Image Processing for White-out Visibility and Tamper Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image forming technologies lack sufficient techniques to read and digitalize tax/finance-related documents with high reproducibility and security, as they fail to effectively display or print corrected marks made with white-out, leading to potential tampering and loss of information.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus and method that includes a scanner, image processor, and output unit to enhance the visibility of high-lightness regions like white-out, and incorporates contrast enhancement and hash-value processing to prevent tampering, ensuring that corrected marks are visible and secure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If general base processing is applied to saturate lightness higher than white of base documents, then the white of base becomes inconspicuous and print quality is improved, but corrected marks with white-out (high-lightness regions) become invisible or lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing characteristics to different regions of the document. General base processing is applied to the base document regions to saturate lightness and eliminate stains, while special base processing is applied to high-lightness regions (corrected marks with white-out) to preserve their visibility. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by preventing the saturation effect from affecting corrected marks while still improving overall print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the document processing into distinct processing flows: general base processing for standard document regions and special base processing for high-lightness regions containing corrected marks. This segmentation allows each region to receive appropriate processing treatment, ensuring that corrected marks remain visible while the rest of the document achieves optimal print quality through saturation.
2Loss of information
If image processing is applied to enhance contrast of corrected marks, then corrected marks become visible, but the entire document may become dark and illegible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies contrast enhancement locally only to high-lightness regions containing corrected marks, rather than applying it globally to the entire document. This localized contrast enhancement makes corrected marks visible while leaving the rest of the document with normal lighting levels, thus maintaining readability. The processing unit selectively enhances contrast based on region identification.
3Productivity
If digitalization techniques are applied to tax/finance-related documents, then information sharing and storage space efficiency are improved, but data security and prevention of tampering are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary actions to detect and record tampering indicators (such as white-out patterns, corrected marks, and embedded patterns) on the original document before digitalization occurs. By capturing these security features in the image data during the scanning phase, the system preserves evidence of document integrity before the document is converted to electronic form, thus preventing tampering while enabling efficient digitalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms through hash-value processing and embedded patterns that provide verification of document authenticity. The system generates hash values from image data and compares them against recorded values, while embedded patterns serve as tamper-evident markers. This feedback loop detects any unauthorized modifications to the document during or after digitalization, ensuring data security while maintaining productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention includes: a scanner that reads an original document; an image processor that processes a high-lightness region of the original document, the region is lighter than the base of the original document, so as to be viewed; and an output unit that outputs the data of the original document subjected to image processing.