JP2007114481A - Image copying device and system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image copying device designed such that when a copy of an image on which a copyright or the like is held is made, accounting suitable for a selection made by a user is given, a user is allowed to set conditions, such as various processes, and a copyright loyalty charge suitable for setting the conditions can be collected, and to provide an image copying system. <P>SOLUTION: The multifunction copying machine 1 reads the image of a document. From an IC chip embedded in the document, the multifunction copying machine 1 also acquires copyright information including copy charge information for each area, which relate to the image of the document. Based on the read image data and the acquired copyright information, the multifunction copying machine 1 displays a selection picture on an operation/display panel. On the selection picture, copyright information of each of the areas of the image of the document is schematically shown. By an operation on the picture by a user, the necessity or nonnecessity of a copy is selected for each area. A copy of an image corresponding to the area in which the necessity of a copy is selected and the copy charge has been collected is made. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image copying apparatus that forms an image of a document image on a medium and an image copying system using the image copying apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image copying apparatus and an image copying system that appropriately perform charging processing when copying restrictions based on copyrights and other intellectual property rights are set in an image of a document. .

  Some images handled by the image forming apparatus are subject to exclusive rights such as copyrights (hereinafter simply referred to as “copyrights”). For this reason, various techniques have been proposed in the past that protect copyrighted material (referred to below as the subject of copyright, the same applies hereinafter) and allow appropriate duplication restrictions. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a printing apparatus for printing a copyrighted image that has been encrypted and published on the Internet or the like with an appropriate fee. In the technology of this document, a copyright fee is included in the purchase price of an ink tank using an ink tank in which a security chip is incorporated, and a key for decoding is held in the security chip.

Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for determining whether the data to be printed is a copyrighted material and adding copy prohibition information to the printed material of the copyrighted material. When the copy prohibition information is detected on the printed matter by the copying machine, the copying of the printed matter is prohibited.
JP 2003-63093 A JP 2000-196786 A

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that a copyright fee must be paid when purchasing an ink tank regardless of whether or not the copyrighted material is actually printed. In addition, when the user performs processing such as enlargement / reduction on the image during printing, the copyright fee cannot be properly collected. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, copying of copyrighted material is prohibited. For this reason, there is a problem that even if the copyright is paid appropriately, the printed material cannot be copied from the copyrighted material. In either case, it could not be said that the demands of users and rights holders were precisely met.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. In other words, the issue is that when making a copy of an image containing copyrighted material, etc., an appropriate charge is made according to the user's selection, and the user can set various conditions for processing, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide an image copying apparatus and an image copying system capable of collecting an appropriate copyright fee corresponding to the setting.

  In order to solve this problem, an image copying apparatus of the present invention is an image copying apparatus for copying an image of a document, a scanner for scanning the document to obtain image data, and a charging device for collecting a copy fee. A copy fee information acquisition unit that acquires image copy fee information for each area of the manuscript, and for each area of the manuscript, within the range permitted by the acquired copy fee information and the charging status of the charging device A selection receiving unit that receives a selection by the user as to whether or not it is necessary, and a copy unit that copies an image related to an area for which the selection is selected by the selection receiving unit based on image data acquired by the scanner.

  In the image copying apparatus of the present invention, in order to make a copy, an original is scanned by a scanner to obtain image data of the original. Also, a copying fee is collected by the charging device. At the same time, the copy fee information acquisition unit acquires image copy fee information for each area of the document. The selection accepting unit accepts selection by the user as to whether or not each copy area is necessary, within a range permitted by the copy fee information and the charging status. As a result, the copying means copies the image relating to the area whose key is selected by the selection receiving unit. Thus, if this image copying apparatus is used, whether or not a manuscript whose copy fee is set for each area is to be copied for each area is determined by the user's intention within the range permitted by the collected copy fee. You can choose. The copy fee here includes the copyright fee for each area.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable to have a necessary amount calculation unit that calculates an amount necessary for copying in the selection status received by the selection receiving unit based on the copy fee information. In addition, it is desirable to have an overall amount calculation unit that calculates amounts necessary for copying all selectable areas based on the copy fee information.
If this is the case, the copy fee for the image in the area selected by the user is calculated. If charging is performed based on this amount, the user can pay a copy fee of the desired image without excess or deficiency and obtain a copy.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable to have a billing information transmission unit that transmits information on the copy fee relating to the area to be copied to an external information server when copying is performed.
As a result, it is possible to grasp the information of the copied area and that the charge has been made, and pay appropriately to each right holder.

Furthermore, in the present invention, information related to image formation is displayed, a display screen for accepting user operations on the displayed information, and copy fee information acquired by the copy fee information acquisition unit are displayed for each area on the display screen. It is preferable that the selection receiving unit has a copy fee information display unit, and the selection receiving unit receives the selection by operating the display screen.
In this way, the user can obtain copy fee information on the display screen. Then, when selecting the necessity of copying for each area, it is possible to assist in the determination.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the selection receiving unit also accepts selection of copy conditions for each area within a range permitted by the copy fee information and the charging status, and accepts the selection receiving unit based on the copy fee information. It is desirable to have a necessary amount calculation unit that calculates an amount necessary for copying in the selection situation.
In this way, the user can select a copy condition for each area. As copy conditions, for example, enlargement / reduction, color / monochrome, image quality, surface treatment such as coating, index printing, and the like can be selected. And a charge can be appropriately collected according to the selection situation by the user.

  The present invention is also an image copying system having an image copying apparatus for copying an image of a document, a charging apparatus for collecting a copying fee, and a copying fee information server in which image copying fee information is accumulated. The scanner that scans the document and acquires image data, the copy fee information acquisition unit that acquires the copy fee information of the image for each area of the document from the copy fee information server, and the copy acquired for each area of the document The selection accepting unit accepts the selection by the user as to whether copying is necessary or not within the range permitted by the fee information and the accounting status of the accounting device, and the selection accepting unit selects the key based on the image data acquired by the scanner. Copy means for copying the image related to the selected area and the copy fee information related to the area to be copied when copying is executed. Also extends to system and a billing information transmission unit that transmits to the copy fee information server.

  According to the present invention, when making a copy of an image including a copyrighted material or the like, an appropriate charge is made according to the user's selection, and the user can set various conditions for processing and the like. An image copying apparatus and an image copying system capable of collecting an appropriate corresponding copyright fee are provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best mode for embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The image forming system of this embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. This image forming system (hereinafter referred to as “the present system”) is configured such that the composite copying machine 1, the copyright information server 2, and the server 3 can communicate with each other via a network. A personal computer 4 is further connected to the server 3.

  The multi-function copying machine 1 is the central existence of this system. The multi-functional copying machine 1 has a copy function for printing an image of a document on printing paper, a function for transmitting image data acquired from a document to the outside, a function for printing an image using image data received from the outside, and the like. It is a multifunction device. That is, there are two types of “copying” in the composite copying machine 1, that is, hard copying by printing and data copying by transmission. Furthermore, it also has a function of acquiring copyright information about an image of a document and performing appropriate processing based on the copyright information. The copyright information server 2 is a server that accumulates copyright information of various images. Details of these will be described later. The server 3 and the personal computer 4 are general ones.

  In the present system shown in FIG. 1, the composite copying machine 1, the server 3, and the personal computer 4 constitute a so-called local net. The copyright information server 2 is accessed via an external network. However, in addition to such a configuration, a configuration in which the server 3 and the personal computer 4 are accessed via an external network, and a configuration in which the copyright information server 2 is included in the local network are also possible. In the present system shown in FIG. 1, copyright information is exclusively exchanged between the multifunction copy machine 1 and the copyright information server 2. On the other hand, information relating to panel display, information relating to operation of the multifunction copying machine 1, image data, and the like are exchanged between the multifunction copying machine 1 and the server 3, and further the personal computer 4.

  The composite copying machine 1 has an automatic document feeder 10 at the top as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, in order from the top, a scanner 11, a printer 12, and a paper feed unit 13 are provided. Further, an operation / display panel 14 is provided on the front surface of the scanner 11, and a manual feed tray 15 is provided beside the paper feed unit 13. The operation / display panel 14 accepts not only information display but also region selection and other operations. The upper surface of the printer 12 also serves as a paper discharge tray. The composite copying machine 1 is also provided with a coin vendor 16. The compound copier 1 may have the function of the coin vendor 16 built therein.

  The control system of the composite copying machine 1 is configured as shown in FIG. The composite copying machine 1 in FIG. 3 is provided with a drive circuit 17, a mechanical controller 18, and a macro system controller 19 in addition to the above-described operation / display panel 14. The drive circuit 17 is a circuit that drives each mechanical part in the automatic document feeder 10, the scanner 11, the printer 12, and the paper feed unit 13. The mechanical controller 18 is a controller in charge of controlling the drive circuit 17. The macro system controller 19 is a controller in charge of control other than the machine control in the multifunction copy machine 1. Specifically, in addition to handling image data and copyright information, control of the operation / display panel 14, communication with the coin vendor 16, and transmission / reception with the outside via a network are performed.

  The scanner 11 of the composite copying machine 1 includes a slider 20 as shown in FIG. The slider 20 moves as indicated by an arrow X in the case of a set-up and reads an image on the document 50. The slider 20 in this embodiment also has a function of communicating with the IC chip 51 embedded in the document 50. For this reason, an antenna 21 is built in the slider 20. The antenna 21 moves as indicated by an arrow Y along with the movement of the slider 20 so as to pass over the embedded IC chip 51 of the document 50. As a result, if the document 50 has the embedded IC chip 51 built-in, necessary information can be extracted therefrom. The image data acquired by the slider 20 and the data acquired by the antenna 21 from the IC chip 51 are input to the macro system controller 19 in the control system of FIG. 3 and used for various processes including image formation. The printer 12 and the paper feed unit 13 other than the scanner 11 are not particularly different from normal ones.

  The basic functions of the composite copying machine 1 are printing of an image of the original 50, transmission of image data obtained by reading the original 50 to the personal computer 4 or the like, and printing of image data received from the personal computer 4 or the like. Further, when the image of the original 50 is read by the scanner 11, information is also acquired from the IC chip 51 in the original 50 as described above. As a result, processing based on the copyright information set in the image of the original 50 is performed. The multi-function copying machine 1 can also be operated from the server 3 or the personal computer 4. In this case, the same content as the screen displayed on the operation / display panel 14 of the multifunction copy machine 1 is displayed on the display of the server 3 or the personal computer 4.

[First processing example]
As a first processing example by the composite copying machine 1, an example in which copyright information is set for each area in the image of the original 50 and whether or not copying is selected for each area will be described.

  For example, it is assumed that the image of the document 50 is as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, areas A to E exist in the page. Actually, the contents of each area are photographs, pictures, and sentences. Then, copyright information is acquired from the IC chip 51. The copyright information acquired is, for example, as shown in Table 1. In the copyright information shown in Table 1, the propriety (including the period) and the charge are determined for each of the two types of copying methods (printing and data copying). When the copyright information in Table 1 is acquired, a display as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the screen of the operation / display panel 14. FIG. 6 shows a display example when “print” is selected as the copy method. Of course, “data copy” can be selected as the copy method and displayed in the same manner.

  That is, the copyright information of each area is schematically represented for the image of the original 50 shown in FIG. In the screen of FIG. 6, copyright fees for printing are displayed for areas A to D (hereinafter also referred to as “copyright areas”) for which usage restrictions by copyright are set. Alternatively, the fact that printing is prohibited is displayed. In addition, the area E in which usage restrictions based on copyright are not set is displayed as a free area.

  In addition, at the bottom of the frame, “Basic Fee”, which is the basic fee for print output by the MFP 1, and “Copy Fee”, which is the total copyright fee for the currently selected area, are also displayed. Yes. Further, the “total amount” including the charges of other pages when the document 50 covers a plurality of pages, and the “input amount” that is the amount currently inserted in the coin vendor 16 are also displayed. In addition to these, an amount required when all the copyright areas in the document 50 are selected may be displayed. In addition, the user may be able to recognize an area that can be selected within the range of “input amount” by a method such as changing the display color.

  In the screen of FIG. 6, when the user touches a desired copyright area with a fingertip, the area can be selected or deselected. The outline of the unselected area is a broken line. A print-prohibited area such as area D cannot be selected. A free area such as area E is always selected. Of course, the selection of the free area may be canceled by a user operation. When the area selection status is changed by the user's operation, the amount of “copying fee” in the lower left also changes accordingly. FIG. 6 shows a state where all the areas except for the area D that cannot be selected are selected. In this way, it is possible to make a selection while visually confirming information such as the charge for each area.

  Here, if the amount of “input amount” is equal to or greater than the amount of “copy fee”, printing can be executed. When printing is executed in the selected state of FIG. 6, a copy output shown in FIG. 7 is obtained. That is, the image of the area D that is the print prohibition area is not reproduced, and the image of each other area is reproduced. Of course, the display of the amount in the right part of FIG. 6 is not printed.

  In FIG. 7, information prepared as “alternative information” in Table 1 is arranged in place of the area D instead of the original image. As a result, the user who sees the copy output can know the reason why there is no image of that part. In addition to the processing of the area from which the image was deleted, the type of the original image (distinguish between photo and text information), which makes the part completely blank, fills with a specific color, shows only the outline It is also possible to show only. Further, as alternative information, information prepared in advance in the composite copying machine 1 can be used in addition to information prepared in the IC chip 51.

  FIG. 8 shows an output example when printing is executed after canceling the selection of the area C with a high copyright fee in FIG. FIG. 8 shows an output example when a completely blank is adopted as the processing of the area from which the image is deleted. Further, FIG. 9 shows an output example in the case where printing is executed after canceling the selection of all areas except the free area E in FIG. The only fee required in this case is the “basic fee”. FIG. 9 shows an output example in which “content deleted”, which is alternative information prepared in advance in the multi-function copying machine 1, is arranged as processing of the area from which the image has been deleted.

  In the example of FIG. 6, only one page of information is displayed. However, when the document 50 covers a plurality of pages, information for a plurality of pages may be displayed. Furthermore, not only the necessity of copying for each area may be selected, but an editing function may be provided that collects areas to be copied and newly constructs a page. In addition, a selection screen as shown in FIG. 6 can be displayed on the display of the server 3 or the personal computer 4 via the network, and a selection operation can be accepted therefrom.

  In the description so far, the copyright information of the image has been acquired from the IC chip 51. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is also a method of acquiring from the copyright information server 2 via the network in FIG. In that case, only the identification code of the document 50 or the identification code of the image of each area needs to be recorded on the IC chip 51. The copyright information server 2 records information as shown in Table 1 in association with the identification code of the document 50. Alternatively, information such as the “position”, “printability”, “charge”, and “alternative information” columns in Table 1 is recorded in association with the identification code of the image in each area. . Furthermore, copyright information can be acquired from both the IC chip 51 and the copyright information server 2. In this way, it is possible to confirm whether the copyright information in the IC chip 51 has been tampered with.

  Alternatively, the identification code of the image of the original 50 or each area may be recorded as a barcode or a two-dimensional code somewhere on the image surface of the original 50. In this case, the IC chip 51 is not necessary. Furthermore, if the data recording capacity of these codes is large, the copyright information itself may be encoded and recorded in this manner. In this case, it is not even necessary to access the copyright information server 2.

  Details of the copy operation of this processing example in the multi-function copying machine 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. In the description of this flowchart, it is assumed that both printing and data copying are performed as the copying method. The copy destination of the data copy is the personal computer 4 in FIG. Hereinafter, in the description of this flow, the data copy is referred to as “data transmission”. When the document 50 with the IC chip 51 is set on the scanner 11 and the user inputs a start command, this flow is started. In principle, the coin vendor 16 accepts the insertion of cash at any time during the execution of this flow.

  In this flow, first, the image of the original 50 is read by the slider 20. At this time, communication with the IC chip 51 by the antenna 21 is also performed. As a result, copyright information relating to the image of the original 50 is acquired from the IC chip 51 (# 1). Of course, the copyright information may be acquired by other methods as described above. When reading of the original 50 and acquisition of copyright information are completed (# 2: Yes), display on the operation / display panel 14 based on the acquired copyright information is performed (# 3). Thereby, a screen as illustrated in FIG. 6 is displayed. On this display screen, the area to be copied is selected as described above.

  For this purpose, first, a selection prohibition process is performed (# 4). That is, if the copyright information cannot be both “print” and “data copy”, the user cannot select in advance. Here, it is considered that it is possible to limit the period and the current date and time is outside the period. Then, the selection by the user is accepted (# 5). Here, when the user tries to select an area where selection is prohibited in # 4, some kind of alert may be issued. Further, the user may be alerted when an area where only one of printing and data transmission is possible is selected.

  When the user presses the OK button 49 in FIG. 6, it is determined that the area selection has been completed (# 6: Yes), and it is determined whether the copy fee is satisfied (# 7). This determination is made by comparing the fee required for copying with the amount currently inserted in the coin vendor 16. That is, the amount inserted into the coin vendor 16 is the upper limit. The fee required for copying is the total amount of the copyright fee for the area selected at that time and the basic fee for copying.

  If the input amount is less than the required amount (# 7: No), the operation / display panel 14 displays that the amount is insufficient (# 8). There are three ways to deal with this case: cancellation, selection area reduction, and surcharge. As a flow, first, it is determined whether or not to cancel (# 9). When the user inputs a stop command (# 9: Yes), the process proceeds to # 19 (FIG. 11) described later. If the user selects to continue processing (# 9: No), the process returns to area selection of # 5 and # 6. Here, the user can reduce the selection area. Alternatively, an additional amount can be input to the coin vendor 16. If the input amount is more than the required amount when the OK button 49 is pressed again, it is determined (# 7: Yes). Thereafter, the printing process is started.

  In the printing process, first, it is determined whether or not there is an unprintable area in the selected area (# 10). This is because an area where only data transmission is permitted may be selected. If a non-printable area is selected (# 10: Yes), a non-printable warning is issued (# 11). Then, the user is inquired whether to print only the remaining portion, that is, the printable area (# 12, FIG. 11 below). If the user selects “Yes” (# 12: Yes), printing is executed (# 13). In this case, only the printable area of the selected area is printed. Unselected areas and non-printable areas are left blank or replaced with alternative information.

  If the user selects “No” in # 12 (# 12: No), the process proceeds to the data transmission process by bypassing # 13. If the non-printable area is not selected in # 10 (# 10: No), printing is performed bypassing # 11 and # 12 (# 13). In this case, the selected area is printed. Unselected areas are left blank or replaced with alternative information. In this way, the copy output illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9 is obtained.

  When printing is executed at # 13, the amount corresponding to the total fee required for printing out of the amount put into the coin vendor 16 is stored. As a result, the effective balance of the input amount is deducted accordingly. Information indicating that printing has been executed is transmitted from the macro system controller 19 to the copyright information server 2. As a result, it is possible to appropriately distribute the copyright fee related to printing to the right holders. Note that in the case of using a printing paper in which a storage element such as an IC chip is embedded, copyright information can be written in the storage element. Subsequently, data transmission processing is started.

  In the data transmission process, first, it is determined whether or not there is an area where data transmission is impossible in the selected area (# 14). This is because an area where only printing is permitted may be selected. If an area where data transmission is impossible is selected (# 14: Yes), a warning that data transmission is not possible is issued (# 15). Then, the user is inquired as to whether or not only the remaining part, that is, the area where data transmission is possible, is transmitted (# 16). If the user selects “Yes” (# 16: Yes), data transmission is executed (# 17). In this case, only the area where data transmission is possible is transmitted among the selected areas. Unselected areas and areas where data transmission is not possible are left blank or replaced with alternative information.

  If the user selects “No” in # 16 (# 16: No), the process returns to # 9 in FIG. If the area where data transmission is impossible is not selected in # 14 (# 14: No), data transmission is executed by bypassing # 15 and # 16 (# 17). In this case, the selected area is transmitted with data. Unselected areas are left blank or replaced with alternative information. When the image data is transmitted to the personal computer 4 in this way, the personal computer 4 can display the image on the screen. When transmitting data, not only image data but also relevant copyright information may be transmitted together.

  When the data transmission is executed in # 17, the total amount corresponding to the total fee necessary for the data transmission out of the amount put into the coin vendor 16 is stored. As a result, the effective balance of the input amount is deducted accordingly. Information indicating that the data transmission has been executed is transmitted from the macro system controller 19 to the copyright information server 2. As a result, it is possible to appropriately distribute the copyright fee for data transmission to the right holders.

  When the data transmission is executed, an inquiry is made to the user as to whether or not to end the processing (# 18). If not finished (# 18: No), the process returns to # 1 in FIG. 10, and the subsequent document 50 is similarly processed. When the process is to be ended (# 18: Yes), it is determined whether or not there is a balance in the coin vendor 16 (# 19). If there is a balance (# 19: Yes), it is returned (# 20). When the balance is processed, this process ends.

  In this way, in this processing example, it is possible to select whether to copy for each area. Therefore, the user can select an area to be copied while taking into consideration the amount of the copyright fee.

  In the description of the flow in FIGS. 10 and 11 above, it is assumed that both printing and data copying are performed as the copy method. For this reason, in # 4, only those for which “printing” and “data copying” cannot be selected are prohibited. However, in practice, only one of the two copy methods may be performed. In this case, in # 4, it is only necessary to determine whether or not the corresponding copy method is possible. Also, in this flow, even if the required amount exceeds the “input amount”, it is accepted for the time being and it is determined that the amount is satisfied in # 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the selection itself that the required amount exceeds the “input amount” may be rejected.

  Further, in the selection process of # 5 and # 6, when the user tries to select an area where the corresponding copy method is prohibited but the other copy method is not prohibited, it is possible only with the other copy method. A message to that effect may be displayed. In that case, the processes of # 10 to # 12 and # 14 to # 16 are unnecessary. This is because a prohibited area cannot be selected. Of course, only printing (# 13) and data transmission (# 17) should be performed.

[Second processing example]
As a second example of processing by the composite copying machine 1, an example will be described in which different copyright fee information is set for each printing condition for each area in the image of the original 50, and the printing conditions are selected for each area. The printing conditions are, for example, enlargement ratio, image quality (number of pixels, number of gradations, accuracy of color correction, blur processing, mosaic processing, etc.), number of colors, presence / absence of coating, and the like. In this processing example, the method of copying itself is printing.

  For example, it is assumed that the image of the document 50 is as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 12, areas F and G exist in the page. Table 2 shows copyright information of the IC chip 51 in this example. In the copyright information in Table 2, in addition to the standard fee, the amount to be added or subtracted when the printing conditions are changed is also defined for each area. As a result, the screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the screen of the operation / display panel 14.

  The screen of FIG. 13 includes a schematic display of the document 50 of FIG. 12, a paper enlargement ratio selection unit 52, and a money amount display unit 53. When the user touches the triangle mark of the paper enlargement ratio selection unit 52 on this screen with a fingertip, the enlargement ratio of the entire image can be changed. In conjunction with this, the enlargement ratio of each area also changes. In addition, when the user touches a desired position in the schematic display portion of the document 50 with a fingertip, the printing conditions of each region can be changed. The enlargement rate may be changed individually for each area. In the money amount display portion 53, the required fee under the current printing conditions and the money amount currently inserted in the coin vendor 16 are displayed. The “coating fee” in the necessary fee corresponds to the usage fee of the composite copying machine 1 when coating the formed image. On the other hand, the “coating” fee in each area is the additional amount of the copyright fee for coating.

  Here, if the amount of “remaining money” in the money amount display section 53 is equal to or larger than the “total” amount, printing can be executed. When printing is executed under the printing conditions in FIG. 13, a copy output enlarged to 1.5 times the document size is obtained. In the copy output, the images in the regions F and G are both enlarged by 1.5 times. The image in the region F is coated, and the image quality in the image in the region G is reduced by 30%.

  The processing flow of the copying operation of this processing example in the multi-function copying machine 1 is almost the same as that shown in FIGS. However, selection in # 5 to # 6 includes selection of printing conditions for each region. Note that the text “please insert” is displayed in the money amount display portion 53 in FIG. 13 is one example of the shortage display of # 8. The information transmitted to the copyright information server 2 at the time of # 13 printing includes information on the executed printing conditions. Further, in this processing example, since it is assumed that there is no non-printable area, the determination of # 10 is always No, and # 11 and # 12 are not performed. In # 13, image formation and post-processing are performed according to the printing conditions for each area. Further, in the present processing example, since it is assumed that data transmission is not performed, # 14 to # 17 are not performed. Of course, it is possible to transmit data even in this processing example.

  Thus, in this processing example, the printing conditions can be selected for each region. For this reason, the user can select the printing conditions for copying for each area while taking into consideration the amount of the copyright fee.

  As described in detail above, in the multi-function copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, the copyright information is also acquired when the image of the original 50 is read. Then, based on the usage restrictions for each individual area in the image, the user can appropriately select the presence / absence of copying and its conditions, and can grasp the necessary fee. Furthermore, selection is prohibited for the area where copying is prohibited. This eliminates the need for the user to perform useless selection operations. Furthermore, alternative information is arranged for areas that are not selected. This makes it possible for the person who sees the copy output to understand the situation. In this manner, the composite copying machine 1 is realized in which the user can select an appropriate process and form an image according to the difference in copyright information for each area in the image. In addition, when making a copy of an image containing copyrighted material, etc., an appropriate charge is made according to the user's selection, and the user can set various conditions for processing, etc. A copyright fee can be collected. In addition, an image forming system including the composite copying machine 1 and the copyright information server 2 is realized.

  In addition, this form is only a mere illustration and does not limit this invention at all. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the intellectual property rights that are the basis for copy restrictions are not limited to copyrights. It may be a copy restriction resulting from other types of rights such as design rights and trademark rights. Further, it may be a duplication restriction set by regarding the information itself as a valuable resource.

  Further, although the coin vendor 16 is used as the charging means, a deposit account card, a credit card, a debit card, a prepaid card, or other electromagnetic settlement means can be used. In that case, the determination of “Amount Satisfaction?” In # 7 of FIG. 10 may be made with the limit amount or balance of the card as the upper limit amount. In addition, a method of accessing the information of the target settlement means using a mobile communication terminal without using a card is possible.

  Further, the specific method of data copying is not limited to data transmission to the server 3 or the personal computer 4. By providing a media insertion slot in the multi-function copying machine 1, data can be copied to a storage medium brought by the user. Also, copying by printing is not limited to printing by the composite copying machine 1 itself. When a printer, a fax machine, a DPE machine, or the like exists on the network, it is possible to send a print command to these devices and print it there.

1 is a block diagram showing an image forming system according to the present embodiment. It is a front view which shows the compound copying machine which concerns on this form. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the composite copying machine of the present embodiment. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a scanner of a composite copying machine according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the image of the original document in which the copyright area | region was set in the 1st process example. It is a figure which shows the state which displayed the copyright information of the image of a document on the display panel in a 1st process example. It is a figure which shows the example of the copy output in a 1st process example. It is a figure which shows the example of the copy output in a 1st process example. It is a figure which shows the example of the copy output in a 1st process example. It is a flowchart (the 1) explaining the process sequence in a 1st process example. It is a flowchart (the 2) explaining the process sequence in a 1st process example. It is a figure which shows the example of the image of the original document in which the copyright area | region was set in the 2nd process example. It is a figure which shows the state which displayed the copyright information of the image of a document on the display panel in a 2nd process example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compound copier 2 Copyright information server 3 Server 4 Personal computer 11 Scanner 14 Operation / display panel 16 Coin vendor 19 Macro system controller 21 Antenna

Claims (7)

In an image copying apparatus that copies an image of an original,
A scanner that scans a document and acquires image data;
A billing device that collects copy fees;
A copy fee information acquisition unit for acquiring image copy fee information for each area of the manuscript;
A selection accepting unit that accepts a selection by the user as to whether copying is necessary or not within a range permitted by the acquired copying fee information and the charging status of the charging device for each area of the manuscript;
An image copy apparatus comprising: copy means for copying an image relating to an area whose main point is selected by the selection receiving unit based on image data acquired by the scanner. The image copying apparatus according to claim 1,
An image copying apparatus comprising: a necessary amount calculating unit that calculates an amount necessary for copying in a selection situation accepted by the selection accepting unit based on copy fee information. The image copying apparatus according to claim 1,
An image copying apparatus comprising an entire amount calculation unit for calculating an amount necessary for copying of all selectable areas based on copy fee information. The image copying apparatus according to claim 1,
An image copying apparatus comprising: a billing information transmitting unit configured to transmit information on a copy fee relating to an area to be copied to an external information server when copying is performed. The image copying apparatus according to claim 1,
A display screen for displaying information related to image formation and receiving user operations on the displayed information;
A copy fee information display unit that displays the copy fee information acquired by the copy fee information acquisition unit for each area on the display screen;
The image receiving apparatus, wherein the selection receiving unit receives a selection by an operation on the display screen. The image copying apparatus according to claim 1,
The selection reception unit also accepts selection of copy conditions for each area within a range permitted by the copy fee information and the charging status,
An image copying apparatus comprising: a necessary amount calculating unit that calculates an amount necessary for copying in a selection situation accepted by the selection accepting unit based on copy fee information. In an image copy system having an image copy device for copying an image of a document, a charging device for collecting a copy fee, and a copy fee information server for collecting image copy fee information,
The image copying apparatus includes:
A scanner that scans a document and acquires image data;
A copy fee information acquisition unit that acquires image copy fee information for each area of the document from the copy fee information server;
A selection accepting unit that accepts a selection by the user as to whether copying is necessary or not within a range permitted by the acquired copying fee information and the charging status of the charging device for each area of the manuscript;
A copy means for copying an image relating to an area selected by the selection receiving unit based on the image data acquired by the scanner;
An image copy system comprising: a charge information transmission unit that transmits information on a copy fee relating to an area to be copied to the copy fee information server when copying is performed.

Images