JP2001045197A - Scanner and method for transferring image data - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly confirm and process a scanned image by the terminal of each one without lowering job efficiency by storing the relation between document type data and a transfer destination address, deciding the transfer destination address of image data and transferring the image data to the transfer destination address. SOLUTION: Read image data is successively stored in a buffer memory 26, and a document type identifying part 33 identifies a document type. The part 33 fetches document identification symbol data and document identification IDs registered in an ARDB 41 from the ARDB 41 and discriminates whether a document type ID coinciding with the extracted identification symbol data exists. The part 33 transmits the coinciding document type ID to a transfer controlling part 40 when the document type ID coincides as a result of the discrimination. The part 40 refers to the data of the ARDB 41, determines a transmission destination address corresponding to the received document type data and transfers the image data to each client terminal on the basis of an address where the image data is determined.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scanner for distributing or transferring read image data over a network, a method for transferring the image data, a transfer system, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a program therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is known to output document image data read by a scanner on a network to a printer or a terminal on the network.

In general, a document is placed on a scanner, and a user sets scan conditions (density, resolution, etc.) and an output destination address on a monitor of a terminal, executes a scan, and automatically sets the output. First, send the image data.

It is also known that the scanner is provided with an operation unit 30 for inputting a scan condition and an output destination address so that a user can set a document on the scanner and then input a designated address from the scanner.

Thus, the user can efficiently transmit image data to the output destination without returning to the terminal and without collecting the document to the scanner after transmission.

[0006]

By the way, in the scanner provided with the operation unit 30 as described above, transmission (transfer) is performed.
Although the destination can be specified, it is necessary to input all the destination addresses one by one or to select from the addresses registered for all the destinations.

In other words, every time a document is set and transmitted, an input operation must be performed, and even if the output destination is determined in the standard document, the operation must be performed every time.

[0008] This is not so noticeable when the number of output destinations is small, but when a large-scale network is formed in an office as in recent years, or when a plurality of offices are incorporated in the network, the operation of the scanner is not performed. Requires a lot of time, and there is a problem in terms of work efficiency.

On the other hand, it is also conceivable that all image data read by the scanner 2 is temporarily stored in a shared area on a memory of the server 1 and is viewed by each user. In this method, it is not necessary to specify an individual output destination by setting a single address in the scanner 2, but there is a trouble that each user goes to the server 1 every time to check, and the data is efficiently used. Tend to stagnate. For efficient use, a load such as management of the document name of each image data is required, and the server 1
For managers, operational problems arise.

The present invention solves the above problems, and reduces the load on the operator involved in distribution at the time of scanning and reduces the work efficiency for each user on the network without reducing the work efficiency. It is intended to be able to confirm and process immediately on the terminal of.

[0011]

The object of the present invention is to provide an image data reading means for scanning a document set in a document setting section and reading the same as image data, and an interface means for connecting to a network. Document type identification means for obtaining document type data for identifying the type of a set document in a scanner for distributing image data obtained by the reading means on a network via the interface means, document type data and transfer destination An address database storage unit storing the relationship with the address, and the document type data obtained by the document type identification unit and the destination address of the image data are determined by the adlace database storage unit, and the image data is transferred via the interface unit. To the forwarding address Scanner, characterized in that it comprises a feed control means is accomplished by.

[0012] Further, the above object is to provide an image data transfer method for transferring read image data from a scanner arranged on a network to a client terminal on the network, wherein an identification step for identifying a type of a document set in the scanner is provided. An address determining step of determining the transfer destination address of the image data from the identified document type by referring to the first address database which associates the document type data with the address of the distribution destination; And a transfer step of transferring image data to a client terminal corresponding to the above.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image data transfer system for transferring image data read from a scanner arranged on a network to a client terminal on the network, wherein the scanner identifies a type of the set document. Document type identification means, a first address database for associating the document type data with the address of the distribution destination, and a transfer destination address of the image data from the document type identified by the document type identification means with reference to the first address database. This is achieved by an image data transfer system having transfer control means for determining and transferring image data to a client terminal corresponding to a transfer destination address.

The above object is also achieved by a document type identification step for identifying document type data corresponding to a document type set in a scanner, an address for associating the document type data stored in a memory with address data of a client terminal on a network. An extraction step for referring to a database to extract address data corresponding to the identified document type data, and transferring image data read by the scanner to a client terminal on a network based on the extracted address data. And a transfer step for storing the program.

[0015] The above object is also achieved by a document type identification step for identifying document type data corresponding to a document type set in a scanner, an address for associating the document type data stored in a memory with address data of a client terminal on a network. An extraction step for referring to a database to extract address data corresponding to the identified document type data, and determining whether communication with a client terminal on a network is established based on the extracted address data. Determining, if communication is not established, a second storing step for storing the address data that could not be communicated in the second memory area, image data read by the scanner and an address stored in the second memory area Transfer data to a server located on the network Because of server transfer step, the computer-readable recording medium having a program including a is accomplished by.

The object is to transmit document type data corresponding to the address of the client terminal to the client terminal based on an address database that associates the document type data with the address of the client terminal on the network. A step of updating the address database in response to a document type data change request from a client terminal.

The object of the present invention is to provide a step for establishing communication with a server arranged on a network, a data table stored in a memory in the server and containing document type data and address data of a client terminal on the network. A step of taking in, a step of storing the data table in a memory in the scanner, a document type data stored in the memory in the scanner and a client terminal on the network based on the stored data table. An update step for updating the first address database associated with the address data, which is achieved by a computer-readable recording medium having a program.

The object is to transmit document type data corresponding to the address of the client terminal to the client terminal based on an address database that associates the document type data with the address of the client terminal on the network. A step of updating the address database in response to a request for changing the document type data from the client terminal, the transmission medium for using a program on a network.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail.

One embodiment of a network to which the present invention can be applied will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows various servers 1,
1 shows an example in which a scanner 2 is connected to a network to which client terminals 3 (3a to 3f, 3a ', etc.) and peripheral devices (such as a printer 4) are connected. Department A, B
The connection may be through a LAN or via the Internet. Server 1 is netware, tcp / i
In general, a user can operate the client terminal 3 to transmit and receive data between terminals, save and retrieve data to and from the server 1, and perform printing by a peripheral device such as a printer. Each terminal, server 1, and peripheral device can use an appropriate network adapter to realize the communication (for example, a network interface card such as Ethernet (registered trademark)). Each terminal may have a fixed address (for example, an IP address), or may be appropriately set so that address collision does not occur by a service of the server 1 (for example, a DHCP service or the like).

On the other hand, the scanner 2 has a structure shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a document table, and reference numeral 22 denotes an optical system for reading a document image. The optical system further generates an electric signal through a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD 23 in order to convert the optical information into an electric signal.
/ D conversion and output image data. The image data is appropriately processed and corrected in the image processing unit 25 such as density and MTF.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a buffer memory for temporarily storing image-processed image data, and a high-speed memory such as a RAM is used. Reference numeral 27 denotes a page data memory for storing the read image data in page units. A large-capacity memory such as a hard disk is used to store image data of a plurality of pages.

The reading control unit 28 takes in the image data, processes the data, and stores the image data in the buffer memory and the page data memory.

Reference numeral 29 denotes an interface unit, which corresponds to a network adapter (network interface card) for connecting to a network.
For network connection, for example, 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T
Although a network adapter such as this is used, it is preferable to use a 100BASE-T or higher-speed network adapter to transfer image data at high speed. 30
Denotes an operation unit, and a scan execution button 3 by a user
1. Input / display units such as a touch panel display 32 and an IC card slot 33 are provided.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a document type identification unit which determines the type of the document from the read image data.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a transfer control unit, which controls transfer of read image data, management of data related to a transfer destination, and the like.

The interface unit 29 and the operation unit 3
0, the document type identification unit 33, and the address database unit
These are controlled by a transfer control unit 40, and these are connected by a bus 35.

Reference numeral 41 denotes an address database (hereinafter referred to as ARDB).
The IP address, destination name or ID, and distribution group ID of each client terminal 3 connected to the network are registered in the memory as data on the transfer destination. Document type information is stored corresponding to the IP address, ID, and the like.

The operator goes to the scanner 2 connected on the network, sets a document at a predetermined position and a predetermined direction, and then operates the operation unit 30 on the spot to transmit image data to a desired partner. Can be sent. The specific processing procedure at that time will be described below.

First, the document type will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a document 51 in an entry format is filled with additional information as needed, and there is a high demand for distribution to related departments and related persons (for example, the document of A-1 includes the minutes of an in-house meeting). The B-4 document is in the form of a questionnaire, and the necessary parts are checked.) In addition, such documents are often digitized for distribution, storage, and the like after distribution.

At a predetermined position (upper right in the figure) of each document, reference numeral 52 (52 ') indicating the type of the document is written. For example, it may be printed like A-1, B-4, or a check box (other bar code, color, etc.) may be used. The user enters necessary information for each corresponding document (standard document). Where A-
The document 1 is a document that the other users b, c, e, and h want to distribute, and the document B-4 is a document that the users g, m, and t want to distribute. These pieces of information are registered in the ARDB 41 as a database.

The outline of the processing from the reading of the document to the transfer of the image data is performed according to the flow of FIG.

An operator who operates the scanner 2 brings a document in which necessary information is entered to the scanner 2.
The operator sets a document on the document placement unit 21 at a predetermined position and in a predetermined direction.
Just press. When the scanner 2 detects that the scan start button 31 has been pressed (S11), it starts scanning (S12), and the read image data is sequentially stored in the buffer memory 26 and the document type identification unit 33 outputs the document type. Is identified (S13).

As shown in FIG. 5, the document type identification unit 33 checks the presence or absence of data in the buffer memory 26 (S2
1) Extract identification symbol data corresponding to the identification symbol at a predetermined position in the document (S22). Specifically, the buffer memory 2
6, the data stored at the predetermined address is analyzed by the OCR program, and the identification code data is extracted depending on the presence or absence of the data at the predetermined address (when a check box or a bar code is described in the document).

Here, the document type identification unit 33 converts the document identification code data and the document type ID registered in the ARDB 41 into AR.
It is determined whether or not there is a document type ID that matches the extracted identification symbol data taken from the DB 41 (S23). As a result of the determination, if they match, the document type identification unit 33 sends the matching document type ID to the transfer control unit 40 (S24). If the document types do not match, an instruction is issued to display a message requesting the user to manually input the transfer destination address on the display 32 of the operation unit 30 (S25).

Returning to the flow of FIG. 4, when the above-described document type ID is received from the document type identification unit 33 (S14), the transfer control unit 40 refers to the data of the ARDB 41 and sends the destination corresponding to the received document type data. The address (IP address) is determined (S15), and the read image data is transferred to each client terminal 3 based on the determined address (S16).

Next, the configuration of the transfer control unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 41 denotes the aforementioned ARDB 41, which is constituted by a nonvolatile memory. Reference numeral 43 denotes a memory (RAM or the like) having an area a and an area b as a work area at the time of transfer.
A program memory (ROM) stores a program for transfer control, data management in the ARDB 41, and the like.

These are controlled by the CPU 42 which executes transfer control, management of data in the ARDB 41, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows the contents of the data table for transfer stored in the ARDB 41. The document type ID corresponds to the document type data, and the IP address of each client terminal 3 corresponds to the transfer destination address for each document type ID. Each IP address corresponds to each user ID.
The read image data is controlled by the transfer control unit 40 so as to be transmitted from the network adapter according to the transfer destination address.

The transmission of the image data to the corresponding address destination proceeds according to the procedure shown in FIG. 11 by the program stored in the memory 44 in the transfer control unit.

Based on the document type ID transmitted from the document type identification unit 33, the transfer control unit
The address is extracted and stored in the memory area a of the RAM 43 (S51).

The transfer control unit 40 starts communication to the corresponding client terminal 3 based on the transfer destination IP address stored in the memory area a (S52).

When communication with the client terminal 3 is established (S53), the image data in the page data memory 27 is directly transferred to the client terminal 3 by a predetermined protocol. The transferred image data is stored in a predetermined directory (set in advance) in a memory (hard disk or the like) in the destination terminal.

When the transfer is completed (S55), the IP address corresponding to the client terminal 3 that has completed the communication is deleted from the memory area a (S56), and it is determined whether or not the IP address remains in the memory area a. It is determined (S57). If it remains, this means that there is still a client terminal 3 to be transmitted, and the above steps are repeated again (S52).
What).

When communication with the client terminal 3 to be transmitted cannot be established (for example, when the terminal side is not turned on or is not connected to the network),
The IP address of the terminal that could not establish communication is stored in the memory area b of the RAM 43 in the transfer control unit 40 (S53).
-1).

By the above-described processing of the transfer control unit 40, all image data is transferred to the client terminal 3 with which communication has been established. In the step (S57), the memory area a
If it is determined that the IP address has been exhausted, it is determined whether the IP address is stored in the memory area b (S58).

If the IP address is not stored, all the transfer operations are completed. If it is determined that the IP address is stored, it means that there is a client terminal 3 for which communication could not be established. In this case, communication with the server 1 is established (S59 / similar to S42 to S45). (Processed), and transfers the image data in the page data memory 27 and the IP address data stored in the memory area b to the server 1 (S60). By storing the IP address of the client terminal 3 for which communication could not be established in a concentrated manner in the memory area b, the image data is not transferred to the server 1 many times, and the server 1 requires The effect of reducing the memory capacity and the network traffic can be obtained.

The image data transferred to the server 1 is transmitted from the server 1 to each untransferred client terminal when the client terminal 3 connects to the network, based on the IP address data transmitted at the same time. Alternatively, a message notifying the arrival of image data when the client terminal 3 connects to the network may be transmitted from the server 1 to the corresponding client terminal 3. In that case, the user can fetch the image data distributed to the user from the server 1 as appropriate.

The data table for the transfer of the ARDB 41 can be updated as required by the user. This is achieved by the transfer control unit 40 receiving the data relating to the document type and the address from the server 1 and writing the data in the ARDB 41 as needed. This is realized by the following procedure.

The members of the terminal connected to the network are provided with the document type list prepared in the server 1 as needed.
(a) can be referred to and select the desired document type from this document type list (check mark on the screen, etc.)
By doing so, the required document data for each user is registered in the server 1 as a database.

FIG. 8A is a list of captured document types prepared by the document image capturing database utility program. The user can start the utility program prepared in the server 1 from each client. The utility program is located in a shared directory on the server 1. FIG. 9 shows the operation of the utility program.

When the user starts the utility program (S31), the user is authenticated (S32). Whether the input user ID and password match here is determined by referring to the data table Y of FIG. 8B which is a part of the database stored in the memory of the server 1 (S33). If not, an error message is displayed, and the process returns to S32.

If the user ID and the password match, the list screen shown in FIG. 8A is started (S34). Further, with reference to the data table X of FIG. 8A, a document type ID matching the user ID input earlier is extracted (S3).
5).

Based on this, a check mark indicating that the document type desired to be distributed has already been selected is displayed in the check box in the selected column of the list screen in FIG. 8A (S36). Here, when the user newly adds a document type desired to be distributed, it is determined that an additional selection request has been made by selecting (clicking) a check box in a selected column on the screen (S37).

Based on this request, the server 1 creates new set data of the newly selected document type ID and user ID (S38), and adds it to the data table X (S3).
9). The added set data is reflected in the list table 8 (a) as needed by returning to the step (S35). Similarly, when the user wishes to stop distribution, the corresponding data is deleted from the data table X according to the selection release request (S37-1) (S38-1, S39-1).

By doing so, the user can easily grasp only the document that he or she needs, and can prevent other users from changing or displaying the document.

When a new user is added, the data of the data table Y in FIG. 8B can be corrected by notifying the server 1 administrator of the user ID, the IP address of the client terminal, and the password. . After the correction, the new user can also start the above-mentioned utility program, select a document desired to be distributed, and register it.

The above utility program can be distributed on a floppy (registered trademark) disk or CD-ROM, but may be distributed by downloading from other known transmission media, for example, a wide area network (the Internet, etc.). .

The transfer control unit 40 of the scanner 2 accesses the server 1 periodically according to the procedure shown in FIG.
This database and user ID and IP registered in
The data in the ARDB 41 in the scanner 2 can be updated (written) in accordance with the database indicating the correspondence between addresses. A program for this (ARDB update program) is stored in a program memory 44 in the transfer control unit 40.

The transfer control unit 40 periodically starts the ARDB 41 update program. First, it is determined whether or not the scanner 2 is currently operating (an operator is reading a document and transmitting image data) (S41). If YES, the process waits. If NO, a file transfer service is requested to the server 1 by a predetermined protocol (S42 / the server 1 is operating a file transfer service such as FTP). The server 1 receives the request from the scanner 2 and requests authentication (S43). In response, the server 1 transmits a preset authentication (scanner 2 ID and password) of the scanner 2 to the server 1 (S44). ). After confirming the permission of the transfer service to the scanner 2 (S45, S4
5-1), the transfer control unit 40 requests transmission of the data of the data table X and the data table Y stored in a predetermined directory in the memory of the server 1. As a result, the data of the data table X and the data table Y are received, and these data are temporarily stored in the ARDB 41 of the transfer control unit 40 (S47). When it is determined that the reception has been completed (S48), the data table for transfer in the ARDB 41 (FIG. 6) based on the relation with the data tables X and Y stored in the memory.
Is updated (S49).

By executing the above steps based on the program stored in the memory inside the transfer control unit 40, the ARDB 41 can always be set to correspond to the document type desired by the user.

As described above, the operator does not need to specify the address of the user who wants to deliver the document for each document, and the image data of the document read by the operator is automatically and reliably delivered to the member who wants it. On the other hand, the user who receives the image data opens only the necessary data on his own terminal without being confused by unnecessary data, and processes, modifies (OCR processing, trimming, masking, etc.) or classifies (database) And so on.

Although the case where the address of each terminal is fixed has been described above, the present invention can be realized even in a form in which the address is not fixed and the server 1 appropriately allocates the address. In this case, the IP address data of the data table Y in FIG. 8 is sequentially updated when the client terminal 3 is connected. The transfer control unit 40 of the scanner 2
Is the server 1 according to the flow of FIG. 10 when transferring image data.
And establishes communication with the server 1, and fetches data in the data table Y in the server 1. As a result, the IP address of the client terminal 3 at the time of transfer is obtained, and the ARDB 41 is updated, so that the image data can be reliably transferred to the client terminal 3.

In the above example, an example is described in which an IP address is registered as address data of each client terminal using an IP address. However, a domain name or the like may be used instead of the IP address. In this case, for example, the server 1
It also functions as a DNS (Domain Name Service) server.

In the above example, the data table (X, Y) stored in the memory of the server 1 is updated, and the communication result between the server 1 and the scanner 2 changes the document type for each user. The change is directly reflected in the ARDB 41 by allocating the ARDB 41 in the scanner 2 to one of the resources (resources) storing the database managed by the server. it can.

In the embodiment, the mode in which the scanner transmits the read image data to the network has been described. However, the scanner may further include an image recording unit for printing out on a sheet or the like (for example, a digital copying machine or the like). ). In that case, subsequent operations can be controlled according to the document type data. (For example, depending on the document type, the document is printed out on a sheet at the same time as the transfer. This can also be realized by associating the IP address of the scanner itself with the document type data as address data.) But
The present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to transmit the image data to the address of the terminal of the other party through a wide area network (such as the Internet). In this case, the destination terminal accesses the server 1 on the LAN to which the scanner 2 is connected through the wide area network, and updates the data in the ARDB 41 by specifying a desired document type as described above. You can also.

Further, the transfer control unit 40 can stop the image transfer to the client terminal 3 by referring to the data regarding the free space of the memory in the client terminal 3 when the communication with each client terminal 3 is established. In this case, the IP address can be temporarily stored in the memory area b in FIG. As a result, the image data is temporarily stored in the server 1
To prevent the adverse effect (such as a problem that image data cannot be transferred to the next transfer destination due to a stagnant communication) when the free space of the memory of the client terminal 3 of the transfer destination is small with respect to the capacity of the image data. be able to.

When the image data is transmitted from the scanner 2, the image data can be compressed and the data can be transmitted at a higher speed. In this case, the compressed data can be decompressed and used by the transmission destination terminal using a decompression program corresponding to a known compression format.

To display the list screen running on the server 1 on the client terminal 3 side, the list screen is displayed on the client terminal 3 by general-purpose web browser software, so that the list screen is transparently transmitted via the network. Can be seen in

The method of transferring the read image data from the page data memory 27 has been described. However, when the number of documents is small, the image data can be directly transferred from the buffer memory. In this case, the time required for the transfer control unit 40 to read the image data can be reduced.

There is a case where an operator who is not registered in the ARDB 41 of the scanner 2 wants to transmit image data to his / her own terminal. In this case, the user inputs his / her own address (or user ID) on the operation panel of the scanner 2 or has an authentication card and sets the scanner 2 to make his / her own address (or user ID) recognized by the scanner 2. Can be. This allows server 1
Thus, the user can appropriately transfer necessary image data to his / her client terminal 3 without activating and setting the screen shown in FIG.

As a transfer destination of the image data, if the printer on the network has an individual address, the image data can be directly transferred to the printer and output by the printer.

In the above example, the mode in which the type of the document set in the scanner 2 is automatically determined has been described. However, the type of the document may be input by the operator selecting from the touch panel candidates. In this case, the transfer control unit 40 extracts a corresponding IP address from the ARDB 41 according to the input type data and stores the extracted IP address in the memory area a of the RAM 43, thereby requesting distribution in the same manner as the procedure shown in FIG. Image data can be transferred to the user's terminal. Further, as in the above-described embodiment, the operator does not need to input an address corresponding to the document type.

[0076]

As described above, the image data of the document scanned by the scanner by the operator is automatically distributed to the member who wants it without inputting the address of the distribution destination for each document, thereby reducing the workload of the operator. Is reduced. Further, only the user who wants the corresponding document data can be provided with the necessary data, and the receiving user can obtain only the image data of the necessary document without being distracted by useless data.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection form of a scanner 2, a server 1, a client terminal 3, and the like according to the present invention to a network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scanner 2 according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a form of a document type and a user who desires distribution.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic flow from an instruction to scan a document inside a scanner 2 to transmission of image data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an identification flow in a document type identification unit 33.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing data contents stored in an ARDB 41 in a transfer control unit 40;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration inside a transfer control unit 40;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a setting screen for setting a document type desired to be distributed through the server 1 and data contents stored in the server 1 reflecting the setting screen.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a process of displaying a setting screen and updating and storing set data in the server 1.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a process of updating data for transfer in the transfer control unit 40.

11 is a diagram illustrating a transfer process in a transfer control unit 40. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 server 2 scanner 3 client terminal 21 document table 23 CCD 25 image processing unit 26 buffer memory 27 page memory 29 interface unit 30 operation unit 33 document type identification unit 40 transfer control unit 41 address database unit 42 CPU 44 program memory

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 1/32 F term (Reference) 5B072 AA08 CC21 CC24 CC38 DD01 DD23 MM01 5C062 AA02 AA13 AA29 AA35 AB06 AB17 AB20 AB22 AB38 AB42 AC22 AE07 AF00 AF02 AF03 BA00 5C073 AA02 AA03 CD05 CD07 CE10 5C075 AB90 BA06 BA08 CA14 FF90 5K030 HA07 HB02 HB16 JT02 KA03 LD11

Claims (45)

[Claims] An image data reading unit that scans a document set in a document setting unit and reads the image data as image data; and an interface unit that connects to a network, the image data obtained by the image data reading unit. A document type identification means for obtaining document type data for identifying the type of a set document, and an address storing a relationship between the document type data and a transfer destination address. A transfer destination for determining the transfer destination address of the image data by the document type data obtained by the database storage unit and the document type identification unit and the adlace database storage unit, and transferring the image data to the transfer destination address via the interface unit Having control means A scanner characterized by the following. 2. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein the document type identification unit identifies a document type based on the image data read by the image data reading unit and obtains document type data. 3. The scanner according to claim 2, further comprising image data storage means for storing image data read by said image data reading means. 4. The image data storage device according to claim 3, wherein said image data storage means has a buffer memory for temporarily storing image data, and a page data memory for receiving image data from the buffer memory and storing it in page units. Scanner. 5. The scanner according to claim 4, wherein said document type identification means identifies a document type based on image data in said buffer memory. 6. The scanner according to claim 5, wherein said document type identification means identifies a document type based on image data stored at a predetermined address in said buffer memory. 7. The scanner according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit, wherein the document type identification unit obtains document type data according to the document type specified by the operation unit. 8. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein said address database storage means stores a data table based on data corresponding to a document type and data corresponding to a transfer destination address. 9. The data corresponding to the document type is a document type.
9. The scanner according to claim 8, wherein the scanner is an ID. 10. The scanner according to claim 8, wherein the data corresponding to the transfer destination address is an IP address of each client terminal on a network. 11. The transfer control means establishes communication with a server connected on a network, obtains data associating document type data stored in a memory in the server with transfer destination address data, and obtains the address database. 9. The scanner according to claim 8, further comprising data updating means for updating said data table stored in a storage means. 12. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein said transfer control means includes temporary storage means having a memory area for temporarily storing said determined transfer destination address. 13. The scanner according to claim 12, further comprising an operation unit, wherein the transfer control unit registers the address designated by the operation unit as the transfer destination address of the image data in the temporary storage unit. 14. The temporary storage means has a first memory area for storing the determined transfer destination address and a second memory area for storing a transfer destination address to which communication cannot be established. The scanner according to claim 12. 15. The transfer control means establishes communication with a server connected on a network, and transfers a transfer destination address and image data stored in the second memory area to the server. The scanner according to claim 14. 16. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image recording section for forming an image on a sheet, wherein said transfer control means forms an image by said image recording section based on a document type.
Scanner as described. 17. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein said network comprises a wide area network. 18. An image data transfer method for transferring image data read from a scanner arranged on a network to a client terminal on the network, comprising: an identification step for identifying a type of a document set in the scanner; An address determining step of determining the transfer destination address of the image data from the identified document type by referring to the first address database that associates the data with the address of the distribution destination; Transferring the image data to a client terminal that performs the image data transfer. 19. The transfer destination address determined in the address determination step is temporarily stored in a first memory area in the scanner, and the transfer stored in the first memory area in the transfer step is performed. The image data is transferred to a corresponding client terminal based on a destination address.
8. The image data transfer method according to item 8. 20. The image data transfer method according to claim 19, wherein when the image data cannot be transferred to the client terminal, the corresponding transfer destination address is evacuated and stored in the second memory area. 21. The image data transfer according to claim 20, wherein a server is arranged on said network, and the transfer destination address and image data stored in said second memory area are transferred to said server. Method. 22. A server which stores a second address database in which document type data and transfer destination address data are associated with each other on the network, establishes communication between the scanner and a server connected on the network, 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first address database stored in the scanner is updated based on the second address database stored in a server.
8. The image data transfer method according to item 8. 23. The image data transfer method according to claim 22, wherein said second address database stored in said server is updated in response to a document type data change request from a client terminal. 24. The method according to claim 24, wherein, in response to the change request from the client terminal, set data of document type data and a user ID is created, and the second address database is updated with the created set data. 23. The image data transfer method according to 23. 25. Executing authentication for the client terminal using a user ID and a password, and extracting document type data for each user based on the second address database according to the user ID permitted by the authentication. The image data transfer method according to claim 23, wherein: 26. An image data transfer system for transferring image data read from a scanner arranged on a network to a client terminal on the network, wherein the scanner has a document type for identifying the type of the set document. Identification means for associating document type data with a delivery destination address
Transfer control for referring to the address database and the first address database, determining a transfer destination address of the image data from the document type identified by the document type identification means, and transferring the image data to a client terminal corresponding to the transfer destination address An image data transfer system comprising means. 27. The image data transfer system further comprises a server connected to the network, wherein the server has a second address database in which document type data and destination address data are associated with each other; 27. The image data transfer system according to claim 26, wherein the means establishes communication with the server and updates document type data and transfer destination address data in the first address database based on the second address database. 28. The image data transfer system according to claim 27, wherein said transfer control means includes a temporary storage means having a memory area for temporarily storing said determined transfer destination address. 29. The temporary storage means stores a first memory area for storing the determined transfer destination address, and a transfer destination address for which communication based on the transfer destination address stored in the first memory area cannot be established. 29. The image data transfer system according to claim 28, further comprising a second memory area for performing the operation. 30. The image data transfer system according to claim 29, wherein said transfer control means transfers a transfer destination address and image data stored in said second memory area to said server. 31. The image data transfer system according to claim 27, wherein said second address database stored in said server is updated in response to a document type data change request from a client terminal. 32. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said scanner has an image recording unit for forming an image on a sheet, and said transfer control means forms an image by said image recording unit based on a document type. Image data transfer system. 33. The image data transfer system according to claim 26, wherein said network includes a wide area network. 34. A document type identification step for identifying document type data corresponding to a document type set in a scanner, and referring to an address database stored in a memory and associating the document type data with address data of a client terminal on a network. An extracting step for extracting address data corresponding to the identified document type data; a transfer for transferring image data read by the scanner to a client terminal on a network based on the extracted address data. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program including: 35. The extracting step includes a step of storing the extracted address data in a first memory area, and the transferring step includes the step of: storing the extracted address data based on the address data stored in the first memory area. A data deletion step of transferring the image data to a client terminal on a network and deleting address data of the client terminal for which the transfer of the image data has been completed from the first memory area. 30. The computer-readable recording medium according to 30. 36. A document type identification step for identifying document type data corresponding to a document type set in a scanner, and referring to an address database stored in a memory and associating the document type data with address data of a client terminal on a network. An extracting step for extracting address data corresponding to the identified document type data; a determining step for determining whether communication with a client terminal on a network is established based on the extracted address data. If communication is not established, a second storing step for storing the address data that could not be communicated in the second memory area, and the image data read by the scanner and the address data stored in the second memory area on the network. Server for transferring to the server located above A computer-readable recording medium having a program including: 37. The extracting step further includes a step of storing the extracted address data in a first memory area, and based on the address data stored in the first memory area in the determining step. Determining whether communication with a client terminal on a network is established and storing address data of the client terminal for which communication has not been established from the first memory area to the second memory area. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 36. 38. A step for transmitting document type data corresponding to the address of the client terminal to the client terminal based on an address database that associates the document type data with the address of the client terminal on the network; A step of updating the address database in response to the document type data change request. 39. An authentication step for executing authentication for the client terminal by using a user ID and a password, and, in accordance with the user ID permitted by the authentication, transmitting the document type data desired to be distributed for each user to the address. 39. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 38, further comprising: an extraction step for extracting based on a database. 40. A set data creating step for creating set data of document type data and a user ID in response to a document type data change request from a client terminal, and changing the address database with the created set data. 39. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 38, further comprising: a changing step for: 41. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 38, wherein said address database is stored in a memory in a server, and is updated by said change request from said client terminal. 42. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 38, wherein said address database is stored in a memory in a scanner, and is updated by said change request from said client terminal. 43. A step for establishing communication with a server arranged on a network, for fetching a data table stored in a memory in the server and containing document type data and address data of a client terminal on the network. A step of storing the data table in a memory in a scanner; and a step of storing document type data and address data of a client terminal on a network stored in the memory in the scanner based on the stored data table. An update step for updating the associated first address database; and a computer-readable recording medium having a program. 44. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 43, further comprising: an authentication step for executing authentication to said server by a user ID and a password. 45. A step for transmitting document type data corresponding to the address of the client terminal to the client terminal based on an address database that associates the document type data with the address of the client terminal on the network; And a step of updating the address database in response to the document type data change request.