JPH08289091A - Network scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the connection cost to a network by connecting the scanner of the network scanner to the network without the use of a controller. CONSTITUTION: The scanner incorporates a network interface card 16b supporting transmission of information sent/received with a client 12 and servers 13, 14 and connected to a connection medium 15 of a network 10 and a controller section sends image information read by the scanner via the card 16b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to network scanners and, more particularly, to network scanners which enable the scanner mechanism to be operably connected to a network without the need for another independent controller. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a scanner for reading an original image and outputting (transmitting) the image information has been known. Since this scanner simply reads and outputs the image information, a copying machine or a facsimile machine is known. It is installed as a reading means of a computer or used in combination with a personal computer.

This type of scanner is sometimes used as a network scanner.
The scanner is connected to a connection medium of, for example, a local area network (LAN) constructed by a plurality of clients (for example, personal computers) via a control device, and is commonly used by the clients.

[0004]

However, such a conventional network scanner simply reads and outputs image information, and therefore, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the scanner 1 is connected to a network, for example, a personal computer (independently usable control device) 4 connected to a network connection medium 2 via a LAN I / F (interface) 3 is used. By using the communication function of the computer 4, common use by a plurality of clients is enabled. That is, since the conventional scanner 1 cannot be independently connected to the network, the control device 4 that can be used independently must be dedicated.
The cost will be high. Further, there is a problem in that it does not have a function for transmitting and managing information with a client, and even if it can be independently connected to a network, it is low in versatility and convenience.

Therefore, the present invention aims to realize a single connection by devising the connection with the network to reduce the connection cost with the network, and to provide an information transmission / management function. The purpose is to improve versatility and convenience.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a network scanner for transmitting image information read by a reading means to a network, which is connected to a connection medium of the network. A network interface card that supports transmission of information transmitted to and received from the network, and transmission means for transmitting the read image information to the network via the interface card. .

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that transmission control means for controlling transmission of the image information is provided according to a protocol according to information processing of a destination of the image information. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a specific information setting means for setting information for specifying the physical address on the network in a one-to-one correspondence is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a destination input means for selectively inputting a destination in the network for transmitting the image information. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided identification information setting means for setting information capable of identifying itself, and the transmission means responds to a request for transmission of the set identification information from a client in the network. It is characterized by transmitting to.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a file format selection means for selecting whether the image information is filed page by page or read out, and the transmission means is responsive to the file format selected by the selection means. The image information is transmitted to the network.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a network interface card that supports transmission of information transmitted to and received from a network is built in, and is connected to a connection medium of the network via this card. Then, the image information read by the reading means is transmitted to the network by the transmitting means via the interface card. Therefore, the information is directly transmitted to the client in the network through the interface card without using a dedicated device, and the reading unit is driven in response to the reading request from the client, and the read image information is read. Is transmitted to the network via the interface card by the transmission means.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the transmission of the image information is controlled by the transmission control means in accordance with the protocol according to the information processing of the destination. Therefore, the image information can be directly transmitted to the destination even if the destination has a plurality of functions. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the information for identifying the physical address on the network in a one-to-one correspondence with the address, for example, information about the self or the client is set in the specific information setting means. Therefore, the transmission can be controlled by the specific information, and for example, the read request can be transmitted from the client side by using the specific information.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the destination of the image information can be selected and input from the destination input means. Therefore, the destination of the image information can be selected from the network scanner side. Further, in the invention according to claim 5, information capable of identifying itself is set in the identification information setting means, and the identification information is transmitted to the network by the transmission means in response to a transmission request from the client. Therefore, the identification information can be received together with the image information and used for processing the image information.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, it is possible to select by the format selecting means whether to file the image information for each page or each reading, and the image information is transmitted according to the file format selected by the selecting means. By means of a network. Therefore, the format can be used to process the image information.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a network scanner according to the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a remote scanner that constitutes a network scanner, and a remote scanner (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a scanner) 11 is a client that transmits / receives information to be processed and transmits a request for transmitting information. (For example, a personal computer) 12 and a print server that delivers the received information to a printer (not shown) and records and outputs it on paper.
13, a scanner server 14 that stores and manages the image information sent from the scanner 11 in the storage device, and delivers the image information as necessary, and is similarly connected to the connection medium 15 alone.
For example, it constitutes part of a local area network (LAN) 10. The scanner 11, the client 12, and the servers 13 and 14 are not limited to one set and may be plural.

A scanner 1 that constructs this network 10.
1, the client 12, and the servers 13 and 14 externally or internally include a LAN I / F (interface) 16a that converts (supports) information processed by each of them so that they can be transmitted to each other via the connection medium 15. In particular, the scanner 11 is a LAN I / F 16 which is connected to a connection medium 15 of the network 10 and is interposed between a scanner function unit (reading means) 29 for reading image information from a document image.
The network interface card 16b as a is built in. The scanner function unit 29 is shown in FIG.
This corresponds to the scanner (main body) 1 in the conventional example shown in (b).

The scanner 11 includes a network interface card (hereinafter, simply referred to as an I / F card) 16
b and the scanner function unit 29, each unit is controlled according to a utility for carrying out the present invention to perform various processes, and transmission of information between the client 12 and the servers 13 and 14 (network 10 side) is controlled. A controller unit 21, a resident command unit 22 that stores the utility thereof, a display unit 23 that displays various predetermined information, and an input unit that inputs a destination of image information, a transmission format, and a transmission command. 24 and a non-volatile memory unit 25 for setting / holding the information transmitted from the client 12 are provided.

The non-volatile memory 25 is a client 12 or a server 13 or 14 including itself (scanner 11) on the network 10.
The specific information that can be specified in a one-to-one correspondence with the physical address of, for example, a so-called network address, name, nickname, or the like is held until it is written and set from the client 12 and rewritten. As shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 3, the controller unit 21 directly transmits predetermined information between the client 12 and the servers 13 and 14 via the connection medium 15 and the interface card 16b, and is transmitted from the client 12. When there is a request to send image information to the servers 13 and 14, the scanner mechanism unit 29 is driven to read the image information of the set original image, and then based on the specific information corresponding to the destination in the nonvolatile memory 25. And, and
Protocol according to destination (for example, print server 13
In the case of the print protocol, and in the case of the scanner file server 14, the image information is directly transmitted to the destination according to the file transfer protocol.
In the case of 13, the image information can be directly transmitted and recorded and output.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the display unit 23 can display the names of the print server 13 and the scanner server 14, for example, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).
And a display device 23a, and the input unit 24 is a print server.
Scroll key 24a for selecting any one from the display of 13 or file server 14, etc., setting key for confirming the selection
The controller unit 21 includes a start key 24c for executing transmission of image information to 24b and the selected destination.
Displays the name set in the non-volatile memory 25 on the display unit 23 and presses the start key 24c at the transmission destination selected and input from the input unit 24, similarly to the transmission request from the client 12, and the read image information. Is directly transmitted based on the specific information of the selected destination and according to the protocol. That is, the controller unit 21 constitutes a transmission unit and a transmission control unit, the non-volatile memory 25 constitutes a specific information setting unit, and the input unit 24
Constitutes the destination input means. Note that the client
The specific information set in the non-volatile memory 25 by 12 may be set by displaying characters and numbers on the display unit 23 using the scroll key 24a and the setting key 24b of the input unit 24.

Further, the controller section 21 is provided with specific information that can be distinguished from the client 12 and the like set in the non-volatile memory 25 when transmitting image information to the scanner server 14,
For example, a nickname or network address is read out and sent to the scanner server 14 which is the destination together with the image information, and the scanner server 14 uses the nickname or network address and the sequence number to identify the scanner 11 as a file name. By generating, the file management of the image information is managed in a predetermined file without instructing each time. In addition, the controller unit 21 determines the transmission format of the image information by, for example, the display unit 23.
"To the file format selection screen" in Fig. 5 displayed in the input section
The image information is transmitted to the destination in the selected file format when the page 24 or the page is selectively input on the screen, for example, the scanner server. In 14, the image information is managed in the file format. That is, the input unit 24 constitutes file format selection means, and the non-volatile memory 25 constitutes identification information setting means. Needless to say, this file format may be selectable from the client 12. Further, the final page at this time can be determined when there is no original and the image information becomes blank information, for example.

As described above, in this embodiment, the scanner 11 is
Since the I / F card 16b that supports the transmission of information transmitted / received to / from the client 12 or the servers 13 and 14 is built in and is directly connected to the connection medium 15 as shown in FIG. 6A, The scanner mechanism unit 29 is used without using the dedicated control device 3 unlike the conventional scanner 1 shown in FIG.
The image information read by can be transmitted to the destination via the I / F card 16b, and the image information can be directly transmitted to the servers 13 and 14 in response to a read request from the client 12. Therefore, the connection cost can be reduced.

Further, since the client 12 sets specific information such as a network address and a nickname corresponding to the physical addresses of the client 12 and the servers 13 and 14 on the network 10 in the nonvolatile memory 25, the client 12 At the time of transmission by the image information transmission request from 12, the information transmission control can be performed based on the specific information and the image information can be transmitted to the destination. Further, since the transmission of the image information is controlled according to the protocol according to the destination, even if there are plural types of destinations, the image information can be directly transmitted to the destination. Further, since it is possible to selectively input one from the plurality of servers 13 and 14 displayed on the display unit 23 by the input unit 24 and to transmit the image information, not only the transmission request from the client 12 but also the scanner 11 side Can also send image information. Therefore, versatility and convenience are improved.

Further, since the network address and nickname in the non-volatile memory 25 are transmitted to the scanner server 14 together with the image information, they can be used for file management. Further, since the transmission format of the image information can be selected for each page or each reading by the display section 23 and the input section 24, the file format in the scanner server 14 can be selected. Therefore, convenience is further improved.

In the above embodiment, the print server 13
Alternatively, the case where the file server 14 is set as the transmission destination has been described, but it goes without saying that the transmission destination of the image information may be set by using the specific information of the client 12 itself set in the non-volatile memory 25.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the connection is made to the network connection medium via the built-in network interface card, it is possible to connect to the network independently and directly transmit information between them. The scanner function can be used by clients in the network. Therefore, it is possible to connect to the network at low cost.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the image information is transmitted according to the protocol according to the destination,
Information can be sent directly to multiple types of destinations.
Therefore, versatility is improved. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the information for specifying the physical address on the network can be set, the transmission can be controlled by using the specifying information of the self or the client. Therefore, versatility is improved.

According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, since the destination of the image information can be selectively input, not only the request from the client side but also the image information is transmitted to the destination selected from the network scanner side. can do. Therefore, convenience is improved. Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the set self-identifying information is transmitted to the network in response to the transmission request from the client, it can be used for image information processing, for example, file management. . Therefore, convenience is improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to select whether the image information is filed page by page or read by file and send it to the network. Processing can be performed for each reading, for example, file management. Therefore, convenience is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a network scanner according to the present invention, and a connection diagram showing an example of the connection.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic overall configuration thereof.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating transmission of the information.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a main part thereof.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating selection of a transmission destination.

6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation, wherein FIG. 6A is a connection diagram according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a connection diagram according to the conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 network 11 remote scanner (network scanner) 12 client 13 print server 14 file server 15 connection medium 16b network interface card 21 controller section (sending means, transmission control means) 23 display section 24 input section (destination input means, file) Format selection means) 25 Non-volatile memory (specific information setting means, identification information setting means) 29 Scanner function section (reading means)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A network scanner for transmitting image information read by a reading means to a network, the network interface card being connected to a connection medium of the network and supporting transmission of information transmitted to and received from the network. A network scanner having a built-in image sensor and a transmission unit for transmitting the read image information to a network via the interface card. 2. The network scanner according to claim 1, further comprising transmission control means for controlling transmission of the image information according to a protocol according to information processing of a destination of the image information. 3. The network scanner according to claim 1, further comprising: specific information setting means for setting information for specifying one-to-one correspondence with the physical address on the network. 4. The network scanner according to claim 1, further comprising a destination input means for selectively inputting a destination in the network for transmitting the image information. 5. An identification information setting means for setting information capable of identifying itself is provided, and the transmission means transmits the set identification information to the network in response to a transmission request from a client in the network. A network scanner as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 6. A file format selection means for selecting whether to file the image information for each page or for each reading, and the transmission means transmits the image information to a network according to the file format selected by the selection means. The network scanner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: