Image processing device, image processing method and remote-scan image processing system using the same

• US 7,139,102 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Minato, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US09/814,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 358/468, 358/1.15, 358/3.2, 358/1.16, 358/3.07, 358/401, 358/404, 358/405, 358/443, 358/448, 358/48, 358/451
• US Class Current: 358/3.07
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00095 Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00114 with transmission of additional information signals for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver H04N1/32101
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• 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 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2175 with local image input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence

Abstract

In the image processing device, method and system of the present invention, a destination identifier of an image file is stored, the destination identifier indicating one of a plurality of external stations as a destination station which receives the image file from the image processing device through a network. At least one of a sender identifier of the image file, a subject identifier of the image file and a scan condition of the image file is stored. The image file is transmitted, together with at least one of the sender identifier, the subject identifier and the scan condition, through the network to one of the external stations indicated by the stored destination identifier.

Claims

1. An image processing device which transmits an image file to one of a plurality of external stations through a network, comprising:

a destination registering unit storing a destination identifier of the image file, the destination identifier indicating one of the external stations to which the image file is transmitted from the image processing device;

a scan condition registering unit storing a scan condition list including a plurality of scan conditions related to a scanner used when scanning a document to obtain the image file and including a relevant scan condition of the image file indicating a resolution of a scanner used when scanning the document to obtain the image file; and

a transmission unit transmitting the image file, together with the stored relevant scan condition, through the network to said one of the external stations indicated by the stored destination identifier,

wherein the image processing device is configured to read the relevant scan condition identifier from the scan condition list stored by the scan condition registering unit, based on an input scan condition.

2. An image processing method for transmitting an image file from an image processing device to one of a plurality of external stations through a network, comprising:

storing a destination identifier of the image file, the destination identifier indicating one of the external stations to which the image file is transmitted from the image processing device;

storing a sender list including a plurality of sender identifiers and including a relevant sender identifier of the image file, a subject list including a plurality of image subject identifiers and including a relevant subject identifier of the image file, and a scan condition list including a plurality of scan conditions and including a relevant scan condition of the image file;

reading at least one of the relevant sender identifier from the stored sender list, the relevant subject identifier from the stored subject list, and the relevant scan condition identifier from the stored scan condition list, based on an input identifier that is input by an operator; and

transmitting the image file, together with said at least one of the relevant sender identifier, the relevant subject identifier and the relevant scan condition, through the network to said one of the external stations indicated by the stored destination identifier.

3. An image processing system including an image processing device and a plurality of external stations connected to the image processing device through a network, the image processing device comprising:

a destination registering unit storing a destination identifier of an image file, the destination identifier indicating one of the external stations as a destination station which receives the image file transmitted by the image processing device;

a personnel information registering unit storing a plurality of personnel information items related to a number of personnel of a sender group, the personnel information items being correlated to respective personnel identifiers; and

a transmission unit transmitting the image file, together with a relevant personnel information item, through the network to said one of the external stations indicated by the destination identifier,

wherein the image processing device is configured to read the relevant personnel information item from among the plurality of personnel information items stored by the personnel information registering unit, based on an input personnel identifier that is input by an operator.

4. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein the image processing device comprises a sender registering unit storing a sender list including a plurality of sender identifiers related to a sender group and including a relevant sender identifier of the image file indicating a person or group who sends the image file to said one of the external stations,

wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit the image file, together with the relevant sender identifier, through the network to said one of the external stations indicated by the destination identifier, and

wherein the image processing device is configured to read the relevant sender identifier from the sender list stored by the sender registering unit, based on an input sender identifier that is input by an operator.

5. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein the image processing device comprises an image subject registering unit storing a subject list including a plurality of image subject identifiers related to names of images in the image file being transmitted and including a relevant subject identifier of the image file indicating one of a plurality of image subject indications to indicate the names of the images in the image file being transmitted,

wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit the image file, together with the relevant subject identifier, through the network to said one of the external stations indicated by the destination identifier, and

wherein the image processing device is configured to read the relevant subject identifier from the subject list stored by the image subject registering unit, based on an input subject identifier that is input by an operator.

6. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein the image processing device further comprises:

an image memory storing a plurality of image data, read from documents by a scanner unit;

an image data selecting unit selecting one of a plurality of document identifiers of a document list as the image file which is transmitted to one of the external stations through the network, in accordance with key-in information that is input by an operator; and

a destination identifier selecting unit selecting one of a plurality of destination identifiers of a destination list as a destination group which receives the image file through the network, in accordance with key-in information that is input by the operator.

7. The image processing system according to claim 6, wherein the image processing device further comprises a file combining unit which combines a plurality of image files, derived from the plurality of image data read by the scanner unit, into a single image file before the image file transmission, so that the transmission unit transmits the combined image file, produced by the file combining unit, through the network to said one of the external stations.