JP2006203642A - Image communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide image communication equipment capable of performing LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol) retrieval by a simple operation such as one operation. <P>SOLUTION: When a user selects automatic dial transmission, an initial image designating the destination of the one-operation transmission is displayed on the display screen of an LCD display part (step 101), and when one of one-touch keys is selected to execute transmission processing (step 102), it is determined whether or not the attribute of the selected one-touch key is an LDAP (step 103). In the case of the LDAP, a keyword for LDAP retrieval registered in the one-touch key is transmitted to an LDAP server to start LDAP retrieval (step 107). When a retrieval result is received from the LDAP server, it is determined whether the opposite transmission destination information of the retrieval result is a FAX number or an e-mail address (step 104) to perform facsimile transmission or e-mail transmission (step 105 and 106). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus, and more particularly to an image communication apparatus that designates a destination using a one-touch key, an abbreviated dial, an address book, or the like.

  Recent image communication apparatuses such as digital multifunction peripherals and facsimile machines having a copy function, a facsimile function, a print function, a scanner function, etc. are provided with various keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key for designating a destination, and a designated destination. Or display the operation status of the device and the operation screen of various functions, etc., and the user inputs the destination with the numeric keypad, confirms it on the display device, and the facsimile Sending.

In addition, in the case of a destination that is frequently transmitted, such a destination is assigned to a one-touch key or an abbreviated dial, or a one having a large LCD display displays the one-touch key on the LCD display. It is possible to perform facsimile transmission to a desired destination by selecting a one-touch key or inputting an abbreviated number.
However, the number of one-touch keys and speed dials is limited, and if many e-mail addresses and FAX telephone numbers are registered in the image communication device, the image communication device memory is consumed, and the memory is insufficient. Things happen.

  Further, in such an image communication apparatus, when the user refers to an e-mail address or FAX telephone number that is a transmission destination, the address book registered in the image communication apparatus is referred to, or the user's personal computer It is also possible to know an e-mail address and a FAX telephone number by referring to an address book registered in (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer).

  By the way, when many users use the image communication apparatus as in a company or the like, the personal address book of the entire user cannot be used, so that the entire user can use all the address books. However, there are problems that the address book of many users must be registered in the image communication apparatus, and the registration work is troublesome and the memory of the image communication apparatus is consumed.

For this reason, it has been proposed to provide an LDAP server capable of registering many e-mail addresses and FAX telephone numbers in a communication network in which an image communication apparatus is installed. When using this LDAP server, when a search keyword is transmitted from the image communication apparatus to the LDAP server, an e-mail address or a FAX telephone number corresponding to the search keyword is returned, so that many users can easily specify a destination. Thus, image transmission can be performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-282394 A

  Note that LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is configured in a server / client type model, and a request / response type message transfer between a server (directory server) storing directory information and a client accessing the directory information. It defines the protocol.

As described above, by providing an LDAP server in the communication network in which the image communication apparatus is installed, it is possible to receive an e-mail address or a FAX telephone number from the LDAP server and perform image transmission. To use it, you must enter a search keyword.
However, even if the display / operation unit of the image communication apparatus is provided with a large LCD display, there is a problem that the operation unit is small and it takes time and effort to input a search keyword.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image communication apparatus capable of performing an LDAP search by a simple operation such as one touch.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image communication apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image communication apparatus provided with a one-touch key for designating a destination, wherein a keyword for database search can be registered in the one-touch key. When a registered one-touch key is pressed, a database search is performed using a keyword registered in the one-touch key.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image communication apparatus that designates a destination by designating a speed dial, a keyword for database search can be registered in the speed dial, and the keyword is registered. When an abbreviated dial is designated, a database search is performed using a keyword registered in the abbreviated dial.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image communication apparatus that designates a destination by an address book in which the destination is stored, a database search keyword can be registered in the address book destination, and the keyword is registered. When a destination in the address book is selected, a database search is performed using a keyword registered in the destination.

  According to the image communication apparatus of the first to third aspects of the present invention, a database, for example, a keyword for LDAP search can be registered in the destination of the one-touch key, speed dial, or address book. By specifying a one-touch key, abbreviated dialing, or an address book destination in which the keyword is registered, an LDAP search can be performed with a simple operation, and an image can be transmitted easily.

  Embodiments of an image communication apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration example of a system including a digital multi-function peripheral as an image communication apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the digital multi-function peripheral.

In the network configuration diagram shown in FIG. 1, 1 is a digital multifunction peripheral, 2 is an LDAP server, 3, 4... Is a personal computer, 5 is a public switched telephone network (PSTN), 6 is a LAN (Local Area Network), 7 Is the Internet network.
The digital multi-function peripheral 1 has copy mode, printer mode, and fax mode functions, and also has a mail transmission function, and is connected to the PSTN 5 and the LAN 6. The LAN 6 is connected to the LDAP server 2 and a plurality of personal computers 3, 4,. • is connected. The LAN 6 is also connected to the Internet network 7, and the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can send and receive mail via the Internet network 7.

  The LDAP server 2 includes a large number of e-mail addresses or FAX telephone numbers and information relating to each address or telephone number as a database. And the search result mail address or FAX telephone number is sent back to the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. As shown in the figure, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 has a CPU 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and a display. Consists of an operation unit 14, a reading unit 15, an image memory 16, a recording unit 17, a codec 18, a modem 19, a network control unit NCU 20, and a LAN interface (I / F) 21, and each unit is connected via a bus 22. ing.

  The CPU 11 controls each part of the hardware of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 via the bus 22 and executes various programs based on the programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 performs various programs necessary for the operation of the digital multi-function peripheral. Operation messages and the like are stored in advance. The RAM 13 is composed of an SRAM or the like, and includes a one-touch key data storage area 23 for storing temporary data generated when the program is executed and for storing one-touch key data.

As shown in FIG. 3, the display / operation unit 14 displays an operation state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 or displays an operation screen for various functions, and operates the digital multi-function peripheral 1. Are provided on the operation panel of the digital multi-function peripheral 1. The LCD display unit 31 is provided with a touch panel switch. By pressing a menu item displayed on the LCD display unit 31 or various key menu parts such as one-touch keys, the corresponding key selection or function selection is performed. Execution can be performed.
As the operation unit, various keys such as a numeric keypad 32, a start key 33, a reset key 34, a stop key 35, a cross key 36, a return key 37, a set key 38, a FAX switching key 39, a copy switching key 40, a scanner switching key 41, and the like. A key is provided.

The reading unit 15 includes a reading document placing table such as an auto document feeder (ADF) or a flat bed scanner (FBS), reads a document with a scanner using a CCD or the like, and outputs dot image data.
The image memory 16 is configured by using a DRAM or the like, and stores image data to be transmitted or received image data or image data read by the reading unit 15, and a recording unit 17 is a printer device such as an electrophotographic system. The received data, copy original data, or print data transmitted from an external personal computer is printed out.

  The codec 18 encodes and decodes in accordance with a predetermined protocol. In order to transmit the image data of the read original, the codec 18 is encoded by the MH, MR, or MMR method, and decodes the image data received from the outside. Also, encoding and decoding are also performed in correspondence with the TIFF method, which is an image format generally used as a file that can be attached to an e-mail.

  The modem 19 is connected to the bus 22 and has a function as a fax modem capable of facsimile communication. The modem 19 is also connected to the NCU 20 connected to the bus 22. The NCU 20 is hardware that closes and opens an analog line, and connects the modem 19 to the PSTN 5 as necessary.

  The LAN interface 21 is connected to the LAN 6 and receives data from an external personal computer or a signal from the Internet network 7 via the LAN 6, while transmitting signals and data to the LAN 6. Perform interface processing such as protocol conversion.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 has the above-described configuration. When transmitting a facsimile, the image data of the original is read by the reading unit 15, compressed by the codec 18, and stored in the image memory 16. The compressed image data is read from the image memory 16, modulated by the modem 19, and transmitted from the NCU 20 to the communication partner through the PSTN 5. At the time of facsimile reception, the received image data is demodulated by the modem 19, stored in the image memory 16, decoded by the codec 18, and printed by the recording unit 17.

On the other hand, in the one-touch key data storage area 23 of the RAM 13, as shown in FIG. 4, storage areas for “headline”, “data”, and “attribute” are provided for each one-touch key. For example, the title of the corresponding one-touch key such as “XX Corporation” is stored. The “data” column stores a mail address, FAX telephone number, and an LDAP search keyword, and the “attribute” column stores data attributes of the one-touch key, that is, FAX telephone number, mail address, and LDAP keyword. Either type is stored.
Various keywords can be used as the above-described LDAP search keyword, and various search conditions such as an AND condition search, an OR condition search, and a leading match search can be set for the search.

Next, the operation when the user performs an LDAP search using a one-touch key will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the user selects one-touch dial transmission on the menu screen of the LCD display unit 31, the CPU 11 starts the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5. First, the one-touch transmission destination as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display screen of the LCD display unit 31. A designated initial screen is displayed (step 101).
As shown in the figure, FAX, LDAP, and mail tags 51, 52, and 53 are displayed on this screen, and when any tag, for example, the LDAP tag 52 is pressed, it is included in the LDAP attribute. A plurality of one-touch keys 54 displaying the destination are displayed. The display contents can be switched sequentially by pressing the “next page” key 55 and the “previous page” key 56, and can be returned to the menu screen by pressing the “end” key 57. it can.

  When any one-touch key 54 is pressed, the registration data, that is, the FAX telephone number, the mail address, or the LDAP search keyword is displayed in the destination display field 58. Thereafter, when the start key 33 is pressed, Transmission processing is executed.

  After displaying the one-touch transmission destination designation initial screen on the LCD display 31, the CPU 11 determines whether or not one-touch transmission is started by determining whether or not one of the one-touch keys is selected and the start key 33 is pressed. Is determined (step 102). When it is determined that the one-touch transmission is started, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the attribute of the selected one-touch key is LDAP (step 103), and when it is determined that the attribute of the selected one-touch key is not LDAP, the one-touch key data storage area The transmission destination information is read from 23, and it is determined whether or not the transmission destination information is a FAX number (step 104).

When the destination partner information is a fax number, the CPU 11 controls the modem 19 and the NCU 20 to send the destination fax number to the PSTN 5, and when communication is established, the transmission image data stored in the image memory 16 is transmitted. Is modulated by the modem 19 and then transmitted from the NCU 20 to the other party through the PSTN 5 (step 105).
If it is determined in step 104 that the transmission destination information is not a FAX number, the CPU 11 converts the received image data stored in the image memory 16 into a predetermined file format, for example, a TIFF format file, for e-mail use. An attached file is created, and the created attached file is attached to the e-mail and sent to the e-mail address of the transmission destination (step 106).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the attribute of the one-touch key selected in step 103 is LDAP, the CPU 11 reads the LDAP search keyword registered in the one-touch key from the one-touch key data storage area 23, and sets the LAN interface 21 and LAN 6. Then, an LDAP search is started by transmitting to the LDAP server 2 (step 107).
As a result, the LDAP server 2 searches for information on the other party based on the LDAP search keyword received from the digital multifunction machine 1, extracts the mail address or FAX telephone number of the other party corresponding to the search, and extracts the digital multifunction machine Return to 1.

After starting the LDAP search, the CPU 11 determines whether the search result is received from the LDAP server 2 (step 108). When the search result is received from the LDAP server 2, the destination information is a FAX number. (Step 104). Similarly to the above, if the destination information is a FAX number, facsimile transmission is performed (step 105). If it is determined that the destination information is not a FAX number, mail transmission is performed. Perform (step 106).
If a plurality of e-mail addresses or FAX telephone numbers are returned as a search result, it is determined whether each of the destination information is a FAX number and broadcast transmission is performed.

  As described above, according to the image communication apparatus of the present invention, the keyword for LDAP search can be registered in the one-touch key. Therefore, by specifying the one-touch key in which the keyword for LDAP search is registered, a simple operation can be performed. An LDAP search can be performed by operation.

In the above embodiment, the transmission process is started immediately according to the result of the LDAP search. However, it is possible to display the result of the LDAP search on the display unit and select a transmission destination from the display result.
In the above embodiment, the attribute of each one-touch key is registered, and whether or not it is an LDAP search keyword is determined based on the attribute. However, whether or not it is an LDAP search keyword is determined based on the one-touch key data. You can also.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the LDAP search is performed using the one-touch key displayed on the LCD display unit. However, the hardware one-touch key provided on the operation unit can be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the LDAP server is provided in the LAN in which the digital multi-function peripheral is installed. However, the LDAP server may be provided in an external network.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the keyword for LDAP search is registered in the one-touch key, but the keyword for LDAP search is registered in the destination of the speed dial or the address book, and the speed dial or the keyword for LDAP search is registered. It is also possible to perform an LDAP search by selecting a destination in the address book.
In the above-described embodiment, the LDAP is described as an example of the database in which the e-mail address and the FAX telephone number are registered. However, other databases in which the e-mail address and the FAX telephone number are registered may be used.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the case where the image communication apparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital multi-function peripheral has been described. However, the image communication apparatus of the present invention can also be applied to other image communication apparatuses such as a normal facsimile apparatus. Can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration example of a system including a digital multi-function peripheral as an image communication apparatus of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral. FIG. It is a figure which shows the detail of the display and operation part provided in the operation panel of a digital multifunctional device. It is an example of the memory | storage content for every one touch key memorize | stored in the one touch key data storage area. It is a flowchart which shows an effect | action when performing an LDAP search using a one-touch key. It is a figure which shows an example of the initial screen of the destination designation | designated of the one touch transmission displayed on a LCD display part.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital MFP 2 LDAP server 3, 4 PC 5 PSTN
6 LAN
7 Internet 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Display / Operation Unit 15 Reading Unit 16 Image Memory 17 Recording Unit 18 Codec 19 Modem 20 NCU
21 LAN I / F
22 Bus 23 One-touch key data storage area 31 LCD display

Claims (3)

In an image communication apparatus having a one-touch key for designating a destination,
A database search keyword can be registered in the one-touch key, and when the one-touch key in which the keyword is registered is pressed, the database search is performed using the keyword registered in the one-touch key. apparatus. In an image communication apparatus that specifies a destination by specifying a speed dial,
A database search keyword can be registered in the speed dial, and when a speed dial in which a keyword is registered is designated, a database search is performed using the keyword registered in the speed dial. apparatus. In an image communication apparatus that designates a destination by an address book in which the destination is stored,
An image characterized in that a database search keyword can be registered in an address book destination, and when an address book destination in which the keyword is registered is selected, a database search is performed using the keyword registered in the address book. Communication device.

Images