Network scan system passing through firewall and method of organizing the same

• US 20060064744A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, In-chang, Jung, Joo-young
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

A network scan system includes a network scanner accessible by a computer and capable of communicating with the computer through a firewall. A method of operating the network scan system includes installing a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server module into the computer, transmitting a uniform resource locator (URL) of the computer to the network scanner using the HTTP server module, and transmitting scanned data to the computer from the network scanner using the transmitted URL. Accordingly, it is possible to exchange data between the network scanner and the computer using the HTTP server module installed into the computer even if a firewall is installed.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a network scan system, which includes a network scanner accessible by a computer and capable of communicating with the computer through a firewall, the method comprising:

installing a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server module into the computer;

transmitting a uniform resource locator (URL) of the computer to the network scanner using the HTTP server module; and

transmitting scanned data from the network scanner to the computer using the URL.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inputting an Internet protocol (IP) address of the network scanner via a user interface provided by the computer; and

detecting the network scanner using the input IP address of the network scanner in the computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responding to the computer in the network scanner using the transmitted URL; and

transmitting user information, which contains the a user identification and a password, to the network scanner from the computer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing the transmitted user information and the transmitted URL in a memory of the network scanner.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when there is a change in scanner information specifying a state of the network scanner, transmitting the changed scanner information to the computer from the scanner using the transmitted URL.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically transmitting user information, which specifies a user identification and a password, and the URL to the network scanner from the computer.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

including the transmitted user information and the transmitted URL in a user list in the network scanner; and

deleting the user information and the URL from the user list when the user information and the URL are not transmitted to the network scanner within a predetermined length of time.

8. A method of scanning an image in a network scan system including a computer and a network scanner communicating with the computer, the method comprising:

receiving a uniform resource locator (URL) address of a computer from the computer in a network scanner;

scanning an image in the network scanner; and

transmitting the scanned image directly to the computer using the received URL address of the computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the scanning of the image comprises:

logging in to the network scanner using a user ID and a password;

determining whether the user ID and the password are authorized; and

scanning the image when the user ID and the password are authorized.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting scanner information from the network scanner to the computer using the URL of the computer to update a state of the network scanner.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the state of the network scanner comprises one of an idle state, a busy state, a log-in state, or an error state.

12. A method of receiving data from a network scanner in a network scanning system, the method comprising:

transmitting a uniform resource locator (URL) address of a computer to a network scanner;

receiving a scanned image from the network scanner through the transmitted URL address; and

storing the received scanned image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the URL address of the computer comprises:

inputting an IP address of the network scanner in the computer; and

transmitting the URL address from the computer to the network scanner using the input IP address of the network scanner.

14. A network scan system, including a network scanner to be accessible by a computer and capable of communicating with the computer through a firewall, the network scan system comprising:

a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server module installed in the computer to transmit a uniform resource locator (URL) of the computer;

a URL receiver provided in the network scanner to receive the transmitted URL of the computer in the network scanner; and

a scan data transmitter provided in the network scanner to transmit scanned data from the network scanner to the computer using the received URL.

15. The network scan system of claim 14, further comprising:

a user interface provided in the computer to receive an Internet protocol (IP) address of the network scanner from a user of the computer; and

a detector provided in the computer to detect the network scanner using the received IP address of the network scanner.

16. The network scan system of claim 15, further comprising:

a response unit provided in the network scanner to respond to the computer using the URL, the response unit included in the detected network scanner.

17. The network scan system of claim 14, further comprising:

a user information transmitter provided in the computer to transmit user information including a user identification and a password from the computer to the network scanner.

18. The network scan system of claim 17, wherein the user information transmitter and the HTTP server periodically transmit the user information and the URL to the network scanner, respectively.

19. The network scan system of claim 17, further comprising:

a memory provided in the network scanner to store the user information and the URL received by the URL receiver.

20. The network scan system of claim 14, further comprising:

a scanner information transmitter provided in the scanner to transmit scanner information to specify a state of the network scanner from the network scanner to the computer using the URL of the computer when there is a change in the scanner information.

21. A network scanner capable of communicating with one or more computers over a network and through a firewall, the network scanner, comprising:

a URL receiver to receive URL addresses of one or more computers over a network;

a scanning unit to scan an image; and

a scan data transmitter to transmit the scanned image to one of the received URL addresses.

22. The network scanner of claim 21, further comprising:

a memory to store the received URL addresses.

23. The network scanner of claim 22, wherein the memory stores a user list comprising a plurality of user IDs and passwords to authorize a user, and the scan data transmitter chooses one of the stored URL addresses according to an input user ID and password, and transmits the scanned image to the chosen URL address.

24. The network scanner of claim 21, further comprising:

a scanner information transmitter to transmit scanner information regarding a state of the network scanner.