JP2008141584A - Image information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image information providing system capable of readily acquiring computerized image information that represents an image formed, in a recording medium, while maintaining confidentiality. <P>SOLUTION: An image processor is provided with an image forming means for forming an image in the recording medium; a recording means for recording encoded image information which is created by encoding the image information representing the image; and identification information for identifying the image processor capable of acquiring the encoded image information in an IC tag, attached to the recording medium; and a key information providing means for providing key information for decoding the encoded image information to the image processor which is capable of acquiring the encoded image information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image information providing system, and more particularly to an image information providing system for providing image information indicating an image formed on a recording medium.

  In recent years, IC tags capable of short-range communication and information recording have become widespread. The IC tag is sometimes called a wireless tag, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an ID tag, an electromagnetic induction tag, or the like. In this specification, these are collectively referred to as an IC tag.

As a technique using such an IC tag, Cited Document 1 discloses a business card plate creation management system with a wireless tag that enables management of business card information by digitizing the business card while serving as a business card. . Also, Cited Document 2 discloses a system and method by which a recipient of a print can obtain a variety of information by adding a variety of data such as images, sounds, and moving images to a small print. Yes. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a material management system that can detect the loss of materials and can detect a mismatch between a combination of a label and materials and a combination between materials.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-190071 JP 2004-164119 A JP 2003-206007 A

  In such a technical background, when a recording medium such as paper on which an image such as a character or a picture is formed is distributed, the confidentiality of the electronic image information indicating the image formed on the recording medium is ensured. However, there is a problem that it cannot be easily acquired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image information providing system that can easily acquire digitized image information indicating an image formed on a recording medium while ensuring confidentiality. And

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image information providing system having an image processing device and an information processing device, wherein the image processing device includes an image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium; Recording means for recording encrypted image information obtained by encrypting image information indicating the image, and identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information, in an IC tag attached to the recording medium; Key information providing means for providing key information for decrypting the encrypted image information to an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information, and the information processing apparatus uses the key information providing means. A key information obtaining unit for obtaining provided key information, a recording information obtaining unit for obtaining the encrypted image information and the identification information recorded on the IC tag by the recording unit, and the information processing apparatus. The identification information and the identification information acquired by the recorded information acquisition means, and the key information acquisition when the determination means determines that the identification information is the same. Decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted image information obtained by the recorded information obtaining means using the key information obtained by the means.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image information providing system includes an image processing device and an information processing system, and the image processing device forms an image on a recording medium, and the recording device indicates the image. Encrypted image information obtained by encrypting the image information and identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information are recorded on an IC tag attached to the recording medium, and a key information providing unit includes the encryption information Key information for decrypting encrypted image information is provided to an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information. On the other hand, in the information processing apparatus, the key information acquisition unit acquires the key information provided by the key information providing unit, and the recording information acquisition unit records the encrypted image information recorded in the IC tag by the recording unit and the The identification information is acquired, and the determination unit determines whether the identification information indicating the information processing apparatus matches the identification information acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the decoding unit matches the determination unit. When it is determined that the encrypted image information is acquired, the encrypted image information acquired by the recorded information acquisition unit is decrypted using the key information acquired by the key information acquisition unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an encrypted image is recorded from an IC tag attached to a recording medium by attaching an IC tag that records encrypted image information indicating the image to the recording medium on which the image is formed. Since it is possible to obtain information and decrypt the encrypted image information, it is possible to easily obtain the digitized image information indicating the image formed on the recording medium while ensuring confidentiality. An image information providing system can be provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, as in the second aspect of the invention, the recording medium records a plurality of pieces of encrypted image information divided in order to divide and record the encrypted image information. An IC tag is provided, and the recording unit records position information indicating an image position when the divided pieces of encrypted image information are combined, and encrypted image information corresponding to the image position indicated by the position information is recorded. Further recorded on the IC tag, the recording information acquisition means further acquires the position information recorded on the IC tag by the recording means from the recording medium, and the decryption means by the key information acquisition means. A plurality of pieces of encrypted image information acquired from each IC tag by the recorded information acquisition unit using the acquired key information, and the information processing apparatus decodes the plurality of pieces of image information decrypted by the decoding unit. Before Position information further comprises a coupling means for coupling based on the image position indicated.

  Therefore, according to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to record image information of a size that cannot be recorded on one IC tag.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to provide an image information providing system that can easily acquire digitized image information indicating an image formed on a recording medium while ensuring confidentiality. can get.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the “image” in the present embodiment may be an image that can be formed on a recording medium. Specifically, a document image, a photographic image, a graphic image, or the like made up of only letters, or an image obtained by combining them. It is.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image information providing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the image information providing system includes an image processing apparatus 10, an information processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a client) 11, and a network 12 connecting them.

  The image processing apparatus 10 can form an image on a recording medium such as paper, photographic paper, or an OHP film, and can also record information encrypted on an IC tag. In this embodiment, the information recorded on the IC tag is encrypted image information obtained by encrypting image information indicating an image to be formed on the recording medium. The IC tag may be attached to the recording medium in advance or may be attached at the time of image formation.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can also send an e-mail to the client 11.

  The client 11 is a personal computer, a PDA (personal digital assistant), or the like, and has an IC tag reader function that can acquire information recorded in the IC tag. The client 11 can receive an e-mail. In the figure, only one client is illustrated, but a plurality of clients may exist.

  The network 12 is a network such as a LAN or the Internet.

  Next, the configuration of the image processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The image processing apparatus 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 13, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 14, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 15, a network I / F unit 16, and a ROM (ROM) each connected by a bus B. Read Only Memory) 17, a display unit 18, an operation input unit 19, a printer engine 20, and an IC tag information recording device 21.

  The CPU 13 controls the overall operation of the image processing apparatus 10, and a program to be described later is executed by the CPU 13. The HDD 14 is a nonvolatile storage device in which a database, an OS (Operating System), and the like to be described later are recorded. The RAM 15 is a volatile storage device in which the OS, programs, and data are expanded. The network I / F unit 16 is for connecting to the network 12, and is composed of a NIC, its driver, and the like. The ROM 17 is a non-volatile storage device that stores a boot program that operates when the image processing apparatus 10 is started. The display unit 18 displays various information. The operation input unit 19 is used when an operator operates the image processing apparatus 10 or inputs information to the image processing apparatus 10. The printer engine 20 forms an image on a recording medium based on the image information. The IC tag information recording device 21 records information on the IC tag. The IC tag information recording device 21 records information on the attached IC tag when the IC tag is attached in advance to the recording medium. If the IC tag is not attached in advance, the IC tag information recording device 21 attaches the IC tag to the recording medium. Also includes an IC tag attachment mechanism for attachment.

  Next, the configuration of the client 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The client 11 includes a CPU 33, an HDD 34, a RAM 35, a network I / F unit 36, a ROM 37, a display unit 38, an operation input unit 39, and an IC tag information acquisition device 40, which are each connected via a bus B. Including.

  The CPU 33 controls the overall operation of the client 11, and a program to be described later is executed by the CPU 33. The HDD 34 is a non-volatile storage device that stores an OS and the like. The RAM 35 is a volatile storage device in which the OS, programs, and data are expanded. The network I / F unit 36 is for connecting to the network 12 and includes a NIC, its driver, and the like. The ROM 37 is a non-volatile storage device that stores a boot program that operates when the client 11 is activated. The display unit 38 displays various information. The operation input unit 39 is used when an operator operates the client 11 or inputs information to the client 11. The IC tag information acquisition device 40 acquires information recorded on the IC tag.

  Next, the structure of an image information database (hereinafter referred to as image DB) recorded in the HDD 14 of the image processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the image DB has a structure including an image information ID, image name information, key information, output date / time, number of sheets, and one or more pieces of identification information.

  The image information ID is information for identifying corresponding image information. The image name information is information indicating a file name in which the image information is recorded. The image information of this file name is recorded in the HDD 14, for example. The key information is information indicating a key used when encrypting and decrypting the corresponding key information. In this embodiment, since the common key encryption is used, there is only one key information.

  The output date and time is information indicating the date and time when the image indicated by the corresponding image information is formed on the recording medium. The number of pieces of information is information indicating the number of recording media when the image indicated by the image information is formed on the recording medium. Each piece of identification information is information for identifying a client from which encrypted image information can be acquired. In this embodiment, an email address is used. The identification information is not limited to a mail address, but may be any information that can identify a client, such as a client computer name or an IP address.

  Next, a configuration example of a recording medium to which an IC tag is attached will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, one or more IC tags (four in the figure) are attached to the recording medium. The number of IC tags attached is determined by the size of the image information and the recording capacity of the IC tag. When image information is recorded on a plurality of IC tags, the encrypted image information is divided as described later, and the divided encrypted image information is recorded on each IC tag.

  Hereinafter, each process executed in the image information providing system will be described using a flowchart. First, the processing executed when there is one IC tag attached to the recording medium will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, and the IC tag attached to the recording medium will be described with reference to FIGS. Processing executed in a plurality of cases will be described.

  FIG. 6 shows a flowchart showing processing executed by the image processing apparatus 10. First, in step 101, the CPU 13 controls the print engine 20 to form an image on a recording medium based on image information (hereinafter referred to as processing target image information). In the next step 102, the CPU 13 encrypts the processing target image information, and in step 103, the encrypted image information and the identification information recorded in the image DB (see FIG. 4) are converted into an IC tag by the IC tag information recording device 21. Record. In step 104, the CPU 13 provides the encrypted image information to the client that can obtain the encrypted image information by transmitting the key information for decryption to the mail address indicated by the identification information by electronic mail. This e-mail is encrypted.

  The above is the processing in the image processing apparatus 10. The recording medium on which the image is formed by the above processing is distributed to, for example, conference participants. The participant to whom the recording medium has been distributed obtains digitized image information indicating the image formed on the recording medium from the distributed recording medium by processing executed by the client described below.

  Processing executed by the client 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step 201, the CPU 33 acquires key information by the above-described electronic mail. In the next step 202, the CPU 33 acquires the encrypted image information and the identification information A stored in the IC tag attached to the distributed recording medium by the IC tag information acquisition device 40. 11 The identification information B of itself is acquired. The identification information B of the client 11 can be acquired by referring to data managed by the e-mail receiving software because the client 11 can receive the e-mail.

  In the next step 204, the CPU 33 determines whether or not the identification information A and the identification information B match. When an affirmative determination is made in step 204, the encrypted image information acquired in step 202 is decrypted in step 205 using the key information acquired in the process of step 201. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 204, the present process is terminated.

  In the above processing, the image information can be acquired simply by causing the IC tag information acquisition device 40 to acquire the information recorded on the distributed recording medium, so that it is digitized indicating the image formed on the recording medium. The acquired image information can be easily acquired.

  Further, since the key information is notified only to the client that can acquire the encrypted image information by the image DB, security can be improved. Even if a malicious third party transfers the e-mail, the identification information of the client to which the e-mail is transferred differs from the identification information recorded in the IC tag, so that the image information cannot be acquired.

  Next, processing executed when there are a plurality of IC tags attached to a recording medium will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 shows a flowchart showing processing executed by the image processing apparatus 10. First, in step 301, the CPU 13 forms an image on a recording medium based on the processing target image information. In the next step 302, the CPU 13 encrypts the processing target image information.

  Next, the CPU 13 assigns [L / M] to N in Step 303. Here, L is the size of the encrypted image information, and M is the size of the information amount that can be recorded in one tag. The symbol [] is a Gaussian symbol. Therefore, N is a measure of the number of IC tags that record encrypted image information.

  In the next step 304, the CPU 13 initializes variables. Specifically, 0 is substituted for the loop counter k, and the head address of the encrypted image information is substituted for the pointer ad used when recording the encrypted image information on the IC tag.

  Next, in step 305, the CPU 13 records the position information k in the kth IC tag and the identification information recorded in the image DB (see FIG. 4). In step 306, the CPU 13 records the size M from the pointer ad in the kth IC tag. Only record image information.

  Next, in step 307, the CPU 13 increments the loop counter k by 1, and assigns a new address obtained by adding the size M to the pointer ad to the pointer ad.

  Next, in step 308, the CPU 13 determines whether k> N. This determination is a determination of whether or not all encrypted image information has been recorded on the IC tag. If the determination is negative, the process of step 305 is executed again to record the encrypted image information in the next IC tag.

  On the other hand, when the negative determination is made, since the recording of the encrypted image information on the IC tag is finished, the CPU 13 electronically sends the key information for decryption to the mail address indicated in the identification information in step 309. By sending it by e-mail, it is provided to a client that can acquire encrypted image information. This e-mail is encrypted.

  In the processing described above, identification information is recorded for each IC tag in order to increase security. However, identification information may be recorded only on one IC tag instead of each IC tag.

  Next, processing executed by the client 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in step 401, the CPU 33 acquires key information by the above-described electronic mail. In the next step 404, the CPU 33 acquires the identification information B of the client.

  In step 403, the CPU 33 acquires the encrypted image information and identification information A stored in the IC tag by the IC tag information acquisition device 40. In step 404, the CPU 33 matches the identification information A with the identification information B. Determine whether or not. If the determination in step 404 is affirmative, in step 405, the encrypted image information is decrypted using the previously acquired key information. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 404, the process proceeds to step 406. If even one piece of identification information is different as described above, the processing may be immediately terminated.

  Next, in step 406, the CPU 33 determines whether or not there is a next IC tag on the recording medium. If an affirmative determination is made in this step, the process of step 403 is executed again in order to acquire the encrypted image information of the next IC tag.

  On the other hand, when the negative determination is made, since the acquisition of the encrypted image information from the IC tag is completed, the CPU 13 combines the decrypted image information based on the position indicated by the position information in step 407.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is also possible to divide and record into a plurality of IC tags. This indicates that it is possible to record even image information that is large in size, such as a photographic image, and cannot be recorded on one IC tag.

  The processing flow of each flowchart described above is an example, and the processing order may be changed, new steps may be added, or unnecessary steps may be deleted without departing from the scope of the present invention. Needless to say, you can.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the image information providing system includes the image processing apparatus 10 and the information processing apparatus (client 11), and the image processing apparatus 10 forms an image on a recording medium. An IC attached to the recording medium with forming means (step 101), encrypted image information obtained by encrypting image information indicating the image, and identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information Recording means for recording in a tag (step 103), key information providing means for providing key information for decrypting the encrypted image information to an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information (step 104), The information processing apparatus (client 11) includes key information acquisition means (step 201) for acquiring key information provided by the key information provision means, and the recording Recording information acquisition means (step 202) for acquiring the encrypted image information and the identification information recorded in the IC tag by the stage, identification information indicating the information processing apparatus, and identification acquired by the information acquisition means Determining means (step 204) for determining whether or not the information matches, and using the key information acquired by the key information acquiring means when it is determined that the information matches, And decryption means (step 205) for decrypting the encrypted image information acquired by the recording information acquisition means.

  Further, the recording medium has a plurality of IC tags for recording the divided encrypted image information in order to divide and record the encrypted image information, and the recording means includes The position information indicating the image position when the encrypted image information is combined is further recorded on the IC tag in which the encrypted image information corresponding to the image position indicated by the image position information is recorded (step 305). The recording information acquisition means further acquires the position information recorded on the IC tag by the recording means from the recording medium (step 403), and the decryption means acquires the key information acquired by the key information acquisition means. The information is used to decrypt a plurality of encrypted image information acquired from each IC tag by the recorded information acquisition means (step 405), and the information processing apparatus decrypts the information by the decryption means. The position information a plurality of image information further have binding binding means (step 407) based on the image position indicated.

It is a figure which shows the image information provision system which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of an image processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a client. It is a figure which shows image DB. It is a figure which shows the example of a recording medium with which the IC tag was attached. 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the image processing apparatus (part 1). It is a flowchart which shows the process performed with a client (the 1). It is a flowchart which shows the process performed with an image processing apparatus (the 2). It is a flowchart which shows the process performed with a client (the 2).

Explanation of symbols

10 Image processing apparatus 11 Client 12 Network 13, 33 CPU
14 HDD
20 Printer Engine 21 IC Tag Information Recording Device 40 IC Tag Information Acquisition Device

Claims (2)

An image information providing system having an image processing device and an information processing device,
The image processing apparatus includes:
Image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium;
Recording means for recording encrypted image information obtained by encrypting image information indicating the image, and identification information for identifying an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information, in an IC tag attached to the recording medium;
Key information providing means for providing key information for decrypting the encrypted image information to an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring the encrypted image information;
Have
The information processing apparatus includes:
Key information obtaining means for obtaining key information provided by the key information providing means;
Recording information acquisition means for acquiring the encrypted image information and the identification information recorded in the IC tag by the recording means;
Determination means for determining whether or not the identification information indicating the information processing apparatus matches the identification information acquired by the recording information acquisition means;
Decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted image information acquired by the recorded information acquiring means using the key information acquired by the key information acquiring means when it is determined by the determining means to match,
A system for providing image information. The recording medium has a plurality of IC tags for recording each of the divided encrypted image information in order to divide and record the encrypted image information,
The recording means further includes position information indicating an image position at the time of combining the divided pieces of encrypted image information on an IC tag in which encrypted image information corresponding to the image position indicated by the position information is recorded. Record,
The recording information acquisition means further acquires the position information recorded on the IC tag by the recording means from the recording medium,
The decrypting means decrypts a plurality of encrypted image information acquired from each IC tag by the recording information acquiring means using the key information acquired by the key information acquiring means,
The image information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus further includes a combining unit that combines a plurality of pieces of image information decoded by the decoding unit based on an image position indicated by the position information.

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