JP2017046278A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus which can execute chapter division processing, without troublesome work and wasteful consumption of paper resources.SOLUTION: A character direction detection unit 301 detects the direction of a character included in image data acquired by an image reading unit 120. Based on the character direction detected by the character direction detection unit 301, a chapter separation position determination unit 302 determines a chapter separation position. Based on the chapter separation position determined by the chapter separation position determination unit 302, a processing execution unit 303 executes the chapter division processing on manuscript image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus including a document conveying device.

  In an image processing apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, or a multifunction machine, a document conveying device is used. The document conveying device automatically conveys documents stacked on the document tray one by one to the image reading position. As a result, the image processing apparatus can continuously read images of a plurality of documents.

  In such an image processing apparatus, a function of dividing a document image read continuously into chapters has been put into practical use. The chapter division function is a function for dividing continuously read document images into a plurality of chapters. By using the chapter division function, for example, the first page of the chapter is always placed on the front side when printing on both sides, or the first page of the chapter is placed on the first group of images to be gathered during consolidated printing. Is possible. Also, when creating an electronic document, it is possible to create an electronic document to which information indicating a chapter such as chapter information is added.

  In order to realize the chapter division function, it is necessary to make the image processing apparatus recognize chapter divisions. As a technique for recognizing chapter breaks, there is a technique for designating chapter break positions based on the number of documents. In such a configuration, the chapter break position can be easily specified when a page number is assigned to the document. However, for a document with a missing page number or a document without a page number, a complicated operation is required in which the user counts the number of documents up to the chapter break position. In addition, if there is a counting mistake, the desired chapter division process cannot be performed.

  As a countermeasure, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image reading apparatus that performs chapter division processing by bundling originals into chapters and placing the original bundles one by one on an original conveying device. In this configuration, if the chapter division button is selected at the start of reading a document bundle, the first page of the document bundle is recognized as the first page of a new chapter. Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration for identifying the beginning of a chapter by detecting a chapter paper inserted at the beginning of the chapter.

JP 2003-101757 A JP 2005-141426 A

  In the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since it is not necessary to count the number of originals, the user can perform chaptering processing more easily than the conventional method. However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the user needs to repeatedly set the document bundle on the document conveying device and select the chaptering button at least as many times as the number of chapters. In addition, since it is necessary to perform such work, the user needs to remain in a place where the work can be performed on the image processing apparatus. That is, even with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the work that the user must perform is still complicated and is not fully satisfactory for the user.

  Further, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to insert a chapter paper such as a blank page at a chapter break position, and paper resources are consumed only to indicate the chapter break.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional situation, and image processing capable of performing chapter division processing without requiring complicated work and without consuming paper resources wastefully. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means. That is, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a document transport mechanism, an image reading unit, a character direction detection unit, a chapter break position determination unit, and a process execution unit. The document transport mechanism transports the documents placed on the document tray one by one to the image reading position. The image reading unit acquires the image data of the document conveyed to the image reading position by the document conveying mechanism. The character direction detection unit detects the direction of characters included in the image data acquired by the image reading unit. The chapter break position determination unit determines the chapter break position based on the direction of the character detected by the character direction detection unit. The processing execution unit performs chaptering processing of document image data based on the chapter break position determined by the chapter break position determination unit.

  In this image processing apparatus, the chapter break position is determined based on the direction of characters of the acquired image data. That is, for example, the user can cause the image processing apparatus to recognize the chapter break position by changing the orientation of the characters of the document by 90 degrees or 180 degrees with the chapter break position in the document to be processed as a boundary.

  The image processing apparatus further includes an image forming unit that prints image data on a sheet, and the processing execution unit prints the image data of the document to be processed divided into chapter division positions in the image forming unit. It is possible to adopt a configuration to Alternatively, an image data storage unit that stores image data is further provided, and the processing execution unit stores the image data of the document to be processed in the image data storage unit in association with information indicating the chapter break position. You can also.

  Further, in the above configuration, when the document is a double-sided document, the chapter break position determination unit determines whether the chapter break position is on the surface of the document based on the direction of the character detected by the character direction detection unit. A configuration for determining whether the back surface is used can be employed. In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the process execution unit performs the chapter division process in a state where the direction of characters of each image data is the same direction.

  According to the present invention, chapter division processing can be performed without requiring a complicated operation and without consuming paper resources wastefully.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the multifunctional device in one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the chapter division processing procedure which the multifunctional machine in one Embodiment of this invention implements Schematic diagram showing an example of chapter division processing performed by a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention is embodied as a digital multi-function peripheral including a document conveying device (document conveying mechanism).

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a digital multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes a main body 101 including an image reading unit 120 and an image forming unit 140, and a platen cover 102 attached above the main body 101. A document table 103 made of a transparent plate such as contact glass is provided on the upper surface of the main body 101, and the document table 103 is opened and closed by a platen cover 102. An operation panel 171 is provided on the front surface of the multi-function device 100 so that the user can give a copy start or other instruction to the multi-function device 100, and can check the status and settings of the multi-function device 100.

  An image reading unit 120 is provided below the document table 103. The image reading unit 120 reads an image of a document with the scanning optical system 121 and generates digital data (image data) of the image. The document can be placed on the document table 103.

  The scanning optical system 121 includes a first carriage 122 and a second carriage 123. The first carriage 122 is provided with a linear light source 131 and a mirror 132, and the second carriage 123 is provided with a mirror 133 and a mirror 134. The light source 131 illuminates the document. The mirrors 132, 133, and 134 guide reflected light from the document to the condenser lens 124, and the condenser lens 124 forms an optical image on the light receiving surface of the line image sensor 125.

  In the scanning optical system 121, the first carriage 122 and the second carriage 123 are provided so as to reciprocate in the sub-scanning direction 135. By moving the first carriage 122 and the second carriage 123 in the sub-scanning direction 135, the image of the document placed on the document table 103 can be read by the image sensor 125. The image sensor 125 generates document image data from the light image incident on the light receiving surface.

  The generated image data can be printed on a sheet or the like as a transfer object in the image forming unit 140. The generated image data can also be transmitted to other devices through a network via a network interface (not shown).

  The image forming unit 140 prints the image data generated by the image reading unit 120 and the image data received from another device connected to the network on a sheet. The image forming unit 140 feeds paper from the manual feed tray 151, the paper feed cassettes 152, 153, and 154 to the transfer unit 155 that transfers the toner image. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred in the transfer unit 155 is discharged to a discharge tray 149.

  In such a multifunction peripheral 100, the platen cover 102 includes a document conveying device 110. The document conveyance device 110 sends out the documents set on the document tray 111 by the pickup roller 113 one by one to the conveyance path 116. An image reading position 117 is on the conveyance path 116. The conveyance roller 114 conveys the document to the image reading position 117. On the upper surface of the image reading unit 102, not only the document table 103 but also a slit glass (reading window) 104 for reading a document with respect to the image reading position 117 is provided. In the multifunction peripheral 100, the slit glass 104 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 101 adjacent to the document table 103 in the moving direction of the first carriage 122 and the second carriage 123.

  When reading an image of a document set on the document tray 111, the image reading unit 120 temporarily stops the first carriage 122 and the second carriage 123 according to the image reading position 117. When the document passes through the image reading position 117, the light source 131 illuminates the document. Light from the light source 131 is reflected by the original passing through the original table 103 and passing through the original reading position 117, and is guided to the image sensor 125 by the mirrors 132, 133, and 134 and the condenser lens 124. The image sensor 125 generates image data based on the received light. The document that has passed the image reading position 117 is discharged to the discharge tray 112 by the discharge roller 115.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control system in the multifunction machine. The multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 202, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 203, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 204, an original conveying device 110, and an image reading unit 120. A driver 205 corresponding to each drive unit in the image forming unit 140 is connected via an internal bus 206. The ROM 203, the HDD 204, and the like store programs, and the CPU 201 controls the multifunction peripheral 100 in accordance with instructions from the control program. For example, the CPU 201 uses the RAM 202 as a work area, and controls the operation of each driving unit by exchanging data and commands with the driver 205. The HDD 204 is also used to store image data obtained by the image reading unit 120 and image data received from other devices via a network.

  An operation panel 171 and various sensors 207 are also connected to the internal bus 206. The operation panel 171 receives a user operation and supplies a signal based on the operation to the CPU 201. Further, the operation panel 171 displays an operation screen on a display provided in the operation panel 171 according to a control signal from the CPU 201. The sensor 207 includes various sensors such as an open / close detection sensor for the platen cover 102, a document detection sensor on the document table 103, a temperature sensor for the fixing device, and a detection sensor for the conveyed paper or document.

  The CPU 201 executes, for example, a program stored in the ROM 203 to realize the following means (functional blocks), and controls the operation of each means according to signals from these sensors.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the multifunction peripheral 100 according to the present embodiment includes a character direction detection unit 301, a chapter break position determination unit 302, and a process execution unit 303.

  The character direction detection unit 301 detects the direction of characters included in the image data acquired by the image reading unit 120. Any known method such as OCR (Optical Character Recognition) can be used to detect the direction of the character. In the present embodiment, the character direction detection unit 301 performs OCR processing on the image data acquired by the image reading unit 120 to acquire character information. Here, the character direction detection unit 301 performs image processing such as binarization processing, edge enhancement, and edge detection on the image data to extract a character region, and analyzes the edge detection result to analyze the character. Specify the direction of. In addition, when characters having different directions are included in one image data, the character direction detection unit 301 specifies the direction of one character for one image data, for example, by the direction of the character having the largest number of characters. .

  Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the character direction detection unit 301 sets the character direction (hereinafter, “upward direction”) in which the moving direction of the document in the document conveying device 110 coincides with the upward direction of the character. The character direction with respect to the direction of movement of the original in the original conveying device 110 and the lower direction of the character (hereinafter referred to as “downward”), and the direction of the original in the original conveying device 110. The upper direction is the direction of the character rotated 90 degrees clockwise as viewed from above the document conveying device 110 (hereinafter referred to as “right direction”), and the direction of the character in the document moving direction in the document conveying device 110. The upward direction detects four directions of the direction of the character rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise as viewed from above the document feeder 110 (hereinafter referred to as “left direction”).

  Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the image data acquired by the image reading unit 120 is temporarily stored in the image holding unit 311. Therefore, the character direction detection unit 301 performs OCR processing on the image data held in the image holding unit 311. In the present embodiment, the RAM 202 or the HDD 204 functions as a storage area for the image holding unit 311.

  The chapter break position determination unit 302 determines the chapter break position based on the character direction detected by the character direction detection unit 301. In the present embodiment, in the case of a single-sided original, the chapter break position determination unit 302 determines between two pieces of image data acquired in succession as a chapter break position when the direction of characters is different. . When all the document sizes are the same and the character orientations are all the same, if the character direction is changed, the document feeder 110 causes the document in which the vertical document and the horizontal document are mixed to be mixed. Will be transported. Since such a technique for conveying originals with different orientations is known, description thereof is omitted here.

  The process execution unit 303 performs chaptering processing of document image data based on the chapter break position determined by the chapter break position determination unit 302. In this chaptering process, the image forming unit 140 prints the image data of the document to be processed in a state where the image data is divided by the chapter break position, and information indicating the chapter break position of the image data of the processing target document. The image data storage unit 304 stores the data in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the above-described HDD 204 functions as a storage area of the image data storage unit 304.

  Although not particularly limited, for example, the process of printing in a state where the chapters are separated at the chapter break positions is, for example, a process of always printing the first page of the chapter on the front surface in double-sided printing, This includes a process of printing at the first position and a process of inserting a slip sheet such as a blank sheet or colored sheet immediately before the first page of the chapter at the time of printing. In addition, the process of saving the image data of the processing target document in association with the information indicating the chapter break position includes the process of saving the information indicating the chapter break position as the same file as the image data, and the information indicating the chapter break position. Is stored as a separate file from the image data.

  In the present embodiment, the process execution unit 303 is configured to perform the chapter division process in a state where the character direction of each image data is the same direction. For example, the process execution unit 303 matches the direction of the image data with the character direction “right”, “left direction”, and “down” with the direction of the image data with the character direction “up”. In addition, the chaptering process is performed after rotating the image data.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a chaptering process procedure executed by the multifunction peripheral 100. The procedure starts, for example, as a trigger when the user selects a chaptering process mode for performing chaptering processing through the operation panel 171. Here, a case where the chapter division process is a print process will be described.

  When the procedure starts, first, the process execution unit 303 requests the user to input process conditions (step S401). In the present embodiment, the process execution unit 303 makes the request through a display included in the operation panel 171. Here, since the chapter division process is a print process, the user sets print conditions in response to the request. At this time, in addition to the printing conditions (double-sided printing, aggregated printing, slip sheet processing, etc.) subject to chaptering processing, the user does not perform chaptering processing such as print paper size, number of copies, print density, etc. Also set the printing conditions to be set.

  When a user inputs a processing condition input completion instruction by selecting a setting completion button displayed on the display of the operation panel 171, the chapter break position determination unit 302 sends a document to be processed to a document tray. It is requested to press the start button after the placement is completed. In response to the request, when the user places the document to be processed on the document tray 111 with the character direction of the document being changed with the chapter break position as a boundary as described above, the user presses the start button. The delimiter position determination unit 302 instructs the image reading unit 120 to start reading a document (step S402).

  In response to the instruction, the image reading unit 120 instructs the document conveying device 110 to start conveying the document, and reads the document conveyed by the document conveying device 110 at the image reading position 117. Further, the image reading unit 120 temporarily stores the image data generated at this time in the image holding unit 311.

  The image reading unit 120 that stores the image data in the image holding unit 311 notifies the character direction detection unit 301 to that effect. In response to the notification, the character direction detection unit 301 detects the direction of characters in the image data newly held in the image holding unit 311 (step S403). In addition, the character direction detection unit 301 inputs the direction of the detected character to the chapter break position determination unit 302 together with information specifying the order of image data such as numbers specifying the page order.

  The chapter break position determination unit 302 compares the direction of the input character with the direction of the character of the image data that is the previous page of the input image data (step S404). If the comparison results are in the same direction, the chapter break position determination unit 302 does nothing. Therefore, when there is a document of the next page, the character direction detection unit 301 detects the direction of characters in the image data of the document (steps S404 Yes, S406 Yes, S403).

  On the other hand, if the comparison results are in different directions, the chapter break position determination unit 302 determines a space between the two image data as a chapter break position (No in steps S404 and S405). Also in this case, when there is a document of the next page, the character direction detection unit 301 detects the direction of the character for the image data of the document (steps S406 Yes, S403).

  In the above processing, the image data in which the direction of the character is detected is sequentially processed according to the processing conditions (here, the printing conditions) set in the processing execution unit 303. For example, when double-sided printing is set as the printing condition, the process execution unit 303 sequentially prints the acquired image data on the front and back surfaces of the paper until the chapter break position is determined. When the chapter break position is determined, the process execution unit 303 changes the print surface of the image data so that the image data immediately after the chapter break position (the image data that is the head of the chapter) is the front. That is, when the image data is printed on the front and back surfaces of the paper in order, and the image data immediately after the chapter break position is the back side of the paper, the process execution unit 303 sets the back side as a blank page and sets the chapter break position. The image data immediately after is printed on the surface of the next sheet.

  When the above processing is repeated and the comparison of the character orientations of the image data is completed for all the processing target documents placed on the document tray 111, the chapter break position determination unit 302 ends the processing (No in step S406). When the chaptering process (printing in this case) by the processing execution unit 303 for all the originals to be processed is completed, the procedure ends (No in steps S407 and S407). If the chaptering process is a saving process, image data is saved in the image data storage unit 304 instead of printing in the above-described flow.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of chapter division processing performed by the multifunction peripheral 100. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the number of documents to be processed is 20 pages, and each of the fourth, tenth, and fifteenth pages is the beginning of a chapter. FIG. 5A shows the orientation of the original when it is placed on the original tray 111 of the original conveying apparatus 110. FIG. 5B shows the determined chapter break position. FIG. 5C shows the result of the chapter division process in duplex printing. FIG. 5D shows a result of the chapter division process performed in the consolidated printing (4 in 1). In each figure, a page number is attached to a rectangle indicating a document or printed image data for explanation as necessary. Further, the direction of the page number coincides with the direction of characters of the document or image data.

  In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the user selects the document to be processed from the first page to the third page, from the fourth page to the ninth page, from the tenth page to the fourteenth page, and from the fifteenth page. The document group is divided into four document groups from the first page to the 20th page, and the direction of characters is changed between the subsequent document group and the immediately preceding document group. In this example, the document transport direction is the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, and the direction of characters in the document group composed of the first to third pages is upward, and is composed of the fourth to ninth pages. The direction of characters in the original group is right, the direction of characters in the original group consisting of pages 10 to 14 is downward, and the direction of characters in the original group consisting of pages 15 to 20 is It is on the left.

  When image reading is performed using the document conveying device 110 in such a state, the chapter break position determination unit 302 determines that the 9th page is between the third page and the fourth page, as shown in FIG. Between page 10 and page 10 and between page 14 and page 15 are determined as chapter break positions. As described above, the chapter break position determination unit 302 compares the direction of characters between the image data of the subsequent document and the image data of the immediately preceding document, for example, from the first page to the third page. The direction of characters of the original group consisting of pages 10 and 14 is the upward direction, and the original group consisting of pages 4 to 9 and the 15th to 20th pages. Even when the direction of the characters of the constructed document group is rightward, the chapter break position determined by the chapter break position determination unit 302 is the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the document group consisting of the first page to the third page and the document group consisting of the 10th page to the 14th page are directed upward, and the document group consisting of the 4th page to the 9th page Even if the direction of the characters of the document group composed of the 15th page to the 20th page is downward, the chapter break position determined by the chapter break position determination unit 302 is as shown in FIG. Be the same.

  When double-sided printing is performed under the above circumstances, as shown in FIG. 5C, the back side of the second sheet of paper is blank, and the fourth page, which is the first page of the chapter, is placed on the front side of the third sheet of paper. The image data of the eye original is formed. Similarly, the back surface of the eighth sheet is blank, and the image data of the 15th page, which is the first page of the chapter, is formed on the front surface of the ninth sheet. In this example, since the image data of the tenth page, which is the first page of the chapter, is formed on the surface of the sixth sheet, processing such as blank page insertion is not particularly performed.

  In addition, when consolidated printing (4 in 1) is performed under the above circumstances, as shown in FIG. 5D, the fourth image forming position on the first sheet is blank, and 1 on the second sheet. The image data of the fourth page original, which is the first page of the chapter, is formed at the second formation position. Similarly, the third and fourth image forming positions on the third sheet are blank, and the image data of the tenth page, which is the first page of the chapter, is formed at the first forming position on the fourth sheet. The Further, the second, third, and fourth image forming positions on the fifth sheet are blank, and the image data of the 15th page, which is the first page of the chapter, is displayed at the first forming position on the sixth sheet. It is formed.

  In the above, the description has been made based on the case where the original is a single-sided original, but the same effect can be obtained when the original is a double-sided original. When the document is a double-sided document, it is necessary to make the image processing apparatus recognize whether the front side is the beginning of a chapter or the back side is the beginning of a chapter. In this case, a configuration is adopted in which the chapter break position determination unit 302 determines whether the chapter break position is the front side of the document or the back side of the document based on the direction of the character detected by the character direction detection unit 301. That's fine. For example, if the chapter break position determination unit 302 is 90 degrees different in character direction from the immediately preceding document, the chapter break position is determined as the chapter break position (ie, the front is the beginning of the chapter). If the direction of the characters is 180 degrees different from the original, it is sufficient to determine that the position just before the back is the chapter break position (that is, the back is the beginning of the chapter). In order to realize such a configuration, it is necessary for the document carrying / conveying device 110 to read images on both sides of the document. However, since such a document conveying device is well known, description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, in this multi-function device 100, the chapter break position is determined based on the character direction of the acquired image data. That is, the user can cause the image processing apparatus to recognize the chapter break position by changing the orientation of the characters of the original by 90 degrees or 180 degrees with the chapter break position in the document to be processed as a boundary. Therefore, the user does not need to insert unnecessary paper such as chapter paper at the chapter division position when performing chapter division processing, and does not need to perform complicated work.

  The above-described embodiments do not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and various modifications and applications other than those already described are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, as a particularly preferable mode, the image reading unit 120 performs image data generation and chapter division processing in parallel. However, the chapter division process may be performed after the image reading unit 120 completes the generation of image data for all documents to be processed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the direction of the characters of the document is changed by 90 degrees or 180 degrees with the chapter break position in the document to be processed as a boundary. The configuration may be such that the orientation of the characters of the document is different. For example, even if the orientation of the characters of the final document in a chapter is changed, the chapter break position determination unit 302 can recognize that the section between the original and the next document is a chapter break position.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is embodied as a digital multi-function peripheral. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and any image processing having an image reading function using a document conveying device such as a scanner, a facsimile, a copying machine, or the like. It is also possible to apply the present invention to an apparatus.

  According to the present invention, chapter division processing can be performed without requiring complicated work and wasteful consumption of paper resources, which is useful as an image processing apparatus.

100 MFP (image processing device)
110 Document conveying device (document conveying mechanism)
111 Document Tray 117 Image Reading Position 120 Image Reading Unit 140 Image Forming Unit 301 Character Direction Detection Unit 302 Chapter Break Position Determination Unit 303 Processing Execution Unit 304 Image Data Storage Unit

Claims (5)

A document transport mechanism for transporting documents placed on the document tray one by one to the image reading position;
An image reading unit that acquires image data of a document conveyed to the image reading position by the document conveying mechanism;
A character direction detection unit that detects the direction of characters included in the image data acquired by the image reading unit;
A chapter break position determination unit that determines a chapter break position based on the direction of the character detected by the character direction detection unit;
A processing execution unit that performs chaptering processing of the image data of the document based on the chapter break position determined by the chapter break position determination unit;
An image processing apparatus comprising: An image forming unit that prints image data on paper;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing execution unit prints the image data of the document in a state where the image data of the document is divided at the chapter break positions. An image data storage unit for storing image data;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing execution unit stores the image data of the document in the image data storage unit in association with information indicating the chapter break position.   When the document is a double-sided document, the chapter break position determination unit determines whether the chapter break position is the front side of the document or the back side of the document based on the direction of the character detected by the character direction detection unit. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing device is determined.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing execution unit performs the chaptering process in a state in which the direction of characters of each image data is the same direction.

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