Patent ID: 8120818

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: one or a plurality of input parts configured to input data which is a target of an image processing; one or a plurality of output parts configured to output a result of the image processing; one or a plurality of first filters configured to control an input process of data from the one or plurality of input parts depending on the one or plurality of input parts; one or a plurality of second filters configured to control an output of data to the one or plurality of output parts depending on the one or plurality of output parts; one or a plurality of pipes to which the data is written by the one or plurality of first filters and from which the data is read by the one or plurality of second filters, wherein an application to execute the image processing is formed by coupling a selected first filter selected from the one or plurality of first filters and a selected second filter selected from the one or plurality of second filters, via a selected pipe that is selected from the one or plurality of pipes depending on the selected first filter and the selected second filter, and wherein the selected first filter and the selected second filter are independent of each other and no dependency relationship exists therebetween; a marking type specifying unit configured to specify marking type information which is to be added to a predetermined image, with respect to the one or plurality of second filters; a marking synthesizing service including a creating unit configured to create a marking image based on the marking type information which is notified thereto; an output service including an output unit configured to synthesize the marking image created by the marking synthesizing service with respect to an image which is output from the output service, and outputting a synthesized image; a notifying unit, within the selected second filter, configured to notify the marking type information input thereto to the marking synthesizing service; and an image output instructing unit, within the selected second filter, configured to instruct output of an image with respect to the output service.