Abstract:
An image processing apparatus which stores user information related to a seller or a buyer of the image processing apparatus. The user information is thereafter multiplexed to an output image formed by the image processing apparatus. If the output image were an unlawful image, the seller or the buyer could be identified from the user information multiplexed in the output image.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, electronic commerce system, electronic commerce method and a computer program product, and especially relates to a technology for prohibiting counterfeiting of a bill or an image by attaching additional information in digital image data to be printed. The invention further relates to how to use user information obtained in sales over electronic commerce of an article of commerce by using network.  
           [0003]    2. Description Of The Related Art  
           [0004]    Conventionally, an image processing apparatus scans an original image and records the original image faithfully on a paper or an electrical recording medium. Meanwhile, it is possible to reproduce an image to be printed faithfully on paper by recent image processing technology in accordance with the progress of color process technology. With this technology, an image processing apparatus can copy and print forgeries of objects, like bills or valuable securities, for abuse or mischief.  
           [0005]    For a solution of the above-mentioned problem, it is proposed to multiplex information of a name of maker or an image processing apparatus or a manufacture number of an image processing apparatus to image data to be printed by the image processing apparatus and to identify the image processing apparatus by using the multiplexed information.  
           [0006]    The proposed method using the multiplexed information is preferable when applied to a comparatively expensive image processing apparatus, like a color copying apparatus. However, it is not so preferable when applied to an inexpensive image processing apparatus, like a color printer being popular recently. Since the expensive image processing apparatus is thrown out rarely and information of an owner of the expensive image processing apparatus is surely retained for after-purchase servicing, it is possible to specify an owner of the expensive image processing apparatus used in a forgery as significant evidence in case that a manufacture number of the expensive image processing apparatus is detected from a counterfeited bill or valuable security.  
           [0007]    On the other hand, an inexpensive image processing apparatus is easy to throw out. So a forger is likely to conceal his efforts by throwing out an inexpensive image processing apparatus and destroy evidence when a manufacture number of the forger&#39;s image processing apparatus is specified.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    An object of the present invention is to provide solutions for the above problems.  
           [0009]    Another object of this invention is to decrease the likelihood that an image processing apparatus is used to make unauthorized images by setting information to specify a seller or a buyer of the image processing apparatus inside it. As a result, if the output image were an unlawful image, the seller or the buyer could be specified from the user information multiplexed the output image.  
           [0010]    One particular object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which has user information storing means for storing user information related to a seller or a buyer of the image processing apparatus; and multiplexing means for multiplexing the user information to an output image formed by the image processing apparatus.  
           [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic commerce system which performs through a network system connecting one terminal with another terminal through a network, the electronic commerce system comprising information setting means for setting information related to a seller or a buyer obtained through the network, and multiplexing means for multiplexing said information set by the information setting means to information of an output image.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product, comprising a computer readable medium having computer program codes for executing image processing on an image processing apparatus, said product including: user information storing procedure codes for storing user information related to a seller or a buyer of the image processing apparatus; and multiplexing procedure codes for multiplexing the user information to a output image.  
           [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program product, comprising a computer readable medium having computer program codes for an electronic commerce system which performs through a network system connecting one terminal with another terminal through a network, the computer program product comprising information setting procedure codes for setting information related to a seller or a buyer obtained through the network, and multiplexing procedure codes for multiplexing said information set by the information setting means to information of an article for sale.  
           [0014]    It is an important advantage of the present invention that the present invention can offer information related to a seller or a buyer and an article for sale. So if the article were used unlawful, it would be easy to specify the seller or the buyer.  
           [0015]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus and an electronic commerce system and a computer program product that have a new function not known before.  
           [0016]    The foregoing and still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become fully apparent from the following description to be taken in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a block diagram which shows a public key certification.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is an outline of a system of the 1 st  and the 2 nd  embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a flow chart that shows an operation of the 1 st  embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a flow chart that shows an operation of the 2 nd  embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is an example of structure that shows an image processing apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    [First embodiment] 
         [0023]    Recently, electronic commerce (Web-based commerce) to deal with an article for sale on a network is widely used in accordance with development of a network, like the Internet. A procedure of the electronic commerce is the following. A virtual mall is opened on the network, an article for sale like a printer is exhibited on the virtual mall, a user makes a contract for purchasing an article selected by the user, the article selected by the user is delivered, and cost of the article selected by the user is paid by a credit card.  
         [0024]    Along with the popularization of the electronic commerce, Public Cryptograph Technology (cf. “modern cryptograph theory” Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers) was proposed to certify a seller and a buyer and to prevent failure of performance after a contract was done. Infrastructure using the public key is called PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and standardization using X.509 public key certification (see FIG. 1) is founding in IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force: International Organization for Standardization).  
         [0025]    Public key certification is data which contains an identification name (name to specify each person) published from a trusted third-party body called a “Certification Authority” and each person&#39;s public key is signed by a Certification Authority. It is possible to prohibit altering content of the public key by Certification Authority&#39;s signature and a user received the public key certification can verify that the public key contained in the public key certification is owned a person of an identification name of the public key certification under Certification Authority&#39;s guarantee. In short, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) provides a mechanism to bind a person (or a server etc.) to his or her public key with certainty. It is frequently used in an electronic credit system, to certify a seller and a buyer.  
         [0026]    The following is an example of a method which decreases the likelihood of counterfeiting bills or valuable securities by using above-mentioned electronic commerce.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 2 is a block diagram which shows an example of such a system, applying this invention for an image processing apparatus, to prevent counterfeiting. Reference numeral  200 , in FIG. 2, is a network to connect a seller with a buyer, server  201  is a seller&#39;s server operating a virtual mall etc., personal computer  202  is a personal computer for a buyer to purchase an article for sale, printer  203  is a printer which has already been purchased by using electronic commerce, printer  204  is a printer sold over the counter sale, CD-ROM  205  is a recording medium storing a driver and attached printer  203 ,  204 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 indicates an example of a processing for purchasing an article for sale.  
         [0029]    When an owner (buyer) of personal computer  202  decides to purchase an article of sale sold in a virtual mall having server  201  (step  301 ), a contract process, which is agreement about purchase including, for example, a method of payment, a method of transportation, and conditions of use, is made through network  200  (step  302 ). In case the buyer makes use of the above-mentioned electronic credit system like electronic money for payment, the public key certification can be used as important information to specify the buyer. In case the buyer makes use of a method of transferring money from the buyer&#39;s account to the seller&#39;s account or a credit card for payment, the buyer&#39;s account number or information of the credit card can be used as important information to specify the buyer. The buyer inputs such information (the public key certification, the account number or information of the credit card) by personal computer  202  when the buyer makes his contract. In this embodiment, since the article for sale is an image processing apparatus like a printer which can be used counterfeiting bills or valuable securities, the seller having server  201  sets the information to specify the buyer to a specific portion of the image processing apparatus before the seller delivers it to the buyer (step  303 ).  
         [0030]    Then the seller delivers the image processing apparatus (step  304 ).  
         [0031]    The specific portion of the image processing apparatus may be hardware like ROM (Read Only Memory) or a part of software like a printer driver. It is important that the image processing apparatus is set with the information (the public key certification, the account number or information of the credit card) to specify the buyer instead of a manufacture number of the image processing apparatus, and the information to specify the buyer is multiplexed in a print image when the print image is output by the image processing apparatus.  
         [0032]    In case a forgery of a bill or valuable security is found later, and even if the image processing apparatus which printed the forgery has been thrown out, it is possible to identify an unlawful owner by using the information to specify the buyer multiplexed to the forgery. The public key certification, the account number or information of the credit card is better than the manufacture number of an image processing apparatus, since it is necessary to confirm personal information for obtaining the public key certification, the account number or information of the credit card.  
         [0033]    The seller having server  201  or a bureau of administrative services managing articles for sale manages the information (the public key certification, the account number or the information of the credit card) by using a database instead of multiplexing the information to specify the buyer to a print image directly and an image processing apparatus may be set with information to access the information to specify the buyer on the database. In this case, it is possible for the seller or the bureau of administrative services to get the information to specify buyer on the database from the information to access the data. Under these circumstances, the information to specify the buyer in step  302  changes to the information to access the data on the database.  
         [0034]    When it is impossible to set the information of a buyer to an image processing apparatus in light of privacy protection, it is effective to set information related to sale like seller or date of sale to the image processing apparatus for preventing forgery of bills or valuable securities. Then, the information to specify the buyer in step  302  changes to the information related to sale or date of sale.  
         [0035]    [Second embodiment] 
         [0036]    Whereas an article of sale is purchased by using electronic commerce in a first embodiment, in this embodiment, setting information to specify a user for prohibiting counterfeiting bills or valuable securities is performed for an article having purchased or an article purchased over the counter sale.  
         [0037]    The structure of this embodiment&#39;s system looks like FIG. 2. Printer  203  is a printer that has already purchased, printer  204  is a printer sold over the counter sale, CD-ROM  205  is a recording medium storing a driver and attached printer  203 ,  204 .  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 4 indicates an example of a process for an article purchased not using a network.  
         [0039]    At first, the following is an example of a process for an article that has already been purchased.  
         [0040]    Upgrade process of a driver by a printer is usually performed several times by download through a network like Internet. A manufacturer informs users of notice of upgrade by a direct mail, an e-mail or home page through a network. When a user of personal computer  202  upgrades a driver (step  401 ), the user designates a predetermined process and the driver is downloaded from server  201  (step  403 ). The download is performed after inputting information to specify the user of printer  204  from personal computer  202 . It goes without saying that the information is utilized for multiplexing like that of the first embodiment.  
         [0041]    The next case is a process for a printer sold over the counter sale (printer  204 ). CD-ROM  205  attached to printer  204  has recorded on it, at least, information of a store selling printer  204 . When a user of printer  204  installs a driver by using CD-ROM  205 , the information of a store is set to a specific portion of printer  204 . It goes without saying that the information is utilized for multiplexing like that of the first embodiment.  
         [0042]    When a user of printer  204  installs a driver by using CD-ROM  205 , personal computer  202  may connect to server  201  automatically under controlled a program of CD-ROM  205  and personal computer  202  instead of installing the printer driver from CD-ROM  205 . Then information to specify the user of printer  204  is input by the user. Personal computer  202  downloads the last printer driver and an optional function (program) from server  201  in accordance with the input by the user (step  403 ). The input information is set to a specific portion of printer  204  or the printer driver downloaded from server  201  under control of the program of CD-ROM  205  and personal computer  202 . The specific portion of printer  204  may be hardware like ROM (Read Only Memory).  
         [0043]    Printer  204  can multiplex the information to specify the user of printer  204  to an output image, like that of the first embodiment, under the above-mentioned procedure. As a result, when a forgery is found, it is possible to identify the forger with certainty based on detecting the information multiplexed to the forgery.  
         [0044]    In case a user of server  201  manages users of articles by using a database, the information multiplexed to the forgery is preferable to information to access the data on the database. If a user does not download any data from server  210 , stored information prerecorded on CD-ROM  205  is substituting for the information to specify user.  
         [0045]    [Third embodiment] 
         [0046]    One well-known multiplexing method is a so-called digital watermark, and a digital watermark is used in the following to function as a multiplexing method for the information to specify a user in the first and second embodiment.  
         [0047]    Digital watermark technology is a technology that adds copyright information or user information or various identification numbers in an image by converting pixel value of digital data of the image in secret. It is almost impossible to distinguish an original from an image having an added the digital watermark with the naked eye. However, the hidden copyright information etc. as the digital watermark can be displayed by using software to detect the digital watermark. It is possible to obtain the copyright information or the user information or identification numbers by detecting this digital watermark from image data and to identify an illegal copy. First, added information by digital watermark must be non-visible, in other words the information must be added without degradation of an original. Second, the information must keep on remaining in an original, in other words the information must not be lost by a retouch or an attack like a data compressing process, a filter process etc. Third, an amount of added information must be able to be variable. As stated above, digital watermarks need quality, tolerance and flexible amount of information.  
         [0048]    The following method is known as a method for adding digital watermark. A method of adding digital watermark can be roughly categorized by two methods: adding information in a spatial area, and a frequency area for a multi-valued still image.  
         [0049]    For example, “Techniques for Data Hiding”, Proceeding of The SPIE, San Jose Calif., USA, (IBM) W. Bender, D. Gruhl, N. Morimoto, February 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,292 are examples of methods adding information in a spatial area.  
         [0050]    The following gives a few examples which are methods adding information in a frequency area. A method using “Discrete Cosine Transform” is a digital watermark method in a frequency area for protecting copyright of a digital image (NTT) Nakamura, Ogawa, Takashima, SCIS &#39;97-26A, January 1997. A method using “Discrete Fourier Transform” is a watermark signature method for an image by using PN series (National Defense Academy) Ohonishi, Okla., Matui, SCIS &#39;97-26B, January 1997. Methods using “Wavelet Transform” are experimental considerations related to safety and reliability of digital watermark technology using wavelet transform (Mitsubish, Kyushu university) Ishizuka, Ishi, Sakurai, SCIS &#39;972d, January 1997 and digital watermark image compression based on wavelet transform, about robustness for the conversion process (Matushita) Inoue, Myazaki, Yamamoto, Katura, SCIS &#39;98-32A, January 1998.  
         [0051]    Generally speaking, a method adding information in a spatial area is low degradation and low tolerance and a method adding information in a frequency area is comparatively high degradation and high tolerance. It is possible to select a preferable method for each case.  
         [0052]    [Fourth embodiment] 
         [0053]    The above-mentioned process is not only useful for the image processing apparatus but also general commodities. In other words, it is effective to set information to specify a buyer or a seller of an article for sale which is purchased by using electronic commerce and to output information related to the article for sale as prints or signals through a network.  
         [0054]    For example, it is possible to set an information to be gotten on purchase to specify a buyer or a seller of an article for sale (a personal computer or a scanner or an image processing software) and to send the set information to an image processing apparatus as a final output apparatus and to multiplex the information to a printed image by the image processing apparatus. The information to specify a buyer or a seller of an article for sale may be multiplexed to data to be sent through a network by using the digital watermark, except the printed image.  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 5 is an example of structure that shows an image processing apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention. Image processing apparatus  50  is a personal computer, a printer or a system including a personal computer and a printer. Interface  51  is a parallel interface, a serial interface like Universal serial bus, IEEE1394, or wireless interface. User information storing unit  52  is a random access memory, a hard disc ora detachable memory. Article information for sale storing unit  53  is random access memory, a hard disc, CD-ROM, memory card like compact flash. Image information storing unit  54  is random access memory, a hard disc, CD-ROM, memory card like compact flash. Multiplexing unit  55  is a printer controller forming a print image or a printer engine developing a print image. Information setting unit  56  is a central processor unit of image processing apparatus  50 . The following processing is performed under control of the central processor unit.  
         [0056]    Interface  51  is utilized for communicating image processing apparatus  50  to an external apparatus. User information storing unit  52  is a storing means for storing user information related to a buyer or a seller of the image processing apparatus  50 . Article information for sale storing unit  53  is a storing means for storing information, input through a network, related to a buyer or a seller of an article of sale. Image information storing unit  54  stores printed image information. Information setting unit  56  sets predetermined information related a buyer or a seller of image processing apparatus  50 , and multiplexing means  55  multiplexes the predetermined information to a printed image when the printing image is output.  
         [0057]    The object of the present invention can be also achieved by providing a storage medium storing program codes for performing the aforesaid processes to a system or an apparatus, reading the program codes with a computer (e.g., CPU, MPU) of the system or apparatus from the storage medium, then executing the program.  
         [0058]    In this case, the program codes read from the storage medium realize the functions according to the embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program codes constitutes the invention.  
         [0059]    Further, the storage medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile type memory card, and ROM can be used for providing the program codes.  
         [0060]    Furthermore, besides aforesaid functions according to the above embodiments are realized by executing the program codes which are read by a computer, the present invention includes a case where an OS (Operating System) or the like working on the computer performs a part or entire processes in accordance with designations of the program codes and realizes functions according to the above embodiments.  
         [0061]    Further, the present invention includes a case where CPU equipped with an extender board or unit performs a part or entire processes in accordance with designations of the program codes after the program codes is stored on a memory connected the extender board or unit of a computer and realizes functions according to the above embodiments.  
         [0062]    Further, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, since a purchased image processing apparatus can be set with information to specify a buyer or a seller of the purchased image processing apparatus by using user information related to electronic commerce, it is possible to get information to specify an owner from a forgery of bills or valuable securities. As a result, even though it is possible to perform an unlawful image processing by using the image processing apparatus, it is easy to identify an unlawful owner even in case the image processing apparatus has been thrown out.  
         [0063]    Further, since information related to a buyer or a seller of an article of sale input through a network is multiplexed an output image, an unlawful process by using the article of sale obtained by electric commerce can be prohibited.  
         [0064]    Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been changed in the details of construction and the combination and the arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.