Data processing apparatus

• US 20040130749A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Aoki, Kazuma
• Granted Patent: US 8,169,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00376 Means for identifying a mark sheet or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00395 Arrangements for reducing operator input input arrangements for job or mode instructions or parameters H04N1/00962; intelligent menu interfaces H04N1/00437
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32496 Changing the task performed, e.g. reading and transmitting, receiving and reproducing, copying facsimile mode changing H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3212 of data relating to a job, e.g. communication, capture or filing of an image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3243 of type information, e.g. handwritten or text document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

A data processing apparatus scans a web page image printed on paper, recognizes the character array for a URL included in the image, acquires data for the web page in the image through the Internet, identifies the positions of entry spaces in the web page, recognizes the content entered by hand on the paper, and stores this content in RAM. The data processing apparatus prompts the user to select whether to perform a verification print for verifying the recognized content and prints the recognized content when the user indicates such a desire. Further, the data processing apparatus prompts the user to select whether to transmit the content to the server and transmits the content stored in RAM when the user indicates such a desire.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a scanning unit scanning an image on a recording medium, the image including printed content that has an entry space at a position and is printed on the recording medium, and manual-entry content that is entered manually in the entry space, the scanning unit producing output data indicative of the printed content and the manual-entry content;

an identification-data acquiring unit acquiring identification data that corresponds to the printed content in the image;

an entry-space-position identifying unit identifying the position of the entry space based on both the identification data acquired by the identification-data acquiring unit and the output data;

a manual-entry content recognizing unit recognizing the manual-entry content based on the position of the entry space identified by the entry-space-position identifying unit;

a storing unit storing the manual-entry content recognized by the manual-entry content recognizing unit;

an operating unit enabling a user to perform an input operation;

a manual-entry content printing unit printing the manual-entry content stored in the storing unit on another recording medium;

a first selecting unit enabling the user to make a selection through the operating unit whether to perform a predetermined process, the first selecting unit producing a first signal instructing to perform the predetermined process when the user has performed a first input operation instructing to perform the predetermined process, and producing a second signal instructing not to perform the predetermined process when the user has performed a second input operation instructing not to perform the predetermined process; and

a processing unit performing the predetermined process using the manual-entry content stored in the storing unit when the first selecting unit has produced the first signal, and prohibiting the predetermined process when the first selecting unit has produced the second signal.

2. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communication controlling unit connected to a first location and a second location on a network, the communication controlling unit controlling communications with the first location and the second location, the identification data being located at the first location, the first location being indicated by first locating information, the identification data including second locating information that indicates the second location,

wherein the identification-data acquiring unit acquires the identification data from the first location, and identifies the second location by reading the second locating information in the identification data, and

wherein the processing unit performs a transmitting process to transmit the manual-entry content stored in the storing unit to the second location.

3. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the manual-entry content printing unit prints, on the another recording medium, a message prompting the user to perform an input operation to indicate whether to transmit the manual-entry content to the second location.

4. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a printing section for providing the recording medium on which the printed content appears, thereby enabling the user to manually enter the manual-entry content in the entry space of the printed content.

5. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a communication controlling unit connected to a first location and a second location on a network, the communication controlling unit controlling communications with the first location and the second location, the identification data being located at the first location, the first location being indicated by first locating information, the identification data including second locating information that indicates the second location,

wherein the operating unit enables the user to perform the input operation for inputting the first locating information,

wherein the printing section includes:

a preliminary identification-data acquiring unit acquiring, from the first location, the identification data used for printing the printed content; and

a printed-content-data generating unit generating print data for reproducing the printed content, based on the identification data acquired by the preliminary identification-data acquiring unit.

6. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the printed-content-data generating unit generates the print data for reproducing the printed content that includes the first locating information,

wherein the scanning unit scans the first locating information in the printed content in the image, and

wherein the identification-data acquiring unit acquires the identification data from the first location based on the first locating information scanned by the scanning unit.

7. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the manual-entry content printing unit prints the manual-entry content, stored in the storing unit, in a predetermined format different from the image scanned by the scanning unit.

8. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second selecting unit enabling the user to make another selection whether to print the manual-entry content, the second selecting unit producing another first signal instructing to print the manual-entry content when the user has performed another first input operation instructing to print the manual-entry content, and producing another second signal instructing not to print the manual-entry content when the user has performed another second input operation instructing not to print the manual-entry content.

9. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification data is described in a format of HTML data.

10. The data processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a setting-information managing unit storing original setting information and the identification data, the identification data corresponding to the image including the entry space, the entry space allowing the user to manually enter the manual-entry content indicative of an updated setting information, the entry space being for changing the original setting information to the updated setting information,

wherein the identification-data acquiring unit acquires the identification data from the setting-information managing unit, and

wherein the processing unit performs a changing process to change the original setting information to the updated setting information, based on the manual-entry content that has been entered manually in the entry space.