JP5652146B2 - Image publishing system, image publishing method, and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image publication system, an image publication method, and a printing apparatus using a printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, an image processing apparatus that uploads an electronic file such as read image data to a server, a printing apparatus that prints an electronic file downloaded from the server, and the like are known. Patent Document 1 describes an example of an image processing apparatus including an image scanner that uploads read image data to a server. In some cases, the manufacturer of the image processing apparatus or the printing apparatus independently prepares a dedicated server for storing the uploaded electronic file in order to provide an electronic file upload or download service.

  On the other hand, in recent years, electronic file storage services that can store electronic files in a database on a network prepared by a service provider have become widespread. For example, Picasa (registered trademark) web album and flickr (registered trademark) are examples. A user can upload a desired electronic file to the electronic file storage service or download a desired electronic file from the electronic file storage service by using a terminal device including a web browser.

  In such a situation, it is conceivable to upload an electronic file such as image data read by the above-described image processing apparatus to an electronic file storage service provided by a service provider instead of a dedicated server prepared by the manufacturer.

JP 2005-269250 A

  The above-mentioned patent document 1 can only upload read image data to a server with a simple operation in an image processing apparatus to which an image scanner or the like is attached. On the other hand, it may be desired to set a disclosure period for image data uploaded to the server depending on the content of the image.

  The present invention provides an image publishing system capable of uploading image data read by a scanner function of a printing apparatus to a service server that performs an electronic file storage service and setting a publishing period of the uploaded image data. Objective.

The invention disclosed in this specification includes a printing apparatus having a communication unit connectable to an Internet line and an image reading unit, a service server that performs a public service of uploaded image data, the printing apparatus, and the service server. A relay server that relays the connection between the printing apparatus, the service server, and the relay server via the Internet line, wherein the printing apparatus receives the image data by the image reading unit. In order to upload the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, the disclosure period setting means for setting the period information for specifying the period of disclosure of the image data, and the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means By an upload request for requesting necessary information and the publication period setting means Based on information necessary for uploading the image data returned from the relay server in response to the upload request to the service server, transmitting means for transmitting the determined period information to the relay server, Image data upload means for uploading the image data to the service server, and the relay server uploads the image data to the service server in response to the upload request transmitted from the transmission means. Upload information generating means for generating necessary information, information return means for returning information necessary for uploading the image data generated by the upload information generating means to the service server, to the printing apparatus; Based on the period information, the image data up And an image data disclosure setting unit configured to set the image data uploaded to the service server by the security unit to be undisclosed when the period of disclosure has elapsed. .

Further, the prior SL printing apparatus, comprising the upload period setting means for setting the working period for the work of uploading the image data to the service server, the work period set by the upload period setting means, the image data When the image data is acquired by the acquisition means, an upload request for requesting information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server by the transmission means and the disclosure period set by the disclosure period setting means are set. The period information to be specified is transmitted to the relay server.

The printing apparatus includes a service server designating unit that designates the service server that uploads the image data from a plurality of service servers, and the relay server is configured by the upload information generating unit and the service server designating unit. generates the upload information corresponding to said designated service server, as well as replies to the printing apparatus by the generated the uploaded information before Kijo paper returning means, the image data visibility means, by the service server specifying means Based on the period information corresponding to the specified service server, the image data uploaded to the service server by the image data uploading means is set to be unpublished when the period for publishing has elapsed. Features.

The front Symbol image data visibility means, once the image data set in the private, characterized in that the configurable to publish again.

The front SL relay server, based on the uploaded information generated by the upload information generating means and to upload the image data to the service server.

The printing apparatus includes an image data acquisition step of acquiring the image data by the image reading unit, a disclosure period setting step of setting period information for specifying a period of disclosure of the image data, and the image data acquisition step. A transmission step for transmitting to the relay server an upload request for requesting information necessary for uploading the image data acquired by the service server to the service server and the period information set by the disclosure period setting step; An image data uploading step for uploading the image data to the service server based on information necessary for uploading the image data returned from the relay server to the service server in response to an upload request; The relay server transmits the transmission scan. In response to the upload request transmitted from the client, an upload information generating step for generating information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server, and the image data generated by the upload information generating step Information necessary for uploading to the service server is returned to the printing apparatus, and based on the period information, the image data uploaded to the service server by the image data upload step is An image data disclosure method comprising: an image data disclosure setting step for setting the image data to be closed when a period for disclosure has elapsed.

The relay for relaying a printing apparatus having a communication unit and an image reading unit which can be connected to the Internet line, and the service server for publishing services uploaded image data, the connection between the printing device and the service server A server, and the printing apparatus in the image disclosure system in which the printing apparatus, the service server, and the relay server are connected via the Internet line, and image data acquisition means for acquiring image data by the image reading means; A publication period setting unit for setting period information for specifying a period for publishing the image data, and an upload request for requesting information necessary for uploading the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit to the service server And the period information set by the disclosure period setting means Based on information necessary for uploading the image data sent back from the relay server in response to the upload request to the service server. And an image data uploading means for uploading to the printing apparatus.

The relay for relaying a printing apparatus having a communication unit and an image reading unit which can be connected to the Internet line, and the service server for publishing services uploaded image data, the connection between the printing device and the service server A relay server in an image disclosure system in which the printing apparatus, the service server, and the relay server are connected to each other via a server and the Internet line, and uploads image data acquired by the printing apparatus to the service server In response to an upload request, an upload information generating unit that generates information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server, and uploading the image data generated by the upload information generating unit to the service server Necessary to The information is returned to the service server by the image data uploading means based on information returning means for returning information to the printing apparatus and period information for specifying a period for publishing the image data acquired from the printing apparatus. The relay server is characterized by comprising image data disclosure setting means for setting image data to be non-disclosure when the period of disclosure has elapsed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to upload the image data read by the scanner function of the printing apparatus with a simple operation to the server that performs the electronic file storage service by setting the disclosure period. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image publishing system, an image publishing method, and a printing apparatus that allow a user to set a publishing period of image data published by an electronic file storage service.

1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an image disclosure system and a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of an image disclosure system and a printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on the display part of the printing apparatus of an image publication system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on the display part of the printing apparatus of an image publication system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on the display part of the printing apparatus of an image publication system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of an image disclosure system. It is a figure which shows an example of the image data published by the server of an image publication system.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the image disclosure system and the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described.

[Outline of image publishing system and printing apparatus]
An outline of an image disclosure system and a printing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an image disclosure system and a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the image disclosure system and the printing apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image disclosure system according to the present embodiment includes a printing apparatus 100, a relay server 200, and a plurality of service servers 300.

  Specifically, the printing apparatus 100 is a small digital multi-function peripheral. The printing apparatus 100 includes a printing function, a reading (scanner) function, a FAX function, a copy function, a call function, and the like.

  The relay server 200 is a server that relays the uploading of electronic files between the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300 and manages the disclosure period of the uploaded image data. The relay server 200 may be a device having a well-known server function. For example, the relay server 200 is prepared by the manufacturer of the printing apparatus 100 for the spread of the printing apparatus 100 of the company.

  The service server 300 includes a plurality of image disclosure service servers A301, an image disclosure service server B302, and an image disclosure service server C303. The service server 300 provides various services such as an electronic file storage service that can store electronic files such as image data and text data uploaded from the printing apparatus 100. A plurality of service servers 300 shown in FIG. 1 are provided by a plurality of service providers such as Picasa (registered trademark) web album and flickr (registered trademark).

  The printing apparatus 100, the relay server 200, and the service server 300 are connected to each other via an Internet line.

  In the configuration described above, the printing apparatus 100 can upload the image data read by the reading unit 170 serving as an image reading unit of the printing apparatus to the plurality of service servers 300 via the relay server 200. Further, it is possible to set a disclosure period of image data uploaded to a plurality of service servers 300 in the printing apparatus 100. Further, the relay server 200 monitors the disclosure period of each of the image data uploaded to the plurality of service servers 300, and switches between the disclosure / non-disclosure of the image data when the image data disclosure period has elapsed. Can do.

  In order to realize uploading of the image data to a plurality of service servers 300, setting of a disclosure period, and disclosure / nondisclosure, the printing apparatus 100 and the relay server 200 according to the present embodiment include the following plurality of units. Yes. The printing apparatus 100 includes a communication unit that can be connected to an Internet line and an image reading unit. Further, the printing apparatus 100 includes an image data acquisition unit that acquires image data by the reading unit 170 and a disclosure period setting unit that sets period information for specifying a period for disclosing the image data. The printing apparatus 100 transmits an upload request for requesting information necessary for uploading the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit to the service server 300 and the period information set by the disclosure period setting unit to the relay server 200. Transmitting means. The printing apparatus 100 includes image data uploading means for uploading image data to the service server 300 based on information necessary for uploading the image data returned from the relay server 200 in response to the upload request to the service server 300. .

  On the other hand, the relay server 200 includes an upload information generation unit that generates information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server 300 in response to an upload request transmitted from the transmission unit of the printing apparatus 100. The relay server 200 includes information return means for returning information necessary for uploading the image data generated by the upload information generation means to the service server 300 to the printing apparatus 100. The relay server 200 includes image data disclosure setting means for setting the image data uploaded to the service server 300 to be non-public based on the elapse of the period of disclosure based on the period information received from the printing apparatus 100.

  Further, the relay server 200 includes a period information receiving unit that receives the period information transmitted from the transmitting unit of the printing apparatus 100 in order to execute the image data disclosure setting unit. The relay server 200 includes a storage unit that stores the received period information in association with the image data and the upload destination service server 300, and a date acquisition unit that acquires the current date and time. The relay server 200 includes a disclosure period determination unit that determines image data for which the period of disclosure has elapsed based on the period information stored in the storage unit, and a service server 300 to which image data for which the period of disclosure has elapsed has been uploaded. Service server specifying means for specifying. The relay server 200 includes a non-disclosure command transmission unit that transmits to the service server 300 a non-disclosure command that instructs the service server 300 to which image data whose period to be published has been uploaded has been uploaded.

  Depending on whether the relay server 200 uploads / discloses image data in the upload destination service server 300, access to the image data changes as follows. For example, the image data publicly set in the upload destination service server 300 by the relay server 200 can be freely viewed or downloaded by a user who has accessed the service server 300. On the other hand, the image data that has been set private in the upload destination service server 300 by the relay server 200 cannot be viewed or downloaded by a user who has accessed the service server 300.

  In the following, an outline of setting whether to open / close the image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the relay server 200 according to the release period set in the printing apparatus 100 will be described. In the following description, data transmission / reception between the printing apparatus 100, the relay server 200, and the service server 300 is performed via an Internet line to which the printing apparatus 100, the relay server 200, and the service server 300 are connected.

  The user operates the operation unit 180 of the printing apparatus 100 to set the image data upload destination service server 300 and the image data disclosure period from among the plurality of service servers 300. Thereafter, the printing apparatus 100 reads information resources uploaded to the service server 300 as image data by the reading unit 170 serving as an image reading unit. Then, the printing apparatus 100 transmits the information specifying the upload destination service server 300, the disclosure period of the image data, and the image data to the relay server 200.

  The relay server 200 stores the information specifying the upload destination service server 300 received from the printing apparatus 100, the disclosure period of the image data, and the image data in the public / private data table 240 and the upload data table 250 of the storage unit 230. To do. The relay server 200 accesses the upload destination service server 300 and acquires the upload destination URL of the image data. The relay server 200 generates a template for uploading image data corresponding to the upload destination service server 300, and transmits it to the printing apparatus 100 together with the acquired upload destination URL.

  The printing apparatus 100 uploads the image data to the service server 300 in which the image data is set based on the image data upload template or the upload destination URL received from the relay server 200.

  When the disclosure period of the image data stored in the disclosure / non-disclosure data table 240 of the storage unit 230 elapses, the relay server 200 accesses the service server 300 that is the upload destination of the image data and sets the disclosure setting of the image data. Switch. More specifically, for example, it is assumed that image data is uploaded to the image publication service server A301 in a one-week publication period. The relay server 200 sets the image data uploaded to the image publication service server A301 to be non-public when one week has elapsed since the image data was uploaded. As a result, the image data uploaded to the image publication service server A301 is published in the image publication service server A301 for only one week.

  Depending on the service server 300, there is also a service server 300 that cannot set the uploaded image data public / private. For example, it is assumed that the image publishing service server B302 cannot set the uploaded / unpublished image data. In this case, the relay server 200 deletes the image data uploaded to the image disclosure service server B302. Also, the relay server 200 uploads the image data originally uploaded to the image publishing service server B302 by uploading other image data that may be disclosed to the same upload destination URL as the image data that is desired to be kept private. It can also be made public.

  As described above, according to the image disclosure system of the present embodiment, the relay server 200 is responsible for managing the disclosure period of a plurality of image data uploaded to the plurality of service servers 300. That is, in the printing apparatus 100, it is possible to switch between public / non-disclosure of image data uploaded to the service server 300 only by setting the image data disclosure destination service server 300 and the image data disclosure period. It can be an image publishing system. Accordingly, the printing apparatus 100 that does not have the processing capability as much as the personal computer with any number of functions can be disclosed / non-displayed by only providing the setting function of the image data disclosure period to the plurality of service servers 300. Public setting can be set.

  Hereinafter, the outline of the hardware configuration of the image disclosure system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 100 will be described. The printing apparatus 100 includes an Internet communication unit 110, a control unit 120, a storage unit 130, a display unit 150, a printing unit 160, a reading unit 170, an operation unit 180, and a memory card controller 190.

  The Internet communication unit 110 is a device for communicating with the relay server 200 and the service server 300 connected to the Internet line. As the Internet communication unit 110, a known network card can be employed. The Internet communication unit 110 functions as a communication unit for connecting to the Internet line.

  The control unit 120 includes a CPU (not shown) and ROM and RAM connected to the CPU. The CPU controls the operation of the printing apparatus 100 according to various programs stored in the ROM. The RAM is a storage device that temporarily stores various data.

  The control unit 120 also functions as an image data acquisition unit, a disclosure period setting unit, a transmission unit, an image data upload unit, and the like by executing various programs stored in the ROM.

  The storage unit 130 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a NAND flash memory. The storage unit 130 stores user specifying information for specifying the user of the printing apparatus 100, various setting information, and the like. As the storage unit 130, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like can be used.

  The display unit 150 is a known display such as an LCD. The display unit 150 has a known touch panel function, and transmits a predetermined signal corresponding to a contact position of a predetermined image displayed on the display unit 150 to the control unit 120.

  The printing unit 160 has a printing function, and prints image data and the like according to instructions from the control unit 120. The reading unit 170 has a scanner function, and is a device that reads an image recorded on a sheet set by a user, and reads image data and the like according to an instruction from the control unit 120. The reading unit 170 is an image reading unit in the present embodiment.

  The operation unit 180 is a plurality of operation buttons operated by a user, for example, and is a device that transmits a signal according to a user's pressing operation to the control unit 120. The user can input an instruction for a desired function in the printing apparatus 100 by operating the operation unit 180.

  The memory card controller 190 controls storage in a memory card (not shown) attached to the printing apparatus 100. Specifically, in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 120, data is written to the memory card, data stored in the memory card is read, data is deleted, and the like. The memory card stores electronic files in a predetermined format.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the relay server 200 will be described. The relay server 200 includes an Internet communication unit 210, a control unit 220, and a storage unit 230.

  The Internet communication unit 210 is a device for performing communication between the printing apparatus 100 connected to the Internet line and the service server 300. As the Internet communication unit 210, a known network card can be adopted.

  The control unit 220 includes a CPU (not shown), and a ROM and a RAM connected to the CPU. The CPU controls communication between the printing apparatus 100 connected to the Internet line and the service server 300 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM and the storage unit 230. The RAM is a storage device that temporarily stores various data. The control unit 220 has a calendar function (not shown) and can acquire the current date and time. This calendar function functions as the date and time acquisition means described above.

  The storage unit 230 is a nonvolatile storage device such as the HDD described above. The storage unit 230 stores various programs for controlling the relay server 200. In addition, the storage unit 230 includes a public / private data table 240 that stores a public period of image data uploaded to the service server 300. In addition, the storage unit 230 includes an upload data table 250 in which image data uploaded to the service server 300 is associated with an upload destination URL. Although details will be described later, the relay server 200 manages disclosure / non-disclosure of image data uploaded to the service server 300 based on the public / private data table 240 and the upload data table 250. The public / private data table 240 and the upload data table 250 function as storage means for storing the period information in association with the image data and the upload destination service server 300.

[Example of operation of image publishing system]
Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the image disclosure system will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the upload of image data from the printing apparatus 100 to the service server 300 via the relay server 200 and the private setting of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the relay server 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. To do.

  FIG. 3 shows an image upload process of image data from the printing apparatus 100 to the service server 300 via the relay server 200. FIG. 4 shows a non-disclosure process of image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the relay server 200. FIG. 5 shows the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 in the image upload process shown in FIG. Note that the image upload process shown in FIG. 3 is started when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 180.

  The printing apparatus 100 generates a service selection screen according to a predetermined operation of the operation unit 180 by the user (step S11). As illustrated in FIG. 5, the service selection screen generated in step S <b> 11 is displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 as a screen G <b> 11 for allowing the user to select the service server 300 to which the image data is to be uploaded.

  The printing apparatus 100 determines whether there is an image data upload setting to the service server 300 at the current time (step S12). The upload setting determined here determines whether a period for uploading image data is set in an upload period setting process (see FIG. 6) described later.

  If the printing apparatus 100 determines that there is an upload setting of image data to the service server 300 (step S12: Yes), the process proceeds to step S14. That is, when the current time corresponds to a time set by an upload period setting process described later, the image data is uploaded to the upload destination service server 300 set by the upload period setting process.

  If the printing apparatus 100 determines that there is no image data upload setting to the service server 300 (step S12: No), the printing apparatus 100 selects the service server 300 to which the image data is to be uploaded, and selects a public / non-public period. (Step S13). Then, the printing apparatus 100 causes the display unit 150 to display a screen for confirming the service server 300 selected by the user and the public / non-public period, and allows the user to determine whether it is OK or correction (step S14).

  More specifically, the user selects the service server 300 to which image data is uploaded from the screen G11 shown in FIG. Next, image data disclosure / non-disclosure and period are selected from the screen G12. When the selection by the user is completed, the printing apparatus 100 causes the display unit 150 to display the service server 300 selected by the user and a screen G13 for confirming the disclosure / non-disclosure and the period. The screen G13 indicates that the public service A is selected as the upload destination of the image data by the user for 12 hours as the public period. Note that in the screen G11 shown in FIG. 5, the characters “publish” next to the public service A indicate that the public service A can be set to be public / non-public for uploaded image data. Step S13 is a service server designating unit for designating the public period setting unit and the service server 300 for uploading image data in the present embodiment.

  When editing is selected by the user (step S14: editing), the printing apparatus 100 re-executes the process of step S13. On the other hand, when OK is selected by the user (step S14: OK), image data reading is executed (step S15). The processing in step S15 is an image data acquisition unit that reads a document to be uploaded as image data by the reading unit 170 of the printing apparatus 100. As shown in the screen G14 in FIG. 5, there may be a plurality of originals to be read as image data, and the reading of the originals is continued until the user selects “No” on the screen G14 to complete the reading.

  The printing apparatus 100 transmits an image data upload request to the relay server 200 (step S16). The upload request transmitted from the printing apparatus 100 to the relay server 200 includes the image data to be uploaded, the service server 300 that is the upload destination selected by the user, the period information including the disclosure period of the image data set in step S13, and the like. include. Note that step S16 is a transmission means in the present embodiment.

  When receiving the upload request from the printing apparatus 100 (step S17), the relay server 200 stores the image data to be uploaded, the upload destination service server 300, the period information, and the like included in the received upload request in the storage unit. As described above, the storage unit includes the public / private data table 240 and the upload data table 250, and stores the period information in association with the image data and the upload destination service server 300. Step S <b> 17 is a period information receiving unit that receives the period information transmitted from the transmission unit of the printing apparatus 100.

  The relay server 200 generates an image upload URL and transmits it to the printing apparatus 100 (step S18). The image upload URL generated in step S18 is the upload destination URL of the service server 300 acquired by the relay server 200 accessing the upload destination service server 300 included in the upload request. In step S <b> 18, a template that is a predetermined format for uploading image data to the service server 300 is also transmitted from the relay server 200 together with the image upload URL. That is, step S18 is an upload information generating unit that generates information necessary for the printing apparatus 100 to upload image data to the service server 300 and an information return unit that transmits information necessary for uploading to the printing apparatus 100. is there.

  When receiving the image upload URL from the relay server 200, the printing apparatus 100 uploads the image data to the service server 300 (step S19). In this step S19, image data uploading means is executed by transmitting the image data attached to the template to the service server 300 to the image upload URL transmitted from the relay server 200. During uploading in step S19, a screen G15 indicating that the image data is being uploaded is displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 as shown in FIG.

  When receiving the image data from the printing apparatus 100, the service server 300 registers the image data in a predetermined database of the service server 300 (step S20). Then, the service server 300 transmits the image data upload result to the printing apparatus 100 (step S21).

  When the printing apparatus 100 receives the upload result from the service server 300 (step S22), the printing apparatus 100 displays a screen G16 informing the user that the upload of the image data illustrated in FIG. Exit.

  As described above, in the image disclosure system according to the present embodiment, when uploading image data to the service server 300, the selection of the upload destination service server 300, the disclosure / non-disclosure of the image data, and the period are set. be able to.

  Next, the private process shown in FIG. 4 will be described. This private process is a process executed by the relay server 200 that detects that the public setting period has elapsed after uploading image data to the service server 300 with the public setting. The relay server 200 detects that the period for setting the disclosure of the image data has passed based on the period information stored in the storage unit in association with the image data and the service server 300 that is the upload destination. That is, the relay server 200 specifies the image data for which the disclosure period has passed and the service server 300 to which the image data has been uploaded by using an unillustrated disclosure period determination unit and service server identification unit, and executes the following processing.

  When the relay server 200 detects image data for which the disclosure period has elapsed, the relay server 200 transmits non-public setting information to the service server 300 to which the image data has been uploaded (step S31). In step S31, when the period for publishing the image data has elapsed, the image data publishing setting means for setting the image data to be non-public and the non-public command for instructing the non-disclosure of the image data are transmitted to the service server 300 Public command transmission means. When the service server 300 receives the private setting information from the relay server 200 (step S32), the service server 300 sets the image data as private (step S33). Then, the service server 300 transmits the result of the private setting to the relay server 200 (step S34).

  When the relay server 200 receives the result of the private setting from the service server 300 (step S35), the relay server 200 stores and updates the contents of the public / private data table 240 of the storage unit 230 according to the result, and makes the private information private. End the process.

  In this way, in the present embodiment, the relay server 200 manages the public setting period of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 with the public setting, so that it can be set as private.

  Although not shown, for example, the relay server 200 manages the period of the private setting of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 in the private setting, and when the period of the private setting has passed, You can also switch the setting to public.

  Further, a plurality of image data disclosure / non-disclosure periods can be set, and image data once changed from public to private can be changed to public again. Alternatively, image data that has been once changed from private to public may be changed to private again.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the relay server 200 manages the period of disclosure / non-disclosure of image data uploaded to the service server 300, so that the image data is not burdened on the printing apparatus 100. Can be switched between public and private.

  Next, the upload period setting process shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The upload period setting process shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the user in the operation unit 180 of the printing apparatus 100 according to a predetermined operation. In the following description of the upload period setting process, the screen displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 is also described at the same time with reference to FIG.

  The printing apparatus 100 generates a service setting screen according to a predetermined operation of the operation unit 180 of the printing apparatus 100 by the user (step S41). The service setting screen is a screen G21 shown in FIG. The printing apparatus 100 sets the upload period by the user (step S42). That is, the upload period desired by the user is set on the screen G21 shown in FIG.

  The printing apparatus 100 selects the service server 300 to which the image data is uploaded and selects a public / non-public period (step S43). The printing apparatus 100 causes the display unit 150 to display a screen for confirming the upload period set by the user, the service server 300 selected by the user, and the public / non-public period, and allows the user to determine whether it is OK or correction. (Step S44).

  More specifically, the user selects the service server 300 to which image data is uploaded from the screen G22 shown in FIG. Next, image data disclosure / non-disclosure and period are selected from the screen G23. When the selection by the user ends, the printing apparatus 100 displays on the display unit 150 a screen G24 for confirming the upload period set by the user, the service server 300 selected by the user, and disclosure / non-disclosure and period. Let The screen G24 is upload period setting information indicating that the upload period set by the user, the public service A as the upload destination of the image data, and one day as the public period are selected by the user.

  When the correction is selected by the user (step S44: correction), the printing apparatus 100 re-executes the processes of step S42 and step S43. On the other hand, when OK is selected by the user (step S44: OK), the printing apparatus 100 stores the upload period setting information in the storage unit 130 (step S45), and ends the upload period setting process.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even when image data is not uploaded to the service server 300, upload period setting information can be set in advance. The upload period setting information can set a plurality of upload period setting information. Then, the upload period setting information set here is referred to in step S12 of FIG. 3, and the image data is uploaded in the service server 300 or the publication period based on the set upload period setting information. The upload period setting process is an upload period setting unit that sets a work period for performing work of uploading image data to the service server 300.

  Next, the upload period changing process shown in FIG. 8 will be described. The upload period changing process shown in FIG. 8 is a process for changing the upload period setting information set by the user in FIG. In the following description of the upload period changing process, the screen displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 is also described with reference to FIG.

  The printing apparatus 100 reads the upload period setting information according to a predetermined operation of the operation unit 180 of the printing apparatus 100 by the user (step S51). The printing apparatus 100 generates an upload period setting list screen (step S52). The printing apparatus 100 causes the user to select upload period setting information to be changed from the upload period setting list screen (step S53).

  As shown in FIG. 9, a screen G31 is displayed on the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 as an example of the upload period setting list screen. A plurality of upload period setting information is displayed on the upload period setting list screen. The user selects a plurality of upload period setting information to be changed from the displayed plurality of upload period setting information. More specifically, the user searches the upload period setting list screen by scrolling up and down for upload period setting information to be changed. Then, resetting of the upload period setting information selected by the “change” switch is started.

  Note that a screen G32 as an upload period setting list screen shown in FIG. 9 is a modification of the above-described screen G31. That is, the screen G32 shown in FIG. 9 is a modification of the upload period setting list screen. On the screen G32 showing a modification of the upload period setting list screen, a plurality of upload period setting information can be scrolled to the left and right of the display unit 150 of the printing apparatus 100 according to the date.

  The printing apparatus 100 sets the upload period by the user (step S54). The printing apparatus 100 selects the service server 300 to which the image data is uploaded and selects a public / non-public period (step S55). The printing apparatus 100 causes the display unit 150 to display a screen for confirming the upload period set by the user, the service server 300 selected by the user, and the public / non-public period, and allows the user to determine whether it is OK or correction. (Step S56).

  When the correction is selected by the user (step S56: correction), the printing apparatus 100 re-executes the processing of step S54 and step S55. On the other hand, when OK is selected by the user (step S56: OK), the printing apparatus 100 stores the reset upload period setting information in the storage unit 130 (step S57), and ends the upload period change process. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, once set, the upload period setting information can be changed. Thereby, even when a plurality of pieces of upload period setting information are set in advance, it is possible to cope with a case where it is necessary to change the period of disclosure / non-disclosure of image data.

[Modification of image data upload processing]
Next, a modification of the image data upload process from the printing apparatus 100 to the service server 300 via the relay server 200 will be described as an image upload process 2 with reference to FIG. In the following description, the same process as the image upload process shown in FIG. 3 described above is denoted by the same reference numeral, the description thereof is omitted, and only a different process is described.

  FIG. 10 shows image upload processing of image data from the printing apparatus 100 to the service server 300 via the relay server 200. The image upload process 2 shown in FIG. 10 is started when the user performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 180 in the same manner as the image upload process shown in FIG. 3 described above.

  When the relay server 200 receives the upload request from the printing apparatus 100 (step S17), the relay server 200 generates an image upload URL (step S18 '). The image upload URL generated in step S18 'is the upload destination URL of the service server 300 acquired by the relay server 200 accessing the upload destination service server 300 included in the upload request.

  The relay server 200 uploads image data to the service server 300 based on the generated image upload URL (step S19 '). In step S <b> 19 ′, the image data upload is executed by transmitting the image data attached to the template to the service server 300 to the image upload URL generated by the relay server 200.

  When the service server 300 receives the image data from the relay server 200, the service server 300 registers the image data in a predetermined database of the service server 300 (step S20). Then, the service server 300 transmits the image data upload result to the relay server 200 (step S21 ').

  When the relay server 200 receives the upload result from the service server 300, the relay server 200 transmits the received upload result to the printing apparatus 100 (step S22 '). When the printing apparatus 100 receives the upload result (step S22), the image upload process 2 ends.

  As described above, in the image upload process 2 shown in FIG. 10, the image data is uploaded to the service server 300 not from the printing apparatus 100 but in the relay server 200. Thereby, the burden of the printing apparatus 100 can be further reduced.

[Undocumented overwrite processing of image data]
Next, the private overwrite process shown in FIG. 11 will be described. This private overwriting process is executed by the relay server 200 that detects that the public setting period has elapsed after uploading image data to the service server 300 that cannot be set to public / private. In the following description of the private overwrite process, the image data for overwrite generated by the relay server 200 is also described at the same time with reference to FIG. The private overwrite process by the relay server 200 is similar to the private process described above, and the image data whose public period has elapsed and the service server to which the image data is uploaded by the public period determining means and the service server specifying means (not shown). Executed after 300 is identified.

  When the relay server 200 detects that the disclosure period of the image data stored in the public / private data table 240 (see FIG. 2) has elapsed, the relay server 200 sets the image upload URL of the service server 300 to which the image data is uploaded. Generate (step S61).

  The relay server 200 generates image data for overwriting (step S62). The overwriting image data generated by the relay server 200 is, for example, text data notifying the viewer of the image data that the publication period of the image data has ended, as indicated by overwriting image data G41 in FIG. It is. The overwriting image data generated by the relay server 200 is not limited to the text data shown in the overwriting image data G41, and other image data that may be disclosed may be used.

  The relay server 200 uploads the image data for overwriting to the service server 300 based on the generated image upload URL (step S63). In step S63, the image data for overwriting is uploaded by transmitting the image data for overwriting to the image upload URL of the service server 300 generated by the relay server 200.

  When the service server 300 receives the image data for overwriting from the relay server 200, the service server 300 registers the image data for overwriting in a predetermined database of the service server 300 (step S64). Then, the service server 300 transmits the result of uploading the image data for overwriting to the relay server 200 (step S65).

  When receiving the upload result from the service server 300 (step S66), the relay server 200 ends the private overwrite process.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the image data uploaded to the service server 300 that cannot be set to public / private is overwritten by the image data for overwriting generated by the relay server 200 when the public setting period elapses. Is done. Thereby, the image data initially registered in the service server 300 can be made private by changing to the image data for overwriting.

  Although some of the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, these are exemplifications, and the present invention is implemented in other forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Is possible.

  Although the present invention has been described through the above-described embodiments, the following effects can be expected according to the image disclosure system and the printing apparatus of the present embodiment.

  (1) Connection between the printing apparatus 100 provided with the Internet communication unit 110 and the reading unit 170 that can be connected to the Internet line, the service server 300 that performs a public service of uploaded image data, and the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300 Is an image publishing system in which the printing apparatus 100, the service server 300, and the relay server 200 are connected via an Internet line, and the printing apparatus 100 acquires image data by the reading unit 170. Acquired by the acquisition means (FIG. 3, step S15), the publication period setting means (FIG. 3, step S13) for setting the period information (screen G12 in FIG. 5) for specifying the period for publishing the image data, and the reading unit 170. The uploaded image data to the service server 300 Transmitting means (FIG. 3, step S16) for transmitting the upload request for requesting necessary information and the period information set by the disclosure period setting means to the relay server 200, and the relay server 200 responding to the upload request. Image data uploading means for uploading image data to the service server 300 based on information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server 300 (FIG. 3, step S19). In response to the upload request transmitted from the upload server, upload information generation means (FIG. 3, step S18) for generating information necessary for uploading image data to the service server 300, and image data generated by the upload information generation means. Upload to service server Information necessary for this purpose is returned to the printing apparatus 100 (FIG. 3, step S18), and based on the period information, the image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the image data uploading means is disclosed. The image disclosure system is characterized by comprising image data disclosure setting means (step S31 in FIG. 4) that is set to be closed when the period has elapsed. Accordingly, the user can set the disclosure time of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 using the printing apparatus 100. In addition, image data whose release time has passed by the relay server 200 can be made private.

  (2) The printing apparatus 100 includes upload period setting means (FIG. 6, upload period setting process) for setting a work period for performing work for uploading image data to the service server 300, and the work set by the upload period setting means. If the image data is acquired by the image data acquisition means (for example, the reading unit 170) during the period, the upload requesting information required for uploading the image data to the service server 300 by the transmission means (step S16 in FIG. 3). The request and the period information specifying the period to be published set by the publication period setting means are transmitted to the relay server 200. Thereby, the upload period of a plurality of image data can be set in advance by the printing apparatus 100. For this reason, since the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means (for example, the reading unit 170) is automatically uploaded to the service server 300 during the set upload period, the efficiency of the image data upload operation is high.

  (3) The printing apparatus 100 includes service server designating means (step S13 in FIG. 3) for designating a service server 300 for uploading image data from a plurality of service servers 300, and the relay server 200 includes upload information generating means (FIG. 3, the upload information (for example, upload destination URL, template) corresponding to the service server 300 specified by the service server specifying means is generated, and the generated upload information is sent to the upload information return means (step of FIG. 3). In step S18), the image data uploading means is returned to the printing apparatus 100 based on the period information corresponding to the service server 300 designated by the service server designation means by the image data publication setting means (FIG. 4, non-disclosure processing). (Fig. 3 The image data that has been uploaded to the service server 300 by-up S19), and set to private by the period in which the public has elapsed. Thus, the image data can be set to be private according to the service server 300 to which the image data has been uploaded.

  (4) The image data disclosure setting means (FIG. 4, non-disclosure processing) can change the setting so that the image data once set to non-disclosure is disclosed again. Thereby, the image data uploaded to the service server 300 can be made public again.

  (5) The relay server 200 uploads the image data to the service server 300 based on the upload information (for example, image upload URL, template) generated by the upload information generating means (step S18 'in FIG. 10). Accordingly, an image disclosure system that reduces the burden on the printing apparatus 100 can be provided.

  (6) The printing apparatus 100 has an image data acquisition step (FIG. 3, step S15) for acquiring image data by the reading unit 170, and a disclosure period setting step (FIG. 3) for setting period information for specifying a period for disclosing the image data. 3, step S13), an upload request for requesting information necessary for uploading the image data acquired by the reading unit 170 to the service server 300, and period information set by the disclosure period setting means (screen G12 in FIG. 5). ) Is transmitted to the relay server 200 (FIG. 3, step S16), and based on information necessary for uploading the image data returned from the relay server 200 in response to the upload request to the service server 300, Image data upload for uploading image data to the service server 300 The relay server 200 generates information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server 300 in response to the upload request transmitted from the transmission means. A step (FIG. 3, step S18), and an information return step (FIG. 3, step S18) for returning information necessary for uploading the image data generated in the upload information generation step to the service server to the printing apparatus 100; Based on the period information, the image data upload setting step (step S31 in FIG. 4) sets the image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the image data upload step to be unpublished after the period for publishing has passed. Image release characterized by having Modulo. Accordingly, the user can set the disclosure time of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 using the printing apparatus 100. In addition, image data whose release time has passed by the relay server 200 can be made private.

  (7) A connection between the printing apparatus 100 having the Internet communication unit 110 and the reading unit 170 that can be connected to the Internet line, a service server 300 that provides a public service for uploaded image data, and the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300. A printing apparatus 100 in an image disclosure system in which a relay server 200 for relaying, a printing apparatus 100, a service server 300, and a relay server 200 are connected via an Internet line, and an Internet communication unit 110 and a reading unit that can be connected to the Internet line 170, which is connected to the service server 300 and the relay server 200 via the Internet, and the printing apparatus 100 acquires image data by the reading unit 170 (FIG. 3, step S15). And drawing The publication period setting means (FIG. 3, step S13) for setting the period information (screen G12 in FIG. 5) for designating the data publication period, and the image data acquired by the image data acquisition means are uploaded to the service server 300. A transmission unit (FIG. 3, step S16) for transmitting an upload request for requesting information necessary for the request and the period information set by the disclosure period setting unit to the relay server 200, and a reply from the relay server 200 in response to the upload request. Image data uploading means (FIG. 3, step S19) for uploading image data to the service server 300 based on information necessary for uploading the image data to the service server 300. A printing apparatus 100 was obtained. Accordingly, the user can set the disclosure time of the image data uploaded to the service server 300 using the printing apparatus 100.

  (8) Connection between the printing apparatus 100 having the Internet communication unit 110 and the reading unit 170 that can be connected to the Internet line, the service server 300 that performs the public service of the uploaded image data, and the connection between the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300 The relay server 200 in the image disclosure system in which the relay server 200 to be relayed and the printing apparatus 100, the service server 300, and the relay server 200 are connected via an Internet line, and is connected to the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300 via an Internet line. The relay server 200 relays the connection between the printing apparatus 100 and the service server 300, and the relay server 200 responds to an upload request for uploading the image data acquired by the printing apparatus 100 to the service server 300. Next, upload information generating means (FIG. 3, step S18) for generating information necessary for uploading image data to the service server 300, and image data generated by the upload information generating means are uploaded to the service server 300. Information necessary for the purpose is returned to the printing apparatus 100 (FIG. 3, step S18), and period information (screen G12 in FIG. 5) for specifying a period for publishing the image data acquired from the printing apparatus 100. The image data uploading means (step S31 in FIG. 4) for setting the image data uploaded to the service server 300 by the image data uploading means to be private after the period for publishing has been provided. A relay server characterized by Thereby, the image data whose publication time has passed by the relay server 200 can be made private.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printing apparatus 110,210 Internet communication part 120,220 Control part 130,230 Storage part 150 Display part 160 Printing part 170 Reading part 180 Operation part 200 Relay server 300 Service server

Claims (11)

A printing apparatus having communication means connectable to the Internet line and image reading means;
A service server for publishing uploaded image data;
A the printing device and the service server and the printing device and the service server and the relay server and the connected image publishing system by the internet includes a relay server, the relaying connections,
The printing apparatus includes:
Image data acquisition means for acquiring the image data by the image reading means;
A publication period setting means for setting period information for designating a period for publishing the image data;
Transmission means for transmitting information specifying the upload destination the service server of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit, and a said period information set by the publication period set means to the relay server,
Receives the upload destination URL indicating the upload destination of the previous SL image data according to information for specifying the service server from the relay server, based on the upload destination URL, uploads the image data to the service server Image data uploading means,
The relay server is
Upload information acquisition means for acquiring the upload destination URL from the service server according to the information specifying the service server transmitted from the transmission means;
Information return means for returning the upload destination URL acquired by the upload information acquisition means to the printing apparatus;
Based on the period information transmitted from the transmission unit , the image data upload setting for setting the image data uploaded to the service server by the image data upload unit to be unpublished when the period for publishing has elapsed. And an image disclosing system. The printing apparatus includes an upload period setting unit that sets a work period for performing a work of uploading the image data to the service server,
The working period set by the upload period setting means, the case of acquiring the image data by the image data acquisition means, information for specifying the service server of the upload destination that upload the image data by said transmitting means 2. The image disclosure system according to claim 1, wherein period information specifying the period to be published set by the publication period setting unit is transmitted to the relay server. The printing apparatus includes a service server designating unit that designates the service server that uploads the image data from a plurality of the service servers,
The relay server, said by upload information acquisition means, acquires the upload destination URL in accordance with the service servers that are specified by the service server designation means, said the upload destination URL acquired by the previous Kijo report reply means The image data is uploaded to the service server by the image data upload unit based on the period information corresponding to the service server specified by the service server specifying unit by the image data disclosure setting unit. The image publishing system according to claim 1, wherein the image data is set to be unpublished when the publishing period has elapsed.   The image publishing system according to claim 1, wherein the image data publishing setting unit is configured to change the setting so that the image data once set to be unpublished is republished. . The relay server stores a storage unit that stores the upload destination URL corresponding to the service server acquired by the upload information acquisition unit ;
Image data generating means for generating image data for overwriting,
The image data release setting means, when the period of release has elapsed, the image data uploaded to the upload destination URL stored in the storage means, and the overwrite data generated by the image data generation means The image disclosing system according to claim 1, wherein the image disclosing system is not disclosed by rewriting to image data . A printing apparatus having communication means connectable to the Internet line and image reading means;
A service server for publishing uploaded image data;
A relay server that relays the connection between the printing apparatus and the service server,
An image disclosure system in which the printing apparatus, the service server, and the relay server are connected via the Internet line,
The printing apparatus includes:
Image data acquisition means for acquiring the image data by the image reading means;
A publication period setting means for setting period information for designating a period for publishing the image data;
The image data acquired by the image data acquisition means, information for specifying the service server to which the image data is uploaded, and the period information set by the disclosure period setting means are transmitted to the relay server. Transmission means for
The relay server is
Upload information acquisition means for acquiring an upload destination URL from the service server according to the information specifying the service server transmitted from the transmission means;
Image data upload means for uploading the image data to the service server based on the upload destination URL acquired by the upload information acquisition means;
Based on the period information transmitted by the transmitting unit, the image data upload setting for setting the image data uploaded to the service server by the image data uploading unit to be unpublished when the period for publishing has elapsed. And an image disclosing system. A printing apparatus having communication means connectable to the Internet line and image reading means;
A service server for publishing uploaded image data;
A relay server that relays the connection between the printing apparatus and the service server,
An image publishing method in an image publishing system in which the printing apparatus, the service server, and the relay server are connected via the Internet line,
The printing apparatus includes:
An image data acquisition step of acquiring the image data by the image reading means;
A publication period setting step for setting period information for designating a period for publishing the image data;
A transmission step of transmitting information identifying the service server to which the image data is uploaded obtained by the image data obtaining step and the period information set by the disclosure period setting step to the relay server;
Image data for receiving an upload destination URL indicating the upload destination of the image data from the relay server according to the information specifying the service server, and uploading the image data to the service server based on the upload destination URL An upload step,
The relay server is
An upload information acquisition step of acquiring the upload destination URL from the service server according to the information specifying the service server transmitted from the transmission step;
An information return step of returning the upload destination URL acquired in the upload information acquisition step to the printing apparatus;
Based on the period information transmitted from the transmitting step, the image data upload setting for setting the image data uploaded to the service server by the image data uploading step to be unpublished when the period for publishing has elapsed. An image publishing method comprising the steps of: A printing device,
  A service server that performs a public service of image data, a relay server that relays connection between the printing apparatus and the service server, a communication unit that performs data communication by connecting via an Internet line,
Image reading means;
Image data acquisition means for acquiring the image data by the image reading means;
A publication period setting means for setting period information for designating a period for publishing the image data;
Transmitting means for transmitting to the relay server, information identifying the service server to which the image data is uploaded obtained by the image data obtaining means, and the period information set by the disclosure period setting means;
Image data for receiving an upload destination URL indicating the upload destination of the image data from the relay server according to the information specifying the service server, and uploading the image data to the service server based on the upload destination URL And a uploading unit. A relay server that connects a printing device and a service server that performs a public service of uploaded image data via an Internet line, and relays the connection between the printing device and the service server;
The information specifying the upload destination service server to which the image data acquired by the printing apparatus is uploaded is received from the printing apparatus, and the upload destination URL is acquired from the service server according to the information specifying the service server. Upload information acquisition means,
Information return means for returning the upload destination URL acquired by the upload information acquisition means to the printing apparatus;
Period information specifying a period for publishing the image data acquired by the printing apparatus is received from the printing apparatus, and the image data uploaded to the service server is disclosed based on the period information. A relay server comprising: image data disclosure setting means for setting the information to be closed when a period has elapsed. The relay server stores a storage unit that stores the upload destination URL corresponding to the service server acquired by the upload information acquisition unit;
Image data generating means for generating image data for overwriting,
The image data release setting means, when the period of release has elapsed, the image data uploaded to the upload destination URL stored in the storage means, and the overwrite data generated by the image data generation means The relay server according to claim 9, wherein the relay server is made private by rewriting to image data. Receiving means for receiving the image data from the printing device;
The image data uploading means for uploading the image data received from the printing apparatus to the service server based on the upload destination URL obtained by the upload information obtaining means. The relay server described in.

Images