Image reading device

Abstract

To allow a user who is to select and download an image to learn in which file format the image is downloaded.SOLUTION: An image reading device can execute a web application and execute image reading through network connection from a web browser in an external device, and comprises: image selection means that selects, from images read by the image reading device, an image to be stored in the external device through the web application; and file format display means that displays a file format in which the image is downloaded by the web browser on the basis of the image selected on the web application.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, some image reading devices include a web server built in. In an image reading device with a web server, a browser is used to access the web server, which leads to a screen with a scan start button, and pressing the scan button starts scanning, allowing the scanned image file to be downloaded (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] After scanning, if there are multiple image files saved in the image reading device, it is a hassle to download each image file one by one. Generally, when there are multiple image files, the multiple image files are archived and downloaded as a single file. On the other hand, in the case of multi-page files such as PDF, they are downloaded as a single file without archiving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-358880 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Even with multi-page format, if the front and back of the scanned document are treated as a single image file using the front and back side setting, or if separator paper is inserted into the document stack and the file is separated by the separator paper, multiple files may be created, and archived files may be downloaded. It was difficult for users to know whether the archived file or the non-archived file was being downloaded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above, the image reading device of the present invention comprises: An image reading device capable of executing a web application to read an image by connecting to a network from a web browser of an external device, an image selection unit that selects an image to be stored in the external device via the Web application from among the images read by the image reading device; a file format display means for displaying a file format to be downloaded by the Web browser based on an image selected on the Web application; The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention described above, by notifying the user in advance of the format of the file to be downloaded, it is possible to realize an image reading device that is easy for the user to use. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control unit of the image reading device of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image reading screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing file format determination according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image save selection screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image saving screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart showing image reading according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Device configuration> 1 is a schematic diagram of an image reading device A according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image reading device A is a device that conveys one or more conveying media S loaded on a loading platform 1 one by one into the device along a path RT, reads the image on the medium, and discharges the medium onto a discharge tray 2. The conveying media S to be read are, for example, sheets such as office paper, checks, cheques, cards, etc., and may be thick or thin sheets. Examples of cards include insurance cards, driver's licenses, and credit cards. The conveying media S also includes booklets such as passports.

[0010] A first transport unit 10 is provided as a feeding mechanism that feeds the transport medium S along the path RT. In this embodiment, the first transport unit 10 includes a feed roller 11 and a separation roller 12 arranged opposite the feed roller 11, and transports the transport medium S on the mounting table 1 one by one in the transport direction D1. A driving force is transmitted to the feed roller 11 from a drive unit 3 such as a motor via a transmission unit 5, and the feed roller 11 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure (the positive direction for transporting the transport medium S along the path RT). The transmission unit 5 is, for example, an electromagnetic clutch, and connects and disconnects the driving force from the drive unit 3 to the feed roller 11.

[0011] In this embodiment, for example, the transmission unit 5 that connects the drive unit 3 and the feed roller 11 is in a state in which the driving force is normally transmitted, and the driving force is cut off when the transport medium S is fed in the reverse direction. When the transmission of the driving force is cut off by the transmission unit 5, the feed roller 11 is in a state in which it can rotate freely. Note that such a transmission unit 5 does not need to be provided when the feed roller 11 is driven in only one direction.

[0012] The separation roller 12, which is disposed opposite the feed roller 11, is a roller for separating the transport media S one by one, and is in contact with the feed roller 11 with a constant pressure. To ensure this state of contact, the separation roller 12 is provided so as to be able to swing and is configured so as to be biased toward the feed roller 11. A driving force is transmitted to the separation roller 12 from the drive unit 3 via a torque limiter 12a, and the separation roller 12 is driven to rotate in the direction of the solid arrow (the opposite direction to the forward direction of the feed roller 11).

[0013] Since the transmission of driving force is restricted by the torque limiter 12a, the separation roller 12 rotates in a direction (indicated by a dashed arrow) that rotates together with the feed roller 11 when in contact with the feed roller 11. As a result, when multiple conveying media S are conveyed to the pressure contact portion between the feed roller 11 and the separation roller 12, two or more conveying media S except for one are blocked so as not to be conveyed downstream.

[0014] In this embodiment, the separation mechanism is composed of the separation roller 12 and the feed roller 11, but such a separation mechanism is not necessarily required, and any feed mechanism that sequentially feeds the transport medium S one by one to the path RT will suffice. In addition, when a separation mechanism is provided, instead of a configuration such as the separation roller 12, a separation pad that applies friction to the transport medium S may be pressed against the feed roller 11 to provide a similar separation function.

[0015] The second transport section 20, which serves as a transport mechanism located downstream of the first transport section 10 in the transport direction, includes a drive roller 21 and a driven roller 22 driven by the drive roller 21, and transports the transport medium S transported from the first transport section 10 downstream. A driving force is transmitted to the drive roller 21 from a drive section 4 such as a motor, and the drive roller 21 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The driven roller 22 is pressed against the drive roller 21 with a constant pressure, and rotates together with the drive roller 21. The driven roller 22 may be configured to be biased against the drive roller 21 by a biasing unit (not shown) such as a spring.

[0016] The third transport section 30, which is located downstream of the second transport section 20 in the transport direction, includes a drive roller 31 and a driven roller 32 driven by the drive roller 31, and transports the transport medium S transported from the second transport section 20 to the discharge tray 2. In other words, the third transport section 30 functions as a discharge mechanism. A driving force is transmitted from a drive section 4 such as a motor to the drive roller 31, and the drive roller 31 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The driven roller 32 is pressed against the drive roller 31 with a constant pressure, and rotates with the drive roller 31. The driven roller 32 may be configured to be biased against the drive roller 31 by a biasing unit (not shown) such as a spring.

[0017] Here, in the image reading device A of this embodiment, since an image is read by the image reading unit 70 arranged between the second conveying section 20 and the third conveying section 30, the second conveying section 20 and the third conveying section 30 convey the conveyed medium S at a constant speed. By always setting the conveying speed to be equal to or higher than the conveying speed of the first conveying section 10, it is possible to reliably prevent the following conveyed medium S from catching up with the preceding conveyed medium S. For example, in this embodiment, the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the second conveying section 20 and the third conveying section 30 is controlled to be faster than the conveying speed of the conveyed medium S by the first conveying section 10.

[0018] Furthermore, even if the conveying speed of the conveying medium S by the second conveying section 20 and the third conveying section 30 and the conveying speed of the conveying medium S by the first conveying section 10 are the same, it is also possible to form a minimum gap between the preceding conveying medium S and the succeeding conveying medium S by controlling the drive section 3 to intermittently shift the timing at which the feed of the succeeding conveying medium S begins.

[0019] The double feed detection sensor 40 disposed between the first conveying section 10 and the second conveying section 20 is an example of a detection sensor (a sensor that detects the behavior or state of sheets) for detecting when conveying media S such as paper have come into close contact with each other due to static electricity or the like and passed through the first conveying section 10 (i.e., when there is a double feed state in which the conveying media S are conveyed overlapping each other). Various types of double feed detection sensor 40 can be used, but in this embodiment, it is an ultrasonic sensor that includes an ultrasonic transmitter 41 and a receiver 42, and detects double feed based on the principle that the attenuation of ultrasonic waves passing through conveying media S such as paper differs between when the conveying media S are conveyed overlappingly and when they are conveyed one by one.

[0020] The medium detection sensor 50, which is arranged downstream in the conveying direction from such a double feed detection sensor 40, is an example of an upstream detection sensor (sensor that detects the behavior or state of a sheet) arranged upstream from the second conveying section 20 and downstream from the first conveying section 10, and detects the position of the conveyed medium S conveyed by the first conveying section 10, more specifically, whether or not the end of the conveyed medium S has reached or passed the detection position of the medium detection sensor 50. Various types of medium detection sensor 50 can be used, but in this embodiment, it is an optical sensor that includes a light emitting section 51 and a light receiving section 52, and detects the conveyed medium S on the principle that the received light intensity (received light amount) changes when the conveyed medium S arrives or passes through.

[0021] In this embodiment, the medium detection sensor 50 is provided downstream of and in the vicinity of the double feed detection sensor 40 so that when the leading edge of the conveyed medium S is detected by the medium detection sensor 50, the conveyed medium S has reached a position where double feed can be detected by the double feed detection sensor 40. Note that the medium detection sensor 50 is not limited to the optical sensor described above, and may be, for example, a sensor (such as an image sensor) that can detect the edge of the conveyed medium S, or a lever-type sensor that protrudes into the path RT.

[0022] The medium detection sensor 60, which is separate from the medium detection sensor 50, is an example of a downstream detection sensor arranged upstream of the image reading unit 70 and downstream of the second transport section 20, and detects the position of the transported medium S transported by the second transport section 20. Various types of medium detection sensor 60 can be used, but in this embodiment, like the medium detection sensor 50, it is an optical sensor that includes a light-emitting section 61 and a light-receiving section 62, and detects the transported medium S based on the principle that the received light intensity (received light amount) changes when the transported medium S arrives or passes through it. Note that in this embodiment, the medium detection sensors 50 and 60 are arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the second transport section 20 in the transport direction, respectively, but only one of them may be used.

[0023] The image reading unit 70, located downstream of the medium detection sensor 60, for example, optically scans, converts it into an electrical signal, and reads it as image data, and is equipped with a light source such as an LED, an image sensor, a lens array, etc. In the case of this embodiment, one image reading unit 70 is arranged on each side of the path RT, and reads the front and back sides of the transported medium S. However, it is also possible to arrange one unit on only one side of the path RT and read only one side of the transported medium S. Also, in this embodiment, the image reading units 70 are structured to be arranged facing each other on both sides of the path RT, but they may also be arranged with a gap in between in the direction of the path RT, for example.

[0024] The control unit 8 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control unit 8 of the image reading device A.

[0025] The control unit 8 includes a CPU 81, a storage unit 82, an operation unit 83, a communication unit 84, and an interface unit 86. The CPU 81 executes a program stored in the storage unit 82 to control the entire image reading device A. The storage unit 82 is composed of, for example, a RAM, a ROM, etc. The operation unit 83 is composed of, for example, a switch, a touch panel, a display unit such as an LCD, etc., and accepts operations from an operator. In addition, the control unit 8 has a Web application server 91, a scan service program 92, and a control driver 93 that are executed on the same operating system (OS) 90. In addition, in the reading control using the Web application server 91 of the own device, it is possible to provide a scan service to a personal computer (PC) 6002 connected to the image reading device A shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] The communication unit 84 is an interface for performing information communication with an external device. If the external device is a PC, for example, a communication method via a LAN or the Internet can be adopted as the communication unit 84. In addition to such an interface for wired communication, the communication unit 84 may be an interface for wireless communication, or may include interfaces for both wired communication and wireless communication.

[0027] The interface unit 86 is an I / O interface that inputs and outputs data to and from the actuator 85 and the sensor 87. The actuator 85 includes a drive unit 3, a drive unit 4, a transmission unit 5, etc. The sensor 87 includes a double feed detection sensor 40, medium detection sensors 50 and 60, an image reading unit 70, etc.

[0028] The following describes the basic operation of the image reading device A. When the control unit 8 receives an instruction to start image reading from, for example, an external PC to which the image reading device A is connected, it starts driving the first conveying unit 10 to the third conveying unit 30. The media S loaded on the mounting table 1 are conveyed one by one starting from the lowest media S.

[0029] During the transport, the presence or absence of a double feed of the transported medium S is determined by the double feed detection sensor 40, and if it is determined that there is no double feed, the transport continues. Note that if it is determined that there is a double feed, the transport may be stopped, or the intake of the subsequent transported medium S by the first transport unit 10 may be stopped, and the transported medium S in the double feed state may be discharged as it is.

[0030] The control unit 8 starts reading the image of the conveyed medium S conveyed by the second conveying unit 20 by the image reading units 70, 70 at a timing based on the detection result of the medium detection sensor 60, and temporarily stores the read images and sequentially transmits them to the external PC. The conveyed medium S from which the image has been read is discharged to the discharge tray 2 by the third conveying unit 30, and the image reading process of the conveyed medium S is completed.

[0031] The Web application server 91 provides an image reading screen 4001 (see FIG. 4) to be described later as screen data to be displayed through a Web browser installed in the personal computer 6002. The screen data provided to the Web browser is displayed on a display device 6001 of the personal computer 6002. In scanning control using the Web application server 91, the user can specify scanning settings through the image reading screen 4001 displayed on the Web browser. The image reading setting information acquired by the Web browser is transmitted from the Web application server 91 to the control driver 93 through the scan service program 92, and at the same time, an instruction to start scanning is issued. The control driver 93 that has received the scanning setting information controls the interface unit 86 based on the scanning setting information. After reflecting the scanning setting in the control driver 827, scanning is started and image data is acquired from the interface unit 86.

[0032] The image data acquired from the interface unit 86 is sent from the control driver 93 to the scan service program 92, which then sends it to the Web application server 91, as will be described in detail later.

[0033] 3 shows the system configuration of the image reading system according to this embodiment. An image reading device A and a personal computer (PC) 6002 that functions as an image processing device are connected via a network so that they can communicate data with each other. A display device 6001 configured with a CRT or LCD screen, a keyboard 6003 that a user operates to input various instructions to the personal computer 6002, and a mouse 6004 are also connected to the personal computer 6002. A web browser is installed in the personal computer 6002, and the user operates the image reading device A via the web browser.

[0034] 4 shows an image reading screen 4001 according to this embodiment. The image reading screen 4001 is an application executed by a Web application server 91, runs on a Web browser on a personal computer (PC) 6002, and is displayed on a display device 6001.

[0035] The document size setting section 4002 is a drop-down list for selecting the document size. Examples of the settable values ​​include A4 and long. The color mode 4003 is a drop-down list for selecting the color mode. Examples of the settable values ​​include black and white and color.

[0036] A resolution setting section 4004 is a drop-down list for selecting a resolution. Examples of values ​​that can be set include 150 dpi and 300 dpi.

[0037] A file format setting section 4005 is a drop-down list for selecting an output file format. Examples of values ​​that can be set include PDF, JPEG, and TIFF.

[0038] The multi-page setting section 4006 is a drop-down list for selecting a multi-page setting. The multi-page setting 4006 can be set when the file format is PDF or TIFF, which supports multi-page. Examples of configurable values ​​include single page, same front and back, and multi-page. The single page setting is a setting in which a file is created for each page when multiple pages of a document are read. The same front and back setting is a setting in which the front and back pages are created as one file when a document is read. The multi-page setting is a setting in which multiple pages are created as one file when a multiple pages of a document are read.

[0039] A reading side setting section 4007 is a drop-down list for selecting the reading side. Examples of settable values ​​include single-sided, double-sided, and blank page skip.

[0040] The separator setting section 4008 can be set when the multi-page setting is multi-page. Examples of configurable values ​​include no separator and blank pages. When blank pages are selected, a file generated by a single scanning operation can be divided by inserting blank pages between documents.

[0041] The scan button 4009 is a button for starting image reading.

[0042] 8 is a flowchart of the image reading function according to this embodiment. The Web application server 91 executed by a Web browser (not shown) running on the personal computer 6002 displays the image reading screen 4001, and the process starts when the scan button 4009 is pressed.

[0043] In S9001, the Web application server 91 starts the operations of the first conveying unit 10, the second conveying unit 20, and the third conveying unit 30 through the scan service program 92.

[0044] In S9002, the Web application server 91 determines whether or not the input signal from the interface unit 86 is a signal indicating that the transport medium S is loaded on the loading stage 1 through the scan service program 92, thereby determining whether or not there is paper on the loading stage 1. If the transport medium S is loaded on the loading stage 1, the process proceeds to S9003, and if the transport medium S is not loaded on the loading stage 1, the process proceeds to S9006.

[0045] In S9003, the Web application server 91 checks whether or not an error has occurred in the sensor 87 through the scan service program 92. If no error has occurred, the process proceeds to S9004, and if an error has occurred, the process proceeds to S9005.

[0046] In S9004, the Web application server 91 reads the conveyed medium S by the image reading unit 70 through the scan service program 92, and when the reading operation is completed, the process returns to S9002.

[0047] In S9005, the Web application server 91 notifies the communication unit 84 that an error has occurred.

[0048] In S9006, the Web application server 91 stops the operations of the first conveying unit 10, the second conveying unit 20, and the third conveying unit 30 through the scan service program 92, and ends the conveying.

[0049] For the image read in S9004, a file is generated by the Web application server 91 in accordance with the settings made in the file format setting section 4005, the multi-page setting section 4006, and the separator setting section 4008, and the file is stored in the storage section 82. The Web application server 91 creates a thumbnail file of each image from the files stored in the storage section 82.

[0050] FIG. 6A shows an image save selection screen 7001 according to the present embodiment. This screen is an example when the file format is JPEG or the multi-page setting is set to single page. The image save selection screen 7001 is a screen displayed after an image is read by the scan button 4009 on the image reading screen 4001. The image save selection screen 7001 displays a read image 7002 based on the image read in S9004. The read image 7002 is a thumbnail file of each image created from the file stored in the storage unit 82 by the Web application server 91. One of the read images 7002 has a check box, and the image to be saved can be selected by checking it. After selecting the image to be saved, the selected image is downloaded by pressing the save button 7003. A file type display section 7004 is provided at the bottom of the screen to display the type of the file to be downloaded. The file type display section 7004 indicates the format of the file to be downloaded when the save button 7003 is pressed. The file type display section 7004 changes depending on the selection of the read image 7002.

[0051] Fig. 6(b) is an example of the state in which another check mark has been added to the scanned image 7002 from Fig. 6(a). Since the scanned image 7002 has two check marks added, resulting in multiple files, the file type display section 7004 is changed from JPEG to ZIP.

[0052] FIG. 6(c) is an example when the file format is PDF or TIFF, the multi-page setting is multi-page, and the separator setting is blank. This screen is an example when multiple multi-page files are created, and is not limited to this setting. The same file display line 7005 indicates that the scanned images 7002 that are lined are the same multi-page file. Here, the same file display line 7005 is used as an example to indicate that they are the same file, but this is not limited to this. For example, the background color of the scanned images 7002 may be the same color to distinguish them if they are the same file. The file type display section 7004 indicates that the file type is PDF because the image 7002 with the same file display line 7005 is selected (checked).

[0053] Fig. 6(d) is an example of the state in which another check mark has been added to the scanned image 7002 from Fig. 6(c). In addition to the multi-page file, another single-page file has been selected, and multiple files will be output, so the file type display area 7004 displays ZIP.

[0054] Figure 6(e) shows an example when the file format 5 is PDF or TIFF and the multi-page setting is front and back. In the front and back setting, two pages, the front and back, are in one file.

[0055] Fig. 7 shows an image save screen 8001 according to this embodiment. The image save screen 8001 is a screen that is displayed after the save button 7003 on the image save selection screen 7001 is pressed. The image save screen 8001 in Fig. 7 shows an example when the save button 7003 is pressed with the scanned image 7002 in Fig. 6(d) selected. The image save screen 8001 displays an image file 8002 to be saved.

[0056] The all download button 8003 archives the image files to be saved and downloads them as one file. The individual download links 8004 are individual links to the image files to be saved. If you want to download and save them individually, press the individual download link 8004 to move to a screen where you can download the files one by one.

[0057] Here, the flow chart of the image saving function will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The flow chart of Fig. 5 starts from the point where the user places a stack of documents consisting of multiple transport media S on the image reading device A shown in Fig. 1, reads images in response to an image reading instruction from the image reading screen 4001 displayed on the web browser of the PC 6002, and selects an image 7002 to be saved on the image saving selection screen 7001.

[0058] In S5001, the control unit 8 checks whether or not multiple images 7002 have been selected on the image save selection screen 7001. If multiple images have been selected, the process proceeds to S5002, and if multiple images have not been selected, the process ends.

[0059] In S5002, the control unit 8 checks whether or not multi-page is set in the multi-page setting section 4006 of the image reading screen 4001. If a multi-page or a document including multi-page such as the same front and back is selected, the process proceeds to S5002, and if multiple single pages are selected, the process proceeds to S5005.

[0060] In S5003, the control unit 8 checks whether or not the setting for dividing a multi-page file is made in the division setting section 4008 of the image reading screen 4001. If the setting for dividing a multi-page file is made, the process proceeds to S5004, and if the setting for dividing a multi-page file is not made, the process ends.

[0061] In S5004, the control unit 8 checks whether the image 7002 selected on the image save selection screen 7001 is a separate file due to the separator setting. If the selected image is set as a separate file, the process proceeds to S5005, and if not, the process ends. The user can visually determine whether the selected files are separate files by looking at the same file indication line 7005.

[0062] In S5005, the control unit 8 archives the files of the selected image 7002 into one file.

[0063] After archiving into a single file, the images may be downloaded immediately. Alternatively, an image save screen 8001 in FIG. 7 may be displayed. At this time, the file generated from the selected scanned image 7002 is displayed as an image file 8002. In the example in FIG. 7, the selected scanned image 7002 in FIG. 6 is two files worth of scanned images, so two image files 8002 are displayed. The download all button 8003 is a button for archiving and downloading the image files 8002. The individual download link 8004 is a link for downloading the image files 8002 individually.

[0064] In this manner, in this embodiment, each time an image 7002 is selected, a determination is made as to whether or not to archive the image file to be downloaded, and the file format is displayed and made clear in the file type display section 7004, allowing the user to know what format of file will be downloaded.

[0065] In addition, in the case of a Web browser or environment capable of simultaneously downloading multiple files, even if two or more files are selected on the image saving screen 8001, the file type display section 7004 may display the file format set in the file format setting section 4005 of Figure 4 and indicate that multiple files will be downloaded simultaneously.

[0066] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the file type display section 7004 notifies the user of the file format of the downloaded file based on the image selected by the user on the image save selection screen 7001, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be predetermined for each reading mode in image reading whether the files are downloaded individually as a single page, downloaded as one file in multiple pages, or downloaded collectively as an archive, and the reading mode may be set on the image reading screen 4001, and a download file type display section may be provided.

[0067] Also, in the image save screen 8001 of FIG. 7, an aspect has been described in which the user downloads by selecting individual download links one by one, but the image save screen 8001 may be configured so that, for example, an individual download button is provided, and by selecting the button, a download page for each file to be downloaded individually is simultaneously opened as a tab function of the Web browser. For example, if there are four files to download, the image save screen 8001 can be configured so that, when the individual download button is selected, four tabs for downloading each of the four files are simultaneously opened. This can be executed by writing it as a script embedded in the image save screen 8001. With this configuration, downloads can be executed while switching between tabs, improving operability.

[0068] The tabs may be configured to be expanded sequentially as they are downloaded, rather than expanded simultaneously. That is, when an individual download button is selected, one tab is expanded to allow the first file to be downloaded. The user switches to that tab and downloads the first file. Based on the selection of the button to perform the download, a tab for downloading a second file may be automatically expanded. In this case, the tab for downloading the first file may be automatically closed.

[0069] 4, when a single page is selected, the JPEG compression of each page and a ZIP file storing the entire image scanned up to that point may be simultaneously generated while the image is being read. This configuration allows the user to download the ZIP file promptly after image reading is completed and image save screen 8001 is displayed, and also allows thumbnails based on JPEG to be displayed on image save screen 8001, improving convenience.

[0070] It is also possible to provide a mode in which thumbnails are not displayed on the image save screen 8001, or a mode in which downloading starts without going through the image save screen 8001, in which case the JPEG images may be discarded each time reading is completed on a page-by-page basis and JPEG compression and ZIP file generation of each page are completed. In that case, the ZIP may be decompressed once when JPEG compression of the next page is completed, and the operation of generating a ZIP file including the next page again may be repeated. As an example of a mode in which downloading starts without going through the image save screen 8001, it is possible to set it to a mode in which editing work cannot be performed after image reading is completed.

[0071] In this way, when performing ZIP conversion in parallel while performing image reading and JPEG compression on a page-by-page basis, only JPEG compression may be performed until a preset number of pages (for example, 5 pages) is exceeded, and ZIP conversion may be performed in parallel with reading only after the predetermined number of pages is exceeded. By not performing ZIP conversion until the predetermined number of pages is exceeded, it is possible to allocate the resources of the control unit 8 to image reading, etc., while preventing download delays caused by ZIP conversion after reading is completed when the predetermined number of pages is exceeded.

[0072] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an image reading device that is easy for users to use. Note that the embodiment described above is merely an example, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0073] <Screen control when an error occurs> Here, the screen control when an error occurs in the image reading device of the present invention will be described. In the image reading device A, a path RT is formed by a lower unit and an upper unit that can rotate around a hinge with respect to the lower unit. If a conveying medium S such as a sheet becomes stuck (jammed) in this path RT, the upper unit is rotated around the hinge to open the path RT and the stuck conveying medium S is removed. On the other hand, if the upper unit (cover) is opened in a standby state or during a normal reading operation, a cover open error occurs. At this time, an error message indicating a cover open error is displayed on the display unit of the image reading device A. This cover open error is always displayed when the upper unit is opened, but even though help on how to do it is possible to display when performing the above-mentioned jam processing, if the upper unit is opened to perform the jam processing while the help is displayed, a cover open error occurs. In this embodiment, in order to prevent such a situation, the cover open error is not displayed even if the upper unit is opened while the help display for jam processing is displayed. Similarly, help regarding roller replacement can also be displayed, and a cover open error will not be displayed even if the upper unit is opened while that help is being displayed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] A Image reader 8. Control Unit 4001 Image reading screen 8001 Image save screen 8003 Bulk download button 8004 Individual download link

Claims

1. An image reading device capable of executing a web application to read an image by connecting to a network from a web browser of an external device, an image selection unit that selects an image to be stored in the external device via the Web application from among images read by the image reading device; a file format display means for displaying a file format to be downloaded by the Web browser based on an image selected on the Web application; An image reading device comprising:

2. a storage image selection screen that is displayed on the Web browser by the Web application and allows the image selection means to select an image to be stored in the external device; 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the file format display means displays on the screen of the Web application a message indicating that the selected images will be downloaded as a single file.

3. 3. The image reading device according to claim 2, further comprising: a step of changing an image saving screen for saving the image in the external device based on an image selected on the save image selection screen.

4. 4. The image reading device according to claim 3, wherein on the image saving screen, the file format display means displays whether multiple files are archived and downloaded as a single file, or the multiple files are downloaded individually, allowing the user to select.

Images