JP5676713B2 - MFP, information processing apparatus, MFP control system, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multifunction peripheral control system in which a multifunction peripheral and an information processing apparatus operate in cooperation. More specifically, the information processing apparatus transmits control information for image data received by a multifunction peripheral having a communication function such as a facsimile. This is related to a multifunction device control system that is centrally managed by the system.

  In recent years, there has been proposed a technique (inbound routing) for transferring received image data to a transfer destination registered in advance according to transmission source information such as a facsimile number of a transmission source and a mail address when a facsimile is received.

  In relation to such a technique, Patent Document 1 proposes a system capable of remotely changing a transfer destination registered in advance in a multifunction peripheral by a terminal device capable of communication.

JP 2009-060211 A (published March 19, 2009)

  However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, since control information such as a transfer destination address is registered for each multifunction device, it is necessary to change control information registered in a plurality of multifunction devices. Every change needs to be made. For this reason, there is a problem that the control information changing operation becomes very complicated.

  Therefore, as a means for solving the problem of Patent Document 1, a system for centrally managing control information in an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a multifunction peripheral is conceivable. In other words, the image data received by the multifunction peripheral is transferred to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus transfers the image data to a predetermined destination according to control information registered in advance. According to this system, it is possible to change the control information for a plurality of multifunction peripherals only by changing the control information that is centrally managed by the information processing apparatus, so that the problem of Patent Document 1 can be solved.

  However, in such a system, it is necessary to first transfer image data received by the multi-function peripheral from the multi-function peripheral to the information processing apparatus, and further transfer the image data from the information processing apparatus to a predetermined destination. For this reason, the network traffic between the multifunction peripheral and the information processing apparatus increases, and a new problem arises that the transfer process takes time. In particular, when the image data size is large, the time required for the transfer process is prolonged, and this problem becomes more obvious.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a composite that can execute predetermined processing on received image data without registering control information such as a transfer destination address. It is to realize the machine.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a multifunction machine according to the present invention includes an image data receiving unit that receives image data via a communication network and is capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus via the communication network. Receiving the image data storing means for storing the image data received by the image data receiving means, and receiving information including the transmission source information of the image data received by the image data receiving means to the information processing apparatus In accordance with the control information receiving means, the control information receiving means for receiving from the information processing apparatus control information including the first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the reception information, and the control information Device control means for executing the first processing content on the image data stored by the image data storage means, The reception information includes a reception type for specifying facsimile, Internet facsimile, or electronic mail, which is a reception method of the image data received by the image data receiving means, and the control information is the transmission that the information processing apparatus has. It is managed by a control information management table in which the original information, the reception type, and the control information are associated with each other, and the first processing content is transfer, printing, deletion, or storage.

  As described above, the MFP according to the present invention includes the image data receiving unit that receives the image data via the communication network, and the image data can be communicated with the information processing apparatus via the communication network. Image data storage means for storing the image data received by the receiving means; and reception information transmitting means for transmitting the reception information including the transmission source information of the image data received by the image data receiving means to the information processing apparatus; The control information receiving means for receiving from the information processing apparatus control information including first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the reception information, and the image data according to the control information Device control means for executing the first processing content on the image data stored by the storage means, and the received information is A reception type for specifying facsimile, Internet facsimile, or electronic mail, which is a reception method of image data received by the image data receiving means, and the control information includes the transmission source information and the It is managed by a control information management table in which the reception type and the control information are associated with each other, and the first processing content is transfer, printing, deletion or storage.

  Therefore, it is possible to realize a multifunction peripheral capable of executing predetermined processing on received image data without registering control information such as a transfer destination address, and an information processing apparatus capable of controlling the multifunction peripheral. There is an effect that can be done.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a multifunction peripheral control system including a multifunction peripheral and an information processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a multifunction peripheral and an information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the control information management table managed by control information management DB shown by FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of image data cooperation processing performed in cooperation between the multifunction peripheral and the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2. 4 shows a part of a reception notification transmitted from the multifunction peripheral to the information processing apparatus in S103 of FIG. 4 illustrates a part of the control notification transmitted from the information processing apparatus to the multifunction peripheral in S106 of FIG. FIG. 7 shows a modification of the control notification shown in FIG. It is a sequence which shows the modification of the image data cooperation process which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a part of the processing start notification transmitted in S203 of FIG. FIG. 9 shows a part of the processing end notification transmitted in S204 of FIG. It is a table | surface which shows the modification of the control information management table shown by FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an internal structure of the image data memory | storage part shown by FIG.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an example of a multifunction machine control system including a multifunction machine and an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

[Configuration of MFP control system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a multifunction machine control system 100 including a multifunction machine 1 and an information processing apparatus 2 according to the present invention.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the multifunction device control system 100 includes a plurality of multifunction devices 1, a plurality of information processing devices 2 that operate in cooperation with each multifunction device 1, and an authentication server 3 that authenticates a user. Are connected by a communication network line 50 such as LAN, WAN. For this reason, the devices included in the multifunction device control system 100 can communicate with each other through a predetermined communication protocol through the communication network line 50.

  As the communication network line 50, various communication lines such as the Internet, a telephone line, a serial cable, another wired line, or a wireless line can be used. In the present embodiment, the communication network line 50 is connected to the Internet from a router via an optical fiber.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the MFP 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 are connected by a communication network line 50 and communicate with each other using a communication method such as HTTP, HTTPS, or SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). Is possible. Hereinafter, configurations of the multifunction machine 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 will be described.

[Configuration of MFP]
First, the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction machine 1 includes a device control unit (device control unit) 10, an operation unit 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, and a first communication unit (image data receiving unit). A received information transmitting unit, a control information receiving unit, a notifying unit, a modem (image data receiving unit) 15, and an image data storage unit 16.

  The device control unit 10 controls each unit included in the multifunction device 1. When the apparatus control unit 10 receives a facsimile, an Internet facsimile, an electronic mail, or the like from an external device, the apparatus control unit 10 acquires reception information of the received image data and stores the image data in the image data storage unit 16. Here, the received information is various information relating to the received image data. For example, in addition to transmission source information such as a facsimile number, an Internet facsimile address or an e-mail address, a reception type (facsimile, Internet facsimile, e-mail, etc.) ), Information on the contents of reception, such as image data size, communication start time, communication end time, or type of facsimile line (line type). For example, when a facsimile is received by the modem 15, the device control unit 10 stores the received image data in the image data storage unit 16.

  In addition, the device control unit 10 issues a reception notification for transmitting the acquired reception information to the information processing device 2 via the first communication unit 14. The reception notification may include all acquired reception information, or may include only reception information corresponding to registered reception information (see FIG. 3, specific information) described later. Note that if only the reception information corresponding to the registered reception information is included in the reception notification, the network traffic between the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 can be reduced.

  Further, when the device control unit 10 obtains a control notification corresponding to the reception notification from the information processing device 2, the device control unit 10 performs each process so as to execute predetermined processing on the image data according to the control information included in the control notification. Control. For example, when image data transfer processing is instructed in the control information, the device control unit 10 reads the corresponding image data from the image data storage unit 16 and transfers the read image data to a predetermined destination. Control each part. Alternatively, when printing of image data is instructed in the control information, the device control unit 10 reads the corresponding image data from the image data storage unit 16 and controls the image forming unit 13 to print the read image data. Execute the process.

  In addition, the device control unit 10 controls various processes in accordance with instructions input to the operation unit 11 by the user. For example, when the transmission destination fax number or sender name is input to the operation unit 11 and the transmission start button is pressed, the device control unit 10 controls the image reading unit 12 to read the document and read the read image. The data is output to the modem 15 in a format that can be faxed, and the fax transmission is executed.

  The operation unit 11 is a user interface that notifies the user of various types of information and receives user input. The operation unit 11 includes an input unit 11a including various input keys and a display unit 11b such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation unit 11 may be a touch panel in which the input unit 11a and the display unit 11b are integrally formed.

  The image reading unit 12 includes a scanner and a document transport unit that transports a document to the position of the scanner, and reads characters and images printed on the document as image data.

  The image forming unit 13 prints an image (character / photo / graphic) corresponding to input image data on a recording sheet such as paper, and includes a photosensitive drum, a charging device, an exposure device, and a developing device. A transfer device, a fixing device, and a paper tray. Specifically, the image forming unit 13 receives image data input from the image reading unit 12, or image data such as print data or facsimile received from an external device or the like via the first communication unit 14 or the modem 15. Execute print processing for.

  The first communication unit 14 is an interface that communicates with the information processing apparatus 2 and other external devices via a communication network line 50 such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN. The first communication unit 14 receives Internet facsimile or electronic mail from an external device, and outputs the received image data to the device control unit 10. The first communication unit 14 transmits an output signal obtained by converting the image data read by the image reading unit 12 into an appropriate format to an external device via the communication network line 50. The first communication unit 14 can also transmit image data by e-mail.

  The modem 15 is an interface that communicates with an external device via the telephone line 51. The modem 15 receives a facsimile or the like from an external device, and outputs the received image data to the device control unit 10. The modem 15 transmits an output signal obtained by converting the image data read by the image reading unit 12 into an appropriate format to an external device via the telephone line 51.

  The image data storage unit 16 stores image data received by facsimile, Internet facsimile, electronic mail or the like. The image data storage unit 16 can be a RAM, an HDD, or the like. The image data stored in the image data storage unit 16 includes various data such as characters, photographs, and graphics.

[Configuration of information processing device]
Next, the configuration of the information processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The information processing apparatus 2 is configured by incorporating an application program on a personal computer. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 2 includes a second communication unit (reception information receiving unit) 20, an image data cooperation processing unit 21, an external application unit 22, and an external application storage unit 23. It is a server computer.

  The second communication unit 20 is an interface that communicates with the multifunction peripheral 1 and other external devices via a communication network line 50 such as a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. The second communication unit 20 receives the reception notification from the multifunction device 1 and outputs it to the image data cooperation processing unit 21. Further, the second communication unit 20 transmits the control notification output from the image data cooperation processing unit 21 to the multifunction device 1.

  The image data cooperation processing unit 21 controls image data cooperation processing performed in cooperation between the multifunction machine 1 and the information processing apparatus 2. The image data cooperation processing unit 21 specifies the image data received by the multifunction device 1 from the received information, and transmits control information to the multifunction device 1 so that predetermined processing is performed on the image data. . As shown in FIG. 2, the image data cooperation processing unit 21 includes a multifunction device management unit (control information reading unit) 24, a multifunction device control unit (control information transmission control unit) 25, and a control information management database (DB: Control information storage means) 26.

  The multifunction device management unit 24 performs information management of the multifunction device 1 to be controlled. When the multifunction device management unit 24 acquires the reception information, the multifunction device management unit 24 determines whether or not the multifunction device 1 that has transmitted the reception information is a control target. refer. Then, the multifunction device management unit 24 reads out control information including processing contents to be executed on the image data based on the received information from the control information management table, and sends the control information to the multifunction device control unit 25.

  The multifunction device control unit 25 transmits the control information read by the multifunction device management unit 24 to the multifunction device 1 so that predetermined processing is performed on the image data received by the multifunction device 1. It is something to control. Specifically, when acquiring the control information from the MFP management unit 24, the MFP control unit 25 performs a control notification for transmitting the acquired control information to the MFP 1 via the second communication unit 20.

  The control information management database 26 stores and saves a control information management table. In the control information management table, registration identification information and control information are registered in advance and managed in a state of being associated with each other. Details of the control information management table will be described later.

  The external application unit 22 performs an operation according to a predetermined web application. That is, the external application unit 22 performs operations according to various web applications that run on the web server. This web application is, for example, a custom application described in Java (registered trademark) script, and is an application that operates in a Java (registered trademark) script execution environment provided on a web server.

  The external application storage unit 23 stores various external applications 27 for controlling the multifunction machine 1.

[Control information management table]
Next, the control information management table stored in the control information management database 26 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a table showing an example of a control information management table managed by the control information management database 26. As shown in FIG. 3, registered reception information and control information are registered in advance in the control information management table, the registration reception information in the left column and the control information corresponding to the registration reception information in the right column. Is managed.

  Here, the registered reception information is information for specifying the image data received by the multifunction device 1 (also referred to as information indicating the contents of reception when the image data is received), and is transmitted from the multifunction device 1. Among various types of information included in the received information, one or more pieces of information are arbitrarily registered. Accordingly, the registered reception information includes transmission source information, reception type, image data size, communication time (communication start time, communication end time), or facsimile line type.

  The transmission source information specifies the transmission source of the image data received by the multi-function device 1 and includes, for example, a facsimile number, an Internet facsimile address or an e-mail address of the image data transmission source. By registering the transmission source information as the registered reception information, it is possible to change the control information for the image data for each transmission source facsimile number, Internet facsimile address, or electronic mail address. In the control information management table shown in FIG. 3, an example of the transmission source information is shown in the second column on the left side.

  The reception type specifies the reception method of the image data received by the multifunction device 1 and includes, for example, facsimile, Internet facsimile, electronic mail, and the like. By registering the reception type as registered reception information, it is possible to perform operations such as transfer by electronic mail in the case of Internet facsimile reception, and printing in the case of facsimile reception using a telephone line. In the control information management table shown in FIG. 3, an example of the reception type is shown in the left first column.

  The image data size specifies the size of the received image data. By registering the image data size as registered reception information, the control information can be changed according to the image data size. For example, it is possible to perform operations such as transferring image data smaller than a predetermined size to the mobile terminal device and transferring image data larger than the predetermined size to the PC.

  The communication time specifies the time required from the start of communication to the end of communication when the multifunction device 1 receives image data. By registering the communication time as registered reception information, for example, it is assumed that image data that took a long communication time will also take a long time to be transferred. Operation such as not performing is possible.

  The type of the facsimile line is for specifying the facsimile line that has received the image data when the multi-function device 1 includes a plurality of facsimile lines (telephone lines). By registering the type of facsimile line as registered reception information, for example, the facsimile line A (phone number xxx-xxx-xxx1) is an order request, so that the received image data is transferred to the sales department, or the facsimile line B ( Since the phone number xxx-xxx-xxx2) is for communication between the head offices of the company, it is possible to operate such as printing the received image data.

  Note that the type and number of registered reception information managed by the control information management table can be changed as needed.

  The control information is information for controlling the multifunction device 1 such that a predetermined process is executed on the image data specified by the registration reception information. That is, the control information is information indicating a predetermined process to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the registration reception information. The control information includes processing contents for image data, destination information such as a transfer destination address, and the like.

  The processing content (first processing content) indicates the content of processing executed by the multifunction device 1 for the received image data, and includes, for example, transfer, printing, deletion, or storage. In the control information management table shown in FIG. 3, an example of processing contents is shown in the second column on the right side.

  The transfer is an instruction to transfer the received image data using a data transfer protocol such as electronic mail, facsimile, Internet facsimile, SMB, HTTP POST, and FTP.

  The printing is an instruction to print the received image data using the printing function of the multifunction device 1. Specifically, the device control unit 10 controls the image forming unit 13 to perform image formation for printing, and prints image data on recording paper or the like.

  Deletion is an instruction to delete the received image data. The image data received by the multi-function device 1 may include a facsimile or electronic mail transmitted for advertising purposes. For this reason, image data from a specific transmission source registered as registered reception information in the control information management table can be deleted as unnecessary. Alternatively, the multifunction device 1 can be controlled by setting a control information management table so as to delete data from a transmission source that is not registered as registered reception information in the control information management table.

  The storage is instructed to maintain the state in which the received image data is stored in the image data storage unit 16 provided by the multifunction device 1. Thereby, for example, the user can select the processing contents after viewing the image data by browsing the image data by operating the operation unit 11, performing printing if necessary, deleting if unnecessary, and the like. It becomes possible.

  The destination information is information for designating a transfer destination or storage destination of image data, and includes, for example, a facsimile number, an Internet facsimile address, an e-mail address, and a folder name. The destination information is information registered when the processing content is transferred or saved. In the control information management table shown in FIG. 3, an example of destination information is shown in the first column on the right side.

  Note that the type and number of control information managed in the control information management table can be changed as needed.

  As described above, the MFP control system 100 is configured to centrally manage the control information that has been registered for each MFP by the information processing apparatus 2. For this reason, even if it is necessary to change control information registered in a plurality of multifunction peripherals, it is only necessary to change the contents of the control information management table managed by the information processing apparatus 2 to Control information can be changed.

[Image data linkage processing]
Next, the flow of image data cooperation processing performed in cooperation between the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 included in the multifunction device control system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of image data cooperation processing performed in cooperation between the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 included in the multifunction device control system 100. As described above, the multifunction machine 1 can receive image data from an external device via the communication network line 50 or the telephone line 51. Specifically, the multifunction device 1 receives image data via the telephone line 51 in the case of facsimile, and via the communication network line 50 in the case of Internet fax, e-mail, or the like.

  When image data is received via the modem 15 or the first communication unit 14 (S101), the device control unit 10 acquires reception information of the received image data and stores the image data in the image data storage unit 16. . At this time, the device control unit 10 adds the identification information to the image data and stores it in the image data storage unit 16. This identification information is used when the image data that is the target of the control information acquired in the subsequent step (S108) is read from the image data storage unit 16.

  Next, the device control unit 10 transmits a reception notification including the acquired reception information to the information processing apparatus 2 via the first communication unit 14. In this reception notification, in addition to receiving information such as receiving type, facsimile number, sender name, e-mail address, receiving information such as image data size, communication start time, communication end time, etc., the image data is identified. Identification information is included.

  FIG. 5 illustrates a part of the reception notification transmitted from the multifunction device 1 to the information processing apparatus 2 in S103 of FIG. The reception notification shown in FIG. 5 is an example of a SOAP base, and SOAP is a protocol for calling data and services based on XML, HTTP, and the like. By using such a reception notification, it is possible to execute processing in cooperation with each other.

  In the reception notification shown in FIG. 5, <fileId> 1234 </ fileId> is identification information, <type> fax </ type> is a reception type, <number> 0123-456-xxx </ number> is transmission source information, <name> ABC Inc. </ name> is the sender name, <size> 5MB </ size> is the image data size, <startAt> 20100501-123456 </ startAt> is the communication start time, <endAt> 20100501-123538 < / endAt> indicates the communication end time. In the reception notification shown in FIG. 5, the identification information is included in the item of reception information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the identification information may be a separate item without being included in the received information item.

  Next, the device control unit 10 determines whether or not the reception notification is completed by the first communication unit 14 (S103).

  When the transmission of the reception notification has not been completed (No in S103), the device control unit 10 controls the first communication unit 14 to perform a reception notification retransmission process. On the other hand, when the transmission of the reception notification is completed (Yes in S103), the multifunction device 1 receives a control notification from the information processing apparatus 2, or enters a standby state until a predetermined time elapses.

  On the other hand, when the information processing apparatus 2 receives a reception notification from the multifunction device 1 via the second communication unit 20 (S104), the multifunction device management unit 24 manages the multifunction device 1 that has transmitted the reception notification. Determine whether or not. For example, the multifunction device management unit 24 determines whether or not the multifunction device 1 is a management target by referring to the internal memory using device information included in the reception notification as a key.

  When the MFP 1 that has made the reception notification is a management target, the MFP management unit 24 refers to the control information management database 26 to identify control information (S105).

  More specifically, using the control information management table shown in FIG. 3, the multifunction device management unit 24 first registers registered reception information that matches the reception information included in the reception notification on the left side of the control information management database 26. Search whether it is registered in the column.

  When the matching registration reception information is registered, the multifunction device management unit 24 reads the control information from the right column of the control information management database 26 and outputs the read control information to the multifunction device control unit 25. When acquiring the control information from the MFP management unit 24, the MFP control unit 25 sends a control notification for transmitting the acquired control information from the MFP 1 via the second communication unit 20 (S106).

  FIG. 6 illustrates a part of the control notification transmitted from the information processing apparatus 2 to the multifunction device 1 in S106 of FIG. The control notification shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted from the information processing apparatus 2 to the multifunction device 1 as a response to the SOAP-based reception notification shown in FIG.

  In the control notification shown in FIG. 6, <fileId> 1234 </ fileId> is identification information, <type> email </ type> is processing content, and <address> sample@example.com </ address> is destination information. . That is, the control information shown in FIG. 6 controls the multifunction device 1 so as to transfer the received image data to “sample@example.com”.

  When the control notification is received from the information processing apparatus 2 (Yes in S107), the device control unit 10 returns from the standby state and acquires control information from the control notification (S108).

  On the other hand, when the device control unit 10 does not receive the control notification within the predetermined time (No in S107), the device control unit 10 returns from the standby state and performs a reception notification retransmission process.

  Then, the device control unit 10 controls each unit to execute predetermined processing on the image data according to the control information (S109). For example, when the control notification shown in FIG. 6 is received, the device control unit 10 reads the image data from the image data storage unit 16 using the identification information <fileId> 1234 </ fileId>, and the processing content <type> email </ type> and destination information <address> sample@example.com </ address>, a control command for controlling each unit is generated, and transfer processing is executed on the read image data.

  As described above, the MFP 1 according to the present embodiment includes the image data storage unit 16 that stores the image data received by the first communication unit 14 or the modem 15, and the reception information that includes the transmission source information of the image data. A first communication unit 14 that transmits the image data to the information processing device 2, and a device control unit that executes predetermined processing on the image data stored in the image data storage unit 16 in accordance with the control information received from the information processing device 2. It has.

  In addition, the information processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment receives the reception information from the multifunction device 1 and the control information management DB 26 that stores the registration consultation information included in the reception information and the control information corresponding to the registration consultation information. The second communication unit 20, the multifunction device management unit 24 that acquires the control information corresponding to the received information received by the second communication unit 20 from the control information management DB 26 based on the registered reception upper side, and the multifunction device management unit And a multifunction machine control unit 25 that performs control to transmit the control information read by the machine 24 to the multifunction machine 1.

  Therefore, in the multifunction device control system 100 according to the present embodiment, control information that has been registered for each multifunction device is centrally managed by the information processing apparatus 2, and thus control information registered in a plurality of multifunction devices is stored. Even when it is necessary to change the control information, it is possible to change the control information for each MFP simply by changing the contents of the control information management table of the information processing apparatus 2.

  Further, according to the MFP control system 100 according to the present embodiment, the MFP 1 transmits the reception notification to the information processing apparatus 2 including the reception information of the received image data while holding the image data. 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 can reduce network traffic.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the MFP control system 100 that can execute predetermined processing on received image data without registering control information in the MFP 1.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the device control unit 10 of the multifunction device 1 generates a control command according to the control information and controls each unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the multifunction device control unit 25 included in the information processing apparatus 2 generates a control command according to the control information and directly controls each unit of the multifunction device 1.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, the control notification including the processing content and the destination information as the control information has been described with reference to FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control notification may further include control information when an error occurs.

  As described above, when the control information acquired by the multifunction device 1 is an instruction to transfer the image data to a predetermined destination, the multifunction device 1 executes a transfer process on the image data according to the control information. To do. At this time, there may be a case where the image data cannot be transferred to a predetermined destination due to the occurrence of a network trouble or the like. If a transfer error occurs, it is possible to control the multifunction device 1 so as to execute the retransmission process. However, if there is a failure in the transfer destination, the multifunction device 1 keeps operating until the failure in the transfer destination is resolved. The image data cannot be transferred. Therefore, there arises a problem that uncompleted transfer jobs are accumulated in the multifunction device 1.

  Therefore, for example, when a transfer error occurs, the second process is performed as control information when a transfer error occurs, such as causing the multifunction device 1 to execute a printing process or notifying the administrator by e-mail. It is preferable that the content is included in the control notification and transmitted to the multifunction device 1.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a part of a control notification including control information when an error occurs. As shown in FIG. 7, in the control notification including the control information at the time of error occurrence, the control information at the time of error occurrence includes <error> <process> <type> print </ type> in addition to the normal control information. </ process> </ error> is included. In the control notification shown in FIG. 7, <type> print </ type> indicates the second processing content, and printing is instructed as processing when a transfer error occurs. For this reason, when receiving the control notification, the multifunction device 1 first executes a transfer process on the image data in accordance with normal control information. When a transfer error occurs, print processing is executed on the image data according to the control information at the time of the error occurrence.

  In this way, by including the control information at the time of the error occurrence in the control notification, it is possible to solve problems such as accumulation of uncompleted jobs in the multifunction device 1.

(Modification 2)
In the above embodiment, referring to FIG. 4, image data that transmits a reception notification from the multifunction device 1 to the information processing device 2 and transmits control information from the information processing device 2 to the multifunction device 1 as a response thereto. The flow of linkage processing was explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the image data cooperation processing, a configuration in which a processing start notification and a processing end notification are transmitted from the multifunction device 1 to the information processing device 2 may be employed.

  When a control notification is sent to the multifunction device 1 and a predetermined process is executed on the image data, it is preferable that the information processing apparatus 2 knows whether the process has been executed normally. For example, when the image data is instructed to be transferred to a predetermined destination, whether or not the transfer process is normally executed in the multifunction device 1 or whether or not the print process when an error occurs is normally executed. Can be grasped by the information processing apparatus 2, information such as the location of output data can be provided to the user.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence showing a modified example of the image data cooperation processing performed in cooperation between the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 included in the multifunction device control system 100. As shown in FIG. 8, after receiving the control notification (S202), the multifunction device 1 receives a process start notification (A203) for notifying the start of the process, and a process end notification (S204) for notifying the end of the process. Is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 2. In this case, identification information that can uniquely identify the job, such as JobId, is included in the reception notification, processing start notification, and processing end notification so that it can be specified which image data the job notification is for. include.

  FIG. 9 illustrates a part of the process start notification transmitted in S203 of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 illustrates a part of the process end notification transmitted in S204 of FIG. is there. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the processing start notification and the processing end notification contain identification information as in the case of the reception notification shown in FIG. Can be specified.

  In this way, by transmitting a process start notification and a process end notification from the multifunction device 1 to the information processing device 2, it is determined whether or not the processing performed in the multifunction device 1 has been normally executed. Therefore, it is possible to provide information such as the location of output data to the user.

(Modification 3)
In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the processing content and the destination information are registered as control information in the control information management table has been described with reference to FIG. By using such a control information management table and specifying the storage location of image data for each registered reception information, it is also possible to restrict browsing of image data by a third party and prevent information leakage. is there.

  Normally, facsimile data whose address cannot be specified can be printed at the time of reception, or can be displayed in a preview even if it is stored in the multifunction device 1 without being printed. For this reason, an unspecified number of users can browse the facsimile data. In such a state, there is a problem of information leakage. Therefore, by designating the storage location of the image data for each registered reception information in the control information management table, it is possible to restrict browsing of the image data by a third party and prevent information leakage.

  FIG. 11 is a table showing a modification of the control information management table. In the control information management table shown in FIG. 11, a user folder is specified as a storage destination of image data, and the device control unit 10 that has acquired the control information stores the image data in a predetermined user folder according to the control information. Execute the process. Although the location where the user folder is stored is not particularly limited, it is assumed here that each user folder is stored in the image data storage unit 16.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the image data storage unit 16. As shown in FIG. 12, the image data storage unit 16 stores a plurality of user folders, and each user folder stores image data for each transmission source information. For example, two image data files are stored in the “User1” folder, and no image data file is stored in the “User2” folder.

  When the user starts the operation of the multifunction device 1 and the login user is specified by the authentication process, the device control unit 10 reads the image data stored in the corresponding user folder and displays the read image data on the display unit. 11b. Alternatively, the device control unit 10 controls each unit so that the presence or absence of the image data stored in the corresponding user folder is displayed on the display unit 11b.

  As described above, by specifying the storage destination of the image data for each transmission source information in the control information management table, it is possible to restrict browsing of the image data by a third party and prevent information leakage.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Finally, each block of the multifunction machine 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 include a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, and a RAM ( random access memory), a storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data.

  The object of the present invention is to read the program codes (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of the control programs of the device control unit 10 and the image data linkage processing unit 21 which are software for realizing the functions described above by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the recording medium recorded as possible to the multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU). .

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM (registered trademark) / flash ROM.

  The multifunction device 1 and the information processing apparatus 2 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
As described above, the multifunction peripheral according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes an image data receiving unit that receives image data via a communication network, and is capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus via the communication network. Reception information for transmitting image data storage means for storing the image data received by the image data receiving means, and reception information including transmission source information of the image data received by the image data reception means to the information processing apparatus In accordance with the control information receiving means for receiving from the information processing device, the control information including the first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the reception information, and the control information, Device control means for executing the first processing content on the image data stored by the image data storage means, and the reception The information includes a reception type for specifying facsimile, Internet facsimile, or electronic mail, which is a reception method of the image data received by the image data receiving means, and the control information is the transmission source of the information processing apparatus. Information, the reception type, and the control information are managed in association with each other, and the first processing content is transfer, printing, deletion, or storage.

  In the MFP according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the control information includes the second processing content, and the device control unit is configured to execute the first processing content when the execution of the first processing content fails. The second processing content may be executed.

  In addition, in the MFP according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1 or 2, the MFP includes notification means for notifying the information processing apparatus of the start or end of processing for the image data stored in the image data storage means. It may be.

  In the MFP according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the aspects 1 to 3, the control information includes destination information for designating a transfer destination or storage destination of the image data stored by the image data storage unit. .

An information processing apparatus according to aspect 5 of the present invention is an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the multi-function peripheral according to aspects 1 to 4 via a communication network, and at least a part of the received information. The specific information including at least the transmission source information and the reception type is associated with the control information including the first processing content executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the specific information. Control information storage means for storing the control information management table to be managed; reception information reception means for receiving the reception information from the reception information transmission means;
Control information reading means for reading the control information corresponding to the specific information of the received information received by the received information receiving means from the control information management table of the control information storage means, and the control information reading means And control information transmission control means for performing control to transmit the control information read out by the control information receiving means.

  A multifunction device control system according to aspect 6 of the present invention includes the multifunction device according to aspects 1 to 4, and the information processing apparatus according to aspect 5 that communicates with the multifunction device.

  A program according to aspect 7 of the present invention is characterized by causing a computer to function as each of the means included in the multi-function peripheral according to aspects 1 to 4.

  A program according to aspect 8 of the present invention is characterized by causing a computer to function as each of the means included in the information processing apparatus according to aspect 5 described above.

  A computer-readable recording medium according to aspect 9 of the present invention is characterized in that the program according to aspect 7 or 8 is recorded.

[Supplement]
The present invention can also be expressed as follows. That is, a multifunction peripheral according to the present invention includes image data receiving means for receiving image data via a communication network. In the multifunction peripheral capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus via the communication network, the image data receiving means Image data storage means for storing the received image data; reception information transmission means for transmitting reception information including transmission source information of the image data received by the image data reception means to the information processing apparatus; and the reception Control information including first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the information from the information processing apparatus, and according to the control information, the image data storage unit And a device control unit that executes the first processing content on the stored image data.

  According to the above invention, when the image data receiving means receives the image data via the communication network, the image data storage means stores the image data. On the other hand, the reception information transmission unit transmits reception information including transmission source information of image data to the information processing apparatus.

  Here, the received information is various information relating to image data such as transmission source information, and the transmission source information includes a facsimile number, an electronic mail address, an Internet facsimile address, and the like of the image data transmission source.

  When the control information receiving unit receives control information including the first processing content to be executed on the image data from the information processing apparatus, the device control unit performs the first process on the image data according to the control information. Execute the contents.

  As described above, the present invention is configured to acquire control information for image data by transmitting reception information to the information processing apparatus while retaining the received image data.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize a multi-function peripheral that can execute predetermined processing on received image data without registering control information.

  In the MFP according to the present invention, it is preferable that the first processing content is transfer, printing, deletion, or storage.

  According to the above invention, the control information received by the control information receiving means includes transfer, printing, deletion or storage as the first processing content. Therefore, the device control unit can execute transfer, print, delete, or save processing on the image data according to the control information.

  As a result, various processes can be executed on the image data, and flexible operation on the image data can be realized.

  In the MFP according to the present invention, the control information includes the second processing content, and the device control unit executes the second processing content when the execution of the first processing content fails. It is preferable.

  According to the above invention, the control information received by the control information receiving means includes the second processing content in addition to the first processing content. The device control unit is configured to execute the second processing content on the image data when the execution of the first processing content fails.

  For example, when the first processing content is transfer of image data, the device control unit executes transfer processing on the image data according to the control information. At this time, if the image data cannot be transferred due to the occurrence of a network trouble, an uncompleted transfer job accumulates. Therefore, when a transfer error occurs, it is preferable to include the second processing content in the control information so as to execute a printing process on the image data.

  As described above, by including the second processing content to be executed when an execution error of the first processing content occurs in the control information, problems such as accumulation of uncompleted jobs can be solved.

  In addition, the multifunction peripheral according to the present invention preferably includes notifying means for notifying the information processing apparatus of the start or end of processing for the image data stored in the image data storage means.

  According to the above invention, the notifying means notifies the information processing apparatus of the start or end of the processing for the image data. Therefore, it is possible for the information processing apparatus to grasp whether or not the processing for the image data has been executed normally.

  This makes it possible to provide information such as the location of output data to the user.

  In the MFP according to the present invention, the reception information includes a reception type, an image data size, a communication start time, a communication end time, or a line that specifies a reception method of the image data received by the image data receiving unit. It is preferable to include these types.

  According to the above invention, the reception information transmitted from the reception information transmission means to the information processing apparatus includes the reception type, the image data size, the communication start time, the communication end time, or the line for specifying the image data reception method. The types of are included.

  The reception type specifies the reception method of the image data received by the image data receiving means, and includes, for example, facsimile, Internet facsimile, electronic mail and the like. By including the reception type in the reception information, it is possible to perform operations such as transfer by e-mail in the case of Internet facsimile reception and printing in the case of facsimile reception using a telephone line.

  In addition, by including the image data size in the reception information, the control information can be changed according to the image data size. For example, it is possible to perform operations such as transferring image data smaller than a predetermined size to the mobile terminal device and transferring image data larger than the predetermined size to the PC.

  Also, by including the communication start time and communication end time in the received information, for example, it is assumed that it takes time to transfer image data that took a long communication time, so the predetermined communication time was exceeded. In such a case, it is possible to operate such as not performing transfer.

  The line type is, for example, for specifying a facsimile line that has received image data when a plurality of facsimile lines are provided. By including the type of the facsimile line as the received information, for example, the facsimile line A is an order request, so the received image data is transferred to the sales department, or the facsimile line B is received because it is for communication between the head offices of the company. It is possible to operate such as printing the image data.

  As described above, when the reception information includes the reception type, the image data size, the communication start time, the communication end time, or the line type, flexible operation for the image data can be realized.

  In the MFP according to the present invention, it is preferable that the control information includes destination information for designating a transfer destination or a storage destination of the image data stored by the image data storage unit.

  According to the above invention, the control information includes destination information for designating a transfer destination or storage destination of image data.

  Therefore, the device control unit can transfer the image data to a predetermined transfer destination or store the image data in a predetermined folder according to the control information.

  Normally, facsimile data whose address cannot be specified can be printed at the time of reception, or displayed in a preview even if stored without being printed. For this reason, an unspecified number of users can browse the facsimile data. In such a state, there is a problem of information leakage. Therefore, for example, by specifying the storage destination of the image data in the destination information, the device control unit can execute processing such as storing the image data transmitted from the same transmission source in a folder of a specific user. it can.

  As a result, browsing of image data by an unspecified number of users can be restricted, and information leakage can be prevented.

  An information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with the multifunction device via a communication network, and is at least a part of the received information, and includes specific information including at least transmission source information And control information storage means for storing the control information including the first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the specific information, and the reception information from the reception information transmission means. A reception information receiving means for receiving information; a control information reading means for reading out the control information corresponding to the reception information received by the reception information receiving means from the control information storage means; and a read by the control information reading means. Control information transmission control means for performing control to transmit the issued control information to the control information receiving means is provided.

  According to the above invention, when the reception information receiving means receives the reception information, the control information reading means reads the control information corresponding to the reception information from the control information storage means. The control information transmission control unit performs control to transmit the control information read by the control information reading unit to the control information receiving unit. That is, the information processing apparatus can centrally manage the control information.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize an information processing apparatus capable of executing predetermined processing on received image data without registering control information in the multifunction peripheral.

  A multifunction peripheral control system according to the present invention includes the multifunction peripheral and the information processing apparatus that communicates with the multifunction peripheral.

  According to the above invention, since the MFP and the information processing apparatus that communicates with the MFP are provided, predetermined processing is executed on the received image data without registering control information in the MFP. It is possible to realize a multifunction device control system that can be made to operate.

  The multifunction device and the information processing apparatus may be realized by a computer. In this case, a program that causes the multifunction device and the information processing apparatus to be realized by a computer by causing the computer to operate as the above-described units, A computer-readable recording medium on which it is recorded also falls within the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be suitably used for a multifunction machine control system in which control information for image data received by a multifunction machine having a communication function such as a facsimile is centrally managed by an information processing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunction machine 2 Information processing apparatus 10 Device control part (device control means)
14 1st communication part (image data receiving means / reception information transmitting means / control information receiving means / notification means)
15 Modem (image data receiving means)
16 Image data storage unit (image data storage means)
20 Second communication unit (reception information receiving means)
21 Image Data Cooperation Processing Unit 24 Multifunction Device Management Unit (Control Information Reading Unit)
25 MFP control unit (control information transmission control means)
26 Control information database (control information storage means)
50 Communication network line (communication network)
51 Telephone line (communication network)
100 MFP control system

Claims (9)

In a multi-function device comprising image data receiving means for receiving image data via a communication network, and capable of communicating with an information processing device via the communication network,
Image data storage means for storing image data received by the image data receiving means;
Reception information transmitting means for transmitting reception information including transmission source information of image data received by the image data receiving means to the information processing apparatus;
Control information receiving means for receiving, from the information processing apparatus, control information including first processing content to be executed on the image data received with the content indicated by the reception information;
Device control means for executing the first processing content on the image data stored by the image data storage means according to the control information;
With
The reception information includes a reception type that specifies facsimile, Internet facsimile, or electronic mail, which is a reception method of image data received by the image data receiving means,
The control information is managed in a control information management table in which the information processing apparatus has the transmission source information, the reception type, and the control information associated with each other.
The multifunction device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing content is transfer, printing, deletion or storage. The control information includes the second processing content,
The multifunction device according to claim 1, wherein the device control unit executes the second processing content when the execution of the first processing content fails.   The multifunction device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the information processing device of a start or end of processing for the image data stored in the image data storage unit.   4. The multifunction device according to claim 1, wherein the control information includes destination information for designating a transfer destination or a storage destination of the image data stored by the image data storage means. . An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a multifunction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 via a communication network,
The first information to be executed on the image data received with the specific information including at least the transmission source information and the reception type, and the content indicated by the specific information. Control information storage means for storing the control information management table for managing the control information including processing contents in association with each other;
Receiving information receiving means for receiving the receiving information from the receiving information transmitting means;
Control information reading means for reading the control information corresponding to the specific information of the received information received by the received information receiving means from the control information management table of the control information storage means;
Control information transmission control means for performing control to transmit the control information read by the control information reading means to the control information receiving means;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   A multifunction machine control system comprising: the multifunction machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and the information processing apparatus according to claim 5, which communicates with the multifunction machine.   The program for functioning a computer as said each means with which the compound machine of any one of Claim 1 to 4 is provided.   The program for functioning a computer as said each means with which the information processing apparatus of Claim 5 is provided.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 7 or 8 is recorded.

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