JP6281411B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for preventing data from being transmitted to a transmission destination that is input in error.

  In a communication apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, data may be erroneously transmitted because an incorrect transmission destination is input by a user. In order to prevent such erroneous transmission due to erroneous input of the transmission destination, a communication device equipped with an erroneous transmission prevention function has appeared (see Patent Document 1). As an erroneous transmission prevention function, for example, when receiving a data transmission instruction from a user, a technique for displaying a confirmation screen for allowing the user to confirm whether or not the transmission destination is correct before transmitting the data is known. It has been.

JP 2000-184007 A

  However, even when the confirmation screen for prompting the user to confirm whether or not the transmission destination is correct before sending data as described above, the transmission destination is not correctly confirmed by the user. May cause erroneous transmission of data. In addition, a new operation is required in which the user views the confirmation screen before data transmission and inputs whether or not the transmission destination is correct.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and there is a risk that data may be transmitted to an erroneously input transmission destination without displaying a confirmation screen or the like and accepting an instruction from the user as to whether or not the transmission destination is correct. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device that can reduce the noise.

  A communication apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention stores a communication unit that performs communication with another device, a communication control unit that controls a communication operation of the communication unit, a transmission destination, and information regarding the transmission destination. A transmission destination information storage unit, an image information storage unit that stores image data and information related to the image data, and an instruction to transmit data to a specified transmission destination among the transmission destinations stored in the transmission destination information storage unit Determining whether the image shown in the image data stored in the image information storage unit is included in the image shown in the data to be transmitted according to the transmission instruction received by the receiving unit An image indicated by the image data stored in the image information storage unit in the image indicated by the data to be transmitted by the determination unit. When it is determined that it is included, information about the image data determined to be included is acquired from the image information storage unit, and information regarding the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction is acquired as the transmission destination information storage unit Whether or not to cause the communication unit to transmit the data to be transmitted to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction based on whether or not the information regarding the acquired image data and the information regarding the transmission destination match. It is a communication device that determines whether or not.

  According to the communication device according to one aspect of the present invention described above, data is transmitted to an erroneously input transmission destination without displaying a confirmation screen or the like and accepting an instruction from the user regarding whether or not the transmission destination is correct. The fear can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating an appearance of a display unit and an operation unit of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of content of information stored in a storage unit that functions as a transmission destination information storage unit of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part which functions as an image information memory | storage part of the image forming apparatus as an example of the communication apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow when receiving image data stored in a storage unit of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and information related to the image data. It is a figure which shows an example of the process which receives designation | designated of the one part range in image data. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow when data is transmitted by facsimile communication, mail communication, or the like in the image forming apparatus as an example of the communication apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the data of transmission object. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on a display unit of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow of an image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to a modification of the present invention.

  An image forming apparatus as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a facsimile communication function, a mail communication function, a copy function, a printer function, and a scanner function. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2, an image reading unit 10 disposed above the apparatus main body 2, and a connecting unit provided between the image reading unit 10 and the apparatus main body 2. 3.

  The image reading unit 10 is an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) having a document transport unit 6 and a scanner that optically reads a document transported by the document transport unit 6 or a document placed on contact glass (not shown). is there. The image reading unit 10 acquires data to be transmitted by reading each document to be transmitted by the facsimile communication function or the mail communication function one by one. The image reading unit 10 also functions as an image data acquisition unit that acquires an image such as a specific logo or icon stored in the storage unit 60 described later.

  The image memory 20 is an area for temporarily storing data that is read by the image reading unit 10 and that is to be transmitted by facsimile transmission or mail transmission. The image memory 20 temporarily stores data transmitted from other devices (facsimile device, PC, etc.) by facsimile communication, mail communication, etc., and received via a facsimile communication unit 70 and a communication interface 80 described later. It also functions as an area to perform.

  The image forming unit 30 reads data stored in the image memory 20 and forms (prints) an image on a sheet supplied from the sheet feeding unit 4 using the data. The printed paper is discharged to the discharge tray 5.

  The display unit 40 is disposed on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 and includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic EL (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display. As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 40 displays a setting screen for accepting settings related to data transmission / reception such as facsimile transmission / reception and mail transmission / reception.

  The operation unit 50 includes, for example, a start key for instructing the start of facsimile transmission or mail transmission or the start of reading of a document, a determination key (enter key) for performing a confirmation operation on the GUI constituting the menu screen, and numeric input And a numeric input key for performing the operation, and accepts an operation on the menu screen displayed on the display unit 40 from the user.

  The storage unit 60 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Although details will be described later, the storage unit 60 includes a transmission destination information storage unit that stores transmission destinations in facsimile transmission and mail transmission and information on the transmission destinations, image data such as specific logos and icons, and information on the image data Functions as an image information storage unit.

  The facsimile communication unit 70 includes an encoding / decoding unit (not shown), a modem unit, an NCU (Network Control Unit), and the like. The image forming apparatus 1 is connected to other devices via a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Networks). The facsimile communication unit 70 performs facsimile transmission and facsimile reception using PSTN with other devices under the control of the communication control unit 102 of the control unit 100 described later.

  The communication interface 80 includes a communication module such as a LAN chip (not shown), and performs mail transmission and mail reception using the Internet network under the control of the communication control unit 102 of the control unit 100 described later.

  The image forming apparatus 1 further includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. The control unit 100 is configured to execute a control program such as a communication control program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 60 on the CPU, so that the control unit 101, the communication control unit 102, the reception unit 103, and the determination unit 104 are executed. And the display control unit 105. Note that the control unit 101, the communication control unit 102, the reception unit 103, the determination unit 104, and the display control unit 105 of the control unit 100 may be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation based on the communication control program described above. Good.

  The control unit 101 governs overall operation control of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 101 is connected to the image reading unit 10, the image memory 20, the image forming unit 30, the display unit 40, the operation unit 50, the storage unit 60, the facsimile communication unit 70, the communication interface 80, and the like. It controls the operation of each of the above mechanisms and transmits / receives signals or data to / from each mechanism.

  The communication control unit 102 has a function of controlling transmission / reception of data by facsimile communication using a communication signal in a predetermined facsimile communication protocol via the facsimile communication unit 70. Further, the communication control unit 102 has a function of controlling transmission / reception of data by mail communication via the communication interface 80.

  Further, when the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is the transmission destination confirmation mode, the communication control unit 102 receives an input of the transmission destination from the user, and transmits data to the received transmission destination by facsimile transmission or mail transmission. In this case, it is determined whether or not the transmission destination input by the user is correct using information stored in the storage unit 60 functioning as a transmission destination information storage unit and an image information storage unit. The image forming apparatus 1 is a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions, and has various operation modes such as a facsimile communication mode for performing facsimile communication, a mail communication mode for performing mail communication, and an image forming mode for forming an image. Yes. The transmission destination confirmation mode is an operation mode for determining whether or not the transmission destination is correct. When the receiving unit 103 receives an instruction to shift to the transmission destination confirmation mode based on a user operation using the operation unit 50 or the like, the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is switched from the control unit 101 to the transmission destination confirmation mode.

  The accepting unit 103 has a function of accepting an instruction regarding facsimile communication or mail communication in accordance with a user operation input using the operation unit 50 or the like based on a setting screen or the like displayed on the display unit 40. The accepting unit 103 accepts, for example, an instruction to transmit data to a designated transmission destination among the transmission destinations stored in the storage unit 60 serving as a transmission destination information storage unit in response to a user operation.

  The determination unit 104 adds a specific logo or the like stored in the storage unit 60 as the image information storage unit to the image indicated by the transmission target data by the transmission instruction received by the reception unit 103 by image processing such as pattern matching. It is determined whether an image indicated by image data such as an icon is included.

  The display control unit 105 has a function of controlling the display operation of the display unit 40. For example, the display control unit 105 causes the display unit 40 to display a setting screen for receiving settings related to data transmission / reception such as facsimile transmission / reception and mail transmission / reception.

  Next, contents of information stored in the storage unit 60 functioning as a transmission destination information storage unit and an image information storage unit will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the content of information stored in the storage unit 60 that functions as a transmission destination information storage unit. In the example shown in this figure, the storage unit 60 stores a facsimile number as a transmission destination in facsimile transmission, and stores a mail address as a transmission destination in mail transmission. Further, in addition to the above transmission destination, the storage unit 60 stores accompanying information including an organization name to which the transmission destination belongs and a person name of the transmission destination as information on the transmission destination. In the example shown in FIG. 4, for example, as information regarding the transmission destination (management number 1) of the facsimile number “066-XX” email address “AAA@BBB.com”, “□□□ Corporation” “◇◇◇ The organization name of “section” is stored.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the content of information stored in the storage unit 60 that functions as an image information storage unit. In the example shown in the figure, the storage unit 60 stores image data such as a specific logo or icon. In addition, logos and icons etc. that can be specified from character codes, font names, formatting information such as character spacing, etc. without graphics etc. (In the example shown in FIG. 5, the logo of XXX Corporation and the logo of △△△ hospital correspond) Instead of storing the logo, icon or the like as image data in the storage unit 60, the storage unit 60 may store format information such as a character code, a font name, and a character interval instead. In addition to the image data such as logos and icons, the storage unit 60 may store format information such as character codes, font names, and character spacing.

  In addition to the image data such as the specific logo and icon, the storage unit 60 stores accompanying information including an organization name and a name represented by the image data as information related to the image data. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, for example, the organization name “□□□ Corporation” or “◇◇◇ Section” is stored as information regarding the icon of the management number 1.

  The transmission destination and the information related to the transmission destination stored in the storage unit 60 and the image data and the information related to the image data before the transmission instruction by facsimile communication or mail communication is input by the user. , Input in advance by the user.

  Next, a specific operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 when receiving image data stored in the storage unit 60 and information related to the image data.

  The control unit 101 of the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether or not the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is the image information registration mode (step S10). The image information registration mode is an operation mode for accepting input of image information, and the control unit 101 accepts an instruction that the accepting unit 103 should transition to the image information registration mode based on a user operation using the operation unit 50 or the like. In this case, the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is switched to the image information registration mode.

  When the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is the image information registration mode (YES in step S10), the control unit 101 acquires image data as an image data acquisition unit (step S11). For example, the control unit 101 acquires the image data by controlling the image reading unit 10 to read a document conveyed by the document conveyance unit 6. The control unit 101 may acquire data received via the facsimile communication unit 70 or the communication interface 80 as image data.

  Thereafter, the accepting unit 103 accepts designation of a part of the range in the image data acquired in step S11 (step S12). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing for accepting designation of a part of a range in the image data acquired in step S11. In the example shown in the figure, image data D1 including various logos, icons, character strings, and the like is acquired by the control unit 101. The accepting unit 103 accepts designation of an icon A1 and a logo A2 that are a partial range of the image data D1 based on a user operation using the touch panel function, the operation unit 50, or the like. The designated icon A1 and logo A2 are extracted and stored in the storage unit 60 as image data.

  After the process of step S12, the accepting unit 103 accepts information (accompanying information) related to image data including the range specified in the process of step S12 (step S13).

  Thereafter, the control unit 101 causes the storage unit 60 to store the image data received by the receiving unit 103 in the processes of steps S12 and S13 and information related to the image data (step S14).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 when data is transmitted by facsimile communication, mail communication, or the like.

  The receiving unit 103 of the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether a transmission instruction for transmitting data by facsimile communication, mail communication, or the like has been received (step S20).

  When the transmission instruction is accepted (YES in step S20), the communication control unit 102 determines whether or not the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is the transmission destination confirmation mode (step S21).

  When the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is not the transmission destination confirmation mode (NO in step S21), the communication control unit 102 transmits the data to be transmitted to the transmission destination indicated by the transmission instruction received in the process of step S20. 70 or the communication interface 80 (step S28).

  When the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 is the transmission destination confirmation mode (YES in step S21), the determination unit 104 determines whether the transmission target data includes the image indicated by the image data stored in the storage unit 60. Is determined (step S23).

  If the transmission target data does not include the image indicated by the image data stored in the storage unit 60 (NO in step S23), the communication control unit 102 causes the transmission target data to be transmitted in the process of step S28.

  When the data to be transmitted does not include the image indicated in the image data stored in the storage unit 60 (NO in step S23), the communication control unit 102 transmits information and transmission related to the image data stored in the storage unit 60. It is determined whether or not the information regarding the destination matches (step S24).

  When the information regarding the image data matches the information regarding the transmission destination (YES in step S24), the communication control unit 102 indicates that the transmission destination input by the user is correct and the data to be transmitted is indicated in the transmission instruction. Decide to send to the destination. That is, the communication control unit 102 transmits the transmission target data in the process of step S28.

  On the other hand, when the information regarding the image data and the information regarding the transmission destination do not match (NO in step S24), the communication control unit 102 determines that the transmission destination input by the user may be incorrect, It is determined not to transmit to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction, and transmission of the transmission target data is stopped (step S25).

  The processing in step S23 and step S24 will be specifically described using an example of transmission target data shown in FIG. The transmission target data D2 includes a plurality of icons, character strings, and the like. The determination unit 104 determines whether or not an image indicated by image data such as a specific logo or icon stored in the storage unit 60 is included in the transmission target data D2 by image processing such as pattern matching. . Here, the icon A2 included in the transmission target data D2 is stored in the storage unit 60 as image data of the management number 1 (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, the communication control unit 102 determines whether or not the information regarding the image data stored in the storage unit 60 matches the information regarding the transmission destination. For example, when the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction received by the reception unit 103 is the transmission destination of the management number 1 shown in FIG. 4, both the information regarding the image data and the information regarding the transmission destination stored in the storage unit 60 are included. “□□□ Corporation” and “◇◇◇ Section” agree. In this case, assuming that the transmission destination input by the user is correct, the communication control unit 102 determines to transmit the transmission target data to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction. On the other hand, when the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction received by the reception unit 103 is the transmission destination of the management number 4 shown in FIG. 4, both the information related to the image data stored in the storage unit 60 and the information related to the transmission destination are included. It does not match. In this case, the communication control unit 102 determines that the data to be transmitted is not transmitted to the transmission destination indicated by the transmission instruction, assuming that the transmission destination input by the user may be incorrect. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of transmitting data to a transmission destination that is input in error.

  Returning to FIG. 8, after the processing of step S <b> 25, the display control unit 105 retransmits the data to the transmission destination and the notification screen for notifying that the transmission of the data to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction is stopped. A reception screen for receiving an instruction as to whether or not is displayed on the display unit 40 (step S26). In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the image D3 displayed on the display unit 40 serves as the notification screen and the reception screen.

  Thereafter, the receiving unit 103 determines whether or not an instruction to retransmit data to be transmitted has been received (step S27). In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, when the button d1 provided on the image D3 is selected by the user using the touch panel function, the operation unit 50, or the like, the reception unit 103 receives a re-transmission instruction for data to be transmitted. On the other hand, when the button d2 provided on the image D3 is selected, the accepting unit 103 accepts an instruction to cancel retransmission of data to be transmitted.

  When receiving an instruction to retransmit data to be transmitted (YES in step S27), the communication control unit 102 causes the data to be transmitted to be transmitted in the process of step S28.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the modification of the present invention. Note that the description of the same processing as the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is omitted.

  If the information related to the image data stored in the storage unit 60 matches the information related to the transmission destination (YES in step S33), the communication control unit 102 communicates with the facsimile communication unit 70 and the communication interface 80 between the transmission destination devices. Communication is performed to acquire position information where the device is located (step S34). For example, when the transmission destination device has a GPS (Global Positioning System) function, the communication control unit 102 acquires latitude / longitude information obtained using the GPS function. In addition, the communication control unit 102 may acquire the IP address of the transmission destination device, and specify the position of the transmission destination device using the acquired IP address. Since the technology for specifying the position of the device using the IP address is a known technology, a description thereof will be omitted.

  After acquiring the position information, the communication control unit 102 determines whether or not the transmission destination device is located in the site of the organization stored as information on the image data in the storage unit 60 (step S35). For example, when the location information of the organization is stored in the storage unit 60 as the information related to the image data in addition to the organization name, the location information of the organization and the device acquired in step S34 are stored. Using the position information, it is determined whether or not the transmission destination device is located within the site of the organization. The communication control unit 102 may acquire position information corresponding to the organization name stored in the storage unit 60 from the network via the facsimile communication unit 70 or the communication interface 80.

  When the transmission destination device is located within the site of the organization stored in storage unit 60 (YES in step S35), communication control unit 102 transmits to the transmission destination indicated by the transmission instruction received in the process of step S30. The target data is transmitted to the facsimile communication unit 70 and the communication interface 80 (step S39).

  On the other hand, when the transmission destination device is not located within the site of the organization stored in the storage unit 60 (NO in step S35), it is determined not to transmit the transmission target data to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction, Transmission of data to be transmitted is stopped (step S36).

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the modification, in addition to the information regarding the image data and the information regarding the transmission destination stored in the storage unit 60, the transmission is performed using the position information of the transmission destination device input by the user. Since it is determined whether or not to transmit the target data, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the data is erroneously transmitted because an incorrect transmission destination is input by the user.

  In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus is shown as an example of a communication apparatus, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this case. The communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to, for example, a portable terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone, a personal computer, a television, or the like in addition to the image forming apparatus.

  The communication control program described in the above embodiment may be recorded on a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or semiconductor memory. In this case, a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium that records the transmission control program is an embodiment of the present invention.

1 image forming apparatus 40 display unit 50 operation unit 60 storage unit 70 facsimile communication unit 80 communication interface 100 control unit 101 control unit 102 communication control unit 103 reception unit 104 determination unit 105 display control unit

Claims (5)

A communication unit that communicates with other devices;
A communication control unit for controlling a communication operation of the communication unit;
A transmission destination information storage unit that stores information about the transmission destination and the transmission destination;
An image information storage unit for storing image data and information related to the image data;
A reception unit that receives an instruction to transmit data to a specified transmission destination among the transmission destinations stored in the transmission destination information storage unit;
A determination unit that determines whether the image indicated in the image data stored in the image information storage unit is included in the image indicated in the transmission target data according to the transmission instruction received by the reception unit; Prepared,
The communication control unit is included when the determination unit determines that the image indicated in the image data stored in the image information storage unit is included in the image indicated in the transmission target data. Information relating to the image data determined to be acquired from the image information storage unit, information relating to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction is obtained from the transmission destination information storage unit, and information relating to the acquired image data and transmission Based on whether or not the information about the destination matches, determine whether to cause the communication unit to transmit the transmission target data to the transmission destination indicated in the transmission instruction ,
The communication control unit determines whether or not to cause the communication unit to transmit the transmission target data to the transmission destination, and causes the communication unit to communicate with the transmission destination device so that the device A communication device that acquires position information of a position and performs the position information in addition to information about the image data and information about the transmission destination . The transmission destination information storage unit stores an organization name to which the transmission destination belongs as information on the transmission destination,
The image information storage unit stores a tissue name represented by the image data as information on the image data,
The communication control unit, when the organization name to which the transmission destination stored in the transmission destination information storage unit belongs and the organization name represented by the image data stored in the image information storage unit, The communication unit causes the transmission target data to be transmitted to the transmission destination, the organization name to which the transmission destination belongs stored in the transmission destination information storage unit and the image data stored in the image information storage unit The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit does not cause the communication unit to transmit the data to be transmitted to the transmission destination when the organization name represented by is not matched. The image information storage unit stores a tissue name represented by the image data as information on the image data,
The communication control unit determines whether the transmission destination device is within the organization site indicated by the organization name using the position information, and the transmission destination device is within the organization site. The transmission unit transmits the transmission target data to the transmission destination, and determines that the transmission destination device is not within the premises of the organization. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication apparatus does not transmit to the transmission destination. A display control unit for controlling a display unit and a display operation of the display unit;
The display control unit, when the organization name to which the transmission destination stored in the transmission destination information storage unit belongs and the organization name represented by the image data stored in the image information storage unit, A notification screen for notifying that transmission of data to the transmission destination has been stopped, and a reception screen for receiving an instruction as to whether or not to retransmit data to the transmission destination are displayed on the display unit,
Said communication control unit, when the accepting unit accepts an instruction to resend the data to the transmission destination, the to resend the data to the transmission destination to the communication unit, one of claims 1 to 3 Item 1. The communication device according to item 1. An image data acquisition unit for acquiring image data;
The accepting unit accepts designation of a part of the range in the image data obtained by the image data obtaining unit, and accepts information on the image data including the designated range,
The image information storage unit stores information about the image data and the image data received by the front Ki受 mounting portion, a communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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