JP2014165597A - Information processing device and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing device which can select a candidate of a setting value set of various functions for converting data within a range in which the data size of input data does not exceed a prescribed value, and an image formation device.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: data conversion means which converts input data with plural kinds of data conversion functions; candidate creation means which creates candidates of one or plural setting value sets being combinations of each setting value of the plural kinds of data conversion functions; display control means which displays the candidates of one or plural setting value sets; and selected candidate acquisition means which acquires the selected setting value set among the candidates of the one or plural setting value sets. The data conversion means converts the input data on the basis of the acquired setting value set.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and can be applied to, for example, an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that convert the data size of input image data.

  Conventionally, for example, in an image forming apparatus, there is a technique described in Patent Document 1 as a technique for converting the data size of input image data. The technique described in Patent Document 1 compares the data size of image data for one page and a threshold value, and converts the resolution of the image data to a low resolution when the data size exceeds the threshold value.

JP 2009-177475 A

  However, the conventional technique converts the resolution of image data to a predetermined low resolution when the data size exceeds a threshold value. Therefore, the resolution may be lower than necessary, and data with a desired quality may not be obtained.

  For example, if the data size of the image data does not exceed a threshold value, the user may request an image with a higher resolution. For example, when the image forming apparatus reads a color image, the color may be monochrome if the data size of the image data does not exceed the threshold value, but the image may be required to have a high resolution. As described above, it is required to set the setting values of various functions for reducing the data size for each function within the range of the requested data size. It is very complicated.

  Therefore, information that can select a set value set candidate of various functions for converting data within a range in which the data size of the input data does not exceed a predetermined value, and can obtain output data of desired quality There is a need for a processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  In order to solve this problem, the first aspect of the present invention provides (1) data conversion means for converting input data by a plurality of types of data conversion functions, and (2) data size of data after conversion by the data conversion means. And (3) a candidate creation unit that creates a candidate for one or a plurality of set value sets, each of which is a combination of set values of a plurality of types of data conversion functions. Display control means for displaying one or more set value set candidates, and (4) selection candidate obtaining means for obtaining a set value set selected from one or more set value set candidates. The data conversion means is an information processing apparatus for converting input data based on the set value set acquired by the selection candidate acquisition means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that includes an image processing unit that performs image processing based on input image data and a display unit, and that performs image formation using the image data image-processed by the image processing unit. The image processing means includes (1) a data conversion means for converting input data by a plurality of types of data conversion functions, and (2) a data size of data converted by the data conversion means is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value. Candidate creation means for creating one or more set value set candidates that are combinations of the respective set values of a plurality of types of data conversion functions; and (3) one or more set value sets created by the candidate creation means. Display control means for displaying candidates on the display means, and (4) a selection candidate for acquiring a set value set selected from one or a plurality of set value set candidates displayed on the display means And a resulting device, the data converting means, based on the set value set acquired by the selection candidate acquisition unit, an image forming apparatus which is characterized in that converts the input data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to select a set value set candidate of various functions for converting data within a range in which the data size of input data does not exceed a predetermined value, and to obtain output data of desired quality. it can.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an image processing operation according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the table for evaluation which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the candidate table which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of display screen transition according to image processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment (part 1); FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of display screen transition according to image processing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment (part 2); FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the image processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the candidate table which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen related to image processing of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment (part 1); FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen related to image processing of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment (part 2).

(A) First Embodiment Hereinafter, an information processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The first embodiment exemplifies a case where the present invention is applied to, for example, an image processing apparatus in an image forming apparatus.

(A-1) Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  1, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a system control unit 10, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, a display control unit 140, an operation unit 150, a reading unit 160, a fax transmission / reception unit 170, and a printing unit 180. The communication unit 190 is included.

  The image forming apparatus 100 performs image formation based on image data. As the image forming apparatus 100, various apparatuses can be applied as long as they include an image processing unit as an information processing apparatus. For example, a facsimile apparatus, a copying apparatus, a multifunction peripheral, and the like can be widely applied. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image processing unit 110 as an information processing apparatus described in detail below. In the first embodiment, a case where the image forming apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral will be described as an example.

  The display unit 130 displays, for example, a selection screen for various functions of the image forming apparatus 100 (for example, an image reading function, a fax transmission / reception function, a printing function, a communication function, etc.) or image formation under the control of the display control unit 140. The status of the apparatus 100 is displayed, an input screen related to execution of various functions is displayed, and information input by the user is displayed. As the display unit 130, for example, a liquid crystal display device or the like can be applied.

  The operation unit 150 receives a user's operation input and gives the input information to the system control unit 10. For example, the operation unit 150 receives input of selection information of various functions of the image forming apparatus 100 and information necessary for the user who refers to the display screen of the display unit 130 to execute the various functions.

  In FIG. 1, for ease of explanation, the display unit 130 and the operation unit 150 are physically different components, but the display unit 130 and the operation unit 150 are, for example, a touch panel display device. It may be integrated.

  The display control unit 140 performs display control of the display unit 130 under the control of the system control unit 10. The display control unit 140 includes a preview display unit 141 that causes the display unit 130 to display a preview of an image image processed by the image processing unit 110 described later.

  The reading unit 160 reads the medium under the control of the system control unit 10 and converts it into image data. The reading unit 160 provides image data to the system control unit 10.

  The fax transmission / reception unit 170 transmits a signal based on the image data acquired from the system control unit 10 under the control of the system control unit 10 or provides the system control unit 10 with a signal based on the image data received from the outside. It is something to do.

  The printing unit 180 prints an image based on the image data acquired from the system control unit 10 on a medium under the control of the system control unit 10.

  The communication unit 190 transmits a transmission signal attached with an image data file acquired from the system control unit 10 to an instructed destination under the control of the system control unit 10 or an image included in a reception signal received from the outside. A data file is given to the system control unit 10. That is, the communication unit 190 performs transmission / reception of an electronic mail attached with an image data file from the system control unit 10, transmission / reception of the image data file based on FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and the like.

  The image data file transmitted and received by the communication unit 190 includes, for example, image data, a command related to processing (for example, a print job) performed on the image data, setting values necessary for the processing, and the like.

  The system control unit 10 controls various functions of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, the system control unit 10 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, an input / output interface unit, and the like. The function of the system control unit 10 is realized by the CPU executing a processing program stored in a storage area such as a ROM. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating main functions of the system control unit 10 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 can download and install a processing program through a communication line. Even in this case, the processing program causes the computer to be realized as a functional unit shown in the functional block diagram of the system control unit 10 in FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a system control unit 10 according to the first embodiment includes an image processing unit 110 as an information processing apparatus.

  Note that the system control unit 10 controls the functions of the image forming apparatus 100, and has a function control unit other than the image processing unit 110. For example, the system control unit 10 has a scan function, a fax function (for example, a ScanToFax function), a printing function, a communication function (for example, a ScanToEmail function, a NetworkPC function), and the like.

  The image processing unit 110 performs predetermined image processing on the image data acquired from the reading unit 160, the fax transmission / reception unit 170, the printing unit 180, and the communication unit 190, and the image data subjected to the image processing is faxed. This is given to the transmission / reception unit 170, the printing unit 180, and the communication unit 190.

  The image processing unit 110 converts the image data read by the reading unit 160 and the image data received by the fax transmission / reception unit 170 or the communication unit 190 based on setting values for image conversion. Further, the image processing unit 110 executes the various functions by giving the image data selected by the user among the image data after the image conversion to the fax transmission / reception unit 170, the printing unit 180, and the communication unit 190. .

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the image processing unit 110 includes an upper limit setting unit 111, a candidate creation unit 112, an image conversion unit 113, and a selection candidate acquisition unit 115.

  The upper limit value setting unit 111 sets the upper limit value of the data size of the image data by the user's operation via the operation unit 150. The upper limit value of the data size of the image data is, for example, the data size of one or a plurality of image data, such as the upper limit value of the data size (data capacity) of the attached file allowed for e-mail communication. can do. The upper limit value is set so that the data size of image data during operation of various functions is equal to or smaller than a set value. That is, the upper limit value is set so that the data size of the image data at the time of output is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value.

  The candidate creation unit 112 creates one or a plurality of set value set candidates within a range in which the data size of the image data does not exceed the upper limit value set by the upper limit value setting unit 111.

  Here, the set value set refers to a set of set values of various image conversion functions that convert data size such as resolution, color setting, compression rate, and aggregation setting. That is, the set value set is a combination of set values such as resolution, color setting, compression rate, and aggregate setting.

  Various methods can be applied as a method for creating a set value set candidate. For example, in the first embodiment, the candidate creation unit 112 refers to the evaluation table 300 in the storage unit 120, reads the evaluation values set for the setting values of various image conversion functions, and sets each setting value. Create multiple combinations of evaluation values. Then, the candidate creation unit 112 compares the data size after image conversion based on each created set value set with the upper limit value, determines whether the data size does not exceed the upper limit value, and the data Those whose size is less than or equal to the upper limit value are candidates for the set value set. Details of the method of creating a set value set candidate will be described in the section of operations described later.

  Further, the candidate creation unit 112 gives the created one or more set value set candidates to the display control unit 140 and causes the display unit 130 to display the one or more set value set candidates.

  The selection candidate acquisition unit 115 acquires the candidate selected by the user from the set value set candidates displayed on the display unit 130 from the operation unit 150.

  The image conversion unit 113 performs image conversion of input image data based on a set value set corresponding to the candidate acquired by the selection candidate acquisition unit 115.

  For example, the image conversion unit 113 includes a color conversion function for converting a color to a monochrome or gray image, a resolution conversion function for converting the resolution of the read image data, a compression rate conversion function for converting the compression rate to image data, for example, It has an aggregation function for reducing the scale of image data for a plurality of sheets and aggregating the image data for a plurality of sheets into one sheet.

  The image data converted by the image conversion unit 113 can execute a specified function (such as a ScanToEmail function).

  The image conversion unit 113 includes a preview image generation unit 114 that generates a preview image of each set value set candidate when the set value set candidates generated by the candidate generation unit 112 are displayed on the display unit 130. The preview image generation unit 114 gives the generated preview image to the display control unit 140 and causes the display unit 140 to display a preview image of each set value set candidate. Thereby, when displaying each set value set candidate, an image created based on each set value set can be displayed on the display unit 140.

  The storage unit 120 stores image data read by the reading unit 160, print job data received by the communication unit 190, setting values and candidates for image conversion functions such as resolution, color settings, compression rate, and aggregation settings related to image conversion. The creation unit 112 stores an evaluation table 300 that is used to create a set value set candidate, the candidate table 401 that is one or more set value set candidates created by the candidate creation unit 112, and the like. For example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or an external storage device can be applied to the storage unit 120.

(A-2) Operation of First Embodiment Next, the image processing operation of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the following, for example, in a range where the file data size does not exceed the upper limit imposed by the user, the image processing unit 110 creates a set value set candidate, and the image processing unit 110 is selected by the user. An example is shown in which image conversion is performed based on a value set, and the system control unit 10 executes a function using the converted image data.

  In the following description, the system control unit 10 converts the image data scanned by the reading unit 160 into a file represented by, for example, a PDF file. The operation of the ScanToEmail function in which the communication unit 190 transmits a file attached to an e-mail is illustrated. In the following, the behavior when the image processing unit 110 sets an upper limit for the data size of a file attached to an e-mail will be exemplified.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the image processing operation according to the first embodiment.

  First, the user refers to the display unit 130 and operates the operation unit 150 to select a scan button for ScanToEmail. Thereby, an operation start instruction signal of ScanToEmail is given to the system control unit 10, and the operation of the ScanToEmail function starts (S101).

  At this time, the display control unit 140 displays an upper limit value setting screen on the display unit 130 and allows the user to select whether or not to set the upper limit value in the operation of ScanToEmail.

  When the upper limit value is not designated by the user operation (S102), the system control unit 10 performs a normal operation (S103). That is, the reading unit 160 reads a document and creates image data, the system control unit 10 creates a file with the data size of the scanned image data, and the communication unit 190 transmits an e-mail with the file attached. When the normal operation ends, the system control unit 10 ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the upper limit value is designated by the user operation (S102), the upper limit value setting unit 111 sets the upper limit value acquired from the operation unit 150.

  Here, regarding the method of specifying the upper limit value, one or a plurality of upper limit value candidates (for example, 1 MByte, 500 KByte, etc.) are set in the storage unit 120 in advance, and the display control unit 140 is set in the storage unit 120. One or a plurality of upper limit candidates may be displayed on the display unit 130 so that the user can select them. Another method may be one that accepts an input of an upper limit value by the user.

  Then, the system control unit 10 issues an operation instruction to the reading unit 160, and the reading unit 160 reads the original to create image data, and accumulates the image data in the storage unit 120 (S104). When there are a plurality of documents, the reading unit 160 reads all the documents and accumulates all the image data in the storage unit 120.

  At this time, since the reading unit 160 acquires image data having a high data size, the reading unit 160 reads an image with the highest resolution, or when the document is in color, the reading unit 160 reads the image in color. May be.

  When the reading unit 160 accumulates all image data in the storage unit 120, the candidate creation unit 112 refers to the evaluation table 300 for each image conversion function, and the data size for one file accumulated in the storage unit 120 is the upper limit. A candidate table 401 is created that lists a plurality of set value set candidates that do not exceed the value. Then, the candidate creation unit 112 creates a file with the set value set having the smallest data size for one file (S105).

  For example, in the first embodiment, the candidate creation unit 112 refers to the evaluation value in the evaluation table 300 and sets the evaluation value for the setting value of each image conversion function (compression rate, color setting, resolution, aggregation, etc.). A combination (evaluation value set) is created, and the evaluation values are listed in order from the smallest set value. Then, the candidate creation unit 112 determines whether or not the data size of the image converted based on each evaluation value set exceeds the upper limit value, and sets the evaluation value set whose data size does not exceed the upper limit value as candidates.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the evaluation table 300 according to the first embodiment. 3A is a table 301 for evaluating the compression ratio of image data in creating a PDF file, for example, FIG. 3B is a table 302 for evaluating color settings, and FIG. 3C is a PDF file for example. FIG. 3D shows an aggregation setting evaluation table 304. FIG.

  Here, the compression rate means the degree of compression when the image conversion unit 113 compresses the image data of the document read by the reading unit 160 in, for example, the JPEG format to create image data. The compression method is not particularly limited, and may be a ZIP format, an LHA format, a GIF format, or the like in addition to the JPEG format.

  In the color setting, when the original read by the reading unit 160 includes a color image, the image conversion unit 113 creates, for example, image data of any one of a color image, a gray image, and a monochrome (monochrome) image. Means.

  The resolution means the resolution after conversion when the image conversion unit 113 converts the resolution of the document image data read by the reading unit 160.

  Aggregation means that the image conversion unit 113 aggregates the image data of the original read by the reading unit 160 into one image data by reducing the scale of the image data for a plurality of images. For example, “2up” means that image data for two sheets is converted into image data for one sheet, and “4up” is that image data for four sheets is converted into image data for one sheet. “1up” is to make one image data into one image data.

  In the evaluation tables 301, 302, 303, and 304 shown in FIG. 3, each setting value is associated with an evaluation value that indicates the degree of influence on the file size.

  FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the evaluation value increases as the file size after image conversion using the set value increases. For example, in the evaluation table 301 in FIG. 3A, the higher the compression rate, the smaller the data size after compression. Therefore, the setting value “High” is associated with the evaluation value “1” and the setting value “Middle” is set. Is associated with the evaluation value “3”, and the set value “Low” is associated with the evaluation value “5”. In the evaluation tables 302, 303, and 304, evaluation values are associated with setting values in the same manner.

  In the first embodiment, it is assumed that an evaluation value associated with each set value is set in advance. Various methods can be applied to the evaluation value determination method for each set value.

  For example, using a typical manuscript, a file is actually created on a trial basis with each set value. Then, the degree of influence of each setting value on the file size may be investigated, and an evaluation value assigned to each setting value may be determined empirically.

  Further, for example, when the user can select a specific value such as resolution, for example, the evaluation value “1” with respect to the resolution “1 dpi to 75 dpi” and the resolution “76 dpi to 100 dpi” Thus, the evaluation value may be set for a continuous set value range (value range) such as the evaluation value “2”. Thereby, when the user inputs and selects a desired value for the resolution, the evaluation value can be associated with the input resolution (setting value).

  The candidate creation unit 112 refers to each of the evaluation tables 301, 302, 303, and 304 shown in FIG. 3, obtains a combination of setting values of each image conversion function, and sets the evaluation value of the combination of the evaluation values Are calculated and listed.

  FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of the candidate table 401 according to the first embodiment. The candidate table 401 may be set in advance.

  In FIG. 4, the candidate table 401 includes “No.”, “color setting”, “compression rate”, “output resolution”, “aggregation”, and “evaluation value” indicating identification numbers of combinations of setting values. To do.

  “Evaluation value” shown in FIG. 4 indicates the sum of evaluation values for each set value. The candidate table 401 in FIG. 4 is listed in order from the smallest “evaluation value (sum of evaluation values of each set value)”.

  For example, combinations of setting values of “No. 1” in FIG. 4 are “color setting: Mono”, “compression ratio: High”, “output resolution: 75 dpi”, and “aggregation: 4 up”. In this case, based on each evaluation value table of FIG. 3, the total sum of evaluation values for each set value is “4”.

  Next, the candidate creation unit 112 selects a set value set that minimizes the “evaluation value” in the candidate table 401 in FIG. 4, and the image conversion unit 113 selects the set value set selected by the candidate creation unit 112. Image conversion. Then, the candidate creation unit 112 determines whether or not the file size of the image converted with the set value set that minimizes the “evaluation value” in FIG. 4 exceeds the upper limit value (S106).

  Here, it can be said that the file with the smallest “evaluation value” in FIG. 4 has the smallest file size. Therefore, when the file size image-converted based on the set value set with the smallest “evaluation value” in FIG. 4 exceeds the upper limit value, the display unit 130 displays that execution cannot be performed under the conditions specified by the user. (S107), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the data size obtained by image conversion based on the set value set having the smallest “evaluation value” in FIG. 4 is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, the candidate creation unit 112 refers to the candidate table 401 in FIG. It is determined whether or not there is a set value set with a small “evaluation value” (S108).

  If there is a next set value set, the candidate creation unit 112 determines whether the file size of the image converted based on the next set value set exceeds the upper limit value (S109).

  The candidate creation unit 112 repeats the processes of S108 and S109, searches the candidate table 401 of FIG. 4 for a set value set whose file size does not exceed the upper limit value, and creates a candidate.

  At this time, for example, the user of the image forming apparatus 100 does not simply want that the file size is small. For example, the user may want to send a file that is easy to read.

  Therefore, in order to satisfy the user's request as described above, the candidate creation unit 112 preferentially displays a set value set that does not exceed the upper limit value of the file size and provides the best image data quality. To do.

  Here, there is a trade-off relationship between reducing the file size and improving the quality of the file as image data. For this reason, the candidate creation unit 112 determines that the set value set has the highest quality in order from the set value set having the file size closest to the upper limit value.

  As described above, the determination by the candidate creation unit 112 is based on the relationship between the file size and the quality as image data, and the display unit sequentially displays from the set value set in which the data size does not exceed the upper limit value and the quality of the image data is least degraded. 130 is displayed.

  Various methods can be widely applied to the determination method by the candidate creation unit 112 and the method for displaying the determination result.

  For example, as a method for the candidate creation unit 112 to search for a set value set closest to the upper limit value whose data size does not exceed the upper limit value, the “evaluation value” in the candidate table 401 in FIG. It is determined whether the data size of the set value set reaches the upper limit value. If the data size exceeds the upper limit value, the previous set value set is in a range where the data size does not exceed the upper limit value. It is possible to use a method for determining that In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, a case where the candidate creation unit 112 uses this method is illustrated.

  In addition, for example, the candidate creation unit 112 can use a binary search method to efficiently search for a set value set closest to the upper limit value whose data size does not exceed the upper limit value. That is, the candidate creation unit 112 determines whether or not the data size of the set value set whose “evaluation value” is an intermediate value exceeds the upper limit value among all the set value sets in the candidate table 401 of FIG. . When the data size exceeds the upper limit value, the “evaluation value” is selected from among the set value set groups having a smaller “evaluation value” (that is, the set value set group having the “evaluation value” smaller than the minimum value). It is determined whether or not the data size of the set value set having an intermediate value exceeds the upper limit value. On the other hand, when the data size is less than or equal to the upper limit value, an “evaluation value” is selected from among a set value set group having a larger “evaluation value” (ie, “a set value set group having an evaluation value greater than the maximum value”) It is determined whether or not the data size of the set value set serving as an intermediate value exceeds the upper limit value. In this way, the candidate creation unit 112 can search efficiently for a set value set closest to the upper limit value whose data size does not exceed the upper limit value.

  In addition, as a method for displaying the candidates for the set value set by the candidate creation unit 112, for example, all the set value sets are arranged in order from the data size not exceeding the upper limit value and the data size being close to the upper limit value. It may be extracted as a candidate and displayed on the display unit 130. As a result, all set value set candidates can be displayed in the order in which the data size does not exceed the upper limit value and the quality of the image data is least degraded.

  In addition, for example, the candidate creation unit 112 may extract a predetermined number of set value sets as candidates from the ones whose data size does not exceed the upper limit value and whose data size is close to the upper limit value, and display them. .

  Further, for example, the candidate creation unit 112 has a data size that does not exceed the upper limit value, and a set value set that is closest to the upper limit value (first set value set) and a set value that has the smallest data size. A set (second set value set) and a set value set (third set value set) intermediate between the first set value set and the second set value set are extracted as candidates. The first to third set value set candidates may be displayed on the display unit 130. As a result, within the range where the data size does not exceed the upper limit value, the image data quality is least degraded, the image data quality is most degraded, and those having intermediate image quality. Can be displayed as candidates. In addition, in the case of the said modification, although the case where the said 3rd setting value set is one is illustrated, the some setting value set which exists between the 1st setting value set and the 2nd setting value set May be displayed as a candidate for the third set value set.

  When the candidate creation unit 112 finishes creating the set value set candidates, the set value set candidates created by the candidate creation unit 112 are given to the display control unit 140. The display control unit 140 displays the received set value set candidate options on the display unit 130 (S110).

  The user operates the operation unit 150 to select a desired candidate from the set value set candidates displayed on the display unit 140. The candidate selected by the user is given from the operation unit 150 to the selection candidate acquisition unit 115 (S111).

  Next, the display control unit 140 displays a screen on the display unit 130 as to whether or not to preview the file filed with the selected set value set on the display unit 130.

  When a request for preview display is given to the image processing unit 110 by a user operation (S112), the image conversion unit 113 generates a preview image based on the set value set, and the display control unit 140 displays the preview. Is displayed on the display unit 130 (S113).

  Note that when the user does not select the preview display and instructs to create a file based on the selected set value set, the image conversion unit 113 converts the image based on the set value set to generate a file. Then, under the control of the system control unit 10, the communication unit 115 transmits an e-mail attached with a file to the designated destination (S115).

  In S113, the user browses the displayed preview image before sending Email. Then, the user confirms through the display unit 130 whether or not the file image is assumed. At this time, for example, the display unit 130 accepts selection of another set value set when the file image is different from the file image assumed by the user, or executes an operation when the file image is assumed by the user. Accept the selection.

  When the user confirms a different set value set, the operation unit 150 gives the image processing unit 110 that the user selects a different set value set candidate in response to the user operation (S114). In this case, the image H warp unit 110 repeatedly performs the operations of S110 to S113, and performs a preview display based on the set value set selected by the user.

  On the other hand, when the user does not check different set value sets, the image conversion unit 113 performs image conversion based on the set value set selected by the user in S111, and generates a file. Then, under the control of the system control unit 10, the communication unit 190 transmits an e-mail attached with a file to the instructed destination (S115).

  Although omitted in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, when the user wants to cancel the function execution during the operation of the SCALLTOEMAIL, if the user performs a cancel operation using the operation unit 150, the system control unit 10 functions. Execution may be canceled.

  Next, an example of the transition of the display screen of the display unit 130 corresponding to the behavior of the image forming apparatus 100 described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of display screen transitions related to image processing of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  A screen 501 in FIG. 5 is an example of a scan function selection screen for selecting an operation using image data of a scanned document. For example, the screen 501 includes selection buttons such as “Send Email”, “Send To Server”, “Save Folder”, and “Reserve Print”.

  Here, since “ScanToEmail” is selected, a screen 502 is displayed on the display unit 130 when “Send Email” is selected.

  A screen 502 is a screen for selecting setting and execution in the case of “Send Email”. The screen 502 includes, for example, a selection button for setting conditions relating to ScanToEmail, a selection button for changing individual settings, a start button for starting an operation, a cancel button, and the like.

  When the user selects the “Set condition” selection button to set the upper limit value of the file size, a screen 503 is displayed on the display unit 130.

  The screen 503 has selection buttons such as “Set the file size to 1 Mbyte or less” and “Set to a setting suitable for a document with an image”, for example.

  In the screen 503, the upper limit value in the option of “appropriately set for a document with an image” is, for example, an evaluation value preset in the image forming apparatus 100 by an evaluation table corresponding to FIG. Point to. A combination of setting values with high resolution, color, and low compression ratio is a good value as the “evaluation value” of the candidate table 401. For example, in the evaluation table 301, the above-mentioned good value is “1” when the compression rate is High, “3” when the compression rate is Middle, and “5” when the compression rate is Low. Among the values set as described above, the low evaluation value is indicated. By reducing the compression rate, this is a good value in the sense that the degree of image degradation due to compression of image data can be reduced. Similarly, for the resolution and color, a high evaluation value is assigned to a value that provides the best readability, and a good value is obtained. It is conceivable that the method of assigning evaluation values is determined in advance and stored in a nonvolatile storage area typified by the HDD or SD of the image forming apparatus 100.

  In the screen 503, when the check box to the left of “Make file size 1 MB or less” is checked and the “Confirm setting” button is selected, the screen 504 in FIG. 6 is displayed (processing in S110) Corresponding to). The screen 503 exemplifies a case where the upper limit value is 1 MByte. However, for example, the upper limit value “1 MByte” portion of the screen 503 may be displayed in text so that the user can set and input the upper limit value.

  A screen 504 in FIG. 6 is a screen for displaying a set value set candidate selected by the image processing unit 110. That is, a set value set whose file size does not exceed the upper limit value (in this case, 1 MByte) is displayed on the display unit 130. Also, for example, a plurality of preset upper limit candidates may be displayed, and any upper limit value may be set from the upper limit candidates.

  The screen 504 includes a set value set candidate created by the candidate creation unit 112 of the image processing unit 110, a “Preview” selection button, a “Execute” selection button, a “Cancel” selection button, and the like. .

  When a candidate is selected from the set value set candidates on the screen 504 and the “execute” selection button is selected, the image processing unit 110 performs image conversion based on the selected set of candidate set values. , Email operation is executed.

  When a candidate is selected from the set value set candidates on the screen 504 and the “Preview” selection button is selected, a screen 505 on which a preview image of a file created by the selected set value set is displayed. Transition to. The user refers to the preview screen displayed on the screen 505 and confirms whether the file image is assumed.

  A screen 505 is an example of a screen that displays a preview image. A screen 505 shows a case where the contents of the selected set value set and the read original image are displayed in addition to the image based on the selected set value set. However, the screen 505 only needs to include an image based on at least the selected set value set.

  For example, in the screen example of the screen 505, the original image read from the document is compared with the preview image. The original image includes a circle, a triangle, and a square image, and characters (represented by lines in the original image on the screen 505). For example, when a set value set candidate including a monochrome setting is selected, the image at the upper center of the image of the original is filled and previewed.

  In this case, as long as the user can read the characters included in the document and the image may be filled, the user selects “Return”, and the user “executes” on the screen 504. Select the selection button. Thereby, an e-mail transmission operation can be instructed by attaching a file based on the set value set.

  On the other hand, when the user determines that there is a problem if the image included in the document is filled, the user selects the “select a different setting” selection button on the screen 505. Accordingly, the display unit 130 displays the screen 504, and the user can select a set value set candidate other than the monochrome setting.

  The screen 504 exemplifies a case where specific values of a plurality of setting value set candidates are displayed as a list. However, the display may be performed so that the user is not conscious of the setting value of each image conversion function. For example, in the case of color setting, display may be made as “color setting”, “monochrome setting”, or the like. Further, for example, in the case of resolution, it may be displayed with expressions such as “high resolution” and “low resolution” instead of specific values.

(A-3) Effect of First Embodiment As described above, according to the first embodiment, when receiving an execution of a function typified by an operation such as ScanToEmail, the upper limit value setting unit 111 receives an upper limit value. The candidate creation unit 112 extracts a set value set whose file size does not exceed the upper limit value based on the evaluation table prepared for each set value, and displays the set value set candidates on the display unit 130. can do. Thereby, image conversion of a file can be performed based on a set value set in which the file size does not exceed the upper limit value. Therefore, as in the prior art, it is possible to obtain an effect of reducing the labor required to set individual setting values by trial and error in order to execute the function.

  Further, according to the prior art, for example, a file transmitted by ScanToEmail does not exceed a predetermined file size only with a setting limited to the resolution. Therefore, when the resolution is set too low, the file may not satisfy the desired quality that cannot be viewed.

  However, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to behave so that the file size does not exceed the upper limit value by a combination of set value sets that affect the file size. Therefore, an effect of preventing the problem that the file cannot withstand browsing due to excessively low resolution can be obtained.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to confirm the preview display on the display unit 130 whether the desired quality is satisfied. Thereby, the user can confirm the preview image after the image conversion, and can also search for a set value set having a more desirable quality. Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, since a plurality of set value sets are extracted as candidates and listed as options and can be selected by the user, each set value can be selected without the user's effort. it can.

(B) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(B-1) Configuration of Second Embodiment FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment.

  7, the image forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment includes a system control unit 20, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, a display control unit 240, an operation unit 150, a reading unit 160, a fax transmission / reception unit 170, and a printing unit 180. The communication unit 190 is included.

  The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the functional processing of the image processing unit 210 of the system control unit 20. In addition, since the image processing unit 210 of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment, the functional processing of the display control unit 240 that displays the set value set candidates on the display unit 130 is also different from that of the first embodiment. Different.

  In the following, functional processing of the image processing unit 210 of the second embodiment will be described in detail, and the same or corresponding components as those of the first embodiment are assigned the same numbers as in FIG. Detailed description is omitted because of duplication.

  The system control unit 20 controls various functions of the image forming apparatus 200 as in the first embodiment. The system control unit 20 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, an input / output interface unit, and the like, as in the first embodiment. The function of the system control unit 20 is realized by the CPU executing a processing program stored in a storage area such as a ROM. FIG. 7 shows a main function of the system control unit 20 according to the second embodiment as a block diagram. Note that the image forming apparatus 200 can download and install a processing program through a communication line. Even in this case, the processing program causes the computer to be realized as a functional unit shown in the functional block diagram of the system control unit 20 in FIG.

  In FIG. 7, the system control unit 20 according to the second embodiment includes an image processing unit 210 as an information processing apparatus.

  The image processing unit 210 includes an upper limit setting unit 111, a candidate creation unit 212, an image conversion unit 113, a selection candidate acquisition unit 115, and a history management unit 201.

  The history management unit 201 manages history information (number of times of use) of how many times a set value set used at the time of function execution has been used in the past, for each set value set candidate. The history management unit 201 determines whether or not the usage count of the function execution set value set exceeds a predetermined value and becomes sufficiently large, and the usage count information can be used as a history. Then, after the usage count exceeds a predetermined value, the history management unit 201 makes available information available as a history. The number of times the function is used is the sum of the number of times the candidate set value set is used.

  In addition to the function of the candidate creation unit 112 described in the first embodiment, the candidate creation unit 212 uses the past usage count information updated by the history management unit 201 to select a plurality of setting value set candidates. Sort. That is, the candidate creation unit 212 creates a plurality of setting value set candidates by the method described in the first embodiment, and rearranges the plurality of setting value set candidates in descending order of the number of past uses. Do.

  The display control unit 240 performs display control of the display unit 130 as described in the first embodiment. The display control unit 240 preferentially displays the set value set candidates rearranged by the candidate creation unit 212 on the display unit 130 with a large number of uses.

(B-2) Operation of Second Embodiment Next, the image processing operation of the image forming apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the following, as in the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200 performs the operation of the ScanToEmail function, and the image processing unit 210 sets an upper limit value for the data size of the file attached to the e-mail. The behavior when setting is illustrated.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an image processing operation according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 8, processes that are the same as or correspond to the processes shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment are given the same numbers as in FIG. 2.

  In FIG. 8, a process in which the system control unit 210 receives an instruction to start a ScanToEmail operation by a user operation, a process in which the upper limit value setting unit 111 acquires an upper limit value by a user operation, and a candidate creation unit 212 is a candidate for a set value set The process of creating is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S101 to S109).

  After the candidate creation unit 212 creates a plurality of setting value set candidates and before displaying the list of setting value set candidates, the candidate creation unit 212 instructs the history management unit 201 to display the set value set candidates. A request for a determination result as to whether or not the total use count can be used as history information is made.

  The candidate creation unit 212 acquires the determination result from the history management unit 201. If the determination result is usable, the process proceeds to S202. If the determination result cannot be used, the process proceeds to S110 (S201). .

  Here, the history management unit 201 stores, in the storage unit 120, the total number of times that the set value set candidates have been used during function execution. When the history management unit 201 acquires the request from the candidate creation unit 212, the history management unit 201 acquires the total number of use of the set value set candidates from the storage unit 120, and whether the total use number exceeds a preset threshold value. Determine whether or not.

  When the total usage count exceeds the threshold, the history management unit 201 responds to the candidate creation unit 212 as a determination result that the usage count of the set value set candidate can be used as history information. When the value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the history management unit 201 responds to the candidate creation unit 212 as a determination result indicating that the use count of the set value set cannot be used as history information.

  The reason why the history management unit 201 determines the total number of times of use of a set value set candidate is to maintain reliability related to the use of a set value set candidate. For example, when the number of use of a set value set candidate is too small, there is a case where a user happens to use only a set value set candidate. This is because in such a case, a useful set value set candidate is not presented.

  In the second embodiment, the history management unit 201 determines the total number of times of use of the set value set candidates in order to maintain the reliability related to the use of the set value set candidates. However, the history management unit 201 may display the set value set candidates if there is a history in which the set value set candidates have been used in the past without determining the total number of uses.

  If the determination result from the history management unit 201 cannot be used as history information in S201, the candidate creation unit 212 gives the created set value set candidates to the display control unit 240 as in the first embodiment. The display control unit 240 displays the set value set candidates on the display unit 130 (S110).

  On the other hand, in S201, when the determination result from the history management unit 201 can be used as history information, the candidate creation unit 212 preferentially displays a set value set candidate having a large number of uses. Based on the number of uses of each candidate, the set value set candidates are rearranged in descending order of the number of uses. Then, the display control unit 240 preferentially displays the set value set candidates having a large number of uses on the display unit 130 (S202). Accordingly, the set value set candidates that have been frequently used in the past can be displayed on the display unit 130.

  Specifically, when the display control unit 240 displays a list of set value set candidates on the display unit 202, the display control unit 240 displays the list on the display unit 202 in descending order of the number of uses.

  S111 to S114 are set values selected by the user operation from the list of set value set candidates displayed on the display unit 240 by the selection candidate acquisition unit 115, as in the first embodiment. Get set candidates. In addition, the preview image generation unit 114 generates a preview image based on the selected set value set in response to a user operation, and the preview display unit 141 displays the preview image on the display unit 130.

  In S203, when the system control unit 20 receives an instruction to start sending Email via the operation unit 150, the history management unit 201 updates the number of times of use of the set value set candidate selected this time as a history ( S203). Specifically, the history management unit 201 adds “1” to the use count value of the set value set candidates used at the time of function execution.

  FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the candidate table 601 according to the second embodiment. 9, the candidate table 601 includes “No.”, “color setting”, “compression rate”, “output resolution”, “aggregation”, “evaluation value”, “use” indicating identification numbers of combinations of setting values. “Number of times” is an item.

  “No.”, “color setting”, “compression rate”, “output resolution”, “aggregation”, and “evaluation value” are the same or corresponding items as in the first embodiment.

  “Use count” is the use count of each set value set. When the function is executed, the history management unit 201 updates the number of times of use of the set value set candidate selected this time in the candidate table 601 illustrated in FIG.

  In S201, when determining the total number of use of the set value set candidates, the history management unit 201 calculates the sum of the use times of all the set value set candidates in the candidate table 601 of FIG. The total number of uses may be determined.

  Here, regarding the number of times of use of the set value set candidates in the candidate table 601 of FIG. 9, the value of the number of times of use may be cleared to “0” by a predetermined operation of a user (for example, an administrator or the like).

  Further, when the image forming apparatus 200 can create an account (user account) with respect to the number of use of the set value set candidates, for each account (that is, for each user account) or for each group to which the account belongs, The number of times of use of the set value set candidates may be held separately.

  When a function execution is instructed by a user operation, the system control unit 20 executes the instructed function using the image data image-converted by the image processing unit 210 as in the first embodiment. (S115).

  Next, an example of the display screen of the display unit 130 corresponding to the behavior of the image forming apparatus 200 described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 10 is a screen diagram for displaying the set value set candidates rearranged in descending order of the number of uses in S202.

  A screen 701 is a screen corresponding to the screen 503 of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. The screen 701 is a display when a pull-down for designating the display order is provided on the right side of the center of the screen, and “display in order of the number of times of use” is selected.

  When the user wants to rearrange the set value set candidates in descending order of file size, the user selects “sort in descending order of file size” from the pull-down. The rearrangement of the set value set candidates can be realized by the candidate creation unit 212 rearranging the set value set candidates in the order instructed by the pull-down.

  In the pull-down menu, it is possible to select the sorting of the set value set candidates for each user account and for each group to which the account belongs. Further, for example, the screen 701 may select a plurality of display conditions such as “specific account” and “display in descending order of the number of uses”. For example, the screen 701 can be realized by a means including a plurality of pull-downs for selecting a plurality of display conditions.

  FIG. 11 is a screen diagram showing a modification of the screen example of FIG.

  A screen 702 in FIG. 11 is a screen diagram for displaying the set value set candidates rearranged in descending order of use in S202, as in FIG. 10, and corresponds to the screen 503 in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. It is a screen. Note that the screen 702 in FIG. 11 may include a pull-down menu for selecting the display order, like the screen 701 in FIG.

  A screen 701 in FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the set value set candidates are preferentially displayed in descending order of the number of uses.

  However, in order to allow the user to visually recognize the set value set candidates that are frequently used, for example, as shown in the screen 702 of FIG. 11, frequently used candidates are frequently used. It is also possible to give an emphasis display indicating that it is a candidate for a recommended set value set.

  For example, in the case of the screen 702, the highlighted display indicating the recommended candidates that are often used exemplifies a case where the “recommendation level” is displayed in five levels with stars. In this case, as the number of asterisks increases, the candidate is used more frequently.

  For example, when the number of uses is “1-5 times”, the number of stars is set to 1, and when the number of uses is “6-10 times”, the number of stars is set to 2, etc. The display control unit 240 may determine the number of stars to be displayed based on the “use count” of the set value set candidates created by the candidate creation unit 212 (for example, “use count” in FIG. 9). good.

  Further, for example, the display control unit 240 may determine the number of asterisks according to the usage frequency of each set value set candidate in the total usage count.

(B-3) Effects of Second Embodiment As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the history management unit 201 has used the set value set used in the past. By managing the number of times the candidate is used, the candidate creation unit 212 rearranges the frequently used set value set candidates into candidates for the set value set candidates and displays them on the display unit 202. Can do. As a result, frequently used setting value set candidates can be preferentially displayed, so that the user can obtain information for determining which of a plurality of setting value set candidates should be selected. This eliminates the need to select a set of candidate set values.

  In the case of the first embodiment, although the file size does not exceed the upper limit value, the set value set candidates are displayed in order from the largest file size. On the other hand, according to the second embodiment, a large file size for the user may not always be the best set value set. In such a case, the set value set is selected from the past history. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, when displaying the set value set of a plurality of candidates based on the past use history of the image forming apparatus 200, the user determines a candidate to be displayed preferentially. It is possible to reduce the number of times that the user refers to the preview images and refers to the preview images of different candidate setting value sets.

(C) Other Embodiments Although various modified embodiments of the present invention have been described in the first and second embodiments described above, the present invention can also be applied to the following modified embodiments.

(C-1) In the first and second embodiments described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is a multifunction peripheral, and the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an image processing unit of the multifunction peripheral. did.

  However, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a multifunction peripheral, and can be widely applied to, for example, a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and the like. The information processing apparatus according to the present invention is also applicable to an information processing apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a scanner driver, or a personal computer equipped with an application using the scanner driver.

(C-2) In the evaluation table, the evaluation value assigned to the setting value of each image conversion function may be changed. For example, the reading unit may read a representative document, perform image conversion with different setting values on a trial basis, and change the evaluation value depending on the degree of influence of the data size after image conversion. good.

(C-3) In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the image forming apparatus executes ScanToEmail is exemplified. However, the function executed by the image forming apparatus is not limited to ScanToEmail as long as it converts the read image data and uses the image data after the image conversion. For example, the present invention can be widely applied to a ScanToFax, a Network PC function, a printing function, and the like.

  In addition, when an image forming apparatus that performs ScanToEmail transmits an e-mail, if the data size exceeds the allowable data size for e-mail transmission, the image forming apparatus divides the e-mail (that is, fragmentation) and transmits the e-mail. May be.

(C-4) In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the upper limit value is set to the data size of one file is exemplified, but the upper limit value may be set for each page of image data. good.

(C-5) In FIG. 11 of the second embodiment described above, the recommended highlight display screen example has been described. However, the highlight display is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, it may be displayed such as “recommended characters”, “recommended images”, and the like. In this case, for example, when the setting value of the resolution is high, the candidate creating unit makes a determination based on a setting value or a combination of setting values of each image conversion function such as “image recommendation”. Can be realized.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 and 200 ... Image forming apparatus, 10 and 20 ... System control part, 110 and 210 ... Image processing part, 120 ... Memory | storage part, 130 ... Display part, 140 and 240 ... Display control part, 141 ... Preview display part, 150 ... Operation unit 160 ... reading unit 170 170 fax transmission / reception unit 180 printing unit 190 communication unit 111 upper limit setting unit 112 and 212 candidate creation unit 113 image conversion unit 114 preview image generation , 115... Selection candidate acquisition unit, 300... Evaluation table, 401 and 601.

Claims (6)

Data conversion means for converting input data by a plurality of types of data conversion functions;
Candidates for creating one or a plurality of set value set candidates that are combinations of the set values of the plurality of types of data conversion functions so that the data size of the data converted by the data conversion means is not more than a predetermined value Creating means;
Display control means for displaying candidates for the one or more set value sets created by the candidate creation means;
Selection candidate obtaining means for obtaining a set value set selected from the one or a plurality of set value set candidates;
The information processing apparatus, wherein the data conversion means converts input data based on a set value set acquired by the selection candidate acquisition means.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising history management means for managing use history information of the set value set acquired by the selection candidate acquisition means.   3. The candidate creation unit rearranges the created set value set candidates based on usage history information for each set value set candidate by the history management unit. The information processing apparatus described in 1.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit that reads image data of a document and supplies the read image data to the data conversion unit. The data conversion means performs data conversion based on the set of set values acquired by the selection candidate acquisition means, and generates a preview image after the data conversion,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays a preview of the preview image generated by the data conversion unit. In an image forming apparatus that includes an image processing unit that performs image processing based on input image data and a display unit, and that performs image formation using image data that has been subjected to image processing by the image processing unit.
The image processing means
Data conversion means for converting input data by a plurality of types of data conversion functions;
Candidates for creating one or a plurality of set value set candidates that are combinations of the set values of the plurality of types of data conversion functions so that the data size of the data converted by the data conversion means is not more than a predetermined value Creating means;
Display control means for displaying the one or more set value set candidates created by the candidate creation means on the display means;
Selection candidate acquisition means for acquiring a selected set value set from among the one or more set value set candidates displayed on the display means;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the data conversion unit converts input data based on a set value set acquired by the selection candidate acquisition unit.

Images