System, device, method and recording medium for transmitting data under transmission conditions

• US 8,427,673 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Takehisa, Miyamoto, Hirohisa, Kobayashi, Minako, Akita, Katsuhiko, Yoshida, Okihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guillermety, Fred
• Application Number:
  US12/195,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 715/739
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• 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 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0027 Adapting to communicate with plural different types of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

Personal address books of users are stored in an address server. Each user registers, with the personal address book of his/her own, conditions (transmission conditions) that should be satisfied when other users transmit image data to the user. The conditions are registered in correspondence with addresses of the other users. When one of the other users transmits (as a transmission source) to the user (as a transmission destination) who has set the transmission conditions, from an MFP, the transmission conditions, which were set by the transmission destination user with respect to the transmitter, are downloaded from the address server to the transmission source MFP. And then the MFP transmits the image data to the transmission destination user under the downloaded transmission conditions. This enables the transmission destination user to cause the image data to be transmitted thereto under such conditions that match the needs of the transmission destination user.

Claims

1. An image transmission system in which a server for providing image data transmission conditions is connected with a plurality of image transmission devices via a network,

the server comprising:

a transmission condition receiving part operable to receive a specification of transmission conditions which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to a particular receiver, the transmission conditions being specified in correspondence with one or more different transmitters of the image data or in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters;

a storage storing therein a plurality of personal address books, each personal address book corresponding to a registrant, and each personal address book including (1) information identifying at least one transmission destination to which image data is transmitted and (2) at least one transmission condition which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to the registrant of the personal address book from a particular transmitter or transmitters or from a particular group of transmitters or groups of transmitters;

a personal address book transmitting part operable to, upon receiving a first request from an image transmission device, transmit a personal address book corresponding to a transmitter specified by the first request;

a searching part operable to, upon receiving from the image transmission device a second request specifying a receiver, search a personal address book corresponding to the receiver for at least one transmission condition corresponding to the transmitter specified by the first request;

a transmission condition transmitting part operable to transmit the at least one transmission condition found by the searching part to the image transmission device;

each of the plurality of image transmission devices comprising;

a transmitter information obtaining part operable to obtain information that identifies a transmitter who transmits the image data;

a personal address book obtaining part operable to obtain, from the storage of the server, a personal address book corresponding to the transmitter identified by the information obtained by the transmitter information obtaining part;

a receiver information receiving part operable to receive information that identifies a receiver included in the obtained personal address book, the receiver being the desired recipient of the image data to be transmitted;

a transmission condition obtaining part operable to obtain, a personal address book corresponding to the identified receiver stored in the storage of the server, after the personal address book obtaining part has obtained the personal address book corresponding to the identified transmitter, at least one transmission condition corresponding to the identified receiver and the identified transmitter or a group to which the identified transmitter belongs; and

a transmitting part operable to transmit the image data to the identified receiver under the obtained transmission conditions.

2. The image transmission system of claim 1, wherein in a case where a specification of transmission conditions specified in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters is received,

the server further comprises:

a group making part operable to make a plurality of groups of transmitters by dividing a plurality of transmitters into the groups, and

the transmission condition receiving part receives the specification of transmission conditions for each of the plurality of groups of transmitters made by the group making part.

3. The image transmission system of claim 2, wherein the server further comprises:

an address storage storing addresses in the network of the transmitters, and

the group making part makes the groups of transmitters in accordance with domains of the addresses of the transmitters.

4. The image transmission system of claim 2, wherein the server further comprises:

a reliability storage for receiving a specification of reliability ranks assigned to the transmitters by the receiver, and stores therein the specified reliability ranks, and

the group making part makes the groups of transmitters in accordance with the reliability ranks of the transmitters.

5. The image transmission system of claim 2, wherein the server further comprises:

a history information storage storing therein history information that is a history of operations performed by the receiver onto image data received from the transmitters, and

the group making part makes the groups of transmitters in accordance with the history information.

6. The image transmission system of claim 1, wherein

the transmission conditions include an address of a particular terminal specified by the receiver.

7. The image transmission system of claim 1, wherein

the transmission conditions include a transmission time period specified by the receiver.

8. The image transmission system of claim 1, wherein

the transmission conditions include a restriction to a capacity of image data to be transmitted.

9. The image transmission system of claim 1, wherein

the transmission conditions include a type of a transmission method for transmitting image data.

10. An image transmission device which is connected, via a network, with a server which provides image data transmission conditions, wherein

the server includes a transmission condition table that stores a plurality of personal address books, each personal address book corresponding to a transmitter of image data and including information about at least one receiver of image data, receives a specification of transmission conditions which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to a particular receiver, the transmission conditions being specified in correspondence with one or more different transmitters of the image data or in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters, and stores therein the specified transmission conditions, the particular receiver, and the one or more transmitters or the one or more transmitter groups are registered in correspondence with each other, and

the image transmission device comprises:

a transmitter information obtaining part operable to obtain information that identifies a transmitter who transmits the image data;

a personal address book obtaining part operable to obtain, from the server, a personal address book corresponding to the transmitter identified by the information obtained by the transmitter information obtaining part;

a receiver information receiving part operable to receive information that identifies a receiver included in the obtained personal address book, the receiver being the desired recipient of the image data to be transmitted;

a transmission condition obtaining part operable to obtain, from the transmission condition table of the server, after the personal address book obtaining part has obtained the personal address book corresponding to the identified transmitter, at least one transmission condition corresponding to the identified receiver and the identified transmitter or a group to which the identified transmitter belongs; and

a transmitting part operable to transmit the image data to the identified receiver under the obtained transmission conditions.

11. An image transmission method for use in an image transmission device which is connected, via a network, with a server which provides image data transmission conditions, wherein

the server receives a specification of transmission conditions which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to a particular receiver, the transmission conditions being specified in correspondence with one or more different transmitters of the image data or in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters,

the server stores therein a plurality of personal address books, each personal address book corresponding to a registrant, and each personal address book including (1) information identifying at least one transmission destination to which image data is transmitted and (2) at least one transmission condition which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to the registrant of the personal address book from a particular transmitter or transmitters or from a particular group of transmitters or groups of transmitters,

the server, upon receiving a first request from an image transmission device, transmits a personal address book corresponding to a transmitter specified by the first request,

the server, upon receiving from the image transmission device a second request specifying a receiver, searches a personal address book corresponding to the receiver for at least one transmission condition corresponding to the transmitter specified by the first request, and

the server, transmits the at least one transmission condition found by the server to the image transmission device, and

the image transmission method comprises:

a transmitter information obtaining step for obtaining information that identifies a transmitter who transmits the image data;

a personal address book obtaining step for obtaining, from the server, a personal address book corresponding to the transmitter identified by the information obtained by the transmitter information obtaining part;

a receiver information receiving step for receiving information that identifies a receiver included in the obtained personal address book, the receiver being the desired recipient of the image data to be transmitted;

a transmission condition obtaining step for obtaining, from the personal address book corresponding to the identified receiver stored in the server, after the personal address book corresponding to the identified transmitter has been obtained, at least one transmission condition corresponding to the identified receiver and the identified transmitter or a group to which the identified transmitter belongs; and

a transmitting step for transmitting the image data to the identified receiver under the obtained transmission conditions.

12. A non-transitory recording medium recording therein a program to be executed in an image transmission device which is connected, via a network, with a server which provides image data transmission conditions, wherein

the server receives a specification of transmission conditions which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to a particular receiver, the transmission conditions being specified in correspondence with one or more different transmitters of the image data or in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters,

stores therein a plurality of personal address books, each personal address book corresponding to a registrant, and each personal address book including (1) information identifying at least one transmission destination to which image data is transmitted and (2) at least one transmission condition which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to the registrant of the personal address book from a particular transmitter or transmitters or from a particular group of transmitters or groups of transmitters,

the server, upon receiving a first request from an image transmission device, transmits a personal address book corresponding to a transmitter specified by the first request,

the server, upon receiving from the image transmission device a second request specifying a receiver, searches a personal address book corresponding to the receiver for at least one transmission condition corresponding to the transmitter specified by the first request, and

the server, transmits the at least one transmission condition found by the server to the image transmission device, and

the program causes a computer of the image transmission device to perform:

a transmitter information obtaining process for obtaining information that identifies a transmitter who transmits the image data;

a personal address book obtaining process for obtaining, from the server, a personal address book corresponding to the transmitter identified by the information obtained by the transmitter information obtaining part;

a receiver information receiving process for receiving information that identifies a receiver included in the obtained personal address book, the receiver being the desired recipient of the image data to be transmitted;

a transmission condition obtaining process for obtaining, a personal address book corresponding to the identified receiver stored in the server, after the personal address book corresponding to the identified transmitter has been obtained, at least one transmission condition corresponding to the identified receiver and the identified transmitter or a group to which the identified transmitter belongs; and

a transmitting process for transmitting the image data to the identified receiver under the obtained transmission conditions.

13. An image transmission system in which a server for providing image data transmission conditions is connected with a plurality of image transmission devices via a network,

the server comprising:

a transmission condition receiving part operable to receive a specification of transmission conditions which should be satisfied when image data is transmitted to a particular receiver, the transmission conditions being specified in correspondence with one or more different transmitters of the image data or in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters;

a transmission condition storage storing therein a transmission condition table with which the specified transmission conditions, the particular receiver, and the one or more transmitters or the one or more transmitter groups are registered in correspondence with each other; and

each of the plurality of image transmission devices comprising;

a transmitter information obtaining part operable to obtain information that identifies a transmitter who transmits the image data;

a receiver information receiving part operable to receive information that identifies a receiver who receives the transmitted image data;

a transmission condition obtaining part operable to obtain, from the transmission condition storage of the server, transmission conditions that are stored in correspondence with the identified receiver and the identified transmitter or a group to which the identified transmitter belongs;

a transmitting part operable to transmit the image data to the identified receiver under the obtained transmission conditions; and

wherein in a case where a specification of transmission conditions specified in correspondence with one or more different groups of transmitters is received,

the server further comprises;

a group making part operable to make a plurality of groups of transmitters by dividing a plurality of transmitters into the groups, and

the transmission condition receiving part receives the specification of transmission conditions for each of the plurality of groups of transmitters made by the group making part.