JP2006054671A - Digital multi-function machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a status that the line density of image data to be transmitted is sufficiently managed between a transmission side and reception side. <P>SOLUTION: Each block is controlled by a firmware program stored in an ROM 13, and when an original is transmitted, a communication control part 10 controls a MODEM 19 and a network controller 20 to transmit image information read by a scanner 4 to a public line network. Also, various information is transmitted/received through an NIC 16 on a network. An operation display part 6 fetches input information from a button, and displays an operating status at the display unit of an operation display part 7. As for single image data, "FAX transmission" using a public line and batch transmission through the network can be executed, and the automatic change of line density corresponding to a transmitting means can be attained at the time of batch transmission. When such automatic change processing is generated, a transmitter is notified of the fact. Thus, it is possible to secure the management of the line density of image data to be transmitted between the transmission side and the reception side under the circumstance of communication infrastructure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital multi-function peripheral (MFP) applied as an image transmission device having an image transmission function such as a scanner and a facsimile.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, MFPs (digital multifunction peripherals) have diversified image data transmission means such as FAX transmission and transmission of scan information to a desired IP address, and new and old communication infrastructures coexist. In such a situation, there is an increasing need for transmission of multiple types of files, procedures, and specifications in order to read a document with a single reading operation and transmit the data collectively in accordance with the destination receiving environment. .
More specifically, a normal mode transmission document and an error collection mode (ECM) transmission document are simultaneously searched for one destination, and each document is continuously transmitted in a predetermined communication mode (see Patent Document). 1).
According to another conventional invention, a plurality of documents are selected from a list of displayed documents without repeating the same operation, and batch processing is performed (see Patent Document 2).
JP-A-2-224482 JP 2000-29644 A

  However, depending on the conventional transmission means, the same data may not be transmitted between the transmission side and the reception side due to the difference in transmission procedure. For example, regarding the line density of image data, the transmission procedure of 600 × 600 dpi is not standardized in FAX transmission, and some devices only support a coarse line density. At that time, in “Scan To Email”, image data that can be transmitted at 600 × 600 dpi needs to be automatically changed to a line density of 400 × 400 dpi or 200 × 200 dpi for transmission to a FAX transmission destination. When such an automatic change process occurs, it is necessary to record the fact as transmission history information.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a digital multi-function peripheral that enables transmission and reception of a single image data via at least two types of communication means based on the restriction of linear density.

  A digital multifunction peripheral according to a first aspect of the present invention is a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP) capable of transmitting and receiving image data using a plurality of types of communication methods including a public line and the Internet. The first transmission means using the public line to be executed, the second transmission means using the Internet for executing transmission of image data, and at least two communication methods of the first transmission means and the second transmission means Control means for controlling the transmission of the used image data, and at least two kinds of communication means based on the linear density restriction accompanying the transmission of the image data using at least two communication methods. The image data can be transmitted and received.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the digital multi-function peripheral according to the first aspect, the transmission / reception of a single image data includes a selection setting unit that can select one of at least two types of communication means. Furthermore, it is characterized by having.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the digital multifunction peripheral according to the second aspect, the selection setting of one of the at least two types of communication means is a condition setting based on the magnitude of the linear density. To do.

  The invention described in claim 4 is a digital multi-function peripheral (MFP) that transmits and receives an image via a communication means such as a public line or the Internet, and performs “FAX transmission using a public line for single image data. ”And“ Scan To Email ”that sends as an e-mail to the desired IP address via the network. Multiple transmission means that enable batch transmission and automatic change of the line density corresponding to the transmission means at the time of batch transmission It comprises control means for performing and transmission history information accumulating means for accumulating that automatic change has been performed as transmission history information.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the digital multi-function peripheral according to the fourth aspect, the transmission history information accumulating unit includes a transmission history information recording unit for recording transmission history information for confirmation as transmission history information, and a device from the device. And printing means for recording as print information.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the digital multi-function peripheral according to any one of the fourth or fifth aspect, when the linear density is automatically changed, the user can select whether or not the change can be made based on the display information. It further has a selection means.

  In the invention according to claim 7, in the digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 6, when the user selects whether or not the linear density can be automatically changed, the image after the linear density conversion can be output and confirmed. It is characterized by that.

  According to the digital multi-function peripheral of the present invention, it is possible to transmit / receive a single image data via at least two types of communication means based on the restriction of the linear density of each means. As a result, the versatility and usability of the device can be increased, the flexibility of user requests can be increased, and the cost and performance of the device can be increased.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an MFP (digital multifunction peripheral) according to the present invention.
The MFP applied to the present embodiment includes an original sensor 1, a paper sensor 2, a battery 3, a scanner 4, a plotter 5, an operation display unit 6, an image memory 7, a parameter memory 8, a fingerprint input unit 9, a communication control unit 10, The encoder / decoder 11, the CPU 12, the ROM 13, the buffer memory 14, the character generator 15, the NIC (Network Interface Card) 16, the wireless controller 17, the speaker 18, the modem 19, and the network controller 20 are configured. Is done.

  In the MFP configured as described above, each block is controlled by a firmware program stored in the ROM 13, and when the document is transmitted, the communication control unit 10 controls the modem 19 and the network control device 20 to read from the scanner 4. Send image information to public network. Various information is transmitted and received on the network via the NIC 16. The operation display unit 6 captures input information from the buttons and displays the operation state and the like based on the input information on the display of the operation display unit 7. The wireless control unit 17 performs data control for normal communication with the portable device. As this wireless communication I / F, as a short-distance communication I / F between devices, in recent years, Bluetooth, which is a specification mode name of short-range wireless communication, is known.

  The MFP configured as described above also functions as a digital copy, a scanner, and a printer by using the scanner 4, the plotter 5, the encoding / decoding unit 11, and the image memory 7. In double-sided reading and double-sided printing operations, image information is appropriately stored in the image memory 7 in relation to the mechanical structure, and the page order is controlled.

FIG. 2 shows an image in a state where management information of several transmission files is accumulated in the parameter memory in the MFP.
When sending a document, the destination FAX subscriber number (FAX number) and the destination IP address to be sent as mail can be set as the broadcast destination. Files 1 to 3 are examples in which both are set, and file 4 is an example in which only a FAX number is set.

  File 1 is read at 600 × 600 dpi, but cannot be transmitted at 600 × 600 dpi to a FAX destination. For this reason, it is stored in the memory as information indicating that transmission is performed at 400 × 400 dpi. When the transmission operation is actually performed, the line density is automatically converted and transmitted according to this information during FAX transmission. FIG. 2 also corresponds to an information image displayed on the LCD of the first embodiment. This makes it possible to easily perform transmission under the best and optimum conditions at all times.

  FIG. 3 shows an image of a report printed out in the second embodiment. On this report, the same information as that of the first embodiment for notifying that the linear density automatic change is performed is printed. This facilitates management and confirmation of the linear density.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an inquiry screen display to the user in the third embodiment. This is a screen for prompting the user to select whether or not to change the line density automatically after reading the document. If [OK] is pressed on this screen, the line density is automatically changed and fax transmission is performed. If [Cancel transmission] is pressed, transmission to the fax destination is canceled, and transmission is performed at 600 × 600 dpi only to the Scan To Email destination. Is called.
Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the responsiveness to the transmission condition to the user.

  In FIG. 5, the example of the inquiry screen display to the user in Example 4 is shown. In the third embodiment, only OK or cancellation can be selected for the automatic change contents, but an image output option is added thereto. When image output is selected, document reading is first performed, and the image is stored in the image memory of FIG. Next, the image data is read from the image memory, and the data whose line density is changed (converted) is printed out by the plotter unit. Viewing the output image, the user can reselect the line density. Thereby, it becomes possible to further improve the correspondence to the transmission condition to the user.

  FIG. 6 shows a screen display image in the fifth embodiment. In the present embodiment, the line density that can be handled as a device is clearly specified, and the reading line density and the handling of the line density in “FAX transmission” or “Scan To Email” can be selected depending on the content. In FIG. 6, “600 × 600 dpi” is selected as the reading line density. In this case, it is understood that “FAX transmission” causes conversion to “400 × 400 dpi”, and the user performs “FAX transmission”. Have chosen not to. This makes it easy for the user to prevent transmission under transmission conditions that they do not want.

  FIG. 7 shows a screen display image in the sixth embodiment. Here, the line density that cannot be handled by each of “FAX transmission” and “Scan To Email” is clearly indicated so that only the reading line density can be selected. As a result, even if the user is not particularly conscious of the selection of the communication circuit, transmission can be performed under the desired transmission conditions.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an MFP (digital multifunction peripheral) according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram showing an image of a state in which management information of several transmission files is accumulated in a parameter memory in the MFP. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an image of a report printed out in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an inquiry screen display to the user in Example 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the inquiry screen display to the user in Example 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the screen display image in Example 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the screen display image in Example 6. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Document sensor 2 Paper sensor 3 Battery 4 Scanner 5 Plotter 6 Operation display part 7 Image memory 8 Parameter memory 9 Fingerprint input part 10 Communication control part 11 Encoding / decoding part 12 CPU
13 ROM
14 Buffer memory 15 Character generator 16 NIC
17 Wireless Control Unit 18 Speaker 19 Modem 20 Network Control Device

Claims (7)

A digital multi-function peripheral (MFP) capable of transmitting and receiving image data using a plurality of types of communication methods including a public line and the Internet,
First transmission means using the public line for transmitting image data;
Second transmission means using the Internet for performing transmission of the image data;
Control means for controlling transmission of the image data using at least two communication methods of the first transmission means and the second transmission means;
A single image data can be transmitted / received via at least two types of communication means based on a linear density constraint accompanying transmission of the image data using at least two of the communication means. A digital multifunction device.   2. The digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 1, further comprising a selection setting unit configured to select one of the at least two types of communication means for transmission / reception of the single image data.   3. The digital multi-functional peripheral according to claim 2, wherein the selection setting of one of the at least two types of communication means is a condition setting based on the magnitude of the linear density. A digital multi-function peripheral (MFP) that transmits and receives images via communication means such as a public line or the Internet,
For a single image data, a plurality of transmission means capable of batch transmission of “FAX transmission” using the public line and “Scan To Email” transmitted as a mail to a desired IP address via a network;
Control means for automatically changing the linear density corresponding to the transmission means at the time of the batch transmission;
And a transmission history information accumulating unit for accumulating the automatic change as transmission history information.   5. The transmission history information storage means includes transmission history information recording means for recording transmission history information for confirmation as transmission history information, and printing means for recording as printing information from a device. The digital multi-function machine described in 1.   6. The digital multi-functional peripheral according to claim 4, further comprising a selection unit that allows a user to select whether or not to change the linear density based on display information when the linear density is automatically changed.   7. The digital multi-function peripheral according to claim 6, wherein when a user selects whether or not the linear density can be automatically changed, an image after the linear density conversion can be output and confirmed.

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