Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method

An information processing system including at least one information processing apparatus, the information processing system comprising:

• an acquisition unit that acquires a reading condition on a document;
• a first generation unit that reads, in accordance with the acquired reading condition, the document including a first area in which information-holding images containing readable information and each having a different color overlap each other, and generates image data;
• a second generation unit that reads data contained in the generated image data and corresponding to the first area, and generates the information-holding images having the respective different colors from values of color components contained in each pixel of the read data;
• and
• an execution unit that reads the information contained in each of the generated information-holding images, and executes processing based on the read information, wherein:
• the reading condition indicates that the first area including the information-holding images is to be read in color or in black and white, and a second area other than the first area in the document is to be read in color or in black and white, and
• the first generation unit reads the document in color and converts the second area into black and white to generate the image data when the reading condition indicates that the first area is to be read in color and the second area is to be read in black and white, and
• the first generation unit reads the document in color and converts the first area into black and white to generate the image data when the reading condition indicates that the first area is to be read in black and white and the second area is to be read in color.

An information processing method comprising:

• acquiring a reading condition on a document;
• reading, in accordance with the acquired reading condition, the document including a first area in which information-holding images containing readable information and each having a different color overlap each other, to generate image data;
• reading data contained in the generated image data and corresponding to the first area to generate the information-holding images having the respective different colors from values of color components contained in each pixel of the read data;
• reading the information contained in each of the generated information-holding images;
• and
• executing processing based on the read information,
• wherein:
• the reading condition indicates that the first area including the information-holding images is to be read in color or in black and white, and a second area other than the first area in the document is to be read in color or in black and white, and
• the reading the document includes
• reading the document in color and converting the second area into black and white to generate the image data when the reading condition indicates that the first area is to be read in color and the second area is to be read in black and white, and
• reading the document in color and converting the first area into black and white to generate the image data when the reading condition indicates that the first area is to be read in black and white and the second area is to be read in color.