Image processing system

Abstract

We provide an image processing system that improves the flexibility and convenience of printing operations. [Solution] The image processing system 1 performs a communication connection function using an image processing module 6 within the portable communication device 5, thereby enabling the local or remote image acquisition device 3, the printing device 4, and the portable communication device 5 to communicate with each other and function as a virtual multifunction printer. This allows the convenience of a multifunction printer to be realized without space constraints, simplifies user operation, and improves the flexibility and convenience of printing operations as the user can directly operate the printing process through the user interface provided by the portable communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing system, and more particularly to an image processing system that can be used as a virtual multi-function printer by connecting and integrating local or remote image capture devices, printing devices, and mobile communication devices.

Background Art

[0002] A multi-function printer (MFP) is a device that integrates the functions of various office equipment, usually including functions such as scanning, printing, and faxing. MFPs are widely used in enterprises, schools, and households to simplify equipment management, save space, and reduce costs.

[0003] Currently, to copy the content of a paper document, a multi-function printer that can usually perform image scanning and document printing functions simultaneously is required. However, when there is no multi-function printer at the user's location, the user has to use separately installed scanners, printers, and personal computers to copy the paper document in multiple operation procedures, which is very time-consuming.

[0004] For example, in the above situation, first, the user sets the paper document on the scanner, starts the scanner, and scans the content of the paper document to obtain image data. Next, the user runs image editing software on the personal computer to edit the image data. Then, the user selects a printer on the personal computer, performs printing settings, and issues a printing instruction to the specified printer. Finally, the printer receives the printing instruction and prints and outputs the image data of the paper document on the printing medium. It is obvious that such an operation method is inconvenient for the user.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to develop an image processing system to solve the problems and drawbacks faced by existing technologies.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an image processing system in which a local or remote image acquisition device, a printing device, and a mobile communication device communicate with each other and function as a virtual multifunction printer by performing a communication connection function using an image processing module within the mobile communication device. This makes it possible to realize the convenience of a multifunction printer without space constraints, simplifies user operation, and improves the flexibility and convenience of printing operations because the user can directly operate the printing operation through a user interface provided by the mobile communication device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides an image processing system comprising a server, at least one image acquisition device, at least one printing device, and a portable communication device. The at least one image acquisition device is connected to the server and configured to acquire image data of an object. The at least one printing device is connected to the server and configured to print / output image data. The portable communication device includes an image processing module. The portable communication device is connected to the server via the image processing module, so that the at least one image acquisition device, at least one printing device, and the portable communication device communicate with each other to form a virtual multifunction printer. The image processing module includes a user interface, which generates work instructions through control operations. The at least one image acquisition device receives the work instructions, performs an image acquisition operation on the object in accordance with the work instructions to acquire image data, and transmits the image data to the server. The server receives the work instructions, selectively edits or does not edit the image data in accordance with the work instructions, and transmits the image data to at least one printing device. The at least one printing device receives the image data and work instructions, performs a printing operation in accordance with the work instructions, and prints / outputs the image data.

[0008] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides an image processing system comprising a server, a first network domain, and a second network domain. The first network domain includes a first mobile communication device and at least one printing device. The first mobile communication device includes a first image processing module. The first mobile communication device is connected to the server via the first image processing module. At least one printing device is connected to the first mobile communication device and configured to perform printing operations. The second network domain includes a second mobile communication device and at least one image acquisition device. The second mobile communication device includes a second image processing module. The second mobile communication device is connected to the server via the second image processing module. At least one image acquisition device is connected to the second mobile communication device and configured to acquire image data of an object. The first and second mobile communication devices execute a device sharing process via the first and second image processing modules, thereby establishing a communication connection between the first and second mobile communication devices via a server, so that at least one image acquisition device, at least one printing device, the first mobile communication device, and the second mobile communication device form a virtual multifunction device. The first image processing module of the first mobile communication device or the second image processing module of the second mobile communication device is equipped with a user interface, which generates work instructions through control operations. At least one image acquisition device receives a work instruction, performs an image acquisition operation on an object according to the work instruction to acquire image data, and transmits the image data to the server via the second mobile communication device. The server receives the work instruction, selectively edits or does not edit the image data according to the work instruction, and transmits the image data to at least one printing device via the first mobile communication device. At least one printing device receives the image data and work instruction, performs a printing operation according to the work instruction to print / output the image data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a schematic diagram of the image processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the image processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Several typical embodiments illustrating the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. The present invention can be modified in various ways in different embodiments, none of which will depart from the scope of the invention, and it should be understood that the description and drawings are used for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an image processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the image processing system 1 of the present invention includes a server 2, at least one image acquisition device 3, at least one printing device 4, and a portable communication device 5. The at least one image acquisition device 3 is connected to the server 2 and configured to acquire image data of an object. The object may be, for example, a paper document, but is not limited thereto. The at least one printing device 4 is connected to the server 2 and configured to print and output the image data of the object. The portable communication device 5 includes an image processing module 6. The portable communication device 5 is connected to the server 2 via the image processing module 6, and the image processing module 6 performs a communication connection function so that the at least one image acquisition device 3, at least one printing device 4, and the portable communication device 5 communicate with each other to form a virtual multifunction printer. The image processing module 6 includes a user interface 7, which generates work instructions based on user control operations. At least one image acquisition device 3 receives a work instruction, performs an image acquisition operation on the object in accordance with the work instruction to acquire image data, and transmits the image data to the server 2. The server 2 receives the image data and work instruction, selectively edits or does not edit the image data according to the work instruction, and transmits the image data to at least one printing device 4. At least one printing device 4 receives the image data and work instruction, performs a printing operation in accordance with the work instruction to print / output the image data of the object. As a result, the image processing system 1 of the present invention can realize the operation of copying the image data of the object.

[0013] In this embodiment, at least one image acquisition device 3 and server 2 can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, but is not limited to, internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth® communication, etc. At least one printing device 4 and server 2 can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, but is not limited to, internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth® communication, etc. The mobile communication device 5 and server 2 can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, but is not limited to, mobile communication networks, internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth® communication, etc.

[0014] In one embodiment, at least one image acquisition device 3 and at least one printing device 4 are located within the same network domain W, and the server 2 is connected to the network domain W and the mobile communication device 5.

[0015] In this embodiment, server 2 includes a processor 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The processor 21 is connected to the storage unit 22 and the communication unit 23, respectively, and is configured to control the operation of each unit in server 2 and to process various instructions and data. The image acquisition device 3 may, but is not limited to, a scanner. The image acquisition device 3 includes a processor 31, a scan unit 32, and a communication unit 33. The processor 31 is connected to the scan unit 32 and the communication unit 33, respectively, and is configured to control the operation of the scan unit 32, process scanned image data, and control the transmission and reception of data by the communication unit 33. The printing device 4 includes a processor 41, a printing unit 42, and a communication unit 43. The processor 41 is connected to the printing unit 42 and the communication unit 43, respectively, and is configured to control the printing operation of the printing unit 42 and the transmission and reception of data by the communication unit 43. The portable communication device 5 may, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer with network capabilities, or a portable computer with network capabilities. The portable communication device 5 includes a processor 51 and a communication unit 52, the processor 51 being connected to the image processing module 6 and the communication unit 52, respectively. In this embodiment, at least one image acquisition device 3, at least one printing device 4, and the portable communication device 5 are independent and separately installed devices, the at least one image acquisition device 3 and the at least one printing device 4 can be installed on the local or remote side, respectively, and the portable communication device 5 is located near the user for handheld control by the user.

[0016] In one embodiment, the image processing system 1 includes a server 2, a plurality of image acquisition devices 3, a plurality of printing devices 4, and a mobile communication device 5. The image processing module 6 of the mobile communication device 5 is equipped with a user interface 7 and is configured to perform a communication connection function to form a communication connection between a designated image acquisition device from the plurality of image acquisition devices 3, a designated printing device 4 from the plurality of printing devices 4, and the mobile communication device 5, thereby forming a virtual multifunction device. This allows the user to build and form a virtual multifunction device with the designated image acquisition device 3, designated printing device 4, and mobile communication device 5 according to their needs and preferences, and perform scanning and printing operations directly with a single touch. In this embodiment, the user interface 7 provides a menu for selecting the designated image acquisition device 3 and printing device 4. In one embodiment, the user interface 7 also provides a predetermined communication connection function for the user to build and form a virtual multifunction device with previously designated image acquisition devices 3, previously designated printing devices 4, and mobile communication device 5 according to the user's previous settings in order to perform an image data copying operation on an object. In one embodiment, the user interface 7 also provides a recommendation function that offers and recommends user selection priorities based on parameters such as the distance between the image acquisition device 3 or the printing device 4 and the mobile communication device 5, the amount of ink stored in the printing device 4, and the workload of the printing device 4 waiting to print. In one embodiment, the drivers for each image acquisition device 3 and each printing device 4 are preloaded on the server 2.

[0017] In some embodiments, the user interface 7 displays a menu, allowing the user to pre-edit print settings according to print requests such as single-sided / double-sided printing, number of copies, print color, paper size and type, print quality, page range, scaling, headers and footers, watermarks, borders, and / or page layout. Note that the print settings included in the work instructions are not limited to the embodiments described above and can be adjusted according to actual needs. In some embodiments, the user interface 7 displays a menu, allowing the user to select image data currently stored in the storage unit 22 of the server 2, or image data subsequently generated from the designated image acquisition device 3, configure print settings, and then execute the subsequent printing operation.

[0018] In some embodiments, work instructions generated by the image processing module 6 of the mobile communication device 5 are transmitted to a designated image acquisition device 3 via the server 2. Upon receiving the work instructions, the image acquisition device 3 performs an image acquisition operation on the object to generate image data and transmits the image data to the server 2. Upon receiving the image data transmitted from the image acquisition device 3, the server 2 edits or does not edit the image data according to the work instructions and transmits the image data to a designated printing device 4. The work instructions generated by the image processing module 6 of the mobile communication device 5 are also transmitted to the designated printing device 4 via the server 2. Upon receiving the image data transmitted from the server 2, the printing device 4 performs a printing operation according to the print settings of the work instructions and prints / outputs the image data of the object onto a printing medium.

[0019] In some embodiments, the server 2 further includes an editing module 24, which is configured to perform image data editing tasks according to a work instruction and to send the edited image data to at least one printer 4 for printing tasks. In some embodiments, the editing module 24 is connected to a processor 21. For example, if the print settings of a work instruction include image data editing tasks, the editing module 24 of the server 2 performs the image data editing tasks, and the processor 21 sends the edited image data to the printer 4 via a communication unit 23. If the print settings of a work instruction do not include image data editing tasks, the processor 21 sends the image data directly to the printer 4 via the communication unit 23.

[0020] In some embodiments, the image processing system 1 further includes a storage device 8 configured to communicate with a server 2 and store the edited image data. The storage device 8 is also located within the network domain W.

[0021] In some embodiments, the storage device 8 includes a processor 81, a storage unit 82, and a communication unit 83, with the processor 81 connected to the storage unit 82 and the communication unit 83, respectively. The communication unit 83 is connected to the communication unit 23 of the server 2, and the processor 81 stores the received edited image data in the storage unit 82.

[0022] In this embodiment, the operation method and processing procedure of the image processing system 1 are as follows. First, the user sets the operation via the menu of the user interface 7 of the mobile communication device 5, selects the designated image acquisition device 3 and the designated printing device 4, and the image processing module 6 executes the communication connection function to establish a communication connection between the communication unit 23 of the server 2, the communication unit 33 of the designated image acquisition device 3, the communication unit 43 of the designated printing device 4, and the communication unit 52 of the mobile communication device 5, thereby constructing and forming a virtual multifunction device. After the user sets the operation via the user interface 7 of the mobile communication device 5 and completes the print settings, the image processing module 6 of the mobile communication device 5 generates a work instruction, the processor 51 sends the work instruction to the server 2 via the communication unit 52, and the server 2 sends the work instruction to the image acquisition device 3 and the printing device 4. The processor 31 of the image acquisition device 3 controls the operation of the scan unit 32 according to the work instruction, performs an image acquisition operation on the target object to acquire image data, and sends the image data to the server 2 via the communication unit 33. When server 2 receives image data, it stores the image data in storage unit 22.

[0023] In this case, if the print settings of the work instruction include editing of image data, the processor 21 of the server 2 controls the editing module 24 to perform the image data editing, editing the image data stored in the storage unit 22 according to the editing settings. The edited image data is stored in the storage unit 22, and the processor 21 transmits the edited image data to the printer 4 via the communication unit 23. In one embodiment, the communication unit 23 of the server 2 can also transmit the edited or unedited image data to the storage device 8 for storage. Subsequently, the processor 41 of the printer 4 receives the image data via the communication unit 43 and controls the print unit 42 according to the print settings of the work instruction to perform the printing operation, thereby printing and outputting the image data.

[0024] In some embodiments, any network domain connected to the server 2 can be selected and a connection can be established via the user interface 7 provided by the image processing module 6 of the mobile communication device 5, whereby the image capture device 3 and the printing device 4 connected to the server 2 in the network domain can be controlled. That is, all the image capture devices 3 and the printing devices 4 connected to the server 2 and located within the same network domain W can be communicatively connected and integrated. Thereby, the advantages of the convenience of a multifunction device can be realized without space constraints, the user operation is simplified, and the user can directly operate the printing operation via the user interface provided by the mobile communication device 5, so that the flexibility and convenience of the printing operation are improved.

[0025] In some embodiments, the server 2 is a cloud server, and the user interface 7 is, but is not limited to, a user operation interface or a voice input recognition system.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an image processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, the image processing system 1a includes a server 2, a first network domain X, and a second network domain Y. The first network domain X includes a first mobile communication device 5a and at least one printing device 4, and the second network domain Y includes a second mobile communication device 5b and at least one image acquisition device 3. The first mobile communication device 5a includes a first image processing module 6a. The first mobile communication device 5a is connected to the server 2 via the first image processing module 6a. At least one printing device 4 is connected to the first mobile communication device 5a. The second mobile communication device 5b includes a second image processing module 6b. The second mobile communication device 5b is connected to the server 2 via the second image processing module 6b. At least one image acquisition device 3 is connected to the second mobile communication device 5b and is configured to acquire image data of an object. The first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b execute a device sharing process via the first image processing module 6a and the second image processing module 6b, and establish a communication connection between the first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b via the server 2, thereby configuring at least one image acquisition device 3, at least one printing device 4, the first mobile communication device 5a, and the second mobile communication device 5b to form a virtual multifunction device. The first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a is equipped with a user interface 7a, and the second image processing module 6b of the second mobile communication device 5b is equipped with a user interface 7b. The user interface 7a or 7b generates work instructions through control operations. At least one image acquisition device 3 receives a work instruction, performs an image acquisition operation on an object according to the work instruction to acquire image data, and transmits the image data to the server 2 via the second mobile communication device 5b. The server 2 receives a work instruction, selectively edits or does not edit the image data according to the work instruction, and transmits the image data to at least one printing device 4 via the first mobile communication device 5a. At least one printing device 4 receives image data and work instructions, and performs a printing operation according to the work instructions to print and output the image data.

[0027] In this embodiment, at least one image capturing device 3 and the first mobile communication device 5a can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, for example, Internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc., but is not limited thereto. At least one printing device 4 and the second mobile communication device 5b can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, for example, Internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc., but is not limited thereto. The first mobile communication device 5a, the second mobile communication device 5b, and the server 2 can be connected via wireless communication, and the wireless communication may be, for example, a mobile communication network, Internet communication, WiFi communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0028] In this embodiment, server 2 includes a processor 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The processor 21 is connected to the storage unit 22 and the communication unit 23, respectively, and is configured to control the operation of each unit in server 2 and to process various instructions and data. The image acquisition device 3 may be, for example, a scanner, but is not limited thereto. The image acquisition device 3 includes a processor 31, a scan unit 32, and a communication unit 33. The processor 31 is connected to the scan unit 32 and the communication unit 33, respectively, and is configured to control the operation of the scan unit 32, process scanned image data, and control the transmission and reception of data by the communication unit 33. The printing device 4 includes a processor 41, a printing unit 42, and a communication unit 43. The processor 41 is connected to the printing unit 42 and the communication unit 43, respectively, and is configured to control the printing operation of the printing unit 42 and the transmission and reception of data by the communication unit 43. The first portable communication device 5a may be, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer with network functionality, or a portable computer with network functionality, but is not limited thereto. The first portable communication device 5a includes a processor 51a and a communication unit 52a, with the processor 51a connected to the first image processing module 6a and the communication unit 52a, respectively. The second portable communication device 5b may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer with network capabilities, or a portable computer with network capabilities. The second portable communication device 5b includes a processor 51b and a communication unit 52b, with the processor 51b connected to the second image processing module 6b and the communication unit 52b, respectively.

[0029] In this embodiment, at least one image acquisition device 3, at least one printing device 4, a first portable communication device 5a, and a second portable communication device 5b are independent and separately installed devices. The at least one image acquisition device 3 and the at least one printing device 4 can be installed on the local or remote side, and the first portable communication device 5a and the second portable communication device 5b are adjacent to different users for handheld control by different users.

[0030] In some embodiments, the device sharing process establishes a communication connection between the first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b via the server 2 by having the second mobile communication device 5b send a device sharing request to the first mobile communication device 5a, and the first mobile communication device 5a receiving and responding to the device sharing request.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a generates a work instruction and then transmits the acquisition request and work instruction to the second mobile communication device 5b. The second mobile communication device 5b receives the acquisition request and work instruction and transmits the work instruction to at least one image acquisition device 3, which performs an image acquisition operation to acquire image data of the object and transmits the image data to the first mobile communication device 5a via the server 2.

[0032] In some embodiments, the work instructions generated by the first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a are transmitted to the designated image acquisition device 3 via the server 2 and the second mobile communication device 5b. Upon receiving the work instructions, the image acquisition device 3 performs an image acquisition operation on the object to generate image data and transmits the image data to the server 2. Upon receiving the image data transmitted from the image acquisition device 3, the server 2 edits or does not edit the image data according to the work instructions and transmits the image data to the printing device 4 via the first mobile communication device 5a. The work instructions generated by the first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a are also transmitted to the printing device 4. Upon receiving the image data transmitted from the first mobile communication device 5a, the printing device 4 performs a printing operation according to the print settings of the work instructions and prints / outputs the image data of the object.

[0033] In some embodiments, the server 2 includes an editing module 24, which is configured to perform editing operations on image data in the server 2 according to work instructions and to transmit the edited image data from the server 2 to at least one printer 4 via a first mobile communication device 5a in order to perform printing operations. In some embodiments, the editing module 24 is connected to a processor 21. For example, if the print settings of a work instruction include editing image data, the editing module 24 in the server 2 performs the editing operations on the image data, and the processor 21 transmits the edited image data to the printer 4 via the first mobile communication device 5a by a communication unit 23. If the print settings of a work instruction do not include editing image data, the processor 21 transmits the image data directly to the printer 4 via the first mobile communication device 5a by the communication unit 23.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first network domain X of the image processing system 1a is connected to a first mobile communication device 5a and further includes a storage device 8 configured to store edited or unedited image data. In one embodiment, the storage device 8 is connected to a server 2.

[0035] In some embodiments, the storage device 8 includes a processor 81, a storage unit 82, and a communication unit 83, with the processor 81 connected to the storage unit 82 and the communication unit 83, respectively. The communication unit 83 is connected to the communication unit 52a of the first portable communication device 5a or the communication unit 23 of the server 2, and the processor 81 stores the received edited or unedited image data or image data in the storage unit 82.

[0036] In this embodiment, the operation method and processing procedure of the image processing system 1a are as follows. The first user holds the first mobile communication device 5a, and the second user holds the second mobile communication device 5b. The second user performs a control operation on the user interface 7b of the second mobile communication device 5b, and the user interface 7b generates a device sharing request, which is transmitted from the communication unit 52b of the second mobile communication device 5b to the communication unit 52a of the first mobile communication device 5a via the server 2. When the first mobile communication device 5a receives the device sharing request, it establishes a communication connection between the first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b via the server 2. Similarly, the first user also performs a control operation on the user interface 7a of the first mobile communication device 5a, which generates a device sharing request, and by executing the procedure described above, establishes a communication connection between the first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b via the server 2.

[0037] In this embodiment, a communication connection is established between the first mobile communication device 5a and the second mobile communication device 5b via the server 2. The first user configures the operation settings on the user interface 7a of the first mobile communication device 5a, selects a designated image acquisition device 3 from among multiple image acquisition devices 3 in the second network domain Y, and selects a designated printing device 4 from among multiple printing devices 4 in the first network domain X. The first image processing module 6a executes the communication connection function, thereby establishing a communication connection between the communication unit 23 of the server 2, the communication unit 33 of the designated image acquisition device 3, the communication unit 43 of the designated printing device 4, the communication unit 52a of the first mobile communication device 5a, and the communication unit 52b of the second mobile communication device 5b, thereby constructing and forming a virtual multifunction device. Furthermore, when the first user configures the operation settings via the user interface 7a of the first mobile communication device 5a and completes the print settings, the first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a generates work instructions.

[0038] In one embodiment, the user interface 7a displays a menu, allowing the user to pre-edit print settings according to print requests such as single-sided / double-sided printing, number of copies, print color, paper size and type, print quality, page range, scaling, headers and footers, watermarks, borders, and / or page layout. Note that the print settings included in the work instructions are not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be adjusted according to actual needs. In one embodiment, the user interface 7a displays a menu, allowing the user to select image data currently stored in the storage unit 22 of the server 2, or image data subsequently generated from the designated image acquisition device 3, configure print settings, and then execute the subsequent printing operation.

[0039] In some embodiments, the first image processing module 6a of the first portable communication device 5a generates a work instruction and then transmits the acquisition request and work instruction from the communication unit 52a to the communication unit 52b of the second portable communication device 5b. The second portable communication device 5b receives the acquisition request and work instruction and transmits the work instruction to the communication unit 33 of at least one image acquisition device 3, and at least one image acquisition device 3 performs an image acquisition operation to acquire image data of the object. The image acquisition device 3 transmits the image data to the server 2 via the second portable device 5b. When the server 2 receives the image data, it stores the image data in the storage unit 22.

[0040] In this case, if the print settings of the work instruction include editing of image data, the processor 21 of server 2 controls the editing module 24 to perform the image data editing, editing the image data stored in the storage unit 22 according to the editing settings. The edited image data is stored in the storage unit 22, and the processor 21 transmits the edited image data to the first portable communication device 5a via the communication unit 23. In one embodiment, the communication unit 23 of server 2 can also transmit the edited or unedited image data to the storage device 8 for storage. Subsequently, the processor 41 of the printing device 4 receives the image data via the communication unit 43 and controls the printing unit 42 according to the print settings of the work instruction to perform the printing operation, thereby printing and outputting the image data. If the print settings of the work instruction do not include editing of image data, the communication unit 23 transmits the image data stored in the storage unit 22 to the printing device 4 via the first portable communication device 5a. Subsequently, the processor 41 of the printing device 4 receives the image data via the communication unit 43 and controls the printing unit 42 according to the print settings of the work instruction to perform the printing operation, thereby printing and outputting the image data.

[0041] In some embodiments, a connection can be established with a second mobile communication device 5b, which similarly includes a second image processing module 6b, via a server 2 through a user interface 7a provided by the first image processing module 6a of the first mobile communication device 5a. As a result, a connection is established between the first network domain X where the first mobile communication device 5a is located and the second network domain Y where the second mobile communication device 5b is located, via the server 2. This allows the first mobile communication device 5a to control the image acquisition devices 3 and printing devices 4 in the first network domain X and the second network domain Y. In other words, all image acquisition devices 3 and printing devices 4 in the first network domain X and the second network domain Y connected to the server 2 can be communicated and integrated. This allows the convenience benefits of a multifunction printer to be realized without space constraints, simplifies user operation, and improves the flexibility and convenience of printing operations because the user can directly operate the printing operation via the user interface 7a provided by the first mobile communication device 5a.

[0042] In some embodiments, server 2 is a cloud server, and user interface 7a and user interface 7b are, but are not limited to, a user operation interface or a voice input recognition system, respectively.

[0043] As described above, the present invention provides an image processing system. In this image processing system, a communication connection function is performed by an image processing module in a portable communication device, so that a local or remote image acquisition device, a printing device, and a portable communication device communicate with each other and function as a virtual multifunction printer. This makes it possible to realize the convenience of a multifunction printer without space constraints, simplifies user operation, and improves the flexibility and convenience of printing operations because the user can directly operate the printing operation through a user interface provided by the portable communication device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: Image processing system 1a: Image processing system 2: Server 21: Processor 22: Memory Unit 23: Communication Unit 24: Editing Module 3: Image acquisition device 31: Processor 32: Scan Unit 33: Communication Unit 4: Printing device 41: Processor 42: Printing Unit 43: Communication Unit 5: Mobile communication device 51: Processor 52: Communication Unit 5a: First portable communication device 51a: Processor 52a: Communication unit 5b: Second portable communication device 51b: Processor 52b: Communication Unit 6: Image Processing Module 6a: First image processing module 6b: Second image processing module 7: User Interface 7a: User Interface 7b: User Interface 8:Storage device 81: Processor 82: Memory Unit 83: Communication Unit W: Network Domain X: First network domain Y: Second Network Domain

Claims

1. An image processing system including a server, at least one image acquisition device, at least one printing device, and a mobile communication device, The at least one image acquisition device is connected to the server and configured to acquire image data of an object. The at least one printing device is configured to communicate with the server and print / output the image data. The mobile communication device includes an image processing module, and the mobile communication device is configured to communicate with the server via the image processing module, thereby enabling the at least one image acquisition device, the at least one printing device, and the mobile communication device to communicate with each other and form a virtual multifunction device. The image processing module includes a user interface, the user interface generates work instructions through control operations, the at least one image acquisition device receives the work instructions, performs an image acquisition operation on the object in accordance with the work instructions to acquire the image data, and transmits the image data to the server. The server receives the work instructions, selectively edits or does not edit the image data in accordance with the work instructions, and transmits the image data to the at least one printing device; the at least one printing device receives the image data and the work instructions, and performs a printing operation in accordance with the work instructions to print or output the image data. Image processing system.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the work instructions transmitted from the mobile communication device are transmitted via the server to the at least one image acquisition device and the at least one printing device.

3. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server includes an editing module, the editing module is configured to perform an editing operation of the image data in accordance with the work instructions, and to transmit the edited image data to at least one printing device in order to perform the printing operation.

4. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is a mobile phone, a tablet computer with network functionality, or a portable computer with network functionality, the image acquisition device is a scanner, and the at least one image acquisition device, the at least one printing device, and the mobile communication device are each independent and separate devices.

5. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage device configured to communicate with the server and store the edited image data.

6. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the server is a cloud server and the user interface is a user operation interface or a voice input recognition system.

7. An image processing system including a server, a first network domain, and a second network domain, The first network domain includes a first mobile communication device and at least one printing device, The first mobile communication device includes a first image processing module, and the first mobile communication device is connected to the server via the first image processing module. The at least one printing device is configured to communicate with the first portable communication device and perform printing operations. The second network domain includes a second mobile communication device and at least one image acquisition device. The second mobile communication device includes a second image processing module, and the second mobile communication device is connected to the server via the second image processing module. The at least one image acquisition device is connected to the second mobile communication device and is configured to acquire image data of an object. The first and second mobile communication devices are configured to perform a device sharing process via the first and second image processing modules, and to establish a communication connection between the first and second mobile communication devices via the server, thereby forming a virtual multifunction device with the at least one image acquisition device, the at least one printing device, the first mobile communication device, and the second mobile communication device. The first image processing module of the first mobile communication device or the second image processing module of the second mobile communication device is equipped with a user interface, the user interface generates work instructions by control operations, the at least one image acquisition device receives the work instructions, performs an image acquisition operation on the object in accordance with the work instructions to acquire the image data, and transmits the image data to the server via the second mobile communication device. The server receives the work instructions, selectively edits or does not edit the image data in accordance with the work instructions, and transmits the image data to the at least one printing device via the first mobile communication device; the at least one printing device receives the image data and the work instructions, and performs the printing operation in accordance with the work instructions to print and output the image data. Image processing system.

8. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein in the device sharing process, the second mobile communication device transmits a device sharing request to the first mobile communication device, and the first mobile communication device receives and responds to the device sharing request, thereby establishing a communication connection between the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device via the server.

9. The first image processing module of the first mobile communication device generates the work instruction, and the first mobile communication device transmits the acquisition request and the work instruction to the second mobile communication device. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the second mobile communication device receives the acquisition request and the work instruction, transmits the work instruction to the at least one image acquisition device, the at least one image acquisition device performs the image acquisition work to acquire the image data of the object, and transmits the image data to the first mobile communication device via the server.

10. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the server includes an editing module, the editing module is configured to perform editing work on the image data in the server in accordance with the work instructions, and to transmit the edited image data from the server to at least one printing device via the first mobile communication device in order to perform the printing work.

11. The image processing system according to claim 10, further comprising a storage device configured to communicate with the server and store the edited image data.

12. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the first mobile communication device and the second mobile communication device are a mobile phone, a tablet computer with network functionality, or a portable computer with network functionality, the image acquisition device is a scanner, and the at least one image acquisition device, the at least one printing device, the first mobile communication device, and the second mobile communication device are each independent and separate devices.

13. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the first network domain is connected to the first mobile communication device and includes a storage device configured to store the edited image data.

14. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the server is a cloud server and the user interface is a user operation interface or a voice input recognition system.

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