JP7532489B2 - Image processing device, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for reading and transmitting an image of a document according to instructions received from an information processing device or the like.

Conventionally, a function is known in which image data generated by a client computer as an information processing device is sent to a fax machine via a LAN (Local Area Network) and then sent as a fax from the fax machine. When using this function, the user can specify the fax destination on the client computer side.

On the other hand, there is also a known function in which image data is not prepared on the client computer side, and only the destination specified by the user is notified to the fax machine, and the fax machine scans the document to generate image data, which is then faxed to the specified destination (Patent Document 1).

For example, you may want to fax both a cover page generated by a client computer and image data obtained by scanning the main text of the document with a fax machine. In this case, a job can be generated on the fax machine based on the fax destination information and cover page information sent from the client computer, and when the job is executed, the scanned image of the main text of the document can be added and sent.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-288625

and a control means for controlling the reading means in accordance with an item set in the scan setting screen displayed when the first button is selected, and for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means to the transmitting means, wherein the control means allows the acceptance of the read transmission process when a top screen is displayed on the operating means .

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus comprising: operation means for accepting operations from a user; reading means for reading a document and generating image data; transmission means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means; receiving means for receiving from a terminal an instruction for a read transmission process for causing the reading means to read the document and to transmit the image data generated by the reading means to the transmission means; and control means for, when the instruction for the read transmission process is received by the receiving means, determining whether or not to accept the read transmission process based on the operation state of the operation means, and, if the acceptance of the read transmission process is permitted as a result of the determination, displaying a screen including a first button which, when selected, displays a scan setting screen and a second button which, when selected , transmits a response indicating cancellation to the terminal, and controls the reading means in accordance with items set on the scan setting screen displayed when the first button is selected, and causes the image data generated by the reading means to transmit to the transmission means, wherein the control means permits the acceptance of the read transmission process when a top screen is displayed on the operation means.

In order to achieve the above object, an image processing device according to the present invention has an operation means for accepting operations from a user, a reading means for reading a document and generating image data, a transmission means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means, a receiving means for receiving from a terminal an instruction for a read transmission process that causes the reading means to read the document and transmit the image data generated by the reading means to the transmission means, and a control means for, when the instruction for the read transmission process is received by the receiving means, determining whether or not to accept the read transmission process based on the operation state of the operation means, and, if the result of the determination is that acceptance of the read transmission process is permitted, displaying a screen including a first button that, when selected, displays a scan setting screen and a second button that, when selected, transmits a response indicating cancellation to the terminal, and controls the reading means in accordance with items set on the scan setting screen displayed when the first button is selected, and causes the image data generated by the reading means to be transmitted to the transmission means , and the control means is characterized in that, when a top screen is displayed on the operation means, it permits acceptance of the read transmission process .

According to the present invention, regardless of whether user authentication is used or not, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by a user other than the user who instructed the process when scanning and transmitting an original image.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a network including an image forming system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the MFP. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a tablet terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application that is displayed when an instruction for the first sending process is to be sent. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a processing sequence when instructing a first transmission process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a document scan reception screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation screen of a data management application. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application that is displayed when an instruction for a second sending process is to be sent. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a processing sequence when instructing a second transmission process. 13 is a flowchart showing a scan command acceptance determination process. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing transitions of screens displayed on the operation unit.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as claimed, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a network including an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an MFP (Multi-Function-Peripheral) 103 is exemplified as an image forming device. A tablet terminal 101, which is an example of an information processing device, is a terminal device that communicates with the MFP 103 via a wireless network router (wireless access point) 102. The MFP 103 is an example of an image processing device, but the MFP 103 alone may be referred to as an image processing system, or the entire system including the MFP 103 and the tablet terminal 101 may be referred to as an image processing system. The tablet terminal 101 and the wireless network router 102 are connected by a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The MFP 103 and the wireless network router 102 are connected by a wired LAN. The MFP 103 is also connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The communication path between the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 is not limited to the one described above. For example, the tablet terminal 101 and the wireless network router 102 may be connected by a wired LAN. The MFP 103 and the wireless network router 102 may be connected by a wireless LAN. Furthermore, the tablet terminal 101 and the MFP 103 may be connected to the same network. There may be multiple tablet terminals 101 and multiple MFPs 103. Hereinafter, the tablet terminal 101 may be abbreviated to "terminal 101". The form of the terminal 101 does not necessarily have to be a tablet type, and it may be a stationary type.

Figure 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the MFP 103. The control unit 210 has a CPU 211 as a control means, and controls the operation of the entire MFP 103. The CPU 211 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 212 and performs various controls such as reading, printing, and communication. The RAM 213 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 211. Note that in the MFP 103, one CPU 211 uses one memory (RAM 213 or HDD 214) to execute each process shown in the flowcharts described below, but other configurations are also possible. For example, multiple CPUs and multiple RAMs or HDDs can work together to execute each process shown in the flowcharts.

The HDD 214 stores image data and various programs. The operation unit I/F 215 connects the control unit 210 to the operation unit 220, which serves as an operation means. The operation unit 220 is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit with a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like, and serves as a reception means for receiving operations/inputs/instructions from the user.

The printer I/F 216 connects the printer 221 to the control unit 210. Image data to be printed by the printer 221 is transferred from the control unit 210 via the printer I/F 216, and is printed on a recording medium by the printer 221. The scanner I/F 217 connects the scanner 222, which serves as a reading means, to the control unit 210. The scanner 222 reads an image on a document to generate image data, and inputs the image data to the control unit 210 via the scanner I/F 217.

The modem I/F 218 connects the modem 223 to the control unit 210. The modem 223 is connected to the PSTN and executes fax communication of image data with a fax machine (not shown). The network I/F 219, which serves as a receiving means, connects the control unit 210 (MFP 103) to a wired LAN. The MFP 103 can send and receive image data and various information to and from external devices using the network I/F 219.

Figure 3 is a software configuration diagram of the MFP 103. Each unit indicated by a solid line in Figure 3 is a software module that is realized by the CPU 211 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 212 or HDD 214. The UI (User Interface) unit 301 provides various information to the user via the operation unit 220 (Figure 2) and accepts various instructions from the user. The Job Controller unit 302 accepts jobs such as copying, printing, and faxing, and controls the execution of the accepted jobs. The Protocol Stack unit 304 holds various network protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

In this embodiment, image data transmitted from the terminal 101 is received via the network I/F 219 in accordance with the network protocol held in the Protocol Stack unit 304. The received image data is stored by the Image File unit 303. The Image File unit 303 is a software module that manages the image data stored in the RAM 213 and the HDD 214.

The Image File unit 303 stores not only image data received via the network I/F 219, but also image data generated by the scanner 222. The generation of image data by the scanner 222 is controlled by a Scan unit 306. The Fax unit 305 controls fax communication via the modem 223. When sending a fax from the MFP 103, the Fax unit 305 reads out and sends the image data stored in the Image File unit 303.

The OS section (Operating System section) 308 coordinates each module and task, and manages the entire software of the MFP 103. The OS section 308 is combined with a Device Driver section 307. The Device Driver section 307 controls hardware devices such as the scanner 222 and modem 223.

The authentication unit 309 is a module that controls user authentication. The user authentication function can be switched between enabled and disabled. When the user authentication function is enabled in the MFP 103, the user must perform a login operation to input authentication information consisting of a user name and password via the operation unit 220. The authentication unit 309 checks the input authentication information against preregistered authentication information to determine whether authentication has been successful, and the user can use the MFP 103 only if authentication has been successful. Note that when the user authentication function is disabled in the MFP 103, the user can use the MFP 103 without a login operation or authentication by the authentication unit 309.

Figure 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 101. The control unit 410, which includes a CPU 411, controls the operation of the entire terminal 101. The CPU 411 reads out a control program stored in the memory 412 and performs various controls. The memory 412 is also used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 411. Note that, although the terminal 101 is configured such that one CPU 411 executes each process using one memory 412, other configurations are also possible. For example, multiple CPUs or multiple memories can work together to execute each process.

The operation unit I/F 413 connects the operation unit 420 and the control unit 410. The operation unit 420 is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit with a touch panel function, and serves as a reception unit that receives operations, inputs, instructions, etc. from the user. The network I/F 414 connects the control unit 410 (terminal 101) to a wireless LAN. Using the network I/F 414, the terminal 101 can transmit image data and information to external devices and receive various types of information.

In this embodiment, the instructions sent from terminal 101 to MFP 103 and received by network I/F 219 include at least an instruction for a first transmission process (read and transmit process) and an instruction for a second transmission process. The instruction for the first transmission process is an instruction to have MFP 103 cause scanner 222 to read an original document and transmit the image data generated thereby by fax using fax unit 305 and modem 223. On the other hand, the instruction for the second transmission process is an instruction to have MFP 103 cause image data prepared on the terminal 101 side to be faxed by the transmitting means (fax unit 305 and modem 223).

Figure 5 shows an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application displayed on the terminal 101. The fax sending application is an application that can be downloaded from a server on the Internet and additionally installed on the terminal 101, and is software operated on the OS unit 308. By using the fax sending application, settings for causing the MFP 103 to send a fax can be performed on the terminal 101 side. The operation of the terminal 101, which will be described later, is executed based on instructions from the fax sending application.

In particular, the operation screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the operation unit 420 when the user of the terminal 101 is about to send an instruction for the first transmission process. When a fax transmission application is started on the terminal 101 by a predetermined operation, the operation screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. In this operation screen, a setting field 501 is a field for setting the MFP that will execute the fax transmission. When there are multiple MFPs, one MFP is selected by the setting field 501. In other words, when the user touches the setting field 501, the terminal 101 searches for MFPs in the vicinity, and the found MFPs are displayed in a list. The user can select the MFP that will execute the fax transmission from the displayed MFPs.

The setting field 502 is a field for setting the telephone number (fax number) to which the fax will be sent. The user may enter the telephone number using a soft keyboard displayed on the terminal 101, or may select the telephone number by referring to an address book stored in the terminal 101.

The setting field 503 is a field for making detailed settings for the scan process (reading process) to be executed using the scanner 222 of the MFP 103. When the user touches the setting field 503, a screen for specifying reading parameters such as resolution, document size, and color/monochrome is displayed, and the terminal 101 accepts the scan settings from the user via this screen.

The fax transmission key 504 is a key for instructing the MFP 103 to execute fax transmission. When the fax transmission key 504 is pressed after completing the settings in the setting fields 501, 502, and 503, communication between the terminal 101 and the MFP 103 is started.

Figure 6 shows the processing sequence between terminal 101 and MFP 103 when terminal 101 instructs the first transmission process.

In step S601, the terminal 101 accepts settings from the user via the operation screen shown in FIG. 5. In step S602, the terminal 101 transmits a command for job generation to the MFP 103. This command is assumed to include authentication information of the user operating the terminal 101. In step S603, the MFP 103, which has received this command, responds to the terminal 101 with a response OK.

In step S604, the terminal 101 transmits a scan command to the MFP 103 to instruct the MFP 103 to execute a scan. In step S605, the MFP 103, which has received this scan command, determines whether the scan command can be accepted. This scan command acceptance determination process will be described later with reference to FIG. 11. Determining whether the scan command can be accepted has the same meaning as determining whether the first transmission process can be accepted. As will be described below, if the result of the determination is that acceptance is permitted, the first transmission process is executed, and if it is not permitted, the first transmission process is not executed. If the scan command can be accepted, the process proceeds to step S606, and if it cannot be accepted, the process proceeds to step S615.

In step S606, the MFP 103 responds with a response OK to the terminal 101. Next, in step S607, the terminal 101 sends a command to end the job to the MFP 103. In response to this command, the MFP 103 responds with a response OK to the terminal 101 in step S608. When the MFP 103 has finished receiving the job communication from the terminal 101, in step S609, it displays on the operation unit 220 a document scan acceptance screen (Figure 7) indicating that the document scan has been accepted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the document scan reception screen displays a button 701 for reading and a cancel button 702. Next, in step S610, when the user presses and selects the button 701 for reading, the MFP 103 displays a scan setting screen on the operation unit 220 in step S611. Therefore, the process moves to the setting for starting scanning in the first transmission process. On the other hand, when the cancel button 702 is pressed and selected, the MFP 103 transmits a response indicating this to the terminal 101.

This scan setting screen is not shown, but it is a screen that displays the same contents as those displayed when the setting field 503 is selected on the operation screen in FIG. 5. In step S612, when the user sets the items on the scan setting screen and instructs to start scanning, in step S613, the MFP 103 performs scanning according to the items set on the scan setting screen. Specifically, the CPU 211 controls the scanner 222 to read the document and generate image data. The scan process follows the contents set in the setting field 503 in FIG. 5, but if the settings are changed on the scan setting screen displayed in step S611, the changed settings shall be followed. Then, in step S614, the MFP 103 faxes the image data generated by scanning. Specifically, the CPU 211 controls the Fax unit 305 and the modem 223 to fax the image data. The destination of this fax transmission is the telephone number set in the setting field 502 in FIG. 5.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S605 is that the scan command cannot be accepted, the MFP 103 returns a Busy response indicating that the command cannot be accepted to the terminal 101 in step S615. When the terminal 101 receives the Busy response, it waits a certain period of time in step S616 and then sends the scan command again. The MFP 103 again determines whether the scan command can be accepted in step S617, and returns the result of the determination in step S615 or step S618.

The terminal 101 repeats sending the scan command until acceptance of the scan command is permitted. When acceptance is permitted, the process proceeds to step S606. However, if the number of repeated transmissions exceeds a predetermined number, or if the total time for which transmissions are repeated exceeds a predetermined time, an error may be notified.

As described above, when a fax sending job including a scan command is instructed from terminal 101, MFP 103 determines whether or not the scan command can be accepted. If the command can be accepted, MFP 103 displays the document scan acceptance screen (FIG. 7) on operation unit 220, waits for the user's instruction to execute scanning, scans the document with MFP 103, and sends the image data obtained by scanning by fax. As described above, in the first transmission process, image data obtained by scanning with MFP 103 is sent by fax. In contrast, the second transmission process in which image data prepared on the terminal 101 side is sent by fax from MFP 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a data management application displayed on the terminal 101. The terminal 101 stores image data downloaded from the network and image data captured using the camera function of the terminal 101. These image data can be sequentially switched and displayed using the data management application installed on the terminal 101. The operation screen in Figure 8 shows one of the stored image data being displayed.

When the user presses operation key 801 on the operation screen of FIG. 8, a screen for selecting a function to be executed on the currently displayed image data is displayed. In addition to an e-mail sending application and a print application, the above-mentioned fax sending application is displayed as a selection candidate on this screen. When the user selects the fax sending application from among these selection candidates, the operation screen is switched to that shown in FIG. 9. Note that each of the above applications can be downloaded from a server on the Internet and additionally installed on the terminal 101.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen of a fax sending application that is displayed on the operation unit 420 when the user of the terminal 101 is about to send an instruction for the second sending process. In this operation screen, setting fields 901, 902, and 903 are similar to setting fields 501, 502, and 504 described in Figure 5, respectively.

Figure 10 shows the processing sequence between terminal 101 and MFP 103 when terminal 101 instructs the second transmission process.

In step S1001, the terminal 101 accepts an image selection from the user via the operation screen of FIG. 8, and in step S1002, accepts settings from the user via the operation screen of FIG. 9. In step S1003, the terminal 101 transmits a command for job generation to the MFP 103. In step S1004, the MFP 103, which has received this command, responds to the terminal 101 with a response OK.

In step S1005, the terminal 101 transmits an image command to the MFP 103. This image command includes image data to be sent by fax from the MFP 103. This image data was acquired by the terminal 101 and was displayed on the operation screen of FIG. 8. In step S1006, the MFP 103, which has received the image command, responds to the terminal 101 with a response OK.

In step S1007, the terminal 101 sends a command to end the job to the MFP 103. In step S1008, the MFP 103 receives this command and sends a response OK to the terminal 101. In step S1009, the MFP 103 faxes the image data received from the terminal 101. The destination of this fax transmission is the telephone number set in the setting field 902.

In this way, the image data sent from the terminal 101 to the MFP 103 is faxed from the MFP 103 according to the settings made on the terminal 101 (second transmission process). In the second transmission process, the MFP 103 does not perform a scan process. Therefore, unlike the first transmission process, there is no need to wait for the user to operate the MFP 103, and the fax transmission process is quickly performed.

Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the scan command reception determination process. Each operation (step) shown in the flowchart in Figure 11 is realized by the CPU 211 of the control unit 210 in the MFP 103 executing a control program stored in the ROM 212. This process is executed in step S605 in Figure 6 when the MFP 103 receives a scan command from the terminal 101 as a result of the terminal 101 instructing the first transmission process.

First, in step S1101, the CPU 211 determines whether the user authentication function of the MFP 103 is enabled. If the authentication function is enabled, the CPU 211 advances the process to step S1105. If the authentication function is disabled, the CPU 211 advances the process to step S1102.

In step S1105, the CPU 211 determines whether the authentication information attached to the command for job creation sent from the terminal 101 (in step S602 in FIG. 6) matches the authentication information of the currently logged-in user. If the result of this determination is that the two pieces of authentication information match, authentication has been successful and the CPU 211 proceeds to step S1104, enabling acceptance of the scan command. Thus, acceptance of the first transmission process is permitted. On the other hand, if the two pieces of authentication information do not match, authentication has not been successful and the CPU 211 proceeds to step S1103, disabling acceptance of the scan command. Thus, acceptance of the first transmission process is not permitted. After steps S1103 and S1104 are completed, the process in FIG. 11 ends.

In step S1102, the CPU 211 first determines the operating state of the operation unit 220 when the scan command was received. Specifically, the CPU 211 determines whether or not at least one of the following conditions is met: a top screen is displayed on the operation unit 220 of the MFP 103, or a certain amount of time has passed since the operation unit 220 was last operated. There is no limit to the length of the certain amount of time. Here, the top screen is the screen displayed on the operation unit 220, and is the screen for using each function such as copy, scan, and fax. This will be described with reference to FIG. 12.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing the transition of screens displayed on the operation unit 220. A home screen 1201 is a function selection screen for selecting a function to be executed by the MFP 103. When the copy button 1207 is selected on the home screen 1201, the screen switches to a copy screen 1202. When the scan button 1208 is selected, the screen switches to a scan screen 1203. When the fax button 1209 is selected, the screen switches to a fax screen 1204. The top screens mentioned above include the screens for selecting each function, such as the home screen 1201, and the screens 1202 to 1204 for each function.

When the color mode display area 1210 on the copy screen 1202 is selected, the screen switches to a color mode selection screen 1205. Screens for setting parameters related to a selected function, such as the color mode selection screen 1205, are not included in the top screen. The pop-up display that appears without switching screens when setting parameters for a function is also not included in the top screen.

If the result of the determination in step S1102 is that the above condition is met, it can be determined that the operation state of the operation unit 220 is not being operated by a user other than the user who transmitted the command for job creation. Therefore, the CPU 211 enables the reception of scan commands and permits the reception of the first transmission process (step S1104). On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S1102 is that the top screen is not displayed on the operation unit 220 and the operation of the operation unit 220 has not continued for a certain period of time or more, the above condition is not met. In this case, it can be determined that there is a possibility that the operation is being performed by a user other than the user who transmitted the command for job creation. Therefore, the CPU 211 disables the reception of scan commands and does not permit the reception of the first transmission process (step S1103).

In this way, even if user authentication is not enabled in the MFP 103, the CPU 211 determines whether or not to accept the first transmission process depending on the operation state of the MFP 103 by another user. By not accepting the first transmission process during operation by another user, erroneous operation by another user is prevented. Note that what is defined as the operation state or the method of determining the operation state is not limited to the example given.

According to this embodiment, when the MFP 103 receives an instruction for a first transmission process from the tablet terminal 101, the MFP 103 determines whether or not to accept the first transmission process based on the operation state of the operation unit 220. If the result of this determination is that acceptance is permitted, the CPU 211 controls the scanner 222 to read the document and generate image data, and controls the Fax unit 305 and the modem 223 to fax the image data. However, if acceptance is not permitted, the CPU 211 does not execute the first transmission process.

This makes it possible to prevent erroneous operation by a user other than the user who instructed the first transmission process (reading and sending process) of the document image, regardless of whether user authentication is used. In particular, even if there is no authentication function for authenticating the user who instructed the first transmission process, or even if the authentication function is available but disabled, a determination is made as to whether or not to accept the first transmission process based on the operation state of the operation unit 220. Therefore, even if the authentication function is not available, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by another user. Therefore, even if multiple users share the MFP 103, a mechanism is provided to prevent erroneous operation of a document reading and sending job caused by operation of the MFP 103 by another user, without requiring a user authentication function.

On the other hand, if the authentication function is enabled, regardless of the operation state of the operation unit 220, the acceptance or rejection of the first transmission process is determined based on the result of authentication by the authentication function, so that if the authentication is successful, the first transmission process can be quickly transitioned to.

If the CPU 211 does not permit the reception, it returns information indicating that the reception was not permitted to the source of the instruction as a Busy response (step S615 in FIG. 6). This makes it possible to notify the source of the instruction that the first transmission process will not be executed.

Other Examples
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The present invention has been described in detail above based on preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not deviate from the gist of the invention are also included in the present invention.

103 MFP
211 CPU
210 Control unit 219 Network I/F
220 Operation unit 222 Scanner 223 Modem 305 Fax unit

Claims (5)

An operation means for receiving an operation from a user;
A reading means for reading an original and generating image data;
a transmitting means for transmitting the image data generated by the reading means;
a receiving means for receiving from a terminal an instruction for a read and transmit process for causing the reading means to read a document and for causing the image data generated by the reading means to be transmitted to the transmitting means;
a control means for, when an instruction for the reading and transmitting process is received by the receiving means, judging whether or not to accept the reading and transmitting process based on an operation state of the operating means, and, when the result of the judgment is that the acceptance of the reading and transmitting process is permitted, displaying a screen including a first button which, when selected, displays a scan setting screen and a second button which, when selected, transmits a response indicating cancellation to the terminal, controlling the reading means in accordance with an item set on the scan setting screen displayed when the first button is selected, and causing the image data generated by the reading means to be transmitted to the transmitting means ,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means permits acceptance of the read and transmit process when a top screen is displayed on the operation means . The image processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the control means does not permit acceptance of the read and send process, the control means does not execute the read and send process and transmits information indicating that acceptance of the read and send process was not permitted to the sender of the instruction for the read and send process. 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means permits acceptance of the read and transmit process when no operation is performed on the operation means for a certain period of time or longer. 1. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus including an operation unit that receives an operation from a user, a reading unit that reads an original and generates image data, and a transmission unit that transmits the image data generated by the reading unit, comprising:
a receiving step of receiving, from a terminal, an instruction for a read and transmit process for causing the reading means to read a document and for causing the image data generated by the reading means to be transmitted to the transmitting means;
a control step of, when an instruction for the reading and transmitting process is received by the receiving step, judging whether or not to accept the reading and transmitting process based on an operation state of the operating means, and if the result of the judgment is that the acceptance of the reading and transmitting process is permitted, displaying a screen including a first button which, when selected, displays a scan setting screen and a second button which, when selected, transmits a response indicating cancellation to the terminal, controlling the reading means in accordance with an item set on the scan setting screen displayed when the first button is selected, and transmitting image data generated by the reading means to the transmitting means ,
The control method for an image processing apparatus , wherein the control step permits acceptance of the read and transmit process when a top screen is displayed on the operation means . 5. A program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling an image processing apparatus according to claim 4 .