JP2006332912A - Image forming apparatus, image searching method, control program, computer-readable recording medium, and image searching apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of discriminating a possessor of a printed matter without the need for attaching any information to the printed matter at all. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: an image forming section 8 for forming an image on a sheet on the basis of a received image; an image storage device 13 for storing an image processed by the image forming section as a first image and storing associated information associated with the first image; an image read section 7 for reading the image recorded on the sheet; a comparison image acquisition section 22 for acquiring the image read by the image read section 7 as a second image; a particularized image acquisition section 20 for acquiring the first image and the associated information associated with the first image from the image storage device 13; a determining section 21 that compares the second image with the first image and discriminates the similarity between the second and first images on the basis of the comparison; and a notice control section 23 that allows a notice device to notice of the associated information when the similarity is a prescribed value or over. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention, for example, determines the degree of similarity between a read image read by an image reading device and a comparison image stored in advance, and displays related information associated with the comparison image The present invention relates to an image search method, a control program, a computer-readable recording medium, and an image search apparatus.

  Documents, drawings, and photographs that the user needs (these distinctions are not important here, so we will treat them as images that are all expressed on paper below) using a copying machine and obtain the desired number of copies. The act of doing is done on a daily basis. The user can obtain a copy product simply by placing a document on the scanner and performing a predetermined simple operation.

  In recent years, with the improvement of computer performance and price reduction, a network system has been constructed that shares peripheral devices and processes information transmitted from the computer, particularly on a LAN (Local Area Network). Yes.

  In addition to simply printing an image read by a scanner, for example, a digital multifunction peripheral having a scanner function, a FAX function, and an output function for outputting data transmitted from a personal computer has been proposed. Yes.

  When the digital multi-function peripheral is shared by a plurality of users, a printed matter (including a copy product) printed by the plurality of users is printed out from the digital multi-function peripheral.

  At this time, when a printed matter printed by a plurality of users sees only the printed matter, it cannot be determined which printed matter is printed by which user.

  Therefore, for example, when a user who has formed an image with a digital multifunction peripheral forgets to take the printed matter, the printed matter remains in the digital multifunction peripheral, and the user who has output the printed matter is identified. Will be very difficult.

  In order to specify such a user who printed a printed material, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

Specifically, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, identification information that can recognize the user who has output the printed material is added to the printed material to be output in white.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-88563 (Release Date; March 30, 1999)

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, information that is not originally required to be printed is added to the printed material, and therefore unnecessary identification information is added to all printed materials to be printed. For this reason, for example, even when an official document or the like is printed, the identification information is added, and a printed matter in which only a desired image is formed cannot be obtained.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus that can determine the owner of a printed material without adding any information to the printed material. is there.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention uses an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on an input image, and an image processed by the image forming unit as a first image. An image storage means for storing the related information associated with the first image, an image reading means for reading the image recorded on the sheet, and an image read by the image reading means as the second image Second image acquisition means for acquiring; first image acquisition means for acquiring the first image and related information associated with the first image from the image storage means; the second image; the first image; And determining means for determining the similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result, and notifying the related information to the notification device when the similarity is a predetermined value or more. Make It is characterized by comprising a knowledge unit.

  The image search method according to the present invention includes an image forming unit, an image storage unit, an image reading unit, a second image acquisition unit, a first image acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a notification unit. An image search method using an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a sheet based on the input image, and the image storage unit processes the image. Is stored as a first image and related information associated with the first image is stored, an image reading step in which the image reading unit reads an image recorded on the sheet, and a second image acquisition A second image acquisition step in which the means acquires the image read by the image reading means as a second image; and the first image acquisition means is associated with the first image and the first image from the image storage means. The The first image acquisition step of acquiring continuous information and the determination means compare the second image with the first image, and based on the comparison result, the similarity between the second image and the first image The determination step for determining the degree and the notification means include a notification step for causing the notification device to notify the related information when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  The related information is information associated with the first image, and includes, for example, at least one of information related to a creator who created the first image, date / time information indicating a date / time when the first image was created, and the like. It is a waste. Further, for example, when the first image is formed by the image forming apparatus, the related information includes, for example, image forming date and time information indicating the date and time when the image forming command and the image forming command are issued. You may go out.

  The notification device notifies the related information to the outside, and specifically includes a display device, a speaker, and the like.

  According to the above configuration, the second image read by the image reading unit is compared with the first image corresponding to the image formed by the image forming unit and stored in the image storage unit. When the similarity between the two is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the related information associated with the first image is notified.

  A first image is recorded on the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit, and the first image is stored in the image storage unit. The image storage device stores the first image formed by the image forming unit and related information. Therefore, the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit is read by the image reading unit, and the similarity between the read second image and the first image recorded in the image storage unit is high. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the second image and the first image are likely to be the same. Thus, by notifying the related information associated with the first image, the related information related to the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit can be notified. That is, for example, even when the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit is left unattended, the user who has output the recording medium is estimated by reading the recording medium by the image reading unit. Can do.

  The image reading unit may read not only the sheet on which the image has been formed by the image forming unit but also a sheet on which an image has been formed by another image forming unit.

  In the image search device according to the present invention, the first image acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the first images, and the notification unit has a similarity with the second image equal to or greater than a predetermined value. You may make an alerting | reporting apparatus alert | report the relevant information linked | related with the one part or all part of the 1st image judged to exist.

  According to the above configuration, the plurality of first images and the second images are compared, and a part or all of the related information that is determined that the similarity obtained by the comparison is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is notified. is doing. Thereby, the user can know all or a part of related information whose similarity is a predetermined value or more.

  In the image search device according to the present invention, the first image acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the first images, and the notification unit has an order of high or low similarity with the second image. In order, the notification information may be notified to the notification device.

  According to said structure, since an alerting | reporting means alert | reports relevant information in order with high or low similarity, a user can know related information in order with high or low similarity. Thereby, the user can know the related information in descending order of similarity to the second image.

  The image search apparatus according to the present invention acquires two first images from an image storage unit in which a plurality of sets of the first image and related information associated with the first image are stored, The first image comparing means for comparing the first images to obtain the similarity between the two images and one of the two first images is deleted when the similarity between the compared first images is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. At the same time, there may be provided updating means for associating related information associated with the first image to be deleted with the first image not to be deleted.

  According to the above configuration, the first images stored in the image storage unit are compared with each other, and when the similarity is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, one of the first images is deleted. The related information associated with the deleted first image is associated with the first image that is not deleted. That is, the update unit creates one in which a plurality of related information is associated with one first image. With the above configuration, since one of the similar first images can be deleted, the amount of information stored in the image storage unit can be reduced.

  The image search apparatus according to the present invention acquires two first images from an image storage unit in which a plurality of sets of the first image and related information associated with the first image are stored, An updating unit that deletes one of the first images and associates the related information associated with the first image to be deleted with the first image that is not deleted, and the updating unit does not delete the first image to be deleted. It is more preferable to include a difference calculating unit that calculates a difference from the first image, and to associate the difference calculated by the difference calculating unit with related information associated with the first image to be deleted.

  The difference is information regarding different portions of the two first images. When the two first images are similar, the information amount of the difference is reduced.

  According to said structure, while taking the difference of the two 1st images stored in the image memory | storage means, while deleting one 1st image, the said relevant information linked | related with the said 1st image to delete is described above Associate the differences. And the related information with which the said difference was linked | related was linked | related with the remaining 1st image of the said 2 1st images.

  As a result, even if one of the two first images is deleted, the difference is not associated with the first image, so the information storage capacity of the image storage means is reduced without losing the amount of information. be able to.

  In the image search device according to the present invention, the determining unit generates a combined first image by combining the first image and the difference associated with the first image to generate a combined first image. The structure provided with is more preferable.

  According to said structure, since the synthetic | combination 1st image production | generation means which synthesize | combines the said 1st image and the difference linked | related with the said 1st image is provided, a 1st image and a difference are synthesize | combined and deleted. A synthesized first image corresponding to the first image can be created.

In the image search device according to the present invention, the determination unit obtains a similarity between the synthesized first image synthesized by the synthesized first image generating unit and the second image,
More preferably, the notification means causes the notification device to notify related information associated with the difference when the similarity between the second image and the composite first image is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  According to said structure, the said determination part is calculating | requiring the similarity of the said synthetic | combination 1st image and the said 2nd image while producing the synthetic | combination 1st image which synthesize | combined the 1st image and the difference. And when the similarity degree of a 2nd image and a synthetic | combination 1st image is more than predetermined value, the alerting | reporting apparatus is alert | reported the relevant information linked | related with the said difference. As a result, even when only the difference is associated with the first image in order to reduce the amount of information stored in the image storage means, the first image similar to the second image can be searched more accurately. Related information associated with an image can be notified.

  The image search apparatus according to the present invention further includes search condition acquisition means for acquiring a search condition for designating an item included in the related information, wherein the first image acquisition means includes related information satisfying the search condition and A configuration for acquiring the first image associated with the related information is more preferable.

  The search condition acquisition unit acquires, for example, a search condition issued by a user.

  According to said structure, before calculating | requiring the similarity of a 2nd image and a 1st image, it is necessary for a user to calculate | require similarity by designating search conditions, ie, related information is the said search. The first image that satisfies the condition and the second image can be compared. Thereby, since the number of the 1st images which ask for similarity can be reduced, a quick search is attained.

  The image search apparatus according to the present invention includes search condition acquisition means for acquiring a search condition for designating an item included in the related information, and the notification means has a similarity equal to or higher than a predetermined value, and More preferably, the notification device is notified of only relevant information associated with the first image that satisfies the search condition.

  According to the above configuration, since only the related information associated with the first image that is determined to satisfy the search condition and whose similarity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value is notified, the user only needs the related information. Can know.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image search device, an image reading unit that optically reads a recording medium on which the second image is recorded, and the first image. And image forming means for forming an image.

  According to the above configuration, for example, when the document image-formed by the image forming unit is left for a while and the owner of the document is unknown, the document is read by the image reading unit, By comparing the second image read by the image reading means and the first image, the owner of the document can be known.

  Further, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is more preferably configured to include related information recording means for recording date and time information related to the date and time when the image is formed by the image forming means as the related information.

  According to the above configuration, the date and time information when the image is formed by the image forming unit is recorded as the related information. Accordingly, when the image search device determines that there is a first image similar to the second image, the user is notified of related information including the date and time information. The date and time when the image was formed can be known.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the notifying unit notifies related information associated with the first image determined to have a similarity equal to or higher than a predetermined value in ascending or descending order of the date and time information. A configuration in which the apparatus is notified is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, the related information is notified in ascending or descending order of the date and time information, so that the user can more accurately determine the owner of the second image (document) formed by the image forming unit. be able to.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, it is more preferable that the related information includes tray information related to a discharge tray from which an image-formed processed product is discharged.

  According to the above configuration, the related information includes the discharge tray information. Thereby, for example, the user inputs the specific tray information to the search condition acquisition unit in order to specify the owner of the second image (document) discharged from the specific discharge tray of the image forming apparatus. The determination unit can notify related information from the first image associated with related information having the same tray information as the specific tray information. Thereby, more efficient search can be performed.

  An image search apparatus according to the present invention includes a second image acquisition unit that acquires a second image, a first image acquisition unit that acquires a first image to be compared and related information associated with the first image, and Determining means for comparing the second image with the first image and determining a similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result; and the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In the case, it is characterized by comprising notifying means for informing the notifying device of the related information.

  An image search method according to the present invention is an image search method using an image search apparatus including an image acquisition unit, a first image acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a notification unit in order to solve the above-described problem. The second image acquisition step in which the second image acquisition unit acquires the second image, the first image to be compared by the first image acquisition unit, and the related information associated with the first image, The first image acquisition step of acquiring the image, and the determination unit compares the second image with the first image, and determines the degree of similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result And a notification step of causing the notification device to notify the related information when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  According to said structure, the determination means compares the 2nd image and the 1st image, and calculates | requires both similarity. And when it is judged that both are similar or the same, a alerting | reporting means alert | reports the relevant information linked | related with the said 1st image to an alerting | reporting apparatus.

  Accordingly, when the second image and the first image are similar, the user can know related information associated with the first image. Therefore, for example, when the creator of the first image is included in the related information and the creator (owner) of the second image is unknown, the user uses the image search device to set the first image. By searching for a first image that is similar or the same as the second image from among the images, the image is attached to the first image that is determined to be the same or similar to the second image. From the related information, the creator of the second image can be estimated.

  In addition, since the specific information is not directly attached to the second image as in the conventional configuration, the creator of the second image can be estimated without attaching extra specific information to the second image.

  In the image search device according to the present invention, the first image acquisition unit acquires the plurality of first images, and the determination unit includes the second image among the plurality of first images. The first image with the highest similarity may be determined.

  According to said structure, the some 1st image can be acquired and the relevant information of the 1st image with the highest similarity with the said 2nd image can be alert | reported among them. That is, with the above configuration, the user can know related information associated with the first image that is most likely to be the same as the second image. Thereby, the creator of the said 2nd image etc. can be estimated more correctly.

  The image search apparatus and the image forming apparatus may be realized by a computer. In this case, the image search apparatus and the image forming apparatus are realized by the computer by causing the computer to operate as the respective means. A control program for the search device and the image forming apparatus and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention uses an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on an input image, and an image processed by the image forming unit as a first image. An image storage means for storing the related information associated with the first image, an image reading means for reading the image recorded on the sheet, and an image read by the image reading means as the second image Second image acquisition means for acquiring; first image acquisition means for acquiring the first image and related information associated with the first image from the image storage means; the second image; the first image; And determining means for determining the similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result, and notifying the related information to the notification device when the similarity is a predetermined value or more. Make A configuration and a knowledge unit.

  Thus, by notifying the related information associated with the first image, the related information related to the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit can be notified. That is, for example, even when the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit is left unattended, the user who has output the recording medium is estimated by reading the recording medium by the image reading unit. There is an effect that can be.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a specific image acquisition unit that acquires a second image (hereinafter referred to as a specific image), and a first image to which related information that is a comparison target of the specific image is added ( The comparison image acquisition means for acquiring the comparison image) and the specific image and the comparison image are compared, and the determination of determining the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image based on the comparison result And a notification means for notifying the notification device of the related information when it is determined that the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment stores the combination of the comparison image and the related information associated with the comparison image received from the outside in the image storage device when performing image formation. It is. In the following description, an image forming apparatus provided with the image search apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network printer system including the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In the network printer system, an image forming apparatus 1 and a plurality of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as personal computers 2) are connected via a network 3 as shown in FIG. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 forms an image based on an image forming command from each personal computer 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image reading unit (image reading unit) 7, a communication unit 6, an image forming unit (image forming unit) 8, and an image formation control unit (related information recording unit). 12, an image storage device (image storage unit) 13, a paper discharge tray 9, a notification unit (notification device) 11, an operation unit (search condition acquisition unit) 10, an update unit (update unit) 14, and an image search device 5. ing. The updating unit 14 may be provided as necessary.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a digital copying machine, for example, and has a conventionally known configuration that realizes a copying function, a printer function, and a communication function.

  The image reading unit 7 optically reads a document placed on a document placing table (not shown) using, for example, an image sensor and obtains read image data. Examples of the image reading unit 7 include a scanner.

  The communication unit 6 transmits and receives various information to and from various devices including the personal computer 2 connected to the image forming apparatus 1 via the network 3. The communication unit 6 receives images from the outside (various devices).

  The image forming unit 8 forms an image of print data received from the outside via the communication unit 6 and read image data read by the image reading unit 7. The image forming unit 8 includes a correction unit (not shown). The correction unit corrects an image to be formed (print data and read image data) according to the characteristics of the image forming unit 8. That is, the image forming unit 8 outputs an image in which correction such as gradation correction is performed on the image to be formed. For example, when the image transmitted to the image forming unit 8 has already been corrected according to the characteristics of the image forming unit 8, the correction in the correcting unit is not performed and the image is formed as it is. It becomes.

  The image formation control unit 12 controls image formation of print data received from the communication unit 6. Specifically, when the image formation control unit 12 receives an instruction to perform image formation without storing print data from the outside, the image formation control unit 12 outputs the print data and the print data to the image via the communication unit 6. The image forming conditions for forming are transmitted to the image forming unit 8. When receiving an instruction from the outside to save the print data and form an image, the image formation control unit 12 sends the print data and the related information received via the communication unit 6 to the image storage device 13. Then, the print data and the image forming conditions included in the related information are transmitted to the image forming unit 8. Further, when receiving an instruction from the outside to store the print data and the related information in the image storage device 13 without forming an image, the image formation control unit 12 receives it via the communication unit 6. The print data and related information are stored in the image storage device 13. As described above, the image formation control unit 12 controls the transmission destination and processing of the print data and related information received via the communication unit 6.

  Further, when the image formation control unit 12 receives an instruction from the communication unit 6 to perform image formation, the image formation control unit 12 performs normal image formation and displays image information in related information associated with the received print data. Date and time information indicating the date and time of formation may be recorded. That is, the image formation control unit 12 may create a part of related information.

  The image storage device 13 stores print data received from the outside for image formation and related information associated with the print data. The related information is information related to the print data and includes information for specifying the print data. Specific examples of the related information include, for example, creator information regarding the creator who created the print data, date information indicating the date and time when the print data was transmitted (image formation date and time information indicating the date and time when image formation is performed) In other words, image forming conditions of the print data, discharge tray information indicating a discharge tray to be discharged after the print data is imaged, and the like.

  The image storage device 13 may further store read image data that is read by the image reading unit 7 to form an image and related information associated with the read image data.

  The data structure of print data and related information associated with the print data stored in the image storage device 13 will be described later.

  The paper discharge tray 9 is a tray for placing printed matter on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 8. In the present embodiment, a plurality of the paper discharge trays 9 are provided, and the printed matter is discharged to a discharge tray determined based on a user instruction.

  The notification unit 11 notifies various information to the outside. The notification unit 11 includes a display unit 31 and a speaker 32. The display unit 31 displays various types of information including related information, and the speaker 32 outputs various types of information including the related information as sound.

  The operation unit 10 receives an instruction input from a user. Examples of the operation unit 10 include a touch panel and buttons. Then, the user issues an image formation command or an image reading command to the image forming apparatus 1 via the operation unit 10.

  The update unit 14 updates related information stored in the image storage device 13. Specifically, the update unit 14 updates the association destination for the print data of the related information as necessary. The update unit 14 will be described later.

  The image search device 5 obtains the similarity between the read image data read by the image reading unit 7 and the print data read from the image storage device 13. Specifically, the image search device 5 compares an image that is read image data read by the image reading unit 7 with a comparison image that is print data read from the image storage device 13, and determines the comparison result. Based on this, the similarity between the image and the comparison image is obtained.

  And the said image search apparatus 5 alert | reports the relevant information linked | related with the comparison image estimated to be the same as the said image based on the calculated | required similarity.

  Here, the image search device 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The image search device 5 includes a specific image acquisition unit (second image acquisition unit) 20, a determination unit (determination unit) 21, a comparative image acquisition unit (first image acquisition unit) 22, and a notification control unit (notification unit) 23. I have.

  The specific image acquisition unit 20 acquires read image data acquired via the image reading unit 7. The read image data read by the image reading unit 7 is data for forming an image by the image forming unit 8 and already has a data structure in which an image is formed by the image forming unit 8.

  The comparative image acquisition unit 22 acquires print data and related information associated with the print data from the image storage device 13. When difference information is associated with the print data, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 also acquires the difference information. The information including the difference may be used as the related information. The comparison image that is the print data is to be compared with the image acquired by the specific image acquisition unit 20.

  The determination unit 21 compares the image that is the read image data acquired by the specific image acquisition unit 20 with the comparison image that is the print data acquired by the comparison image acquisition unit 22, and The degree of similarity (match rate) is determined. And the said determination part 21 determines the comparative image similar to the said image based on the said similarity. The determination unit 21 includes a difference synthesis unit (composite comparison image generation unit) 24 and a comparison unit 25.

  The comparison unit 25 compares the image with a comparison image. In addition, when the difference is included in the print data acquired by the comparison image acquisition unit 22, the difference combination unit 24 combines the print data and the difference to create a comparison combined image.

  The notification control unit 23 displays related information associated with a comparison image (print data) determined to have a similarity with the image (read image data) determined by the determination unit 21 equal to or greater than a predetermined value. It acquires and makes the alerting | reporting part 11 alert | report the said relevant information.

  As described above, the image search device 5 compares the image with the comparison image, determines a comparison image whose similarity with the image is determined to be higher than a predetermined value based on the comparison result, and determines the determined comparison. The related information associated with the image is notified.

  In the present embodiment, the image acquired by the specific image acquisition unit 20 and the comparison image acquisition unit 22 and the comparison image have the same image format (for example, bitmap format). In the specific image acquisition unit 20, when the image and the comparison image are in different formats, at least one of the specific image acquisition unit 20 and the comparison image acquisition unit 22 has the same image format. What is necessary is just to provide the conversion part which becomes. Moreover, you may provide the conversion part which converts each of the said image acquired by the specific image acquisition part 20 and the comparison image acquisition part 22, and a comparison image into the image format suitable for both comparison.

  Examples of the image format include a bitmap image (raster image) in which the image is expressed as an enumeration of colored points (dots), a vector image in a vector format, and the like. Examples of the bitmap image include images in formats such as PNG, JPEG / JPEG2000, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and PICT.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 1, information exchanged between the blocks in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, print data to be stored in the image storage device 13 (hereinafter described as a comparative image) and related information associated with the comparative image are transmitted to the communication unit 6 via the network 3. Then, the communication unit 6 transmits the comparison image and related information to the image formation control unit 12. Then, the image formation control unit 12 stores the received comparison image and related information in the image storage device 13.

  Next, the original to be image-formed is read by the image reading unit 7 to generate read image data (hereinafter described as a specific image). The image reading unit 7 converts the read image into an image format in which the image forming unit 8 forms an image. That is, the image reading unit 7 reads a document, performs various image corrections, and generates a specific image. Then, the specific image acquisition unit 20 acquires the specific image and transmits the specific image to the determination unit 21.

  On the other hand, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires the comparison image to be compared and the related information from the image storage device 13, and transmits the comparison image and the related information to the determination unit 21.

  Then, the determination unit 21 operates the comparison unit 25 to compare the specific image with the comparison image to obtain the similarity between them. Then, the determination unit 21 determines whether the similarity obtained by the comparison unit 25 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. If it is determined that the similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the determination unit 21 is associated with the comparison image. The related information is transmitted to the notification control unit 23. Then, the determination unit 21 calculates the similarity by the number of comparison images stored in the image storage device 13, obtains the similarity with each comparison image, and the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The related information associated with the comparison image determined to be present is transmitted to the notification control unit 23.

  Thereafter, the notification control unit 23 operates the notification unit 11 to notify the acquired related information. In this way, the image search device 5 compares the specific image with the comparison image, and notifies the related information associated with the comparison image determined to have a similarity between the specific image and the comparison image. Yes.

  Here, a method for determining the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image will be described. In the present embodiment, the determination method for determining the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known method can be used.

  For example, the similarity may be obtained by determining whether or not the pixel units match each other. As described below, the feature points of the specific image and the comparison image are calculated, respectively. You may obtain | require both similarity based on a feature point.

  Specifically, the comparison unit 25 first divides the entire image into a plurality of rectangular areas. The comparison unit 25 classifies the divided areas into a text area (character area), a background area (background area), and other areas (halftone dot / photograph area). Next, the comparison unit 25 creates an area map (region separation data) based on the classified result. Next, the comparison unit 25 calculates the area of each classified area using the created area map, and creates area area information. And the comparison part 25 calculates a feature point based on the created area area information. Specifically, for example, the comparison unit 25 uses a relative ratio of each area area information as a feature point. In this way, the comparison unit 25 may generate feature points, calculate the feature points for each of the comparison image and the specific image, and obtain the similarity from the calculation result. That is, the comparison unit 25 may calculate the relative ratio of the classified areas as a feature point, and calculate the similarity between the two based on the calculation result. For example, the ratio of each area area (or the area area of any area) to the entire image may be used as the feature point.

  Further, when the comparison image and the specific image are vector images of the vector format, the specific image and the comparison image are made the same size, and then the specific vector image which is the specific image is configured. It may be compared whether or not the element is included in the elements constituting the comparison vector image that is the comparison image, and the similarity between the specific vector image and the comparison vector image may be obtained based on the comparison result.

  Further, the comparison unit 25 performs region separation processing from the specific image and the comparison image, thereby extracting each character region, performing OCR processing on the character region, obtaining character information, and obtaining both character characters. Information may be compared. And based on this result, you may obtain | require both similarity.

  In addition, the comparison unit 25 may obtain a similarity between the two by combining a plurality of the determination methods.

  Here, in order to specify the print person of the copy formed and ejected in the image forming apparatus 1, the copy is read by the image reading unit 7 and the owner of the read image is specified. Will be described. In the following description, a case will be described in which the related information stored in the image storage device 13 includes the information of the creator who created the comparison image.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a notification process for notifying related information of a comparative image in which the similarity in the image search device 5 is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Based on this flowchart, a method for calculating similarity and notifying related information will be described.

  First, the printer identification mode for identifying the printer by the user is selected. Specifically, when the user operates the operation unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1, the printer identification mode is instructed (S1).

  Then, the user sets the copy formed and ejected by the image forming apparatus 1 on the document placing table of the image reading unit 7 and issues an instruction to read the copy. The image reading unit 7 reads an image of the set copy (original) based on a reading instruction from the user (S2). Then, after reading the copy, the image reading unit 7 performs image processing into an image format that can be formed by the image forming unit 8 and generates a specific image.

  Next, the specific image acquisition unit 20 of the image search device 5 acquires the specific image (S3). Thereafter, the specific image acquisition unit 20 transmits the specific image to the determination unit 21.

  The determination unit 21 that has received the specific image issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22. The comparison image acquisition unit 22 that has received the acquisition command acquires the comparison image (print data) stored in the image storage device 13 and related information associated with the comparison image (S4). Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 transmits the acquired comparison image and related information to the determination unit 21.

  Next, the determination unit 21 operates the comparison unit 25 to calculate the similarity (match rate) between the acquired specific image and the comparison image (S5). And the said determination part 21 determines whether the calculated similarity degree is 95% (predetermined value) or more (S6).

  When determining that the similarity is 95% or more (Yes in S6), the determination unit 21 changes the value of the flag attached to the comparison image from 0 to 1 (S7). Then, the determination unit 21 transmits the comparison image with the flag set to 1 and the related information to the notification control unit 23. On the other hand, when the determination unit 21 determines in step S6 that the similarity is not 95% or more (No in S6), the process proceeds to step S8.

  Next, when the determination of similarity is completed, the determination unit 21 further issues a comparative image acquisition command to the comparative image acquisition unit 22. Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines whether there is another comparison image to be compared (S8). If it is determined in step S8 that there is another comparison image to be compared (Yes in S8), the process returns to S5. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that there is no other comparison image to be compared (No in S8), the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines that there are other comparison images to be compared to the determination unit 21. Notify it. Then, the determination unit 21 transmits a signal indicating that the comparison has been completed to the notification control unit 23.

  The notification control unit 23 that has received the signal refers to the flag of the comparison image transmitted from the determination unit 21 and determines whether there is a comparison image whose flag is 1 (S9). If it is determined that there is a comparison image with the flag being 1 (Yes in S9), the notification control unit 23 displays related information associated with the comparison image with the flag being 1 in the notification unit. 11 is operated to notify the outside (S10). Specifically, the notification control unit 23 notifies the creator information included in the related information. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that there is no comparison image with the flag set to 1 (No in S9), the notification control unit 23 operates the notification unit 11 to indicate that there is no corresponding person. Notification is made (S11). Then, the process ends.

  In this way, the image search device 5 searches for a comparison image similar to the specific image read by the image reading device, and if there is a similar comparison image, the relationship associated with the comparison image Information is broadcast.

  In the above description, the determination unit 21 transmits the comparison image with the flag set to 1 and the related information to the notification control unit 23. However, for example, the determination unit 21 may attach the flag to the related information and transmit only the related information to the notification control unit 23.

  Further, the determination unit 21 transmits only the related information associated with the comparison image for which the similarity is determined to be 95% or more to the notification control unit 23, and the notification control unit 23 receives the related information received. May be notified by operating the notification unit 11.

  In the above description, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not the similarity is 95%. However, is the similarity determination criterion, that is, whether the specific image and the comparison image are similar? What is necessary is just to set arbitrarily about the similarity which is the determination criterion of no.

  Here, the print data (comparison image) and related information associated with the print data stored in the image storage device 13 will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a data structure for explaining data stored in the image storage device 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the image storage device 13 includes print data indicating a comparison image, print person information specifying a print person who has issued a print command (image formation instruction) for the print data, and the print data. Print date / time information indicating the date / time when the print command is issued and discharge tray 9 information indicating a discharge destination when the image formed from the print data is discharged to the discharge tray 9 are stored in association with each other. ing. Here, the printer information, the printing date information, and the paper discharge tray 9 correspond to related information.

  The print data may be in any image format, but is preferably an image format suitable for image formation by the image forming unit 8, that is, an image format used for image formation. The printer information may be information that can specify the user who issued the print command for the print data. For example, the name of the user who issued the print command may be used. It may be address information to be specified. The printing date information may be, for example, the date when printing is instructed from the personal computer 2 to the image forming apparatus 1. The printing data transmitted from the personal computer 2 to the image forming apparatus 1 is the image forming apparatus 1. It may be the date and time actually printed.

  The information stored in the image storage device 13 is more preferably stored in association with print data and print person information, and is further stored in association with print date information. It is particularly preferred. In addition, as the related information, information other than the above examples, for example, image forming conditions may be stored in association with the print data.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes the image forming unit 8 that forms an image on a sheet based on the input image, and the image processed by the image forming unit 8 as the first image. And an image storage device 13 for storing related information associated with the first image, an image reading unit 7 for reading an image recorded on a sheet, and an image read by the image reading unit 7 A comparison image acquisition unit 22 that acquires the second image, a specific image acquisition unit 20 that acquires the first image and related information associated with the first image from the image storage device 13, and the second image The determination unit 21 that compares the first image with the first image and determines the similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result; and the notification device when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Report related information to A configuration and a notification control unit 23 for.

  According to the above configuration, the second image read by the image reading unit 7 and the first image corresponding to the image formed by the image forming unit 8 and stored in the image storage device 13. If the similarity between the two is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the related information associated with the first image is notified.

  A first image is recorded on the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 8, and the first image is stored in the image storage device 13. In the image storage device, the first image formed by the image forming unit 8 and related information are stored. Therefore, the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 8 is read by the image reading unit 7, and the read second image and the first image recorded in the image storage device 13. When the similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the second image and the first image are likely to be the same. Thereby, by notifying the related information associated with the first image, the related information related to the recording medium on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 8 can be notified. That is, for example, even when a recording medium on which an image is formed by the image forming unit 8 is left unattended, the user who has output the recording medium is estimated by reading the recording medium by the image reading unit 7. can do.

  In addition, the image search device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a specific image acquisition unit 20 that acquires a specific image, and a comparison image acquisition unit that acquires a comparison image to be compared and related information associated with the comparison image. 22 is compared with the specific image and the comparison image, and based on the comparison result, the determination unit 21 that determines the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image, and when the similarity is a predetermined value or more, It is a structure provided with the alerting | reporting control part 23 which alert | reports the said relevant information to the alerting | reporting part 11. FIG.

  According to said structure, the specific image and the comparison image are compared and the similarity of both is calculated | required. When it is determined that the two are similar or the same, related information associated with the comparison image can be notified to the notification unit 11.

  Thereby, when the specific image and the comparison image are similar, the user can view related information associated with the comparison image. Therefore, for example, when the creator of the comparison image is stored as the related information and the creator (owner) of the specific image is unknown, the user uses the image search device 5 to store the comparison image. By searching for a comparison image that is similar to or the same as the specific image, from among the related information attached to the comparison image that is determined to be the same or similar to the specific image, The creator of the image can be estimated.

  Further, since the specific information is not attached to the specific image as in the conventional configuration, the creator of the specific image can be estimated without attaching extra specific information to the specific image.

  According to said structure, the specific image and the comparison image are compared and the similarity of both is calculated | required. When it is determined that the two are similar or the same, related information associated with the comparison image can be notified to the notification unit 11.

  Thereby, when the specific image and the comparison image are similar, the user can view related information associated with the comparison image. Therefore, for example, when the creator of the comparison image is stored as the related information and the creator (owner) of the specific image is unknown, the user uses the image search device 5 to store the comparison image. By searching for a comparison image that is similar or the same as the specific image from the inside, the creator of the specific image is determined from the related information attached to the comparison image that is determined to be the same or similar to the image. Can be estimated.

  Further, the data structure of the print data and related information stored in the image storage device 13 is not limited to the above. Here, a configuration for reducing the storage capacity stored in the image storage device 13 will be described below.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an update unit 14 that updates data stored in the image storage device 13. The update unit 14 deletes the print data stored in the image forming apparatus 1 or changes the related destination associated with the deleted print data.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the update unit 14 includes a comparison image comparison unit (comparison image comparison unit) 41, an association unit 42, and a difference creation unit (difference calculation unit) 43.

  The comparative image comparison unit 41 compares the print data (comparative images) stored in the image storage device 13 and calculates the similarity between them. For the similarity calculation method, the similarity calculation method obtained by the comparison unit 25 may be used.

  The association unit 42 changes the association destination of the related information associated with the print data to be deleted when the print data stored in the image storage device 13 is deleted.

  In addition, the difference creating unit 43 determines that if the print data stored in the image storage device 13 is similar to the other print data compared but slightly different, in other words, the similarity is equal to the first threshold value. If the value is smaller than or equal to the second threshold value, a difference between the two print data is created.

  Then, as a result of the similarity between both being obtained by the comparison image comparison unit 41, the update unit 14 has the similarity equal to or higher than the first threshold or smaller than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold. Or whether it is smaller than the second threshold value (note that the first threshold value> the second threshold value).

  If the similarity is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the update unit 14 deletes one of the compared two print data. At that time, the updating unit 14 operates the associating unit 42 to associate the related information associated with the print data to be deleted with the print data that is not to be deleted.

  When the similarity is smaller than the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, the updating unit 14 deletes one of the compared two print data. At that time, the updating unit 14 operates the associating unit 42 to associate the related information associated with the print data to be deleted with the print data that is not to be deleted. Further, the updating unit 14 operates the difference creating unit 43 to create a difference between the two and associate the difference with print data that is not deleted. That is, when the similarity is smaller than the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, the update unit 14 performs printing that does not delete the related information and the difference associated with the print data to be deleted. Associate with data.

  Further, when the value is smaller than the second threshold value, the update unit 14 does not perform update. As described above, the update unit 14 deletes print data, associates related information, or creates a difference based on the similarity between the print data stored in the image storage device 13. Thus, the storage capacity of data stored in the image forming apparatus 1 is reduced.

  Here, a configuration for changing the association destination of the related information associated with the print data to be deleted will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the print data and the related information stored in the image storage device 13 when the association destination of the related information is changed by the associating unit 42. The data structure shown in FIG. 5 shows a state after the data in the image storage device 13 stored in the data structure shown in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, print data 1, print data 2, print data 3... Include related information A including printer information A, related information B including printer information B, and printer information C. Are associated with each other.

  At this time, the comparative image comparison unit 41 of the update unit 14 compares the print data with each other to obtain the similarity. When it is determined that the similarity between the print data 1 and the print data 2 is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the updating unit 14 deletes one of the print data 1 and the print data 2, here the print data 2. . At this time, the updating unit 14 operates the associating unit 42 to associate the related information B associated with the print data 2 to be deleted with the print data 1. As a result, the print data 2 is deleted, and the related information B associated with the print data 2 is associated with the print data 1.

  Next, the comparison image comparison unit 41 of the update unit 14 compares the print data 1 and the print data 3 and calculates the similarity between them. If it is determined that the similarity between the two is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the updating unit 14 deletes one of the print data 1 and the print data 3, here the print data 3. At this time, the updating unit 14 operates the associating unit 42 to associate the related information C associated with the print data 3 to be deleted with the print data 1. As a result, the print data 3 is deleted, and the related information C associated with the print data 3 is associated with the print data 1. In the data structure in this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the print data 1 is associated with three pieces of related information A to C each including print person information A, print person information B, and print person information C. . In this way, when the update unit 14 determines that the similarity obtained by the comparison image comparison unit 41 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the update unit 14 deletes one of the two compared print data, The association unit 42 is operated to associate the related information associated with the print data to be deleted with the print data that is not deleted. The first threshold value may be set arbitrarily.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another data structure of the print data and the related information stored in the image storage device 13 when the association destination of the related information is changed by the association unit 42.

  If the similarity of the print data compared by the comparative image comparison unit 41 is smaller than the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, the update unit 14 determines that the compared print data is similar, Are different, that is, they are not the same but are similar. Then, the updating unit 14 operates the difference creating unit 43 to create a difference between the two compared. Thereafter, the update unit 14 deletes one of the compared two print data. The update unit 14 associates the related information associated with the print data to be deleted with the print data that is not deleted, and associates the difference created by the difference creation unit 43 with the print data that is not deleted.

  Specifically, when the similarity between the print data 1 and the print data 5 or 6 shown in FIG. 4 is smaller than the first threshold and greater than or equal to the second threshold, the updating unit 14 prints the print data. 5 and 6 are deleted, and related information associated with the print data 5 and 6 is associated with the print data 1. Then, the update unit 14 associates the difference (difference data α, β) between the print data 1 and the print data 5 or the print data 6 with the related information of the deleted print data. The difference data γ associated with the print data 6 is the same as described above. In this way, if the update unit 14 determines that the two compared print data are similar, the update unit 14 creates a difference between the two and associates it with the print data that is not deleted.

  Here, a method of updating the data stored in the image storage device 13 in the updating unit 14 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the image formation control unit 12 determines whether a print request (image formation command) is issued from the external personal computer 2 to the image forming apparatus 1 (S20). When the print request and the related information including the image forming conditions are received together with the print request from the outside (Yes in S20), the image forming control unit 12 stores the print data and the related information in the image storage device 13. (S21). Further, the image formation control unit 12 transmits the print data and the image formation conditions of the related information to the image forming unit 8. Then, the image forming unit 8 performs image formation (printing) based on the received print data and image formation conditions (S22).

  Next, when the update unit 14 detects that new print data and related information are stored in the image storage device 13 in step S21, the update unit 14 includes the newly stored print data, Acquired print data already stored in the image storage device 13 and to be compared with the print data (S23).

  Then, the update unit 14 operates the comparative image comparison unit 41 to calculate the matching rate (similarity) between the acquired print data (S24). Next, the updating unit 14 determines whether or not the calculated match rate is 95% (first threshold) or more (S25).

  If it is determined in step S25 that the match rate is 95% or more (Yes in S25), the updating unit 14 deletes the stored print data (S26). Then, the updating unit 14 operates the associating unit 42 to associate the related information associated with the deleted stored print data with the print data (S27).

  Then, the update unit 14 determines from the data stored in the image storage device 13 whether there is already stored print data to be compared (S28). If it is determined in step S28 that there is no other stored print data to be compared (No in S28), the process is terminated, and it is determined that there is another stored print data to be compared (S28). Yes), the process returns to step S23.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S25 that the match rate is not 95% or higher (No in S25), the updating unit 14 determines whether or not the match rate is 90% (second threshold) or higher. Judgment is made (S29).

  When it is determined in step S29 that the match rate is 90% or more, the update unit 14 operates the difference creation unit 43 to create a difference (difference data) between the two print data compared. (S30). Next, the update unit 14 deletes the compared stored print data (S31). Then, the update unit 14 associates the related information associated with the deleted stored print data and the difference created by the difference creation unit 43 with the compared print data (S32). Then, the process proceeds to step S28.

  If it is determined in step S29 that the match rate is not 90% or more (No in S29), the process proceeds to step S28.

  In this way, the update unit 14 updates the data stored in the image storage device 13. In the above description, if it is determined in step S25 that the match rate is 95% or more, and if it is determined in step S29 that the match rate is 90% or more, the stored printing is performed. The data is deleted. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the print data may be deleted. In this case, if it is determined in step S28 that there is another stored print data to be compared, the stored print data that has not been deleted in the previous comparison process is used as new print data. A match rate calculation process is performed. In the above description, the first threshold value and the second threshold value are set to 95% and 90%, respectively, but these values are not particularly limited and may be set arbitrarily. .

  In the above description, the update process is performed every time new print data is stored. However, the update process is not limited to the above. For example, the update process is performed at regular intervals. Alternatively, the update process may be performed according to a user instruction.

  Further, in the above description, a configuration is described in which, when it is determined that the match rate is smaller than 95% and 90% or more, a difference is created and this difference is associated with print data. However, for example, only when the matching rate is 95% or more, one of the compared print data may be deleted and the association destination of the related information may be changed. That is, if the difference is not created, the process may proceed to S28 if it is determined in step S25 that the match rate is not 95% or more.

  Next, the image search device when the print data and the related information stored in the image storage device 13 have a data structure as shown in FIG. 5, that is, when a plurality of pieces of related information are associated with one print data. 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining another example of a method for updating data stored in the image storage device 13 in the updating unit 14 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the same processing steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 3 are denoted by the same step numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, in steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 3, a user specifying mode for specifying a printer is selected by the user, and the specific image acquisition unit 20 transmits the specific image read by the image reading unit 7 to the determination unit 21.

  Next, the determination unit 21 that has received the specific image issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22. The comparison image acquisition unit 22 that has received the acquisition command includes a plurality of pieces of related information associated with one comparison image (print data) among the data stored in the image storage device 13. Whether or not (S40). When it is determined in step S41 that there is a comparison image having a plurality of related information (Yes in S40), the comparison image acquisition unit 22 associates the comparison image with the comparison image. A plurality of related information is acquired (S41). Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 transmits the acquired comparison image and related information to the determination unit 21.

  Next, the determination unit 21 operates the comparison unit 25 to calculate the similarity (match rate) between the acquired specific image and the comparison image (S42). And the said determination part 21 determines whether the calculated similarity is 95% (predetermined value) or more (S43).

  Then, when the determination unit 21 determines that the similarity is 95% or more (Yes in S43), the determination unit 21 determines that the comparison image is similar to the specific image, and the flag attached to the comparison image. Is changed from 0 to 1 (S7). Then, the determination unit 21 transmits the comparison image with the flag set to 1 and the plurality of related information to the notification control unit 23. On the other hand, when the determination unit 21 determines in step S43 that the similarity is not 95% or more (No in S43), the process proceeds to step S45.

  Next, when the determination of the similarity is completed in steps S41 to S44, the determination unit 21 further issues a comparative image acquisition command to the comparative image acquisition unit 22. Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines whether there is another comparison image to which a plurality of related information to be compared is associated (S45). If it is determined in step S45 that there is another comparative image to be compared (Yes in S45), the process returns to S41.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that there is no other comparison image to be compared (No in S45), the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires the remaining comparison images to be compared (S46). . Here, the remaining images indicate comparative images that are not associated with a plurality of related information.

  Thereafter, the processing of steps S5 to S7 by the determination unit 21 is performed, and it is determined whether or not the similarity is a predetermined value or more.

  When the determination of the similarity is completed by the determination unit 21, the determination unit 21 further issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22. Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines whether there is another comparison image to be compared (S47). If it is determined in step S47 that there is another comparison image to be compared (Yes in S47), the process returns to S46. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S47 that there is no other comparison image to be compared (No in S47), the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines that there are other comparison images to be compared to the determination unit 21. Notify it. Then, the determination unit 21 transmits a signal indicating that the comparison has been completed to the notification control unit 23.

  The notification control unit 23 that has received the signal refers to the flag of the comparison image transmitted from the determination unit 21 and determines whether there is a comparison image with a flag of 1 (S48). If it is determined that there is a comparison image with the flag set to 1 (Yes in S48), the notification control unit 23 displays related information associated with the comparison image with the flag set to 1 in the notification unit. 11 is operated to notify the outside (S49). Specifically, the notification control unit 23 notifies the creator information included in the related information. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S48 that there is no comparison image with the flag set to 1 (No in S48), the notification unit 11 is operated to notify information indicating that there is no corresponding person (S50). Then, the process ends.

  As described above, when the data stored in the image storage device 13 includes a comparison image in which a plurality of related information is associated and a comparison image in which one related information is associated with the comparison image, The image search device 5 performs the search process in order from the comparison image in which the plurality of pieces of related information are associated.

  Next, the print data and the related information stored in the image storage device 13 have a data structure as shown in FIG. 6, that is, an image in the case where a plurality of related information and differences are associated with one print data. The search process of the search device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining another example of the search processing according to this embodiment. In the following description, the same processing steps as those in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 8 are given the same step numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, in steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 3, a user specifying mode for specifying a printer is selected by the user, and the specific image acquisition unit 20 transmits the specific image read by the image reading unit 7 to the determination unit 21.

  Next, the determination unit 21 that has received the specific image issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22. The comparison image acquisition unit 22 that has received the acquisition command determines whether or not there is any data stored in the image storage device 13 that is associated with a difference with respect to the comparison image (print data). Judgment is made (S55). In step S55, when it is determined that there is a comparison image associated with the difference (Yes in S55), the comparison image acquisition unit 22 performs a plurality of comparisons associated with the comparison image and the comparison image. Related information and a difference are acquired (S56). Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 transmits the acquired comparison image, related information, and difference to the determination unit 21.

  Next, the determination unit 21 operates the comparison unit 25 to calculate the similarity (match rate) between the acquired specific image and the comparison image (S57). Then, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not the calculated similarity is 90% (predetermined value) or more (S58).

  If it is determined in step S58 that the similarity is 90% (second predetermined value) or more (Yes in S58), the determination unit 21 determines that the similarity is 95 (first predetermined value). ) It is determined whether or not it is greater than or equal to% (S59).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S58 that the similarity is not 90% or more, the process proceeds to step S65.

  If it is determined in step S59 that the similarity is 95% or more, the determination unit 21 determines that the comparison image is similar to the specific image, and the value of the flag attached to the comparison image. Is changed from 0 to 1 (S66). Then, the determination unit 21 transmits the comparison image with the flag set to 1 and the plurality of related information to the notification control unit 23. Then, the process proceeds to step S65.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S59 that the similarity is not 95% or more (No in S59), that is, if the similarity is determined to be smaller than 95% and 90% or more, the determining unit 21 Then, the difference synthesizing unit 24 is operated to create a synthesized comparison image obtained by synthesizing the difference associated with the comparison image compared with the specific image and the comparison image (S61).

  Next, the determination unit 21 operates the comparison unit 25 to calculate the degree of similarity (match rate) between the synthesized comparison image created by the difference synthesis unit 24 and the specific image (S61). Then, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not the calculated similarity is 95% (third predetermined value) or more (S62).

  Then, when the determination unit 21 determines that the similarity is 95% or more (Yes in S62), the determination unit 21 determines that the combined comparison image is similar to the specific image, and is attached to the combined comparison image. The flag value is changed from 0 to 1 (S63). Then, the determination unit 21 transmits the combined comparison image with the flag set to 1 and the related information associated with the combined comparison image to the notification control unit 23. Then, the process proceeds to step S64. On the other hand, if the determination unit 21 determines in step S62 that the similarity is not 95% or more (No in S62), the process proceeds to step S64.

  Next, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not there is a difference to be combined with the comparative image (S64). If it is determined that there is no difference to be combined (No in S64), the process proceeds to step S65. If it is determined that there is a difference to be combined (Yes in S64), the process proceeds to step S60.

  When the similarity determination is completed in steps S56 to S64, the determination unit 21 further issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22. Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines whether there is another comparison image with which the difference is to be compared (S65). If it is determined in step S65 that there is another comparison image to be compared (Yes in S65), the process returns to S56.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S65 that there is no other comparison image to be compared (No in S65), the process proceeds to step S40. In Steps S40 to S45, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not the specific image is similar to a comparison image in which a plurality of related information is associated. Thereafter, in steps S5 to S7 and steps S46 and 47, the determination unit 21 determines whether or not the specific image is similar to the one related information associated with one comparison image. Make a decision.

  In step S47, when the comparison image acquisition unit 22 determines that there is no other comparison image to be compared (No in S47), the comparison unit 22 determines whether there is another comparison image to be compared. Notify it. Then, the determination unit 21 transmits a signal indicating that the comparison has been completed to the notification control unit 23.

  The notification control unit 23 that has received the signal refers to the flag of the comparison image transmitted from the determination unit 21 and determines whether there is a comparison image whose flag is 1 (S70). If it is determined that there is a comparison image with the flag set to 1 (Yes in S70), the notification control unit 23 performs related information and / or synthesis comparison associated with the comparison image with the flag set to 1. The related information associated with the image is notified to the outside by operating the notification unit 11 (S71). Specifically, the notification control unit 23 notifies the creator information included in the related information. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S70 that there is no comparison image with the flag set to 1 (No in S70), the notification unit 11 is operated to notify information indicating that there is no corresponding person (S72). Then, the process ends.

  As described above, the image search device 5 has (1) related information and a difference associated with a comparison image, (2) a plurality of related information is associated, and (3) only one related information exists. In these three cases, the search is performed in the order of (1), (2), and (3). The first predetermined value, the second predetermined value, and the third predetermined value may be set arbitrarily.

  Here, a method for notifying in descending order of similarity (match rate) when there are a plurality of comparison images determined to be similar to the specific image will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for describing processing for notifying related information in descending order of match rate. In the following description, the same processing steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 3 are denoted by the same step numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, in steps S <b> 1 to S <b> 5, a comparison image to be compared with a specific image and related information are acquired, and the comparison unit 25 of the determination unit 21 compares both to calculate a match rate.

  Then, the determination unit 21 stores the match rate calculated by the comparison unit 25 (S75). Then, the comparison image, the related information, and the match rate are associated with each other and transmitted to the notification control unit 23. Then, the process proceeds to step S8.

  After step S8, the determination unit 21 that has received from the comparison image acquisition unit 22 that there is no other comparison image to be compared transmits a signal indicating that the comparison has been completed to the notification control unit 23. . The notification control unit 23 that has received the signal determines whether there is a match rate of 80% or more among the match rates received from the determination unit 21 (S76).

  If it is determined in step S76 that there is a match rate of 80% or more (Yes in S76), the notification control unit 23 associates the comparison image with the match rate of 80% or more with related information. Extract the attached ones. And the alerting | reporting control part 23 operates the alerting | reporting part 11 and alert | reports the said comparison image and related information in order with a high coincidence rate among the extracted comparison image and related information.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S76 that there is a match rate of 80% or more (No in S76), the notification control unit 23 operates the notification unit 11 to indicate that there is no corresponding person. Notification is made (S11). Then, the process ends.

  In this way, the search device can notify related information associated with the comparison images in the order of comparison images having a high match rate.

  In the above description, it is determined whether there is a comparative image of 80% (predetermined value) or more from the match rate received by the notification control unit 23. However, the present invention is not limited to the above method. For example, when the determination unit 21 determines that the match rate is 80% or more, the match rate and related information associated with the comparison image are obtained. You may transmit to the alerting | reporting control part 23. FIG.

  In the above description, related information associated with a comparative image determined to have a match rate of 80% or higher is displayed. For example, only related information associated with a comparative image with the highest match rate is displayed. May be displayed, or only a part of the related information associated with the comparison image determined to have a match rate of 80% or more, for example, displaying five in order from the highest, may be displayed. Good.

  Next, a search method for searching only a specific comparison image among the comparison images stored in the image storage device 13 on the basis of the paper discharge tray 9 information input by the user will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. explain. In the following description, the same processing steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 3 are denoted by the same step numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, a printer identification mode for identifying a printer by the user is selected (S1). Thereafter, the search condition, here, the paper discharge tray 9 information is input by the user. Then, the operation unit 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives the search condition from the user (S79). When receiving the search condition, the operation unit 10 transmits the search condition to the determination unit 21. Then, the determination part 21 acquires a specific image by step S2, S3.

  Next, the determination unit 21 that has acquired the specific image transmits the search condition acquired from the operation unit 10 to the comparison image acquisition unit 22 and issues a comparison image acquisition command to the comparison image acquisition unit 22.

  The comparison image acquisition unit 22 that has received the acquisition command and the search condition is associated with the comparison image (print data) satisfying the search condition and the comparison image among the data stored in the image storage device 13. Related information is acquired (S80). Specifically, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 refers to the discharge tray 9 information included in the related information, and related information that matches the discharge tray 9 information that is the received search condition and the related information. The comparison image associated with is acquired. Then, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 transmits the acquired comparison image and related information to the determination unit 21.

  Then, the determination part 21 performs the process of step S5-S8, compares the specific image with the comparison image satisfying the search condition, and obtains the similarity between the two. And the process of step S9-S11 is performed and the comparison image judged to be similar to a specific image by the determination part 21 is alert | reported.

  As described above, the image search device 5 can obtain the similarity between the comparison image satisfying the search condition input via the operation unit 10 and the specific image.

  In the above description, the determination unit 21 transmits the comparison image and the related information to the notification control unit 23. However, the comparison image is not always necessary, and only the related information may be transmitted. .

  Further, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires the comparison image and the related information together and transmits them to the determination unit 21. Alternatively, for example, only the comparison image is acquired and transmitted to the determination unit 21. Then, the related information associated with the comparison image whose similarity is determined to be greater than or equal to the predetermined value by the determination unit 21 may be acquired later.

  In the above configuration, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires a comparison image satisfying the above condition from the image storage device 13 based on the search condition input by the user via the operation unit 10. However, for example, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires the comparison images stored in the image storage device 13 regardless of the search conditions, and the determination unit 21 determines the similarity between these comparison images and the specific image. When obtaining, the notification control unit 23 may notify only relevant information that satisfies the search condition input by the user via the operation unit 10. That is, the notification control unit 23 may determine whether to notify related information based on the search condition.

  In addition, when displaying related information that satisfies the search condition, it is only necessary that the related information that is finally notified satisfies the search condition. For example, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 may receive information from the image storage device 13. The determination unit 21 (comparison unit 25) may compare only the comparison images having the relevant information satisfying the search condition by acquiring the comparative image having the relevant information satisfying the search condition. Alternatively, the notification control unit 23 may cause the notification unit 11 to notify only relevant information that satisfies the search condition.

  Thus, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires the plurality of comparison images, and the determination unit 21 includes the plurality of comparison images. A configuration that determines a comparative image having the highest degree of similarity is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to acquire a plurality of comparison images and report related information of the comparison image having the highest degree of similarity with the specific image. In other words, with the above-described configuration, it is possible to search for a comparative image that is highly likely to be the same as the specific image. Therefore, the user is associated with the comparative image that is likely to be the same as the specific image. Related information. Thereby, the creator of the specific image can be estimated more accurately.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires a plurality of the comparison images, and the notification control unit 23 has a similarity of a predetermined value or more. More preferably, the notification unit 11 is notified of all relevant information associated with the determined comparison image.

  According to the above configuration, a plurality of comparison images and a specific image are compared, and all the related information for which the similarity is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value is notified using the similarity obtained by the comparison. is doing. Thereby, the user can know all the related information whose similarity is a predetermined value or more.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the comparative image acquisition unit 22 acquires a plurality of the comparative images, and the notification control unit 23 performs the descending order of similarity. The structure which makes the alerting | reporting part 11 alert | report the said relevant information is more preferable.

  According to said structure, since the alerting | reporting control part 23 alert | reports pertinent information in order with high similarity or low order, a user can know related information in order with high or low similarity.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment compares the comparison images of the image storage device 13 in which a plurality of sets of the comparison image and the related information associated with the comparison image are stored. When the similarity between the comparison image comparison units 41 for calculating the similarity and the compared comparison images is equal to or more than the first threshold, the comparison image is deleted and one of the comparison images is deleted and the association associated with the comparison image to be deleted A configuration including an update unit 14 that associates information with the other comparison image that is not deleted is more preferable.

  According to said structure, the comparison image and the comparison image in which related information is stored are compared, and when a similarity degree is more than a 1st threshold value, one comparison image is deleted. Then, the related information associated with the deleted comparison image is associated with the compared comparison image. That is, the image storage device 13 includes a plurality of pieces of related information associated with one comparison image. With the above configuration, one of the similar comparative images can be deleted, so that the storage information of the image storage device 13 can be reduced.

  In addition, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the update unit 14 has a similarity between the compared comparison images that is smaller than the first threshold and equal to or higher than the second threshold, The difference creation unit 43 that calculates the difference between the comparison image to be deleted and the comparison image not to be deleted is provided, and the difference creation is performed on the related information associated with the comparison image to be deleted and associated with the comparison image not to be deleted. A configuration in which the difference calculated by the unit 43 is associated is more preferable.

  According to said structure, when it is smaller than a 1st threshold value and it is more than a 2nd threshold value, in other words, when the compared comparative images are similar but are a little different, the difference of both is calculated. Therefore, the difference is associated with the comparison image that is not deleted.

  Thus, by associating the difference with a comparison image that is not deleted, even if a similar but slightly different comparison image is deleted, a substantially different comparison image is stored. It becomes the same as leaving. As a result, it is only necessary to delete the comparative image that is similar but slightly different and store only the difference, so that the capacity of the image storage device 13 can be further reduced.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the determination unit 21 includes the difference combining unit 24 that combines the comparison image and the difference associated with the comparison image to generate a combined comparison image. The structure provided is more preferable.

  According to said structure, since the difference synthetic | combination part 24 which synthesize | combines the said comparison image and the difference linked | related with the said comparison image is provided, it is equivalent to the comparison image which synthesize | combined the comparison image and the difference, and was deleted. A composite comparison image can be created.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the determination unit 21 determines that the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image is smaller than the first predetermined value and equal to or larger than the second predetermined value. , The degree of similarity between the synthesized comparison image synthesized by the difference synthesis unit 24 and the specific image is obtained.
More preferably, the notification control unit 23 causes the notification unit 11 to notify related information associated with the difference when the similarity between the specific image and the composite comparison image is equal to or greater than a third predetermined value.

  According to the above configuration, the determination unit determines that the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image is smaller than the first predetermined value and equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, that is, the specific image and the comparison image. Are similar but slightly different, a composite comparison image is generated by combining the comparison image and the difference, and the similarity between the composite comparison image and the specific image is obtained. And when the similarity degree of a specific image and a synthetic | combination comparison image is more than a 3rd predetermined value, the alerting | reporting part 11 is alert | reported the relevant information linked | related with the said difference. Thereby, even when only the difference is associated with the comparison image in order to reduce the storage capacity of the image storage device 13, a comparison image similar to the specific image can be searched more accurately and associated with the comparison image. Related information can be notified.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the operation unit 10 that acquires the search condition, and the determination unit 21 resembles a comparison image and a specific image in which the related information satisfies the search condition. The structure which calculates | requires a degree is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, before obtaining the similarity between the specific image and the comparison image, it is necessary for the user to obtain the similarity by designating the search condition, that is, the related information satisfies the search condition. Only a comparative image that is satisfactory can be compared. Thereby, the number of comparison images for which the degree of similarity is obtained can be reduced, so that a quick search is possible.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the operation unit 10 that acquires the search condition, and the notification control unit 23 is associated with a comparative image that is determined to have a similarity equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Among the related information, it is more preferable to notify only related information that satisfies the search condition.

  According to the above configuration, instead of notifying all of the related information associated with the comparison image whose similarity is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, only the related information of the comparison image that satisfies the search condition is notified. The user can know only necessary related information.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment preferably has a configuration in which the image reading unit 7 reads the specific image from the recording medium on which the specific image is recorded.

  The image reading unit 7 reads a specific image from a recording medium. Specifically, the image reading unit 7 optically reads a specific image such as a scanner, or reads a specific image from a recording medium such as a hard disk or a CD. May be.

  According to said structure, a specific image can be read from a recording medium and this specific image and a comparison image can be compared. Thereby, the related information of the comparison image that is similar or the same as the specific image stored in the recording medium can be notified, so that the owner of the specific image recorded in the recording medium can be known.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes an image forming unit 8 that forms an image of a specific image, and the related information includes the date and time related to the date and time when the image was formed by the image forming unit 8. A configuration including information is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, the date information formed by the image forming unit 8 is included as the related information. Therefore, if there is a comparative image similar to the specific image, the date information is Since the related information is notified, the user can know the date and time when the specific image was formed.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the comparison image acquisition unit 22 acquires a plurality of the comparison images, and the notification control unit 23 has a similarity of a predetermined value or more. More preferably, the notification unit 11 is notified of the related information associated with the determined comparison image in ascending or descending order of the date and time information.

  According to said structure, since the said relevant information is alert | reported in the ascending order or the descending order of the said date information, the user can judge the owner of the said specific image more correctly.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an operation unit 10 that acquires the search condition, and the related information includes a discharge tray to which a processed product image formed by the image forming unit 8 is discharged. The determination unit 21 obtains the similarity between the comparison image associated with the related information including the same tray information as the specific tray information acquired by the operation unit 10 and the specific image. Is more preferable.

  According to the above configuration, the similarity between the comparison image associated with the related information including the same tray information as the specific tray information acquired by the operation unit 10 and the specific image is obtained.

  Accordingly, for example, when the user inputs the specific tray information in order to specify the owner of the specific image discharged from the specific discharge tray of the image forming apparatus 1, the determination unit 21 can specify the specific tray information. The related information can be notified from the comparison images associated with the related information having the same tray information. Thereby, more efficient search can be performed.

  The similarity between the print data stored in the image storage device 13 by the image search device 5 and the read image data is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the relation added to the print data determined to be similar. When the user (creator, owner) of the read image data is specified from the information, the notification control unit 23 informs the user that he / she has forgotten to take the image-formed paper by e-mail or the like. May be notified. In this case, specifically, in the related information, the user name and the contact address of the user are stored in advance in association with each other, and the notification control unit 23 stores the comparison image whose similarity is a predetermined value or more. The user name obtained from the related information may be acquired, and notification (notification that the user has forgotten to take the paper) may be performed on the contact address associated with the user name.

  In the above description, when the comparison image and the related information are transmitted from the personal computer 2 via the communication unit 6, the image formation control unit 12 stores the comparison image and the related information in the image storage device 13. is doing. However, for example, when the user inputs the related information when the document is read by the image reading unit 7, the image formation control unit 12 inputs the specific image read by the image reading unit 7 and the user. The related information may be stored in the image storage device 13.

  In the above description, the image search device 5 is provided in the image forming apparatus 1, and the image reading unit 7 reads a document image-formed by the image forming unit 8. A configuration is described in which the print data stored in the device 13 is compared, and when the similarity between the two is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the related information associated with the print data is notified. However, the search device is not limited to the image read by the image reading unit 7, for example, the image of the unknown owner received via the communication unit 6 and the print data stored in the image storage device 13. In comparison, related information of print data similar to an image whose owner is unknown may be displayed. That is, the image search device 5 may not be provided in the image forming device 1, and the image search device 5 may be provided on the network 3. Then, the image search device 5 acquires an image from the outside, compares this image with a comparison image (print data) stored in the image storage device 13, and the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Alternatively, the related information may be returned to the image transmission source.

  That is, in the above description, an example in which the image forming apparatus 1 includes the image search device 5, the image storage device 13, and the image reading unit 7 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example. The image forming apparatus 1, the image reading unit 7, the image search device 5, and the image storage device 13 may be provided separately from each other, and these may be connected via the network 3.

  In addition, for each configuration provided in the image forming apparatus 1, for example, all configurations may be housed in one housing, and at least one configuration (member) is connected by, for example, a network or the like. It may be.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit, a receiving unit that receives print data and user information corresponding to the control unit, a printing unit that performs printing based on the print data, and the received print data. Storage means for associating and storing user information, image reading means for reading a paper image, image data checking means for checking read image data read by the image reading means and stored print data, and notification means In the image forming apparatus 1, the control unit collates the read image data with the stored print data by the image data collating unit, and when the image data matches at least one of the stored print data, at least the stored print by the notifying unit. The structure which alert | reports the user information memorize | stored linked | related with data may be sufficient.

  With the above configuration, if there are only one or a few paper discharge trays 9 and the same tray is used by multiple people, determine whether it is necessary or unnecessary even if there is printed matter left for a long time. However, the printer is not specified and is left on the tray, or the “left paper storage” box is prepared beside and the box is full. In addition, it is easy to identify the printer by printing the printer's data on the printed matter, but it eliminates the fact that the printer is not disturbing / looks good even at the corner.

  In addition, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit stores and prints with a matching rate (for example, 95% or more) that is equal to or higher than the read image data to be compared as a result of collation by the image data collating unit. When there are a plurality of data, the notification means may be controlled to notify the user information associated with all of the data.

  With the above configuration, when there are a plurality of corresponding persons, the corresponding persons can be easily identified by notifying all the users (list display etc.).

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit stores the print date information in association with the print data, and when there are a plurality of stored print data having a predetermined pass rate or more, the associated date and time are stored. The structure which controls an alerting | reporting means to alert | report information may be sufficient.

  According to said structure, when there exists two or more applicable persons, an appropriate person specification is made easy by alert | reporting printing date information together. In other words, it is easy to predict from the place left on the paper discharge tray 9 (the number of sheets from the top etc.).

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured such that the control unit controls the notification unit so as to notify the user information in the ascending or descending order of the date / time information.

  According to the above configuration, when there are a plurality of corresponding persons, the user information is notified in ascending order or descending order (can be set) in order of date and time, thereby facilitating the identification of the persons concerned. In other words, it is easy to predict from the place left on the paper discharge tray 9 (the number of sheets from the top etc.).

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit compares and collates the stored print data stored in the storage unit by the image data collating unit, and the first matching rate (for example, 95%). If there is more than one stored print data, the other stored print data remains as representative print data, the others are deleted, and multiple user / print date / time information is stored in association with the representative print data. The structure to be made may be sufficient. As a result, the capacity of the storage means can be reduced.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit compares and collates the stored print data stored in the storage unit by the image data collating unit, and the second matching rate (for example, 90%). ) When there are a plurality of stored print data as described above, one of the stored print data is stored as representative print data, and other stored print data is generated by generating a difference from the representative print data. User information is stored in association with the difference, and when the image data read by the image reading means and the representative print data are equal to or higher than a predetermined pass rate, the stored print data of the representative plus difference is collated. May be.

  According to the above configuration, when a slightly different image is stored, only the difference is required, and the storage means capacity can be reduced. In addition, since the match with the representative print data is first determined and then the comparison with the representative + difference is performed, it is possible to narrow down and there is no need to check with all the stored print data.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured to control the notification unit so that the control unit notifies in order from the highest match rate. Thereby, an applicable person identification is made easy by alert | reporting in order of a user with high possibility.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a plurality of paper discharge trays 9. The control unit receives the print data and the corresponding discharge tray information, and associates the print data with the stored print data. When the operator designates a tray in which information is stored and the printed matter is left unattended by the operating means, the image data is stored so that the stored print data in which the designated tray and the discharge tray information coincide with the read image data. The verification means may be a control configuration.

  Thereby, at the time of collation, it is only necessary to collate data corresponding to the discharged tray, and it becomes easy to narrow down the corresponding person.

  As mentioned above, although the alerting | reporting part 11 was utilized as an alerting | reporting apparatus, the alerting | reporting control part 23 controlled the alerting | reporting part 11 and the display part 31 and the various information including relevant information were displayed by the speaker 32, or the audio | voice output was disclosed, for example. Instead of notifying using the display unit 31 and the speaker 32, the notification device associates the specific image (second image) and the comparison image (first image) with the comparison image when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The related information may be notified to an address (e-mail address, IP address, etc.) included in the related information. That is, the notification device may be configured to transmit the related information to the personal computer 2 of the user who has forgotten to take the printed matter and directly notify the user who has left the printed matter that the forgotten printed matter has been left. Hereinafter, a configuration in which the image storage device 13 stores the first image received from the external device, and the notification device notifies the related information to the transmission source of the first image will be described.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 that transmits related information to the personal computer 2 that is the external apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 12 includes a notification unit 11 ′ instead of the notification unit 11. Other configurations are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. The notification unit 11 ′ acquires related information from the image storage device 13, acquires address information (for example, an email address) to which the related information is to be transmitted, from the printer information included in the related information, The relevant information is notified to the transmission source of the comparison image associated with the relevant information.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the notification unit 11 ′. The notification unit 11 ′ acquires related information stored in the image storage device 13 and transmits the related information to a mail address included in the related information. The notification unit 11 ′ includes an email creation unit 51 and a storage unit 52.

  The e-mail creation unit 51 creates a mail to be sent to a mail address included in the related information. Specifically, the e-mail creating unit 51 creates a mail based on the mail address included in the related information, the device information stored in the storage unit 52, and the standard message. The storage unit 52 stores device information (for example, information related to the image forming apparatus 1) and a standard message.

  Here, the printer information included in the related information stored in the image storage device 13 in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 is a comparison image associated with the related information to the image forming apparatus 1. It is a data structure that contains the email address of the user who sent it. In order for the image storage device 13 to store the relevant information including the printer information, for example, image data to be formed by the image forming unit 8 is transmitted from the personal computer 2 which is an external device via the network 3. The image formation control unit 12 may transmit the image data to the image forming unit 8 and store the image data and related information associated with the image data in the image storage device 13. At this time, since the related information includes the mail address that is the data transmission source, the image data and the mail address that is the transmission source of the image data are stored in association with each other. .

  After the printed material (specific image) that has been forgotten to be removed by the image reading unit 7 is scanned, the determination unit of the image search device 5 performs comparison between the printed material and the comparison image stored in the image storage device 13. Are determined to be similar (similarity is greater than or equal to a predetermined value), the notification control unit 23 notifies the notification unit 11 'that related information is to be notified.

  When the notification to the effect is received from the notification control unit 23, the notification unit 11 ′ acquires related information stored in the image storage device 13 and associated with the comparative image determined to be similar. To do. And alerting | reporting part 11 'acquires the mail address contained in related information. Further, the notification unit 11 ′ operates the e-mail creating unit 51 to create an e-mail with the acquired e-mail address as a transmission destination, and transmits the e-mail via the communication unit 6. Examples of the e-mail message include a standard message that prompts the user to bring back a neglected printed material from the image forming apparatus. Then, in order to know which image forming apparatus 1 is left unattended to the user who sent the message, as the apparatus information for specifying the image forming apparatus 1, the manufacturing number, model name, or The device name assigned by the administrator may be transmitted simultaneously. The fixed message and device information may be stored in advance in the storage unit 52 provided in the notification unit 11 ′.

  Finally, each block of the image forming apparatus 1 and the image search apparatus 5 may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the image forming apparatus 1 and the image search apparatus 5 expand a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, and the program. A RAM (random access memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data, and the like are provided. The object of the present invention is to enable the computer to read the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of the control program for the image forming apparatus 1 and the image search apparatus 5 which are software for realizing the functions described above. This can also be achieved by supplying the recording medium recorded in the above to the image forming apparatus 1 and the image retrieval apparatus 5 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU 52 or MPU). It is.

  Examples of the recording medium include tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, magnetic disks such as floppy (registered trademark) disks / hard disks, and disks including optical disks such as CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 1 and the image search apparatus 5 may be configured to be connectable to the communication network 3 and the program code may be supplied via the communication network 3. The communication network 3 is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite A communication network or the like is available. In addition, the transmission medium constituting the communication network 3 is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  Thus, in this specification, the means does not necessarily mean physical means, but includes cases where the functions of the means are realized by software. Further, the function of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and the present invention also includes contents obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in the embodiments. Is included in the technical scope.

  The image search apparatus of the present invention can be applied to the use of determining whether two images are the same or similar and displaying related information when they are similar. For example, an image whose owner is unknown The present invention can be suitably applied to a device for specifying the owner of the image, and a device for specifying the owner of the imaged copy.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a network printer system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the alerting | reporting process which alert | reports the relevant information of the comparative image determined that the similarity in an image search device is more than predetermined value. It is a data structure explaining the data memorize | stored in the image storage device. It is a data structure explaining the other example of the data memorize | stored in the image storage device. It is a data structure explaining the other example of the data memorize | stored in the image storage device. It is a flowchart explaining the update method of the data memorize | stored in the image storage apparatus in the update part. It is a flowchart explaining the other example of the update method of the data memorize | stored in the image storage device in the update part. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the other example of a search process. It is a flowchart explaining the process which alert | reports relevant information in order with a high matching rate. It is a flowchart explaining the search method which searches only a specific comparison image. It is another block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the said image forming apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of an alerting | reporting apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Personal computer 3 Network 5 Image search device 6 Communication part 7 Image reading part (image reading means)
8 Image forming unit (image forming means)
9 Discharge tray 10 Operation section (search condition acquisition means)
11, 11 'notification section (notification device)
12 Image formation control unit (related information recording means)
13 Image storage device (image storage means)
14 Update section (update means)
20 specific image acquisition unit (second image acquisition means)
21 Determination unit 22 Comparison image acquisition unit (first image acquisition unit)
23 Notification control unit (notification means)
24 Difference synthesis unit (composite comparison image generation means)
25 comparison unit 30 determination unit (determination means)
31 Display Unit 32 Speaker 41 Comparison Image Comparison Unit (Comparison Image Comparison Unit)
42 association unit 43 difference creation unit (difference calculation means)

Claims (17)

Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet based on the input image;
Image storage means for storing an image to be processed by the image forming means as a first image and storing related information associated with the first image;
Image reading means for reading an image recorded on the sheet;
Second image acquisition means for acquiring an image read by the image reading means as a second image;
First image acquisition means for acquiring a first image and related information associated with the first image from the image storage means;
Determination means for comparing the second image with the first image and determining the similarity between the two images;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an informing unit that informs the informing device of the related information when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The first image acquisition means acquires a plurality of the first images,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a first image having the highest similarity with the second image among the plurality of first images. The first image acquisition means acquires a plurality of the first images,
The informing means is for informing the informing device of related information associated with a part or all of the first image for which the degree of similarity with the second image is determined to be a predetermined value or more. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The first image acquisition means acquires a plurality of the first images,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit is configured to cause the notification apparatus to notify the related information in descending order of similarity to the second image. Two first images are acquired from the image storage means in which a plurality of sets of the first image and related information associated with the first image are stored, the two first images are compared, and the two are similar First image comparison means for determining the degree;
When the similarity between the compared first images is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, one of the two first images is deleted, and the related information associated with the first image to be deleted is not deleted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an updating unit associated with the image forming apparatus. Acquiring two first images from the image storage means in which a plurality of sets of the first image and related information associated with the first image are stored;
An update unit for deleting one of the two first images and associating related information associated with the first image to be deleted with the first image not to be deleted;
The update means includes difference calculation means for calculating a difference between the first image to be deleted and the first image not to be deleted,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the difference calculated by the difference calculating unit is associated with related information associated with the first image to be deleted.   The said determination means is equipped with the synthetic | combination 1st image generation means which synthesize | combines the said 1st image and the said difference linked | related with the said 1st image, and produces | generates a synthetic | combination 1st image. Image forming apparatus. The determination means obtains the similarity between the synthesized first image synthesized by the synthesized first image generating means and the second image,
The notification means is configured to cause the notification apparatus to notify related information associated with the difference when the similarity between the second image and the composite first image is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. 8. The image forming apparatus according to 7. Search condition acquisition means for acquiring a search condition for specifying an item included in the related information,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image acquisition unit acquires related information satisfying the search condition and a first image associated with the related information. Search condition acquisition means for acquiring a search condition for specifying an item included in the related information,
2. The informing means for informing the informing device of only relevant information associated with a first image having a similarity equal to or greater than a predetermined value and satisfying the search condition. The image forming apparatus described.   11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising related information recording means for recording date and time information related to the date and time when the image is formed by the image forming means as the related information.   The notification means is configured to cause the notification device to notify related information associated with the first image whose similarity is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value in ascending or descending order of the date and time information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the related information includes tray information related to a discharge tray from which an image-formed processed product is discharged. An image search method using an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit, an image storage unit, an image reading unit, a second image acquisition unit, a first image acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a notification unit. And
An image forming step in which the image forming means forms an image on a sheet based on the input image;
An image storage step in which the image storage means stores an image processed by the image forming means as a first image and stores related information associated with the first image;
An image reading step in which the image reading means reads an image recorded on a sheet;
A second image acquisition step in which the second image acquisition means acquires the image read by the image reading means as a second image;
A first image acquisition step in which the first image acquisition unit acquires the first image and related information associated with the first image from the image storage unit;
A determination step in which the determination means compares the second image with the first image and determines the similarity between the two images;
An image search method comprising: a notification step of causing the notification device to notify the related information when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.   A control program for operating an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, for causing a computer to function as each of the above-described means.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 15 is recorded. Second image acquisition means for acquiring a second image;
First image acquisition means for acquiring a first image to be compared and related information associated with the first image;
Determining means for comparing the second image with the first image and determining a similarity between the second image and the first image based on the comparison result;
An image search apparatus comprising: a notification unit that causes the notification apparatus to notify the related information when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

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