program

Abstract

To provide a program to be used for control of a scanner, configured to simplify processing to synthesize a transparent text on an image of a document read by the scanner.SOLUTION: Through a function provided by an operating system, the operating system generates a synthetic image by synthesizing a specific-color image including a text color with a copy image of a document image on the basis of transparency, draws only a part of the synthetic image corresponding to a mask part of a mask image on the document image by use of the mask image corresponding to a position of a text to output output image data indicating an output image formed by synthesizing the text with designated transparency with the document image, and calculates a color after the synthesis. Accordingly, processing of a program for outputting an image synthesized with a text with designated transparency can be simplified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a program used to control a scanner, and more particularly to a technology for synthesizing text on an image read by a scanner using a program installed in an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for synthesizing text with an image read by a scanner using a program installed in an information processing device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for reading an original document with a scanner to generate a bitmap image, further generating a bitmap image of text that serves as management information, and generating a composite image by synthesizing the bitmap image of the original document and the bitmap image of the text. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-211710 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When outputting an image in which text is combined with an image of a document read by a scanner, there is a demand for specifying transparency for the text and combining the transparent text based on the transparency. In this case, a program installed in an information processing device performs processing such as calculating a combined color for each pixel from the color of the document image that is the background image, the color and transparency of the text, and drawing with the calculated color, but the processing is likely to become complicated. For example, when the operating system (OS) of the information processing device is Windows (registered trademark), a module or library for combining images is provided by the OS manufacturer, and the processing required for combining can be simplified by using the module, etc., but the transparency of the text cannot be specified, so there is room for improvement in the processing for combining transparent text.

[0005] This specification discloses a technology that simplifies the process of synthesizing transparent text onto an image of a document read by a scanner, using a program that is used to control a scanner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The program devised for solving the above-mentioned problems is executable by a computer of an information processing device and is used to control a scanner, The computer includes: A document image acquisition process for acquiring document image data representing an image of a document read by the scanner; A text data acquisition process for acquiring text data associated with transparency and color information; a copy image generation process for generating copy image data representing a copy image which is a copy of a portion of the image of the document shown in the document image data acquired in the document image acquisition process, the copy image including at least an area in which text is drawn; a specific color image generation process for generating specific color image data indicating a specific color image having the same size as the copy image shown in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process and configured with colors corresponding to the color information associated with the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process; and a composite image generation process that uses a function provided by an operating system of the information processing device to generate composite image data indicating a composite image obtained by combining the copy image indicated in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process with the specific color image indicated in the specific color image data generated in the specific color image generation process based on the transparency associated with the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process; a mask image generation process for generating mask image data showing a mask image having the same size as the copy image shown in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process, the mask image being a black solid image on which text shown in the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process is drawn in white; an output image generation process that uses a function provided by an operating system of the information processing device to generate output image data indicating an output image in which a portion of the composite image indicated in the composite image data generated in the composite image generation process, which corresponds to a white portion of the mask image indicated in the mask image data generated in the mask image generation process, is drawn on the image of the document indicated in the document image data acquired in the document image acquisition process; The present invention is characterized in that the above-mentioned is executed.

[0007] In the above-mentioned configuration, a function provided by the operating system is used to generate a composite image by combining a specific color image composed of text color with a copy image of an original image based on transparency, and further, a mask image corresponding to the position of the text is used to draw only the portion of the composite image corresponding to the mask portion of the mask image on the original image, thereby outputting output image data showing an output image in which text with specified transparency is combined with the original image. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned configuration, compared to a case in which the program itself performs processing to calculate the composite color for each pixel corresponding to the text portion, the effort of calculating the composite color is left to the operating system, and the processing of the program when outputting an image combined with text with specified transparency can be simplified. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that simplifies the process of combining transparent text with an image of a document read by a scanner using a program used to control the scanner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a scan system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a main setting screen in a state in which a user has selected a color photograph selection button; [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a Digital Imprinter basic setting screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen. [Figure 5A] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a scan process. [Figure 5B] 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a scan process. [Figure 6] 11(A) to 11(F) are explanatory diagrams showing examples of various images generated in memory as the scanning process progresses. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams showing examples of output images output to a file after the scanning process of the present embodiment; [Figure 8] 13(A) to 13(F) are explanatory diagrams showing examples of various images generated in memory as the scanning process according to the second embodiment progresses. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 5B showing the procedure of an output process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a character drawing area when characters are arranged diagonally in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of a scanning system will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses a scanning system including a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as "PC") that has a program according to the present invention installed therein, and a scanner.

[0011] 1, the scan system 100 of this embodiment is a system including a PC 1 and a scanner 3, which are connected to each other. The PC 1 has at least a communication function with the scanner 3, and is a device that transmits scan commands to the scanner 3 and receives scan data, which is the result of reading, from the scanner 3. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing device and an example of a device. Instead of the PC 1, for example, a smartphone or a tablet computer may be used.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. The PC 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as "user IF") 13 and a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication IF") 14, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. Note that the controller 10 in Fig. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the PC 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the PC 1.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the programs read from the memory 12 and based on the user's operations. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 is a storage area in which various programs such as a startup program for starting the PC 1 and various application programs (hereinafter referred to as "apps") for using the scanner 3, as well as various data such as image data and document data, are stored. The memory 12 is also used as a working area when various processes are executed.

[0014] 1, the memory 12 of the PC 1 according to the present embodiment stores an OS 21, a scan application 22, and a scanner driver 23. The OS 21 is Windows (registered trademark). In addition to Windows, the OS 21 may be, for example, macOS (registered trademark), Linux (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), or Android (registered trademark).

[0015] The scan application 22 is a program that receives user instructions such as designation of a device to perform scanning, designation of a format and a location to save the scan data, an instruction to perform scanning, etc. The scan application 22 may further receive an instruction to edit an image based on the scan data received from the scanner 3.

[0016] The scanner driver 23 is a program that controls the operation of the scanner 3 and accepts various settings related to scanning. The scanner driver 23 is a program corresponding to the model of the scanner 3, and is started by the scan application 22 when, for example, the scan application 22 accepts an instruction to execute scanning with the scanner 3. The scanner driver 23 is an example of a program. The scanner driver 23 may be a part of the scan application 22.

[0017] The scanner driver 23 of this embodiment accepts various settings related to scanning. The scanner driver 23 of this embodiment also has a function of generating a composite image by combining characters (including numbers, symbols, pictograms, etc.), serial numbers, dates, etc. input by the user on an image of a document generated based on scan data received from the scanner 3, i.e., on a background image, which is a so-called imprinter function. Note that characters are an example of text.

[0018] Furthermore, the scanner driver 23 of this embodiment can display a main setting screen 4 shown in FIG.

[0019] This main setting screen 4 has a color photo selection button 41, a web material selection button 42, and a monochrome document selection button 43, which allow the user to select an image type. The main setting screen 4 shown in Fig. 2 shows a state in which the user has selected the color photo selection button 41.

[0020] In addition, when the color photo selection button 41 is selected, the main setting screen 4 includes a resolution selection field 44, a number of colors selection field 45, a document size selection field 46, a detailed settings button 47, a save button 48, a default button 49, a start scan button 35, and a pre-scan button 36.

[0021] Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, when the user selects color photo selection button 41, appropriate resolution and number of colors, etc. for scanning a color photo original with scanner 3 are automatically preset in resolution selection field 44 and number of colors selection field 45. When the user selects web material selection button 42 or monochrome document selection button 43, a selection field appropriate for each button is also displayed on main setting screen 4, and appropriate properties for scanning web material or monochrome documents with scanner 3 are preset.

[0022] Furthermore, when the user operates the advanced settings button 47 via the user IF 13, the scanner driver 23 in this embodiment displays an advanced settings screen (not shown) on the user IF 13. In this state, when the user further selects the "Digital Imprinter" function displayed on the advanced settings screen via the user IF 13, the scanner driver 23 displays the Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 5 shown in FIG.

[0023] This Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 is a screen for accepting various basic settings related to the imprinter function provided in the scanner driver 23. Therefore, the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 is provided with a selection button 51 for selecting whether to enable or disable the imprinter function, an application range selection button 52 for selecting whether to apply the imprinter function only to the first page or to all pages, a character input field 53 in which the user can input one character or multiple characters via the user IF 13, a serial number selection field 54 for setting an initial value for the serial number, a display format selection field 55 for selecting the display format of the date and time, a Digital Imprinter detailed setting button 56, an OK button 57 for accepting various settings set by the user on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5, and a cancel button 58 for canceling various settings set by the user and returning to the main setting screen 4 shown in FIG.

[0024] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the user inputs characters into the character input field 53 via the user IF 13 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5, the scanner driver 23 composites the characters onto the image of the document generated based on the scan data received from the scanner 3, i.e., onto the background image. Specifically, in the state shown in Fig. 3, the user has input the four characters "text" into the character input field 53, so the scanner driver 23 composites the four characters "text" onto the image of the document that becomes the background image.

[0025] Furthermore, when the user operates the Digital Imprinter detailed settings button 56 on the Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 5 via the user IF 13, the scanner driver 23 of this embodiment displays the Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 6 shown in FIG.

[0026] The Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 is a screen for receiving various detailed settings relating to the imprinter function of the scanner driver 23. Therefore, the Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 6 is provided with an insertion position selection field 61 for selecting the character insertion position, a character display direction selection field 62 for selecting the character display direction, a font selection field 63 for selecting the character font name, a character size selection field 64 for selecting the character size, a character style selection field 65 for selecting the character style, a character color selection field 66 for selecting the character color, a transparency setting field 67 for setting the character transparency, i.e., the degree of transparency with which the characters will be composited onto the image generated based on the scan data received from the scanner 3, i.e., onto the background image, an OK button 68 for returning to the Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 5 shown in Figure 3 after accepting the Digital Imprinter detailed settings set by the user on the Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 6, and a cancel button 69 for returning to the Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 5 shown in Figure 3 after canceling the Digital Imprinter detailed settings set by the user on the Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 6.

[0027] The Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Figure 4 shows a state in which, for the characters entered in the character input field 53 of the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Figure 3, the user has set, via user IF 13, the following positions for the characters entered in the insertion position selection field 61: "center" as the character insertion position; the character display direction selection field 62: "horizontal" as the character display direction; the character font used on PC 1 as the character font in the font selection field 63; the character size: "48 point" as the character size in the character size selection field 64; the character style: "standard" as the character style in the character style selection field 65;

[0028] Therefore, in this embodiment, the scanner driver 23 composites the four characters of “text” entered by the user in the character input field 53 of the Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 5 shown in FIG. 3 onto the image of the original document, which serves as the background image, based on the detailed settings set by the user on the Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 6 shown in FIG. 4.

[0029] In this embodiment, the color of the characters set in the character color selection field 66 is not limited to a single color, and may be a single color or a color processed with multiple colors such as a gradation. The color of the characters set in the character color selection field 66 may be black including gray. In this embodiment, the color of the characters is the color of the characters set in the character color selection field 66 by the user via the user IF 13, but a fixed color of the characters preset in the scanner driver 23 may be used.

[0030] Returning to FIG. 1, an example of the memory 12 is not limited to a ROM, RAM, HDD, etc. built into the PC 1, but may be a storage medium that is readable and writable by the CPU 11. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. In addition to the above examples, non-transitory media also include recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. Non-transitory media are also tangible media. On the other hand, an electrical signal carrying a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium, which is a type of computer-readable medium, but is not included in non-transitory computer-readable storage media.

[0031] The user IF 13 includes hardware for displaying a screen for notifying information and hardware for accepting operations by the user. The user IF 13 may be a touch panel having a display function and an operation acceptance function, or may be a combination of a display having a display function and a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, or the like having an operation acceptance function.

[0032] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with an external device such as the scanner 3. The communication standards of the communication IF 14 are Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), USB, etc. The communication IF 14 may include multiple configurations corresponding to multiple communication standards.

[0033] The scanner 3 of this embodiment is a device having a communication function with the PC 1 and an image reading function of reading an image of a document and generating scan data. The scanner 3 is an example of an image reading device. As shown in Fig. 1, the scanner 3 of this embodiment includes an automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as "ADF") 31, and can automatically feed documents one by one from a stack of multiple documents set in the ADF 31 and read them continuously. The scanner 3 is not limited to a device with a single scanning function, and may be, for example, a multifunction machine, a copier, or a fax machine.

[0034] Next, the processing by the scanner driver 23 will be described. The following processing basically indicates the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program. That is, the processing such as "judgment", "extraction", "selection", "calculation", "decision", "identification", "acquisition", "reception", and "control" in the following description indicate the processing of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes processing using the API of the OS. The processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described in abbreviated terms. For example, it may be described as "performed by the CPU 11". The processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in the program may be described in abbreviated terms such as "performed by program A".

[0035] Note that "obtaining" is used as a concept that does not require a request. In other words, the process of receiving data without the CPU 11 making a request is also included in the concept of "the CPU obtaining data." In addition, "data" in this specification is represented as a bit string that can be read by a computer. Data that has the same substantial meaning but different formats is treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification. In addition, "requesting" and "instructing" are concepts that indicate outputting information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction to the other party. In addition, information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is also simply referred to as "request" and "instruction."

[0036] The procedure of the scan process executed by the PC 1 in the scan system 100 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 5A and 5B. The scan process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when an instruction to execute scanning by the scanner 3 is received by the scan application 22 or the like. The scan process of this embodiment is executed by the scanner driver 23.

[0037] In the scan process, first, in S10, the CPU 11 acquires the contents of each setting set on each setting screen. Each setting is a variety of parameters set in the scan application 22 or the scanner driver 23 before receiving an instruction to execute a scan, and is set based on a user's operation, etc. The process of S10 is an example of a text data acquisition process.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, in S10, the CPU 11 acquires each setting content set on the main setting screen 4 shown in FIG. 2, namely, the resolution selected in the resolution selection field 44, the number of colors selected in the number of colors selection field 45, and the document size selected in the document size selection field 46.

[0039] Also, in this embodiment, in S10, the CPU 11 acquires each setting content set on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in FIG. 3, namely, information on whether the imprinter function is enabled or disabled selected in the selection button 51, information on whether the imprinter function is applied to only the first page or to all pages selected in the application range selection button 52, information on the characters (character code) entered by the user in the character input field 53 via the user IF 13, information on the initial value of the serial number set in the serial number selection field 54, and information on the display format of the date and time selected in the display format selection field 55.

[0040] Also, in this embodiment, in S10, the CPU 11 acquires each setting content set on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in FIG. 4, namely, information on the insertion position of the character selected in the insertion position selection field 61, information on the display direction of the character selected in the character display direction selection field 62, information on the font name of the character selected in the font selection field 63, information on the character size selected in the character size selection field 64, information on the character style selected in the character style selection field 65, information on the character color selected in the character color selection field 66, and information on the transparency set in the transparency setting field 67.

[0041] Next, in S 11 , the CPU 11 generates a scan command and transmits the generated scan command to the scanner 3 .

[0042] Based on the received scan command, the scanner 3 scans the documents set in the ADF 31 one by one, and stores the scan data in its own memory (not shown).

[0043] Based on the received scan command, the scanner 3 reads out the scan data for one document stored in its own memory from its own memory and transmits it to the PC 1. The scanner 3 may be configured to scan one document and store it in its own memory every time it receives a scan command. Also, when it receives a scan command, it may be configured to first scan multiple documents together and store the data in its own memory, and then read out the scan data for one document from its own memory and transmit it to the PC 1, or it may be configured to transmit multiple documents together to the PC 1.

[0044] Next, in S12, the CPU 11 receives the scan data of the document transmitted from the scanner 3, and stores it in the memory 12. The process of S12 is an example of a document image acquisition process.

[0045] Next, in S13, the CPU 11 judges whether or not the scan data of one page of the document has been received. If the CPU 11 judges that the scan data of the document has not been received (S13: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S12 and continues to receive the scan data of the document transmitted from the scanner 3.

[0046] On the other hand, in S13, if the CPU 11 determines that the scan data of one page of the document has been received (S13: YES), the process proceeds to S14. The determination by the CPU 11 in S13 may be based on end-of-page information attached to the end of the scan data of one page of the document transmitted from the scanner 3.

[0047] Next, in S14, the CPU 11 determines whether the imprinter function is enabled. If the user has selected to enable the imprinter function using the selection button 51 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3 (the selection button 51 is checked in Fig. 3), the CPU 11 determines in S14 that the imprinter function is enabled (S14: YES), and proceeds to the next step S15.

[0048] On the other hand, if the user has selected to disable (skip) the imprinter function using selection button 51 on Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3 (selection button 51 is not checked), CPU 11 determines in S14 that the imprinter function is not enabled (S14: NO), and then performs normal scan output processing in S22, and ends the scan processing. Here, the normal scan output processing is processing for generating and outputting image data of an image read from a document based on received scan data by repeatedly executing the processes of S12 to S14 and S22 to S23 described later, and since this is an existing technology, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] Next, in S15, the CPU 11 judges whether the setting is for the first page only. If the user has selected "First Page Only" in the application range selection button 52 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3, it is judged that the setting is for the first page only (S15: YES), and the process proceeds to S16.

[0050] Next, in S16, the CPU 11 judges whether the received scan data of the document is the scan data of the first page. If it is judged that the received scan data of the document is the scan data of the first page (S16: YES), the process proceeds to S17. That is, if the received scan data is the scan data of the first page of the document, the imprinter function process is executed on the scan data of the document, and image data of the image obtained by reading the document is generated and output.

[0051] On the other hand, in S16, if the CPU 11 determines that the received scan data of the document is not scan data of the first page (S16: NO), the process proceeds to S22. In other words, if "First Page Only" is selected in the application range selection button 52, and the scan data is of a document other than the first page, the imprinter function process for the scan data of the document is skipped, and image data of the image read from the document is generated and output.

[0052] On the other hand, if the user has selected "All Pages" in the application range selection button 52 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3, it is determined that the setting is not limited to the first page (S15: NO), and the process proceeds to the next step S17. In other words, if "All Pages" has been selected in the application range selection button 52, the imprinter function process is executed on the scan data of all pages of the document, and image data of the image read from the document is generated and output.

[0053] Next, in S17, the CPU 11 generates an image 71 of the document that will be a background image on the memory 12 based on the received scan data (see FIG. 6A), and also generates a copy image 72 by copying the image 71 on the memory 12 (see FIG. 6B). The process of S16 is an example of a copy image generation process.

[0054] Next, in S18, the CPU 11 generates a rectangular character color image 73 on the memory 12, the entire surface of which is filled with the color of the character (see FIG. 6(C)). Note that the character color referred to here is the color of the character selected in the character color selection field 66 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in FIG. 4. Also, the size of the character color image 73 is the same as the size of the image 71, but it is not necessary that they are exactly the same, as long as they are a size equal to or larger than the area in which the composite character can be drawn. A specific example of a case in which the size of the character color image 73 is different from that of the image 71 will be described later as the second embodiment. Note that the processing of S17 is an example of a specific color image generation processing.

[0055] In this embodiment, the size of the text color image 73 is the same as the size of the image 71, so that processing such as trimming is not required, and processing is simplified.

[0056] Next, in S19, the CPU 11 uses a function (in this embodiment, the AlphaBlend function of the Windows API) which is part of the OS 21 and is included in a library provided by the manufacturer of the OS 21 to composite the copy image 72 shown in FIG. 6(B) with the character color image 73 shown in FIG. 6(C) by specifying the transparency, thereby generating a character color composite image 74 on the memory 12 (see FIG. 6(D)). Note that the transparency referred to here reflects the transparency set in the transparency setting field 67 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in FIG. 4. Note that the processing of S18 is an example of a composite image generation processing. Also, the character color composite image is an example of a composite image.

[0057] Next, in S20, the CPU 11 generates a mask image 75 in which characters are drawn in white on a black background on the memory 12 (see FIG. 6(E)). Note that the characters referred to here are characters input by the user via the user IF 13 into the character input field 53 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in FIG. 3, and in this embodiment, it is assumed that the four characters "text" are input into the character input field 53. Note that the process of S19 is an example of a mask image generation process.

[0058] In addition, the character position, character display direction, character font type, character size, and character style on the mask image 75 reflect the character insertion position selected in the insertion position selection field 61 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Figure 4, the character display direction selected in the character display direction selection field 62, the character font name selected in the font selection field 63, the character size selected in the character size selection field 64, and the character style selected in the character style selection field 65, respectively.

[0059] Next, in S21, the CPU 11 uses a function included in a library provided by the manufacturer of the OS 21 (in this embodiment, the MaskBit function or PlgBit function of the Windows API) to draw only the white parts (text parts) of a mask image 75 (see FIG. 6(E)) and a character color composite image 74 (see FIG. 6(D)) on an image 71 (see FIG. 6(A)) that serves as a background image, thereby generating an output composite image 76 on the memory 12 (see FIG. 6(F)). Note that the output composite image is an example of an output image.

[0060] Thus, in this embodiment, in S21, the CPU 11 generates an output composite image 76 in which four characters 77, including "text", entered by the user via the user IF 13 in the character input field 53 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3 are composited onto an original image 71, which serves as a background image, based on the transparency set in the transparency setting field 67 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Fig. 4. The process of S21 is an example of an output image generation process.

[0061] Next, in S22, the CPU 11 executes output processing, and then proceeds to S23. The output processing here is processing for outputting the output composite image generated in S21. Specifically, the scan data is received, image processing is performed, and the result is passed to the scan application 22 for output. The scan application 22 displays the received image data on the user IF 13, converts it into a specified image format, and stores it in the memory 12.

[0062] Next, in S23, the CPU 11 judges whether or not all pages of the scan data have been received. If there is scan data for the next page, the CPU 11 judges that all pages have not been received (S23: NO), and returns to S12 to process the scan data for the next page.

[0063] On the other hand, if all pages of the scan data have been received, it is determined that reception of all pages of the scan data has been completed (S23: YES), and this process ends. Note that the determination by the CPU 11 in S23 may be made based on scan data end information transmitted from the scanner 3.

[0064] In this manner, in this embodiment, if the user selects "First Page Only" in the application scope selection button 52 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in FIG. 3, for the first sheet of manuscript, the characters 77 entered by the user in the character input field 53 via the user IF 13 are composited onto the image of the first sheet of manuscript based on the transparency set by the user in the transparency setting field 67 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in FIG. 4 and output to a file, and for the second and subsequent sheets of manuscript, the characters 77 are not composited onto the images, and only the images of the manuscripts are output to a file.

[0065] On the other hand, if the user selects "All Pages" in the application scope selection button 52 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Figure 3, the characters 77 entered by the user via the user IF 13 in the character input field 53 are composited onto the images of all pages of the original based on the transparency set by the user in the transparency setting field 67 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Figure 4, and output to a file.

[0066] The image shown in Fig. 7 is an example of a final output image 78 output to a file after the scan process of this embodiment. In this embodiment, in the output process of S22, the CPU 11 composites, on the image of all pages of the document, characters for management record 79 consisting of the serial number set in the serial number selection field 54 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Fig. 3 and the date and time selected in the display format selection field 55. When the characters for management record 79 are composited, they may be composited based on the transparency set by the user in the transparency setting field 67 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the processes of S17 to S21 described above must also be performed on the characters for management record 79.

[0067] Second embodiment The procedure of the scan process according to the second embodiment of the scan system will be briefly described below. As described above, in the first embodiment, the CPU 11 generates on the memory 12 a copy image 72 (see FIG. 6(B)) of the same size as the image 71 (see FIG. 6(A)) of the original generated on the memory 12. Also, in S17 shown in FIG. 5, a rectangular character color image 73 filled with a character color and having the same size as the image 71 (see FIG. 6(A)) of the original is generated on the memory 12 (see FIG. 6(C)). On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the copy image 82 and the character color image 83 are configured to have the same size as the character area in which characters can be drawn, and in this respect, the first embodiment and the second embodiment are significantly different. In the description, the same reference numerals are used to denote parts that have the same effects as those of the first embodiment. The size of the copy image 82 and the text color image 83 need only be equal to or larger than the text area in which the composite text can be drawn, and they do not have to be exactly the same size. However, the closer they are to the text area, the greater the effect of reducing their occupancy on memory 12.

[0068] That is, in this embodiment, at S30 shown in Fig. 9, the CPU 11 generates an image 71 of the document on the memory 12 based on the received scan data (see Fig. 8(A)). Also, a character drawing area 81, which is an area where characters are drawn, is extracted from the image 71, and a copy image 82, which is a copy of the extracted portion, is generated on the memory 12 (see Fig. 8(B)). The character drawing area 81 has a rectangular or square shape including the area where characters are drawn.

[0069] Next, in S31, the CPU 11 generates, in the memory 12, a character color image 83 that has the same size as the character drawing area 81 and is completely filled with the color of the character (see FIG. 8C).

[0070] Next, in S32, the CPU 11 uses a function that is part of the OS 21 and is included in a library provided by the manufacturer of the OS 21 (in this embodiment, the AlphaBlend function of the Windows API) to composite the copy image 82 shown in FIG. 8(B) with the character color image 83 shown in FIG. 8(C) by specifying the transparency, thereby generating a character color composite image 84 on the memory 12 (see FIG. 8(D)).

[0071] In this manner, in this embodiment, the sizes of the copy image 82, the text color image 83 and the text color composite image 84 are the same as the text drawing area 81, so that their sizes are smaller than those of the first embodiment, and therefore it is possible to reduce the occupancy rate on the memory 12 and thereby reduce the memory load.

[0072] The character drawing area 81 is set based on information such as the characters entered by the user via the user IF 13 in the character input field 53 on the Digital Imprinter basic setting screen 5 shown in Figure 3, the character insertion position selected in the insertion position selection field 61 on the Digital Imprinter detailed setting screen 6 shown in Figure 4, the character display direction selected in the character display direction selection field 62, the font name of the character selected in the font selection field 63, the character size selected in the character size selection field 64, and the character style selected in the character style selection field 65.

[0073] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, when the user selects "45 degrees diagonal to the upper right" as the character display direction in the character display direction selection field 62, the character drawing area 81, which is the area in which the characters are drawn, is enlarged compared to when "Normal" is selected.

[0074] As described above in detail, according to the scan system 100 of the present embodiment, a function (in this embodiment, the AlphaBlend function of the Windows API) included in the library provided by the OS21 manufacturer that is a part of the OS21 is used to generate a text color composite image by combining a text color image composed of text colors with a copy image of a document image that is a background image based on transparency, and further, a function (in this embodiment, the MaskBit function or the PlgBit function of the Windows API) also included in the library provided by the OS21 manufacturer is used to use a mask image corresponding to the position of the text, and to draw only the part of the text color composite image corresponding to the mask part of the mask image on the document image, thereby outputting output image data showing an output composite image in which text with specified transparency is combined with the document image. Therefore, compared to a case in which the program (scanner driver) itself performs processing to calculate the color after the combination for each pixel corresponding to the text portion, the effort of calculating the color after the combination is left to the OS21, and the processing of the program when outputting an image combined with text with specified transparency can be simplified.

[0075] It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the number of PCs and scanners constituting the scan system 100 is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0076] Also, for example, the scanner 3 may not include the ADF 31. In that case, the user needs to place documents one by one on the document table and give an instruction to execute scanning.

[0077] In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the order of execution of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0078] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various forms, such as a recording medium having a program for executing the processes recorded thereon, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1 PC 3. Scanner 4 Main setting screen 5 Digital Imprinter basic settings screen 53 Text input field 6 Digital Imprinter detailed settings screen 66 Text color selection field 67 Transparency setting field 11 CPU 12. Memory 13 User Interface 71 Images of the manuscript 72 Copy Image 73 Text color image 74 Text color composite image 75 Mask Images 76 Output composite image

Claims

1. A program executable by a computer of an information processing device and used to control a scanner, The computer includes: A document image acquisition process for acquiring document image data representing an image of a document read by the scanner; A text data acquisition process for acquiring text data associated with transparency and color information; a copy image generation process for generating copy image data representing a copy image which is a copy of a portion of the image of the document shown in the document image data acquired in the document image acquisition process, the copy image including at least an area in which text is drawn; a specific color image generation process for generating specific color image data indicating a specific color image having the same size as the copy image shown in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process and configured with colors corresponding to the color information associated with the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process; and a composite image generation process that uses a function provided by an operating system of the information processing device to generate composite image data indicating a composite image obtained by combining the copy image indicated in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process with the specific color image indicated in the specific color image data generated in the specific color image generation process based on the transparency associated with the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process; a mask image generation process for generating mask image data showing a mask image having the same size as the copy image shown in the copy image data generated in the copy image generation process, the mask image being a black solid image on which text shown in the text data acquired in the text data acquisition process is drawn in white; an output image generation process that uses a function provided by an operating system of the information processing device to generate output image data indicating an output image in which a portion of the composite image indicated in the composite image data generated in the composite image generation process, which corresponds to a white portion of the mask image indicated in the mask image data generated in the mask image generation process, is drawn on the image of the document indicated in the document image data acquired in the document image acquisition process; A program characterized by executing the above.

2. The program according to claim 1, In the copy image generation process, extracting a text area, which is an area where text is drawn, from the image of the document shown in the document image data acquired in the document image acquisition process, and generating the copy image data indicating the copy image, which is a copy of the extracted area; A program characterized by:

3. The program according to claim 1, In the copy image generation process, generating copy image data indicating a copy image which is a copy of the entire image of the original indicated in the original image data acquired in the original image acquisition process; A program characterized by:

4. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The mask image shown in the mask image data generated in the mask image generation process is a binary image. A program characterized by:

5. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The computer includes: executing a reception process for receiving the transparency and the color information using a user interface of the information processing device; In the text data acquisition process, acquiring the text data associated with the transparency and the color information received in the reception process; A program characterized by:

Images