Image forming apparatus, computer-readable non-transitory storage medium with uploading program stored thereon, and uploading system

• US 9,041,964 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Akuta, Hidehiko, Umenaga, Akihiro, Yoshimura, Sachiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madelein
• Application Number:
  US14/077,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00225 details of image data generation, e.g. scan-to-email or network scanners using an image reading device as a local input to a computer H04N1/00241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a communication unit, a scanning unit, an issuing unit, a storage unit, an information receiving unit, an identification unit, an authentication unit, and a communication control unit. The image data number issuing unit issues a unique image data number for image data. A user inputs the image data number of the image data, cloud information, a login ID, and a password into an external terminal. The external terminal transmits the input content to the image forming apparatus. The login authentication unit performs authentication on a cloud identified by the target cloud identification unit using the transmitted login ID and password. When login is successful, the upload control unit transmits the image data of the image data number to the cloud.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

a communication unit performing communication with an external terminal used by a user via a network;

a scanning unit scanning a document image to obtain image data;

an issuing unit issuing an image data number identifying the image data;

a storage unit mapping and storing the image data and the image data number;

a control unit controlling to notify the image data number to the user;

an information receiving unit receiving the image data number, and uploading destination identification information indicating an upload destination of the image data, and login information for logging into the upload destination from the external terminal via the communication unit at a timing after the storage stored the image data and the image data number;

an identification unit identifying the upload destination based on the upload destination identification information when the information receiving unit received the image data number, the upload destination identification information, and the login information;

an authentication unit performing an authenticating process required to perform an authentication of whether or not to give access to the upload destination indentified by the identification unit based on the login information received by the information receiving unit; and

a communication control unit that reads out the image data corresponding to the image data number received by the information receiving unit from the image data stored by the storage unit when the access to the upload destination is permitted in the authenticating process by the authentication unit, and transmits the corresponding image data to the upload destination.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, where in the control unit causes the communication unit to transmit an error notice to the external terminal, when the authentication by the authentication unit fails or when the image data is not uploaded to the upload destination normally.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a display unit, and

a display control unit controlling display of the display unit as the control unit;

wherein the display control unit displays the image data number issued by the issuing unit on the display panel.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit as the control unit transmits the image data number issued by the issuing unit to the external terminal.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit that performs printing on paper based on printing data, wherein the control unit cause the printing unit to perform the printing on the paper using the image data number issued by the issuing unit as the printing data.

6. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium with a uploading program stored thereon, the uploading program causing a computer to function as:

an information receiving unit that receives an image data number for identifying image data stored by an image forming apparatus, upload destination identification information indicating an upload destination of the image data presented by the image data number, and login information about the upload destination from an external terminal used by a user at a timing after the storage stored the image data and the image data number;

an identification unit identifying the upload destination based on the upload destination identification information when the information receiving unit received the image data number, the upload destination identification information, and the login information;

an authentication unit that performs an authenticating process required to authenticate whether or not to give access to the upload destination identified by the identification unit based on the login information received by the information receiving unit; and

an uploading unit that, when the access to the upload destination is permitted in the authenticating process by the authentication unit, reads the image data corresponding to the image data number from the image data stored by the external image forming apparatus, and uploads the read image data to the upload destination.

7. An uploading system comprising an image forming apparatus and an upload control device that are communicable with an external terminal used by a user via a network, wherein

the image forming apparatus includes:

a scanning unit scanning a document image to obtain image data;

an issuing unit issuing an image data number identifying the image data; and

a storage unit mapping and storing the image data and the image data number;

a control unit controlling to notify the image data number to the user; and

the upload control device includes;

an information receiving unit that inputs the image data number from an external terminal, upload destination identification information indicating an upload destination of the image data, and login information for logging into the upload destination at a timing after the storage stored the image data and the image data number;

an identification unit identifying the upload destination based on the upload destination identification information when the information receiving unit received the image data number, the upload destination identification information, and the login information;

an authentication unit that performs an authenticating process required to authenticate whether or not to give access to the upload destination identified by the identification unit based on the login information received by the information receiving unit; and

an uploading unit that, when the access to the upload destination is permitted in the authenticating process by the authentication unit, extracts the image data, which is indicated by the image data number received by the information receiving unit, from the storage unit of the image forming apparatus, and uploads the image data to the upload destination.

8. An uploading system comprising an image forming apparatus and an upload control device that are communicable with an external terminal used by a user via a network, wherein

the image forming apparatus includes:

a scanning unit scanning a document image to obtain image data;

an issuing unit issuing an image data number identifying the image data; and

a storage unit mapping and storing the image data and the image data number;

a control unit controlling to notify the image data number to the user;

the upload control device includes;

an information receiving unit that receives the image data number from an external terminal, upload destination identification information indicating an upload destination of the image data presented by the image data number, and login information for logging into the upload destination at a timing after the storage stored the image data and the image data number;

an identification unit identifying the upload destination based on the upload destination identification information when the information receiving unit received the image data number the upload destination identification information, and the login information;

an authentication unit that performs an authenticating process required to authenticate whether or not to give access to the upload destination identified by the identification unit based on the login information received by the information receiving unit; and

a transmitting unit that, when the access to the upload destination is permitted in the authenticating process by the authentication unit, transmits the image data number received by the information receiving unit and the upload destination identification information to the image forming apparatus; and

the image forming apparatus further includes;

a receiving unit that receives the image data number and the upload destination identification information from the transmitting unit of the upload control device; and

an uploading unit that reads the image data number received by the receiving unit from the storage unit of the image forming apparatus, and uploads the image data to the upload destination received by the receiving unit.