JP2004118774A - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of acquiring a link destination HTML document in accordance with the instruction of a user without printing out link destination URL information embedded in the HTML document. <P>SOLUTION: A digital composite machine 1 reads a printing medium in which an image based on the HTML document is formed by using a scanner part 21 (S310), discriminates a character string identification area in the printing medium surrounded by a handwritten line (S320), identifies a character string (S330), and extracts link destination URL information related to the character string from hyperlink information embedded in the HTML document (S390). When the handwritten line 51 is red, Web printing processing is performed, the link destination HTML document is downloaded, and an image based on the HTML document is printed on recording paper (S410). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of downloading an HTML document from a web server installed in a WAN (Wide Area Network) and forming an image based on the HTML document on recording paper, and a program used for the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As conventionally known, in the Internet as a WAN (Wide Area Network), contents such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language) documents are distributed from a web server. Such contents can be obtained using a communication terminal such as a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as “PC”) including communication means connected to the Internet.
[0003]
Further, in recent years, image formation such as a facsimile apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as "Internet-capable facsimile apparatus") capable of downloading an HTML document from a web server on the Internet and printing an image based on the HTML document on a recording sheet. Devices are known. Therefore, by using such an apparatus, it is possible to print an image based on an HTML document provided from a web server and obtain a print medium.
[0004]
By the way, there is a case where hyperlink information indicating position information of another HTML document and URL information (Uniform Resource Locator) for reading out the HTML document is embedded in the HTML document. Further, in the hyperlink information, a character string or the like that reminds the user of the content at the URL destination is described in association with the link destination URL information.
[0005]
In general, when browsing an HTML document on a PC or the like, the PC is caused to execute an application called a browser, and the browser displays the HTML document on a display or the like provided in the PC according to a description language.
However, according to the specification of the HTML document, the link destination URL information included in the hyperlink information is not displayed, and the character string associated with the link destination URL information is displayed on the display instead. . Therefore, normally, the link destination URL information is not displayed on the display.
[0006]
The same can be said for the above-mentioned Internet-compatible facsimile machine. That is, when printing an image based on an HTML document on recording paper, the Internet-compatible facsimile apparatus does not print the link destination URL information embedded in the HTML document as the hyperlink information, but instead prints the link destination URL. Print the string associated with the information. Therefore, when such an Internet-compatible facsimile apparatus is used, the user cannot usually check the link destination URL information as the hyperlink information embedded in the HTML document.
[0007]
Such a problem does not cause much problem when browsing / printing an HTML document using a PC or the like. However, the above-mentioned Internet-compatible facsimile which does not have a sufficient display for displaying the HTML document and does not have a browser function. This is a major problem in an image forming apparatus such as an apparatus.
[0008]
In other words, when using a PC or the like, a browser can be used to easily transmit the corresponding linked HTML document or the like by a mouse operation without knowing the linked URL information embedded in the HTML document. It can be downloaded from the server. Therefore, the HTML document corresponding to the link destination URL information can be easily displayed on a display or printed by a printer.
[0009]
However, in an environment where an HTML document can be obtained only on a print medium using an image forming apparatus such as an Internet-compatible facsimile apparatus without a browser, there is no way to know the link destination URL information. It is not possible to specify the information and cause the apparatus to download and print the linked HTML document or the like according to the linked URL information.
[0010]
In order to solve such a problem, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique in which, when printing an image based on an HTML document, link destination URL information is printed as a footnote on paper.
Further, when the link destination URL information has to be manually input, the user may feel troublesome in the operation. Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which operation information written on a print medium is read by a scanner unit of a facsimile apparatus instead of manual operation such as key input, and the apparatus is controlled based on the information.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-10-162030
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-6-268786
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when a method of printing the link destination URL information as a footnote is adopted, if a large amount of hyperlink information is embedded in the HTML document, the link destination URL information is transferred to the footnote print area (usually the lower end of the page, etc.). Area) is expected to be unable to print completely. In addition, if the link destination URL information is not printed as a footnote but is printed collectively on another recording sheet, it leads to waste of paper resources.
[0013]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has been developed in an image forming apparatus capable of downloading an HTML document from a web server and forming an image based on the HTML document on a recording sheet, with a link destination embedded in the HTML document. It is an object of the present invention to be able to acquire a linked HTML document in accordance with a user instruction without printing URL information.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, accesses a web server installed in a WAN (wide area network) based on URL information input from the outside, and the web server An image reading device, a region determining device, and a web access device that downloads an HTML document from a web access device, and a web print device that forms an image based on the HTML document downloaded by the web access device on recording paper. The system includes a character string identification unit, a document acquisition unit, a URL extraction unit, and a URL input unit.
[0015]
The image reading unit reads the image from the print medium on which the image based on the HTML document is formed. Then, the area determining means determines the character string identification area in the print medium indicated by the mark written on the print medium based on the read result of the image reading means. The character string identification means identifies a character string formed in the character string identification area of the print medium determined by the area determination means.
[0016]
On the other hand, the document acquisition unit acquires an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read by the image reading unit from outside. The URL extracting means searches the character string identified by the character string identifying means in the HTML document acquired by the document acquiring means, and is described in the HTML document in association with the searched character string. Extract URL information. Thereafter, the URL input unit inputs the URL information extracted by the URL extraction unit to the web access unit.
[0017]
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, in the HTML document corresponding to the print medium, the URL information of the link destination associated with the character string marked on the print medium by the user is extracted by the URL extraction unit. can do.
As a result, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even when the URL information of the link destination cannot be directly extracted from the print medium, the HTML document of the link destination can be downloaded to the web access unit. In other words, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the link destination HTML document can be downloaded to the web access means based on the print medium without adding the link destination URL information to the recording paper as a footnote as described above. be able to. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, paper resources can be effectively used without wasting paper space by adding the link destination URL information to the recording paper.
[0018]
Also, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the user can download the linked HTML document to the web access unit without manually inputting the URL information of the link to be downloaded to the apparatus. Can be done. Therefore, according to the present invention, the operability of the image forming apparatus is improved.
[0019]
By the way, in order for the document acquisition unit to externally acquire an HTML document corresponding to a print medium to be read by the image reading unit, a device configuration that can specify the HTML document corresponding to the print medium on the document acquisition unit side is adopted. May have to be done.
[0020]
For example, if the recording paper on which an image is formed by the web printing means is immediately read by the image reading means as a print medium to be read and the document acquisition means operates, an HTML document corresponding to the printing medium is specified. The printing medium can be associated with the HTML document without providing any specific means.
[0021]
However, in other cases, for example, an image forming apparatus is configured so that information on an HTML document to be obtained from the outside can be obtained from an operation unit of the apparatus by a user operation. Therefore, it is necessary to make correspondence with the HTML document to be acquired by the document acquisition means. However, when the image forming apparatus is configured to acquire information on an HTML document from the operation unit, for example, the user must manually input URL information on the HTML document to be acquired by the document acquisition unit from the operation unit. There is a possibility that the operability of the image forming apparatus may be impaired.
[0022]
Further, when handling a large number of HTML documents in the image forming apparatus, there arises a problem that it is difficult to associate a print medium with an HTML document to be acquired by a document acquisition unit. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the web print unit and the document acquisition unit may be configured as described in the second aspect.
[0023]
The web printing means in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect is configured to form an image based on the HTML document downloaded by the web access means on a recording sheet, and to add acquisition source information of the HTML document to the recording sheet. ing. The document acquisition unit in the image forming apparatus acquires the acquisition destination information of the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read by using the image reading unit, and outputs the information to the print medium to be read based on the acquisition destination information. The corresponding HTML document is acquired from the outside.
[0024]
According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, the document acquisition unit acquires the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read from the outside based on the acquisition destination information added to the print medium. There is no need for the user to manually input the acquisition source information regarding the HTML document to be acquired by the means from the operation unit, and the operability of the image forming apparatus is improved. Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, even when a large number of HTML documents are handled by the apparatus, it is possible to easily associate the print medium with the HTML document to be acquired from the outside.
[0025]
In the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, it is convenient to configure the web access unit and the document acquisition unit as described in the third aspect.
The web access unit in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect is configured to store the downloaded HTML document in a document storage database. Further, the document acquisition unit in the image forming apparatus is configured to read an HTML document corresponding to a print medium to be read by the image reading unit from a database and acquire the HTML document.
[0026]
In the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the document acquisition unit is configured to acquire an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read from the database. Even when the server cannot be accessed, it is possible to cause the document acquisition means to acquire an HTML document. Further, according to this image forming apparatus, it is not necessary to access the web server again to acquire the HTML document, so that the HTML document can be acquired quickly and reliably. As a result, the URL information of the link destination is extracted by the URL. The extraction can be carried out reliably and quickly by the means.
[0027]
However, when the HTML document downloaded by the web access means is stored in a database for storing documents, a recording medium such as a hard disk must be provided in the image forming apparatus, and the database must be built in the apparatus. The manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus may increase.
[0028]
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the HTML document corresponding to the print medium may be obtained from the web server as described in the fourth aspect.
The document acquisition means in the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the web access means inputs URL information indicating an acquisition destination of an HTML document corresponding to a print medium to be read by the image reading means to the web access means. An HTML document downloaded from a web server is obtained from a web access unit.
[0029]
According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the document acquisition unit acquires the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read from the web server. There is no need to store for a long time on the device side. Therefore, there is no need to provide a large-capacity storage medium (such as a hard disk) for storage in the apparatus, and the image forming apparatus of the present invention can be manufactured at low cost.
[0030]
In addition, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the area determining means may be configured as described in the fifth aspect.
In the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the region discriminating unit may define a region surrounded by a handwritten line as the mark written on a print medium based on a reading result of the image reading unit as a character string identification region. Is characterized.
[0031]
According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, a character string in a print medium corresponding to an HTML document in which hyperlink information is embedded is surrounded by a pen or the like, and an HTML of a link destination corresponding to the character string is used. The document can be acquired by the web access unit, and the image based on the HTML document can be formed on the recording paper by the web printing unit.
[0032]
That is, even if the user does not know the link destination URL information embedded as the hyperlink information in the HTML document corresponding to the print medium, the image forming apparatus can perform an image operation based on the linked HTML document by a simple operation. The formation can be performed.
[0033]
In the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, it is convenient if the URL input means is configured as described in the sixth aspect.
The URL input means in the image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a registration means for registering the URL information extracted by the URL extraction means in a bookmark. The URL information registered by the registration unit is read, and the URL information is input to the web access unit.
[0034]
According to this image forming apparatus, the URL information extracted by the URL extracting means can be temporarily registered in a bookmark, so that the Web server in which the contents of the HTML document are updated is periodically sent to the HTML of the same URL destination. When downloading a document, there is no need to operate the URL extraction means. As a result, the operation of each unit at the preceding stage is not required, the operability of the device is improved, and the HTML document can be downloaded quickly.
[0035]
Further, according to this image forming apparatus, after the operation of the URL extraction unit, the timing at which the web access unit operates by the operation of the URL input unit can be changed in accordance with a user's instruction. That is, at the timing when the user needs to download the HTML document, the web access unit can obtain the linked HTML document. Therefore, according to the present invention (claim 6), the convenience of the image forming apparatus is improved.
[0036]
In addition, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the area determining unit and the URL input unit may be configured as described in the seventh aspect.
The area determining means in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect is configured to be able to identify the color of the mark written on the print medium based on the result of reading by the image reading means. When the URL input means in the image forming apparatus determines that the color of the mark written on the print medium is the preset first color based on the color identification result by the area determining means, the URL input means operates the registration means. When it is determined that the color of the mark written on the print medium is a second color different from the preset first color, the URL information extracted by the URL extracting means is directly transmitted to the web access means without going through the registration means. It is configured to be entered.
[0037]
By using the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the user can switch the operation of the image forming apparatus only by changing the color and writing the mark on the print medium. That is, the user can register the URL information of the link destination in the bookmark or download the HTML document of the link destination to the web access unit by changing the color of the mark. Therefore, according to the present invention (claim 7), the convenience of the image forming apparatus is improved.
[0038]
The image forming apparatus of the present invention has been described above. However, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, an area determining unit, a character string identifying unit, a document acquiring unit, a URL extracting unit, and a URL The function as the input means can be realized by a computer.
[0039]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to realize functions as an area determination unit, a character string identification unit, a document acquisition unit, a URL extraction unit, and a URL input unit in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect. It is a program for.
Web access means for accessing the web server installed in a WAN (Wide Area Network) based on URL information input from the outside, and downloading an HTML document from the web server, An image forming apparatus comprising: a web print unit configured to form an image based on an HTML document downloaded by a web access unit on recording paper; and an image reading unit configured to read an image from a print medium on which an image based on the HTML document is formed. If the computer is executed, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 can be configured. Therefore, the same effects as those of the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect can be obtained.
[0040]
A program for causing a computer to realize functions as an area determination unit, a character string identification unit, a document acquisition unit, a URL extraction unit, and a URL input unit in the image forming apparatus according to claim 2 is provided on the web. In addition to the access unit and the image reading unit, the web printing unit configured to form an image based on the HTML document downloaded by the web access unit on a recording sheet, and to add acquisition source information of the HTML document to the recording sheet. If the computer of the image forming apparatus having the above is executed, the same effect as the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect can be obtained.
[0041]
In addition, the present invention provides a computer for realizing functions as an area determination unit, a character string identification unit, a document acquisition unit, a URL extraction unit, and a URL input unit in the image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising: the image reading unit and the web printing unit according to claim 1 or 2, in addition to the web access unit configured to store a downloaded HTML document in a document storage database. If the computer is executed, the same effects as those of the image forming apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect can be obtained.
[0042]
In addition, a computer realizes functions as an area determination unit, a character string identification unit, a document acquisition unit, a URL extraction unit, and a URL input unit in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7. Web access means for accessing a web server installed in a WAN (wide area network) based on URL information input from the outside and downloading an HTML document from the web server; Web printing means for forming an image based on an HTML document downloaded on a recording sheet, and image reading means for reading the image from a print medium on which an image based on the HTML document has been formed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, It is possible to obtain the effect of the like of the invention.
[0043]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a communication mode of a digital multifunction peripheral 1 as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the digital multi-function peripheral 1.
[0044]
The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 10 that controls the entire apparatus, a ROM 11 and a RAM 12 that store and provide programs and data necessary for the operation of the CPU 10, and the CPU 10 controls the CPU 10 via a bus 13. , A scanner unit 21, a recording unit 23, a line control unit 25, a communication control unit 27, etc., to realize a facsimile function, a printer function, a copy function, a web print function, and the like.
[0045]
The digital multifunction peripheral 1 has a user interface including a liquid crystal display (LCD) 28, operation keys 29, and the like. For example, when a user operates the operation keys 29, facsimile data is transmitted from the operation keys 29. When a start command signal is input, an image is optically read from a document by using the scanner unit 21, image data representing the image is converted into facsimile data by the encoder 31, and the modem 33 and the line control unit 25 To transmit the facsimile data to an external facsimile machine 3 connected to the public telephone line network.
[0046]
Also, when the digital multifunction peripheral 1 receives the facsimile data transmitted from the external facsimile device 3 via the public telephone network in the line control unit 25, the facsimile data is transmitted to the decoder 35 through the modem 33. By inputting, the facsimile data received by the line control unit 25 is converted into image data for printing, and thereafter, an image based on the facsimile data is formed on recording paper using the recording unit 23 (facsimile function).
[0047]
In addition, when the copy start command signal is input from the operation keys 29, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 of the present embodiment reads an image from a document with the scanner unit 21 and inputs the image data to the recording unit 23. Then, the recording section 23 forms an image based on the image data on recording paper (copy function).
[0048]
The line control unit 25 includes a connection port 25a, and an analog line (a so-called telephone line composed of a two-core wire and a four-core wire) connected to a public telephone network wired in the building is connected to the connection port 25a. Have been. The line control unit 25 performs operations such as sending a dial signal to the public telephone network and responding to a call signal from the public telephone network, and is connected to the public telephone network via this analog line. An external communication terminal (the facsimile machine 3) is accessed to transmit and receive, for example, facsimile data.
[0049]
The modem 33 connected to the line control unit 25 is a so-called signal converter, which converts facsimile data into a communication signal for sending out a public telephone line network, and converts a signal received from the public telephone line network into a facsimile signal. Extract the data. Further, in the digital multifunction peripheral 1, a handset (H / S) 26 is connected to the line control unit 25, and the digital multifunction peripheral 1 of the present embodiment functions as a telephone terminal capable of transmitting and receiving a user's voice. .
[0050]
On the other hand, the scanner unit 21 is for reading the contents of a document during URL reading processing (see FIG. 7), which will be described later, in addition to transmitting and copying facsimile data (copying a document). Function. The scanner unit 21 according to the present embodiment transmits a document (for example, a print medium on which an image based on an HTML document is formed) on which an image such as a character or a picture is formed from a document feed tray of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 (not shown). get. Then, an image is optically read from the document, and image data as a read result is output.
[0051]
The encoder 31 converts image data representing an image read by the scanner unit 21 into G3 compressed image data, which is a fax format. When the image data is input from the scanner unit 21, the encoder 31 performs an encoding process to generate G3 compression format image data. The image data in the fax format is input to, for example, the modem 33 or the like.
[0052]
In addition, the decoder 35 generates image data for printing that can be processed by the recording unit 23 by decoding image data in a fax format input from the outside. The decoder 35 receives the fax format image data received by the line controller 25. The print image data decoded by the decoder 35 is input to the recording unit 23.
[0053]
On the other hand, the recording unit 23 functions as an image forming unit capable of forming (printing) a color or monochrome image on recording paper. When printing image data is input from the outside, the recording unit 23 of this embodiment prints an image based on the image data on recording paper, and outputs the recording paper (print medium) after printing.
[0054]
The digital multi-function peripheral 1 of this embodiment has a printer function as described above. For example, image data for printing from an external personal computer (PC) via a PC interface (PC I / F) 37 is provided. Is received or image data for printing is received from the PCs 4 and 5 in the LAN via the communication control unit 27, the image data is input to the recording unit 23, and the recording unit 23 transmits the image data to the recording unit 23. An image based on the image data is formed on recording paper.
[0055]
In addition, as described above, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment has a web print function, and controls the communication control unit 27 when a web print execution command is input from outside (for example, the operation keys 29). Then, the user accesses the web server 6 installed in the Internet as a WAN (wide area network), downloads an HTML document from the web server 6, and causes the recording unit 23 to form an image based on the HTML document.
[0056]
The communication control unit 27 of the present embodiment is connected to the Internet as a WAN (Wide Area Network) and a LAN (Local Area Network), and functions as a communication means capable of bidirectional communication with each terminal in the network. I do.
The communication control unit 27 includes a WAN-side connection port 41 and a LAN-side connection port 42, and a LAN cable connected to the Internet is connected to the WAN-side connection port 41. On the other hand, a hub (HUB) 7 and the like are connected to the LAN-side connection port 42. The hub (HUB) 7 is connected to PCs 4 and 5 as LAN terminals to construct a LAN.
[0057]
Further, the communication control unit 27 includes a gateway unit 44 for connecting the LAN terminal to the Internet so as to enable two-way communication. The gateway unit 44 enables connection of the LAN terminal to the Internet by relaying communication between each LAN terminal in the LAN and a terminal in the Internet (such as the web server 6). In addition, the communication control unit 27 is controlled by the CPU 10 of the main body to download an HTML document from a terminal (web server 6) on the Internet and to transfer the HTML document to the CPU 10. I have.
[0058]
Further, the communication control unit 27 of the present embodiment is provided with a wireless processing unit 46 connected to the gateway unit 44. The wireless processing unit 46 is for performing wireless communication with a wireless communication terminal in the LAN, and conforms to a wireless connection system based on the Bluetooth standard (standard for short-range wireless communication) or the IrDA standard (standard for infrared communication). Then, the wireless communication terminal in the LAN is connected to the gateway unit 44 in the digital multi-function peripheral 1.
[0059]
In other words, the communication control unit 27 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can communicate with LAN terminals such as the PCs 4 and 5 by a wired connection method, and a portable terminal (PDA8, PDA8, 9), etc., and the wireless communication terminals (PDAs 8 and 9) in the LAN can communicate with the terminals (Web server 6 and the like) in the Internet and the LAN in the LAN via the wireless processing unit 46 and the gateway unit 44. Two-way communication can be performed with the terminal.
[0060]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a web print process executed by CPU 10 when a web print execution command is input. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a web access process executed by the CPU 10.
When the web print process is executed, the CPU 10 first executes the web access process (S110), and acquires the URL information of the access destination input at the time of executing the web print in S111.
[0061]
Thereafter, the CPU 10 controls the communication control unit 27 to access the web server 6 corresponding to the input URL information, and downloads an HTML document corresponding to the URL information from the web server 6 (S113). Thereafter, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the HTML document has been normally downloaded from the web server 6 (S115). If it is determined that the download has been normally completed (Yes in S115), the web access process is terminated. If it is determined that the process has not been completed normally (No in S115), an error code is output (S117), and the web access process ends.
[0062]
When the web access process is completed, the CPU 10 determines in S120 whether the HTML document has been successfully downloaded. If the download has not been successful (No in S120), the CPU 10 displays error information on the LCD 28 (S125). ), End the web print process.
[0063]
On the other hand, if the CPU 10 determines that the download has been successful (Yes in S120), the CPU 10 adds the acquisition destination URL information indicating the acquisition destination of the HTML document and converts the HTML document into image data for printing (S130). ). Specifically, the CPU 10 generates image data such that an image based on the HTML document is printed at the center of the recording paper and the acquisition destination URL information 57 is printed at the end of the recording paper (see FIG. 8). .
[0064]
Thereafter, the CPU 10 inputs the generated image data to the recording unit 23, and causes the recording unit 23 to form an image based on the HTML document downloaded from the web server 6 on recording paper (S140). Thus, an image based on the HTML document corresponding to the URL information specified at the time of the web print execution command is printed on a recording sheet, and the print medium is output from the apparatus. At this time, the recording unit 23 adds the URL information 53 of the acquisition source of the HTML document to the end of the recording paper according to the input image data.
[0065]
By the way, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment includes a bookmark 49 a in the data storage unit 49 for storing URL information. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the data configuration of the bookmark 49a. The bookmark 49a in this embodiment has a data structure in which, for each piece of URL information, title information relating to the HTML document at the URL destination is associated.
[0066]
The CPU 10 of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 executes a bookmark display process shown in FIG. 6 when a bookmark display command is input from outside by operating the operation key 29 by a user or the like. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a bookmark display process executed by the CPU 10.
[0067]
When the processing is executed, the CPU 10 reads out the bookmark 49a stored in the data storage unit 49 (S210), and displays the title information associated with the URL information registered in the bookmark 49a on the LCD 28 (S220). ). Then, it is determined whether any of the displayed title information is selected by the user (S230). If the CPU 10 determines that the title information has not been selected (No in S230), the CPU 10 determines whether a display end command has been input from the operation keys 29 (S240), and if it has been input (Yes in S240). ), And terminates the bookmark display processing. On the other hand, if a display end command has not been input, the process returns to S230, and waits until a display end command is input or title information is selected.
[0068]
If it is determined that the title information has been selected by the user (Yes in S230), the CPU 10 acquires the URL information associated with the selected title information from the bookmark 49a (S250), and thereafter executes the web print processing. Execute (S260). At this time, the CPU 10 executes the web print process by designating the URL information acquired in S250 as the access destination (S260). Accordingly, in S260, an HTML document corresponding to the URL information selected by the user from the bookmark 49a is downloaded from the web server 6, and an image based on the HTML document is printed on a recording sheet.
[0069]
Next, the URL reading function of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the present embodiment executes a URL reading process described below to read an image from a print medium on which an image based on an HTML document is formed, and the print medium is surrounded by a handwritten line 51. The character string identification area is identified to identify the character string, and link destination URL information associated with the character string is extracted from the hyperlink information embedded in the HTML document.
[0070]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a URL reading process executed by the CPU 10 when a URL reading command signal is input from the operation keys 29 by a user operation. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a print medium on which an image based on an HTML document is formed, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a data configuration of the HTML document.
[0071]
After executing the URL reading process, the CPU 10 first controls the scanner unit 21 to cause the scanner unit 21 to read the image from the print medium on which the image based on the HTML document is formed. Then, image data as a reading result is obtained from the scanner unit 21 (S310).
[0072]
Thereafter, the CPU 10 analyzes the image data obtained from the scanner unit 21 and determines a character string identification area in the print medium indicated by the mark written by the user with a pen or the like on the print medium (S320). Note that the digital multifunction peripheral 1 of the present embodiment identifies the color of the handwritten line 51 written on the print medium and changes the handwritten line 51 written in a preset color (red or green in the present embodiment) to the user. Is recognized as a mark designated as a character string identification area, and the area surrounded by the handwritten line 51 is determined as a character string identification area.
[0073]
In step S330, the CPU 10 determines the character string formed in the character string identification area of the print medium based on the image data of the print medium (in FIG. 8, "Current state and problems in" XXXXXX "). Identify. Further, the CPU 10 acquires the acquisition destination URL information 53 of the HTML document corresponding to the print medium printed on the end of the print medium based on the image data of the print medium (S340).
[0074]
After that, the CPU 10 executes the web access process in S350 to acquire the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read from the web server 6. That is, the CPU 10 inputs the acquisition destination URL information 53 read from the print medium to the web access processing task as the URL information of the access destination. Then, in the web access processing, an HTML document corresponding to the URL information is downloaded from the web server 6 (S113).
[0075]
When the web access processing is completed, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the download is successful based on the presence or absence of the error code (S360). If the download is not successful (No in S360), error information is displayed on the LCD 28 (S360). S365). On the other hand, if the CPU 10 determines that the download has been successful (Yes in S360), the CPU 10 searches the HTML document downloaded by the web access processing task in S350 for the character string identified in S330 (S370).
[0076]
When determining that there is hyperlink information corresponding to the character string identified in S330, the CPU 10 determines that the collation has been completed (Yes in S380), and is described in the HTML document in association with the character string. The link destination URL information is extracted from the HTML document (S390).
[0077]
For example, the CPU 10 determines the hyperlink information “<A HREF=“http://www.abcdefg.co.jp/mondai.html”> corresponding to the character string“ the current state and the problem in “○ xxx”. If the current situation and problem </A> in "XXXXXX" are found, it is determined that the matching is completed, and the link associated with the character string "the current situation and problem in" XXXXX "" The destination URL information "http: // www. abcdefg. co. jp / mondai. “html” is extracted from the HTML document and acquired (S390).
[0078]
On the other hand, when determining that the hyperlink information corresponding to the identified character string does not exist in the HTML document, the CPU 10 determines No in S380, displays error information on the LCD 28 (S385), and executes the URL reading process. finish.
When the CPU 10 determines Yes in S380 as described above and obtains the link destination URL information from the HTML document, the CPU 10 writes the link destination URL information on the print medium based on the color identification result of the handwritten line 51 in S320. It is determined whether the handwritten line 51 is red (S400). When it is determined that the color is red (Yes in S400), the web print process is executed (S410).
[0079]
At this time, the CPU 10 inputs the link destination URL information extracted and acquired in S390 to the web print processing task. Therefore, in S410, the HTML document of the web server 6 corresponding to the link destination URL information is downloaded (S113), and an image based on the HTML document is printed on recording paper (S140). After completion of the web print process, the CPU 10 terminates the URL reading process.
[0080]
On the other hand, when determining in S400 that the handwritten line 51 is not red, the CPU 10 shifts the processing to S420 and determines whether the handwritten line is green. If it is determined that the color is green (Yes in S420), the process proceeds to S430, where the link destination URL information acquired in S390 is registered in the bookmark 49a, and then the URL reading process ends. If the CPU 10 determines in S420 that the handwritten line 51 is not green (No in S420), the CPU 10 displays error information on the LCD 28 (S425), and ends the URL reading process.
[0081]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 of the above embodiment, the CPU 10 reads the print medium on which the image based on the HTML document is formed by using the scanner unit 21 (S310), and reads the print medium. Based on the result, the character string identification area in the print medium surrounded by the handwritten line 51 is determined (S320), the character string is identified (S330), and the character string is converted from the hyperlink information embedded in the HTML document. The associated link destination URL information is extracted (S390). Then, when the handwritten line 51 is red, by executing the web print process, the link destination URL information is input to the web access processing task, and the linked HTML document is downloaded.
[0082]
Therefore, according to the digital multifunction peripheral 1, it is possible to acquire the linked HTML document in accordance with the user's instruction (the URL reading command signal and the handwritten line 51) without printing the linked URL information as a footnote on the recording paper. Can be. As a result, according to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, the link destination URL information is printed on the recording paper as a footnote, so that it is possible to prevent useless use of the paper surface.
[0083]
In addition, the user can use a simple operation such as enclosing a character string in a print medium corresponding to the HTML document in which the hyperlink information is embedded with a pen or the like to convert the linked HTML document corresponding to the character string into the apparatus. And the recording unit 23 can form an image based on the HTML document on recording paper. That is, according to the digital multifunction peripheral 1, the user does not need to manually input the link destination URL information.
[0084]
In addition, according to the digital multi-functional peripheral 1, the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read is downloaded from the web server 6 based on the acquisition destination URL information 53 added to the print medium. It is not necessary for the user to manually input the URL information of the acquisition destination of the HTML document corresponding to. Further, with such a configuration, the digital multi-functional peripheral 1 can easily and accurately acquire a corresponding HTML document from the outside based on a print medium even when handling a large number of HTML documents.
[0085]
Further, according to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, the URL information extracted from the HTML document can be temporarily registered in the bookmark 49a, so that it is not necessary to read the same URL information from the print medium many times. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operability of the device is good.
[0086]
In addition, by registering the URL information in the bookmark 49a, the user can download the linked HTML document to the device at a desired timing and cause the recording unit 23 to print an image based on the HTML document. . Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the convenience of the device is good. In addition, according to the digital multi-functional peripheral 1, the operation of the apparatus can be switched only by changing the color and writing the mark (the handwritten line 51) on the print medium, which is convenient.
[0087]
Further, according to the digital multifunction peripheral 1, the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read is obtained from the web server 6, so that the HTML document downloaded by the web access processing does not need to be stored for a long time. . Therefore, there is no need to provide a large-capacity storage medium (such as a hard disk) for storing HTML documents in the data storage unit 49 in the apparatus, and the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can be manufactured at low cost.
[0088]
Note that by providing a large-capacity recording medium in the data storage unit 49, a database storing HTML documents is built in the data storage unit 49, and the HTML document to be searched for a character string is read from the database. 1 may be configured.
[0089]
Hereinafter, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Note that the configuration of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 in the modified example is such that the web access processing and the URL reading processing executed by the CPU 10 are partially different from each other, and therefore the other description will be omitted.
[0090]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a web access process according to a modification executed by the CPU 10.
After executing the web access process, the CPU 10 acquires the URL information of the access destination in S510. Thereafter, the CPU 10 controls the communication control unit 27 to access the web server 6 corresponding to the input URL information, and downloads an HTML document corresponding to the URL information from the web server 6 (S520).
[0091]
Thereafter, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the HTML document has been normally downloaded from the web server 6 (S530). If it is determined that the download has been completed normally (Yes in S530), the downloaded HTML document is stored in a document. (S540), and when the storage is completed, the web access process ends.
[0092]
On the other hand, if the CPU 10 determines that the download has not been completed normally (No in S530), it outputs an error code (S535) and ends the web access process.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a URL reading process according to a modification performed by the CPU 10.
[0093]
When the URL reading process is executed, the CPU 10 reads the print medium on which the image based on the HTML document is formed by using the scanner unit 21 (S610), based on the read result, as in S310 to S340 described above. In addition to identifying the color 51, the character string identification area in the print medium surrounded by the handwritten line 51 is determined (S620). Then, the character string in the character string identification area is identified (S630). Further, the acquisition destination URL information 53 added to the print medium is acquired (S640).
[0094]
Thereafter, the CPU 10 searches the data storage unit 49 for an HTML document corresponding to the acquisition destination URL information 53 (S650), and determines that the HTML document is not in the data storage unit 49 (No in S660), and outputs the error information. After the display on the LCD 28 (S665), the URL reading process ends.
[0095]
On the other hand, when determining that there is an HTML document corresponding to the acquisition destination URL information 53 (Yes in S660), the CPU 10 reads the HTML document from the data storage unit 49 and acquires it (S667). Thereafter, the CPU 10 searches the character string identified in S630 in the HTML document acquired in S667 (S670).
[0096]
When determining that there is hyperlink information corresponding to the character string identified in S630, the CPU 10 determines that the collation has been completed (Yes in S680), and is described in the HTML document in association with the character string. The linked URL information is extracted from the HTML document (S690).
[0097]
On the other hand, when determining that the hyperlink information corresponding to the identified character string does not exist in the HTML document, the CPU 10 determines No in S680, displays error information on the LCD 28 (S685), and executes the URL reading process. finish.
Further, upon acquiring the link destination URL information from the HTML document, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the handwritten line 51 written on the print medium as the mark is red based on the color identification result of the handwritten line 51 in S620 ( If it is determined that the color is red (S700: Yes), a web print process is executed (S710). At this time, the CPU 10 inputs the link destination URL information extracted and acquired in S690 to the web print processing task. When the web print processing ends, the URL reading processing ends.
[0098]
On the other hand, when determining in S700 that the handwritten line 51 is not red, the CPU 10 shifts the processing to S720 and determines whether the handwritten line is green. If it is determined that the color is green (Yes in S720), the process proceeds to S730, where the link destination URL information acquired in S690 is registered in the bookmark 49a, and then the URL reading process ends. If the CPU 10 determines in S720 that the handwritten line 51 is not green (No in S720), it displays error information on the LCD 28 (S725), and ends the URL reading process.
[0099]
Although the modified example has been described above, according to the digital multifunction peripheral 1 of the modified example, the HTML document to be subjected to the character string search can be acquired from the data storage unit 49. Even if it is not possible to access the web server 6 from, a character string search can be performed. Further, according to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, it is not necessary to access the web server 6 again and download the HTML document for the character string search. As a result, the link destination URL information can be quickly and reliably converted from the HTML document. Can be extracted.
[0100]
The web access unit of the present invention is realized by the communication control unit 27 and the web access processing executed by the CPU 10 in this embodiment. The web print unit is realized by the recording unit 23 and web print processing executed by the CPU 10.
[0101]
In addition, the area determining means is realized by the processing of S320 and S620 executed by the CPU 10, and the character string identifying means is realized by the processing of S330 and S630 executed by the CPU 10. Further, the document acquisition unit is realized by the processing of S340 and S350 executed by the CPU 10, or the processing of S640 to S667.
[0102]
The URL extracting means is realized by the processing from S370 to S390 or the processing from S670 to S690 executed by the CPU 10. In addition, the URL input means is realized by the processing from S400 to S430 or the processing from S700 to S730 executed by the CPU 10, and the bookmark display processing executed by the CPU 10. The registration means is realized by S430 and S730 executed by the CPU 10. The program of the present invention corresponds to a program corresponding to the URL reading process and the bookmark display process executed by the CPU 10.
[0103]
Further, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can adopt various aspects.
In the above embodiment, the downloaded HTML document is stored in the data storage unit 49 as it is in the web access process. For example, only the hyperlink information is extracted from the downloaded HTML document, and the extracted hyperlink is extracted. An HTML document containing only information may be stored in the data storage unit 49. With such an apparatus configuration, the storage capacity of the data storage unit 49 can be reduced, and as a result, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can be manufactured at low cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a communication mode of a digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the digital multifunction peripheral 1.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a web print process executed by a CPU 10;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a web access process executed by a CPU 10;
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data configuration of a bookmark 49a.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a bookmark display process executed by the CPU 10;
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a URL reading process executed by a CPU 10;
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a print medium on which an image based on an HTML document is formed.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data structure of an HTML document.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a modified example of a web access process executed by the CPU 10;
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a URL reading process according to a modification performed by the CPU 10;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Digital multifunction machine, 6 ... Web server, 10 ... CPU, 11 ... ROM, 12 ... RAM, 21 ... Scanner unit, 23 ... Recording unit, 25 ... Line control unit, 26 ... Handset, 27 ... Communication control unit, 28 ... LCD, 29 ... operation keys, 31 ... encoder, 33 ... modem, 35 ... decoder, 37 ... PC interface, 41, 42 ... connection port, 44 ... gateway unit, 46 ... wireless processing unit, 49 ... data storage unit , 49a: bookmark, 51: handwritten line, 53: acquisition URL information

Claims (8)

Web access means for accessing a web server installed in a WAN (wide area network) based on URL information input from the outside and downloading an HTML document from the web server;
Web printing means for forming an image based on the HTML document downloaded by the web access means on recording paper;
An image forming apparatus comprising:
Image reading means for reading an image from a print medium on which an image based on an HTML document is formed;
Area determination means for determining a character string identification area in the print medium indicated by the mark written on the print medium based on a read result of the image reading means;
Character string identification means for identifying a character string formed in the character string identification area of the print medium determined by the area determination means;
Document acquisition means for externally acquiring an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read by the image reading means;
A character string identified by the character string identification unit is searched in the HTML document acquired by the document acquisition unit, and URL information described in the HTML document associated with the searched character string is extracted. URL extraction means,
URL input means for inputting the URL information extracted by the URL extraction means to the web access means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The web printing unit is configured to form an image based on the HTML document downloaded by the web access unit on a recording sheet, and to add acquisition source information of the HTML document to the recording sheet,
The document acquisition unit acquires, using the image reading unit, acquisition destination information of an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read, and acquires the HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read based on the acquisition destination information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the HTML document is obtained from outside. The web access unit is configured to store the downloaded HTML document in a database for storing documents,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document acquisition unit reads an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read by the image reading unit from the database and acquires the HTML document. 4. The document obtaining unit inputs URL information indicating a source of an HTML document corresponding to the print medium to be read by the image reading unit to the web access unit, so that the web access unit downloads the document from the web server. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an HTML document is obtained from the web access unit. The area determination unit determines an area surrounded by a handwritten line as the mark written on the print medium as the character string identification area based on a reading result of the image reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The URL input means includes:
Registration means for registering the URL information extracted by the URL extraction means in a bookmark;
Wherein when a command signal is input from the outside, the URL information registered by the registration unit is read from the bookmark, and the URL information is input to the web access unit. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5. The area determination unit is configured to be able to identify a color of a mark written on the print medium based on a result of reading by the image reading unit,
When the URL input unit determines that the color of the mark written on the print medium is the first color set in advance based on the color identification result by the area determination unit, the URL input unit operates the registration unit to perform the printing. When it is determined that the color of the mark written on the medium is a second color different from the preset first color, the URL information extracted by the URL extraction means is directly input to the web access means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: A program for causing a computer to realize functions as the area determination unit, the character string identification unit, the document acquisition unit, the URL extraction unit, and the URL input unit in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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