An image processing apparatus includes an authenticating unit, a first communication interface, a second communication interface, an image forming unit, and a managing unit. The first communication interface is disposed for communication with an external apparatus, the second communication interface differs from the first communication interface and can connect to an external apparatus if a predetermined requirement for operation is satisfied. The image forming unit forms an image on a medium in accordance with an execution instruction received from an external apparatus via the first communication interface or the second communication interface. The managing unit handles one process performed by the image forming unit separately from the image forming unit.

A computer-implemented method for preventing unauthorized processing of a digital representation of at least a portion of a document, a device for data processing, and a computer program product are provided, wherein in particular the document is a banknote. The method comprises providing data, wherein the data is based on the digital representation of at least a portion of a test element. The digital representation may be an image file corresponding to the at least one portion of the test element. The method also involves analyzing the data with regard to data representing at least one characterizing feature of the at least one portion of the document. The method further comprises activating prohibiting means if the data being based on the digital representation of the at least one portion of the test element is similar to the data representing the at least one characterizing feature. The prohibiting means prohibit the data being based on the digital representation of the at least one portion of the test element to be further processed, in particular comprising copying and/or transmitting and/or printing and/or reproducing the data. Alternatively, the prohibiting means amend the data such that the data is prevented from being transmitted and/or printed and/or reproduced and/or further amended by data processing devices.

A document determination system includes a server apparatus that stores document data, a second multi-function printer that generates an authentic printed product, which is an authentic printed product in which a document represented by document data stored in the server apparatus is printed and in which at least a portion of the document is printed in composite black that is black represented using ink of a plurality of colors, and a third multi-function printer that reads a printed surface of a reading target including the authentic printed product and a duplicate of the authentic printed product. The server apparatus determines, based on whether at least the portion of the document represented by read data generated through reading by the third multi-function printer is printed in composite black, whether the reading target read by the third multi-function printer is the authentic printed product.

A method for checking the authenticity of products, by checking an image (A) of a product. The proof of authenticity is not visible to the human eye and cannot be copied. This is characterized in that a code stored in a halftone image by manipulation of dots and/or a manipulated field bounded in the halftone image can be read by means of an optical device and compared with a retrievable value in at least one database. In at least one field (F1 to F5) a part of a serial number is determined which describes the structure of the serial number and a hash function used for transmitting the serial number to the database, and this is also characterized in that the serial number is subsequently assembled and encrypted with the corresponding hash function.

A method for controlling copyright permissions when assembling multiple copyrighted works into a compiled file. The copyright permission level of each file is analyzed, either based on the copyright permission information present in metadata associated with the file or based on the digital file format of the file which reflects the permission level. The compiled file is assigned a permission level which is the same as or more restrictive than all of the permission level of the files in the compilation, and is generated in a format that enforces the assigned permission level. A notification may be displayed to the user to notify the use of the permission level assigned to the compiled file.

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and apparatus for generating a multi-layer correlation mark via a monochrome printer are disclosed. For example, the method includes setting a first scalar value of a channel of the monochrome printer, setting a second scalar value of the channel of the monochrome printer, generating a first layer of the multi-layer correlation mark at the first scalar value of the channel, generating a second layer of the multi-layer correlation mark at the second scalar value of the channel and printing the multi-layer correlation mark comprising the first layer at the first scalar value of the channel and the second layer at the second scalar value of the channel.

An image forming apparatus including applications and system side software for providing system side services to the applications is provided, in which the image forming apparatus includes: an authentication module for displaying an authentication screen on an operation panel of the image forming apparatus, wherein the authentication module allows the image forming apparatus to display a screen for using the image forming apparatus instead of the authentication screen if authentication data input from the authentication screen satisfies an authentication condition, and wherein the authentication module is provided in the image forming apparatus separately from the system side software.

The present invention relates to a method and product resulting from application distortion security images in an anti-copy document, printed on demand, which may be variable and use laser printers or printer/copiers and/or ink-jet printers and/or digital presses.

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: an image obtaining unit configured to obtain an image of an identification card; a printing unit; a utilization purpose entry receiving unit configured to receive an entry of a utilization purpose of a document to be printed by the printing unit; and a control unit configured to overlap a text indicating the utilization purpose received by the utilization purpose entry receiving unit, with the image of the identification card, and to instruct the printing unit to print the overlapped text and the image of the identification card.

A communication system, apparatus, method and computer program product can comprise or operate an input opening or slot to receive an input request, a display, an input device to receive key inputs for the input request, a scanner to generate a soft copy of the input request, a controller to process the input request and provide an output reply, a printer to print a first hard copy of the output reply and a second hard copy of the output reply, an output opening or slot to dispense the first hard copy of the output reply, and a plurality of bins to store the second hard copy of the output reply. The system is configured to manage official communications between a first user who creates an input request and a second user who creates a reply request.