Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hiromi Okubo

Takashi Saitoh

Yukio Sakano

Hiroyuki Shibaki

Shigeo Kurotaka

Kyoji Omi

Michiyoshi Tachikawa

Kouji Ishigaki

Yoshio Kaneko

Takeshi Ukai

Toshiya Hikita

Hiroshi Ishii

Kazuo Murai

Hiroshi Takahashi

Shinji Yamakawa

Hiroyasu Sumida

Midori Aida

Haruhiko Fukuda

Tadato Hashiguchi

Nekka Matsuura

Takahiro Yagishita

Rie Ishii

Shogo Oneda

Yukiko Yamazaki

Takanori Itoh

Takako Satoh

Tetsuo Fujisawa

Hiroki Kubozono

Mutsuo Shimomae

Shougu Oneda

An image processing device includes a filtering unit which filters an input image with variable frequency characteristics, an edge detection unit which detects magnitudes of edges appearing in the input image, and a degree-of-white-background-likeliness detection unit which detects degrees of white-background likeliness in respect of local areas of the input image, wherein the filtering unit changes the variable frequency characteristics in response to the magnitudes of edges and to the degrees of white-background likeliness.

Image processing based on degree of white-background likeliness

A plurality of image production processing parts each of which generates drawing data for image drawing processing from image drawing instructions obtained through data compression. A dividing part which divides the given image drawing instructions into a plurality of sets of image drawing instructions without decompressing them in such a manner that each set of image drawing instructions can be processed by any of the plurality of image producing processing part without referring to any other set of image drawing instructions. A distributing part which distributes the plurality of sets of image drawing instructions to the plurality of image production processing parts.

Image processing device, image processing method and image forming apparatus

A novel image forming system which includes an image input apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and an image output apparatus. The image input apparatus has an input property profile, reads an image, and converts the image into image data using the input property profile. The image processing apparatus executes an image processing operation relative to the image data. The image output apparatus has an output property profile, outputs an image using the output property profile in accordance with the image data processed through the image processing operation. The above-mentioned image processing apparatus includes a property recognizer, a memory, and a property calculator. The property recognizer reads and recognizes the input property profile and the output property profile. The memory prestores a reference property profile. The property calculator calculates an optimal property based on the input property profile, the output property profile, and the reference property profile so that the image processing operation is optimally executed with the optimal property.

Method, system, and apparatus for image forming and processing capable of appropriately adjusting input and output properties

An apparatus and method to convert input image data having a first multivalue to image data having a second multivalue which is less than the first multivalue by using a multi error diffusion technique. An image processing apparatus includes a threshold generating device for generating a plurality of variable thresholds at least based on a characteristic of a target pixel data, wherein a number of the variable thresholds is less than a number of the second multivalue by one. A quantization device is provided to quantize the input image data of the target pixel into the image data having the second multivalue based on the variable thresholds. The variable thresholds are varied in a manner such that predetermined quantized data quantized by the quantization device does not create noticeable banding substantially in a middle density range and does not create noticeable dropout substantially in a high density range.

Apparatus and method for forming an image by processing input image data while suppressing banding and dropout

An image processing apparatus includes a converter, a calculator and a reverse converter. The converter performs a frequency conversion operation on a color image signal which includes a brightness signal and color signals and divides values of each of the brightness signal and the color signals into high frequency coefficients and a low frequency coefficient. The calculator calculates the high frequency coefficients of the brightness signal and the color signals, generates a set of different high frequency coefficients, and produces a new brightness signal by adding the low frequency coefficient of the brightness signal to the set of different high frequency coefficients. The reverse converter performs a reverse frequency conversion operation on the new brightness signal.

Method and apparatus for image processing for performing a color conversion

An original image comprises a printed region on which a predetermined printed matter is realized and a background region on which no printed matter is realized. The shape of a peripheral zone in the original image comprises the shape of the background region, which shape exists particularly at the peripheral region of said original image. It is determined whether or not the original image comprises the special document by detecting the peripheral zone. Further, the original image has an outer-frame region, having a predetermined shape at the peripheral region of the original image. The determination is carried out using a result of measuring the width of the outer-frame region. Further, the width of the outer-frame region comprises a width along a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction extending along the outline of the original image.

Original-discrimination system for discriminating special document, and image forming apparatus, image processing apparatus and duplicator using the original-discrimination system

An image processing device of the present invention includes a photoelectric transducing section for transforming input image information to an electric signal. An analog-to-digital converter converts the electric signal to a digital signal. An image processing section for processing the digital signal has a shading correcting section, a filtering section, a magnification changing section, a gamma correcting section, and a tonality processing section. The filtering section is capable of selecting a particular filter intensity for each of two perpendicular directions in accordance with a desired magnification change ratio. The device is capable of varying an MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) characteristic in the subscanning direction in accordance with a magnification change ratio with simple hardware.

Image processing device

An image processing apparatus for improving the performance of reproducing an image edge and obtaining a preferable image output including an edge judging unit for judging the presence or absence of both left and right edge pixels of an input image. The apparatus further includes plural halftone processing units and a selection unit for selecting one of the plural halftone processing units based on a result of the judgment result of the presence or absence of either of the left or right edge pixel.

Image processing apparatus

There is provided by the present invention an image processing apparatus which accurately determines a copying-inhibited document prepared by using paper with a copying-inhibited pattern printed or copied on the entire surface thereof by checking for each pixel data constituting image data whether an object pixel has a black peak density coincident to that of a copying-inhibited document, whether a white area having a specified size exists at a peripheral area at a distance therefrom, whether the object pixel is a screen tone graph or character area pixel, or an illegal area pixel or not.

Image processing apparatus for determining copying-inhibited document

An original image comprises a printed region on which a predetermined printed matter is realized and a background region on which no printed matter is realized. The shape of a peripheral zone in the original image comprises the shape of the background region, which shape exists particularly at the peripheral region of said original image. It is determined whether or not the original image comprises the special document by detecting the peripheral zone. Further, the original image has an outer-frame region, having a predetermined shape, at the peripheral region of the original image. The determination is carried out using a result of measuring the width of the outer-frame region. Further, the width of the outer-frame region comprises a width along a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction extending along the outline of the original image.

Original-discrimination system for discriminating special document, and

The present invention relates to a special-document discriminating apparatus used for providing a counterfeit preventing function to a digital copy machine and the like, and to a managing system for an image forming apparatus having a special-document discriminating function. The special-document discriminating apparatus is provided with a ROM for discriminating a special-document such as paper money, which ROM is detachably attached to a controlling circuit board. Data used for determination may be learned from test pattern data input from the image forming apparatus, or the data may be input from an external unit via a communication line. The managing system for an image forming apparatus comprises an image forming apparatus and a managing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus. Either the image forming apparatus or the managing apparatus has a special-document discriminating function. Additional information is sent from the image forming apparatus together with determination result information or detected data. Information used as reference for determination may be sent from the managing apparatus to the image forming apparatus.

Special-document discriminating apparatus and managing system for image

In a digital copier, facsimile machine, scanner, image filing apparatus or similar apparatus, an image processing device is provided with a capability of surely identifying confidential or secrecy documents which should be protected from unauthorized persons. The confidential or inhibited documents are provided with inhibition patterns by printing or copying over the entire surfaces thereof. The device prevents image data representative of this kind of documents from being improperly copied, transferred, stored or input.

Image forming apparatus with security feature which prevents copying of

An image processing device includes a first unit for detecting a pixel at which a predetermined local variation of image data occurs, a second unit for detecting a density relating to the above pixel within a predetermined scanning area, and a third unit for determining whether or not the image data forms a dotted-image area on the basis of the density detected by the second unit.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hiromi Okubo