COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20130139225A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: SAITO, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing

Abstract

A communication apparatus is configured to communicate with a service providing server. The service providing server provides a data upload service and, for each user, associate and stores authentication information for a user and an e-mail address for the user. The communication apparatus includes: a storage control unit storing specific authentication information for a specific user in a memory; an acquisition unit which, when an upload instruction for uploading target data to the service providing server is input from the specific user, uses the specific authentication information in the memory to acquire a specific e-mail address, which is stored in association with the specific authentication information, from the service providing server; and an upload unit that transmits a specific e-mail including the target data and the specific e-mail address as a transmission destination address, for uploading the target data to the service providing server.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus configured to communicate with a service providing server through an internet, wherein the service providing server is configured to provide a data upload service, and wherein the service providing server is configured to, for each user, associate and store authentication information for a user and an e-mail address for the user, the communication apparatus comprising:

a storage control unit configured to store specific authentication information for a specific user in a memory of the communication apparatus;

an acquisition unit configured to, when an upload instruction for uploading target data to the service providing server is input from the specific user, use the specific authentication information in the memory to acquire a specific e-mail address from the service providing server, wherein the specific e-mail address is stored in the service providing server with being associated with the specific authentication information; and

an upload unit configured to transmit a specific e-mail, which includes the target data, and in which the specific e-mail address is designated as a transmission destination address, so as to upload the target data to the service providing server.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit comprises:

a transmission unit configured to, when the upload instruction is input, transmit the specific authentication information to a relay server, wherein the relay server is configured to relay provision of the data upload service from the service providing server to the communication apparatus; and

a reception unit configured to receive the specific e-mail address, which the relay server has acquired from the service providing server by using the specific authentication information, from the relay server.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the service providing server is further configured to provide a data download service,

wherein the acquisition unit does not acquire the specific e-mail address from the service providing server when a download instruction for downloading the target data uploaded from the service providing server is input from the specific user, and

wherein the communication apparatus further comprises a download unit configured to, when the download instruction is input, download the target data from the service providing server by using the specific authentication information in the memory.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the service providing server supports a first type upload request based on a first communication protocol for e-mail communication,

wherein the service providing server does not support a second type upload request based on a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol,

wherein the service providing server supports a second type download request based on the second communication protocol,

wherein the upload unit is configured to transmit the specific e-mail, which is the first type upload request, so as to upload the target data to the service providing server when the upload instruction is input, and

wherein the download unit is configured to transmit the second type download request to the service providing server so as to download the target data from the service providing server when the download instruction is input.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, and

wherein the storage control unit is configured to:

store the specific authentication information in the non-volatile memory; and

store the specific e-mail address in the volatile memory, not in the non-volatile memory, when the specific e-mail address is acquired.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each authentication information for each user, which is stored in the service providing server, comprise an access token, and

wherein the specific authentication information comprises a specific access token for the specific user.

7. A communication apparatus configured to communicate with a service providing server through an internet, wherein the service providing server is configured to provide a data upload service, and wherein the service providing server is configured to, for each user, associate and store authentication information for a user and an e-mail address for the user, the communication apparatus comprising:

an operation unit configured to receive an instruction; and

a control device configured to;

store specific authentication information for a specific user in a memory of the communication apparatus;

when the operation unit receives an upload instruction for uploading target data to the service providing server from the specific user, use the specific authentication information in the memory and acquire a specific e-mail address from the service providing server, wherein the specific e-mail address is stored in the service providing server with being associated with the specific authentication information; and

transmit a specific e-mail, which includes the target data, and in which the specific e-mail address is designated as a transmission destination address, so as to upload the target data to the service providing server.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when acquiring the specific e-mail from the service providing server, the control device is configured to:

when the operation unit receives the upload instruction, transmit the specific authentication information to a relay server, wherein the relay server is configured to relay provision of the data upload service from the service providing server to the communication apparatus; and

receive the specific e-mail address, which the relay server has acquired from the service providing server by using the specific authentication information, from the relay server.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the service providing server is further configured to provide a data download service,

wherein when acquiring the specific e-mail from the service providing server, the control device is configured not to acquire the specific e-mail address from the service providing server when the operation unit receives a download instruction for downloading the target data uploaded from the service providing server from the specific user, and

wherein the control device is further configured to, when the operation unit receives the download instruction, download the target data from the service providing server by using the specific authentication information in the memory.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the service providing server supports a first type upload request based on a first communication protocol for e-mail communication,

wherein the service providing server does not support a second type upload request based on a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol,

wherein the service providing server supports a second type download request based on the second communication protocol,

wherein the control device is configured to transmit the specific e-mail, which is the first type upload request, so as to upload the target data to the service providing server when the upload instruction is input, and

wherein the control device is configured to transmit the second type download request to the service providing server so as to download the target data from the service providing server when the operation unit receives the download instruction.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the memory comprises a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory, and

wherein the control device is configured to:

store the specific authentication information in the non-volatile memory; and

store the specific e-mail address in the volatile memory, not in the non-volatile memory, when the specific e-mail address is acquired.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein each authentication information for each user, which is stored in the service providing server, comprise an access token, and

wherein the specific authentication information comprises a specific access token for the specific user.

13. A computer-readable storage device having a computer program stored thereon and readable by a computer installed in a communication apparatus, wherein the communication apparatus is configured to communicate with a service providing server through an internet, wherein the service providing server is configured to provide a data upload service, and wherein the service providing server is configured to, for each user, associate and store authentication information for a user and an e-mail address for the user, the computer program, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

storage control processing of storing specific authentication information for a specific user in a memory of the communication apparatus;

acquisition processing of, when an upload instruction for uploading target data to the service providing server is input from the specific user, using the specific authentication information in the memory to acquire a specific e-mail address from the service providing server, wherein the specific e-mail address is stored in the service providing server with being associated with the specific authentication information; and

upload processing of transmitting a specific e-mail, which includes the target data, and in which the specific e-mail address is designated as a transmission destination address, so as to upload the target data to the service providing server.