Multi-function peripheral and information acquisition system including a plurality of the multi-function peripherals

• US 20070273896A1
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yamamura, Miho
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00832 Recording use, e.g. counting number of pages copied
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32112 in a separate computer file, document page or paper sheet, e.g. a fax cover sheet H04N1/32122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4446 Hiding of documents or document information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An acquisition condition of information can automatically be determined based on data processed by a multi-function peripheral to acquire information from other multi-function peripherals in accordance with the condition while maintaining security. When an MFP performs a printing process or an image reading process by scanner in a system connecting a plurality of MFPs, a certain predetermined word and the number of usage times thereof, etc., are extracted from the data and written and retained into log information. The MFP determines whether associated data are acquired from other MFPs for each word extracted based on the log information. If a certain MFP acquires data processed by other MFPs, the log information retained by other MFPs is checked in accordance with an acquisition condition retained by each MFP, and data corresponding to the log information conforming to the acquisition condition are acquired from other MFPs and stored in the own machine.

Claims

1. A multi-function peripheral with a plurality of functions including a print function, a facsimile function, and a scanner function, comprising:

a storage portion that stores log information of a job performing a data process and data corresponding to the log information when data are processed with any one of the plurality of functions;

a retaining portion that creates and retains an acquisition information list defining a condition of acquiring information from other multi-function peripherals based on the data processed with any one of the plurality of functions; and

an acquiring portion that checks log information stored in other multi-function peripherals connected to the multi-function peripheral based on the acquisition information list to acquire data corresponding to the log information conforming to the condition defined in the acquisition information list from the other multi-function peripherals.

2. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein every time data are processed with any one of the plurality of functions, at a predetermined timing set in advance, or in accordance with a log information reference request input from other multi-function peripherals, the multi-function peripheral transmits the log information to other multi-function peripherals allowed to acquire data.

3. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein the multi-function peripheral receives the acquisition information list from other multi-function peripherals to transmit data conforming to the condition defined in the acquisition information list to the other multi-function peripherals.

4. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein the multi-function peripheral preliminarily retains a word list that lists words acting as keys for data acquisition from other multi-function peripherals, refers to the word list when data are processed with any one of the plurality of functions, extracts a word matched with the word list from the processed data, and writes the extracted word and the number of usage times of the extracted word in each job into the log information of the job corresponding to the data process.

5. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 4, wherein when data are processed with any one of the plurality of functions, the multi-function peripheral performs a morphological analysis to classify the processed data into words and checks the classified word against the word list to extract a word matched with the word list.

6. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 4, wherein in the acquisition condition of the acquisition information list, if the number of usage times of the word extracted from the data is a predetermined number of times or more or if the number of jobs using the extracted word is a predetermined number of times or more, the data including the extracted word are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals.

7. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 6, wherein setting can selectively be performed for whether the information is acquired based on the number of usage times of the extracted word or acquired based on the number of jobs using the extracted word.

8. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 6, wherein the multi-function peripheral can set a period of counting the number of usage times of the extracted word or the number of jobs using the extracted word and wherein every time the set period elapses, the multi-function peripheral counts the number of usage times of the extracted word or the number of jobs using the extracted word in the elapsed period to determine whether the data including the extracted word are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals.

9. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein the multi-function peripheral groups other multi-function peripherals and the own machine based on unique identification information registered in each of other connected multi-function peripherals to acquire the data only from the grouped multi-function peripherals.

10. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein the multi-function peripheral acquires only the data that cannot be edited, including scan data and copy data, from the other multi-function peripherals.

11. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein if data corresponding to the log information retained by the other multi-function peripherals include information related to confidential items, the data are not acquired from other multi-function peripherals.

12. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein if a plurality of data with the same file name exist in the log information retained by the other multi-function peripherals, only the latest data are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals based on the creation date of the data with the same file name.

13. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein if a plurality of data with the same file name exist in the log information retained by the other multi-function peripherals, it is determined in accordance with a predetermined image analyzing process result whether the data include a seal impression in a seal impression field of a final approver and wherein only the data including a seal impression in the seal impression field of the final approver are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals.

14. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 6, wherein after the data including the word written into the log information are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals, the multi-function peripheral determines whether the data acquisition from the other multi-function peripherals is continued for the word included in the data, based on the number of reuse times of the data in a predetermined period.

15. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 6, wherein the multi-function peripheral can set importance of the word written into the log information and wherein after the data are acquired from the other multi-function peripherals, the multi-function peripheral determines whether the data acquisition from the other multi-function peripherals is continued for the word, based on the importance of the word included in the acquired data.

16. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 14, wherein setting can selectively be performed for whether the data acquisition is continued based on the number of reuse times of the data in the predetermined period or continued based on the importance of the word.

17. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 15, wherein setting can selectively be performed for whether the data acquisition is continued based on the number of reuse times of the data in the predetermined period or continued based on the importance of the word.

18. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein the multi-function peripheral includes a table of the data acquired from the other multi-function peripherals and wherein double acquisition of the same data from the other multi-function peripherals is prevented by comparing the log information stored in the other multi-function peripherals with the table of the data acquired from the other multi-function peripherals.

19. The multi-function peripheral as defined in claim 1, wherein after acquiring the data from the other multi-function peripherals, the multi-function peripheral sets a scheduled deletion date based on the last usage date of reuse of the acquired data to display an alert indicating that the corresponding data are deleted when the scheduled deletion date is passed.

20. An information acquisition system including a plurality of the multi-function peripherals as defined in any one of claims 1 to 19 through a network, the information acquisition system enabling a data acquisition process among the multi-function peripherals.