Information and communication equipment and information and communication systems

Abstract

To improve convenience. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 20 includes a first communication unit 42 that communicates with a first network 2 to which a first router 6 is connected, a second communication unit 44 that communicates with a second network 4 to which a second router 8 is connected, and a control unit 22 that controls the transmission of data via the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 by referring to a routing table TB1 which includes routing information indicating the route for transmitting data to a second server 12, which is the destination of the data. When the IP address of the first router 6 is pre-configured as routing information, the control unit 22 switches the routing information from the IP address of the first router 6 to the IP address of the second router 8 before connecting to the second server 12.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information communication device and an information communication system, and is suitable for application to, for example, an image forming apparatus having a function of communicating with a server via a network.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been a device having a plurality of communication interfaces respectively connected to mutually independent LANs (Local Area Networks) and capable of communicating simultaneously using these plurality of communication interfaces (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, even if a device has a plurality of communication interfaces, it is necessary to register one valid router address in advance. Therefore, when communicating with an external device using an unregistered router, the user has to set it manually, which is cumbersome.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose an information communication device and an information communication system that can enhance convenience.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve these problems, the information communication device of the present invention includes a first communication unit that communicates with a first network to which a first router is connected, a second communication unit that communicates with a second network to which a second router is connected, and a control unit that controls the transmission of data via the first communication unit or the second communication unit by referring to network routing information which includes routing information indicating the route to which data is transmitted to a destination, and the control unit, when the address of the first router is pre-configured as routing information, switches the routing information from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination.

[0007] Furthermore, the information communication system of the present invention includes the above-mentioned information communication equipment, a first server connected to a first router, and a second server connected to a second router.

[0008] In this invention, only the address of the first router is pre-configured as routing information when sending data to a destination where the direct destination of the data is unknown. This enables communication from the image forming apparatus to the second server even if a second router exists between the information and communication equipment and the second server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when transmitting data to a destination where the direct destination of the data is unknown, only the address of the first router is pre-configured as routing information. Even if a second router exists between the information and communication device and the second server, communication from the image forming device to the second server is possible. Thus, the present invention can realize information and communication devices and information and communication systems that can enhance convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information and communication system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the network communication unit. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for updating network routing information. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the configuration of the mail server settings screen. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the email sending process. [Figure 7] This diagram shows the configuration of the routing table. [Figure 8] This diagram shows the configuration of the routing table with the first provisional route information added. [Figure 9] This diagram shows the configuration of the routing table with the second provisional route information added. [Figure 10] This diagram shows the updated routing table configuration. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [1. Configuration of the Information and Communication System] As shown in Figure 1, the information and communication system 1 consists of an image forming apparatus 20, a first network 2, a second network 4, a first router 6, a second router 8, a first server 10, and a second server 12. The first router 6 and the second router 8 are routers that have IP routing functionality between the networks to which they are connected.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 20 is connected to a wired LAN, the first network 2, and is connected to the first router 6 via the first network 2. The first router 6 is connected to the first server 10 via the network. The IP address and subnet mask of the first network 2 are "192.168.1.0 / 24". The IP address of the first router 6 on the first network 2 is "192.168.1.254", and the IP address on the network connected to the first server 10 is "10.0.1.254".

[0014] On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 20 is also network-connected to a second network 4, which is a wired LAN different from the first network 2, and is connected to a second router 8 via the second network 4. The second router 8 is connected to a second server 12 via the network. The IP address and subnet mask of the second network 4 are "192.168.2.0 / 24". The IP address of the second router 8 in the second network 4 is "192.168.2.254", and the IP address in the network connected to the second server 12 is "10.0.2.254".

[0015] The first server 10 has the function of an HTTP server that provides web services to an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) client. This first server 10, for example, provides a cloud storage service, receives a file storage request from an HTTP client, and performs processing as a cloud storage service for storing and managing files. The IP address of the first server 10 is "10.0.1.1".

[0016] The second server 12 has the function of an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server. This second server 12 receives a mail transmission request from an SMTP client and performs processing as a mail server. Further, the second server 12 performs relay processing of mails received from the SMTP client as necessary. The IP address of the second server 12 is "10.0.2.1".

[0017] [2. Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 20 is a printer that performs printing on paper, and is configured by an MFP (MultiFunction Printer), and receives print data from a higher-level device and executes printing of the print data. This image forming apparatus 20 includes a control unit 22, an image reading unit 24, a printing unit 26, a network communication unit 28, a data storage management unit 30, a display operation unit 32, and a route information storage management unit 34, and the control unit 22 performs overall control.

[0018] The control unit 22 has a CPU or the like (not shown), and performs various processes by reading and executing a predetermined program. The image reading unit 24 is a scanner and reads a set original document. The printing unit 26 interprets print data described in a page description language such as the PostScript format received by the network communication unit 28 and performs printing using toner.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the network communication unit 28 has a communication protocol control unit 40 and two communication interfaces, a first communication unit 42 and a second communication unit 44, and is connected by wire to a device outside the image forming apparatus 20. The communication protocol control unit 40 controls the transmission and reception of data with an external device via the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 using each protocol. When receiving print data, the communication protocol control unit 40 processes, for example, as an LPR (Line Printer daemon protocol), Port9100, IPP (Internet Printing Protocol), or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) server. Also, when transmitting an email from the image forming apparatus 20, the communication protocol control unit 40 processes, for example, as an SMTP client, or when connecting from the image forming apparatus 20 to an HTTP server outside the image forming apparatus 20, the communication protocol control unit 40 processes as an HTTP client.

[0020] The first communication unit 42 is connected to the first network 2 and transmits and receives data via a wired LAN. The IP address of the first communication unit 42 is "192.168.1.100". The second communication unit 44 is connected to the second network 4 and transmits and receives data via a wired LAN. The IP address of the second communication unit 44 is "192.168.2.100".

[0021] The data storage management unit 30, which functions as a storage unit, is composed of ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and a management unit. It stores data such as the settings of the image forming apparatus 20 and manages the modification and deletion of this data.

[0022] The image forming apparatus 20 stores in the data storage management unit 30 a setting for an effective router (hereinafter referred to as the effective router) to which it will send data directly when it wants to send data to a destination to which it cannot determine which terminal to send it directly, such as an IP address beyond a router (hereinafter referred to as the other unknown destination). The effective router can be changed by the user depending on the network environment to which the image forming apparatus 20 is connected.

[0023] In this embodiment, the initial setting for the active router is the first communication unit 42, and when the image forming apparatus 20 sends data to an unknown destination, it directly sends the data to the first router 6 of the first network 2 to which the first communication unit 42 is connected. On the other hand, when the setting for the active router is changed to the second communication unit 44, when the image forming apparatus 20 sends data to an unknown destination, it directly sends the data to the second router 8 of the second network 4 to which the second communication unit 44 is connected.

[0024] The routing information storage and management unit 34 consists of ROM, RAM, and a management unit. It holds a routing table, which is a table of IP network routing information that determines the direct destination for the image forming apparatus 20 to send data to its final destination, and manages changes to this routing table. Figure 7 shows an example of the routing table TB1 held by the routing information storage and management unit 34. The routing table TB1 is composed of multiple routing information entries, each with one line. The destination indicates the final destination to which the image forming apparatus 20 wants to send the data, and the default destination corresponds to the other unknown destination mentioned above. The interface indicates which communication interface, the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44, to output the data. As mentioned above, the initial value of the active router setting is the first communication unit 42, so the next hop for the other unknown destination, which is the default destination, is the first router 6.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 20 has a function (hereinafter also referred to as an email alert) that, if a printing problem occurs, such as no paper, no toner, or a paper jam, it will send an email notification to an email address pre-registered in the image forming apparatus 20. In the image forming apparatus 20, the network communication unit 28 receives the print data, the printing unit 26 interprets the print data and performs printing, and for example, if no paper occurs during printing, the control unit 22 detects the lack of paper and generates an email indicating that no paper has occurred. Subsequently, the network communication unit 28 refers to the IP address of the mail server pre-stored in the data storage management unit 30 and also refers to the routing information to that destination IP address from the routing information storage management unit 34, and sends an email alert to the mail server.

[0026] The display and operation unit 32, which serves as the input unit, is configured, for example, as a touch panel. It displays the status and menu information of the image forming apparatus 20 to provide the user with information about the apparatus, and also displays the mail server setting screen DIP1 shown in Figure 5 to obtain user input.

[0027] [3. Regarding communications in information and communication systems] The image forming apparatus 20 is connected to the first network 2, and the active router in the device settings is the first communication unit 42. As shown in the routing table TB1 (Figure 7), the next hop when the destination is default is the first router 6, "192.168.1.254". Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with the first server 10 via TCP / IP through the first router 6. As a result, IP packets sent by the image forming apparatus 20 reach the first server 10 via the first router 6.

[0028] On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 20 is connected to the second network 4, but the active router in the device settings is the first communication unit 42, and as shown in the routing table TB1 (Figure 7), the next hop when the destination is default is the first router 6, "192.168.1.254". Therefore, communication from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12, which is beyond the second router 8, is not possible via TCP / IP.

[0029] Here, the second server 12 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via TCP / IP through the second router 8. Also, the first network 2 and the second network 4 are independent LANs, and the image forming apparatus 20 does not have router functionality, so communication between the first network 2 and the second network 4 cannot be performed through the image forming apparatus 20.

[0030] Here, for example, communication protocols such as HTTP and SMTP are TCP protocols, and in order to send data from the image forming apparatus 20 to the server (hereinafter also referred to as server transmission), it is first necessary to establish a TCP connection between the image forming apparatus 20 and the server through a three-way handshake. However, as described above, while IP packets from the second server 12 to the image forming apparatus 20 reach the image forming apparatus 20, IP packets from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 do not reach the second server 12. Therefore, a TCP connection cannot be established between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12, and it is not possible to send email from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 (hereinafter also referred to as email transmission).

[0031] Furthermore, IP packets from the image forming apparatus 20 to the first server 10 can reach the first server 10, and a TCP connection can be established between the image forming apparatus 20 and the first server 10. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 can, for example, send an image file created from a document read by the image reading unit 24 to the first server 10.

[0032] [4. Network routing information update process] Next, the network route information update procedure RT1, which is the specific processing step of the network route information update procedure that updates the network route information (i.e., routing table TB1) of the image forming apparatus 20 when the IP address of the second server 12 is set in the image forming apparatus 20 in order to send email from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12, will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 4. When the user, who is the administrator of the image forming apparatus 20, operates the display operation unit 32 and selects the mail server setting, which is one of the setting menus, the control unit 22 starts the network route information update procedure RT1 and moves to step SP1.

[0033] In step SP1, the control unit 22 displays the mail server settings screen DIP1 shown in Figure 5 on the display operation unit 32, waits until an IP address is entered in the server address input field 50 and the setting button 52 is tapped, and then proceeds to step SP2. The mail server settings screen DIP1 consists of a server address input field 50, a setting button 52, and a cancel button 54. The IP address of the second server 12, which is the SMTP server, is entered by the user in the server address input field 50. The setting button 52 is tapped by the user who wishes to set the IP address entered in the server address input field 50 as the device setting. The cancel button 54 is tapped by the user if they do not wish to set the SMTP server's IP address. When the cancel button 54 is tapped, the control unit 22 turns off the display of the mail server settings screen DIP1. The user enters "10.0.2.1", which is the IP address of the second server 12, as the SMTP server's IP address in the server address input field 50 and taps the setting button 52. The control unit 22 obtains the IP address of the second server 12 entered by the user via the display operation unit 32, and the data storage management unit 30 records it in the data storage management unit 30 as the setting for the SMTP server's IP address.

[0034] In step SP2, the control unit 22 generates a first temporary route information RT1, which is temporary route information with the destination being "10.0.2.1", the IP address of the second server 12 recorded in the data storage management unit 30, so that the first communication unit 42 can send data to the second server 12, and then moves to step SP3. Specifically, the control unit 22 generates the first temporary route information RT1 such that the third destination from the top is the IP address of the second server 12 in the routing table TB1 shown in Figure 8, which is "10.0.2.1 / 32". Since the image forming apparatus 20 cannot send data directly to the IP address of the second server 12, the first temporary route information RT1 has the next hop set to "192.168.1.254", the IP address of the first router 6, so that the data is sent directly to the first router 6 of the first network 2 to which the first communication unit 42 is connected.

[0035] In step SP3, the control unit 22 adds the first provisional route information RT1 shown in Figure 8 to the routing table TB1 via the route information storage management unit 34, and then proceeds to step SP4.

[0036] In step SP4, the control unit 22, following the first temporary route information RT1, sends a temporary server transmission to the IP address of the second server 12, "10.0.2.1", via the first communication unit 42, and proceeds to step SP5. At this time, the control unit 22 uses, for example, the protocol that would be used when actually sending a server transmission to the destination server, the second server 12, but does not send the data that it actually wants to send; it only performs communication to confirm the connection with the server. In this embodiment, since the destination server, the second server 12, is an SMTP server, the temporary server transmission is a communication that establishes a TCP connection with the second server 12 via a three-way handshake using SMTP IP packets, and the email itself is not sent.

[0037] In step SP5, the control unit 22 determines whether the connection with the second server 12 for the provisional server transmission was successful. If a negative result is obtained, the control unit 22 proceeds to step SP8. Here, the routing table TB1 has been updated as shown in Figure 8, and the IP packets from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 are actually sent to the second server 12 via a path that does not allow communication with the second server 12. Therefore, a connection cannot be established between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12. Thus, in step SP5, the control unit 22 obtains a negative result and proceeds to step SP8.

[0038] In step SP8, the control unit 22 fails to connect to the second server 12 by sending a temporary server message according to the first temporary route information RT1. Therefore, the routing information storage management unit 34 deletes the first temporary route information RT1, updating the routing table TB1 to the state shown in Figure 7 from Figure 8, and then proceeds to step SP9.

[0039] In step SP9, the control unit 22 generates a second temporary route information RT2, which is temporary route information with the IP address of the second server 12, "10.0.2.1", as the destination, so that the second communication unit 44 can send data to the second server 12, and then moves to step SP10. Specifically, the control unit 22 generates the second temporary route information RT2 such that the third destination from the top is the IP address of the second server 12, "10.0.2.1 / 32", as shown in the routing table TB1 in Figure 9. Since the image forming apparatus 20 cannot directly send data to the IP address of the second server 12, the second temporary route information RT2 has the next hop set to "192.168.2.254", which is the IP address of the second router 8, so that the data is sent directly to the second router 8 of the second network 4 to which the second communication unit 44 is connected.

[0040] In step SP10, the control unit 22 adds the second temporary route information RT2 shown in Figure 9 to the routing table TB1 via the route information storage management unit 34, and then proceeds to step SP11.

[0041] In step SP11, the control unit 22, using the communication protocol control unit 40 of the network communication unit 28, sends a temporary server transmission to "10.0.2.1", which is the IP address of the second server 12, via the second communication unit 44, according to the second temporary route information RT2, and then proceeds to step SP12. As described above, since the destination server, the second server 12, is an SMTP server, the temporary server transmission is a communication that establishes a TCP connection with the second server 12 through a three-way handshake using SMTP IP packets, and the email itself is not sent.

[0042] In step SP12, the control unit 22 determines whether the connection with the second server 12 for the provisional server transmission was successful. If a positive result is obtained, the control unit 22 proceeds to step SP13. Here, the routing table TB1 is updated as shown in Figure 9, and IP packets from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 are sent to the second server 12 via the correct route. As a result, the TCP connection establishment request from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 reaches the second server 12, and the TCP connection establishment response from the second server 12 to the image forming apparatus 20 is also sent from the second server 12. This allows a connection to be established between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12. Thus, in step SP12, the control unit 22 obtains a positive result and proceeds to step SP13.

[0043] In step SP13, the control unit 22 terminates the TCP connection established with the second server 12 by the communication protocol control unit 40 of the network communication unit 28, disconnecting the connection with the second server 12, and then proceeds to step SP14.

[0044] In step SP14, the control unit 22, having successfully established a connection with the second server 12 through a temporary server transmission, saves the second temporary route information RT2 as official route information in the routing table TB1, as shown in Figure 10, via the route information storage management unit 34, and then proceeds to step SP16, ending the network route information update procedure RT1.

[0045] On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step SP12, this indicates that, for example, an incorrect IP address was entered in the mail server setting screen DIP1 (Figure 5), and the connection to the second server 12 via a temporary server transmission failed. At this point, the control unit 22 moves to step SP15. In step SP15, the control unit 22, having failed to connect to the second server 12 via a temporary server transmission according to the second temporary route information RT2, deletes the second temporary route information RT2 using the route information storage management unit 34, updating the routing table TB1 to the state shown in Figure 7 from Figure 9, and then moves to step SP16 to terminate the network route information update procedure RT1.

[0046] On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step SP5, the control unit 22 then moves to step SP6. In step SP6, the control unit 22 terminates the TCP connection established with the second server 12 by the communication protocol control unit 40 of the network communication unit 28, disconnects the connection with the second server 12, and moves to step SP7.

[0047] In step SP7, the control unit 22, having successfully established a connection with the second server 12 through a temporary server transmission, saves the first temporary route information RT1 as official route information in the routing table TB1, as shown in Figure 8, via the route information storage management unit 34, and then proceeds to step SP16, ending the network route information update procedure RT1.

[0048] [5. Email sending process] Next, we will explain the email sending procedure RT2, which is the specific processing procedure for sending an email alert from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 when the image forming apparatus 20 interprets the print data received by the network communication unit 28 using the printing unit 26 and performs printing, after the network route information update processing procedure RT1, using the flowchart shown in Figure 6.

[0049] In step SP21, when the control unit 22 detects that there is no paper due to printing, it proceeds to step SP22. In step SP22, the control unit 22 generates an email alert indicating that there is no paper, and then proceeds to step SP23. Specifically, the control unit 22 obtains, for example, "admin@sample.com," which is the notification email address pre-configured by the administrator of the image forming apparatus 20, from the data storage management unit 30, and generates an email with the recipient being "admin@sample.com" and the subject and body indicating that there is no paper.

[0050] In step SP23, the control unit 22 obtains the IP address of the second server 12, "10.0.2.1", from the data storage management unit 30. The communication protocol control unit 40 of the network communication unit 28 then establishes a TCP connection with the second server 12 via the second network 4 through a three-way handshake, and the process moves to step SP24. Here, when performing the three-way handshake, the communication protocol control unit 40 refers to the routing table TB1 shown in Figure 10 of the route information storage management unit 34. As a result, IP packets from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 are sent to the second server 12 via the correct route, and a connection can be established between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12.

[0051] In step SP24, once a TCP connection is established, the control unit 22 communicates with the second server 12 via SMTP through the second network 4 using the communication protocol control unit 40 of the network communication unit 28, sends the generated email alert, and then proceeds to step SP25, ending the email sending process procedure RT2. After the email from the image forming apparatus 20 has finished sending, the second server 12 stores the email received from the image forming apparatus 20 in the mailbox corresponding to "admin@sample.com". The administrator can then receive the email sent by the image forming apparatus 20 from this mailbox, confirm the email alert, and learn that a paper shortage has occurred in the image forming apparatus 20.

[0052] [6. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 20 has the function of simultaneously connecting to two networks: a connection to the first network 2 by the first communication unit 42 and a connection to the second network 4 by the second communication unit 44.

[0053] In this case, the image forming apparatus 20 is configured with a first communication unit 42 (first router 6) in advance as the effective router to determine which router to send data to directly when it wants to send data to an unknown destination, such as an IP address beyond a router, where the image forming apparatus 20 cannot determine which terminal to send the data to directly. Although the image forming apparatus 20 has two communication interfaces, the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44, only one IP address can be set for the effective router. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 can only communicate across routers using either the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44.

[0054] In such an image forming apparatus 20, for example, when setting the IP address of the second server 12 in the image forming apparatus 20, the image forming apparatus 20 first assumes that the second server 12 is located beyond the first router 6, generates a first provisional route information RT1 indicating that server transmissions destined for the second server 12 should be sent to the first router 6, and provisionally registers it in the routing table TB1.

[0055] Next, the image forming apparatus 20 attempts to establish a connection by making a provisional communication to the IP address of the second server 12 according to the first provisional route information RT1. If the connection is successful, the first provisional route information RT1 is officially registered in the routing table TB1. On the other hand, if the connection is unsuccessful, the image forming apparatus 20 deletes the first provisional route information RT1 from the routing table TB1, and assuming that the second server 12 is located beyond the second router 8, generates second provisional route information RT2 indicating that server transmissions destined for the second server 12 should be sent to the second router 8, and provisionally registers this information in the routing table TB1.

[0056] Next, the image forming apparatus 20 attempts to establish a connection by making a provisional communication to the IP address of the second server 12 according to the second provisional route information RT2. If the connection is successful, the second provisional route information RT2 is officially registered in the routing table TB1. On the other hand, if the connection is unsuccessful, the image forming apparatus 20 removes the second provisional route information RT2 from the routing table TB1.

[0057] In this way, the image forming apparatus 20 generates temporary route information to the second server 12 that it wishes to connect to, and makes a temporary connection to the server according to the temporary route information for each communication interface between the first communication unit 42 and the second communication unit 44. If the temporary connection is successful, the temporary route information is added to the routing table TB1 as official route information. As a result, even if a second router 8 is present between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12 after this point, the image forming apparatus 20 can communicate with the second server 12.

[0058] In other words, the image forming apparatus 20 can transmit data to the second server 12, which is connected to the second network 4 to which the second communication unit 44 (a communication interface on the side that cannot cross routers and is not configured as an effective router in the image forming apparatus 20) is connected, even if a second router 8 exists between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 can improve user convenience by eliminating the need for the user to manually change routing information.

[0059] With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a first communication unit 42 that communicates with the first network 2 to which the first router 6 is connected, a second communication unit 44 that communicates with the second network 4 to which the second router 8 is connected, and a control unit 22 that controls the transmission of data via the first communication unit 42 or the second communication unit 44 by referring to a routing table TB1 (Figure 10) which is network routing information that includes routing information indicating the route to send data to the second server 12, which is the destination for the data. The control unit 22 is configured such that when the IP address of the first router 6 is pre-configured as routing information, it switches the routing information from the IP address of the first router 6 to the IP address of the second router 8 before connecting to the second server 12.

[0060] As a result, the image forming apparatus 20 has only the first router 6 pre-configured as routing information when sending data to a destination where the direct destination of the data is unknown. Even if a second router 8 exists between the image forming apparatus 20 and the second server 12, communication from the image forming apparatus 20 to the second server 12 from that point onward is possible.

[0061] [7. Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, if the server located beyond the first router 6 and the server located beyond the second router 8 have the same IP address, the image forming apparatus 20 may, for example, have the user enter login information to connect to the correct server. In this case, since the image forming apparatus 20 checks whether it can connect to the server via the first router 6 and then via the second router 8, it can prevent the user from mistakenly connecting to a server that was connected to first via the first router 6, even though the user wanted to connect to a server beyond the second router 8.

[0062] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the information communication system 1 is described in the case where the image forming apparatus 20 is connected to the first server 10 via the first router 6 and to the second server 12 via the second router 8. The present invention is not limited to this, and the information communication system 1 may have, for example, at least a third router and a third server added, and the image forming apparatus 20 may be further connected to the third server via the third router. In that case, if the image forming apparatus 20 wants to connect to the third server, it should first attempt to connect according to the temporary route information of the first router 6 with the destination being the third server and the next hop being the first router 6, then attempt to connect according to the temporary route information of the second router 8 with the destination being the third server and the next hop being the third router, and then attempt to connect according to the temporary route information of the third router with the destination being the third server and the next hop being the third router.

[0063] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 updates the routing table TB1 by sending a temporary server transmission at the timing when the IP address of the second server 12 is set in the image forming apparatus 20. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may update the routing table TB1 by sending a temporary server transmission at various other timings. In that case, the image forming apparatus 20 may update the routing table TB1 each time by sending a temporary server transmission at the timing immediately before actually sending a server transmission, such as when sending an email alert. Alternatively, the image forming apparatus 20 may provide a menu in the display operation unit 32 for executing a request to update the network route information of the image forming apparatus 20, and update the routing table TB1 by sending a temporary server transmission at the timing when the user presses the execute button. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 20 may update the routing table TB1 by sending a temporary server transmission at timings at regular intervals.

[0064] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 has described a case in step SP9 of the network route information update processing procedure RT1 (Figure 4) where the destination in the second temporary route information RT2 is a single IP address of the second server 12, such as "10.0.2.1 / 32". The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may also set the destination in the second temporary route information RT2 to a network address that includes the IP address of the second server 12, such as "10.0.2.0 / 24".

[0065] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 performs a communication in steps SP4 and SP11 of the network route information update processing procedure RT1 (Figure 4) that merely establishes a TCP connection using the protocol to be used when actually sending a server, as a provisional server transmission. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may also perform other communications that confirm a connection with a server, such as communication in which an IP packet is sent to a server and a response is returned from the server. In that case, for example, even if the server is a server that uses connectionless UDP, such as an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server, the image forming apparatus 20 may perform communication in which it sends an IP packet for an NTP time query to the server and receives an NTP time response from the server.

[0066] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 attempts to establish a TCP connection by sending the same IP packet to the second server 12 in steps SP4 and SP11 of the network route information update processing procedure RT1 (Figure 4). The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may also attempt to establish a TCP connection by sending different IP packets to the second server 12 in steps SP4 and SP11 of the network route information update processing procedure RT1 (Figure 4).

[0067] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the case in which the image forming apparatus 20 terminates the TCP connection established with the second server 12 and disconnects the connection with the second server 12 in steps SP6 and SP13 of the network route information update processing procedure RT1 (Figure 4). The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 does not need to terminate the TCP connection established with the second server 12, for example, if it immediately performs server transmission to the second server 12 thereafter.

[0068] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment described the case where the second server 12 is configured as an SMTP server. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may configure the second server 12 as another server such as an HTTP server or a POP server. In addition, the image forming apparatus 20 may use other protocols in which it downloads and receives data from the first server 10 and the second server 12, as long as the protocol is one in which the image forming apparatus 20 acts as a client.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 20 does not have router functionality, and communication between the first network 2 and the second network 4 via the image forming apparatus 20 is not possible. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may have router functionality, and communication between the first network 2 and the second network 4 via the image forming apparatus 20 may be possible.

[0070] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the image forming apparatus 20 displays the mail server setting screen DIP1 (Figure 5) on its own display operation unit 32 and obtains user input. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may also display the mail server setting screen DIP1 on, for example, a PC located outside of itself and obtain user input to the PC.

[0071] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment mentions the case where the image forming apparatus 20 stores the routing table TB1 in its own route information storage management unit 34. The present invention is not limited to this, and the image forming apparatus 20 may store the routing table TB1 on, for example, a cloud service provided outside of itself.

[0072] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment described the case where each device in the information and communication system 1 is connected by a wired LAN. The present invention is not limited to this, and the connection of each device in the information and communication system 1 may also include a wireless LAN.

[0073] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment described the case in which the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus 20 which is an MFP (multifunction printer). The present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to various devices that perform various image-related processing, such as single-function printers, facsimile machines, and copiers.

[0074] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention also extends to embodiments obtained by arbitrarily combining some or all of the embodiments described above and other embodiments. In addition, the scope of the present invention also extends to embodiments obtained by extracting some of the components described in any of the embodiments described above and other embodiments and substituting or adapting them for some of the components of any of the embodiments described above and other embodiments, or by adding some of the extracted components to any embodiment.

[0075] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment describes a case in which the image forming apparatus 20 as an information and communication device is configured with a first communication unit 42 as a first communication unit, a second communication unit 44 as a second communication unit, and a control unit 22 as a control unit. The present invention is not limited to this, and the information and communication device may be configured with a first communication unit, a second communication unit, and a control unit having various other configurations. [Industrial applicability]

[0076] The present invention can be used, for example, in an image forming apparatus. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0077] 1... Information and communication system, 2... First network, 4... Second network, 6... First router, 8... Second router, 10... First server, 12... Second server, 20... Image forming apparatus, 22... Control unit, 24... Image reading unit, 26... Printing unit, 28... Network communication unit, 30... Data storage management unit, 32... Display operation unit, 34... Route information storage management unit, 40... Communication protocol control unit, 42... First communication unit, 44... Second communication unit, TB1... Routing table, DIP1... Mail server settings screen, 50... Server address input field, 52... Settings button, 54... Cancel button, RT1... First temporary route information, RT2... Second temporary route information.

Claims

1. The first router has a first communication unit that communicates with the first network to which it is connected, The second router has a second communication unit that communicates with the second network to which it is connected, A control unit that controls the transmission of data via the first communication unit or the second communication unit by referring to network route information which includes route information indicating the route for transmitting the data to the destination, which is the destination of the data. Equipped with, The control unit, When the address of the first router is pre-configured as the routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination. Information and communication equipment characterized by the following features.

2. The control unit, When the address of the first router is pre-configured as the routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router, an attempt is made to connect to the destination, and then the connection with the second router is disconnected. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

3. The control unit, When the address of the first router is pre-recorded as routing information, if the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router and an attempt is made to connect to the destination is made and the connection is successful, the destination and the address of the second router are associated and recorded in the network routing information as new routing information. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

4. The destination of the first communication unit and the destination of the second communication unit are different destinations. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

5. The first network and the second network are independent networks. When sending the data to the destination where the direct destination of the data is unknown, only the address of the first router is pre-configured as routing information. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

6. The control unit, When the destination information is set, if the address of the first router is pre-configured as the routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

7. The control unit, When transmitting the data to the destination, if the address of the first router is pre-configured as routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

8. The control unit, When updating the network routing information, if the address of the first router is pre-configured as the routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

9. The control unit, At predetermined intervals, if the address of the first router is pre-configured as the routing information, the routing information is switched from the address of the first router to the address of the second router before connecting to the destination. The information and communication device according to feature 1.

10. An information and communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The first server connected to the preceding first router, The second server connected to the aforementioned second router and An information and communication system characterized by having the following features.

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