JP5353351B2 - Stamping device and stamp information management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manage impressing being performed on a medium including information related with a seal impression. <P>SOLUTION: In an impressing device 60, a seal body 600 is inserted into a seal mounting stand 605, and when it is moved downward, and a stamping surface 601 is brought into contact with a medium, a seal impression 602 is formed on the medium. Then, LED 63a and 63b irradiate the section of the medium on which the seal impression 602 has been formed with the rays of light, and when the reflected rays of light are detected by a CMOS 64, a code image and a seal impression image are read by the CMOS 64. Afterwards, a control circuit 61 extracts identification information and position information from the code image, and extracts the impressing date from the seal impression image, and an authentication sensor 69 obtains the user ID of a sealer, and a communication circuit 66 transmits impressing information including the identification information, the position information, the seal impression information, the impressing date and the user ID to an identification information server. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a marking device and a marking information management system.

  A technique is known in which an electronic document is stamped by trying to stamp a sheet on which a stamping column is printed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique of this patent document 1, a stamping field in which the stamping is permitted is stored, and when the stamping is attempted, the stamped surface on which the stamping has been tried is read, and whether or not the read stamped surface is the stamping column stored. If it is a stored seal field, the seal is made possible.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-127909

  An object of the present invention is to manage that a medium has been stamped, including information on the seal.

The invention according to claim 1 is obtained by imaging a seal stamp main body having a stamped surface on which specific information is engraved, an imaging unit that images a medium on which a seal impression is formed by contacting the stamped surface, and imaging by the imaging unit. Extraction means for extracting the specific information carved on the seal surface from the image of the seal imprint, and information indicating that the seal has been performed by the own device, the specific information extracted by the extraction means Transmitting means for transmitting seal information including information to another device, and positional information indicating each position on the medium is printed on the medium, and the extracting means is imaged by the imaging means. The specific position information indicating the position where the seal is formed is extracted from the image of the position information obtained by the step, and the transmission unit further includes the specific position information extracted by the extraction unit. A marking device and transmits the indicia information to the other device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing device for printing on a medium, and a management device for managing printing information indicating that printing has been performed by the printing device, and the printing device stores specific information. A seal stamp main body having an imprinted surface, an image pickup unit for picking up an image of a medium on which an imprint is formed by contacting the stamp surface, and an image of the seal imprint obtained by the image pickup by the image pickup unit, Extraction means for extracting specific information; and transmission means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extraction means to the management device, wherein the management device is configured to transmit the seal information from the seal device. receiving means for receiving information, and storage means for storing the marking information received by the receiving means, the specific information, said marking device configured stamped date as stamping dates The management device includes verification means for verifying the consistency between the stamp date information included in the seal information received by the receiving means and the current date information representing the current date held by the own device. Further, there is provided a seal information management system characterized in that the system is further provided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a marking device for marking a medium, and a management device for managing marking information indicating that marking has been performed by the marking device, wherein the marking device stores specific information. A seal stamp main body having an imprinted surface, an image pickup unit for picking up an image of a medium on which an imprint is formed by contacting the stamp surface, and an image of the seal imprint obtained by the image pickup by the image pickup unit, Extraction means for extracting specific information; and transmission means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extraction means to the management device, wherein the management device is configured to transmit the seal information from the seal device. comprising a receiving means for receiving information and a storage means for storing the marking information received by the receiving means, the specific information indicates a seal is permitted tissue by the seal device Including the stamping structure information, the stamping device further includes an acquiring unit that acquires stamper information indicating a stamper who performs the stamping prior to the stamping by the own device, and the transmitting unit of the stamping device includes the acquiring unit The seal information further including the stamper information acquired by the means is transmitted to the management apparatus, and the management apparatus includes the seal structure information included in the seal information received by the reception means and the seal information. a marking information management system characterized by further comprising a verification means for verifying the integrity of the seal's information contained in the.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a marking device for marking a medium, and a management device for managing marking information indicating that marking has been performed by the marking device, wherein the marking device stores specific information. A seal stamp main body having an imprinted surface, an image pickup unit for picking up an image of a medium on which an imprint is formed by contacting the stamp surface, and an image of the seal imprint obtained by the image pickup by the image pickup unit, Extraction means for extracting specific information; and transmission means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extraction means to the management device, wherein the management device is configured to transmit the seal information from the seal device. comprising a receiving means for receiving information and a storage means for storing the marking information received by the receiving means, the said medium, the position information indicating each position on the medium are printed The extraction unit of the marking apparatus extracts specific position information indicating a position where the seal image is formed from an image of the position information obtained by imaging by the imaging unit, and the transmission unit of the marking apparatus includes: The seal information including the specific position information extracted by the extraction unit is transmitted to the management device, and the management device is a screen generated based on the seal information received by the reception unit. The seal information management system further comprises instruction means for instructing display of a screen including information of a seal column corresponding to the specific position information included in the seal information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manage that the marking has been performed on the medium, including the position information of the position where the imprint on the medium is formed.
According to the invention of claim 2 , it is possible to inspect the relationship between the stamping date set in the stamping apparatus and the current date and time.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to inspect the relationship between the organization permitted to be stamped by the stamping apparatus and the stamper.
According to the invention of claim 4 , it can be grasped including the information in the stamping column that the medium has been stamped by the stamping device.

It is the figure which showed the system configuration | structure with which embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the document server in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the identification information server in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the printing document output in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the code | symbol image produced | generated by embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the medium management information memorize | stored in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the structure of the marking apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the function mechanism of the control circuit of the marking apparatus in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an operation at the time of stamping a printed document in the embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the stamp management information memorize | stored in embodiment of this invention. It is the sequence diagram which showed the operation | movement at the time of the display of the seal | sticker list in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the example of the stamp list | wrist displayed by embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the computer which can implement | achieve embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the overall configuration of the computer system in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a computer system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, this computer system is configured by connecting a terminal device 10, a document server 20, an identification information server 30, an image forming device 40, and a terminal device 50 to a network 80. Further, a stamping device 60 is connected to the terminal device 50 via a communication device 70.

The terminal device 10 is a computer device that requests the document server 20 to print an electronic document. Here, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used as the terminal device 10.
The document server 20 is a computer device that stores and manages electronic documents. Also, when there is a print request for an electronic document from the terminal device 10, an image of the electronic document and a code image representing identification information and position information are generated, and a print command for printing a composite image obtained by synthesizing the image on a medium is generated. Output to the forming apparatus 40. In this case, the identification information is information for uniquely specifying the medium, and the position information is information for specifying the coordinate position on the medium. Here, as the document server 20, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.

The identification information server 30 is a computer device that issues identification information to be given to a medium. The issued identification information is stored in association with the electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned. Here, as the identification information server 30, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used. In the present embodiment, an identification information server 30 is provided as an example of another device or a management device.
The image forming apparatus 40 is an apparatus that prints an image on a medium and outputs it as a print document. The image forming apparatus 40 may be a single printer or printing machine, or may be a so-called multifunction machine having a scanner or a communication function. Here, as an image forming method in the image forming apparatus 40, for example, an electrophotographic method may be used, but other methods may be used. In the following description, the identification information to be given to the medium is described as being issued by the identification information server 30, but the identification information may be issued by any apparatus as long as it can be issued without duplication in the system. It may be issued by the device 40. In this case, for example, a combination of the machine number of the image forming apparatus 40 and the print count value in the image forming apparatus 40 may be used as the identification information.

  The terminal device 50 is a computer device that transmits to the identification information server 30 information indicating that a printed document has been stamped by the stamping device 60 (hereinafter referred to as “stamping information”). Further, the seal information managed by the identification information server 30 may be displayed on the display. Here, as the terminal device 50, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or another computer may be used.

The stamping device 60 is a device used to stamp a printed document. In addition, an image pickup device is provided that reads image data of an imprint (hereinafter referred to as “imprint image”) formed on a printed document by the seal and a code image printed on the printed document. Then, the seal image read by the image sensor, the seal date and time cut out from the seal image, the identification information and position information detected from the code image, and the user ID of the user who uses the seal device 60 are communicated. The data is transmitted to the terminal device 50 via the device 70.
The communication device 70 is a device that acquires the stamp information from the stamp device 60 and transmits it to the terminal device 50. For example, a table on which the stamping device 60 is placed may be provided, and when the stamping device 60 is placed on this table, the stamping information stored in the stamping device 60 may be transmitted to the terminal device 50. Here, as a method of communication with the terminal device 50, various methods such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and an infrared communication function are conceivable. Further, in the figure, the communication device 70 is shown as a separate body from the stamping device 60, but it is not necessarily a separate body, and may be configured integrally. Furthermore, without providing the communication device 70, the stamping device 60 may transmit and receive information directly and wirelessly with the terminal device 50 and the like.

In this specification, electronic data that is the basis of an image to be recorded on a medium is referred to as “electronic document”. However, this does not mean only data obtained by digitizing a “document” including text. For example, "electronic document" including image data such as pictures, photos, figures (regardless of raster data or vector data), data recorded by database management software or spreadsheet software, and other printable electronic data It is said.
In the present specification, the “medium” may be any material as long as it can print an image. A typical example is paper, but an OHP sheet or a metal plate may be used.
Further, in this specification, the electronic document, the medium, and the stamping device 60 are processed using the identification information for uniquely identifying each of them, but the term “identification information” includes the medium. It shall mean the identification information.

Next, the configuration of the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 that operate mainly in the present embodiment among the devices constituting such a computer system will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the document server 20.
As illustrated, the document server 20 includes a reception unit 21 and an identification information acquisition unit 22. In addition, an identification code generation unit 25a, a position code generation unit 25b, a code arrangement unit 25c, a pattern image storage unit 25d, and a code image generation unit 25e are provided. Furthermore, a document image generation unit 26, an image composition unit 27, and a transmission unit 29 are provided.

The receiving unit 21 receives a print request from the terminal device 10. Here, the print request includes identification information of an electronic document to be printed (hereinafter referred to as “document ID”) and various settings relating to printing (hereinafter referred to as “print setting”).
The identification information acquisition unit 22 acquires the document ID and print settings from the reception unit 21, passes them to the transmission unit 29 to instruct transmission of an identification information issuance request, passes this to the document image generation unit 26, and sends the document Instructs generation of an image. Also, identification information is acquired from the receiving unit 21, and this is passed to the identification code generation unit 25a to instruct generation of the identification code.

The identification code generation unit 25a encodes identification information for specifying the medium to generate an identification code.
The position code generation unit 25b generates position codes by encoding position information indicating coordinate positions on the medium.
The code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code generated by the identification code generation unit 25a, the position code generated by the position code generation unit 25b, and the like on a two-dimensional plane according to a predetermined layout. Is generated.
The pattern image storage unit 25d stores a pattern image corresponding to the code value of each code stored in the code array.
The code image generation unit 25e refers to the two-dimensional code array generated by the code arrangement unit 25c, selects a pattern image corresponding to each code value, and generates a code image.

The document image generation unit 26 acquires a document ID and print settings from the identification information acquisition unit 22, reads an electronic document specified by the document ID from a storage unit (not shown), and generates a document image of the electronic document according to the print settings. To do.
The image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated by the code image generation unit 25e and the document image generated by the document image generation unit 26 to generate a composite image.
The transmission unit 29 transmits an identification information issuance request to the identification information server 30. Also, an image print command for the medium is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 40.

Next, the configuration of the identification information server 30 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the identification information server 30.
As shown in the figure, the identification information server 30 includes a receiving unit 31, a medium management unit 32, a medium management information storage unit 33, a display information generation unit 34, a seal management unit 35, and a seal management information storage unit 36. And a transmission unit 39.

  The receiving unit 31 receives an identification information issue request from the document server 20. In addition, the receiving unit 31 receives, from the terminal device 50, the stamping information including the identification information, the position information, the seal image, the stamping date and time, and the user ID when the stamping is performed on the print document. Furthermore, when the display of the seal list is instructed, the terminal device 50 receives key information (for example, department ID) for specifying the information to be displayed. In the present embodiment, a receiving unit 31 is provided as an example of a receiving unit that receives seal information.

  When there is a request for issuing identification information, the medium management unit 32 issues the identification information without duplication, and stores the document ID and print settings specified at that time in association with the identification information. In addition, with respect to the identification information, information specifying an area on the print document (hereinafter referred to as “area information”) and a stamping column type of the area are stored. Further, when a seal is made on a print document, a document ID and a page number corresponding to the identification information are acquired, and a seal column type corresponding to the position information is acquired.

The medium management information storage unit 33 includes identification information, a document ID of an electronic document printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, a print setting when the electronic document is printed on the medium to which the identification information is assigned, This is a database that stores medium management information in which area information on a medium is associated with a stamping column type of an area specified by the area information.
The display information generation unit 34 generates display information for displaying the seal list based on the information acquired from the seal management unit 35 when the display of the seal list is instructed. At that time, the consistency between the stamp date and the current date is verified, and the verification result is added to the display information. In the present embodiment, a display information generation unit 34 is provided as an example of a verification unit that verifies consistency.

The stamp management unit 35 acquires the document ID and page number corresponding to the identification information received by the receiving unit 31 and the stamp column type corresponding to the position information received by the receiving unit 31 from the medium management unit 32, and performs stamp management. Register in the information storage unit 36. Also, the seal date and time and user ID received by the receiving unit 31 and information for uniquely identifying the seal image received by the receiving unit 31 (hereinafter referred to as “imprint ID”) are registered in the seal management information storage unit 36. To do. Further, the registration date and time of the stamp information is also registered in the stamp management information storage unit 36. When the display of the seal list is instructed, the seal information corresponding to the specified key information is taken out from the seal management information storage unit 36.
The seal management information storage unit 36 stores seal management information managed by the seal management unit 35. In the present embodiment, a stamp management information storage unit 36 is provided as an example of a storage unit that stores stamp information.

  The transmission unit 39 transmits identification information issued in response to a request from the document server 20 to the document server 20. When the display of the seal list is instructed, display information for displaying the seal list is transmitted to the terminal device 50. In the present embodiment, a transmission unit 39 is provided as an example of an instruction unit that instructs display of a screen.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.
The operation in the present embodiment is roughly divided into output of a print document, seal on the print document, and display of a seal list, and these will be described separately below.

A. Output of Print Document FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the document server 20 and the identification information server 30 at this time.
In the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 first receives a print request for an electronic document from the terminal device 10 (step 211). Among these, a print request for an electronic document includes a document ID and print settings. Here, as the document ID, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) may be used, but other information may be used as long as the electronic document can be uniquely identified. The print setting includes settings such as a page, the number of copies, a paper size, an enlargement / reduction ratio, a function for outputting a plurality of pages in a single medium, and a margin.
When receiving the information, the receiving unit 21 passes the information to the identification information acquiring unit 22. Then, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the document ID and print settings of the received information to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits the information to the identification information server 30, thereby identifying the information. Information issuance is requested (step 212).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 receives the document ID and the print setting (step 311). Then, the document ID and the print setting are transferred to the medium management unit 32, and the medium management unit 32 extracts unused identification information from the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 312). Here, the number of pieces of identification information to be extracted is determined according to print settings. In other words, basically, the number of pieces of identification information obtained by multiplying the number of pages to be printed by the number of copies is extracted. However, if the setting information includes designation of a function for outputting a plurality of pages on a single medium, this is also taken into consideration. For example, when 10 pages of an electronic document are collectively printed on a single medium by two pages, 25 (= 10 ÷ 2 × 5) pieces of identification information are extracted.
Next, the medium management unit 32 stores the identification information, the document ID, and the print setting in association with each other in the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 313). Then, the identification information issued in step 312 is transferred to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the identification information to the document server 20 (step 314).

As a result, in the document server 20, the receiving unit 21 receives the identification information (step 213). Then, the reception unit 21 passes the received identification information to the identification information acquisition unit 22.
Then, the document server 20 generates a code image representing the identification information and the position information (Step 214). The generation of the code image is specifically performed by the following process.
That is, first, the identification information acquisition unit 22 passes the identification information acquired in step 213 to the identification code generation unit 25a, and the identification code generation unit 25a generates an identification code by encoding the identification information. Details of the encoding of the identification information will be described later.
Further, the position code generation unit 25b receives the print setting from the reception unit 21, and generates a position code by encoding position information in a range corresponding to the print setting. Details of the encoding of the position information will be described later.
Thereafter, the code arrangement unit 25c arranges the identification code and the position code according to a predetermined layout, and the code image generation unit 25e converts the image into an image using the pattern image stored in the pattern image storage unit 25d. A code image is generated by.

In the document server 20, the document image generation unit 26 generates a document image of the electronic document (step 215). At that time, the document image generation unit 26 receives the document ID acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211, and reads the target electronic document from a storage unit (not shown) based on the document ID. In addition, the print setting acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 22 in step 211 is received, and a document image is generated based on the print setting.
Then, the image composition unit 27 synthesizes the code image generated in step 214 and the document image generated in step 215 to generate a composite image (step 216).
Thereafter, the composite image is transferred to the transmission unit 29, and the transmission unit 29 transmits a print command for the composite image to the image forming apparatus 40 (step 217). Here, the composite image print command is transmitted, for example, in a PDL format in which the content to be printed as a code image is set as a PDL command to a PDL (Page Description Language) file including a sequence of document image print commands. .

Accordingly, the image forming apparatus 40 prints the document image on a medium using, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) toner. The code image is printed on a medium using, for example, K (black containing carbon) toner or special toner.
Here, as the special toner, an invisible toner having a maximum absorption rate of 7% or less in the visible light region (400 nm to 700 nm) and an absorption rate of 30% or more in the near infrared region (800 nm to 1000 nm) is exemplified. . Here, “visible” and “invisible” are not related to whether they can be recognized visually. “Visible” and “invisible” are distinguished depending on whether or not an image in a printed document can be recognized by the presence or absence of color development due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region. Also, “invisible” includes those that have some color developability due to absorption of a specific wavelength in the visible light region but are difficult to be recognized by human eyes.

  Here, the code image is combined with the image of the electronic document and printed. However, the code image may be printed on a white paper (notebook, tag, etc.). In that case, the document ID is not included in the print request received in step 211, the identification information is not associated with the document ID and the print setting in step 313, and the generation of the document image in step 215 is not executed. What should I do?

Next, the code image generated in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image or the like constituting the code image.
First, unit patterns constituting a code image will be described.
FIG. 5A shows an example of the unit pattern.
The unit pattern is the minimum unit for embedding information. In the figure, the black area and the shaded area are areas where dots can be arranged, and the white area between them is an area where dots cannot be arranged. In addition, among the areas where dots can be arranged, dots are arranged in black areas, and dots are not arranged in hatched areas. That is, the figure shows an example in which a unit pattern is configured by arranging dots at two locations selected from nine locations where dots can be arranged. Here, since there are 36 (= ₉ C ₂ ) combinations for selecting two locations out of nine locations, there are 36 types of unit patterns. Of these, four types of unit patterns are used as synchronization patterns. The synchronization pattern is a pattern for detecting the rotation of the image and specifying the relative positions of the identification code and the position code. In particular, since it is necessary to detect the rotation of the image, the four types of synchronization patterns are selected such that when one of the synchronization patterns is rotated 90 degrees, another synchronization pattern is obtained. Further, the 32 types of unit patterns other than the 4 types of unit patterns are used as information patterns expressing the identification code and the position code, and 5-bit information is expressed.

  By the way, the dots shown in FIG. 5A are merely dots for information expression, and do not necessarily coincide with the dots that mean the minimum points constituting the image. In the present embodiment, the dots for information expression (the smallest square in FIG. 5A) have a size of 2 dots × 2 dots at 600 dpi. Since the size of one dot at 600 dpi is 0.0423 mm, one side of a dot for information expression (the minimum square in FIG. 5A) is 84.6 μm (= 0.0423 mm × 2). The larger the dot for information expression, the more likely it is to be noticeable, so it is preferable that the dot be as small as possible. However, if it is too small, printing with a printer becomes impossible. Therefore, the above values larger than 50 μm and smaller than 100 μm are employed as the size of dots for information expression. However, the above value 84.6 μm is a numerical value to the last, and is about 100 μm in the actually printed toner image. It should be noted that the term “dot” in this specification refers to a dot for information expression, not a dot that means the minimum point constituting an image, unless otherwise specified.

Next, a code block composed of such unit patterns will be described.
FIG. 5B shows an example of the layout of the code block. Here, not the image but the code arrangement immediately before being replaced by the pattern image is shown. That is, a unit pattern (any one of 36 unit patterns) as shown in FIG. 5A is arranged in the smallest square (hereinafter referred to as “unit block”) in FIG. Will be formed.
In the layout of FIG. 5B, the synchronization code is arranged in one unit block at the upper left of the code block. Further, the X position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the right side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged, and the Y position code is arranged in the four unit blocks on the lower side of the unit block in which the synchronization code is arranged. . Furthermore, identification codes are arranged in 16 (= 4 × 4) unit blocks surrounded by unit blocks in which these position codes are arranged.

Here, encoding of identification information will be described.
When encoding identification information, the bit string which comprises identification information is divided | segmented into a some block in order to perform RS encoding. Although there are several methods for encoding, RS encoding is suitable in this embodiment. This is because the RS code is a multi-value coding method, and in this case, the value represented by the unit block corresponds to the multi-value of the RS code. For example, when 5-bit information is expressed by one unit block, the 60-bit identification information is divided into 12 blocks having a block length of 5 bits. If an RS code capable of correcting two blocks of errors is employed, the code length is 16 blocks, which can be accommodated in the unit block in which the identification code in the code block of FIG. 5B is arranged. The encoding method is not limited to the RS code, and other encoding methods such as a BCH code may be used.

Next, encoding of position information will be described.
For encoding the position information, an M-sequence code, which is a kind of pseudo-random sequence, is used. Here, the M sequence refers to a sequence having the longest period among code sequences generated by a shift register having a certain length and feedback. When K is the number of stages in the shift register, the sequence length of the M sequence is 2 ^K −1. Arbitrary consecutive K bits extracted from the M sequence have a property that they do not appear at other positions in the same M sequence. Therefore, the position information is encoded using this property.
By the way, in the present embodiment, a necessary M-sequence order is obtained from the length of position information to be encoded, and an M-sequence is generated. However, if the length of the position information to be encoded is known in advance, it is not necessary to generate the M sequence each time. That is, a fixed M sequence may be generated in advance and stored in a memory or the like.
For example, it is assumed that an M sequence (K = 13) having a sequence length of 8191 is used. In this case, since the position code is also embedded in units of 5 bits, 5 bits are taken out from the M sequence having a sequence length of 8191 and blocked.

  In this specification, the identification information and the position information are clearly distinguished and used for the sake of simplicity. However, there is a technique in which a wide range of position information is prepared, the position information is cut out and embedded from different ranges for each medium, and the medium is identified by the difference in position information. Therefore, in such a method, it is assumed that the position information has a function for identifying the medium, and the position information is also considered as the identification information.

Here, specific contents of the medium management information stored in the medium management information storage unit 33 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the medium management information.
As shown in the drawing, the medium management information is stored in association with identification information, document ID, print settings, area information, and stamping column type.
Among these, the identification information is information for uniquely identifying the medium as described above.
The document ID is information for uniquely identifying the electronic document as already described.
Furthermore, as described above, the print setting is information such as a page, a paper size, and an enlargement / reduction ratio set when the terminal device 10 requests printing of an electronic document.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, area information and a seal column type are stored for identification information. The area information is information for specifying an area on the medium as described above. In the figure, the area is rectangular, and the area is indicated by “(X coordinate of upper left point, Y coordinate of upper left point) − (X coordinate of lower right point, Y coordinate of lower right point)”. Further, as described above, the type of stamping column is information on the type as the stamping column of the area on the medium.

In the figure, for example, the first page of an electronic document with a document ID “DocA” is printed at 100% on an A4 size medium with identification information “000101”, and “(X11, Y11) − ( X12, Y12) ”is provided in the area specified by the type“ Create ”, and the area specified by“ (X13, Y13)-(X14, Y14) ”is provided in the area specified by“ Censorship ”. It is shown that a stamping column of type “approval” is provided in the area specified by “(X15, Y15) − (X16, Y16)”.
Further, for example, it is shown that the first page of the electronic document with the document ID “DocB” is printed at 100% on an A4 size medium with the identification information “000102”. Since this print document has only one stamp field, the area information and the stamp field type are blank.

  Further, in this medium management information, media other than the medium output as a print document by the operation shown in FIG. 4 are managed. For example, the code image by the operation shown in FIG. 4 is not printed on a document created by a system other than the system of FIG. Therefore, such a document is read by a scanner and output as a new document with a code image added. The electronic document obtained by scanning the document is stored in the document server 20. In the figure, by scanning such a document, for example, identification information “000103” is given and an electronic document with a document ID “DocC” is created and stored.

B. In the present embodiment, stamp information for a print document is transmitted from the stamping device 60 to the terminal device 50 via the communication device 70 and registered in the document server 20.
First, the mechanism of the marking device 60 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the stamping device 60.
As shown in the figure, the stamping device 60 includes a seal stamp body 600 and a seal stamp mount 605. Here, the seal attachment base 605 has, for example, a square pole base shape, and a portion surrounded by the legs 606 is hollow. The seal mounting base 605 has a hole at the center, and the seal body 600 is inserted into this hole so that it cannot be pulled upward. On the other hand, the seal stamp main body 600 is movable in the downward direction, and a seal impression 602 is formed when the stamp surface 601 contacts the medium. In addition, as a printing method of the seal stamp main body 600, any method such as a normal rubber stamp method, a permeation stamp method, a thermal transfer method, or the like using a combination of rotation marks may be adopted. In addition, the seal stamp main body 600 incorporates a calendar and a clock, and the date and time set by the stamper is also set on the stamp surface 601.

In such a stamping device 60, the seal attachment base 605 includes a control circuit 61 that controls the overall operation. The control circuit 61 includes an image processing unit 61a that processes the read code image, and a data processing unit 61b that extracts identification information and position information from the processing result.
The control circuit 61 is connected to a contact sensor 62 that detects that the seal body 600 has moved downward and returned to its original position due to elasticity of a spring (not shown).

Furthermore, the control circuit 61 is also connected to LEDs 63a and 63b that irradiate light onto the medium, and a CMOS 64 as an example of an imaging unit that reads a code image and an imprint image by detecting reflected light. That is, for example, the LED 63a irradiates the medium with infrared light, and the CMOS 64 detects reflected light with respect to the medium, thereby reading the code image. Further, the LED 63b irradiates the medium with light having a high absorption rate by the ink used for stamping and having a wavelength away from the infrared light, and the CMOS 64 detects the reflected light to read the imprint image. The LEDs 63a and 63b and the CMOS 64 operate when the contact sensor 62 detects that the seal body 600 has returned to the home position.
Furthermore, the control circuit 61 includes an information memory 65 for storing identification information and position information, a communication circuit 66 for communicating with an external device, a battery 67 for driving the marking device 60, and a marking device. A device ID memory 68 for storing 60 identification information (device ID) is also connected.

  In addition, the control circuit 61 is also provided with an authentication sensor 69 that performs biometric authentication such as fingerprint authentication. Then, unless authentication by the authentication sensor 69 is successful, the seal cannot be made. As a mechanism for preventing the stamping in this way, it is possible to prevent the seal stamp main body 600 from moving downward, to prevent the marking surface corresponding to the user to be stamped from appearing, or to prevent ink from dripping. Conceivable. As a method for authenticating the stamper, not only biometric authentication but also password input, IC card authentication, or the like may be used.

Next, the functional configuration realized in the control circuit 61 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the control circuit 61. In the figure, a functional configuration example is shown separately for the image processing unit 61 a and the data processing unit 61 b in the control circuit 61.
As illustrated, the image processing unit 61 a includes a code image acquisition unit 611, a dot array generation unit 612, and a seal image acquisition unit 616. The data processing unit 61b includes a code array generation unit 613, an identification information acquisition unit 614, and a position information acquisition unit 615. Further, a stamp date extraction unit 617, an authentication information acquisition unit 618, and a communication control unit 619 are provided.

The code image acquisition unit 611 acquires a code image read by the CMOS 64 from the print document. Moreover, the noise contained in a code image is removed as needed.
The dot array generation unit 612 generates a dot array with reference to the dot positions in the code image. That is, on a two-dimensional array, for example, “1” is stored at a position where there is a dot and “0” is stored at a position where there is no dot, thereby replacing the dot detected as an image with digital data. Then, this two-dimensional array is output as a dot array.
The imprint image acquisition unit 616 acquires an imprint image read by the CMOS 64 from the print document.

  The code array generation unit 613 detects a block corresponding to the unit pattern in the code block on the dot array. Specifically, a frame having the same shape and size as the block in which the unit pattern is arranged is moved on the dot array, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots in the frame becomes equal. For example, if the unit pattern shown in FIG. 5A is used, a frame having a size corresponding to 3 dots × 3 dots is moved, and the frame is fixed at a position where the number of dots included in the frame is 2. Then, a code array is generated that stores code values determined from dot positions in each block delimited by the frame. When this code array is generated, the position of the synchronization code is specified by searching for a code value of a predetermined synchronization code.

The identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, the identification code is decoded using the parameters used in the RS encoding process at the time of image generation, and identification information is acquired. In this embodiment, an identification information acquisition unit 614 is provided as an example of an extraction unit that extracts identification information.
The position information acquisition unit 615 detects the position code based on the position of the synchronization code from the code array. Then, an M-sequence partial sequence is extracted from the position code, the position of this partial sequence in the M-sequence used at the time of image generation is referenced, and a value obtained by correcting this position with an offset using a synchronization code is acquired as position information. The reason why the correction is made by the offset is that a synchronization code is arranged between the position codes. In the present embodiment, a position information acquisition unit 615 is provided as an example of an extraction unit that extracts specific position information.

The stamp date extraction unit 617 cuts out an image portion corresponding to the stamp date from the stamp image acquired by the stamp image acquisition unit 616, performs character recognition on the image, and acquires the stamp date. As an example of this stamping date and time, in the present embodiment, information in the format of YYYYMMDDDHHMM is acquired. For example, if pasting is performed at 10:31 on December 29, 2008, “2008122291031” is acquired as the stamp date. In the present embodiment, the stamp date and time is used as an example of the specific information carved on the seal face, and the stamp date and time extraction unit 617 is provided as an example of an extraction unit that extracts the specific information.
The authentication information acquisition unit 618 acquires authentication information that is a result of authentication by the authentication sensor 69. In the present embodiment, an authentication information acquisition unit 618 is provided as an example of an acquisition unit that acquires stamper information.

  The communication control unit 619 extracts the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 614, the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 615, the imprint image acquired by the imprint image acquisition unit 616, and the stamp date extraction unit 617. Information transmission to the communication device 70 is realized by passing the stamping date and time and the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition unit 618 to the communication circuit 66. In this embodiment, a communication control unit 619 is provided as an example of a transmission unit that transmits seal information.

Next, an operation when the stamping device 60 registers the stamping information in the identification information server 30 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the marking device 60 and the identification information server 30 at this time.
The stamping device 60 first acquires a code image and a seal image (step 621). Specifically, the following processing is performed. That is, first, the LEDs 63a and 63b irradiate the medium with light, and the CMOS 64 receives the reflected light, thereby reading the code image and the imprint image. The code image acquisition unit 611 acquires the read code image. If the code image contains noise, it is removed. Further, the imprint image acquisition unit 616 acquires the read imprint image.

  Next, the marking device 60 acquires identification information and position information (step 622). Specifically, the following processing is performed. That is, first, the dot array generation unit 612 converts the dot positions included in the code image into digital data and generates a dot array. Next, the code array generation unit 613 detects a block from the dot array, and generates a code array that stores a code value for each block. Then, the position of the synchronization code is specified in the code array. Thereafter, the identification information acquisition unit 614 detects the identification code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes it, and acquires the identification information. Further, the position information acquisition unit 615 detects a position code based on the position of the synchronization code, decodes this, and acquires position information.

Also, the stamp date extraction unit 617 extracts the stamp date from the seal image acquired by the seal image acquisition unit 616 (step 623).
Further, the authentication information acquisition unit 618 acquires a user ID from the authentication sensor 69 (step 624).
Thereafter, the communication control unit 619 includes the identification information and position information acquired in step 622, the imprint image acquired in step 621, the stamp date and time extracted in step 623, and the user ID acquired in step 624. Is transmitted to the communication circuit 66, and the communication circuit 66 transmits the seal information to the identification information server 30 via the communication device 70 and the terminal device 50 (step 625).

Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 first receives the stamp information including the identification information, the position information, the seal image, the stamp date and time, and the user ID (step 321).
Next, of the information included in the seal information, the identification information and the position information are transferred to the medium management unit 32. The medium management unit 32 receives the document ID and page number corresponding to the transferred identification information and position information ( The seal column type (included in the print settings) is extracted from the medium management information storage unit 33 (step 322). Specifically, the correspondence information between the identification information, the document ID, and the page number is stored in the medium management information storage unit 33. Based on this correspondence information, the document ID and the page number corresponding to the identification information are acquired. To do. Also, since the correspondence information between the region information and the seal column type is stored in the medium management information storage unit 33, first, the region information indicating the region including the position information is specified, and then based on this correspondence information The stamp column type corresponding to the specified area information is acquired. These pieces of information are passed to the seal management unit 35.
Of the information included in the seal information received at step 321, the seal image, the seal date and time, and the user ID are passed to the seal management unit 35, and the seal management unit 35 stores the seal image as a file in a predetermined folder. At the same time, an imprint ID for identifying the file is assigned (step 323).
Then, the stamp management unit 35 performs stamping information including the stamping date and time and user ID passed from the receiving unit 31, the document ID and page number passed from the medium management unit 32, and the stamping column type, and the stamp ID given in step 323. Is stored in the seal management information storage unit 36 (step 324).
Further, the stamp management unit 35 stores the registration date and time of the stamp information in the stamp management information storage unit 36 (step 325).

  Thereafter, the seal management unit 35 outputs a seal information registration completion report to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the seal information registration completion report to the seal device 60 via the terminal device 50 and the communication device 70 (step S40). 326).

  Thereby, in the marking device 60, the communication circuit 66 receives the seal information registration completion report, and the communication control unit 619 receives this from the communication circuit 66 (step 626). Then, the seal information registration completion report is displayed on a display (not shown) of the stamp device 60.

Here, specific contents of the seal management information stored in the seal management information storage unit 36 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of the seal management information.
As shown in the figure, the stamp management information associates a stamp date and time, a user ID, a document ID, a page number, a stamp column type, a seal ID, and a registration date and time.
Among these, the stamp date / time is the date / time set on the stamp surface 601 of the seal stamp main body 600 in the stamp device 60 and is cut out from the seal image.
The user ID is the user ID of the stamper who has been authenticated by the stamping device 60.
As described above, the document ID is information for uniquely identifying an electronic document.
The page number is a page number in the electronic document.
The stamp column type is a type of a stamp column provided for a print document, such as creation, censorship, and approval.
As described above, the seal impression ID is identification information given to the seal impression image acquired by the stamping device 60.
The registration date / time is the date / time when these pieces of information were registered.

In the figure, for example, a user with a user ID “U0001” at “December 29, 2008 at 10:31” puts a seal on the first column “Create” of the electronic document with the document ID “DocA”. The imprint ID “S000101” is assigned to the imprint when it is performed, which indicates that it is registered as “December 29, 2008 10:36”.
In the fifth line of the figure, at "15:15 on December 30, 2008", the user with the user ID "U0004" stamps the type "Approval" on the first page of the electronic document with the document ID "DocA". It is indicated that the seal ID “S000401” is assigned to the seal when the seal is performed on the column. However, it is registered at “10:10 on December 31, 2008”, and a considerable amount of time has passed since “15:15 on December 30, 2008”, which is the date and time when the seal is taken. Accordingly, if it is assumed that the stamp information is transmitted to the identification information server 30 without delay after the stamping is performed by the stamping device 60, this stamp may be an improper stamp with the stamping date / time altered.

C. Display of Sealing List In the present embodiment, based on the above-described seal management information, a seal list that is a list of seal information is displayed.
In that case, the user first instructs the terminal device 50 to display a seal list. In this case, if the seal list is displayed without any narrowing down, a huge amount of information may be displayed. Therefore, narrowing down may be performed using some key information. Here, as an example, it is assumed that the manager of the department confirms the stamping status of the employees of the department and inputs the department ID as key information.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing operations of the terminal device 50 and the identification information server 30 at this time.
The terminal device 50 first receives the department ID (step 531) and transmits it to the identification information server 30 (step 532).
Thereby, in the identification information server 30, the receiving unit 31 first receives a department ID from the terminal device 50 (step 331). Next, the department ID is passed to the seal management unit 35, and the seal management unit 35 refers to an employee database (not shown) in which the department ID and the user ID are associated with each other, and the users belonging to the department of this department ID. Is identified (step 332). Then, using these user IDs as keys, the stamp management unit 35 extracts the registration date / time, stamp date / time, document ID, page number, stamp column type, and seal ID from the stamp management information storage unit 36 and displays them in the display information generation unit 34. The delivery and display information generation unit 34 generates display information for displaying a stamp list including stamp information including a stamp date and time, a user ID, a document ID, a page number, a stamp column type, and a seal ID (step 333).

In addition, the display information generation unit 34 verifies whether or not the stamp date / time transferred in step 333 matches the registration date / time (step 334). Here, for example, the maximum time required for the stamp information to reach the identification information server 30 after the stamp is determined in advance, the registration date / time is later than the stamp date / time, and the registration date / time and the stamp date / time are Verify whether the difference is within this time.
As a result, if there is stamp information whose stamp date / time and registration date / time do not match, a mark (illegal mark) indicating that there is a possibility of an illegal seal is added to the stamp information in the display information ( The process proceeds to step 336) and step 337.
On the other hand, if there is no stamping information whose stamping date and time and registration date and time do not match, the process proceeds to step 337 as it is.

Then, the display information generation unit 34 passes the display information generated in this way to the transmission unit 39, and the transmission unit 39 transmits the display information to the terminal device 50 (step 337).
As a result, the terminal device 50 receives the display information (step 533), and displays the seal list based on the received display information (step 534).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the seal list displayed in this way.
As shown in the figure, the stamp list displays a list of stamp date / time, stamper, stamp document, stamp column, seal impression, and fraud mark.
Here, as the stamp date and time, the stamp date and time in the stamp management information of FIG. 10 is displayed.
As the stamper, the user name obtained by searching an employee database (not shown) using the user ID in the stamp management information of FIG. 10 as a key is displayed.
As the stamp document, the document name obtained by inquiring the document server 20 using the document ID and page number in the stamp management information of FIG. 10 as keys is displayed.
As the stamping column, the stamping column type of FIG. 10 is displayed.
As the seal, an image of the seal stored in the seal file specified using the seal ID of FIG. 10 as a key is displayed.
As a fraud mark, when a fraud mark is added in step 336 in FIG. 11, the fraud mark is displayed.

The stamp list may include not only one stamping device 60 but also stamping information received from a plurality of stamping devices 60.
Further, by using the sort / search function with the stamper as a key, a list of documents stamped by the stamper can be displayed. Further, by using the sort / search function with the stamped document as a key, the processing flow of the stamped document can be listed.
Further, an image of a stamped document may be displayed in the stamp list, or an image may be displayed by displaying only the document name of the stamped document and clicking the document name.
Further, when the name of the stamper is clicked, the stamper may be contacted by a method such as telephone or e-mail.
This is the end of the description of the operation of the present embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the information extracted from the seal imprint is only the stamp date / time, and the identification information server 30 verifies the consistency between the stamp date / time and the registration date / time. The method of verifying sex is not limited to this.
For example, there may be a case where the seal stamp main body 600 of FIG. 7 is permitted to be stamped only for members of a specific organization such as a department member or a company seal. In such a case, first, in the stamping device 60, information on the tissue permitted to be stamped (stamped tissue information) is extracted as specific information engraved on the seal surface 601, and this information is included in the stamping information to be an identification information server. 30. Then, the identification information server 30 verifies the consistency between the stamp organization information included in the stamp information sent from the stamp device 60 and the information of the authenticated stamper (the stamper information) also included in the stamp information. . That is, for example, in an employee database (not shown), it is verified whether or not a user ID of a stamper that is an example of stamper information is registered in association with a department ID that is an example of stamped organization information. If the user ID is not registered in association with the department ID, it is determined that there is a possibility of an unauthorized seal by a member other than the member of the department, and an unauthorized mark is displayed in the seal list of FIG.

By the way, in this embodiment, the stamping device 60 extracts specific information from the seal, the identification information server 30 verifies the consistency of the specific information, manages the stamping information including the specific information, and displays the information. I tried to control it. However, various variations can be considered as to which apparatus performs these processes. For example, extraction of specific information from a seal stamp may be performed by the terminal device 50 or the identification information server 30, and verification of consistency of specific information and management and display control of seal information are performed by the terminal device 50. May be.
Therefore, the hardware configuration of the computer 90 will be described assuming that these processes are performed by the computer 90.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the computer 90.
As shown in the figure, the computer 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91 as a calculation means, a main memory 92 as a storage means, and a magnetic disk device (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) 93. Here, the CPU 91 executes various types of software such as an OS (Operating System) and applications to realize the above-described functions. The main memory 92 is a storage area for storing various software and data used for execution thereof, and the magnetic disk device 93 is a storage area for storing input data for various software, output data from various software, and the like. .
Further, the computer 90 includes a communication I / F 94 for performing communication with the outside, a display mechanism 95 including a video memory and a display, and an input device 96 such as a keyboard and a mouse.

  The program for realizing the present embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by storing it in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,50 ... Terminal device, 20 ... Document server, 30 ... Identification information server, 40 ... Image forming device, 60 ... Sealing device, 80 ... Network

Claims (4)

A seal body with a stamped surface engraved with specific information;
Imaging means for imaging a medium on which a seal impression is formed by contacting the marking surface;
Extraction means for extracting the specific information carved on the seal face from the image of the seal imprint obtained by imaging by the imaging means;
Transmission means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extraction means to another apparatus, the information indicating that the seal is performed by the own apparatus;
With
On the medium, position information indicating each position on the medium is printed,
The extraction unit extracts specific position information indicating a position where the seal impression is formed from an image of the position information obtained by imaging by the imaging unit,
The transmission unit, marking devices and transmits the marking information further includes the specific position information extracted by the extraction unit to the other apparatus. A marking device for marking on a medium;
A management device for managing stamping information indicating that stamping has been performed by the stamping device;
With
The marking device is
A seal body with a stamped surface engraved with specific information;
Imaging means for imaging a medium on which a seal impression is formed by contacting the marking surface;
Extraction means for extracting the specific information carved on the seal face from the image of the seal imprint obtained by imaging by the imaging means;
Transmitting means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extracting means to the management device;
With
The management device
Receiving means for receiving the marking information from the marking device;
Storage means for storing the seal information received by the receiving means;
With
The specific information includes stamp date information set as a stamp date in the stamp device,
The management device
Seal, characterized in that said marking date information included in the received marking information, the own apparatus further comprising a verification means for verifying the integrity of the current date information representing the current date, which is held by the receiving means Information management system. A marking device for marking on a medium;
A management device for managing stamping information indicating that stamping has been performed by the stamping device;
With
The marking device is
A seal body with a stamped surface engraved with specific information;
Imaging means for imaging a medium on which a seal impression is formed by contacting the marking surface;
Extraction means for extracting the specific information carved on the seal face from the image of the seal imprint obtained by imaging by the imaging means;
Transmitting means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extracting means to the management device;
With
The management device
Receiving means for receiving the marking information from the marking device;
Storage means for storing the seal information received by the receiving means;
With
The specific information includes stamping structure information indicating a structure permitted to be stamped by the stamping apparatus,
The stamping device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires stamper information indicating a stamper who performs the stamping prior to the stamping by the own device,
The transmission unit of the stamping apparatus transmits the stamping information further including the stamper information acquired by the acquiring unit to the management apparatus;
The management device, characterized in that said marking tissue information included in the received marking information, further comprising a verification means for verifying the integrity of the seal's information contained in the marking information by the receiving means seal information management system that. A marking device for marking on a medium;
A management device for managing stamping information indicating that stamping has been performed by the stamping device;
With
The marking device is
A seal body with a stamped surface engraved with specific information;
Imaging means for imaging a medium on which a seal impression is formed by contacting the marking surface;
Extraction means for extracting the specific information carved on the seal face from the image of the seal imprint obtained by imaging by the imaging means;
Transmitting means for transmitting the seal information including the specific information extracted by the extracting means to the management device;
With
The management device
Receiving means for receiving the marking information from the marking device;
Storage means for storing the seal information received by the receiving means;
With
On the medium, position information indicating each position on the medium is printed,
The extraction unit of the stamping apparatus extracts specific position information indicating a position where the seal is formed from an image of the position information obtained by imaging by the imaging unit,
The transmission means of the marking device transmits the sealing information including the specific position information extracted by the extraction means to the management device,
The management device displays a screen that is generated based on the seal information received by the receiving unit and includes information on a seal column corresponding to the specific position information included in the seal information. A marking information management system further comprising an instruction means for instructing.

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