Image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, method of reading image, and recording medium for reading original-document image and generating image data of the original-document image

1. An image reading apparatus that reads an original-document image and generates image data of the original-document image, the apparatus comprising:

an image reading unit that reads the original-document image and sequentially generates the image data of the original-document image as a plurality of pieces of band data;

a security pattern detection unit that performs security pattern detection processing on band data of a single band and when the band data of the single band includes a portion or an entirety of a security pattern, detects the portion or the entirety of the security pattern; and

a control circuit unit that measures a background color density of each of the plurality of pieces of the band data; and

a main control unit that causes the security pattern detection unit not to perform the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having greatest background color density measured and to perform the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having lowest background color density measured, among the plurality of pieces of the band data,

wherein the image reading unit sequentially generates the plurality of pieces of band data for each of a plurality of color planes, and

the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes,

wherein the main control unit identifies a color plane of band data of the single band having the lowest background color density, among the respective pieces of first band data of the plurality of the color planes, as the single color plane having the lowest background color density,

wherein the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a-the single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes excluding a yellow plane.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the security pattern detection unit performs the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having lowest background color density, among the plurality of pieces of the band data generated by the image reading unit during the security pattern detection processing.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit performs automatic exposure processing on the plurality of pieces of the band data generated by the image reading unit,

and

the main control unit identifies the band data of the single band having the lowest background color density among the plurality of pieces of the band data based on the background color density measured by the control circuit.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the portion or the entirety of the security pattern has been detected by the security pattern detection unit for the original-document image, the main control unit causes the security pattern detection processing on the original-document image to be terminated without causing the security pattern detection processing to be performed on remaining pieces of band data.

5. An image forming apparatus that reads an original-document image and generates image data of the original-document image, the apparatus comprising:

an image reading unit that reads the original-document image and sequentially generates the image data of the original-document image as a plurality of pieces of band data;

a security pattern detection unit that performs security pattern detection processing on band data of a single band and when the band data of the single band includes a portion or an entirety of a security pattern, detects the portion or the entirety of the security pattern;

a control circuit unit that measures a background color density of each of the plurality of pieces of the band data;

a main control unit that causes the security pattern detection unit to not perform the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having greatest background color density measured and to perform the security pattern detection processing the band data of the single band having the lowest background color density measured, among the plurality of pieces of the band data; and

an image forming unit, the main control unit, when the portion or an entirety of the security pattern is detected by the security pattern detection unit, prevents formation of an image of a copy of the original-document image by the image forming unit or causes image forming to be performed after predetermined image processing is performed on the copy of the original-document image,

wherein the image reading unit sequentially generates the plurality of pieces of band data for each of a plurality of color planes, and

the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes,

wherein the main control unit identifies a color plane of band data of the single band having the lowest background color density, among the respective pieces of first band data of the plurality of the color planes, as the single color plane having the lowest background color density,

wherein the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a-the single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes excluding a yellow plane.

6. A method of reading an original-document image and generating image data of the original-document image, the method comprising:

reading an image of the original-document and sequentially generating image data as a plurality of pieces of band data; performing security pattern detection processing on band data of a single band and when the band data of the single band includes a portion or an entirety of a security pattern, detecting the portion or the entirety of the security pattern; and

measuring a background color density of each of the plurality of pieces of the band data; and

causing the security pattern detection processing to not be performed on the band data of the single band having greatest background color density measured and performing the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having lowest background color density measured, among the plurality of pieces of band data,

wherein an image reading unit sequentially generates the plurality of pieces of band data for each of a plurality of color planes, and

a main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes,

wherein the main control unit identifies a color plane of band data of the single band having the lowest background color density, among the respective pieces of first band data of the plurality of the color planes, as the single color plane having the lowest background color density,

wherein the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a-the single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes excluding a yellow plane.

7. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium that stores an image reading program which causes a computer to function as an image reading apparatus, the program causing the computer to function as:

an image reading unit that reads the original-document image and sequentially generates the image data of the original-document image as a plurality of pieces of band data;

a security pattern detection unit that performs security pattern detection processing on band data of a single band and when the band data of the single band includes a portion or an entirety of a security pattern, detects the portion or the entirety of the security pattern;

a control circuit unit that measures a background color density of each of the plurality of pieces of the band data; and

a main control unit that causes the security pattern detection unit to not perform the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having greatest background color density measured and to perform the security pattern detection processing on the band data of the single band having the lowest background color density measured, among the plurality of pieces of the band data,

wherein the an image reading unit sequentially generates the plurality of pieces of band data for each of a plurality of color planes, and

the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes,

wherein the main control unit identifies a color plane of band data of the single band having the lowest background color density, among the respective pieces of first band data of the plurality of the color planes, as the single color plane having the lowest background color density,

wherein the main control unit causes the security pattern detection unit to perform the security pattern detection processing only for a-the single color plane having the lowest background color density among the plurality of the color planes excluding a yellow plane.