MULTI-FUNCTION DEVICE

• US 20140006532A1
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: YANAGI, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,537,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1291 Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• 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

Abstract

A multi-function device may be configured to receive a first electronic mail including a first attached file, analyze the first electronic mail, supply an image described by the first attached file to a print performing unit in a case where the multi-function device analyzes that the first electronic mail includes first command information including a first sort of a command and first designation information designating the first attached file, and send the first attached file to an other device in a case where the multi-function device analyzes that the first electronic mail includes second command information including a second sort of a command different from the first sort of the command and the first designation information.

Claims

1. A multi-function device configured to communicate with an administration server storing a command for the multi-function device, and comprising an electronic mail communication function and a print function, the multi-function device comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory that stores computer-readable instructions therein, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instructing the multi-function device to perform processes comprising;

receiving a first electronic mail including a first attached file;

analyzing the first electronic mail;

supplying an image described by the first attached file to a print performing unit in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes first command information including a first sort of command and first designation information designating the first attached file;

sending the first attached file to an other device in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes second command information including a second sort of command different from the first sort of command and the first designation information;

acquiring a particular command from the administration server in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes fifth command information including a third sort of command and the first designation information; and

sending the first attached file to a further device in a case where the particular command indicates the second sort of command.

2. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instructing the multi-function device to perform processes further comprise:

supplying the image described by the first attached file to the print performing unit in a case where the particular command indicates the first sort of command.

3. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the administration server is configured to store, for each of a plurality of commands, an association of the command and identification information for identifying the command, and

in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes the filth command information including the third sort of command, the first designation information, and particular identification information, the acquiring includes acquiring from the administration server the particular command associated with the particular identification information by sending the particular identification information to the administration server.

4. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes the second command information including the second sort of command, the first designation information, and destination information indicating a destination of the first attached file, the sending includes sending the first attached file to the other device corresponding to the destination information.

5. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the first electronic mail further includes a second attached file, and

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instructing the multi-function device to perform processes further comprises:

supplying an image described by the second attached file to the print performing unit in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes third command information including the first sort of command and second designation information designating the second attached file; and

sending the second attached file to another device in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes fourth command information including the second sort of command and the second designation information.

6. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the first electronic mail includes a body area including a sender inputting area in which a text input by the sender of the first electronic mail is described and a command area in which the command information is described, and

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instructing the multi-function device to perform processes further comprises:

supplying data corresponding to the text described in the sender inputting area to the print performing unit and without supplying data corresponding to the command information described in the command area to the print performing unit,

7. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the multi-function device is configured to communicate with a mail server storing the first electronic mail,

the receiving includes receiving the first electronic mail from a first folder of the mail server, and

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instructing the multi-function device to perform processes further comprises:

transferring the first electronic mail from the first folder of the mail server to a second folder of the mail server.

8. The multi-function device as in claim 1, wherein

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instruct the multi-function device to perform processes further comprises:

permitting a user to select a file, select a process for the selected file, and input a destination;

generating a second electronic mail in a case where a particular file is selected and a particular process is selected, the second electronic mail including the particular file as an attached file and sixth command information including a command corresponding to the particular process and particular designation information designating the particular file; and

sending the second electronic mail to a device corresponding to the inputted destination.

9. The multi-function device as in claim 8, wherein

the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, instruct the multi-function device to perform processes further comprises:

in a case where the particular file is selected and the particular process is not selected, generating a third electronic mail including the particular file as the attached file and seventh command information including the first sort of command and the particular designation information; and

sending the third electronic mail to a device corresponding to the inputted destination.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program, the computer program for multi-function device configured to communicate with an administration server storing a command for the multi-function device, and comprising an electronic mail communication function and a print function, the computer program including instructions for instructing the multi-function device to perform:

receiving a first electronic mail including a first attached file;

analyzing the first electronic mail;

supplying an image described by the first attached file to a print performing unit in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes first command information including a first sort of command and first designation information designating the first attached file;

sending the first attached file to an other device in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes second command information including a second sort of command different from the first sort of command and the first designation information;

acquiring a particular command from the administration server in a case where it is analyzed that the first electronic mail includes third command information including a third sort of command and the first designation information; and

sending the first attached file to a further device in a case where the particular command indicates the second sort of command.