JP2002271553A - Image communication equipment and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of the difficulty in detecting one desired page from among a transmission file and to keep data security on a transmission line, additional information not being transmitted to a user at times, depending on the protocol for transmission in the case of transmitting an image composed of a plurality of pages to a server as a single image file. SOLUTION: When transmitting image data via a network to the other device, the image data of a plurality of pages to become a transmitting object are inputted by a scanner 2070, transmission information required for transmitting the image data and text information to be added in the case of transmission are inputted by an operating part 2012 and under the control of a CPU 2001, the text information is added for each page of the image data. Then, the image data of a plurality of pages are transmitted via a network I/F 2010 to other devices as a single image file. Alternatively, the instruction for addition of a thumbnail image is inputted by the operating part 2012, these thumbnail image data are added to the image data and the image data are transmitted. Or, an enciphering instruction is inputted by the operating part 2012, and image data are enciphered and transmitted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus capable of transmitting image data of a plurality of pages as one file to another apparatus on a network and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent multi-functionality of image processing apparatuses,
Even in copiers that read and print original images, LAN
Some devices have a transmission function of transmitting read image data to a designated destination by having an interface.

A copying machine having such a transmission function includes, for example, an operation unit for a user to set a transmission protocol, a transmission image format, a transmission destination, and the like, a scanner unit for reading an original image, and a scanner unit for reading an original image. An image processing unit that performs image processing such as rotation and compression on image data, a memory that stores processed images, a LAN interface, and a control unit that comprehensively controls each of these components .

[0004] In such a copying machine, it is possible to set such that the user is prompted to input, for example, department information (Department ID) at the time of startup. When the department information is input, the copier holds the department information and, when the user performs an operation such as copying, stores the number of times of the operation in association with the department information. it can.

A transmission function in such a conventional copying machine will be described.

First, a user selects and inputs a transmission protocol, a resolution of a transmission image, a black and white / color type, format information, a transmission destination, and the like on an operation unit.

Here, as a transmission protocol, SMTP is used.
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer
Protocol), NetWare, SMB (Server Message Block Prot)
ocol) and the like are known.

The resolution of an image can be specified in each of the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction of the scanner unit, and is expressed in dpi (dot per inch) as a setting unit. For example, designation of 200 dpi x 100 dpi indicates that the resolution in the main scanning direction is 200 dpi and the resolution in the sub scanning direction is 100 dpi.

When a monochrome image is obtained by scanning a document image, an S-TIFF (Single
Page Tag Image File Format) or M-TIFF (Multiple Pag
e Tag File Format or PDF (Portable Document Format)
Is specified. On the other hand, when acquiring a color image, JPEG (J
oint Photographic Experts Group Format) or PDF. S-TIFF and JPEG are formats in which an image of one document is regarded as one file. Meanwhile, M-TIFF and PDF
Is a format in which images of a plurality of documents are made into one file.

[0010] The expression of the destination is different for each protocol.
The destination of SMTP is the destination of e-mail (e-mail), FTP
The transmission destinations of NetWare, SMB, and SMB are a server name, a user name and a password on the server, and a directory name, and a transmission file name can be further added.

When the user finishes inputting each of the above items, a plurality of originals placed on the scanner unit are read at the resolution set by the operation unit as described above, thereby obtaining a monochrome image or a color image. To get. Thereafter, the image processing unit performs rotation and compression of the image so as to match the image format specified by the operation unit,
Store in memory. At this time, a monochrome image is stored as a plurality of S-TIFF images, and a color image is stored as a plurality of JPEG images.

Then, the image stored in the memory at the specified destination is transmitted via the LAN interface based on the protocol specified by the operation unit, thereby completing the transmission process.

At the time of transmission, as an image format
If M-TIFF is selected, a plurality of S-TIFF images stored in the memory are converted into one M-TIFF image and transmitted. Similarly, if PDF is selected, a plurality of S-TIFF images or JPEG images stored in the memory are converted into one PDF image and transmitted.

The protocol specified by the operation unit is SM
If it is a TP, the subject (Subject), message text (Message), sender name (Owner Name) and reply destination (Reply To) of the information to be added are added in the same way as those of the e-mail, and sent. Is done.

[0015]

However, in the above-described conventional copying machine having a transmission function, the operability is not always good as described below.

For example, as a protocol, FTP or Net
If Ware or SMB is selected, the subject (Subjec
t), message text (Message), sender name (Owner Name) and additional information such as reply destination (Reply To) are not transmitted to the user. This is because, for example, in the case of SMTP, the above additional information and further the transmission date and time information of the mail are included in the protocol, but in the case of FTP, NetWare and SMB, it is not possible to include the above additional information and the transmission date and time information in the protocol. This is because they cannot.

[0017] Even if the department information of the user who performed the transmission operation is held in the copying machine, even if SMTP, FTP, NetWare,
In SMB, the department information of the user who performed the sending operation cannot be included in the protocol.

Further, since a plurality of images are transmitted as one file, when the number of originals read by the scanner unit increases, a desired image is searched for from the plurality of images on the side receiving the file. It was difficult.

Further, when transmission is performed according to the SMTP, FTP, NetWare, or SMB protocol, by analyzing a packet on the network, the image data that is the transmission content can be easily read. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an image communication apparatus and a control method thereof capable of transmitting an image together with additional information regardless of designation of a transmission protocol. The purpose is to provide.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image communication apparatus and a control method therefor that enable easy detection of a desired image even when one file including a plurality of images is transmitted.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image communication apparatus for ensuring data security on a transmission path and a control method therefor.

[0023]

As a method for achieving the above object, an image communication apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.

That is, an image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, comprising: image input means for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Transmission information input means for inputting necessary transmission information, additional information input means for inputting text information to be added when transmitting the image data, and additional means for adding the text information for each page of the image data, It is characterized by having a file creation means for creating one transmission file based on the image data of a plurality of pages to which the text information is added, and a transmission means for transmitting the transmission file to another device.

An image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, comprising: image input means for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Transmission information inputting means for inputting necessary transmission information and an instruction to add a thumbnail image, thumbnail generating means for generating thumbnail image data for all pages of the image data, image data of the plurality of pages and the thumbnail image It is characterized by having file creation means for creating one transmission file based on data, and transmission means for transmitting the transmission file to another device.

An image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, comprising: image input means for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Transmission information input means for inputting necessary transmission information and an encryption instruction; encryption means for encrypting each page of the image data; and one transmission information unit for encrypting the plurality of pages of image data. It is characterized by having file creation means for creating a file, and transmission means for transmitting the transmission file to another device.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> System Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic system configuration in the present embodiment. A copier 1001 having a scanner unit and a printer unit can read a plurality of originals and transmit the originals to various devices. Reference numeral 1004 denotes a file server / mail server (hereinafter, simply referred to as a server) that stores data read by the copying machine 1001, and specifically,
FTP server, NetWare server, SMB server, SMTP server, etc. Reference numeral 1005 denotes a client computer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a client), which connects to the server 1004 and displays data. Reference numeral 1006 denotes Ethernet (registered trademark), which is a network to which the copier 1001, the server 1004, and the client 1005 are connected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration mounted on the copying machine 1001. Controller unit 20
00 is connected to the scanner 2070, which is an image input device, and the printer 2095, which is an image output device.
1 and the public line (WAN) 2051, input and output of image information and device information are enabled, and the whole is controlled by the CPU 2001. The RAM 2002 is a system work memory for the operation of the CPU 2001, and also functions as an image memory for temporarily storing image data. The ROM 2003 is a boot ROM, and stores a system boot program. The HDD 2004 is a hard disk drive and stores system software and image data.

An operation unit I / F 2006 is an interface unit with an operation unit (UI) 2012 having a touch panel.
Output panel display data to 12. Further, information input by the user in the operation unit 2012 is transmitted to the CPU 2001.

The network I / F 2010 and MODEM 2050 are connected to the LAN 2011 and the public line 2051 to input and output information.

The device described above is the system bus 20
Placed on 07.

The image bus I / F 2005 has a system bus 200
7 and image bus 2 that enables high-speed transfer of image data
008 is a bus bridge that converts the data structure between them. The image bus 2008 is configured by a PCI bus or IEEE1394, and includes the following devices.

The raster image processor (RIP) 2060 is a PDL
Extract the code into a bitmap image. Device I /
F2020 is an interface that connects image input / output devices such as the scanner 2070 and the printer 2095 to the controller unit 2000 and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. The scanner image processing unit 2080 performs image processing such as correction, processing, and editing on the input image data. The printer image processing unit 2090 performs image processing such as printer correction and resolution conversion on image data to be printed out. The image rotation unit 2030 performs rotation processing of image data.
The image compression unit 2040 performs JPEG, 2
The compression / expansion processing by JBIG, MMR, and MH is performed on the value image data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a software configuration for realizing the transmission function in the present embodiment, which is executed by the CPU 2001 in the controller unit 2000.

An operation unit component 3001 acquires various information by a user's touch key operation on the operation unit 2012. The information to be acquired includes, for example, the resolution, black and white / color type, transmission protocol, transmission image format, transmission destination, additional text information, and whether or not the additional text information is superimposed on the image to be transmitted. And whether or not to add a thumbnail image, whether to add a page number, the storage location of the read image, selection information of the stored image, whether to encrypt, and the like.

The transmission management component 3000 instructs the scanner management component 3004 to read a document based on the transmission protocol selected by the operation unit component 3001, the processing command such as the transmission image format, the transmission destination, etc. Obtain destination information from component 3002. Then, by issuing a transmission processing instruction of the read image data to the print component 3005, the facsimile transmission component 3006, the file server transmission component 3007, and the mail transmission component 3008, the printer 2095, a facsimile (not shown), and a server
An image file can be transmitted to 1004, and an image can be stored in the box component 3009.

File server transmission component 3007
Uses three protocols, FTP, NetWare and SMB,
The plurality of read images can be transmitted to the file server 1004 while being converted into one image file.

The mail transmission component 3008 can transmit a plurality of read images to a mail server 1004 while converting a plurality of read images into one image file using the SMTP protocol.

The transmission management component 3000 includes a destination management component 3002 and a scanner management component 300
4 and a job management component 3003 that controls jobs between the transmission components.

Transmission Processing Hereinafter, transmission processing in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

First, transmission information necessary for transmitting image data and text information to be added at the time of transmission are set based on a user instruction (S101).

FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen on the operation unit 2012. The user operates the operation unit 2012 by touch keys.
A user's department information (Department ID) selection key 401 is selected, a numerical value is entered on the right side of the key, and a send (Send) selection key 402 is selected.

Then, a screen for inputting transmission conditions (not shown) is displayed, and the user can specify the resolution, black-and-white / color type, image format, transmission protocol, transmission destination, additional text information, etc., when scanning the original. select.

As the image format, S-TIFF, M-TIFF, and PDF can be selected for a monochrome image, and JPEG or PDF can be selected for a color image. Here, in the present embodiment, as a format for a black-and-white image or a color image, the M-TI
Suppose you select FF or PDF.

The transmission protocol includes SMTP,
Suppose you selected FTP, NetWare, or SMB. If the protocol is one of FTP, NetWare, and SMB, the destination information is a server name, a user name and password on the server, and a directory name. On the other hand, if the protocol is SMTP, the destination information is a server name and a user name on the server, and further, it is necessary to input a user name and a password for accessing the SMTP server.

When the above settings are completed, the operation unit 2012
Displays the screen shown in FIG. 5 and displays a subject selection key 500
1, Message selection key 5002, Sender name (Own
er Name) select key 5003, Reply To (Reply To) select key 5004
And input text information in the right column of the key.

Further, the user instructs whether to add text information to the image data to be transmitted. Here, the text information to be added (hereinafter referred to as additional text information) includes the user's department information (Department ID) and the subject (Subj
ect), message text (Message), sender name (Owner Nam
e), reply destination (Reply To), transmission date and time information, and the like.

As the various setting values described above,
The device has one or more default values,
Needless to say, a plurality of cases may be selected from among them.

When the setting process for various transmissions is completed as described above, the user places a plurality of originals on the scanner 2070, and
The start of transmission is instructed by the operation unit 2012 (S102).

In response to the instruction, a document image is read as follows (S103).

The set various information for transmission is collected by the operation unit component 3001 and notified to the job management component 3003, and the job management component 3003 collects the information and treats it as one job. In addition, the operation unit component 3001
Displaying in 2012 allows the user to cancel this job.

Next, the job management component 3003
The specified resolution and black / white / color reading are instructed to the scanner management component 3004. The scanner management component 3004 is connected to the scanner 2 via the device interface 2020.
Operate to read 070 as black and white or color with specified resolution. As a result, a plurality of originals are read by the scanner 2070, and the obtained input image is corrected, processed, and edited by the scanner image processing unit 2080, and the image is rotated.
At 2030, a rotation process is performed.

Further, in the image compression section 2040, when the image is read in black and white, the CCITT two-dimensional enc
oding (hereinafter referred to as MMR)
Convert to S-TIFF file and store in HDD2004. on the other hand,
In the case of color reading, it is converted into a plurality of JPEG files by JPEG compression and stored in the HDD 2004. HDD
Scanner management component when storage in 2004 is completed
3004 is HDD200 for job management component 3003
Notify the location of the input image in 4.

If the transmission protocol set by the user is one of FTP, NetWare, and SMB (S104), the job management component 3003 selects the file server transmission component 3007 as the job processing destination. Then, the location of the input image in the HDD 2004, the image format, the transmission protocol, the transmission destination, and the additional text information are notified (S106). On the other hand, if the set transmission protocol is SMTP (S104), the job management component 3003 notifies the mail transmission component 3008 of the same information (S105).

File server transmission component 3007,
Alternatively, the mail transmission component 3008 determines a protocol to be used for LAN communication via the network I / F 2010 based on the notification, and accesses the server 1004 that has been notified, according to the protocol. That is,
Using the notified server name and the user name and password on the server, log in to the specified server 1004,
Specify the directory where the transmission image file is to be placed. At this time, a transmission file name automatically generated based on the date and time and the specified image format is specified.

Here, if the notified format is PDF (S107), the file server transmission component 30
07 or the mail sending component 3008, if there is a message (Message) as additional text information,
As shown in Figure 6, a PDF of the same size as the loaded image
Generates a page 6001 in the format and sends the sender name (Own
er Name) 6011, user department information (Department ID) 601
2, Reply To (Reply To) 6013, Date / Time (Date / Time) 6014,
Draw additional text information such as the subject (Subject) 6015 and the message (Message) 6016 on the page 6001 and add this as the first page of the read multi-page image (S
113).

Then, the input image (S-TIFF or JPEG) in the HDD 2004 is taken out, and as shown in FIG. 7, the S-TIFF or JPEG image is generated as one page 7001 in PDF format. Next, of the additional text information, the subject (S
ubject) 7003, date / time (Date / Time) 7004, user's department information (Department ID) 7005, etc. are added to the page 7001 as “annotations” of the image (S114).

Then, this process is performed for each page, and the PDF file of the plurality of pages is converted into one PDF file (S115), and transmitted to the server 1004 (S116).

On the other hand, if the notified format is M-TIFF (S107), the file server transmission component 30
07 or the mail sending component 3008, if there is a message (Message) as additional text information,
Create a bitmap of the same size as the loaded image. Next, the sender name (Owner Name) and the user's department information (D
epartment ID), Reply To (Reply To), Date / Time (Date / Tim
e), additional text information such as the subject (Message) and message text (Message) is expanded into a bitmap and overwritten on the previously generated bitmap (S108), and the S-TIFF format is generated by the image compression unit 2040. And add it as the first page (S109).

Next, an input image (S-TIFF) in the HDD 2004 is extracted, and is generated by the image compression unit 2040 as a bitmap image. Next, of the additional text information, the subject (Subject), date / time (Date / Time), user department information (Department ID), etc. are developed into a bitmap and added to the previously generated bitmap image ( S110). Thereafter, the bitmap image is subjected to S-TI
The image is returned to the FF format image (S111).

This processing is performed for each page, one M-TIFF image is created from the S-TIFF images of the plurality of pages (S112), and transmitted to the server 1004 (S116).

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
SMTP, FTP, NetWare, SM as image transmission protocol
Regardless of which B is specified, the subject (Subjec
t), message text (Message), sender name (Owner Name),
Reply destination (Reply To), date and time of transmission, user department information (Departm
ent ID) and the like can be added to the image as text information, which is very convenient for the user.

The information added to the image in the present embodiment includes the above-mentioned subject (Subject) and message text.
(Message), sender name (Owner Name), reply destination (Reply T
o), transmission date and time, and other information can be arbitrarily set without being limited to the department information (Department ID) of the user.

For example, the user may be able to specify, as the additional text information, the type and size of the font, text attributes such as bold and italic characters, and underline. If such a text attribute is specified, PD
If it is an F file, the `` annotation '' added to the developed image (Fig. 7
It is necessary to match the text attributes of 7003 to 7005) to the specification, and in the case of an M-TIFF file, the font of the additional text information needs to be bitmap-deployed according to the specification. In addition, it is also possible to specify, for example, the highlight of the text with respect to the “annotation”.

Further, the position at which the additional text information is inserted into the image may be specified by the user. If the insertion position is specified, if it is a PDF file, the position where the information of "annotation" is drawn may be set as the user specified position,
In the case of an M-TIFF file, the position at which the bitmap-expanded text is overwritten on the bitmap image may be the position specified by the user.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the user may be able to specify that a company logo or the like is added to the image.
In this case, it is necessary to prepare a bitmap of the logo in a memory in advance. If the user specifies the logo addition, if it is a PDF file, the bitmap 7002 of the corresponding logo can be added to the PDF page 7001 and M-TIFF
If it is a file, the input image (S-TIFF) in the HDD 2004 is taken out, converted into a bitmap image by the image compression unit 2040, and then the bitmap image may be overwritten with the logo bitmap.

<Second Embodiment> Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. The system configuration in the second embodiment is the same as in the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

According to the above-described first embodiment, since text information is added to an image to be transmitted, there is an inconvenience that the image is hidden below the text. Therefore, the second embodiment is characterized in that the image is controlled so as not to be hidden by the text.

The transmission process in the second embodiment will be described below, but the procedure is almost the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, here, only the characteristic portions of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 shown in the first embodiment.

Prior to transmission, first in the operation unit 2012,
For example, various types of transmission information are set from the display screens shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (S101). At this time, in the second embodiment, the display screen displays a message such that "additional text does not overlap the transmission image. Is displayed, and the user can issue an instruction (hereinafter, text non-overlapping instruction). Here, when the text non-superimposition instruction is not performed, for example, the process of superimposing the additional text on the image in the above-described first embodiment may be performed.

Then, a text non-superimposition instruction is performed, and a plurality of originals are placed on the scanner 2070 by the user.
When transmission start is instructed by the operation unit 2012 (S102), the transmission processing in the second embodiment is started.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the scanner 2070 depends on the designated resolution and reading method (black and white / color).
After reading multiple originals, converting them into multiple S-TIFF or JPEG files and storing them in HDD 2004 (S10
3) The scanner management component 3004 notifies the job management component 3003 of the location of the input image in the HDD 2004.

Then, according to the transmission protocol set by the user (S104), the job management component
3003 notifies the file server transmission component 3007 or the mail transmission component 3008 of the location of the input image in the HDD 2004, the image format, the transmission protocol, the transmission destination, the additional text information, and a text non-overlapping instruction ( S105, S106).

If the notified format is PDF (S107), the file server transmission component 30
07 or the mail sending component 3008, if there is a message (Message) as additional text information,
As shown in Figure 6, a PDF of the same size as the loaded image
Generates a page 6001 in the format and sends the sender name (Own
er Name) 6011, user department information (Department ID) 601
2, Reply To (Reply To) 6013, Date / Time (Date / Time) 6014,
Draw additional text information such as the subject (Subject) 6015 and the message (Message) 6016 on the page 6001 and add this as the first page of the read multi-page image (S
113).

Then, the input image (S-TIFF or JPEG) in the HDD 2004 is taken out, and as shown in FIG. 8, the S-TIFF or JPEG image is reduced by the image compression unit 2040 at a predetermined reduction ratio (for example, 90%). Then, the reduced image 8010 is converted to a PDF page 8001
Paste in the center of the inside. Next, the subject (Sub) of the additional text information above or below or right and left around the reduced image 8010 is displayed.
ject) 8003, date / time (Date / Time) 8004, user department information (Department ID) 8005, and the like are added to the page 8001 as "annotations" of the image (S114).

Then, this process is performed for each page, and the PDF file of the plurality of pages is converted into one PDF file (S115), and transmitted to the server 1004 (S116).

On the other hand, if the notified format is M-TIFF (S107), the file server transmission component 30
07 or the mail sending component 3008, if there is a message (Message) as additional text information,
Create a bitmap of the same size as the loaded image. Next, the sender name (Owner Name) and the user's department information (D
epartment ID), Reply To (Reply To), Date / Time (Date / Tim
e), additional text information such as the subject (Message) and message text (Message) is expanded into a bitmap and overwritten on the previously generated bitmap (S108), and the S-TIFF format is generated by the image compression unit 2040. And add it as the first page (S109).

Next, a bitmap having the same size as the input image (S-TIFF) in the HDD 2004 is prepared. Then, the S-TIFF image is taken out, and a bitmap image is generated by reducing the S-TIFF image at a predetermined reduction ratio by the image compression unit 2040, and as shown in FIG. Overwrite the center of the map. Next, among the additional text information, the subject (Subject), date / time (Date / Time),
The user's department information (Department ID) and the like are developed into a bitmap, and added around the reduced bitmap in the previously generated bitmap image (S110). After that, the bitmap image is returned to the image in the S-TIFF format by the image compression unit 2040 (S111).

This process is performed for each page, one M-TIFF image is created from the plurality of S-TIFF images (S112), and transmitted to the server 1004 (S116).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when text information is added to a transmission image, it is possible to select that the text information is not superimposed on the image. You can send without doing.

As shown in FIG. 9, a frame 9010 is added around the image 8010 to make it easy to distinguish the image to be transmitted from the additional text. Interval and / or date / time (Date / Time) 8004, user's department information (Department ID) 8005, and read image 801
It is also effective to add separation lines 9001 and 9002 between 0, and the user may specify whether this addition is possible or not. When the addition of such a frame line 9010 and separation lines 9001 and 9002 is specified, these may be added as line annotations in the PDF format, and may be added as line bitmaps in the TiFF format. . Further, the arrangement position of the image 8010 may be not only the center of the page but also the left side, the right side, the upper side, the lower side, and the like from the operation unit 2012, and the image 8010 may be moved to the selected position. In this case, the position of the additional text information is determined to be a position that does not overlap according to the arrangement position of image 8010.

Third Embodiment Hereinafter, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. The system configuration according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

According to the first and second embodiments described above,
Since an image obtained by reading a plurality of originals is transmitted as one file, it is necessary to display each page one by one in order to search for one desired page in the file, which is very complicated. In the third embodiment, the image summary of each page in the file created for transmission is
It is characterized in that the user can easily confirm.

Hereinafter, the transmission processing in the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 12, but the same procedure as in the first embodiment will be described with the same step numbers as in FIG. The description will be omitted, and only the characteristic portions of the third embodiment will be described.

Prior to transmission, first in the operation unit 2012,
For example, various transmission information is set on the display screen shown in FIG. 4. At this time, in the third embodiment, an item indicating that a thumbnail image is to be added is displayed on this display screen, and the user gives an instruction (hereinafter, referred to as “thumbnail image”). (Thumbnail addition instruction) can be performed (S101). In the third embodiment, addition of additional text information on the display screen shown in FIG. 5 may or may not be performed.

Then, a thumbnail addition instruction is issued, and a plurality of originals are placed on the scanner 2070 by the user.
When transmission start is instructed by the operation unit 2012 (S102), the transmission processing in the third embodiment is started.

As in the case of the first embodiment, the scanner 2070 depends on the designated resolution and reading method (black and white / color).
After reading multiple originals, converting them into multiple S-TIFF or JPEG files and storing them in HDD 2004 (S10
3) The scanner management component 3004 notifies the job management component 3003 of the location of the input image in the HDD 2004.

Then, according to the transmission protocol set by the user (S104), the job management component
The file server 3003 notifies the file server transmission component 3007 or the mail transmission component 3008 of a thumbnail addition instruction in addition to the location of the input image in the HDD 2004, the image format, the transmission protocol, and the transmission destination (S105, S106). ).

If the notified format is PDF (S107), the file server transmission component 30
07 or email sending component 3008 is HDD2
Extract the input image (S-TIFF or JPEG) in 004 and create one page of PDF based on this. Next, the image compression unit 20
According to 40, a thumbnail image is generated by reducing the S-TiFF or JPEG image in the PDF page at a predetermined reduction ratio (for example, 25%), and this is added to the PDF page (S305).

After such processing is performed on all images, the generated multi-page PDF file is converted into one PDF file (S306) and transmitted to the server 1004 (S307).

Here, the client computer 1005 capable of displaying the image transmitted and stored in the server 1004 is a PDF file.
Has software for displaying files.
According to this software, thumbnail images added to each page of the PDF are displayed in a list, and when one of them is selected by an icon, a transmission image corresponding to the thumbnail image is displayed.

On the other hand, when the notified format is M-TIFF (S107), the total number of read images is 6
An example of a single sheet will be described with reference to FIG.

The file server transmission component 3007,
Alternatively, the mail transmission component 3008 first generates a bitmap 10001 having the same size as the read image (S301). Next, the first image stored in HDD 2004
(S-TiFF) is taken out and reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio by the image compression unit 2040, thereby forming the bitmap 10 of the thumbnail image.
002 is created, and this is overwritten at a predetermined position of the bitmap 10001. Further, the text information 10003 indicating the page number of this image is bitmap-developed and overwritten on the bitmap 10001 (S302). In this case, since the bitmap 10001 with the thumbnail image attached is transmitted as the first page, the first image (10002) stored in the HDD 2004 becomes the second page at the time of transmission.

Next, the second image stored in the HDD 2004 is taken out, and the bit map 10
004, and overwrites the bitmap 10001 of the previously created bitmap 10001 at a predetermined position different from that of the bitmap 10003, and then overwrites the page number 10005 on the bitmap 10001 (S30).
2). The same operation is performed for the third and subsequent images (S3
02).

Next, the image compression unit 2040 converts the bitmap 10001 into an image in the S-TIFF format (S30).
3). Then, the ST in which the six thumbnail images are drawn
From IFF image and 6 input images (S-TIFF) in HDD2004,
One M-TIFF image file is created (S304), and the server 1004
(S307).

In the third embodiment, a page number is added to each read image, so that the position of a desired image in a plurality of images can be easily understood. That is, the user may give an instruction to add a page number as one piece of transmission information (hereinafter, a page number addition instruction). When a page number addition instruction is given, it is necessary to add a “Page Label” attribute for a PDF file. For M-TIFF files, HDD200
After reading the input image (S-TIFF) in 4 and returning it to a bitmap image by the image compression unit 2040, it is necessary to overwrite the bitmap of the font indicating the number of pages and return it to the S-TIFF file.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, a thumbnail image is attached when an image is transmitted, so that the image outline of each page in the transmission file can be easily confirmed. Therefore, even if a plurality of images are transmitted as one file, the receiving side can easily search for a desired one image from the plurality of images.

<Fourth Embodiment> Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. The system configuration in the fourth embodiment is the same as in the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

In the first to third embodiments, the SM
When transmission is performed using the TP, FTP, NetWare, or SMB protocol, it is possible to easily read the image data, which is the transmission content, by analyzing packets on the network. Therefore, the fourth embodiment is characterized in that the transmission content is encrypted to make it impossible to read the content, thereby enhancing security.

Hereinafter, the transmission process in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13, but the same procedure as in the first embodiment will be described with the same step numbers as in FIG. The description will be omitted, and only the characteristic portions of the fourth embodiment will be described.

Prior to transmission, first in the operation unit 2012,
For example, various kinds of transmission information are set on the display screen shown in FIG. 4, and at this time, in the fourth embodiment, an item indicating that transmission data is encrypted is displayed on this display screen,
The user can perform this instruction (hereinafter, an encryption instruction) (S101). In the fourth embodiment, FIG.
The addition of the additional text information on the display screen shown in (1) may or may not be performed.

When an encryption instruction is given, it is necessary to input, for example, a user name and a password as key information used in the encryption.

Then, when the user places a plurality of originals on the scanner 2070 and instructs the operation unit 2012 to start transmission, the transmission processing in the fourth embodiment is started (S
102).

As in the first embodiment, the scanner 2070 depends on the designated resolution and reading method (black and white / color).
After reading multiple originals, converting them into multiple S-TIFF or JPEG files and storing them in HDD 2004 (S10
3) The scanner management component 3004 notifies the job management component 3003 of the location of the input image in the HDD 2004.

Then, according to the transmission protocol set by the user (S104), the job management component
Reference numeral 3003 denotes, for the file server transmission component 3007 or the mail transmission component 3008, an encryption instruction and its key information in addition to the location of the input image in the HDD 2004, the image format, the transmission protocol, and the transmission destination. Notify user name and password information (S10
5, S106).

Next, the file server transmission component
3007 or email sending component 3008 is HD
Extract the input image (S-TIFF or JPEG) in D2004,
Create one page in PDF format based on this. Then, the data in the PDF page is encrypted using the user name and the password specified as the encryption key information.
(S401).

After performing such processing for all images, the generated PDF file of a plurality of pages is converted into one PDF file (S402), and transmitted to the server 1004 (S403).

Here, it is assumed that the client computer 1005 capable of displaying the image transmitted and stored in the server 1004 has software for decrypting the encrypted PDF file. According to this software, the PDF file can be opened by inputting a user name and a password, which are key information used for encryption.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, by transmitting encrypted data, even if a packet on the network is analyzed, it becomes impossible to read the image data that is the content of the transmission. Therefore, security in image communication can be strengthened.

[0111]

[Other Embodiments] Even if the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), an apparatus (for example, a copying machine) Machine, facsimile machine, etc.).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or a recording medium) in which program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments are recorded to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (a computer) of the system or the apparatus. Or a CPU or MPU) reads out and executes the program code stored in the storage medium,
It goes without saying that this is achieved. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
In addition, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also based on the instructions of the program code,
The operating system (OS) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into the memory provided in the function expansion card inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the program code is read based on the instruction of the program code. , The CPU provided in the function expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

[0114]

As described above, according to the present invention, the image can be transmitted together with the additional information regardless of the designation of the transmission protocol.

Further, even when one file including a plurality of images is transmitted, a desired one image can be easily detected.

Further, data security on the transmission path can be ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic network system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the copying machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of a transmission function in the copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen of transmission information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen of additional text information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first page created based on an additional text.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a text-added image.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a text-added image according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an additional image of a text and a separation line in the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail image according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a transmission process according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a transmission process according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a transmission process according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1001 Copier 1004 File server / mail server 1005 Client computer 1006 Ethernet 2000 Controller unit 2001 CPU 2002 ROM 2003 RAM 2004 Hard disk 2005 Image Bus I / F 2006 Operation unit I / F 2007 System bus 2008 Image bus 2010 Network I / F 2011 LAN 2012 Operation part 2020 Device I / F 2030 Image rotation part 2040 Image compression part 2050 MODEM 2051 WAN 2060 RIP 2070 Scanner 2080 Scanner image processing part 2090 Printer image processing part 2095 Printer 3000 Transmission management component 3001 Operation part component 3002 Operation part I / F Component 3003 Job management component 3004 Scanner management component 3005 Print component 3006 Facsimile transmission component 3007 File server transmission component 3008 Email transmission component 3009 Box component

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 19, 2001 (2001.12.
19)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

Claims (24)

[Claims] 1. An image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, comprising: an image input unit for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Transmission information input means for inputting necessary transmission information, additional information input means for inputting text information to be added when transmitting the image data, and additional means for adding the text information for each page of the image data; File creating means for creating one file based on the image data of a plurality of pages to which the text information has been added; and transmitting means for transmitting the file created by the file creating means to another device. Image communication device. 2. The transmission information input means inputs at least one of information of a resolution of an image to be transmitted, a monochrome / color type, a transmission protocol, an image format at the time of transmission, and a destination as the transmission information. The image communication device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The transmission information input means includes SMTP, FT, and FTP as transmission protocol designations used in the transmission means.
3. The image communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein any one of P, NetWare, and SMB is input. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additional information input means inputs at least one of department information, subject, message, sender name, reply destination, and transmission date and time of the transmitting user as the text information. The image communication device according to claim 1. 5. The additional information input unit further inputs a method of adding the text information to the image data, and the addition unit inputs the text information to the image data according to the input addition method. The image communication device according to claim 1, wherein the image communication device is added. 6. The image communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the additional information input unit inputs a non-overlapping instruction indicating that the text information is not to be superimposed on the image data as a method of adding the text information. 7. When the non-overlapping instruction is input to the additional information input unit, the adding unit reduces the image data and adds the text information around the reduced image. The image communication device according to claim 6. 8. An image communication device capable of transmitting image data to another device via a network, comprising: image input means for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Required transmission information,
Transmission information input means for inputting a thumbnail image addition instruction; thumbnail creation means for creating thumbnail image data for all pages of the image data; one file based on the image data of the plurality of pages and the thumbnail image data An image communication apparatus comprising: a file creation unit that creates a file; and a transmission unit that sends a file created by the file creation unit to another device. 9. The image communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the thumbnail creation unit adds the created thumbnail image to each page of the image data if the format of the image data is PDF. . 10. The image communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the thumbnail creation unit creates a new page using the created thumbnail images if the format of the image data is M-TIFF. . 11. The image communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said transmission information input means further inputs an instruction to add a page number to each page of said image data. 12. The file creation apparatus further comprising: additional information input means for inputting text information to be added when transmitting the image data; and additional means for adding the text information for each page of the image data. 9. The image communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means creates one transmission file based on the image data of a plurality of pages to which the text information is added and the thumbnail image data. 13. An image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, comprising: image input means for inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; Required transmission information,
And transmission information inputting means for inputting an encryption instruction, encryption means for encrypting each page of the image data, and file creating means for creating one file based on the encrypted image data of a plurality of pages. An image communication apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit a file created by the file creation unit to another device. 14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the encryption instruction in the transmission information input unit includes an instruction for key information, and the encryption unit encrypts each page of the image data using the key information. The image communication device according to claim 13. 15. The image communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said key information is a user name and a password. 16. An encryption device comprising: additional information input means for inputting text information to be added when transmitting the image data; and additional means for adding the text information for each page of the image data. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means encrypts each page of the image data to which the text information is added.
3. The image communication device according to 3. 17. The image communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image input means inputs image data by reading a plurality of document images. 18. The image communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said transmission information input means inputs said transmission information based on a user instruction. 19. The image communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said additional information input means inputs said additional information based on a user instruction. 20. A method for controlling an image communication device capable of transmitting image data to another device via a network, comprising: a transmission information inputting step of inputting transmission information necessary for transmitting image data; An additional information inputting step of inputting text information to be added when transmitting data; an image inputting step of inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; and adding the text information for each page of the input image data. An adding step, a file creating step of creating one file based on the image data of a plurality of pages to which the text information is added, and a transmitting step of sending the file created in the file creating step to another device. A method for controlling an image communication device, comprising: 21. A method of controlling an image communication apparatus capable of transmitting image data to another apparatus via a network, the method including inputting transmission information necessary for transmitting image data and an instruction to add a thumbnail image. A transmission information input step; an image input step of inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; a thumbnail generation step of generating thumbnail image data for all pages of the input image data; Control of an image communication apparatus, comprising: a file creation step of creating one file based on data and the thumbnail image data; and a transmission step of sending the file created in the file creation step to another device. Method. 22. A method for controlling an image communication device capable of transmitting image data to another device via a network, comprising: transmission information required for transmitting image data; and transmission information for inputting an encryption instruction. An input step; an image input step of inputting image data of a plurality of pages to be transmitted; an encryption step of encrypting each page of the input image data; A method for controlling an image communication apparatus, comprising: a file creation step of creating one file based on the file creation step; and a transmission step of sending the file created in the file creation step to another device. 23. A program for realizing the control method for an image communication device according to claim 20, which is executed by a computer. 24. A recording medium on which the program according to claim 23 is recorded.