Image reading apparatus, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To realize approval processing for acquisition of image data of a read image without increasing a load of an approved user.SOLUTION: An image reading apparatus reads an image of a manuscript to generate image data of a read image in image reading processing, and stores the generated image data in a predetermined storage destination. The image reading apparatus transmits an approval request that includes confirmation information of the image data, the approval request being for acquiring the image data stored in the storage destination, to an approved user. The image reading apparatus controls access for the image data to be able to acquire the image data when a response indicating that acquisition of the image data for the approval request is approved is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] By reading an image of an original document using an image reading device and generating image data of the read image, it becomes possible to electronically store image data corresponding to the image of the original document or to perform information processing using the image data. In addition, when an original reading device equipped with an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) is used, it becomes possible to read images of a large number of original documents more efficiently and generate image data. In such an image reading device, it is required to be able to prevent information leakage due to erroneous transmission of image data of read images to an external device.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which a copying machine that stores image data of a scanned image in a USB memory sends a request for permission to save to an approved user such as a superior, and allows the image data to be saved in the USB memory only if the approved user responds with permission to save. This enhances security when transferring image data to an external storage medium such as a USB memory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-063038 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, information leakage during transfer of image data of a scanned image to an external storage medium such as a USB memory is assumed, but information leakage accompanying transfer to an external device such as a terminal device of a user who operates the image reading device is not assumed. For this reason, it is not possible to deal with information leakage from mobile terminals that can be easily carried (for example, taken outside the company), such as smartphones or tablet terminals.

[0006] In addition, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, when image data corresponding to a large number of document images is generated by the image reading process, it may be difficult for the approved user to confirm the image data. Alternatively, a large load may be placed on the network due to the transmission of the large amount of image data, and a large load may also be placed on the approved user due to the reception of the large amount of image data.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a technique for realizing approval processing for acquisition of image data of a scanned image without increasing the burden on an approval user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An image reading device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a reading means for reading an image of a document and generating image data of a read image, a storage means for storing the image data generated by the reading means in a predetermined storage destination, a requesting means for sending an approval request for acquisition of the image data stored in the storage destination to an approved user, the approval request including confirmation information for the image data, and a control means for controlling access to the image data so that the image data can be acquired from an external device when a response indicating that the acquisition of the image data has been approved by the approved user is received in response to the approval request. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize the approval process for the acquisition of image data of a scanned image without increasing the burden on the approved user. In addition, since the image data can be acquired according to the approval of the approved user who has confirmed the image data, it is possible to more efficiently prevent information leakage (leakage of confidential information) due to the acquisition of image data. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of an image reading device 100. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of an image reading unit 104. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image reading apparatus 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image reading system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image reading apparatus 100. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting an approval method. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of an image reading process in the image reading device 100. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for reading settings. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an approval process procedure in the terminal 300. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for approval processing. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for establishing communication (second embodiment). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0012] [First embodiment] First, a configuration example of the image reading device (original transport device) according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0013] <Image reader> 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of an image reading device 100 according to the present embodiment. The image reading device 100 includes a platen 102 on which a document 101 to be read is placed. The document on the platen 102 is detected by a document detection sensor 110. The documents on the platen 102 are separated one by one by a paper feed roller 106 and sent to a conveying path 108. The document 101 sent to the conveying path 108 and conveyed through the conveying path 108 is detected by a registration sensor 109. When the registration sensor 109 detects the document 101, the image reading unit 104 starts reading an image of the document 101 (an image formed on the document) being conveyed through the conveying path 108.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device 100 of this embodiment includes two image reading units 104 on both sides of a transport path 108. One image reading unit 104 is configured to read an image on a first side (front side) of an original 101, and the other image reading unit 104 is configured to read an image on a second side (back side) of the original 101. A background plate 105 is disposed at a position facing each image reading unit 104 across the transport path 108. The background plate 105 is, for example, a black member. The image reading device 100 may be configured to include only one image reading unit 104.

[0015] The original 101, whose image has been read by the image reading unit 104, is transported along the transport path 108 by transport rollers 107 toward the discharge section 103, and is finally discharged to the discharge section 103 and stacked there. An original detection sensor 111 provided in the discharge section 103 is used to detect the original 101 that has been discharged to and stacked on the discharge section 103. An original detection sensor 112 provided near the discharge opening of the transport path 108 is used to detect the original 101 remaining on the transport path 108. By using the original detection sensors 111 and 112, it is possible to detect whether the original 101 remains on the transport path 108 or has been discharged to the discharge section 103.

[0016] The image reading device 100 further includes a multi-feed detection sensor 120 at a position between the feed roller 106 and the registration sensor 109 along the conveying path 108. The multi-feed detection sensor 120 is used to detect a multi-feed when a plurality of overlapping originals (a state in which a plurality of originals are in close contact with each other due to static electricity or the like) are conveyed along the conveying path 108. The multi-feed detection sensor 120 is configured, for example, with an ultrasonic sensor including an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver. When an ultrasonic sensor is used, it is possible to detect a multi-feed based on the amount of attenuation of ultrasonic waves when the originals (original sheets) pass through the conveying path 108.

[0017] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of the image reading unit 104. The image reading unit 104 includes a housing 1041 and a glass plate 1042 provided facing the transport path 108. The inside of the image reading unit 104 is sealed by the housing 1041 and the glass plate 1042. An image sensor 1043 and a pair of light emitting units 1044a and 1044b are provided inside the image reading unit 104.

[0018] The image sensor 1043 is composed of a line image sensor, for example, a CCD line sensor or a contact image sensor, and is arranged along a direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction of the original 101. The image sensor 1043 reads the image of the original 101 being conveyed line by line in the main scanning direction, and outputs an image signal.

[0019] The light emitting unit 1044a has a light source arranged upstream of the image sensor 1043 in the transport direction of the original 101. The light emitting unit 1044b has a light source arranged downstream of the image sensor 1043 in the transport direction of the original 101. The image sensor 1043 is arranged at a position sandwiched between the light emitting units 1044a and 1044b. The light emitting units 1044a and 1044b are arranged in parallel with the image sensor 1043 along the main scanning direction and are each composed of an LED array including a plurality of LEDs. As shown in FIG. 2, the image sensor 1043 reads an image on the original 101 by receiving reflected light of light irradiated onto the original 101 by the light emitting units 1044a and 1044b.

[0020] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image reading device 100 according to this embodiment. The control unit 10 of the image reading device 100 includes a CPU 11, a RAM (random access memory) 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output I / F (interface) 14, and a communication I / F 15.

[0021] The CPU 11 is composed of one or more processors. The CPU 11 controls the entire image reading device 100 by reading out a program stored in the storage unit 13 into the RAM 12 and executing it. The RAM 12 is used as a working area by the CPU 11. The storage unit 13 is configured to store various programs (e.g., control programs) executed by the control unit 10, and various information or data used in processing by the control unit 10. For example, image data obtained by reading an image of a document by the image sensor 1043 is stored in the storage unit 13. The storage unit 13 is composed of one or more storage devices (memories), such as a ROM (read only memory), a HDD (hard disk drive), and an SSD (solid state drive).

[0022] A driving circuit 24 and an image processing circuit 26 are connected to the input / output I / F 14. The driving circuit 24 drives the light emitting parts 1044a and 1044b of the image reading unit 104. The image processing circuit 26 is connected to the image sensor 1043 via the ADC 25. The image sensor 1043 reads the image of the document 101 being conveyed line by line in the main scanning direction and outputs an image signal. The ADC (analog / digital converter) 25 converts the analog image signal output from the image sensor 1043 into digital image data and outputs it. The image processing circuit 26 performs image processing such as shading correction on the image data output from the ADC 25. The CPU 11 acquires the image data output from the image processing circuit 26.

[0023] The communication I / F 15 is an interface for communicating with an external device, and may be configured as a wired communication interface, a wireless communication interface for wireless LAN communication or Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, a USB interface, a SCSI interface, or the like. In the present embodiment, as an example, the communication I / F 15 is a wired communication interface connected to a wired LAN (local area network). Note that the image reading device 100 may include a plurality of communication I / Fs 15 connected to individual external devices or networks. For example, the image reading device 100 may include, as the plurality of communication I / Fs 15, a USB or SCSI interface directly connected to an external device, and a wired communication interface connected to a wired LAN.

[0024] The communication I / F 15 can communicate with an external device according to any communication protocol and can communicate with the external device via any communication path. When multiple external devices are connected, different communication protocols and communication paths may be used for each external device. For example, the communication I / F 15 may be configured to communicate with the terminal 200 (FIG. 4) using the HTTP protocol and to communicate with the terminal 300 (FIG. 4) using the FTP protocol. The image reading device 100 of this embodiment has a Web server 500 (FIG. 5) that can communicate with the external device according to the HTTP protocol. Therefore, the external device can access the Web server 500 of the image reading device 100 by a Web browser running on the external device.

[0025] The image reading device 100 includes an operation unit 130 connected to the control unit 10. The operation unit 130 includes an input unit and an output unit. The input unit includes a touch panel, hard keys, etc., and receives various operations from the user. The output unit (display unit) includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and outputs (displays) various information to the user. The input unit and the output unit may be realized as a single module, such as a touch panel display.

[0026] <Image reading process> In the image reading device 100, the control unit 10 (CPU 11), for example, upon receiving an instruction to start reading an original (reading instruction) by operating the operation unit 130 or from an external device, starts image reading processing for the original 101 set on the original table 102. In the image reading processing, the CPU 11 first drives the paper feed roller 106 to start transporting the original 101 from the original table 102. When multiple sheets of the original 101 are set on the original table 102, the originals are separated one by one and transported through the transport path 108. Thereafter, when the original 101 is detected by the registration sensor 109, the CPU 11 controls the image reading unit 104 for reading the image of the original 101 based on the timing of the detection.

[0027] Specifically, the CPU 11 controls the emission of light-emitting units 1044a and 1044b and drives the image sensor 1043 to read the image of the original 101. The image reading unit 104 reads the image of the original 101 using the image sensor 1043, generates image data of the read image, and outputs the generated image data to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 stores the obtained image data in a predetermined storage destination. The predetermined storage destination can be, for example, the storage unit 13 of the image reading device 100, or an external device (server device) capable of communicating with the image reading device 100.

[0028] <Image reading system configuration> 4 shows an example of the configuration of an image reading system according to this embodiment. The image reading system includes an image reading device 100 and terminal devices (terminals) 200 and 300 that can communicate with the image reading device 100 via a network. The network includes a wired LAN and a wireless LAN. In this embodiment, a communication I / F 15 of the image reading device 100 is connected to the terminals 200 and 300 via the network so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0029] The terminals 200 and 300 are configured as information processing devices such as personal computers (PCs) or mobile terminals. For example, when the terminals 200 and 300 are configured as mobile terminals such as smartphones or tablet terminals, the terminals may communicate with the image reading device by wirelessly connecting to a wireless access point for wireless LAN communication and connecting to a wired LAN via the wireless access point.

[0030] In this embodiment, the terminal 200 is a terminal device used by a user (operating user) who operates the image reading device 100. A Web browser is pre-installed in the terminal 200. The operating user operates the image reading device 100 via the Web browser running on the terminal 200. The terminal 200 accesses the Web server 500 of the image reading device 100 via the Web browser according to the operation of the operating user. As a result, the Web browser of the terminal 200 acquires HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) data from the Web server 500 (see FIG. 5) inside the image reading device 100 as screen data corresponding to an operation screen for operating the image reading device 100, and displays the operation screen based on the acquired HTML data. When the terminal 200 (Web browser) accepts an instruction to start reading a document (reading instruction) from the operating user via the displayed operation screen, it transmits the reading instruction to the image reading device 100.

[0031] The control unit 10 (CPU 11) of the image reading device 100 performs the image reading process as described above in accordance with the reading instruction received from the terminal 200. The CPU 11 starts conveying the document 101, reads the document, and stores image data of the read image obtained by the reading in the storage unit 13. Note that, although an example in which the storage unit 13 is set as the storage destination of the image data will be described below, for example, an external server device may be set. In this case, the CPU 11 transmits the image data to the server device via a network and stores it therein.

[0032] The terminal 300 is a terminal device used by a user (approving user) who approves the acquisition of image data obtained by reading an original by the image reading device 100 from a storage destination (storage unit 13). The approving user may be, for example, a third party such as the superior of the operating user. As will be described later, when the image reading device 100 of this embodiment completes reading of an original, it transmits an approval request, for example by e-mail, to the approving user, requesting approval (permission) for the operating user to acquire the image data stored in the storage unit 13. This approval request includes, for example, a link for confirming (referring to) the image data of the read image stored in the storage unit 13. The terminal 300 displays an operation screen for approval processing by accessing the URL of the link using the link included in the approval request according to the operation of the approving user.

[0033] When the approved user checks the read image on the operation screen displayed on the terminal 300 and performs an operation to approve (permit) the acquisition of image data of the read image, the terminal 300 transmits a response indicating that the acquisition of the image data has been approved to the image reading device 100. As a result, the image reading device 100 enables the operating user to acquire the image data of the read image from the image reading device 100 (the storage unit 13 thereof) using the terminal 200. The image data is acquired, for example, by the Web browser of the terminal 200 receiving from the image reading device 100 (Web server 500) an operation screen (Web page) for downloading the image data stored in the storage unit 13. The operating user can acquire the image data by performing an operation to download the image data from the image reading device 100 on the operation screen displayed by the Web browser on the terminal 200.

[0034] <Functional configuration of the image reading device> 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration (example of a software configuration) of the image reading device 100. The image reading device 100 has a Web server 500 as an application that runs on the OS. When the image reading device 100 is started, the CPU 11 starts the OS and then starts the Web server 500. The Web server 500 runs as a process that resides on the CPU 11 and waits until it receives a request via the network. In response to receiving the request, the Web server 500 returns a response according to the request.

[0035] The image reading device 100 has a UI display application (UI display app) 501, a scan application (scan app) 502, and an approval management application (approval management app) 503 as applications that operate on a Web server 500. The UI display app 501 controls the display of a screen on the operation unit 130 and a screen to be displayed on an external device. When the scan app 502 receives an instruction to start an image reading process (a reading instruction), it controls the image reading process in the image reading device 100 via a scanner driver (not shown).

[0036] The approval management application 503 sets an approval method for requesting an approved user for approval of acquisition of image data of a scanned image. The approval management application 503 also performs approval management processing including sending an approval request to an approved user and receiving a response to the approval request (result of approval processing).

[0037] <Approval method settings> In this embodiment, the image reading device 100 reads an image of a document, stores image data of the read image obtained in a predetermined storage location, and performs a process of requesting an approved user for approval of obtaining the image data from the storage location. The image reading device 100 controls access to the image data so that the operating user who instructed the execution of the image reading process can obtain the image data from the storage location only when approval is obtained from the approved user.

[0038] In the image reading device 100, the approval method for performing the process of requesting the approval user for the above-mentioned approval is set in advance. The approval method may be set, for example, to a destination of the approval request, to set the contents of the data to be sent together with the approval request, and to set the approval process. In this embodiment, the approval method is set in advance by a user (administrative user) who manages the operation settings of the image reading device 100. The administrative user can log in to the image reading device 100 using the operation unit 130 and perform setting operations on the image reading device 100. Alternatively, the setting operations are performed from an external device via the Web server 500 as described later.

[0039] The approval method is set at any timing before acquiring (transmitting) image data obtained by the image reading process, and may be set during execution of the image reading process, or may be set after completion of the image reading process and before acquiring the image data. The approval method may also be set by a user other than the administrative user of the image reading device 100. When a setting (change) is made by a user other than the administrative user, in order to prevent unauthorized setting, log information may be kept indicating who made the setting.

[0040] 6(A) shows an example of a setting screen for setting the approval method. In this embodiment, the setting screen 600 is displayed on the operation unit 130 by the approval management application 503 (CPU 11), but may be displayed on an external device (e.g., a terminal device such as a PC) that can communicate with the image reading device 100. In this case, the setting screen is displayed on the external device based on screen data (e.g., HTML data) transmitted from the image reading device 100, and the input contents on the setting screen are transmitted from the external device to the image reading device 100. The image reading device 100 sets the approval method according to the input contents received from the external device.

[0041] After the administrative user completes the login process to the image reading device 100, the approval management application 503 displays a setting screen 600 on the operation unit 130 in accordance with the administrative user's operation. As shown in FIG. 6A, the setting screen 600 allows the user to set the destination of the approval request and the timeout time for the approval process by the approving user. The approval management application 503 sets the approval method in accordance with the input via the setting screen 600. The setting screen shown in FIG. 6B relates to the second embodiment, and will be described later.

[0042] In the setting screen 600, an e-mail address and a mail server can be set as the destination of the approval request. In this embodiment, the approval request is sent using e-mail. In the setting screen 600, the e-mail address used by the approving user to send and receive e-mails by the terminal 300 is set as the destination of the approval request. In addition, a mail server that can be used to send e-mails is set as the sending server. Note that the setting screen 600 may be configured to allow multiple destinations to be set. When multiple destinations are set, for example, even if an approval user is absent and cannot perform approval processing in response to the approval request, another approval user can perform approval processing.

[0043] The timeout period is used to delete the image data subject to the approval process and terminate the process of waiting for approval by the approving user if approval is not given within a certain period of time after the approval request is sent. In the example shown in Fig. 6(A), the timeout period can be selected from, for example, "10 minutes," "1 hour," and "none (infinite)." In the following, as an example, the timeout period is set to "10 minutes."

[0044] When the OK button is pressed on the setting screen 600, the approval management application 503 (CPU 11) stores setting data indicating the setting contents on the setting screen 600 in the storage unit 13. Note that the setting data may be stored in, for example, an external device that can communicate via the communication I / F 15. In this case, the CPU 11 acquires the setting data from the external device as necessary and uses it.

[0045] The setting items in the setting screen 600 shown in FIG. 6(A) are merely examples, and other setting items may be present alternatively or additionally. For example, instead of an e-mail address, a destination for sending an approval request by a general communication tool such as chat may be set as the destination of the approval request. In that case, the setting screen 600 may accept input of only a portion of information (e.g., an employee ID), and based on the input information, the remaining information (e.g., an e-mail address corresponding to the employee ID) may be obtained from an external database. The setting screen 600 may also be configured to allow multiple approval methods to be set (selected).

[0046] <Processing Procedure> 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of an image reading process executed in the image reading device 100. In this example, the image reading process is executed in accordance with a reading instruction transmitted to the image reading device 100 from the terminal 200 used by the operating user.

[0047] The operating user operates the terminal 200 to start up a web browser, and inputs a URL (e.g., "http: / / 192.168.0.10 / ") indicating the web server 500 of the image reading device 100 into a URL input field of the web browser. This causes the terminal 200 (web browser) to access the web server 500 of the image reading device 100 in order to establish communication with the web server 500. Note that various methods can be used to input this URL, and it may be input by reading and decoding a two-dimensional code or text using the camera function of the terminal 200.

[0048] When the Web server 500 receives an access from the terminal 200 (Web browser), it starts the process according to the procedure in Fig. 7. At S701, the Web server 500 establishes communication with the terminal 200 in response to the access from the terminal 200. The communication between the image reading device 100 (Web server 500) and the terminal 200 is performed using, for example, the HTTP protocol. Note that the communication between the image reading device 100 and the terminal 200 may be realized using an application other than the Web server 500 of the image reading device 100 and the Web browser of the terminal 200.

[0049] In S702, the Web server 500 determines whether or not the establishment of communication (connection) with the terminal 200 has been successful. If the establishment of communication with the terminal 200 has failed, the Web server 500 ends the processing according to the procedure in Fig. 7, and if the establishment of communication with the terminal 200 has been successful, the processing proceeds to S703.

[0050] The operating user can use the terminal 200 to perform settings related to image reading. FIG. 8A shows an example of a setting screen for reading settings displayed on the terminal 200. The Web browser of the terminal 200 displays a setting screen 800 as a Web browser screen on the display unit of the terminal 200 based on HTML data (screen data) acquired from the Web server 500. In the setting screen 800, as an example, the color mode and resolution for image reading can be set. The operating user inputs the reading settings using the operation unit (e.g., a touch panel) of the terminal 200. When the operating user presses the scan button on the setting screen 800, the Web browser of the terminal 200 transmits the reading settings and a reading instruction to the image reading device 100 (Web server 500). As a result, in S703, the Web server 500 receives the reading settings and the reading instruction from the terminal 200.

[0051] Next, in S704, the scan application 502 running on the Web server 500 starts executing the image reading process according to the received reading setting and reading instruction. The scan application 502 controls the image reading process so that the documents set on the platen 102 are conveyed one by one in order and the image reading unit 104 reads the images of the documents. The image reading process continues until there are no documents set on the platen 102. Note that a set number of documents may be set as the reading target, or the number of documents to be read may be set in the reading setting received from the terminal 200. The scan application 502 saves the image data generated by the image reading unit 104 in the storage unit 13, which is set in advance as the saving destination. When the image reading process by the scan application 502 is completed, the Web server 500 advances the process to S705.

[0052] The processes of S705 to S713 are executed by the approval management application 503 operating on the Web server 500. This process transmits an approval request for acquisition of image data of a read image from the storage unit 13 to an approved user, and when the acquisition of the image data is approved by the approved user, performs access control that enables the operating user to acquire the image data.

[0053] First, in S705, the approval management application 503 generates confirmation information for the image data to be included in the approval request and transmitted. The confirmation information for the image data includes information for enabling the approved user to confirm the image data of the read image stored in the storage unit 13. In this example, the confirmation information includes a link to (the URL of) an operation screen on which the image data stored in the storage unit 13 (storage destination) can be confirmed. In this embodiment, when the approval management application 503 accepts an access using the link, it provides an operation screen to the terminal device (terminal 300) from which the access originates. The approval management application 503 accepts an operation indicating approval or prohibition of acquisition of the image data of the read image via the operation screen displayed on the terminal device (terminal 300). Note that, in this embodiment, an example is described in which the storage unit 13 in the image reading device 100 is used as the storage destination of the image data, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the image data may be configured to be stored in a cloud server accessible via a network such as the Internet to which the image reading device 100 is connected. In this case, the destination accessed by the terminal 300 in the approval process may be set to be the same place on the same cloud server, or may be another place. For example, even if the storage destination of the image data is a cloud server, the memory unit 13 in the image reading device 100 is set as the destination that the terminal 300 will access and confirm the image during the approval process, and the image reading device 100 can store simple data for confirmation, such as a thumbnail of the image data, there.

[0054] Thereafter, in S706, the approval management application 503 transmits an approval request, which is an approval request for obtaining image data of the scanned image from the storage unit 13 and includes confirmation information, to a preset destination by e-mail. Specifically, the approval management application 503 refers to the setting data stored in the storage unit 13, and transmits an e-mail including the approval request to a preset e-mail address via a set mail server (transmission server). In this embodiment, the e-mail transmitted in S706 is received by the terminal 300 used by the approved user, as described later, and approval processing is performed according to the approval request. Furthermore, in S707, the approval management application 503 stores the transmission time of the approval request in the storage unit 13, and proceeds to S708. This transmission time is used in the timeout determination in S710, which will be described later. Note that, although e-mail is described as an example of a method for transmitting the approval request, the present invention is not limited to this, and any means capable of notifying the terminal 300 or the approved user that an approval request has been made can be used.

[0055] In S708, the approval management application 503 determines whether or not a response (approval instruction / prohibition instruction) to the approval request sent by email in S706 has been received. If the approval management application 503 has not yet received a response, the approval management application 503 proceeds to S709 and waits for a response for a predetermined period of time. After that, the approval management application 503 proceeds to S710.

[0056] In S710, the approval management application 503 determines whether or not a preset timeout period has elapsed since the timing of sending the approval request (a timeout has occurred in the approval process) based on the sending time stored in S707. The timeout period is acquired by referring to the setting data stored in the storage unit 13. If the timeout period has not elapsed, the approval management application 503 returns the process to S708 and waits again until a response is received. On the other hand, if the timeout period has elapsed, the approval management application 503 advances the process to S713.

[0057] In S713, the approval management application 503 deletes (discards) the image data of the read image from the storage unit 13 (storage destination) and ends the process according to the procedure in Fig. 7. At this time, the approval management application 503 may provide the terminal 200 with a Web browser screen including a message indicating that a timeout has occurred in the approval process and that the image data of the read image has been deleted. For example, the Web browser of the terminal 200 may notify the operating user of the above message by acquiring screen data (HTML data) from the Web server 500 and displaying the screen. This timeout process can prevent the image data from remaining in the storage destination unless a response to the approval request is received (approval is not obtained from the approval user).

[0058] On the other hand, in S708, if the approval management application 503 receives a response to the approval request, the process proceeds to S711. In this example, the response is received via the network from the terminal 300 used by the approved user. In S711, the approval management application 503 determines, based on the received response, whether or not the acquisition (transmission) of image data of the read image from the memory unit 13 has been approved by the approved user. The response to the approval request includes an approval instruction or a prohibition instruction. An approval instruction indicates that the acquisition of image data is approved. A prohibition instruction indicates that the acquisition of image data is prohibited.

[0059] If the response to the approval request includes a prohibition instruction (if the acquisition of image data has not been approved by the approved user), the approval management application 503 advances the process to S713. In S713, the approval management application 503 deletes (discards) the image data of the read image from the storage unit 13 (storage destination) and ends the process according to the procedure in FIG. 7. The approval management application 503 may provide the terminal 200 with a Web browser screen including a message indicating that the acquisition of image data has not been approved by the approved user (the approval request has been rejected). For example, the Web browser of the terminal 200 may notify the operating user of the above message by acquiring screen data (HTML data) from the Web server 500 and displaying the screen.

[0060] On the other hand, if the response to the approval request includes an approval instruction (if the acquisition of the image data is approved by the approved user), the approval management application 503 advances the process to S712. In S712, the approval management application 503 controls access to the image data so that the image data of the scanned image stored in the storage unit 13 can be acquired. For example, the approval management application 503 provides an operation screen for downloading the image data from the storage unit 13 (storage destination) to the terminal 200 of the operating user, thereby enabling the operating user to acquire the image data.

[0061] For example, the Web browser of terminal 200 acquires screen data (HTML data) from Web server 500, displays an operation screen, and accepts operations by an operating user. When a link for downloading image data included in the operation screen is operated by the operating user, the Web browser accesses the URL of the linked destination. In response to the access by the Web browser of terminal 200, Web server 500 (approval management application 503) transmits image data stored in storage unit 13 to terminal 200. The Web browser can display a read image corresponding to the image data downloaded from image reading device 100 (Web server 500) in this manner on the Web browser screen.

[0062] When the download of the image data of the scanned image by the terminal 200 (Web browser) is completed, the approval management application 503 ends the process according to the procedure in FIG.

[0063] <Approval process> FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the approval process executed in the terminal 300 in accordance with an operation by an approving user.

[0064] In S901, terminal 300 starts an email application installed in terminal 300 in accordance with an operation of the approving user, and receives an email including an approval request by the started email application. When terminal 300 receives the email including the approval request, it advances the process to S902.

[0065] After receiving the e-mail, in S902, the terminal 300 accesses the link destination according to the operation of the approved user for the link included in the e-mail. As a result, the terminal 300 displays on the display unit an operation screen for accepting an operation indicating approval or prohibition of acquisition of the target image data for the approval process (image data of the read image stored in the storage unit 13 of the image reading device 100). The image reading device 100 (approval management application 503) accepts an operation by the approved user indicating approval or prohibition of acquisition of the image data via the operation screen thus provided to the terminal 300. The access to the link destination may be performed, for example, using a web browser installed in the terminal 300. In this case, it is preferable to configure the web browser to be launched from the e-mail application.

[0066] FIG. 10A shows an example of an operation screen for approval processing displayed as a Web browser screen on the terminal 300. The Web browser of the terminal 300 acquires screen data (HTML data) corresponding to the operation screen from the Web server 500 (approval management application 503) of the image reading device 100, and displays the operation screen as a Web browser screen. This operation screen is configured to display thumbnail images of each of a plurality of read images obtained by reading a plurality of documents. The operation screen further includes an approval button for approving acquisition of image data of the read images, and a prohibition button for prohibiting acquisition. This operation screen can be modified in various ways, and may include, for example, information for identifying an operating user. In that case, such information is included in the approval request received from the image reading device 100. Also, it may be set in the reading setting to transmit the target image data to a set destination, and in that case, this operation screen may include information for identifying the destination.

[0067] The approving user checks the thumbnail images displayed on the web browser screen and operates the approve button or the prohibit button, thereby instructing whether to approve or prohibit the operating user from acquiring the image data of the scanned images corresponding to those thumbnail images.

[0068] The operation screen for approval processing may be configured as shown in Fig. 10(B), for example. The operation screen shown in Fig. 10(B) is configured to switch between displaying multiple scanned images one by one in accordance with the operation of the approval user. On the operation screen shown in Fig. 10(A), the approval user can check multiple scanned images that are the subject of the approval processing all at once, while on the operation screen shown in Fig. 10(B), the approval user can check each individual scanned image in a more enlarged view. Note that the operation screen shown in Fig. 10(A) and the operation screen shown in Fig. 10(B) may be switchable in accordance with the operation of the approval user.

[0069] After displaying the operation screen in S902, if the acquisition of the target image data is approved by the approved user by operating the approval button, the terminal 300 proceeds to the process of S904. In S904, the terminal 300 closes the operation screen for approval processing, transmits a response including an approval instruction to the image reading device 100 as a response to the received approval request, and ends the process according to the procedure in FIG.

[0070] On the other hand, if the acquisition of the target image data is prohibited by the approved user by operating the prohibition button, the terminal 300 proceeds to S905. In S905, the terminal 300 closes the operation screen for approval processing, transmits a response including a prohibition instruction to the image reading device 100 as a response to the received approval request, and ends the processing according to the procedure in Fig. 9. Note that the response to the approval request is transmitted using, for example, the HTTP protocol, but other methods (for example, transmission using e-mail) may also be used.

[0071] Instead of using a web browser as described above, a general communication tool such as a chat may be used to check the target image data using the link included in the approval request, and the approval user may operate the image data. In this case, the function of such a tool may be used to receive the link and the target image data, and to send a reply (response) including an approval instruction or a prohibition instruction.

[0072] As described above, in the image reading device 100 of the present embodiment, the image reading unit 104 reads an image of a document and generates image data of the read image. The CPU 11 (scan application 502) stores the image data generated by the image reading unit 104 in a predetermined storage destination (storage unit 13). The CPU 11 (approval management application 503) transmits an approval request for obtaining the image data stored in the storage destination, the approval request including confirmation information of the image data, to the approved user. When the CPU 11 (approval management application 503) receives a response indicating that the acquisition of the image data has been approved by the approved user as a response to the approval request, the CPU 11 (approval management application 503) controls access to the image data so that the image data can be obtained from an external device such as the terminal 200.

[0073] According to this embodiment, an approved user can check the image data of a read image with a simple operation and approve the acquisition of the image data. Therefore, approval processing for the acquisition of image data of a read image can be realized without increasing the burden on the approved user. In addition, since image data can be acquired according to the approval of the approved user who checked the image data, it is possible to more efficiently prevent information leakage (leakage of confidential information) due to the acquisition of image data. By realizing approval processing by the approved user, it is possible to more accurately identify confidential information and prevent the leakage of the identified confidential information compared to a case where the image data (confidential information) of a read image is mechanically determined.

[0074] In the image reading device 100, the approval management application 503 performs session management by linking the operating user with the approved user with respect to processes such as sending an approval request to the approved user, receiving a response to the approval request, and sending image data to the operating user. For example, assume that after an image reading process is performed according to an operation by a certain operating user, another operating user causes the image reading device 100 to perform an image reading process before the approval process by the approved user is completed. In this case, although two approval requests corresponding to individual operating users are sent to the approved user, the above-mentioned session management makes it possible to appropriately manage the approval processes based on each approval request and the acquisition of image data based on the results of the approval processes.

[0075] In this embodiment, only a link to an operation screen (web page) on which the target image data of the approval process can be confirmed is transmitted as confirmation information to the destination of the approval request, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the confirmation information included in the approval request may include a thumbnail image of a scanned image corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination (storage unit 13). Alternatively, the confirmation information may include the scanned image itself corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination (storage unit 13). In these cases, the approval management application 503 may receive a reply email to the approval request (email) as a response indicating an approval instruction. In this case, the approved user can confirm the target image data without needing to access the link destination, and can issue an approval instruction by only sending a reply email.

[0076] In addition, the confirmation information need not necessarily include a link to the destination where the target image data is saved, but may include any information that allows confirmation of information corresponding to the target image data. For example, a thumbnail or other information of the target image data may be stored in a location different from the destination where the target image data is saved, and a link to that location may be included as confirmation information.

[0077] Furthermore, processing (approval management and access control) for the image data of the scanned image stored in the storage destination may be performed by a device other than the image reading device 100 (for example, an information processing device such as a server device).

[0078] [Second embodiment] The second embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, an approval process is performed by an approved user for the acquisition of target image data based on confirmation of the target image data. This corresponds to a restriction on acquisition based on the contents of the target image data (contents of the information to be acquired), but generally, acquisition may also be restricted based on the device to which the target image data is provided. For example, there may be a case where confidential information is permitted to be acquired by an information processing device that cannot be taken outside the company, but confidential information is not permitted to be acquired by an information processing device that can be taken outside the company. There may also be a case where confidential information is permitted to be acquired by an information processing device in which a dedicated application that can safely store confidential information is installed.

[0079] Therefore, in this embodiment, the image reading device 100 performs control to permit acquisition of image data of a read image from a predetermined storage location when the terminal device (terminal 200) of the operating user is registered in advance as a terminal device that can use the image reading device 100. Also, the image reading device 100 performs control to permit acquisition of image data of a read image from a predetermined storage location when the terminal device (terminal 200) of the operating user is using a dedicated application that is defined as an application that can access the image reading device 100. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent information leakage due to acquisition of image data of a read image. The following mainly describes the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0080] <Functional configuration of the image reading device> The image reading device 100 of this embodiment has a restriction determination application (restriction determination application 504) shown in Fig. 5 as applications that operate on a Web server 500, in addition to a UI display application 501, a scan application 502, and an approval management application 503. The restriction determination application 504 determines whether or not an external apparatus (device) is allowed to use the image reading device 100. Specifically, when a setting is made to enable a function (device restriction) that restricts devices (terminal apparatuses) that can use the image reading device 100, the restriction determination application 504 makes a determination regarding the restriction. Furthermore, when a setting is made to enable a function (application restriction) that restricts access to the image reading device 100 to only dedicated applications, the restriction determination application 504 makes a determination regarding the restriction.

[0081] <Approval method settings> 6(B) shows an example of a setting screen for setting the approval method according to this embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the operation of the setting screen 610 is performed in advance by a user (administrative user) who manages the operation settings of the image reading device 100. The administrative user can use the operation unit 130 to log in to the image reading device 100 and perform setting operations for the image reading device 100.

[0082] Compared with the first embodiment (the setting screen 600 in FIG. 6A), the setting screen 610 of this embodiment has an additional setting item (check box) for enabling a function (device restriction) for restricting devices (terminal devices) that can use the image reading device 100. Also, a registration button for registering devices that can use the image reading device 100 is added. When the device restriction is enabled, the restriction determination application 504 permits the use of the image reading device 100 only for devices that have been registered using a registration screen (not shown) that is displayed by operating the registration button. In this embodiment, the device registration list is configured with a list of MAC (Media Access Control) addresses of each device. Note that the registration list may be configured using the IP addresses of the devices instead of the MAC addresses. Also, instead of such a method of registering devices that can use the image reading device 100 (whitelist method), a method of registering devices that are prohibited from using the image reading device 100 (blacklist method) may be used.

[0083] The setting screen 610 further includes an additional setting item (check box) for enabling a function (application restriction) for restricting access to the image reading device 100 to only dedicated applications. When application restriction is enabled, the restriction determination application 504 permits use of the image reading device 100 only when a device (terminal device) is using a dedicated application defined as an application that can access the image reading device 100. In other words, it determines from the message header of the HTTP request or the like that a request to access the image reading device 100 has been sent from a dedicated application, and permits use only when it is determined that the request has been sent from a dedicated application.

[0084] When the OK button is pressed on the setting screen 610, the CPU 11 stores setting data indicating the setting contents on the setting screen 610 in the storage unit 13. Note that the setting data may be stored in, for example, an external device that can communicate via the communication I / F 15. In this case, the CPU 11 acquires and uses the setting data from the external device as necessary.

[0085] <Processing Procedure> The image reading device 100 of this embodiment executes the image reading process according to the procedure in Fig. 7, as in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the restriction determination application 504 operating on the Web server 500 executes the above-mentioned device restriction and application restriction processes according to the procedure in Fig. 11 in the communication establishment process of S701.

[0086] When the communication establishment process of S701 is started, first in S1101, the restriction determination application 504 determines whether or not device restriction is enabled by referring to the setting data stored in the storage unit 13. If device restriction is not enabled, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1104, and if device restriction is enabled, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1102.

[0087] In S1102, the restriction determination application 504 acquires the MAC address of the terminal 200. The MAC address can be acquired by a method such as ARPING based on the IP address included in the access request from the terminal 200 (Web browser), for example.

[0088] Thereafter, in S1103, the restriction determination application 504 determines whether or not the MAC address of the terminal 200 is included in the registration list (the terminal 200 is pre-registered as a terminal device that can use the image reading device 100). If the MAC address of the terminal 200 is not included in the registration list, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1108, treats it as a failure to establish a connection, restricts (prohibits) the use of the image reading device 100 by the terminal 200, and ends the process. On the other hand, if the MAC address of the terminal 200 is included in the registration list, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1104.

[0089] In S1104, the restriction determination application 504 determines whether or not application restriction is enabled by referring to the setting data stored in the storage unit 13. If application restriction is not enabled, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1107, and if application restriction is enabled, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1105.

[0090] In S1105, the restriction determination application 504 acquires application information indicating an application used by the terminal 200 to access the image reading device 100. In this embodiment, the dedicated application determined as an application that can access the image reading device 100 communicates with the Web server 500 of the image reading device 100 using the HTTP protocol, similar to a general Web browser. However, in this embodiment, information indicating that the command is from the dedicated application is included in the header information of the HTTP protocol transmitted from the dedicated application. The restriction determination application 504 acquires the application information of the terminal 200 based on this information.

[0091] Thereafter, in S1106, the restriction determination application 504 determines whether or not the terminal 200 is using a dedicated application based on the acquired application information. If the terminal 200 is not using the dedicated application, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1108, and treats it as a failure to establish a connection, thereby restricting (prohibiting) the use of the image reading device 100 by the terminal 200, and ends the process. On the other hand, if the terminal 200 is using a dedicated application, the restriction determination application 504 advances the process to S1107.

[0092] In S1107, the restriction determination application 504 establishes communication (connection) with the terminal 200, thereby completing the communication establishment process.

[0093] As described above, according to this embodiment, by at least one of device restriction and application restriction, it is possible to restrict terminal devices that can use the image reading device 100. As a result, similar to the first embodiment, it is possible to realize the approval process for obtaining image data of a read image without increasing the burden on the approved user, and in addition, it is possible to more reliably prevent information leakage due to the acquisition of image data of a read image.

[0094] The disclosure of this specification includes the following image reading apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program. (Item 1) a reading means for reading an image of a document and generating image data of the read image; a storage means for storing the image data generated by the reading means in a predetermined storage location; a requesting means for transmitting an approval request for obtaining the image data stored in the storage destination to an approved user, the approval request including confirmation information for the image data; a control means for controlling access to the image data so as to enable acquisition of the image data when a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved is received in response to the approval request; An image reading device comprising: (Item 2) 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein when the control means receives a response to the approval request indicating that acquisition of the image data has been prohibited by the approved user, the control means deletes the image data from the storage destination. (Item 3) The image reading device according to item 1 or 2, wherein when the control means receives a response indicating that the acquisition of the image data has been approved in response to the approval request, the control means provides an operation screen on which the image data can be acquired to an external device connected via a network. (Item 4) a setting unit for setting a destination of the approval request in accordance with an input via a setting screen for setting the destination of the approval request, 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the request unit transmits the approval request to the destination set by the setting unit. (Item 5) 5. The image reading device according to item 4, wherein the setting means sets an email address indicating the destination. (Item 6) The setting means further sets a timeout period from the timing of transmitting the approval request in accordance with an input via the setting screen, the control means deletes the image data from the storage destination when the timeout period has elapsed since the timing of transmitting the approval request. Item 6. The image reading device according to item 4 or 5. (Item 7) An image reading device described in any one of items 4 to 6, wherein the setting screen is displayed on a display unit of the image reading device, or is provided to an external device capable of communicating with the image reading device and displayed on the external device. (Item 8) the confirmation information includes a link to an operation screen on which the image data stored in the storage destination can be confirmed, The image reading device described in any one of items 1 to 7, wherein, when the request means accepts access using the link, it provides the operation screen to the terminal device from which the access originates, and accepts an operation indicating whether to approve or prohibit the acquisition of the image data via the operation screen displayed on the terminal device. (Item 9) The reading means reads images of a plurality of documents and generates image data of the plurality of read images; the operation screen is configured to display thumbnail images of the plurality of scanned images, Item 9. An image reading device according to item 8. (Item 10) The reading means reads images of a plurality of documents and generates image data of the plurality of read images; the operation screen is configured to switch and display the plurality of scanned images one by one in accordance with an operation of the approved user; Item 9. An image reading device according to item 8. (Item 11) 8. The image reading device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the confirmation information includes a thumbnail image of a read image corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination. (Item 12) 8. The image reading device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the confirmation information includes a read image corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination. (Item 13) The request means transmits the approval request to the approved user by email, the control means receives a reply email to the email as a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved; Item 13. The image reading device according to item 11 or 12. (Item 14) The image reading device according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the reading means reads an image of a document set in the image reading device in accordance with a reading instruction received from a terminal device of an operating user who operates the image reading device. (Item 15) Item 15. The image reading device according to item 14, wherein when the control means receives a response indicating that the acquisition of the image data has been approved, the control means provides an operation screen for downloading the image data from the storage location to the terminal device of the operating user. (Item 16) Item 16. The image reading device according to item 14 or 15, further comprising an establishment means for establishing communication with the terminal device and receiving the reading instruction if the terminal device of the operating user is pre-registered as a terminal device that can use the image reading device. (Item 17) An image reading device according to any one of items 13 to 15, further comprising an establishment means for establishing communication with the terminal device and receiving the reading instruction if the terminal device of the operating user is using a dedicated application defined as an application that can access the image reading device. (Item 18) 18. The image reading device according to any one of items 1 to 17, wherein the storage destination is a storage unit of the image reading device or an external device capable of communicating with the image reading device. (Item 19) A method for controlling an image reading device, comprising: a reading step of reading an image of a document and generating image data of the read image; a storage step of storing the image data generated in the reading step in a predetermined storage location; a request step of transmitting an approval request for obtaining the image data stored in the storage destination to an approved user, the approval request including confirmation information for the image data; a control step of controlling access to the image data so that the image data can be acquired when a response to the approval request indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved by the approved user is received; A method for controlling an image reading device, comprising: (Item 20) 20. A program for causing a computer of an image reading device to execute the control method according to item 19.

[0095] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 100: image reading device, 104: image reading unit, 10: control unit, 11: CPU, 13: storage unit, 130: operation unit

Claims

1. a reading means for reading an image of a document and generating image data of the read image; a storage means for storing the image data generated by the reading means in a predetermined storage location; a requesting means for transmitting an approval request for obtaining the image data stored in the storage destination to an approved user, the approval request including confirmation information for the image data; a control means for controlling access to the image data so as to enable acquisition of the image data when a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved is received in response to the approval request; An image reading device comprising:

2. 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the control means deletes the image data from the storage location when the control means receives, as a response to the approval request, a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been prohibited by the approved user.

3. 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein when the control means receives a response indicating that acquisition of the image data in response to the approval request has been approved, the control means provides an operation screen on which the image data can be acquired to an external device connected via a network.

4. a setting unit for setting a destination of the approval request in accordance with an input via a setting screen for setting the destination of the approval request, 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the requesting unit transmits the approval request to the destination set by the setting unit.

5. 5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said setting means sets an e-mail address indicating the destination.

6. The setting means further sets a timeout period from the timing of transmitting the approval request in accordance with an input via the setting screen, the control means deletes the image data from the storage destination when the timeout period has elapsed since the timing of transmitting the approval request.

5. The image reading device according to claim 4.

7. The image reading device according to claim 4 , wherein the setting screen is displayed on a display unit of the image reading device, or is provided to an external device capable of communicating with the image reading device and displayed on the external device.

8. the confirmation information includes a link to an operation screen on which the image data stored in the storage destination can be confirmed, 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein, when the request means accepts access using the link, it provides the operation screen to the terminal device from which the access originates, and accepts an operation indicating approval or prohibition of acquisition of the image data via the operation screen displayed on the terminal device.

9. The reading means reads images of a plurality of documents and generates image data of the plurality of read images; the operation screen is configured to display thumbnail images of the plurality of scanned images, 9. The image reading device according to claim 8.

10. The reading means reads images of a plurality of documents and generates image data of the plurality of read images; the operation screen is configured to switch and display the plurality of scanned images one by one in accordance with an operation of the approved user; 9. The image reading device according to claim 8.

11. The image reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the confirmation information includes a thumbnail image of a read image corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination.

12. The image reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the confirmation information includes a scanned image corresponding to the image data stored in the storage destination.

13. The request means transmits the approval request to the approved user by email, the control means receives a reply email to the email as a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved; The image reading device according to claim 11.

14. 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit reads an image of a document set on the image reading device in accordance with a reading instruction received from a terminal device of an operating user who operates the image reading device.

15. 15. The image reading device according to claim 14, wherein the control means, upon receiving a response indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved, provides an operation screen for downloading the image data from the storage location to the terminal device of the operating user.

16. 15. The image reading device according to claim 14, further comprising an establishment unit that, if the terminal device of the operating user is registered in advance as a terminal device capable of using the image reading device, establishes communication with the terminal device and receives the reading instruction.

17. 15. The image reading device according to claim 14, further comprising an establishment means for establishing communication with the terminal device and receiving the reading instruction if the terminal device of the operating user is using a dedicated application defined as an application that can access the image reading device.

18. The image reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the storage destination is a storage unit of the image reading device or a server device capable of communicating with the image reading device.

19. A method for controlling an image reading device, comprising: a reading step of reading an image of a document and generating image data of the read image; a storage step of storing the image data generated in the reading step in a predetermined storage location; a request step of transmitting an approval request for obtaining the image data stored in the storage destination to an approved user, the approval request including confirmation information for the image data; a control step of controlling access to the image data so as to enable acquisition of the image data when a response to the approval request indicating that acquisition of the image data has been approved is received; A method for controlling an image reading device, comprising:

20. A program for causing a computer of an image reading device to execute the control method according to claim 19.

Images