Abstract: A data communication apparatus which is capable of preventing reception of undesired data by a destination without increasing the load on a network, etc. Data and a destination thereof are input. A sender ID related to a sender who sends the input data is input. The input data is sent to the input destination. A sender ID for data transmission to the input destination is permitted is stored as a permission ID. The input sender ID is collated with the stored permission ID. Whether to permit data transmission is determined according to the collation result.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus extracts an area for each color from an illustration area, specifies an area that is in contact with the boundary of the illustration area, extracts a color around the illustration area, determines whether or not the extracted color around the illustration area is the same as the color of the specified area, and processes vector data that represents an area that has been determined as having the same color.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus regardless of usage environment, at any time, for any occasion, without requiring a dedicated chart or device, spatial frequency conversion method and program for the apparatus that can calculate spatial frequency response characteristics necessary for calibration. The apparatus includes first and second image reading units reading a print-out image of a patch image stored in a storage section, and first and second spatial frequency conversion units performing spatial frequency conversion on images read by first and second reading units. Based on the amounts of change, caused through processing by first spatial frequency conversion unit, in spatial frequency response, the apparatus determines a patch image used for spatial frequency conversion, and calculates correction amounts for conversion by first and second spatial frequency conversion units, according to a result of spatial frequency conversion, using the patch image, by first and second spatial frequency conversion units.

Abstract: Performance of the auto selection processing depends greatly on performance of an image reading apparatus. Since an image processing parameter set by assuming the possible strictest condition is applied to all the image processing apparatuses of the same product kind without variation, there occurs an event that some of the image processing apparatuses do not sufficiently effect the performance of the image reading apparatus. An apparatus of setting a parameter used at the time an image processing apparatus determines whether an image data read by an image reading apparatus is a colored image or a monochrome image, to the image processing apparatus, comprises a unit configured to obtain a reading characteristic of the image reading apparatus, and a parameter setting unit configured to set the parameter corresponding to the obtained reading characteristic.

Abstract: Each object in input image data is separated into an area by an image area separation unit. An area determined to be a character area based on the image area separation processing is smoothened by an MTF correction unit. The resulting data is then binarized by a binarizing unit. The binarized data is split according to types of objects, and characters and line drawings are vectorized and stored in a storage unit. Alternatively, the characters and line drawings are printed out.

Abstract: Paper fingerprint information that represents a fiber pattern unique to a paper sheet is scanned, and the paper fingerprint information and its position information are embedded at two corners as the cater-cornered positions on a paper sheet. The paper fingerprint information is extracted based on the embedded position information.

Abstract: There are cases in which an effective search index cannot be provided to an image data only by extracting character codes from a character object in PDL data. An image processing apparatus of the present invention obtains image data by rendering PDL data, and extracts a character object from the image data. The image processing apparatus performs character recognition processing on the extracted character object to obtain character code information, and provides metadata including the character code information to the image data.

Abstract: An input image is segmented into regions based on attributes of the input image. It is determined whether each segmented region is an illustration region. When it is determined that the segmented region is an illustration region, the color of the determined illustration region is compared with that of a region around the illustration region. When these colors coincide with each other as a result of the comparison, attribute information of the illustration region is changed to that of the region around the illustration region. Print data is generated based on the changed attribute information.

Abstract: A data communication apparatus which is capable of preventing reception of undesired data by a destination without increasing the load on a network, etc. Data and a destination thereof are input. A sender ID related to a sender who sends the input data is input. The input data is sent to the input destination. A sender ID for data transmission to the input destination is permitted is stored as a permission ID. The input sender ID is collated with the stored permission ID. Whether to permit data transmission is determined according to the collation result.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, computer-program, and storage medium capable of acquiring a paper fingerprint efficiently and improving convenience for users. An image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an image sensor acquiring RGB signals. The G signal is separated from the acquired RGB signals, and the RGB signals are input into a gain adjustment 1+A/D-converting 1 section and the separated G signal is input into a gain adjustment 2+A/D-converting 2 section. The gain adjustment 2+A/D-converting 2 section performs gain adjustment on the input G signal on a different basis from the gain adjustment 1+A/D-converting 1 section. The gain-adjusted G signal is input into a paper fingerprint extracting section via a shading correcting section. The paper fingerprint extracting section extracts a paper fingerprint based on the input G signal.

Abstract: In a system that performs object division of a manuscript and adds metadata, a method is provided which can edit the metadata by an intuitive operation when no appropriate metadata is added or when it is desired that the metadata be increased by adding. An image processing device, which divides an manuscript acquired through an input component into a plurality of objects and adds the metadata, has a user interface for editing the metadata of the objects, and switches, after selecting first and second objects, a retouching method of the metadata in accordance with the contents of the respective metadata of the first object and second object.

Abstract: A data communication apparatus which is capable of preventing reception of undesired data by a destination without increasing the load on a network, etc. Data and a destination thereof are input. A sender ID related to a sender who sends the input data is input. The input data is sent to the input destination. A sender ID for data transmission to the input destination is permitted is stored as a permission ID. The input sender ID is collated with the stored permission ID. Whether to permit data transmission is determined according to the collation result.

Abstract: Paper fingerprint information that represents a fiber pattern unique to a paper sheet is scanned, and the paper fingerprint information and its position information are embedded at two corners as the cater-cornered positions on a paper sheet. The paper fingerprint information is extracted based on the embedded position information.

Abstract: There is known a technique of inputting the contents of image data and the use purpose of a print material and automatically selecting a combination of color materials appropriate for them. However, it cannot be confirmed before printing whether improvement of image quality commensurate with the cost and labor to input contents information can be obtained. To solve this problem, the ratio of the amount of the color material of a spot color used to that of the color materials of process colors used in input image data is calculated. The recommendation grade of printing using the spot color is determined on the basis of the ratio. Further, display of the recommendation grade is controlled.

Abstract: Paper fingerprint information that represents a fiber pattern unique to a paper sheet is scanned, and the paper fingerprint information and its position information are embedded at two corners as the cater-cornered positions on a paper sheet. The paper fingerprint information is extracted based on the embedded position information.

Abstract: When a halftone dot region includes a character or line drawing, high extraction performance of a halftone dot region cannot be obtained. Hence, the isolation amount of a pixel of interest is calculated, and the isolation amounts are integrated in a plurality of areas having different sizes. Thresholds set for respective areas are compared with the integration result to determine whether or not the pixel of interest belongs to a halftone dot region.

Abstract: The invention distinguishes not only character areas and halftone dot areas in an image, but also makes highly accurate decisions concerning characters present in halftone dot areas. A decision signal generating unit generates a decision signal having luminance as a main component from a signal indicating inputted image data, and supplies the decision signal to a character decision unit, a halftone dot decision unit, and a character-in-halftone dot decision unit. The character decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a character image area. The halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether a pixel of interest is inside a halftone dot area. The character-in-halftone dot decision unit generates data indicating whether there is a character image inside the halftone dot area. Based on these three signals, an attribute flag generating unit generates attribute data of the pixel of interest.

Abstract: When color materials of more than four colors are used, a signal for the amount of toner used within a range appropriate for the apparatus and toner characteristic is generated using a color separation table. However, a printer receives print data of various formats, such as image data separated into signal values of more than four colors, or image data of a special format to which a six-color separation table cannot be applied. Hence, an image signal representing a combination of colors is input. The sum of the signal values of colors in each pixel of the image signal is calculated and compared with a limit value. When the sum exceeds the limit value, the signal values of base colors are replaced with that of a spot color based on a replacement table for replacing the signal values of the base colors with that of the spot color.

Abstract: Performance of the auto selection processing depends greatly on performance of an image reading apparatus. Since an image processing parameter set by assuming the possible strictest condition is applied to all the image processing apparatuses of the same product kind without variation, there occurs an event that some of the image processing apparatuses do not sufficiently effect the performance of the image reading apparatus. An apparatus of setting a parameter used at the time an image processing apparatus determines whether an image data read by an image reading apparatus is a colored image or a monochrome image, to the image processing apparatus, comprises a unit configured to obtain a reading characteristic of the image reading apparatus, and a parameter setting unit configured to set the parameter corresponding to the obtained reading characteristic.

Abstract: An original image is scanned for respective pixels to determine attributes indicating features for respective pixels of the scanned document. Pixel values included in an M×M area (where M is a natural number) including a pixel of interest are weighted, the pixel value of the pixel of interest is changed based on the weighted pixel values, and smoothing processing is applied to pixels included in that area. Upon applying the smoothing processing, a size of a filtering area used for the smoothing processing is reduced to a size of an N×N area (where N is a natural number, with M>N) including the pixel of interest according to the determined attributes.