JP4788293B2 - Network image processing system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a network image processing system such as a scanner, a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, and a multifunction machine connected to a network, and in particular, sends data or notification to a computer on the network by means of communication via a network such as e-mail. The present invention relates to a network image processing system for transmission.

  In recent years, network image processing apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals having a function called “Scan to Email” have appeared. This function is a function of attaching a scanned document image to an e-mail and transmitting it to a specified e-mail address. In the old days, the sender of the e-mail sent by this function is the e-mail address of the image processing apparatus, and the title, text content, and destination of the e-mail are registered in advance from the control panel of the image processing apparatus. It was. Since inputting such information from the control panel of the image processing apparatus is a rather complicated task, in Patent Document 1, as an improvement to that, such registration information is created on a host computer and the image processing apparatus is sent by e-mail. It proposes a method to send to and register. In this method, a registration e-mail including “address” of an e-mail to be transmitted by the image processing apparatus in the “text” is created on the host computer and transmitted to the image processing apparatus.

  However, in this method, since the user describes registration information such as a destination in the body of the registration e-mail that is sent to the image processing apparatus, an entry error occurs, and the e-mail is transmitted from the image processing apparatus to an unintended person by mistake. There is a risk of being. The same applies to a case where a destination is input from the control panel of the image processing apparatus. In addition, in the method of writing a destination or the like in the text, a specific address can be illegally registered as a destination, and unnecessary data can be sent intentionally.

  Although the case of a single image processing apparatus such as a multifunction machine has been described above, the same applies to a case where a scan image or the like is transmitted to another computer from an image processing system configured by connecting a scanner to a PC (personal computer). The problem arises.

JP 2002-215549 A

  According to the present invention, a correct destination can be registered as a destination of an electronic mail transmitted by a network image processing system.

In one aspect of the present invention, in a network image processing system connected to a network, when an e-mail for destination registration is received, a sender address of the e-mail is extracted and the address is set as a destination. Registration means for registering in the destination list and the destination of the scan result image from the user on the control panel of the network image processing system when receiving an instruction to scan the document and send the scan result image When the input destination is not registered in the destination list, the transmission of the scan result image to the input destination is suspended, and the scan result image is The information is stored in the storage device in association with the input destination, and the user is registered for the destination registration. Control means for presenting the user with information indicating that it is necessary to send an email for the destination registration to the network image processing system from the user's own email address; and the registration means If the sender address extracted from the received e-mail matches the destination stored in the storage device in association with the image of the scan result, means for transmitting the image of the scan result to the destination; A network image processing system comprising:

In one aspect, when the input destination is not registered in the destination list, the control means transmits a confirmation e-mail to the input destination, When an e-mail is received from the destination corresponding to the confirmation e-mail, the sender address is registered in the destination list as a destination.

Also, in the reference example , a network image processing system connected to a network, and when receiving an e-mail for destination registration, a registration unit that extracts the sender address of the e-mail and registers it in the destination list And a means for accepting an input of a transmission destination for predetermined transmission information, accepting selection by presenting each transmission destination registered in the transmission destination list as an option to the selected transmission destination. A network image processing system comprising: control means for transmitting the transmission information.

In a preferred embodiment, the registration means, when receiving an e-mail for the destination register, send an e-mail for the confirmation to the sender address of the electronic mail, electronic for the confirmation When a reply mail to the mail is received, the sender address is registered in the destination list as a destination.

In another preferred aspect, the registration means extracts authentication information from the e-mail for destination registration, registers the authentication information in the destination list in association with the destination, and the control means Accepts the input of authentication information together with the input of the transmission destination of the image of the scan result, the input destination is registered in the destination list, and the input authentication information is input in association with the destination to determine whether or not the correct registered in the destination list, and transmits the image of the scan result to the destination when it is correct.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a network image processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment is connected to a network 12 such as a LAN (local area network) or the Internet. The network image processing apparatus 10 includes a so-called Scan to Email function that attaches scanned image data of an original document to an electronic mail as an attached file and transmits it to the client apparatus 14 via the network 12. Here, a digital multifunction peripheral will be described as an example of the network image processing apparatus 10.

  In the above-described prior art, the e-mail address described in the “text” is registered from the client apparatus 14 by sending it to the network image processing apparatus 10 in the Scan to Email function. In the embodiment, the network image processing apparatus 10 registers the e-mail address (sender address) described in the sender field of the header of the e-mail of the registration request sent from the client apparatus 14 in the destination address. .

  In other words, in this embodiment, a user who wants to register a scan image transmission destination address in the network image processing apparatus 10 transmits it from the client apparatus 14 such as his / her personal computer to the e-mail address of the network image processing apparatus 10. Send a registration request email requesting pre-registration. The registration request mail is a mail including a predetermined character string indicating that it is a registration request mail such as “<< destination registration >>" at a predetermined place in the e-mail, such as the beginning of the title field or the text field, The user may create it according to such rules. Alternatively, the network image processing apparatus 10 may have an e-mail address dedicated for destination registration, and an e-mail addressed to that address may be handled as a registration request mail.

  Further, authentication information such as a password may be described or attached to the registration request mail. For example, in the case of a password, “Password: *********” (where “*********” is the password string) What is necessary is just to describe a password character string following the predetermined character string which shows that it is a password.

  When the network image processing apparatus 10 receives the registration request mail created by the user according to the predetermined rule as described above, the network image processing apparatus 10 registers the sender address of the mail in the destination list as a candidate for the destination of the scan result.

  The registration procedure will be described with reference to FIG. In this procedure, when receiving an electronic mail via the network 12, the network image processing apparatus 10 first determines whether or not the electronic mail is a registration request mail (S1). For example, if a character string indicating that it is a registration request mail is included in a predetermined location in the electronic mail, it may be determined that the mail is a registration request mail. In addition, when an e-mail address dedicated for destination registration is prepared, it is sufficient to determine that a mail that has arrived at that address is a registration request mail.

  If the received electronic mail is not a registration request mail, the network image processing apparatus 10 prints out the electronic mail (S2). This example is an example in the case where the network image processing apparatus 10 has a function of printing received electronic mail.

  On the other hand, if the received electronic mail is a registration request mail, the network image processing apparatus 10 extracts the address in the sender column of the electronic mail, and whether the address is registered in the destination list stored in the network. A check is made (S3). If registered, since the address has already been registered as a transmission destination, an e-mail indicating that the address has already been registered is transmitted to the address (S4). This process is to prevent the same address from being registered twice in the destination list.

  If it is determined in step S3 that the sender's address is not in the destination list, the network image processing apparatus 10 registers the address in the destination list (S5). If the address registered in the destination list is protected by authentication information such as a password, search for the authentication information from the e-mail, and if found, associate the authentication information with the address and send it to the destination. Register to the list. If the authentication information is not found in the e-mail, the network image processing apparatus 10 does not register the sender address in the transmission destination list. In this case, for example, the network image processing apparatus 10 may return an e-mail including an error message indicating that the transmission destination is not registered because the authentication information is not included to the sender.

  When the address is registered in the destination list in step S5, the network image processing apparatus 10 checks whether or not a scan image having the address as the destination is stored in the built-in storage device (S6). . If no such scanned image is stored, the process ends. If such a scanned image is registered, an e-mail attached with the scanned image is created and transmitted to the address (S7). Steps S6 and S7 are cases in which a document to be sent to the address is scanned by local operation of the network image processing apparatus 10 before the address is registered in the destination list (details are shown in FIG. 3 below). Described in the description). In addition, when saving a scanned image whose destination is an unregistered address in the destination list, when taking a configuration in which not only the destination address but also authentication information such as a password is saved in association with the scanned image, The stored authentication information is compared with the authentication information described in the registration request email, and only if the two match, the address and authentication information are registered in the destination list and the scanned image is sent. You may control as follows.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the processing procedure of the network image processing apparatus 10 when the user gives an instruction to scan and transmit a document (that is, a process of scanning a document and transmitting a scanned image by e-mail) will be described. To do. This procedure is executed when the user sets a document on the platen or the automatic document feeder and instructs execution of scan transmission from an operation menu or the like on the control panel. In this case, for example, the network image processing apparatus 10 displays a transmission destination and a user interface screen for inputting authentication information such as a password on the display device of the control panel, and sends an email address of the transmission destination to the user. The user is prompted to input authentication information (S11).

  In step S11, in order to facilitate the input of the transmission destination, each transmission destination address included in the transmission destination list is displayed in a list, for example, in a menu format, and the user can select a desired transmission destination from the list. It is also suitable. In this case, the user inputs authentication information such as a password corresponding to the selected transmission destination from the control panel.

  In addition, in the configuration in which an address is selected from the list display of the destination list, if an e-mail address that is not in the destination list can be manually input, transmission of the scanned document to an address not registered in the destination list is possible. You can also make a reservation.

  When manually entering an unregistered address in the destination list, the user may or may not enter authentication information in step S11. When the authentication information is input, the user needs to incorporate the same authentication information as that input into the registration request mail to be sent to the network image processing apparatus 10 later.

  Next, the network image processing apparatus 10 determines whether the destination e-mail address input in step S11 is registered in the destination list (S12). When the transmission destination address is selected from the list display of the transmission destination list, the determination result is affirmative (Y). When the transmission destination address is manually input, the presence / absence in the list form may be determined by comparing the address with each address in the transmission destination list form.

  As a result of such determination, if it is found that the input address is in the transmission destination list, the authentication information input in step S11 is the correct one registered in the transmission destination list in association with the address. It is determined whether or not (S13). If it is not correct, a message indicating that either the destination address or the authentication information is incorrect is displayed on the display device of the control panel, and the address and the authentication information are re-inputted (S14). If it is determined in step S13 that correct authentication information has been input, the network image processing apparatus 10 scans the document set on the platen or the automatic document feeder, and attaches a scan image obtained as a result thereof. The e-mail is created and sent to the destination address (S15).

  If the transmission destination address input in step S11 is not registered in the transmission destination list (determination result in S12 is negative), the network image processing apparatus 10 registers the transmission destination address for the user. Therefore, a message indicating that it is necessary to send an email (registration request email) from the user's own email address to the device 10 is displayed on the display device of the control panel (S16). Then, the original set on the platen or the like is scanned, and the resulting scanned image is stored in the built-in storage device (S17). The scanned image stored at this time is stored by associating the destination address input in step S11 with the authentication information (if input). The scanned image stored in this manner is transmitted to the network image processing apparatus 10 from the user's own e-mail address (that is, the transmission destination address input in step S11) according to the message in step S16. By performing the processes of steps S6 and S7 of 2, the data is transmitted to the user.

  When the user inputs an unregistered address in the destination list, the network image processing apparatus 10 transmits a registration confirmation e-mail to the unregistered address in step S16, and the user replies to the e-mail. , The network image processing apparatus 10 may receive it and register the transmission destination address. If authentication information is input in step S11 in association with an unregistered address, the registration confirmation e-mail sent by the network image processing apparatus 10 incorporates a message or the like prompting entry or attachment of authentication information. Just keep it.

  Here, when an unregistered address is input as a destination in step S11, an e-mail for registration confirmation is sent to that address. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When a registration request mail arrives from the registration address, before registering the address in the destination list in step S5, a similar registration confirmation mail is transmitted to the address, and the registration confirmation mail is sent to the registration confirmation mail. The address may be registered in the destination list only after a reply arrives from that address. In this way, it is possible to expect a deterrent effect on address spoofing.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the network image processing apparatus 10 may provide a destination registration UI (user interface) screen in the form of a web page or the like to a remote client apparatus (S21). When the user inputs a destination address and authentication information on this screen (S22), the input information is transmitted to the network image processing apparatus 10 in a state protected by SSL (secure socket layer) or the like. Receiving this, the network image processing apparatus 10 transmits an e-mail for registration confirmation to the destination address (S23). On the other hand, if a reply mail with the address as the sender arrives, it can be confirmed that the transmission destination address entered by the user on the UI screen is an actual correct address. In this case, the reply mail corresponds to the registration request mail in the procedure of FIG. The processing procedure of the network image processing apparatus 10 upon receiving this reply mail may be the same as that shown in FIG.

  Further, the example of FIG. 3 is a processing flow in the case of inputting a transmission destination before scanning a document. In addition to such a flow, the network image processing apparatus 10 scans a document first and stores a scan image obtained as a result in a storage device (for example, a user's mailbox), and then the scan image. The destination can also be specified for. In this case, the same procedure as in FIG. 3 may be used except that the scan process is executed before step S11 in FIG. 3 and steps S15 and S17 are eliminated.

  In addition, regarding the change of authentication information for the destination address registered in the destination list, an authentication information change e-mail in which the user describes the authentication information before the change and the authentication information after the change in a predetermined format is sent to the destination. It can also be made possible by transmitting to the network image processing apparatus 10 from the address.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, since the network image processing apparatus 10 registers the sender address of the registration request mail in the transmission destination list, it is possible to prevent an input error in the address to be registered. Registration of an illegal address can be made difficult. Further, according to this embodiment, each destination address registered in the destination list can be protected by authentication information such as a password, so that the address registered in the destination list is illegal. Unauthorized use, such as sending e-mails to, can be prevented.

  In the above example, the scan image is transmitted by e-mail as an example, but information other than the scan image, for example, an electronic device that notifies the status of the network image processing apparatus 10 (for example, print completion or print failure). The email destination address can also be registered and used in the destination list in the same manner.

  In the above example, the case where the network image processing apparatus 10 is a digital multi-function peripheral has been described. However, the above embodiment can also be applied to a case where the network image processing apparatus 10 is another type of image processing apparatus such as a scanner or a printer. .

  In the above example, a network image processing apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral is taken as an example. However, the above method can also be applied to an image processing system configured by connecting an image processing apparatus such as a scanner to a PC. Yes, the same effect can be obtained.

  In the case of a network image processing apparatus and a PC connected to the image processing apparatus, CPU (central processing unit), memory (primary storage), various I / O (input / output) as hardware for information processing An interface or the like has a circuit configuration connected via a bus. In addition, a hard disk drive and a drive for reading portable non-volatile recording media (CD, DVD, flash memory, etc.) of various standards are connected to the bus via, for example, an I / O interface. Such a drive functions as an external storage device for the memory. A program in which the processing content of the above-described embodiment is described is stored in such an external storage device and installed in a network image processing device or a PC. The program may be held in a ROM (read only memory) accessible from the CPU. The program stored in the upper external storage device is read into the memory and executed by the CPU, or the program on the ROM is executed from the CPU, whereby the processing of the above-described embodiment is realized. The destination list used in the processing of the embodiment is stored in an external storage device so as not to be erased, and is appropriately read into a memory for use. In addition, when the transmission destination is suspended from the list because it is not registered in the list, the scanned image is stored in the external storage device in association with the transmission destination address.

It is a figure which shows the system provided with the network image processing apparatus of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the network image processing apparatus when an electronic mail is received. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the network image processing apparatus when the instruction | indication of scan transmission is received. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the network image processing apparatus when the instruction | indication of transmission destination registration is received.

Explanation of symbols

  10 network image processing device, 12 network, 14 client device.

Claims (5)

A network image processing system connected to a network,
When an e-mail for destination registration is received, a registration means for extracting a sender address of the e-mail and registering the address as a destination in a destination list;
When receiving an instruction to scan the document and send the scan result image, the control panel of the network image processing system accepts the input of the scan result image destination from the user , and the input destination Is not registered in the destination list, transmission of the scan result image to the input destination is suspended, and the scan result image is stored in association with the input destination. It is necessary to transmit the e-mail for registering the destination to the network image processing system from the user's own e-mail address for registering the destination for the user while storing the information in the apparatus Control means for presenting information indicating that to the user;
If the sender address extracted from the email received by the registration means matches the destination stored in the storage device in association with the scan result image, the scan result image is transmitted to the destination. Means to
A network image processing system comprising: The network image processing system according to claim 1,
If the input destination is not registered in the destination list, the control means transmits an e-mail for confirmation to the input destination, and the electronic When an e-mail is received from the destination corresponding to the mail, the sender address is registered in the destination list as a destination.
A network image processing system. The network image processing system according to claim 1,
When the registration means receives an e-mail for registration of the destination, the registration means transmits an e-mail for confirmation to the sender address of the e-mail, and sends a reply e-mail to the e-mail for confirmation. If received, register the sender address as a destination in the destination list,
A network image processing system. The network image processing system according to claim 1,
The registration means extracts authentication information from the e-mail for destination registration, registers the authentication information in the destination list in association with the destination,
The control unit accepts input of authentication information together with the input of the transmission destination of the image of the scan result, the input destination is registered in the destination list, and the input authentication information is It is determined whether it is correct and registered in the transmission destination list in association with the input transmission destination, and when it is correct, the scan result image is transmitted to the transmission destination.
A network image processing system. A computer connected to the image processing device
When receiving an e-mail for destination registration, a registration means for extracting the sender address of the e-mail and registering the address in the destination list as a destination,
When the image processing apparatus scans a document and receives an instruction to transmit a scan result image, the control panel of the image processing apparatus accepts an input of the transmission destination of the image of the scan result from the user. If the transmission destination is not registered in the transmission destination list, the transmission of the scan result image to the input destination is suspended, and the scan result image is associated with the input transmission destination. And storing the data in the storage device and transmitting an e-mail for registering the destination to the network image processing system from the user's own e-mail address for registering the destination to the user. Control means for presenting information indicating that it is necessary to the user;
If the sender address extracted from the email received by the registration means matches the destination stored in the storage device in association with the scan result image, the scan result image is transmitted to the destination. Means to
Program to function as.

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