IMAGE DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20080259404A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshizawa, Fumio
• Application Number:
  US12/099,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20080259404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00225 details of image data generation, e.g. scan-to-email or network scanners using an image reading device as a local input to a computer H04N1/00241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Abstract

In an image distributing apparatus, an image file creating unit creates a first image file, and a reduced-size image creating unit creates a second image file, being smaller in size than the first image file. A link information adding unit adds identification information that uniquely identifies an external terminal to the second image file to obtain an identification information added image file. A medium writing unit writes the image file into a portable recoding medium. A controlling unit causes the medium writing unit to write the identification information added image file into the recording medium if the recording medium is connected to the medium writing unit, while the first image file is transmitted to the external terminal by a transmitting unit.

Claims

1. An image distributing apparatus comprising:

an image reading unit that acquires image data by reading an image;

an image file creating unit that creates a first image file from the image data;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the first image file to an external terminal over an IP network;

a reduced-size image creating unit that creates a second image file, being smaller in size than the first image file, from the image data;

a link information adding unit that adds identification information that uniquely identifies the external terminal to the second image file to obtain an identification information added image file;

a medium writing unit that writes the image file into a portable recoding medium; and

a controlling unit that causes the medium writing unit to write the identification information added image file into the recording medium if the recording medium is connected to the medium writing unit, while the first image file is transmitted to the external terminal by the transmitting unit.

2. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link information adding unit adds the identification information as a hyperlink to the second image file.

3. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link information adding unit adds authentication information, required to access to the first image file, to an image of the second image file.

4. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein authentication information is any one or combination of an alphanumerical sequence and a two dimensional symbol.

5. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the link information adding unit adds the identification information as a digital watermark.

6. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the link information adding unit adds one or both of the identification information and the authentication information as a digital watermark.

7. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controlling unit displays a destination for the first image file and a folder for storing the first image file located at the destination on a display if the recording medium is not connected to the medium writing unit, while the first image file is transmitted to the external terminal with the transmitting unit.

8. The image distributing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit is a document scanner that acquires image data by scanning an original.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:

an image distributing apparatus including

a document scanner that acquires image data by scanning a document;

an image file creating unit that creates a first image file from the image data;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the first image file to an external terminal over an IP network;

a reduced-size image creating unit that creates a second image file, being smaller in size than the first image file, from the image data;

a link information adding unit that adds identification information that uniquely identifies the external terminal to the second image file to obtain an identification information added image file;

a medium writing unit that writes the image file into a portable recoding medium; and

a controlling unit that causes the medium writing unit to write the identification information added image file into the recording medium if the recording medium is connected to the medium writing unit, while the first image file is transmitted to the external terminal by the transmitting unit;

a printer configured to print an image onto a printing medium; and

an image data processing unit that converts the image data generated by the document scanner in the image distributing apparatus to printing image data suitable for printing by the printer, and outputs the printing image data to the printer.