Kyocera Document Solutions Inc.

Mita Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kyocera Mita Corporation

Ariyoshi Hikosaka

Tetsuji Kajitani

Hideo Azumai

Satoshi Iwatsubo

Kunihiko Tanaka

Hiroki Sakane

Hiroyuki Fujita

Kei Tanaka

Tsukasa Matsushita

Takuji Okumura

Atsuhiko Irie

Hidemitsu Hirano

An image processing apparatus includes a character recognition section, a translation section, an image processing section, a selection acceptance section, and a control section. The character recognition section performs character recognition processing on image data. The translation section translates an original text obtained through the character recognition processing performed by the character recognition section into a predetermined language and creates a translated text. The image processing section generates a replaced image in which a text portion of an original image shown in the image data is replaced from the original text by the translated text. The selection acceptance section accepts an instruction of selecting, as an output target, either one or both of the original image shown in the image data and the replaced image. The control section performs, in accordance with the accepted instruction, processing of outputting an output target image selected as the output target.

Image processing apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a first toner consumption amount calculation section which calculates a toner consumption amount based on a toner replenishment operation; a coefficient calculation section which calculates a coefficient by dividing the toner consumption amount calculated by the first toner consumption amount calculation section by a number of pixels; a second toner consumption amount calculation section which calculates the toner consumption amount by multiplying the number of pixels by the coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation section; and a near depletion detector which detects near depletion when a total toner consumption amount exceeds a near depletion threshold value. When a difference between a coefficient reference value and the coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation section is at most an allowable value, the near depletion detector changes the near depletion threshold value to a changed near depletion threshold value which is smaller than the near depletion threshold value.

Image forming apparatus that detects near depletion of toner and method for detecting near depletion of toner

A login management portion performs user authentication on the basis of a user ID and allows login of a user. A transfer control portion transmits, to a predetermined call transfer control device, a transfer setting request for causing a voice communication device to change an incoming call destination of a telephone number that corresponds to the user ID of the user whose login has been allowed. The login management portion prohibits, when a first user logs in, login of a second user different from the first user, and allows, when the voice communication device starts voice communication of the telephone number that corresponds to the user ID of the first user, login of the second user while prohibiting use of the voice communication device by the second user different from the first user.

Image forming apparatus and communication system

In an image forming apparatus, an image scanning device scans a document image of a document. An image type identifying unit identifies a type of the scanned document image. An operation detecting unit detects an image quality adjustment operation by a user. A preview processing unit selects one of whole preview displaying and partial preview displaying on the basis of the type of the document image and a type of the image quality adjustment operation, and performs the selected whole preview displaying or partial preview displaying. The whole preview displaying indicates a whole of the document image, and the partial preview displaying indicates a part of the document image at a higher resolution than a resolution of the whole preview displaying. An image processing unit performs image quality adjustment of the document image according to the detected image quality adjustment operation.

Image forming apparatus with an improved image previewer based on the type of document image

An image forming apparatus includes a print mode setting circuit, an average printing amount identifying circuit, a parameter setting circuit, and an image processing circuit. The print mode setting circuit sets to normal print mode or ecological print mode whose toner usage is less than a toner usage of the normal print mode. The average printing amount identifying circuit identifies an average printing rate in a predetermined count of printed sheets or an average amount of toner consumption per sheet. The parameter setting circuit decreases a printing rate parameter value in the ecological print mode based on a ratio of a predetermined reference value to the identified average printing rate or the identified average amount of toner consumption. The image processing circuit multiplies tone values of a print image by the printing rate parameter value in the ecological print mode to reduce a printing rate of the print image.

Image forming apparatus that reduces variation of count of printable sheets per toner container, image forming method, and recording medium

An image reading device includes a document conveyance section, a reading section, a determination section, an operation control section, a reading instruction request section, and a reading instruction reception section. The determination section determines whether a document sheet is an identifier sheet indicating identification information for identifying an information processing device that is a communication target. The reading instruction request section communicates with the information processing device identified by the identification information, thereby requesting the information processing device for an instruction pertaining to document reading. Upon the reading instruction reception section receiving the instruction, the operation control section causes the reading section to perform document reading in accordance with a reading setting indicated by the instruction in order to generate image data for document sheets from a document sheet directly after the identifier sheet through to a document sheet directly prior to a next identifier sheet.

Image reading device

Provided is an image forming apparatus that consumes toner to form an image, including a first calculation portion, a second calculation portion, and a third calculation portion. The first calculation portion calculates a toner consumption by a first calculation method. The second calculation portion calculates the toner consumption by a second calculation method according to a predetermined calculation formula after a predetermined switching criterion is satisfied. The third calculation portion calculates a value of a parameter in the predetermined calculation formula of the second calculation method based on the toner consumption calculated by the first calculation method.

Toner calculation in an image forming device

Test print images are created as focusing on one image quality mode among a plurality of image quality modes that are provided in advance according to the type of document and with high practical needs such as text mode, photo mode, text/photo mode containing both text and photographs, etc. The test print images thus created are image-formed on a sheet of recording paper and offered for the purpose of image quality selection in accordance with a user's preference. Consequently, an image forming apparatus capable of realizing a test printing function that is practical with a high level of user satisfaction can be provided.

Image forming apparatus

When a selection for canceling a security image is input at a client computer, then a password authentication unit causes a display unit to display a password reception screen, whereby an input password is compared with an authentication password stored in a password storage unit. When the passwords are matching, the print data generation unit of the client computer generates print data without adding a security image to the original data, and outputs the print data to a print server. A control unit of the print server transfers the print data to a printer, a print log acquisition unit acquires print log information from the printer, and the print log information and print data are stored in a print information storage unit.

Printing control device, printing and printing control method with controls for canceling security image

A special pattern determination section determines whether a special pattern is included in a document image read by a document reading section. If the special pattern determination section determines that the special pattern is included, the breaking pattern applying section applies a breaking pattern to the document image, and the print image generating section accumulates image data of the document image applied with the breaking pattern into a memory. On the other hand, if it is determined that the special pattern is not included, the print image generating section accumulates the image data of the document image directly into the memory. Then, if it is set by a user so as not to print the breaking pattern, the controller deletes image data of the document image accumulated in the memory and applied with the breaking pattern.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium storing image processing program

A user inputs an ID and password, using an operating panel. When a start key is pressed to instruct the start of copying of a document, a dot pattern detection unit detects, from image data, a dot pattern formed according to a predetermined period. When a dot pattern is detected, a display control unit causes an operating panel to display a message indicating that a dot pattern has been detected. When the continuation of a copying operation is instructed, then after the completion of reading of the document, the image log generation unit generates an image log and log information and image log transmit ion control unit transmits the image log and log information to a computer of an administrator.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image area detecting portion detects an area (image area) in a sheet subjected to printing where characters and images take up. A pattern creating portion creates a copy prevention pattern in such a manner that a latent image is embedded only to a detected image area with respect to a mask pattern into which a dot pattern is incorporated. A print image creating portion superimposes the generated copy prevention pattern and the document image to each other. When the printed object is read in a copying machine having a copy guard function, detection of the dot pattern can be performed without being interfered by a latent image since only a mask pattern is printed in an area corresponding to a reading start position.

Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium storing image processing program for creating a copy prevention pattern that allows a copying machine with a copy guard function to read a special dot pattern

An area separating apparatus for judging whether or not each object pixel belongs to a photograph image area in an image. The apparatus includes: an average value calculating circuit for calculating an average value of image data of pixels in an image block containing the object pixel; a photograph image area judgment threshold generating circuit for generating a photograph image area judgment threshold in accordance with the average value; a density difference summing circuit for determining differences in image data between respective adjacent pairs of pixels in the image block and calculating a sum of the image data differences for all the pixels in the image block; and a judgment circuit which judges that the object pixel belongs to the photograph image area if the sum of the image data differences is smaller than the photograph image area judgment threshold, and judges that the object pixel does not belong to the photograph image area if the sum of the image data differences is not smaller than the photograph image area judgment threshold.

Area separating apparatus, image processing apparatus employing the same, and area separating method

In accordance with the present invention, a quadratic differential values is first calculated, based on differences in the density data between an object pixel and respective peripheral pixels around the object pixel. The square value SS of the quadratic differential value S and the sum .SIGMA.SS obtained by adding up the square values SS of quadratic differential values for continuous five pixels are employed as determination values (step n1). The square sum .SIGMA.SS is compared with respective threshold values a, b and d, and the square value SS is compared with respective threshold values c, e and f (steps n2 to n6 and n8). Based on these comparison results, it is judged which image area among a character image area, gray-scale image area and dotted image area the object pixel belongs to. As for the image area judgement concerning the dotted image area, the final judgement that the object pixel belongs to the dotted image area is made only when nine continuous pixels including the object pixel are all judged to belong to the dotted image area. Since the square values SS and square sum .SIGMA.SS take only a positive value, the threshold values are set only in a positive range, and hence the image processing can be simplified. Further, by employing the square sum .SIGMA.SS, the states of the peripheral pixels can be taken into consideration for the image area judgement.

Image processing method and apparatus

Before actually reading a document image, white reference data corresponding to a pure white document image is found in an AGC processing unit 32, and is set in a register 32a. In a CPU 33, data corresponding to the white reference data set in the register 32a is produced. The produced data is set in a register 32b. The set data is applied to a D/A converting unit 34, where the data is converted into analog data, after which the analog data is applied as a low reference voltage V.sub.ref L to an A/D converting unit 31. As a result, the maximum amplitude range of the analog image data becomes approximately the same as the input voltage range. Accordingly, AGC processing can be realized in a digital manner, thereby to make it possible to simplify the circuit arrangement, as compared with the conventional circuit arrangement, and to easily make fine adjustment.

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Osaka, Japan

Ariyoshi Hikosaka