Abstract: An image processing apparatus, comprises: a document reader that reads images printed in a plurality of areas in a document; a printer that prints on a sheet image data read out from the document by said document reader; a security code detector that detects a security code given to each of the plurality of areas in said document; a password detector that detects a password given at least to one of the plurality of areas in said document; an entry requestor that requests a password to be entered; a password judgment part that judges whether or not said entered password is an appropriate one that corresponds to the password detected by the password detector; and a controller that decides an operation performed by said printer, to print image data from the area having the given password, depending on the judgment result drew by said password judgment part.

Abstract: In order to prevent leakage of prescribed information (such as highly confidential information, for example) stored in a data management apparatus via a storage device external to such data management apparatus, when the data management apparatus carries out processing to back up the data stored therein to the external storage device, the data management apparatus prohibits backup of prescribed designated information.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an isolated point detecting unit that detects isolated points in image data; a line-shaped region extracting unit that extracts line-shaped regions in the image data, as character line candidate regions; an isolated point type determining unit that determines a representative pixel of each isolated point in each line-shaped region to be a pixel of interest, determines discontinuity of each line-shaped region around the pixel of interest for each isolated point, determines an isolated point determined to have discontinuity to be a true isolated point, and determines an isolated point determined to have no discontinuity to be a pseudo isolated point; and a halftone-dot region determining unit that determines a halftone-dot region, based on isolated point type determination results for the respective isolated points detected by the isolated point detecting unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a first generation portion that generates a first low-gradation image by performing a first process on an input image to reduce the number of gradations of the input image, a second generation portion that generates a second low-gradation image by performing a second process on the input image to reduce the number of gradations of the input image, a density detector that detects a density of the input image, a determination portion that determines, based on the density, a ratio at which the first low-gradation image and the second low-gradation image are blended together, and a mixing portion that blends the first low-gradation image and the second low-gradation image in accordance with the ratio.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a specific pattern detecting unit which detects a background pattern representing additional information from inputted original document image data; an information detecting unit which extracts the additional information represented by the background pattern which is detected by the specific pattern detecting unit; an erase processing unit which erases a prescribed region of the original document image and outputs erase-processed document image data; a re-embedding background pattern generating unit which generates a re-embedding background pattern representing the additional information extracted by the information detecting unit; a background pattern composition processing unit which embeds the re-embedding background pattern into the erase-processed document image data and outputs re-embedded document image data; and a processor which controls the units mentioned above.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen relative to the three line sensors at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a lightness difference detector extracting a feature pixel having a predetermined feature from each of three data output from the three line sensors; and NOR and AND devices comparing a plurality of data corresponding to a single location on the original to detect the feature pixel extracted from one of the plurality of data, as a noise pixel if the feature pixel is not a feature pixel for the other data and also has at least a predetermined value in saturation.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes: a job input unit receiving job inputs of performing image formation from image data; a job registration unit registering the jobs of performing image formation from the image data together with priorities in an order of execution of the jobs and link information showing a link relationship between the jobs; a job management unit managing the order of execution of the registered jobs; a priority change unit performing a priority change in response to a priority change request for the registered jobs; and an image formation unit executing the jobs according to the order of execution, wherein the priority change unit changes a priority or priorities of another job or the other jobs in a link relationship with a job on which a priority change has been performed to the same priority as the job on which a priority change has been performed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reader that reads each of the plurality of documents and obtains image data corresponding thereto; a code detection/analysis portion that detects, from the image data, identification codes included in the documents and including output processing information which is information relating to an output processing method for the image data; a image group extraction portion that extracts an image data group made up of image data including the output processing information that is identical with each another; and a representative image determination portion that determines, within the image data group, at least one piece of representative image data; and a code deletion portion that deletes identification codes other than those for the representative image data within the image data group.

Abstract: In order to enhance the quality of image after removing a noise from image data obtained by scanning an original document, an MFP is provided with a scanning portion to obtain the image data by scanning the original document, a noise detection processing portion to detect a noise from the obtained image data, a dot region detecting portion to detect a region of dots from the obtained image data, and a copy correction processing portion to substitute a noise region with a substitution region that is located in the vicinity of the noise region and that is of the same size as the noise region if a region in the vicinity of the noise region including the noise detected by the noise detection processing portion is included in the region of dots detected by the dot region detecting portion.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes, with the purpose of accurately correcting noise in an image due to dust on a platen, three line sensors spaced from each other in a sub scanning direction to scan an original in the sub scanning direction, a platen between the original and the three line sensors, a moving mechanism for moving the platen, a noise detection processor detecting a noise pixels from each of multiple data output from the three line sensors, a selector selecting one of a plurality of search ranges defined with reference to the noise pixel, and a corrector extracting a reference pixel for correcting the noise pixel from the selected search range to correct the noise pixel based on the value of the extracted reference pixel.

Abstract: A job execution system comprises a job execution apparatus, an image data storage portion which is installed either outside or inside the job execution apparatus and stores image data in each box, a group information storing portion which is installed either outside or inside the job execution apparatus and stores group information preset for each group to which the user belongs in association with the box, a group information acquisition portion which is installed to the job execution apparatus and acquires the group information associated with the box when the box in which the image data is stored is designated by the user, and a controller which operates the job execution apparatus in conformity to the acquired group information.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes, with the purpose of accurately correcting noise in an image due to dust on a platen, three line sensors spaced from each other in a sub scanning direction to scan an original in the sub scanning direction, a platen between the original and the three line sensors, a moving mechanism for moving the platen, a noise detection processor detecting a noise pixel from each of multiple data output from the three line sensors, a second pixel extractor extracting a second pixel present in first data for correcting the noise pixel, based on a value of a first pixel present in second data different from the first data and corresponding to the same location on the original as the noise pixel, and a corrector correcting the noise pixel based on the extracted second pixel.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen relative to the three line sensors at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a lightness difference detector extracting a feature pixel having a predetermined feature from each of three data output from the three line sensors; and NOR and AND devices comparing a plurality of data corresponding to a single location on the original to detect the feature pixel extracted from one of the plurality of data, as a noise pixel if the feature pixel is not a feature pixel for the other data and also has at least a predetermined value in saturation.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a first lightness difference detector extracting a first feature pixel of a first level from each of three data output from the three line sensors; a second lightness difference detector extracting a second feature pixel of a second level; and NOR and AND devices comparing the three data corresponding to a single location on the original to detect the first feature pixel extracted from one of the three data, as a noise pixel if the second feature pixel is not extracted from the other data.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors having filters, respectively, different in spectral sensitivity, and arranged in a subscanning direction with a distance therebetween to scan an original in the subscanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a noise pixel detection processor detecting a noise pixel from each of the three data output from the three line sensors; a color detector detecting a color of each noise pixel from the three data; and a determiner validating a result of detection by the noise pixel detection processor when a color of the noise pixel and that of a pixel neighboring the noise pixel form a predetermined combination.

Abstract: A data management system includes an authentication server and a data management apparatus (or an MFP). The authentication server includes a storage part for storing affiliation information specifying at least one group that each user belongs to, an authentication part for transferring and receiving data to and from the data management apparatus to perform user authentication, and a group identification part for identifying one or more groups that an authenticated user belongs to based on the affiliation information to send information about the one or more groups to the data management apparatus. An access permission part of the data management apparatus permits an authenticated user belonging to a plurality of groups to access a data file to which any of the plurality of groups has been granted access.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen relative to the three line sensors at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a lightness difference detector extracting a feature pixel having a predetermined feature from each of three data output from the three line sensors; and NOR and AND devices comparing a plurality of data corresponding to a single location on the original to detect the feature pixel extracted from one of the plurality of data, as a noise pixel if the feature pixel is not a feature pixel for the other data and also has at least a predetermined value in saturation.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a region determination unit detecting attributes of image data generated by a reading unit; an image modification unit generating attribute data based on the results of the determination performed by the region determination unit; an image conversion processing circuit performing resolution conversion processing on the image data of a pixel of interest; and an attribute conversion processing circuit performing resolution conversion processing on the attribute data of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes, with the purpose of detecting noise in an image due to dust on a platen, three line sensors, a platen between an original and the line sensors, a moving mechanism for moving the platen, a noise detection processor detecting noise pixels from multiple data output from the line sensors, an order determination unit determining the order in which the noise pixel is detected, based on the order in which the line sensors are arranged and the direction in which the platen is moved, and a noise length calculator predicting the noise length in the sub scanning direction based on the number of noise pixels successive in the main scanning direction, the original transport rate, the platen moving rate, and the distance between the line sensors.

Abstract: The image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a specific pattern detecting unit which detects a background pattern representing additional information from inputted original document image data; an information detecting unit which extracts the additional information represented by the background pattern which is detected by the specific pattern detecting unit; an erase processing unit which erases a prescribed region of the original document image and outputs erase-processed document image data; a re-embedding background pattern generating unit which generates a re-embedding background pattern representing the additional information extracted by the information detecting unit; a background pattern composition processing unit which embeds the re-embedding background pattern into the erase-processed document image data and outputs re-embedded document image data; and a processor which controls the units mentioned above.