Abstract: A file document image input can have shading removed to produce a deshaded image that is useful for highly efficient compression encoding, to be thereafter stored and transmitted in such efficient encoded form. When the image is retrieved or received, the decoded and deshaded image may have shading returned to it by combining with a shaded template image stored in the template image memory or by synthesizing shading in specified regions. By removing shading from regions, optical character recognition, shading identification or other processing such as smear prevention can be enhanced.

Abstract: A character stream search system using an FSA for determining at a time whether or not a plurality of character streams as search objects exist in a search character stream which undergoes a search operation and which comprises a plurality of characters expressed with codes. In the system, a collation is conducted between the search character stream and a search object character. In a case where there exists a matched search object character as a result of the collation, a state transition is carried out to a predetermined state indicated by the FSA. In a case where there does not exist a matched search object character, a failure processing to effect a state transition to a transition destination which is determined in association with the configuration of the FSA. The failure processing is completed at a count which is a predetermined upper-limit value for each character undergone the search operation.

Abstract: An image processing system which has functions for inputting, storing or receiving, as a binary image data, an image as a document including a photograph having a varying brightness density and of outputting a multi-valued, half-tone image data to a display, a printer or the like, and an image processing method. The system includes a restoration processor. The restoration processor includes a storage for storing therein the binary image data scanningly inputted with use of a window of a predetermined size of m.times.n pixels, a white pixel number detector for detecting the number of white pixels in the binary image data within the window, a plurality of calculators for performing multiplication/accumulations operation over the binary image data within the window and a predetermined coefficient matrix to provide a plurality of multi-valued image data, and a selector for selecting one of the plurality of multi-valued image data found by the plurality of calculators.

Abstract: A document storage and retrieval system for storing a document body in the form of image, means for storing text information in the form of a character code string for retrieval, apparatus for executing a retrieval with reference to the text information, and apparatus for displaying a document image relating thereto on a retrieval terminal according to the retrieval result. Such a form of the system is available for retrieving the full contents of a document and also for displaying the document body printed in a format easy to read straight in the form of image. Users are capable of retrieving documents with arbitrary words and also capable of reading even such a document as is complicated to include mathematical expressions and charts through a terminal in the form of image, the same as on paper. A system is provided wherein the text information for retrieval is extracted automatically from the document image through character recognition.

Abstract: A partial region of an image is set as being a secret region and an ID code is put to data concerning this secret region, the data then being stored in a memory, so that, unless an ID code which is input from a keyboard is coincident with the stored ID code, the image is selectively prevented from being displayed on a CRT display, printed by a printer, or subjected to additional writing, revision, cutting on the display screen. Thus, it is possible to restrict the visual output or revision of secret portions of images and therefore possible to individually control images which need to be kept secret and those which need not.

Abstract: A document analysis system for determining format information of a document, wherein frames and a relationship of the frames are extracted from an image of an unmarked sample document, characters in a frame of the document are recognized, and an image structure is analyzed based on the frame and the recognized characters.

Abstract: An image filing apparatus and method for receiving as multivalue data an image corresponding to a document, converting the data to binary image data and storing the binary image data. According to the features of the present invention, pixels of that portion of an input image corresponding to a particular color are extracted, and luminance data expressing monochromatic binary image data and binary image data designating colored portions are stored in different planes. Not only black pixels but also pixels expressed in a particular color such as red are described in the plane for the luminance data. Pixels having a particular color to be expressed in "red" such as red characters are extracted and recorded as "1" in another particular color plane, for example, in R-plane different from the luminance plane. The R-plane is recorded with binary image data; only pixels written in "red" are expressed as "1" there and other pixels as "0".

Abstract: A recording medium is provided with a recording film having opto-magnetic characteristics formed on the substrate, with first information being recorded in advance in the form of pit strings of a phase structure. Second information is recorded over the first information through the application of a magnetic field with polarities corresponding to the second information in the presence of the irradiation of a high-power radiation beam, without damaging the record of the first information. The first and second information are produced independently and simultaneously with a single spot in the same area by use of different signal reproduction mechanisms for the first information and second information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for making document information search and a magnetic disk unit to be used for realizing the method and apparatus. In the document information search method, in performing document search with respect to a desired subject key word, two stages of presearch are carried out. In a first stage of presearch (step 402), a character component table (500) in which existence of character codes for every document is stated with respect to all the character codes contained in the group of document text data of stored documents is generated, and the character component table is searched for all the character codes constituting a desiredly designated search subject key word to thereby extract all the documents each containing all the character codes constituting the search subject key word.

Abstract: A compact character string retrieving system capable of producing correctly the result of matching without omission even upon occurrence of multiple matching in which a plurality of search terms are matched for one character string by a finite automation. A destination state for transition brought about by a trailing character of the search term is newly created instead of an initial state. A transition table storage stores the destination state. On the basis of the source state number and a specified pattern character code, the destination state number is read out from the state transition table storage. When the state number read out represents the destination state of the transition brought about by the trailing character of the specified pattern character string, an identifier thereof is outputted. The identifiers of the search terms matched are each represented by one bit information, and a group of corresponding flags is stored in one slot. Multiple matching can be performed without omission.

Abstract: A color document image processing apparatus comprising an image input means for inputting document image data including multivalue color image, a binarizing means for binarizing input document image data by a simple binarization or artificial binary-halftone process, an image memory means for temporarily storing image data binarized by said binarizing means, a codec means for executing predetermined coding for storing image data stored in the image memory means and executing decoding to the stored document image data, an image storing means for storing document image data encoded by the codec means, a binary-halftone transducing means for transducing binary image data decoded by the codec means into multivalue image data, and an image output means for outputting multivalue image data transduced by the binary-halftone transducing means.

Abstract: This invention relates to a document image registration system which adds a code which is referred to as "connection data" and inherent to each document to each of image data and indexing data, registrates the connection data added to the image data by use of a header sheet, and automatically associates the image data with the indexing data through the connection data in order to improve efficiency of registration.

Abstract: An image processing system wherein for an inputted composite image composed of a line image and a dither image, both a line image processing and a dither image processing are carried out in parallel, and one of the processed results is selected in accordance with the image region discrimination result. The dither image processing is carried out through data conversion for calculating multivalued gray scale image from the inputted image data, grey scale data conversion for adjusting the gray scale image data so as to match an output device and obtaining such adjusted gray scale image data, and re-binarization for re-binarizing the gray scale image data after subjected to the grey scale conversion. The image region discrimination for discriminating if an image region is of a line image or a dither image is carried out based on a ratio of the number of black or white pixels within the region to the contour line length within the range.

Abstract: A character stream search system using an FSA for determining at a time whether or not a plurality of character streams as search objects exist in a search character stream which undergoes a search operation and which comprises a plurality of characters expressed with codes. In the system, a collation is conducted between the search character stream and a search object character. In a case where there exists a matched search object character as a result of the collation, a state transition is carried out of a predetermined state indicated by the FSA. In a case where there does not exist a matched search object character, a failure processing to effect a state transition to a transistion destination which is determined in association with the configuration of the FSA. The following processing is completed at a count which is a predetermined upper-limit value for each character undergone the search operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for document browsing, specifically for document retrieval systems. The browsing apparatus enables users to see multiple document pages on the same screen at the same time in a first mode and to see a bundle of pages on a screen in a second mode. The images shown on the screen are produced internally according to the user's commands. The pages may be flipped in either direction and selected pages may be marked for later printing instructions.

Abstract: A document storage and retrieval system stores a document body in the form of an image, storing text information in the form of a character code string for retrieval, and executing a retrieval with reference to the text information, followed by displaying a document image relating thereto on a retrieval terminal according to the retrieval result. Such a form of the system is available for retrieving the full contents of a document and also for displaying the document body printed in a format easy to read straight in the form of an image.

Abstract: A picture coding system for a document image data in which a plurality of picture coding methods are subjected to a selection such that document image data is converted so as to obtain an identification code representing the selected coding method and signals obtained by coding the data. The system includes units for detecting and for accumulating code lengths of the codes converted in the respective coding methods, units for detecting and for accumulating a difference between the lengths of the respective codes obtained by the conversion achieved in the coding methods, a storage for storing therein a history of a result of the selection of the preceding coding method, and a change-over judge unit for selecting one of the plural coding methods based on information obtained from the three kinds of units.

Abstract: A document analysis system for determining format information of a document, wherein frames and a relationship of the frames are extracted from an image of an unmarked sample document, characters in a frame of the document are recognized, and an image structure is analyzed based on the frame and the recognized characters.

Abstract: An image understanding system of this invention uses a grammer describing a document image, and represents the structure of an unknown input image by parsing a statement (the structure of the grammar) written in accordance with this grammer. In other words, the grammer describes an image as substructures and the relative relation between them, and when the substructures and their relative relation are identified in parsing, search is then made whether or not the substructures and their relative relation exist in an unknown input image. The structure of the unknown input image is represented on the basis of the result of this search.

Abstract: For halftone digital image data, an edge portion of the image is extracted for each pixel, and based on a density of each pixel or an average density of each group of a plurality of adjacent or neighboring pixels, there are extracted pixels of a background other than the edge portion of the image. Thereafter, the image data is subdivided into a plurality of blocks each including a predetermined number of pixels. Based on distribution states of the pixels of the block judged to belong to the edge and those of the block judged to belong to the background, a domain recognition is conducted to determine whether the block is a binary block or a halftone block. In addition, for each block, a state of areas in blocks encircling the block is examined such that depending on the state, an expansion/contraction processing is repeatedly achieved a predetermined times for the halftone domain, thereby separating the image data into a binary domain and a halftone domain in a real-time fashion.