Image processing method, image processing apparatus, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing system, and storage medium

An image processing system comprising:

• an image processing apparatus;
• and
• a management apparatus which can communicate with the image processing apparatus,
• said management apparatus storing (i) a plurality of related information which are set with respect to a plurality of reference image data, respectively, and (ii) change history information indicating that change history in a case where any of the related information has been changed,
• said image processing apparatus comprising:
• a determination section for determining whether or not there is a similarity between input image data and reference image data;
• a related information obtaining section for obtaining, from the management apparatus, related information set with respect to a first reference image data, in a case where the determination section determines that there is a similarity between the input image data and the first reference image data among the plurality of reference image data;
• a related information adding section for adding the related information obtained by the related information obtaining section to the input image data;
• and
• a related information updating section for updating, based on the change history information, related information of the input image data to which the related information has been added by the related information adding section.

An image processing method comprising the steps of:

• (a) determining whether or not there is a similarity between input image data and reference image data;
• (b) obtaining, when the similarity between the input image data and the reference image data exists in the step (a), related information from related information storage means in which (i) related information set with respect to reference image data is stored, and (ii) in a case where the related information has been changed, change history information indicating that change history is stored;
• (c) adding the related information obtained in the step (b) to the input image data;
• and
• (d) updating, based on the change history information, related information of the input image data to which related information has been added in the step (c).