Image processing apparatus and method to output a print image embedded with information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on an input image corresponding to a specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image

Claim 2

An image processing apparatus comprising: a unit which generates a print image based on an input image; a generation unit which specifies an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generates region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a unit which generates embedded information including the region information; a unit which embeds the embedded information in the print image; and a unit which outputs the print image embedded with the embedded information to a printing device.

Claim 3

The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a unit which acquires, as image data, printed material as a print result of the operation of the printing device; a unit which extracts the embedded information from the image data, and restores the region information from the extracted embedded information; a restoration unit which restores the input image by complementing a partial image deleted from the input image in an image indicated by the image data using the restored region information; and a unit which generates a print image based on the input image restored by said restoration unit, and outputs the generated print image to the printing device.

Claim 4

The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said restoration unit restores the input image by specifying a partial image deleted from the input image in the image indicated by the image data from the restored region information, and complementing the image indicated by the image data using the specified partial image.

Claim 5

An image processing apparatus comprising: a unit which generates a print image based on an input image; a generation unit which specifies an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generates region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a unit which generates embedded information including the region information; a unit which embeds the embedded information and alignment information in the print image; and a unit which outputs the print image embedded with the embedded information and the alignment information to a printing device.

Claim 6

An image processing apparatus comprising: a unit which generates a print image based on an input image; a generation unit which specifies an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generates region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a unit which generates embedded information including the region information; a unit which embeds the embedded information and alignment information in the print image; and a unit which outputs the print image embedded with the embedded information and the alignment information to a printing device.

Claim 7

The apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising: a unit which acquires, as image data, printed material as a print result of the operation of the printing device; a unit which extracts the embedded information from the image data, and restores the region information from the extracted embedded information; a unit which extracts the alignment information from the image data; a restoration unit which restores the input image by specifying a partial image deleted from the input image in an image indicated by the image data from the restored region information using the extracted alignment information, and complementing the image indicated by the image data using the specified partial image; and a unit which generates a print image based on the input image restored by said restoration unit, and outputs the generated print image to the printing device.

Claim 8

The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said restoration unit comprises: a unit which corrects the image indicated by the image data using the extracted alignment information, and said restoration unit restores the input image by specifying a partial image deleted from the input image in the corrected image from the restored region information, and complementing the image indicated by the image data using the specified partial image.

Claim 9

The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the alignment information includes invisible markers embedded at four corners of a region where a character/line image is in the print image.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the alignment information includes an invisible pattern embedded in a region where a character/line image is in the print image.

Claim 11

The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said generation unit specifies an image region which is not to be printed when the print image obtained by enlarging the input image to a size larger than a size of the print sheet is printed on the print sheet by the printing device, said generation unit calculates a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region based on a ratio of sizes of the input image and the print image, said generation unit calculates a region obtained by merging the region on the input image and a surrounding region of that region on the input image as a partial region, and said generation unit generates an image obtained by extracting only the partial region from the input image as the region information.

Claim 12

An image processing method comprising: a step of generating a print image based on an input image; a generation step of specifying an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generating region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a step of generating embedded information including the region information; a step of embedding the embedded information in the print image; and a step of outputting the print image embedded with the embedded information to a printing device.

Claim 13

An image processing method comprising: a step of generating a print image based on an input image; a generation step of specifying an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generating region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a step of generating embedded information including the region information; a step of embedding the embedded information in the print image; and a step of outputting the print image embedded with the embedded information to a printing device.

Claim 14

The method according to claim 10 , further comprising: a step of acquiring, as image data, printed material as a print result of the operation of the printing device; a step of extracting the embedded information from the image data, and restoring the region information from the extracted embedded information; a restoration step of restoring the input image by complementing a partial image deleted from the input image in an image indicated by the image data using the restored region information; and a step of generating a print image based on the input image restored in the restoration step, and outputting the generated print image to the printing device.

Claim 15

An image processing method comprising: a step of generating a print image based on an input image; a generation step of specifying an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generating region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a step of generating embedded information including the region information; a step of embedding the embedded information and alignment information in the print image; and a step of outputting the print image embedded with the embedded information and the alignment information to a printing device.

Claim 16

An image processing method comprising: a step of generating a print image based on an input image; a generation step of specifying an image region, which is not to be printed when the print image is printed on a print sheet, and generating region information indicating a region obtained by merging a region on the input image corresponding to the specified image region, and a surrounding region of that region on the input image; a step of generating embedded information including the region information; a step of embedding the embedded information and alignment information in the print image; and a step of outputting the print image embedded with the embedded information and the alignment information to a printing device.

Claim 17

The method according to claim 12 , further comprising: a step of acquiring, as image data, printed material as a print result of the operation of the printing device; a step of extracting the embedded information from the image data, and restoring the region information from the extracted embedded information; a step of extracting the alignment information from the image data; a restoration step of restoring the input image by specifying a partial image deleted from the input image in an image indicated by the image data from the restored region information using the extracted alignment information, and complementing the image indicated by the image data using the specified partial image; and a step of generating a print image based on the input image restored in the restoration step, and outputting the generated print image to the printing device.

Claim 18

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for making a computer function as respective units included in an image processing apparatus according to claim 1 .