Image processing apparatus, method for controlling the same, and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism that, in transmitting a job execution result by email, can immediately determine whether the job execution result is successful or not without checking the text in the mail.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus (202) that executes a transmission job and transmits an execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by email, and comprises: determination means (S4003) that determines whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal; and transmission means (S4005, S4006) that, on the basis of the determination made by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, transmits, to the destination, an email having a subject that allows a user to identify that the execution result is not normal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] A multi-function peripheral (hereinafter referred to as "MFP") having multiple functions has the following functions. The MFP has a function of notifying the job execution result and a part of the transmitted image to the destination associated with the authenticated user or the destination registered in the address book by e-mail. That is, the function of the MFP is a function of notifying the job execution result to the designated transmission destination by e-mail as a "job completion notification e-mail".

[0003] As shown in FIG. 1, the job completion notification e-mail consists of a subject 101 and a body 102. The job reception date and time, etc. are described in the subject 101, and the reception number of the transmission job, start time, number of sheets (number of transmission original sheets), unreachable destination, error destination, etc. are described in the body 102. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that executes display control to change the display mode of the icon of the job when an error occurs during job execution in order to facilitate confirmation of a job canceled due to an error.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, although the success or failure information (success, failure) of the execution result of the transmission job is described and displayed in the body 102 of the email, the success or failure is not displayed in the subject line of the received tray of the recipient of the job completion notification email. For this reason, the user has to check the detailed content of the body and cannot immediately determine the success or failure of the execution result, which is time-consuming. Further, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 above only changes the display mode of the icon of the job canceled due to an error to facilitate user confirmation. That is, when transmitting the execution result of the transmission job by email, the success or failure information cannot be immediately determined.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that can immediately determine whether the execution result of a job is successful or not without the need to check the email body when transmitting the execution result of the job by email.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is an image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by email, the apparatus including: determination means for determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal; and transmission means for transmitting an email having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the execution result is not normal to the destination based on a determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, when transmitting the execution result of a job by email, an effect is obtained that the success or failure of the execution result of the job can be immediately determined without the need to check the email body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the configurations described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the configurations described in the embodiments. In this embodiment, mainly an example in which a user inputs a FAX job as a transmission job to the MFP202 will be described, but other modes of inputting a transmission job (SEND job) are also applicable to the present invention. Further, in this embodiment, the MFP202 is taken as an example to describe a FAX transmission job, but an electronic device that can input a FAX transmission job and transmit an electronic mail indicating the execution result to a set destination is not limited to the MFP202.

[0011] <Figure 2: System Configuration Diagram> Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the image processing system of this embodiment has a mail server 201, an MFP202, and an external device 203. Each of the mail server 201, the MFP202, and the external device 203 is connected to a network 220 and is configured to be able to communicate the required information with each other. The external device 203 is composed of an information processing device such as a PC.

[0012] Although the network 220 is depicted as wired in FIG. 2, it may be wireless, or part of it may be wired while the other part is wireless. In short, the type of the network is not particularly limited as long as the mail server 201, the MFP 202, and the external device 203 can communicate the required information with each other. Further, the external device 203 is not limited to being fixedly present at a predetermined location like a desktop PC, and may be a portable terminal such as a notebook PC with portability, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. Note that in the present embodiment, it is assumed that a user who inputs a transmission job using the MFP 202 uses an external device 203 such as a PC.

[0013] <FIG. 3: Configuration diagram of MFP 202> FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the MFP 202 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 202 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a network I / F 307, an operation unit controller 308, a disk controller 312, a printer 314, a scanner 315, and a MODEM 316. These are connected by a system bus 321 and are configured to be able to communicate the required information with each other via the system bus 321.

[0014] (CPU 301: ROM 302: RAM 303: HDD 313) Various functions related to the present invention are realized by the CPU 301 expanding and executing the software stored in the ROM 302 or the HDD 313 in the RAM 303. The CPU 301 comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 321. The RAM 303 serves as a main memory for expanding the program of the CPU 301 and also serves as a work area for temporarily storing various data.

[0015] (Network I / F 307: Operation unit controller 308: Operation panel 309: Display 311) The network I / F 307 communicates data bidirectionally with network devices, various servers, etc. via the network 220. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the network I / F 307 serves as an interface for communicating data bidirectionally with the external device 203 and the mail server 201 via the network 220. The operation unit controller 308 controls the operation panel 309, the display 311, and various buttons (not shown) provided on the MFP 202. When the user operates the operation panel 309 or various buttons, the operation unit controller 308 receives the operation and notifies the CPU 301 via the system bus 321.

[0016] Also, the CPU 301 controls the operation unit controller 308 to display required information on the display 311. Also, by adopting a liquid crystal display or the like having a touch operation function, the operation panel 309 and the display 311 can be made to serve dual purposes.

[0017] (Disk Controller 312: HDD 313) The disk controller 312 controls the HDD (hard disk drive) 313 to read and write information to and from the HDD 313. The HDD 313 is also used as a temporary storage area for images such as faxes.

[0018] (Printer 314: Scanner 315) The printer 314 performs printing on a recording medium such as paper. The printer 3124 is realized by, for example, an electrophotographic printer, but the printing method is not limited to the electrophotographic method. The scanner 315 is an image reading unit for reading images printed on paper or the like. It is also possible to configure the scanner 315 with an ADF (auto document feeder) attached so that multiple original documents can be automatically fed and images can be read automatically.

[0019] (MODEM 316: NCU 317) The MODEM 316 demodulates the modulated signal received from the telephone line 318 or transmits the modulated signal obtained by modulating the signal from the MFP 202 to the telephone line 318. The NCU 317 functions as an interface between the telephone line 318 and the FAX, detects the signal from the telephone line 318 and transmits it to the MODEM 316, or performs line control to switch the telephone line 318 to the FAX or the telephone 319. For example, when the NCU 317 switches the telephone line 318 to the FAX side, the MFP 202 can transmit to the FAX.

[0020] <Figure 4: Flowchart showing the processing of the embodiment of the present invention: Figure 5: Explanatory diagram of the job completion notification email> Next, the processing of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows the processing in which, when the job completion notification email function is set to be valid, after the MFP 202 executes a transmission job, the execution result is transmitted by email to the job completion notification destination. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the "job completion notification email" transmitted when the transmission job ends in error. The processing in FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 301 executing the control program stored in the ROM 302 and the HDD 313.

[0021] Here, "FAX / SEND" described in S4001 and S4002 of FIG. 4 represents the following matters. That is, when a FAX job is received, the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 may be executed, or when a "SEND job" for sending image data by e-mail is received, the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 may also be executed. Note that a FAX job is a job in which a scanner 315 reads an image of a document, generates image data, and transmits the generated image data via a MODEM 316 and an NCU 317. A SEND job is a job in which a scanner 315 reads an image of a document, generates image data, attaches the image data to an e-mail, and transmits the e-mail via a network I / F 307. In the following description, the process of receiving a "FAX job" as a transmission job will be mainly described, but the same process can be realized when a "SEND job" is received as a transmission job. Also, it is assumed that the e-mail address, which is the destination of the "job completion notification e-mail", is preset by the user's operation on the operation panel 309.

[0022] (S4001:S4002) First, in S4001, the CPU 301 receives an execution instruction for a FAX job via the operation panel 309. Note that in S4001, as described above, the CPU 301 may receive a SEND job. Next, in S4002, the CPU 301 executes FAX transmission processing. More specifically, the CPU 301 controls the scanner 315 to read an image of a document, generate image data, modulate the generated image data into a FAX signal via the MODEM 316 and the NCU 317, and send the modulated signal onto the telephone line 318. Note that in S4002 as well, the CPU 301 may transmit SEND data onto the network 220 via the network I / F 307. When transmitting SEND data, in S4002, the CPU 301 controls the scanner 315 to read an image of a document, generate image data, attach the image data to an e-mail, and transmit the e-mail via the network I / F 307.

[0023] (S4003) Next, after the job is executed, the CPU 301 determines the success or failure of the job execution result. That is, the CPU 301 determines whether the job has ended normally. The CPU 301 determines that the job execution result has ended normally based on the fact that the data to be transmitted has been transmitted to the end. On the other hand, the CPU 301 determines that the job execution result has not ended normally based on the fact that due to an error occurring midway, the data to be transmitted could not be transmitted to the end. If the CPU 301 determines that the job has ended normally (Yes), the process proceeds to S4004. On the other hand, if the CPU 301 determines that the job has not ended normally (No), the process proceeds to S4005.

[0024] (S4004) Next, in S4004, the CPU 301 generates a job end notification email when the job ends normally. The job end notification email in this case consists of a "subject" and a "body". For example, in the "subject", "transmission job end notification" indicating that the execution result is normal, "date and time information", etc. are described. Also, in the "body", the reception number of the transmission job, the start time of the job, the number of sheets (number of transmission original sheets), etc. are displayed. Note that information such as "transmission successful" or "OK" may be described in the subject as information indicating that the execution result is normal.

[0025] (S4005) On the other hand, in S4005, when the CPU 301 determines that the transmission job has failed, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, it generates an email in which matters indicating that the transmission job has ended in error are described in the subject 501. The matters described in the subject 501 are, for example, "error end", "job end notification", "date and time", etc. In the body 502, the reception number, start time, number of transmission original sheets, unreachable destination, error destination, etc. are described in the same way as in FIG. 1. Note that in addition to the matters indicating that an error has occurred in the subject 501 of the "job end notification email", matters indicating the error type and / or the destination of the error FAX (FAX transmission destination) may be additionally described.

[0026] Examples of error types in the case of a FAX transmission job include, for example, the following: "When the power supply to the recipient's FAX device is not turned on (power-off state)", "When the recipient's FAX device is busy (busy state)", "When an error occurs due to incorrect entry of the FAX number (wrong number)", etc., but the error types are not limited to these. For example, in the subject line 501, it is described as "Error termination, busy state" which describes the fact of error termination and the type of that error.

[0027] (S4006) And in S4006, the CPU 301 transmits the "job completion notification email" generated in S4004 or S4005 to the destination previously set by the user. The transmitted "job completion notification email" is transmitted to the external device 203 used by the user via the mail server 201 shown in FIG. 2.

[0028] As described above, based on the determination that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an email having a subject line that enables the user to identify that the execution result is not normal is transmitted to the preset destination. As a result, the user can immediately grasp that the transmission job did not end normally without opening the email and checking the text, and can also quickly retry the job transmission. Further, this embodiment is also applicable when a FAX transmission job is submitted to a plurality of destinations at once. In particular, in this case, since emails for a plurality of transmission jobs are transmitted, it is possible to immediately grasp which jobs have failed just by looking at the subject line, which is very convenient.

[0029] Moreover, by displaying information regarding the execution result of the transmission job in the subject line of the email, the execution result can be confirmed on the receiving tray, making it easier for the user to notice the error of the transmission job and saving the trouble of opening the email each time to check the content of the text.

[0030] Note that, as described above, the processes of S4003 and S4005 can be regarded as being executed when the MFP202 having a plurality of functions is used as one function to send a FAX job as a transmission job. For example, the same process can be executed when receiving a "SEND job" that transmits image data by e-mail. In this case, in S4003 and S4003, the CPU 301 determines whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal, and based on the determination that the execution result is not normal, an e-mail having a subject that can be identified by the user may be sent to the set destination.

[0031] In addition, it is also possible to set a plurality of destinations for one user. For example, the CPU 301 can also send an e-mail having the execution result of the transmission job in the subject to both the PC where the user has fixed the usage location and the user's mobile terminal as destinations for a certain user. As a result, the user can immediately grasp the success or failure of the transmission job by receiving an e-mail having the execution result of the transmission job in the subject without being limited to the location of the user.

[0032] <Modification Example> In addition, if the CPU 301 configures to automatically describe the subject 501 with a color (for example, red) different from the normal display color of black when the error ends, the user can more easily grasp that the error has ended. Also, when the external device 203 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, the e-mail address of the mobile terminal can be set as the destination of an e-mail having the execution result of the transmission job in the subject. In addition, since the CPU 301 of the MFP202 basically only needs to be able to create and send a text-only e-mail, there is no need to install a multifunctional mailer. The mailer used by the user does not have to be OUTLOOK (registered trademark) for PC or a generally popular mailer provided by the carrier of the smartphone. For example, any mailer that can create and send an e-mail according to the process shown in FIG. 4 and can generate a mail that can be processed by the mail server 201 is acceptable. Also, the CPU 301 may send a web mail (such as Gmail (registered trademark)) having the execution result in the subject to the user's destination via the Internet.

[0033] Also, it can be configured to include a UI (User Interface) for facilitating the user to set the destination of the "Job Completion Notification Email". For example, an input area for the email address is provided in most of one screen of the operation panel 309, and a mail address to be set such as "X@Y.Z" is displayed in part. And the CPU 301 can be configured to have a UI (User Interface) that fixedly displays "@" (at mark) and "." (dot), and allows alphanumeric characters to be input only in the parts of "X", "Y", and "Z". With this UI, the user can easily set the destination (email address) of the email just by setting "X, Y, Z" using the operation panel 309. Also, since there are relatively few types of alphanumeric characters below "." (dot), they can be recommended and displayed in a part of the screen of the operation panel 309 so that the user can select them. For example, the CPU 301 stores the alphanumeric characters below "." (dot) of the already registered users in the HDD 313, and can recommend and display multiple of the frequently set ones from the stored alphanumeric characters in the HDD 313 so that a new user can select them.

[0034] <Addendum> The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Configuration 1) An image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by email, determination means for determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal or not, transmission means for transmitting an email having a subject line that enables the user to identify that the execution result is abnormal to the destination based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, characterized in that the image processing apparatus comprises the same. (Configuration 2) The transmission means is characterized in that, based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an email having a subject line that enables the user to identify that the job ended in error is transmitted to the destination, according to the image processing apparatus described in Configuration 1. (Configuration 3) The transmission means based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, sends an e-mail with a subject line that allows the user to identify that the job has ended in error and the destination of the transmission job to the destination, the image processing apparatus according to Configuration 1. (Configuration 4) The transmission means based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, sends an e-mail with a subject line that allows the user to identify that the job has ended in error and the type of error to the destination, the image processing apparatus according to Configuration 1. (Configuration 5) The image processing apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, further comprising color emphasis means for automatically describing the subject line of the e-mail with color emphasis. (Configuration 6) The image processing apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, wherein the destination is an e-mail address of a mobile terminal. (Method 1) A control method for an image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by e-mail, a determination step of determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal, a transmission step of transmitting an e-mail with a subject line that allows the user to identify that the execution result is not normal to the destination based on the determination in the determination step that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, the control method for an image processing apparatus characterized by comprising. (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by e-mail, the control method a determination step of determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal, a transmission step of transmitting an e-mail with a subject line that allows the user to identify that the execution result is not normal to the destination based on the determination in the determination step that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, the program characterized by comprising.

[0035] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. For example, the present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a recording medium, and having a processor of a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. Further, the present invention can also be realized by a circuit (such as an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 201 Mail server 202 MFP 203 External device 220 Network 301 CPU 302 ROM 303 RAM 308 Operation unit controller 309 Operation panel 311 Display 312 Disk controller 313 HDD 316 MODEM 317 NCU 318 Telephone line

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by e-mail, judgment means for judging whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal or not; transmission means for transmitting an e-mail having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the execution result is not normal to the destination based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal. An image processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

2. The transmission means, characterized in that, based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an e-mail having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the job has ended in error is transmitted to the destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The transmission means, characterized in that, based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an e-mail having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the job has ended in error and the transmission destination of the transmission job is transmitted to the destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The transmission means, characterized in that, based on the determination by the determination means that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an e-mail having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the job has ended in error and the type of error is transmitted to the destination. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising color emphasis means for automatically describing the subject line of the e-mail with color emphasis.

6. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the destination is an e-mail address of a mobile terminal.

7. A control method for an image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by e-mail, a determination step of determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal or not; a transmission step of transmitting an e-mail having a subject line that allows the user to identify that the execution result is not normal to the destination based on the determination in the determination step that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal. A control method for an image processing apparatus characterized by comprising:

8. A program that causes a computer to execute a control method for an image processing apparatus that executes a transmission job and transmits the execution result of the transmission job to a set destination by e-mail, wherein the control method includes a determination step of determining whether the execution result of the transmission job is normal, and a transmission step of transmitting, based on the determination in the determination step that the execution result of the transmission job is not normal, an e-mail having a subject line that enables the user to identify that the execution result is not normal, to the destination. A program characterized by this.

Images