US 6,185,321 B2Granted

Image forming system

AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTamotsu Fukushima, Yasuhiro Nakai, Masakatsu Nakamura, Syoichiro Yoshiura, Hidemoto Nishiyama

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Abstract

In an image forming system, a digital copying machine, which is requested to determine image data, stores determination history data including a result of determination in its memory when the result indicates that the image data are prohibited to be copied, and transfers the determination history data to a digital copying machine of a requesting end, and also transfers the determination history data automatically or as requested to other digital copying machine, a central image formation control unit or a host computer of the service center. As a result, an inhibit copy action can be prevented even when a digital copying machine being used within the system is not provided with an image determining function, thereby providing a security system which can inform others of an occurrence of an illegal or dishonest action at real time.

Claims27

Dependent claims

An image forming system, comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses including at least one main image forming apparatus and at least one sub image forming apparatus;
and
a communication device for connecting said main image forming apparatus and said sub image forming apparatus to allow data to be transmitted and received between them,
wherein said sub image forming apparatus includes a sub control section for transmitting image data to said main image forming apparatus via said communication device and requesting said main image forming apparatus to determine if the image data as transmitted are prohibited to be copied,
said main image forming apparatus includes an image data determining section for determining if said image data as received via said communication device are prohibited to be copied and a main control section for transmitting determination history data including a result of determination via said communication device;
and
at least either one of said main image forming apparatus and said sub image forming apparatus includes memory means for storing said determination history data and transfer means for transferring said determination history data to other image forming apparatus;
and
wherein each of said at least one main image forming apparatus further comprises means for determining whether or not a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than itself exists in said system;
and
if it is determined that there is a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of the image data and request for determination, the main control section of the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of said image data and request for determination transmits the determination history data generated thereby to a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level for further processing such that the last generated determination history data by one of said at least one main image forming apparatus is generated by the one of the at least one main image forming apparatus having the highest determination level, arid the last generated determination history data is the determination history data communicated to the one of said sub image forming;
devices from which said image data arid request originated.

9 more elements

An image forming system, comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses including a main image forming apparatus and a sub image forming apparatus;
a communication device for permitting image data to be transmitted and received between said main image forming apparatus and said sub image forming apparatus by connecting them, wherein:
(i) said sub image forming apparatus includes:
an image input section for inputting the image data,
a sub image data storage section for storing the image data;
a sub image processing section for applying a predetermined image process to the image data;
an image recording section for forming a visible image based on the image data stored in the sub image storage section;
and
a sub control section for transferring the image data to said main image forming apparatus and supplying the image data as processed by the main image forming apparatus to be sent to said image recording section,
(ii) said main image forming apparatus includes:
said main imaging processing section for applying a predetermined process to the image data;
an image data determining section for determining if the image data as input via said communication device are prohibited to be copied by law or by user setting;
and
a main control section for sending back determination history data including a result of determination by said image data determining section to said sub image forming apparatus,
(iii) said determination data are stored in at least one of said sub image data memory section and the main image forming section of said main image forming apparatus, and said sub image forming section and/or said main image forming section transfers the determination history data to other sub image forming apparatus and/or main image forming apparatus;
and
(iv) said main image forming apparatus includes at least one main image forming apparatus;
said sub image forming apparatus includes at least one sub image forming apparatus;
each of said at least one main image forming apparatus further comprises means for determining whether or not a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than itself exists in said system;
and
if it is determined that there is a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of the image data and request for determination, the main control section of the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of said image data and request for determination transmits the determination history data generated thereby to a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level for further processing such that the last generated determination history data by one of said at least one main image forming apparatus is generated by the one of the at least one main image forming apparatus having the highest determination level, and the last generated determination history data is the determination history data communicated to the one of said sub image forming devices from which said image data and request originated.

18 more elements

An image forming system, comprising:

a plurality of image forming apparatuses including a main image forming apparatus and a sub image forming apparatus;
a communication device for permitting image data to be transmitted and received between said main image forming apparatus and said sub image forming apparatus by connecting them, wherein:
(i) said sub image forming apparatus includes:
an image input section for inputting the image data,
a sub image data storage section for storing the image data;
a sub image processing section for applying a predetermined image process to the image data;
an image recording section for forming a visible image based on the image data stored in the sub image storage section;
and
a sub control section for transferring the image data to said main image forming apparatus and supplying the image data as processed by the main image forming apparatus to be sent to said image recording section,
(ii) said main image forming apparatus includes:
said main imaging processing section for applying a predetermined process to the image data;
an image data determining section for determining if the image data as input via said communication device are prohibited to be copied by law or by user setting;
and
a main control section for sending back determination history data including a result of determination by said image data determining section to said sub image forming apparatus,
(iii) said main image forming apparatus includes at least one main image forming apparatus;
said sub image forming apparatus includes at least one sub image forming apparatus;
each of said at least one main image forming apparatus further comprises means for determining whether or not a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than itself exists in said system;
and
if it is determined that there is a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level than the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of the image data and request for determination, the main control section of the one of said at least one main image forming apparatus then in receipt of said image data and request for determination transmits the determination history data generated thereby to a main image forming apparatus having a higher determination level for further processing such that the last generated determination history data by one of said at least one main image forming apparatus is generated by the one of the at least one main image forming apparatus having the highest determination level, and the last generated determination history data is the determination history data communicated to the one of said sub image forming devices from which said image data and request originated
(iv) said sub image forming apparatus stores the determination history data in said sub image data memory section upon receiving said determination history data from said main image forming apparatus, and
(v) a central image control unit for controlling both said main image forming apparatus and said sub image forming apparatus is provided within said system such that when the determination history data indicating that the image data are prohibited to be processed are returned from said main image forming apparatus, if the image data are prohibited to be processed by user setting, the determination history data are transferred to said central information control unit.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/010,355Filed 21 Jan 1998
Priority: JP 9-00898221 Jan 1997
Granted: 6 Feb 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H04N 1/00843
Determining the necessity for prevention: based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote
H04N 1/00851
Based on recognising a copy prohibited original, e.g. a banknote: externally to or remotely from the reproduction apparatus, e.g. using a…
H04N 1/00859
Preventive measures: issuing an alarm or the like
H04N 1/00864
Preventive measures: modifying the reproduction, e.g. outputting a modified copy of a scanned original