JP2007166361A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining availability of tracking code information even in re-copying. <P>SOLUTION: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that reads a document to be processed and carries out predetermined image processing, wherein the document is read, an invisible image formed on the relevant document from a color material reflecting or absorbing light of a wavelength out of visible light is read and it is determined whether the invisible image is tracking code information indicative of copy history in the past. If the invisible image is the tracking code information, new tracking code information is generated and replaced with the read invisible image of the tracking code information and the generated new tracking code information is formed as an invisible image from a color material reflecting or absorbing light of a wavelength out of the visible light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral or a copying machine.

  In order to improve the performance of copying machines in recent years, there is a case where it is not possible to distinguish between a copy and an original. Therefore, for example, when a confidential manuscript is copied, there is a desire to display on the copy that it is a copy.

  In order to meet these demands, a copy check image representing characters such as “COPY” or the like is embedded in a random dot pattern as a latent image, and the latent image becomes apparent at the time of copying and a character string “COPY” is printed. There are special papers that can be used.

In addition, as information indicating the history of a copy, there is an apparatus that records information such as a manufacturing number and an identification number of a copying apparatus and a copy date / time on a copy as tracking code information.
JP 7-319347 A JP-A-6-186649

  However, if a copy with tracking code information is further copied, the tracking code information may be overlapped when the tracking code information is recorded again in the re-printed copy. Decreases.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for including a copy check image while maintaining the visibility of a document using an invisible image that can be imaged when infrared or ultraviolet light is used. Discloses a technique for removing light that makes an invisible image visible and making it incident on a sensor that reads the color image information in order to obtain the color image information from a document on which invisible information is formed in addition to the color image.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the availability of tracking code information even in the case of re-copying.

  The present invention for solving the problems of the conventional example described above is an image forming apparatus that reads a document to be processed and executes predetermined image processing. The image forming apparatus reads a document and displays visible light on the document. Means for reading an invisible image formed of a color material that reflects or absorbs light of an outside wavelength, and determines whether the invisible image is tracking code information indicating past copying history, and is tracking code information. A new tracking code information is generated and replaced with an invisible image of the read tracking code information, and the generated new tracking code information is a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light, And means for forming an invisible image.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of controlling an image forming apparatus that reads a document to be copied to form a copy, and reads the document and outputs light of a wavelength outside visible light on the document. A step of reading an invisible image formed of a color material that reflects or absorbs the image, and whether or not the invisible image is tracking code information indicating past copying history. The tracking code information is generated and replaced with the invisible image of the read tracking code information, and the generated new tracking code information is formed as an invisible image with a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light. And a process.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a copying apparatus, and includes a scanner unit 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 13, an operation unit 14, and an image forming unit as shown in FIG. 15.

  The scanner unit 11 optically reads a document placed on a reading surface. In the present embodiment, the scanner unit 11 irradiates the surface of the document with visible light, reads the reflected light (normal reading operation), and emits light having a frequency that reveals an invisible image that can be formed on the document. An operation for reading an invisible image, which is reflected light, is performed on the original surface (invisible image reading operation). In any reading operation, the image data obtained by reading is output to the control unit 12.

  The control unit 12 is a CPU or the like and operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 13. The control unit 12 causes the scanner unit 11 to perform a normal reading operation and an invisible image reading operation when a copy instruction is given by the operation unit 14. In addition, the control unit 12 checks whether image data (invisible image) read by the scanner unit 11 in the invisible image reading operation includes predetermined tracking code information or a copy restraint pattern. A predetermined process is executed when code information or a copy check pattern is included. Specific contents of this processing will be described in detail later.

  The storage unit 13 includes a storage element such as a RAM or a ROM. The storage unit 13 stores a program executed by the control unit 12. The storage unit 13 stores at least a part of information to be recorded as tracking code information.

  The tracking code information is information such as the manufacturing number and identification number (manufacturer name, product name, product number, etc.) of the copying apparatus.

  The operation unit 14 is a keypad or the like, and includes buttons and the like for instructing copying. The user operates the operation unit 14 to input setting information such as the number of copies. Further, in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, in order to prevent unauthorized use, for example, the user name and password of the user may be input.

  The image forming unit 15 is a printer, and forms image data input from the control unit 12 on a medium such as paper. In addition, the image forming unit 15 is an image that can be recognized by the human eye under visible light using normal toner (black toner for black and white, cyan, magenta, yellow, black toner, etc. for color). In addition, a toner of a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light is used to form an invisible image that is invisible or difficult to see with the human eye.

  Here, the operation of the control unit 12 will be described. The control unit 12 according to the present embodiment receives the copy instruction and starts the copy process shown in FIG. 2, first instructs the invisible image reading operation, and receives the input of the image data of the invisible image (S1). Then, the control unit 12 checks whether or not tracking code information is included in the input image data (S2).

  Here, the tracking code information is described as a barcode or a character string, for example. The control unit 12 recognizes a barcode or character string recorded as an invisible image by a widely known barcode recognition or character string recognition technique, and the recognized barcode or character string is tracking code information. Check whether or not. Whether or not the code is tracking code information includes, for example, a character string “tracking code” as data representing the tracking code information, and checks whether the recognized information includes the data. Can be judged.

  If it is determined that the tracking code information is not included, the control unit 12 instructs the scanner unit 11 to perform a normal reading operation (S3), and reads the image data obtained by reading the instruction, The image is output to the image forming unit 15 to form an image based on the image data with normal toner (S4), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when the tracking code information is included in the input image data in the process S2, the control unit 12 reads information to be recorded as the tracking code information stored in the storage unit 13, and is not illustrated. Date and time information acquired from the calendar chip, the user name accepted by the operation unit 14, and instructed setting information (such as the number of copies) are combined with the information read from the storage unit 13 to create new tracking code information Is generated (S5).

  The control unit 12 instructs the scanner unit 11 to perform a normal reading operation (S6), and outputs the image data obtained by reading according to the instruction to the image forming unit 15 so that the image data is converted into the image data with normal toner. A base image is formed (S7).

  Further, the control unit 12 outputs the image data representing the new tracking code information generated in the process S5 to the image forming unit 15, and outputs an instruction to form an image based on the image data as an invisible image. (S8), and the process ends. Here, the invisible image to be formed is information such as a barcode and a character string as exemplified above.

  As a result, a copy containing the new tracking code information as an invisible image is formed in place of the tracking code information represented as an invisible image on the document.

  In the process S5, the new tracking code information includes information to be recorded as tracking code information stored in the storage unit 13 with respect to the tracking code information originally included in the input image data, Information such as date / time information, user name, instructed setting information (such as the number of copies) may be added to form new tracking code information. In this case, a copy including an invisible image in which a new part is added to the tracking code information that has been represented as an invisible image on the document is formed.

  According to the present embodiment, it is difficult to read the tracking code information because the new tracking code information is formed on the tracking code information attached to the document to be copied. And the availability of tracking code information is maintained.

  In this embodiment, an example of a copying apparatus has been described. For example, only reading operation by the scanner unit 11, transmission operation to a personal computer via a network interface (not shown), telephone line network (not shown) The tracking code information may also be generated for the facsimile transmission operation via. Among these, in the reading and transmission operation to the personal computer, the new tracking code information generated by the same process as the process S5 may be held or transmitted in association with the image data. In this case, for example, when the image data is color and includes image data elements of R, G, and B channels, an invisible image channel is set, and an image (barcode, character string, etc.) based on tracking code information is set. ) May be generated, and the image data element of the invisible image may be included in the image data and held or transmitted.

  Although an example in which the tracking code information is detected from the image data read by the invisible image reading operation has been described here, it is possible to detect not only the tracking code information but also whether or not a copy check pattern is included. Here, the copy check pattern can be, for example, a code image representing copy prohibition.

  If the copy check pattern is detected from the image data read by the invisible image reading operation, the control unit 12 may not perform the subsequent operations such as copying.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the image of the tracking code information formed in the process S8 may be repeatedly formed on the copy with no gap and formed in a plurality of tiles. As a result, it is possible to prevent the image from being handled as an image having no tracking code information, for example, by partially concealing and copying.

  Further, in the above description, an example in which an image of new tracking code information is generated and added when tracking code information is included in advance on the document has been described. Even if the tracking code information is not included above or the tracking code information is formed as a visible image (with normal toner), it is Tracking code information may be generated and formed as an invisible image on a copy.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a copying apparatus that is an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an arrangement example of formation regions of invisible images formed by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

  11 scanner unit, 12 control unit, 13 storage unit, 14 operation unit, 15 image forming unit.

Claims (2)

An image forming apparatus that reads a document to be processed and executes predetermined image processing,
Means for reading an original and reading an invisible image formed of a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light on the original;
It is determined whether or not the invisible image is tracking code information indicating the past copy history, and when it is the tracking code information, new tracking code information is generated and replaced with the invisible image of the read tracking code information. Means for forming the generated new tracking code information as an invisible image with a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A method for controlling an image forming apparatus that reads a document to be copied to form a copy,
A step of reading an invisible image formed of a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light on the original and reading the original;
It is determined whether or not the invisible image is tracking code information indicating the past copy history, and when it is the tracking code information, new tracking code information is generated and replaced with the invisible image of the read tracking code information. Forming the generated new tracking code information as an invisible image with a color material that reflects or absorbs light having a wavelength outside visible light;
A control method for an image forming apparatus.

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