JPH1153527A - Network-connected image scanner device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability by setting a common external storage device as an output destination, indicating the conversion of read image data to a specific format, and indicating the transfer and storage of the converted data in a set external storage device. SOLUTION: With an indication from the panel part 16 of an image scanner device 1 or through a starting process, an indication is sent to a LAN control part 18 and an external storage device 19 on a network is shared according to input from the panel part or a previously set network indication. A document is set on a scanner part 15, a file name is inputted from the panel part 16, and when a start button is pressed, the set document is read and inputted as image data. A compression part 17 compresses the data and stores them temporarily in a RAM part 13. The stored data are converted by a format conversion part 14 to the image data routine format and transferred from the LAN control part 18 to the external storage device 19 on the network, so that the data are stored.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a configuration in which an image reading device for digitizing a document is connected to a network in order to effectively use resources.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digitalization of documents has been promoted for the purpose of saving space and saving paper in stored files. documents,
In particular, for inputting image data, in the prior art, for example, Scan! An image scanner device such as ‖ is provided independently. By the way, the image scanner for digitizing a document needs a part for converting the document into an image and a data storage part for holding the data in a file format. The stored data is re-stored in a large-capacity external storage device by adding a file attribute such as keyword information for file search. Therefore, the image scanner device is
The device A is an independent device, and it is not easy to use as a personal device that wants to collectively perform data search using the same device. On the other hand, as the performance of personal computers has improved and networking has progressed, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs) and workstations (hereinafter referred to as W
S) is equipped with general-purpose application software for drawing image data,
Alternatively, image data can be managed, referenced, and browsed from WS. On the other hand, with the progress of PC networking, it has become common to perform data processing by sharing resources on the network. The request for the image data input device is not an exception, and it is required that the image data can be shared as a data input resource and that operability is good. However, as explained in the prior art,
At present, data is transmitted between independent devices, and does not satisfy the above requirements.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a conventional image scanner. In the figure, 101
Is a main control unit that controls the entire apparatus. 102 is RO
The M section stores a program for controlling the entire system. 104, a reading unit for optically reading an image; 103, a RAM unit for temporarily storing document information and management information read by the reading unit; 105, a compression / decompression unit for compressing the read image image data .
A communication control unit 106 transfers the compressed data from the communication control unit 106 to the data control device via a dedicated interface. Reference numeral 120 denotes an image scanner device including these components. On the other hand, the data control device (unit) 120 operating on a PC or the like has the following configuration. A communication control unit 107 reads data from the image scanner device (unit) and communicates control signals for controlling the image scanner unit. 108, a scanner control unit for controlling the image scanning unit;
Is a data registration unit that converts data fetched from the image scanning unit into a data format for storing and storing. Reference numeral 110 stores the data converted by the read data storage unit.

Next, the operation will be described. A document is placed on the image scanner unit 120, and a signal to start reading is sent from the scanner control unit 108. The trigger causes the image scanner unit 120 to optically read the original, and temporarily stores the read data in the RAM unit. The stored data is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 105 and sent to the data control unit 130 via the communication control unit 106. In the data control unit 130, the data is received by the communication control unit and stored in the temporary storage RAM unit 11. The stored data is designated by the scanner control unit 108 for a file format, the data registration unit 109 performs format conversion, and the read data accumulation unit 110 holds and accumulates the data.

[0005]

The conventional image scanner device is configured as described above. After data conversion, it is held and closed in a corresponding dedicated data storage unit. It was not a configuration that could be shared. For this reason, the user must operate the image scanner each time and copy the obtained data to his or her own recording medium, which has a problem that the degree of sharing is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and utilizes a resource efficiently by transferring and storing read image data to a shared external storage device by connecting to a network. The purpose is to improve.

[0007]

A network-connected image scanner according to the present invention has a main controller for controlling the operation and connection based on a program incorporated in the apparatus, and a format conversion of compressed image read data as required. And a network control unit connected to a network and transferring the format-converted data to a shared external storage device, wherein the main control unit sets the shared external storage device as an output destination A step of instructing conversion of the read image data into a predetermined format, and a step of instructing transfer and accumulation to an external storage device in which the data after the format conversion is set.

[0008] Furthermore, a data compression section for compressing the read image data into predetermined compressed data is provided, and the main control section instructs the data compression section or the format conversion section to select the type of image data compression. Steps were added.

Further, the main control section instructs the data compression section or the format conversion section to repeatedly instruct image reading to a predetermined plurality of external storage devices in accordance with a required data storage method, and to execute the image reading repeatedly a plurality of times. In the step of selecting the type of compression each time the image data is read and the step of format conversion, the image data is compressed and the format is converted in accordance with the data storage method of the corresponding external storage device, and then transferred. I did it.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a network-connected image scanner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation performed by the apparatus having the configuration of FIG. 1 according to the present embodiment. The apparatus according to the present embodiment adds a network connection mechanism to the image scanner apparatus, transfers read data to a shared external storage device, and performs electronic operation of a document by the same simple operation as copying with a copier. And the read image data can be used by any terminal or the like connected to the network. In FIG. 1, a main control unit 11 is a processor, and controls the entire apparatus.
A ROM 12 stores a program for controlling the entire system. Reference numeral 16 denotes a panel for inputting and displaying the activation of the apparatus and various settings. A reading unit 15 is a scanner that optically reads an image. 13 is RAM
The unit temporarily stores the document information and management information read by the reading unit 15. A data compression unit 17 compresses the read image data. A format conversion unit 14 converts the format of the compressed data. Reference numeral 18 denotes a LAN control unit that performs control for network connection and control for transferring data after format conversion to an external storage device on the network. Reference numeral 1 denotes a network-connected image scanner device including the above-described components. Reference numeral 19 denotes an external storage device (file server) existing on the network, which is shared by another node (LAN connection device) on the LAN.

The operation of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step S1, an instruction from the panel unit 16 of the image scanner device 1 or a process at the time of activation of the image scanner device 1 instructs the LAN control unit 18 to input from the panel unit or to set network information. , An external storage device (file server) 19 on the network is shared. In step S2, an original is set on the scanner unit 15, a file name is input from the panel unit 16, and a start button is pressed. The set original is read and input as image data. In step S3, the data is compressed by the compression unit 17 and temporarily stored in the RAM unit 13. In step S4, the stored data is converted into an image data fixed format by the format conversion unit 14, and in step S5, the data is transferred from the LAN control unit 18 to the external storage device 19 on the network, and the data is stored.

Another image scanner according to the present embodiment will be described. The above-described image scanner device is configured to transfer data to an external storage device 19 having a predetermined address, and is operated. However, the image scanner device is connected to any other device connected to the LAN, such as a personal computer or a terminal. Data may be transferred. The device configuration in this case is the same as that of FIG. 1, and a file is transferred to an arbitrary device not described in FIG. FIG. 3 shows an operation flow performed by the main control unit 11 in that case.

The operation will be described below with reference to FIG. First, in step S51, a transfer destination address of image data read from the panel unit 16 or the like is designated. The subsequent operations in steps S52 to S55 are equivalent to the operations in steps S2 to S5 in FIG. Step S
Reference numeral 55 denotes an operation flow when an arbitrary external storage device is selected as a file transfer destination. In this way, image data can be transferred over a wide area via the Internet using a protocol commonly used for file transfer on the Internet.

Another image scanner according to the present embodiment will be described. The transfer destination of the image data may be a printer, not a shared external storage device or a personal computer, and the image may be output by the specified printer. The connection configuration diagram in this case is such that a network-connected printer is arranged in place of the file server 19 in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation performed by the main control unit 11 correspondingly. FIG.
First, in step S61, a printer output is selected from the panel unit 16, and in step S62, network information such as an address for outputting to a printer on the network is set. The subsequent operations in steps S63 to S65 are equivalent to the operations in steps S2 to S4 in FIG. However, step S64 may not be necessary in some cases. Then, in step S66, the converted file is transferred to an address-designated printer on the network by using a predetermined protocol. As described above, the copy function can be realized by making the network printer on the network available.

Embodiment 2 In the first embodiment, the case where the compression method and the file format of the image data stored in the external storage device are fixed has been described. In the second embodiment, the compression method and the file format depend on the use of the data to be digitized. The case of selecting is described. The configuration of the image scanner according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. However, the operation flow performed by the main control unit is different. FIG. 5 is an operation flow when image data is stored in the external storage device according to the present embodiment. In the figure, first, in step S11, an external storage device is shared, and in step S12, a compression method of data to be stored is selected. Next, in step S13, the format of the data finally stored in the external storage device is determined by specifying the file format. The flow after the next step S14 is the same as that after step S2 in FIG.

Here, the types of compression schemes will be specifically described, for example, as follows:-MH scheme (modif ...)-MR scheme-MMR scheme-Q-MCorder-Manufacturer-supplied format The following describes the types of file formats, for example.・ TIFF (Tagged Image File F)
format) Ver5.0, Ver6.0 BMP format (bitmap format) JPEG, etc. Thus, the step of selecting the type of compression,
Alternatively, by adding a format selection step, a document can be digitized in a format according to the request of the electronic data operator.

One specific example of the format conversion will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when converting image data into the HTML format as the format conversion. In the figure, first, in step S71, the HTML format is selected from the panel unit 16. After step S72 and step S73 (which may not be necessary), conversion to HTML format is performed in step S74. The file converted in step S75 is stored in an external storage device on the network.
In this case, since the image data is converted into the HTML format at the transfer source, a plurality of users can browse the data from a network using a browser that displays the HTML data.

An example in which a mail format is converted in addition to the above-described conversion will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation when converting image data into a format to be transmitted by the mail device. In the figure, mail transmission is selected from the panel unit 16 in step S81, and network information to be output to a mail device on the network is set in step S82. Thereafter, the same operations as steps S72 to S74 in FIG. 7 are performed in steps S83 to S85. In step S86, the converted file is transferred to a mail device on the network using a predetermined protocol. In this way, the image data can be reliably transferred to a specific person on the network using the mail function.

In the image scanner device according to the second embodiment, a compression method or a format format designated by a transfer destination device is selected. May be selected and transferred. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the apparatus in that case. FIG. 6A is a registration flow of the transfer destination of the image data, in which the transfer is performed and the file format is registered. Then, FIG.
According to the operation flow of (b), in step S31, information for sharing the external storage device is input from, for example, the panel unit 16, and the directory to be actually stored is specified from the panel unit 16 as in the previous case. After the next step S32, the document reading / accumulating operation is performed in the same procedure as that after S12 in FIG. In this way, data to be digitized can be generated at a location intended by the operator.

Embodiment 3 In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the image data is read only once has been described. Here, for example, an image scanner device that transfers image data in a different file format to a plurality of transfer destinations will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image scanner device according to the present embodiment. In the figure, in step S41, a selection is made as to whether a document to be digitized is stored in a plurality of file formats from the panel unit 16. If a plurality of selections are made, a plurality of formats are selected in the panel unit 16 in step S42 and a file name is set. Input and press the start button. At the first reading, the processes of the processes S44, S45, and S46 in the first specified file format are performed. If the transfer of a plurality of image data is instructed and the next file format is designated, the data once read from the scanner unit 15 is not erased and the conversion process in the next designated file format (the above-described process) is performed. (S44, S45)
Is performed, and data is transferred to the designated next transfer destination (S4).
6). As described above, according to the image scanner device of the present invention, there is an advantage that a file for storage and a file for temporary operation can be created by one reading operation.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the network control unit is provided to convert and transfer image data to an external storage device, the efficiency of resource utilization is improved and the operability is improved. There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a network-connected image scanner device of the present invention and connection to a network.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the network-connected image scanner according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of another network-connected image scanner according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of another network-connected image scanner according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the network-connected image scanner according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of another network-connected image scanner according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of another network-connected image scanner according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of another network-connected image scanner according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the network-connected image scanner according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional stand-alone image scanner device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 image scanner main control unit (CPU), 12 program storage unit (ROM), 13 storage unit (RAM), 1
4 format conversion unit, 15 scanner unit, 17 data compression unit, 18 LAN control unit, 19 file server (external storage device).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main control unit for controlling operation and connection based on a program incorporated in an apparatus, a format conversion unit for converting the format of compressed image reading data as required, and a shared external storage connected to a network A network control unit that transfers the format-converted data to the device; the main control unit sets the shared external storage device as an output destination; and converts the read image data into a predetermined format. A network-connected image scanner device, comprising a step of instructing and an instruction of transferring and storing the data after the format conversion to the set external storage device. 2. A data compression section for compressing read image data into predetermined compression data, wherein a main control section instructs the data compression section or format conversion section to select a type of image data compression. 2. The image scanner according to claim 1, further comprising a step. 3. A main control unit instructs a data compression unit or a format conversion unit to repeatedly instruct a predetermined plurality of external storage devices to read an image repeatedly according to a required data storage method. In the step of selecting the type of compression each time the image data is read and the step of format conversion, the image data is compressed and the format is converted in accordance with the data storage method of the corresponding external storage device, and then transferred. 3. The network-connected image scanner according to claim 2, wherein: