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[User]
Title: Image Processing Apparatus, Image Processing System, And Image Processing Method

Technical Field and Background:
The present disclosure relates to image processing apparatuses, image processing systems, and image processing methods. There are various kinds of techniques for searching for a read and stored image on an image processing apparatus, such as a scanner, a copier or a multifunction peripheral. For example, a printer is disclosed which is capable of searching for pieces of document information (images) containing particular date information among those registered in a particular memory, assigning identification information to the pieces of document information containing the particular date information, and displaying a list of all the pieces of document information so that the pieces of document information having identification information assigned thereto are higher on the list. Thus, pieces of document information likely to be used at regular intervals can be easily retrieved.

Invention Disclosure:
A document image reading section is configured to read, among documents constituting a book, an image of a document of one page of the book. A document image checking section is configured to check the read image of the read document against registered images of documents stored in a server to determine whether or not the registered image matching the read image exists. When the registered image matching the read image exists, a document image acquisition section acquires the matching registered image. A document image printing section forms an image on a paper sheet using the acquired registered image.

[Assistant]
1. An image processing apparatus connected to a server, the image processing apparatus comprising:
a document image reading section configured to read, among documents constituting a book, an image of a document of at least one page of the book; and
a control circuit that includes a CPU and, based on operation of the CPU in accordance with a program, operates as:
a document image checking section configured to (1) OCR the read image of the document read by the document image reading section to detect a plurality of characters existing in the read image and acquire, among the plurality of characters, a predetermined number of characters beginning with a character located at a predetermined location, (2) acquire, among a plurality of characters contained in each of registered images of respective documents stored in the server, the same predetermined number of characters beginning with a character located at the predetermined location, and (3) determine whether or not the characters acquired from the read image match the characters acquired from the one registered image, thus determining whether or not the registered image matching the read image exists in all of the registered images of the documents stored in the server;
a document image acquisition section configured to, when the document image checking section determines that the registered image matching the read image exists, acquire the matching registered image; and
a document image printing section configured to form an image on a paper sheet using the registered image acquired by the document image acquisition section.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the control circuit further operates, based on operation of the CPU in accordance with the program, as a number-of-page acceptance section configured to accept an entry of a number of pages from a user,
when the document image checking section determines that the registered image matching the read image exists, the document image acquisition section acquires, from the server, the registered images of the number of pages the entry of which has been accepted by the number-of-page acceptance section and which begins with the page indicated by the matching registered image, and
the document image printing section forms images on paper sheets using the registered images of the number of pages acquired by the document image acquisition section.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the control circuit further operates, based on operation of the CPU in accordance with the program, as a chapter number acceptance section configured to accept an entry of a chapter number indicating a chapter from a user,
wherein the document image acquisition section is further configured to acquire, from the server, one or more of the registered images of the documents stored in the server, the one or more registered images containing the chapter number the entry of which has been accepted by the chapter number acceptance section, and
the document image printing section forms one or more images on one or more paper sheets using the one or more registered images acquired by the document image acquisition section.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the document image checking section comprises a check target table in which check targets each consisting of one or any combination of a page number, a chapter title, a chapter number, a figure, a table, a number of characters, and a total number of characters are stored together with respective different priorities given to the respective check targets, and
the document image checking section is further configured to:
search the registered images of the documents stored in the server for the registered image matching the read image of the document read by the document image reading section in terms of the highest priority check target stored in the check target table and acquire the matching registered image from the server;
when the registered images of the documents stored in the server include no registered image matching the read image of the document read by the document image reading section in terms of the highest priority check target, search for the registered image matching the read image of the document read by the document image reading section in terms of the next highest priority check target stored in the check target table and acquire the matching registered image from the server;
continue to check the read image against the registered images of the documents stored in the server until the registered image matching the read image in terms of the check target is searched out of the registered images of the documents in the server, and stop checking the read image against the registered images of the documents when the read image has been checked against the registered images of the documents in terms of all the priority check targets indicated in the check target table but no registered image matching the read image has been searched out;
when the check target is the number of characters, determine whether or not the predetermined number of characters acquired from the read image and beginning with the character located at the predetermined location match the same predetermined number of characters acquired from the one registered image and beginning with the character located at the predetermined location, thus determining whether or not the registered image matching the read image exists; and
when the check target is the total number of characters, acquire all characters existing in the read image, acquire all characters existing in the one registered image of the document stored in the server, and determine whether or not all the characters acquired from the read image match all the characters acquired from the one registered image, thus determining whether or not the registered image matching the read image exists.

5. An image processing system comprising an image processing apparatus and a server,
the server comprising a storage section configured to store registered images of documents constituting a book,
the image processing apparatus comprising:
a document image reading section configured to read, among the documents constituting the book, an image of a document of at least one page of the book; and
a control circuit that includes a CPU and, based on operation of the CPU in accordance with a program, operates as:
a document image checking section configured to (1) OCR the read image of the document read by the document image reading section to detect a plurality of characters existing in the read image and acquire, among the plurality of characters, a predetermined number of characters beginning with a character located at a predetermined location, (2) acquire, among a plurality of characters contained in each of registered images of respective documents stored in the server, the same predetermined number of characters beginning with a character located at the predetermined location, and (3) determine whether or not the characters acquired from the read image match the characters acquired from the one registered image, thus determining whether or not the registered image matching the read image exists in all of the registered images of the documents stored in the server;
a document image acquisition section configured to, when the document image checking section determines that the registered image matching the read image exists, acquire the matching registered image; and
a document image printing section configured to form an image on a paper sheet using the registered image acquired by the document image acquisition section.