Image processing device, control method of image processing device and program

Abstract

To provide a mechanism which can easily submit image data generated by reading a document to an education management system.SOLUTION: An image processing device comprises: reading means which reads a document; designation means which designates an assignment; reception means which receives storage destination information indicating a storage destination of a second server corresponding to the assignment designated by the designation means from a first server; transmission means which transmits image data generated by reading the document by the reading means to the storage destination indicated by the storage destination information received by the reception means; and notification means which notifies the first server of identification information for identifying the image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional method for submitting a paper submission created by a student is to have a scanner read the paper submission, send the generated image data to a PC (personal computer), and then upload the image data from the PC to an educational management system.

[0003] This type of education management system allows students to submit assignments without having to mail them in. Furthermore, the grader can grade and provide feedback on submitted work directly from the education management system.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a method for collecting images of collected documents and updating progress status corresponding to the type of collected documents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-150782 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In conventional methods, users must first scan image data, send it to their PC, and then use the PC to upload the image data to a data management server. In particular, education management systems often have separate education management servers for managing assignment submission status and storing submitted image data. In such cases, the education management server must be able to identify the image data stored in the data management server for each assignment, allowing graders to later refer to the submissions for the assignments from the education management server.

[0007] In Patent Document 1, a document image read by a scanner is sent to a computer once, and the user must operate the computer to submit the document image.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a mechanism that allows a manuscript to be read and the generated image data to be easily submitted to an education management system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention is characterized by having a reading means for reading a document, a designation means for designating an assignment, a receiving means for receiving from a first server storage destination information indicating a storage destination on a second server corresponding to the assignment designated by the designation means, a transmitting means for transmitting image data generated by reading the document with the reading means to the storage destination indicated by the storage destination information received by the receiving means, and a notifying means for notifying the first server of identification information for identifying the image data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a manuscript can be read and the generated image data can be easily submitted to an education management system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]System configuration diagram including an image processing device according to the present invention [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an operation unit of an image forming apparatus; [Figure 4] A diagram showing the login screen of the education management system [Figure 5] Figure showing the screen when login to the education management system fails [Figure 6] An example of the screen displayed while acquiring assignments from the education management system [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting assignments to submit to the education management system [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting assignments to submit to the education management system. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a start confirmation screen for submitting an assignment to an education management system. [Figure 10] An example of the screen displayed while scanning a document [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of a screen displayed during the submission process to the education management system [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the screen displayed when the submission process to the education management system is completed [Figure 13] Sequence diagram from logging in to the education management system to displaying the assignment submission button [Figure 14] Sequence diagram from pressing the assignment submission button to completing assignment submission [Figure 15] Processing flow diagram of the image forming device for assignment submission function [Figure 16] A diagram showing the structure of data managed by the education management server [Figure 17] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a course information acquisition request [Figure 18] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a request to obtain assignment information [Figure 19] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a request to obtain assignment submission information [Figure 20] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a request to obtain submitted data storage location information [Figure 21] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a data association request [Figure 22] Processing flow diagram of the education management server when receiving a submission processing request [Figure 23] Sequence diagram when pressing the assignment print button DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0013] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system including an image forming apparatus 101, which is an example of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0015] In the system of this embodiment, an image forming apparatus 101, an education management server 104, and a data management server 105 can communicate with each other via a network 102 or the Internet 103.

[0016] The image forming apparatus 101 has a transmission function of reading an original document using a scanner, generating image data by reading the original document, and transmitting the generated image data.

[0017] The education management server 104 is a server that manages student information and assignments.

[0018] The data management server 105 is a server that stores image data and other data.

[0019] The education management server 104 and the data management server 105 are collectively called an education management system.

[0020] The image forming apparatus 101 optically scans an image on a paper document to generate image data, and transmits the generated image data to a data management server 105 via a network 102 or the Internet 103. The network 102 is not limited to a wired network, and may be a wireless network as long as it is configured to transmit image data.

[0021] The image data to be transmitted is not limited to bitmap data, but may be data (file) converted into a predetermined image format such as TIFF or JPEG, or data (file) in PDF format.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. As shown in FIG.

[0023] A control unit 110 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111 controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 101 .

[0024] The CPU 111 reads out a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112 or a storage 114, and performs various controls such as reading control, printing control, display control, and communication control.

[0025] The ROM 112 stores a control program that can be executed by the CPU 111. The ROM 112 also stores a boot program, font data, and the like.

[0026] A RAM (Random Access Memory) 113 is a main memory of the CPU 111, and is used as a work area and a temporary storage area for developing various control programs stored in the ROM 112 and storage 114.

[0027] The storage 114 stores image data, an address book, shortcuts, various programs, and various setting information. In this embodiment, the storage 114 is assumed to be a flash memory, but a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), etc. may also be used.

[0028] In the image forming apparatus 101, one CPU 111 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described below using one memory (RAM 113), but other configurations are also possible. For example, multiple CPUs, RAMs, ROMs, and storages may work together to execute each process shown in the flowcharts described below. Also, some of the processes may be executed using hardware circuits such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0029] An operation unit I / F (interface) 115 connects the operation unit 116 and the control unit 110. The operation unit 116 displays an operation screen and various information to the user and detects operations by the user. For example, the operation unit 116 is made up of a touch panel and hard keys. The touch panel has a display that functions as a display unit and a touch panel sheet that functions as an operation unit. The display is used to display the operation screen and various information. The touch panel sheet and hard keys are used to accept operations by the user.

[0030] The reading unit I / F 117 connects the reading unit 118 and the control unit 110. The reading unit 118 is a scanner that reads an image of a document and converts the image into image data such as binary data to generate image data. The image data generated by the reading unit 118 is transmitted to an external device or stored in an external recording device.

[0031] The printing unit I / F 119 connects the printing unit 120 and the control unit 110. The CPU 111 transfers image data to be printed to the printing unit 120 via the printing unit I / F 119. The printing unit 120 prints an image on a sheet such as recording paper fed from a paper feed cassette using toner supplied from a cartridge. This printing unit 120 is a print engine. The printing unit 120 can print an image based on image data generated by the reading unit 118, and can also print an image based on image data received via the network 102.

[0032] The external storage I / F 121 connects the external storage device 122 to the control unit 110. The CPU 111 saves image data in the external storage device 122 via the external storage I / F 121. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the external storage I / F 121 is a USB interface and the external storage device 122 is a USB memory. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the external storage device 122 may also be an SD card.

[0033] The control unit 110 is connected to the network 102 via a communication unit I / F 123 .

[0034] The communication unit I / F 123 connects to the data management server 105 via the network 102 and the Internet 103, and performs authentication, sending and receiving image data, and acquiring data management information. The communication unit I / F 123 also connects to the education management server 104 via the network 102 and the Internet 103, and performs authentication and sending and receiving various data.

[0035] 3 is a diagram showing the operation unit 116. The operation unit 116 is made up of a touch panel 300, hard keys 305, a Data LED 306, and an Error LED 307.

[0036] 3, a home screen is displayed. The home screen is a screen for selecting each function of the image forming apparatus 101. In the example of FIG. 3, the home screen displays buttons for each function executed by the image forming apparatus 101, such as copy, fax, scan, menu, and address book.

[0037] In the example of FIG. 3, an assignment submission function button 303 for starting the assignment submission function for submitting an assignment to the education management system is also displayed.

[0038] A hard key 305 is a key for returning a screen other than the home screen to the home screen.

[0039] The Data LED 306 and the Error LED 307 notify the user of the status of the image forming apparatus 101. The Data LED 306 lights up while the image forming apparatus 101 is executing a job, and the Error LED 307 lights up when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus 101.

[0040] Fig. 4 is an example of a screen used when accessing the education management server 104 in the assignment submission function. This screen is displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 116. On the screen of Fig. 4, the user enters a user ID 401 and a password 402 that have been registered in advance to use the education management service 104. The entered user ID 401 and password 402 are stored in RAM 113. On the screen of Fig. 4, the entered user ID is displayed, and the entered password 402 is displayed in obscured characters.

[0041] When the login button 404 is selected by touch, user authentication processing is performed in the sequence shown in Fig. 13. If the user authentication is successful, the image forming device 101 displays the screen shown in Fig. 6 on the operation unit 116 and acquires assignment information that the user can submit from the education management server 104. If the login is unsuccessful, the image forming device 101 displays the screen shown in Fig. 5 on the operation unit 116.

[0042] 6 shows a screen indicating that processing is in progress, which is displayed on the operation unit 116 while the image forming device 101 is acquiring assignment information that can be submitted by a user who has been authenticated and logged in to the image forming device 101 from the education management server 104. When the processing is completed, the image forming device 101 causes the operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG.

[0043] Fig. 7 shows an assignment submission destination selection screen that allows a user to specify which assignment to submit. Fig. 7 displays the name of the lecture (course information) to be submitted, acquired from the education management server 104, text representing the assignment name, and assignment submission button icons (objects) (702, 703, 704) to which an icon indicating the submission status has been added. Furthermore, if the submission status of an assignment is "not submitted," a not-submitted mark 707 indicating that the assignment has not been submitted is added to the icon and displayed. This not-submitted mark 707 allows the user to easily recognize which assignments have not been submitted by looking at the operation unit 116 of the image forming device 101.

[0044] If an error occurs when acquiring assignment information or if there is no assignment information that can be displayed, the image forming device 101 displays a message to that effect on the operation unit 116. The image forming device 101 also displays a screen on the operation unit 116 in which assignment submission button icons such as icons (702, 703, 704) are not displayed.

[0045] When the update button 705 is pressed, the image forming device 101 re-acquires assignment information from the education management server 104 and changes the displayed assignment submission button to match the acquired assignment information. When the "Display only unsubmitted items" button 706 is pressed, the image forming device 101 switches the screen in FIG. 7 to the screen in FIG. 8.

[0046] The screen in Fig. 8 displays the assignment submission button icon only for assignments whose submission status is "not submitted." Also, as in Fig. 7, when the submission status of an assignment is "not submitted," a not-submitted mark 808 indicating that the assignment has not been submitted is added to the icon and displayed.

[0047] The operation when the update button 805 is pressed is the same as that of the update button 705 .

[0048] When the "Show all tasks" button 806 is pressed, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the screen shown in FIG. 8 to the screen shown in FIG.

[0049] 6, 7, and 8, or returning to the home screen clears the user ID and password stored in RAM 113. If authentication fails, the screen shown in Figure 5 appears, and pressing the close button 501 returns to Figure 4.

[0050] The screen in Fig. 9 is an example of a screen that is displayed when the assignment submission button icon 802 for "Sine Theorem" linked to the "Mathematics I" course is selected. The screen in Fig. 9 displays a message prompting the user to place the original and start reading, and a start button 901 that instructs the user to start reading. Also displayed is a back button 902 for returning to Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 without starting reading.

[0051] Fig. 10 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 116 when the start key 901 is selected and the document is being read by the reading unit 118. Fig. 11 is an example of a screen displayed when the reading unit 118 has completed reading the document and the image data generated by reading the document is being submitted to the education management system.

[0052] 12 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 116 when the submission process is completed normally. When a close button 1201 is pressed, the image forming apparatus 101 changes the display to that shown in FIG.

[0053] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the sequence from when a user logs in to image forming apparatus 101 to when an assignment registration button is displayed on operation unit 116. The processing of image forming apparatus 101 in Fig. 13 is performed by CPU 111 reading a program stored in ROM 112 into RAM 113 and executing it. The processing of education management server 104 in Fig. 13 is performed by the CPU of education management server 104 reading a program stored in ROM of education management server 104 into RAM of education management server 104 and executing it.

[0054] In order to access the education management server 104 using the image forming apparatus 101, the user presses the assignment submission function button 303 on the operation unit 116 of the image forming apparatus 101 (S1301).

[0055] The CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays the system login screen of FIG. 4 on the operation unit 116 (S1302).

[0056] The user enters a user ID 401 and a password 402 on the system login screen of FIG. 4, and when the entry is complete, presses a login button 404 (S1303).

[0057] When the login button 404 is pressed, the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 notifies the education management server 104 of a token request including the user ID and password received from the user (S1304).

[0058] The education management server 104 compares the user ID and password of each user registered in advance with a list, and authenticates the user. If the user ID and password of the token request are in the list, authentication based on the user ID and password of the token request is successful. On the other hand, if the user ID and password of the token request are not in the list, authentication based on the user ID and password of the token request fails. Then, the education management server 104 notifies the image forming apparatus 101 of the authentication result in a token request response (S1305).

[0059] The CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives the token request response (S1305) and causes the operation unit 116 to display a screen corresponding to the authentication result included in the token request response (S1306). That is, if the authentication result is unsuccessful, the CPU 111 causes the operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG. 5. On the other hand, if the authentication result is successful, the CPU 111 stores the access token in the token request response in the storage 114 of the image forming apparatus 101 in association with the user ID of the authenticated user, and causes the operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG. 6. Then, the image forming apparatus 101 transmits a course information acquisition request to the education management server 104 using the access token stored in the storage 114 (S1307). This course information acquisition request requests the acquisition of currently valid course information using the user ID and the access token.

[0060] The education management server 104 returns a course information response to the image forming device 101 in response to the course information acquisition request (S1308). The course information response includes course information indicating the currently valid course from the list of course information to which the user identified by the user ID corresponding to the transmitted access token belongs in accordance with the course information acquisition request. The course information response includes zero or more course information. In this embodiment, the course information includes information on the "course ID" and "course name."

[0061] After acquiring the course information, the image processing apparatus 101 further transmits a request to acquire assignment information for each course to the education management server 104 using each course ID (S1309).

[0062] In response to the assignment information acquisition request, the education management server 104 returns a list of assignment information linked to each course ID to the image forming device 101 (S1310). The assignment information response includes zero or more pieces of assignment information. In this embodiment, the assignment information includes an "assignment ID" and an "assignment name." After acquiring the assignment information, the image processing device 101 further requests acquisition of assignment submission information for each assignment using the respective "course ID," "assignment ID," and "user ID" (S1311).

[0063] In response to the assignment information acquisition request, the education management server 104 transmits assignment submission information identified by the "course ID," "assignment ID," and "user ID" (S1312).

[0064] The assignment submission information includes an "assignment submission information ID" and a "submission status." The CPU 111 of the image forming device 101 associates the "course ID," "course name," "assignment ID," "assignment name," "assignment submission information ID," and "submission status" with the assignment submission button as assignment submission button information and stores them in the storage 114. Furthermore, the image processing device 101 causes the operation unit 116 to display the screens shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 based on the acquired "course name," "assignment name," and "submission status" (S1313).

[0065] Specifically, the CPU 111 displays a button with the acquired "assignment name" on the operation unit 116 for each assignment. In FIG. 7, a button icon 702 with the name of the assignment "Mathematics I Sine Theorem," a button icon 703 with the name "Modern Japanese A April," and a button icon 704 with the name "English Home Study" are displayed. The user selects the button icon of the assignment they wish to submit from among these button icons. Furthermore, when displaying the button icons, the CPU 111 displays the button icons for the acquired assignments whose "submission status" is "not submitted" by adding an unsubmitted mark 707 to the button icon, indicating that the assignment has not been submitted.

[0066] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a sequence when a user presses an assignment submission button and performs processing from reading a manuscript to submitting an assignment to education management server 104. The processing of image forming apparatus 101 in Fig. 14 is performed by CPU 111 reading a program stored in ROM 112 into RAM 113 and executing it. The processing of education management server 104 in Fig. 14 is performed by the CPU of education management server 104 reading a program stored in ROM of education management server 104 into RAM of education management server 104 and executing it. The processing of data management server 105 in Fig. 14 is performed by the CPU of data management server 105 reading a program stored in ROM of data management server 105 into RAM of data management server 105 and executing it.

[0067] The user selects the assignment submission button (one of the buttons 702 to 704 and 802 to 803) (S1401).

[0068] When the assignment submission button is selected, the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays the confirmation screen shown in Fig. 9 on the operation unit 116 (S1402). The confirmation screen in Fig. 9 includes a message prompting the user to place the original document and a start button 901.

[0069] In FIG. 9, when the user presses the start button 901 (S1403), the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 causes the reading unit 118 to start reading the document, and causes the operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG. 10 (S1404).

[0070] 11 on the operation unit 116 (S1405). Furthermore, the image processing device 101 uses the course ID and user ID associated with the pressed assignment submission button to request the education management server 104 to obtain storage location information for the submitted data, which is a data storage area managed by the data management server 105 (S1406).

[0071] The education management server 104 returns, as a response, information on the storage location (URL) of the submitted data corresponding to the course ID and user ID included in the received acquisition request (S1407).

[0072] The image processing apparatus 101 uploads the scanned image data to the submission data storage destination obtained from the acquired submission data storage destination information (S1408).

[0073] The data management server 105 stores the received image data in association with identification information (file ID) that uniquely identifies the image data, and returns the data storage result and the file ID to the image forming apparatus 101 (S1409).

[0074] When the image forming apparatus 101 receives the file ID from the data management server, it transmits the "assignment submission information ID" and "file ID" to the education management server 104 and requests the education management server 104 to associate the assignment submission information with the file ID (S1410). By executing the association process, the education management server 104 can recognize which file ID in the data management server 105 corresponds to which file of assignment submission information. As a result, later, for example, a grader can access the education management server 104 from the education management server using a PC or the like and specify an assignment, and the education management server 104 can retrieve and display the submissions for that assignment, allowing the grader to easily refer to the submissions.

[0075] The education management server 104 executes a process of associating the assignment submission information with the file ID, and returns the result (S1411).

[0076] The image forming apparatus 101 further uses the "course ID," "assignment ID," and "assignment submission information ID" to make a submission processing request to the education management server 104 (S1412).

[0077] When the education management server 104 receives the submission processing request, it changes the assignment submission information to a submitted state, which allows users with teacher's authority in each course to access the file ID associated with the assignment.

[0078] When the submission process is completed, the education management server 104 returns the submission process result as a response to the image forming apparatus 101 (S1413). When the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives the submission process result, it causes the operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG. 12 (S1414).

[0079] 16 shows a data structure related to the present invention managed by the education management server 104. The education management server 104 has multiple pieces of course information 1601. Each piece of course information 1601 is linked to multiple pieces of assignment information 1602, assignment submission information 1603, course student information 1604, and course instructor information (not shown).

[0080] The course information 1601 is information for each educational course, such as a "mathematics course" or an "English course." The course information 1601 includes a course ID that uniquely identifies the course, the course name, and course status information that indicates the status of the course.

[0081] Assignment information 1602 is information for each assignment, such as "Mathematics I Sine Theorem" or "Modern Japanese A April." Assignment information 1602 includes a course ID for identifying which course the assignment belongs to, an assignment ID for uniquely identifying the assignment, the type of assignment data, the file storage location for the assignment data, the file ID for the assignment data, and assignment status information.

[0082] The assignment submission information 1603 is information about the submission of an assignment by each student that can be identified from the assignment information and student information. The assignment submission information 1603 includes the course ID, assignment ID, assignment name, user ID, and assignment submission status.

[0083] The course student information 1604 is information about students belonging to each course. The course information 1604 includes the course ID, the user ID, and storage location information for submitted data.

[0084] Fig. 15 is a processing flow diagram of the assignment submission function in the image forming apparatus 101. The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 15 is performed by the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 112 into the RAM 113 and executing it. The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 15 starts when the assignment submission button 303 in Fig. 3 is pressed.

[0085] In S1502, the CPU 111 checks whether or not the user has already logged in to the education management system 104. If the user has not already logged in, in S1501 the CPU 111 displays the login screen of Fig. 4 on the operation unit 106 and performs the user authentication process shown in S1303 to S1305 of Fig. 13.

[0086] If the user has already logged in, in S1503 the CPU 111 performs the assignment information acquisition process described in Fig. 13. Specifically, the CPU 111 sequentially makes a course information acquisition request (S1307), an assignment information acquisition request (S1309), and an assignment submission information acquisition request (S1311) to the education management server 104. The assignment submission information acquisition request (S1311) is executed sequentially for all assignment IDs acquired in the assignment information acquisition request (S1309).

[0087] Here, the processing on the education management server 104 side when each request is made will be explained.

[0088] Fig. 17 shows the processing flow in the education management server 104 when the education management server 104 receives a course information acquisition request (S1307). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 17 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it.

[0089] The course information acquisition request (S1307) sent from the image processing apparatus 101 includes the user ID.

[0090] When the education management server 104 receives the course information acquisition request (S1307), it returns currently valid course information from among the course information to which the received user ID belongs to the image processing apparatus 101 (S1701).

[0091] Fig. 18 shows the processing flow when the education management server 104 receives an assignment information acquisition request (S1309). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 18 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 by reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it.

[0092] The assignment information acquisition request (S1307) sent from the image processing apparatus 101 includes the course ID.

[0093] When the education management server 104 receives the assignment information acquisition request (S1307), it returns assignment information with an assignment status of "valid" from among the assignment information to which the received course ID belongs to to the image processing apparatus 101 (S1801).

[0094] Fig. 19 shows the processing flow when the education management server 104 receives an assignment submission information acquisition request (S1311). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 19 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 by reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it.

[0095] The assignment submission information acquisition request (S1311) sent from the image processing device 101 includes the course ID, user ID, and assignment ID. When the education management server 104 receives the assignment submission information acquisition request (S1311), it returns assignment submission information identified from the received course ID, user ID, and assignment ID to the image processing device 101 (S1901).

[0096] Returning to the description of the flowchart in Fig. 15, when the assignment information acquisition process is completed in S1503, CPU 111 causes operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in Fig. 7 or 8 based on the assignment submission information received in S1312 (S1504).

[0097] When the assignment submission button is pressed in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 (YES in S1505), CPU 111 causes operation unit 116 to display the screen shown in FIG. 9 (S1506).

[0098] In FIG. 9, when the start button 901 is pressed (YES in S1507), the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 101 causes the reading unit 118 to start reading the document. The reading settings for reading the document may be default settings of single-sided, 600 dpi x 300 dpi, and color reading, or may be set in advance by the user via the operation unit 116 as settings to be used when the assignment submission button 303 is pressed. Then, the CPU 111 converts the image data generated by reading the document into a predetermined format to create submission data (S1508). The predetermined format is, for example, PDF. The predetermined format may be set in advance via the operation unit 116. In addition, in S1508, predetermined meta information may be added to the image data, or the resolution may be converted. In addition, once the image data is generated, the CPU 111 executes a submission process (S1509).

[0099] In the submission process (S1509), the request for obtaining information on the storage location of submitted data (S1405), the submission data upload (S1407), the data association request (S1409), and the submission process request (S1411) are executed, as described in FIG. 14. Furthermore, if the submission status of the assignment already included in the assignment submission information is "Submitted," a submission status change request (not shown) is sent to the education management server 104 before the submission data upload (S1407) is executed. Upon receiving the submission status change request, the education management server 104 deletes the teacher user's access permission to the registered submitted data for the assignment submission information identified by the course ID, assignment ID, and user ID included in the received submission status change request. The education management server 104 then grants the student user write permission. The submission status of the assignment in the assignment submission information 1603 is changed to "Not Submitted."

[0100] Fig. 20 shows the processing flow when the education management server 104 receives a request to obtain information on where to store submitted data (S1405). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 20 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 by reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it. The request to obtain information on where to store submitted data (S1405) notified from the image processing device 101 includes the course ID and the user ID.

[0101] When the education management server 104 receives a request to acquire information on the storage location of submitted data (S1405), it returns student information 1604 of the course identified from the received course ID and user ID to the image processing apparatus 101 (S2001).

[0102] The image processing device 101 refers to the storage destination information of the submitted data included in the course student information 1604. Based on the storage destination information of the submitted data, the image processing device 101 uploads the submitted data to the submitted data storage destination managed by the data management server 105 (S1408).

[0103] When the data management server 105 completes the storage process of the submitted data, it returns a submitted data upload result (S1408) to the image processing device 101. The submitted data upload result (S1408) includes file ID information, which is an ID that manages the management of the submitted data on the data management server.

[0104] Fig. 21 shows the processing flow when the education management server 104 receives a data association request (S1409). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 21 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 by reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it.

[0105] When the education management server 104 receives the data association request (S1409), it registers the received file ID information in the assignment submission information 1603 identified from the received course ID, assignment ID, and user ID (S2101). Furthermore, it returns the assignment submission information 1603 after registering the file ID information to the image processing device 101 (S2102).

[0106] Fig. 22 shows the processing flow when the education management server 104 receives a submission processing request (S1411). The processing shown in the flowchart in Fig. 22 is performed by the CPU of the education management server 104 by reading a program stored in the ROM of the education management server 104 into the RAM of the education management server 104 and executing it.

[0107] The data association request (S1411) sent from the image processing apparatus 101 includes the course ID, assignment ID, and user ID.

[0108] When the education management server 104 receives the data association request (S1411), it changes the submission status of the assignment in the assignment submission information 1603 identified from the received course ID, assignment ID, and user ID to "Submitted" (S2201). It also requests the data management server 104 to change the access rights for the submitted data registered in the assignment submission information 1603, making the submitted data unwritable but viewable by users with the instructor ID of the course (S2202).

[0109] In S2023, the image forming apparatus 101 is notified of the processing result information, including whether the processing was successful or unsuccessful, and if unsuccessful, information indicating the cause of the failure (S1412, S2203). In the case of failure, the assignment submission information and access rights to the submitted data changed in S2201 and S2202 are returned to the state before the processing in S2201 started.

[0110] In the submission result display process (S1510), if the submission process result received from the education management server 104 in S1412 is successful, the CPU 111 of the image forming device 101 displays the screen of Figure 12 on the operation unit 116, and if it is unsuccessful, displays a screen indicating failure on the operation unit 116.

[0111] By performing the above-described process, the manuscript can be read and the generated image data can be easily submitted to the education management system.

[0112] It is also possible to use such an image forming device 101 to download and print assignments stored in the education management server 104. In this case, an assignment printing function button may be displayed on the home screen of the image forming device 101 shown in Fig. 3, and the assignment may be printed by pressing the assignment printing function button.

[0113] Fig. 23 is a sequence diagram of operations performed when an assignment printing function button (not shown) displayed on operation unit 116 is pressed. The processing of image forming device 101 in Fig. 23 is performed by CPU 111 reading a program stored in ROM 112 into RAM 113 and executing it. The processing of education management server 104 in Fig. 23 is performed by the CPU of education management server 104 reading a program stored in ROM of education management server 104 into RAM of education management server 104 and executing it. The processing of data management server 105 in Fig. 23 is performed by the CPU of data management server 105 reading a program stored in ROM of data management server 105 into RAM of data management server 105 and executing it.

[0114] The processing in S2302 to S2312 is the same as that in S1302 to S1312 shown in FIG. 13, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0115] The image processing device 101 determines whether the assignment can be printed based on the assignment type included in the assignment information acquired from the education management server in S2309 and S2310. If the assignment can be printed, the CPU 111 causes the operation unit 116 to display a screen with an assignment print button icon that instructs printing of the assignment based on the "course name," "assignment name," and "submission status" acquired from the education management server 104 (S2313).

[0116] When the user presses the assignment print button icon (S2314), the CPU 111 acquires the assignment file storage location information and assignment file ID included in the assignment information acquired from the education management server in S2309 and S2310. The image forming device 101 then receives print assignment data identified by the acquired assignment file storage location information and assignment file ID from the data management server 105 (S2315, S2316). Upon receiving the print assignment data, the image processing device 101 prints the assignment based on the received print assignment data (S2317).

[0117] By performing such processing, the user can easily print the assignment he or she wants to print by operating the image forming device 101.

[0118] <Other embodiments> In this embodiment, the course information and assignment information are acquired without the user having to make a selection, and multiple button icons are displayed, allowing the user to select a submission destination from the displayed icons. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a step-by-step selection format may be adopted, in which the user is prompted to select course information, only assignment information for the selected course is received, and the user is then prompted to select assignment information from the received assignment information.

[0119] In addition, in this embodiment, the education management server 104 and the data management server 105 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via the Internet 103, but they may also be configured to be placed on the same network as the image forming device 101, and this is not limited to this embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] 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 device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 101 Image forming device 104 Education Management Server 105 Data Management Server 111 CPU 112 ROM 113 RAM 114 Storage 118 Reading unit

Claims

1. reading means for reading an original; A designation means for designating an issue; a receiving means for receiving, from the first server, storage location information indicating a storage location in the second server corresponding to the assignment designated by the designation means; a transmitting means for transmitting image data generated by reading the document by the reading means to a storage destination indicated by the storage destination information received by the receiving means; and notifying means for notifying the first server of identification information for identifying the image data.

2. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means receives identification information for identifying the image data from the second server and notifies the first server of the identification information.

3. The system further includes an acquisition means for acquiring assignment information, 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the designation unit designates the assignment based on assignment information acquired by the acquisition unit.

4. The system further includes a display unit that displays an object for each assignment based on the assignment information acquired by the acquisition unit, 4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the designation means designates the task from among the objects for each task.

5. The acquiring means further acquires assignment submission information indicating whether or not the assignment has been submitted; 5. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the display means is capable of displaying objects corresponding to unsubmitted assignments and objects corresponding to submitted assignments based on the assignment submission information acquired by the acquisition means.

6. 6. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein the display means displays, based on the assignment submission information, information that enables a user to recognize that the assignment has not been submitted together with an object corresponding to the assignment that has not been submitted.

7. 7. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is capable of displaying objects corresponding to the unsubmitted assignments without displaying objects corresponding to the submitted assignments.

8. a requesting means for requesting authentication of a user; 8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition unit acquires assignment information corresponding to an authenticated user based on a request from the request unit.

9. Further comprising a printing means, 9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving assignment data for printing an assignment selected by a user from the second server; and causing the printing means to print the assignment data.

10. a reading step of reading a document; a designation step of designating an issue; a receiving step of receiving, from the first server, storage location information indicating a storage location on the second server corresponding to the assignment designated in the designation step; a transmitting step of transmitting image data generated by reading the document in the reading step to a storage destination indicated by the storage destination information received in the receiving step; a notification step of notifying the first server of identification information that identifies the image data.

11. 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the notifying step, identification information for identifying the image data is received from the second server and notified to the first server.

12. The method further includes an acquisition step of acquiring assignment information, 12. The method of controlling an image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein in the designation step, the assignment is designated based on the assignment information acquired in the acquisition step.

13. a display step of displaying an object for each assignment based on the assignment information acquired in the acquisition step; 13. The control method for an image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the assignment step includes specifying the assignment from among objects for each assignment.

14. In the acquiring step, assignment submission information indicating whether or not the assignment has been submitted is acquired, The control method for an image processing device according to claim 13, characterized in that in the display process, objects corresponding to unsubmitted assignments and objects corresponding to submitted assignments can be displayed based on the assignment submission information acquired in the acquisition process.

15. The control method for an image processing device according to claim 14, characterized in that the display step displays information that allows the user to recognize that the assignment has not been submitted, along with an object corresponding to the unsubmitted assignment, based on the assignment submission information.

16. 16. The control method for an image processing device according to claim 14, wherein the display step is capable of displaying an object corresponding to the unsubmitted assignment without displaying an object corresponding to the submitted assignment.

17. a request step for requesting authentication of a user; 17. The method of claim 12, wherein the acquiring step acquires assignment information corresponding to a user authenticated based on the request made in the requesting step.

18. 18. The control method for an image processing device according to claim 10, further comprising a printing step of receiving assignment data for printing an assignment selected by a user from the second server and printing the assignment data.

19. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method for an image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

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