IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS PROVIDING SCAN DATA ALONG WITH ADVERTISEMENT DATA

• US 20090213405A1
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: EGUCHI, Tatsuya, Higashi, Toshikazu, Eguchi, Hiroshi, Yamada, Tatsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

When a user selects not to insert advertisement data into scan data when transferring the scan data from an MFP to a Web server, the MFP converts the advertisement data into an HTML format to transfer to the Web server in association with the scan data. Accordingly, a PC accessing the Web server displays a Web page showing contents of the advertisement and information including an icon functioning as means for requesting download of the scan data. The scan data inserted with no advertisement data is downloaded to the PC by operating the icon.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a scanner scanning a document to obtain scan data;

an insertion unit inserting advertisement data into said scan data;

a specification unit specifying a forwarding destination of said scan data;

a transfer unit transferring said scan data to said forwarding destination;

a determination unit determining whether or not insertion of said advertisement data into said scan data is necessary in accordance with said forwarding destination; and

a controller controlling insertion of said advertisement data by said insertion unit and transfer by said transfer unit, wherein

said controller causes said insertion unit to perform a processing for inserting said advertisement data into said scan data and causes said transfer unit to transfer said scan data inserted with said advertisement data to said forwarding destination, when said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is inserted into said scan data, and

said controller causes said insertion unit not to perform the processing for inserting said advertisement data into said scan data and causes said transfer unit to transfer to said forwarding destination said scan data and said advertisement data in association with each other, when said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selection unit selecting whether or not said advertisement data can be inserted into said scan data, wherein

said determination unit determines whether or not insertion of said advertisement data into said scan data is necessary in accordance with said forwarding destination and selection by said selection unit.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data, when said forwarding destination is identified by a Web server or an electronic mail address and said selection unit selects not to insert said advertisement data into said scan data.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a conversion unit converting said advertisement data into a data format in order to display said advertisement data on a screen providing said scan data, wherein

said controller causes said transfer unit to transfer to said forwarding destination said scan data and said advertisement data converted by said conversion unit in association with each other.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit notifying a specified destination of information on access to a Web server as said forwarding destination.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first generation unit generating information on a Web page showing information including said advertisement data and information used for accepting a request for said scan data, wherein

said controller causes said transfer unit to transfer to a Web server the information on said Web page generated by said first generation unit, when said determination unit determines that said forwarding destination is said Web server and that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second generation unit generating mail data provided with information including said advertisement data as a body and said scan data as an attached file, wherein

said controller causes said transfer unit to transfer said mail data generated by said second generation unit to a mail server in order to transmit said mail data to an electronic mail address, when said determination unit determines that said forwarding destination is identified by said electronic mail address and that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a write unit attachable with a recording medium and writing information in said recording medium, wherein

said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is inserted into said scan data when said forwarding destination is said recording medium, and

said insertion unit inserts said advertisement data into said scan data by embedding said advertisement data in a margin area of said scan data.

9. An image forming system comprising:

an image forming apparatus;

a Web server; and

a mail server,

said image forming apparatus, said Web server, and said mail server being connected with one another through an electric communication line, wherein

said image forming apparatus includes;

a scanner scanning a document to obtain scan data;

an insertion unit inserting advertisement data into said scan data;

a specification unit specifying a forwarding destination of said scan data from a forwarding destination group including destinations each identified by said Web server and an electronic mail address;

a selection unit selecting whether or not said advertisement data can be inserted into said scan data;

a transfer unit transferring said scan data to said forwarding destination;

a determination unit determining whether or not insertion of said advertisement data into said scan data is necessary in accordance with said forwarding destination and selection by said selection unit; and

a controller controlling insertion of said advertisement data by said insertion unit and transfer by said transfer unit, in which

said controller causes said insertion unit not to insert said advertisement data into said scan data, and causes said transfer unit to transfer to said Web server said scan data and said advertisement data in association with each other, when said forwarding destination is said Web server and said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data, and

said controller causes said insertion unit not to insert said advertisement data into said scan data, generates mail data provided with information including said advertisement data as a body and said scan data as an attached file, and causes said transfer unit to transfer said mail data to said mail server, when said forwarding destination is identified by said electronic mail address and said determination unit determines that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data.

10. A method for providing image information from an image forming apparatus including a document scanner to another apparatus, the method comprising:

a step of scanning said document by using said image scanner to obtain scan data;

a specifying step of accepting specification of a forwarding destination of said scan data;

a determining step of determining whether or not insertion of said advertisement data into said scan data is necessary in accordance with said forwarding destination;

a first transferring step of inserting said advertisement data into said scan data and transferring to said forwarding destination said scan data inserted with said advertisement data, when determined in said determining step to insert said advertisement data into said scan data; and

a second transferring step of not inserting said advertisement data into said scan data and transferring to said forwarding destination said scan data and said advertisement data in association with each other, when determined in said determining step not to insert said advertisement data into said scan data.

11. The image information providing method according to claim 10, wherein

in said specifying step, specification of a forwarding destination of said scan data from a forwarding destination group including destinations each identified by a Web server and an electronic mail address is accepted, and

in said second transferring step,

said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data, and said scan data and said advertisement data are transferred in association with each other to said Web server, when said forwarding destination is said Web server and it is determined in said determining step that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data, and

said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data, and mail data provided with information including said advertisement data as a body and said scan data as an attached file is generated and transferred to said mail server, when said forwarding destination is identified by said electronic mail address and it is determined in said determining step that said advertisement data is not inserted into said scan data.