JPH10289308A - Scanner, scanner server, client and scanner server system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transfer an image to a desired output destination from a scanner connected to a network by a simple operation. SOLUTION: A client 3 outputs the scanning condition inputted by a user to a scanner server 2. The server 2 registers the scanning condition, adds a reservation ID to the condition and also notifies the client 3 of these condition and ID. A scanner 1 inputs the reservation ID notified to the user from the client 3 and refers to the scanning condition corresponding to the reservation ID via the server 2 to perform the image read processing. The read image data undergo the data conversion via an image data conversion processing part 11 and then transferred to a printer 14, etc., via an image data transfer processing part 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a scanner server system that allows a plurality of users to efficiently share a scanner connected via a network, and a scanner, a scanner server, and a client constituting the scanner server system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, scanners have been used to convert paper documents into electronic information. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional scanner server system. FIG.
1, a scanner server 2, a client 3, a facsimile (facsimile) server 1 via a network 4.
3 and the printer 14 are connected. The scanner 1 is locally connected to the scanner server 2 via a cable 30.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional scanner server system, and shows the operation of outputting image data scanned by a scanner to a printer. FIG.
First, the user sends a document to be scanned to the scanner 1.
(Step S501). Scanner server 2
Starts the scanning application 33 at
Scanning by inputting scanning conditions (scanning process)
Is executed (step S502). The image data captured by the scanner server 2 is displayed on the screen of the scanner server 2. Then, it is determined whether to perform the image data processing (step S503). When performing image data processing, image data processing is performed in the scanning application 33 (step S504). If image data processing is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step S505.

Next, when transferring image data to the client 3, the fetched image data is transferred to the scanner server 2.
As a file in the storage device 34 (step S
505). Then, the image data transfer application 3
5 is started and the target client 3 is designated to transfer the image data (step S506).

The client 3 processes the received image data. When outputting to the printer 14, the client 3 starts the image application 31, performs image data processing (step S507), and specifies and outputs the printer 14 as the output destination (step S50).
8).

Similarly, when the image data scanned by the scanner 1 is transferred by facsimile, the facsimile application 32 is activated by the client 3, the image data received from the scanner server 2 is read, and the facsimile data is output to the facsimile server 13.

[0007]

As described above, a dedicated application is required to transfer scanned image data to a desired output destination, and a user must operate the application. When there are multiple clients, a dedicated application is required for each client. Further, the scanner server 2
When the user has set the scanning conditions above,
When converting the imported image data,
There is a problem that another user cannot use the scanner, and a plurality of users cannot efficiently share the scanner server system.

The present invention provides a scanner server system capable of transferring image data from a scanner connected to a network to a desired output destination by a simple operation, and a scanner, a scanner server, and a client constituting the scanner server system. The purpose is to:

A further object of the present invention is to provide a scanner server system that can be efficiently shared and used by a plurality of users, and a scanner, a scanner server, and a client that constitute the scanner server system.

[0010]

A scanner according to the present invention is a scanner which is connected to a scanner server and a client via a network, and which inputs identification information of desired scanning conditions registered in the scanner server. Information input means, image reading means for performing image reading processing of a document based on the scanning conditions transferred from the scanner server having received the identification information, and data transfer means for transferring the read image data via a network. It is a thing.

[0011] A scanner server according to the present invention is a scanner server connected to a scanner and a client via a network. The scanner server stores scanning conditions transferred from the client. Identification information setting means for setting identification information and notifying the client of the identification information.

Further, the client according to the present invention is a client connected to the scanner and the scanner server via a network, and a scanning condition transferring means for transferring the scanning condition of the scanner and the reservation information of the scanning to the scanner server; And a notifying unit for notifying the scanner of the identification information of the scanning condition notified from the scanner server.

In the present invention, when the user sets the scanning condition from the client, the scanning condition is registered in the scanner server. The scanner refers to the scanning conditions registered in the scanner server, executes a reading process of the document image according to the scanning conditions, converts the document image into a desired data format, and outputs the data. Thus, after the user registers the scanning conditions from the client, the user can transfer the image of the document to the desired output destination only by performing an operation of performing image reading processing using the scanner. Therefore, the operation of transferring image data using the scanner is simplified, and in addition, the time required for one user to occupy the scanner or the scanner server is shortened, so that a plurality of users can efficiently use the scanner server system. Can be used.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A scanner according to the first aspect of the present invention is a scanner connected to a scanner server and a client via a network, and inputs identification information of desired scanning conditions registered in the scanner server. Identification information input means, image reading means for performing reading processing of an image of a document based on the scanning conditions transferred from the scanner server having received the identification information, and data transfer means for transferring the read image data via a network; It is provided with.

[0015] This makes it possible to transfer the data from the scanner directly to the desired output destination after performing the image reading process with reference to the scanning conditions registered in the scanner server. A scanner that can be operated in a short time can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the scanner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the image data read by the data transfer means is transferred to a scanner server.

This makes it possible for the scanner server to perform more advanced data conversion processing and data transfer processing that cannot be performed by the scanner.

A scanner according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the scanner according to the first or second aspect, further comprises a data conversion unit for converting the read image data into data of a predetermined format at an output destination. , Data transfer means for transferring the converted image data to an output destination.

Thus, the scanner can perform the data conversion process according to the data format of the output destination, and can transfer the image data to a desired output destination without going through the scanner server.

In a scanner according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the scanner according to the third aspect of the present invention, the data conversion means converts the image data into print data, and the data transfer means converts the print data into a network. The data is transferred to a printing device connected via the printer.

Thus, the image data read from the scanner can be directly transmitted to the printing apparatus.

In a scanner according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the scanner according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the identification information input means reads the identification information described on the document as image data. It comprises a reading means and a recognition means for recognizing identification information from the read image data.

This makes it possible to describe the identification information by writing handwritten alphanumeric characters and kanji on the manuscript so that the identification information can be recognized. In addition, since a key panel for inputting the identification information is not required, the configuration of the scanner can be simplified. Can be

The scanner server according to the invention of claim 6 is
A scanner server connected to a scanner and a client via a network, comprising: storage means for storing scanning conditions transferred from the client; and identification for setting identification information for the transferred scanning conditions and notifying the client. And information setting means.

Thus, the user can use the scanner only by registering the scanning conditions from the client.
Operation is simplified.

The scanner server according to the invention of claim 7 is:
In the configuration of the scanner server according to the invention of claim 6,
The image processing apparatus further includes data conversion means for receiving the image data transferred from the scanner and converting the image data into data of a predetermined format at the output destination, and data transfer means for transferring the converted image data to the output destination. .

As a result, it is possible to perform more advanced image data conversion processing and data transfer processing that cannot be performed by a scanner.

[0028] The scanner server according to the invention of claim 8 is:
In the configuration of the scanner server according to the invention of claim 7,
The data conversion means converts the image data into facsimile data, and the data transfer means transfers the facsimile data to a facsimile server connected via a network.

Thus, it becomes possible to transfer the image data read from the scanner to the facsimile server via the network.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the client is a client connected to the scanner and the scanner server via a network, and a scanning condition transferring means for transferring the scanning condition of the scanner and the reservation information of the scanning to the scanner server. Notification means for notifying the scanner of the identification information of the scanning condition notified from the scanner server.

Thus, the user can perform the image reading processing by the scanner by performing only the operation of transferring the scanning conditions and the reservation information from the client.

[0032] The client according to the invention of claim 10 is:
In the configuration of the client according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a display unit for displaying information indicating that the reservation information transferred from the scanner server has been registered.

Thus, the user can grasp the use state of the scanner by referring to the displayed information, and can prevent another user's scanner from erroneously operating.

A scanner server system according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention provides a scanner server according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a scanner server according to any of the sixth to eighth aspects, A client according to the ninth or tenth aspect is connected via a network.

As a result, it is possible to obtain a scanner server system in which the occupation time of the scanner and the scanner server is short and the operation is easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a scanner server system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, components of the scanner server system according to the second and third embodiments will be referred to for describing the scanner server system according to the second and third embodiments described later. Is included.

In the scanner server system shown in FIG. 1, a scanner 1, a scanner server 2, and a client 3 are connected via a network 4. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanner server system. FIG. 2 shows an operation for outputting image data scanned by the scanner 1 to the printer 14 connected via the network 4.

When outputting image data from the scanner 1 to the printer 14, the user first activates a scanning condition registration application (scanning condition transfer means) 6 in order to register scanning conditions from the client 3 to the scanner server 2 (scanning condition transfer means). Step S100). Then, for example, the scanning condition such as the output from the scanner 1 to the printer 14 or the number of copies is input, and the registration to the scanner server 2 is executed (step S101). The reservation information is transferred from the reservation information communication unit (scanning condition transfer unit) 5 of the client 3 to the reservation information communication unit 5 of the scanner server 2 and transmitted to the reservation management unit 7. At this time, if the scanning conditions are inadequate, the reservation is not accepted (step S102).

When the reservation is accepted, the scanner server 2 stores the scanning conditions in the scanning condition storage unit (storage means) 8, assigns a unique reservation ID (identification information) to the scanning conditions, and sends the reservation information communication unit ( The reservation ID is notified to the client 3 through the identification information setting unit 5 (step S103). The reservation ID is displayed on the display unit of the client 3. After the notification of the reservation ID, the timing of the scanning execution is left to the user.

When the user starts scanning, the document is first set on the scanner (step S104).
Then, the reservation ID notified from the scanner server 2 is input from the reservation ID input unit (identification information input means) 10 of the scanner 1 (step S105). The scanner 1 inquires of the scanner server 2 about scanning conditions based on the input reservation ID (step S106). The scanner server 2 searches for a scanning condition based on the reservation ID and checks whether the reservation ID is correct (step S10).
7). If the reservation ID is authenticated, the scanning condition corresponding to the reservation ID is transferred to the scanner 1 (step S108).

In the scanner 1, the scanning condition execution unit (image reading means) 9 executes scanning according to the scanning conditions (step S109). The scanner 1 converts the read image data into a printer data format in the image data conversion processing unit 11 (step S110). Then, after the conversion process is completed, the image data transfer processing unit (data transfer unit) 12 sends the printer 1
4 is transferred (step S111).

(Embodiment 2) The configuration of a scanner server system according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanner server system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an operation of outputting image data read by the scanner 1 to the FAX server 13.

First, the user starts the scanning condition registration application 6 (step S200). Then, for example, an input indicating that the output is from the scanner 1 to the FAX server 13 or a scanning condition such as a FAX transmission destination is input, and registration with the scanner server 2 is executed (step S201). The reservation information is transmitted to the reservation management unit 7 of the scanner server 2. At this time, if the scanning conditions are incomplete, the reservation management unit 7 does not accept the reservation (step S202).

When the reservation is accepted, the scanner server 2 stores the scanning condition in the scanning condition storage unit 8, assigns a unique reservation ID to the scanning condition, and notifies the client 3 of the reservation ID (step S203). The reservation ID is displayed on the display unit of the client 3. The above operation completes the reservation of the scanning operation.

Next, the user mounts the original on the scanner 1 and starts scanning (step S204). First, the reservation ID notified from the scanner server 2 is input from the reservation ID input unit 10 of the scanner 1 (step S20).
5). Then, the scanner 1 inquires of the scanner server 2 about scanning conditions based on the input reservation ID (step S206). The scanner server 2 searches for a scanning condition based on the reservation ID, and checks whether the reservation ID is correct (step S207). If the reservation ID is authenticated, the scanning condition corresponding to the reservation ID is transferred to the scanner 1 (step S208). The scanner 1 executes scanning by the scanning condition execution unit 9 according to the scanning conditions (step S20).
9).

When the scanning condition is facsimile transmission, between the data processing coordinator 16 of the scanner 1 and the data processing cooperator 16 of the scanner server 2, such as conversion to a facsimile transmission destination header or facsimile data, etc. Information regarding data processing is exchanged (step S210). afterwards,
The scanner 1 transmits the read image data to the scanner server 2.
(Step S211). The image data transferred from the scanner 1 by the scanner server 2 is converted into FAX data by the image data conversion processing unit 11, and
X destination information is added (step S212). Then, the data is transferred to the designated FAX server 13 (step S213).

(Embodiment 3) The configuration of a scanner server system according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanner server system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4 shows an operation of outputting image data read by the scanner 1 to the printer 14.

First, the scanning condition registration application 6 of the client 3 is started (step S30).
0). Then, for example, the scanning condition such as output from the scanner 1 to the printer 14 or the number of print copies is input, and registration with the scanner server 2 is executed (step S301). This reservation information is transferred from the reservation information communication unit 5 of the client 3 to the reservation information communication unit 5 of the scanner server 2 and transmitted to the reservation management unit 7. At this time,
If the scanning conditions are incomplete, this reservation is not accepted (step S302).

When the reservation is accepted, the scanner server 2 stores the scanning condition in the scanning condition storage unit 8, assigns a unique reservation ID to the scanning condition, and notifies the client 3 of the reservation ID through the reservation information communication unit 5. (Step S303). The reservation ID is displayed on the display unit of the client 3. The above operation completes the reservation of the scanning operation.

When the user starts scanning, first, the reservation ID notified from the scanner server 2 is handwritten or printed on a sheet, and this sheet is used as the first document to be scanned (step S304). And
A document is attached to a predetermined position of the scanner 1 (step S30).
5) Scanning is performed sequentially from the first document (step S306). The scanner 1 that scans the first document is
A character recognition unit (recognition means) converts a reservation ID from the image data.
15 and inquires of the scanner server 2 about scanning conditions based on the detected reservation ID (step S3).
07). The scanner server 2 searches for a scanning condition based on the reservation ID, and checks whether the reservation ID is correct (step S308).

If the reservation ID is authenticated, the scanning condition corresponding to the reservation ID is transferred to the scanner 1 (step S309). In the scanner 1, the scanning condition execution unit 9 scans the document according to the scanning condition (step S310). Then, the read image data is converted into a printer data format by the image data conversion processing unit 11 (step S311). Further, after the conversion processing is completed, the image data transfer processing unit 12
Is transferred from the printer to the printer 14 (step S3).
12).

In the above-described scanner server system, by adding a character recognition processing unit and a voice conversion processing unit to the scanner 1 or the scanner server 2, data from the scanner 1 can be transferred to the telephone via the network 4. When an OCR (optical character reading) processing unit is added to the scanner 1 or the scanner server 2, it can be used as an e-mail.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, a user can read an image by using a scanner only by setting scanning conditions in advance from a client without performing other operations. Data can be transferred to the output destination. Thereby, the operation of the user is simplified.

In the scanner, only the operation of the user to input the identification information and execute the image reading process is required, so that the scanner and the scanner server are not occupied by a single user for a long time. Thus, the scanner can be used efficiently by a plurality of users.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a scanner server system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the scanner server system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the scanner server system according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the scanner server system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional scanner server system.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional scanner server system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Scanner 2 Scanner server 3 Client 4 Network 13 FAX server 14 Printer

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A scanner connected to a scanner server and a client via a network, comprising: identification information input means for inputting identification information of desired scanning conditions registered in the scanner server; and receiving the identification information. A scanner for reading an image of a document based on scanning conditions transferred from the scanner server, and a data transfer unit for transferring the read image data via the network. . 2. The scanner according to claim 1, wherein said data transfer means transfers the read image data to said scanner server. 3. A data conversion means for converting the read image data into data of a predetermined format at an output destination.
The data transfer means transfers the converted image data to the output destination.
Scanner as described. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data conversion means converts said image data into print data, and said data transfer means transfers said print data to a printing device connected via said network. Item 3. The scanner according to Item 3. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said identification information input means includes reading means for reading the identification information written on the document as image data, and recognition means for recognizing the identification information from the read image data. Item 5. The scanner according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. A scanner server connected to a scanner and a client via a network, wherein the storage means stores scanning conditions transferred from the client, and sets identification information for the transferred scanning conditions. And an identification information setting unit for notifying the client. 7. A data conversion means for receiving image data transferred from the scanner and converting the image data into data of a predetermined format at an output destination, and a data transfer means for transferring the converted image data to the output destination. The scanner server according to claim 6, further comprising: 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data conversion means converts said image data into facsimile data, and said data transfer means transfers said facsimile data to a facsimile server connected via said network. 7. The scanner server according to 7. 9. A client connected to a scanner and a scanner server via a network, wherein the scanner server transmits scanning conditions and scanning reservation information to the scanner server, and a notification from the scanner server. And a notifying unit for notifying the scanner of the identification information of the scanning condition. 10. The scanner server according to claim 9, further comprising display means for displaying information indicating that the reservation information transferred from said scanner server has been registered. 11. A scanner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a scanner server according to any one of claims 6 to 8, and a client according to claim 9 or 10 connected via a network. A scanner server system characterized in that: