Program for extending generic scanning software, control method for information processing device, and information processing device

Abstract

To solve the problem in which standard generic scanning software could not utilize functions specific to a scanning vendor.SOLUTION: A program supports functions of general-purpose scanning software commonly usable with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers. When a feeder is designated as a document reading source in an information processing apparatus, a display screen for accepting a setting of mixed document sizes during reading is presented, and a reading instruction is output to the image reading device to execute scanning in accordance with the setting accepted via the display screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program for extending general-purpose scan software, a control method for an information processing apparatus, and an information processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] A known configuration uses a scan driver installed on a host computer as software for controlling the scanning device, and issues scanning instructions to a scanning device connected to the host computer. An operating system (OS), which is the basic software, is installed on the host computer, and the scan driver is configured according to the specifications defined by the OS and runs when called by the OS. By providing a scan driver that conforms to the OS specifications, a vendor (manufacturer) that provides a scanning device can provide a means for issuing scanning instructions to the scanning device using the OS. In recent years, Windows® has begun to provide standard class drivers (hereinafter referred to as "standard drivers") that can be used across scanning devices from multiple vendors. Such standard drivers are included in the OS package and can be easily used by connecting any scanning device to a host computer. This eliminates the need to separately install a model-specific scan driver suited to the scanning device, providing greater convenience. Furthermore, standard drivers are expected to be configured to allow users to specify scanning functions based on scan function information generated based on information acquired from the connected scanning device. This allows users of a standard driver to specify scanning functions appropriate to the capabilities of the connected scanning device, even while using a single standard driver. However, this is limited to functions that can be implemented by the standard driver alone, and does not allow users to specify scanning vendor-specific functions. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a program that expands the printing function of general-purpose software. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-033526 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, a scanner's mixed document size function is a function of the scan driver unique to the scanning device vendor. This function allows the scanner to simultaneously read multiple documents of different sizes when scanning using a feeder, and generates scanned image data according to the size of each scanned document. Using this function, multiple documents can be scanned without having to be rearranged in the feeder for each size, and image data of the appropriate size can be obtained. However, when using the standard driver, the mixed document size function cannot be used, and the user must reposition the document for each size when scanning documents of different sizes. The present invention aims to provide a software environment that enables functionality not available in standard general-purpose scanning software. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. This program supports the functions of general-purpose scanning software that can be used in common with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers, and when a feeder is specified in the information processing device as the destination for reading documents, it displays a display screen that accepts settings for mixed document sizes at the time of reading, and outputs reading instructions to the image reading device that performs the scan in accordance with the settings accepted on the display screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a software environment that enables functionality not available in standard general-purpose scanning software. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] System configuration diagram of the entire system in the embodiment [Figure 2] Configuration diagram of scanning software in an embodiment [Figure 3] Display screens of the scan application, general-purpose scan software, and extended application in the first embodiment [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of a scan application, general-purpose scan software, and an extension application according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Capability table of the scanning device, general-purpose scanning software, and extended application in the first embodiment [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a scan process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an extension application according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a scanning device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a scan process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a scan process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an extension application according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0009] [Embodiment 1] Scanning system hardware configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the scan system. (host computer) The host computer 101 is an example of an information processing device, and includes an input interface 110, a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, an external storage device 114, an output interface 115, and an input / output interface 116. Input devices such as a keyboard 118 and a pointing device 117 are connected to the input interface 110, and display devices such as a display unit 119 are connected to the output interface 115. The NETIF 120 is a network interface that controls data transfer between the host computer 101 and external devices via a network. The ROM 112 stores an initialization program. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory when various programs stored in the external storage device 114 are executed, and enables the various programs to run within the host computer 101 . The external storage device 114 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The external storage device 114 stores a group of application programs, an operating system (OS), and various other data. In this embodiment, the CPU 111 reads the code of the program stored in the ROM 112. By performing processing according to the code, the host computer 101 can perform the functions and The process according to the flowchart described below is executed.

[0010] (scanning device) The scanning device 102, which is a device, is an example of an image reading device, and is connected to the host computer 101 via an input / output interface 198 of the scanning device 102 and an input / output interface 116 of the host computer 101. The input / output interface 198 of the scanning device 102, which is an image reading device, and the input / output interface 116 of the host computer 101 may be connected via a wired network or a wireless network. The scanning device 102 includes a CPU 191 , a ROM 192 , a RAM 193 , an operation unit 194 , a reading unit 195 , a printing unit 196 , a NETIF 197 , and an input / output interface 198 . The CPU 191 controls the entire scanning device 102 . The ROM 192 is a memory that stores programs. The RAM 193 is a memory that temporarily stores programs and image data. The reading unit 195 is a scanner that reads an image of a document. The printing unit 196 prints an image on a sheet based on image data. Note that the printing unit 196 is not essential. The NETIF 197 is a network interface that controls data transfer between external devices via a network. The image processing unit 190 performs various image editing processes on input image data. Here, the host computer 101 and the scanning device 102 are configured as separate devices, but they may also be configured as a single information processing device. A reading setting screen and a detailed setting screen, which will be described later, are displayed on the display unit 119. In this embodiment, an electrophotographic digital multifunction peripheral having multiple functions such as copying, printing, and faxing will be described as an example of the scanning device. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and can also be applied to devices using other processes, such as inkjet printing, or scanners that only read images. The host computer 101 may also be a desktop computer, a smartphone, or a laptop computer.

[0011] Scanning system software configuration The software configuration of the scan system is shown in Figure 2. The software configuration in Figure 2 is stored in the external storage device 114 in Figure 1. Here, the scan system will be described assuming that the host computer 101 is equipped with Microsoft Windows 11 as its operating system. The OS includes (combined with) general-purpose scan software 202, and the general-purpose scan software 202 becomes available when the OS is installed on the host computer 101. FIG. 2( a ) illustrates a typical configuration where an extension application 204 is not associated with general-purpose scanning software 202 and scanning device 102 . FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a configuration in which an extension application 204 is associated with general-purpose scan software 202 and a scan device 102. As shown in FIG.

[0012] (without extended applications) First, the configuration of the scan system when the extended application 204 is not associated will be described with reference to FIG. The scan application 201 is software that imports scanned content (image data). For example, it is a document creation application or an image editing application. When the scan application 201 receives a scan request from a user, it issues a scan instruction to the OS. The scan instruction includes scan setting information for instructing the operation of the general-purpose scan software 202 and the scan device 102. To execute a scan instruction, the scan application 201 can display a scan setting screen provided by the general-purpose scan software 202, the OS, or the scan application 201. When the advanced settings button on the scan setting screen is pressed, the general-purpose scan software 202 additionally displays an advanced setting screen. The scan setting screen and the advanced setting screen will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The advanced setting screen includes setting items (hereinafter referred to as "control items") indicating configurable scan functions and control items indicating their setting values ​​according to the capability information (configurable information) of the general-purpose scan software 202. The general-purpose scan software 202 determines the scan capabilities based on the scan function information 203. The scan function information 203 is data indicating all configurable scan functions, their setting values, and the exclusive relationships between the setting values. The scan function information 203 is included in a configuration file of the general-purpose scan software 202 and stored in the external storage device 114 as an unmodifiable file. Alternatively, the scan function information 203 can be dynamically generated by the general-purpose scan software 202. Specifically, the general-purpose scan software 202 or the OS can be configured to acquire scan device attribute data from the scan device 102 and generate the scan function information 203 based on the attribute information in the acquired attribute data. Note that when the scan function information 203 is dynamically generated, the generated scan function information 203 is editable. Note that the scan device attribute data acquired from the scan device 102 includes attribute information indicating the functions (scan device capabilities) that can be specified by the scan device 102 and the setting values ​​related to the attribute information. This information is stored in the RAM 113.

[0013] With this configuration, the general-purpose scanning software 202 can be configured to allow the user to specify the scan functions available for each connected scanning device 102. That is, even when scanning devices with different functions or developed by different vendors are connected, the general-purpose scanning software 202 can be configured to allow the user to specify the scan functions available for the connected scanning device. The vendor may be the manufacturer of the scanning device 102. Note that the general-purpose scanning software 202 here is a standard class driver that performs scanning based on a standard scanning protocol called Mopria. The general-purpose scanning software 202 acquires capability information of the scanning device 102, which is the connected image reading device, and generates scan function information 203 based on that information so that the user can specify the scan functions supported by the connected scanning device 102. However, the general-purpose scanning software 202 does not support a mixed-size document function. This is because the mixed-size document function is a function unique to the scanning device vendor (scanning device manufacturer).

[0014] [Mixed document size function] The mixed document size function allows the scanner to simultaneously read multiple documents of different sizes when scanning using a feeder, and generates scanned image data according to the size of each scanned document. Using this function, multiple documents can be scanned without having to be rearranged in the feeder for each size, and image data of the appropriate size can be obtained. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the setting is selected from three patterns: mixed load OFF, mixed load ON (originals of the same width), and mixed load ON (originals of different widths), but the setting of this function is not limited to this method. Depending on the characteristics of the feeder, a pattern that allows only specific original sizes to be mixed (for example, LTR / LGL mixed loading, which allows only letter (LTR) size and legal (LGL) size to be mixed) may also be used. Also, only two patterns, mixed load OFF and mixed load ON (originals of the same width), may be set.

[0015] (Extended applications available) Next, the configuration of the scan system when the extended application 204 is associated will be described with reference to Fig. 2(b). Note that configurations and processes not specifically mentioned below are the same as those in Fig. 2(a).

[0016] The extension application 204 is software for extending or supporting the functions of the general-purpose scan software 202, and is not pre-installed (not bundled) with the OS. Therefore, the user must operate the host computer 101 to download and install the extension application 204 from a server via the Internet. Alternatively, the extension application 204 may be automatically installed when the scanning device 102 is connected to the host computer 101. Specifically, when the scanning device 102 is connected to the host computer 101, the OS acquires device identification information from the scanning device 102. The OS may download and install the extension application 204 corresponding to the acquired device identification information from a server via the Internet. In other words, the general-purpose scan software 202 and the extension application 204 are stored in the host computer 101 as separate files. The general-purpose scanning software 202 and the extension application 204 may be updated and upgraded, but these update processes are also performed at different times. That is, the timing at which the host computer 101 acquires the general-purpose scanning software 202 is different from the timing at which the extension application 204 is acquired. Furthermore, the trigger at which the host computer 101 acquires the general-purpose scanning software 202 is different from the trigger at which the extension application 204 is acquired. When the extension application 204 is installed, the OS associates the extension application 204 with the general-purpose scanning software 202 and the scanning device 102.

[0017] The extension application 204 described in this embodiment includes a scan setting screen extension unit 205, a scan function extension unit 206, an image data editing unit 207, and a notification unit 209. The extension application 204 also includes shared information 208 that can be commonly accessed by each unit. The shared information 208 is actually a file saved in the external storage device 114 or information stored in the RAM 113. The extension application 204 writes and reads information to and from the shared information 208 by using an API (Application Program Interface) provided by the OS. The extension application 204 may terminate its operation each time the processing of each unit is completed. In this case, the OS will start the extension application 204 each time it receives a request to use each unit. Furthermore, the extension application 204 may cancel the processing of each unit during processing. If the processing is canceled, the job being processed is deleted by the OS. When the scan application 201 receives a scan request from a user, it issues a scan instruction to the OS. In this configuration, as in the configuration of FIG. 2(a), the scan application 201 can display a scan setting screen. In this configuration, a detailed setting screen provided by the extension application 204 is displayed. Specifically, a detailed setting screen provided by the scan setting screen extension unit 205 included in the extension application 204 is displayed. In addition, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 can save the detailed settings set by the user in the shared information 208.

[0018] The image data editing unit 207 acquires image data from the scanning device 102 and performs editing. The scan data editing unit 207 acquires detailed setting information from the shared information 208 and performs image editing on the image data according to the detailed settings. The extension application 204 may also be configured to acquire image data acquired by the general-purpose scanning software 202 and perform image editing on the image data according to the detailed settings. Also, even in the configuration of FIG. 2(b), there are cases where the user does not configure mixed document size settings. In that case, as in the configuration of FIG. 2(a), the general-purpose scanning software 202 may issue a scan request instruction to the scanning device 102 without going through the extension application 204. The scan function extension unit 206 can edit the scan function information 203 generated by the general-purpose scan software 202 or the OS. This allows the scan function extension unit 206 to add functions provided by the extension application 204. The scan function extension unit 206 can also add functions that are supported by the scanning device 102 but not by the general-purpose scan software 202 (such as a mixed document size function), and add exclusive relationships between scan function setting values. The OS starts the scan function extension unit 206 when the extension application 204 is first associated with the scanning device 102 and the general-purpose scan software 202. Furthermore, the OS may start the scan function extension unit 206 at other times, such as when the OS starts up.

[0019] The notification unit 209 can display a notification to the user in response to an error occurring in the scanning device 102. For example, if a reading jam error occurs in the scanning device 102, the general-purpose scanning software 202 detects it, and the OS uses a notification function of the OS called a toast notification to display a message on the display unit 119. When the user presses this toast notification, the OS calls the notification unit 209 of the extension application 204, and the UI screen of the notification unit 209 is displayed. The UI screen of the notification unit 209 can display, for example, a detailed message of the scan jam error and a method for clearing the jam. Furthermore, the configuration of the extension application 204 for realizing this embodiment is not limited to one having all of the above-mentioned functions (units), but may also have only some of the functions or other functions. The extension application 204 may also be simply called scan software. As described above, the extension application 204 can be said to have at least one of the following functions: The first function is to display a settings screen (scan setting screen extension unit 205); the second function is to edit image data according to detailed settings (image data editing unit 207); the third function is to extend the functions that can be specified in the image data generation software (scan function extension unit 206); and the fourth function is to display a screen in response to the occurrence of an error in the scan device 102 (notification unit 209).

[0020] [Example of scan settings screen / detailed settings screen] Next, examples of the scan setting screen and the advanced setting screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3(a) is a scan setting screen displayed by the scan application 201. FIG. 3(b) is a advanced setting screen displayed in a configuration in which the extended application 204 shown in FIG. 2(a) is not included. FIG. 3(c) is a advanced setting screen displayed in a configuration in which the extended application 204 shown in FIG. 2(b) is included. Note that the units and modules that display the scan setting screen are not limited to those described above. For example, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 may be configured to only generate a display screen. In this case, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 transmits the generated display screen to the scan application 201 via the general-purpose scan software 202. The scan application 201 may be configured to display the acquired display screen.

[0021] [Scan Settings Screen (Scan Application)] The scan setting screen displayed by the scan application is shown in FIG. 3(a). The control 301 has various objects that allow the user to set the scanner to which image data will be scanned (the scanner to be used for reading). Control 302 is a detailed settings button, and when control 302 is pressed, an additional scan screen is displayed by the general-purpose scan software 202 or the scan settings screen extension unit 205. Control 303 is a button to start the scan, and control 304 is a button to cancel the scan.

[0022] [Advanced Settings Screen (General-Purpose Scanning Software)] The advanced settings screen displayed by the general-purpose scan software is shown in Figure 3(b). The advanced settings screen in Figure 3(b) is an additional settings screen displayed by the general-purpose scan software 202 when the extension application 204 is not present. Control 305 allows the user to set the reading destination, and indicates that a feeder has been selected. Control 306 is a settings end button, and pressing control 306 returns the user to the scan settings screen in Figure 3(a).

[0023] [Advanced Settings Screen (Extended Applications)] Next, the detailed setting screen displayed by the scan setting screen extension unit is shown in Figure 3(c). The detailed settings screen in Fig. 3(c) is an additional settings screen displayed by the scan settings screen extension unit 205 when the extension application 204 is present. Unlike Fig. 3(b), a control 307 and a list 308 have been added. A control 307 is a button for selecting the mixed document size setting of the scanner, and it shows that "ON (documents of the same width)" is selected. List 308 is displayed when control 307 is pressed, and shows the setting values ​​for the mixed document size setting. List 308 shows that in addition to the currently selected "ON (documents of the same width)," there are also setting values ​​of "OFF" (= mixed document size not performed) and "ON (documents of different widths)." By selecting the desired mixed document size setting from list 308, the user can switch the mixed document size function and perform scanning. In FIG. 3(c), as shown by control 305, the scan destination is a feeder, so the mixed document size setting can be set to anything other than "OFF." However, if a scan destination other than a feeder, such as a platen, is selected, the mixed document size setting can only be set to "OFF." This is because the mixed document size function is only possible with a feeder that automatically feeds multiple documents. For this reason, if a scan destination other than a feeder is selected, control 307 and list 308 in FIG. 3(c) are displayed, but settings other than "OFF" in list 308 are grayed out and cannot be selected (not shown).

[0024] Here, we will explain why the scan setting items differ between Figures 3(b) and 3(c). The advanced setting screen is generated by referring to the scan capabilities generated based on the scan function information. However, because the general-purpose scan software 202 does not support the mixed-size document function, it cannot add the mixed-size document function to the scan function information. Even if the mixed-size document function was originally included in the scan function information, the general-purpose scan software 202 cannot interpret the mixed-size document function included in the scan function information, and therefore cannot display the mixed-size document setting on the advanced setting screen. However, the scan function extension unit 206 is configured to add the mixed-size document function to the scan function information 203, and the scan setting screen extension unit 205 is configured to display the advanced setting screen by referring to the scan capabilities. With these configurations, the extension application 204 can display the mixed-size document setting on the advanced setting screen. Note that Figure 3(c) may also include additional extension functions other than the mixed-size document function.

[0025] Editing scan function information 4, a process flow in which the scan function extension unit 206 edits the scan function information 203 will be described. Each step is realized by the CPU 111 executing each unit read from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113.

[0026] First, in S401, the scan function extension unit 206 acquires capability information from the scan device 102. The capability information is attribute information indicating functions that can be specified in the scan device 102 and setting values ​​related to that attribute information. Capability information 501 in Fig. 5 shows an example of a list of capability information acquired from the scan device 102 as a table. As shown in the capability information 501, functions such as scanning size specification and options that can be set for each function can be acquired from the scan device 102. Next, in S402, the scan function extension unit 206 obtains a list of scan functions supported by the extension application 204 from the shared information 208. The list of scan functions supported by the extension application 204 is stored in the shared information 208 and describes all scan functions that the extension application 204 can process and their setting values. An example of the list of scan functions supported by the extension application 204 is shown as scan function 502 in Fig. 5. The list of scan functions supported by the extension application 204 may be updated when the extension application 204 is updated, for example.

[0027] Next, in S403, the scan function extension unit 206 acquires from the OS the scan function information 203 created by the general-purpose scan software 202. An example of a list of scan functions supported by the general-purpose scan software 202 is shown in scan function 503 in FIG. The scan function information 203 created by the general-purpose scan software 202 is created based on capability information 501 acquired by the general-purpose scan software 202 from the scan device 102. The scan function information created by the general-purpose scan software 202 includes only the scan functions supported by the general-purpose scan software 202 from the capability information acquired from the scan device 102, and therefore the functions of the scan function information are limited. For example, the capability information 501 acquired from the scan device 102 includes a mixed document size function, but the general-purpose scan software 202 does not support the mixed document size function, and therefore the mixed document size function is not included in the scan function information. The scan function extension unit 206 adds functions and options to the scan function information, which allows the extension application 204 to compensate for the lack of functions of the general-purpose scan software 202. The scan function extension unit 206 can also delete unnecessary functions and options from the scan function information created by the general-purpose scan software 202. The following steps S404, S405, and S406 are processes that are repeatedly performed for the list of functions included in the capability information acquired from the scanning device in S401. In this embodiment, these processes are repeatedly performed for 14 types of functions included in the capability information 501, from "Reading size: A4H" to "Mixed document sizes: ON (documents of different widths)."

[0028] First, in S404, the function extension unit 208 determines whether the function / option being processed exists in the scan function information generated by the general-purpose scan software 202. If the function / option being processed exists in the scan function information (Yes in S404), the process loops to the next item among the function / options included in the capability information acquired from the scan device 102. If the last item among the function / options included in the capability information acquired from the scan device 102 is being processed, the flowchart in FIG. 4 ends. If the function / option being processed does not exist in the scan function information (No in S404), the CPU 111 advances the process to S405. For example, the reading destination: manuscript table shown in capability information 501, which is capability information of the scanning device 102, is also present in the scanning function 503 of the general-purpose scanning software 202, and therefore is determined as "Yes." On the other hand, the reading size: "A4H" shown in capability information 501 does not exist in the scanning function 503, and therefore is determined as "No," and the process proceeds to S405. Next, in S405, the function extension unit 208 determines whether there is a function / option currently being processed among the function / options supported by the extension application 204. If there is a function / option currently being processed among the function / options supported by the extension application 204 (Yes in S405), the CPU 111 proceeds to S406. If there is no function / option currently being processed (No in S405), the CPU 111 loops to the next item among the function / options included in the capability information acquired from the scanning device 102. If the last item among the function / options included in the capability information acquired from the scanning device 102 is currently being processed, the flowchart of FIG. 4 ends. In this embodiment, for example, if the function being processed is "Mixed document sizes: ON (documents of the same width)", this also exists in the scan function 502 of the extension application 204, so the result is determined to be "Yes" and the process proceeds to S406. Next, in S406, the function extension unit 208 adds the function and option being processed to the scan function information 203. After processing S406, as in the case where the determination in S404 is "Yes," S404 is performed again or the flowchart in FIG. 4 is terminated. As described above, the function extension unit 208 adds functions and options that are not supported by the general-purpose scan software 202, are supported by the scan device 102, and are supported by the extension application 204 to the scan function information 203. Scan capabilities are generated based on the scan function information edited by this process. Furthermore, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 generates a display screen based on the generated scan capabilities, thereby extending functions that are not supported by the general-purpose scan software 202 and making it possible to display the detailed setting screen shown in FIG. 3(c).

[0029] - Processing in the scanning application (after accepting the scan settings) 6, the sequence of operations of the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, the extension application 204, and the scan device 102 after the scan application 201 accepts scan settings will be described. Note that each step other than that of the scan device 102 in FIG. 6 is performed by the CPU 111 reading the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, and the extension application 204 from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113 and executing them. Each step of the scan device 102 in FIG. 6 is realized by the CPU 191 of the scan device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 to the RAM 193 and executing it. In S601, the scan application 201 accepts scan settings from the user. The user can instruct the scan application 201 to set scan settings by operating the pointing device 117 or keyboard 118. In S602, the scan application 201 displays the scan setting screen shown in FIG. In S603, the scan application 201 accepts an instruction for detailed settings. The user can instruct detailed settings by operating the pointing device 117 or the keyboard 118 and selecting a control 302. In S604, the scan application 201 requests the general-purpose scan software 202 to display the detailed settings.

[0030] In S605, the general-purpose scan software 202 requests the extension application 204 to display the detailed settings. As described above, in the configuration of FIG. 2(b), the general-purpose scan software 202 displays the detailed settings screen of FIG. 3(c). In S606, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 of the extension application 204 displays the detailed setting screen of FIG. 3(c) on the display unit 119. This is because the mixed document size setting has been added to the scan function information by the scan function extension unit 206, as described in FIG. 4. The scan setting screen extension unit 205 references the scan capability generated based on the added scan function information and displays the detailed setting screen of FIG. 3(c) on the display unit 119. In this embodiment, the extension application 204 supports only one resolution, 300 x 300 dpi, so there is no need for the user to select it, and it is not displayed on the detailed setting screen. Even if it is not selectable, it may be displayed on the detailed setting screen to clearly indicate it to the user. In S607, the scan setting screen expansion unit 205 accepts the detailed settings. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3C, it is assumed that the user has selected "Read destination: Feeder" and "Mixed document size: ON (documents of the same width)." The accepted settings are stored in the RAM 113 by the CPU 111. Next, in S608, the scan setting screen expansion unit 205 accepts that the detailed settings have been completed and instructs that the accepted settings be written to the scan setting information. The user can instruct the user to complete the detailed settings by operating the pointing device 117 or keyboard 118 to select the control 306. When writing to the scan setting information, it is also possible to write in items that the user has not selected, such as resolution.

[0031] In S609, the extension application 204 notifies the general-purpose scan software 202 that the detailed settings have been completed. In S610, the general-purpose scan software 202 notifies the scan application 201 that the detailed settings have been completed. In step S611, the scan application 201 receives a scan instruction. The user can issue a scan instruction by operating the pointing device 117 or keyboard 118 and selecting a control 303. In S612, the scan application 201 issues a scan instruction to the general-purpose scan software 202. In S613, the general-purpose scan software 202 issues a scan instruction to the extension application 204. In S614, the extension application 204 creates a scan instruction command based on the scan setting information written in S608. If an item that is not selectable by the user, such as resolution, is not written in the scan setting information in S608, the extension application 204 may add it when creating the scan instruction command in S614. Alternatively, the extension application 204 may operate using the default values ​​of the scanning device 102 without adding it.

[0032] In step S615, the extension application 204 sends a scan instruction command to the scanning device 102 to instruct the scanning device 102 to perform scanning. In S616, the scanning device 102 interprets the scan instruction command and executes the scan. When the scan is executed, the necessary image processing is performed on the image data in accordance with the scan instruction. In this embodiment, if the scan settings shown in FIG. 3(c) are configured, the scan processing takes into account different document sizes. In other words, the document size is detected during scanning, and image data is generated by reading the document according to the document size. In S617, the scanning device 102 transmits the generated image data to the extension application 204. In S618, the extension application 204 sends the received image data to the general-purpose scan software 202. In S619 , the general-purpose scan software 202 transmits the received image data to the scan application 201 . In S620, the scan application 201 receives image data. In S621, the scan application 201 displays the received image data.

[0033] Scan processing (extended application) Here, a flow of the scan processing performed by the extension application 204 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Each step is realized by the CPU 111 executing each unit read from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113.

[0034] In S701, the extension application 204 receives a request to display detailed settings. In S702, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 of the extension application 204 displays the detailed setting screen of Fig. 3(c) on the display unit 119. This is because the mixed document size setting has been added to the scan function information by the function extension unit 208, as described in Fig. 4. The scan setting screen extension unit 205 references the scan capability generated based on the added scan function information and displays the detailed setting screen of Fig. 3(c) on the display unit 119. In S703, the scan setting screen expansion unit 205 determines whether or not the user has set a function. If the function has been set (Yes in S703), the CPU 111 advances the process to S704. In S704, the detailed settings are accepted, and the accepted settings are stored in the RAM 113 by the CPU 111. On the other hand, if the function is not set (No in S703), the CPU 111 advances the process to S705. In S705, the scan setting screen expansion unit 205 determines whether the user has instructed to end the settings. If the user has instructed to end the settings (Yes in S705), it accepts that the detailed settings have been completed and writes the accepted settings to the scan setting information. If the user has not instructed to end the settings (No in S705), the process returns to S703 and it is again determined whether the user has set any functions.

[0035] In S706, the extension application 204 notifies the general-purpose scan software 202 that the detailed settings have been completed. In S707, the extension application 204 determines whether a scan instruction has been issued from the general-purpose scan software 202. If a scan instruction has been issued (Yes in S707), the CPU 111 proceeds to S708; if not (No in S707), the CPU 111 returns the process to S707 and waits. In S708, the extension application 204 creates a scan instruction command based on the scan setting information written in S705. One way to create a scan instruction command is to extend the standard protocol command. The extension method involves writing a dedicated command in the extension field of the standard protocol command. Other methods include adding a proprietary command to the end of the standard protocol command, or having the extension application 204 overwrite the standard protocol command with a proprietary command system. Furthermore, when issuing an instruction from the extension application 204, the instruction and communication may be configured to be performed using a vendor-specific protocol, regardless of the standard protocol.

[0036] Next, in step S709, the extension application 204 sends a scan instruction command to the scanning device 102 to instruct the scanning device 102 to scan. Next, in S710, the extension application 204 determines whether all image data has been received from the scanning device 102. If all image data has been received from the scanning device (Yes in S710), the CPU 111 proceeds to step S711; if not (No in S710), the CPU 111 returns to step S710 and waits. In S711, the extension application 204 sends the received image data to the general-purpose scan software 202.

[0037] Processing in scanning devices 8, the flow of the scan processing of the scan device 102 that receives a scan instruction from the extension application 204 will be described. Note that each step shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is realized by the CPU 191 executing a program stored in the RAM 192. In step S801 , the CPU 191 receives a scan instruction sent from the extension application 204 . In S802, the scan instruction command received in S801 is analyzed and converted into read settings that enable the scanning device 102 to perform the reading process. In this embodiment, the read settings are set to mixed document sizes in the feeder: ON (documents of the same width), and resolution: 300 × 300 dpi. In S803, the CPU 191 determines the ASIC of the image processing unit 190 to be used to execute scanning in accordance with the reading settings converted in S802, and sets the ASIC. In S804, the CPU 191 transmits a read instruction according to the read setting to the reading unit 195. In this embodiment, the instruction is transmitted to perform reading with mixed document sizes in the feeder: ON (documents of the same width). Upon receiving the instruction, the reading unit 195 detects the document size and performs a reading operation at an appropriate reading size.

[0038] In S805 , the CPU 191 acquires image data from the reading unit 195 . In S806, the CPU 191 and image processing unit 190 perform image processing on the received image data. In this embodiment, the resolution is converted to 300×300 dpi. If the reading unit 195 is capable of reading at 300×300 dpi, the reading unit 195 may obtain image data at 300×300 dpi, and image processing may not be performed in S806. In S807, the CPU 191 stores the image data in the external storage device 199. In S808, the CPU 191 determines whether scanning of all pages has been completed. If it is determined that scanning has not been completed, the process returns to S805, and scanning of the next page is executed. If it is determined that scanning has been completed, the process proceeds to S809. In S809, the CPU 191 and the image processing unit 190 convert the image data saved in the previous S807 in accordance with the transmission format setting received in the previous S801. In this embodiment, the transmission format is not included in the scan instruction received from the extension application 204. Therefore, although the image data is converted to the default JPEG of the scanning device 102, the transmission format to be converted is not limited to this and may be any format that can be handled by the information processing device. In S810, the converted image data is sent to the extension application 204, and all processing is completed. Note that the image data sent to the extension application 204 has been scanned at an appropriate scanning size for each page, and each image size is different.

[0039] As described above, in this embodiment, the scan setting screen extension unit 205 of the extension application 204 modifies the scan function information 203 based on the capability information of the general-purpose scan software 202, the extension application 204, and the scan device 102. Furthermore, when a user requests a detailed setting screen, the setting screen is displayed based on the scanning capability generated from the scan function information 203, allowing the user to set a mixed document size. After that, when the scan device 102 receives a scan instruction reflecting the mixed document size setting, it executes the mixed document size function and performs scanning. Through the above series of processes, the scan device 102 can realize the mixed document size function, making it possible to provide the mixed document size function to the user. Using this function, multiple documents can be scanned without having to be reloaded into the feeder for each size, and image data of the appropriate size can be obtained.

[0040] In this embodiment, the detailed settings screen shown in FIG. 3(c) has been described using the configuration of FIG. 2(b), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a detailed settings display request is made to the general-purpose scanning software 202 in S604, the general-purpose scanning software 202 may display the detailed settings screen shown in FIG. 3(b). Subsequently, after completing the detailed settings of FIG. 3(b), the general-purpose scanning software 202 requests the extension application 204 to display an additional detailed settings screen. Next, the extension application 204 may display an additional detailed settings screen that allows mixed document size settings. In addition, although the general-purpose scan software 202 has been configured to issue a scan instruction to the extension application 204, this is not limiting. For example, the scan application 201 may issue an instruction to the extension application 204, or a control for scan instructions may be placed on a detailed setting screen so that the user can issue an instruction directly to the extension application 204. As a method for transferring image data, the extension application 204 may directly transfer the image data to the scan application 201 without going through the general-purpose scan software 202, or the image data may be transferred from the scanning device 102 to the scan application 201. Alternatively, the received image data may be saved in the external storage device 114, and only information on the file path to the save destination may be transferred. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when there are multiple pieces of image data, all the image data are received and then transferred, but the transmitted image data may be transferred as needed.

[0041] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the first embodiment, the extension application 204 and the scanning device 102 communicate with each other. In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the general-purpose scan software 202 communicates with the scan device 102, and the extension application 204 only performs scan command extension and image editing. In the following, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

[0042] 9, the sequence of operations of the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, the extension application 204, and the scan device 102 after the scan application 201 accepts scan settings will be described. Note that each step other than that of the scan device 102 in FIG. 9 is performed by the CPU 111 reading the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, and the extension application 204 from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113 and executing them. Each step of the scan device 102 in FIG. 9 is realized by the CPU 191 of the scan device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 to the RAM 193 and executing it.

[0043] The sequence after the general-purpose scan software 202 receives a scan instruction in S612 will be described. In S901, the general-purpose scanning software 202 creates a scan instruction command. At this time, functions that the general-purpose scanning software 202 does not support are not described in the scan instruction command. In S902 , the general-purpose scan software 202 passes the created scan instruction command to the extension application 204 . In S903, the extension application 204 extends the received scan instruction command by adding instructions for functions not supported by the general-purpose scan software 202 or by changing existing instructions. In this embodiment, in S901, the scan instruction command created by the general-purpose scan software 202 does not include a mixed document size setting, so the mixed document size setting is added. In S904, the extension application 204 passes the extended scan instruction command to the general-purpose scan software 202. In S905, the general-purpose scan software 202 transmits a scan instruction command to the scan device 102 to instruct the device to scan. At S906, the general-purpose scanning software 202 receives image data from the scanning device 102.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, the extension application 204 can extend the mixed document size command to enable the scanning device 102 to realize the mixed document size function, thereby making it possible to provide the mixed document size function to the user.

[0045] [Third embodiment] A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the first and second embodiments, the commands used in the standard protocol are extended to communicate with the scanning device 102. In the third embodiment, a configuration will be described in which commands of the standard protocol are not extended, and functions supported only by the extension application 204 are communicated with the scanning device 102 using separate commands. In the following, only the differences from the above-described embodiment will be described.

[0046] 10 will be used to explain the sequence of the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, the extension application 204, and the scan device 102 after the scan application 201 accepts scan settings. Note that each step other than that of the scan device 102 in FIG. 10 is performed by the CPU 111 reading the scan application 201, the general-purpose scan software 202, and the extension application 204 from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113 and executing them. Each step of the scan device 102 in FIG. 10 is realized by the CPU 191 of the scan device 102 reading a program stored in the ROM 192 or the external storage device 199 to the RAM 193 and executing it.

[0047] The sequence after the general-purpose scan software 202 notifies the extension application 204 of a scan instruction in S613 will be described. In S1001, the general-purpose scan software 202 creates a standard scan instruction command in accordance with the standard protocol. At this time, functions that are not supported by the standard protocol are not described in the scan instruction command. In S1002, the extension application 204 generates an extension scan instruction command for a function that is supported only by the extension application 204. In S1003, the extension application 204 transmits a standard scan instruction command to the scanning device 102 to instruct the scanning device 102 to perform scanning. In S1004, the extension application 204 transmits an extended scan instruction command to the scanning device 102 to instruct the scanning device 102 to perform scanning. In S1005, the scanning device 102 interprets the received standard scan instruction command and extended scan instruction command, respectively, and executes the scan process.

[0048] Scan instruction processing (extended application) Here, a flow of the scan processing performed by the extension application 204 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Each step is realized by the CPU 111 executing each unit read from the external storage device 114 to the RAM 113. 7 will be described. Specifically, the process performed by the extension application 204 after receiving a scan instruction from the general-purpose scan software 202 in step S707 will be described. In S1101, the extension application 204 creates a standard scan instruction command in accordance with the standard protocol. In S1102, the extension application 204 creates an extension scan instruction command for a function that is not supported by the standard protocol. In step S1103, the extension application 204 transmits the standard scan instruction command created in step S1101 to the scanning device 102. In step S1104, the extension application 204 transmits the extended scan instruction command created in step S1102 to the scanning device 102.

[0049] As described above, in the third embodiment, for functions that are not supported by the standard protocol, the extended application can send a separate scan instruction command, thereby providing the user with the mixed document size function.

[0050] (Other Examples) 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. The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following programs, methods, and configurations. (Program 1) A program that supports the functions of general-purpose scanning software that can be used in image reading devices from multiple manufacturers, For information processing devices If a feeder is specified as the document scanning destination, a screen will appear that allows you to set the mixed document size when scanning. a program for outputting a reading instruction to the image reading device that executes scanning in accordance with the settings received on the display screen; (Program 2) When a destination other than a feeder is specified as the source of the document, the display screen is displayed in such a way that the setting of mixed document sizes at the time of reading cannot be selected. The program according to Program 1, characterized in that (Program 3) The display screen can accept two or more patterns of settings for the mixed document size setting. The program according to Program 1, characterized in that (Program 4) The display screen for accepting the settings for mixed document sizes can be set to ON or OFF. The program according to Program 1, characterized in that (Program 5) When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, a command is generated by extending a command of the standard protocol. 5. The program according to any one of Programs 1 to 4, (Program 6) When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, an instruction command is created by adding an extended command to a standard protocol command. The program according to Program 5, characterized in that (Program 7) When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, an instruction command is created using a unique command system. The program according to Program 5, characterized in that (Program 8) The display screen is displayed in accordance with the capability information of the image reading device. 8. The program according to any one of Programs 1 to 7, characterized in that: (Program 9) Scanning is performed in the image reading device with the mixed document size setting, and image data with different image sizes for each page is received. 8. The program according to any one of Programs 1 to 7, characterized in that: (Method 1) A method for controlling an information processing device in which a program for expanding the functions of general-purpose scan software that can be used in common with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers is installed, comprising: a display step of displaying a display screen for accepting settings for mixed document sizes when scanning documents, when the feeder is designated as the document scanning destination; a creating step of creating a reading instruction for the image reading device that executes scanning based on the setting received on the display screen; A control method comprising: (Configuration 1) An information processing device in which a program for expanding the functions of general-purpose scanning software that can be used in common with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers is installed, a display means for displaying a display screen for accepting settings for mixed document sizes when a feeder is designated as a document reading destination; a creating unit that creates a reading instruction for the image reading device that executes scanning based on the setting received on the display screen; An information processing device comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 101 Information processing equipment 102 Scanning Device 201 Scan Application 202 General-purpose scanning software 204 Extended Applications

Claims

1. A program that supports the functions of general-purpose scanning software that can be used in image reading devices from multiple manufacturers, For information processing devices If a feeder is specified as the document scanning destination, a screen will appear that allows you to set the mixed document size when scanning. a program for outputting a reading instruction to the image reading device that executes scanning in accordance with the settings received on the display screen;

2. When a destination other than a feeder is specified as the source of the document, the display screen is displayed in such a way that the setting of mixed document sizes at the time of reading cannot be selected.

2. The program according to claim 1 .

3. The display screen can accept two or more patterns of settings for the mixed document size setting.

2. The program according to claim 1 .

4. The display screen for accepting the settings for mixed document sizes can be set by turning the function ON or OFF.

2. The program according to claim 1 .

5. When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, a command is generated by extending a command of the standard protocol.

5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

6. When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, an instruction command is created by adding an extended command to a standard protocol command.

6. The program according to claim 5.

7. When issuing a read instruction to the image reading device that executes the scan, an instruction command is created using a unique command system.

6. The program according to claim 5.

8. The display screen is displayed in accordance with the capability information of the image reading device.

5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

9. Scanning is performed in the image reading device with the mixed document size setting, and image data with different image sizes for each page is received.

5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the program is a program for executing a program for executing a program.

10. A method for controlling an information processing device in which a program for expanding the functions of general-purpose scan software that can be used in common with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers is installed, comprising: a display step of displaying a display screen for accepting settings for mixed document sizes when scanning documents, when the feeder is designated as the document scanning destination; a creating step of creating a reading instruction for the image reading device that executes scanning based on the setting received on the display screen; A control method comprising:

11. An information processing device in which a program for expanding the functions of general-purpose scanning software that can be used in common with image reading devices from multiple manufacturers is installed, a display means for displaying a display screen for accepting settings for mixed document sizes when a feeder is designated as a document reading destination; a creating unit that creates a reading instruction for the image reading device that executes scanning based on the setting received on the display screen; An information processing device comprising:

Images