Control apparatus and its method, and control program and storage medium holding it

• US 7,738,131 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshinori, Tokura, Yutaka, Hoshino, Hitoshi, Tokashiki, Kiyoshi, Takayanagi, Masahiro, Harano, Yuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Park; Chan S
• Application Number:
  US12/164,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20080275961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 710/3, 710/4, 709/203, 709/219, 709/220, 709/238, 709/245, 709/244, 709/250
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• 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 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• 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 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A controller which exits between a client apparatus and an image processing apparatus and which controls access from the client apparatus such that the client apparatus can use a network server function of the image processing apparatus, its control method and control program and storage medium. To accomplish this, the controller which exists between a client terminal and an image processing apparatus and which controls data transmitted from the client terminal to the image processing apparatus comprises information providing unit which provides setup information of the controller to the client terminal and transfer unit which transfers setup information of the image processing apparatus to the client terminal.

Claims

1. A client apparatus that communicates with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, comprising:

a first receiving unit configured to receive first display information to be displayed by a browser of said client apparatus through a first network interface of said control apparatus based on designation of a first address of said control apparatus from said client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second address different from the first address;

an accepting unit configured to accept a designation of the second address from a user, the designation of the second address being performed based on the link to the second address included in the first display information received by said first receiving unit; and

a second receiving unit configured to receive second display information that said control apparatus receives from said image processing apparatus through a second network interface of said control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the designation of the second address accepted by said accepting unit,

wherein said client apparatus, said control apparatus, and said image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.

2. The client apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if a transfer function of said image processing apparatus is enabled, said first receiving unit receives the first display information including the link to the second address, and if the transfer function is not enabled, said first receiving unit receives the first display information not including the link to the second address.

3. The client apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first address and the second address comprises (a) an IP address of said control apparatus and (b) a port number, or comprises (a) a DNS name of said control apparatus and (b) a port number.

4. The client apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control apparatus communicates with each of said image processing apparatus and another image processing apparatus via a network,

wherein said first receiving unit receives the first display information including the link to the second address corresponding to said image processing apparatus and a link to a third address corresponding to said another image processing apparatus, and

wherein said second receiving unit receives, based on the designation of the third address from said client apparatus, third display information to be displayed by the browser from said another image processing apparatus, wherein the designation of the third address is performed based on the link to the third address included in the third display information received by said first receiving unit.

5. The client apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, if one of said image processing apparatus and said another image processing apparatus cannot transfer the second display information or the third display information, said first receiving unit receives fourth display information including a notification of suspension of service at the one of said image processing apparatus and said another image processing apparatus.

6. The client apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display the first display information and the second display information.

7. A control method for a client apparatus adapted to communicate with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, comprising:

receiving first display information to be displayed by a browser of the client apparatus through a first network interface of the control apparatus based on designation of a first address of the control apparatus from the client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second address different from the first address;

accepting a designation of the second address from a user, the designation of the second address being performed based on the link to the second address included in the received first display information; and

receiving second display information that the control apparatus receives from the image processing apparatus through a second network interface of the control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the accepted designation of the second address,

wherein the client apparatus, the control apparatus, and the image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.

8. A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for controlling a client apparatus adapted to communicate with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, said control program comprising:

code to receive first display information to be displayed by a browser of the client apparatus through a first network interface of the control apparatus based on designation of a first address of the control apparatus from the client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second address different from the first address;

code to accept a designation of the second address from a user, the designation of the second address being performed based on the link to the second address included in the received first display information; and

code to receive second display information that the control apparatus receives from the image processing apparatus through a second network interface of the control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the accepted designation of the second address,

wherein the client apparatus, the control apparatus, and the image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.

9. A client apparatus that communicates with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, comprising:

a first receiving unit configured to receive first display information to be displayed by a browser of said client apparatus through a first network interface of said control apparatus based on designation of a first communication port of said control apparatus from the client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second communication port different from the first communication port;

an accepting unit configured to accept a designation of the second communication port from a user, the designation of the second communication port being performed based on the link to the second communication port included in the first display information received by said first receiving unit; and

a second receiving unit configured to receive second display information that said control apparatus receives from said image processing apparatus through a second network interface of said control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the designation of the second communication port accepted by said accepting unit,

wherein said client apparatus, said control apparatus, and said image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.

10. The client apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first communication port is a communication port corresponding to a default port number in the browser.

11. The client apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the link comprises (a) an IP address of said control apparatus and (b) a port number of the second communication port, or comprises (a) a DNS name of said control apparatus and (b) a port number of the second communication port.

12. The client apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, if a transfer function of said image processing apparatus is enabled, said first receiving unit receives the first display information including the link to the second communication port, and if the transfer function is not enabled, said first receiving unit receives first display information not including the link to the second communication port, to be displayed by the browser.

13. The client apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control apparatus communicates with each of said image processing apparatus and another image processing apparatus via a network,

wherein said first receiving unit receives the first display information including the link to the second communication port corresponding to said image processing apparatus and a link to a third communication port corresponding to said another image processing apparatus, and

wherein said second receiving unit receives, based on the designation of the third communication port from said client apparatus, third display information to be displayed by the browser from said another image processing apparatus, wherein the access to the third communication port is performed based on the link to the third communication port included in the third display information received by said first receiving unit.

14. The client apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, if one of said image processing apparatus and said another image processing apparatus cannot transfer the second display information or the third display information, said first receiving unit receives fourth display information including a notification of suspension of service at the one of said image processing apparatus and said another image processing apparatus.

15. The client apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a display unit configured to display the first display information and the second display information.

16. A control method for a client apparatus adapted to communicate with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, comprising:

receiving first display information to be displayed by a browser of the client apparatus through a first network interface of the control apparatus based on designation of a first communication port of the control apparatus from the client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second communication port different from the first communication port;

accepting a designation of the second communication port from a user, the designation of the second communication port being performed based on the link to the second communication port included in the received first display information; and

receiving second display information that the control apparatus receives from the image processing apparatus through a second network interface of the control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the accepted designation of the second communication port,

wherein the client apparatus, the control apparatus, and the image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.

17. A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program for controlling a client apparatus adapted to communicate with a control apparatus which communicates with an image processing apparatus, said control program comprising:

code to receive first display information to be displayed by a browser of the client apparatus through a first network interface of the control apparatus based on designation of a first communication port of the control apparatus from the client apparatus, the first display information including a link to a second communication port different from the first communication port;

code to accept a designation of the second communication port from a user, the designation of the second communication port being performed based on the link to the second communication port included in the received first display information; and

code to receive second display information that the control apparatus receives from the image processing apparatus through a second network interface of the control apparatus different from the first network interface based on the accepted designation of the second communication port,

wherein the client apparatus, the control apparatus, and the image processing apparatus are separate apparatuses.