 24.

The output form of the image data in steps S70 and S80 may be such that the image data is output to the outside of the system via an interface with a communication means such as a network such as the Internet. Of course.

(Another Embodiment of the Present Invention) A program for operating the configuration of the above-described embodiment so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiment is stored in a storage medium, and the program stored in the storage medium is coded. A processing method that is read as a computer and executed by a computer is also included in the scope of the above-described embodiment, and a storage medium that stores the above-described program is also included in the above-described embodiment.

As such a storage medium, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-RON, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, and ROM can be used.

The present invention is not limited to the one that executes processing by the program alone stored in the storage medium described above, and operates on the OS in cooperation with the functions of other software and an expansion board to execute the processing of the above-described embodiment. The one that performs the operation is also included in the category of the above-described embodiment.

[0046]

As described in detail above, the present invention produces the following effects. By specifying the feature detection target area in the image, the necessary minimum determined value is determined compared to the conventional process of extracting information for determining whether or not the image is a copy prohibition target image from the entire image. The information extraction work can be performed only on the limited image area, and the processing speed can be dramatically improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image processing device proposed in the present application.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in the configurations of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a feature detection target area for the entire image.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in the third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a pure document image for the entire image.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart 1 showing an operation procedure in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart 2 showing an operation procedure in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image processing system according to a fifth embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of FIG. 10;

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Megumi Iwamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term (reference) in Canon Inc. 5B021 AA19 BB02 CC06 EE01 LG07 5C076 AA14 BA06 5C077 LL14 MP08 PP27 PP32 PP51 PP55 PP58 PQ12 SS01 SS02 SS07 TT02 TT06 5J104 AA14 NA27 9A001 HH23 JJ35 KK42 LL03

Claims (25)

[Claims] An image processing apparatus for identifying a copy-inhibited image by executing a program, comprising: input means for inputting image data corresponding to an image; and a feature detection target area based on the image data input by the input means. Determining means for determining the characteristic of the image data corresponding to the characteristic detection target area determined by the determining means in the image; detecting means for detecting the feature for identifying the copy-inhibited image; detection result by the detecting means Output means for outputting a signal indicating the following. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature is an invisible or visible electronic watermark, a color spectrum distribution, or a pattern. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pixel density of the image data input by the input unit is lower than the pixel density of the image data used for performing the feature detection. 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines an inner surface area of a pole, which is a corner of a pure document image, as a feature detection target area. 5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit sets a pure document image as a feature detection target area. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input of the image data is performed by a pre-scan, and the image data corresponding to the feature detection target area is obtained by a main scan. 7. When the feature is detected, an abnormal image is output according to an output result of the output unit, or a display indicating that the image is not output or that the image input to the display unit is a copy-inhibited image is displayed. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing is performed. 8. The input means inputs image data according to a pixel density designated by an operator, stores the image data, and stores image data of a feature detection image area determined by the determining means in the stored image data. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit performs feature detection based on the information obtained from the image data. 9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data input by the input unit is input via a scan, a storage medium, or a network. 10. The image data subjected to the detection processing is normally output to a storage medium or a printer or a network when the detection result characteristic is not detected, and is output abnormally when the detection result characteristic is detected. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein no output is performed. 11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image data obtained during the pre-scan and the main scan are compared. 12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program includes a scan driver, a printer driver, and a program for realizing communication of the image data. 13. An image processing method for identifying a copy-inhibited image by executing a program, comprising: inputting image data corresponding to an image; determining a feature detection target area from the input image data; An image processing method, comprising: performing feature detection for identifying the copy-inhibited image on image data corresponding to the feature detection target area in an image; and outputting a signal indicating the detection result. 14. The image processing method according to claim 14, wherein the feature is an invisible or visible electronic watermark, a color spectrum distribution, or a pattern. 15. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein the pixel density of the input image data is lower than the pixel density of the image data used for performing the feature detection. 16. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein said determination determines an inner surface area of a pole, which is a corner of a pure document image, as a feature detection target area. 17. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein the determination is made using a pure original image as a feature detection target area. 18. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the input of the image data is performed by a prescan, and the image data corresponding to the feature detection target area is obtained by a main scan.
Item. 19. When the feature is detected, an abnormal image is output according to the output result, or no image is output or a display indicating that the image input to the display means is a copy-inhibited image is performed. Claim 1.
Item 4. The image processing method according to Item 3. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the input is performed by inputting image data at a pixel density specified by an operator, storing the image data, and obtaining image data of a feature detection image area determined by the determination from the stored image data. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein the feature detection is performed by performing the feature detection. 21. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein the input image data is input via a scan, a storage medium, or a network. 22. The image data subjected to the detection processing is normally output to a storage medium or a printer or a network when the detection result characteristic is not detected, and is output abnormally when the detection result characteristic is detected. The image processing method according to claim 31, wherein output is not performed. 23. The image processing method according to claim 18, wherein image data obtained during the pre-scan and the main scan are compared. 24. The image processing method according to claim 13, wherein the program includes a scan driver, a printer driver, and a program for realizing communication of the image data. 25. A storage medium storing a code for performing the image processing method according to claim 13.