COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL PROGRAM OF COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, AND RELAY APPARATUS

• US 20120113472A1
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: URAKAWA, Yutaka, WATANABE, Satoshi, ITO, Katsuaki, BANNO, Hirokazu, YAMAMOTO, Kazutaka, MIYAZAWA, Masafumi, SHIMADA, Yusuke, NAGASAKI, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,044,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00188 Printing, e.g. prints or reprints H04N1/0019, H04N1/00196 take precedence

Abstract

A communication apparatus, a control program of the communication apparatus, and a relay apparatus are provided. The communication apparatus is configured to download electronic data from a server storing a first amount or more of electronic data and to output the downloaded electronic data. The communication apparatus includes an output unit configured to output a second amount of electronic data smaller than the first amount at one time, a download information acquiring unit configured to acquire download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data stored in the server, from the server, a download unit configured to download the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data from the server, using the download information acquired by the download information acquiring unit. The output unit is configured to output the electronic data downloaded by the download unit.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus configured to download electronic data from a server storing a first amount or more of electronic data and to output the downloaded electronic data, the communication apparatus comprising:

an output unit configured to output a second amount of electronic data smaller than the first amount at one time;

a download information acquiring unit configured to acquire download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data stored in the server, from the server; and

a download unit configured to download the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data from the server, using the download information acquired by the download information acquiring unit,

wherein the output unit is configured to output the electronic data downloaded by the download unit.

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

an output trigger unit configured to generate a trigger for outputting electronic data different from the electronic data output by the output unit,

wherein, when the output trigger unit generates the trigger, the download unit is configured to newly download electronic data different from the electronic data output by the output unit, using the download information which has been used for downloading the electronic data output by the output unit, and

wherein when the output trigger unit generates the trigger, the output unit outputs the electronic data newly downloaded by the download unit.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a download information trigger generating unit configured to generate a trigger for acquiring new download information,

wherein when the download information trigger generating unit generates the trigger, the download information acquiring unit is configured to newly acquire download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data, different from the download information which has been already acquired, and

wherein when the download information trigger generating unit generates the trigger, the download unit is configured to download the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data from the server, using the download information newly acquired by the download information acquiring unit.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the download information acquiring unit is configured to request transmission of the download information from a relay apparatus which performs communication with the server, and configured to receive the download information which the relay apparatus acquires from the server and transmits in response to the request.

5. The communication apparatus according claim 4, further comprising:

a download information trigger generating unit configured to generate a trigger for acquiring new download information,

wherein when the download information trigger generating unit generates the trigger, the download information acquiring unit is configured to request transmission of download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data different from the download information which has been already acquired, from a relay apparatus which performs communication with the server, and configured to receive the download information which the relay apparatus acquires from the server and transmits in response to the request.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication apparatus has at least one of a print function, a scanner function, and a copy function.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the download information includes a plurality of second download information, each necessary for downloading the second amount of electronic data smaller than the first amount of electronic data, and

wherein the download unit is configured to download the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data, using each of the second download information included in the download information acquired by the download information acquiring unit.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the download information includes a plurality of second download information, each necessary for downloading a single electronic data, and

wherein the download unit is configured to download the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data, using a number of second download information included in the download information acquired by the download information acquiring unit, the number of second download information corresponding to the second amount of electronic data.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon and readable by a computer of a communication apparatus including an output unit configured to output a second amount of electronic data smaller than a first amount of electronic data at one time, the computer program, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to perform operations comprising:

acquiring download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data stored in the server, from the server;

downloading the second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data from the server, using the acquired download information; and

causing the output unit to output the downloaded electronic data.

10. A relay apparatus configured to relay communication between a server storing a first amount or more of electronic data and a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus including:

a download information acquiring unit configured to acquire download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data from the server;

a download unit configured to download a second amount of electronic data of the first amount of electronic data from the server, using the download information acquired by the download information acquiring unit, and an output unit configured to output the second amount of data at one time, wherein the second amount of electronic data is smaller than the first amount of electronic data, the relay apparatus comprising;

a download information transmission unit configured, when the download information is requested by the download information acquiring unit of the communication apparatus, to request transmission of the download information from the server, to receive the download information which the server transmits, and to transmit the download information acquired from the server, to the communication apparatus.

11. The relay apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein when receiving a request for transmission of download information necessary for downloading the first amount of electronic data different from the download information having been acquired by the download information acquiring unit of the communication apparatus based on issuance of a trigger for acquiring new download information generated by the communication apparatus, the download information transmission unit is configured to acquire new download information and to transmit the new download information to the communication apparatus.