JP7140178B2 - Electronic device, program, communication system, communication method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic equipment , programs, communication systems, and communication methods.

2. Description of the Related Art A pull print service is known in which document data is transmitted from a mobile terminal or the like to a cloud server on the Internet, and a user prints the document data on the cloud server from an arbitrary multifunction device. A user can print document data from a multifunction device such as a business trip destination.

It would be convenient if such operations could be performed by operating the MFP from a mobile terminal, but the mobile terminal cannot always communicate with the MFP. Therefore, there is known a technique in which a mobile terminal obtains communication information for communicating with a multifunction device from the multifunction device by short-range wireless communication or the like (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100003). Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200001 discloses an image processing system in which a mobile terminal that has acquired communication information with a short-range wireless device requests printing from a multifunction peripheral via a network using the communication information.

By the way, there is also a need to capture image data read by a scanner of a multifunction device into a mobile terminal instead of having the multifunction device print the image. In this case, it is conceivable that the user causes the MFP to read the document, causes the portable terminal and the MFP to communicate, and receives the image data from the MFP to the portable terminal.

However, when a mobile terminal has a switched line type second communication means such as 3G or LTE and a first communication means such as wireless LAN or Wi-Fi, the mobile terminal generally uses the second communication means. is set to On the other hand, the mobile terminal and the multi-function peripheral generally communicate using the first communication means. Therefore, in order for the mobile terminal to receive the image data from the MFP, the user has to perform a switching operation from the second communication means to the first communication means.

In addition, there is also the problem that it is not preferable in terms of security for the user's mobile terminal to connect to the network to which the multi-function peripheral is connected using the first communication means.

It is not technically impossible for the mobile terminal to use the second communication means and the first communication means in parallel so as not to perform the switching operation. After trying to communicate with the MFP by the first communication means, if the communication fails, the procedure may be to start the communication by the first communication means. A certain amount of time is required until the second communication means determines that communication is impossible (until timeout occurs), which is inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that does not require switching from a second communication means to a first communication means.

The present invention provides an electronic device that communicates with an information processing device, including a communication method from the information processing device to a storage device on a network, and information for the electronic device to store electronic data in the storage device. acquisition means for acquiring the electronic data through short-range wireless communication; generating means for creating the electronic data; the information for saving the electronic data is an indirect specification file designating a storage location on the network as storage location information for the electronic data on the network. and the transmitting means performs control to store the electronic data having the file name given by the electronic device in the location specified by the indirect specification file .

It is possible to provide an electronic device that does not require switching of communication means when acquiring electronic data.

It is an example of the figure explaining the schematic operation|movement of the communication system of this embodiment. 1 is an example of a system configuration diagram of a communication system; FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a mobile terminal; FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a multifunction machine; FIG. 1 is an example of a hardware configuration diagram of a cloud storage; FIG. 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal, multi-function peripheral, and cloud storage included in a communication system; FIG. FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram showing a procedure for a mobile terminal to receive cloud storage access information; It is an example of an access information input screen displayed on the display device of the portable terminal. FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure in which a mobile terminal transmits cloud storage access information to a multifunction device, the multifunction device transmits image data to the cloud storage, and the mobile device acquires image data from the cloud storage. FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure in which a mobile terminal transmits cloud storage access information to a multifunction device, the multifunction device transmits image data to the cloud storage, and the mobile device acquires image data from the cloud storage. FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a mobile terminal to receive a file; FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for displaying whether or not image data is received by the mobile terminal; FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for a multi-function device to store image data in cloud storage; FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram showing a procedure by which an administrator makes settings for limiting a method of saving image data to a cloud storage. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting storage method conditions; FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram showing processing performed by the MFP when the storage method conditions are not met;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, it demonstrates, referring drawings for the form for implementing this invention.

<Explanation of general operation>
FIG. 1 is an example of a diagram explaining a schematic operation of a communication system 100 of this embodiment. A user carries a mobile terminal 10, and the mobile terminal 10 has a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module Card) for connecting to a circuit-switched communication network such as a mobile phone network.
(1) The mobile terminal 10 can communicate with the multi-function device 30 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark; hereinafter omitted) and NFC (Near Field Communication). The mobile terminal 10 transmits the image data storage method to the multi-function device 30 using short-range wireless communication. The storage method is, for example, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator, etc.) and information for the cloud storage 50 to authenticate the user.
(2) The user places the manuscript on the contact glass of the multifunction device 30 and causes it to be read. The multi-function device 30 reads a document and generates image data.
(3) The MFP 30 communicates with the cloud storage 50 according to the storage method and stores the image data in the cloud storage 50 .
(4) While the MFP 30 is reading, the portable terminal 10 communicates with the cloud storage 50 using the connection method and attempts to acquire image data.
(5) When the image data is registered in the cloud storage 50 , the mobile terminal 10 acquires the image data from the cloud storage 50 .

Therefore, the user can receive the image data of the document read by the multi-function device 30 with a simple operation (limited operations such as starting reading). The user does not need to switch from switched line type communication to wireless LAN communication. Also, the mobile terminal 10 does not need to be connected to a network such as a wireless LAN to which the multifunction machine 30 is connected.

<Terms>
The electronic data in the claims may be any data that is transmitted and received via a network. In this embodiment, it is image data, for example. In addition, data that has undergone some processing by the multi-function device 30 may be used. For example, the image data may be text data subjected to character recognition processing, image data including the result of face recognition, or the like. The voice data may be text data obtained by voice recognition, or may be translated document data. The original data may be held by the MFP 30 or may be transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 .

The storage method is information regarding how electronic data should be stored. At a minimum, it contains a repository that specifies a resource on the Internet. In addition, the multi-function device 30 may include a method or means for storing image data in the cloud storage 50, and may include a communication method (communication protocol or Web API).

The storage location information is information indicating the location where the electronic data is stored. It can also be called address information. In this embodiment, the term "URL" will be used.

<System configuration example>
FIG. 2 is an example of a system configuration diagram of the communication system 100 of this embodiment. A communication system 100 has a mobile terminal 10 , a cloud storage 50 , and a multi-function device 30 .

The mobile terminal 10 and the cloud storage 50 communicate via the network N1. The network N1 of the present embodiment is a network using circuit-switched public lines such as 3G, 4G, and LTE. A circuit-switched public line is a communication line that connects locations and is used by unspecified users sharing the same physical line. For example, a mobile phone network and a PHS communication network can be mentioned. The mobile terminal 10 can also connect to an access point via a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi and communicate with the cloud storage 50 via the Internet.

The mobile terminal 10 and the MFP 30 communicate via the network N2. The network N2 of this embodiment is a network using short-range wireless communication such as NFC, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy. In addition, any network that can be used simultaneously with public line communication, such as infrared communication and visible light communication, may be used.

The MFP 30 and the cloud storage 50 communicate via the network N3. The network N3 of this embodiment is constructed by a LAN constructed in a facility where the multifunction machine 30 is installed, a provider network of a provider that connects the LAN to the Internet, and a line provided by a line operator. there is If the network N3 has multiple LANs, the network N3 is called WAN or Internet. The network N3 may be constructed in a wired or wireless manner, or may be a combination of wired and wireless. Also, when the multi-function device 30 is directly connected to the public line network, it can be connected to the provider network without going through the LAN.

The mobile terminal 10 has a function as an information processing device, and application software (hereinafter simply referred to as an application), which will be described later, is running. The application has a function of acquiring (downloading) image data from the cloud storage 50 . Also, the mobile terminal 10 may have a function of printing the document data stored in the cloud storage 50 on the multifunction device 30 . The mobile terminal 10 is specifically a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a game machine, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a digital camera, a wearable PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, etc., but is not limited to these. do not have.

Cloud storage 50 is a storage device on the Internet. It can also be called a storage device used in a service that provides disk space on the Internet to users. In addition to "cloud storage", it may also be called "online storage". The cloud storage 50 can be used by both general users and companies. Companies do not need to build their own file server environment, and can increase or decrease capacity as needed. Also, the multi-function device 30 can register image data on the cloud storage 50 via the Internet, and the portable terminal 10 can retrieve the image data on the cloud storage 50 via the Internet.

The cloud storage 50 has a large-capacity storage, but generally has a function as an information processing device as well as a storage function. Also, cloud is an abbreviation for cloud computing, and refers to a form of usage in which resources on a network are used without being conscious of specific hardware resources. The cloud storage 50 does not need to be housed in a single housing or provided as a set of devices, and is configured by dynamically connecting and disconnecting hardware resources according to the load. . Further, it may be constructed in a virtualized environment in one information processing apparatus, or may be constructed across a plurality of information processing apparatuses.

The multi-function device 30 is an electronic device called an image forming device, an image processing device, or a printer. The MFP 30 generates electronic data to be transmitted to the cloud storage 50 . However, it may have one or more of fax, print or copy functions. The multi-function device 30 may also be called an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral), copier, copier, office equipment, or the like. Also, the multi-function device 30 may have various image processing functions such as an OCR function.

The multi-function device 30 may have a function of creating image data such as a scanner function. In this sense, a device having an imaging function such as a digital camera is also an electronic device of the present embodiment. An electronic device having an imaging function transmits the created image data to the cloud storage 50 .

<Hardware configuration>
<<About the hardware of the mobile terminal 10>>
The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment is realized by a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. 3, for example. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of the mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 10 shown in FIG. , an SSD (Solid State Drive) 108, a short-range wireless communication device 109, and the like, which are interconnected by a bus B, respectively.

The input device 101 is, for example, a touch panel, and is used to input each operation signal to the mobile terminal 10 . Note that the input device 101 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. The display device 102 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays the processing result by the mobile terminal 10 .

The external I/F 103 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 103a and the like. A USB cable, a recording medium 103a, and the like are connected to the external I/F 103 . The recording medium 103a can store a program that implements the display method of this embodiment. Via the external I/F 103, the mobile terminal 10 can read and/or write to the recording medium 103a.

The recording medium 103a is, for example, a recording medium such as an SD memory card. The recording medium 103a may be a recording medium such as a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a CD (Compact Disk), a flexible disk, or the like.

A RAM 104 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data. The ROM 105 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 105 stores programs and data such as a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) executed when the mobile terminal 10 is started, OS settings, and network settings.

The CPU 106 is an arithmetic unit that realizes overall control and functions of the mobile terminal 10 by reading programs and data from a storage device such as the ROM 105 and the SSD 108 onto the RAM 104 and executing processing.

A communication I/F 107 is an interface for performing communication via the network N. FIG. For example, the communication I/F 107 is an interface for connecting the mobile terminal 10 to the cloud storage 50 via the network N1. That is, communication I/F 107 is an interface for connecting to the Internet via a public line network. On the other hand, the communication I/F 107 also has a function of connecting to a wireless LAN or Wi-Fi.

The SSD 108 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs 108p and data. The stored program 108p and data include, for example, an OS (Operating System), which is basic software that controls the entire mobile terminal 10, and applications that provide various functions on the OS. The SSD 108 manages stored programs and data using a predetermined file system and/or DB (database). Note that the mobile terminal 10 may include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like instead of the SSD 108 or in combination with the SSD 108 .

The short-range wireless communication device 109 is, for example, a communication device conforming to NFC or Bluetooth communication standards. For example, NFC is sometimes called a reader/writer. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 can perform data communication with the multi-function device 30 via the short-range wireless communication device 109 .

The mobile terminal 10 according to the present embodiment can implement various types of processing described later with the hardware configuration described above.

<<Regarding the hardware of the MFP 30>>
The multi-function device 30 according to this embodiment is implemented by a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. 4, for example. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of the MFP 30 according to this embodiment. The MFP 30 shown in FIG. 4 has a controller 201, an operation panel 202, an external I/F 203, a communication I/F 204, a printer 205, a scanner 206, a short-range wireless communication device 207, and the like.

The controller 201 has CPU211, RAM212, ROM213, NVRAM214, and HDD215. The ROM 213 stores various programs and data. A RAM 212 temporarily holds programs and data. The NVRAM 214 stores, for example, setting information. The HDD 215 stores various programs 215p and data.

The CPU 211 reads the program 215p, data, setting information, etc. from the ROM 213, the NVRAM 214, the HDD 215, and the like onto the RAM 212, and executes processing, thereby realizing control and functions of the entire multifunction device 30. FIG.

The operation panel 202 has an input unit for receiving input from the user and a display unit (having a touch panel) for displaying. An external I/F 203 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 203a and the like. Note that the recording medium 203a includes a flexible disk, CD, DVD, SD memory card, USB memory, and the like.

A communication I/F 204 is an interface for performing communication via the network N. FIG. In this embodiment, it connects with the cloud storage 50 via the network N3.

A printer 205 is a printing device for printing and outputting data to be printed. A scanner 206 is a reading device that optically reads a document and converts it into electronic data.

The short-range wireless communication device 207 is, for example, a communication device conforming to NFC or Bluetooth communication standards. For example, NFC is sometimes called a reader/writer. As a result, the MFP 30 can perform data communication with the mobile terminal 10 via the short-range wireless communication device 207 .

The multi-function device 30 according to the present embodiment can implement various types of processing, which will be described later, with the hardware configuration described above.

<<About the hardware of cloud storage 50>>
FIG. 5 is an example of a hardware configuration diagram of the cloud storage 50. As shown in FIG. The cloud storage 50 has a CPU 301 , a ROM 302 , a RAM 303 and an auxiliary storage device 304 . Further, the cloud storage 50 has an input unit 305, a display I/F 306, a network I/F 307 and an external device I/F 308. Note that each part of the cloud storage 50 is connected to each other via a bus B. FIG. Therefore, the cloud storage 50 has a function as an information processing device.

The CPU 301 executes various programs 304p stored in the auxiliary storage device 304, an OS (Operating System), and the like. ROM 302 is a non-volatile memory. A ROM 302 stores a system loader, data, and the like.

A RAM 303 is a main storage device such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). When executed by the CPU 301 , the program 304 p stored in the auxiliary storage device 304 is developed in the RAM 303 , and the RAM 303 becomes a work area for the CPU 301 .

The auxiliary storage device 304 stores a program 304p executed by the CPU 301 and various databases used when the program 304p is executed by the CPU 301 . The auxiliary storage device 304 is a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

The input unit 305 is an interface for the operator to input various instructions to the cloud storage 50 . For example, it is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, voice input device, and the like. However, the input unit 305 may be connected as required.

The display I/F 306 displays various information held by the cloud storage 50 on the display 310 in the form of a cursor, menu, window, characters, images, or the like in response to a request from the CPU 301 . A display I/F 306 is, for example, a graphic chip or a display I/F. However, the display I/F 306 may be connected as required.

A network I/F 307 is a communication device that communicates with the mobile terminal 10 and the MFP 30 via a network. The network I/F 307 is, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) card, but is not limited to this. A network I/F 307 connects to networks N1 and N3, for example.

The external device I/F 308 is an interface for connecting various storage media 320 such as a USB cable or a USB memory.

<Functions of communication system 100>
FIG. 6 is an example of a functional block diagram of the mobile terminal 10, multifunction device 30, and cloud storage 50 included in the communication system 100. As shown in FIG.

<<Functions of the mobile terminal 10>>
The mobile terminal 10 has a public line communication unit 11 , a short-range wireless communication unit 12 , a data storage unit 13 , a user operation reception unit 14 and a wireless LAN communication unit 18 . Each of these functional units of the mobile terminal 10 is a function realized by any one of the components shown in FIG. or means. This program 108p includes an application corresponding to the communication system 100. FIG.

The public line communication unit 11 is realized by executing the program 108p and controlling the communication I/F 107 by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. and communicate with the cloud storage 50 . The public line communication unit 11 and the short-range wireless communication unit 12 can communicate simultaneously or in parallel.

The wireless LAN communication unit 18 is implemented by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. The public line communication unit 11 and the wireless LAN communication unit 18 cannot communicate simultaneously or in parallel.

The short-range wireless communication unit 12 is realized by executing the program 108p and controlling the short-range wireless communication device 109 by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. It communicates with the MFP 30 .

The user operation reception unit 14 is implemented by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. 3 executing the program 108p, controlling the input device 101, and the like. An instruction such as start is received from the user.

Also, the user operation reception unit 14 has a display control unit 15 , a data operation unit 16 and an image data acquisition unit 17 . The display control unit 15 is implemented by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. 3 executing the program 108p and controlling the display device 102, and generates and displays a screen serving as a UI (user interface).

The data operation unit 16 is realized by executing the program 108p by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. It analyzes the storage access information and generates information for accessing the cloud storage 50 . Also, the cloud storage access information 13 a and the authentication information 13 b are stored in the data storage unit 13 .

The image data acquisition unit 17 uses the cloud storage access information 13a to inquire of the cloud storage 50 for the latest image data file, and acquires the file in which the image data is stored.

The data storage unit 13 is implemented by the CPU 106 shown in FIG. 3 executing the program 108p, the RAM 104, the SSD 108, or the like, and stores cloud storage access information 13a, authentication information 13b, and image data 13c. Of these, the image data 13 c is image data downloaded by the mobile terminal 10 from the cloud storage 50 . The authentication information 13b is information for the user to log in to the MFP 30, and is a user name (or user ID) and password as will be described later. If the multi-function device 30 does not require login, the authentication information 13b may be omitted. Table 1 shows an example of the cloud storage access information 13a.

表１はクラウドストレージアクセス情報１３ａの一例をテーブル状に示す。クラウドストレージアクセス情報１３ａは、携帯端末１０又は複合機３０がクラウドストレージ５０にアクセスするための情報である。一例として、クラウドストレージＩＤ、ＵＲＬ、ユーザ名及びパスワードを有する。クラウドストレージＩＤは、クラウドストレージ５０を特定するための情報である。ＩＤはIdentificationの略であり識別子や識別情報という意味である。ＩＤは複数の対象から、ある特定の対象を一意的に区別するために用いられる名称、符号、文字列、数値又はこれらのうち１つ以上の組み合わせをいう。

Table 1 shows an example of the cloud storage access information 13a in tabular form. The cloud storage access information 13a is information for the mobile terminal 10 or the multi-function device 30 to access the cloud storage 50. FIG. An example includes cloud storage ID, URL, user name and password. A cloud storage ID is information for identifying the cloud storage 50 . ID is an abbreviation for Identification and means an identifier or identification information. An ID is a name, a code, a character string, a numerical value, or a combination of one or more of these used to uniquely distinguish a specific object from a plurality of objects.

A URL is information representing the location and communication method of resources such as files and services that can be accessed on a network. The URL in this embodiment may or may not include a file name. The URL serves as storage location and address information indicating the location of the resource, and indicates the location of the image data. The user name and password are information for the user to be authenticated by the cloud storage 50 . Note that there may be a plurality of cloud storage access information 13a.

<<Functions of MFP 30>>
Next, the multi-function device 30 has a LAN communication section 31 , a short-range data communication section 32 , a data analysis section 33 , a reading section 34 , a data storage section 35 and a user I/F section 36 . Each of these functional units of the multi-function device 30 is a function realized by any one of the components shown in FIG. It is a means.

The LAN communication unit 31 is realized by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. communicate with That is, connect to the Internet. The LAN communication section 31 has an image data transmission section 37 . The image data transmission unit 37 transmits the image data created by the reading unit 34 by reading the document to the cloud storage 50 using the URL or the like obtained by analysis by the data analysis unit 33 .

The short-range data communication unit 32 is implemented by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. 4 executing the program 215p and controlling the short-range wireless communication device 207. connect. That is, it communicates with the mobile terminal 10 and acquires the cloud storage access information 13a, authentication information 13b, read settings, and file name (if the file name is determined).

The data analysis unit 33 is realized by executing the program 215p by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. Extract (if the file name is fixed). Then, processing using each is performed.

The reading unit 34 is implemented by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. 4 executing the program 215p and controlling the scanner 206, etc., and reads a document placed by the user to generate image data.

The user I/F unit 36 is implemented by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. 4 executing the program 215p, controlling the operation panel 202, etc., and provides an interface with the user and receives operations from the user. do. The user I/F section 36 has a display control section 38 . The display control unit 38 displays that the image data could not be sent to the cloud storage 50 .

The data storage unit 35 is implemented by the CPU 211 shown in FIG. is determined) and image data, etc. are stored.

<<Functions of Cloud Storage 50>>
The cloud storage 50 has a communication section 51 , a file processing section 52 and a file storage section 53 . Each of these functional units of cloud storage 50 is realized by operating one of the components shown in FIG. function or means to

The communication unit 51 is implemented by the CPU 301 shown in FIG. Since the communication unit 51 is connected to a LAN or the like, it is not necessary to connect to a public line when communicating with the mobile terminal 10 as well.

File processing unit 52 is implemented by CPU 301 shown in FIG. Read from the storage unit 53 .

The file storage unit 53 is implemented by the RAM 303 and the auxiliary storage device 304 shown in FIG. 5, and stores various files including image data.

<Procedure for Registering Cloud Storage Access Information 13a to Cloud Storage 50>
A method of receiving the cloud storage access information 13a by the mobile terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is an example of a sequence diagram showing a procedure for the mobile terminal 10 to receive the cloud storage access information 13a. FIG. 8 shows an example of an access information input screen displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. As shown in FIG.

S1: The user operates the mobile terminal 10 to start the program 108p (application) on the mobile terminal 10 .

S1.1: The user operation reception unit 14 of the launched application inquires of the data storage unit 13 whether or not the authentication information 13b for authentication of the user by the multifunction device 30 is registered. Since the authentication information 13b is not registered in the mobile terminal 10 at the time of the initial activation, the user operation reception unit 14 determines that it is not registered.

S1.2: Since the authentication information 13b has not been registered, the display control section 15 of the user operation accepting section 14 displays a screen for inputting the authentication information 13b on the display device 102. FIG. The user follows the instructions on this screen and enters a user name, password, and the like.

S1.3: When the input from the user is completed, the user operation reception unit 14 registers the input authentication information in the data storage unit 13 . As a result, the data storage unit 13 stores the authentication information 13b.

S1.4: Next, the user operation reception unit 14 requests the data storage unit 13 to acquire the registered cloud storage access information 13a. Since the cloud storage access information 13a is not registered at the time of initial activation, the user operation reception unit 14 determines that it is not registered.

S1.5: Since the cloud storage access information 13a is not registered, the display control unit 15 of the user operation reception unit 14 displays the access information input screen 501 on the display device 102 for the user to input the cloud storage access information 13a. do. The user follows the instructions on the access information input screen 501 and inputs the cloud storage ID, URL, user name, password, and the like.

S1.6: The user operation reception unit 14 receives the cloud storage access information 13a, and the data operation unit 16 analyzes how to access the cloud storage 50. FIG. For example, check the communication method (mainly communication protocol) from "type", acquire "URL", determine whether this URL contains a file name, and if so, file name to get

S1.7: The user operation reception unit 14 uses the cloud storage access information 13a input by the user to confirm whether or not connection to the cloud storage 50 is actually possible. That is, the public line communication unit 11 communicates with the cloud storage 50 access using the communication method and "URL". Here, it is assumed that the connection has succeeded.

S1.8: When the connection is successful, the data operation unit 16 of the user operation reception unit 14 registers the cloud storage access information 13a in the data storage unit 13. FIG. In this way, the cloud storage access information 13a can be registered after confirming whether the connection is actually possible.

Note that if the connection is not successful in step S1.7, the user operation reception unit 14 prompts the user to input the cloud storage access information 13a again.

<<About the access information input screen>>
In the access information input screen 501 shown in FIG. 8, a registered name (a name that can be identified by the user) 502 used when the user selects the cloud storage 50, a type 503 of the cloud storage 50, a URL 504 indicating a storage location, and an access to the cloud storage 50. An input field 505 for a user name and an input field 506 for a password, which are required at the time, are displayed. The setting contents for each cloud storage 50 will be described below.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server An FTP server is known as an example of the cloud storage 50 . An FTP server is a server that communicates with a client using a communication protocol called FTP. The setting contents in this case are as follows.
Registered Name: ABC FTP Site (File)
Type: FTP
URL: ftp://ftp.ABC.co.jp/public/printdata/mydata.dat
Username: user01
Password: password01
In this case, the data operation unit 16 can analyze from the "type" to communicate by FTP, and since the resource specified by the URL is the file (mydata.dat), it determines to save the image data in this file. In this case, the file name that the MFP 30 transmits to the cloud storage 50 is the specified file name (mydata.dat). When the URL includes the file name as described above, the multi-function device 30 does not need to create the file name.

On the other hand, when the URL is registered as follows, the folder becomes the registration destination of the image data.
URL: ftp://ftp.ricoh.co.jp/public/printdata/
In this case, since the resource specified by the URL is a folder, the portable terminal 10 or multi-function device 30 assigns a unique file name to each piece of image data. Either the mobile terminal 10 or the multi-function device 30 may assign the file name. This is because the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the file from the cloud storage 50 without knowing the file name. The MFP 30 uses the specified folder as the cloud storage 50 and saves the image data with the assigned file name. Since this file name is a unique file name, the MFP 30 can handle multiple files at the same time. As a process of handling a plurality of files (a process of simultaneously transmitting a plurality of files (one or more image data) by the multifunction device 30), a process of storing a document page by page in a file and transmitting it to the cloud storage 50 can be considered. be done.

WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) Server A WebDAV server is known as an example of the cloud storage 50 . A WebDAV server is a server that communicates with a client using a communication protocol called WebDAV. The setting contents in this case are as follows.
Registered name: ABC WebDAV Site type: WebDAV
URL: http://webDAV.ABC.co.jp/public/printdata/mydata.dat
Username: user01
Password: password01
In this case, the data operation unit 16 and the data analysis unit 33 access the cloud storage 50 using the WebDAV protocol because it is known from the "type" that they are using WebDAV. Further, since the location of the file to be stored can be found from the URL, the mobile terminal 10 and the multi-function device 30 use this as the cloud storage 50 . Again, mydata.dat is the file name.

・Google (registered trademark; hereinafter abbreviated) storage service
A storage service provided by Google. This storage service is known as a service that allows ordinary users to store their own or a group of files.
Registered name: Google Drive user01
Type: Google Drive
URL: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/01234abcde
Username: user01
Password: password01
In this case, the data manipulation unit 16 and the data analysis unit 33 are known to be Google Drive from the "type". Also, the data operation unit 16 determines from the content of the URL that a specific folder in Google Drive is to be used. Since "01234abcde" is a folder, a file name is required, but the Google Drive file name is determined when the file is registered. Details will be described with reference to FIG.

Further, since the "type" is Google Drive, the data operation unit 16 and the data analysis unit 33 determine to access the cloud storage 50 using a Web API such as REST I/F. That is, the data operation unit 16 holds the correspondence between the service of the cloud storage 50 such as Google Drive and the Web API in a table or the like. A Web API is a procedure or rule for calling some program via the Internet. Also, REST (REpresentational State Transfer) refers to a call interface for requesting data from a server or the like. In general, a message written in XML is sent when accessed by an HTTP method (POST/GET, etc.). REST is used because Google Drive recommends it, and REST is not essential for the cloud storage 50 .

Indirect Designation of Storage Destination The portable terminal 10 can indirectly designate a file name in the cloud storage access information 13a. When the portable terminal 10 indirectly specifies the saving method, the file in which the saving method is described is called an indirect specification file. The indirect specification file specifies the storage location of the image data on the network.

The portable terminal 10 designates the use of any unique file name. If the user specifies a file name, other users may use the same file name, so it is safer not to specify it. It is preferable that the unique file name is generated using a uniquely identifiable item such as the model and serial number of the portable terminal 10 or a telephone number. Below is an example of the cloud storage access information 13a when the indirect specification file is used.
Registered name: FTP (if indirect file is used)
Type: FTP.indirect
URL: ftp://ftp.ricoh.co.jp/public/data/mydata.xml
Username: user01
Password: password01
Although mydata.xml is specified as the file name in this URL, mydata.xml is an indirectly specified file. The MFP 30 does not store image data in this file. The multi-function device 30 saves the image data at the URL specified by mydata.xml. After the MFP 30 completes saving the image data and determines the file name, the MFP 30 writes the file name to the indirectly specified file.

As described above, the portable terminal 10 can determine the method of accessing the cloud storage 50 based on the cloud storage access information 13a input by the user. That is, the data operation unit 16 determines a communication protocol or a communication method such as a Web API based on the type of the cloud storage access information 13a, and determines a communication destination based on the URL. You can also specify a file name or not. There are common ones such as FTP and WebDAV, and ones that require unique Web APIs such as GoogleDrive/Evernote/Dropbox.

Note that the cloud storage access information 13a is not limited to the above. In addition to the above, cloud storages 50 such as BOX.net and YahooBox (registered trademark) are known. There is also a cloud storage 50 that can accumulate data by sending an e-mail, and an application may prepare an input screen suitable for such a mail format.

<Operating procedure when registering image data>
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the operation of the communication system 100 when the user causes the multifunction device 30 to read a document and the mobile terminal 10 acquires image data will be described. FIG. 9 shows a procedure in which the mobile terminal 10 transmits the cloud storage access information 13a to the multifunction machine 30, the multifunction machine 30 transmits image data to the cloud storage 50, and the mobile terminal 10 acquires the image data from the cloud storage 50. It is an example of the sequence diagram to explain.

S1: The user activates the application on the mobile terminal 10 .

S1.1: The user operation reception unit 14 confirms that the authentication information 13b is registered in the data storage unit 13. It is assumed here that it is registered.

S1.2: Next, the user operation reception unit 14 checks whether the cloud storage access information 13a is registered in the data storage unit 13 or not. It is assumed here that it is registered.

S1.3: The display control unit 15 of the user operation accepting unit 14 displays a list of the cloud storage access information 13a acquired from the data storage unit 13 on the display device 102. FIG. This allows the user to determine which cloud storage 50 to use. The user selects one piece of cloud storage access information 13a. The user operation accepting unit 14 accepts a user's selection.

S1.4: The display control unit 15 of the mobile terminal 10 displays on the display device 102 a dialog or screen requesting an input to start reading. In addition to displaying a button to start reading, it is possible to display a screen for the user to enter reading settings (color/monochrome, resolution, file type to be saved, etc.). If the setting values of the reading settings have been initialized, the user can press the button to start reading. It is preferable to display a message such as "Please place the document on the multi-function device 30" before requesting an input to start reading.

S1.4.1: The user operation reception unit 14 waits until the user's operation is input.

S2: The user enters reading settings, if necessary, and enters reading start. The user operation accepting unit 14 accepts a user input to start reading.

S2.1: The user operation reception unit 14 requests the data storage unit 13 to create a storage method. The data storage unit 13 creates a file name of the document image data based on the cloud storage access information 13a selected by the user.

For example, when the FTP cloud storage access information 13a is selected, the file name at the end of the URL selected in step S1.3 is used as it is. If the folder is specified as the cloud storage 50 in the FTP cloud storage access information 13a, an arbitrary file name added by the data operation unit 16 (for example, 001.dat) is added to the URL specified by FTP. (<FTP folder URL>/001.dat). This file name is created so that it is unique. The same is true for WebDAV.

In the case of GoogleDrive, the data operation unit 16 determines an arbitrary file name for the folder included in the URL. The file name may be any name that does not overlap. Since the portable terminal 10 can communicate with the cloud storage 50 based on the cloud storage access information 13a, it is possible to identify unique file names.

Even in the case of an indirect specification file, the data operation unit 16 may acquire the cloud storage access information 13a as it is. Alternatively, the cloud storage access information 13a may be referenced to acquire an indirect specification file (xml file) (transmit to the multi-function device 30).

The user inputs the URL and file name of the cloud storage 50 where the image data is actually stored in the indirect designation file. For example, for WebDAV, set the following in the indirect specification file.
<name>Ricoh WebDAV site</name>
<type>WebDAV</type>
<url>http://webDAV.ricoh.co.jp</url>
<path>/public/data/</path>
<user>user01</user>
<password>password01</password>
In this example, it is specified to save in the folder (/public/data/) specified by the WebDAV <path> tag. no file name is specified. However, it is also possible for the user to specify the file name.

S2.2: The display control unit 15 displays on the display device of the mobile terminal 10 that the mobile terminal 10 is brought closer to the multifunction device 30 .

S2.3: Also, the user operation reception unit 14 requests the short-range wireless communication unit 12 to connect. By making a connection request, it is possible to quickly connect to the portable terminal 10 that is close to the multi-function device 30 .

S3: The user brings the portable terminal 10 closer to the multi-function device 30 according to the instruction. The short-range wireless communication unit 12 detects that it approaches the short-range data communication unit 32 of the multi-function device 30, and establishes a short-range wireless connection. After the connection, it is confirmed whether or not the short-range wireless communication device 109 of the mobile terminal 10 and the short-range wireless communication device 207 of the multi-function device 30 are in a communicable combination. This is because although the short-range wireless communication device 109 and the short-range wireless communication device 207 can communicate with each other if they comply with NFC, they cannot communicate with each other depending on the communication standard of the contactless card.

S3.1 to S3.1.1: If communication is possible, the short-range wireless communication unit 12 connects to the short-range data communication unit 32 of the multifunction device 30 .

S3.2: When the connection is successful, the user operation reception unit 14 transmits the cloud storage access information 13a, the authentication information 13b of the multifunction device 30, the reading settings, and the file name (if the file name is decided) as scan information. The short-range wireless communication unit 12 is requested to do so. The encoded QR code (registered trademark) may be displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 and read by the imaging device of the multi-function device 30 .

S3.2.1: The short-range wireless communication unit 12 sends the cloud storage access information 13a, the authentication information 13b of the multi-function device 30, the reading setting, and the file name (if the file name is decided) to the short-range wireless communication unit 32. Send. Information to be transmitted is not limited to these. For example, if the short-range wireless communication speed is very slow, you can send the difference from the initial value instead of sending each reading setting, or use settings registered in advance for each user. capacity can be reduced.

S3.2.1.1: Upon receiving these data, the short-range data communication unit 32 sends them to the data analysis unit 33 . The data analysis unit 33 stores these data in the data storage unit 35 and transmits a success notification to the short-range wireless communication unit 12 of the portable terminal 10 .

S3.3: In response to the success notification, the display control unit 15 displays on the display device that the transmission was successful. Since the mobile terminal 10 has transmitted the necessary information to the MFP 30 , the user can remove the mobile terminal 10 from the MFP 30 . However, the short-range data communication unit 32 can also transmit the work status to the mobile terminal 10 at any time.

S3.3.1: The user operation accepting unit 14 accepts an operation to start acquiring image data. Acquisition of image data may be started without this operation.

S4: The data analysis unit 33 of the multifunction device 30 determines whether or not it is possible to log in to the multifunction device 30 with the acquired authentication information 13b.

S4.1: The data analysis unit 33 notifies the user I/F unit 36 of the authentication result.

S4.1.1: The display control unit 38 displays the authentication result on the operation panel 202 . In the case of an authentication error, processing is interrupted.

S5: The data analysis section 33 sends a reading request to the reading section 34 together with the reading settings.

S5.1: The reading unit 34 of the multifunction device 30 reads the document using the reading settings.

S6: The data analysis unit 33 sends the reading result to the user I/F unit 36. FIG.

S6.1: The display control unit 38 displays the reading result on the operation panel 202. FIG.

S8: When the reading is successful, the data analysis unit 33 of the multi-function device 30 acquires the URL, user name and password from the cloud storage access information 13a and sends a connection request to the LAN communication unit 31.

S8.1: The LAN communication unit 31 connects to the cloud storage 50 based on the URL. Then log in using your username and password.

S9: When the LAN communication unit 31 logs into the cloud storage 50, the data analysis unit 33 requests the LAN communication unit 31 to transmit the image data together with the file name if there is a file name acquired from the portable terminal 10. The data analysis unit 33 may create a file name if there is no file name in the cloud storage access information 13a, or the file name may be given so that the cloud storage 50 does not overlap.

S9.1: The image data transmission unit 37 stores (transmits) the image data generated by the reading unit 34 in the cloud storage 50 . LAN communication unit 31 acquires a response from cloud storage 50 . Explains the response and the file name when saving.

- For example, when image data is transmitted to the cloud storage 50 by FTP with a file name specified, the URL in FIG. 8 is the file storage location, and the file name at the end of the URL is the file name. The response is a URL containing this file name.

・When image data is sent to the cloud storage 50 by FTP with a folder name specified (no file name), the data operation unit 16 (or the data analysis unit 33 or the cloud storage 50) can arbitrarily Since a file name (for example, 001.dat) is added to the file and transmitted to the MFP 30, this file name is used. The cloud storage 50 returns a URL including this file name as a response.

In the case of Google Drive as well, since the mobile terminal 10 has transmitted the URL and file name of the cloud storage access information 13a to the multifunction device 30, the image data transmission unit 37 of the multifunction device 30 accesses the folder of the cloud storage 50. , specify the file name there and save the image data.

- In the case of an indirect specification file, the data analysis unit 33 refers to the cloud storage access information 13a, opens the indirect specification file, and determines the storage destination from its contents. In the above indirect specification file, the file name is not specified. In this case, the file name is not determined until the file is saved. Since the indirect specification file specifies the access method and the path to the cloud storage 50, the image data transmission unit 37 saves the file in the folder of the path. As a response, the cloud storage 50 returns to the multi-function device 30 the fact that the file has been saved successfully and the file name of the saved file. The image data transmission unit 37 writes (adds) the file name to the indirect designation file. The image data transmission unit 37 also describes a status indicating that the image data has been saved. The contents to be added to the indirect specification file are as follows.

<filename>20160821083539.jpg</filename>
<status>complete</status>
Since the mobile terminal 10 can access the xml file by referring to the cloud storage access information 13a, the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the file name of the image data saved by the multifunction device 30 even if the file name is not specified by the mobile terminal 10. .

Also, there may be a case where the image data transmission unit 37 cannot save the file in the specified folder. In the case of an indirect specification file, the image data transmission unit 37 can store the image data in another location (a location other than the location specified in the indirect specification file) and write the result in the indirect specification file. It is assumed that the location other than the location specified by the indirect specification file is preset in the multi-function device 30 or specified by another cloud storage access information 13a.

For example, if there is no free space for saving the file in the specified capacity of the WebDAV cloud storage 50, the image data transmission unit 37 cannot save the file, so the file is saved in the FTP cloud storage 50, for example. When such measures are taken, the image data transmission unit 37 describes the following in the indirect designation file.

<name>ABC FTP Site</name>
<type>FTP</type>
<url>ftp://ftp.ABC.co.jp/public/data/mydata.jpg</url>
<user>user01</user>
<password>password01</password>
<status>complete</status>
Of these, mydata.jpg is the file name. Since these are set in advance or set in separate cloud storage access information 13a, the image data transmission unit 37 can rewrite (update) the indirect designation file.

The MFP 30 rewrites the content of the cloud storage access information 13a transmitted by the mobile terminal 10, so that even if the cloud storage 50 specified by the cloud storage access information 13a cannot be used, the MFP 30 and the mobile terminal 10 can be Cloud storage 50 can be used as an alternative location (alternative means).

The mobile terminal 10 can access the indirectly specified file, but the short-range wireless communication unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10 may receive the indirectly specified file from the MFP 30 .

S7 to S7.1: After the mobile terminal 10 has successfully established short-range wireless communication, the image data acquisition section 17 accesses the cloud storage 50 and attempts to acquire image data. Since the information cannot be obtained when the MFP 30 has not saved the information, the operation is repeated until the information can be obtained.

If a file name is specified in the cloud storage access information 13a or the file name is known to the mobile terminal 10, the image data acquisition unit 17 reads and transmits the file if the file with this file name does not exist in the cloud storage 50. is not completed. If a file with the file name of the cloud storage access information 13a exists in the cloud storage 50, the image data acquisition unit 17 acquires this file.

If only a folder is specified in the cloud storage access information 13a and the file name is unknown to the mobile terminal 10, the time stamp after transmitting the cloud storage access information 13a etc. in step S3.2. Get the file (image data). This processing will be described with reference to FIG. Alternatively, when the cloud storage access information 13a or the like is transmitted in step S3.2, a list of files is saved, and files not on the list are acquired.

In the case of indirect file designation, the image data acquisition unit 17 refers to the cloud storage access information 13a to acquire the indirect designation file, and confirms the reading of the document and the transmission of the image data by confirming the description of the status. When the indirectly specified file is used, the folder of the save destination may differ from the folder specified by the transmitted cloud storage access information 13a. Extract the file according to the URL (folder and file name) described in . This process will be described with reference to FIG. 10(b).

S10: The image data acquisition unit 17 requests the public line communication unit 11 to acquire image data.

S10.1: The public line communication unit 11 acquires image data from the cloud storage 50 . If the acquisition of image data succeeds, acquisition success and a response are acquired. The file is included in this response.

S11: When the image data acquisition unit 17 has successfully acquired the image data, the image data is stored in the data storage unit 13 .

S12: The display control unit 15 displays completion of image data acquisition on the display device.

S12.1: By seeing this, the user can understand that the image data has been acquired.

S13: The image data acquisition unit 17 also requests the public line communication unit 11 to delete the acquired file. This is to prevent confidential image data from being held in the cloud storage 50 for a long time.

S13.1: The public line communication unit 11 requests the cloud storage 50 to delete the acquired file. Since the folder and file name are already known, the image data acquisition unit 17 designates and deletes them. The response in this case is the name of the deleted file or the like.

S14, S14.1: The MFP 30 may delete this file. Unless the file is deleted by the mobile terminal 10, the MFP 30 does not know whether or not the image data has been acquired. Delete data. This prevents image data from remaining in the cloud storage 50 indefinitely.

In this case, it is preferable that the MFP 30 stores an error indicating that the file has not been downloaded in the data storage unit 35 or the like. By displaying an error on the operation panel 202 when the user returns to the multifunction device 30, the user can confirm that the image data of the document has been transmitted to the cloud storage 50 but has not been acquired by the mobile terminal 10.例文帳に追加

As described above, the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the image data read by the multi-function device 30 . If the user brings the mobile terminal 10 close to the multi-function device 30, the image data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 10. Therefore, the user does not need to switch from switched line communication to wireless LAN communication.

The procedure of FIG. 9 is an example, and the procedure of processing is not limited to the flow of FIG. For example, the order of steps S1.1 and S1.3 may be reversed. Moreover, you may carry out simultaneously. It is also possible to set general reading settings (color, black and white, etc.) before step S1.4.

In addition, although it has been explained that a circuit-switched public line is used to connect the mobile terminal 10 and the multifunction device 30 to the cloud storage 50, how can the cloud storage 50 be connected with a communication method that can be used simultaneously with short-range wireless communication? may communicate.

<Operation of mobile terminal 10>
A procedure for the mobile terminal 10 to receive a file will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10(a) shows the procedure when no file name is specified in the cloud storage access information 13a, and FIG. 10(b) shows the procedure when an indirect specification file is used.

First, the short-range wireless communication unit 12 saves the cloud storage access information 13a, the authentication information 13b, the reading setting, and the transmission time when the file name is transmitted when there is the file name (S10).

When the image data acquisition unit 17 starts acquiring image data, it acquires a file list of folders in the cloud storage 50 (S20). The folder is described in the cloud storage access information 13a.

The image data acquisition unit 17 determines whether or not there is a file whose time stamp is newer than the saved transmission time (S30).

If the determination in step S30 is No, the acquisition and determination of the file list are repeated periodically.

If the determination in step S30 is Yes, the image data acquisition unit 17 acquires a file whose time stamp is newer than the saved transmission time from the cloud storage 50 (S40).

Thus, even if the mobile terminal 10 does not send the cloud storage access information 13a including the file name to the multi-function device 30 (even if the file name is unknown), the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the image data. If a file name is set in the cloud storage access information 13a, the image data may be obtained by designating the file name.

FIG.10(b) is demonstrated. First, the image data acquisition unit 17 acquires an indirectly specified file by referring to the cloud storage access information 13a (S10).

The image data acquisition unit 17 determines whether or not the status of the indirectly designated file is complete (S20). If it is not completed, the image data is not saved in the cloud storage 50, so it waits.

If the determination in step S20 is Yes, the image data acquisition unit 17 acquires the folder location and file name from the indirectly specified file (S30).

Then, this file is obtained from the cloud storage 50 . By using the indirectly specified file in this way, even if the image data is stored in a folder other than the folder described in the cloud storage access information 13a, the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the file.

<When the mobile terminal 10 cannot acquire image data>
Next, a case where the mobile terminal 10 cannot acquire image data will be described. After bringing the portable terminal 10 closer, the user preferably can confirm whether or not the image data has been received because there is no need for any particular operation. Therefore, as described below, the mobile terminal 10 notifies the user whether or not the image data has been received.

FIG. 11 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for the mobile terminal 10 to display whether or not image data has been received. The process of FIG. 11 is performed after step S7 of FIG. 9, for example.

First, the image data acquisition unit 17 of the mobile terminal 10 requests the cloud storage 50 to acquire image data, and determines whether or not the image data has been received (S10).

If the determination in step S10 is Yes, the image data acquisition unit 17 displays a completion notice (S20).

If the determination in step S10 is No, the image data acquisition unit 17 determines whether or not timeout has occurred (S30). Timeout means that even if the cloud storage 50 is requested to acquire image data, it cannot be acquired within a certain period of time. For example, when the communication condition of circuit switching is bad, or when the cloud storage 50 does not respond. A time-out also occurs when the multi-function device 30 cannot transmit image data. The fixed period of time is, for example, about 15 to 60 minutes, but can be set as appropriate by the user.

If timed out (Yes in S30), the process proceeds to step S50. If the timeout has not occurred (No in S30), the image data acquisition unit 17 determines whether or not an operation to switch to wireless LAN communication has been performed (S40). Since the mobile terminal 10 is considered to be connected to a circuit-switched communication network, it may switch to a wireless LAN for some reason. Once switched, the image data acquisition unit 17 cannot acquire image data from the cloud storage 50 . In this case, since the image data in the cloud storage 50 is deleted after a certain period of time has passed, the image data may be deleted before the image data acquisition unit 17 acquires the image data. Note that switching to communication is controlled by, for example, the OS, so whether or not there is an operation to switch to communication via a wireless LAN is determined by inquiring of the OS.

If the determination in step S40 is YES, the display control unit 15 displays a message such as "Downloading of image data has not been completed, do you want to switch to wireless LAN?" on display device 102 (S50). . This allows the user to determine whether to prioritize the reception of image data or to switch to the wireless LAN.

<MFP operation>
Next, the operation of the MFP 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for saving image data in the cloud storage 50 by the MFP 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 12 starts when, for example, the multifunction device 30 reads a document and generates image data.

First, the image data transmission unit 37 of the multifunction device 30 determines whether or not the file name has been acquired from the mobile terminal 10 (S10).

If the file name has been acquired (Yes in S10), the image data can be saved with this file name, so the image data transmission unit 37 saves the image data with the file name specified in the URL of the cloud storage access information 13a. (S20).

If the file name has not been acquired (No in S10), the image data transmission unit 37 determines whether or not an indirectly designated file is used (S30). By referring to the cloud storage access information 13a, it is determined whether the type is "***.indirect" or whether the URL of the cloud storage access information 13a specifies, for example, an xml file.

If the determination in step S30 is No, the image data transmission unit 37 arbitrarily assigns a unique file name (S40).

Then, the image data is saved with the file name given to the URL of the cloud storage access information 13a (S50).

If the determination in step S30 is Yes, the indirect designation file is used, so the image data transmitting unit 37 refers to the cloud storage access information 13a and acquires the indirect designation file (S60).

Then, it is determined whether or not the image data can be saved in the save destination specified by the URL of the indirectly specified file (S70). For example, the size of the image data is compared with the remaining capacity allocated to the MFP 30, and if the size of the image data is larger, it is determined that the image data cannot be saved.

If the determination in step S70 is Yes, the image data transmission unit 37 gives an arbitrary file name that does not duplicate the URL specified by the indirectly specified file, and saves the image data (S80).

Then, the image data transmission unit 37 adds the file name to the indirectly designated file (S90).

If the determination in step S70 is No, the image data transmission unit 37 adds an arbitrary file name that is not duplicated to a predetermined URL and saves the image data (S100).

Then, the image data transmission unit 37 updates the URL of the indirectly designated file and adds the file name (S110).
In this manner, the multi-function device 30 can store image data in the cloud storage 50 based on the cloud storage access information 13 a and the like transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 .

<Security>
As described above, the mobile terminal 10 can acquire the image data transmitted to the cloud storage 50 . However, if the user can select any cloud storage 50 as in the present embodiment, there is a risk that a virus or the like may enter the cloud storage 50 or be transmitted to the multi-function device 30 .

For example, the MFP 30 may be infected with a virus just by accessing a malicious site, and the saved image data may be tampered with. If the user uses such cloud storage 50, there is a possibility that the MFP 30 will be infected with a virus, or that the mobile terminal 10 will acquire falsified image data.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the security problem caused by using any cloud storage 50 is solved as follows.

<Restrictions on cloud storage 50 to be accessed>
If the cloud storage 50 accessed by the multi-function device 30 is restricted, it is possible to suppress deterioration of security. Therefore, the administrator restricts the cloud storage 50 that the MFP 30 accesses as follows. The administrator is a person who manages, operates, and maintains the use of the MFP 30 .

FIG. 13 is an example of a sequence diagram showing a procedure by which the administrator makes settings to limit the transmission method of the image data of the cloud storage 50 according to conditions. Description will be made with reference to the screen 511 for setting the conditions of the saving method in FIG. 14 as appropriate.

S1: The administrator operates the multi-function device 30 to display a screen 511 for setting storage method conditions. Generally, it is performed from the setting menu of the multi-function device 30, and it is recommended that only the administrator can set it, especially considering security. Therefore, the administrator is logged in with administrator privileges.

S1.1: The user I/F unit 36 accepts the operation of the administrator, and confirms whether or not the storage method conditions are stored in the data storage unit 13 . At the first time, the user I/F unit 36 determines that the storage method has not been registered because there is no registered storage method condition.

S1.2: The display control unit 38 of the user I/F unit 36 displays on the operation panel 202 a screen 511 for prompting the administrator to input conditions for the saving method. In response to this, the administrator inputs conditions for the storage method. An example of the screen 511 is shown in FIG.

S1.3: The user I/F unit 36 receives an input of storage method conditions from the administrator, and causes the data storage unit 13 to store the storage method conditions. The display control unit 38 of the user I/F unit 36 displays registration completion on the operation panel 202 .

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen 511 for inputting storage method conditions. This screen 511 is a screen for the administrator to restrict the cloud storage 50 that the MFP 30 accesses. In FIG. 14, a radio button 512 is displayed together with the message "a. Use only addresses starting with the following", and a radio button 513 is displayed with the message "b. Do not use addresses beginning with the following". It also has an address input field 514 .

For example, when the administrator selects the radio button 512 and enters "*.storage.*" in the address entry field 514, the multi-function device 30 only accesses the cloud storage 50 with the address (URL) including ".storage." to access. In other words, the cloud storage 50 that does not have this address is not accessed. If only configured addresses are allowed, such addresses are called a whitelist.

Also, for example, when the administrator selects the radio button 513 and enters "*.free.*" in the address entry field 514, the multi-function device 30 accesses the cloud storage 50 with the address including ".free." do not do. In other words, the cloud storage 50 having this address is not accessed. When configured addresses are not allowed, such addresses are called blacklists.

As a result, even if the URL of the cloud storage 50 whose reliability is unknown is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10, only addresses on the whitelist are used, and addresses on the blacklist are not used. can be suppressed.

In this example, only the storage method condition based on the address has been described, but the storage method condition is not limited to the address. For example, the size or content of image data can also be used to restrict access. For example, the image data transmitted by the multi-function device 30 can be restricted such that image data with a certain size cannot be saved, or image data containing specific words (for example, confidential) cannot be saved. . For example, even if the user mistakenly reads a large number of pages of a document and sends image data of an extremely large number of pages to the cloud storage 50 , the multifunction device 30 can be prevented from storing the data in the cloud storage 50 .

In addition, since the user comprehends the rule that the multi-function device 30 cannot store the image data written as ``confidential'', it is possible to prevent the confidential image data from being carelessly registered in the cloud storage 50.例文帳に追加Note that specific characters such as "Confidential" can be detected by OCR.

Also, the user name of the mobile terminal 10 (for example, the user name of the authentication information 13b) may be used as a condition, or the user name of the cloud storage access information 13a may be used for restriction. For example, if the multifunction device 30 is in the company, only a predetermined user among employees can access the multifunction device 30 to the cloud storage 50 . In this way, if the information is obtained by the multi-function device 30 through short-range wireless communication, the multi-function device 30 can use the information to restrict access.

In addition, since user authentication is performed in the multifunction device 30, if the user name (the user name in the authentication information 13b) authenticated by the multifunction device 30 and the user name in the cloud storage access information 13a do not match, A restriction that the device 30 does not access the cloud storage 50 is also conceivable.

It is also possible to restrict access to the cloud storage 50 only during a specific time slot based on the time when the mobile terminal 10 and the multi-function device 30 communicated by short-range wireless communication. Additionally, users and times may be combined, such as allowing access only to specific users.

Furthermore, only the mobile terminal 10 supplied by the company in which the multifunction machine 30 is installed may be permitted to acquire image data via the cloud storage 50 . Since the portable terminal 10 is specified by the company, the user name of the authentication information 13b is the user name fixed by the company. Therefore, the company can designate users who use the cloud storage 50 .

FIG. 15 shows an example of a sequence diagram showing the processing performed by the multi-function device 30 when the storage method conditions are not met.

S2: As described above, the data analysis unit 33 of the multifunction device 30 acquires the cloud storage access information 13a, the authentication information 13b, the reading settings, and the file name (if there is a file name) from the mobile terminal 10, and has been authenticated. The data analysis unit 33 requests the data storage unit 13 for storage method conditions.

S3: When the data analysis unit 33 acquires the storage method conditions stored in the data storage unit 13, the storage method conditions and the authentication information 13b, the storage method conditions and the cloud storage access information 13a, or the storage method conditions and the authentication information 13b and the cloud storage access information 13a to determine whether the image data can be stored in the cloud storage 50 or not. If the image data can be saved, step S2 and subsequent steps in FIG. 9 are performed.

S4: When the data analysis unit 33 determines that access is not possible, the data analysis unit 33 requests the user I/F unit 36 to display an error.

S4.1: The display control unit 38 of the user I/F unit 36 displays on the operation panel 202 that access is prohibited. This allows the user to know that the cloud storage 50 cannot be accessed and the image data cannot be saved.

<Summary>
As described above, in the communication system 100 of the present embodiment, the multifunction machine 30 acquires the storage method from the mobile terminal 10 and stores it in the cloud storage 50 that can be used arbitrarily by users on the Internet through a circuit-switched public line. Save image data. Also, the mobile terminal 10 acquires image data from the cloud storage 50 . The device (communication I/F 107) used by the mobile terminal 10 to connect to the Internet via a circuit-switched public line and the short-range wireless communication device 109 used to connect to the multi-function device 30 are separate devices. , after sending the storage method to the cloud storage 50, the user does not need to switch to the wireless LAN connection.

<Other application examples>
Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using examples, the present invention is by no means limited to such examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. and substitutions can be added.

For example, although cloud storage 50 is described as being on the Internet, cloud storage 50 may be on a network that mobile terminal 10 can access.

Further, in the present embodiment, image data generated by reading a document by the multifunction device 30 is transmitted to the cloud storage 50 . However, the multi-function device 30 may transmit some data to a server or the like, and may transmit processed data obtained from the server to the cloud storage 50 . The server performs, for example, OCR, translation, face recognition, and the like.

For example, when the portable terminal 10 connects to the Internet, it is described that a switched line type public line is used. However, it is not limited to this. For example, WiMAX is known.

Further, the configuration examples of FIG. 6 and the like are divided according to the main functions in order to facilitate understanding of the processing by the mobile terminal 10, the multifunction machine 30, and the cloud storage 50. FIG. The present invention is not limited by the division method or name of the unit of processing. The processing of the mobile terminal 10, the multifunction device 30, and the cloud storage 50 can also be divided into more processing units according to the content of the processing. Also, one processing unit can be divided to include more processing.

The public line communication unit 11 is an example of second communication means, the short-range wireless communication unit 12 is an example of third communication means, and the wireless LAN communication unit 18 is an example of first communication means. , the display control unit 15 is an example of display control means, the short-range data communication unit 32 is an example of storage method reception means, the reading unit 34 is an example of electronic data acquisition means, and the image data transmission unit 37 storage means. is an example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 portable terminal 11 public line communication unit 12 short-range wireless communication unit 14 user operation reception unit 30 multi-function device 31 LAN communication unit 32 short-range data communication unit 33 data analysis unit 34 reading unit 50 cloud storage 100 communication system

JP 2015-159533 A

Claims (12)

An electronic device that communicates with an information processing device,
Acquisition means for acquiring, from the information processing device, information for storing electronic data in the storage device by short-range wireless communication, including a communication method with a storage device on a network;
generating means for generating the electronic data;
transmitting means for transmitting the electronic data to the storage device via communication different from the short-range wireless communication based on information for storing the electronic data;
The information for saving the electronic data indicates a location of an indirect specification file that specifies a storage location on the network as storage location information for the electronic data on the network;
The transmission means is an electronic device that performs control to store the electronic data having the file name given by the electronic device in the location designated by the indirect designation file . The short-range wireless communication is
Either NFC, Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, or visible light communication,
The communication different from the short-range wireless communication is
2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless communication is a communication method different from the short-range wireless communication. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the information for saving the electronic data includes information for identifying a user in the storage device. The storage location information includes a file name,
The transmission means is
2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic data is stored in the storage location of the storage device that is given the file name and specified by the storage location information. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication method includes at least one of communication protocol and Web API. A communication system in which an information processing device communicates with an electronic device,
The electronic device
Acquisition means for acquiring, from the information processing device, information for storing electronic data in the storage device by short-range wireless communication, including a communication method with a storage device on a network;
generating means for generating the electronic data;
transmitting means for transmitting the electronic data to the storage device via communication different from the short-range wireless communication based on information for storing the electronic data;
The information for saving the electronic data indicates a location of an indirect specification file that specifies a storage location on the network as storage location information for the electronic data on the network;
The transmitting means performs control to save the electronic data with the file name given by the electronic device in the location specified by the indirect specification file,
The information processing device is
a third communication means for transmitting information for the electronic device to store electronic data in the storage device to the electronic device;
a communication system having the information for storing the electronic data includes the storage location information of the electronic data on a network;
The storage location information includes information identifying a folder,
7. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the information processing device acquires from the folder the electronic data created at a time later than the transmission time when the information for saving the electronic data was transmitted to the electronic device. Communications system. the storage location information indicates the location of the indirect specification file that specifies the storage location on the network;
The transmission means is
controlling to save the electronic data with a file name given by the electronic device to an alternative location other than the location specified by the indirect specification file;
The information processing device is
8. The communication system according to claim 7 , wherein said alternative location and said file name are obtained from said electronic device via said near field communication, and said electronic data of said filename at said alternative location is obtained. The information processing device has a second communication means for acquiring the electronic data from the storage device,
9. The communication system according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein when said second communication means acquires said electronic data, said acquired electronic data in said storage device is deleted. The information processing device is
further comprising a first communication means for wirelessly communicating with the storage device on the network;
If an operation to switch from the second communication means to the first communication means is detected before the second communication means acquires the electronic data from the storage device,
10. The communication system according to claim 9 , further comprising display control means for displaying on a display device that the electronic data has not been received. A communication method performed by an electronic device that communicates with an information processing device,
a step of obtaining information from the information processing device, including a method of communicating with a storage device on a network, for the electronic device to store electronic data in the storage device by short-range wireless communication;
generating the electronic data;
transmitting the electronic data to the storage device via communication different from the short-range wireless communication based on the information for storing the electronic data;
The information for saving the electronic data indicates a location of an indirect specification file that specifies a storage location on the network as storage location information for the electronic data on the network;
In the transmitting step, the communication method performs control to store the electronic data having the file name given by the electronic device in the location specified by the indirect specification file . An electronic device that communicates with an information processing device,
Acquisition means for acquiring, from the information processing device, information for storing electronic data in the storage device by short-range wireless communication, including a communication method with a storage device on a network;
generating means for generating the electronic data;
Functioning as a transmission means for transmitting the electronic data to the storage device via a communication different from the short-range wireless communication based on the information for storing the electronic data;
The information for saving the electronic data indicates a location of an indirect specification file that specifies a storage location on the network as storage location information for the electronic data on the network;
A program for controlling that the transmission means stores the electronic data having the file name given by the electronic device in the location specified by the indirect specification file .

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