Patent ID: 7305619

Claim:
An image processing method for processing an input document image, said method comprising the steps of: displaying an instruction input window to receive both of a first instruction and a second instruction from a user, wherein the instruction input window presents a plurality of checkbox groups each including a plurality of checkboxes, selection of only one checkbox being allowed for each checkbox group, and wherein the first instruction indicates, by selecting one of a plurality of checkboxes in a first checkbox group which includes a checkbox for auto discrimination of the document orientation and four checkboxes each for manual instruction of the document orientation corresponding to 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees respectively, whether the orientation of the document image should be corrected automatically or manually, and wherein the second instruction indicates, by selecting one of a plurality of checkboxes in a second checkbox group which includes a checkbox for auto tilt correction and a checkbox for no tilt correction, whether or not a tilt of the document image should be automatically corrected; determining, based on the first instruction corresponding to one of the checkboxes selected in the first checkbox group on the instruction input window, whether the user has instructed that the orientation of the document image should be corrected automatically or manually; automatically discriminating the orientation of the document image as one of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees if it is determined in said determining step that the user has instructed, by selecting the checkbox for auto discrimination, that the orientation of the document image should be automatically corrected; automatically rotating the document image based on the discriminated orientation of the document image if it is determined in said determining step that the user has instructed the orientation of the document image should be automatically corrected; rotating the document image according to a rotation angle of one of 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees corresponding the checkbox for manual instruction selected by the user if it is determined in said determining step that the user has instructed, by selecting one of the four checkboxes for manual instruction, that the orientation of the document image should be manually corrected; and if it is determined based on the second instruction that the tilt of the document image should be automatically corrected, automatically correcting the tilt of the document image which is rotated in said automatic rotating step or in said rotating step, wherein said automatic correction step does not execute automatic correction of the tilt of the document image which is rotated in said automatic rotating step or in said rotating step if it is determined based on the second instruction that the tilt of the document image should not be automatically corrected.