Image processing apparatus for determining whether an image contains a particular pattern using invisible light

An image processing method for detecting visible and invisible reflected light detected from an image and for determining whether the image is a particular image in accordance with a detection result, comprising the steps of:

• detecting the visible reflected light from the image;
• detecting invisible reflected light from the image;
• determining whether there is a predetermined pattern in the image in accordance with the visible and invisible reflected light;
• and
• detecting the presence or absence of an interfering operation interfering with the determining of said determining step in accordance with the invisible reflected light.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• determining means for determining whether an image is a particular image in accordance with information detected from the image through one scan;
• detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an interfering operation interfering with the determination of said determining means in accordance with the information detected from the image through one scan;
• and
• control means for controlling an output of the information detected from the image through reading the image, in response to at least one of a result of the determining by said determining means and a detection result of said detecting means.

An image processing apparatus comprising:

• determining means for determining whether an image is a particular image in accordance with information detected from the image through one scan;
• detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of an interfering operation interfering with the determination of said determining means in accordance with the information detected from the image through one scan;
• and
• output means for outputting the information detected from the image in response to a determination result of said determining means.

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• determining whether an image is a particular image in accordance with information detected from the image through one scan;
• detecting the presence or absence of an interfering operation interfering with the determination of said determining step in accordance with the information detected from the image through one scan;
• and
• controlling the outputting of the information detected from the image through reading the image, in response to at least one the determining performed in said determining step and the detecting performed in said detecting step.

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• determining whether an image is a particular image in accordance with information detected from the image through one scan;
• detecting the presence or absence of an interfering operation interfering with the determination of said determining step in accordance with the information detected from the image through one scan;
• and
• outputting the information detected from the image in response to a determination result of said determining step.