JP7480078B2 - Image processing device, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing device, a control method thereof, and a program.

In the past, a function was known in which image data generated by a client computer was sent to a fax machine via a LAN (Local Area Network) and then sent by fax from the fax machine. In this case, a user of the client computer could specify a fax destination.
There is also a known function in which image data is not prepared on the client computer side, but only the destination specified by the user is notified to the fax machine, and the fax machine reads the original document, generates image data, and faxes it to the specified destination (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288625

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not accept a new document reading and sending job when the scanner unit of the fax machine is in use or when the fax machine is executing a document reading and sending job in response to an instruction from another client computer. In other words, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is not user-friendly because whether or not a new document reading and sending job can be executed is determined depending on the usage status of the fax machine by other users.
In addition, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, when document reading and transmission jobs are received from different client computers almost simultaneously, image data generated by reading the document is transmitted to the destination specified in the job received earlier, which may result in image data being transmitted to a destination not intended by the user, i.e., a destination specified in the document reading and transmission job instructed by another client computer, which may pose a security problem.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for reliably executing an original reading and transmission job even when multiple users share the same image processing apparatus, regardless of the usage status of the image processing apparatus by other users.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus comprising: an operation unit; a receiving unit that receives first authentication information for executing a login process from a user via the operation unit; an execution unit that executes the login process of the user using the first authentication information received by the receiving unit; a receiving unit that receives a destination and second authentication information from an external device via a network; a determining unit that determines whether the second authentication information received by the receiving unit matches the first authentication information of a user who has logged in to the image processing apparatus through the login process when the receiving unit receives the second authentication information; a display unit that displays a screen; The object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device having a reading means for generating image data based on the image, and a transmitting means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means, wherein when the determining means determines that the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of the user who is logged in to the image processing device through the login process at the time the receiving means receives the second authentication information, the image processing device displays a screen capable of accepting an instruction to transmit image data generated by the reading means to the destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process.

Therefore, the image processing device of the present invention is an image processing device comprising an operation unit, a receiving means for receiving first authentication information for executing a login process from a user via the operation unit, an execution means for executing the login process of the user using the first authentication information received by the receiving means, a receiving means for receiving a destination and second authentication information from an external device via a network, a determining means for determining whether or not the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of a user who has logged in to the image processing device by the login process when the receiving means receives the second authentication information, a display means for displaying a screen, and The device has a reading means for reading an image and generating image data based on the image, and a transmitting means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means, and is characterized in that when the determination means determines that the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of the user who is logged in to the image processing device through the login process at the time the receiving means receives the second authentication information, it displays a screen capable of accepting instructions to send image data generated by the reading means to the destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process.

According to the present invention, even when an image processing apparatus is shared by a plurality of users, a mechanism can be provided for reliably executing an original reading and transmission job regardless of the usage status of the image processing apparatus by other users.
Also, the image processing apparatus includes an operation unit, a receiving unit that receives first authentication information for executing a login process from a user via the operation unit, an execution unit that executes the login process of the user using the first authentication information received by the receiving unit, a receiving unit that receives a destination and second authentication information from an external device via a network, a determining unit that determines whether the second authentication information received by the receiving unit matches the first authentication information of a user who has logged in to the image processing apparatus through the login process when the receiving unit receives the second authentication information, a display unit that displays a screen, and a display unit that reads an image of a document and displays the image. an image processing device having a reading means for generating image data based on an image of the user and a transmitting means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means, wherein when the determining means determines that the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of the user who was logged in to the image processing device through the login process at the time the receiving means received the second authentication information, an image processing device can be provided that displays a screen capable of accepting an instruction to send image data generated by the reading means to the destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an image processing system. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a tablet terminal. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a tablet terminal (part 1). FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating an example of processing of an image processing system. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating an example of processing by the image processing system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a tablet terminal (part 2). FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a tablet terminal. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram (part 3) illustrating an example of processing by the image processing system. 1 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating an example of a process of the MFP. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating an example of the process of the MFP. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of an MFP (part 1). FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing of the image processing system (part 4). 11 is a flowchart (part 3) illustrating an example of a process of the MFP. 11 is a flowchart (part 4) illustrating an example of a process of the MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the MFP (part 2).

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment does not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiment are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.
<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an image processing system in this embodiment. A tablet terminal 101, which is an example of an information processing device, communicates with an MFP 103 via a wireless network router (wireless access point) 102. The MFP 103 is an example of an image processing device. The tablet terminal 101 and the wireless network router 102 are connected by a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The MFP 103 and the wireless network router 102 are connected by a wired LAN. The MFP 103 is also connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Note that the communication path between the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 is not limited to the above. For example, the tablet terminal 101 and the wireless network router 102 may be connected by a wired LAN. The MFP 103 and the wireless network router 102 may be connected by a wireless LAN. Furthermore, the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 may be connected to the same network. In other words, any configuration may be used as long as the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 are capable of communicating with each other via a network.

2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP 103. A control unit 210 including a CPU 211 controls the overall operation of the MFP 103. The CPU 211 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 212 and performs various controls such as reading, printing, and communication. More specifically, the CPU 211 reads out and executes a program stored in the ROM 212 or the like to realize a software configuration of the MFP 103, the processing of the MFP 103 in a sequence diagram, and each processing shown in a flowchart, which will be described later.
The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 211. Note that, in the MFP 103, one CPU 211 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described below using one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214), but other configurations are also possible. For example, each process shown in the flowcharts can be executed by using multiple CPUs and multiple RAMs or HDDs in cooperation with each other.
The HDD 214 stores image data and various programs. The HDD 214 is also used as a storage area for various setting data of the MFP 103. The operation unit I/F 215 connects the operation unit 220 to the control unit 210. The operation unit 220 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like, and serves as a reception unit that receives operations, inputs, and instructions from the user.

The printer I/F 216 connects the printer 221 and the control unit 210. Image data to be printed by the printer 221 is transferred from the control unit 210 via the printer I/F 216, and is printed by the printer 221 on a recording medium.
The scanner I/F 217 connects the scanner 222 and the control unit 210. The scanner 222 reads an original document, generates image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I/F 217.
The modem I/F 218 connects the modem 223 to the control unit 210. The modem 223 is connected to the PSTN and executes fax communication of image data with an external fax machine (not shown). The network I/F 219 connects the control unit 210 (MFP 103) to a wired LAN. The MFP 103 can communicate with external devices using the network I/F 219 to send and receive image data and various information.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP 103. Each unit shown by a solid line in Fig. 3 is a software module realized by the CPU 211 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 212 or the HDD 214. A UI (User Interface) unit 301 provides various information to a user via an operation unit 220 and accepts various instructions from the user. A Job Controller unit 302 accepts jobs such as copying, printing, and faxing, and controls the execution of the accepted jobs. A Protocol Stack unit 304 holds various network protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
In this embodiment, image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101 is received via the network I/F 219 in accordance with a network protocol held in a protocol stack unit 304. The received image data is stored by an image file unit 303. The image file unit 303 is a software module that manages image data stored in the RAM 213 and the HDD 214.

The Image File unit 303 stores not only image data received via the network I/F 219, but also image data generated by the scanner 222. The generation of image data by the scanner 222 is controlled by a Scan unit 306. The Fax unit 305 controls fax communication via the modem 223. When fax transmission is performed from the MFP 103, the Fax unit 305 reads out the image data stored in the Image File unit 303 and transmits it.
An OS (Operating System) unit 308 adjusts each module and task, and manages the entire software of the MFP 103. The OS unit 308 is combined with a device driver unit 307. The device driver unit 307 controls hardware devices such as the scanner 222 and the modem 223.
The authentication unit 309 is a module that controls user authentication. When user authentication is enabled in the MFP 103, the user needs to perform a login operation to input authentication information consisting of a user name and a password via the operation unit 220. The authentication unit 309 checks the input authentication information against preregistered authentication information to determine whether authentication is possible, and if authentication is possible, the user can use the MFP 103. Note that when user authentication is disabled in the MFP 103, the user can use the MFP 103 without a login operation or authentication by the authentication unit 309.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the tablet terminal 101. The control unit 410 including the CPU 411 controls the operation of the entire tablet terminal 101. The CPU 411 reads out a control program stored in the memory 412 and performs various controls. More specifically, the CPU 411 reads out and executes a program stored in the memory 412 or the like to realize the functions of the tablet terminal 101 and the processing of the tablet terminal 101 in the sequence diagram described below. The memory 412 is also used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 411. Note that, in the tablet terminal 101, one CPU 411 executes each process using one memory 412, but other modes may be used. For example, each process can be executed by cooperating multiple CPUs or multiple memories.
The operation unit I/F 413 connects the operation unit 420 and the control unit 410. The operation unit 420 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, and serves as a reception unit that receives operations, inputs, instructions, etc. from a user. The network I/F 414 connects the control unit 410 (tablet terminal 101) to a wireless LAN. The tablet terminal 101 can transmit image data and information to an external device and receive various information using the network I/F 414.

5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application displayed on the tablet terminal 101. The fax sending application is an application that can be downloaded from a server on the Internet and additionally installed on the tablet terminal 101, and is software that operates on the OS section of the tablet terminal 101. By using the fax sending application, settings for causing the MFP 103 to send a fax can be performed on the tablet terminal 101 side. The operation of the tablet terminal 101, which will be described later, is executed based on instructions from the fax sending application.
When the fax transmission application is started on the tablet terminal 101, the operation screen shown in Fig. 5 is displayed. A setting field 501 is a field for selecting and setting an MFP to execute fax transmission. When the setting field 501 is touched, the tablet terminal 101 searches for nearby MFPs, and a list of found MFPs is displayed. The user can select an MFP to execute fax transmission from the displayed MFPs.
The setting field 502 is a field for setting a telephone number (fax number) to be a destination of a fax transmission. The user may input the telephone number using a soft keyboard displayed on the tablet terminal 101, or may select a telephone number by referring to an address book stored in the tablet terminal 101.
The setting field 503 is a field for setting detailed settings of the scan process (read process) executed using the scanner 222 of the MFP 103. When the setting field 503 is touched, a screen for specifying reading parameters such as resolution, image quality, document size, etc. is displayed, and scan settings are accepted from the user via this screen. Note that the detailed settings of the scan process set in the setting field 503 can be changed by the user via the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103 before the start of the scan process.
The fax transmission key 504 is a key for instructing the MFP 103 to execute fax transmission. When the fax transmission key 504 is pressed after the settings in the setting fields 501 to 503 have been completed, communication between the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 starts.

The processing sequences in the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 will be described with reference to FIGS.
6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which a user logs in to the MFP 103 after the tablet terminal 101 instructs the MFP 103 to execute fax transmission. That is, a process in which a user logs in to the MFP 103 after receiving a document reading and transmission job from the tablet terminal 101 will be described. The document reading and transmission job is a fax transmission job including a scan command. In S601, the tablet terminal 101 accepts settings from the user via the operation screen of the tablet terminal 101 in FIG. 5. In S602, the tablet terminal 101 transmits a command for job generation to the MFP 103. It is assumed that authentication information of the user operating the tablet terminal 101 is added to this command. The MFP 103 that has received this command responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101 in S603.
In S604, the tablet terminal 101 transmits a scan command to the MFP 103 to instruct the MFP 103 to execute a scan. The MFP 103, having received this command, responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101 in S605. In S606, the tablet terminal 101 transmits a command to end the job to the MFP 103. The MFP 103, having received this command, responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101 in S607. In S608, the MFP 103 saves the job received in S602 to S607 as a fax transmission job waiting for document scanning, and waits until a user logs in from the operation unit 220.

When the user's login operation is accepted in S609, the MFP 103 determines in S610 whether there is a fax transmission job waiting for scanning of an original whose authentication information matches that of the login user. If there is a fax transmission job waiting for scanning of an original whose authentication information matches, the MFP 103 displays a scan setting screen related to the fax transmission job waiting for scanning of an original on the display unit of the operation unit 220 in S611 and waits until the user operates it. The process in S611 is an example of a setting screen display process. When the user issues a scan execution instruction in S612, the MFP 103 performs a scan process of the original using the scanner 222 in S613. The scan process follows the contents set in the setting field 503 in FIG. 5, but if the settings are changed on the scan setting screen displayed in S611, the settings after the change are followed. In S614, the MFP 103 faxes the image data obtained by the scan executed in S613. The destination of this fax transmission is the telephone number set in the setting field 502 in FIG. 5. The processes in S613 and S614 are an example of an execution process for processing a job in accordance with an instruction received via the scan setting screen.
If there is no document scan waiting fax transmission job with matching authentication information in S610, in S615, the MFP 103 displays a default standby screen (e.g., a copy function screen) of the MFP 103 on the display unit of the operation unit 420. The process in S615 is an example of a standby screen display process.

7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when a user has already logged in to the MFP 103 before the tablet terminal 101 instructs the MFP 103 to execute fax transmission. That is, processing when a user logs in to the MFP 103 before receiving a document reading and transmission job from the tablet terminal 101 will be described. When the MFP 103 accepts a user's login operation in S701, it displays a default standby screen of the MFP 103 on the display unit of the operation unit 220 in S702. In S703 to S709, the tablet terminal 101 instructs the MFP 103 to execute fax transmission including a scan command, but since this is the same as the sequence described in S601 to S607 of FIG. 6, a description thereof will be omitted.
In S710, the MFP 103 determines whether the authentication information of the login user of the MFP 103 matches the authentication information of the instructed fax transmission job. If the authentication information matches, in S711, the MFP 103 waits for the scanner 222 to become available, displays a scan setting screen related to the fax transmission job on the display unit of the operation unit 220, and waits for a user operation. When a scan execution instruction is given by the user in S712, the MFP 103 scans the document and sends the fax in S713 and S714. However, since the operations are the same as those in S613 and S614 in FIG. 6, a description thereof will be omitted.

If the authentication information does not match in S710, the MFP 103 stores the job received in S703 to S709 as a fax transmission job waiting for document scanning in S715. Note that the process in S715 is an example of a holding process for holding the job received in S703 to S709 as a job waiting to be executed.
As described above, when a fax transmission job including a scan command is instructed from the tablet terminal 101, if the authentication information of the fax transmission job matches the authentication information of the logged-in user of the MFP 103, a scan setting screen is displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103, and a process is performed in which the MFP 103 scans an original and transmits the obtained image data by fax in accordance with the user's instruction to execute scanning. Hereinafter, the process in which the MFP 103 scans an original and transmits the obtained image data by fax is referred to as a first transmission process. In the first transmission process, the image data obtained by scanning by the MFP 103 is transmitted by fax. In contrast, a second transmission process in which image data prepared on the tablet terminal 101 side is transmitted by fax from the MFP 103 will be described next.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a data management application displayed on the tablet terminal 101. The tablet terminal 101 stores image data downloaded from a network and image data captured using a camera function provided in the tablet terminal 101. These image data can be sequentially switched and displayed using a data management application installed on the tablet terminal 101, and the operation screen in Fig. 8 shows a state in which one of the stored image data is displayed.
When the user presses an operation key 801 on the operation screen in Fig. 8, a screen for selecting a function to be executed on the currently displayed image data is displayed. In addition to an e-mail sending application and a printing application, the above-mentioned fax sending application is displayed as a selection candidate on this screen. When the user selects the fax sending application, the operation screen is switched to that in Fig. 9.
9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application displayed on the tablet terminal 101. Setting fields 901, 902, and 903 are similar to the setting fields 501, 502, and 504 described in FIG.

Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the second transmission process is executed. In S1001, the tablet terminal 101 accepts an image selection from the user via the operation screen of Fig. 8. In the following S1002, the tablet terminal 101 accepts settings from the user via the operation screen of Fig. 9. In S1003, the tablet terminal 101 transmits a command for job generation to the MFP 103. The MFP 103 that receives this command responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101 in S1004.
In S1005, the tablet terminal 101 transmits an image command to the MFP 103. The image command includes image data to be transmitted by fax from the MFP 103. This image data is displayed on the operation screen of FIG. 8. The MFP 103, which has received the image command, responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101 in S1006. In S1007, the tablet terminal 101 transmits a command to end the job to the MFP 103. In S1008, the MFP 103, which has received this command, responds with OK to the tablet terminal 101. In S1009, the MFP 103 transmits by fax the image data received from the tablet terminal 101. The destination of this fax transmission is the telephone number set in the setting field 902.
In this manner, a process (second transmission process) is performed in which the image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101 to the MFP 103 is faxed from the MFP 103 in accordance with the contents set in the tablet terminal 101. In the second transmission process, the scan process is not performed on the MFP 103 side. Therefore, unlike the first transmission process, there is no need to wait for the user to operate the MFP 103, and the fax transmission process is performed regardless of whether the user has logged in to the MFP 103 or not.

11 and 12 are flowcharts showing an example of processing of the MFP 103. Each operation (processing of each step) shown in the flowcharts of Fig. 11 and 12 is realized by the CPU 211 of the control unit 210 executing a control program stored in the ROM 212.
11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the MFP 103 receives a fax transmission job from the tablet terminal 101. When the job controller unit 302 receives a fax transmission job in S1101, the job controller unit 302 determines the instruction content of the fax transmission job in S1102. More specifically, when an image command is received, the job controller unit 302 determines that an instruction to fax the image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101 (second transmission process) has been issued, and the process proceeds to S1109. Then, the fax unit 305 faxes the image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101.
On the other hand, if a scan command has been received, the job controller unit 302 determines that an instruction has been given to transmit by fax image data obtained by scanning with the MFP 103 (first transmission process), and proceeds to step S1103.

In S1103, the authentication unit 309 judges whether or not a user is logged in to the MFP 103. If the MFP 103 is in a user-logged-in state, the process proceeds to S1104, and if not, the process proceeds to S1110. In S1104, the job controller unit 302 judges whether or not the authentication information of the logged-in user of the MFP 103 matches the authentication information of the fax transmission job. If the authentication information matches, the process proceeds to S1105, and if not, the process proceeds to S1110. In S1105, the process waits until the scanner 222 becomes available. In S1110, the job controller unit 302 saves the fax transmission job as a fax transmission job waiting to be scanned.
When the scanner 222 becomes available in S1105, the UI unit 301 displays a scan setting screen for the fax transmission job on the display unit of the operation unit 220 in S1106, and waits for a user operation in S1107. If the user instructs to execute scanning, the scan unit 306 performs scanning processing of the document using the scanner 222 in S1108. In S1109, the fax unit 305 faxes image data obtained by the scanning executed in S1108.

12 is a flowchart showing an example of a process when a user logs in to the MFP 103. In S1201, the UI unit 301 accepts a login operation of the user via the operation unit 220. Next, in S1202, the Job Controller unit 302 determines whether there is a scan-waiting fax transmission job, and if it is determined that there is a scan-waiting fax transmission job, the process proceeds to S1203, and if not, the process proceeds to S1208. In S1203, the Job Controller unit 302 determines whether there is a scan-waiting fax transmission job whose authentication information matches that of the login user of the MFP 103 among the scan-waiting fax transmission jobs. Here, if there is a scan-waiting fax transmission job whose authentication information matches, the process proceeds to S1204, and if not, the process proceeds to S1208. In S1208, the UI unit 301 displays a default standby screen of the MFP 103.
In S1204, the UI unit 301 displays a scan setting screen for a scan-waiting fax transmission job whose authentication information matches that of the login user of the MFP 103 on the display unit of the operation unit 220, and waits for a user operation in S1205. When a user instructs to execute a scan, the scan unit 306 performs a scan process of the document using the scanner 222 in S1206. In S1207, the fax unit 305 faxes image data obtained by the scan executed in S1206.

13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103. In the figure, a screen 1301 is a login screen of the MFP 103. When using the MFP 103, a user performs a login operation (user authentication) by inputting a user ID and a password on the screen 1301. Here, if the MFP 103 receives a fax transmission job including a scan command before the user performs a login operation, the job is stored as a scan-waiting fax transmission job, and the display screen does not transition from the screen 1301. When the user performs a login operation on the screen 1301, the display screen transitions to a screen 1302 or a screen 1303. The screen 1302 is a default standby screen of the MFP 103 that is displayed when there is no scan-waiting fax transmission job whose authentication information matches the login user of the MFP 103.
Screen 1303 is a scan setting screen that is displayed when there is a fax transmission job waiting to be scanned whose authentication information matches that of the logged-in user of MFP 103, and allows the user to change the scan settings related to the fax transmission job. When the user issues a scan execution instruction (e.g., pressing the start key on the operation unit 220) while screen 1303 is displayed, MFP 103 scans an original using the scanner 222 and transmits the obtained image data by fax. Note that when the MFP 103 receives a fax transmission job including a scan command after the user logs in to MFP 103, if the authentication information of the job matches that of the logged-in user of MFP 103, the display screen transitions from screen 1302 to screen 1303, and the user can similarly issue a scan execution instruction.

As described above, in embodiment 1, only when the tablet terminal 101 instructs the MFP 103 to fax image data obtained by scanning (first transmission process) and the authentication information of the logged-in user of the MFP 103 matches the authentication information of the fax transmission job, a scan setting screen for the fax transmission job is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 220, and the document is scanned and the image data obtained by scanning is faxed in accordance with the user's instructions.
This makes it possible to reliably execute document reading and transmission jobs even when multiple users share an image processing device, regardless of the usage status of the image processing system by other users, and also to prevent erroneous transmission of documents caused by the submission of multiple jobs at almost the same time.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the embodiment is described in the case where user authentication is enabled in the MFP 103. In the second embodiment, the embodiment is described in the case where user authentication is disabled in the MFP 103 or the MFP 103 does not have a user authentication function.
14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 according to the second embodiment. In steps S1401 to S1407, the tablet terminal 101 issues an instruction to the MFP 103 to send a fax including a scan command. This is the same as the sequence described in steps S601 to S607 in FIG. 6 according to the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.
In S1408, the MFP 103 waits until the scanner 222 becomes available, and displays a scan confirmation screen (selection screen) on the display unit of the operation unit 220, which allows the user to select whether or not to immediately execute the scan process of the document related to the fax transmission job. The MFP 103 then waits until the user operates the MFP 103. The process in S1408 is an example of a selection screen display process. Here, if the user instructs in S1409 to immediately execute the scan process, the MFP 103 displays a scan setting screen related to the fax transmission job on the display unit of the operation unit 220 in S1410, and waits until the user operates the MFP 103.

When the user instructs to execute scanning in S1411, the MFP 103 performs scanning processing of the document using the scanner 222 in S1412. This processing follows the contents set in the setting field 503 in Fig. 5, but if the contents of the settings are changed on the scan setting screen displayed in S1410, the processing follows the changed settings. In S1413, the MFP 103 faxes the image data obtained by the scanning executed in S1412. The destination of this fax transmission is the telephone number set in the setting field 502 in Fig. 5. In S1409, when the user instructs not to execute the scanning processing immediately (to execute the processing later), the MFP 103 saves the job received in S1401 to S1407 as a fax transmission job waiting for document scanning in S1414.
In this manner, when a fax transmission job including a scan command is instructed from tablet terminal 101 to MFP 103 that does not have a user authentication function installed, a scan confirmation screen for selecting whether or not to immediately execute a scan process of the document related to the fax transmission job is displayed on operation unit 220 of MFP 103. Then, only when the user selects and instructs to immediately execute the scan process, the document is scanned by MFP 103 and the obtained image data is sent by fax.
In the second embodiment as well, it is possible to execute a second transmission process in which image data prepared on the tablet terminal 101 side is faxed from the MFP 103. As described in the first embodiment, in the second transmission process, the fax transmission process is executed without the need for a user to operate the MFP 103, and the processing sequence in the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 is similar to that in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the MFP 103 in embodiment 2. Each operation (processing of each step) shown in the flowchart in Fig. 15 is realized by the CPU 211 of the control unit 210 executing a control program stored in the ROM 212.
When the Job Controller unit 302 receives a fax transmission job in S1501, it determines the instruction content of the fax transmission job in S1502. More specifically, if the Job Controller unit 302 receives an image command, it determines that an instruction to fax the image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101 (second transmission process) has been issued, and proceeds to S1510. Then, the FAX unit 305 faxes the image data transmitted from the tablet terminal 101. On the other hand, if the Job Controller unit 302 receives a scan command, it determines that an instruction to fax the image data obtained by scanning with the MFP 103 (first transmission process) has been issued, and proceeds to S1503.
In S1503, the process waits until the scanner 222 becomes available. When the scanner 222 becomes available, the UI unit 301 displays a scan confirmation screen on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103 in S1504, which allows the user to select whether or not to immediately execute a scan process of the document related to the fax transmission job, and waits until the user operates the screen in S1505. If the user selects a process, the process confirms the selection instruction in S1506, and if an instruction is given to immediately execute the scan process, the process proceeds to S1507, and if an instruction is given to not immediately execute the scan process (to execute the process later), the process proceeds to S1511.

In S1507, the UI unit 301 displays a scan setting screen for the fax transmission job on the display unit of the operation unit 220, and waits until a user operation is performed in S1508. If a user instructs to execute scanning, the scan unit 306 performs scanning processing of the document using the scanner 222 in S1509. In S1510, the fax unit 305 faxes image data obtained by the scanning performed in S1509.
In S1511, the Job Controller unit 302 saves the fax transmission job as a fax transmission job waiting to be scanned. In S1512, the UI unit 301 starts a re-display timer for the scan confirmation screen for the job. Thereafter, the UI unit 301 re-displays the scan confirmation screen for the job when the re-display timer expires. That is, the UI unit 301 uses the re-display timer to measure the elapsed time from when an instruction to not immediately execute the scan process (to process later) is given via the scan confirmation screen, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, the scan confirmation screen is displayed again.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing related to the scan-waiting fax transmission job stored in S1511 of Fig. 15. Each operation (processing of each step) shown in the flowchart of Fig. 16 is realized by the CPU 211 of the control unit 210 executing a control program stored in the ROM 212.
First, in S1601, the Job Controller unit 302 determines whether or not there is a job stored as a scan-waiting fax transmission job, and if there is a scan-waiting fax transmission job, the process proceeds to S1602, and if not, the process returns to S1601. In S1602, the Job Controller unit 302 determines whether or not the redisplay timer for the scan confirmation screen related to the scan-waiting fax transmission job has timed out (a predetermined time has elapsed). Here, if the redisplay timer has timed out, the process proceeds to S1603, and if not, the process returns to S1601.

In S1603, the process waits until the scanner 222 becomes available. When the scanner 222 becomes available, the UI unit 301 redisplays a scan confirmation screen on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103 in S1604, which allows the user to select whether or not to immediately execute the scan process of the document related to the job, and waits until the user operates the MFP in S1605. If the user selects a process, the process checks the selection instruction in S1606, and if an instruction is given to immediately execute the scan process, the process proceeds to S1607, and if an instruction is given to not immediately execute the scan process (to execute the process later), the process proceeds to S1611.
In S1607 to S1610, the document scanning process and the fax transmission process for the job are executed in accordance with the user's operation. Since this is the same process as S1507 to S1510 described using the flowchart in FIG. 15, the description thereof will be omitted.
In step S1611, the UI unit 301 starts the redisplay timer for the scan confirmation screen related to the job again, and the process returns to step S1601.

17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103 in the second embodiment. In the figure, a screen 1701 is a default standby screen of the MFP 103. When the MFP 103 receives a fax transmission job including a scan command while the screen 1701 is displayed, the display screen transitions to a screen 1702. The screen 1702 is a scan confirmation screen for selecting whether or not to immediately execute a scan process of a document related to the fax transmission job. When a user instructs on the screen 1702 to immediately execute a scan process, the display screen transitions to a screen 1703, and when a user instructs not to immediately execute a scan process (to process later), the display screen transitions to a screen 1704.
Here, the screen 1703 is a scan setting screen, and the scan setting for the fax transmission job can be changed. When the user issues a scan execution instruction (for example, pressing the start key on the operation unit 220) while the screen 1703 is displayed, the MFP 103 scans an original using the scanner 222 and transmits the obtained image data by fax. The screen 1704 is the screen that was displayed immediately before the screen 1702 was displayed. Note that, when the user instructs on the screen 1702 not to immediately execute the scan process (to process later) and the display screen transitions to the screen 1704, as described using the flowchart in FIG. 16, the display screen transitions back to the screen 1702 when the redisplay timer times out, and the same process is repeated.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the tablet terminal 101 instructs the MFP 103 to send image data obtained by scanning by fax (first transmission process), a scan confirmation screen (selection screen) is displayed to select whether or not to immediately execute the scanning process of the document related to the fax transmission job. Then, only when the user instructs to execute the process immediately, a scan setting screen related to the fax transmission job is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 220, and the document is scanned and the image data obtained by the scan is faxed according to the user's instruction. With this configuration, even if user authentication is not enabled in the MFP 103, the document reading and transmission job can be reliably executed regardless of the usage status of the MFP 103 by other users, improving usability for the user.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

According to the above-mentioned embodiments, even when multiple users share an image processing device, a mechanism can be provided that reliably executes a document reading and sending job regardless of the usage status of the image processing device by other users.

The above describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail, but the present embodiment is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

101 tablet terminal, 102 wireless network router, 103 MFP, 210 control unit, 211 CPU, 212 ROM, 213 RAM, 214 HDD

Claims (9)

An image processing device,
An operation unit;
a receiving unit that receives first authentication information for executing a login process from a user via the operation unit;
an execution means for executing a login process of the user using the first authentication information accepted by the acceptance means;
a receiving means for receiving a destination and second authentication information from an external device via a network;
a determination means for determining whether or not the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of a user who is logged in to the image processing device through the login process when the receiving means receives the second authentication information;
A display means for displaying a screen;
a reading means for reading an image of a document and generating image data based on the image;
a transmitting means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means,
The image processing device is characterized in that, when the determination means determines that the second authentication information received by the receiving means matches the first authentication information of the user who is logged in to the image processing device through the login process when the receiving means receives the second authentication information, the determination means displays a screen capable of accepting instructions to send image data generated by the reading means to the destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process. The image processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage means for storing information including the destination as a job waiting to be executed when the receiving means receives the second authentication information and the destination and a user corresponding to the second authentication information is not logged in to the image processing device. The image processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the storage means stores information including the destination as the job waiting to be executed, based on the fact that the user corresponding to the second authentication information is not logged in at the time when the receiving means receives the destination and the second authentication information. The destination is a telephone number,
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means transmits the image data by facsimile. An image processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a screen capable of accepting instructions to send the image data generated by the reading means to a destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process is also a screen for accepting settings for reading by the reading means via the operation unit. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first authentication information is a user name and a password. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reading of the image of the document by the reading means and the transmission of the image data to the destination by the transmission means are executed based on the operation of the operation unit receiving a user operation in a state where the user is logged in to the image processing device by the login process and a screen for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means to the destination received from the external device is displayed. A method for controlling an image processing device having an operation unit, comprising:
a receiving step of receiving first authentication information for executing a login process from a user via the operation unit;
an execution step of executing a login process of the user by using the first authentication information accepted in the acceptance step;
a receiving step of receiving a destination and second authentication information from an external device via a network;
a determination step of determining whether or not the second authentication information received in the receiving step matches the first authentication information of a user who has logged in to the image processing device through the login process when the second authentication information is received in the receiving step;
a display step of displaying a screen;
a reading step of reading an image of a document and generating image data based on the image;
a transmission step of transmitting the image data generated in the reading step,
A control method for an image processing device, characterized in that, when it is determined in the determination process that the second authentication information received in the receiving process matches the first authentication information of the user who is logged in to the image processing device through the login process when the second authentication information is received in the receiving process, a screen capable of accepting instructions to send image data generated in the reading process to the destination received from the external device when the user is logged in to the image processing device through the login process is displayed. A program for causing a computer to execute each of the means of the image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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