JP2010182272A - Image processing apparatus and method for controlling the same, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for improving operability by skipping duplicative operations when executing image input and file uploading to a server. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus is connected, by a network, to a web server providing distributed applications, and a host computer being an information processing apparatus so as to take over the procedures of the distributed applications. Concretely, the image processing apparatus registers registration information, being procedure information of the distributed applications, in a memory of its own apparatus by associating the registration information with a user ID of a user when accessed from the user via the host computer. Further, when a user makes accesses via an operation part of the image processing device, the registration information corresponding to the user ID of an authenticated user is retrieved so as to control a display screen on the basis of the retrieval result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus connected to a web server and an information processing apparatus via a network, a control method thereof, and a computer program.

  In HTML (HyperText Markup Language), a web page creator (web server side) can request input of information from a user (client side) who browses the web page by a form (FORM). The HTML form is an effective means for a wide variety of applications that require input from the user, and constitutes a user interface between the web page creator and the user. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a web application that operates on the web server side and can be operated from the web browser of the client.

  When a web browser of a user who is a client requests an HTML resource from a web server and acquires it from the server, a user interface based on HTML is displayed on the web browser. Here, when the user inputs and confirms information according to the form displayed on the web browser, the input information is transmitted from the client to the server. Then, it is possible to acquire information returned from the input information, that is, content reflecting the execution result of the web application from the server. In many cases, the returned content is a user interface of a web application configured by an HTML form. By repeating this, a so-called distributed application system is realized in which a web application running on a remote server is operated by a user interface transmitted to a client web browser. As described above, HTML that enables bidirectional communication of information by a form is used in a great number of systems as a user interface description language that can transfer a user interface remotely.

RFC1867 discloses a method of “file upload based on a form in HTML”. This approach extends the bi-directional nature of information transfer in HTML form and allows files stored on the client platform to be uploaded as input to the distributed application server.
Patent Document 1 discloses an image processing apparatus that inputs an image and uploads the input image with a simple operation procedure without impairing the versatility of the service provided by the ASP.

JP-A-2005-149320

  However, the above prior art has the following problems. For example, when a system is configured by combining a web client corresponding to a general-purpose web application and an image input unit, it is necessary to store the image data input by the image processing apparatus in an HD or the like, and upload the file later Two operations are required. That is, there are problems that the operation becomes complicated because two steps of an image input step and an upload step are necessary. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, a browser incorporated in an image processing apparatus displays a button for scanning a document in response to a description <input type = “file”>, and directly uploads the scanned image. It is possible.

  However, the user usually operates a web browser on a PC. Therefore, when a web browser on the PC requests a file upload to the server, it is necessary to make a transition to the file upload screen again with the web browser of the image processing apparatus, read the document, and upload the file to the server. there were. As described above, for the user, duplicate operations are performed on the PC and the web browser of the image processing apparatus, resulting in a user-friendly operation system.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a mechanism for improving operability by omitting duplicate user operations when inputting an image and uploading a file to a server. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus of the present invention is an image processing apparatus that is connected to a web server and an information processing apparatus via a network and processes image data obtained by reading an original with an image reading apparatus. A URL corresponding to the HTML document provided by the web server is received from the information processing apparatus, and the registration information including the received URL is used as a user ID for identifying a user who operates the information processing apparatus; When a user ID is input via a registration unit that associates and registers in the memory of the image processing apparatus and an operation unit of the image processing apparatus, authentication of a user who operates the image processing apparatus using the user ID is performed. An authentication unit to perform, and the registration information corresponding to the authenticated user in response to the successful authentication by the authentication unit, the input user ID Search means for searching from the memory, and when the registration information is searched and the HTML document corresponding to the URL contained in the searched registration information describes a predetermined format, the image reading And a display control means for displaying a reading screen for starting reading of a document by the apparatus on a display unit of the image processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, when inputting an image and uploading a file to a server, it is possible to improve operability by omitting duplicate user operations.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image processing system including an image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the software structure of the image processing apparatus 110 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the image processing apparatus 110 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen structure of the web browser displayed by UI module 201 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of a request | requirement and response process by a HTTP protocol. It is a figure which shows an example of an HTML document. It is a figure which shows the example which displayed the HTML document of FIG. 6 with the browser of the general information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example which displayed the HTML document of FIG. 6 with the built-in browser of the image processing apparatus which has a scanner. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus when accessed from a host computer according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the image processing apparatus at the time of uploading a document to the server which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the top screen displayed by connecting to the image processing apparatus 110 which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the URL transmission screen which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the authentication information input screen for inputting user authentication information. It is a figure which shows an example of the reading screen which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the registration information registered into the URL management table which concerns on this embodiment.

  An embodiment of the present invention is shown below. The individual embodiments described below will help to understand various concepts, such as superordinate concepts, intermediate concepts and subordinate concepts of the present invention. Further, the technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the claims, and is not limited by the following individual embodiments.

<Image processing system>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an image processing system including an image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing system 1000 includes an application service provider site (hereinafter referred to as an ASP site) 153, a wide area network 152, and a user site 151. Here, the wide area network 152 indicates the Internet. The wide area network 152 may be a virtual private network (VPN) on the Internet or a dedicated private network.

  The ASP site 153 provides a predetermined service to the user site 151 via the wide area network 152. Examples of services provided by the ASP site 153 include information provision, creation, search, storage, authentication, distribution, printing, publishing, management, translation, and commissioning. There are also government procedures and various electronic commerce. The ASP site 153 includes a LAN (Local Area Network) 154 and a server 155. The LAN 154 is a network inside the ASP site 153 and connects network devices in the site. The LAN 154 is connected to the wide area network 152 via a router or the like.

On the server 155, a software process group for realizing a service provided by the ASP is running. As a software module,
1) An HTTP server that transmits content such as HTML in response to a request by an HTTP protocol from a client;
2) A web application group implemented in the form of a CGI (Common Gateway Interfaces) program or servlet (Servlet), which is executed by an HTTP server in response to an HTTP request and performs an HTTP response that dynamically changes with a predetermined process,
3) A business logic group such as an electronic commerce program and a back-end database management system, which are used by a CGI program, a servlet, and the like to execute predetermined processing.

  The user site 151 includes a plurality of network devices such as a host computer 101 and image processing apparatuses 110, 120, and 130, and a LAN 100 to which a network device group is connected. The LAN 100 of the user site 151 is connected to the wide area network 152 via a router or the like. Here, the router has a function of a so-called firewall. That is, the router performs packet filtering and the like to protect the user site 151 from attacks from the external network. In the router, network address conversion and network port conversion may be performed for address management reasons.

  Due to these functions of the router, there are restrictions on communication between the user site 151 and the external network. That is, in many cases, only communication using some specific protocols is possible. For example, an HTTP connection established from the inside to the outside is a generally permitted communication, which is one of the reasons why it is effective to provide an application service based on a general web-based technology. Yes.

  The image processing apparatus 110 is a multi function peripheral (MFP) that performs image input / output, transmission / reception, and various types of image processing. The image processing apparatus 110 includes a scanner 113 that is an image reading apparatus, a printer 114 that is an image output device, a control unit 111, and an operation unit 112 that is a user interface. The scanner 113, the printer 114, and the operation unit 112 are each connected to the control unit 111 and controlled by commands from the control unit 111. The control unit 111 is connected to the LAN 100.

  The image processing apparatuses 120 and 130 have the same device configuration as the image processing apparatus 110, and are similarly connected to the LAN 100. The image processing apparatus 120 includes a scanner 123, a printer 124, an operation unit 122, and a control unit 121 that controls the scanner 123, the printer 124, and the operation unit 122. The image processing apparatus 130 includes a scanner 133, a printer 134, an operation unit 132, and a control unit 131 that controls the scanner 133, the printer 134, and the operation unit 132.

  The host computer 101 is connected to the LAN 100. As will be described later, the host computer 101 includes a web browser, and can receive service by connecting to the image processing apparatuses 110, 120, and 130 with HTTP. Similarly, the host computer 101 can receive service by making an HTTP connection to the server 155. Examples of the host computer 101 include a PC (personal computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and a mobile phone.

<Software configuration of image processing apparatus>
Next, the software configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a software configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the software configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 will be described, and the software configuration of the image processing apparatuses 120 and 130 is the same as that of the image processing apparatus 110, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

  The image processing apparatus 110 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as UI) module 201. The UI module 201 is a module that mediates between a device and a user operation when the operator performs various operations / settings on the image processing apparatus 110. The UI module 201 transfers input information to various modules to be described later and makes processing requests or data settings in accordance with operator operations.

  The image processing apparatus 110 includes an address book module 202. The address book module 202 is a database module that manages data transmission destinations, communication destinations, and the like. With respect to data managed by the address book module 202, data can be added, deleted, and acquired by operations from the UI module 201. Further, the address book module 202 gives data sending / communication destination information to each module described later by an operator's operation.

  The image processing apparatus 110 includes a web server module (Web-Server module) 203. The web server module 203 notifies management information of the image processing apparatus 110 to the web client in response to a request from the web client (for example, the host computer 101). The management information is acquired via the integrated transmission module 204, the remote copy scan (Remote-Copy-Scan) module 209, the remote copy print (Remote-Copy-Print) module 210, and the control API (Control-API) module 218. Is done. Then, the notification is sent to the web client via the HTTP module 212, the TCP / IP communication module 216, and the network driver (Network-Driver) 217.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus 110 is equipped with a web browser module 211. The web browser module 211 reads and displays information on various websites (homepages) on the Internet or an intranet. The detailed configuration of the web browser module 211 will be described later.

  The integrated transmission module (Universal-Send) module 204 is a module that manages data distribution. The integrated transmission module 204 distributes data designated by the operator via the UI module 201 to the communication (output) destination designated in the same manner. Further, when the operator is instructed to generate distribution data by using the scanner function of the device, the integrated transmission module 204 operates the device via the control API module 218 and generates data. The integrated transmission module 204 is a module (P550) 205 that is executed when a printer is designated as an output destination, and a module (E-mail) that is executed when an E-mail address is designated as a communication destination. 206. The integrated transmission module 204 is executed when a database is designated as the output destination (DB) module 207, and when an image processing apparatus similar to this apparatus is designated as the output destination. (DP) module 208 is included.

  A remote copy scan (Remote-Copy-Scan) module 209 reads image information using the scanner function of the image processing apparatus 110 and outputs the read image information to another image processing apparatus connected via a network or the like. This makes it possible to perform a copy function realized by a single image processing apparatus using another image processing apparatus.

  The remote copy print (Remote-Copy-Print) module 210 outputs image information obtained by another image processing apparatus connected via a network or the like using the printer function of the image processing apparatus 110. As a result, the copy function realized by the image processing apparatus alone can be performed using another image processing apparatus.

  The HTTP module 212 is used when the image processing apparatus 110 performs communication by HTTP, and provides a communication function to the web server module 203 and the web browser module 211 using the TCP / IP communication module 216. The module 212 corresponds to various protocols used on the web such as HTTP, and provides a communication function using a protocol corresponding to security in particular.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus 110 includes an lpr module 213. The lpr module 213 provides a communication function to the module 205 in the integrated transmission module 204 using the TCP / IP communication module 216.

  Further, the image processing apparatus 110 is equipped with an SMTP module 214. The SMTP module 214 provides a communication function to the E-mail module 206 in the integrated transmission module 204 using the TCP / IP communication module 216.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus 110 is equipped with an SLM (Saltation-Manager) module 215. The SLM module 215 provides a communication function to each of the modules 217 and 218, the remote copy scan module 209, and the remote copy print module 210 in the integrated transmission unit module 204 using the TCP / IP communication module 216. .

  The TCP / IP communication module 216 uses the network driver 217 to provide a network communication function to the various modules described above. The network driver 217 controls a part physically connected to the network.

  The control API module 218 provides an upstream module such as the integrated transmission module 204 with an interface to a downstream module such as a job manager module (Job-Manager) 219. Thereby, the dependence between upstream and downstream modules is reduced, and each diversion property can be improved.

  A job manager module (Job-Manager) 219 interprets various processes instructed from the various modules described above via the control API module 218, and gives instructions to the modules 220, 224, and 226 described later. Also, the job manager module 219 centrally manages hardware processing executed in the image processing apparatus 110.

  The image processing apparatus 110 includes a codec manager (CODEC-Manager) module 220. The codec module 220 manages and controls various types of compression / decompression of data in the process instructed by the job manager module 219.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus 110 includes an FBE encoder module (FBE-EncoDer) 221. The FBE encoder module 221 compresses the data read by the scan processing executed by the job manager module 219 or the scan manager module 224 using the FBE format.

  Further, the image processing apparatus 110 is equipped with a JPEG codec module (JPEG-CODEC) 222. The JPEG codec module 222 performs JPEG compression processing of data read in the scan processing executed by the job manager module 219 or the scan manager module 224. Alternatively, JPEG expansion processing of print data in the print processing executed by the print manager (Print-Manager) module 226 is performed.

  Further, the image processing apparatus 110 includes an MMR codec (MMR-CODEC) module 223. The MMR codec module 223 performs MMR compression processing of the read data in the scan processing executed by the job manager module 219 and the scan manager module 224. Alternatively, print data MMR expansion processing in the print processing executed by the print manager module 226 is performed.

  A scan manager (Scan-Manager) module 224 manages and controls scan processing instructed by the job manager module 219. Communication between the scan manager module 224 and the scanner 113 internally connected to the image processing apparatus 110 is performed via the SCSI driver 225.

  A print manager (Print-Manager) module 226 manages and controls print processing instructed by the job manager module 219. An interface between the print manager module 226 and the printer 114 is provided by an engine interface (Engine-I / F) module 227.

  The image processing apparatus 110 is equipped with a parallel port driver 228. The parallel port driver 228 provides an I / F that outputs data to an output device (not shown) via the parallel port.

<Control configuration of image processing apparatus>
Next, the configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the configuration of the image processing apparatus 110 will be described, and the configuration of the image processing apparatuses 120 and 130 is the same as that of the image processing apparatus 110, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image processing apparatus 110 includes a control unit 111 that controls the entire apparatus. The control unit 111 is connected to a scanner 113 serving as an image input device and a printer 114 serving as an image output device, and controls them, while being connected to a LAN or a public line, through which input / output of image information and device information is performed. I do.

  The control unit 111 includes a CPU 301, RAM 302, ROM 303, HDD 304, image bus I / F 305, operation unit I / F 306, network I / F 308, modem 309, RIP 311, device I / F 312, scanner image processing unit 313, printer image processing unit. 314, an image rotation unit 315, and an image compression unit 316. The CPU 301 is connected to the RAM 302, ROM 303, HDD (hard disk device) 304, image bus I / F 305, operation unit I / F 306, network I / F 308, and modem 309 via the system bus 307.

  A RAM 302 is a memory for providing a work area for the CPU 301, and is also used as an image memory for temporarily storing image data. A ROM 303 is a boot ROM, and stores a system boot program. The HDD 304 stores system software, image data, and the like.

  The operation unit I / F 306 is an interface for performing input / output with the operation unit 112, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 112 to the operation unit 112. The input information is transmitted to the CPU 301. The network I / F 308 is connected to the LAN and inputs / outputs information to / from the LAN. The modem 309 is connected to a public line and inputs / outputs information to / from the public line. The image bus I / F 305 is a bus bridge that is connected to the system bus 307 and the image bus 310 that transfers image data at high speed and converts the data structure.

  The CPU 301 is connected to a RIP (raster image processor) 311, a device I / F 312, a scanner image processing unit 313, a printer image processing unit 314, an image rotation unit 315, and an image compression unit 316 via an image bus 310. The

  The RIP 311 expands the PDL code received from the LAN into a bitmap image. A device I / F 312 connects the scanner 113 and printer 114 to the control unit 111, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. A scanner image processing unit 313 performs correction, processing, editing, and the like on input image data. A printer image processing unit 314 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, and the like on print output image data. The image rotation unit 315 rotates image data. The image compression unit 316 performs JPEG compression / decompression processing on multi-valued image data, and performs compression / decompression processing such as JBIG, MMR, and MH on binary image data.

  Next, the box function will be described. The HDD 304 has a temporary area and a box area. The temporary area is an area for temporarily storing image data read from the scanner 113, and the image data is deleted after the job is completed.

  The box area is an area for storing an image read from the scanner 113 and a developed PDL image sent from the computer in accordance with a user instruction. The box area is divided into a plurality of areas. Each area is numbered and can be identified. In this embodiment, the number of boxes is 100.

<Screen configuration>
Next, the screen configuration of the web browser displayed by the UI module 201 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen configuration example of the web browser displayed by the UI module 201 according to the present embodiment.

  The screen 500 includes a tab 501, a URL input field 502, an OK button 503, a progress bar 504, a content display area 505, a back button 506, a forward button 507, a reload button 508, a cancel button 509, and a status area 510.

  A tab 501 is used to switch the screen between the web browser function and other functions (copy, box, transmission, extension). The URL input field 502 is a field for the user to input a URL of a desired resource. When the user presses the field, a virtual full keyboard (not shown) for inputting characters is displayed. The user can input a desired character string with a soft key simulating a key top arranged on a virtual full keyboard.

  An OK button 503 is a soft key for confirming the input URL character string. When the URL is confirmed, the web browser module 211 issues an HTTP request for acquiring the resource. A progress bar 504 indicates the progress status of the content acquisition process based on the HTTP request response. The content display area 505 is an area where the acquired resource is displayed. A return button 506 is a soft key for going back through the content display history and redisplaying the content displayed before the content currently displayed. The forward button 507 is a soft key for returning to the display of the content displayed after the content displayed at the lower time point when the content display history is displayed retroactively. A reload button 508 performs reacquisition and redisplay of the content currently displayed. A cancel button 509 is a soft key for canceling the content acquisition process being executed.

  The status area 510 is an area for displaying messages from various functions of the image processing apparatus. In the status area 510, even when the web browser screen is being displayed, a message for prompting the user's attention can be displayed from the scanner, printer, or other functions. Similarly, a message can be displayed from the web browser function. The web browser function displays a link destination URL character string, a content title character string, a message instructed by a script, and the like.

<HTTP protocol>
Next, an operation sequence based on the HTTP protocol will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of request and response processing according to the HTTP protocol.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the client 601 is software that transmits an HTTP request and receives an HTTP response. This corresponds to a web browser built in the image processing apparatuses 110, 120, and 130 of the present embodiment, a general web browser that operates on a PC (Personal Computer), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, or the like. In addition, various software that accesses or uses a service by accessing a web server in the same manner as a web browser may be used. The server 602 receives the HTTP request and performs corresponding processing. Furthermore, it is software that returns an HTTP response, and corresponds to an HTTP server that includes software running on the server 155 of this embodiment.

  The client 601 can transmit the HTTP request by either the GET method or the POST method. When the client 601 sends an HTTP request 603 for a desired resource to the server 602 by the GET method, the resource is generally specified by a URI (particularly, URL) format. The server 602 acquires or generates data corresponding to the resource specified by the HTTP request 603, and returns this data by the HTTP response 604. Here, when the specified resource corresponds to a static file, the server 602 reads the corresponding file from the file system of the server 155, for example, and acquires the data. On the other hand, when the designated resource corresponds to a process such as a CGI program or a servlet, the server 602 executes the corresponding process. This process generates a response to the request. In this process, side effects such as execution of business logic necessary to achieve a predetermined service and access to a back-end DBMS occur. Then, data generated as a result of the processing is returned. For example, when a resource for displaying a consumables catalog of the image processing apparatus is designated, software for electronic commerce is executed. Then, the software refers to records such as the latest price and stock status of paper, toner, and parts from the database, and processes such information into HTML format or XML format to generate catalog document data. Is called.

  In the client 601, when the data obtained by the HTTP response 604 is in a displayable format, the content is displayed. If the obtained data is an HTML document or the like, acquisition and display of new resources can be repeated one after another simply by selecting link information embedded as hypertext in the document displayed on the web browser.

  Next, a case where an HTTP request is transmitted by the POST method will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an HTML document. As shown in FIG. 6, when a form is included in the HTML document and the POST method is designated as the transmission method, the following processing is performed. That is, the information input by the user in the form displayed by the web browser of the client 601 is encoded, and the encoded information, that is, the input content of the form is attached to the HTTP request 605 and transmitted to the server 602. . In the server 602, the designated resource receives and processes the data sent from the client 601, generates an HTTP response 606, and sends it back to the client 601.

  In an example of an HTML document that includes a form and the POST method is designated as the transmission method, a tag indicating the start of an HTML element is described in the first line as shown in FIG. The second line describes a tag indicating the start of the HEAD element, the third line describes the TITLE element included in the HEAD element, and the fourth line describes the end tag of the HEAD element. In the fifth line, a tag indicating the start of the BODY element is described, and in the sixth line, the H1 element is described. In the seventh line, a tag indicating the start of the FORM element is described. With this tag, in this form, input information is encoded in a multipart / form-Data format, and register. The attribute indicates that the cgi resource is transmitted by the POST method. The eighth line shows the first INPUT element. In the first INPUT element, the attribute indicates that the name is “userFile” and the type is “file”. The ninth line shows the second INPUT element. In the second INPUT element, the attribute indicates that the type is Submit and the value is the character string “send”. The tenth line indicates the end of the FORM element. The 11th line describes a tag indicating the end of the BODY element. The 12th line describes a tag indicating the end of the HTML element.

  When the HTML document as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed, the controller of the image processing apparatus displays the image in the following sequence. First, HTML is analyzed to detect that there is a description to post a file. For example, in FIG. 6, it is detected that the method of the FORM element on the seventh line is POST, and that the type is file in the INPUT element. A general web browser prompts the user to select a file and generates a screen for transmission from the HTML description. 7 and 8 are examples.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which the HTML document of FIG. 6 is displayed by a browser of a general information processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the HTML document of FIG. 6 is displayed by the built-in browser of the image processing apparatus having a scanner. In the image processing apparatus 110, a scanner can be used as a file input method (reading source). Therefore, when there is a description of “Input = file” which is a standard HTML description, a screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed that displays a scanner button to enable input from the scanner.

  Next, the URL management table managed by the address book module 202 will be described. The image processing apparatus 110 assigns a user ID to each user and manages settings for each user using the user ID. In the URL management table, the user ID is the primary key, the URL information for each user, and a flag indicating whether or not “Input = file” is described in the HTML corresponding to the URL (1 if there is a description, 0 if there is no description). In this case, registration information including the Count indicating how many “Input = file” descriptions are described in the HTML and the HTML itself when there is a description of “Input = file” is managed. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing registration information registered in the URL management table according to the present embodiment. The record 1601 indicates that the user ID is “0000001”, the URL is “http://192.168.0.1/fileload.html”, the flag is “1”, and the count is 1. Represents. In HTML, HTML documents are directly stored in binary. Thus, the registration information is registered in association with the user ID. Thereby, it is possible to easily search for registration information corresponding to the user ID from the URL management table using the user ID as a search keyword.

<Control flow>
Next, referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 15, the user operates the host computer 101 to access the server 155 and use the distributed application provided by the ASP. A processing procedure when accessing 110 will be described. Such a case occurs, for example, when an order form or various certificates with stamps or signatures are sent to the server 155 in the workflow of electronic commerce or public office procedures. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus when accessed from the host computer according to the present embodiment. The processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the CPU 301 of the image processing apparatus 110.

  When accessed by the user via the host computer 101, in step S1001, the CPU 301 functions as an authentication unit, and acquires authentication information input by the user from the host computer 101. Here, the user connects from the host computer 101 to the image processing apparatus 110 with a web browser. The image processing apparatus 110 responds to a request from the host computer 101 with the web server module 203.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a top screen displayed by connecting to the image processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment. The top screen 1200 is displayed on the display unit of the host computer 101. The user can receive the service of the image processing apparatus 110 by inputting the user ID and password and performing authentication. A user ID input text box 1201 is a text box area for inputting a user ID. A password input text box 1202 is a text box area for inputting a password. When the user inputs a user ID and password and the OK button 1203 is pressed, the CPU 301 performs user authentication. In the image processing apparatus 110, user management is performed by a user ID, and a user can be uniquely specified by this user authentication process, and all operations in the image processing apparatus can be managed in units of users.

  In step S1002, the CPU 301 determines whether the authentication is successful. If the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step S1003. If the authentication fails, the process returns to step S1001.

  If the authentication is successful, the CPU 301 functions as a URL receiving unit and receives a URL from the host computer 101 in step S1003. This URL is the URL of the service (distributed application) provided by the ASP used before the user accesses the image processing apparatus 110. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a URL transmission screen according to the present embodiment. The URL transmission screen 1300 is displayed on the display unit of the host computer 101 after successful authentication using the user ID and password. Here, the user inputs a URL for file uploading performed between the host computer 101 and the server 155 in the URL text box 1301. Thereafter, when the user presses an OK button 1302, the host computer 101 sends a URL to the image processing apparatus 110.

  In step S <b> 1004, the CPU 301 makes an inquiry to the server 155 with the URL acquired from the host computer 101. In step S <b> 1005, the CPU 301 functions as an HTML acquisition unit, and acquires an HTML document corresponding to the URL from the server 155.

  Next, in step S <b> 1006, the CPU 301 determines whether or not “Input = file” is described in the acquired HTML document. That is, here, it is determined whether or not a predetermined format (input format) for requesting input and transmission is described. If there is a description, the process proceeds to step S1007, and if there is no description, the process proceeds to step S1009.

  In step S <b> 1007, the CPU 301 counts the number of descriptions of “Input = file” included in the HTML. Subsequently, in step S1008, the CPU 301 functions as a generation unit and a storage unit, and the URL management table managed by the address book module 202 includes a user ID, URL, Flag = 1, Count, and information of HTML itself. Register information. If the HTML corresponding to the URL is FIG. 6, it corresponds to the record 1601 of FIG.

  On the other hand, if the input format is not described, in step S1009, the CPU 301 registers the user ID, URL, and Flag = 0 in the URL management table managed by the address book module 202.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 10, 13, and 14, following the process of the flowchart of FIG. 9, an image when the user operates the image processing apparatus 110 to upload a predetermined document to the server 155. A processing procedure of the processing apparatus 110 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the image processing apparatus when a document is uploaded to the server according to the present embodiment. Further, the processing described below is comprehensively controlled by the CPU 301 of the image processing apparatus 110.

  In step S1101, the CPU 301 functions as an authentication unit, acquires authentication information from the user via the operation unit 112, and performs authentication. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication information input screen for inputting user authentication information. First, the CPU 301 displays an authentication information input screen 1400 on the operation unit 112. A user ID input text box 1401 is a text box area for inputting a user ID. When the user selects the user ID input text box 1401, a soft keyboard is displayed on the operation unit 112, and character input can be performed easily. The password input text box 1402 is a text box area for inputting a password. When the user inputs a user ID and password and the OK button 1403 is pressed, the CPU 301 performs user authentication.

  In step S1102, the CPU 301 determines whether the authentication is successful. If the authentication succeeds, the process proceeds to step S1103. If the authentication fails, the process returns to step S1101. If the authentication is successful, in step S1103, the CPU 301 functions as a search unit and searches for registration information corresponding to the user ID of the logged-in user. If there is registration information corresponding to the user ID, the process proceeds to step S1104. If there is no registration information, the process proceeds to step S1115.

  In step S1104, the CPU 301 transitions to step S1105 if the Flag column of the management record acquired in step S1103 is 1, and transitions to step 1112 if the Flag column is 0. That is, it is determined whether or not there is a description of a predetermined format “Input = file” in the HTML corresponding to the URL.

  In step S1105, the CPU 301 repeats the processing consisting of steps S1106 to S1110 as many times as the above value according to the value of the Count column of the record acquired in step S1103. That is, if there are a plurality of descriptions of “Input = file” in the acquired HTML, the user is allowed to perform a plurality of scans corresponding to the number.

  In step S <b> 1106, the CPU 301 functions as a display control unit and displays a scan screen (reading screen) on the operation unit 112. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reading screen according to the present embodiment. The image processing apparatus 110 according to the present embodiment can easily take over the distributed application procedure performed by the user on the host computer 101 by displaying the reading screen 1500 shown in FIG. 14 after user authentication. That is, duplicate user operations can be omitted in the host computer 101 and the image processing apparatus 110. This reading screen 1500 is displayed a plurality of times in the repetition process of steps S1106 to S1110 according to the value of the Count column.

  In step S1107, the CPU 301 determines whether the user has instructed start of document registration. Specifically, the CPU 301 determines the start of document registration by monitoring the pressing of the OK button on the reading screen 1500. Here, the user sets a paper document in the feeder and presses an OK button.

  In step S1108, the CPU 301 scans a paper document. Subsequently, in step S1109, the CPU 301 compares the number of scans i (the number of scans performed so far) with the value of Count. If i <Count is true, the process proceeds to step S1110, and if false, the process proceeds to step S1111. To do.

  In step S1110, the CPU 301 displays a dialog for confirming whether to continue scanning. If the user selects continuation, the process proceeds to step S1105, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1111.

  In step S <b> 1111, the CPU 301 sets a scanned image for HTML “Input = file” corresponding to the URL, and displays the image on the browser. Further, the CPU 301 transmits the read image data to the server 155 corresponding to the URL of the registration information via the network.

  On the other hand, when the Flag column is 0 in step S1104, in step S1112, the CPU 301 inquires the server 155 with the URL included in the registration information. Subsequently, in step S1113, the CPU 301 acquires an HTML document from the server 155 as a response to the inquiry in step S112. In step S1114, the CPU 301 displays the HTML screen acquired from the server 155 on the browser.

  If registration information corresponding to the user ID is not retrieved in step S1103, the CPU 301 displays a normal operation screen (an operation screen different from the above-described reading screen) in step S1115. Note that the user can also access the server 155 by further starting a web browser from this normal operation screen. For example, it is possible to display a screen as shown in FIG. 8 and upload image data obtained by reading a document to the server 155.

  As described above, the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is connected to a server that provides a distributed application and a host computer that is an information processing apparatus via a network, and can easily take over the procedure of the distributed application. . Specifically, when accessed by a user via a host computer, the image processing apparatus registers registration information, which is procedure information of the distributed application, in the memory of the apparatus in association with the user ID of the user. Further, when the user accesses through the operation unit of the image processing apparatus, the registration information corresponding to the user ID of the authenticated user is searched, and the display screen is controlled based on the search result. Thereby, it is possible to prevent duplicate user operations in the host computer and the image processing apparatus. For example, when a document with a seal imprint or signature is requested while the user is conducting electronic commerce or public office procedures via a host computer, the procedure of the image processing apparatus is not repeated again. The document can be sent to the server 155.

  In the above description, the example in which the received image data is printed on the recording medium in the recording unit provided in the facsimile apparatus has been described. However, other forms may be used as long as the received image data is output. It doesn't matter. For example, instead of printing out image data by the recording unit, the image data may be transmitted and output via a network.

  The object of the present invention can also be achieved by executing the following processing. That is, a storage medium that records a program code (computer program) of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus stores the storage medium. This is a process of reading the stored program code.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the storage medium storing the program code constitute the present invention.

Claims (9)

An image processing apparatus that is connected to a web server and an information processing apparatus via a network and processes image data obtained by reading a document with an image reading apparatus,
The URL corresponding to the HTML document provided by the web server is received from the information processing apparatus, and the registration information including the received URL is associated with a user ID for specifying a user who operates the information processing apparatus. Registration means for registering in the memory of the image processing apparatus;
An authentication unit that authenticates a user who operates the image processing apparatus using the user ID when a user ID is input via the operation unit of the image processing apparatus;
In response to a successful authentication by the authentication means, search means for searching the memory for the registration information corresponding to the authenticated user using the input user ID,
When the registration information is searched and a predetermined format is described in the HTML document corresponding to the URL included in the searched registration information, reading for starting reading of the original by the image reading device is performed. An image processing apparatus comprising display control means for displaying a screen on a display unit of the image processing apparatus.   2. The display control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the registration information is not retrieved, the display control unit displays an operation screen different from the reading screen on the display unit without displaying the reading screen. Image processing apparatus.   When the registration information is retrieved and a predetermined format is not described in the HTML document corresponding to the URL included in the retrieved registration information, the display control unit is based on the HTML document corresponding to the URL. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a screen is displayed on the display unit. The registration means includes
Means for authenticating a user operating the information processing device based on a user ID transmitted from the information processing device when accessed from the information processing device;
URL receiving means for receiving the URL from the information processing apparatus after successful authentication of the user who operates the information processing apparatus;
HTML acquisition means for accessing the web server based on the received URL and acquiring an HTML document corresponding to the received URL from the web server;
Generating means for generating the registration information based on the contents described in the acquired HTML document;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage unit that stores the generated registration information in the memory in association with a user ID of the authenticated user.   The image processing apparatus further includes transmission means for transmitting the image data obtained by the image reading device in response to an instruction input via the reading screen to the web server corresponding to the URL of the registration information via the network. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The registration information further includes the number of the predetermined formats described in the HTML document,
The display control means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading screen is displayed a plurality of times according to the number of the predetermined formats.   7. The predetermined format is an input format for an application provided in the web server to request the user to input and transmit an image. The image processing apparatus according to item. A control method for an image processing apparatus that is connected to a web server and an information processing apparatus via a network and processes image data obtained by reading a document with an image reading apparatus,
The URL corresponding to the HTML document provided by the web server is received from the information processing apparatus, and the registration information including the received URL is associated with a user ID for specifying a user who operates the information processing apparatus. A registration step of registering in the memory of the image processing apparatus;
An authentication step of authenticating a user who operates the image processing apparatus using the user ID when a user ID is input via the operation unit of the image processing apparatus;
A search step of searching the memory using the input user ID for the registration information corresponding to the authenticated user in response to a successful authentication in the authentication step;
When the registration information is searched and a predetermined format is described in the HTML document corresponding to the URL included in the searched registration information, reading for starting reading of the original by the image reading device is performed. A display control step of displaying a screen on a display unit of the image processing apparatus.   A computer program that causes a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 8.

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