Cooperative processing system acquires an address information of the electronic devices among plurality of electronic devices by scanning first and second images to execute image processing function

• US 10,057,434 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabah, Haris
• Application Number:
  US14/621,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20150163368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00251 with an apparatus for taking photographic images, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00267 with a viewing or projecting apparatus, e.g. for reading image information from a film H04N1/00262 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00403 Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00488 providing an audible output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32518 details of interfacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32534 details of interfacing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32539 Detecting or indicating the status of the output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0012 Use of shared folders, i.e. folders or directories accessible by all connected apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0027 Adapting to communicate with plural different types of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity

Abstract

A cooperative processing system includes an operation terminal and a cooperative processing device connected to each other, and is connectable to a plurality of electronic devices. The cooperative processing system causes one of electronic devices to function as an input device to cause electronic data to be input therefrom and one of the electronic devices to function as an output device to output the electronic data. The cooperative processing system includes an obtaining unit to obtain input device information to specify the input device and output device information to specify the output device, an input control unit to cause the input device to input electronic data through a first interface according to the input device information, and an output control unit to cause the output device to output the electronic data through a second interface according to the output device information in an format appropriate for the output device.

Claims

1. A cooperative processing system including an operation terminal and a cooperative processing device connected to each other through a network, the cooperative processing system comprising:

a camera included in the operation terminal;

a first processor included in the operation terminal and configured to;

obtain input device information from a first image taken by the camera to specify an input device different from the operation terminal from a plurality of electronic devices connected to the cooperative processing system through the network, the input device information indicating an address of the input device that is requested by the cooperative processing device to input electric data as input;

obtain output device information from a second image taken by the camera to specify an output device different from the operation terminal and the input device from the plurality of electronic devices connected to the cooperative processing system through the network, the second image being different from the first image, the output device information indicating an address of the output device that is requested by the cooperative processing device to output the electric data; and

send an execution request containing the input device information and the output device information to the cooperative processing device; and

a second processor included in the cooperative processing device and configured to;

cause, from a first electronic device specified by the address of the input device information contained in the execution request sent from the operation terminal, electronic data to be input into the cooperative processing device through the network, and through a first interface according to the input device information; and

cause a second electronic device that is different than the first electronic device and that is specified by the address of the output device information contained in the execution request sent from the operation terminal, to output the electronic data that was input from the first electronic device into the cooperative processing device through the network, through a second interface according to the output device information, in an output format appropriate for the second electronic device.

2. The cooperative processing system of claim 1,

wherein the first image contains a third image including the input device information, and the second image contains a fourth image including the output device information, and

wherein the first processor of the operation terminal obtains the input device information by analyzing the first image, and obtains the output device information by analyzing the second image.

3. The cooperative processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display included in the operation terminal,

wherein the first processor of the operation terminal is further caused to;

receive an input instruction to perform an input process or an output instruction to perform an output process;

display a first screen to allow the camera of the operation terminal to take the first image upon receiving the input instruction on the display;

obtain the input device information from the first image taken by using the first screen displayed on the display;

display a second screen to allow the operation terminal to take the second image by the camera upon receiving the output instruction on the display; and

obtain the output device information from the second image taken by using the second screen displayed by the display.

4. The cooperative processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display included in the operation terminal,

wherein the first processor of the operation terminal is further caused to;

receive an input-output instruction to perform an input-output process;

display a first screen to allow the operation terminal to take the first image for specifying the input device by the camera and a second screen to allow the operation terminal to take the second image for specifying the output device by the camera upon receiving the input-output instruction on the display;

obtain the input device information from the first image taken by using the first screen displayed by the display; and

obtain the output device information from the second image taken by using the second screen displayed by the display.

5. The cooperative processing system of claim 1, wherein the second processor of the cooperative processing device is further caused to:

receive the output device information before causing the electronic data to be input from the input device; and

cause the output device specified by the output device information sent from the operation terminal, to output the electronic data through a second interface according to the output device information in an output format appropriate for the output device, without receiving any information from the operation terminal after causing the electronic data to be input from the input device.

6. The cooperative processing system of claim 1,

wherein the first processor of the terminal device is further caused to:

display a first screen to allow a first setting to be input, the first setting depending on a first process executed by the input device specified by the obtained input device information;

display a second screen to allow a second setting to be input, the second setting depending on a second process executed by the output device specified by the obtained output device information; and

send a second execution request containing the obtained input device information and output device information, first information about the first setting input from the first screen, and second information about the second setting input from the second screen to the cooperative processing device, and

wherein the second processor of the cooperative processing device is further caused to;

cause electronic data to be input into the cooperative processing device based on the first information through the first interface according to the input device information from the input device specified by the input device information sent from the operation terminal; and

cause the output device specified by the output device information sent from the operation terminal, to output the electronic data input from the input device through the second interface according to the output device information in an output format appropriate for the output device based on the second information.

7. The cooperative processing system of claim 1,

wherein the input device information contains input device identification information that identifies the input device selected from the plurality of electronic devices, and the first image contains the input device information, but does not contain electronic device information of the plurality of electronic devices other than the input device, and

wherein the output device information contains output device identification information that identifies the output device selected from the plurality of electronic devices, and the second image contains the output device information, but does not contain electronic device information of the plurality of electronic devices other than the output device.

8. The cooperative processing system of claim 1, wherein the execution request sent from the first processor in the operation terminal to the cooperative processing device requests the input device and the output device to execute an input service and an output service, respectively.

9. The cooperative processing system of claim 1, wherein the second processor included in the cooperative processing device causes the second electronic device to output the electronic data without receiving any instruction from a user.

10. A cooperative processing method using a cooperative system including an operation terminal and a cooperative processing device connected to each other through a network, the cooperative processing method comprising steps of:

obtaining input device information by a first processor included in the operation terminal from a first image taken by a camera included in the operation terminal to specify an input device different from the operation terminal from a plurality of electronic devices connected to the cooperative processing system through the network, the input device information indicating an address of the input device that is requested by the cooperative processing device to input electric data as input;

obtaining output device information by the first processor from a second image taken by the camera of the operation terminal to specify an output device different from the operation terminal and the input device from the plurality of electronic devices connected to the cooperative processing system through the network, the second image being different from the first image, the output device information indicating an address of the output device that is requested by the cooperative processing device to output the electric data;

sending an execution request containing the input device information and the output device information from the first processor in the operation terminal to the cooperative processing device;

causing, by a second processor included in the cooperative processing device, electronic data to be input into the cooperative processing device through the network, from a first electronic device specified by the address of the input device indicated by the input device information contained in the execution request sent from the operation terminal, and through a first interface according to the input device information; and

causing, by the second processor, a second electronic device that is different than the first electronic device and that is specified by the address of the output device indicated by the output device information contained in the execution request sent from the operation terminal, to output the electronic data that was input from the first electronic device into the cooperative processing device through the network, through a second interface according to the output device information, in an output format appropriate for the output second electronic device.