Image processing apparatus, and image processing method

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus that can specify a setting value of detailed setting for blank determination that cannot be set by an application common to a plurality of vendors.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus receives, from an information processing apparatus, scan settings set in an application that is installed in the information processing apparatus and that can be used in common in image processing apparatuses of a plurality of vendors, on the basis of the received scan settings, scans an image of a document to generate image data, on the basis of settings of blank removal included in the received scan settings, executes blank removal processing on the generated image data, and transmits image data that is not removed through the blank removal processing, of the generated image data. The execution means executes the blank removal processing on the basis of the settings of blank removal included in the received scan settings and the level of blank removal set regardless of execution of the application.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing device and an image processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] A technique is known in which a means is provided for a user to change a threshold value for blank page determination from an operation unit of an image processing apparatus, and the set threshold value is used to determine blank pages of scanned documents (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-143050 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is conceivable that an application installed on an information processing device, which is common to multiple image processing device vendors, receives scan settings and execution instructions and executes scanning on the image processing device. In this case, there are cases where the application cannot set the setting values ​​used when executing scanning on the image processing device, such as the detailed setting values ​​for blank page determination as described in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to enable an image processing apparatus to specify detailed settings for blank page determination that cannot be set using a common application shared by multiple vendors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image processing device of the present invention includes a receiving means for receiving from the information processing device scan settings set by an application that is installed in the information processing device and is compatible with image processing devices of a plurality of vendors, a scanning means for scanning an image of a document to generate image data based on the received scan settings, an execution means for executing blank page removal processing on the generated image data based on blank page removal settings included in the received scan settings, and a transmission means for transmitting image data that has not been removed by the blank page removal processing from the generated image data to the information processing device, wherein the execution means executes the blank page removal processing based on the blank page removal settings included in the received scan settings and on a level of blank page removal that is set regardless of the execution of the application. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This makes it possible to specify the detailed setting values ​​for blank page determination in the image processing apparatus, which cannot be set in a common application for multiple vendors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of a system configuration [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the schematic configuration of an image processing device 101. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 102. [Figure 4] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device control program 400 of the image processing apparatus 101. [Figure 5] Sequence diagram showing an example of blank page removal scanning process [Figure 6] An example of a scan app screen [Figure 7] Flowchart showing an example of a scan job execution process [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first blank page removal setting process. [Figure 9] An example of a scan ticket [Figure 10] Figure showing an example of the default settings screen [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second blank page removal setting process. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first blank page removal level determination process. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second blank page removal level determination process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 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, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0010] <Overall structure> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the system of this embodiment is composed of, for example, an image processing device 101, an information processing device 102, and a network 103. This system may include multiple information processing devices.

[0011] The image processing device 101 and the information processing device 102 can communicate with each other via a network 103. Note that each of the image processing device 101 and the information processing device 102 may be configured to be connected in multiple units rather than in a single unit.

[0012] The image processing device 101 is a multifunction device having multiple functions such as copying, scanning, printing, and faxing. Note that the image processing device 101 may also be a device having a single function such as a printer or scanner. The operation panel 208 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0013] The information processing device 102 may be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone used by a user, a PC, etc. The information processing device 102 includes a means for generating a scan job for scanning a paper document with the image processing device 101 and converting it into image data, and a display means for viewing the image data on a display unit 308.

[0014] <Hardware configuration of image processing device> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image processing device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the image processing apparatus 101 includes a CPU 202, a RAM 203, a ROM 204, a storage 205, a network I / F 206, an operation I / F 207, a print controller 209, and a scan controller 211, all connected to a system bus 201.

[0016] A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 202 controls the overall operation of the image processing apparatus 101. The CPU 202 reads a device control program 400 stored in a ROM 204 or a storage 205, and performs various types of control such as reading control and printing control.

[0017] The RAM 203 is the main storage memory of the CPU 202 and is used as a work area and a temporary storage area for developing various control programs stored in the ROM 204 and storage 205 .

[0018] The ROM 204 stores a device control program 400 that is a control program executable by the CPU 202 .

[0019] The storage 205 stores print data, image data, various programs, and various setting information.

[0020] In the image processing device 101 of this embodiment, one CPU 202 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described below using one memory (RAM 203), but other configurations are also possible. For example, each process shown in the flowcharts described below can be executed by using multiple CPUs, RAMs, ROMs, and storages in cooperation with each other. Also, some processes can be executed using hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0021] The network I / F 206 is an interface that enables the image processing device 101 to communicate with external devices via the network 103. The image processing device 101 transmits electronic data read by the scanner 212 to the information processing device 102 via the network I / F 206. The image processing device 101 also receives electronic data managed by the information processing device 102 via the network I / F 206 and prints the data using the print engine 210.

[0022] The operation panel 208 displays a screen controlled by the operation I / F 207, and when a user operates the operation panel 208, the image processing apparatus 101 acquires an event corresponding to the user operation via the operation I / F 207.

[0023] The print controller 209 is connected to the print engine 210. Image data to be printed is transferred to the print engine 210 via the print controller 209. The print engine 210 receives control commands and the image data to be printed, and forms an image on a sheet based on this image data. The printing method of the print engine 210 may be an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. In the case of the electrophotographic method, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photosensitive member, and then developed with toner, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet, and the transferred toner image is fixed to form an image. On the other hand, in the case of the inkjet method, an image is formed on a sheet by ejecting ink.

[0024] The scan controller 211 is connected to a scanner 212. The scanner 212 reads an image on a sheet and generates image data. The image data generated by the scanner 212 is stored in a storage 205. The image processing device 101 can form an image on a sheet using the image data generated by the scanner 212. The scanner 212 has a document feeder (not shown) and can read sheets placed on the document feeder while transporting them one by one.

[0025] <Hardware configuration of information processing device> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 102 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 102 includes a CPU 302 , a RAM 303 , a ROM 304 , a storage 305 , a network I / F 306 , an operation unit 307 , and a display unit 308 , all of which are connected to a system bus 301 .

[0027] The CPU 302 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the information processing device 102. The RAM 303 is a volatile memory. The ROM 304 is a non-volatile memory that stores a startup program for the CPU 302. The storage 305 is a storage device (for example, a hard disk drive: HDD) with a larger capacity than the RAM 303. The storage 305 may be a solid state drive (SSD) or may be replaced with another storage device having the same functions as a hard disk drive.

[0028] When the CPU 302 is started up, such as when the power is turned on, it executes a startup program stored in the ROM 304. This startup program reads out a control program stored in the storage 305 and loads it on the RAM 303. After executing the startup program, the CPU 302 subsequently executes the control program loaded on the RAM 303 to perform control. The CPU 302 also stores data used when executing the control program in the RAM 303 and reads and writes it. Various settings required when executing the control program can also be stored in the storage 305, and are read and written by the CPU 302. The CPU 302 communicates with other devices on the network 103 via the network I / F 306. The information processing device 102 can also accept operations / inputs / instructions made by the user via the operation unit 307.

[0029] A scan application that is compatible with image processing devices of multiple vendors is installed in the storage 305 of the information processing device 102.

[0030] <Functional configuration of device control program for image processing device> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device control program 400 of the image processing apparatus 101 executed by the CPU 202. As shown in FIG.

[0031] The device control program 400 of the image processing apparatus 101 is stored in the ROM 204 as described above, and is loaded onto the RAM 203 and executed by the CPU 202 at startup.

[0032] The data transmission / reception unit 401 transmits and receives data to and from other devices on the network 103 using TCP / IP via the network I / F 206. In this embodiment, the data transmission / reception unit 401 communicates using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). Specifically, the data transmission / reception unit 401 receives scan tickets and image data requests generated by the information processing device 102, and transmits job generation results and responses to image data requests to the information processing device 102 using HTTP.

[0033] The data analysis unit 402 converts the job control command included in the body of the HTTP packet received by the data transmission / reception unit 401 into job information for controlling the job of the image processing device 101 and transmits it to the job control unit 403. An example of a job control command is eSCL, which is a protocol for controlling a scan job. eSCL is a protocol for executing a scan from an information processing device without a driver. Furthermore, such a job control command is generated by a scan application installed in the information processing device 102 described above and received by the image processing device 101.

[0034] The job control unit 403 issues control instructions to the print engine 210 and the scanner 212 via the print controller 209 and the scan controller 211. For example, if the display processing unit 405 detects pressing of the start key while the SEND function screen is displayed, the job control unit 403 receives parameters for a SEND job and a job start instruction from the operation target determination unit 406. Then, the job control unit 403 executes scanning based on the job information and controls the scanner 212 to send the scanned image data to a destination set by parameters such as an e-mail address and a directory path of a shared server on the network 103. Furthermore, if the data transmission / reception unit 401 receives an HTTP packet containing a job control command (scan ticket) based on the eSCL protocol in its body, the job control unit 403 executes scanning based on the job information converted by the data analysis unit 402. The job control command also includes setting values ​​that can be set on a setting screen 601, such as scan resolution, and these setting values ​​are also transmitted from the information processing device 102 to the image processing device 101 based on the eSCL protocol and received by the image processing device 101.

[0035] The image data read by the scanner 212 is then sent to the sender of the HTTP packet. The scan instruction analyzed by the data analysis unit 402 may be a protocol other than eSCL as long as it is a protocol common to the multifunction peripheral vendor or multiple models.

[0036] The data management unit 404 saves and manages various data, such as work data generated during execution of the device control program 400 and setting parameters required for controlling each device, in predetermined areas of the RAM 203 and the storage 205. For example, the data management unit 404 saves and manages job information consisting of a combination of setting items and setting values ​​for a job executed by the job control unit 403, and language settings, which are information about the language to be displayed on the operation panel 208. The data management unit 404 also saves and manages device information required for communication with the information processing device 102. The data management unit 404 also saves and manages image data to be used for image formation by the image processing device 101. The data management unit 404 also saves screen control information used by the display processing unit 405 for screen display control and operation object determination information used by the operation object determination unit 406 to determine the operation object, and manages the screen control information and operation object determination information for each screen displayed by the display processing unit 405.

[0037] The display processing unit 405 controls the operation panel 208 via the operation I / F 207. More specifically, it displays UI components (buttons, pull-down lists, check boxes, etc.) that can be operated by the user on the operation panel 208. The screen is updated based on screen display control information. For example, a language dictionary corresponding to the language setting stored in the data management unit 404 is obtained from the storage 205, and text data based on the language dictionary is displayed on the screen.

[0038] An operation target determination unit 406 acquires the coordinates of a touch on the operation panel 208 via the operation I / F 207, and determines a UI component that is displayed on the operation panel 208 and that can be operated by the user, as an operation target.

[0039] Furthermore, the operation target determination unit 406 reads screen display control information corresponding to the UI widget determined as the operation target and determines the processing content to be performed when the operation is accepted based on the information. For example, the operation target determination unit 406 issues an instruction to the display processing unit 405 to update the screen display content, or transmits job parameters set by user operation and an instruction to start the job to the job control unit 403.

[0040] The scanning unit 407 executes scanning with the scanner 212 via the scan controller 211 based on the scan job information of the job control unit 403 , and stores the read image data in the data management unit 404 .

[0041] The print unit 408 executes printing using the print engine 210 via the print controller 209 based on the print job information of the job control unit 403 .

[0042] <Blank page removal scan sequence> 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of blank page removal scanning processing executed by the image processing device 101 and the information processing device 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user has placed two documents in the document feeder of the image processing device 101 in advance so that they will be scanned in the order of "blank document" and "document with image." In this embodiment, the information processing device 102 and the image processing device 101 communicate via HTTP.

[0043] In S501, the user sets a scan job on a setting screen 601 displayed on the display unit 308 of the information processing apparatus 102, and then presses the scan button 607. In S502, the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 generates a blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9A) based on the scan job settings set on the setting screen 601. Then, the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9A) is transmitted to the image processing apparatus 101 via the network I / F 306 using an HTTP POST request. Note that what is generated and transmitted here may be a scan ticket, or may be a scan job, a scan request, a scan instruction, or the like. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a scan ticket.

[0044] In S503, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 stores the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9A) received in S502 in the RAM 203, and executes the first blank page removal level determination process (FIG. 12) to determine the blank page removal level.

[0045] In S504, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 generates scan job information based on the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 and the blank page removal level determined in S503, and starts execution of the scan job. When the scan job is executed, the image of the document is scanned and image data is generated.

[0046] In step S505, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 transmits to the information processing apparatus 102 HTTP response data with an HTTP response status code of "200," which is data to which a "job ID" corresponding to the executed job has been assigned.

[0047] In S506 , the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 displays a scanning screen 609 on the display unit 308 .

[0048] When scanning of the blank document is completed, in S507 the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the image data generated by scanning the blank document is blank data based on the blank page removal level determined in S503. If it is determined to be blank data, the image data of the blank document stored in the RAM 203 is deleted.

[0049] In S508, the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 sends an image data acquisition request command, to which the "job ID" acquired in S505 has been added, to the image processing apparatus 101 via the network I / F 306 as an HTTP GET request.

[0050] In S509, the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 confirms that a job corresponding to the "job ID" notified in S508 is currently being executed and that image data does not exist in the RAM 203. If the job is currently being executed and image data does not exist in the image memory, the image processing device 101 transmits HTTP response data with an HTTP response status code of "503" to the information processing device 102. In other words, the image processing device 101 notifies the information processing device 102 that there is no image data.

[0051] When scanning of the document with images is completed, in step S510, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the image data of the document with images is not blank based on the blank page removal level determined in step S503. In this case, the image data of the document with images is not deleted from the RAM 203.

[0052] In step S511, the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 sends an image data acquisition request command, to which the "job ID" acquired in step S505 has been added, to the image processing apparatus 101 via the network I / F 306 as an HTTP GET request.

[0053] In step S512, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 confirms that the job corresponding to the "job ID" notified in step S509 is currently being executed and that the image data exists in the image memory. If the job is currently being executed and the image data exists in the RAM 203, the CPU 202 transmits HTTP response data with an HTTP response status code of "200" including the image data to the information processing apparatus 101.

[0054] In S513, the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 sends an image data acquisition request command, to which the "job ID" acquired in S505 has been assigned, to the image processing apparatus 101 via the network I / F 306 as an HTTP GET request.

[0055] In step S514, if the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 confirms that the job corresponding to the "job ID" notified in step S509 is not currently being executed, it executes the following process: It transmits HTTP response data including the HTTP response status code "404" and not including image data to the information processing apparatus 102. In other words, the image processing apparatus 101 notifies the information processing apparatus 102 that execution of the job has been completed.

[0056] In step S515 , the CPU 302 of the information processing apparatus 102 displays a scan completion screen 611 on the display unit 308 .

[0057] If only blank documents are placed on the document feeder, image data will not be sent to the information processing device 102, and if the CPU 302 determines that no image data exists when it receives the HTTP response status "404", it displays an error screen 613 on the display unit 308.

[0058] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a scan application screen. Each screen in Fig. 6 is displayed on the display unit 308 of the information processing device 102, and is displayed by a scan application installed on the information processing device 102. This scan application is commonly used regardless of the vendor or model of the image processing device, and is an application for generating and transmitting scan instructions such as commands and tickets for executing scans on various models. By using this scan application, there is no need to install multiple scan applications to execute scans on multiple models.

[0059] A setting screen 601 is a screen for accepting scan settings made by the user. A pull-down menu 602 allows selection of the color mode, and allows selection of color or monochrome.

[0060] A pull-down menu 603 allows the user to select the document type, i.e., text, photo, or text / photo. A pull-down menu 604 allows the user to select the double-sided setting, i.e., double-sided scanning or single-sided scanning. A pull-down menu 605 allows the user to select the resolution for scanning. A pull-down menu 606 allows the user to select the blank page removal setting, i.e., ON or OFF.

[0061] The scan button 607, when selected, scans an image of a document using the setting values ​​set in the pull-down menus 602 to 606 to generate image data. Specifically, when the scan button 607 is selected, a scan ticket is generated based on the setting values ​​set in the pull-down menus 602 to 606, and the generated scan ticket is transmitted to the image processing device 101 designated in advance. Note that other formats, such as a scan ticket, may be used as long as the set setting values ​​are transmitted to the image processing device 101. While the present embodiment describes an example in which all setting values ​​in the pull-down menus 602 to 606 are transmitted, this is not limiting. For example, setting and transmitting all setting values ​​is not essential and may be omitted. For example, only the color mode and blank page removal setting may be transmitted, or only the blank page removal setting may be transmitted. Furthermore, the setting screen 601 of FIG. 6 may also allow settings such as document size, file format, and file name to be configured. Pressing the back button 608 resets all settings.

[0062] When the scan button 607 is selected and scanning is being performed by the image processing device 101, a scanning screen 609 is displayed on the display unit 308. When the cancel button 610 is selected, a cancel instruction is sent to the image processing device 101, and the scanning is stopped.

[0063] When the information processing device 102 receives an HTTP response status code "404" from the image processing device 101 and the already received HTTP response data includes image data, the information processing device 102 displays a scan completion screen 611. In other words, if image data has been received between the time the scan button 607 is selected to issue a scan instruction and the time a notification indicating the completion of scanning is received from the image processing device 101, the scan completion screen 611 is displayed.

[0064] When the close button 612 on the scan completion screen 611 is selected, the scan completion screen 611 closes and the setting screen 601 is displayed.

[0065] If the information processing device 102 receives an HTTP response status code "404" from the image processing device 101 and the already received HTTP response data does not contain image data, an error screen 613 is displayed. In other words, if no image data is received between the time the scan button 607 is selected to issue a scan instruction and the time a notification indicating the completion of scanning is received from the image processing device 101, the error screen 613 is displayed.

[0066] Information indicating that all scanned documents were blank is displayed on the error screen 613. When the close button 614 is selected, the error screen 613 closes and the setting screen 601 is displayed.

[0067] In this scan application, a setting item for whether or not to perform blank page removal is provided in the pull-down menu 602, but a setting item for the level of blank page removal when performing blank page removal is not readily provided. Furthermore, even if an instruction to perform scanning is given using the scan application, the setting value for the blank page removal level is not transmitted. On the other hand, in order to perform blank page removal in the image processing apparatus 101, the blank page removal level must be determined. Therefore, setting values ​​that cannot be set in standard applications such as the above scan application must be complemented within the image processing apparatus 101.

[0068] <Scan job execution process> 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a scan job execution process executed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 in this embodiment. Each process in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is performed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it.

[0069] In step S701 , the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 generates scan job information including a job ID, which is an ID indicating a job, based on the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 , and stores the scan job information in the RAM 203 .

[0070] In S702, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 executes blank page removal setting processing. In the blank page removal setting processing, a "blank page removal ON / OFF setting" is performed, which indicates whether blank page removal is enabled or disabled. In addition, the CPU 202 performs processing for a "blank page removal level" that determines a threshold for determining whether a page is blank based on the luminance information of the scanned document, and settings related to blank page removal, such as "colored paper," "blow-through," "ruled lines," and "small amount of text." Examples of blank page removal setting processing include a first blank page removal level setting flow (FIG. 12) and a second blank page removal level setting processing (FIG. 13).

[0071] In S703, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 executes a scan job in the job control unit 403 based on the scan job information stored in the RAM 203. When the scan job is executed, a scan start instruction corresponding to the scan job information is sent to the scanner 212 via the scan controller 211. When scanning starts, the CPU 202 stores the image data scanned by the scanner 212 in the RAM 203. Then, the CPU 202 executes blank page removal processing on the stored image data based on the setting values ​​set in S702. Image data determined to be blank pages is deleted from the RAM 203, and image data determined not to be blank pages remains stored in the RAM 203.

[0072] Furthermore, when the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 receives an image data request from the information processing device 102, it checks whether page information exists in the RAM 203 and identifies the area of ​​the image data from the page information with the smallest page number. Then, it executes a transmission process to transmit the image data to the information processing device 102. When all image data for one page has been transmitted to the information processing device 102, the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 deletes the page information corresponding to the transmitted page and the corresponding image data from the RAM 203. Generally, in continuous scanning using a document feeder, the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 executes the scanning process for one page and the image data transmission process in parallel.

[0073] In step S704, when scanning of all documents is completed, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 stores a "job result" linking the job ID with the job termination cause corresponding to the cause of job termination in the storage 205. Examples of job termination causes include a "normal completion" in which all image data has been sent to the information processing apparatus 102, a "jam" in which the job has been terminated due to a paper jam in the document feeder, and a "transmission error" in which communication with the information processing apparatus 102 has been disconnected during the transmission of image data.

[0074] <First blank page removal setting process> Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a first blank page removal setting process executed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 in this embodiment. Each process in the flowchart of Fig. 8 is performed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. In this embodiment, the scan ticket is a character string in JSON format defined by a blank page removal attribute of "blankPageSkip" and a blank page removal level attribute of "blankPageSkipLevel".

[0075] In step S801, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 includes a blank page removal attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that a blank page removal scan ticket (FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C) that includes "blankPageSkip" includes the blank page removal attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that a blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9D) that does not include "blankPageSkip" does not include the blank page removal attribute.

[0076] If it is determined in S801 that the scan ticket includes a blank page removal attribute, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines in S802 whether the blank page removal setting of the scan ticket saved in the RAM 203 is ON. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal setting is ON for a blank page removal scan ticket (FIGS. 9A and 9B) in which the value of "blankPageSkip" is "on." It determines that the blank page removal setting is not ON for a blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9C) in which the value of "blankPageSkip" is "off."

[0077] If it is determined in step S802 that the blank page removal setting is ON, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "ON" to the "blank page removal ON / OFF setting" of the job attributes in step S803.

[0078] In step S804, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 includes a blank page removal level attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9B) that includes "blankPageSkipLevel" includes the blank page removal level attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9A) that does not include "blankPageSkipLevel" does not include the blank page removal level attribute.

[0079] If it is determined in S804 that the blank page removal level attribute is not included, in S805 the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 sets the removal level stored in the image processing device 101 to the "blank page removal level" of the job information. The removal level stored in the image processing device 101 is a setting value that is set regardless of the scan ticket that the image processing device 101 received from the information processing device 102. In other words, the removal level stored in the image processing device 101 is a blank page removal level that is set regardless of the execution of a scan application installed in the information processing device 102. In addition, the removal level stored in the image processing device 101 is a setting value that was set and stored in the image processing device 101 before the image processing device 101 received the scan ticket from the information processing device 102.

[0080] An example of the removal level stored in the image processing device 101 may be "3" stored in the "blank page removal level definition value" in the ROM 204, or may be the "blank page removal level default setting" stored in the storage 205. The "blank page removal level default setting" is set, for example, on a default setting screen 1001 of the image processing device 101. When a level is selected in a pull-down menu 1008 on a default setting screen 1007 that is displayed after "ON" is selected from a pull-down menu 1004 and a set button 1010 is pressed, the selected removal level is saved in the storage 205 as the default setting.

[0081] 10 shows an example of a default setting screen. Default setting screens 1001 and 1007 in Fig. 10 are screens displayed on the display unit 308 of the information processing apparatus 102 or on the operation panel 208 of the image processing apparatus 101.

[0082] A pull-down menu 1002 is used to select the default setting for the color mode, and allows the selection of color or monochrome.

[0083] A pull-down menu 1003 is used to select the default setting for the document type, and allows the user to select photo, text, or text / photo.

[0084] A pull-down menu 1004 is used to set the default setting for removing blank pages, and ON or OFF can be selected.

[0085] When the enter button 1005 is selected, the set value is stored in the storage 205. When the cancel button 1006 is selected, the set value is reset.

[0086] When ON is selected in the pull-down menu 1004, a default setting screen 1007 is displayed. The pull-down menu 1008 is a pull-down menu for selecting the default setting for the blank page removal level, and levels 1 to 5 can be selected. The pull-down menu 1009 is a pull-down menu for selecting the default setting for the blank page removal mode, and blank paper or blank paper + colored paper can be selected.

[0087] When the setting button 1010 is selected, the setting values ​​set in the pull-down menus 1008 and 1009 are stored in the RAM 203 and the setting screen 1001 is displayed.

[0088] Returning now to the description of Fig. 8, if it is determined in S804 that the blank page removal level attribute is included, in S806 the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the value of "blankPageSkipLevel" to the "blank page removal level setting" of the job attributes.

[0089] If it is determined in S801 that the scan ticket data does not include a blank page removal attribute, or if it is determined in S802 that the blank page removal setting is not ON, then in S807 the CPU 202 sets the "blank page removal ON / OFF setting" of the job attributes to "OFF."

[0090] <Second blank page removal setting process> Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the second blank page removal setting process executed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 in this embodiment. Each process in the flowchart of Fig. 11 is performed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. In this embodiment, the scan ticket is a character string in JSON format in which the blank page removal attribute is defined as "blankPageSkip" and the blank page removal level attribute is defined as "blankPageSkipLevel". This flow explains another form of the first blank page removal setting process described in Fig. 8.

[0091] In S1101, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 includes a blank page removal attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C) that includes "blankPageSkip" includes the blank page removal attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9D) that does not include "blankPageSkip" does not include the blank page removal attribute.

[0092] If it is determined in S1101 that the scan ticket includes a blank page removal attribute, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines in S1102 whether the blank page removal setting of the scan ticket saved in the RAM 203 is ON. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal setting is ON for a blank page removal scan ticket in which the value of "blankPageSkip" is "on" (FIGS. 9A and 9B). The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal setting is not ON for a blank page removal scan ticket in which the value of "blankPageSkip" is "off" (FIG. 9C).

[0093] If it is determined in step S1102 that the blank page removal setting is ON, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "ON" to the "blank page removal ON / OFF setting" of the job attributes in step S1103.

[0094] In step S1104, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the scan ticket stored in the RAM 203 includes a blank page removal level attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9B) that includes "blankPageSkipLevel" includes the blank page removal level attribute. The CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines that the blank page removal scan ticket (FIG. 9A) that does not include "blankPageSkipLevel" does not include the blank page removal level attribute.

[0095] If it is determined in S1104 that the blank page removal level attribute is not included, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 executes blank page removal level determination processing in S1105. Examples of the blank page removal level determination processing include the first blank page removal level determination processing (FIG. 12) and the second blank page removal level determination processing (FIG. 13).

[0096] If it is determined in step S1104 that the blank page removal level attribute is included, in step S1106 the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the value of "blankPageSkipLevel" to the "blank page removal level setting" of the job attributes.

[0097] If it is determined in S1101 that the scan ticket does not include a blank page removal attribute, or if it is determined in S1102 that the blank page removal setting is not ON, the CPU 202 sets the "blank page removal ON / OFF setting" of the job attributes to "OFF" in S1107.

[0098] <First Blank Page Removal Level Determination Process> Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a first blank page removal level determination process executed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 in this embodiment. Each process in the flowchart of Fig. 12 is performed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. In this embodiment, it is possible to set one of the values ​​"150 dpi," "300 dpi," or "600 dpi" for "resolution," and one of the values ​​"text," "photo," or "text / photo" for "document type."

[0099] In step S1201, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 checks whether the resolution of the job attributes stored in the RAM 203 is set to "150 dpi," "300 dpi," or "600 dpi." In the following processing, the level of blank page removal can be identified and set based on the resolution setting included in the scan settings received from the information processing apparatus 102.

[0100] If it is determined in S1201 that the resolution of the job attribute is "300 dpi," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "resolution-compatible removal level" in the RAM 203 to "3" in S1202.

[0101] If it is determined in step S1201 that the resolution of the job attribute is "150 dpi," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "1" to the "resolution-compatible removal level" in the RAM 203 in step S1203.

[0102] If it is determined in S1201 that the resolution of the job attribute is "600 dpi," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "resolution-compatible removal level" in the RAM 203 to "5" in S1204.

[0103] In the following processing, the level of blank page removal can be identified and set based on the document type setting included in the scan setting received from the information processing apparatus 102.

[0104] In step S1205, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 checks whether the document type of the job attributes stored in the RAM 203 is set to "text," "photo," or "text / photo."

[0105] If it is determined in step S1205 that the job attribute resolution is "text / photo," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "removal level for document type" in the RAM 203 to "3" in step S1206.

[0106] If it is determined in step S1205 that the job attribute resolution is "text", the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "1" to the "removal level corresponding to document type" in the RAM 203 in step S1207.

[0107] If it is determined in step S1205 that the job attribute resolution is "photo," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets "5" to the "removal level corresponding to document type" in the RAM 203 in step S1208.

[0108] In step S1209 , the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 determines whether the “resolution-based removal level” in the RAM 203 is greater than the “document type-based removal level” in the RAM 203 .

[0109] If it is determined in S1209 that the "resolution-based removal level" is not greater than the "document type-based removal level," then in S1210 the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 sets the value of the "document type-based removal level" to the blank page removal level of the job attributes.

[0110] If it is determined in step S1209 that the "resolution-based removal level" is greater than the "document type-based removal level," the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 sets the value of the "resolution-based removal level" to the blank page removal level of the job attributes in step S1211.

[0111] <Second Blank Page Removal Level Determination Process> Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the second blank page removal level determination process executed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 in this embodiment. Each process in the flowchart of Fig. 13 is performed by the CPU 202 of the image processing device 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. In this embodiment, one of the values ​​"150 dpi," "300 dpi," or "600 dpi" can be set for "resolution," and one of the values ​​"text," "photo," or "text / photo" can be set for "document type." The flow of Fig. 13 is a flow showing an example of another form of the first blank page removal level determination process of Fig. 12.

[0112] In step S1301, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the "temporary blank page removal level" in the RAM 203 to "3."

[0113] In step S1302, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 checks whether the resolution of the job attributes stored in the RAM 203 is set to one of "150 dpi," "300 dpi," or "600 dpi."

[0114] If it is determined in S1302 that the resolution of the job attribute is "600 dpi," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the "temporary blank page removal level" in the RAM 203 to a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the "temporary blank page removal level" in S1303.

[0115] If it is determined in S1302 that the resolution of the job attribute is "150 dpi," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the "blank page removal temporary level" in the RAM 203 to a value obtained by adding 1 to the "blank page removal temporary level" in S1304.

[0116] In step S1305, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 checks whether the document type of the job attributes stored in the RAM 203 is set to "text," "photo," or "text / photo."

[0117] If it is determined in step S1305 that the job attribute resolution is "text", the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the "temporary blank page removal level" in the RAM 203 to a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the "temporary blank page removal level" in step S1306.

[0118] If it is determined in step S1305 that the job attribute resolution is "photo," the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the "temporary blank page removal level" in the RAM 203 to a value obtained by adding 1 to the "temporary blank page removal level" in step S1307.

[0119] In step S1308, the CPU 202 of the image processing apparatus 101 sets the value of the "blank page removal temporary level" to the blank page removal level of the job attributes.

[0120] By executing the above process, it becomes possible for the image processing apparatus to identify the detailed setting values ​​for blank page determination that cannot be set in a common application shared by multiple vendors.

[0121] <Other embodiments> The present invention can 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 by having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 101 Image processing device 102 Information processing equipment 202 CPU 212 Scanner

Claims

1. An application installed in an information processing device, which is compatible with image processing devices from multiple vendors, has set up scan settings, and a receiving means receives scan settings transmitted based on the eSCL protocol from the information processing device. A scanning means that scans an image of a document and generates image data based on the received scan settings, An execution means that performs a blank page removal process on the generated image data based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting, The system includes a transmission means for transmitting to the information processing device the image data that was not removed by the blank page removal process from the generated image data, The execution means is characterized in that it performs the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting and the blank page removal related setting set in the image processing device regardless of the execution of the application.

2. The image processing apparatus further comprises a receiving means for receiving settings related to the removal of blank pages from a user via the operation unit of the image processing apparatus, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the execution means performs the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting and the blank page removal related setting set by the receiving means.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the setting related to the removal of blank pages is a setting of the level of removal of blank pages.

4. The system further includes a means for identifying the level of blank page removal based on the resolution setting included in the received scan settings, The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it performs the blank page removal process based on the level of blank page removal set by the specified means.

5. The system further includes a means for identifying the level of blank page removal based on the document type setting included in the received scan settings, The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it performs the blank page removal process based on the level of blank page removal set by the specified means.

6. The receiving means receives a scan ticket including the scan settings from the information processing device, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning means scans the image of the original document and generates image data when a scan job generated based on the scan ticket is executed.

7. An analysis means for analyzing the aforementioned scan ticket, The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the analysis means analyzes the scan ticket to generate the scan job, and the scan means scans the image of the document to generate image data when the generated scan job is executed.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the scan settings include setting the resolution, setting the document type, and setting the duplex setting.

9. The system further includes a determination means for determining whether the received scan settings include setting values ​​related to the blank page removal settings. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the determination means determines that the received scan settings do not include the setting value, the execution means executes the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan settings and the settings related to the blank page removal.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting related to the removal of blank pages is a setting value set as the default setting of the image processing apparatus.

11. A receiving step of receiving scan settings from an information processing device, which are set in an application installed on the information processing device and which is compatible with image processing devices from multiple vendors, and which have been transmitted based on the eSCL protocol. A scanning process is performed to scan the image of the document and generate image data based on the received scan settings. An execution step of performing a blank page removal process on the generated image data based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting, The system includes a transmission step of transmitting to the information processing device the image data that was not removed by the blank page removal process from the generated image data, The execution step is characterized by performing the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting and the blank page removal related setting set in the image processing device regardless of the execution of the application.

12. The image processing apparatus further comprises a receiving step of receiving settings related to the removal of blank pages from a user via the operation unit of the image processing apparatus, The image processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the execution step performs the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan setting and the blank page removal related setting set by acceptance in the acceptance step.

13. The image processing method according to claim 12, characterized in that the setting related to the removal of blank pages is a setting of the level of removal of blank pages.

14. The process further includes a step of identifying the level of blank page removal based on the resolution setting included in the received scan settings, The image processing method according to claim 13, characterized in that the white page removal process is performed based on the level of white page removal set by the specified step.

15. The process further includes a selection step to determine the level of blank page removal based on the document type setting included in the received scan settings, The image processing method according to claim 13, characterized in that the white page removal process is performed based on the level of white page removal set by the specified step.

16. In the receiving step, a scan ticket including the scan settings is received from the information processing device, The image processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that a scan job generated based on the scan ticket is executed, and in the scanning step, the image of the original document is scanned to generate image data.

17. The analysis process involves analyzing the aforementioned scan ticket, The image processing method according to claim 16, characterized in that the scan step generates a scan job by analyzing the scan ticket in the analysis step, and the scan step generates image data by scanning the image of the original document when the generated scan job is executed.

18. The image processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the scan settings include setting the resolution, setting the document type, and setting the double-sided scan.

19. The system further includes a determination step of determining whether the received scan settings include the setting values ​​related to the blank page removal settings. The image processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that, as the determination step determines that the received scan settings do not include a setting value related to blank page removal, the execution step performs the blank page removal process based on the blank page removal setting included in the received scan settings and the setting related to blank page removal.

20. The image processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that the level of white space removal is a setting value set as the default setting.

Images