JP5699107B2 - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

  Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, or multifunction devices that combine the functions of these devices are becoming more and more functional in order to improve user convenience or increase added value. For example, some recent image forming apparatuses have an OCR (Optical Character Reader) function for inputting character data by optically reading and recognizing handwritten characters or printed characters.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses a questionnaire automatic counting device that automatically receives and automatically recognizes a questionnaire response sheet transmitted by facsimile from a questionnaire respondent and automatically counts the questionnaire based on the recognition result. Specifically, in the following Patent Document 1, entry fields such as an answerer number field, an answer check entry field, and a free description field are cut out from an automatically received questionnaire response form image to detect the presence / absence of a check and character recognition. The recognition results are aggregated. In the free description field, the automatic recognition of handwritten characters is not performed, but the image is directly cut out as an image and aggregated and printed together.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-189407

  By the way, questionnaires that ask for answers to questions are broadly divided into a selection format in which a plurality of answers are prepared in advance and an answer is selected, and a free format in which an answer is freely prepared without preparing an answer in advance. It is thought. In addition, it is considered that various tests for obtaining answers to questions are roughly classified into a selection format (for example, a mark sheet format) and a free format (for example, a descriptive format).

  Although the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above can extract the description content of the free description column as an image, basically, the presence or absence of a check included in the image of the questionnaire response sheet and the recognition of characters are recognized. It is considered to be a technique suitable for tabulation of questionnaires in a selection format. However, in free-form questionnaires and tests, answers (answers) are written by hand, so that even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above is used, misrecognition of characters or the like occurs, resulting in good tabulation results. It is considered impossible. For this reason, there is an aspect in which compiling of free-form questionnaires and scoring of free-form tests must be performed manually.

  In order to manually count free-form questionnaires and free-form exams, there is a problem that the cumbersome work of counting and scoring while turning sheets for each question is inefficient. Here, if the answers (answers) are gathered together for each question, the work of turning the paper is reduced, and it is considered that the work efficiency is improved. In addition, after the answers (answers) are collected, the contents thereof may be changed or additional writing may be performed. For example, when scoring the aggregated answer, “○ mark” or “x mark” is given. In such a case, if the changed or added content is automatically reflected in the original form (questionnaire answer sheet or exam answer sheet), the labor of reflecting the contents manually can be saved. Therefore, it is considered that the working efficiency can be improved also by this.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an image forming apparatus and an image forming method capable of improving work efficiency such as counting and scoring performed manually on handwritten documents. For the purpose.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image reading unit that reads an image and a format that defines a handwriting area on a handwritten document in the image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet. Cutting out handwritten data from the image data of the handwritten document read by the image reading means using the information, and specifying the image data of the handwritten document from which the handwritten data is cut out; An image for creating aggregated data by adding to the handwritten data second information specifying a cutout portion of the handwritten data on the handwritten document, and classifying and collecting the handwritten data based on the second information The image processing apparatus includes a processing unit and an image forming unit that forms an aggregate image corresponding to the aggregate data created by the image processing unit on a sheet.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the format information defines, as the handwritten region, an area in which an answer to a question described in the handwritten document or an answer should be written.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the format information defines the handwriting area for each of the plurality of questions described in the handwritten document.
In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the image processing unit reads the image data of the paper on which the aggregated image is formed by the image reading unit, the image processing unit Image data of a part whose contents have been changed or a part added to the aggregated image is extracted, and the part on the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data And the image forming unit forms an image on the sheet according to the image data of the portion whose position is determined by the image processing unit.
Here, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the image processing unit combines the image data of the portion whose position is determined and the image data of the handwritten document, and the image forming unit is the image processing unit. An image according to the synthesized image data is formed on a sheet.
Alternatively, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the content is changed using the handwriting data when the image processing unit inputs the aggregated data in which the content is changed or the content is added. Extracting the data of the part or the part to which the content has been added, combining the image data of the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data, the image forming means, An image corresponding to the image data synthesized by the image processing means is formed on a sheet.
The image forming method of the present invention is an image forming method for forming an image on a sheet, using a first step for reading a handwritten document and format information defining a handwritten area on the handwritten document. Cut out handwritten data from the image data of the handwritten document read in the first step, first information for specifying the image data of the handwritten document from which the handwritten data is cut out, and the handwritten document on the handwritten document A second step of adding to the document data second information for specifying a cut-out portion of the handwritten data, and creating aggregated data obtained by classifying and collecting the handwritten data based on the second information; And a third step of forming an aggregated image corresponding to the aggregated data created in the second step on a sheet.
The image forming method according to the present invention includes a fourth step of reading the paper on which the aggregated image is formed, and the aggregation using the handwriting data from the image data of the paper read in the fourth step. Image data of a part in which the content of the image has been changed or a part added to the aggregated image is extracted, and the first and second information added to the handwritten data is used on the handwritten document. It has a fifth step of determining the position of the portion and a sixth step of forming an image corresponding to the image data of the portion determined in the fifth step on the paper.
Here, in the image forming method of the present invention, instead of the seventh step and the sixth step, the image data of the portion determined in the fifth step and the image data of the handwritten document are combined, And an eighth step of forming an image corresponding to the image data synthesized in the seventh step on a sheet.
Alternatively, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the ninth step of inputting the aggregated data in which the contents have been changed or the contents have been added, and the data in which the contents have been changed or the contents have been added. 10th step of extracting and combining with the image data of the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data, and according to the image data combined in the 10th step And an eleventh step of forming an image on a sheet.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to improve work efficiency such as counting and scoring performed manually on a handwritten document.

1 is a front perspective view showing an overall configuration of a multifunction machine as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a multifunction peripheral as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the format of the handwritten document used by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the 1st auxiliary | assistant mode setting in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content at the time of the 1st auxiliary | assistant mode setting in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the 2nd auxiliary | assistant mode setting in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing content at the time of the 2nd auxiliary | assistant mode setting in one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and an image forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a case where the image forming apparatus is a multifunction peripheral will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing the overall configuration of a multifunction machine as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 1 includes a main body unit 10, an image reading unit 20 (image reading unit), an operation display unit 30, and the like, and has a copy function, a print function, and a facsimile transmission / reception function. Yes.

  As will be described in detail later, the multifunction device 1 includes a first auxiliary mode that classifies and aggregates the contents of handwritten documents (for example, questionnaires answered by handwriting or answers handwritten), and the aggregated contents. And a second auxiliary mode for performing a process of reflecting the changed contents in the original handwritten document when the change or addition is made. The reason why such an auxiliary mode is provided is to improve the efficiency of manual work (counting, scoring, etc.) performed on a handwritten document.

  The main body unit 10 includes a paper feeding unit 11, an image forming unit 12 (image forming unit), a fixing unit 13, a paper discharge tray 14, and the like. An image corresponding to image data is displayed on a predetermined printing paper (recording medium). Print on. Here, the image data is, for example, image data of a document read by the image reading unit 20, print data transmitted from an external terminal device (not shown), received facsimile data, or the like.

  The paper supply unit 11 includes a plurality of paper supply cassettes 11a that can store a plurality of standard print sheets (for example, about several tens of sheets). The paper feed cassette 11 a is disposed at the bottom of the main body 10 so that it can be pulled out from the front of the main body 10. The uppermost printing paper among the printing papers stored in each of the paper feed cassettes 11a is fed out by driving the pickup roller 11b and conveyed toward the image forming unit 12.

  The image forming unit 12 includes a photosensitive drum 12a (image carrier), an exposure unit 12b, a developing unit 12c, a transfer unit 12d, and the like, and forms and conveys a toner image corresponding to an image to be printed. Transfer to printing paper. The photosensitive drum 12a is a cylindrical photosensitive member that forms an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be printed and carries a developed toner image. The exposure unit 12b irradiates the photosensitive drum 12a with a laser beam for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data. The developing unit 12c develops the electrostatic latent image into a toner image by supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 12a on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. The transfer unit 12 d transfers the toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 12 a onto the printing paper conveyed from the paper supply unit 11.

  The fixing unit 13 heats and pressurizes the toner image transferred to the printing paper and fixes the toner image on the printing paper. As a result, an image corresponding to the image data is printed on the printing paper. The paper discharge tray 14 is a portion on which printing paper on which an image is printed by the fixing unit 13 is placed, and is provided on the upper portion of the main body unit 10.

  The image reading unit 20 includes an ADF (automatic document feeder) 21, a carriage 22, a document table 23, a document reading slit 24, and the like, and is placed on the document sequentially fed by the ADF 21 or placed on the document table 23. The original is read and image data is output. The ADF 21 is a device that sequentially feeds documents to be read. The carriage 22 is equipped with an exposure lamp, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, and the like, and reads a document sequentially fed by the ADF 21 or a document placed on a document table 23.

  Specifically, when reading a document placed on the document table 23, the carriage 22 reads the document by the CCD sensor while moving in the longitudinal direction of the document table 23. On the other hand, when reading a document fed from the ADF 21, the carriage 22 scans documents sequentially fed from the ADF 21 at a position facing the document reading slit 24 (a position below the document reading slit 24). Then, the image is read by the CCD sensor through the document reading slit 24.

  The operation display unit 30 includes an operation key unit 31 and a display unit 32. The operation display unit 30 inputs an instruction corresponding to a user operation and displays various types of information such as information indicating the state of the multifunction device 1. The operation key unit 31 includes hard keys such as a start key, a stop / clear key, a power key, a numeric keypad (numerical value input key), and a function switching key. The function switching key is used to switch the multifunction device 1 to the operation mode of each function when the user uses each of the copy function, print function, scan function, and facsimile function realized by the multifunction device 1. Key. The display unit 32 has a touch panel function, and displays a screen including soft keys.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a multifunction peripheral as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, components corresponding to those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction machine 1 includes the image forming unit 12 and the image shown in FIG. In addition to the reading unit 20 and the operation display unit 30, the control unit 41, the communication I / F unit 42, the image data storage unit 43, the image processing unit 44 (image processing means), the paper transport unit 45, and various sensor groups 46. Is provided.

  The control unit 41 refers to various detection signals output from the various sensor groups 46, and responds to operation instructions input from the operation display unit 30 or various instructions input from the communication I / F unit 42. 1 operation is controlled. For example, image data reading control by the image reading unit 20, image data reception control by the communication I / F unit 42, printing control of image data stored in the image data storage unit 43, and the like are performed. In addition, the control unit 41 sets the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 in accordance with an operation instruction from the operation display unit 30.

  The communication I / F unit 42 is connected to a network (not shown) and transmits / receives various signals to / from a terminal device (not shown) via the network. The image data storage unit 43 is realized by, for example, a hard disk drive, and stores various data under the control of the control unit 41. For example, the communication I / F unit 42 temporarily stores image data such as image data received from a terminal device (not shown) via the network, or image data subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 44.

  The image processing unit 44 performs various types of image processing on the image data stored in the image data storage unit 43 under the control of the control unit 41. For example, image data compression / decompression processing, image data printing rate calculation processing, and the like are performed. Further, when the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the first auxiliary mode described above, the image processing unit 44 classifies the contents of the handwritten document and creates aggregated data. Further, when the second auxiliary mode is set, the process is performed to reflect the aggregated data and the changes or additions made to the aggregated document printed with the aggregated data in the original handwritten document.

  Specifically, when the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the first auxiliary mode, the image processing unit 44 first uses the format information to read the image of the handwritten document read by the image reading unit 20. A process for cutting out handwritten data which is handwritten data from the data is performed. As handwriting data cutout methods, for example, a method for saving the difference between image data and format information of a handwritten document, a method for preliminarily specifying a cutout portion, and a range to be cut out considering the density and density of image data, etc. An existing method such as a method of automatically setting can be used.

  Next, the image processing unit 44 identifies image identification information (first information) for specifying the image data of the handwritten document from which the handwriting data has been cut out, and cutting information (first information) for specifying the cutout portion of the handwriting data. 2 information) is added to the handwritten data. Then, the handwritten data to which the image identification information and the cutout information are added are classified based on the cutout information, and the collected handwritten data are collected to create the aggregated data.

  Here, the format information is information defining the format of the handwritten document. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the format of a handwritten document used in an embodiment of the present invention. The handwritten document P1 shown in FIG. 3 is provided in correspondence with each of the questions Q1 to Q3 and the questions Q1 to Q3, and is a handwriting that is an area in which answers and answers to the questions Q1 to Q3 are to be described. This is a format in which regions R1 to R3 are provided. The format information about the handwritten document P1 includes the contents of the questions Q1 to Q3, the width of the questions Q1 to Q3 in the vertical and horizontal directions of the handwritten document, and the positions of the questions Q1 to Q3 on the handwritten document. And information indicating the widths of the handwriting areas R1 to R3 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the handwriting document and the positions of the handwriting areas R1 to R3 on the handwriting document.

  When the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the second auxiliary mode, the image processing unit 44 first changes the contents from the aggregated data or the image data of the aggregated document read by the image reading unit 20. The process of extracting the data of the added part or the part to which the content is added is performed. As this extraction method, for example, there is a method of taking a difference between handwritten data used for creating aggregated data and aggregated data whose contents have been changed or added, or image data of an aggregated document. Next, the image processing unit 44 uses the image identification information and cutout information added to the handwritten data used to create the aggregated data to extract the extracted data and the original handwritten document image data. Perform processing to synthesize.

  The paper transport unit 45 includes a transport roller, a motor for driving the transport roller, and the like. The paper transport unit 45 transports the printing paper stored in the paper feed cassette to the image forming unit 12 and performs image forming processing in the image forming unit 12. The performed printing paper is conveyed to the paper discharge tray 14. The various sensor groups 46 are various sensors necessary for image forming operations, such as a paper out detection sensor, a paper jam detection sensor, a paper position detection sensor, and a temperature sensor, and control various information detected by each sensor as detection signals. Output to the unit 41.

  Next, the operation of the multifunction device 1 having the above configuration will be described in detail. As described above, the multifunction device 1 includes the first auxiliary mode that classifies and aggregates the contents of handwritten documents, and when the aggregated contents are changed or added, the changed contents are returned to the original hand. And a second auxiliary mode for performing processing to be reflected in the document. The first auxiliary mode is set before manual work (for example, counting and scoring) is performed on the handwritten document, and the second auxiliary mode is set after manual work is performed on the handwritten document. Hereinafter, an operation when the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the first auxiliary mode and an operation when the operation mode is set to the second auxiliary mode will be described in order.

<Operation when the first auxiliary mode is set>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation when the first auxiliary mode is set according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the operator operates the operation display unit 30 of the multifunction device 1 to set the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 to the first auxiliary mode, and places the handwritten document to be read on the ADF 21 of the image reading unit 20. After the arrangement is completed, when the operator presses a start key provided in the operation key unit 31 of the operation display unit 30, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is started. It is assumed that format information about a handwritten document to be read is specified when the first auxiliary mode is set.

  When the process is started, the handwritten document arranged on the ADF 21 is sequentially fed out by the ADF 21, and the image of the handwritten document is sequentially read by the image reading unit 20 (step S11: first step). The image data of the image read by the image reading unit 20 is sent to the image data storage unit 43 via the control unit 41 and sequentially stored. The image data output from the image reading unit 20 is given image identification information that is uniquely determined in order to identify each.

  When the reading of the handwritten document is completed, the image data of the handwritten document stored in the image data storage unit 43 is read by the control unit 41 and transferred to the image processing unit 44. When the transfer is completed, the image processing unit 44 performs processing for cutting out the handwriting data from each of the image data of the handwriting document using the format information specified in advance (step S12: second step). For example, a method of saving a difference between image data and format information of a handwritten document, a method of preliminarily specifying a cutout portion, a method of automatically setting a cutout range in consideration of the density or density of image data, etc. Handwriting data is cut out using an existing method.

  When the handwriting data is cut out, the image processing unit 44 performs processing for adding the above-described image identification information and cutting information (information for specifying a cutout portion of the handwriting data) to each handwriting data ( Step S13: Second step). When the above processing is completed, processing for classifying the handwriting data based on the cut-out information added to the handwriting data is performed by the image processing unit 44 (step S14: second step). Thereby, for example, the handwriting data cut out from the handwriting area R1 of the handwriting document P1 shown in FIG. 3, the handwriting data cut out from the handwriting area R2, and the handwriting data cut out from the handwriting area R3 There are three categories. When the classification of the handwritten data is completed, the image processing unit 44 performs a process for creating the aggregated data by using the classified handwritten data as a leading role (step S15: second step).

  When the above processing is completed, the control unit 41 determines whether there is an instruction to print the aggregated data (step S16). When it is determined that there is an instruction to print the aggregated data (when the determination result is “YES”), the aggregated data created by the image processing unit 44 is transferred to the image forming unit 12 by the control unit 41 and is consolidated. Is printed (step S17: third step). On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no print instruction for the aggregated data (when the determination result is “NO”), the aggregated data created by the image processing unit 44 is stored in the image data storage unit 43 by the control unit 41. Saved (step S18).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing contents when the first auxiliary mode is set according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a description example of a handwritten document that is the basis of the consolidated document. (B) is a diagram showing an integrated document for the handwritten document shown in (a). When the handwritten document P1 in which the questions Q1 to Q3 for inquiring the country name are used, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the names of countries such as “Australia”, “USA”, “Canada” A plurality of items written by hand in R1 to R3 are collected.

  When the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the first auxiliary mode and a plurality of handwritten documents P1 described in FIG. 5A are read by the image reading unit 20 of the multifunction device 1, FIG. The consolidated documents P11 to P13 shown in b) are printed. The consolidated document P11 is a document in which answers to the question Q1 (contents written in the handwriting area R1) are aggregated, and the consolidated document P12 is a document in which answers to the question Q2 (contents written in the handwriting area R2) are consolidated. The consolidated document P13 is a document in which responses to the question Q3 (contents written in the handwriting area R3) are consolidated. In this way, the consolidated documents P11 to P13 are obtained by consolidating the answers of the questions Q1 to Q3 of the handwritten document P1 for each of the questions Q1 to Q3, so that the listability is improved and operations such as counting and scoring are performed. Can be done efficiently.

<Operation when the second auxiliary mode is set>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation when the second auxiliary mode is set according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, the operator operates the operation display unit 30 of the multifunction device 1 to set the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 to the second auxiliary mode, and arranges the aggregated document to be read on the ADF 21 of the image reading unit 20. As shown in FIG. 7A, the aggregated document arranged on the ADF 21 has been changed A1 to delete the character “La” and additional writings A2 and A3 of “circle” and “x”. Suppose it is a thing.

  When the operator depresses the start key provided in the operation key unit 31 of the operation display unit 30 after the arrangement of the consolidated documents is completed, the process of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is started. When the processing is started, the aggregated document arranged on the ADF 21 is sequentially fed out by the ADF 21, and the image of the aggregated document is sequentially read by the image reading unit 20 (step S21: fourth step). The image data of the image read by the image reading unit 20 is sent to the image data storage unit 43 via the control unit 41 and sequentially stored.

  When the reading of the consolidated document is completed, the image data of the consolidated document stored in the image data storage unit 43 is read by the control unit 41 and transferred to the image processing unit 44. When the transfer is completed, the image processing unit 44 performs processing for cutting out the handwriting data from the image data of the consolidated document (step S22: fifth step). Note that the handwriting data may be cut out by a method of automatically setting a range to be cut in consideration of the density and density of image data of the aggregated document, or may be performed using the format information described above.

  When the handwriting data is cut out, the image processing unit 44 uses the original handwriting data (handwriting data to which the image identification information and the cutting information obtained in step S13 in FIG. 4 are added). Then, a process of extracting the changed / added portion of the handwritten data cut out in step S22 is performed (step S23: fifth step). For example, handwriting data is compared for each dot, and processing for extracting different dots is performed.

  When the changed / added portion is extracted, the image processing unit 44 uses the image identification information and the cut information added to the original handwritten data to determine the position of the changed / added portion extracted in step S23. Processing to determine is performed (step S24: fifth step). By this processing, the position on the handwritten document of the changed / added portion made to the aggregated document is specified.

  When the above processing is completed, the control unit 41 determines whether or not there is an overwriting print instruction (step S25). Here, overprinting means that only the changed / added portion of the consolidated document is printed over the original handwritten document. When it is determined that there has been an overprint printing instruction (when the determination result is “YES”), the image data of the changed / added portion whose position has been determined by the image processing unit 44 is transferred by the control unit 41 to the image forming unit 12. And overprinting is executed (step S26: sixth step). Note that when overwriting is executed, the handwritten document read in step S11 in FIG.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no overprinting instruction (when the determination result is “NO”), the control unit 41 determines whether there is a new printing instruction (step S27). Here, the new printing means printing image data in which the changed / added portion is synthesized with the original handwritten document. When it is determined that a new print instruction has been issued (when the determination result is “YES”), the image processing unit 44 combines the handwritten data with the image data of the changed / added portion whose position has been determined. Processing is performed (step S28: seventh step). Then, the combined image data is transferred to the image forming unit 12 by the control unit 41 and new printing is executed (step S29: eighth step). If the determination result in step S27 is “NO”, printing is not performed and the series of processing ends.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing contents when the second auxiliary mode is set in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an aggregated document in which the contents are changed / added. (B) and (b) are diagrams showing handwritten documents in which contents of changes / additions made to the consolidated document are reflected. As shown in FIG. 7A, a change A1 for deleting the character “La” is performed on the consolidated document P11, and a postscript A2 of “circle” is performed on the consolidated document P12, and the consolidated document P13. Is added with “X”.

  When the operation mode of the multifunction device 1 is set to the second auxiliary mode and the aggregated documents P11 to P13 subjected to the changes and additions illustrated in FIG. 7A are read by the image reading unit 20 of the multifunction device 1, FIG. Handwritten documents P1a to P1c shown in (b) are printed. In the handwritten document P1a, the content of the answer to the question Q1 is changed from “Australia” to “Austria”, and in the handwritten document P1b, the “circle” is added to the content of the answer to the question Q2. In P1c, “x” is added to the content of the answer to question Q3. In this way, it is possible to obtain a handwritten document in which changes or additional writings made to the consolidated documents P11 to P13 are reflected.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the handwritten document is read by the image reading unit 20, and handwritten data is cut out from the handwritten document by the image processing unit 44, and an image of the handwritten document from which the handwritten data is cut out. Image identification information for identifying data and cutout information are added to the handwritten data, and aggregated data is created by classifying and collecting the handwritten data based on the cutout information to print the aggregated document. Accordingly, since it is sufficient to perform operations such as aggregation and scoring on the aggregated document instead of the handwritten document, the efficiency of operations such as aggregation and scoring can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the aggregated document that has been changed or added by the image reading unit 20 is read, the image data of the changed / added part is extracted, and the processing is performed based on the image identification information and the cut-out information. The position on the document is determined before printing. As a result, even when a task such as aggregation or scoring is performed on the aggregated document instead of the handwritten document, the content change or addition to the aggregated document is reflected in the handwritten document. For this reason, it is not necessary to manually reflect changes or additions made to the aggregated document in the handwritten document, thereby improving work efficiency.

  Although the image forming apparatus and the image forming method according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be freely changed within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the aggregated data is printed as an aggregated document when the first auxiliary mode is set and the aggregated document is read when the second auxiliary mode is set has been described. However, the aggregated data does not necessarily need to be printed, and the created aggregated data may be taken out from the multifunction machine 1 to change the contents of the aggregated data.

  When the aggregated data whose contents have been changed is input to the multi function device 1 set in the second auxiliary mode, it is input to the image processing unit 44 (9th step), and the part whose contents have been changed or the addition of the contents The data of the marked part is extracted and combined with the image data of the handwritten document using the image identification information and the cutout information added to the handwritten data (10th step). Then, the synthesized image data is transferred to the image forming unit 12 by the control unit 41, and printing is executed (11th step).

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a multifunction machine has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunction machine 12 Image forming part 20 Image reading part 44 Image processing part P1 Handwritten document P1a Handwritten document P1b Handwritten document P1c Handwritten document P11-P13 Integrated document Q1-Q3 Question R1-R3 Handwritten area

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on paper,
Image reading means for reading an image;
A handwritten document read by the image reading means using format information including information indicating the width of the handwritten area in the vertical and horizontal directions of the handwritten document and the position of the handwritten area on the handwritten document from the image data after cut out handwritten data, and the first information for specifying the image data of the handwritten document the handwritten data has been cut, the cut portion of the handwriting data on the hand manual document specifying Image processing means for adding aggregated second information to the handwritten data and creating aggregated data by classifying and collecting the handwritten data based on the second information;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an aggregated image corresponding to the aggregated data created by the image processing unit on a sheet.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format information defines, as the handwriting region, an area in which an answer to a question described in the handwritten document or an answer is to be written.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the format information defines the handwriting area for each of the plurality of questions described in the handwritten document. The image processing means includes a portion in which the contents of the aggregated image are changed using the handwriting data or the aggregated image when image data of a sheet on which the aggregated image is formed is read by the image reading means. Extracting the image data of the part added to the handwriting data, determining the position of the part on the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwriting data,
4. The image forming unit according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a sheet according to the image data of the portion whose position is determined by the image processing unit. Image forming apparatus. The image processing means combines the image data of the portion whose position has been determined and the image data of the handwritten document,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a sheet according to the image data synthesized by the image processing unit. When the aggregated data that has been changed in content or added in content is input, the image processing means is configured to use the handwritten data to change the content or add the content. Data is extracted and combined with the image data of the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data;
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a sheet according to the image data combined by the image processing unit. 5. An image forming method for forming an image on paper,
A first step of reading a handwritten document;
The handwritten document read in the first step using the format information including the width of the handwritten area in the vertical and horizontal directions of the handwritten document and the position information indicating the position of the handwritten area on the handwritten document. from the image data after cut out handwritten data, and the first information for specifying the image data of the handwritten document the handwritten data has been cut, the cut portion of the handwriting data on the hand manual document specifying A second step of adding the second information to the handwritten data, and creating aggregated data obtained by classifying and collecting the handwritten data based on the second information;
And a third step of forming an aggregated image corresponding to the aggregated data created in the second step on a sheet. A fourth step of reading the paper on which the aggregated image is formed;
From the image data of the paper read in the fourth step, extract the image data of the part where the contents of the aggregated image are changed using the handwritten data or the part added to the aggregated image, A fifth step of determining the position of the portion on the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data;
The image forming method according to claim 7, further comprising: a sixth step of forming an image according to the image data of the portion whose position is determined in the fifth step on a sheet. A seventh step of synthesizing the image data of the portion determined in the fifth step with the image data of the handwritten document;
9. The image forming method according to claim 8, further comprising an eighth step of forming an image corresponding to the image data synthesized in the seventh step on a sheet instead of the sixth step. A ninth step of inputting aggregated data in which contents are changed or contents are added;
Tenth data is extracted from the portion of which the content has been changed or the portion to which the content has been added, and is combined with the image data of the handwritten document using the first and second information added to the handwritten data. Steps,
The image forming method according to claim 7, further comprising: an eleventh step of forming an image corresponding to the image data synthesized in the tenth step on a sheet.

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