Image processing apparatus, control method thereof, and storage medium

Abstract

An image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a storage medium are disclosed. The present invention is directed to a technique of displaying image data generated by scanning an image in a chat room based on information of a chat room indicating a chat service received from a mobile terminal. The image processing apparatus according to the present invention communicates with a chat server configured to control information indicating received image data to be displayed in a chat room based on information of the chat room of the chat server received. The image processing apparatus includes: a reading unit configured to read an image of a document and generate image data based on the image; a receiving unit configured to receive information of a chat room of the chat server from the mobile terminal; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the image data generated by the reading unit and the information of the chat room received by the receiving unit to the chat server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108341 discusses an image processing apparatus that receives, from a mobile terminal, an e-mail address specified by the mobile terminal as destination information, and transmits image data generated by scanning an image to a destination described in the received destination information. Summary of the Invention

[0003] When a user uses a chat service through a mobile terminal to transmit image data generated by scanning an image with an image processing apparatus to a talk room of the chat service, the user desires to specify, through the mobile terminal, the talk room where the generated image is to be displayed.

[0004] For example, the image processing apparatus that transmits, to a destination described in an e-mail address received from a mobile terminal, image data generated by scanning an image as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108341 cannot receive, from the mobile terminal, information specifying a talk room of a chat service. Therefore, the user cannot display the image data in a desired talk room.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention is directed to a technology that allows a user to display, in a talk room, image data generated by scanning an image based on information indicating a talk room of a chat service received through a mobile terminal.

[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus that communicates with a chat server, the chat server being configured to control display, in a talk room, of information indicating received image data based on received information indicating a talk room of the chat server. The image processing apparatus includes: a reading unit configured to read an image of a document and generate image data based on the image; a receiving unit configured to receive, from a mobile terminal, information indicating a talk room of the chat server; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the image data generated by the reading unit and the information indicating the talk room received by the receiving unit to the chat server.

[0007] Additional features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] Figure 1 Illustrates an example of a system configuration according to the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a multifunction peripheral (MFP).

[0010] Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal.

[0011] Figure 4 It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a messaging application server.

[0012] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of the file structure within a messaging application server.

[0013] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an example of the home screen displayed on the operation unit of the MFP.

[0014] By Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B and Figure 7C constituted Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of the screen flow when setting data is received from a mobile terminal.

[0015] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the processing sequence for sending setting data from a mobile terminal to an MFP.

[0016] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example of the setting screen of a scanning application installed in a mobile terminal.

[0017] Figure 10 It is a flowchart showing an example of a scan-to-chat process executed by an MFP.

[0018] Figure 11 It is a flowchart showing an example of the transmission process of setting data executed by a mobile terminal.

[0019] Figure 12 It is a diagram showing an example of the message screen of a messaging application. Detailed implementation

[0020] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of implementing the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations described in the following exemplary embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations described below.

[0021] <Exemplary embodiment>

[0022] Figure 1Illustrates an example of a system configuration according to the present invention. The system of this exemplary embodiment includes a mobile terminal 200, a multifunction peripheral (MFP) 101, and a messaging application server 300. The mobile terminal 200 is an example of a terminal device. The multifunction peripheral (MFP) 101 is an image processing device capable of performing communication via a network 100. The messaging application server 300 is configured to manage a chat service for receiving messages and image data sent from the MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 200 and displaying the messages and image data on the mobile terminal 200 and a personal computer (PC) (not shown) through a user operation. The network 100 according to this exemplary embodiment may be the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The network 100 may also be a wired or wireless network.

[0023] Figure 2 Is a block diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP 101. The MFP 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 111, a read-only memory (ROM) 112, a random access memory (RAM) 113, a storage device 114, an operation unit interface (I / F) 115, an operation unit 116, a reading unit I / F 117, a reading unit 118, a printing unit I / F 119, a printing unit 120, a wireless communication unit I / F 121, and a wireless communication unit 122. The MFP 101 further includes a FAX unit I / F 123, a FAX communication unit 124, a communication unit I / F 125, and a communication unit 126.

[0024] A control unit 110 including the CPU 111 controls the overall operation of the MFP 101. The CPU 111 reads a control program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage device 114, writes the control program into the RAM 113, and performs various types of control, such as reading control and printing control. The ROM 112 stores control programs executable by the CPU 111. The ROM 112 also stores a boot program and font data. The RAM 113 is a main storage memory. The RAM 113 is used as a working area or a temporary storage area for loading various control programs stored in the ROM 112 and the storage device 114. The storage device 114 stores image data, print data, various programs, and various types of setting information. In this exemplary embodiment, a flash memory is used as the storage device 114. However, auxiliary storage devices such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) may also be used as the storage device 114. An embedded multimedia card (eMMC) may also be used for the storage device 114.

[0025] In the MFP 101 of the present exemplary embodiment, a CPU 111 uses a memory (e.g., RAM 113) to execute various types of processing shown in the following flowcharts. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, multiple CPUs, RAMs, ROMs, and storage devices may cooperate to execute each of the processes shown in the following flowcharts. A part of the processing may also be executed by a hardware circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0026] The operation unit I / F 115 connects the operation unit 116 to the control unit 110. The operation unit 116 includes a display unit such as a touch panel and hard keys. The operation unit 116 displays information to the user and detects input from the user.

[0027] The reading unit I / F 117 connects a reading unit 118 such as a scanner to the control unit 110. The reading unit 118 reads an image of a document, and the CPU 111 converts the read image into binary data or other forms. The image data generated based on the image read by the reading unit 118 is sent to an external device or printed on a recording sheet.

[0028] The printing unit I / F 119 connects a printing unit 120 such as a printer to the control unit 110. The CPU 111 transfers the image data (print data) stored in the RAM 113 to the printing unit 120 via the printing unit I / F 119. The printing unit 120 prints an image based on the transferred image data on a recording sheet fed from a sheet feeding cassette.

[0029] The wireless communication unit I / F 121 is configured to control the wireless communication unit 122 to wirelessly connect the control unit 110 to an external wireless device (e.g., mobile terminal 200).

[0030] The control unit 110 is connected to the public network 107 by controlling a FAX communication unit 124 (such as a facsimile machine) via the FAX unit I / F 123. The FAX unit I / F 123 is configured to control the FAX communication unit 124. The FAX unit I / F 123 controls a modem or a network control unit (NCU) for facsimile communication, so that the control unit 110 can be connected to the public network 107 or control the facsimile communication protocol.

[0031] The communication unit I / F 125 connects the control unit 110 to the network 100. The communication unit I / F 125 enables the communication unit 126 to send the image data and various internal information of the MFP 101 to an external device that is connected to the network 100 and receives print data and other information from an information processing device connected to the network 100. The methods of performing transmission / reception via the network 100 include transmission / reception using e-mail, and file transmission using other protocols (e.g., File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Server Message Block (SMB), and Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WEBDAV)). Additionally, the image data and various types of setting data can be sent to or received from the mobile terminal 200 and the message application server 300 via the network 100 through Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) communication.

[0032] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 200. In the present exemplary embodiment, the mobile terminal 200 is a device such as a smart phone or a tablet PC. However, the mobile terminal 200 can be other information processing devices capable of performing Wi-Fi communication.

[0033] The CPU 207 reads the control program stored in the ROM 208 and performs various types of processing for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 200. The ROM 208 stores the control program. The RAM 209 is used as a temporary storage area, such as the working area or main memory of the CPU 207. The HDD 210 stores various types of data, such as photos and electronic documents.

[0034] The operation panel 201 has a touch panel function for detecting touch operations performed by the user and displays various screens provided by the operating system (OS) and the e-mail sending application. The operation panel 201 is also used to check the information stored in the message application server 300. The user can input desired operation instructions to the mobile terminal 200 by performing touch operations on the operation panel 201. The mobile terminal 200 includes hardware keys (not shown), so that the user can input operation instructions to the mobile terminal 200 by using the hard keys.

[0035] The camera 204 captures an image in response to an image capture instruction from the user. The photo captured by the camera 204 is stored in a predetermined area in the HDD 210. The user can obtain information from the QR code read by the camera 204 by using a program that can analyze Quick Response (QR) codes.

[0036] The mobile terminal 200 can communicate via the Near Field Communication (NFC) unit 205, The communication unit 206 and the wireless LAN communication unit 211 send data to various peripheral devices and receive data from various peripheral devices. The communication unit 206 of the mobile terminal 200 may comply with the Bluetooth Low Energy standard.

[0037] Figure 4 FIG. is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the message application server 300. The CPU 301 reads the control program stored in the ROM 302 and executes various types of processing for controlling the operation of the message application server 300. The ROM 302 stores the control program. The RAM 303 is used as a temporary storage area such as the work area or the main memory of the CPU 301. The HDD 305 stores various types of data such as messages, images, and channel information. The message application server 300 can send data to and receive data from various devices such as the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 101 via the communication unit 304. The communication unit 304 can perform wired communication or can perform wireless communication such as Wi-Fi communication.

[0038] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the file structure in the message application server 300. The file structure is stored in the HDD 305 of the message application server 300. Based on this structure, the Figure 12 message screen 1200 shown in is displayed. The message application server 300 manages data having a large category called "workspace" and small categories such as "channels", "groups", "users", and "files" included in the workspace. The channel 501 is a chat room that all members of the workspace can participate in, and all information posted in the channel 501 can be searched by everyone. The group 502 is a channel for holding discussions that are not open to all members. One of the members needs to have an invitation to view or participate in the group 502. The user 503 includes users who participate in the workspace. The attached files are stored in the file 504. The content 505 exchanged in the channels, groups, or by the users is stored in association therewith. For example, the users participating in channel 1 are stored in channel 1 in association. The messages and image data exchanged at channel 1 are also stored in association therewith. Since the information is stored in the above state, when a channel is selected from the channel selection screen (described below), the users associated with the specified channel information can be displayed. Thus, the users participating in this channel can be displayed on the channel selection screen.

[0039] A workspace is similar to an organization to which multiple users in a messaging application belong. A channel is similar to a chat room in the workspace. The chat room has a mechanism that enables users participating in the chat room to exchange messages with each other as if they were talking to each other. In the present exemplary embodiment, the channel is described as a chat room. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited to the above, and any mechanism can be used as long as multiple users can exchange messages as if they were talking to each other. For example, the channel can be a group chat, a room, a conversation room, or a group.

[0040] Figure 6 FIG. is an example of a home screen displayed on the operation unit 116 of the MFP 101. The operation unit 116 includes a touch panel 601 for displaying an operation screen, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 610 and 611. The touch panel 601 is an instruction unit. The touch panel 601 serves as a receiving unit for receiving user instructions and a display unit for displaying a screen. The user directly touches the screen displayed on the touch panel 601 with an object such as a finger or a stylus to input an execution instruction for the function displayed on the screen.

[0041] Figure 6 The touch panel 601 shown in displays the home screen 608. The home screen 608 is an initial screen for inputting instructions for executing functions provided by the MFP 101. Through the home screen 608, the user selects one of the functions executed by the MFP 10 and a screen for performing various settings regarding the function is displayed. The functions include copy, fax, scan, and media printing.

[0042] The check status button 605 is an object for displaying a screen (status check screen) for checking the status of the MFP 101. On the status check screen (not shown), the transmission history and the job execution history can be displayed.

[0043] The scan to chat button 602 is an object for displaying a setting screen for the scan to chat process. When the user selects the scan chat button 602, Figure 7 the setting screen 704 in is displayed on the operation unit 116. The scan to chat process 10 will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 10 FIG.

[0044] The scan button 603 is an object for displaying a scan selection screen (not shown) on the MFP 101. Through the scan selection screen, the user selects a transmission function, such as an e-mail transmission function, a file transmission function using SMB, FTP, or HTTP, and an Internet fax (I-fax) transmission function. The user touches the displayed object representing the transmission function, and a setting screen for this transmission function is displayed thereon.

[0045] The address book button 604 is an object that the user selects to display the address book screen 400 of the MFP 101. The LEDs 610 and 611 notify the user of the status of the MFP 101. When an email is received and when a print job is received or executed, the LED 610 is lit. When some error occurs in the MFP 101, the LED 611 is lit. The stop button 606 is an object that is always displayed on the operation unit 116. The user can cancel the execution of various types of operations by selecting the stop button 606. The home button 607 is an object that is always displayed on the operation unit 116. The user can display the home screen 608 by selecting the home button 607. The menu button 612 is an object that the user selects to display a screen for performing environment settings (such as the language used and the settings of each function).

[0046] In this document, when a user uses a chat service via a mobile terminal to display image data generated by scanning an image by an image processing apparatus in a chat room of the chat service, the user operates the mobile terminal to specify the chat room where the generated image data will be displayed.

[0047] For example, the image processing apparatus that sends image data generated by scanning an image to a destination described in an email address received from a mobile terminal, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-108341, cannot receive information specifying a chat room of the chat service from the mobile terminal. Therefore, the user cannot display the image data in a desired chat room. To solve the above problems, the present exemplary embodiment performs the following processing.

[0048] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a message screen of a message application. When the message application is launched on the mobile terminal 200, Figure 12 the message screen 1200 shown in is displayed on the operation panel 201 of the mobile terminal 200.

[0049] When the user launches the message application on the mobile terminal 200 and performs a login by entering the user's account ID and password, a screen proprietary to the user is displayed on the mobile terminal 200. In Figure 12 the example shown in, User 1 logs in, and the message 1201 of User 1 is displayed.

[0050] When a user having an account of User 1 sends image data and posting parameters to the message application server 300, the message 1202 is displayed (posted). The image data is generated by scanning an image by the MFP 101. In Figure 12In the example shown in , among the publishing parameters, "Channel 1" is specified as the publishing destination channel, and "User 3" is specified as the user belonging to Channel 1. Additionally, "materials.pdf" is specified as the file name of the publishing parameters, and "Please see the attached materials" is specified as the annotation. The user specifies the file name and annotation in the sending settings screen 900 described below Figure 9 and the annotation.

[0051] In the message screen 1200, when publishing a message, the user name with the prefix tag "@" is appended to the annotation. This indicates that the publishing target is a specific user belonging to the channel. In Figure 12 , through the terminal for browsing the messaging application, User 3 can thus notice the publication earlier than other members belonging to the channel. In the case where User 3 uses a smartphone as the mobile terminal 200 for browsing the messaging application, the publication is notified to User 3 through the icon notification function, vibration, or incoming message alert. In the case where User 3 uses a desktop terminal as the mobile terminal 200 for browsing the messaging application, the publication is notified to User 3 through the desktop notification function. When the message screen 1200 is displayed, the messaging application server 300 searches for the necessary information in the data structure in Figure 5 and displays the information. For example, the published message 1202 corresponds to "Annotation 3 + File 1" included in the exchanged content 505. The messaging application server 300 obtains the attribute information (such as the name of File 1) from File 504 and displays the attribute information about the message 1202 in the form of a file icon. The user can obtain File 1 belonging to File 504 by selecting the file icon. Although the files published on the channel are displayed in the form of file icons, a preview image of the file can be displayed instead of the file icon.

[0052] The input field 1203 is an object for accepting message input from the user. When the input field 1203 is selected, a software keyboard (not shown) is displayed. After inputting a message, when the end-of-line button (not shown) is selected, the input message is published.

[0053] When the scan and publish button 1204 is selected, the image data generated by scanning an image through the MFP 101 is published on the channel displayed when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected. Specifically, when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected, the scanning application previously installed in the mobile terminal 200 is started. Then, the user sets the publishing destination and the reading settings through the scanning application and sends the setting information to the MFP 101. When the MFP 101 receives the above information, the MFP 101 performs scanning based on the received reading settings and sends information to the messaging application server 300, which is used to request the messaging application server 300 to publish the generated image data at the received publishing destination.

[0054] In the present exemplary embodiment, the messaging application and the scanning application are described as different applications. However, the messaging application and the scanning application may be provided as one application.

[0055] When the scanning application is not installed in the mobile terminal 200 when the user selects the scan and post button 1204, the mobile terminal 200 may display a message prompting the user to install the scanning application, or may display a screen for installing the scanning application. In addition, when the scanning application is not installed in the mobile terminal 200, the scan and post button 1204 may be hidden or displayed in a non-selectable state.

[0056] In the present exemplary embodiment, when the scan and post button 1204 is selected from the message screen 1200, the transmission setting screen 900 is displayed, and when the send button 909 is selected from the transmission setting screen 900, the setting data is sent to the MFP 101. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. When the scan and post button 1204 is selected from the message screen 1200, the setting data may be sent from the mobile terminal 200 to the MFP 101. At this time, the reading setting included in the setting data sent at this time point is the reading setting previously set by the chat application. The channel information included in the above-sent setting data is the channel information indicating the channel displayed when the scan and post button 1204 is selected.

[0057] Figure 9 FIG. is an example of a setting screen of the scanning application installed in the mobile terminal 200. The transmission setting screen 900 of the scanning application is displayed on the operation panel 201 of the mobile terminal 200. When the user selects the scan and post button 1204 from the message screen 1200, the Figure 9 displayed transmission setting screen 900 as shown in is displayed.

[0058] On the transmission setting screen 900, channel buttons 901, user buttons 902, title buttons 903, and note buttons 904 are displayed as chat settings. On the transmission setting screen 900, a reading size button 905, a file name button 906, a file format button 907, and a density button 908 are also displayed as transmission (reading) settings. A send button 909 is also displayed on the screen.

[0059] On the channel button 901 of the transmission setting screen 900, the already set channels are displayed. When the user selects the scan and post button 1204 to display the transmission setting screen 900, the channel corresponding to the channel of the message screen displayed when the scan and post button 1204 is selected is automatically set. As Figure 12 shown in, since the message screen 1200 of channel 1 is displayed, when the scan and post button 1204 is selected, channel 1 is set as the channel button 901.

[0060] When the channel button 901 is selected, a channel list is displayed. Alternatively, the user can also set a channel by selecting a channel from the channel list. The channel list is displayed based on the channel list received from the messaging application. Specifically, when a user logged in to the messaging application selects the scan and publish button 1204, a list of channels to which the user belongs is sent to the scan application, causing the scan application to display the received channel list.

[0061] On the user button 902, the users that have been set are displayed. Even if the scan and publish button 1204 is selected, the user is not automatically set to the user button 902. Specifically, when the user button 902 is selected, a list of users belonging to the channel that has been set as the channel button 901 is displayed on the user button 902. The user operating the mobile terminal 200 thus sets a user by selecting a user from the list of users. When publishing image data, the information about the user set above is used as the user to be mentioned as the destination user.

[0062] The title that has been set is displayed on the title button 903. When the title button 903 is selected, a software keyboard is displayed, and input of a string (title) is accepted.

[0063] The comment that has been set is displayed on the comment button 904. When the comment button 904 is selected, a software keyboard is displayed, and input of a string (comment) is accepted.

[0064] The size that has been set is displayed on the read size button 905. When the read size button 905 is selected, the size selected from the sizes (such as A3, A4, A5, B3, B4, and B5) displayed in a drop-down menu (not shown) is set as the read size.

[0065] The file name that has been set is displayed on the file name button 906. When the file name button 906 is selected, a software keyboard is displayed, and input of a string (file name) is accepted. The file name accepted above is set as the file name of the image data to be published on the messaging application.

[0066] When the file format button 907 is selected, the file format selected from the file formats (such as Portable Document Format (PDF) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format) displayed in a drop-down menu (not shown) is set as the file format of the image data to be generated.

[0067] When the user selects the density button 908, a software keyboard is displayed thereon, and a numerical value is input.

[0068] When the send button 909 is selected, the set data is sent to the MFP 101. The set data includes chat settings (e.g., channel information, user information, title information, and comment information) and send settings (read settings). The MFP to be the send destination of the set data is selected from a settings screen (not shown). Specifically, the settings screen is displayed on the operation panel 201 of the mobile terminal 200. On the settings screen, a list of MFPs present near the mobile terminal 200 is displayed. The user selects the MFP to be the send destination from this list. In the settings screen, in addition to displaying this list, input of the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the MFP can also be accepted.

[0069] The user can also connect the mobile terminal 200 to the MFP via the NFC communication unit 205 of the mobile terminal 200 by Near Field Communication (NFC) to receive Wi-Fi connection information. Thereafter, the user can send the set data via Wi-Fi communication by establishing a Wi-Fi connection.

[0070] consisting of Figure 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C is a diagram showing an example of a screen flow when set data is received from the mobile terminal 200. Figure 7 The corresponding screens shown in Figure 7 are displayed on the touch panel 601 of the operation unit 116 of the MFP 101.

[0071] The home screen 701 is a screen similar to the home screen 608 shown in Figure 6 . When set data is received from the mobile terminal 200 in the state where the home screen 701 is displayed, a pop-up screen 702 is displayed. In this example, the pop-up screen 702 is displayed and superimposed on the settings screen 704. However, the entire screen can be switched to another screen instead of displaying the pop-up screen 702. On the pop-up screen 702, a message indicating that set data has been received from the mobile terminal 200 is displayed. When the close button 703 is selected, the pop-up screen 702 is closed, and the settings screen 704 is displayed.

[0072] On the settings screen 704, an inspection destination button 705 is displayed. On the inspection destination button 705, the number of destinations set as the destination for the image data generated by scanning an image is displayed. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a settings screen displayed when the MFP 101 receives set data including one piece of channel information and one piece of user information from the mobile terminal 200.

[0073] When the destination check button 705 is selected, the destination check screen 706 is displayed. On the destination check screen 706, the distribution destinations corresponding to the quantity displayed on the destination check button 705 are displayed. In Figure 7 In the example shown, the channel information and user information included in the setting data received from the mobile terminal 200 are displayed as the distribution destination "Channel 1@User 2".

[0074] When the user selects the distribution destination button 707, the MFP 101 displays a detailed screen (not shown) that shows the details of the set distribution destination.

[0075] In addition, when the reset button 708 is selected from the setting screen 704, the set information is cleared. At this time, the set destination information is cleared. The communication between the MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 200 that sent the setting data is also reset. Here, a method for resetting the communication between the MFP 101 and the mobile terminal 200 will be described. The MFP 101 communicates with the mobile terminal 200 via the HTTP protocol and uses the session ID of the HTTP protocol to manage the connection state. The session ID is an ID sent to the mobile terminal 200 via the HTTP communication protocol. The MFP 101 generates and sends the session ID for the logged-in mobile terminal 200 and stores the session ID in the RAM 113. The mobile terminal 200 connects to the MFP 101 by using the session ID received at the time of login. The MFP101 determines whether the connected mobile terminal 200 is the logged-in mobile terminal 200 based on the received session ID and the stored session ID. If the session IDs match each other, then the MFP 101 determines that the mobile terminal 200 is the same mobile terminal 200, and if the session IDs do not match each other, then the MFP 101 determines that the mobile terminal 200 is a different mobile terminal 200. When resetting the communication with the mobile terminal, the MFP 101 deletes the session ID stored in the RAM 113 and switches to a state where the MFP 101 does not communicate with the mobile terminal 200. If the MFP 101 switches to the above state, then the MFP 101 can accept a new login request.

[0076] In the case where the monochrome start button 709 or the color start button 710 is selected from the setting screen 704, the MFP 101 starts executing the process for generating image data by scanning the image and sending the generated image data.

[0077] When the transmission setting button 711 is selected, the transmission setting screen 712 is displayed. On the transmission setting screen 712, the user can change or check transmission settings, such as the transmission file setting 717. If transmission setting information is included in the setting data received from the mobile terminal 200, then the transmission setting screen 712 reflecting the received settings is displayed.

[0078] When the channel selection button 713 is selected, the channel selection screen 714 is displayed. Based on the channel information and user information received by the MFP 101 from the message application server 300 using the token information set by the user, the channels and users are displayed on this channel selection screen 714.

[0079] On the channel selection screen 714, the user can select a channel as the publication destination and can select who to send the notification to from among the users belonging to that channel. In other words, the user can select the channel as the publication destination and the users to be mentioned. After selecting the channel button, the users belonging to that channel will be displayed in the drop-down menu. On the channel selection screen 714, the user can select both the channel and the users, or can only select the channel to publish the message to all users belonging to that channel. The user can select multiple channels, or can select one channel and multiple users belonging to that channel. The user can also select multiple channels and select the users belonging to each channel.

[0080] When the return button 715 is selected, the content of the channel selection is retained, and the setting screen 704 is displayed again. At this time, in addition to the publication destination "Channel 1@User 3" indicated by the channel information and user information previously received from the mobile terminal 200, the publication address "Channel 3@User 1" is also displayed in the publication destination field 716. The CPU 111 of the MFP 101 stores the publication destinations of the channels and users set as described above in the RAM 113 or the storage device 114.

[0081] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence for sending setting data from the mobile terminal 200 to the MFP 101.

[0082] In step S801, when from Figure 12When the message screen 1200 shown in selects the scan and publish button 1204, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the message application and starts the scan application. The token information, the channel information, and the channel information of the channel displayed when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected are sent from the message application to the scan application. The token information sent in step S801 is information associated with the robot application managed by the message application server 300. In the message application server 300, the robot application and the workspace are stored in association with each other. Thus, the robot application and the workspace can be identified by specifying the token information. The channel information indicates all the channels within the workspace corresponding to the token information.

[0083] In step S802, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scan application to send information requesting the acquisition of a user list indicating users belonging to the channels indicated by the channel information received from the message application. Specifically, the CPU 207 sends information for acquiring user information of users belonging to the channels indicated by the received channel information.

[0084] In step S803, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the message application to send the requested user information to the scan application.

[0085] In step S804, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scan application to display on the operation panel 201 Figure 9 the transmission setting screen 900 shown in

[0086] In step S805, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scan application, accepts user selections and user instructions via the transmission setting screen 900, and performs chat settings regarding the user, the title, and the comment.

[0087] In step S806, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scan application. The CPU 207 accepts user selections and user instructions via the transmission setting screen 900, and performs transmission settings regarding the read size, the file name, and the file format.

[0088] In step S807, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scan application, and by accepting the selection of the send button 909 input by the user, sends the setting contents set in steps S805 and S806 as setting data to the MFP 101.

[0089] In step S808, the CPU 111 of the MFP 101 displays a pop-up screen 702 on the touch panel 601 of the operation unit 116.

[0090] In step S809, the CPU 111 of the MFP 101 sends information indicating successful reception of the setting data (notification of success) to the mobile terminal 200. In the present exemplary embodiment, after the pop-up screen 702 is displayed, the notification of success is sent to the mobile terminal 200. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the notification of success can be sent to the mobile terminal 200 when the MFP 101 receives the information before the pop-up screen 702 is displayed.

[0091] In step S810, based on the received notification of success, the CPU 207 of the mobile terminal 200 executes the scanning application and displays a screen indicating successful transmission of the setting data.

[0092] In step S811, when the close button 703 of the pop-up screen 702 is selected, the CPU 111 of the MFP 101 displays a setting screen 704 on the touch panel 601 of the operation unit 116 that reflects the received setting data.

[0093] In the present exemplary embodiment, when the MFP 101 receives the setting data from the mobile terminal 200, the MFP 101 displays the pop-up screen 702. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, when the MFP 101 receives the setting data from the mobile terminal 200, the MFP 101 can directly display the setting screen 704 without displaying the pop-up screen 702. At this time, similar to the above exemplary embodiment, the setting screen 704 that reflects the settings included in the received setting data is displayed.

[0094] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the scan-to-chat process executed by the MFP 101. The CPU 111 loads the program stored in the ROM 112 into the RAM 113 to execute Figure 10 the processes shown in the flowchart. When the MFP 101 obtains the user list by receiving the token information from the mobile terminal 200, the Figure 10 processing in

[0095] In step S1001, the CPU 111 determines whether setting data has been received from the mobile terminal 200. If the CPU 111 determines that the setting data has been received (Yes in step S1001), the process proceeds to step S1002. If the CPU 111 determines that the setting data has not been received (No in step S1001), the process returns to step S1001, and thus the CPU 111 repeats the execution of this process.

[0096] In step S1002, the CPU 111 controls the operation unit 116 to display a setting screen 704 on the touch panel 601. The content of the received setting data is reflected on the setting screen 704 displayed in step S1002. Specifically, if the received setting data includes a piece of channel information and a piece of user information, then the distribution destinations based on the channel information and the user information are displayed in the distribution destination column 716. On the check destination button 705, "One destination" is displayed.

[0097] In step S1003, the CPU 111 controls the operation unit 116 to display a pop-up screen 702 immediately after the setting screen 704 is displayed.

[0098] In step S1004, the CPU 111 sends information indicating successful reception of the setting data to the mobile terminal 200.

[0099] In step S1005, the CPU 111 determines whether the close button 703 of the pop-up screen 702 is selected. If the CPU 111 determines that the close button 703 is selected (Yes in step S1005), then the process proceeds to step S1006. If the CPU 111 determines that the close button 703 is not selected (No in step S1005), then the process returns to step S1005, so that the CPU 111 repeats this process.

[0100] In step S1006, the CPU 111 controls the operation unit 116 to display the setting screen 704 on the touch panel 601 again.

[0101] In step S1007, the CPU 111 determines whether any one of the black and white start button 709 and the color start button 710 is selected from the setting screen 704. If the CPU 111 determines that the start button 709 or 710 is selected (Yes in step S1007), then the process proceeds to step S1008. If the CPU 111 determines that the start button 709 or 710 is not selected (No in step S1007), then the process returns to step S1007. If a button other than the black and white start button 709 and the color start button 710 displayed on the setting screen 704 is selected, then the process shown in Figure 7 the screen flow shown is executed.

[0102] In step S1008, the CPU 111 controls the reading unit 118 to convey the document placed on the tray (not shown), read the image of the conveyed document, and generate image data.

[0103] In step S1009, the CPU 111 converts the image data generated in step S1008 to generate image data in a file format specified by the transmission settings included in the received setting data. In other words, the CPU 111 converts the image data into data in the file format set via the Figure 9 transmission settings screen 900 shown in. In Figure 9 the example shown, a PDF file is generated.

[0104] In step S1010, the CPU 111 generates publication parameters. The publication parameters include the publication destination channel, file format, file name, and publication note. The file name corresponding to the file name set via the Figure 9 transmission settings screen 900 is set as the file name included in the publication parameters. The CPU 111 generates the publication note included in the publication parameters by prefixing the user information included in the received setting data with the prefix tag "@".

[0105] In step S1011, the CPU 111 uses the token information received from the mobile terminal 200 and sends the file and publication parameters generated in steps S1009 and S1010 to the messaging application server 300 via the POST method of HTTP communication. The CPU 111 sends the above data to the messaging application server 300 to control the messaging application server 300 to publish the received file to the users belonging to the channel specified by the publication parameters, which is specified by the publication parameters. At this time, the messaging application server 300 to which the publication parameters are sent is specified by the URL input by the user via a setting screen (not shown).

[0106] In step S1012, the CPU 111 controls the operation unit 116 to receive the publication result from the messaging application server 300 and display the publication result on the touch panel 601. According to this exemplary embodiment, the user can easily publish a file from the MFP 101 to the channel of the messaging application server 300.

[0107] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the setting data transmission process executed by the mobile terminal 200. The CPU 207 loads the program stored in the ROM 208 into the RAM 209 and executes the program, thereby executing the Figure 11 processing shown in the flowchart in. When the mobile terminal 200 executes the messaging application and accepts the selection of the scan and publish button 1204, the Figure 11 processing flow shown in starts.

[0108] In step S1101, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and receives a start request and information about the destination from the messaging application. The received information about the destination includes channel information, token information, and the channel information of the channel displayed when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected.

[0109] In step S1102, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application based on the received information about the destination and obtains user information from the messaging application. For example, if the channel information is obtained in step S1101, then the CPU 207 sends a request to obtain the user information of the users belonging to the channel indicated by the channel information, and obtains the user information from the messaging application. If the channel information is not obtained, then the CPU 207 sends a request to obtain the user information of the users belonging to the workspace corresponding to the token information. In the present exemplary embodiment, the user information is obtained separately from the channel information. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the CPU 207 may obtain the start request, channel information, token information, the channel information of the channel displayed when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected, and the user information together.

[0110] In step S1103, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and determines whether user information has been obtained from the messaging application. If the CPU 207 determines that the user information has been obtained (Yes in step S1103), then the process proceeds to step S1104. If the CPU 207 determines that the user information has not been obtained (No in step S1103), then the process proceeds to step S1105.

[0111] In step S1104, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and displays the transmission setting screen 900, which reflects the information obtained in steps S1101 and S1102. Specifically, the channel name of the channel displayed on the message screen 1200 when the scan and publish button 1204 is selected is displayed on the channel button 901 of the transmission setting screen 900. When the channel button 901 is selected, the CPU 207 displays the channel names of the channels indicated by the received channel information (the channel information of all channels included in the workspace) in the drop-down menu and accepts the user's selection. When the user button 902 is selected, the CPU 207 displays the users belonging to the channel selected by the channel button 901 or the channel previously set thereto and accepts the selection. In a state where the channel name is not displayed on the channel button 901 (i.e., the channel name is not set), the CPU 207 may display all the users included in the workspace in the drop-down menu.

[0112] In step S1105, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and determines whether channel information has been received. If the CPU 207 determines that channel information has been received (Yes in step S1105), the process proceeds to step S1106. If the CPU 207 determines that channel information has not been received (No in step S1105), the process proceeds to step S1107.

[0113] In step S1106, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and displays a transmission setting screen with the channel button 901 in a selectable state and the user button 902 in a non-selectable state. For example, the user button 902 is grayed out in the transmission setting screen.

[0114] In step S1107, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and displays a screen indicating that the acquisition of information related to the transmission destination (e.g., channel information) has failed, and ends the process.

[0115] In step S1108, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and accepts user selections and user inputs for various buttons 901 to 908 in the transmission setting screen 900, and performs chat settings and transmission settings.

[0116] In step S1109, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and determines whether the transmission button 909 displayed on the transmission setting screen 900 has been selected. If the CPU 207 determines that the transmission button 909 has been selected (Yes in step S1109), the process proceeds to step S1110. If the CPU 207 determines that the transmission button 909 has not been selected (No in step S1109), the process returns to step S1109.

[0117] In step S1110, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and sends the set setting content as setting data to the MFP 101.

[0118] In step S1111, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and determines whether the transmission of the setting data was successful. If the CPU 207 determines that the transmission of the setting data was successful (Yes in step S1111), the process proceeds to step S1112. If the CPU 207 determines that the transmission of the setting data failed (No in step S1111), the process proceeds to step S1114.

[0119] In step S1112, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and determines whether a successful notification has been received from the MFP 101. If the CPU 207 determines that a successful notification has been received (Yes in step S1112), the process advances to step S1113. If the CPU 207 determines that a successful notification has not been received (No in step S1112), the process advances to step S1114.

[0120] In step S1113, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and displays a screen on the operation panel 201 that describes successful transmission.

[0121] In step S1114, the CPU 207 executes the scanning application and displays a screen on the operation panel 201 that describes failed transmission.

[0122] By performing the above processing, the image data generated by scanning an image can be displayed in the chat room based on the information of the chat room indicating the chat service received from the mobile terminal.

[0123] When the setting data is received from the mobile terminal 200, the MFP101 according to the present exemplary embodiment displays the setting screen 704, and when an execution instruction is received from the user, the MFP 101 according to the present exemplary embodiment performs scanning and transmits the generated image data to the message application server 300. However, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited to the above. For example, when the MFP 101 receives the setting data from the mobile terminal 200, the MFP 101 may convey the document placed on the document tray, scan the image of the document to generate image data, and send the generated image data to the message application server 300 without receiving a user operation. In this case, the publishing destination is determined based on the channel information and user information received as the setting data set by the mobile terminal 200. Thus, the user can perform the scanning and sending processes by simply operating the mobile terminal 200 without operating the operation unit 116 of the MFP 101, thereby saving the user's time and effort.

[0124] (Other Embodiments)

[0125] One or more embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more embodiments among the above-described (one or more) embodiments and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more embodiments among the above-described (one or more) embodiments, and can be implemented by a method executed by a computer of the system or apparatus, for example, by reading and executing computer-executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more embodiments among the above-described (one or more) embodiments and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more embodiments among the above-described (one or more) embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read and execute the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a storage device of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), or a Blu-ray disk (BD) TM ), a flash device, a memory card, etc.

[0126] Other embodiments

[0127] Embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by the following method, that is, by providing software (program) that performs the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus through a network or various storage media, and a method in which a computer or a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program.

[0128] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the appended claims should be given the broadest interpretation to cover all such modifications as well as equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that communicates with a chat server, the chat server being configured to control information indicating received image data to be displayed in a chat room based on information indicating the chat room of the chat server received, the image processing apparatus comprises: a reading component configured to read an image of a document and generate image data based on the image; a receiving component configured to receive information indicating the chat room of the chat server from a mobile terminal; and a sending component configured to send the image data generated by the reading component and the information indicating the chat room received by the receiving component to the chat server, wherein, after the receiving component receives the information without receiving a user operation, the reading component reads the image of the document, and then the sending component sends the image data and the information to the chat server, and wherein the sent image data is associated and stored with the indicated chat room by the chat server.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises: a display component configured to display a setting screen when the receiving component receives information indicating the chat room from the mobile terminal, the setting screen including the information indicating the chat room received by the receiving component from the mobile terminal.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprises: an accepting component configured to accept an instruction from a user; wherein, when the accepting component accepts an execution instruction in a state where the display component displays the setting screen, the reading component reads the image of the document and generates image data based on the image.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprises: a setting component configured to, when the accepting component accepts an instruction for selecting a chat room in a state where the display component displays the setting screen, set the information indicating the chat room to be the information indicating the chat room to be sent to the chat server by the sending component.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, the display component displays a check screen after displaying the setting screen, and wherein, when the accepting component accepts an instruction in a state where the display component displays the check screen, the display component displays the setting screen.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, the check screen displays a message that describes the information indicating the chat room received from the mobile terminal.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the receiving component receives the information indicating the chat room, the reading component scans the image of the document and generates image data based on the image.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the receiving component receives the information indicating the chat room and the information indicating the reading setting from the mobile terminal, and wherein the reading component scans the image of the document based on the reading setting to generate image data.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the receiving component receives the information indicating the chat room and the information about the users included in the chat room from the mobile terminal.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises: A notification component that is configured to notify a mobile terminal of information indicating successful reception of information indicating a chat room when a reception component receives the information indicating the chat room from the mobile terminal.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprises: A setting component that is configured to set information for communicating with a chat server; wherein, the sending component sends the image data and the information indicating the chat room to the chat server by using the information for communicating with the chat server.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, the information for communicating with the chat server is a uniform resource locator of the chat server.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, the sending component sends data through hypertext transfer protocol communication.

14. A control method for an image processing apparatus that communicates with a chat server, the chat server being configured to control the display of information indicating received image data in a chat room based on received information indicating the chat room of the chat server, the control method comprises: Reading an image of a document and generating image data based on the image; Receiving information indicating the chat room of the chat server from a mobile terminal; and Sending the image data generated by reading and the information indicating the chat room received by receiving to the chat server, wherein, after receiving the information, without receiving a user operation, reading the image of the document, and then sending the image data and the information to the chat server, and wherein, the sent image data is associated and stored with the indicated chat room by the chat server.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a method for controlling an image processing apparatus that communicates with a chat server, the chat server being configured to control the display of information indicating received image data in a chat room based on received information indicating the chat room of the chat server, the method comprises: Reading an image of a document and generating image data based on the image; Receiving information indicating the chat room of the chat server from a mobile terminal; and Sending the image data generated by reading and the information indicating the chat room received by receiving to the chat server, wherein, after receiving the information, without receiving a user operation, reading the image of the document, and then sending the image data and the information to the chat server, and wherein, the sent image data is associated and stored with the indicated chat room by the chat server.

Images