JP4757354B2 - Data processing apparatus and data processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and a data processing method capable of forming an image file as a single file with a plurality of pages from input image data.

In recent years, it has been proposed to connect an image scanner to a computer network, scan the original with the scanner, read the image on the original, and send the image data as an image file to the computer network.
In transmission of image data in such an image scanner, the user selects a transmission protocol, resolution of an image to be transmitted, monochrome or color, a format, and a transmission destination from the operation unit.

  Transmission protocols include Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (hereinafter referred to as SMTP), File Transfer Protocol (hereinafter referred to as FTP), NetWare and Server Message Block Protocol (hereinafter referred to as SMB) developed by US Novell. and so on.

  The resolution of an image has a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction, and the unit is expressed by, for example, dot per inch (hereinafter referred to as dpi). That is, if 200 dpi 100 dpi or the like is designated, it represents that the resolution in the main scanning direction is 200 dpi and the resolution in the sub-scanning direction is 100 dpi.

  When acquiring a monochrome image by scanning, the image format is, for example, Single Page Tag Image File Format (hereinafter referred to as S-TIFF), Multiple Page Tag Image File Format (hereinafter referred to as M-TIFF) or Designate Portable Document Format (hereinafter referred to as PDF) developed by Adobe.

  When acquiring a color image by scanning, for example, a Joint Photographic Experts Group Format (hereinafter referred to as JPEG), PDF, or the like is designated. S-TIFF and JPEG are formats in which an image of one page of a document is made into one file, and M-TIFF and PDF are formats in which images of a plurality of documents are made into one file.

  The expression of the transmission destination is different for each transmission protocol. The SMTP transmission destination is an e-mail destination, and the FTP, NetWare, or SMB transmission destination is a server name, a user name on the server, a password, and a directory name. Furthermore, a file name to be transmitted can be added.

JP 11-317833 A

In such an image scanner, when one file is formed with a plurality of pages, such as M-TIFF and PDF, for example , if there is an upper limit in the work area of the memory that can be used by the apparatus, it can be transmitted as one file. The number of pages may be limited.
For example, in a PDF file, it is necessary to describe the offset value of the location where the included image data and its attribute information are stored. Therefore, for example, when there is an upper limit in the work area used for file transmission in a copying machine, the number of images that can be converted to PDF and transmitted is limited. Also, when sending multiple input image data files as a group, the image data type is suitable for each case, such as when the image data type is only a monochrome image, only a color image, or a mixture of monochrome and color images. If the file format is not used, the file size increases and transmission may take time.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to allow a file to be divided and transmitted even when there is a limit on the number of pages that can be transmitted as one file, and to transmit as one file. It is an object of the present invention to provide a data processing apparatus and a data processing method capable of reducing the file size .

The above objects, an input means for inputting data in units of pages based on the input by the input means data, a plurality of page data, the page identification information identifying each page data, files within the skill page specification information Generating means for generating a document data file comprising position information indicating the position of the file, a determining means for determining whether the size of the file generated by the generating means has reached a predetermined value, and a size determined by the determining means When it is determined that the predetermined value is exceeded, the file generated by the generation unit is divided into a plurality of different files, and among the files divided into the plurality of files, the files other than the first divided file are data; and a dividing means for writing previously position information written in the generated file in the generating means those files to those files It is achieved by the management apparatus.
In addition, the above-mentioned object is to input data for each page, a plurality of page data based on the data input by the input means, page specifying information for specifying each page data , and the page specifying information. Generation means for generating one file of document data including position information indicating a position in the file; and determination means for determining whether or not the size of one file generated by the generation means has reached a predetermined value; If the size judgment means is determined to exceed a predetermined value, one of the files generated by the generating means is divided at a predetermined position, and a file dividing means for inserting the sorting information to the classification position, file division Of the files classified by means, files other than the first classified file are written to the file generated by the generating means before the classified file. Also achieved by a data processing apparatus characterized by having the location information and control means for controlling to write to those segmented file.
Further, the above object includes a storage means for storing multiple data, and selection means for selecting a first data and second data from a plurality of data stored in the storage means, before Symbol Selection The first data and the second data selected by the means are concatenated in a third format that is neither the format of the first data nor the format of the second data, and one file of the concatenated data is generated. It is also achieved by a data processing device characterized by having a generating means.

Further, the above object is an input means, an input step of inputting data in units of pages, the generation unit, based on the input in the input step data, page specific to particular a plurality of page data, each page data A document data file including information and position information indicating the position in the file of the page specific information, and whether the size of the file generated in the generation process has reached a predetermined value by the judging means a determination step of determining whether, when the size in the determining step is determined to exceed the predetermined value, the dividing means, while dividing the generated in the generation step files in several different files, divided into those more Among the generated files, files other than the first divided file were written to the file generated by the generation means before this file Also achieved by a data processing method characterized by having a dividing step of writing location information to those files.
In addition, the above-described object is to input a page in units of data by the input unit, and to specify a plurality of page data and each page data based on the data input in the input step by the generation unit. A generation process for generating one file of document data including information and position information indicating the position in the file of the page specification information, and the size of the file generated in the generation process reaches a predetermined value by the judging means A determination step for determining whether or not the size exceeds a predetermined value in the determination step, the file classification means classifies one file generated in the generation step at a predetermined position, and file classification step of inserting the sorting information to the position, the control means, among the files that are classified by the file classification step, except the first segment file To file, the data processing method characterized by a control step of controlling to write the location information written in those segmented previously generated by the generating step a file in the file to those segmented file Is also achieved.

Further, the above object is a storage unit, a storage step of storing multiple data, by the selection means selects the first data and the second data from a plurality of data stored in the storing step a selecting step, generate means, the first data and the second data selected by the selecting step, in the format of the first data, connected by the third format nor the format of the second data, It is also achieved by a data processing method comprising a generation step of generating one file of linked data.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a data processing apparatus and a data processing method capable of flexible file operations.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a system to which copiers according to an embodiment of the present invention are connected. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a software configuration for controlling the operation of the copying machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the format of an M-TIFF file. It is a figure which shows the format of a PDF file. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence by 1st Embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic screen displayed on a touch panel unit of an operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Send screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Scan Settings screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Send Settings screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Send Settings screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a destination input screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a System Monitor screen displayed on a touch panel unit of an operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job status screen displayed on a touch panel unit of an operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing when image data obtained by reading an image on a document is converted into M-TIFF and transmitted in the first embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the conversion to a PDF file in 1st Embodiment, and a transmission process. It is a figure explaining the data format outline | summary of a PDF file in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific description example of Pages 17030 for the second time in the format of FIG. 17. It is a figure which shows the specific description example of Cross Reference 17031 of the 2nd time in the format of FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific description example of a second trailer 17032 in the format of FIG. 17. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation procedures of the copying machine 1001 according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the production | generation and transmission process of a PDF file in 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation procedure of the copier 1001 according to the third embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Store In Box screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a Mail Box screen displayed on a touch panel unit of an operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation screen for the contents of a Mail Box displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. It is a figure which shows the Sending Address Setting screen example displayed on the touch panel part of the operation part 2012. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an Address Book screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an Address Book screen displayed on the touch panel unit of the operation unit 2012. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining file combination and transmission processing of a copying machine according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating file format conversion processing and signal processing in a copying machine according to a third embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a network system using a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The copying machine 1001 has an Ethernet (registered trademark) developed by Xerox Co., Ltd. via a network interface in addition to a normal copying function such as reading a plurality of originals and printing the images on recording paper. For example, a local area network (hereinafter referred to as LAN) 1006.

  A mail server 1003 for e-mail and a file server 1004 for storing various files are computers for storing data sent from the copying machine 1001. A client computer 1005 is a computer that is connected to the mail server 1003 and the file server 1004 to acquire and display data. A LAN 1006 is a network to which a copier 1001, a mail server 1003, a file server 1004, a client computer 1005, and the like are connected. The mail server 1003 corresponds to a so-called SMTP server or POP server, and the file server 1004 corresponds to a so-called FTP server, NetWare server, SMB server, or the like.

  Although only one mail server 1003, file server 1004, and client computer 1005 are shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of each may be connected to the same network. Further, the mail server 1003 and the file server 1004 can be shared by the same device.

  FIG. 2 is a system block diagram according to this embodiment, and shows a configuration of a controller unit (Controller Unit) mounted on the copying machine 1001. The Controller Unit 2000 is connected to a scanner 2070 as an image input device and a printer 2095 as an image output device. On the other hand, the Controller Unit 2000 is connected to a LAN 2011 or a public line (WAN) 2051 to input / output image information and device information. It is a controller.

  A CPU 2001 is a controller that controls the entire system. A RAM 2002 is a system work memory for the operation of the CPU 2001, and is also used as an image memory for temporarily storing image data. A ROM 2003 is a boot ROM, and stores a system boot program. An HDD 2004 is a hard disk drive that stores system software, image data, and the like on the hard disk. An operation unit I / F 2006 is an interface unit with an operation unit (UI) 2012 having a touch panel and a display unit, and outputs display data to be displayed on the operation unit 2012 to the operation unit 2012. Also, it plays a role of transmitting information input by the user of the system from the operation unit 2012 to the CPU 2001. A network I / F 2010 is connected to the LAN 2011 and inputs / outputs information. A Modem 2050 is connected to the public line 2051 and inputs / outputs information. The above devices are arranged on the system bus 2007.

  An image bus I / F 2005 is a bus bridge that connects a system bus 2007 and an image bus 2008 that transfers image data at high speed and converts a data structure. The image bus 2008 is configured by, for example, a PCI bus or IEEE1394. The following devices are arranged on the image bus 2008. A raster image processor (RIP) 2060 expands a PDL (page description language) code into a bitmap image. A device I / F unit 2020 connects an image input / output device such as a scanner 2070 and a printer 2095 to the Controller Unit 2000, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. A scanner image processing unit 2080 corrects, processes, and edits input image data from the scanner 2070. A printer image processing unit 2090 performs correction, resolution conversion, and the like corresponding to the printer on print output image data to be output to the printer 2095. The image rotation unit 2030 rotates image data. The image compression unit 2040 performs compression / decompression processing of JPEG for multi-value image data, JBIG method, MMR code, and MH code for binary image data.

  The scanner 2070 optically scans and reads an original document conveyed one by one from an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) or an image of an original document placed on a document table and generates electrical image data. The printer 2095 prints an image based on the input image data on a recording sheet.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a software configuration for realizing the transmission function in the present embodiment. These software are stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004 of the Controller Unit 2000 and executed by the CPU 2001.

  The operation unit component 3001 is a component related to control of the operation unit 2012, and detects a touch key operation instruction of the operation unit 2012 by a user, such as a protocol for transmitting data, a format of an image to be transmitted, a transmission destination, and the like. get.

  The transmission management component 3000 instructs the scanner management component 3004 to read a document in accordance with a processing instruction such as a protocol for transmitting data acquired by the operation unit component 3001, a format of an image to be transmitted, a transmission destination, and the like. The destination information is acquired from the component 3002, and the read image data or the image data selected by the operation unit 2012 from the Box area provided in the HDD 2004 is used as the print component 3005, the facsimile transmission component 3006, and the file server transmission component 3007. By issuing a transmission processing command to the mail transmission component 3008 and the Box component 3009, the printer 2095 and the public line 2051 are connected, respectively. Facsimile, LAN1006 (2011) connected to a file server / mail server can transmit to the Box area provided in HDD 2004, or accumulate. In particular, the file server transmission component 3007 and the mail transmission component 3008 can transmit to the file server / mail server 1004 using four protocols of FTP, NetWare, SMB, and SMTP. The transmission management component 3000 includes a destination management component 3002, a scanner management component 3004, and a job management component 3003 that performs job control between the transmission components.

<File format>
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the M-TIFF format in the present embodiment, and this format is a data format used in processing in the file server transmission component 3007 and the mail transmission component 3008.

  The data format of the M-TIFF file 4000 includes a header 4001 for the first image data, a data block 4003 for the first image data, a second header 4004, and a second data block 4006. The data block is a unit, and a plurality of units are arranged. For example, in the format constituting N image data, the first data block 4003 is arranged with the first image compressed by MMR or the like, and the first header 4001 is the first image. The offset 4002 for identifying the presence or absence of the next header data is entered together with the attribute information such as the resolution and the compression format. The second data block 4006 contains a second image that has been MMR compressed, and the second header 4004 contains the next header data together with attribute information such as the resolution and compression format of the second image. An offset 4005 for identifying the presence or absence of is entered. Such a format continues to the last image, and the offset to the next header in the Nth header which is the last image is “0”, so that it is the last image. It is identified that the file has been confirmed.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the PDF format in this embodiment, and this format is a data format used in processing in the file server transmission component 3007 and the mail transmission component 3008.

The structure of the data format of the PDF file 5000 includes a header 5001, a first data 5002, a second data 5003,... N data 5009, pages 5010, a cross reference 5011, and a trailer 5012. In the header 5001, the trailer 5012 generated in a fixed manner contains the position information of the cross reference 5011. The first data 5002 includes the first image data and attribute information such as the resolution and compression format. Similarly, the second data 5003 is composed of second image data and attribute information such as resolution and compression format. The first data 5002 and the second data 5003 are assigned numbers for uniquely specifying data in the PDF called object number. The object number is described in Pages 5010. The Cross Reference 5011 describes all object numbers used in the PDF 5000 and offset values in the PDF indicated by the object number.
The file format shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is applied to the file conversion in the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 16.

<Send file>
Next, the operation of the copying machine 1001 when transmitting a multi-page file as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the file transmission operation procedure.
This flowchart shows a flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on a program stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004.

  First, in S6001, a Send screen for making various designations for transmission by touching the [Send] key A1 in the display of FIG. 7 which is a basic screen (drawing in standby) of the touch panel in the operation unit 2012. Call.

  Subsequently, in step S6002, in order to set the reading mode, the [Scan Settings] key A2 in the Send screen is pressed to call the Scan Settings screen in FIG. Here, whether the original image is read as a monochrome image or a color image is designated by the [Color Mode] key A4, and the reading resolution of the image is designated by the [Resolution] key A3, and these are set as the reading mode. . Here, press the [OK] key A5 to return to the Send screen. This reading mode does not necessarily need to be set here, and can be performed at any time before a reading instruction.

  In step S6003, the [Send settings] key A6 on the Send screen is pressed to call the Send Settings screen in FIG. 10 in order to set the file type. In order to designate the file format of the image data to be transmitted here, a desired file format (image format) is selected from the list with the [File Type] key A7. Here, S-TIFF, M-TIFF or PDF can be selected for a monochrome image, and JPEG or PDF can be selected for a color image. In this embodiment, since a plurality of documents are transmitted in a format that converts them into one file, it is assumed that M-TIFF and PDF are selected for a monochrome image, and PDF is selected for a color image. When the file format is selected, the [Done] key A8 is pressed to return to the Send screen. This file type setting is not necessarily performed here, and can be performed any time before the reading instruction.

  In step S6004, the destination for sending the file is set. If it is already registered in Address Book, One-touch Buttons 1 or 2, it is selected from the list, and if it is not registered, [New After pressing the [Recipient] key A9 to switch to the display of FIG. 11, a desired destination type is specified (in this case, [File] is specified to be stored in a specific user folder in the file server 1004 on the LAN 1006). Subsequently, according to the display of FIG. 12, the protocol for transmitting the file with the [Protocol] key A11, the computer name of the file server 1004 with the [Host Name] key A12, and the file storage destination folder with the [File Path] key A13. Enter the path (directory), user name with [User] key A14, and password with [Password] key A15. When the input for setting all the transmission destinations is completed and the [OK] key A16 is pressed, the screen returns to the Send screen.

  Up to this point, various settings for transmission are completed, and these installation contents are collected by the operation unit component 3001 and notified to the job management component 3003. The job management component 3003 collectively handles these pieces of information as one job. The operation unit component 3001 displays this content on the operation unit 2012 so that the user of the copier 1001 can selectively perform a cancel operation.

  The job management component 3003 informs the scanner management component 3004 of the above settings and performs settings for reading. In step S6005, a plurality of (N) documents are set in an ADF (Auto Documents Feeder) of the copying machine 1001, or after the ADF is opened and the document is placed on the document table, a start button in the operation unit 2012 is displayed in step S6006. When is pressed, scanning reading of the document is started according to the above setting. When reading a document set on the ADF, the document is conveyed one by one and sequentially read. However, when reading a document placed on the document table, the user replaces the document one by one, so the last document In some cases, the operation unit 2012 performs an operation for instructing to that effect.

  When the start of reading is instructed in step S6006, the job management component 3003 instructs the scanner management component 3004 whether to perform resolution and monochrome reading or color reading. The scanner management component 3004 operates the scanner 2070 through the device I / F 2020 at a designated resolution and at a designated black and white reading or color reading, and sequentially reads a plurality of documents to obtain an input image. The scanner image processing unit 2080 corrects, processes, and edits input image data. Further, the input image is rotated using the image rotation unit 2030, and in the case of black and white reading, the image compression unit 2040 compresses the image by two-dimensional encoding (hereinafter referred to as MMR) in accordance with the ITU-T recommendation. Are converted into S-TIFF files for each page and stored in the HDD 2004. In the case of color reading, the image compression unit 2040 compresses the image by JPEG compression, converts each of a plurality of sheets into a JPEG file for each page, and stores it in the HDD 2004. When the storage is completed, the scanner management component 3004 notifies the location in the HDD 2004 of the image input to the job management component 3003.

  Next, since the transmission protocol is FTP, NetWare, or SMB, the job management component 3003 selects the file server transmission component 3007 as the job processing destination, and transmits the location and format of the input image in the HDD 2004. The file server transmission component 3007 is notified of information about the protocol and the transmission destination. Thereafter, when the user performs a cancel operation in S6008, the operation unit component 3001 notifies the job management component 3003 of the cancellation of the job, and the job management component 3003 notifies the cancellation of the job to the file server transmission component 3007. In step S6009, cancel processing is performed as described later.

When canceling transmission in the middle, the [System Monitor] key A18 is pressed on the Send screen in FIG. 8 to call the System Monitor screen in FIG. Subsequently, since the job of the Send function is canceled here, the [Send] key A19 is pressed to display the job status screen of the Send function as shown in FIG.
“Sending” indicates that transmission processing is currently in progress, and “Waiting” indicates that transmission is waiting.

  Here, if the job instructed to be transmitted is A20, the transmission job A20 is canceled by pressing the job A20 and pressing the [Cancel] key A21. At this time, a dialog for confirming whether or not to cancel can be displayed to prevent erroneous operation.

  The file server transmission component 3007 reads the notified protocol, determines the protocol to be used through the network I / F 2010, and accesses the file server / mail server 1004 that is the notified transmission destination using the protocol. Using the notified server name and the user name and password on that server, the user logs in to the designated file server / mail server 1004 and designates the directory in which the image file to be sent is placed. The date and time when the file is generated and the file name to be transmitted from the specified data format (for example, the date and time + the extension corresponding to the data format = 20000222.tif) are automatically generated and specified.

  When the notified format is M-TIFF, the file server transmission component 3007 is an S-TIFF image, so the file server / mail server 1004 on the LAN 1006 is converted to M-TIFF. Send to. These processes are performed by the mail transmission component 3008 when the transmission protocol is SMTP.

<File conversion and transmission>
Next, the flow of processing when the image data obtained by reading the image on the document as described above is converted into M-TIFF and transmitted will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart shows the flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on a program stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004.

  When conversion to an M-TIFF file and transmission in step S15001 in FIG. 15 are started, first, a variable i for the number of documents to be transmitted is initialized to 1 in S15002. Next, the total number of documents in S15003 is compared with i and if i is smaller than N, the process advances to step S15004.

  In step S15004, the attribute information of the image of the first document input in the HDD 2004 is acquired, and the first header 4001 is created. The offset 4002 to the next header can be calculated by reading the image size in the attribute information of the first image. When the first header 4001 has been generated, the first header 4001 is transmitted to the file server / mail server 1004. The first data block 4003 is the first image portion input into the HDD 2004. Read from the HDD 2004, send to the file server / mail server 1004, and add 1 to i. Next, it is checked whether or not there is a cancel notification in S15005. That is, when all the first data blocks have been transmitted, it is checked whether or not a cancel notification for the job has been received. If the job cancellation notification is not received, the same operation is repeated for the second and subsequent sheets. If the job cancellation notification has been received when all M (M <N) data blocks have been sent, the offset to the next header in the M header is the M + 1 header. The offset value has been entered. For this reason, in S6006, "0" is substituted for the offset to the next header in the M + 1th header, and the M + 1th header is generated and transmitted, and the M + 1th data block is transmitted. The transmission of the job is terminated.

  In addition, when the notified format is PDF, the file server transmission component 3007 transmits the image input to the HDD 2004 to the file server / mail server 1004 while converting it to PDF because it is S-TIFF or JPEG. There is a need. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of conversion to a PDF file and transmission in the present embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on a program stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004. In step S 16001, conversion to a PDF file and transmission are started.

  First, in step S 16002, a header 5001 is generated and transmitted to the file server / mail server 1004, and a variable i for the number of documents to be transmitted is initialized to 1. In step S16003, N, which is the total number of documents, is compared with a variable i for counting the number of documents. If i is smaller than N, the process advances to step S16004. In step S 16004, the first image input to the HDD 2004 and attribute information of the image are read, the first data 5002 is created and transmitted, and 1 is added to a variable i for counting the number of documents.

Next, it is checked whether or not there is a cancellation notification in step S16005. If there is no cancellation notification, the same operation is repeated for the second and subsequent sheets.
If the job cancellation notification is received when the M (M <N) th data is transmitted, Pages 5010 describing the object no up to the Mth sheet is generated and transmitted in S16006, and PDF5000 is sent. Generates and transmits a Cross Reference 5011 that describes all the object nos used in the object and the offset value in the PDF indicated by the object no, generates and transmits a Trailer 5012, and ends the transmission of the job .

  In the above embodiment, the case where the job is canceled by the user's instruction has been described, but the same applies to the case where the user is canceled without the intervention of an apparatus error or the like.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when an interruption of transmission of image data is instructed during transmission, the interruption instruction is accepted, and the image data transmitted up to the interruption is reconverted as a set of image data, and the data By completing the transmission, smooth image processing that is convenient for the user can be performed without creating an abnormal file.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, when a plurality of originals are transmitted as a single file having attribute information for each page, even if the transmission is canceled in the middle, the file can be transmitted as a normal file on the receiving side. The file is fixed so that it can be handled. This prevents the use of a useless memory area by transmitting an abnormal file in an incomplete state, and re-transmission can be continued.

  In the second embodiment described below, for example, when there is an upper limit in the work area for the Send function set in the RAM 2002 or the like of the copying machine 1001, the Cross Reference 5011 at the time of PDF transmission transmits image data to be transmitted and its data It is necessary to describe the offset value of the place where the attribute information and the like are stored together with the object no, and the number of images that can be transmitted after being converted to PDF is limited. To prevent this, create and send Cross Reference 5011 within the allowable range of the above work area, send Trailer 5012 and complete it as one PDF file, then add header and subsequent image data etc. to the PDF file It can be expressed as one PDF file by adding another PDF file including Cross Reference and Trailer related to the added image data etc. and adding the expression that these two PDF files are connected In this way, the number of images that can be transmitted after being converted to PDF is not limited.

Hereinafter, the process will be described in detail.
Since the system configuration and the configuration of the copying machine 1001 are as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the description thereof is omitted here.
FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the data format of the PDF file in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the upper limit number of images that can be converted into a single PDF file is M, and FIG. 17 shows the data format when the total number of images to be transmitted is 2M.

  A file server transmission component 3007 (or mail transmission component 3008) creates a PDF file as shown in FIG. 17 from the scanned image data. In the PDF file 17000, the data is continuous up to the header 17001, the first data 17002, the second data 17003,... And the Mth data 17009 which is the upper limit. Then, after the M-th data 17009, the first page 17010, the first cross reference 17011, and the first trailer 17012 continue, and then the M + 1-th data 17022, the M + second data 17023,..., The 2M-th data 17029 And data are consecutive. The second page 17030, the second cross reference 17031, and the second trailer 17032 follow the 2M-th data 17029, similarly to the back of the M-th data 17009.

  Among these, header 17001 can be generated in a fixed manner. The first data 17002 is composed of the first original image and attribute information such as its resolution and compression format. The second data 17003 is also composed of the second image and attribute information such as its resolution and compression format. Similarly, data continues, and the M-th data 17009 is also composed of the M-th image and attribute information such as its resolution and compression format. A unique number in the PDF file 17000 called object no is assigned to the first data 17002, the second data 17003, and the like.

  Those object nos are described in the first-time Pages 17010. The first Cross Reference 17011 describes all the object nos appearing up to the first Cross Reference 17011 and position information in the PDF indicated by the object no. In the first trailer 17012, position information of the first cross reference 17011 is described.

  Next, the (M + 1) th data 17022 is composed of the (M + 1) th image and attribute information such as its resolution and compression format. The M + 2nd data 17023 is also composed of the M + 2th image and attribute information such as the resolution and compression format. Similarly, data continues, and the 2M-th data 17029 is also composed of the 2M-th image and attribute information such as its resolution and compression format. The first number in the PDF file 17000 called object no is also assigned to the (M + 1) th data 17022, the (M + 2) th data 17023, and the like.

  In the second page 17030, object no from data 17002 of the first image to data 17029 of the 2M image is described. In the second Cross Reference 17031, the first page 17010 is updated with the second day Pages 17030, the second page 17030 position information, the M + 1 data 17022 object no, and the M + 1 data 17022 two sheets The position information values of all objects appearing up to the cross reference 17031 of the eye are described in order.

  In the second trailer 17032, position information of the first cross reference 17011 and position information of the second cross reference 17031 are described. As a result, on the side receiving this file, one page, cross reference, and trailer reflected are added to the second one, the first one is deleted, and one PDF file can be formed. Become. Here, although other elements are included in the complete PDF file, since it is not directly related to the present embodiment, the illustration and description thereof in FIG. 17 are omitted.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific description example of the second Pages 17030 in FIG. FIG. 18 shows a case where the upper limit number M that can be converted of scanned images is 200, and the total number 2M of scanned images is 400. In a row 18001 “/ Kids”, object no from data 17002 of the first image to data 17029 of the 2M image is described. The object no of the data 17002 of the first image is “1 0 R”, and the object no of the data 17029 of the 2M image is “2394 0 R”. “/ Count 400” indicates the number of data objects of all the images, and since the value is 2M, it is 400.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a specific description example of the second Cross Reference 17031 in FIG. As in FIG. 18, the upper limit number M that can be converted of scanned images is 200, and the total number of scanned images 2M is 400. “21”, which indicates that the first page 17010 is updated with the second page 17030, is described in a row 19001. Next, the position information of the second page is in a row 19002, and the object no (1200) of the data 17022 in the M + 1th row. Is described in line 19003, and position information of the (M + 1) th data 17022 is described in line 19004. Hereinafter, position information values of all objects appearing up to the second cross reference 17031 are described.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a specific description example of the second trailer 17032 in FIG. Also in FIG. 20, the upper limit number M that can be converted of scanned images is 200, and the total number 2M of scanned images is 400. In the second trailer 17032, the position information of the last (first) Cross Reference 17011 is described in line 20001, and the position information of the second Cross Reference 17031 is described in line 20002.

Hereinafter, in the copying machine according to the present embodiment, the flow when executing the transmission process according to the second embodiment will be described in order.
FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation procedures of the copying machine 1001 according to the second embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on a program stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004.

Since the processing of S21001 to S21006 is the same as S6001 to S6006 of FIG. 6 described above, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.
However, a PDF file is specified in the file type setting of S21003. In S21005 and S210006, a series of originals (common file) is set until the last original (the last bundle of originals in the case of ADF) is specified, regardless of whether the original is set on the ADF or placed on the original table. The manuscript should be treated as

In step S21007, based on the contents set in steps S21001 to S21004, reading of an image on the document and transmission processing in the procedure described later are started. Then, the processing is continued until it is determined in S21008 that the document is the final document.
If it is determined in step S21009 that the transmission has been completed, a series of transmission processing ends.

  Next, a series of processing relating to generation and transmission of a PDF file will be described using the data configuration shown in FIG. 17 and the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 22 shows an example where the upper limit page number of images that can be converted at one time is M and the total number of pages of a series of images to be transmitted is N (N> M).

In step S22001, the file server transmission component 3007 starts generating and transmitting a PDF file. First, in step S22002, the file server transmission component 3007 generates and transmits a header 17001, and initializes a variable i for the number of transmitted images to 0. .
Next, in step S22003, a variable j for the number of converted images is initialized to zero.

Next, in step S22004, N and i, which are the total number of documents, are compared, and if i is smaller than N, the process proceeds to step S22005. If i is N or more, that is, if all the images have been transmitted, step S22008 is performed. Proceed to
In step S22005, M and j, which are the upper limit numbers that can be converted at a time, are compared. If j is smaller than M, the process proceeds to step S22006. If j is equal to or greater than M, that is, the upper limit is reached, step S22007 is performed. move on.

Next, in step S22006, the attribute information and data of the i-th document image are acquired, data is generated and transmitted, 1 is added to i and j, and the process returns to step S22004.
When the transmission up to the M-th image is completed, in step S22007, the object no from the first data 17002 object no to the i-th data 17009 is written to the first Pages 17010, and the position information thereof is stored in the first Cross Reference 17011. , The first trailer 17012 is generated and transmitted, and the process returns to step S22003.

  When the processing in step S22007 is the first time, the generated cross reference position information is stored. In the processing after n (n is a natural number of 2 or more), the object no is described in the n-th Pages from the data of the first image to the data of the (n × M) -th image. Then, the (n-1) th Pages is updated with the nth Pages in the nth Cross Reference, the position information of the nth Pages, and the ((n-1) × M + 1) th data object. No and position information values of all objects appearing from the ((n−1) × M + 1) th to i-th data are described in order. Then, at the time of generating the nth trailer, the position information of the previous cross reference is written, and the position information of the cross reference generated this time is stored.

  When the transmission up to the Nth page is completed, in step S22008, the object no of the data from the first data to the Nth data is written in Pages, and the previous Pages are updated with the generated Pages. Position information of Pages generated this time, object no of (N−j) th data, and position information of all objects appearing from (N−j) th data to Cross Reference generated this time in Cross Reference The trailer in which the position information of the previous Cross Reference and the position information of the current Cross Reference is written is generated and transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S22009.

In step S22009, the conversion to the PDF file and the transmission process are terminated.
In the above embodiment, the upper limit number of pages is used as a division criterion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the amount of image data (M bytes) may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where a PDF file is generated has been described as an example. However, this is a case where a data format file in which a plurality of image data is combined into one file is generated, and has the same problems. In some cases, the present invention can be applied.
In this case as well, a plurality of file blocks are formed according to the amount of document images that can be generated, and information indicating the relationship between the blocks is added and transmitted. What is necessary is just to comprise so that it may handle as a file.

In the above-described embodiment, information that can identify the immediately preceding file block is added to the second and subsequent file blocks. However, information that can identify the next file block can be added.
Further, according to the second embodiment described above, the upper table indicating that the information of Pages of the immediately preceding file block is updated with the current Pages is written in the second (last) Cross Reference. On the side that received the file, it is possible to delete the Cross Reference and Pages in the middle, and the size of the finally formed file can be made small and simple.

  In addition, since each of the divided files is divided in units of pages and has Cross Reference and Pages, the divided files (each of which is composed of multiple pages) are determined as files themselves. Therefore, depending on the receiving application, if you do not write the information of other split files in the last Cross Reference and Pages as described above, and do not delete the Cross Reference and Pages of each file, they are independent. It can be handled as a file, and each file can be processed appropriately even in an environment where large files cannot be handled.

(Third embodiment)
In the embodiment described so far, a file that has been processed midway is determined by controlling an offset value, Cross Reference, Pages, Trailer, etc., or a large amount of image data is divided and transmitted. It was.
In a third embodiment described below, a plurality of image data are selected using a technique for controlling the offset value and the like, combined, reconverted into one file, and transmitted.

The procedure will be described in detail below.
FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation procedures of the copying machine 1001 according to the third embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on a program stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004.

In S23001 and S23002, the reading mode is set in the same manner as described above.
In order to specify a box in S23003, the [Store In Box] key A22 is pressed on the Send Setting screen in FIG. 10 to call up the Store In Box screen as shown in FIG.

  In the copying machine 1001, the HDD 2004 is divided into a plurality of pieces so that various image data can be stored, and each divided storage destination is called a box, and these are divided by a box number. Here, it is assumed that A23 of Box number 00 is selected. When the [OK] key A24 is pressed, the storage destination is set and the screen returns to the Send Setting screen. Next, press the [Done] key A8 to return to the Send screen.

In step S23004, it is confirmed that there is a document on the ADF or the document table. In step S23005, when the start button of the operation unit 2012 is pressed, reading of an image on the document is started based on the set content. If the read image data is a monochrome image, it is stored in S-TIFF, and if it is a color image, it is stored in JPEG. At this time, whether the reading is performed in color or black and white, the image size, the number of sheets, and the storage date are also stored in association with each other. When the accumulation ends, the scanner management component 3004 notifies the job management component 3003 of the location of the accumulated image in the HDD 2004. The job management component 3003 notifies the location of the image stored in the HDD 2004 and the box number to the box component 3009. The Box component 3009 stores the relationship between the location of the image stored in the HDD 2004 and the Box number in the HDD 2004. When the above operation is repeated several times, the Box component 3009 stores a large amount of information regarding various image data in which a plurality of image data is accumulated at various points in time, together with the Box number. The image stored here is not limited to the image from the scanner 2070 but may be an image from various input sources such as the network I / F 2010 and the Modem 2050.
The processing so far may be performed at any time.

  In S23006, in order to select desired image data in the box, the [Mail Box] key A25 is pressed on the basic screen in FIG. 7 to call the Mail Box screen in FIG. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of image data stored in Box 00 is selected, and A26 is pressed to display the contents of Box 00 on the Mail Box screen. Then, on the confirmation screen for the contents of Box No. 00 in FIG. 26 (displayed based on information obtained by inquiring the operation unit component 3001), the user wants to combine and transmit the image data to be transmitted with reference to the image size, storage date, etc. Are selected in this order as A27, A28, and A29. Then, the operation unit component 3001 stores the selected image data together with the order, and the selected order is displayed at the left end (1 to 3).

  In step S23008, the [Send] key A30 is pressed to set the transmission, and the Sending Address Setting screen shown in FIG. 27 is called. In this case, the [Address Book] key A31 is pressed as a transmission from the Address Book to a destination registered in advance. Then, the Address Book screen of FIG. 28 is displayed. Here, the user presses A32 and A33 on the assumption that transmission to marc@ganon.com by E-mail and matt@ganon.com by Internet FAX are selected. By this selection, a transmission protocol (SMTP) and information necessary for the transmission (user name and password for accessing the SMTP server) are set in addition to the E-mail address. When FTP is selected as the transmission protocol, the server name, the user name on the server, the password, and the directory name are included in the destination information, and the storage process is executed after the login process.

  After the selection of A32 and A33, when the [OK] key A34 is pressed, these destinations are set, the screen returns to the Sending Address Setting screen, and the destination set here is entered as shown in FIG. .

  In S23009, the file type is set as described above, and when the start button of the operation unit 2012 is pressed in S23010, the three image data previously selected in the processing procedure described later in S23011 are in that order. Combined and sent as a single file.

  As an image format at the time of transmission, S-TIFF, M-TIFF or PDF can be selected for a monochrome image, and JPEG or PDF can be selected for a color image or a mixture of a monochrome image and a color image. However, the data format in which the above-mentioned image data can be combined into one file is PDF when a monochrome image is only, M-TIFF or PDF, only a color image, or a mixture of a monochrome image and a color image. In the description, it is assumed that a data format for converting the images of the plurality of documents into one file is selected.

Note that the transmission start timing should be switched according to the transmission protocol. If file generation and transmission can be performed in parallel, that is the case. If that is not possible, transmission starts after the file is confirmed. To do.
If it is determined in S23012 that the transmission has been completed, the series of transmission processes is terminated.

Hereinafter, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 30 and 31, the file formats shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are referred to.
30 and 31 show the flow of processing controlled by the CPU 2001 based on programs stored in the ROM 2003 and / or the HDD 2004.

  FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing processing for combining a plurality of image data and transmitting it as one file, which is executed by the copying machine according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 30 is executed by the file server transmission component 3007 or the mail transmission component 3008 according to the transmission destination of the image data. In the following description, the number of transmission image data selected by the user is N (a natural number of 2 or more).

  When conversion into an M-TIFF file and transmission are started in step S30001, first, in step S30002, a variable i for the number of images to be transmitted is initialized to 1. In step S30003, N is compared with the total number of images to be transmitted. If i is smaller than N, the process proceeds to step S30004. If i is equal to or greater than N, the process proceeds to step S30006.

  In step S 30004, attribute information of the image of the i-th document is acquired from the box in which the image is accumulated, an offset value to the next header is obtained from the data size, and a header is generated and transmitted. At the same time, the stored image data is read and transmitted. When the transmission is completed, 1 is added to the variable i, and the process returns to step S30003.

  When the variable i becomes N, in step S30006, transmission processing similar to that in step S30004 is performed, and the conversion and transmission processing is terminated. At this time, as described above, 0 is stored in the offset value to the next header included in the Nth header 4011.

  FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing conversion and signal processing from an S-TIFF or JPEG file to a PDF file, which is performed by the copying machine according to the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 31 is executed by the file server transmission component 3007 or the mail transmission component 3008 depending on the transmission destination of the image data. In the following description, the number of transmission image data selected by the user is N (a natural number of 2 or more).

  First, when conversion to a PDF file and transmission are started in step S31001, a header is generated and transmitted in step S31002, and a variable i for the number of images to be transmitted is initialized to 1.

  Next, in step S31003, N which is the total number of images to be transmitted is compared with i. If i is smaller than N, the process proceeds to step S31004. If i is equal to or greater than N, the process proceeds to step S31006. In step S31004, the attribute information and data are acquired from the box storing the i-th image data, data is generated and transmitted, 1 is added to i, and the process returns to step S31003.

  When the variable i becomes N, in step S31006, the object nos from the first sheet to the Nth sheet are written in Pages 5010, their offset values are written in Cross Reference 5011, and Trailer 5012 is generated and transmitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, only the configuration in which image data once stored in a data format such as S-TIFF or JPEG is converted to M-TIFF or PDF format at the time of transmission is shown. However, at the stage of reading and storing the image. If there are a plurality of originals, they can be converted into an M-TIFF or PDF format file and not converted during transmission.

  Further, the client computer 1005 is provided with a function of remotely controlling the operation unit 2012 of the copier 1001, and the user can instruct an instruction that can be selected or input using the operation unit 2012 of the copier 1001 from the client computer 1005. It is also possible to do.

  In addition, the encoding format used when storing image data and the data format for collecting a plurality of stored image data in one file are not limited to those described in the above embodiment, and any format may be used. Can do.

  Note that the present invention can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), or an apparatus composed of a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, etc.). You may apply.

  Also, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) that records a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and to computer (or CPU or CPU) of the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.

Claims (14)

An input means for inputting data in page units;
Based on the data input by the input means, a document data file is generated which includes a plurality of page data , page specifying information for specifying each page data , and position information indicating the position of the page specifying information in the file. Generating means;
Determining means for determining whether the size of the file generated by the generating means has reached a predetermined value;
When the determination unit determines that the size exceeds the predetermined value, the file generated by the generation unit is divided into a plurality of different files, and the first of the divided files is divided. A data processing apparatus comprising: a dividing unit that writes the position information written in a file generated by the generating unit before the file to a file other than the file that has been generated . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein all the page specifying information written in all the files generated by the generating unit is written in a file that is finally divided by the dividing unit. An input means for inputting data in page units;
One file of document data comprising a plurality of page data, page specifying information for specifying each page data , and position information indicating the position in the file of the page specifying information based on the data input by the input means. Generating means for generating;
Determining means for determining whether the size of one file generated by the generating means has reached a predetermined value;
A file classification unit that classifies one file generated by the generation unit at a predetermined position when the determination unit determines that the size exceeds the predetermined value, and inserts division information at the divided position; ,
Among the files classified by the file classification means, for the files other than the first classified file, the position information written in the file generated by the generation means before the classified file is classified. And a control means for controlling to write to the read file. 4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the page specifying information written in one file generated by the generating unit is written in a file finally sorted by the file sorting unit. A reading unit that reads an image on a document and generates image data corresponding to the image, wherein the input unit inputs image data corresponding to a plurality of documents generated by the reading unit. The data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . A document conveying unit that conveys a plurality of set originals one by one to be read by the reading unit, and the input unit conveys the plurality of originals that are conveyed by the document conveying unit and read by the reading unit. 6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein image data corresponding to the upper image is input as a series of data. The reading unit reads an image on a document exchanged one by one by a user, and the input unit corresponds to the image on the document read by the reading unit until an operation to end the reading is performed by the user. 6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein image data to be input is input as a series of data. Storage means for storing multiple data,
Selecting means for selecting first data and second data from a plurality of data stored in the storage means ;
The first data and the second data selected in the previous SL selecting means, wherein in the format of the first data, the ligated third format nor the format of the second data, which is the linking data A data processing apparatus comprising: generating means for generating one file. Said generating means further generates the first data and connecting said second data, said having a third data format, a file of the linked data in the order selected by the selecting means The data processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein: Transmitting means for transmitting one file generated by the generating means to a plurality of different destinations designated by the user according to different transmission protocols corresponding to the destinations;
The data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a. An input process for inputting data in page units by input means;
Based on the data input in the input step by the generating means, document data comprising a plurality of page data , page specifying information for specifying each page data , and position information indicating the position in the file of the page specifying information . A generation process for generating a file;
A determination step of determining whether or not the size of the file generated in the generation step has reached a predetermined value by a determination unit;
When it is determined in the determination step that the size exceeds the predetermined value, the dividing unit divides the file generated in the generation step into a plurality of different files, and among the files divided into the plurality of files And a dividing step of writing the position information written in the file generated by the generating unit before the file into a file other than the first divided file. Method. An input process for inputting data in page units by input means;
Based on the data input in the input step by the generating means, document data comprising a plurality of page data, page specifying information for specifying each page data , and position information indicating the position in the file of the page specifying information . A generation process for generating one file;
A determination step of determining whether or not the size of the file generated in the generation step has reached a predetermined value by a determination unit;
If it is determined in the determining step that the size exceeds the predetermined value, the file dividing means divides one file generated in the generating step at a predetermined position, and inserts division information at the divided position. File classification process to
The position written in the file generated in the generation step before the classified file by the control means with respect to the files other than the file first classified among the files classified in the file classification step. And a control process for controlling to write information to the sorted file. The storage means, a storage step of storing multiple data,
A selection step of selecting the first data and the second data from the plurality of data stored in the storage step by a selection unit ;
The generate means, the first data and the second data selected by said selecting step, said even first format of the data, connected by the second nor the format of the data the third format, the A data processing method comprising: a generation step of generating one file of linked data. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the data processing method according to any one of claims 11 to 13 .

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