Abstract: A first entity is provided having a first bit-pattern, resource data, a first base key, and a first variant key which is the result of applying a one way function to a second base key and the first bit-pattern. The first entity is configured to receive a request from a second entity to perform an operation on the resource data, where the second entity has a second bit-pattern and a second variant key which is the result of applying a one way function to the first base key and the second bit-pattern, perform the operation in the request to generate a response, digitally sign the response using the first base key to generate a digital signature, and send the response and the digital signature to the second entity so the second entity can verify the response using the second variant key.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus that calculates importance of data based on a print log. A print-log database stores therein a print log of data printed. A calculating unit refers to the print log to check the number of times of printing the data, and calculates importance of the data based on the number of times of printing. A storing unit stores the importance of the data in an importance database.

Abstract: A user connected to a remote printer can choose to activate a print-monitoring feature of the printer as part of the submitted print job. As the job begins to print, the output of the printer is monitored for print quality. If an event occurs during the print job that affects the print job, the user receives real-time notification of the status of the print job. The events can be printer related such as paper jam or print job related such as poor print quality. The user can have an option of reviewing various parts of the print job during the printing process. There can also be an automatic print job out evaluation. If the user accepts the print quality, the printer will continue printing the job. If the user is not satisfied with the print quality, the job is halted and sent to a temporary print buffer. While the job is halted, adjustments are made to either the printer to improve print quality or to the print parameters of the print job to improve print quality.

Abstract: A method of creating a printed interactive document using a printer connected to a computer. The method includes the steps of: receiving a print request for the interactive document at the computer; requesting and retrieving a unique document identity to a server in response to the print request; indexing the document with the unique document identity and archiving the indexed document in a database; sending the unique document identity and the document to the printer; and printing the graphic content together with coded data coincident with the graphic content onto a substrate so as to create the printed interactive document. The coded data identifies the unique document identity and a plurality of locations on the substrate.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of efficiently processing print data corresponding to a plurality of images in the main scanning direction, as in the case of an index print, with a limited memory capacity, thereby improving the throughput, and an image data processing method for executing the operations of the printer. An image data processing section accesses original image data including partial images of a plurality of images printed through one main scanning, and generates bit image data by executing predetermined image processing. An image data control section temporarily stores the image data in a primary buffer, and when necessary, reads out a part thereof from the primary buffer band by band, copies the read data to a band (secondary) buffer, and sends the data to a print processing section.

Abstract: An image sensor includes a light source; a bar-shaped light-guiding element having a first light-emitting section, which propagates light from the light source and irradiates an document from an oblique direction, and a second light-emitting section emitting light in a carrying direction of the document; a lens converging the light reflected from the document; a sensor receiving the light passed through the lens; a reflector disposed on the opposite side of the light-guiding element, by reflecting the light from the second light-emitting section such that an optical path of the light emitted from the second light-emitting section is located between the lens and the document, and irradiating the document from an oblique direction; and first and second light-scattering layers formed in areas opposed to the first and the second light-emitting sections, respectively, in the light-guiding element.

Abstract: A document type discriminating apparatus is provided in which discrimination as to whether or not a document is a duplicate is made with high degree of accuracy. The document type discriminating apparatus includes means for discriminating whether a type of a screen pattern used in an image captured by reading a document is a line screen, means for detecting whether a value indicating a change in a period of the screen used in the image exceeds a predetermined value, means for detecting whether a value indicating sharpness of an edge seen in the image is lower than a predetermined value, means for detecting whether a value indicating a blur in an edge color seen in the image exceeds a predetermined value, and means for discriminating that the document is a duplicate when at least two out of the four detection results mentioned above are true.

Abstract: A digital camera comprises an image sensor for sensing an image; a card reader configured to read a removable data card carrying distortion information; a printer configured to print a distorted image on print media, the printer including a replaceable print roll carrying both the print media and ink to be printed upon the print media; and a controller for controlling the communication of the distorted images to the printer. The print roll includes an ink reservoir section and the ink reservoir section includes a plurality of bladder type containers for storing respective types of ink. A cavity is provided in the ink reservoir section for receiving an integrated circuit device storing information associated with the print roll.

Abstract: The invention provides a print control apparatus, a print control method, and a print control program, in which in the case of Z-folding a sheet which has been print-outputted by using an N-up function for allocating a plurality of logic pages onto one sheet, it is possible to make layout adjustment such that the logic pages printed onto the output sheet in the Z-folding state can be easily confirmed, and also provides a memory medium in which such a program has been stored. For this purpose, layout designation to designate a mode to print the plurality of logic pages onto one of print surfaces of the sheet which is outputted by a printing apparatus is made. Further, when the sheet is Z-folded, the layout of the plurality of logic pages is adjusted so that the whole area of at least one logic page is displayed onto an exposing surface of the Z-folded sheet.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide a mechanism to print documents having transparent artwork that overlaps other artwork. One aspect of the systems and methods includes sending the document to a printer control system coupled to a printer. The printer control system detects overlapping areas, and processes the artwork into separate atomic regions. Objects contributing to the atomic region are placed in an object stack. A rasterizer having knowledge of the printer characteristics creates object raster buffers for the portions of the objects that contribute to the atomic region. The object raster buffers are then blended according to transparency values associated with the object to create an atomic region raster buffer. The atomic region raster buffer is combined with other atomic region raster buffers and raster images for other non-overlapping objects into a printer raster buffer that may be processed by the printer to produce a page.

Abstract: A system and a method for sharing a compilation of digital images over a communication network among a plurality of users on user display devices using a controlling computer. The controlling computers controls the forwarding of the compilation to the plurality of users over the communication network in accordance with a predetermined user sequence. Each of the users have the ability to add an image to the compilation and/or information with respect to the images in the compilation and each of the subsequent users are able to view the compilation of images and/or data provided in association with the images.

Abstract: An image sensing and printing device is provided has a housing which houses an area image sensor, a printing mechanism and processor. The image sensor senses a viewed image to be printed on media and generates pixel data representing the viewed image. The printing mechanism defines a media feed path and includes a printhead assembly of a pagewidth printhead having at least one printhead chip that spans the media feed path and a feed mechanism which feeds media along the path. The processor includes processing circuitry interconnected with image sensor and printhead interfaces. The image sensor interface converts the pixel data into an internal format and writes the converted data to the processing circuitry which for conversion to print image data. The printhead interface provides signals representing the print image data to the printhead so that the printhead generate a printed representation of the viewed image.

Abstract: An image processing method involves processing image data indicative of an image represented with a prescribed number of input tones by each of pixel groups composed of a plurality of print pixels, and generating dot data representing a status of dot formation on each of the print pixels to be formed on a print medium. The method includes preparing a first conversion table and a second conversion table, determining the pixel group tone value in response to the input tone value corresponding to the pixel group, converting the determined pixel group tone value into the code values for each of the pixel groups, by referring to the first conversion table, decoding the acquired code value into the output dot arrangement for each of the pixel groups, by referring to the second conversion table, and outputting the dot data in response to the output dot arrangement.

Abstract: A facsimile machine including an electronic mail receiving device, a condition data setting portion sets various condition data related to output of electronic mail (e-mail) message and stores the set condition data into an EEPROM. The condition data is used when an output method and an output timing of the e-mail message are specified based on contents of the e-mail message. The condition data can be set by a user using an operation inputting portion to meet user's needs. Next, an output condition determining portion compares the e-mail message received at a mail receiving portion, with the set condition data, to specify an output method according to the condition data.

Abstract: Transform based distortion cost estimation, which may be used to calculate a rate distortion cost associated with a mode for encoding a macroblock, is described. In one embodiment of the invention, a distortion value for a particular mode is estimated within the transform domain, which allows for the elimination of both inverse transformation and inverse motion functions in this calculation. A spatial domain residual of an encoding mode is estimated by identifying a difference, within the transform domain, between a motion compensated prediction residual of a macroblock and its corresponding reconstructed signal. The estimated spatial domain residual may then be used in distortion matrix computations to estimate a distortion level, within the transform domain, for an encoding mode.

Abstract: Tray information for bth copy is read from a RAM. Next, print data is read from the RAM, and format data corresponding to a macro ID for the bth copy is read from the RAM. Then, image data is generated by combining the print data and the format data. Finally, based on the image data, an image is formed on a recording medium that was supplied from a tray designated by the tray information for the bth copy.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus which is capable of maintaining high data security and provide high convenience and high security. When a print request is transmitted from a client PC to a printer in a security print mode, a main CPU of the printer determines whether or not print data received from the client PC is for printing in the security print mode. If the print data received from the client PC is determined to be for printing in the security print mode, the main CPU causes all of the print data and temporary data to be erased from the hard disk.

Abstract: A system for sending an e-mail message. The system comprises comprising a printed form having a plurality of location-indicating tags printed thereon. Each tag contains coded data identifying a location of the tag on the form and an identity of the form. The system further comprises an optically imaging pen for writing a message on the form. The pen comprises a marking nib for writing a handwritten message on the form, an image sensor for imaging the tags when writing the message on the form, and a processor for computing positions of the nib using the coded data contained in the imaged tags, an inferred multiple degree-of-freedom perspective transform of the imaged tags and a known geometry of pen optics. A computer system receives indicating data generated by the processor and initiates sending of the e-mail message to a designated recipient address.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a halftone processing of image and text auto detection, which is used to keep both the bit depth of images and the clarity of text when faxing or copying documents. The process of the present invention is stated as follows: choose the background color from the master copy, separate the content of the master copy into images and text with the chosen background color as the criterion, process the images with halftone processing, process the text with line art processing, and then output the processed images and processed text as a whole.

Abstract: In an image output control system of the invention, an image processing device makes image data subjected to a preset series of image processing and supplies the processed image data to an image output device, which then outputs a resulting processed image. The image processing device determines the number of dots to be created in each pixel group, which has a preset number of multiple pixels included in an image, and outputs the determined number of dots as dot number data to the image output device. The image output device stores multiple options for a priority order of individual pixels included in each pixel group for dot formation. In response to reception of the dot number data, the image output device selects one among the multiple options for the priority order, determines the positions of dot-on pixels in the pixel group, and actually creates dots at the determined positions of the dot-on pixels to output a resulting image.