IMAGE DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20130070273A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• 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: Nagata, Yoshinori
• Granted Patent: US 8,654,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• 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 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00482 outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00503 Customising to a particular machine or model, machine function or application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0074 Arrangements for the control of a still picture apparatus by the connected apparatus

Abstract

The present invention includes a control apparatus that (i) receives, from a multifunction peripheral, information indicative of image process content selected by the user, (ii) detects, in correspondence with image processing function information stored in advance, an image process section that can carry out an image process, and (iii) causes the detected image process section to carry out the image process. This arrangement makes it possible to easily use, at the multifunction peripheral, an image processing function that can be performed by an image processing apparatus.

Claims

1. An image data processing system comprising:

a multifunction peripheral including;

an image scanning section for reading a document to obtain image data of the document;

an internal image process section for carrying out an image process with respect to image data; and

an image data output process section for carrying out a process of outputting image data; and

one or more image processing apparatuses each including;

an external image process section for carrying out an image process with respect to image data,

the multifunction peripheral and the one or more image processing apparatuses being communicably connected to one another over a communications network,

the image data processing system carrying out a complex process during which;

the image scanning section obtains image data of a document;

at least one of the internal image process section and the external image process section carries out an image process with respect to the image data obtained by the image scanning section; and

the image data output process section carries out a process of outputting the image data that has been subjected to the image process by the at least one of the internal image process section and the external image process section,

the image data processing system further comprising;

a control apparatus communicably connected to the multifunction peripheral over the communications network,

the control apparatus including;

a complex process control section for controlling respective operations of the image scanning section, the at least one of the internal image process section and the external image process section, and the image data output process section during the complex process,

the multifunction peripheral further including;

an instruction input section for accepting, from a user, (i) a first instruction to select content of the image process to be carried out with respect to the image data during the complex process and (ii) a second instruction to start the complex process,

the control apparatus further including;

a storage section storing image processing function information including (i) information on content of an image process that the internal image process section is capable of carrying out and (ii) information on content of an image process that the external image process section is capable of carrying out,

the multifunction peripheral, upon receipt of the first instruction and the second instruction from the user, transmitting, to the control apparatus, (i) process content information indicative of the selected image process content and (ii) a request to start the complex process,

the complex process control section, upon receipt of the request and the process content information from the multifunction peripheral, (i) causing the image scanning section to obtain image data of a document, (ii) on a basis of the process content information and the image processing function information, detecting, from among the internal image process section and the respective external image process sections of the one or more image processing apparatuses, an image process section that is capable of carrying out a first image process corresponding to the image process content selected by the user, and (iii) causing the detected image process section to carry out the first image process with respect to the image data obtained by the image scanning section.

2. The image data processing system according to claim 1,

wherein:

the output process carried out by the image data output process section is either one (1) or a combination of two or more of

a printing process of printing an image represented by image data,

a transmission process of transmitting image data to another apparatus communicably connected to the multifunction peripheral,

a filing process of causing either (i) storage means included in the multifunction peripheral or (ii) storage means communicably connected to the multifunction peripheral to store image data, and

a displaying process of causing either (i) display means included in the multifunction peripheral or (ii) display means communicably connected to the multifunction peripheral to display an image represented by image data.

3. The image data processing system according to claim 1,

wherein:

the image processing function information includes (i) information on a type of the image process that the internal image process section is capable of carrying out and (ii) information on a type of the image process that the external image process section is capable of carrying out; and

the complex process control section detects, in correspondence with a type of an image process selected by the user, an image process section that is capable of carrying out the selected image process.

4. The image data processing system according to claim 1,

wherein:

the multifunction peripheral further includes a display section for displaying information to be presented to the user; and

the complex process control section (i) transmits, to the multifunction peripheral, screen data representing an operation screen on which the user provides the first instruction and the second instruction and (ii) causes the display section to display the operation screen.

5. The image data processing system according to claim 1,

wherein:

the multifunction peripheral transmits, in addition to the process content information and the request, user identification information for the user of the multifunction peripheral to the control apparatus;

the control apparatus stores, for each of the one or more image processing apparatuses, user identification information for a user who is authorized to use the external image process section of said each of the one or more image processing apparatuses;

the complex process control section selects, from a group of (i) the internal image process section and (ii) among the respective external image process sections, an external image process section that the user is authorized to use, the image process section that is to be caused to carry out the first image process; and

in a case where the group includes no image process section that is capable of carrying out the first image process, the complex process control section stops the carrying out of the complex process corresponding to the image process content selected by the user.