JP2007295441A - Image processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve security of an image by controlling processing of a file on the basis of specific information added to image data. <P>SOLUTION: When copying a file constituted of image data of a plurality of pages, first specific information representing management information for the file is detected from read image data of a first page. Second specific information representing individual regulation information is then detected from read image data of the respective pages. Relevance between the first specific information and the second specific information is decided. When there is no consistency between the first specific information and the second specific information, copying of image data of a page to which that second specific information is added, is inhibited. When there is consistency between the first specific information and the second specific information. It is decided whether to inhibit or to allow copying of image data on the basis of the second specific information. After image data of all the pages are input, image data of a page allowed to be copied are printed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that performs processing such as copying, printing, and data transmission of image data based on specific information added to the image data.

  In order to prevent unauthorized use of confidential documents, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, specific information representing copy prohibition is added to image data to generate an image. A confidential document is created by printing and outputting this image. When copying the document, if specific information is detected from the read image data, the processing of the image data is restricted such that copying is prohibited based on the specific information.

  In an image processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, image data is handled in units of pages. The image data composed of a plurality of pages is made into one file and processed by the image processing apparatus in units of files. At this time, the specific information added to the image data is added for each page. Therefore, the processing of image data is individually controlled based on the specific information for each page. Thus, image security is maintained for the image data of each page.

However, as a single file composed of a plurality of pages of image data, control of processing in units of files is not performed. Here, in Patent Document 2, specific information for identifying a document such as a document name, a page number, and the number of copies is added to the image data of each page. Based on this specific information, management is performed in units of files.
JP 2000-165575 A JP-A-6-20122

  If the specific information for identifying the original as described above is added to the image data of each page as common information, the processing in units of files can be controlled. However, extra information is included in the image data of each page. When printing image data including specific information, the specific information is printed as a specific image different from the original image. At this time, if extra information is included, the number of specific images increases with respect to the original image, which may affect the quality of the original image.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of controlling file-based processing by adding minimum necessary specific information to image data.

  The present invention is an image processing apparatus that processes image data in accordance with specific information added to image data configured in units of pages, and the specific information includes first specific information having management information of the entire image data. And second specifying information having individual information for each page. The first specifying information is added to image data of an arbitrary page, and the second specifying information is added to each page.

  In a file composed of a plurality of pages of image data, file processing can be controlled based on each specific information. That is, the first specific information determines whether the processing for the file is prohibited or permitted. Based on the second specifying information, the processing for the image data of each page is individually controlled.

  Then, a process control means is provided for determining the relationship between the first specific information and the second specific information and processing the image data. Furthermore, information adding means for adding the first specific information to any one page and adding the second specific information for each page, output means for outputting the image data to which the specific information is added, and input image data Detecting means for detecting the specific information from.

  The information adding means adds the second specifying information to the image data of each page as necessary, and adds the first specifying information to only one arbitrary page. The image data composed of a plurality of pages to which the specific information is added is output in a designated form such as printing and data transmission by the output means. The output image data is input to another image processing apparatus, and the first and second specific information is detected from the image data by the detecting means. The relevance of the detected specific information is determined by the processing control means.

  Based on the determination result by the processing control means, the prohibition or permission of processing for the file is determined. When both are related, the process control means permits the process and executes the process. Processing is prohibited when there is no relationship.

  As a determination of the relationship between the two, the process control means detects whether or not there is consistency between the first specific information and the second specific information. When it is determined that there is no consistency, the process is prohibited, and when there is consistency, the process is permitted.

  The first specific information includes information regarding the second specific information as management information of the entire file. When detecting the second specific information from each page, the process control means checks whether or not there is information regarding the detected second specific information in the management information in the first specific information. When it is confirmed that there is consistency, it is determined that there is consistency. When it is confirmed that there is no consistency, it is determined that there is no consistency.

  When the input image data consists of a plurality of pages, the processing control means processes the image data based on the determination result after all the image data has been input. As a result, it is possible to detect missing pages in the input image data and page mixing of other image data. In this case, processing for the file is prohibited.

  The first specific information includes the number of pages of the entire image data and the page number to which the second specific information is added. The first specific information includes a file name of the image data, and the second specific information includes restriction information for restricting output of the image data of the individual page. The processing for each page can be controlled by the second specific information. The first specific information can be managed in units of files, and whether or not the entire file can be processed can be controlled based on the relationship with the second specific information.

  According to the present invention, by using the first specific information that is management information of the entire file and the second specific information for each page, it is possible to control the processing of the file only by adding the minimum necessary information to the specific page. It becomes. In addition, by performing management in units of files, it is possible to detect third-party fraudulent acts on image data, such as extracting, replacing, and mixing documents, improving image security, and protecting image information .

  An image processing apparatus of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The image processing apparatus is a digital multi-function peripheral having a copy mode, a print mode, a scanner mode, and a facsimile mode, and includes an image reading unit 1 that reads a document and inputs image data, an operation unit 2 that receives user input, An image forming unit 3 that prints input image data, a hard disk device 4 that stores image data, a communication unit 5 that performs data communication with an external device, and a FAX modem 7 that communicates with a facsimile device 6 A management unit 8 that stores control information and setting information for the entire apparatus, and a device control unit 9 that includes a CPU that controls the entire apparatus are provided.

  The image reading unit 1 functions as an image input unit that inputs an image, and includes an image sensor such as a CCD 10 and a document detection sensor 11 that detects a document set on a document table or an automatic document feeder (ADF). Image data of an image read by the CCD 10 is output to the image forming unit 3.

  The operation unit 2 includes an operation panel, and includes an input unit 12 including various input keys and a display unit 13 such as a liquid crystal display. Operation of the entire apparatus and input of various settings are performed, and the input contents and the operation status of the entire apparatus are displayed. The display unit 13 is a touch panel and also functions as an input unit.

  The image forming unit 3 includes a local memory 20 that stores input image data, a printing unit 21 that includes a laser scanning unit, a paper feeding unit 22 that includes a manual feed tray and a cassette tray, and a paper discharge unit that includes a paper discharge tray. A paper unit 23, an image processing unit 24, and an encryption / decryption unit 25 are included.

  As the local memory 20, a readable / writable semiconductor memory such as an SDRAM or a flash memory is used. The local memory 20 is divided into an area for storing input image data and an area for storing image data for output. Instead of dividing and using one local memory 20, two local memories 20 may be used for input and output, respectively.

  The input image data is stored in the local memory 20. The local memory 20 stores image data by overwriting old image data with new image data. The image data is subjected to image processing such as compression, expansion, and processing by the image processing unit 24 and is stored in the local memory 20. The image processed image data is output to the printing unit 21, the hard disk device 4, or the device control unit 9. The printing unit 21 prints an image on a recording sheet supplied from the paper feeding unit 22 based on the image data stored in the local memory 20.

  The communication unit 5 is connected to a router, a switching hub, and the like via a LAN cable, and is connected to a network formed by the information processing apparatus 30 such as a personal computer or a server. The network is connected to the Internet via a communication line such as a telephone line network or an optical fiber. The communication unit 5 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing apparatus 30 in the network, and transmits and receives data and electronic mail to and from the external information processing apparatus 30 through the Internet. Further, Internet facsimile communication is performed with the facsimile apparatus 31 through the Internet. The FAX modem 7 is connected to the telephone line network via a telephone line, and performs facsimile communication with the external facsimile apparatus 6.

  The device control unit 9 executes a job for the input image data. That is, in response to an input from the operation unit 2 or a data input from an external device, each unit is controlled based on information stored in the management unit 8 to process input image data. By executing the job, one of a copy mode, a print mode, a scanner mode, and a facsimile mode is executed according to the input image data, and an image is output in a desired form. The device control unit 9 also has a function of transmitting / receiving electronic mail, and can transmit / receive image data through the electronic mail.

  The hard disk device 4 temporarily stores image data. The encryption / decryption unit 25 performs encryption processing or decryption processing on the image data. When image data is stored in the hard disk device 4, the image data is encrypted by the encryption / decryption unit 25. When the encrypted image data is read from the hard disk device 4, the image data is decrypted.

  Further, the hard disk device 4 stores management information regarding data processing as data other than image data. The management information includes filing management information, transmission destination management information, and history management information. The filing management information is a list of files in which input image data is stored. The transmission destination management information is a list of transmission destinations in facsimile communication. The history management information is a list of executed processing contents.

  An erasing unit 32 for erasing the image data of the hard disk device 4 is provided. The image data to be erased is data stored in the processing work area. The device control unit 9 controls the operation of the erasing unit 32 after processing and outputting the image data. The erasure means 32 overwrites random data or meaningless data, or erases the data to make the stored image data unreadable so that the original image cannot be reproduced. To do. Note that the erasing unit 32 may also invalidate the image data by erasing the old image data by overwriting or erasing the image data in the local memory 20. The management information stored in the hard disk device 4 is not deleted unless there is a command from the device control unit 9.

  Next, the operation when each mode is executed will be described. First, in the copy mode, image data of a document read by the image reading unit 1 is output as a copy from the image forming unit 3. Specifically, the image of the original set at the reading position is read by the CCD 10. The image data output from the CCD 10 is subjected to image processing on the local memory 20 by the image processing unit 24 and completed as an output image. Once transferred from the local memory 20 to the hard disk device 4, it is stored. When there are a plurality of documents, the reading and storing operations are repeated.

  Thereafter, based on the processing contents instructed from the operation unit 2, the image data stored in the hard disk device 4 is sequentially read out at an appropriate timing and sent to the local memory 20. The image data is transferred from the local memory 20 to the printing unit 21 in accordance with the writing timing to the printing unit 21, and the image is printed on the sheet material supplied from the paper feeding unit 22. 23 is discharged.

  Similarly, when printing a plurality of read image data, the image data is stored in the hard disk device 4 in units of pages as output images, and sent from the hard disk device 4 to the local memory 20 in accordance with the output mode. The image data in the local memory 20 is repeatedly transferred to the printing unit 21 by the number of output sheets in accordance with the writing timing to the printing unit 21.

  In the print mode, the image data output from the information processing apparatus 30 is output. That is, the image data from the information processing apparatus 30 is received by the communication unit 5. The device control unit 9 sends the input image data to the local memory 20, develops it as image data to be output for each page, and temporarily stores it in the hard disk device 4. Then, the image data is sent from the hard disk device 4 to the local memory 20 and transferred to the printing unit 21 in the same manner as in the copy mode, and the image is printed on the sheet material.

  In the scanner mode, the image data of the document read by the image reading unit 1 is communicated to an arbitrary information processing apparatus 30 through a network. That is, the image data output from the CCD 10 is processed on the local memory 20 to be completed as an output image, and is temporarily stored in the hard disk device 4.

  Then, when transmitting, the image data is sent from the hard disk device 4 to the local memory 20, and the device control unit 9 establishes communication with the transmission destination in the network designated via the operation unit 2, and the communication unit 5. To send the image data to the desired destination. Similarly, the image data is transmitted to the external information processing apparatus 30 and the facsimile apparatus 31 by the communication unit 5 from the network through the Internet.

  In data communication, not only image data can be transmitted directly but also attached to an e-mail. Further, the device control unit 9 transmits image data from the FAX modem 7 to the facsimile apparatus 6 through a telephone line by the same operation in the facsimile mode.

  When the processing of the image data input from the image input unit is completed, the erasing unit 32 erases the image data stored in the hard disk device 4.

  In this image processing apparatus, the security of image data is enhanced to protect information held by the image. The device control unit 9 includes an information adding unit that adds specific information to the image data, an output unit that outputs image data to which the specific information is added, a detection unit that detects specific information from the input image data, a specific unit And processing control means for controlling the processing of the image data based on the specific information when the information is detected.

  Here, the specific information is specific image data representing restriction information for restricting output for image data such as copy prohibition, image communication prohibition, and designation of printing conditions. The specific image based on the specific image data is, for example, an image obtained by combining a character such as “copy prohibited” or “confidential” and a predetermined pattern, an image of only a character, or an image of a predetermined pattern. When the specific image is a color image, it is a yellow image, which is difficult for humans to visually recognize. A specific image for specific information is prepared in advance. That is, the specific image data is created by setting image forming conditions in advance and is stored in the hard disk device 4 or the nonvolatile memory. The specific image can be changed. By setting the image forming condition, the device control unit 9 changes the specific image data according to the setting.

  The information adding means generates specific image data based on the specific information set for the image data, controls the image processing unit 24, and combines the specific image data with the image data. The combined image data is stored in the hard disk device 4. The specific image data differs according to the set specific information, and the specific image also has a different form.

  The output means reads the image data to which the specific image data is added from the hard disk device 4 and sends it to the local memory 20. Then, after the image processing by the image processing unit 24 is performed, the image data is output by printing, data transmission, or the like according to the designated mode. In this way, image data to which specific information is added is output.

  The detection unit controls the image processing unit 24 to detect whether the input image data includes specific information. The image processing unit 24 extracts specific image data from the input image data, and detects the presence or absence of the specific image data. Based on the detection result, the detection unit determines that the specific information is included when detecting the specific image data, and determines that the specific information is not included when the specific image data is not detected.

  The processing control means discriminates the specific information when the specific information is included in the image data, and regulates the processing for the input image data. For example, depending on the instructed mode, copying is prohibited, image data transmission is prohibited, facsimile transmission is prohibited, or printing is performed under set conditions. When the specific information is not included, the image data is processed in the designated mode.

  And the apparatus control part 9 adds 1st specific information and 2nd specific information so that it can control in a file unit in the file which consists of image data of several pages. The first specific information represents management information of the entire image data, and the second specific information represents individual restriction information for each page. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first specific information is added to an arbitrary page. Usually, it is added to the first page. The second specific information is added only to necessary pages. The management information includes a file name, the total number of pages, a page number to which specific information is added, input source information, output destination information, and the like. In the figure, file names, page numbers, and the like are shown by letters for explanation, but in actual images, they are drawn by images that cannot be recognized by humans.

  In addition, the process control unit of the device control unit 9 determines the relevance between the first specific information and the second specific information for each page when specific information is detected from the input image data. That is, the consistency between the two is determined, and when there is no contradiction, it is determined that there is consistency, and the processing of the image data is executed according to the specific information. When the two are contradictory, it is determined that there is no consistency, and processing of the input image data is prohibited.

  The operation when controlling the processing of the image data using the above two specific information will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the copy mode is executed for a plurality of pages of image data. First, a plurality of pages of originals are set in the image reading unit 1, and a first page of originals is read. The read image data is stored in the hard disk device 4. The detection means of the device control unit 9 detects specific information from the input image data. The first specific information is detected from the image data, and this information is stored in the memory. When the second specific information is added to the image data of the first page, the second specific information is detected.

  The process control means determines the relevance between the first specific information and the second specific information. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the page number to which the second specific information is added is included in the first specific information, both are determined to have consistency. Then, the printing condition is specified based on the second specifying information, and the printing condition is stored in the memory.

  Here, when the page number to which the second specific information is added is not included in the first specific information, or even though the page number is included in the first specific information, the image data of the page is used. When the second specific information is not detected, it is determined that there is no consistency between the two. Then, the processing control means prohibits output of the image data of this page, that is, prohibits copying. Accordingly, the image data of this page is deleted.

  When the second specific information is not added to the image data of the first page, the process control means determines that there is consistency, and allows the process for the first page. That is, copying is possible.

  Subsequently, when the image data of the next original is read, the device control unit 9 performs detection and determination of specific information in the same manner as described above. This is repeated for the image data of all pages.

  When the device control unit 9 determines that the first specific information and the second specific information are consistent in all pages, the device control unit 9 allows the file to be copied. Then, the pages to be printed are sorted based on the detected second specifying information. That is, image data of pages that can be copied are arranged in order, except for image data of pages that are prohibited from being copied. Thereafter, the image data of the page that can be copied is printed. At this time, the image data to which the second specifying information is added is printed based on the printing condition specified by the second specifying information.

  In the file shown in FIG. 2, the image data from the second page to the fifth page to which the second specific information for copy prohibition is added is not printed. The image data on the 18th page is printed as a black and white image based on the second specifying information. The image data of the remaining pages is printed as a color image. Also, in the file shown in FIG. 3, the image data of the second page to which the second specific information for copy prohibition is added is not printed. The image data of the 12th page is printed as a black and white image based on the second specifying information. The image data of the remaining pages is printed as a color image.

  As described above, based on the specific information added to the image data, the image data of a plurality of pages is managed in file units, and the processing is also controlled in file units. Since the image data whose output is restricted by the second specific information is prohibited from being processed, it is possible to prevent a confidential image from being copied and illegally used. Security can be maintained. In addition, since the second specific information with a small amount of data is added to each page, the specific image based on the second specific information does not adversely affect the quality of the original image.

  By the way, after all the image data of a file consisting of a plurality of pages is input, processing is performed based on the detected specific information. The device control unit 9 counts the number of pages of input image data. When image data of a certain page is missing, such as when a part of a document is missing, or when image data of another file is mixed, the device control unit 9 It is detected that the number of pages is different from the total number of pages detected from the first specific information. In this case, copying of the input file is prohibited.

  Further, even if the number of pages of the input image data is the same as the total number of pages, such as when a part of the document is replaced, when there is a contradiction in the page number, that is, the image data with the same page number When there is image data having a page number larger than several pages, the device control unit 9 prohibits copying of the input file.

  In either case, there is a possibility that some deliberate action has been performed on the input file. In such a case, the device control unit 9 determines that the relevance between the first specific information and the second specific information is not consistent, and performs control to prohibit processing such as copying. Therefore, even if there is an intentional act on the file, unauthorized use of the image can be prevented and information leakage can be prevented.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, many corrections and changes can be added to the said embodiment within the scope of the present invention. The image processing apparatus may be a multifunction machine having a copy mode and a facsimile mode, or may be a dedicated machine having only a single mode, such as a copy machine or a facsimile machine.

  The process controlled based on the specific information may be not only the copy mode but also the print mode, scanner mode, and facsimile mode.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the image processing apparatus of this invention The figure which shows an example of the file which consists of image data of several pages to which specific information was added The figure which shows an example of the other file which consists of image data of several pages to which specific information was added Flow chart when copying image data based on specific information

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reading part 2 Operation part 3 Image formation part 4 Hard disk drive 5 Communication part 9 Device control part

Claims (7)

An image processing apparatus that processes image data according to specific information added to image data configured in units of pages, wherein the specific information includes first specific information having management information of the entire image data, and each page. Image processing apparatus, characterized in that the first specific information is added to image data of an arbitrary page, and the second specific information is added to each page. . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a process control unit configured to determine the relationship between the first specific information and the second specific information and to process the image data. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing control unit prohibits the processing when it is determined that the first specific information and the second specific information are not consistent. 4. The image processing according to claim 3, wherein when the input image data consists of a plurality of pages, the processing control means processes the image data based on the determination result after all the image data has been input. apparatus. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first specifying information includes the number of pages of the entire image data and a page number to which the second specifying information is added. 6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first specifying information includes a file name of the image data, and the second specifying information includes restriction information for restricting output of the image data of the individual page. Information adding means for adding first specific information to an arbitrary page and adding second specific information for each page, output means for outputting image data to which specific information is added, and specifying from input image data The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects information.

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