Printing system, image forming apparatus, image processing apparatus, comparison method

Abstract

To provide a printing system that can check if all pages are printed simply with a small processing load.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a printing system having: a data input unit that acquires print data including a plurality of pages; a data for comparison acquisition unit that extracts data for comparison from the print data for every page of the print data; an image acquisition unit that acquires, from read image data obtained by reading a printed material on which the print data is printed, image data of a position corresponding to the data for comparison for every page of the printed material; and an output unit that outputs comparison results of comparison between the data for comparison and the image data of a position corresponding to the data for comparison for the respective pages.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system, an image forming apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and a comparison method.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in contract operations in the financial sector such as insurance and banking, various types of data necessary for the contract are generated, and they are mixed and stored in a server, a storage medium, etc. This data is scan data such as forms and text data such as spreadsheets, etc., but for contracts, these sets of documents are printed and stored.

[0003] In the case of important documents, it is required to check whether all pages of the set of documents have been printed. This is because page omission may occur due to paper jams, double feeding, no paper, interrupt printing, or print cancellation, etc.

[0004] A system for checking that necessary documents have been printed has been devised (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a form printing system that adds a two-dimensional code for identifying each page, prints, reads the printed matter, analyzes the two-dimensional code to determine the presence or absence of missing pages, and automatically reprints the page if there is a missing page.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional technology has a problem that information not present in the original data is printed on the printed matter. Furthermore, the conventional technology cannot be used for printing systems that cannot add two-dimensional codes, or for photos, images, etc.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system that can easily and with a small processing load check whether all pages have been printed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a data input unit that acquires print data including multiple pages; a comparison data acquisition unit that extracts comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data; an image acquisition unit that acquires image data at a position corresponding to the comparison data for each page of a printed document from read image data obtained by reading a printed document on which the print data has been printed; and an output unit that outputs a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data with the image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data for each page. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the position information on the page of the comparison data; the image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material based on the position information for each page of the printed material; the comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the position information based on the preset acquisition position information for a specific page of the printed data; and for pages of the printed data after the specific page, it retrieves the characters or images as comparison data, excluding those that match the comparison data of the processed page, which are determined based on the preset acquisition position information. The present invention provides a printing system characterized by the following features. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] We can provide a printing system that allows you to easily and with minimal processing load verify whether all pages have been printed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating comparative technologies. [Figure 2] This is a diagram explaining the comparison method. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing system configuration. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the DFE hardware configuration. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] This is an example of a functional block diagram that explains the functions of a printing system by dividing them into blocks. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the overall process of determining whether pages are missing from printed forms using comparison data. [Figure 9] This sequence diagram shows the process of determining whether a printed form has missing pages using comparison data. [Figure 10]This is a flowchart diagram for explaining an example method of extracting different characters or images from a processed page as comparison data. [Figure 11] This is a diagram schematically explaining a method of obtaining comparison data based on a processed page. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart diagram for explaining a method of extracting different characters or images from a processed page as comparison data. [Figure 13] This is a diagram schematically explaining a method of obtaining comparison data based on processed comparison data. [Figure 14] This is an example of a flowchart diagram showing the procedure for a comparison unit to compare image data of a printed matter with comparison data. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen displayed on the display / operation unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing an example of a warning screen displayed on the display / operation unit of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing an example of a print job management screen displayed on the console of a management server or a client PC. [Figure 18] This is a diagram showing an example of a form.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, as an example of embodiments for carrying out the present invention, a printing system and a comparison method performed by the printing system will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Explanation of the Compared Technology> First, referring to FIG. 1, the technology compared with the present embodiment will be described. As methods for confirming that each page of a document has been printed, there are the following two methods. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the comparison technology.

[0012] 1. The printing system adds a serial number (page number) 9, a two-dimensional code (or barcode) 8, etc. to the original printing data (Fig. 1(a)) and then prints it (Fig. 1(b)). The printing system reads the serial number and two-dimensional code of the printed matter to determine whether all pages have been printed (Fig. 1(c)).

[0013] 2. The printing system images the original printing data for printing, and comprehensively compares the image data generated by reading this printed matter with the imaged printing data.

[0014] However, in the method of 1, the printing system needs to change the printing format such as a form in advance to add a serial number and a two-dimensional code, and the serial number and two-dimensional code will be printed on the printed matter. Also, in the method of 2, if the printing data is image data such as PDF or Tiff, imaging is easy, but when the printing data is in the PDL (Page Description Language) format such as PS (PostScript (registered trademark)) or ESC / P, it is necessary to generate image data from the printing data. Also, a large amount of data is required for comprehensive comparison, and it is necessary to prepare a high-speed information processing device.

[0015] <Outline of the comparison method of the present embodiment> Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following comparison method is adopted.

[0016] The printing system records, as comparison data together with position information, the different parts (characters, images) of each page of the printing pages to be printed from the processed pages. Then, the printing system compares the image data obtained by reading the printed matter (it may be OCR (Optical Character Recognition / Reader) if it is characters) with the comparison data to determine whether each page has been printed. The processed page refers to a page for which comparison processing or creation of comparison data has been completed with respect to the printing data or the image data obtained by performing image formation processing on the printing data.

[0017] Figure 2 illustrates the comparison method in this embodiment. Figure 2(a) shows the print data 51, comparison data 52, and image data 53 of the printed document for the first page. Figure 2(b) shows the print data 54, comparison data 55, and image data 56 of the printed document for the second page. Figure 2(c) shows the print data 57, comparison data 58, and image data 59 of the printed document for the third page.

[0018] (i) First, the printing system generates comparison data 52 for the first page. Comparison data 52 for the first page is text or images (including graphics) acquired from the first page print data 51 according to pre-set and stored acquisition position information, and position information that identifies the location of the acquired information. Acquisition position information is information about the location on the page of the received print data where text or images are acquired. Acquisition position information may include not only position information within the page (start coordinates and end coordinates in the case of a rectangle), but also the number of characters or the size of the image range within the page. Acquisition position information may be set in advance. Therefore, acquisition position information can be said to be setting information or reference information in which the position, number of characters, or range that serves as the basis for acquiring text or images within the page is set. Acquisition position information may be set by displaying a setting screen on the operation screen of the device or on a web browser of a PC connected to the device or network and inputting the position, number of characters, and range. The setting screen may also refer to the data included in the print data to be acquired for comparison data if the print data is in a language such as PDL, and display a screen that shows the position and number of characters to be set, or the characters included in PDL and allows the user to select. Furthermore, if the print data is image data such as PDF or JPEG, an input screen for drag-and-drop to specify the position and range may be displayed, and the settings screen may be automatically switched according to the file format. In addition, the acquired position information may be determined randomly using random numbers or other methods.

[0019] In Figure 2(a), the first four characters of "ABCD 1234", "ABCD", are the comparison data 52.

[0020] (ii) The comparison data for the second page and subsequent pages consists of characters or images that are different from those on the processed pages in the print data. The acquisition location information may be prepared for each page or may differ for each page (characters or images that are different from those on the processed pages are identified based on the acquisition location information). The number of characters or the size of the image range may be set in advance or may be determined randomly using random numbers, etc. The comparison data for the second page and subsequent pages is also saved along with the location information. Note that the comparison data for the second page and subsequent pages may consist of characters or images that are different from the comparison data already acquired. In other words, in the print data, the comparison data for the next page consists of characters or images that are different from the comparison data already acquired up to the previous page. Since the comparison target becomes the comparison data, the comparison load may be reduced.

[0021] In Figure 2(b), "ABCD" in "ABCD 5678" matches the one on the previous page. "5678" does not match the print data from the previous page, therefore "5678" is comparison data 55.

[0022] (iii) The same applies to page 3. In Figure 2(c), "EF" in "EFCD" does not match pages 1 and 2. "90" in "1290" does not match pages 1 and 2. Therefore, "EF" and "90" are the comparison data 58.

[0023] This method allows for the extraction of different comparison data for each page, enabling comparison of printed image data with printed data to verify that each page of the printed data is printed with minimal data. Since it's not necessary to compare the entire page of the printed data with the printed data, there's no risk of misinterpretation due to the presence or absence of dust or smudges. For forms and documents where the quality of printing—whether the printed material matches the printed data—is not critical, this method can accurately detect page discrepancies such as missing or mixed pages.

[0024] <About Terminology> Print data is data for printing written in a language that image forming apparatuses can interpret, such as PDL, but it can also be a file such as a PDF created by an application.

[0025] The comparison data consists of text or images from parts of each page that are not present on other pages. The comparison data does not need to be entirely present on other pages, but it should be data where the frequency of overlap is small enough to guarantee that no pages are missing.

[0026] The comparison results may include both matches and mismatches associated with the pages, or only mismatched pages or only matching pages may be saved as results.

[0027] <Example of a printing system configuration> First, an example of the system configuration of the printing system 100 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the printing system 100. As shown in Figure 3, the printing system 100 includes a client PC 101 (Personal Computer) 101, a DFE 102 (Digital Front End) 102, an image forming apparatus 103, and a management server 104. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another via the Internet or the like.

[0028] The client PC 101 creates a print job that the user wants to print and sends the print job to the DFE 102 or the management server 104. The client PC 101 is equipped with a display unit, which is an LCD display, and input devices such as a mouse and keyboard.

[0029] The DFE102 receives print jobs from the client PC101 or the management server104, and based on the received print jobs, creates image data (also called drawing data) using the RIP (Raster Image Processor) engine and transmits the image data to the image forming apparatus 103. Here, the DFE102 is an example of an image processing apparatus.

[0030] The image forming apparatus 103 forms an image on a recording medium based on the image data received from the DFE 102.

[0031] The management server 104 manages the print jobs received from the client PC 101. Also, the management server 104 transmits the print jobs to the DFE 102 upon request from the DFE 102.

[0032] Note that the printing system 100 may be communicably connected with a plurality of image forming apparatuses 103 and a plurality of client PCs 101.

[0033] <Example of the hardware configuration of the DFE> Next, referring to FIG. 4, the hardware configuration of the DFE 102 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the DFE 102. The DFE 102 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, a HDD (Hard Disk) / SSD (Solid State Drive) 204, and an I / F (Interface) 205.

[0034] Among these, the CPU 201 uses the RAM 203 as a work area and controls the overall operation of the DFE 102 by executing the programs stored in the ROM 202.

[0035] The HDD / SDD 204 is used as a storage unit and stores preset setting values. The information stored in the HDD / SSD 204 may be used by the CPU 201 when reading and executing programs.

[0036] The I / F 205 is an interface that enables communication between the DFE 102 and the client PC 101, the image forming apparatus 103, and the management server 104.

[0037] <Example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus> Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 103 will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 103. The image forming apparatus 103 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, an HDD / SSD 304, an I / F 305, an image forming unit 306, a reading unit 307, and an operation panel 308.

[0038] Of these, the CPU 301 uses the RAM 303 as a workspace and controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 103 by executing the program stored in the ROM 302.

[0039] The HDD / SSD304 is used as a storage unit and stores pre-configured settings. The information stored in the HDD / SSD304 may also be used by the CPU301 when executing a read program.

[0040] I / F305 is an interface that enables communication between the image forming apparatus 103, DEF102, client PC 101, and management server 104.

[0041] The image forming unit 306 is a printing engine that forms an image on the printing paper. The reading unit 307 is a reading device that reads the image formed on the printing paper. The operation panel 308 serves as both a display for showing the operation menu and status of the image forming apparatus and a touch panel for receiving operations.

[0042] <Example of image forming apparatus configuration> Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 103 will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 103. As shown in Figure 6, the image forming apparatus 103 includes a tandem electrophotographic photoreceptor drum 403K, 403C, 403M, 403Y, an intermediate transfer belt 402, a secondary transfer roller 404, a paper feeding section 400, a transport roller pair 401, a fixing roller 405, inline sensors 406a and 406b, an inversion path 407, and a transport path 408. The image forming apparatus 103 also includes a control unit 200.

[0043] The image forming unit 306 in Figure 5 includes photoreceptor drums 403K, 403C, 403M, and 403Y, an intermediate transfer belt 402, a secondary transfer roller 404, and a fixing roller 405. The reading unit 307 in Figure 5 also includes inline sensors 406a and 406b.

[0044] The image forming apparatus 103 is a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus 103, in which photoreceptor drums 403Y, 403M, 403C, and 403K (hereinafter collectively referred to as photoreceptor drums 403) of each color are arranged along an intermediate transfer belt 402, which is an endless moving means. Along the intermediate transfer belt 402, in which an intermediate transfer image for transfer to printing paper fed from the paper feeding unit 400 and transported by the transport roller pair 401 is formed, the photoreceptor drums 403Y, 403M, 403C, and 403K are arranged in order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the intermediate transfer belt 402.

[0045] The image forming apparatus 103 forms a full-color image by transferring the images of each color, which have been developed with toner on the surface of each color photosensitive drum 403, onto the intermediate transfer belt 402.

[0046] The image forming apparatus 103, at the position closest to the paper transport path 408 (shown by a dashed line in the figure), transfers the full-color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 402 onto the surface of the paper that has been transported along the transport path 408, using the function of the secondary transfer roller 404.

[0047] The image forming apparatus 103 further transports the printed paper on which an image has been formed, and fixes (forms) the image using the fixing roller 405. The fixing roller 405 fixes the full-color toner image to the printed paper by heating and pressurizing the printed paper on which the full-color toner image has been transferred. The fixing roller 405 can heat the printed paper by generating heat with a built-in heater such as a halogen heater.

[0048] When performing double-sided printing, the image forming apparatus 103 first forms an image on the surface, then transports the printing paper to the reversal path 407 in the transport path 408, reverses the front and back sides, and then transports it again to the position of the secondary transfer roller 404.

[0049] The paper feed unit 400 stores multiple stacks of printing paper. The paper feed unit 400 picks up the stacked printing paper from the top using a pickup roller and supplies it to the transport roller pair 401 using a pair of rollers called paper feed rollers.

[0050] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 103 is equipped with inline sensors 406a and 406b downstream of the fixing roller 405 in the direction of transporting the printing paper. These sensors read both sides of the printing paper using the fixing roller 405 and obtain read image data of the image fixed on the printing paper. Note that two inline sensors (406a and 406b) are not necessarily required; inline sensor 406a alone may suffice. When only sensor 406a is present, the image forming apparatus 103 reads the image using inline sensor 406a when the image is formed on the front surface, and then performs image formation on the back surface.

[0051] Furthermore, a scanner device 410 is positioned on the top surface of the image forming apparatus 103. The image forming apparatus 103 has an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 411 which also serves as a cover for the scanner device 410. The ADF 411 has a tray that can hold multiple printed materials P and is a device that sends one page at a time to the scanner device 410, allowing all pages to be scanned sequentially. The image forming apparatus 103 can scan printed materials using inline sensors 406a, 406b or the scanner device 411.

[0052] Note that the image forming apparatus having the scanner device 411 may be different from the image forming apparatus 103 that prints printed materials.

[0053] <About the features> Figure 7 is an example of a functional block diagram that explains the functions of the printing system 100 by dividing them into blocks. In Figure 7, the DFE 102 and the image forming apparatus 103 have the functions described below, but the management server 104 may have the functions of the DFE 102 instead of the DFE 102. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 103 may have all the functions. Figure 7 merely shows the functions of the entire printing system conveniently divided between the DFE 102 and the image forming apparatus 103, and functions that do not require specific hardware, such as the printing unit 22 and the image generation unit 23, may be possessed by any of the devices in the printing system 100.

[0054] < <dfe>> The DFE102 includes a communication unit 11, a data input unit 12, a data expansion unit 13, a comparison data acquisition unit 14, an image acquisition unit 15, a comparison unit 16, an output unit 17, and a comparison data storage unit 19. These functions of the DFE102 are realized by the CPU 201 shown in Figure 4 executing a program expanded from the HDD / SSD 204 into the RAM 203.

[0055] The communication unit 11 receives print data from the client PC 101 and transmits image data, which is ripped from the print data, to the image forming apparatus 103. The communication unit 11 also receives image data generated from the image forming apparatus 103 after the printed material has been read. In this embodiment, known functions of the DFE 102 are omitted.

[0056] Print data may be sent in file format such as PDF or TIFF, or it may be converted to PDL on client PC 101 before being sent.

[0057] The data input unit 12 receives print data input via the communication unit 11. The data expansion unit 13 converts the print data in file format into a PDL file, similar to a printer driver. In the PDL file, the position, size, color, font, etc., of each character are specified, as is the position of any images.

[0058] This allows the comparison data acquisition unit 14 to acquire comparison data from the print data. The comparison data acquisition unit 14 acquires characters or images not included in the processed pages (if processing starts from page 1 and N pages are processed, this refers to pages 1 to N-1) along with their location information. Alternatively, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 acquires characters or images not included in the comparison data of the processed pages along with their location information. Further details will be described later.

[0059] If the comparison data is in text format, there are two possible formats for the comparison data: • Character data (character code) Image data

[0060] If the comparison data is text data, OCR processing is required for the image data of the printed material transmitted from the image forming apparatus 103. If the comparison data is image data, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 needs to convert the text data into image data.

[0061] The image acquisition unit 15 extracts read image data from the image data of the printed material transmitted from the image forming apparatus 103 based on the position information of the comparison data. The comparison unit 16 compares the read image data with the comparison data and sends the comparison result to the management server 104. If there are pages where the read image data and the comparison data do not match, the comparison unit 16 determines that there are missing pages. The management server 104 manages the execution status of print jobs along with the management number and the file name of the file to be printed, and records the missing pages in association with the print job.

[0062] The output unit 17 outputs the comparison results to the console of the DFE 102 or a client PC 101, etc. The output unit 17 may also function as a web server. Alternatively, the output unit 17 can send the comparison results to the image forming apparatus 103, which can then display them.

[0063] [Table 1] Table 1 shows an example of comparison data. The comparison data storage unit 19 stores character data or image data, which constitutes the comparison data, for each page, associated with location information. If the comparison data is character data, it may be stored as character code or as image data. Details of the method for creating the comparison data are explained in Figure 11, etc. Also, in Table 1, one location information is associated with multiple consecutive characters, but location information may be associated with each individual character.

[0064] [Table 2] Table 2 shows print data when the print data (PDL) is in PostScript format. In PostScript, print data is created using a set of coordinates and characters. The PDL data items in Table 2 contain character information and positional information for strings of one or more characters. The PDL character information items in Table 2 are character information for strings of one or more characters obtained from the PDL data, and the PDL positional information items are positional information for strings obtained from the PDL data. For example, the PDL positional information indicates the position (e.g., coordinates) for printing the corresponding PDL character information. The character information and positional information in Table 2 are generated before the creation of comparison data.

[0065] <<Image forming apparatus>> The image forming apparatus 103 includes a communication unit 21, a printing unit 22, an image generation unit 23, and a display / operation unit 24. These functions of the image forming apparatus 103 are realized by the CPU 301 shown in Figure 5 executing a program loaded from the HDD / SSD 304 into the RAM 303, or by the program controlling the hardware shown in Figure 6.

[0066] The communication unit 21 receives the ripped image data from the DFE 102. It also transmits the image data of the printed material generated by the image generation unit 23 to the DFE 102. If the image forming apparatus 103 also has a comparison data storage unit 19 or shares comparison data, the communication unit 21 can transmit only the read image data acquired from the image data of the printed material to the DFE 102 based on the position information of the comparison data.

[0067] The image generation unit 23 scans printed materials and generates image data of those materials. The display and operation unit 24 is implemented by an operation panel 308 having a touch panel and hard keys, and displays information and accepts user operations.

[0068] <Overall processing flow> Figure 8 illustrates the overall process for determining whether pages are missing from a printed form using comparison data.

[0069] S1: The user operates client PC 101 to select the documents (electronic data) they want to print, such as contract documents, and executes the print command. Client PC 101 sends the print data to DFE 102, either as the document file or converted to PDL.

[0070] S2: The comparison data acquisition unit 14 of DFE102 creates comparison data for each page and stores it in the comparison data storage unit 19.

[0071] S3: When the saving of comparison data is complete, or while generating comparison data, DFE102 transmits the ripped image data to the image forming apparatus 103. The image forming apparatus 103 prints the image data. DFE102 may transmit the ripped image data to the image forming apparatus 103 even if the saving of comparison data has not been completed for all pages. In other words, if the saving of comparison data is one or more pages ahead of printing, real-time comparison of the read image data and comparison data is possible.

[0072] S4: The image generation unit 23 of the image forming apparatus 103 reads (scans) the printed material in parallel with printing and generates image data. Alternatively, the image generation unit 23 of the image forming apparatus 103 generates image data of the printed material after printing of all pages (or more than a certain number of pages) is completed and the user has the scanner device 410 scan the printed material.

[0073] S5: DFE102 acquires image data of the printed material, and the image acquisition unit 15 acquires read image data from the image data by referring to the position information of the comparison data for the corresponding page. The comparison unit 16 compares the comparison data and the read image data.

[0074] S6: The comparison unit 16 saves the comparison results for each page (sends them to the management server). Users can view and see the comparison results, for example, on the console of client PC 101, DFE 102, or on the operation panel 308.

[0075] <Processing or Operation Procedure> Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing the process by which the printing system 100 determines, using comparison data, whether or not pages are missing from a printed form.

[0076] S11: First, the client PC 101 sends print data to the DFE 102 in response to user input.

[0077] S12: The communication unit 11 of DFE102 receives the print data, and the data input unit 12 accepts the input of the print data. The comparison data acquisition unit 14 acquires comparison data from the print data. This will be explained in detail using Figures 10 to 12. Before acquiring the comparison data, the data expansion unit 13 expands the print data into PDL as needed.

[0078] S13: The communication unit 11 of DFE102 transmits the image data obtained by ripping the print data to the image forming apparatus 103.

[0079] S14: The communication unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 103 receives image data, and the printing unit 22 performs printing in page order.

[0080] S15: In the sequence diagram of Figure 9, assuming that the image generation unit 23 is located inside the image forming apparatus 103, the image generation unit 23 reads the printed material in parallel with printing and generates image data.

[0081] S16: The communication unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 103 transmits the image data to the DFE 102 immediately after reading it (in real time). The image forming apparatus 103 may attach a page number, or the DFE 102 may assign the number.

[0082] S17: The communication unit 11 of DFE102 receives image data, and the comparison unit 16 begins comparing it with the comparison data. The details of this process are explained in Figure 14.

[0083] S18: The comparison unit 16 saves the comparison results for each page (sends them to the management server).

[0084] S19: If the comparison results are inconsistent, the communication unit 11 sends a print interruption message to the image forming apparatus 103. As a result, the image forming apparatus 103 displays a warning screen 500, as shown in Figure 15.

[0085] <Extracting data for comparison> Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for extracting characters or images that differ from the processed page as comparison data. The comparison data acquisition unit 14 determines whether or not it is the first page of the print data based on the page boundaries of the print data (S101).

[0086] Since there are no processed pages in the print data for the first page, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 creates and stores a certain number of characters or an unintentionally determined number of characters or images as comparison data from a predetermined position (or an unintentionally determined position) based on the acquired position information (S106). Whether to use characters or images as comparison data may be set in advance or may be determined unintentionally.

[0087] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the method for acquiring comparison data. Figure 11 uses Table 1 as an example. Figure 11(a) shows the method for acquiring comparison data on the first page. When four characters are used as comparison data, "ABC" and "X" are acquired sequentially by referring to the printed data on the first page based on the acquisition position information 61, and "ABC" and "X" become the comparison data along with their position information. The position information is the vertices of the bounding rectangle of "ABC" and "X", with P1:(xs1,ys1)(xe1,ye1) and (xs2,ys2)(xe2,ye2).

[0088] These four characters are just an example; the amount of data used to detect differences between pages can be set by the user. An upper limit is set on the amount of data (number of characters), preventing the entire page from being compared.

[0089] Let's return to Figure 10 for explanation. For print data from the second page onwards, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 extracts one character or one image from a predetermined position (or a position determined unintentionally) based on the acquisition position information 61 (which is the same as the first page in Figure 10, but may differ from page to page) (S102). After the first character is determined, characters may be acquired one by one in order. Whether to use characters or graphics as comparison data may be set in advance or determined unintentionally. Also, characters and graphics may be acquired alternately within a page.

[0090] Next, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 determines whether the same character or image exists at the same position on the processed page (S103).

[0091] If the decision in step S103 is Yes, the process returns to step S102, and the next character or shape is obtained. This process will be explained with reference to Figure 11(b).

[0092] Figure 11(b) shows how to obtain the comparison data for page 2. When four characters are used as comparison data, "A" is identified sequentially based on the acquisition position information 61, and "A" exists at the same position on the processed page (page 1). The same is true for "B". "D" does not exist at the same position on the processed page. Therefore, "D" becomes the comparison data. Next, "P", "Q", and "R" also do not exist at the same positions on the processed page. Therefore, "D", "P", "Q", and "R" become the comparison data along with their position information. The position information is the vertices of the bounding rectangle of "D" and "PQR", with P2: (xs3,ys3)(xe3,ye3) and (xs4,ys4)(xe4,ye4).

[0093] Figure 11(c) shows how to obtain comparison data for page 3. When four characters are used as comparison data, "A" is identified sequentially based on the acquired position information 61, and "A" exists in the same position on the processed pages (pages 1 and 2). "E" does not exist in the same position on the processed pages. Therefore, "E" becomes the comparison data. "D" exists in the same position on the processed page (page 2). Next, "S", "T", and "U" also do not exist in the same positions on the processed pages. Therefore, "E", "S", "T", and "U" become the comparison data along with their position information. The position information is the vertices of the bounding rectangle of "E" and "STU", P3:(xs5,ys5)(xe5,ye5) and (xs6,ys6)(xe6,ye6). The position information for page 1 is the same as the position information pre-set in the acquired position information. On the other hand, the location information created for the second and third pages indicates the location of characters and images that were not present on the processed pages, within the area of ​​the location information set in the acquired location information (or the location information created on the first page). Therefore, the location information (area information, start and end coordinates in images) changes from page to page, reducing the load on the comparison process.

[0094] [Table 3] Table 3 describes the comparison data created from the print data in Table 2. The PDL character information and PDL position information in Table 3 are the same as in Table 2. The comparison character information is the string obtained because it has not appeared on previous pages on each page. The comparison position information is the position information of the comparison character information.

[0095] The comparison data acquisition unit 14 creates (converts) comparison data from character information and position information obtained from PostScript (PDL) data, selecting characters that are different from those on the processed page. If the comparison data consists of 4 characters, the first page compares the data A, B, C, and X with the comparison data on the first page. The second page uses the data D, P, Q, and R, which are not included in the processed page, as the comparison data for the second page. The third page uses the data E, S, T, and U, which are not included in the processed page, as the comparison data for the third page. In other words, for each page, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 acquires character information and position information of a fixed number of characters that have not been acquired as comparison data up to the previous page, starting from the beginning of the page, as comparison data.

[0096] The acquired position information may also be a fixed range (position). The comparison data acquisition unit 14 extracts characters or images at fixed positions from the print data and associates them with the position information to create comparison data.

[0097] Furthermore, if the page is a blank page with no text or images, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 records the comparison data as a blank page.

[0098] In Figure 11, text is acquired as comparison data, but the same applies to images. In print data, images such as JPEG and GIF are specified in their print positions, so the comparison data acquisition unit 14 identifies the images in the order they appear on the page and determines whether the same image exists in the same position on previous pages. When comparing images, the colors of pixels at the same position are compared.

[0099] Let's return to Figure 10 for explanation. The comparison data acquisition unit 14 stores location information and text or images in the comparison data storage unit 19 (S104). When saving, there are two methods: converting text into image data, or saving it as character code.

[0100] The comparison data acquisition unit 14 determines whether a fixed number of characters or image comparison data have been saved (S105). For images, since the possibility of the same image being printed on multiple pages is less than for characters, a smaller number of comparison data may be saved than in the case of characters.

[0101] If the decision in step S105 is No, the process returns to step S102.

[0102] In this manner, non-duplicate comparison data is stored in the comparison data storage unit 19 for each page.

[0103] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 may also extract characters or images that are different from the comparison data of the processed page as comparison data. Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for extracting characters or images that are different from the comparison data of the processed page as comparison data. Note that the explanation of Figure 12 mainly focuses on the differences from Figure 10.

[0104] The process in Figure 12 differs from that in step S103 of Figure 10 in step S203. Specifically, in step S203, the comparison data acquisition unit 14 determines whether the same character or image is registered in the same position in the comparison data of the processed page (S203).

[0105] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the method for obtaining comparison data. Figure 13(a), which explains the comparison data on the first page, is the same as Figure 11(a).

[0106] Figure 13(b) shows how to obtain the comparison data for page 2. When four characters are used as comparison data, "A" is identified sequentially based on the acquisition position information 61, but "A" exists at the same position in the comparison data of the processed page (page 1). The same is true for "B". "D" does not exist at the same position in the comparison data of the processed page. Therefore, "D" becomes the comparison data. Next, "P", "Q", and "R" also do not exist at the same positions in the comparison data of the processed page. Therefore, "D", "P", "Q", and "R" become the comparison data along with their position information. The position information is the vertices of the bounding rectangle of "D" and "PQR", which are P2: (xs3,ys3)(xe3,ye3) and (xs4,ys4)(xe4,ye4).

[0107] Figure 13(c) shows how to obtain the comparison data for page 3. When four characters are used as comparison data, "A" is identified sequentially based on the acquisition position information 61, but "A" exists at the same position in the comparison data of the processed page (page 1). "E" does not exist at the same position in the comparison data of the processed page. Therefore, "E" becomes the comparison data. "D" exists at the same position in the comparison data of the processed page (page 2). Next, "S", "T", and "U" also do not exist at the same positions in the comparison data of the processed page. Therefore, "E", "S", "T", and "U" become the comparison data along with their position information. The position information is the vertices of the bounding rectangle of "E" and "STU", P3:(xs5,ys5)(xe5,ye5) and (xs6,ys6)(xe6,ye6).

[0108] This method of comparing page content with comparison data to extract the comparison data has the advantage of being less computationally intensive than comparing page content directly. In other words, when the print data has thousands or tens of thousands of pages, comparing with comparison data requires fewer comparison targets.

[0109] Note that while the comparison data is the same in Figures 11 and 13, the comparison data may differ depending on whether you are comparing the processed page or the processed comparison data.

[0110] <Comparison of image data and comparison data for printed materials> Figure 14 is an example of a flowchart showing the procedure by which the comparison unit 16 compares the image data of the printed material with comparison data. Note that the comparison may be performed in parallel with printing or after printing.

[0111] DFE102 receives image data of the printed document (S301).

[0112] The image acquisition unit 15 extracts read image data from the image data based on the page number attached to the image data of the printed document (or by counting the page numbers) and the position information of the comparison data for the corresponding page (S302).

[0113] If the comparison data is in the form of character codes, the comparison unit 16 performs OCR processing on the read image data to convert it into character codes (S303).

[0114] Next, the comparison unit 16 compares the read image data with the comparison data (S304). If they match (Yes in S305), the process proceeds to step S307. Note that the comparison of image data is performed on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and if the pixels match at a certain ratio or higher, they can be considered to match (a perfect match is not required).

[0115] If they do not match (No. in S305), the output unit 17 outputs a warning (S306). If the comparison process is being performed by DFE 102, the output unit 17 may send the comparison result to the operation panel 308 of the image forming apparatus 103, or display it on the console of the management server 104. The output unit 17 may also display it on the console of DFE 102. Note that if the image forming apparatus 103 is performing the comparison, the image forming apparatus 103 can spontaneously display a warning even without instructions from DFE 102.

[0116] Furthermore, if printing and comparison are being performed in parallel, the communication unit 11 requests the image forming apparatus 103 to interrupt printing.

[0117] The comparison unit 16 continues the comparison process if there is a next page (S307). Even if printing is interrupted, the comparison itself is still possible. However, if a page is missing, the comparison process may be interrupted because there is a high probability that the comparison data and read image data will not match on pages after the page where the comparison data and read image data do not match.

[0118] Furthermore, when reading printed materials, the orientation of the printed material may change depending on the direction in which it is set in the ADF411, and it is possible that the orientation of the printed material may be rotated by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. The image acquisition unit 15 should rotate the image data of the printed material and acquire the read image data from each rotation angle.

[0119] <<Supplementary information in case of discrepancies in comparison results>> If printing and comparison are being performed in parallel, the comparison unit 16 stops printing by the image forming apparatus 103. The output unit 17 displays and prints the page numbers that did not match and waits for user confirmation.

[0120] Alternatively, there may be a setting that allows the user to handle page discrepancies after printing. If this setting is enabled, the image forming apparatus 103 will print all pages even if there are page discrepancies. After printing, the image forming apparatus 103 will display and print the corresponding page numbers of the discrepancies. This printing may be performed by another image forming apparatus 103.

[0121] Figure 15 shows an example of a warning screen 500 displayed by the display / operation unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 103. Figure 15 shows an example of a warning screen 500 when printing and comparison are performed in parallel. The image forming apparatus 103 that displays the warning screen 500 may be different from the image forming apparatus 103 that performs printing. Message 501, which reads "Printing," indicates that the document is currently being printed. • Page number 502 indicates the page number that was printed and completed relative to the total number of pages, or the page number where the comparison result did not match. The "Page Mismatch" 503 message indicates that the comparison results were inconsistent. The Cancel button 504 is a button that accepts the cancellation of printing. In other words, since printing is currently interrupted, the user can cancel printing at the moment a mismatch occurs. • The Continue button 505 accepts the request to continue printing. In other words, since printing is currently interrupted, the user can continue printing even though a discrepancy has occurred. The page selection print button 506 displays a separate dialog box that accepts the page number or page range to be printed. In other words, since printing is currently interrupted, the user can reprint the page (and subsequent pages) where the mismatch occurred. This image forming apparatus 103 may be a different printer.

[0122] The output unit 17 may also display the mismatched comparison data and read image data on the warning screen 500. Furthermore, the output unit 17 may display page discrepancies indicating whether the difference was in text or images.

[0123] <<Supplementary information regarding comparisons made after printing is complete>> If a reading mechanism is not installed in the printer's paper feed path and the document is read by the scanner device 410, the user must specify the document name before the DFE 102 begins comparing the comparison data with the read image data. This is because the DFE 102 does not know which document's printout will be read. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 103 may read the first page and identify a matching document from the comparison data. If a document cannot be identified on the first page, the process of selecting a matching document from the comparison data is performed for subsequent pages as well.

[0124] If the comparison results are inconsistent, the comparison unit 16 stops reading. The output unit 17 displays or prints the page discrepancies and the corresponding page numbers, and waits for user confirmation. Alternatively, in the case of a reading mechanism that cannot stop reading, all pages are read even if a discrepancy is detected, and the page discrepancies and corresponding page numbers are displayed or printed. The printing of page discrepancies and corresponding page numbers may be done after all pages have been compared.

[0125] Figure 16 shows an example of a warning screen 510 displayed by the display and operation unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 103. Figure 16 shows an example of a warning screen 510 when a comparison is performed after printing is complete. The message 511, "Checking page discrepancies," indicates that a comparison is currently underway. • The "page number" 512 indicates the page number being compared, or the page number where the comparison result did not match, relative to the total number of pages. The message "Page discrepancy" (513) indicates that the comparison results were inconsistent. • The Cancel button 514 is a button that accepts the cancellation of the comparison. • Button 515 is the button that accepts the continuation of the comparison.

[0126] The output unit 17 may also display the mismatched comparison data and read image data on the warning screen 510.

[0127] <Management in print jobs> The management server 104 manages the execution status of print jobs. The execution status also includes the comparison result between comparison data and scanned image data. The console of the management server 104 and the client PC 101 can display the execution status of print jobs.

[0128] Figure 17 shows an example of a print job management screen 520 displayed on the console of the management server 104 or on a client PC 101. The print job management screen 520 includes the following items: print job management number 521, document name 522, image forming apparatus 523, status 524, and page number 525. The print job management number 521 is identification information that identifies the print job. • The document name 522 is the name of the printed document. The document name may also be called the file name. • Image forming apparatus 523 is the name and identification information of the image forming apparatus 103 to which the print job has been assigned. Status 524 indicates the status of the print job, which can be: print complete, printing in progress, page errors occurring, print pending, etc. • The page count of 525 represents the total number of pages in the print job.

[0129] Print jobs with a page mismatch status are highlighted with color, and when the user clicks on them, a sub-screen 530 is displayed. The sub-screen 530 displays the page number where the mismatch occurred 531, the details of the mismatch 532, a cancel button 533, a continue button 534, etc. Therefore, the user can cancel or continue printing from the print job management screen 520.

[0130] <Example of a form> Figure 18 shows an example of a form. Text is entered into the form using a PC or similar device. If the text is entered by hand, the comparison data can be provided as image data. Figure 18 shows the cover page of an example form, but in reality, many pages are attached, such as other pages of the form, trial balances, and image data. The page verification method of this embodiment can determine whether each of these pages has been printed.

[0131] <Main effects> According to this embodiment, since different comparison data can be extracted for each page, when comparing the image data of a printed document with the comparison data, it is possible to determine whether each page of the print data has been printed with a small amount of data comparison. Since it is not necessary to compare the entire page of the print data with that of the printed document, there is no risk of misjudging the discrepancy due to the presence or absence of dust or smudges. For printed documents and other forms where the quality of whether the printed document is printed exactly as shown in the print data is not a concern, page discrepancies such as missing pages or mixed pages can be detected with high accuracy.

[0132] <Other application examples> Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these examples, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0133] For example, although this embodiment describes an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, other types of image forming apparatuses, such as inkjet printers, may also be used for printing.

[0134] Furthermore, the ordinal numbers, quantities, and other figures used in the description of the embodiments are all illustrative to specifically illustrate the technology of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these illustrative figures. Also, the connection relationships between the components are illustrative to specifically illustrate the technology of the present invention, and the connection relationships that realize the functions of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0135] Furthermore, the division of blocks in the functional block diagram is just one example; multiple blocks may be implemented as a single block, one block may be divided into multiple parts, and / or some functions may be moved to other blocks. Also, the functions of multiple blocks with similar functions may be processed in parallel or time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0136] Furthermore, each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Hereinafter, "processing circuit" as used herein includes processors programmed to execute each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, as well as devices such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

[0137] <Additional Claims> [Claim 1] A data input unit that acquires print data containing multiple pages, A comparison data acquisition unit that extracts comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data, An image acquisition unit obtains image data from read image data obtained by reading the printed material on which the aforementioned print data has been printed, for each page of the printed material, at the position corresponding to the comparison data. An output unit that outputs a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data and the image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data for each page, A printing system characterized by having the following features. [Claim 2] The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information on the page of the comparison data. The printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at a position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material based on the position information for each page of the printed material. [Claim 3] The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the position information based on the pre-set acquisition position information for the first page of the print data. The printing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, for the second page and subsequent pages of the print data, characters or images determined based on pre-set acquired position information, which are different from characters or images on the processed pages, are extracted as comparison data. [Claim 4] The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the position information based on the pre-set acquisition position information for the first page of the print data. The printing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, for the second page and subsequent pages of the print data, characters or images determined based on pre-set acquired position information, which are different from the comparison data of the processed pages, are extracted as the comparison data. [Claim 5] The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, if the comparison data is a character code, it has a comparison unit that converts the read image data into a character code using OCR processing and then compares the read image data with the comparison data. [Claim 6] When the printing of the print data and the comparison of the comparison data and the read image data are performed in parallel, The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that if it is determined that the comparison data and the read image data do not match, the image forming apparatus interrupts printing. [Claim 7] The printing system according to claim 6, characterized in that, if it is determined that the comparison data and the read image data do not match, the output unit displays the page number that did not match, a button to cancel printing, a button to continue printing, and a button to specify a page to print. [Claim 8] The printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the print data includes character information and position information for each string of one or more characters, and the comparison data acquisition unit acquires the character information and position information for each page in association before acquiring the comparison data. [Claim 9] The comparison data acquisition unit acquires a predetermined number of characters from the character information acquired page by page in page order as the comparison data. The printing system according to claim 8, characterized in that it acquires, page by page, the character information and position information of a fixed number of characters that have not been acquired as comparison data up to the previous page, starting from the beginning of the page. [Claim 10] The printing system according to claim 9, characterized in that the position information acquired by the comparison data acquisition unit as comparison data changes from page to page. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 100 Printing Systems 101 Client PCs 102 DFE 103 Image forming apparatus [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0139] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-213006< / dfe>

Claims

1. A data input unit that acquires print data containing multiple pages, A comparison data acquisition unit that extracts comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data, An image acquisition unit obtains image data from read image data obtained by reading the printed material on which the aforementioned print data has been printed, for each page of the printed material, at the position corresponding to the comparison data. It has an output unit that outputs a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data and the image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data for each page, The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information on the page of the comparison data. The image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material, based on the position information for each page of the printed material. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information for a specific page of the print data, based on pre-set acquisition location information. A printing system characterized by extracting characters or images as comparison data from pages of the print data after the specific page, excluding characters or images determined based on pre-set acquired position information that match the comparison data of the processed page.

2. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the position information for the specific page of the print data, based on the pre-set acquisition position information. The printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, for pages of the print data after the specific page, characters or images determined based on pre-set acquisition position information, which are different from characters or images on the processed pages, are extracted as comparison data.

3. The printing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, if the comparison data is a character code, it has a comparison unit that converts the read image data into a character code using OCR processing and then compares the read image data with the comparison data.

4. When the printing of the print data and the comparison of the comparison data and the read image data are performed in parallel, The printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that if it is determined that the comparison data and the read image data do not match, the image forming apparatus interrupts printing.

5. The printing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, if it is determined that the comparison data and the read image data do not match, the output unit displays the page number that did not match, a button to cancel printing, a button to continue printing, and a button to specify a page to print.

6. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the print data includes character information and position information for each string of one or more characters, and the comparison data acquisition unit acquires the character information and position information for each page in association before acquiring the comparison data.

7. The comparison data acquisition unit acquires a predetermined number of characters from the character information acquired page by page in page order as the comparison data. The printing system according to claim 6, characterized in that it acquires, page by page, the character information and position information of a fixed number of characters that have not been acquired as comparison data up to the previous page, starting from the beginning of the page.

8. The printing system according to claim 7, characterized in that the position information acquired by the comparison data acquisition unit as comparison data changes from page to page.

9. A data input unit that acquires print data containing multiple pages, A comparison data acquisition unit that extracts comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data, An image acquisition unit acquires read image data corresponding to comparison data from the image data of the printed document on which the print data has been printed, It has an output unit that outputs a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data and the read image data page by page, The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information on the page of the comparison data. The image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material, based on the position information for each page of the printed material. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information for a specific page of the print data, based on pre-set acquisition location information. An image forming apparatus characterized by extracting, as comparison data, characters or images determined based on pre-set acquired position information from pages of the print data after the specific page, excluding those that match the comparison data of the processed page.

10. A data input unit that acquires print data containing multiple pages, A comparison data acquisition unit that extracts comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data, An image acquisition unit obtains image data from read image data obtained by reading the printed material on which the aforementioned print data has been printed, for each page of the printed material, at the position corresponding to the comparison data. It has an output unit that outputs a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data and the image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data for each page, The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information on the page of the comparison data. The image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material, based on the position information for each page of the printed material. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information for a specific page of the print data, based on pre-set acquisition location information. An image processing apparatus characterized by extracting, as comparison data, characters or images from pages of the print data after the specific page, excluding those characters or images determined based on pre-set acquisition position information that match the comparison data of the processed page.

11. The data input unit takes the step of acquiring print data that includes multiple pages, The comparison data acquisition unit performs the step of extracting comparison data from the print data for each page of the print data, The image acquisition unit reads the printed material on which the print data is printed, and from the read image data, it acquires read image data for each page of the printed material at the position corresponding to the comparison data. The output unit includes the step of outputting a comparison result obtained by comparing the comparison data with the image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data for each page, The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information on the page containing the comparison data. The image acquisition unit acquires the read image data at the position corresponding to the comparison data from the image data of the printed material, based on the position information for each page of the printed material. The comparison data acquisition unit retrieves the comparison data along with the location information for a specific page of the print data, based on pre-set acquisition location information. For pages of the print data following the specified page, characters or images determined based on pre-set acquisition position information are extracted as comparison data, excluding those that match the comparison data of the processed pages. A comparative method characterized by the following:

Images