Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program for controlling image processing apparatus

• US 7,287,059 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shono, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van H.
• Application Number:
  US10/281,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709/206, 358/402, 358/448, 358/452, 358/537, 719/310
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases

Abstract

A situation such that E-mail such as spam mail with contents which the user of a printing apparatus does not desire is sent to the printing apparatus and a user'"'"'s undesirable print is executed is prevented. For this purpose, whether an E-mail address of a transmitting source of the E-mail has been registered in an address book or not is discriminated. If it is not registered in the address book, this E-mail data is abandoned.

Claims

1. A printing processing apparatus which receives E-mail from an external apparatus, comprising:

an address storing unit that stores at least one E-mail address;

a discriminating unit that determines whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit;

a print processing unit that, if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and it is determined by said discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, executes a printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail; and

an editing unit that, if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said address storing unit and it is determined by said discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, edits the contents stored in said address storing unit in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image forming unit that forms an image onto a recording medium on the basis of print data,

wherein said print processing unit forms the print data on the basis of image data annexed to the received E-mail in a file format.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an abandoning unit that, if it is determined by said discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said address storing unit, abandons the received E-mail and the data included in the received E-mail.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an annex discriminating unit that, if it is determined by said discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, discriminating whether or not image data has been annexed to said received E-mail in a file format,

wherein if it is determined by said annex discriminating unit that the image data has been annexed to said received E-mail, said print processing unit executes the printing process on the basis of the annexed image data.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a process discriminating unit that, if it is determined by said discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, discriminating whether or not the data included in said received E-mail can be processed by said print processing unit,

wherein if it is determined by said process discriminating unit that the data can be processed by said print processing unit, said print processing unit executes the printing process on the basis of the data.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an obtaining unit that requests E-mail whose address for a transmitting destination is a predetermined address from a mail managing apparatus connected via a network.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said editing unit, in accordance with the edit command, adds an address in said address storing unit, deletes all contents stored in said address storing unit, or deletes a selected address from said address storing unit.

8. A printing processing apparatus which receives E-mail from an external apparatus, comprising:

a first address storing unit that stores at least one E-mail address which is permitted to have a printing process executed on the basis of data to be printed;

a second address storing unit that stores at least one E-mail address which is permitted to edit contents stored in the first address storing unit;

a first discriminating unit that determines whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said first address storing unit;

a print processing unit that, if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and it is determined by said first discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said first storing unit, executes the printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail;

a second discriminating unit that determines whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said second address storing unit; and

an editing unit that, if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said first address storing unit and if it is determined by said second discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said first address storing unit, edits contents stored in said first address storing unit in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

9. A printing processing apparatus which receives E-mail from an external apparatus, comprising:

a first address storing unit that stores at least one E-mail address which is not permitted to execute a printing process on the basis of data to be printed;

a second address storing unit that stores at least one E-mail address which is permitted to edit contents stored in said first address storing unit;

a first discriminating unit that determines whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said first address storing unit;

a print processing unit that, if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and it is determined by said first discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said first storing unit, executes the printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail;

a second discriminating unit that determines whether or not the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said second storing unit; and

an editing unit that, if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said first storing unit and it is determined by said second discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said second address storing unit, edits the contents stored in said first address storing unit in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an abandoning unit that, if it is determined by said first discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said first address storing unit, abandons the received E-mail and the data included in the received E-mail.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an annex discriminating unit that, if it is determined by said first discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said first address storing unit, determines whether or not image data has been annexed to said received E-mail in a file format,

wherein if it is determined by said annex discriminating unit that the image data has been annexed, said print processing unit executes the printing process on the basis of the image data.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a process discriminating unit that, if it is determined by said first discriminating unit that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said first address storing unit, determines whether or not the data included in said received E-mail can be processed by said print processing unit,

wherein if it is determined by said process discriminating unit that the data can be processed by said print processing unit, said print processing unit executes the printing process on the basis of the data.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said editing unit, in accordance with the edit command, adds an address to said first address storing unit, deletes all contents stored in said first address storing unit, or deletes a selected address from said first address storing unit.

14. A printing processing method of a printing processing apparatus for executing a printing process on the basis of data included in E-mail, comprising the steps of:

the printing apparatus receiving E-mail from an external apparatus;

the printing apparatus discriminating whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in an address memory area for storing at least one E-mail address;

if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and if it is discriminated that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address memory area, the printing processing apparatus executing the printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail; and

if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said address memory area and if it is discriminated that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address memory area, the printing processing apparatus editing the contents stored in said address memory area in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

15. A printing processing method of a printing processing apparatus for executing a printing process on the basis of data included in E-mail, comprising the steps of:

the printing processing apparatus receiving E-mail from an external apparatus;

the printing processing apparatus discriminating whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in a first address memory area for storing at least one E-mail address which is not permitted to execute a printing process on the basis of data to be printed;

if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and if it is discriminated that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said first address memory area, the printing processing apparatus executing the printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail;

discriminating whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in a second address memory area for storing at least one address of E-mail which is permitted to edit contents stored in said first memory address area; and

if the received E-mail include an edit command for editing contents stored in said first address memory area and if it is discriminated that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said second address memory area, the printing processing apparatus editing contents stored in said first address memory area in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

16. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer-executable program for controlling a printing processing apparatus which receives E-mail from an external apparatus and has an address storing unit for storing at least one E-mail address, wherein said program causes a computer to execute:

a receiving step of receiving E-mail from the external apparatus;

a discriminating step of discriminating whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit;

a print processing step of, if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and if it is discriminated in said discriminating step that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, executing a printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail; and

an editing step of, if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said address storing unit and if it is discriminated in said discriminating step that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said address storing unit, editing the contents stored in the address storing unit in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.

17. A computer-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer-executable program for controlling printing processing apparatus which receives E-mail from an external apparatus, wherein said program causes a computer to execute:

a receiving step of receiving E-mail from the external apparatus;

a first discriminating step of discriminating whether or not an address of a transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in a first address storing unit for storing at least one E-mail address which is not permitted to execute a printing process on the basis of data to be printed;

a print processing step of, if the received E-mail includes data to be printed and if it is discriminated in said first discriminating step that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is not stored in said first address storing unit, executing a printing process on the basis of the data included in the received E-mail;

a second discriminating step of discriminating whether or not the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in a second address storing unit for storing at least one address of E-mail which is permitted to edit contents stored in said first address storing unit; and

an editing step of, if the received E-mail includes an edit command for editing contents stored in said first address storing unit and if it is discriminated in said second discriminating step that the address of the transmitting source of the received E-mail is stored in said second address storing unit, editing the contents stored in said first address storing unit in accordance with the edit command included in the received E-mail.