Barcode Region Segmentation for Document Copy Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing illegal copying of documents, such as those using condition information embedded in documents, suffer from reduced copy throughput, complex design requirements, and processing speed issues due to the need for extensive data reading and processing.
Innovation Solution
An image processor that extracts information from a barcode in a first region of a document image and determines whether to extract information from a second region based on the extracted information, allowing efficient control of copying operations without reducing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If condition information is embedded in the document and read every time copying is performed, then illegal copying can be prevented, but copy throughput is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The barcode information is segmented into multiple regions (first region and second region). The extracting component selectively extracts information from the first region, and only extracts from the second region under specific conditions. This segmentation allows the system to maintain copying control reliability while reducing unnecessary processing, thereby preserving copy throughput.
2Reliability
If the copier is designed to perform both detection of secret mark and extraction of information from two-dimensional code, then copying control can be implemented, but design becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the detection and extraction functions into a unified processing flow. The extracting component handles both the first region (containing detection information) and the second region (containing control information) using the same component, rather than requiring separate detection and extraction units. This merging approach implements copying control capability while avoiding the design complexity of multiple independent components.
3Measurement precision
If digital watermark extraction is performed twice on the scan image, then watermark detection accuracy is improved, but processing speed is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The extracting component performs extraction from the first region, and only conditionally extracts from the second region based on the result from the first region. This partial action approach maintains detection accuracy by performing necessary extractions while avoiding redundant processing, thereby preserving processing speed.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an image processor capable of preventing illegal copying of a document. The image processor first extracts information from a barcode in a first region of document image data. Then, the image processor extracts information from a barcode in a second region of the document image data if the information is extracted from the barcode in the first region. On the other hand, if the information is not extracted from the barcode in the first region, the image processor does not extract the information from the barcode in the second region of the document image data. This enables a copying operation for a document consisting of a plurality of pages to be efficiently controlled.