JP2014179953A - Image processing system, image processing method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reconstruct association between a marker and a database when electronic association between the marker and the database displayed on an image is broken.SOLUTION: An image processing system which has one or more devices for displaying a marker of identifying a management target being an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image, comprises: storage means which stores attribute information indicating the attribute of the management target in association with the management target; image generation means which generates an embedded image in which the attribute information of the management target corresponding to the marker is embedded as the pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed; analysis means which analyzes the embedded image to extract the attribute information included in the embedded image; and image processing means which processes the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted by the analysis means is displayed.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing method, and a program.

  Currently, a system for displaying information associated with a point on a map as a marker has been realized. Generally, information associated with a point (location) is stored in a database, and when displaying a map, information within the range of the map is acquired from the database and displayed as a marker. . In addition, the target indicated by this marker is various, for example, information on stores, facilities, people, etc., and at the same time it is displayed as a marker on the map, detailed information on the target is listed and displayed in characters etc. It has become. For example, taking a store as an example, when there are a plurality of stores within the range of a map, it is widely performed that an index that is indexed according to some rule is superimposed on a marker.

  By the way, when the electronic association (link) between the marker and the database is broken, for example, when an image such as a map including the marker is printed, information associated with the point corresponding to the marker is printed on the printed paper document. There is a problem that it cannot be displayed again.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 1, for the purpose of creating a map centered on a specified target position, placing additional information and improving identification, position acquisition means for obtaining position information on the map from address information, Extracting means for extracting an address file based on the address information from a database, creating means for creating an address file based on position information and setting information from the position acquiring means, and imaging a map from the address file An apparatus comprising drawing means is described.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the position information and the database can be associated electronically, but when the electronic association is broken, the association cannot be reconstructed. The problem cannot be solved.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above points, and reconstructs the association between the marker and the database when the electronic association between the marker displayed on the image and the database is broken. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image processing system is an image processing system having one or more devices that display a marker for identifying a management target, which is an object or a person managed by the image processing system, on a predetermined image. And storing means for storing attribute information indicating the attribute of the management target in association with the management target, and the attribute information of the management target corresponding to the marker as the background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed. Image generation means for generating an embedded image, analysis means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image, and extracting the embedded image by the analysis means Image processing means for processing the attribute information thus displayed into an image to be displayed.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, when the electronic association between the marker displayed on the image and the database is broken, the association between the marker and the database can be reconstructed.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the image processing system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation form of the delivery apparatus and communication terminal in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the communication terminal in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the format of the data of the positional information in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the data structure of the data containing the positional information in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware block diagram of the delivery apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the positional information which the delivery apparatus in embodiment of this invention delivers. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the gateway apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the client terminal in embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure of the image processing system in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the positional information storage part of the management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the management object information storage part of the management server in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen of the management object map in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the embedding method of the marker information in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the user information and access authority memory | storage part of the authentication server in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation | movement procedure in which the image processing system in embodiment of this invention manages the positional information on a communication terminal. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the operation | movement procedure of the embedding image generation process by the image processing system in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure of marker information-added document reading processing by the image processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the process sequence which processes the document with a marker information in the image forming apparatus in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image processed by an image processing unit of the image forming apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of an image processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 1 includes a client terminal 8, an image forming apparatus 4, an authentication server 6, a management server 9, and communication terminals 5a, 5b, 5c,. When there is no distinction, it is referred to as “communication terminal 5”), a distribution device 3, and a gateway device 7.

  The communication terminal 5, the distribution device 3, and the gateway device 7 are communicably connected via a network 891 based on ZigBee (registered trademark) that employs a physical layer and a MAC layer, for example, in an IEEE 802.15.4 standard architecture model. ing. In this case, the distribution device 3 uses the 800 MHz band, the 900 MHz band, or the 2.4 GHz band according to the usage region such as Japan, the United States, Europe, etc., and passes through the other adjacent distribution devices 3 to obtain the gateway device 7. Can send data to. The gateway device 7 and the management server 9 are communicably connected via a network 892 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. With this configuration, the image processing system 1 causes the management server 9 to manage the position information of the communication terminal 5.

  The client terminal 8, the image forming apparatus 4, the authentication server 6, and the management server 9 are communicably connected via a network 893 such as a LAN or the Internet.

  The image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention causes the management server 9 to manage position information of an object to which the communication terminal 5 is attached or a person or an object (management object) carried by the person. Next, the client terminal 8 is caused to generate an image in which a marker indicating a management object is arranged on the map image and attribute information indicating the attribute of the management object is embedded as a background pattern of the image. Then, the image forming apparatus 4 processes the original on which the attribute information is embedded into the scanned image obtained by performing the scanning process to the image on which the attribute information is displayed. As described above, the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides information on the marker even when the electronic association (link) between the marker and the information on the marker (attribute information) is broken by printing, for example. It is a system that enables re-displaying.

  The distribution device 3 is built in electric devices 2a, 2b, 2c,... 2n (referred to as “electric device 2” if not distinguished from each other) installed on the indoor ceiling or the like as shown in FIG. Or attached to these exteriors. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an installation form of the distribution device 3 and the communication terminal 5 in the embodiment of the present invention. The electric device 2 supplies power to the distribution device 3. The electrical device 2 is, for example, a fluorescent lamp type LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting fixture. The electrical device 2 is not limited to an LED lighting device, and may be a general fluorescent lamp, a ventilation fan, a speaker, a surveillance camera, an air conditioner, or the like. The distribution apparatus 3 owns position information corresponding to the position where the own device is fixed, and transmits the position information continuously or intermittently to a predetermined range by a radio signal. The predetermined range is determined by the signal strength of the radio signal used and the directivity of the transmission antenna. The distribution device 3 is arranged so as to cover an area that is a position management target, and is configured so that the respective areas do not overlap. Or even if it is a case where it overlaps, in the side which receives a positional information, it is comprised so that any one delivery apparatus 3 can be determined based on the intensity | strength of a received radio wave. In the example of FIG. 2, a conical dotted line shown below the distribution device 3 represents a predetermined range. As a communication method for transmitting position information, for example, a ground complementary signal IMES (Indoor Messaging System) can be used. Further, the distribution device 3 can transmit and receive data other than the position information to the communication terminal 5 or the gateway device 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal 5 is attached to a management object 10 that is a management target of position information, and is, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag. The management object 10 is, for example, a mobile terminal 10a such as a smartphone or a mobile phone, a projector 10b, a PC (Personal Computer) 10c, or an ID card 10n such as an employee card or student card. The management target 10 is not limited to the above, and may be an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), and is not limited to an electronic device. By attaching the communication terminal 5 to the portable terminal 10a or the ID card 10n carried by the user, the user's location information can be managed. For example, the communication terminal 5 receives a positioning signal conforming to the ground complementary signal IMES standard transmitted from the distribution device 3 and acquires position information. Then, the communication terminal 5 transmits the received position information to the management server 9 via the network 891. Note that the position information transmitted from the communication terminal 5 includes identification information for uniquely identifying the communication terminal 5. Here, the identification information is, for example, a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the communication terminal 5.

  The gateway device 7 connects the network 891 and the network 892 to each other, and bridges data transmitted from one network to the other network. The gateway device 7 is installed, for example, for each floor of a building or for each room partitioned by walls. When the network 891 is a network based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard and ZigBee (registered trademark), and the network 892 is a LAN conforming to the IEEE 802.3 standard, the communication method between them is converted.

  Note that the communication methods of the network 891, the network 892, and the network 893 described above are not limited to the above. For example, if communication between devices is possible, for example, IEEE 802.15.1 (Bluetooth) of a mobile communication network or a short-range wireless communication standard. (Registered trademark)) or the like.

  The management server 9 has a position information management function for managing the position information of the communication terminal 5, a screen generation function for generating a screen indicating the position of the management target 10 on the map, an information communication function, and the like. Here, the outline of an example of the management method of the positional information by the management server 9 is demonstrated.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the distribution device 3 installed on the ceiling distributes position information indicating the position where the distribution device 3 is installed by wireless communication. Thereby, the communication terminal 5 receives the position information distributed from the distribution device 3.

  Next, the communication terminal 5 transmits identification information for identifying the communication terminal 5 and the received position information to the distribution device 3 by wireless communication. In this case, the communication terminal 5 sends back the position information distributed and received from the distribution device 3 to the distribution device 3. Thereby, the distribution apparatus 3 receives the identification information and position information of the communication terminal 5.

  Next, the distribution device transmits the identification information and position information of the communication terminal 5 to the gateway device 7 by wireless communication.

  Then, the gateway device 7 transmits the identification information and position information of the communication terminal 5 to the management server 9 via the network 892.

  By managing the identification information and position information of the communication terminal 5 in the management server 9, the administrator of the image processing system 1 can grasp the position of the management object 10 to which the communication terminal 5 is attached.

  Note that the communication terminal 5 may transmit data such as location information to the gateway device 7 when the gateway device 7 is present in the vicinity of the distribution device 3 that has transmitted the location information. Thereby, the identification information and position information of the communication terminal 5 can be transmitted to the management server 9 through the shortest path.

  The client terminal 8 is an information processing apparatus such as a PC that receives input from the user and displays and outputs information to the user. In the client terminal 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention, an image in which attribute information (marker information) of the management target object 10 is embedded in a marker indicating the position of the management target object 10 on the map (hereinafter referred to as “embedded image”). Embedded image generation application (hereinafter referred to as “embedded image generation application”) is installed. Then, the client terminal 8 performs image generation processing using the image generation application.

  The image forming apparatus 4 is an image forming apparatus such as an MFP having a user authentication function. The image forming apparatus 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention processes the embedded image based on the marker information embedded in the embedded image and outputs the processed image to a printout, mail transmission, external recording medium, or the like.

  The authentication server 6 is a computer that manages a user name or user ID that identifies a user in association with a password, and performs an authentication process based on an authentication request from the image forming apparatus 4.

[Hardware configuration]
<Communication terminal>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the communication terminal 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 5 includes a control unit 14 and a wireless communication unit 15.

  Among these, the control unit 14 receives the position information distributed from the CPU 401 that controls the operation of the entire control unit 14, the ROM 402 that stores the basic input / output program, the RAM 403 that is used as the work area of the CPU 401, and the distribution device 3. A communication circuit 404 and an antenna 404a, an acceleration sensor 405 that detects acceleration, an I / F 408 that transmits and receives signals to and from the wireless communication unit 15, and a bus line 409 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described units. It has. The control unit 14 is also provided with a button battery 406 and is driven by the button battery 406. In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the button battery 406 is used will be described. However, the battery is not limited to the button type, and may be a dry battery such as AA or AAA, or a battery dedicated to the communication terminal 5.

  The communication circuit 404 receives position information distributed using IMES by the antenna 404a. Further, the control unit 14 supplies power of the button battery 406 to the wireless communication unit 15 via the connector 409a. Furthermore, the control unit 14 transmits and receives data (signals) to and from the wireless communication unit 15 via the connector 409b from the I / F 408.

  The acceleration sensor 405 detects a change in acceleration of the communication terminal 5. The change in acceleration is detected, for example, when the communication terminal 5 starts moving, when the communication terminal 5 stops moving, or when the communication terminal 5 tilts. When the process of the CPU 401 is stopped, when the acceleration sensor 405 detects a change in acceleration, the CPU 401 transmits a signal for starting the process to the CPU 401. As a result, the CPU 401 starts its own process and transmits a signal for starting the process to the communication circuit 404. Therefore, when the position information is distributed from the distribution device 3, the communication circuit 404 of the communication terminal 5 can start receiving the position information via the antenna 404a.

  On the other hand, the wireless communication unit 15 basically has the same configuration as the wireless communication unit 13 and transmits / receives data to / from the wireless communication unit 13 of the distribution device 3 using the same band as the wireless communication unit 13. Can do. As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication unit 15 includes a CPU 501 that controls the operation of the entire wireless communication unit 15, a ROM 502 that stores basic input / output programs and identification information, a RAM 503 that is used as a work area for the CPU 501, A communication circuit 504 and an antenna 504a for transmitting position information and identification information, an I / F 508 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the control unit 14, and a bus line 509 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the respective units. It has. The wireless communication unit 15 may also use ZigBee (registered trademark).

  Further, the communication circuit 504 acquires position information stored in the RAM 403 of the control unit 14 via the connector 409b according to a command from the CPU 501. Further, the communication circuit 504 reads the identification information stored in the ROM 502 and transmits it to the distribution device 3 via the antenna 504a together with the acquired position information.

  Further, the position information data transmitted by the communication circuit 504 has a format as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the data format of the position information in the embodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 4, the floor, latitude, longitude, and building number fields are represented by 9 bits, 21 bits, 21 bits, and 8 bits, respectively, and the representation format of each field conforms to the IMES standard. Actually, in addition to this format, a header and checksum information defined by the communication method are added, and as shown in FIG. 5, a transmission destination, a transmission source, and data contents (position information, etc.) are included. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a data structure of data including position information in the embodiment of the present invention.

<Distributor>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the distribution apparatus 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The example of FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of a fluorescent LED lamp when the electric device 2 in which the distribution device 3 is built is an LED lighting apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the LED lamp 130 mainly includes a power control unit 140, lead wires (151a, 151b), terminal pins (152a1, 152a2, 152b1, 152b2), lead wires 153, lead wires 154, lead wires. 155 and the distribution device 3. Among these, the power supply control unit 140 controls a current output from the power supply, and is mainly configured by a current monitoring circuit 141 and a smoothing circuit 142. The current monitoring circuit 141 receives and rectifies the current output from the power supply. The smoothing circuit 142 smoothes the current rectified by the current monitoring circuit 141, and supplies power to each terminal pin (152a1, 152a2, 152b1, 152b2) via the lead wires (151a, 151b).

  Further, the power supply control unit 140 and the terminal pins (152a1, 152a2, 152b1, 152b2) are electrically connected by lead wires (151a, 151b). The power supply controller 140 and the distribution device 3 are electrically connected by a lead wire 154. Although only one LED 160 is shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of LEDs are actually attached. Further, the configuration other than the distribution device 3 in the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is the same as that of a general LED lamp.

  The distribution device 3 includes a voltage converter 100, a lead wire 155, a control unit 11, a position information distribution unit 12, and a wireless communication unit 13. The voltage converter 100 is electrically connected to the control unit 11, the position information distribution unit 12, and the wireless communication unit 13 via the lead wire 155.

  Among them, the voltage converter 100 is an electronic component that converts the voltage of the power supplied from the power supply control unit 140 into a drive voltage of the distribution device 3 and supplies the drive voltage to the control unit 11, the position information distribution unit 12, and the wireless communication unit 13. is there.

  In addition, the control unit 11 includes a CPU 101 that controls the operation of the entire control unit 11, a ROM 102 that stores basic input / output programs, a RAM 103 that is used as a work area for the CPU 101, a position information distribution unit 12, and a wireless communication unit 13, respectively. And an I / F (108a, 108b) for transmitting and receiving and a bus line 109 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described units.

  The position information distribution unit 12 includes a CPU 201 that controls the operation of the entire position information distribution unit 12, a ROM 202 that stores basic input / output programs and position information, a communication circuit 204 that distributes position information, an antenna 204 a, and the control unit 11. An I / F 208 for transmitting and receiving signals and a bus line 209 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described units are provided.

  Among these, the communication circuit 204 uses IMES, which is one of indoor positioning techniques called indoor GPS, and distributes position information by the antenna 204a. In FIG. 2, the reachable range (distributable range) of the position information is virtually represented by a broken line. In the IMES according to the embodiment of the present invention, for example, when the indoor ceiling height is about 3 m, the transmission output is set so that the radius of the reachable virtual circle of the position information represented on the indoor floor is about 5 m. Is done. However, if this transmission output setting is changed, it can be made smaller than 5 m, and can be made larger.

  In addition, the position information distributed by the distribution device 3 in the embodiment of the present invention indicates the position where the electric device 2 that is a fluorescent lamp type LED lighting device is installed, and as shown in FIG. Including the building number item.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of position information distributed by the distribution device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Of these, the number of floors represents the number of floors of the building where the electrical equipment 2 (distribution device 3) is installed. The latitude and longitude represent the latitude and longitude of the position where the electrical device 2 (distribution device 3) is installed. The building number represents the building number of the building where the electrical equipment 2 (distribution device 3) is installed. In the example of FIG. 7, the electrical device 2 (distribution device 3) is installed on the 16th floor of a building X at a latitude of 35.66660 degrees north latitude and 139.76520 degrees longitude. It is shown. The latitude may be represented by the south latitude and the longitude by the west longitude.

  Returning to FIG. The wireless communication unit 13 receives the CPU 301 that controls the overall operation of the wireless communication unit 13, the ROM 302 that stores the basic input / output program and the device identification information, the RAM 303 that is used as the work area of the CPU 301, the position information and the identification information A communication circuit 304 and an antenna 304 a that transmit to the gateway device 7, an I / F 308 that transmits and receives signals to and from the control unit 11, and a bus line 309 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the respective units. ing.

  The wireless communication unit 13 transmits and receives data using the 920 MHz band. Since the radio wave reachability of the 920 MHz band is high, data is transmitted from the distribution device 3 to the gateway device 7 even when a pillar or wall of a building exists between the distribution device 3 and the gateway device 7. There is an effect that can be.

  Further, the communication circuit 304 uses at least a physical layer (layer) standard among the IEEE 802.15.4 standard architecture models, and transmits and receives data by the antenna 304a. In this case, a MAC address can be used as device identification information for identifying the distribution device 3 (wireless communication unit 13).

  When the standard used by the communication circuit 304 is ZigBee (registered trademark), data can be transmitted to the gateway device 7 via another adjacent distribution device 3. If multi-hop communication that transmits data via another distribution device 3 is used in this way, the wireless communication unit 13 of each distribution device 3 takes time for the routing process, but data is transmitted to the nearest distribution device 3. Therefore, there is an advantage that it can be driven with power saving.

  Further, the position information distributed by the distribution apparatus 3 may be stored in the storage unit 29 by the manufacturer before the distribution apparatus 3 is shipped from the factory, or the electric device 2 is installed on the ceiling after the distribution apparatus 3 is shipped from the factory. May be memorized by the installer. Further, the position information is received by the communication circuit 304 of the wireless communication unit 13 by wireless communication from an external device such as the management server 9 via the gateway device 7, and the ROM 202 of the position information distribution unit 12 is transmitted via the control unit 11. May be stored.

<Gateway device>
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the gateway device 7 includes a wireless communication unit 17 and a wired communication unit 18.

  Among these, the wireless communication unit 17 has basically the same configuration as the wireless communication unit 13 and transmits / receives data to / from the wireless communication unit 13 of the distribution device 3 using the same band as the wireless communication unit 13. Can do. As shown in FIG. 8, the wireless communication unit 17 includes a CPU 701 that controls the overall operation of the wireless communication unit 17, a ROM 702 that stores basic input / output programs and device identification information, a RAM 703 that is used as a work area for the CPU 701, A communication circuit 704 and an antenna 704a for transmitting information and the like, an I / F 708 for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the wired communication unit 18, and a bus line 709 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the respective units are provided. . The wireless communication unit 17 transmits and receives signals to and from the wired communication unit 18 via the connector 709a from the I / F 708.

  The wireless communication unit 17 may also use ZigBee (registered trademark). The device identification information is unique information for identifying the gateway device 7 (wireless communication unit 17). Examples of the device identification information include a MAC address.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, the wired communication unit 18 includes a CPU 801 that controls the overall operation of the wired communication unit 18, a ROM 802 that stores basic input / output programs and address information, and a RAM 803 that is used as a work area for the CPU 801. An Ethernet controller 805, an I / F 808a for transmitting / receiving signals to / from the wireless communication unit 17, an I / F 808b for transmitting / receiving data (signals) to / from the LAN 8e via the cable 809, and an address bus for electrically connecting the above units A bus line 809 such as a data bus is provided.

  Here, the CPU 801 and the Ethernet controller 805 convert the communication method (communication protocol) compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard into the communication method (communication protocol) compliant with the IEEE 802.3 standard, and send it from the distribution device 3. The received data (information) is controlled so that Ethernet (registered trademark) packet communication can be performed.

  Further, the address information is unique information for identifying the gateway device 7 (wired communication unit 18). Examples of the address information include an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Note that the ROM 802 also stores a MAC address, but a description thereof is omitted to simplify the communication with the management server 9.

<Management server>
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the management server 9 in the embodiment of the present invention.

  The management server 9 is configured by a computer. The management server 9 includes a CPU 901 that controls the operation of the management server 9 as a whole, a ROM 902 that stores programs used to drive the CPU 901 such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader), a RAM 903 that is used as a work area for the CPU 901, and the management server 9 for storing various data such as 9 programs and address information, HDD 905 for controlling reading or writing of various data to the HD 904 in accordance with the control of the CPU 901, and reading or writing (storage) data to a recording medium 906 such as a flash memory. Data communication using a media drive 907 for controlling the display, a display 908 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, characters or images, a network 892, and a network 893 Network I / F 909, a keyboard 911 having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, a mouse 912 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc. A CD-ROM drive 914 that controls reading or writing of various data with respect to a CD-ROM 913 as an example of a possible recording medium, a communication circuit 915 that performs wireless communication, an antenna 915a, and an external device I / F 916 for connecting external devices In addition, a bus line 910 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described components is provided. Further, the address information is unique information for identifying the management server 9. The address information includes an IP address. Although the MAC address is also stored in the ROM 902, the description thereof will be omitted to simplify the communication with the gateway device 7.

<Client terminal>
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the client terminal 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The client terminal 8 is configured by a computer. The client terminal 8 includes a CPU 821 that controls the operation of the entire client terminal 8, a ROM 822 that stores a program used to drive the CPU 821, such as an IPL, a RAM 823 that is used as a work area for the CPU 821, a program for the client terminal 8, and the like HD 824 for storing various data and address information, HDD 825 for controlling reading or writing of various data to the HD 824 according to the control of the CPU 821, media drive for controlling reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 826 such as a flash memory 827, a data communication using a display 828, a network 892, and a network 893 that display various information such as a cursor, menu, window, characters or images Network I / F 829, keyboard 831 with a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc., mouse 832 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting processing targets, moving the cursor, etc. A CD-ROM drive 834 that controls reading or writing of various data with respect to a CD-ROM 833 as an example of a simple recording medium, a communication circuit 835 and an antenna 835a for performing wireless communication, an external device I / F 836 for connecting external devices, and A bus line 830 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described components is provided. Further, the address information is unique information for identifying the client terminal 8. The address information includes an IP address. The ROM 822 also stores a MAC address.

<Image forming apparatus>
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the content output apparatus 6 that is the image forming apparatus 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention. A communication terminal 5 is attached to the image forming apparatus 4 outside. However, the communication terminal 5 may be built in the image forming apparatus 4.

  The image forming apparatus 4 includes an operation panel 428, a storage medium I / F 425, a controller 421, a data communication I / F 433, an HDD 435, a scanner 436, and a plotter 431, which are mutually connected via a bus 438. Has been.

  The operation panel 428 includes an input device 430 and a display device 429. The input device 430 includes hardware keys and the like, and is used to input each operation signal to the image forming apparatus 4. The display device 429 is configured by a display or the like, and displays various kinds of information related to the image forming operation, for example. The data communication I / F 433 includes an interface device 434, and is an interface that connects the image forming apparatus 4 to a data transmission path such as a network. The HDD 435 stores various data such as received document data and read image data handled by the image forming apparatus 4. Also, the HDD 435 manages these various data by a predetermined file system or DB (Data Base).

  The various data stored in the HDD 435 includes electronic data recorded by an external device such as a smartphone or a digital camera. In such a case, it is provided to the image forming apparatus 4 by a recording medium 427 such as an SD card, or uploaded via a network or the like that is a data transmission path. The recording medium 427 is set in a drive device 426 included in the storage medium I / F 425, and various data are stored in the HDD 435 from the recording medium 427 via the drive device 426.

  The controller 421 includes a ROM 424, a RAM 423, and a CPU 422. The ROM 424 stores programs executed when the image forming apparatus 4 is activated and various data. The RAM 423 temporarily holds various programs and data read from the ROM 424 and the HDD 435. Further, the CPU 422 executes a program temporarily stored in the RAM 423. For example, when the print data is received via the data communication I / F 433, the controller 421 executes a program (PDL parser) that can interpret the PDL read from the ROM 424 onto the RAM 423 by the CPU 422, and print data is read. Interpret and generate a bitmap image.

  The scanner 436 has an image reading device 437 and optically reads a document placed on the reading surface and generates image data. The plotter 431 has a printing device 432 and prints a bitmap image on a recording sheet by, for example, an electrophotographic process method.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 4 realizes a plurality of functions such as a copy, a printer, a facsimile, and a scanner by the above hardware configuration.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

<Management server>
The management server 9 includes a position information update unit 91, a Web screen generation unit 92, a marker information transmission unit 93, a position information storage unit 94, a management target information storage unit 95, a map information storage unit 96, and the like. Each function is realized by the CPU 901 executing a program and cooperating with hardware.

  When the location information update unit 91 receives the location information of the communication terminal 5 transmitted via the gateway device 7, the location information update unit 91 registers the received location information using the location information storage unit 94 as shown in FIG. Or update.

  The position information storage unit 94 is constructed by the RAM 903 and the HD 904 and stores the position information of the communication terminal 5. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the position information storage unit 94 of the management server 9 in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the location information storage unit 94 includes “management ID”, “communication terminal identification information”, “latitude”, “longitude”, “floor”, “building”, “reception date”, and the like. It is. “Management ID” is a management number for uniquely identifying the position information of the communication terminal 5 in the position information storage unit 94. “Communication terminal identification information” is information for uniquely identifying the communication terminal 5, for example, the MAC address of the communication terminal 5. “Identification information” is identification information (for example, a MAC address) of the communication terminal 5. “Latitude”, “longitude”, “floor”, and “building” are position information in the embodiment of the present invention, and are information shown in FIG. “Reception date and time” is the reception date and time when the management server 9 received the position information from the gateway device 7.

  The management object information storage unit 95 is constructed by the RAM 903, the HD 904, and the like, and stores information related to the management object 10 to which the communication terminal 5 is attached as shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the management target information storage unit 95 of the management server 9 according to the embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 14, the management object information storage unit 95 includes “management ID”, “communication terminal identification information”, “management object name”, “management object category”, “management object general information”, and “management object”. Personal information "etc. are included. “Management ID” is a management number for uniquely identifying the management target object 10 to which the communication terminal 5 is attached in the management target information storage unit 95. “Communication terminal identification information” is information for uniquely identifying the communication terminal 5, for example, the MAC address of the communication terminal 5. “Management object name” is the name of the management object 10. For example, when the mobile terminal carried by the user is the management target object 10, the “management target name” is set to the user name of the mobile terminal. In this case, the “management target name” may be set not to the user name but, for example, the name of the portable terminal carried by the user. “Management object category” indicates a classification of management objects in which “object” is set when the management object of the position information is an object such as a projector, and “person” is set when the object is a person. Is. “Managed object general information” is general information related to a managed object. “Managed personal information” is highly confidential personal information related to managed objects.

  It is constructed by the map information storage unit 96, the RAM 903, the HD 904, etc., and stores data related to the map. The data relating to the map is data in which each point on the map is associated with absolute coordinates (latitude, longitude).

  Note that the location information storage unit 94, the management target information storage unit 95, and the map information storage unit 96 may be an external storage instead of a storage device in the management server 9.

  When the Web screen generation unit 92 receives an acquisition request for Web content from the client terminal 8, the Web screen generation unit 92 refers to the location information storage unit 94, the management target information storage unit 95, and the map information storage unit 96, as shown in FIG. The screen information of the Web screen of the management object map in which the position of the management object 10 is shown on the map is generated. The screen information of the management target map is described in an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) format. Then, the Web screen generation unit 92 transmits the generated screen information of the management target map to the client terminal 8.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a management target map screen according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 15, the management target map 1000 includes a map information marker list display unit 1001, a map display unit 1002, a legend display unit 1004, a marker information acquisition button 1005, and a return button 1006. The map information marker list display unit 1001 includes “management target name”, “management target general information”, and “management target personal information” in the management target information storage unit 95 related to the management target 10 located at the location designated by the user. Is displayed. On the map display unit 1002, the communication terminal 5 stored in the position information storage unit 94 included in the position of the map is attached on the map of the place specified by the user stored in the map information storage unit 96. The management object 10 is displayed. The management target object 10 on the map display unit 1002 is displayed as a marker having a predetermined shape based on the management target category of the management target object 10. Further, the “management object name”, “management object general information”, and “management object personal information” stored in the management object information storage unit 95 and the position information storage unit 94 are stored in the marker of the management object 10. When the marker is clicked with the cursor, it is displayed as detailed information 1003. The legend display unit 1004 is a legend indicating the shape of the marker. The marker information acquisition button 1005 is a button pressed by the user of the client terminal 8, and when this button is pressed, a marker information acquisition request is transmitted from the client terminal 8 to the management server 9. A return button 1005 is a button that is pressed when switching from the management target map 1000 to another screen.

  Returning to FIG. 12, when receiving the marker information acquisition request transmitted from the client terminal 8, the marker information transmission unit 93 acquires the marker information corresponding to the management target map 1000 generated by the Web screen generation unit 92, and the client terminal 8 transmits marker information. The marker information includes “managed object name”, “managed object general information”, “managed object personal information”, and “position” stored in the managed object information storage unit 95 corresponding to the marker (managed object 10) on the map. Information ". However, the marker information is not limited to the above, and a plurality of pieces of information may be added.

<Client terminal>
The client terminal 8 includes a marker information acquisition unit 851 and an embedded image generation unit 852 included in the embedded image generation application 850, a Web browser unit 853, an input unit 854, an embedded image print request unit 855, an embedded image And an image output unit 856. Each function is realized by the CPU 821 executing a program and cooperating with hardware.

  The input unit 854 controls the keyboard 831 or the mouse 832 and receives an input instruction from the user.

  The Web browser unit 853 is realized by a general or general-purpose Web browser, interprets the definition content of a Web page including HTML data, a script, and the like, and executes display processing according to the definition content. In the embodiment of the present invention, the web browser unit 853 acquires screen information of the management target map 1000 (FIG. 15) from the management server 9 and displays a screen based on the acquired screen information.

  The embedded image generation application 850 is an application that generates an embedded image in which marker information is embedded as a background pattern in an image of a map showing a marker.

  When the marker information acquisition button 1005 included in the management target map 1000 is pressed, the marker information acquisition unit 851 included in the embedded image generation application 850 transmits a marker information acquisition request to the management server 9, and the management target map 1000 Get marker information of markers included in.

  The embedded image generation unit 852 includes an embedded image in which the marker information acquired by the marker information acquisition unit 851 is embedded as a background pattern in the image of the map display unit 1002 included in the management target map 1000 in which the marker is shown. Generate. An example of the marker information embedding method by the embedded image generating unit 852 is shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the marker information embedding method according to the embodiment of the present invention. A marker-added map image 2001 shown in FIG. 16 is an image generated based on the screen information of the map display unit 1002. Next, the embedded image generation unit 852 draws a background pattern on which character strings, symbols, and figures corresponding to the marker information are drawn on the background of the marker-added map image 2001 to generate an embedded image 2002. The embedded image 2002 is generated so that a character string or the like corresponding to the marker information is not recognized or difficult to be recognized by human vision. In the example of FIG. 16, a character string or the like corresponding to the marker information included in the embedded image 2002 is displayed as an image of embedded information. When this embedded image is printed out by the image forming apparatus 4, a character string or the like corresponding to the marker information included in the background pattern, such as the document 2003 with marker information, is printed so that it cannot be recognized by human vision or is difficult to recognize. . Note that a known method may be used as a method for generating a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern image in which marker information is embedded. Note that when the document information-added document 2003 according to the embodiment of the present invention is copied, the marker information is not displayed on the image, and is copied, for example, with the marker information-added document 2003 shown in FIG.

  The embedded image print request unit 855 generates print data obtained by converting the embedded image generated by the embedded image generation unit 852 into PDL (Page Description Language), and transmits the generated print data to the image forming apparatus 4.

  The embedded image output unit 856 outputs the generated embedded image to the medium 826 that is an external recording medium as a screen with marker information, or transmits it to the image forming apparatus 4.

<Image forming apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 4 includes an embedded image analysis unit 41, an image processing unit 42, an authentication request unit 43, a reading unit 44, an embedded image receiving unit 45, a printing unit 46, a processed image output unit 47, and the like. Each function is realized by the CPU 422 executing a program and cooperating with hardware.

  The embedded image analysis unit 41 analyzes the tint block included in the embedded image and extracts marker information.

  The image processing unit 42 processes the embedded image based on the marker information analyzed by the embedded image analyzing unit 41 and the viewing authority obtained as a result of user authentication. For example, the image processing unit 42 performs processing so that information without viewing authority is not displayed and output.

  The authentication request unit 43 transmits an authentication request including the user name and password input by the user to the authentication server 6 and acquires an authentication result in the authentication server 6. Note that the authentication result in the embodiment of the present invention includes access authority information that determines whether or not display output is possible in the image forming apparatus 4 according to the attribute of the marker information. The authentication method is not limited to password authentication as described above, and may be IC card authentication using information included in the IC card, or biometric authentication such as fingerprint or iris authentication.

  The reading unit 44 controls the scanner 436 to execute a scanning process on a paper document and generate a scanned image. The reading unit 44 causes the scanner 436 to scan a document in accordance with a user operation, and generates a scan image by performing image correction processing such as level correction, gamma correction, and edge processing, and A / D conversion.

  The embedded image receiving unit 45 accepts a screen with marker information from an external recording medium or the client terminal 8.

  The printing unit 46 controls the plotter 431 and executes print processing based on the print data.

  The processed image output unit 47 outputs the generated embedded image to the medium 826 that is an external recording medium, or transmits it to the image forming apparatus 4.

<Authentication server>
The authentication server 6 includes an authentication processing unit 61, a user information storage unit 62, and the like. Each function is realized by the CPU executing a program and cooperating with hardware.

  Based on the authentication request transmitted from the image forming apparatus 4, the authentication processing unit 61 determines whether or not the user name and password stored in the user information storage unit 62 match the user name and password included in the authentication request. Determine and perform the authentication process. Then, the authentication processing unit 61 transmits to the image forming apparatus 4 the authority to view the personal information that the user has together with the authentication result.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the user information storage unit 62 stores user information such as a user name and a password used for authentication processing. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the user information storage unit 62 of the authentication server 6 according to the embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 17, the user information storage unit 62 includes data items such as “user ID”, “user name”, “password”, and “personal information browsing authority”. “User ID” is identification information for uniquely identifying a user in the user information storage unit 62. “User name” and “password” are user information used for authentication. “Personal information browsing authority” is an authority to browse personal information included in the marker information. The personal information indicates management target personal information stored in the management target information storage unit 95.

[Operation procedure]
An operation procedure of the image processing system 1 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The processing of the image processing system 1 is roughly divided into (1) position information management processing, (2) embedded image generation processing, and (3) document information added document reading processing.

(1) Location Information Management Process FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure for managing the location information of the communication terminal 5 by the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  S11: The distribution apparatus 3 transmits position information corresponding to the installation position of the own apparatus (distribution apparatus 3) continuously or intermittently by IMES or the like.

  S12: The communication terminal 5 receives the position information transmitted from the distribution device 3 by the position information reception process that is performed periodically (for example, at a cycle of 60 seconds). When the communication terminal 5 includes an acceleration sensor, the position information may be received upon detection of a change in acceleration.

  S13: The communication terminal 5 stores the received position information in the RAM 403.

  S <b> 14: The communication terminal 5 transmits a position information update request including the identification information acquired from the ROM 502 (for example, the MAC address of the communication terminal 5) and the position information stored in the RAM 403 to the distribution device 3. The position information update request is a request for newly registering or updating the position information of the communication terminal 5 managed by the management server 9.

  S15: The distribution device 3 transfers the location information update request to the gateway device 7 using a communication method compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

  S16: The gateway device 7 converts the received location information update request from a communication method compliant with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard to a communication method compliant with the IEEE 802.3 standard compatible with the network 892.

  S17: The gateway device 7 transfers the location information update request to the management server 9. The management server 9 receives the location information update request from the gateway device 7.

  S18: The position information update unit 91 of the management server 9 associates the identification information of the communication terminal 5 stored in advance in the position information storage unit 94 with the identification information included in the received position information update request, and The location information of the communication terminal 5 is stored in the storage unit 94.

  Note that the position information management operation of the communication terminal 5 in steps S11 to S18 described above is performed independently of (2) embedded image generation processing and (3) document information-added document reading processing described later.

  With the above operation procedure, in the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the management server 9 can manage the position information of the communication terminal 5.

  The method for managing the position information of the communication terminal 5 is not limited to the above method, and the management server 9 may manage the position information based on the GPS positioning of the communication terminal 5, for example.

(2) Embedded Image Generation Processing FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the embedded image generation processing by the image processing system 1 in the embodiment of the present invention.

  S21: The web browser unit 853 of the client terminal 8 activates the web browser and displays the screen of the management target map 1000.

  S22: The user presses the marker information acquisition button 1005 in order to acquire the marker information of the marker corresponding to the management target object 10 displayed on the management target map 1000.

  S <b> 23: The marker information acquisition unit 851 that has received an instruction to acquire marker information from the user transmits a marker information acquisition request for acquiring marker information to the management server 9.

  S24: When the marker information transmission unit 93 of the management server 9 acquires the marker information of the management target 10 displayed on the management target map 1000 from the Web screen generation unit 92, the marker information transmission unit 93 acquires it as a response to the marker information acquisition request. Send the marker information.

  S25: The embedded image generation unit 852 notified of the marker information from the marker information acquisition unit 851 acquires the image of the map display unit 1002 included in the management target map 1000 in which the marker is indicated by the marker information acquisition unit 851. An embedded image (embedded image 2002 in FIG. 16) in which the marker information thus embedded is embedded as a background pattern is generated.

  S26: When the embedded image is printed out in the image forming apparatus 4, the embedded image print request unit 855 converts the embedded image into PDL and generates print data.

  S27: The embedded image print request unit 855 transmits the generated embedded image subjected to PDL conversion to the image forming apparatus 4.

  S28: The printing unit 46 of the image forming apparatus 4 prints out a document with marker information (document information-added document 2003 in FIG. 16) based on the received embedded image subjected to PDL conversion.

  S29: When the embedded image is output electronically (output to an external recording medium), the embedded image output unit 856 performs output processing of the generated embedded image (screen with marker information). The embedded image output unit 856 can also transmit an embedded image (screen with marker information) to the image forming apparatus 4.

  Through the above operation procedure, the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can generate an image in which predetermined information (marker information) is embedded in a marker mapped on a map.

(3) Document Reading Process with Marker Information FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the document reading process with marker information by the image processing system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  S31: The user inputs a user name and password in the image forming apparatus 4.

  S32: The authentication request unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 4 transmits an authentication request including the user name and password input by the user to the authentication server 6.

  S33: The authentication processing unit 61 of the authentication server 6 determines whether or not the user name and password stored in the user information storage unit 62 match the user name and password included in the received authentication request, and performs authentication processing. I do. Then, the authentication processing unit 61 transmits the personal information browsing authority corresponding to the user together with the authentication result to the image forming apparatus 4.

  S34: When the document with marker information as a paper medium is scanned in the image forming apparatus 4, the reading unit 44 of the image forming apparatus 4 scans the document with marker information and converts it into image data.

  S35: When the screen with marker information (embedded image) recorded on the external recording medium is input to the image forming apparatus 4, the embedded image receiving unit 45 receives the screen with marker information.

  S36: The embedded image analysis unit 41 analyzes the copy-forgery-inhibited pattern included in the scanned document with marker information or the marker information-added screen, and extracts marker information. The embedded image analysis unit 41 manages the tint block pattern and the analysis method in advance.

  S37: Next, the embedded image analysis unit 41 determines whether or not there is a viewing authority for the personal information included in the marker information extracted in step S36, based on the personal information viewing authority transmitted from the authentication server 6.

  S38: The image processing unit 42 processes the embedded image based on the presence or absence of viewing authority.

  S39: When the processed image (processed image) is printed out, the image enclosed by the printing unit 46 is printed out.

  S40: On the other hand, when electronically outputting the processed image, the processed image output unit 47 transmits the processed image to the client terminal 8, for example.

  Here, processing of the document with marker information in the image forming apparatus 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure for processing a document with marker information in the image forming apparatus 4 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  First, when receiving an input of a user name and password by a user, the authentication request unit 43 of the image forming apparatus 4 generates an authentication request including the input user name and password, and transmits it to the authentication server 6 (S101). Here, for example, the user name is “user A”.

  Next, the authentication request unit 43 receives the authentication result and the personal information browsing authority stored in the user information storage unit 62 from the authentication server 6 (S102). Here, if the information stored in the user information storage unit 62 is the value shown in FIG. 17, the personal information viewing authority corresponding to “user A” is “can be viewed except for user B”.

  Next, the reading unit 44 scans the document with marker information based on the user's operation, and generates a scanned image obtained by scanning the document with marker information (S103).

  The embedded image analysis unit 41 analyzes the scan image and extracts marker information included in the scan image (S104). The embedded image analysis unit 41 determines whether or not personal information is included in the extracted marker information (S105).

  If it is determined that personal information is not included in the extracted marker information (NO in step S105), the scanned image is processed into an image in which all marker information is displayed (S107).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the extracted marker information includes personal information (YES in step S105), the authenticated user (“user A”) has the right to view the personal information included in the marker information. It is determined whether or not (S106).

  Here, for example, when the extracted marker information includes personal information of the user B (for example, the date of birth), the user's personal information viewing authority is “can be viewed except for the user B” (in step S106). YES), the scanned image is processed into an image 3001 on which all marker information including personal information of user B shown in FIG. 22 is displayed (S107). FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image processed by the image processing unit 42 of the image forming apparatus 4 in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22 shows a diagram in the case where the marker information is displayed based on the embedded image 2003.

  Then, the printing unit 46 prints out the processed image (S108).

  On the other hand, for example, when user B's personal information is included in the extracted marker information and the user's personal information browsing authority is not user B's personal information viewing authority (NO in step S106), FIG. 22 shows. It is processed into an image 3002 on which marker information excluding personal information of user B is displayed (S109). Note that the processing method for preventing the display of personal information without viewing authority is not limited to the method of painting the portion of the corresponding personal information as shown in FIG. 22, and the corresponding personal information is displayed in the same color as the background color. It may not be allowed to. The processed image is printed out (S108).

  As described above, according to the image processing system 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the information (attributes) about the marker and the marker by, for example, printing or the like by embedding information on the management target marker on the image as a background pattern. Even when the link to (information) is broken, the image can be processed into an image on which information on the marker is displayed by analyzing the background pattern of the image. That is, even if the electronic association between the marker and the information related to the marker is broken, the association can be reconstructed.

[Modification]
In the modification of the embodiment of the present invention, the marker information is embedded by the embedded image generation unit 852 in the client terminal 8 by changing the appearance characteristic of the marker as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a marker information embedding method according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22A shows an example of a method for embedding marker information by changing the color or pattern of the marker. Here, the color or pattern of the marker is associated with a character, symbol, number, or the like, and the embedded image generation unit 852 changes the color or pattern of the marker according to the associated rule. FIG. 22B shows an example of a method for embedding marker information by changing the shape of the marker. As in the case of FIG. 22A, the shape of the marker is associated with a character, symbol, number, or the like, and the embedded image generation unit 852 changes the shape of the marker according to the associated rule. FIG. 22C shows an example of a method for embedding marker information by changing the color or pattern and shape of the marker. In the case of FIG. 22C, more information can be embedded by combining colors and shapes than in the case of FIGS. 22A and 22B.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 4 in the modified example displays the color and / or shape of the marker for analyzing the marker information embedded in any of FIGS. 22A to 22C and the characters, symbols, numbers, and the like. By holding the associated rule, the embedded image analysis unit 41 extracts marker information from the embedded image.

  As described above, according to the image processing system 1 in the modification of the embodiment of the present invention, the information related to the marker to be managed on the image is embedded in the image as the appearance characteristic of the marker. The same effect as the case can be obtained.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Can be changed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing system 3 Distribution apparatus 4 Image forming apparatus 41 Embedded image analysis part 42 Image processing part 43 Authentication request part 44 Reading part 45 Embedded image receiving part 46 Printing part 47 Processed image output part 6 Authentication server 61 Authentication processing part 62 User information storage unit 7 Gateway device 8 Client terminal 850 Embedded image generation application 851 Marker information acquisition unit 852 Embedded image generation unit 853 Web browser unit 854 Input unit 855 Embedded image print request unit 856 Embedded image output unit 9 Management server 91 Position information update unit 92 Web screen generation unit 93 Marker information transmission unit 94 Position information storage unit 95 Management object information storage unit 96 Map information storage unit

JP 2007-66002 A

Claims (10)

An image processing system having one or more devices for displaying a marker for identifying a management target that is an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image,
Storage means for storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
Image generating means for generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded as a background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed;
Analyzing means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
An image processing system comprising: an image processing unit that processes the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted by the analysis unit is displayed. An image processing system having one or more devices for displaying a marker for identifying a management target that is an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image,
Storage means for storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
Image generating means for generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded in the appearance characteristics of the marker displayed on the image;
Analyzing means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
An image processing system comprising: an image processing unit that processes the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted by the analysis unit is displayed.   The image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the appearance characteristic of the marker is a color, a pattern, a shape, or a combination of the markers. Browsing authority storage means for storing a user who operates the device and a browsing authority indicating whether or not the user can browse personal information of other users,
The image processing means processes the embedded image based on the browsing authority of a user who operates the device when the management information is included in the attribute information. An image processing system according to claim 1.   The image processing means does not display the personal information of the other user in the embedded image when the user operating the device does not have the authority to browse the personal information of the other user included in the attribute information. The image processing system according to claim 4, wherein the embedded image is processed as described above. A communication terminal whose location information is managed by the image processing system is attached to the management target,
The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the marker is arranged on the image based on position information of the management target to which the communication terminal is attached. An image processing system having a management server that manages position information of a management target that is an object or a person, a client terminal that is connected to the management server, and an image forming apparatus,
The management server
Storage means for storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
Display means for displaying a marker for identifying the management target on a predetermined image;
The client terminal is
Image generation means for generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded as a background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed;
The image forming apparatus includes:
Analyzing means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
An image processing system comprising: an image processing unit that processes the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted by the analysis unit is displayed. An image processing system having one or more devices for displaying a marker for identifying a management target that is an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image,
Storage means for storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
Image generating means for generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded as a background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed;
Analyzing means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
An image processing system comprising: an image processing unit that processes the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted by the analysis unit is displayed. An image processing method executed by one or more devices included in an image processing system that displays a marker for identifying a management target that is an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image,
A storage step of storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
An image generation step of generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded as a background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed;
Analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
An image processing method comprising: an image processing step of processing the embedded image into an image on which the attribute information extracted in the analysis step is displayed. A program executed in one or more devices included in an image processing system that displays a marker for identifying a management target that is an object or a person managed by the image processing system on a predetermined image,
Said equipment,
Storage means for storing attribute information indicating an attribute of the management target in association with the management target;
Image generating means for generating an embedded image in which the attribute information to be managed corresponding to the marker is embedded as a background pattern of the image on which the marker is displayed;
Analyzing means for analyzing the embedded image and extracting the attribute information included in the embedded image;
A program for causing the embedded image to function as an image processing unit that processes the attribute information extracted by the analyzing unit into an image to be displayed.