JP2010118866A - Image forming apparatus, sheet, image forming system, image reading unit, and image reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus, sheet, image forming system, image reading unit, and image reading system, capable of admitting or inhibiting duplication of an original image, to contribute to the convenience of users, and to prevent dispersion of information. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus for forming a copy of an original image, a pattern is detected from the original image, and then the first information inhibiting the duplication of the original image and second information related to canceling the duplication inhibition are detected from the detected pattern by a pattern detecting part 8. Based on the detected information, original image duplication is admitted or inhibited. For example, by setting the date and the time of a meeting as date information, an original outputted for confirmation, before the date and time of the meeting is prevented from being accidentally duplicated as a final original, thereby contributing to the convenience of a user. Although duplication can be made prior to the meeting, duplication as a final material is inhibited, after the start of the meeting, and accidental dispersion of information is prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a sheet, an image forming system, an image reading apparatus, and an image reading system configured to be able to restrict copying or reading of a document image.

  Generally, document image processing is performed in which a document image is read, the read document image is recorded, or the read document image is formed on a sheet and printed. In recent years, it has become possible to easily transmit image data of a read original image to another apparatus via a network such as a LAN.

  With the development of such technology, there is a risk that confidential information or personal information of a company may easily leak to an unspecified number. Therefore, an apparatus configured to add a specific pattern to a sheet on which an original image is formed and prohibit copying such as reading, recording, printing or transmission of the original image when the pattern is detected Various proposals have been made. Further, there has been proposed a technique for controlling the copy prohibiting operation by using information such as date / time information and user ID information in addition to prohibiting the copy of the original image uniformly (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a document type set according to duplication restriction information, an operator code set according to an operator's duplication authority, operation date / time information, and a barcode. By using at least two of these in combination, it is configured to determine whether image formation is possible. In this image forming apparatus, for example, copying is permitted when the prohibition period has expired based on the detected duplication restriction information, the date and time of issuance of a document, or the date and time when cancellation of duplication is canceled. . As a result, it is possible to prohibit and permit copying by comparing the prohibition period set for each type of document and the date and time information at the time of operation.
JP 7-115537 A

  However, in the image forming apparatus according to Patent Document 1, for example, when a document used for a meeting is created and a necessary number of copies are made after the document is confirmed before the meeting, the document being confirmed is incorrect. In order to prevent copying as a final document, copying is prohibited until just before the meeting, and copying cannot be made between meetings after the confirmation work before the meeting is completed.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus according to Patent Document 1, the background color of the sheet on which the image is formed is configured to be changed according to the copy prohibition level. However, in the image forming apparatus capable of reading only a black and white image. However, since the difference in the ground color of the sheet cannot be read, the prohibition level cannot be read, and it is not possible to identify that copying is prohibited, and copying is permitted.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and can more reliably permit or prohibit copying of a document image, which contributes to the convenience of the user and prevents the diffusion of information. An object is to provide an apparatus, a sheet, an image forming system, an image reading apparatus, and an image reading system.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a pattern is detected from the original image in the image forming apparatus for forming a copy of the original image, and the first information indicating the copy prohibition of the original image and the copy prohibition from the detected pattern The second information related to the release is detected, and copying of the original image is permitted or prohibited based on the detected first and second information.

  According to the present invention, a pattern is detected from a document image, first information indicating copy prohibition of the document image and second information related to cancellation of copy prohibition are detected from the detected pattern, and the detected first The copying of the document image is permitted or prohibited based on the second information. For example, by providing date information as the second information and determining a period during which copying of the document image is permitted based on the date information, it is possible to further permit or prohibit copying of the document image according to the permission period. It is possible to carry out surely and contribute to the convenience of the user and prevent the diffusion of information. In addition, since a plurality of pieces of information are detected from one pattern, it is possible to save detection means for detecting the pattern.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the second information is date information, and using the detected date information, a determination unit that determines a permission period during which copying of the document image is permitted, and a time measurement having a calendar function Means for determining whether or not the time period is within the permitted period from the date information provided by the time measuring means, and control means for controlling the formation of a copy of the original image according to the determined result. The control means is configured to permit copying of the document image when it is within the permission period and to prohibit copying of the document image when it is outside the permission period.

  In the present invention, date information is given as the second information, a permission period during which copying of the document image is permitted is determined using the date information, and the permission period is determined from the date information given by the time measuring means. It is determined whether or not the document image is within, and the formation of a copy of the document image is controlled according to the determined result. For example, when confirming materials for a conference, by setting the date and time of the conference as date information, it is possible to prevent the manuscript output for confirmation from being accidentally duplicated as the final document before the date and time of the conference. This is useful for the convenience of the user. In addition, the required number of copies can be copied before the meeting, while copying is prohibited as the final material after the meeting starts, thereby preventing inadvertent spread of information.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a transmission unit that transmits the document image, and is configured to prohibit transmission of the document image by the transmission unit in response to prohibition of copying of the document image. It is characterized by.

  In the present invention, since the transmission of the document image is prohibited in accordance with the prohibition of the copy of the document image, the information is prevented from being diffused by being transmitted to other devices via a network such as a LAN. be able to.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a reading unit that reads the document image, and is configured to interrupt reading of the document image by the reading unit in accordance with prohibition of copying of the document image. Features.

  In the present invention, the reading of the document image is interrupted in accordance with the prohibition of copying of the document image, and the copying is prohibited at the reading stage, so that the diffusion of information can be prevented more reliably. be able to.

  The sheet according to the present invention is a sheet on which a document image to which a pattern indicating restriction on copying is added is formed. The pattern includes first information indicating that copying of the document image is prohibited and cancellation of copying prohibition. The second information is provided.

  In the present invention, the first information indicating the copy prohibition of the original image and the second information related to the cancellation of the copy prohibition are added to the pattern. For example, date information is added as the second information, and the date By configuring so as to obtain a period during which copying of the document image is permitted based on the information, the copying or copying of the document image is more reliably permitted or prohibited according to the permission period, thereby contributing to the convenience of the user and information. Can be prevented. In addition, since a plurality of pieces of information are assigned to one pattern, it is possible to save the amount of toner consumed and the time for forming the pattern on the sheet.

  In the sheet according to the present invention, the pattern includes a plurality of dots, the first information is represented by a shape of the pattern, and the second information is represented by a combination of the plurality of dots. .

  In the present invention, the first information is represented by the shape of the pattern, the second information is represented by a combination of a plurality of dots, and by setting each dot appropriately, for example, date information or the like as the second information Therefore, it is possible to provide relatively fine information, which contributes to the convenience of the user and prevents the information from spreading.

  The sheet according to the present invention is characterized in that each of the plurality of dots has a color.

  In the present invention, each of the plurality of dots has a color, and when applied to a conventional image forming apparatus that uniformly prohibits copying, only the shape of the pattern in which color information is ignored, that is, only the first information. Is detected and it is determined that copying is prohibited. Therefore, copying can always be prohibited, and information can be prevented from being inadvertently copied and information spread.

  An image forming system according to the present invention includes the image forming apparatus described in the above invention and the sheet described in the above invention.

  In the present invention, since the image forming system is constituted by the image forming apparatus described in the above-described invention and the sheet described in the above-mentioned invention, it is possible to more reliably permit or prohibit copying of the original image. This contributes to the convenience of the user and prevents the spread of information.

  An image reading apparatus according to the present invention is an image reading apparatus that reads a document image, and includes a reading unit that reads a document image formed on a sheet, and detects a pattern from the document image read by the reading unit. First information indicating copy prohibition of the original image and second information related to cancellation of copy prohibition are detected from the pattern, and reading of the original image is continued or interrupted based on the detected first and second information It is comprised so that it may carry out.

  In the present invention, the original image formed on the sheet is read, the pattern is detected from the read original image, and the first information indicating the copy prohibition of the original image is detected from the detected pattern and the copy prohibition is canceled. The second information is detected, and reading of the document image is continued or interrupted based on the detected first and second information. For example, by giving date information as the second information and obtaining a period during which copying of the document image is permitted based on the date information, permission or prohibition of copying of the document image can be made more according to the permission period. It is possible to carry out surely and contribute to the convenience of the user and prevent the diffusion of information. In addition, since a plurality of pieces of information are detected from one pattern, it is possible to save detection means for detecting the pattern.

  An image reading system according to the present invention includes the image reading apparatus described in the above invention and the sheet described in the above invention.

  In the present invention, since the image reading system is constituted by the image reading apparatus described in the above invention and the sheet described in the above invention, it is possible to more reliably permit or prohibit copying of a document image. This contributes to the convenience of the user and prevents the spread of information.

  According to the present invention, copying or copying of a document image can be permitted or prohibited more reliably, contributing to the convenience of the user and preventing the spread of information.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by taking a digital color multifunction peripheral as an example based on the drawings showing the embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a document placing table on which a sheet on which a document image to be read is formed is placed. In response to a copy start instruction input from an operation panel (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the document table 1, the light from the light source 2 is applied to the document table 1. Reflected by the sheet placed on the placing table 1.

  The light reflected by the sheet enters the optical unit 3 having a mirror, an optical lens, and the like. The optical unit 3 reduces the incident reflected light image, and forms the reduced reflected light image at a predetermined position on the CCD sensor 4 that is a photoelectric conversion element. The CCD sensor 4 is driven by a control signal from the CCD controller 5, sequentially photoelectrically converts the formed light image, and outputs it to the scanner image processor 6 as an electrical signal. The CCD sensor 4 is a color CCD that can read a black-and-white image or a color image and output line data that is color-separated into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color components.

  The scanner image processing unit 6 performs correction such as shading correction for the light distribution characteristics of the light source at the time of reading the document image, sensitivity unevenness of the CCD sensor 4, etc. with respect to the electric signal given by the CCD sensor 4. The image data is output to the image processing unit 7 and the pattern detection unit 8 respectively.

  The image processing unit 7 is configured to perform processing such as conversion to YMCK format or monochrome image data, image masking, color correction, and the like on the given RGB format image data.

  The pattern detection unit 8 is configured to detect a pattern added to a document image from given image data. A control unit 9 is connected to the pattern detection unit 8, and the pattern detection unit 8 gives information on the detected pattern to the control unit 9.

  The control unit 9 includes a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a ROM that stores a control program, a RAM that temporarily holds data generated during the calculation of the CPU, and the like. The control unit 9 is configured to control the entire image forming apparatus 100 so that the blocks such as the image processing unit 7 and the pattern detection unit 8 operate in a coordinated manner by the operation of the CPU according to the control program stored in the ROM. It is.

  Further, date information is given to the control unit 9 from a time measuring unit 10 having a calendar function provided in an appropriate part of the image forming apparatus 100. Note that the timer unit 10 is configured to be able to retain date and time information even when the power to the image forming apparatus 100 is shut off.

  On the other hand, an external personal computer 300 is connected to the image processing unit 7, and the image processing unit 7 is configured to be able to exchange image data with the personal computer 300. The image processing unit 7 transmits the processed image data to the personal computer 300 via the interface 13 in response to a control command from the control unit 9.

  The image processing unit 7 is connected to a printing unit 11 and a FAX transmission / reception unit 12. The image processing unit 7 gives the processed image data to the printing unit 11 in accordance with a control command from the control unit 9. The printing unit 11 includes a photosensitive drum, a laser scanner unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum, a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image, and a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum. A transfer device or the like for transferring the image to the sheet is provided, and a copy of the original image is formed (printed) on the sheet based on the image data given by the image processing unit 7.

  The image processing unit 7 is configured to be able to exchange image data with the FAX transmitting / receiving unit 12. The image processing unit 7 provides the processed image data to the FAX transmitting / receiving unit 12 in accordance with a control command from the control unit 9. The FAX transmission / reception unit 12 transmits the image data given by the image processing unit 7 to an external device.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention configured as described above, a document image formed on a sheet placed on the document table 1 is read by the CCD sensor 4 and added to the read document image. As will be described in detail below, the pattern is detected by the pattern detection unit 8, and based on the detected pattern, the control unit 9 controls the operation of the image processing unit 7 to form a copy of the original image. It is configured to limit.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a sheet 200 read by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of patterns 20 including a plurality of (seven in the figure) dots 20 are formed on a sheet 200 on which an original image is formed, separated by an appropriate length. Each of the plurality of dots constituting the pattern 20 has seven colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), green (G), red (R), blue (B), and black (K). Any one of them has a color. These colors represent numbers, yellow (Y) is 0, cyan (C) is 1, magenta (M) is 2, green (G) is 3, red (R) is 4. , Blue (B) represents 5, and black (K) represents 6.

  A pattern 20 including a plurality of dots each having such a feature represents copy prohibition information (first information) of a document image and date information (second information) related to cancellation of copy prohibition. It is constituted as follows.

  The copy prohibition information of the document image is represented by the shape of a pattern 20 (a pattern in which seven dots are arranged as shown in FIG. 2) composed of a plurality of dots. In the image forming apparatus 100, when this pattern 20 is detected, copying of the document image is prohibited in principle.

  The date information is represented by a combination of colors assigned to each of the plurality of dots. The first two dots 21a and 21b of the pattern 20 are in a portion 21 indicating the year, the next two dots 22a and 22b are in a portion 22 indicating the month, and the next one dot is a portion 23 indicating the tenth digit of the day In addition, the remaining two dots 24a and 24b are respectively assigned to the portions 24 indicating one digit of the day. As described above, each of the plurality of dots of the pattern 20 has any one of the seven colors corresponding to the numbers 0 to 6. In FIG. 2, each character of ABCDEFG that is a document image is a color character having an arbitrary color.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of date information represented by the pattern 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the two dots 21a and 21b of the portion 21 indicating the year are black representing 6 and magenta representing 2. The addition result 8 is the last digit of the year. The two dots 22a and 22b of the portion 22 indicating the month are both black representing 6, and 12 as the addition result is the month. The portion 23 indicating the tens digit of the day is magenta representing 2, and 2 is the tens digit of the day. The two dots 24a and 24b of the portion 24 indicating the first digit of the day are black representing 6 and green representing 3, and 9 which is the addition result thereof is the first digit of the day. Therefore, the date information shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 represents December 29, 2008.

  The pattern 20 is added to the original image by the image processing unit 7 when the original original image is printed or copied, and is printed on a sheet by the printing unit 11 or transmitted to an external device. The Each dot of the pattern 20 is made sufficiently small so as not to disturb the original image.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the pattern detection unit 8 that detects such a pattern. As described above, the image data is given to the pattern detection unit 8 by the scanner image processing unit 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the pattern detection unit 8 includes a Y detection unit 80a, a C detection unit 80b, an M detection unit 80c, a G detection unit 80d, an R detection unit 80e, a B detection unit 80f, and a K detection unit 80g. OR circuit 81 that synthesizes the detection results of the units 80a to 80g, a pattern determination unit 82 that determines a pattern based on the result of the OR circuit 81, and date information based on the results of the detection units 80a to 80g and the pattern determination unit 82 And a date detection unit 83 for detecting.

  Y detector 80a, C detector 80b, M detector 80c, G detector 80d, R detector 80e, B detector 80f, and K detector 80g are respectively yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M ), Green (G), red (R), blue (B), and black (K). The detection units 80a to 80g give the detection results to the OR circuit 81 and the date detection unit 83, respectively.

  The OR circuit 81 combines the detection results given by the detection units 80 a to 80 g and gives the synthesized result to the pattern determination unit 82. That is, when any one of the seven colors is detected, the OR circuit 81 outputs a value.

  The pattern determining unit 82 is a pattern in which a pattern composed of a plurality of dots obtained based on the output value given by the OR circuit 81 is a pattern indicating duplication prohibition information, and seven dots are arranged as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not it matches the shape of the pattern 20 formed. The pattern determination unit 82 gives determination results to the date detection unit 83 and the control unit 9.

  When it is determined that the detected pattern is the pattern 20 indicating the copy prohibition information, the date detection unit 83 detects the date information as described above using the detection results given by the detection units 80a to 80g. Then, the detection result is given to the control unit 9. Based on the result given by the pattern determination unit 82 and the date detection unit 83 and the date information at the time of operation given by the time measuring unit 10, the control unit 9 permits or prohibits the reproduction of the original image. It is configured. In the present embodiment, the copy of the original image is prohibited from being formed until December 29, 2008.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for copying an original image in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention, and shows an example of copying an original image formed on a sheet. The control unit 9 takes in a copy start instruction input from the operation panel (step S1). Next, reading of the original image formed on the sheet placed on the original placing table 1 by the CCD sensor 4 is started in response to the taken copy start instruction (step S2), and the pattern detecting unit 8 is started. Detection of the pattern 20 is started (step S3).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the pattern 20 is detected by the pattern detection unit 8 (step S4). As described above, whether the pattern 20 is detected or not is determined by the pattern 20 (FIG. 20) in which the shape of the pattern constituted by a plurality of dots obtained by combining in the OR circuit 81 represents information on the prohibition of copying of the original image. As shown in FIG. 2, it is determined by whether or not it matches the shape of a pattern in which seven dots are arranged.

  When the pattern 20 is detected in step S4 (step S4: YES), date information is detected from the combination of the colors of a plurality of dots constituting the pattern 20 (step S5). As described above, the date information is detected by obtaining the date detection unit 83 using the detection results given from the detection units 80a to 80g. On the other hand, if the pattern 20 is not detected (step S4: NO), copying is executed (step S9), and the original image copy forming process of the image forming apparatus 100 is terminated.

  Next, using the date information detected in step S5, it is determined whether or not the present is within the copy permission period (step S6). The determination as to whether or not it is within the copy permission period is made by comparing the date information detected in step S5 with the date information given by the timekeeping unit 10, and the copy permission period determined according to the detected date information. This is done depending on whether or not the current date is in the box. Note that a method for determining the copy permission period using the detected date information is set in advance. In the present embodiment, the date information to be given is December 29, 2008, and a copy of the original image is prohibited until December 29.

  If it is determined in step S6 that it is within the copy permission period (step S6: YES), the copy is executed (step S9), and the copy forming process of the original image of the image forming apparatus 100 is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that it is outside the copy permission period (step S6: NO), a copy prohibition message is displayed (step S7), the copy process is stopped (step S8), and the image forming apparatus. The process for forming 100 copies is completed.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present invention configured as described above, based on the pattern added to the document image, copying of the document image is prohibited from the first information indicated by the shape of the pattern composed of a plurality of dots. When the copying is prohibited in principle, the date information as the second information is detected from the combination of the plurality of dot colors, and the copying is permitted based on the date information. The copy of the document image is permitted or prohibited according to the obtained permission period. In the present embodiment, since the date information to be given is December 29, 2008, and it is configured so that the duplication of the original image is prohibited until December 29, it will be held on December 29. When this pattern 20 is added to a conference material to be printed, the provisional material printed at the confirmation or correction stage of the material before the conference can be prevented from being inadvertently copied. Convenient. In addition, when the meeting is held on December 29, if it is set to cancel the copy prohibition on the day before the meeting, inadvertent copying of provisional materials will be prevented until the day before the meeting, It is also possible to copy materials. In addition, since a plurality of pieces of information are detected from one pattern 20, it is possible to save the detection means for detecting the pattern 20.

  In addition, when calculating | requiring the permission period in which the formation of replication was permitted based on date information, you may comprise so that it may be set as a permission period after the date provided as date information, or it was provided as date information. Only the date may be configured as the permitted period, or the date provided as the date information may be configured as the permitted period. In the latter two cases, when the date and time of the meeting is set as date information, the required number of copies can be copied before the meeting, while copying is prohibited as the final material after the meeting starts, and inadvertent information is spread. It becomes possible to prevent. In this embodiment, one date is set as the date information. However, two dates may be set, and a period between the two dates may be set as a duplication permission period. Is possible. In the present embodiment, only the date is set as the date information, but it is also possible to configure to set the time in addition to the date.

  In addition, in the sheet 200 on which an original image to which a plurality of restriction patterns 20 are added is formed, first information indicating prohibition of duplication of the original image and second information related to cancellation of duplication prohibition are added to the pattern 20. Therefore, it is possible to save the toner consumption and formation time for forming the pattern.

  By configuring the image forming system including the image forming apparatus 100 and the sheet 200 as described above, it is possible to more reliably permit or prohibit the copying of the original image, which contributes to the convenience of the user and the information Diffusion can be prevented.

  FIG. 6 is an image obtained by reading the sheet 200 on which the color original image shown in FIG. 2 is formed by a black and white scanner. When an original image is read by an image forming apparatus equipped with a black and white scanner, as shown in FIG. 6, the pattern 20 added to the original image is read in the same way as when all black dots are formed. Therefore, date information represented by a combination of a plurality of dot colors cannot be detected.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for original copy reproduction in an image forming apparatus equipped with a black and white scanner. Note that the image forming apparatus is configured to prohibit copying of the original image in response to detection of the pattern 20.

  The control unit of the image forming apparatus equipped with the black and white scanner takes in a copy start instruction input from the operation panel (step S11). Next, reading of the original image formed on the sheet placed on the original placing table by the CCD sensor is started in response to the taken copy start instruction (step S12), and the pattern detection unit performs pattern reading. Detection is started (step S13).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the pattern 20 is detected by the pattern detection unit (step S14). If the pattern 20 is detected in step S14 (step S14: YES), a copy prohibition message is displayed (step S15), the copy process is stopped (step S16), and the copy forming process of the image forming apparatus is performed. Exit. On the other hand, if the pattern 20 is not detected (step S14: NO), copying is executed (step S17), and the process for forming a copy of the original image in the image forming apparatus is completed.

  Since the date information cannot be read in an image forming apparatus equipped with a black and white scanner, the processing in steps S5 and S6 in FIG. 5 is eliminated as shown in FIG. When the original image shown in FIG. 2 is copied, the pattern 20 is always detected as a copy prohibition pattern. As a result, since copying by an image forming apparatus equipped with a black and white scanner can be prohibited, it is possible to prevent the original from being inadvertently copied and the information from being diffused even when date information cannot be detected. Also, it is possible to prevent the original from being inadvertently copied even when it is desired to limit the color copy. It should be noted that an image forming apparatus equipped with a color scanner is configured so that it is always determined to be a copy-prohibited document when all of the plurality of dots of the pattern 20 shown in FIG. 2 are black. As a result, the same pattern can be used in common as an always-copy prohibited pattern in an image forming apparatus equipped with either a color scanner or a monochrome scanner.

  In the above embodiment, the pattern 20 shown in FIG. 2 including seven dots having any one of the seven colors is described as an example of the pattern indicating the prohibition of copying. The shape, the number of dots, and the number of colors used for the dots are not limited thereto. Further, the mark need not be composed of a plurality of dots. Although the date information is added to the document image as the second information, the second information is not limited to the date information, and may be information related to the prohibition of copying. And according to the content of 2nd information, the number of a mark and the color used for this mark is set appropriately.

  In the above embodiment, the copy processing of the document image is stopped in response to the detection of the pattern indicating that the copy is prohibited. However, the read processing of the document image is stopped. May be. In this case, since copying is prohibited at the reading stage, it is possible to more reliably prevent information from being diffused.

  In the above embodiments, copying has been described as an example of copying a document image. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Replication is also included. In this case as well, according to the period during which the copy of the document image is permitted, the copy of the document image can be permitted or prohibited more reliably, contributing to the convenience of the user and preventing the spread of information. Can do.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the original image is read from the sheet has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to a case where image data is given from another device.

  In the above embodiment, the digital color multifunction peripheral has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to devices such as a FAX, a scanner, and a printer.

  For example, a scanner which is one of image reading apparatuses includes components other than the printing unit 11 and the FAX transmission / reception unit 12 in the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. In the image reading apparatus, as in the image forming apparatus described above, the first image indicating that the original image formed on the sheet is read, the pattern is detected from the read original image, and the copy of the original image is prohibited from the detected pattern. The information and the second information related to the cancellation of the copy prohibition are detected, and the reading of the document image is continued or interrupted based on the detected first and second information. With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably permit or prohibit the copying of the document image according to the permission period, thereby contributing to the convenience of the user and preventing the spread of information. In addition, since a plurality of pieces of information are detected from one pattern, it is possible to save detection means for detecting the pattern. Similarly, by configuring the image reading system including the image reading device and the sheet 200, it is possible to more reliably permit or prohibit copying of a document image, contributing to the convenience of the user and spreading information. Can be prevented.

  Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in variously modified forms within the scope of the matters described in the claims.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sheet read by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the date information which a pattern represents. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a pattern detection part. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for copying an original image in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 3 is an image obtained by reading the sheet on which the color original image shown in FIG. 2 is formed by a black and white scanner. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for copying a document image in an image forming apparatus equipped with a black and white scanner.

Explanation of symbols

4 CCD sensor (reading means)
7 Image processing unit 8 Pattern detection unit 9 Control unit (determination unit, determination unit, control unit)
10 Timekeeping section (timekeeping means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Printing part 12 FAX transmission / reception part 100 Image forming apparatus 200 Sheet

Claims (10)

  In an image forming apparatus for forming a copy of a document image, a pattern is detected from the document image, and first information indicating that the copy of the document image is prohibited and second information related to releasing the copy prohibition are detected from the detected pattern. Then, the image forming apparatus is configured to permit or prohibit copying of the document image based on the detected first and second information.   The second information is date information, and is provided by a determination unit that determines a permitted period during which the copy of the document image is permitted using the detected date information, a clock unit having a calendar function, and the clock unit. Determination means for determining whether the date is within the permission period, and control means for controlling the formation of a copy of the original image according to the determined result, the control means being within the permission period 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to permit duplication of the original image and to prohibit duplication of the original image when it is out of a permission period.   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the document image, wherein the transmission unit prohibits the transmission of the document image according to the prohibition of copying of the document image. The image forming apparatus described in 1.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit configured to read the document image, wherein reading of the document image by the reading unit is interrupted in accordance with prohibition of copying of the document image. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.   In a sheet on which an original image to which a pattern indicating duplication restriction is added is formed, the pattern is provided with first information indicating prohibition of duplication of the original image and second information relating to cancellation of duplication prohibition. A sheet characterized by that.   The sheet according to claim 5, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of dots, the first information is represented by a shape of the pattern, and the second information is represented by a combination of the plurality of dots. .   The sheet according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of dots has a color.   An image forming system comprising: the image forming apparatus according to claim 1; and the sheet according to claim 5.   An image reading apparatus that reads an original image includes a reading unit that reads an original image formed on a sheet, detects a pattern from the original image read by the reading unit, and prohibits copying of the original image from the detected pattern. The first information and the second information related to the cancellation of the copy prohibition are detected, and reading of the document image is continued or interrupted based on the detected first and second information. A characteristic image reading apparatus.   An image reading system comprising the image reading device according to claim 9 and the sheet according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

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