Abstract: A cleaning method of cleaning a solution treatment apparatus for applying a coating solution onto a substrate, the solution treatment apparatus including a holder holding and rotating the substrate; a coating solution supplier; and an inner cup surrounding the holder from a lateral side and having a peripheral edge side upper surface inclining down outward in a radial direction. The cleaning method includes introducing the cleaning solution to the storage chamber via the introduction hole, discharging the cleaning solution from the discharge port and making the cleaning solution flow down along the peripheral edge side upper surface of the inner cup, thereby cleaning away the coating solution adhering to the peripheral edge side upper surface. The discharging in the cleaning discharges the cleaning solution from discharge ports of the inner cup outward in the radial direction and obliquely upward.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a measuring unit that measures lengths of segments in an image; a first evaluating unit that evaluates each segment based on the length of the segment measured by the measuring unit and a position of the segment; a second evaluating unit that evaluates each segment based on a similarity of the length of the segment measured by the measuring unit and the position of the segment; and a determining unit that determines whether each segment is a ruled line based on an evaluation result obtained by the first evaluating unit and an evaluation result obtained by the second evaluating unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a ruled line extracting unit that counts the number of pixels within an image, compares the counted number of pixels with a threshold value, and extracts a ruled line based on a result of the comparison; and an identifying unit that identifies a noise component in the ruled line extracted by the ruled line extracting unit based on thickness of the ruled line extracted by the ruled line extracting unit and the threshold value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image receiving section, a succession value image generating section and a solid converting section. The image receiving section receives an image contains a line having breaks. The succession value image generating section generates a succession value image having as a pixel value the number of times of succession of black or white pixels in the image received by the image receiving section. The solid-line converting section, based on the succession value image generated by the succession value image generating section, performs solid-line conversion in which the line having breaks is changed into a solid line.

Abstract: An operation procedure extrapolating system includes a history recording unit, a sort unit and an extrapolating unit. The history recording unit records history records of processes that at least one image processing apparatus is instructed to perform in a series of operation procedures. Each history record includes operator information, time information, content information and an object image. The sort unit sorts the history records into sets defined for individual operations, based on a comparison among the object images of the recorded history records. The extrapolating unit extrapolates operation procedures in at least one of the individual operations, based on the content information of the history records included in the set defined for the at least one of the individual operations and a sequence of the operator information of the history records included in the set defined for the at least one of the individual operations.

Abstract: A method for detecting a two-dimensional code in which three position detection patterns are provided in positions corresponding to respective apices of a right angled isosceles triangle, and a data region is provided in a region defined by the position detection patterns is provided. The method includes detecting plural position detection patterns included in an image; identifying center points of the detected position detection patterns; selecting, from among the center points that positions are identified, three center points that constitute apices of a right angled isosceles triangle; extracting a feature as a two-dimensional code from a two-dimensional code region defined by the position detection patterns corresponding to the selected center points, or the peripheral region thereof; and in case where the feature as a two-dimensional code is extracted, determining that a two-dimensional code exists in the two-dimensional code region.

Abstract: A code reading device includes an acquisition section, a derivation section and a correction section. The acquisition section reads a two-dimensional code image and acquires image information representing the two-dimensional code image. The derivation section derives an image characteristic quantity representing a ratio between a number of white pixels and a number of black pixels for a pre-specified region of the image information acquired by the acquisition section. The correction section, on the basis of a result of comparison of the image characteristic quantity derived by the derivation section with a reference value corresponding to the pre-specified region, applies correction to the image information to bring the image characteristic quantity closer to the reference value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image receiving section, a succession value image generating section and a solid converting section. The image receiving section receives an image contains a line having breaks. The succession value image generating section generates a succession value image having as a pixel value the number of times of succession of black or white pixels in the image received by the image receiving section. The solid-line converting section, based on the succession value image generated by the succession value image generating section, performs solid-line conversion in which the line having breaks is changed into a solid line.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a ruled line extracting unit that counts the number of pixels within an image, compares the counted number of pixels with a threshold value, and extracts a ruled line based on a result of the comparison; and an identifying unit that identifies a noise component in the ruled line extracted by the ruled line extracting unit based on thickness of the ruled line extracted by the ruled line extracting unit and the threshold value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a measuring unit that measures lengths of segments in an image; a first evaluating unit that evaluates each segment based on the length of the segment measured by the measuring unit and a position of the segment; a second evaluating unit that evaluates each segment based on a similarity of the length of the segment measured by the measuring unit and the position of the segment; and a determining unit that determines whether each segment is a ruled line based on an evaluation result obtained by the first evaluating unit and an evaluation result obtained by the second evaluating unit.

Abstract: An image processor for combining a computer-readable coded image into a print image of a document including a document data main body and at least one associated data piece, has a print image generator that generates a print image of a document including an image of at least a part of the associated data, a coded image generator that generates a coded image to be combined into the print image, and a controller that determines whether or not the generated coded image can be combined into the image portion of the associated data by comparing a size of the generated coded image with a size of an image portion of the associated data, and combines the generated coded image into the image portion of the associated data on the generated print image, if it is determined that combining is possible.

Abstract: A two-dimensional-code detection system includes a reading unit, a recognizing unit, a calculating unit and a position specifying unit. The reading unit reads an image including plural two-dimensional codes. The recognizing unit recognizes position detection patterns of the respective two-dimensional codes from the read image, which includes the plural two-dimensional codes. The calculating unit that selects at least two of the position detection patterns of the two-dimensional codes. The calculating unit calculates a minimum unit forming each of the selected position detection patterns. The position specifying unit judges whether or not the minimum units forming the selected at least two position detection patterns are substantially equal to each other.

Abstract: A method of creating a tag, the method including: reading, over a first region of a surface of an individual piece, a characteristic having randomness distributed over the surface of the individual piece and converting image information indicative of the read characteristic of the first region into individual piece information peculiar to the individual piece; forming an individual piece information image indicative of the individual piece information on the surface of the individual piece while using a second region having a predetermined range including the first region as a non-image forming region; and creating the tag, which is to be affixed to an article, from the individual piece.

Abstract: An operation procedure extrapolating system includes a history recording unit, a sort unit and an extrapolating unit. The history recording unit records history records of processes that at least one image processing apparatus is instructed to perform in a series of operation procedures. Each history record includes operator information, time information, content information and an object image. The sort unit sorts the history records into sets defined for individual operations, based on a comparison among the object images of the recorded history records. The extrapolating unit extrapolates operation procedures in at least one of the individual operations, based on the content information of the history records included in the set defined for the at least one of the individual operations and a sequence of the operator information of the history records included in the set defined for the at least one of the individual operations.

Abstract: A code reading device includes an acquisition section, a derivation section and a correction section. The acquisition section reads a two-dimensional code image and acquires image information representing the two-dimensional code image. The derivation section derives an image characteristic quantity representing a ratio between a number of white pixels and a number of black pixels for a pre-specified region of the image information acquired by the acquisition section. The correction section, on the basis of a result of comparison of the image characteristic quantity derived by the derivation section with a reference value corresponding to the pre-specified region, applies correction to the image information to bring the image characteristic quantity closer to the reference value.

Abstract: An image processing device processes a document including a document data body and at least one set of related data, and includes a display that displays an image of the document data body and an image of the related data overlaid on the image of the document data body at overlay positions determined for each set of related data and an image data generator that generates printing image data of the document data body of the overlay position when an instruction to print the document is received, regardless of whether or not the related data is displayed.

Abstract: To secure the capacity of a storing unit by quickly searching and deleting unnecessary electronic information from the storing unit, an electronic information management server has a feature extracting unit extracting a feature of electronic information stored in a storing unit connected to a network, a deciding unit that decides whether the electronic information is to be deleted from the feature extracted by the feature extracting unit based on an instruction from a client, and a deleting unit that deletes from the storing unit via the network the electronic information decided to be deleted by the deciding unit.

Abstract: A two-dimensional-code detection system includes a reading unit, a recognizing unit, a calculating unit and a position specifying unit. The reading unit reads an image including plural two-dimensional codes. The recognizing unit recognizes position detection patterns of the respective two-dimensional codes from the read image, which includes the plural two-dimensional codes. The calculating unit that selects at least two of the position detection patterns of the two-dimensional codes. The calculating unit calculates a minimum unit forming each of the selected position detection patterns. The position specifying unit judges whether or not the minimum units forming the selected at least two position detection patterns are substantially equal to each other.

Abstract: A method of creating a tag, the method including: reading, over a first region of a surface of an individual piece, a characteristic having randomness distributed over the surface of the individual piece and converting image information indicative of the read characteristic of the first region into individual piece information peculiar to the individual piece; forming an individual piece information image indicative of the individual piece information on the surface of the individual piece while using a second region having a predetermined range including the first region as a non-image forming region; and creating the tag, which is to be affixed to an article, from the individual piece.

Abstract: A method for detecting a two-dimensional code in which three position detection patterns are provided in positions corresponding to respective apices of a right angled isosceles triangle, and a data region is provided in a region defined by the position detection patterns is provided. The method includes detecting plural position detection patterns included in an image; identifying center points of the detected position detection patterns; selecting, from among the center points that positions are identified, three center points that constitute apices of a right angled isosceles triangle; extracting a feature as a two-dimensional code from a two-dimensional code region defined by the position detection patterns corresponding to the selected center points, or the peripheral region thereof; and in case where the feature as a two-dimensional code is extracted, determining that a two-dimensional code exists in the two-dimensional code region.