Patent ID: 8547587
Filing Date: 2013-10-01
Classification: G03G,G06F

Abstract:
1. An image processing apparatus comprising: an input unit that receives plural images as input; a first generating unit that generates image IDs, each image ID corresponding to one of the plural images received by the input unit; a first storage control unit that stores the images and the image IDs generated by the first generating unit in a storage apparatus such that each of the image IDs is associated with one of the images; a second generating unit that generates, when an output unit outputs a plurality of images on a plurality of output mediums as one copy unit, unit IDs and medium IDs, each unit ID corresponding to one copy unit and each medium ID corresponding to one of the output mediums; a user ID accepting unit that accepts an allowed-user ID for allowing a corresponding user to reprint an image received by the input unit when the output unit outputs the image; a second storage control unit that stores the unit IDs, the medium IDs, and corresponding allowed-user IDs accepted by the user ID accepting unit in association with the image IDs in the storage apparatus; the output unit that outputs an output medium including one of the images combined with one of the medium IDs generated by the second generating unit and associated with the one of the images; a detecting unit that detects a medium ID from the output medium output by the output unit; an identifying unit that identifies a unit ID associated with the medium ID detected by the detecting unit and identifies one or more medium IDs associated with the identified unit ID; an image obtaining unit that obtains images associated with the one or more medium IDs identified by the identifying unit from the images stored in the storage apparatus; an authenticating unit that authenticates a user with a user identification for identifying the user; a determining unit that determines whether a user ID authenticated by the authenticating unit and an allowed-user ID associated with the medium ID detected by the detecting unit match each other; and an image ID obtaining unit that, when the determining unit determines that the user ID and the allowed-user ID match each other, obtains from the storage unit the image ID included in the copy unit identified by the unit ID associated with the medium ID detected by the detecting unit.