An object of the present disclosure is to reduce the load of a user in a case where multiplexed information is embedded in an image. One embodiment of the present invention is an image processing apparatus having: a recognition unit configured to recognize an object within an image; a selection unit configured to select additional information corresponding to an object recognized by the recognition unit from among additional information stored in a storage unit; and a layout unit configured to lay out the additional information so that at least a part of an area in which additional information selected by the selection unit is embedded overlaps an area of an object recognized by the recognition unit.

A method for identifying sections of contracts. This method works well with documents that originated from scanned images, i.e., documents that could possibly include noise and misleading cues.

A system creates a copy of a document by: receiving an electronic representation a document to be copied onto a substrate; identifying a non-invasive watermark to be printed on the substrate; analyzing the document and the non-invasive watermark to determine whether a threshold amount of the non-invasive watermark can be printed in a white space of the document; and creating a secure copy of the document with the watermark. If the threshold amount of the non-invasive watermark can be printed in the white space, the system will print at least a portion the non-invasive watermark in the white space. Otherwise, the system will modify at least a portion of the non-invasive watermark to comprise an invasive watermark portion, and it will print the invasive watermark portion over a portion of the document's content.

An image processing apparatus includes: an operation receiver, an image processor configured to perform image processing to add a digital watermark containing address information of the image processing apparatus to a first image to thereby generate a second image; a communication controller configured to receive a taking-out request to take out the digital watermark contained in the second image from an information processing device; and a storage controller configured to store a log in a storage unit. When receiving the taking-out request, the image processor performs image processing to take out the digital watermark contained in the second image to thereby generate the first image. The communication controller transmits the first image generated by the image processor to the information processing device. The storage controller stores, in the storage unit, the log containing identification information identifying the user of the information processing device from which the taking-out request is transmitted.

This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including signal encoding and digital watermarking. Image areas are selected in an encoded digital design, and corresponding areas from a printed version of the encoded digital design are evaluated to determined signal robustness after printing. One claim recites an image processing method for selecting image areas to test for robustness of encoded signals, the method comprising: obtaining digital artwork comprising a plurality of colors, the digital artwork comprising multiple instances of an encoded signal; selecting a set encoding tiles, and for each encoding tile determining encoding detectability measure associated therewith; creating a bin for each encoding technology used to encode the encoded signal; for each bin, removing any encoding tile having a detectability measure below a predetermined threshold; for each bin, prioritizing remaining encoding tiles; selecting an encoding tile based on the prioritization per bin, and spatially locating the selected encoding tile relative to the digital artwork. Other technology is described in this patent document.

An image output device includes a storage and outputs image data stored the storage. The image output device includes a detector, an output controller, and an eraser. The detector detects whether or not specific image information is included in the image data. The output controller allows an output of the image data when the image data does not include the specific image information, and disallows the output of the image data when the image data includes the specific image information. The eraser erases the image data from the storage when the specific image information is included in the image data.

A see through apparatus receives a paper document. The see through apparatus includes a first scanning element, a second scanning element, and a processor coupled to the first scanning element and the second scanning element. Each of the first and second scanning elements illuminate a respective side of the paper document while the other scanning element captures an image. The processor detects kinematic artifacts on the paper document and determines that the paper document is fraudulent based on the detected kinematic artifacts. The processor also detects an alignment feature from the image capture from the first image or the second image, and determines that the document is not aligned based on the detected alignment feature.

A method and system for automatically verifying the authenticity of documents is provided. The method has: scanning a document to be verified in the visible and ultraviolet light spectrum; detecting in the scanned document digital watermarks printed with visible and ultraviolet ink; decrypting the marks, thereby obtaining an ultraviolet mark identifier and a variable data mark identifier; validating the percentage of the mark by checking for the presence of the digital watermark in different areas of the scanned document; comparing the mark identifiers obtained with mark identifiers stored in a database; and determining the validity of the document on the basis of the comparison. The invention allows the validity of the data printed in the document to be checked automatically, reducing the possibility of the undetected falsification, modification or total or partial alteration of a document.

This disclosure relates to advanced image signal processing technology including encoded signals and digital watermarking. One implementation is directed a printed object comprising: a substrate comprising a first area; a first colored ink or design printed within the first area, the first colored ink or design comprising a spectral reflectivity of less than or equal to 20% at or around 660 nm; a colored ink mixture printed over the first colored ink or design at a first plurality of spatial locations within the first area, the colored ink mixture printed such that the first area comprises a second plurality of spatial locations without the colored ink mixture, the colored ink mixture comprising opaque white ink and a first colorant, wherein the color ink mixture comprises a spectral reflectivity greater than the first colored ink or design at or around 660 nm, and wherein colored ink mixture comprises a spectral reflectivity less than the first colored ink or design in the range of 495 nm-570 nm; in which the first plurality of spatial locations is arranged in a pattern conveying an encoded signal, and in which the first colored ink or design and the colored ink mixture comprise a spectral reflectivity difference at or around 660 nm in a difference range of 8%-30%. Of course, other objects, methods, packages, labels, containers, systems and apparatus are described in this patent document.

A server includes an email receiver, a memory controller, a first generator, and an email transmitter. The email receiver receives, from an external device, a first email including image data, a first email address, and a second email address. The memory controller stores identification information in association with the second email address. The first generator generates first print data representing a first print image. The first print image includes a first partial image represented by the image data and a second partial image representing an image corresponding to the identification information. The email transmitter transmits a second email including scanned data. The scanned data represents a scanned image. The second email further includes, as a destination address, the second email address associated with the identification information corresponding to the second partial image included in the scanned image.