JP5479132B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing apparatus control method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a computer program.

  In recent years, in order to increase the printing efficiency of paper, a printing apparatus having a thinning function has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The thinning process is, for example, a process of removing a blank part from an electronic document and filling the document. When the printing apparatus prints the document after the thinning process, the number of print sheets can be reduced. In addition, for more complex electronic documents including figures and tables, a technology is proposed that blocks drawing objects such as character strings, figures, and images, and performs block-thinning processing in units of blocks, taking into account readability and layout. Has been. Blocking is to group drawing objects in a predetermined unit that is visually or contentally organized.

JP 2000-318230 A

  When the thinning process is performed on a document to be printed, a page shift occurs before and after the thinning process. Specifically, if the block is located on a certain page before the thinning process, the block has moved to a page different from the original page after the thinning process. Therefore, when the printing apparatus prints a document that has undergone a margin reduction process (intermittent printing), the correspondence relationship between the printed document and the original document cannot be obtained. As a result, for example, when a page reference is described in a document, there is a problem that the reference position is not known.

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that performs a document deadline process, and displays an original position information of a block included in a page to be printed in a document before the deadline process, and an information processing apparatus It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method and a computer program thereof.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a storage unit configured to block an object included in a document to generate one or a plurality of blocks, and store position information of the generated block in the document; Corresponding to blocks included in the document when outputting the document subjected to the thinning process, based on the position information stored in the storage unit, and a thinning process unit for performing a thinning process for filling spaces between the blocks In addition, output means for outputting position information in the document before the thinning process is executed. The output means displays the position information on the first block of the plurality of blocks when the position information of the plurality of blocks arranged on the same page of the document after the deadline processing is the same. The position information is not displayed in other blocks of the plurality of blocks.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to recognize on which page the block included in the page is originally arranged when the document subjected to the narrowing process is output.

It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of an information processing apparatus, and the example of a functional block diagram. It is a figure explaining the object contained in a document. It is a figure which shows the example of the data structure of position management information. It is a figure explaining the blocking and the thinning process which an information processing apparatus performs. It is a figure explaining the process of a blocking part. It is a figure explaining a thinning process and the display of the original page number of a block. It is a figure which shows the example of the thinning-out process flow which information processing apparatus performs. It is a figure which shows the decision processing flow of the original page number made into display object. It is a figure explaining 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of the determination processing flow of the area | region of the original page in which a block is located. It is a figure explaining 3rd Embodiment. It is an example of the original page number determination processing flow based on print setting information. It is a figure explaining 4th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining 5th Embodiment. It is a figure explaining 6th Embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration and a functional block diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1A performs a thinning process on a document having an object, and outputs (prints or displays) the document after the thinning process. In the present embodiment, the thinning process is a process of creating one or a plurality of blocks by blocking an object in a document and filling a space between the generated blocks. Blocking is the grouping of objects in a certain unit. The information processing apparatus 1 displays position information in the document before the block-squeezing process in association with the block included in the document at the time of outputting the document subjected to the squeeze-process. The information processing apparatus 1 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) or an MFP (Multi Function Printer). The information processing apparatus 1 is not limited to a PC and an MFP, and may be any processing apparatus that can perform a process of performing a thinning process on a document.

  The information processing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 102, a memory 103, a storage device 104, and a video interface 105. The information processing apparatus 1 also includes an I / O (Input / Output) interface 106 and a communication interface 107. Each of the above components is connected to the system bus 101. Further, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a keyboard 114, a pointing device 115, and a display device 116.

  The CPU 102 controls the entire information processing apparatus. The CPU 102 controls each component via the system bus 101 and performs calculation and processing of data. The memory 103 is a storage unit that stores data and programs. The memory 103 is composed of, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM). The storage device 104 writes / reads stored data. The storage device 104 includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 111, an FDD 112, and a CD-ROM drive 113. FDD is an abbreviation for Floppy (registered trademark) Disk Drive. The storage device may include a magnetic tape drive, a DVD-ROM, or the like.

  A computer program for realizing the control method of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is stored in the storage device 104. The CPU 102 reads this computer program from the storage device 104, stores it in the memory 103, and executes it. That is, the computer program causes the computer to execute the control method of the information processing apparatus 1. The CPU 102 may read this computer program from the outside of the information processing apparatus 1 via the communication interface 107 and a LAN (Local Area Network) 118.

  The video interface 105 controls display output to the display device 116. The display device 116 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or a liquid crystal. Input devices such as a keyboard 114 and a pointing device 115 are connected to the I / O interface 106. A user of the information processing device 1 operates the keyboard 114 to give an operation command to the information processing device 1. The pointing device 115 moves a cursor on the display device 116 to select and operate menus and objects. The communication interface 107 is connected to a network (for example, LAN 118) and communicates with an external device. In addition to the LAN 118, the network to which the communication interface 107 is connected may be, for example, a public line such as a WAN (Wide Area Network) or the Internet. The communication interface 107 communicates with an output device such as the printer 117.

  FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a functional block diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Note that these functions may be provided by an application or a printer driver. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a blank area detection unit 11, a blocking unit 12, an interval processing unit 13, an output setting acquisition unit 14, a page number setting unit 15, an output unit 16, and a block. An editing unit 17 is provided. The blank area detection unit 11 detects a blank area included in the print data and acquires information regarding the blank area. In the present embodiment, the print data is a document having an object. The object is, for example, a character string or an image. The blank area detection unit 11 performs blank area detection processing on print data stored in advance in the storage device 104 or print data received by the CPU 102 from an external device via the LAN 118 and the communication interface 107. The blank area detection unit 11 detects, for example, a blank part having a predetermined size or more included in a document and a blank area between each object as the blank area.

  Based on the information regarding the blank area acquired by the blank area detection unit 11, the blocking unit 12 blocks the object to generate one or a plurality of blocks. Specifically, the blocking unit 12 blocks the object using a predetermined criterion based on the margin information between the objects included in the information regarding the blank area. For example, the blocking unit 12 blocks the object by dividing the object at a portion where the size of the margin is equal to or larger than a predetermined size. Further, the blocking unit 12 stores location management information including location information of the generated block in the document in the memory 103. The position information in the document of the block is, for example, a page number (hereinafter referred to as the original page number of the block) indicating the page (original page) in which the block is arranged in the original document (document before the thinning process). . That is, the block forming unit 12 and the memory 103 function as a storage unit that generates one or a plurality of blocks by blocking an object included in a document and stores position information of the generated block in the document.

  The thinning processing unit 13 functions as a thinning processing unit that executes a thinning process for filling the space between blocks in the document. For example, the thinning processing unit 13 packs the spaces between the blocks based on the information regarding the blank region acquired by the blank region detection unit 11 and the size of the block. The output setting acquisition unit 14 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires output setting information related to document output settings. For example, the output setting acquisition unit 14 acquires print setting information of a document.

  Based on the position management information, the page number setting unit 15 displays the position in the document before the block-squeezing process, which is displayed in association with the block included in the document when the document subjected to the slimming-down process is output. Determine information. Specifically, for each block, the page number setting unit 15 adds the original page number of the block as a text object to the print data and passes it to the output unit 16.

  The output unit 16 functions as an output unit, and outputs (prints or displays) the print data transferred from the page number setting unit 15 according to the output setting information acquired by the output setting acquisition unit 14. That is, the page number setting unit 15 and the output unit 16 execute the above-described thinning process in association with the blocks included in the document when outputting the thinned document based on the position information stored in the storage unit. It functions as output means for outputting position information in the document before being processed. During printing, the output unit 16 instructs the printer 117 shown in FIG. 1A to output a print job based on the print data. As a result, the document subjected to the thinning process is output. The output unit 16 displays the positional information (for example, the original page number of the block) determined by the page number setting unit 15 in association with the block included in the document when the document subjected to the narrowing process is output. The block editing unit 17 functions as block editing means for editing a block in accordance with a user operation input. For example, the block editing unit 17 combines a plurality of blocks into one block by editing the blocks. Further, for example, the block editing unit 17 divides the block into a plurality of blocks by editing the block.

  The functions of the processing units included in the information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1B are realized by the CPU 102 included in the information processing apparatus 1 executing a computer program stored in the storage device 104. A hardware configuration and a functional block diagram of an information processing apparatus according to another embodiment to be described later are the same as the hardware configuration illustrated in FIG. 1A and the functional block diagram illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the objects included in the document. FIG. 2A shows a document to be subjected to the thinning process and objects included in the document. FIG. 2A includes a text object 201 and a rectangle 202 of the text object 201. The unit of the object varies depending on the document format. The information processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment performs, for example, a thinning process on a Portable Document Format (hereinafter referred to as PDF) document that is converted into an object in units of lines. Note that the object rectangle is handled differently depending on the document format. Some use a font height and width to represent a rectangle, others enclose a character. Further, FIG. 2A includes an image object 203 and a rectangle 204 of the image object 203.

  FIG. 2B shows the arrangement of objects on the document. FIG. 2B shows a coordinate axis 310 on the document page and an object 311 arranged on the coordinate axis. FIG. 2C shows object information 320 regarding the object 311. The position of the object 311 is designated by an upper left coordinate 323 and a lower right coordinate 324. The object information 320 includes an ID 321 that uniquely identifies the object, an object type 322, and object-specific information (unique information) 325. Examples of object types include graphics such as images, text, lines, rectangles, and circles. The unique information 325 can hold different information depending on the type of object and individual objects.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of location management information. The location management information includes block information 1100 and object information 1110. The location management information is stored in the storage means in association with the block (ID). That is, the location management information is provided for each block. Block information 1100 is information relating to blocks included in the document. The block information 1100 includes ElementList 1101, Rect 1102, and original page information 1103. ElementList 1101 is array information of objects included in a block corresponding to the block information 1100. Rect 1102 is block position information. 1103 is original page information. The original page information 1103 is position information in the document before the block reduction process. The original page information 1103 includes, for example, the original page number of the block.

  The object information 1110 is information related to the object included in the block corresponding to the block information 1100. The object information 1110 includes UINTtype 1111, Rect 1112, and original page information 1113. UINTtype 1111 is a type of an object corresponding to the object information 1110. UINTtype 1111 corresponds to the type 322 in FIG. Rect 1112 is object position information and corresponds to the upper left coordinate 323 and the lower right coordinate 324 in FIG. The original page information 1113 is position information in the document before the object is subjected to the process of slimming. The original page information 113 includes, for example, a page number (hereinafter referred to as the original page number of the object) indicating the page where the object is arranged in the original document (document before the thinning process). The blocking unit 12 included in the information processing apparatus 1 sets information in the original page information 1103 and 1113 when the object is blocked.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining blocking and thinning processing executed by the information processing apparatus. FIG. 4A illustrates object blocking performed by the blocking unit 12 included in the information processing apparatus 1. In FIG. 4A, when blocking is performed on an arbitrary page 410 of the document, a page 420 is generated from the page 410. The blocking unit 12 blocks the objects in the page 410 into three blocks, a block 421, a block 422, and a block 423, based on the information about the margin between objects and the size of the blank portion in the document. Various methods have been proposed for logic to block an object, and differ depending on the document format.

  FIG. 4B shows a thinning process executed by the thinning processing unit 13 included in the information processing apparatus 1. FIG. 4B shows that the document includes a page 510 and a page 520 that is the next page of the page 510. The page 510 includes a blank area 511 in which other blocks can be arranged. It is assumed that the interval between blocks and the margin area of the paper are determined in advance. The page 520 includes three blocks 521, 522, and 523. Arrows 531 and 532 indicate the positions of the upper side and the lower side of the block 521 in a case where the thinning processing unit 13 attempts to place the block 521 in the blank area 511.

  When the thinning processing unit 13 determines that the block 521 can be arranged in the blank area 511, the thinning processing unit 13 performs the thinning process. As a result, the block 521 moves to the blank area 511. Also, the blocks 522 and 523 move sequentially upward on the page 520. When the thinning process unit 13 determines that the block 521 cannot be stored in the blank area 511, the thinning process unit 13 does not perform the thinning process.

  Next, the display of the original page number of the block included in the document to be printed will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the blocking unit. FIG. 5A shows the page of the document before the object is blocked. Reference numeral 700 in FIG. 5A indicates the seventh and eighth pages of the document before the thinning process. FIG. 5B shows a state after the blocking unit 12 blocks objects included in the document shown in FIG. A page 700 shown in FIG. 5A is divided into six blocks 801 to 806 by blocking. The blocking unit 12 performs blocking, and sets the original page information of this block in block information (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the block generated by blocking. The number described in each block shown in FIG. 5A indicates the original page information of the block. For example, original page information of the first block of page 7 is stored in the block information corresponding to the block 801.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the thinning process and the display of the original page number of the block. FIG. 6A shows an example of a document page after the thinning process. In this example, it is assumed that the thinning processing unit 13 performs the thinning process on a document including the page of FIG. FIG. 6A shows the third page 900 and the fourth page of the document after the thinning process. Blocks 802 to 806 (see FIG. 5B) on the 7th and 8th pages of the document before the thinning process are processed as shown in FIG. Moved to page 4 and page 4. Block 801 (see FIG. 5B) has moved before the third page. Also, the block 901 has moved from the page after the eighth page to the fourth page.

  FIG. 6B shows a display example of the original page number of the block. For example, the page number setting unit 15 acquires block information corresponding to each block shown in FIG. Specifically, the page number setting unit 15 extracts position management information corresponding to a block from a predetermined storage unit, and acquires block information included in the extracted position management information. The page number setting unit 15 determines the original page number of the block associated with the block based on the original page information included in the acquired block information. Then, the output unit 16 displays the original page number of the determined block in association with the block when the document is output. In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the output unit 16 displays the original page number of the block at the lower right of each block. Note that the display position of the original page number is not limited to the lower right of the block, and may be any position associated with the block.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow-off process flow executed by the information processing apparatus. The blocking unit 12 refers to the document in order from the first page (step S1), and blocks the objects included in the page (step S2). Further, when the blocking unit 12 blocks the object, the block is sequentially referred to (step S3), and the original page information is set in the block information corresponding to the block (step S4). Subsequently, the blocking unit 12 sequentially refers to the objects included in the block (step S5), and sets the original page information in the object information corresponding to this object (step S6). Note that original page information may be set in advance in the object information. In that case, the processes of steps S5 and S6 are not performed. After the original page information of the block and the original page information of the object are set, the thinning processing unit 13 executes the block thinning process (step S7).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a process flow for determining the original page number to be displayed. The original page number setting unit 15 acquires information (display position information) indicating a display position of a predetermined original page number (step S12). For example, information indicating the lower right position of the block is acquired as display position information of the original page number. Subsequently, the original page number setting unit 15 sequentially refers to the page and the block (steps S12 and S13). The original page number setting unit 15 extracts the position management information corresponding to the processing target block from the storage unit, and acquires the original page information set in the block information included in the position management information (step S14). Then, the original page number setting unit 15 determines the original page number displayed in association with each block included in the page (step S15). In step S15, the original page number setting unit 15 sets, in the print data, a text object in which the original page number is set at the display position indicated by the display position information on the block. When the output unit 16 outputs the print data in which the text object is set, for example, the original page number corresponding to the block is displayed at the lower right of the block. Since the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment displays the original page number of the block when outputting the document, the original page position of the block can be confirmed even when the page on which the block is arranged is changed by the document deadline processing. It becomes possible to do.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the original page information set in the block information included in the position management information also includes information regarding the area where the block is arranged on the original page. Then, the output unit (page number setting unit 15 and output unit 16) of the present embodiment uses the block included in the document at the time of outputting the information on the area where the block is arranged on the original page to which the thinned-out document is output. Display in association with. The information display processing related to the area where the block is arranged in the original page in the present embodiment can be applied to other embodiments.

  Specifically, when the blocking unit 12 of the information processing apparatus 1 blocks an object included in a document, a page of this document is divided into a plurality of areas as shown in FIGS. (For example, the upper, middle, and lower three regions). In the example shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the blocking unit 12 divides the area obtained by excluding the header and footer areas from the areas of each page into three areas. For example, the upper area is the uppermost area among the three areas obtained by dividing the page. The lower area is the area located at the lowest position. The middle region is a region located between the upper region and the lower region. The blocking unit 12 determines whether the block included in the page is located in the upper, middle, or lower region, and sets information including the determination result as the original page information in the block information.

  Blocks 1201 and 1301 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B indicate blocks on the page before the thinning process. Assume that the blocks 1201 and 1301 are arranged on the eighth page. The page is divided into three parts, upper, middle, and lower, excluding the header and footer. As shown in FIG. 9A, all areas of the block 1201 are included in the area above the page. Therefore, the blocking unit 12 sets information (for example, 8 above) indicating that the block 1201 is located in the area above the page as the original page information in the block information of the block 1201.

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 9B, the block 1301 is disposed across the area in the page and the area below. For example, the blocking unit 12 determines an area where the height of the block 1301 included in the area is the largest as an area where the block 1301 is located. When the heights included in the two regions spanning the block are the same, the blocking unit 12 determines that the block is located in the upper region of the two regions. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 9B, the blocking unit 12 determines that the block 1301 is located in an area in the page. Then, the blocking unit 12 sets information indicating that the block 1301 is located in an area in the page as the original page information in the block information corresponding to the block 1301. For example, the blocking unit 12 sets “middle 8”, which is information indicating that the block 1301 is located in the area in the eighth page, as the original page information. In this embodiment, the blocking unit 12 determines the area of the page where the block is located based on the height of the block included in the area. However, the blocking unit 12 uses another determination method. The area of the original page where the block is located may be determined. For example, the blocking unit 12 may determine that the area including the head position of the block is the area of the page where the block is located.

  FIG. 9C shows a display example of the original page information of the block in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, information indicating the area of the original page where the block is located is included in the original page information of the block information. Accordingly, the page number setting unit 15 acquires information on the area of the original page where the block is located in the original page information, and displays the acquired information in association with the block included in the document when the document is output. Position information. As a result, the output unit 16 displays the original page information of each block included in the page of the document as shown in FIG. 9C when the document is output. Page information 1401 to 1406 in FIG. 9C indicate original page information displayed in association with each block. For example, “above 7” indicated by the original page information 1401 indicates that the block corresponding to the original page information is located in the upper area of the seventh page before the thinning process is executed. The original page information 1402 and 1403 indicate that the corresponding block is located in the area above the eighth page before the thinning process is executed. Similarly, the original page information 1404, 1405, and 1406 indicate that the corresponding blocks are located in the area in the eighth page, the area under the eighth page, and the area in the ninth page, respectively.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow for determining the area of the original page where the block is located. First, the blocking unit 12 acquires page division information (step S21). The division information is information defining how to divide the page area and is determined in advance. In the example shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the division information indicates that the page is divided into three areas, that is, upper, middle, and lower. The blocking unit 12 divides the page according to the division information, and acquires position information of each area obtained by the division. Then, the blocking unit 12 repeats the following steps S23 to S26 for the number of page areas to be divided (step S22).

  The blocking unit 12 compares the position information of the area to be processed (target area) with the position information of the block (step S23). The blocking unit 12 determines whether at least a part of the block is included in the target area based on the comparison result between the position information of the target area and the position information of the block (step S24). In step S24, the blocking unit 12 further calculates the height at which the block is included in the target area. When the blocking unit 12 determines that at least a part of the block is not included in the target area, the block information is compared with the position information of the next target area.

  When the blocking unit 12 determines that at least a part of the block is included in the target area, the process proceeds to step S25. The blocking unit 12 determines whether the height of a block included in the current target area (current target area) is larger than the maximum block height (buffer setting value) set in a predetermined buffer. (Step S25). The buffer setting value is the maximum value of the heights of the blocks included in the target area that has been compared before the current target area. When the height of the block included in the current target area is not larger than the buffer setting value, the blocking unit 12 compares the position information of this block with the position information of the next target area. When the height of the block included in the current target area is larger than the buffer setting value, the blocking unit 12 sets the block height value included in the current target area as the buffer setting value and associates it with the current target area. The buffer is set (step S26). Thereby, the buffer setting value in the buffer is updated. When the comparison between the position information of the target area and the position information of the block is completed, the blocking unit 12 executes the following processing. That is, the blocking unit 12 confirms an area associated with the buffer setting value in the buffer. This confirmed area is the area of the original page where the block to be processed is located. Then, the blocking unit 12 sets information regarding the confirmed area as original page information in the block information corresponding to the block to be processed (step S27). For example, when the confirmed area is an area above the eighth page, the blocking unit 12 sets information indicating the area above the eighth page as the original page information. The output unit 16 displays information including information on the area of the original page where the block is set, which is set in the original page information in the block information when the document is output. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to display in which area of which page the block included in the page of the output document was originally located.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the page number setting unit 15 acquires the original page number of the block included in the document subjected to the thinning process based on the position management information stored in the storage unit (memory 103). Then, based on the print setting information which is the output setting information acquired by the print setting acquisition unit 14, the page number setting unit 15 displays the original page number displayed in association with the block among the acquired original page numbers. To decide. The output unit 16 displays the original page number determined by the page number setting unit 15. As a result, among the original page numbers acquired by the page number setting unit 15, the display of the original page numbers other than the original page numbers displayed in association with the blocks is omitted.

  FIG. 11A shows a display example of the original page number of a block in the third embodiment. In this example, it is assumed that the print setting information acquired by the print setting acquisition unit 14 indicates that the document is printed in 1in1. Printing with 1 in 1 means printing one page on the surface of one sheet. The page number setting unit 15 receives the print setting information from the print setting acquisition unit 14 and determines the original page number to be displayed as follows. The page number setting unit 15 refers to the original page information set in the block information included in the position management information, and acquires the original page number of the block included in the original page information. Then, the page number setting unit 15 determines whether there are a plurality of blocks corresponding to the same original page number, and when there are a plurality of blocks corresponding to the same original page number, the first (first head) in each page The original page number corresponding to the block of) is to be displayed. For example, among the blocks corresponding to the original page number shown in FIG. 6B described above, there are a plurality of blocks corresponding to the original page number “8”. Therefore, the page number setting unit 15 displays the original page numbers 1002 and 1005 corresponding to the first block in each page among the same original page numbers 1002 to 1005 in FIG. 6B. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11A, the output unit 16 displays the original page number “8” as page numbers 1002 and 1005, and the original page numbers 1003 and 1004 in FIG. 6B. Is omitted. As a result, repetition of the same original page number in the same page is prevented.

  FIG. 11B shows another display example of the original page number of the block in the third embodiment. In this example, the print setting information acquired by the print setting acquisition unit 14 includes information indicating that a plurality of pages are arranged on the surface of one sheet. For example, it is assumed that the print setting information indicates that the document is printed with Nin1. Printing with Nin1 is printing N pages on the surface of one sheet.

  In this example, when there are a plurality of blocks corresponding to the same original page number, the page number setting unit 15 displays the original page number corresponding to the first block on the same sheet as the display target. That is, the output unit of the present embodiment includes information indicating that a plurality of pages are arranged on the surface of the sheet in the print setting information, and the same sheet as the print result of the document after the thinning process is executed. When the position information of the plurality of blocks arranged on the surface is the same, the following processing is performed. The output means displays position information for the first block in the plurality of blocks, and does not display position information for the other blocks in the plurality of blocks. For example, the page number setting unit 15 selects the original page corresponding to the first block on the surface of one sheet shown in FIG. 11B among the same original page numbers 1002 to 1005 in FIG. The number 1002 is the display target. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the output unit 16 displays the page number 1002 for the original page number “8”, and displays the original page numbers 1003 to 1005 in FIG. 6B. Omitted. In other words, the page number setting unit 15 and the output unit 16 functioning as output means have the above plurality of pieces of information when the position information of the plurality of blocks arranged on the same page of the document after the thinning process is the same. The position information is displayed for the first block in the block. The output means does not display position information for other blocks in the plurality of blocks. As a result, repetition of the same original page number on the surface of the same sheet as a printing result is prevented.

  FIG. 11C shows another display example of the original page number of the block in the third embodiment. In this example, the page number setting unit 15 is based on the print setting information acquired by the print setting output unit 14, and before the block-end process of the block included in the original page number of the block, that is, the block-processed document. The display position of the position information in the document is determined. Then, the output unit 16 displays the original page number at the determined display position. The display processing of the display position of the block position information in this example can be applied to other embodiments. The print setting information acquired by the print setting acquisition unit 14 indicates that the document is spread and printed. Hereinafter, a page to be subjected to spread printing is described as a spread page. In a spread page, depending on how to bind, it may be difficult to see if there is an original page number inside. Therefore, in this example, the page number setting unit 15 determines the lower left position of the block as the display position of the original page number for the left page included in the spread page. Further, the page number setting unit 15 determines the lower right position of the block as the display position of the original page number for the right page included in the spread page. In this example, when there are a plurality of blocks corresponding to the same original page number, the page number setting unit 15 determines the original page number corresponding to the first block on the same sheet as a display target. The output unit 16 displays the original page number determined as the display target at the corresponding display position. As a result, the original page numbers 1501 and 1502 shown in FIG. 11C are displayed at the lower left position of the block, and the original page number 1503 is displayed at the lower right position of the block. Note that the output unit 16 may display all the original page numbers of the blocks included in the document to be printed at the corresponding display position without omitting the display of the original page numbers.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an original page number determination processing flow based on print setting information. First, at the start of printing, the output setting acquisition unit 14 acquires print setting information (step S31) and passes it to the page number setting unit 15. The page number setting unit 15 sequentially refers to the page and the block (steps S32 and S33), and executes the following processing. The page number setting unit 15 compares the original page number of the block to be processed (current block) with the original page number of the block to be processed before the current block (previous block). It is determined whether the block has the same original page number (step S34). When the original page number is different between the current block and the previous block, the page number setting unit 15 determines the original page number corresponding to the current block as a display target (step S38). Specifically, the page number setting unit 15 sets a text object in which the original page number is input as print data.

  If the current block and the previous block have the same original page number, the page number setting unit 15 confirms the print setting based on the print setting information acquired in step S31 (step S35). If the print setting is 1 in 1, the page number setting unit 15 determines whether the current block is the first block in the page (step S37). If the current block is the first block in the page, the process proceeds to step S38. If the current block is not the first block in the page, the process proceeds to the next block. That is, when the current block is not the first block in the page, the original page number of the current block is the same as the original page number of the previous block on the same sheet, so the original page number corresponding to the current block is the display target. Not. Thereby, the display of the original page number corresponding to the current block is omitted.

  If the print setting is not 1in1 but Nin1, the page number setting unit 15 determines whether the current block is the first block on the paper surface (step S36). If the current block is the first block on the paper surface, the process proceeds to step S38. If the current block is not the first block on the paper surface, the process proceeds to the next block. That is, if the current block is not the first block on the paper side, the original page number of the current block is the same as the original page number of the previous block on the same paper side, so the original page number corresponding to the current block is displayed. Not targeted. According to the third embodiment, the display of the original page numbers other than the original page number determined as the display target based on the print setting information among the original page numbers of the blocks included in the block information can be omitted. .

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the output means includes a block editing unit 17. The block editing unit 17 edits a block in accordance with a user operation. For example, when a plurality of blocks are combined by editing a block, the block editing unit 17 determines the position management information corresponding to the combined block based on the original page number before combining the combined blocks. Is stored in the storage means. Specifically, the block editing unit 17 confirms the original page numbers of the combined blocks. When the original page numbers of the plurality of combined blocks are the same, the block editing unit 17 generates position management information corresponding to the new block after combining, and the source of the block information included in the position management information The original page number of the block before combination is stored in the page information. As a result, even after the blocks are combined, the combined block and the original page number can be associated with each other. Further, the block editing unit 17 generates object information corresponding to the objects included in the new block. The block editing unit 17 stores the original page number of the object stored in the object information of the object included in the block before combining in the original page information included in the object information.

  When the original page numbers of a plurality of combined blocks are not the same, that is, when a plurality of blocks arranged on different pages before the thinning process is combined, the output unit of the present embodiment The following processing is performed. That is, the block editing unit 17 generates location management information corresponding to the new block after combination. The block editing unit 17 stores, in the original page information of the block information included in the position management information, information indicating that the combined block is a block generated by combining blocks having different original page numbers. Further, the block editing unit 17 generates object information corresponding to the objects included in the new block. The block editing unit 17 stores the original page number of the object stored in the object information of each object included in the block before combination in the original page information included in the object information.

  FIG. 13 shows a display example of the original page number when the blocks are combined. A block 1601 in FIG. 13 is a block generated by combining a plurality of blocks having the same original page number. A block 1602 is a block generated by combining a plurality of blocks having different original page numbers. The page number setting unit 15 refers to the original page information stored in the block information corresponding to the block 1601 and confirms that the original page number of the block 1601 indicates the seventh page. Accordingly, the page number setting unit 15 determines the original page number “7” as a display target. The output unit 16 displays this original page number “7” in association with the block 1601.

  Also, the page number setting unit 15 refers to the original page information stored in the block information corresponding to the block 1602 and confirms that the block 1602 is a block in which blocks having different original page numbers are combined. The page number setting unit 15 determines “go”, which is character information indicating that a plurality of blocks arranged on different pages are combined, as a display target. The output unit 16 displays this character information “go” in association with the block 1602. Thus, when the document is output, it can be seen that the block 1602 is a block in which blocks having different original page numbers are combined. Note that the output unit 16 may associate and display the original page number corresponding to each block before combining corresponding to the new block combined with the new block. Any display may be used as long as it can be recognized that a plurality of blocks having different original page numbers are combined. The display process of information indicating that a plurality of blocks arranged on different pages in the present embodiment are combined can be applied to other embodiments.

  When the block is divided into a plurality of blocks by editing the block, the block editing unit 17 performs the following processing. The block editing unit 17 refers to the object information in the position management information corresponding to the division source block, and acquires the original page number corresponding to each object included in the division source block. Then, the block editing unit 17 generates position management information corresponding to each divided block based on the acquired original page number and stores it in the storage unit. Specifically, the block editing unit 17 determines the original page number of the object included in the divided block based on the acquired original page number corresponding to each object. The block editing unit 17 determines whether all the original page numbers of the determined objects are the same. When all the determined original page numbers of the objects are the same, the block editing unit 17 stores the determined original page numbers of the objects in the block information corresponding to the divided blocks. As a result, the divided block can be associated with the original page number even after the block is divided. Further, the block editing unit 17 stores the original page number of the determined object in the object information corresponding to the object included in the divided block. Then, the output unit 16 displays the original page number in association with the divided block when outputting the document.

  If the original page numbers of the determined objects include different original page numbers, the block editing unit 17 executes the following processing. The block editing unit 17 stores information indicating that the divided block includes a plurality of objects having different original page numbers in the block information corresponding to the divided block. Further, the block editing unit 17 stores the original page number of the determined object in the object information corresponding to the object included in the divided block. The output unit 16 displays information indicating that the divided block includes a plurality of objects having different original page numbers in association with the divided block when the document is output. As a result, when the document is output, it can be seen that the divided block includes a plurality of objects having different original page numbers.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the page number setting unit 15 associates a block with a block based on information related to a display format of the original page number of the block (hereinafter referred to as format definition information of the original page number). The display format of the original page number displayed is determined. Then, the output unit 16 displays the original page number to be displayed in the determined display format in association with the block. The process of determining the display format of the original page number and the process of displaying the original page number in the determined display format in the present embodiment can be applied to other embodiments.

  FIG. 14A is a diagram for explaining an example of the format format of the original page number indicated by the format definition information of the original page number. In this example, the format is defined in two stages. A format 1701 defines the relationship between the current page and the original page. Forms 1702 and 1703 define the original page. “Page” in the format 1701 is a part for setting the current page number. “OrgPage” is a part for setting the original page number. In “OrgPage”, the original page number is set in a format according to the format 1702 or 1703. In “OrgPage”, the original page number is set in parentheses according to the format 1701. The format 1702 defines that the minimum value and the maximum value of the original page number corresponding to the block included in the current page are set by connecting with a hyphen. Format 1703 defines that the original page numbers of each block are listed and displayed in ascending order. Note that as a similar format to the format 1703, for example, a format that defines that the original page numbers are listed and displayed in block order, or when a plurality of blocks have the same page number, the display of a predetermined page number is omitted. You can also use a format that defines what to do. When the format definition information of the original page number shown in FIG. 14A is followed, the original page number is displayed along with the current page number.

  FIG. 14B shows a display example of the original page number according to the format definition information of the original page number shown in FIG. Based on the format definition information of the original page number shown in FIG. 14A, the page number setting unit 15 writes the current page number and the minimum and maximum values of the original page numbers of the blocks included in the current page. The display format to be displayed is determined as the display format of the original page number. The output unit 16 displays the original page number to be displayed in the determined display format. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 14B, the current page number “4” and the minimum and maximum values (8 and 9) of the original page number are displayed together. According to the fifth embodiment, the original page number can be displayed in a display format according to the format definition information of the original page number determined in advance.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the output unit 16 displays a frame line (page frame) corresponding to the original page number determined as a display target by the page number setting unit 15. When blocks having the same original page number are included across two consecutive pages to be printed, the output unit 16 performs the following processing. The output unit 16 displays a page frame having no upper side as the page frame corresponding to the original page number of the block arranged at the top of the page. A page frame without an upper side indicates that a block corresponding to the original page number indicated by the page frame is also included in the page before the current page. Further, the output unit 16 displays a page frame having no bottom as a page frame corresponding to the original page number of the block arranged at the end of the page. A page frame having no bottom indicates that a block corresponding to the original page number indicated by the page frame is also included in the next page of the current page. The display processing of the frame line corresponding to the original page number in the present embodiment can be applied to other embodiments.

  Reference numeral 2101 in FIG. 15 denotes a page frame corresponding to the original page number “7”. Reference numerals 2102 and 2103 denote page frames corresponding to the original page number “8”. Reference numeral 2104 denotes a page frame corresponding to the original page number “9”. The page frame 2101 displayed on the third page has no upper side. Therefore, it can be seen that the block corresponding to the original page number “7” is also included in the second page. Further, the page frame 2102 has no bottom side. Therefore, it can be seen that the block corresponding to the original page number “8” is also included in the fourth page. According to the sixth embodiment, the block range corresponding to the original page number can be easily identified. It is also possible to identify whether a block having the same original page number continues from the previous page or continues to the next page.

(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus 11 Blank area detection part 12 Blocking part

Claims (10)

Storage means for generating one or a plurality of blocks by blocking an object included in the document, and storing position information of the generated block in the document;
A thinning processing means for executing a thinning process for filling spaces between blocks for the document;
Based on the position information stored in the storage means, the position information in the document before the deadline process is executed in association with the block included in the document when the deadlined document is output. Output means for outputting ,
The output means displays the position information on the first block of the plurality of blocks when the position information of the plurality of blocks arranged on the same page of the document after the deadline processing is the same. The information processing apparatus does not display the position information in other blocks of the plurality of blocks . Obtaining means for obtaining output setting information relating to the output setting of the document;
The output means acquires position information in the document before the thinning process of a block included in the thinned document based on the position information stored in the storage means, and the acquisition means The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein position information to be displayed in association with the block is determined from the acquired position information based on the acquired output setting information. The output unit includes information indicating that a plurality of pages are arranged on the surface of the sheet in the output setting information acquired by the acquisition unit, and the print result of the document after the thinning process is executed When the position information of a plurality of blocks arranged on the same sheet surface is the same, the position information is displayed for the first block in the plurality of blocks, and the position information is displayed for the other blocks in the plurality of blocks. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein no information is displayed. The output means determines, based on the acquired output setting information, a display position of position information in a document before the deadline process of a block included in the deadlined document. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 . The output means determines a display format of the position information displayed in association with the block based on information on a display format of the position information in the document before the deadline processing of the block determined in advance. the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. The position information of the block in the document includes information on an area where the block is arranged on the page of the document,
The output means displays information related to an area where the block is arranged on a page of the document in association with a block included in the document when the document subjected to the thinning process is output. The information processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5 . When a plurality of blocks arranged on different pages are combined by editing the block before the deadline processing is performed, the output unit includes a plurality of blocks arranged on different pages. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein information indicating that they are combined is displayed. It said output means further apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the displaying the frame lines corresponding to the position information. A storage step of generating one or a plurality of blocks by blocking an object included in the document, and storing position information of the generated block in the document in a storage unit;
An execution step of performing a thinning process for filling spaces between blocks for the document;
Based on the position information stored in the storage means, the position information in the document before the deadline process is executed in association with the block included in the document when the deadlined document is output. possess and an output step of outputting,
In the output step, when the position information of a plurality of blocks arranged on the same page of the document after the thinning process is executed is the same, the position information is displayed on the first block in the plurality of blocks. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus , wherein the position information is not displayed in other blocks of the plurality of blocks . A computer program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the information processing apparatus according to claim 9 .

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