Image Processing Apparatus Blank Page Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing systems face inefficiencies in determining blank pages, especially when dealing with documents that include headers and footers, as they require manual designation of regions for blank sheet determination, which is cumbersome and inconvenient, especially in variable printing scenarios.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that calculates the product set of rendering instructions for objects on a target page and a different page, identifies body objects by excluding objects from the product set, and determines blank pages without requiring manual region designation, thereby improving operability and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a determination is made as to whether a processing-target page is blank according to whether a pixel is recorded in a designated region on the page, then blank pages can be excluded from printing, but regions need to be designated for which the blank sheet determination is to be performed, causing inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines blank pages by analyzing rendering instructions and object identification without requiring manual region designation. The determining unit autonomously identifies body objects by excluding form objects (headers/footers) from rendering instructions, enabling self-service blank page detection that adapts to different document formats without user intervention in region definition.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the determination parameter from 'pixel recording in designated region' to 'presence of body objects identified through rendering instruction analysis'. By transforming the detection criterion into an object-based analysis that automatically identifies form elements, the system eliminates the need for manual region parameter setup while maintaining accurate blank page detection.
2Measurement precision
If regions are designated for blank sheet determination, then blank pages can be identified, but it would be very troublesome to designate for each page a region for which the blank sheet determination is to be made in variable printing
Solution Approach 1:
The determining unit employs a universal method that works across all pages regardless of content variations. By using rendering instruction analysis and object identification that automatically adapts to different document formats and page contents, the system provides multi-functional blank detection capability without requiring page-specific region configurations, thus simplifying variable printing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces rendering instructions as an intermediary layer between the document content and blank page determination. Instead of directly analyzing pixels in designated regions, the determining unit uses rendering instructions as a mediator to identify objects and distinguish form elements from body content, enabling accurate detection without complex region configuration.
3Ease of operation
If rendering instructions for objects included in a processing-target page and rendering instructions for objects included in a page different from the processing-target page are calculated to identify body objects, then blank sheet determination can be made without region designation, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of rendering instructions to identify and categorize objects before the actual blank page determination. By pre-processing rendering instructions to separate form objects (headers/footers) from body objects, the determining unit prepares the necessary information in advance, making the subsequent blank page detection simpler and more accurate without requiring complex real-time processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are: an identifying process unit that calculates a product set of rendering instructions for objects included in a processing-target page and rendering instructions for objects included in a page different from the processing-target page; a blank sheet determining unit that identifies a body object and that determines whether the body object has been identified, the body object being obtained by excluding the objects corresponding to the rendering instructions included in the product set from objects included in the processing-target page; and a RIP processing unit that generates raster data after excluding a page for which a determination has been made that the body object has not been identified.