JP2005149342A - Image output system, image processing system, and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the risk of data leakage without causing a user to feel troublesomeness in providing the output service of content data through a network. <P>SOLUTION: In this image processing system provided with a server unit 2 which manages content data to be provided for users, terminal devices 3 which the users operate, image output units 4 each having a function which outputs the content data, and a network circuit 1 which connects these devices to one another, the terminal device 3 performs the issuing of reservation information corresponding to an output demand of content data by printing-out reservation information on a recording medium, and the image output unit 4 performs an input of the reservation information that is the condition of an output of content data by reading optically the reservation information from the recording medium to which the reservation information is print-outputted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus, a system, and a method for providing a content data output service to a user via a network.

In recent years, with the advancement of information communication technology, network print services have begun to be used as a form of content data output service for users (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1).
In the network print service, a user who receives the service from a terminal device such as a personal computer or a mobile phone via a wide area network such as the Internet, a content data management site, that is, a server that manages content data When accessing the device (management server) and requesting the output of desired content data, the management server requests the requesting user from the requesting user in response to the output request, and a passcode corresponding to the output request (for example, an 8-digit reservation) Number). At this time, the content data requested to be output is uploaded and stored in another server device (file server) existing on the wide area network as necessary. Then, the user goes to a store where an image output device such as a copier or printer, or a multifunction device having these functions is installed, and operates the user interface panel of the output device to issue a passcode issued. When input, the image output device receives the content data specified by the passcode from the file server via the wide area network and prints out the content data.
According to such a network print service, a user who receives the service can obtain a print output image of content data such as a large poster image or a product catalog quickly and with high image quality. In addition, if you are a business use, you can print out the necessary documents on the go, so you can eliminate the hassle of carrying a large amount of documents, and you can easily print out the documents created at the place you visited. It becomes possible.

JP 2002-149549 A Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., “Street corner copy evolution theory”, [October 23, 2003 search], Internet <URL: http://www.fujixerox.co.jp/evolution/03.html>

  By the way, the above-described conventional network print service requires the user to input a passcode to the image output apparatus in order to receive the provision. Therefore, the user needs to manually copy the issued passcode on a memo etc. and then manually input it with an image output device installed in the store. Even under such conditions, there may be a resistance to the print output by the service. Furthermore, if the passcode is leaked to others, it is possible for other people to easily print out the content data, and in the case of business use, important documents are leaked to malicious third parties. It leads to doing. In general, since a pass code such as a reservation number is intangible, the possibility of being stolen by another person becomes very high.

  In addition to the input of such a passcode, the user may need to insert coins into the image output device. This is because in the conventional network print service, charging associated with service provision is performed by inserting coins into the image output apparatus. This may also be annoying to the user and may cause resistance to print output by the service even in a mobile environment, especially when outputting a large amount of documents. It is remarkable.

  It is conceivable to solve these problems by using, for example, an IC card. However, in that case, the system configuration becomes complicated in order to introduce the IC card, and as a result, there is a possibility that a huge new capital investment is required. In addition, for example, the introduction of an IC tag to a product at a major overseas supermarket has been canceled, and if an IC card is introduced, the user feels resistance that personal information may be collected more than necessary. There is also a fear.

  Therefore, the present invention can provide a content data output service via a network without causing the user to feel bothered, and without requiring a complicated system configuration change. An object of the present invention is to provide an image output device, an image processing system, and an image processing method capable of suppressing the characteristics.

  The present invention is an image output device devised to achieve the above object, a server device for managing content data to be provided to a user, and an output request for the content data being input and corresponding to the output request It is connected to a terminal device for receiving reservation information from the server device and issuing it to a requesting user, and when the reservation information is input, content data specified by the reservation information is stored in the server. An image output device that receives and outputs from a device, and inputs the reservation information by optically reading the reservation information issued by printing on a recording medium on the terminal device from the recording medium It is characterized by comprising an input means for performing.

  In addition, the present invention provides an image processing system devised to achieve the above object, a server device that manages content data provided to a user, an output request for the content data, and the output request A terminal device for receiving reservation information corresponding to the request from the server device and issuing it to the requesting user, and when the reservation information is input, the content data specified by the reservation information is received from the server device and output. An image processing system comprising: an image output device configured to connect to the server device; the terminal device; and a network line that connects the image output device to each other, wherein the terminal device issues the reservation information This is performed by printing on a recording medium, and the image output device inputs the reservation information. , Characterized in that from the recording medium to which the reservation information is printed out is performed by reading the reservation information optically.

  In addition, the present invention is an image processing method devised to achieve the above object, and outputs a server device that manages content data provided to a user, a terminal device operated by the user, and the content data. An image processing method used in an image processing system in which image output devices having functions are connected to each other via a network, and the terminal device receives the output request for the content data when the output request for the content data is input. The corresponding reservation information is received from the server device, and the reservation information is printed on a recording medium to issue the reservation information to the requesting user. The image output device prints the reservation information. When the output recording medium is set, the reservation information is optically read from the recording medium, and the reservation information is used for special recording. The content data and outputs received from the server apparatus.

  According to the image output apparatus and image processing system configured as described above and the image processing method according to the above procedure, the reservation information is printed out on a recording medium on the terminal device side when providing the content data output service to the user. The reservation information is issued, and the image output device recognizes the reservation information by optically reading the reservation information from the recording medium, and the content data specified by the reservation information. Output is to be performed. Therefore, the user who receives the service need only set the storage medium on which the reservation information is printed out on the image output apparatus side, and thus does not need to perform troublesome manual operations such as input of the reservation information. In addition, to receive service provision, a tangible object called a storage medium on which reservation information is printed out is required, so it is less likely to be stolen by another person than in the case of only an intangible passcode. It is also easy to eliminate the troublesomeness of the user by embedding information related to the charging. Furthermore, if the terminal device is, for example, a personal computer, the reservation information is printed out using a printer connected to the terminal device, and if the image output device is, for example, a copying machine, a reservation is made using the scanner function of the copying machine. It can be easily realized by using an existing function such as reading information.

  In the image output apparatus, image processing system, and image processing method of the present invention, the storage medium on which the reservation information is printed is interposed between the reservation information issuance and the content data output, so that the user does not feel bothered. The content data output service can be provided via the network. In addition, if implemented using existing functions, complicated system configuration changes are not required. In addition, since a tangible object such as a storage medium is interposed, the risk of data leakage can be suppressed. Therefore, it is very suitable for providing content data output services to users via a network.

  Hereinafter, an image output apparatus, an image processing system, and an image processing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Description of system configuration]
First, a schematic configuration of an image processing system including an image output device will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an image processing system according to the present invention. The image processing system described here is for realizing a network print service. As shown in the figure, a server device 2, a terminal device 3, and an image output device 4 are provided on a network line 1. It is provided.

  The network line 1 is for constructing a wide area network such as the Internet for performing communication while following a TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol, for example. On a TCP / IP network, hypertext (HTTP (Hyper Text Markup Language) document transfer using HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) protocol, file transfer using FTP (File Transfer Protocol), mail transmission using SMTP (SimpleMail Transfer Protocol) protocol It is possible to specify a print resource from a client using IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), an information search service using a WWW (World Wide Web) system, and the like.

The server device 2 is for managing content data provided to the user, and includes, for example, a management server 2a, a content server 2b, and a file server 2c. These servers 2a to 2c do not necessarily have to be installed at the same location as long as they exist on the network line 1, and a plurality of them may exist.
The management server 2a is under the control of a business operator who operates the network print service business, and is used for centrally managing the network print service. Specifically, the management server 2a determines reservation information (information including a reservation number as will be described later) corresponding to the output request for the content data output request and returns it to the requesting user. Output requests and print output logs are managed and used for billing processing, etc., in response to reservation information inquiries, and the originality of the recording medium is determined as will be described in detail later.
The content server 2b is under the control of a content provider that distributes, distributes, and distributes various contents such as text documents and images for a fee or free of charge, and stores and accumulates content data to be provided to users in advance. This is for providing content data to the user. Specifically, it is conceivable to construct a WWW server using an information search service such as WWW. The content provider may charge for the provision of the content data. However, in the case of the network print service, there are two service usage charges for the content provision and the print output. Becomes complicated. Therefore, the content provider may entrust central management of content usage to the management server 2a by contract with the network print service provider.
The file server 2c is under the control of the network print service provider, and is for uploading and temporarily storing content data requested to be output. In other words, the file server 2c has a spool function for receiving content data requested to be output from the content server 2b and temporarily storing it locally in order to achieve efficient system operation. However, the file server 2c does not necessarily exist as long as efficient operation of the system can be guaranteed.
The servers 2a to 2c, that is, the server device 2 constituting the image processing system may be realized by various devices having a function as a well-known computer, and thus the basic configuration and the like are not described. To do.

The terminal device 3 is operated by a user who receives a network print service. When an output request for content data desired by the user is input, the terminal device 3 notifies the output request to the management server 2a or the content server 2b. is there. For this purpose, the terminal device 3 has a function of accessing the WWW server through the network line 1.
The terminal device 3 receives reservation information corresponding to the content data output request from the management server 2a and issues it to the requesting user. For this purpose, the terminal device 3 has a function of receiving information related to reservation information from the management server 2a through the network line 1 and outputting the reservation information based on the received information. However, in the terminal device 3, as will be described in detail later, the reservation information is issued and output by printing the reservation information on a recording medium such as general recording paper or dedicated paper. For this reason, the terminal device 3 is assumed to have a print output function by a printer, for example, as a reservation information output function. Furthermore, when printing the reservation information, as will be described in detail later, the reservation information is additionally inserted into the reservation content information and printed out on a recording medium.
In addition, the terminal device 3 is not necessarily indispensable, but has a function of acquiring identification information unique to a recording medium for printing reservation information from the recording medium, as will be described in detail later. . In order to realize this function, the terminal device 3 has, for example, an information reading function by a scanner and a processing function of the read information.
Such a terminal device 3 may be realized by a known personal computer that can access a WWW server regardless of wired or wireless, an information portable terminal such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. A description of a typical configuration is omitted.

The image output device 4 is installed in a store (for example, a convenience store) managed or affiliated by a network print service provider, and is a copier or printer having a function of printing out content data, or these It consists of a multifunction machine that also has functions. When the reservation information is input, the image output device 4 receives the content data specified by the reservation information from the file server 2c (or the content server 2b) and outputs it. However, in the image output apparatus 4, as will be described in detail later, the reservation information is input by optically reading the reservation information from a recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out. For this purpose, the image output device 4 is assumed to have an information reading function using, for example, a scanner or a handy scanner, in addition to a user interface panel for a user to operate.
Further, the image output device 4 is not necessarily an essential configuration, but has a function of acquiring identification information unique to the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out from the recording medium, as will be described in detail later. ing. In order to realize this function, it is assumed that the image output device 4 has a function of processing the read information in addition to the information reading function by a scanner, for example.
Note that a plurality of such image output apparatuses 4 are installed on the network line 1 in order to improve the convenience for the user. Further, the basic configuration of the image output apparatus 4 may be realized by using a known technique such as an electrophotographic technique for print output, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

[Description of First Processing Operation Example]
Next, a first processing operation example in the image processing system configured as described above, that is, a first example of the image processing method according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first example of the image processing method according to the present invention.

  When receiving the network print service, the user first operates the terminal device 3 to access the content server 2b. Then, after performing processing such as login authentication as necessary, when a desired content is found, an output request is transmitted to the management server 2a. At this time, the destination of the output request may be the content server 2b. In this case, the content server 2b transfers the output request to the management server 2a.

  Upon receiving the output request, the management server 2a uploads the content data requested to be output from the content server 2b to the file server 2c and spools it, and issues “reservation information” to the requesting user. To the terminal device 3 operated by the requesting user.

  This reservation information is information for identifying content data, as in the case of a conventional passcode, information for identifying the spool destination of content data, information for specifying the content data, and the content data Information relating to billing for the provided output. The information related to billing is specifically information indicating whether or not billing is normally performed, and is information specified based on the user's personal information obtained at the time of processing such as login authentication. It should be noted that the settlement for the billing in this case is not limited to pre-processing and post-processing.

  When receiving the reservation information, the terminal device 3 prints out the reservation information on a recording medium. However, at this time, the terminal device 3 prints and outputs the reservation information added to the reservation content information. Here, “reserved content information” refers to a main image printed out on a recording medium. For example, a list of content requested to be output, an image showing an outline of the content, a guide for a network print service, etc. As described above, it means an image that is not directly related to the contents of the reservation information. However, the information is not necessarily limited to an image, and may be other information as long as it can be printed out on a recording medium. Further, “additional insertion” refers to embedding reservation information in reservation content information without visually obstructing and without degrading image quality.

  As an additional insertion method, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2958396, a halftone image can be obtained by changing the form (position, shape, etc.) of pixels constituting a line screen as gradation representation. It is conceivable to use a technique such as embedding digital information in a computer. Further, a known information embedding technique similar to this may be used, or a known digital watermark embedding technique may be used. Furthermore, reservation information may be embedded in reservation content information formed with visible toner or visible ink using known invisible toner or invisible ink. That is, the additional insertion method is not particularly limited, and may be performed using a known technique or a combination of known techniques.

  In order to perform such additional insertion of reservation information, when receiving the reservation information, the terminal device 3 generates image data for printing the reservation content information such as a list of contents in the page memory, for example. Then, the reservation information is embedded and inserted in this (step 101, the following step is abbreviated as “S”). The reservation information embedding position at this time is determined in advance, for example, if the reservation content information is a list of contents, such as on characters constituting the list. When the image data in which the reservation information is embedded is generated, the terminal device 3 prints out the image data onto a recording medium using a print output function such as a printer (S102).

The processing up to this point can be performed by a user who receives the network print service at a home or office where the terminal device 3 is installed.
Thereafter, the user who has obtained the recording medium printed with the reservation information added and inserted (hereinafter simply referred to as “reservation information medium”) uses the reservation information medium to print out the requested content data. It can be directed at any location. More specifically, by going to a desired store and inputting reservation information to the image output apparatus 4 installed in the store, it is possible to instruct to print out content data. That is, the subsequent processing can be performed by the user who receives the network print service going to the store where the image output apparatus 4 is installed.

  At this time, however, the image output device 4 inputs reservation information by optically reading the reservation information from the reservation information medium. Therefore, the user who goes to the store first sets the reserved information medium he / she brings to the scanner or handy scanner of the image output apparatus 4 and operates the user interface panel of the image output apparatus 4 to operate the reservation information medium The reservation information is read from the image output device 4 (S111). It is assumed that the reservation information reading position at this time is determined in advance so as to correspond to the reservation information embedding position. For example, when a list of contents is output as reservation content information on the reservation information medium and a plurality of reservation information is embedded in the list, the user can read the reservation information from the user interface panel. The position may be selected and specified.

  When the read image is obtained from the predetermined area of the reservation information medium, the image output device 4 decodes the read image and extracts the reservation information embedded in the reservation information medium. As a matter of course, the decoding method of the read image at this time corresponds to the method of adding and inserting reservation information performed by the terminal device 3. Further, when the reservation information is extracted and obtained, the image output device 4 inquires of the management server 2a about the reservation information (S112). That is, the image output device 4 notifies the management server 2a of the contents of the acquired reservation information, whether there is an authority for print output, where the content data is spooled, whether it is normally charged, etc. Make an inquiry.

In response to this inquiry, when there is a notification from the management server 2a that printing output is possible, the image output device 4 subsequently accesses the file server 2c, which is the spool destination of the content data, to the file server 2c. After inquiring information about the content data, the content data is downloaded from the file server 2c (S113). At this time, if there are a plurality of types of content data with print output authority, a list of each type of content, etc. is displayed on the user interface panel of the image output device 4, and the content, etc., to be printed out to the user from among them May be selected. In addition, after transferring the spooled content, the file server 2c may delete the content from the local disk to secure a storage capacity for the next content data to be spooled. Alternatively, content data that is frequently used or content data that is large in size may not be deleted, but may be maintained on the local disk to be prepared for the next print output request. Further, when the accumulated data increases and the storage capacity of the local disk decreases, unnecessary content data may be discarded based on, for example, LRU (Least Recently Used) logic.
On the other hand, if there is a notification that there is no legitimate authority or the like as a result of the inquiry, the image output device 4 notifies the user to that effect through display on the user interface panel, etc., and a series of processing is performed. finish.

  When there is a print output instruction from the management server 2a and the download of the content data from the file server 2c is completed, the image output device 4 executes the print output of the content data (S114). As a result, the user can receive the desired printed content with the image output device 4 installed in the store. That is, when the user issues an output request at the terminal device 3, the user does not need to specify the store or the image output device 4 that is the output destination, and the reservation information is directly read by the image output device 4 of the store that went to the user. Thus, a printed matter of the desired content can be received from the image output apparatus 4. This can be said to be very suitable when applied to receipt of printed matter in a mobile environment.

As described above, in the first processing operation example, when the content data output service is provided to the user, the reservation information is issued by printing the reservation information on the recording medium on the terminal device 3 side. At the same time, the image output device 4 optically reads the reservation information from the reservation information medium, thereby recognizing the reservation information and outputting the content data specified by the reservation information. Yes. Therefore, the user who receives the service need only set the reservation information medium on the image output device 4 side, and thus does not need to perform troublesome manual operations such as inputting the reservation information. In other words, for the user, if the reservation information medium is brought to the store where the image output device 4 is installed, it is not necessary to input troublesome reservation numbers or the like even for a plurality of types of content data. Therefore, the convenience when receiving the provision of the network print service is drastically improved, and as a result, the use of the service can be expected to be expanded. In addition, since a tangible object as a reservation information medium is required to receive service provision, the possibility of being stolen by another person is lower than in the case of only a passcode that is an intangible object. If the terminal device 3 is a personal computer, for example, the reservation information is printed out using a printer connected thereto, and if the image output device 4 is a copier, for example, the scanner function of the copier is used. It is also easy to implement using existing functions such as reading reservation information, which may lead to complicated system configuration and increased user resistance as in the case of introducing an IC card, for example. Absent.
As described above, the image processing system that executes the above-described first processing operation example is very suitable for providing a content data output service to a user via a network.

  In the first processing operation example, when the reservation information is printed out on a recording medium, the reservation information is additionally inserted into the reservation content information. Therefore, even if the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out is visually observed, the reservation information does not visually obstruct. In other words, this means that even if the reservation content information on the recording medium is visually observed, the reservation information included in the reservation content information cannot be easily recognized. In other words, if the reservation information is additionally inserted into the reservation content information and printed out on a recording medium, the presence of a tangible object as a storage medium not only suppresses the risk of data leakage, but also allows the reservation information and the output thereof to be output. It is possible to more effectively prevent the content data to be leaked to a malicious third party.

  Further, in the first processing operation example, the reservation information printed out on the recording medium is specified from information related to charging for the provision output of the content data specified by the reservation information, specifically, the user's personal information. Information on whether or not normal billing is possible. Therefore, for example, it is possible to eliminate the need for coin insertion on the image output device 4 side for billing, and the user's troublesomeness can be eliminated in this respect as well. That is, for the user, if the reservation information medium is brought to the store where the image output device 4 is installed, it is not necessary to put a large amount of money into the image output device 4 even for a plurality of types of content data, for example. Since it will be possible to perform the print output, the convenience when receiving the provision of network print service will dramatically improve, and this can also be expected to expand the use of the service Become. This can be realized because the risk of data leakage can be suppressed by the existence of a tangible object as a storage medium.

[Description of Second Processing Operation Example]
Next, a second processing operation example in the image processing system including the image output device 4 configured as described above, that is, a second example of the image processing method according to the present invention will be described. However, only differences from the above-described first processing operation example will be described here. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a second example of the image processing method according to the present invention.

  In the second processing operation example described here, when printing reservation information on a recording medium, it is a condition that the terminal device 3 obtains identification information unique to the recording medium from the recording medium. That is, after the identification information is acquired from the recording medium, the reservation information can be printed on the recording medium.

  As the identification information unique to the recording medium, for example, it is conceivable to use fiber information of the recording medium. “Fiber information” is information relating to feature quantities of random patterns that are naturally created (excited) by plant fibers in a state where plant fibers (cellulose as a main component) forming a recording medium overlap each other in an irregular shape. In general, the manufacturing process of a recording medium made of paper mainly includes a “cooking process” for extracting plant fibers, a “beating process” in which fibers are dispersed in water and swollen while applying mechanical force, and a “paper making process” in which de-swelling is performed. These three steps are included. Among these, in the paper making process, plant fibers (cellulose), which is the raw material of paper, are entangled in an irregular shape without controlling the positional relationship, and thereby the planes forming a random network structure in several layers in the thickness direction. Also become “paper”. At this time, it is difficult to consider that there are a plurality of papers with the same pattern as the pattern produced by the plant fiber. This is because paper is made by attaching fibers to each other through water in the paper making process. That is, the plant fiber dispersed in water removes the water that has penetrated inside the fiber when drying begins, and hydroxyl groups on the surface form hydrogen bonds at the contact points between many fibers. It is technically impossible to freely control the positions of individual fibers and the contact points between the fibers. It is also extremely difficult to accurately imitate and reproduce a three-dimensional positional relationship in which numerous plant fibers having a thickness of 4 to 70 μm and a length of about 0.25 to 50 mm are intertwined. In particular, when there is a fiber that has undergone external fibrillation (a state in which internal fibrils are exposed due to fiber damage) due to high beating, imitation becomes even more difficult. Thus, in the paper manufacturing process, it is virtually impossible to create the same paper by entwining plant fibers in the same state (positional relationship, laminated state, etc.), that is, forgery. Moreover, since the fibers once attached are not dissociated in normal use, the pattern is stably maintained. Therefore, the random pattern produced by the plant fiber can be individual information unique to each paper (information such as fingerprints for humans).

  Here, “paper” is taken as an example of the recording medium, and the production mechanism is described as being carried out by water. However, for example, JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) paper, pulp terms (JIS P001- 1979) “Papyrus, tapa (a type of traditional non-woven fabric that has been struck out of the bark endothelium)”, synthetic fiber paper, or Of course, non-woven fabrics and the like are also included in the “recording medium” in the present invention.

  In addition, when using fiber information as identification information unique to a recording medium, a random pattern shape in which plant fibers are entangled with each other as shown in FIG. 4 may be used, or a structure of entanglement of plant fibers may be used. The optical properties of the paper derived from may be used. As the latter, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, a fine gradation pattern that can be observed when light is irradiated on the paper from the back side, or a fine surface pattern that can be observed when light is obliquely applied to the surface of the paper. There are uneven patterns.

  It is conceivable that the terminal device 3 obtains identification information using such fiber information as follows. The terminal device 3 irradiates the recording medium with light on the recording medium on which the reservation information is to be printed, and the reflected light or transmitted light obtained from the recording medium is captured by an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). Receive light. At this time, the state of light (intensity distribution, etc.) obtained from the recording medium slightly changes depending on the state in which the plant fibers forming the recording medium are intertwined. In other words, where the plant fibers overlapped a lot, or where the plant fibers were densely arranged, the amount of light was observed to be darker, and conversely, the plant fibers were overlapped a little or the plant fibers were sparsely arranged. By the way, the amount of transmitted light increases and it is observed brightly. Therefore, by receiving light from the recording medium with the image sensor, a random pattern image produced by the plant fiber forming the recording medium can be observed.

Here, the individual difference of the recording medium obtained from information such as the optical pattern derived from the fiber pattern of the recording medium to be observed or the intertwined fibers generally provides more information if the observation area is wide. Therefore, it will be clear. However, a recording medium valuable as a planar material is required to be homogeneous. For this reason, if the observation region is too wide, the uniformity in the information increases, and it becomes difficult to extract features for discriminating individual recording media. In addition, if the observation area is widened, the size of the observation equipment increases accordingly, which is disadvantageous in terms of installation area and cost. Therefore, the size (area) of the observation region should be determined so as to clarify as many individual differences as possible in consideration of the characteristics to be extracted and the cost and size of the observation equipment. From this point of view, it is conceivable that the size of the observation area is set within the range of 0.1 to 1000 mm ² on the paper surface in the case of, for example, general paper (paper for copying, printers, faxes, etc.).

  Further, the position of the observation area may be determined based on the reference point on the recording medium to be observed. As the position based on the reference point, for example, if the recording medium is dedicated paper, the peripheral position of the reference mark (alignment mark) printed in advance on the dedicated paper is used as an observation area, or the recording medium is generally used. In the case of a sheet, the observation area may be a position that is a predetermined distance away from the edge position or corner position of the sheet.

  For example, if the terminal device 3 is a personal computer, the random pattern image created by the plant fiber may be captured using a scanner connected to the personal computer. In addition, if the terminal device 3 is a PDA, it may be possible to use a handy scanner connected to the PDA. However, such an information reading function for capturing a pattern image does not use a general-purpose device such as a scanner or a handy scanner, but for example, a printer sheet for printing out reservation information on a recording medium. A dedicated information reading function including a light source and a CCD sensor may be provided near the tray, and a pattern image may be captured using the information reading function.

  And when the random pattern image which a plant fiber produces about the observation area of predetermined size and a predetermined position is imaged, in the terminal device 3, the information processing function with which this terminal device 3 is provided is predetermined to the image signal of the imaged pattern image. The signal processing is performed. This signal processing is performed as preprocessing for extracting the feature amount of the pattern image, and specific processing content includes luminance correction in consideration of variations in the amount of light in the illumination system. At this time, it is also conceivable to perform the above-described signal processing for specifying the observation region, that is, to cut out a portion of the pattern image corresponding to the observation region.

  After the signal processing, subsequently, in the terminal device 3, the information processing function provided in the terminal device 3 extracts the feature amount of the captured pattern image. More specifically, the density data based on the fiber entanglement, the position data of the feature points due to the fiber entanglement, or both data obtained from the above-described pattern image of the plant fiber is used. Extract features. Many methods have been proposed as feature quantity extraction methods so far, and examples thereof include the following.

First, the pattern image of the observation area is divided into meshes of appropriate size (number of meshes d = vertical M × horizontal N), and the density values of a plurality of pixels existing in each mesh are averaged to obtain each mesh. Is represented by a certain density value (density level q). Here, if the density value of the j-th mesh (j is a positive integer) is Xj, this pattern image is a vector of X = (X1, X2, X3,... Xd) ^t (t represents transposition). Can be described. This vector is called a feature vector. Each element of the vector gives the density of the corresponding image area. 6A shows an original pattern image of a paper area of 0.8 × 0.8 mm, and FIG. 6B shows the pattern image divided by a mesh of d = 25 × 25 (M = N). The result of quantizing and sampling the density value of the mesh to q = 255 level is shown.

  The pattern image processed in this way is represented as one point on the feature space spanned by the feature vector. That is, the pattern image of the observation area is described as a feature vector as described above. Also, the variance-covariance matrix (or correlation matrix) calculated from all the feature vectors is described as a feature matrix. These feature vectors and feature matrix are handled as one feature quantity. Here, a set of a feature vector and a feature matrix is used as a feature quantity, but only a feature vector may be used as a feature quantity.

With such a procedure, the terminal device 3 acquires the characteristic amount of the fiber information of the recording medium, that is, identification information unique to the recording medium, for the recording medium on which the reservation information is to be printed (S201). The information processing function for performing the processing for obtaining the identification information may be realized by causing the terminal device 3 to execute a predetermined program.
Then, when the identification information is acquired, the terminal device 3 transmits the acquired identification information to the management server 2a. At this time, the transmission destination of the identification information may be the content server 2b. In this case, the content server 2b transfers the identification information to the management server 2a.

  When receiving the identification information, the management server 2a stores the identification information in association with the reservation information. Thereby, the identification information about the recording medium on which the reservation information is to be printed out is registered in the management server 2a that is the issuer of the reservation information. After registration of the identification information, the management server 2a issues “reservation information” to the requesting user and returns it to the terminal device 3 operated by the requesting user.

  Thereby, in the terminal device 3, as in the case of the first processing operation example, the reservation information is embedded in the reservation content information and added and inserted (S202), and the image data embedded with the reservation information is generated. Using the output function, the image data can be printed out on a recording medium (S203).

The processing up to this point can be performed by a user who receives the network print service at a home or office where the terminal device 3 is installed.
Thereafter, the user who has obtained the reservation information medium on which the reservation information is additionally inserted and printed out issues an instruction to print out content data using the reservation information medium, as in the case of the first processing operation example. be able to. That is, the subsequent processing can be performed by the user who receives the network print service going to the store where the image output apparatus 4 is installed.

  However, in the second processing operation example, when the content data is printed out by the image output device 4, identification information unique to the reservation recording medium is acquired from the reservation information medium, and the identification information and the management server 2a are already registered. The identification information is compared and verified with each other, and the originality of the reserved recording medium is determined based on the comparison and verification (S211). That is, after the originality of the reserved recording medium is guaranteed, the content data can be printed out by the image output device 4.

  For this purpose, the image output apparatus 4 acquires identification information unique to the reservation information medium from the reservation information medium set in the scanner or handy scanner of the image output apparatus 4. This identification information may be acquired in the same manner as in the case of capturing a plant fiber pattern image, signal processing, and feature amount extraction in the terminal device 3 described above. When the identification information unique to the reservation information medium is acquired, the image output device 4 transmits the acquired identification information to the management server 2a. This is because the management server 2a determines the originality of the reserved recording medium. This originality determination is not necessarily performed by the management server 2a, but may be performed by the image output apparatus 4. In that case, the image output apparatus 4 specifies the reservation information medium from the reservation information, and downloads the identification information about the reservation information medium from the management server 2a in which the identification information is registered.

  The originality of the reserved recording medium is determined by the management server 2a or the image output device 4 as follows. That is, the management server 2a or the image output device 4 reads out the identification information to be compared from the identification information registered in advance in the management server 2a by specifying it from the reservation information printed on the reservation information medium. The read identification information is compared with the identification information newly acquired by the image output device 4. In this case, the distance between both feature quantities (feature vector or feature matrix) is calculated, and by comparing the calculated distance with a preset threshold distance, the reservation information medium is stored in the registered original. It is determined whether it is paper.

  The comparison target is not specified from the reservation information, but may be performed by reading a predetermined identification code printed on the reservation information medium with an OCR (Optical Character Reader) or the like, or a user interface panel The user may be allowed to input a predetermined identification code. Further, when the feature amount data is encoded and printed on the sheet of the reservation information medium, the feature amount data (registered data) may be read directly from the sheet. When comparing feature amount data, a predetermined allowable range may be provided in consideration of some fluctuations during data input. In addition, since it is assumed that accidents such as operation mistakes and misalignment may occur, it is predetermined even when the comparison result denies the originality of the paper, that is, when it is not determined that the reserved information medium is the original paper. May be set to allow the number of retries. In addition, when the number of identification information registered in the management server 2a is small, a process for comparing with the total number of registered data without specifying a comparison target, that is, an identification process may be applied.

  The distance used for comparing feature quantities is the distance used in statistical discriminant analysis or cluster analysis, such as city distance, Euclidean distance, standardized Euclidean distance, Minkowski distance, Mahalanobis distance, etc. (Murakami Seikatsu: Behavioral metric series "Science of Shinji" Asakura Shoten, 1996). The former four distances are all obtained as the distance between the unknown paper feature vector and the registered feature vector. The Mahalanobis distance is calculated from an unknown paper feature vector, a registered feature vector (average vector), and an inverse matrix of a feature matrix (variance covariance matrix or correlation matrix). In addition to these, it is possible to use a method of obtaining a difference degree from a fuzzy set, a method of determining an original by learning a neural network, or the like. Further, the feature amount comparison may be determined from the angle formed by the vector, not by the distance. By processing the data as described above, the characteristics of the paper can be captured and identified and verified. Of course, the identification / collation calculation may be performed by reducing the dimension of the feature space by KL (Karhunen-Loeve) expansion or the like.

  In addition to the method of identifying and collating in the real space from the observed pattern image as described above, for example, the observed pattern image is converted into the frequency domain using a two-dimensional Fourier transform, and the Fourier space is obtained. Identification and verification may be performed as described above. In this case, a pre-registered image and an image of the reservation information medium are combined in the Fourier space, and a correlation strength image is obtained by inverse Fourier transform, and the similarity between the two images is evaluated from the peak value. be able to. For example, when the amplitude peak is equal to or larger than a preset threshold value, it can be determined that the images are the same, that is, the same paper.

  Further, instead of the comparison (identification / collation) at the image data level as described above, the comparison may be made at the extracted feature amount level. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a pattern image obtained by observation is binarized after differentiation, and further thinning is performed to obtain a line image indicating the state of the flow of plant fibers. A method of extracting position data of feature points such as fiber intersections, end points, and branch points as feature quantities of the pattern image is also conceivable. This method can describe a feature amount with much smaller data than a data amount generally handled at the image data level.

If it is determined that the reserved recording medium is the original as a result of the determination of the originality of the reserved recording medium, and the originality of the reserved recording medium is guaranteed, then the image output device 4 performs the first process. As in the case of the operation example, the reservation information is read from the set reservation information medium (S212), the reservation information is inquired to the management server 2a (S213), and if the print output is possible, the file server 2c. The content data is downloaded from (S214), and the content data is printed out (S215).
On the other hand, when the originality of the reserved recording medium is not guaranteed, that is, when it is determined that the reserved recording medium is not the original, the image output device 4 notifies the user to that effect through display on the user interface panel. Then, a series of processing ends.

  As described above, in the second processing operation example, when the reservation information is issued, the identification information unique to the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out is acquired from the recording medium, and the reservation information is issued on the print output of the content data. Identification information unique to the reservation information medium is acquired from the medium, and these are compared and collated with each other, and the originality of the reservation information medium is determined based on the comparison and collation. That is, the paper can be identified and collated without inserting a special object such as a functional material into the paper as the reservation information medium or using a special printing method or ink. In particular, it is extremely difficult to counterfeit this because a random pattern image created by the plant fiber in an intertwined state with the plant fiber forming the paper is used as information for paper identification verification. It is possible to prove the originality that the paper is unique.

  Therefore, even in the case of using a tangible object, which is a storage medium on which reservation information is printed out, for network printing services, the safety of ensuring the originality of the storage medium or preventing counterfeiting is extremely high. Can be embodied. That is, it can be said that it is very suitable when applied to the provision of a network print service. Further, any paper as a storage medium can be applied, and no consumables are required other than the apparatus introduction cost, so that it can be realized at a very low cost.

In the present embodiment including the first and second processing operation examples, the preferred specific example of the present invention has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the terminal device 3 and the image output device 4 can be implemented using various existing information devices as long as they use a print output function, an information reading function, or the like.
In this embodiment, an additional insertion method when embedding reservation information on a recording medium and printing it out, an acquisition method of identification information unique to the recording medium for determining the originality of the reservation information medium, etc. In addition to the description, other known techniques may be used or may be realized by appropriately combining known techniques.
In addition, with regard to billing processing, for example, payments are made in addition to payments by pre-processing using credit cards that are normally performed on the Internet, and payments by regular (for example, monthly) batch post-processing for corporations. It is also conceivable that charging is performed by selling dedicated paper to which a provision fee has been added in advance to the user, and printing the reservation information on the dedicated paper to provide a network print service. That is, the billing mode is not limited to that described in the present embodiment.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an image processing system according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st example of the image processing method which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the image processing method which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the pattern image of a plant fiber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the pattern image of a plant fiber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the pattern image of an observation area | region, and the example which quantized and sampled this. It is an image figure which shows the process result at the time of thinning-processing a pattern image.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Network line, 2 ... Server apparatus, 2a ... Management server, 2b ... Content server, 2c ... File server, 3 ... Terminal device, 4 ... Image output apparatus

Claims (12)

A server device that manages content data to be provided to a user; and a terminal device that receives an output request for the content data and receives reservation information corresponding to the output request from the server device and issues it to a requesting user The image output device is connected via a network line and receives the content data specified by the reservation information from the server device when the reservation information is input, and outputs the content data.
An image output comprising: input means for optically reading the reservation information issued by printing on a recording medium on the terminal device from the recording medium and inputting the reservation information apparatus. 2. The image output according to claim 1, wherein the input unit extracts and reads the reservation information added to the reservation content information from the reservation content information printed and output on the recording medium. apparatus. Information acquisition means for acquiring identification information unique to the recording medium from the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out;
The terminal device receives the identification information specific to the recording medium acquired from the recording medium that prints out the reservation information and the identification information acquired by the information acquisition means, and compares them with each other. 3. An image output apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: originality determination means for determining the originality of the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out based on comparison and collation. The image output according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the reservation information printed out on the recording medium includes information related to billing for the output of content data specified by the reservation information. apparatus. A server device for managing content data provided to a user;
A terminal device for receiving the output request for the content data, receiving reservation information corresponding to the output request from the server device, and issuing it to the requesting user;
When the reservation information is input, an image output device that receives and outputs content data specified by the reservation information from the server device;
An image processing system comprising a network line connecting the server device, the terminal device, and the image output device to each other,
The terminal device issues the reservation information by printing out the reservation information on a recording medium,
The image output system is characterized in that the image output apparatus inputs the reservation information by optically reading the reservation information from a recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out. The image processing system according to claim 5, wherein the terminal device adds the reservation information to reservation content information and prints it out on the recording medium. The terminal device includes first information acquisition means for acquiring identification information unique to a recording medium for printing out the reservation information from the recording medium,
The image output device includes second information acquisition means for acquiring identification information unique to the recording medium from the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed and output.
The server device or the image output device receives the identification information acquired by the first information acquisition unit and the identification information acquired by the second information acquisition unit, and compares them with each other. 7. An image processing system according to claim 5, further comprising originality determining means for determining the originality of the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed based on the information. 8. The image processing according to claim 5, wherein the reservation information printed out on the recording medium includes information related to charging for the output of content data specified by the reservation information. system. A server device for managing content data provided to a user, a terminal device operated by the user, and an image output device having a function of outputting the content data are used in an image processing system connected to each other via a network. An image processing method comprising:
When the terminal device receives an output request for the content data, the terminal device receives reservation information corresponding to the output request from the server device, and prints the reservation information on a recording medium. To the requesting user,
When the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out is set, the image output apparatus optically reads the reservation information from the recording medium, and transmits the content data specified by the reservation information to the server apparatus An image processing method characterized in that the image processing method receives the data from the image and outputs it. 10. The image processing method according to claim 9, wherein, when issuing the reservation information, the terminal device adds the reservation information to reservation content information and prints it out on the recording medium. In issuing the reservation information, the terminal device acquires identification information specific to the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out from the recording medium,
When printing out the content data, the image output device acquires identification information specific to the recording medium from the recording medium on which the reservation information is printed out,
In the server device or the image output device, the identification information acquired by the terminal device and the identification information acquired by the image output device are received, compared with each other, and the reservation is made based on the comparison verification. The image processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the originality of the recording medium on which the information is printed out is determined. 12. The image processing according to claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein the reservation information printed out on the recording medium includes information related to charging for the output of content data specified by the reservation information. Method.