Network management system, computer system, copy server, file server, network copy file management method, and computer readable medium

• US 6,782,402 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2000
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Shinji, Hidaka, Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US09/563,816
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/503, 707/522, 707/413, 707/515, 707/505, 707/103.R, 707/500, 707/200-205, 709/217, 709/317, 709/247, 709/219, 345/502, 345/418, 345/659, 703/500, 703/503, 703/522, 703/4, 703/515, 703/505, 703/103.R, 355/36, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32443 with asynchronous operation of the image input and output devices connected to the memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3288 Storage of two or more complete document pages or image frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

Image data gathered by a scanner portion is stored into an image file, and stored into a hard disc. A client terminal requests a copy server to send management information of the image files in the hard disc. A control portion that receives the file management information request reads out file management information on the image files in a requested directory, from the hard disc, and sends it to a client terminal. An operator selects an image file on the basis of the management information, and the copy server is requested to down load a corresponding image file.

Claims

1. A network copy file management system comprising a copy system and a terminal which are interconnected through a network, such that said copy system and said terminal are in direct communication with one another via said network,

(A) said copy system comprising:

a scanner for reading information from an original as image data;

a printer for printing;

an operation panel which accepts a first execution command for a copy process to cause said printer to print the image data read out by said scanner;

a control unit for executing said copy process;

an image data converter which converts the image data read out by said scanner into an image file;

a storage portion for storing said image file, wherein said operation panel further accepts a second execution command for an image-file storing process, in accordance with which said control unit causes said image data converter to convert the image data into the image file, and then stores the image file into said storage portion;

a management information responding portion, wherein when said terminal requests management information for one or more image files within a predetermined range stored in said storage portion, said management information responding portion sends the requested management information for each image file within the predetermined range to said terminal, the management information including a plurality of data items associated with a particular image file; and

an image file transmitting portion, wherein when said terminal requests the image files corresponding to one or more of the data items of the management information transmitted to said terminal, said image file transmitting portion reads out said requested image files from said storage portion and sends said readout image files to said terminal; and

(B) said terminal comprising;

a management information request portion for requesting said copy system to send the management information for image files within a predetermined range;

a display portion for displaying the data items of the management information that said copy system sends in response to the request;

an input portion which accepts selection data input by an operator, said selection data specifying the image files corresponding to the data items of the management information displayed on said display portion; and

an image file request portion for requesting the image files specified by the selection data accepted by said input portion from said copy system.

2. A copy system comprising:

a scanner for reading information from an original as image data;

a printer for printing;

an operation panel which accepts a first execution command for a copy process to cause said printer to print the image data read out by said scanner;

a control unit for executing said copy process;

a network control portion connected to a network, said network control portion in direct communication with a terminal via said network;

an image data converter which converts the image data read out by said scanner into an image file; and

a storage portion for storing said image file, wherein said operation panel further accepts a second execution command for an image-file storing process, in accordance with which said control unit causes said data converter to convert the image data into the image file, and then stores the image file into said storage portion;

a management information responding portion, wherein when said terminal requests management information for one or more image files within a predetermined range stored in said storage portion, said management information responding portion sends the requested management information for each image file within the predetermined range to said terminal, the management information including a plurality of data items associated with a particular image file; and

an image file transmitting portion, wherein when said terminal requests the image files corresponding to one or more of the data items of the management information transmitted to said terminal, said image file transmitting portion reads out said requested image files from said storage portion and sends said read out image files to said terminal.

3. A copy system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer included in said terminal to request said management information responding portion to send the management information for the image files within the predetermined range, to display the data items of the management information received from said management information responding portion in response to the request, and to request said image file transmitting portion to send the image files corresponding to the data items of the management information specified by an operator; and

a program transmitting portion for transmitting said program stored in said computer readable medium to said terminal in response to a request from said terminal.

4. A copy system according to claim 3, wherein said program is a Java Applet, and

wherein said computer readable medium stores hypertext data to be requested by a web browser executed by a processor of said terminal, said hypertext data containing a description to cause said web browser to request said program transmitting portion to download said program.

5. A copy system according to claim 2, wherein said image data converter converts the image data into an image file having a proprietary format,

said image file transmitting portion which, in response to an image file transmission request, converts said image file into an image file having a general format, and then sends the converted image file.

6. A copy system according to claim 5, wherein said proprietary format is a JPEG file formed in a manner that the image data is JPEG compressed to generate fine image JPEG data, and rough image JPEG data is generated by reducing a resolution of the image data and then JPEG compressing the image data, and said fine image JPEG data and said rough image JPEG data are combined into one image data.

7. A copy system according to claim 5, wherein when the original includes a plurality of pages, said proprietary format is a JPEG file formed by combining fine and rough image JPEG data generated for each page into one image data.

8. A copy server comprising:

an image data input portion for inputting image data read by a scanner;

a print data output portion for outputting print data to a printer;

an operation panel connecting portion for accepting various execution commands;

a network control portion connected to a network, said network control portion in direct communication with a terminal through the network;

an image data converter which converts image data input through said image data input portion into an image file;

a storage portion for storing said image file;

a management information responding portion, wherein when said terminal requests management information for one or more image files within a predetermined range stored in said storage portion, said management information responding portion sends the requested management information for each image file within the predetermined range to said terminal, the management information including a plurality of data items associated with a particular image file;

an image file transmitting portion, wherein when said terminal requests the image files corresponding to one or more data items of the management information transmitted to said terminal, said image file transmitting portion reads out said requested image files from said storage portion and sends said readout image files to said terminal;

a computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer included in said terminal to request said management information responding portion to send the management information for the image files within the predetermined range, to display the data items of the management information received from said management information responding portion in response to the request, and to request said image file transmitting portion to send the image files corresponding to the specified data items of the management information; and

a program transmitting portion for transmitting said program stored in said computer readable medium to said terminal in response to a request from said terminal.

9. A copy server according to claim 8, wherein said program is a Java Applet, and

wherein said computer readable medium stores hypertext data to be requested by a web browser executed by a processor of said terminal, said hypertext data containing a description to cause the web browser to request said program transmitting portion to down load said program.

10. A copy server according to claim 9, wherein said Java Applet running on said terminal receives incoming management information for the image files within the predetermined range and displays the data items of the management information on a display unit of said terminal.

11. A copy server according to claim 9, wherein

said network control portion is in direct communication with a third network device via the network,

said management information responding portion transmits said third network device information,

said Java Applet running on said terminal requests said third network device to send second management information according to said third network device information, receives said second management information, and displays incoming combined management information, said combined management information including the management information for the image files in said terminal and the management information from said third network device.

12. A copy server according to claim 8, wherein

said image data converter converts the image data into an image file having a proprietary format,

said image file transmitting portion which, in response to an image file transmission request, converts said image file into an image file having a general format, and then sends the converted image file.

13. A copy server according to claim 12, wherein said proprietary format is a JPEG file formed in a manner that image data is JPEG compressed to generate fine image JPEG data, and rough image JPEG data is generated by reducing a resolution of the image data and then JPEG compressing the image data, and said fine image JPEG data and said rough image JPEG data are combined into one image data.

14. A copy server according to claim 12, wherein when the original includes a plurality of pages, said proprietary format is a JPEG file formed by combining fine and rough image JPEG data generated for each page into one image data.

15. A file server comprising:

an image data input portion for inputting image data;

a network control portion connected to a network, said network control portion in direct communication with a terminal through the network;

an image data converter which converts image data input through said image data input portion into an image file;

a storage portion for storing said image file;

a management information responding portion, wherein when said terminal requests management information for one or more image files within a predetermined range stored in said storage portion, said management information responding portion sends the requested management information for each image file within the predetermined range to said terminal, the management information including a plurality of data items associated with a particular image file;

an image data transmitting portion, wherein when said terminal requests said image data transmitting portion to send the image files corresponding to one or more data items of the management information transmitted to said terminal, said image data transmitting portion reads out the requested image files from said storage portion and send the read out image files to said terminal;

a computer readable medium storing (i) a Java Applet for causing a computer included in said terminal to request said management information responding portion to send the management information for the image files within the predetermined range, to display the data items of the management information received from said management information responding portion in response to the request and the data items of the management information for the image files in said terminal, and to request said image file transmitting portion to send the image files corresponding to specified management information when one or more of the data items of the management information being displayed is specified by an operator, and (ii) hypertext data to be requested by a web browser executed by said terminal, said hypertext data containing a description to cause said web browser to request said file server to download said Java Applet; and

a program transmitting portion for sending said Java Applet stored in said computer readable medium to said terminal in response to the download request.

16. A computer readable medium storing:

(A) a program causing a first computer having an image data input portion for inputting image data, a network control portion connected to a network wherein said network control portion is in direct communication with a terminal via said network, and a storage portion for storing image files converted from image data input through said image data input portion,

to store said image files into said storage portion,

when said terminal requests management information for one or more image files within a predetermined range stored in said storage portion, to send the requested management information for each image file within the predetermined range to said terminal, and

when said terminal requests the image files corresponding to one or more data items of the management information sent to said terminal, to read out said requested image files from said storage portion and to send the read out image files to said terminal;

(B) a Java Applet to cause the computer included in each terminal to request management information for the image files within the predetermined range, to display the data items of the management information received from said management information responding portion in response to the request and the data items of the management information for the image files in said terminal, and to request the first computer to send the image files corresponding to one or more of the displayed data items specified by the operator; and

(C) hypertext data to be requested by a web browser executed by said terminal, said hypertext data containing a description to cause said web browser to request the first computer to download said Java Applet.