Image reading system, image reading method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11985282-B2
Application number	US-202318172544-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2023
Priority date	Feb 25, 2022
Publication date	May 14, 2024
Grant date	May 14, 2024

Abstract

Provided is an image reading system that divides, with respect to image data obtained by performing a double sided reading in a state where a booklet is opened, cover sheet image data into two parts corresponding to a pair of cover sheets to arrange the two parts at a front and an end, respectively, and arranges main text image data between the front and the end, and then generates an image file from each of the arranged image data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image reading system that includes an image reading apparatus, which is configured to perform a double sided reading by a reading portion including a first reading portion configured to read a first side of a document and a second reading portion configured to read a second side that is a side opposite to the first side of the document, and a reading control apparatus communicably connected to the image reading apparatus, the image reading system comprising:
a processor;
a non-transitory storage portion storing, when the image reading apparatus performs the double sided reading in a state in which a booklet having a pair of cover sheets and a main text interposed between the pair of cover sheets is opened at least one time, image data of the booklet read by the reading portion, the storage portion also storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to instantiate;
a cover sheet determination portion determining whether the image data, which is stored in the storage portion, is cover sheet image data obtained by reading the cover sheet;
a main text determination portion determining image data of a back side of the cover sheet, which is a reading source of the cover sheet image data determined by the cover sheet determination portion among the image data stored in the storage portion, as main text image data;
an arrangement processing portion rearranging the cover sheet image data and the main text image data at page order arrangement positions of the booklet; and
a file generation portion generating an image file from the cover sheet image data and the main text image data rearranged by the arrangement processing portion, wherein
the arrangement processing portion divides the cover sheet image data into two parts corresponding to the pair of cover sheets to arrange the two parts at a front and an end, respectively, and arranges the main text image data between the front and the end.

2. The image reading system according to claim 1 , wherein
the cover sheet determination portion compares the image data, which is read at present time, with image data, which is read before previous time, to determine whether the image data is the cover sheet image data, and when a determination is made that the image data is not the cover sheet image data, the cover sheet determination portion rotates one of two image data, which are the image data read at the present time and the image data read before the previous time, by half a turn, and then compares the two image data.

3. The image reading system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the processor instantiating an optical character recognition portion, wherein
the pair of cover sheets are a cover sheet and a back cover sheet,
the cover sheet image data includes two areas of a cover sheet candidate and a back cover sheet candidate,
the optical character recognition portion acquires a page number of a back side of the cover sheet candidate and a page number of a back side of the back cover sheet candidate in the main text image data, and
the cover sheet determination portion determines a candidate having a smaller value of the two page numbers on the back sides of the cover sheet candidate and the back cover sheet candidate as the cover sheet, and determines a candidate having a larger value of the two page numbers on the back sides of the cover sheet candidate and the back cover sheet candidate as the back cover sheet.

4. The image reading system according to claim 1 , wherein
after the cover sheet determination portion determines that the image data is the cover sheet image data, when there is image data that is the same as the cover sheet image data in next and subsequent readings, the image data is not stored in the storage portion.

5. The image reading system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an input portion, wherein
a normal mode, in which an image file is generated by reading the document having a single sheet, and a booklet generation mode, in which the image file including the cover sheet image data and the main text image data is generated by reading the booklet, are configured to be selectable by the input portion.

6. The image reading system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the processor instantiating a division processing portion defining a half size of the cover sheet image data as a size of one page and dividing the main text image data by the size, wherein
the arrangement processing portion individually arranges the main text image data divided by the division processing portion.

7. The image reading system according to claim 6 , further comprising:
the processor instantiating a page area detection portion detecting a presence or absence of an image in a boundary part between two page candidate areas included in the main text image data, wherein
the arrangement processing portion divides the main text image data by the size to individually arrange the divided main text image data when the image is not present in the boundary part, and arranges the main text image data without dividing the main text image data by the size when the image is present in the boundary part.

8. The image reading system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the processor instantiating an optical character recognition portion, wherein
the arrangement processing portion changes a vertical orientation of at least one of the cover sheet image data and the main text image data based on an orientation of character information of the cover sheet acquired by the optical character recognition portion or an orientation of character information of the main text acquired by the optical character recognition portion.

9. The image reading system according to claim 1 , wherein
after the cover sheet determination portion determines that the image data is the cover sheet image data, the image reading apparatus is switched to a single sided reading for reading only a side of the main text of the booklet, and the cover sheet determination portion does not perform a determination process.

10. The image reading system according to claim 1 , wherein
the pair of cover sheets are a cover sheet and a back cover sheet,
the reading portion performs a first reading in a state in which the booklet is closed and performs second and subsequent readings in a state in which the booklet is opened,
the cover sheet determination portion determines first cover sheet image data obtained by reading the cover sheet and second cover sheet image data obtained by reading the back cover sheet by using a determination, in the first reading, and
the main text determination portion determines image data, which corresponds to a back side of image data of the cover sheet specified based on the first cover sheet image data, and image data, which corresponds to a back side of image data of the back cover sheet specified based on the second cover sheet image data, as the main text image data, in the second and subsequent readings.

11. An image reading method of generating a file of a booklet from image data acquired by causing an image reading apparatus, which is configured to perform a double sided reading by a reading portion including a first reading portion configured to read a first side of a document and a second reading portion configured to read a second side that is a side opposite to the first side of the document, to read the booklet,
when the image reading apparatus performs the double sided reading in a state in which a booklet having a pair of cover sheets and a main text interposed between the pair of cover sheets is opened at least one time, the image reading method comprising:

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Nobutaka
• Sato Nao
• Koyama Osamu
• Kanamitsu Masatomo
• Tokuda Hideaki

Classifications

• H04N1/00816 Primary

  Determining the reading area, e.g. eliminating reading of margins · CPC title

• G06V30/1463

  Orientation detection or correction, e.g. rotation of multiples of 90 degrees · CPC title

• G06V30/416

  Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors · CPC title

• H04N1/00806

  According to type of the original, e.g. colour paper or transparency, or reading a plurality of different types of original · CPC title

• G06V2201/131

  Book · CPC title