Image reproducing apparatus

An image reproducing apparatus for separating an image from a composite image containing (1) image data which is indicative of the image and (2) supplementary data which is not indicative of the image, said apparatus comprising:

• a) input means for inputting a matrix of blocks corresponding to said composite image, wherein:
• 1) said matrix of blocks contains coded data described by coefficients produced through a prescribed coding process, and
• 2) said blocks are arranged in two-dimensional coordinates depending on a level of a frequency of each of coded data corresponding to said composite image;
• b) first transform means for detecting a location of a second region of low-frequency blocks in which coded data corresponding to said supplementary data which is not indicative of the image is located within said matrix by checking allocation data at a maximum-frequency block of said matrix, the maximum-frequency block relating to a higher frequency than the low-frequency blocks;
• c) separation means for separating said matrix of said blocks, in accordance with said detected location of said second region, into:
• 1) a first region of high-frequency blocks in which coded data corresponding to image data in said composite image is located, and
• 2) said second region in which the coded data corresponding to the supplementary data is located;
• and
• d) second transform means for carrying out inverse transform coding of the coded data corresponding to the image data, said coded data located in said first region of said matrix, so as to output an image of the resulting image data separately from said composite image.

An image reproducing apparatus for reproducing a composite image from (1) halftone image signals which are indicative of a halftone image and (2) supplementary signals which are not indicative of the halftone image, said image reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a) input means for inputting (1) digital signals indicating the halftone image and (2) supplementary digital signals which are not indicative of the halftone image;
• b) switching means, coupled to said input means, for selecting, in response to an instruction supplied from an operation part, one of (1) a data composition mode and (2) a data separation mode;
• c) transform coding means, coupled to said switching means, for subjecting said digital signals supplied from said input means to an orthogonal transform coding process to generate a matrix of blocks in which coded data described by coefficients produced by said orthogonal transform coding process is arranged according to a level of frequency corresponding to each of the coded digital signals;
• d) second coding means, coupled to said switching means, for subjecting said supplementary digital signals from said input means to a run-length coding process to generate coded data corresponding to the supplementary digital signals;
• e) data composition means for generating composite image data when the data composition mode is selected by said switching means, the generating of the composite image data being based on:
• 1) the coded data supplied from the transform coding means, and
• 2) the coded data supplied from said second coding means;
• f) means for subjecting said composite image data supplied from said data composition means to an orthogonal inverse-transform coding process to reproduce the composite image, and for storing the composite image in a memory device;
• and
• g) output means for outputting the composite image stored in the memory device.

An image reproducing apparatus for separating an image from a composite image containing (1) image data describing the image and (2) supplementary data which does not describe the image, said apparatus comprising:

• a) input means for inputting digital signals indicating the composite image containing supplementary data;
• b) switching means, coupled to said input means, for selecting, in response to an instruction supplied from an operation part, one of (1) a data composition mode and (2) a data separation mode;
• c) transform coding means, coupled to said switching means, for subjecting said digital signals supplied from said input means to an orthogonal transform coding process to generate a matrix of blocks corresponding to said composite image;
• wherein coded data described by coefficients produced by said orthogonal transform coding process is arranged in two-dimensional coordinates according to the level of frequency that corresponds to each of the coded digital signals;
• d) data separation means for separating said matrix of blocks supplied from said transform coding means when the data separation mode is selected by said switching means, the matrix of blocks being separated into:
• 1) a first region of low-frequency blocks in which coded data relating to said supplementary data is arranged within said matrix, and
• 2) a second region of high-frequency blocks in which coded data relating to halftone image data of said composite image is arranged, the high-frequency blocks corresponding to higher frequencies than the low-frequency blocks;
• e) means for subjecting said coded data relating to said halftone image data supplied from said data separation means to an orthogonal inverse-transform coding process so as to reproduce an image, and for storing said image in a first memory device;
• f) means for subjecting said coded data relating to said supplementary data supplied from said data separation means to a decoding process so as to reproduce an original image of the supplementary data, and for storing said original image in a second memory device;
• and
• g) output means for outputting said image stored in the first memory device and said original image stored in the second memory device.