JP3891203B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus used by being connected to a network, and more particularly to a transmission control technique when image data read by an image reading apparatus is transmitted to an image output apparatus via a network.

  In recent years, an image reading apparatus capable of reading an image of an original is directly connected to a network such as a LAN (local area network), and the image data read there is output to a desired image output apparatus (printer or the like) on the network. It is possible to do. In general, in this type of image reading apparatus, a plurality of image output apparatuses shared on a network are selected and used, so that the selected image output apparatus processes image data output from another image reading apparatus. If this is the case, the image data cannot be output immediately, and the process waits until the previous processing is completed.

  Therefore, conventionally, when outputting image data from the image reading apparatus to the image output apparatus on the network, the image output apparatus having the smallest number of jobs waiting to be executed is selected, and the image data is output to the selected image output apparatus. Thus, a digital copying apparatus as an image reading apparatus that realizes a reduction in output waiting time is described in Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-311664

  However, conventionally, when image data is transmitted and received via a network as described above, image data read by the image reading device is temporarily stored (spooled) on the image reading device side and then transmitted to the image output device. Therefore, the time when the image output is actually started by the image output apparatus is after the accumulation of the image data is completed. Therefore, there is a problem that the time from the start of image reading by the image reading device to the start of image output by the image output device is increased by the time for storing the image data in the storage means.

An image reading apparatus according to the present invention includes a reading unit that reads an image of a document, a storage unit that accumulates image data, an acquisition unit that acquires apparatus information of an output device, and image data of the document read by the reading unit. A transmission unit that transmits to the output device; and a determination unit that determines whether the output device has a storage function based on the device information acquired by the acquisition unit. The determination unit determines that the output device has a storage function. In this case, the image data read by the reading unit is transmitted to the output device by the transmission unit without being stored in the storage unit, and when the determination unit determines that the output device has no storage function, the image data is read by the reading unit. The stored image data is stored in the storage means, and the image data stored by the storage means is transmitted to the output device by the transmission means.

  In the image reading apparatus having the above configuration, as a result of referring to the device information acquired by the acquiring unit, when the determining unit determines that the output device has the spool capability, the reading is performed in parallel with the reading of the image by the reading unit. Image data is transmitted to the output device.

  According to the present invention, when an output device that is a transmission destination of image data has a spool capability, the image data read by the reading unit is transmitted to the output device without being accumulated on the image reading device side. It is possible to shorten the time from the start of image reading at the start to the processing start at the output device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention. The illustrated image reading apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a scanner 3, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 4, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 5, a network interface (Network I / F) 6, an operation. The display unit 7 and a hard disk (HD) 8 are connected to each other via an address / data bus 9. The image reading apparatus 1 is connected to a network 12 together with a plurality (two in the illustrated example) of image output apparatuses 10 and 11.

  The scanner 3 reads an image of a document set on a document table (not shown). The ROM 4 stores default values of functions used in the transmission destination device of the image data read by the scanner 3 and various control programs and data necessary for the processing operation of the CPU 2. The RAM 5 is used as a work memory during program execution and a communication buffer for the network interface. The network interface 6 is an interface for performing communication with the image output apparatuses 10 and 11 connected to the network 12.

  The operation display unit 7 displays various operation menus to the user, and instructs the user to start reading a document image by the scanner 3, or allows the user to follow the various operation menus displayed on the operation side. This is for selecting the image data transmission destination device and the processing contents in the transmission destination device. The image output devices 10 and 11 have functions such as a printer and fax transmission, and perform predetermined processing (image print output, image data fax transmission, etc.) according to the processing contents (style) instructed from the image reading device 1. Is. The hard disk 8 is for accumulating image data of a document read by the scanner 3.

  The CPU 2 performs processing operations according to a control program read from the ROM 4 and controls the processing operations of the entire image reading apparatus 1. For example, it is determined whether or not the processing content selected by the user via the operation display unit 7 can be immediately executed by the image data transmission destination device. Further, based on the result of the determination process, a process for transmitting the image data read by the scanner 3 and a process for changing the transmission mode of the image data for the transmission destination apparatus are performed. Furthermore, the occurrence of a failure in the transmission destination apparatus is detected, and the reading operation of the scanner 3 is controlled based on the detection result.

  Next, the operation procedure of the image reading apparatus according to the processing operation of the CPU 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the CPU 2 determines whether or not a transmission destination device of image data read by the scanner 3 has been selected by the user via the selection display unit 7 (step S1). Here, a list of image output devices (10, 11,...) That can be used on the network 12 is displayed on the selection menu in the operation display unit 7 together with device names and installation location information, for example. On the user side, a desired image output device is selected by a button operation or the like based on the information displayed on the operation display unit 7.

  Next, when the transmission destination device of the image data is selected by the user, the CPU 2 inquires device information to the transmission destination device selected by the user, for example, the image output device 10 and responds to the inquiry. Device information is acquired (step S2). The acquired device information includes information on the status of the device such as occurrence of a paper jam or other trouble or offline status, whether or not image data can be stored in a spool, and whether or not color output is possible. ing.

  Next, the status information described in the device information acquired earlier is examined to determine whether or not a failure such as a paper jam has occurred in the image output device 10 that is the data transmission destination (step S3). At this time, if a failure has occurred in the image output device 10, a comment or code indicating that a failure has occurred in the transmission destination device selected by the user, that is, the image output device 10 is displayed on the operation display unit 7. After that, a start button (not shown) for instructing start of image reading is locked (or disabled), and image reading by the scanner 3 is prohibited (steps S11 and S12).

  As a result, under the situation where a failure has occurred in the image output apparatus 10 serving as the transmission destination apparatus, reading of an image by the scanner 3 is not executed. Therefore, until the image output device 10 is restored, the image data is stored in the storage unit of the image reading device 1 or the image output device 10, so that other processing using the storage unit is not adversely affected. .

  On the other hand, if no failure has occurred in the image output apparatus 10, the process proceeds from step S3 to step S4. In step S4, while monitoring the operation status on the operation display unit 7, the processing contents in the image output apparatus 10, that is, whether to use the printer function, the fax transmission function, whether to perform color output, or the like. Then, it is determined whether or not the function used in the image output apparatus 10 has been selected by the user. If the user selects a function to be used in the image output apparatus 10, the process proceeds to step S <b> 6. If the user does not select a function to be used, the default value set in advance in the image reading apparatus 1 is set. After the function to be read from the ROM 4 and specified by the default value is automatically selected as the function to be used by the image output apparatus 10 (step S5), the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, it is determined whether or not a start button (not shown) of the operation display unit 7 is pressed in a state where the document is set on a document table (not shown), and the step is performed when the start button is pressed by the user. Proceed to S7. In step S7, the image output apparatus 10 selected in the previous step S1 is inquired about a list of jobs waiting to be processed, and in response to this, a list of jobs sent from the image output apparatus 10 is acquired.

  Subsequently, the CPU 2 examines the list of jobs acquired earlier and immediately determines whether there is a job waiting for processing, that is, the processing content selected by the image output device 10 as the transmission destination device on the image reading device 1 side. It is determined whether or not execution is possible (step S8). At this time, if there is no job waiting for processing, the scanner 3 reads the image of the document set on the document table (not shown), and more preferably in synchronization with the reading operation, more preferably in synchronization with the image reading by the scanner 3. The read image data is transmitted to the image output apparatus 10 in the non-spool mode (steps S9 and S10).

  Here, the “non-spool mode” described above means that, even when the image output device 10 serving as the transmission destination device has a spool storage function, the received image data is not temporarily stored and then output, but the image data is not stored. This is a transmission mode for instructing the image output apparatus 10 to start a predetermined job (print job, fax transmission job, etc.) and output an image simultaneously with reception.

  As a result, the image data read by the scanner 3 is transmitted to the image output device 10 without being stored in the hard disk 8 of the image reading device 1, so that the image reading is performed for the spool storage time of the image data in the hard disk 8. It is possible to shorten the time from the start of reading the original image in the apparatus 1 to the start of image output in the image output apparatus 10. If there is no job waiting to be processed in the job list from the image output apparatus 10, that is, if the processing content selected on the image reading apparatus 1 side can be immediately executed on the image output apparatus 10 side, the image output apparatus 10 Since the image data is transmitted in the non-spool mode, even when the image output device 10 as the transmission destination device has a spool storage function, the image output device 10 side receives the image data simultaneously with the job. It can be activated to advance the output start time of image data.

  On the other hand, if there is a job waiting for processing in step S8, the process proceeds to step S13, and the image of the document set on the document table (not shown) is read by the scanner 3 in step S13. Next, the CPU 2 refers to the capability information described in the apparatus information of the image output apparatus 10 acquired in the previous step S2, and can the image data received on the image output apparatus 10 side be stored in a spool manner? It is determined whether or not (step S14).

  If spool accumulation is possible on the image output device 10 side at this time, the read image data is transmitted to the image output device 10 in the spool mode as well as reading the image in step S13 (step S15). Here, the “spool mode” is a transmission mode for instructing the image output apparatus 10 to temporarily store received image data after the image output apparatus 10 has a spool accumulation function.

  On the other hand, if the image output apparatus 10 does not have a spool storage function, the image data read in the previous step S13 is stored in the hard disk 8 (step S16). Thereafter, in step S17, the image output apparatus 10 is inquired again about the list of jobs waiting to be processed, and this is acquired. In the subsequent step S18, it is determined whether or not there is a job waiting for processing. Then, when there is no job waiting to be processed, that is, when the processing content selected on the image reading apparatus 1 side can be immediately executed on the image output apparatus 10 side, the image data stored in the hard disk 8 is not spooled. The image is transmitted to the image output apparatus 10 in the mode.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of an image reading apparatus according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment (part 1). 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the image reading apparatus according to the embodiment (part 2).

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image reading apparatus, 2 ... CPU, 3 ... Scanner, 7 ... Operation display part, 10, 11 ... Image output apparatus

Claims (1)

Reading means for reading an image of a document;
Storage means for storing image data;
Obtaining means for obtaining device information of the output device;
Transmission means for transmitting the image data of the document read by the reading means to the output device,
Determination means for determining whether the output device has a storage function based on the device information acquired by the acquisition means;
If it is determined by the determination means that the output device has a storage function, the image data read by the reading means is transmitted to the output device by the transmission means without being stored in the storage means, and the determination When it is determined by the means that the output device does not have a storage function, the image data read by the reading means is stored in the storage means, and the image data stored by the storage means is output by the transmission means. An image reading apparatus which transmits to an apparatus.

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