Image reading device, control method for image reading device, and program

Abstract

To improve user convenience by enabling image reading with a simple operation without activating an imaging function of a mobile terminal.SOLUTION: An image reading device 100 transmits a setting information input screen (FIG. 7) to a mobile terminal 200 in response to a request (S601) transmitted from a mobile terminal 200 when the mobile terminal 200 is connected to an access point in an AP mode (S602 to S604). The URL (link 811 (Fig. 8)) for accessing a scan image download screen (Fig. 9) is transmitted to the mobile terminal 200 (S606) in response to a scan execution instruction based on the setting information input screen displayed on the web browser on the mobile terminal 200 (S605), the mode is switched to the ST mode (S607) in response to the transmission, and the document reading operation is executed on the basis of the scan execution instruction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, it has become common to connect a peripheral device such as a scanner to the same network as an information processing device, such as a local area network (LAN), and to share and use the peripheral device among a plurality of information processing devices.

[0003] Furthermore, smartphones and tablet PCs have become widespread as portable information processing devices, and there is an increasing demand for using peripheral devices from the portable information processing devices. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an information processing device outputs connection information for connecting to a peripheral device via a communication path as a code image to a display unit of the peripheral device, and the information processing device reads the output code image and uses the information to access the peripheral device and transmit and receive document data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5822040 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 requires the image capturing function of the information processing device to be activated in order to read the code image, and also has the problem that it cannot be used with peripheral devices that do not have a display unit capable of displaying the code image. In addition, generally, when connecting a mobile terminal to an image reading device, it is often necessary to install a dedicated application on the mobile terminal, which is not very convenient for users who are planning to use it only once.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a mechanism for improving user convenience by implementing a scan process without starting the imaging function of an information processing device and without installing a dedicated application. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image reading device according to the present invention has a first mode in which it operates as a wireless access point, and To a wireless access point As a wireless terminal Connect an image reading apparatus capable of operating in a second mode in which the image reading apparatus performs an original reading operation of reading an original placed on an original table and generating image data, a control means for switching the image reading device from the second mode to the first mode; and in response to a switching instruction for switching the image reading device, which is on standby in the second mode, to the first mode, the image reading device is switched to the first mode by the control means, When an information processing device is connected to the wireless access point in the first mode, the information processing device transmits a request for the document reading operation. start a first transmission means for transmitting a first web page for performing an instruction to the information processing device; The start instruction received via the first web page. an execution means for executing the document reading operation based on the The present invention is characterized by having the following. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience for the user by not activating the imaging function of the information processing device, and also to improve the convenience for the user by realizing the scan process without installing a dedicated application on the information processing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a system to which an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment can be applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an image reading apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]11 is a flowchart showing an example of a document detection process. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing communication between the image reading device and the portable terminal in the AP mode in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a setting information input screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an access URL screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a scanned image download screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the setting information input screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a system to which an image reading apparatus according to a second embodiment can be applied. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image reading apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing communication between the image reading device and the mobile terminal in a Web application mode according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a scanned image download screen in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a continuation confirmation screen in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing communication between an image reading device and a portable terminal according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting information input screen in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 20A] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the mobile terminal when the image reading device performs scanning in ST mode in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 20B]13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the mobile terminal when the image reading device performs scanning in ST mode in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21A] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on a mobile terminal when an image reading device performs scanning in AP mode in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21B] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on a mobile terminal when an image reading device performs scanning in AP mode in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 22] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an image reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a scanning process procedure of an image reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the contents of each embodiment. In addition, in each of the following drawings, components that are not necessary for the description of the embodiments are omitted from the drawings.

[0012] [First embodiment] <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system to which an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention can be applied. As shown in FIG. 1, in the system of this embodiment, an image reading device 100, a mobile terminal 200, and a wireless access point (hereinafter, "AP") 300 are connected to one network.

[0013] The image reading device 100, the mobile terminal 200, and the AP 300 have wireless communication functions (WLAN communication functions) according to a method (WLAN method) compliant with a wireless LAN (WLAN) standard such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac. The image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 are connected to the AP 300 by the WLAN system. The image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 can also be connected wirelessly directly by the WLAN system (connection by Wi-Fi Direct (registered trademark)). The mobile terminal 200 is a general information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer, and is assumed to be provided (installed) with a web browser that can access web pages.

[0014] <Equipment transport path, transport> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the image reading device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, a document table 102 is provided for stacking and storing documents 101 to be read. The documents on the document table 102 are detected by a document table document detection sensor 110, and are separated one by one by a paper feed roller 106 and sent to a conveying path 108. The documents sent to the conveying path 108 are conveyed along the conveying path 108 by a conveying roller 107, read by an image reading unit 104, and discharged to a discharge section 103.

[0015] The discharge section 103 stacks and stores the originals 101 after image reading processing. The discharge section original detection sensor 111 detects whether or not there are discharged originals stacked and stored in the discharge section 103.

[0016] A registration sensor (hereinafter, "registration sensor") 109 detects the original 101 being transported along the transport path 108. When the registration sensor 109 detects the original 101, the image reading unit 104 starts reading the image formed on the original. In this embodiment, two image reading units 104 are provided on both sides of the transport path 108, one of which reads the front side of the original 101 and the other of which reads the back side of the original 101. Note that a configuration with only one image reading unit 104 may also be used.

[0017] A background plate 105 is provided at a position facing each image reading unit 104. The background plate 105 is, for example, a black member. The platen document detection sensor 110 and the discharge section document detection sensor 111 each have a light emitting section formed of an LED or the like, and a light receiving section that receives light emitted from the light emitting section. The paper discharge port sensor 112 detects whether the original 101 remains in the transport path 108 or has been discharged to the discharge section 103 .

[0018] <Device configuration> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the image reading apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. 3, the control unit 10 of the image reading device 100 includes a CPU 11. The CPU 11 executes a program stored in a ROM 12 and controls the entire image reading device 100. The ROM 12 stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and fixed data. The RAM 13 stores variable data such as image data read by the line image sensor 1043 and calculation results of the CPU 11. The ROM 12 and the RAM 13 may be other storage devices.

[0019] The input / output I / F 14 of the control unit 10 is connected to a drive circuit 24 that drives the light-emitting unit 1044a and the light-emitting unit 1044b, and an image processing circuit 26 that performs image processing such as shading correction on the image read by the line image sensor 1043. An analog-to-digital converter (hereinafter, "ADC") 25 is an analog-to-digital converter that converts an analog image signal output by the line image sensor 1043 into digital image data. The CPU 11 acquires the image data output from the image processing circuit .

[0020] The communication I / F 15 is an interface for connecting to the mobile terminal 200 . For example, image data read by the image reading device 100 is output to the mobile terminal 200 via the communication I / F 15 .

[0021] The light emitting section 121 includes the light emitting sections of the platen document detection sensor 110 and the discharge section document detection sensor 111. The light receiving section 122 includes the light receiving sections of the platen document detection sensor 110 and the discharge section document detection sensor 111. The control unit 10 is connected to a drive circuit 123 that drives the light emitting unit 121 and an ADC 124 that converts an analog signal received by the light receiving unit 122 into digital data.

[0022] The WLAN I / F 16 is a wireless NIC (network interface card) having a WLAN communication function. The WLAN I / F 16 can be connected to a wireless AP (e.g., AP300 in FIG. 1) such as a wireless access point for wireless devices, and can communicate with external devices via the connected wireless AP.

[0023] Furthermore, the WLAN I / F 16 has a software access point (software AP) function for operating the image reading device 100 as a wireless AP. Specifically, the WLAN I / F 16 can operate in an access point mode (hereinafter referred to as "AP mode") in which it operates as a wireless access point, and in a station mode (hereinafter referred to as "ST mode") in which it operates as a wireless client (wireless terminal).

[0024] The AP mode (first mode) is an operation mode in which the image reading device 100 operates as a wireless AP and establishes a direct wireless connection with an external device (such as the mobile terminal 200) having a WLAN communication function. The SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​for identifying a wireless access point provided in the AP mode may be based on the model name of the image reading device 100, or may be freely set by the user.

[0025] The ST mode (second mode) is an operation mode in which the image reading device 100 operates as a wireless terminal and connects to the AP 300 as a wireless client to connect to a network. In this way, the WLAN I / F 16 is an example of a wireless interface capable of operating in the AP mode (first mode) and the ST mode (second mode).

[0026] <Document detection processing> Here, a process of detecting the document on the document table 102 in the image reading device 100 (document detection process) will be described. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the document detection process, which is implemented by the CPU 11 loading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like into the RAM 13 as necessary and executing the program.

[0027] In S501, the CPU 11 causes the light emitting portion of the platen document detection sensor 110 to emit light (LED emission). Next, in S502, the CPU 11 starts the operation of the ADC 124. Furthermore, if it is determined in S503 that the predetermined A / D conversion time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S504. In S504, the CPU 11 acquires the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 122 of the platen document detection sensor 110 from the ADC 124. The value acquired here is set as "V1."

[0028] Next, in S505, the CPU 11 turns off the light emitting unit 121 of the platen document detection sensor 110 (LED off). Next, in S506, the CPU 11 starts the operation of the ADC 124. Furthermore, if it is determined in S507 that the predetermined A / D conversion time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S508. In S508, the CPU 11 acquires the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 122 of the platen document detection sensor 110 from the ADC 124. The value acquired here is set as "V2."

[0029] Next, in S509, the CPU 11 determines whether or not a document is present based on the following formula 1. Note that S in formula 1 is a value that is set in advance (a predetermined value).

number

[0030] In the above S509, if "|V2-V1|>S", the CPU 11 determines that a document (paper) is present, and ends the process of this flowchart. On the other hand, in the above S509, if "|V2-V1|≦S", the CPU 11 determines that there is no original (no paper), and ends the process of this flowchart.

[0031] <Processing of Image Reading Device 100> Next, the processing procedure of the image reading device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of the image reading device 100 in the first embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 11 loading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like into the RAM 13 as necessary and executing the program.

[0032] First, when a user turns on the power of the image reading device 100, the image reading device 100 starts up and goes into a standby state in the ST mode, and the process of this flowchart starts. First, in step S1101, the CPU 11 executes the document detection process shown in FIG. 4 to detect the presence or absence of a document. Next, in S1102, the CPU 11 determines the result of the document detection process in S1101. If no document is detected in the document detection process in S1101 (No in S1102), the CPU 11 returns the process to S1101.

[0033] On the other hand, if a document is detected in the document detection process in S1101 (Yes in S1102), the process proceeds to S1103. In S1103, the CPU 11 switches the operation mode of the image reading device 100 to the AP mode.

[0034] In this example, a configuration is described in which the mode is switched to the AP mode when a document is detected, but the mode may be switched to the AP mode when an operation for switching to the AP mode is performed, such as when a predetermined button (not shown) provided on the image reading device 100 is pressed, or these may be used in combination. Furthermore, the mode may be switched to the AP mode by detecting that a user is standing in front of the image reading device 100 using a human presence sensor or the like.

[0035] After switching to the AP mode, in S1104, the CPU 11 waits for a connection from the external mobile terminal 200, and when there is a connection from the mobile terminal 200 (Yes in S1104), the process proceeds to S1105. In step S1105, the CPU 11 performs AP mode processing, which will be described later.

[0036] Next, in S1106, the CPU 11 waits for the AP mode processing to end, and when the AP mode processing ends (Yes in S1106), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1107. In S1107, the CPU 11 connects to the AP 300 and switches to the ST mode.

[0037] Next, in S1108, the CPU 11 starts an original reading operation (scanning process) based on the reading setting stored in the RAM 13 in the AP mode process in S1105. In the original reading operation (scanning process), the image reading device 100 sequentially conveys and reads the originals 101 loaded on the platen 102 to generate image data. Note that the image data generated in the original reading operation started here is stored in the RAM 13, but may be configured to be stored in another storage area such as a server device or cloud storage.

[0038] Next, in step S1109, the CPU 11 performs ST mode processing, which will be described later.

[0039] And in S1110, the CPU 11 waits by means of scan processing until there is no original document on the document table 102. When there is no original document on the document table 102 (when Yes in S1110), the process proceeds to S1111.

[0040] In S1111, the CPU 11 terminates the scan operation.

[0041] Next, in S1112, the CPU 11 waits for the completion of the ST mode process. When the ST mode process is completed (when Yes in S1112), the series of processes is completed and the process returns to S1101.

[0042] <AP Mode Process> When a wireless client connects to the wireless access point provided by the image reading apparatus 100 in the AP mode, the image reading apparatus 100 guides the web browser launched in the wireless client to a predetermined web page. As an example of the technology for realizing this operation, there is a captive portal.

[0043] A captive portal is a function that intercepts HTTP / HTTPS packets transmitted from a wireless client and redirects the wireless client to a predetermined web page (for example, an authentication page, etc.). Captive portals are widely adopted, for example, in public wireless LANs such as cafes and airports.

[0044] Note that a general operating system (OS) is implemented with a captive portal detection function for detecting a captive portal. When connecting to a wireless access point, the OS accesses a web page called a Well-Known Web Page for verifying the presence or absence of Internet access, etc., and is configured to be able to detect a captive portal based on the response. Also, when the OS detects a captive portal, the OS accesses the web page indicated by the above response using the web browser.

[0045] Below is an example of how to detect a captive portal on a common OS.

[0046] In the case of Android (registered trademark), when connecting to a wireless access point, if "http: / / google.com / gen_204" is accessed and a response of "204 & No Content" is obtained, it is determined that it is not a "Captive Portal." On the other hand, if a response other than "204 & No Content" is obtained, it is determined that it is a "Captive Portal."

[0047] In addition, for iOS (registered trademark) and macOS (registered trademark), when connecting to a wireless access point, "http: / / captive.apple.com / hotspot-detect.html" is accessed, and if a response with the text "Success" is obtained, it is determined that it is not a "Captive Portal." On the other hand, if a response other than the text "Success" is obtained, it is determined that it is a "Captive Portal."

[0048] In addition, in the case of Windows (registered trademark), when connecting to a wireless access point, it requests DNS name resolution for "dns.msftncsi.com" and if it receives a response of "131.107.255.255", it further accesses "http: / / www.msftncsi.com / ncsi.txt". If it receives a response with the text "Microsoft NCSI", it is determined that it is not a "Captive Portal". On the other hand, if it receives a response other than the text "Microsoft NCSI", it is determined that it is a "Captive Portal".

[0049] When the OS detects a "Captive Portal", it is designed to redirect the user to the destination specified in the response and access the web page at that destination. In this case, some OSs automatically (without user operation) launch a web browser that is built into the OS (called a "standard browser") or a web browser that is set as a default application in the OS (called a "default browser"). The above examples are just a few examples and may change depending on changes in OS specifications, etc.

[0050] In this embodiment, the mechanism for displaying a predetermined Web page on the mobile terminal 200 connected to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 in AP mode is described using a captive portal, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any other technology may be used as long as it is capable of realizing displaying a predetermined Web page on the mobile terminal 200 connected to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 in AP mode.

[0051] The AP mode process will be described below. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication between the image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 after the mobile terminal 200 requests the image reading device 100 to connect when the image reading device 100 in the first embodiment goes into the AP mode.

[0052] When the image reading device 100 transitions to the AP mode, it accepts a connection to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 itself. When the OS of the mobile terminal 200 connects to the wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100, it requests (accesses) the above-mentioned Web page called the Well-Known Web Page (S601). In response to this request, the image reading device 100 returns an instruction (transfer instruction) for redirecting to the URL of a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7 (to be described later) as a response to the request (S602).

[0053] As described above, the web page called a Well-Known Web Page requested by the OS of the mobile terminal 200 depends on the OS. For example, it is "http: / / google.com / gen_204" for Android, "http: / / captive.apple.com / hotspot-detect.html" for iOS and macOS, and "http: / / www.msftncsi.com / ncsi.txt" for Windows. Therefore, the image reading device 100 can determine the OS running on the mobile terminal 200 from the above request. Therefore, the image reading device 100 may respond with a transfer instruction for redirecting to the URL of a setting information input screen (setting information input screen for each OS) corresponding to the OS running on the mobile terminal 200.

[0054] Furthermore, when using the "Captive Portal" technology, the response from the image reading device 100 as described above is a specific response that depends on the OS that the OS judges to be a "Captive Portal." For example, as described above, responses that the OS judges to be not a "Captive Portal" are "204 & No Content" for Android, the text "Success" for iOS and macOS, and the text "Microsoft NCSI" for Windows, and the response from the image reading device 100 described above corresponds to responses that the OS judges to be a "Captive Portal" other than these.

[0055] The OS of the mobile terminal 200 that receives the response (redirect instruction in S602) from the image reading device 100 as described above determines that a captive portal has been detected, and controls to access (redirect) the URL instructed to be transferred in the response using a web browser (S603). In this embodiment, when a captive portal is detected, the OS of the mobile terminal 200 automatically starts a default web browser or the like (without user operation) and accesses the URL instructed to be transferred in S602. However, the present invention is also applicable to an OS that does not automatically start a web browser. In this type of OS, the web browser may be started by user operation or the like. For example, in Android 7.0 and later, if a request for a well-known web page is made by both HTTP / HTTPS and a response cannot be received by HTTPS, even if a captive portal is detected by HTTP, the browser is not automatically started, but the user is notified, and the web browser is started if the user operates (permits) it. Even in a mobile terminal that runs an OS with such specifications, the response from the image reading device of this embodiment functions effectively.

[0056] In response to the access in S603, the image reading device 100 transmits a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7 as a response (S604). The web browser of the mobile terminal 200 that receives the response displays a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7 and accepts input from the user.

[0057] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a setting information input screen in the first embodiment. This screen is displayed on the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 connected to the image reading device 100 in the AP mode as described above. The setting information input screen has input fields for entering reading setting information such as mode (black and white / color), paper size (A4 / A3 / B5 / B4 / ···), resolution (200 dpi / 300 dpi / 600 dpi / ···), reading side (single-sided / double-sided), etc., as well as a "Scan" button.

[0058] When the user inputs reading setting information such as mode, paper size, resolution, reading side, etc. on the setting information input screen and presses the "Scan" button 711, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 sends a scan execution instruction including the reading setting information input on the setting information input screen to the image reading device 100 (S605).

[0059] Upon receiving the scan execution instruction including this reading setting information, the image reading device 100 stores the received reading setting information in the RAM 13. Furthermore, the image reading device 100 transmits an access URL screen as shown in Fig. 8 (a screen for notifying a URL, which is access information for accessing the scan image data screen as shown in Fig. 9), to the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200 (S606). When this transmission is completed, the image reading device 100 ends the AP mode (S607).

[0060] As a result, the mobile terminal 200 is disconnected from the image reading device 100 and becomes able to connect to the AP 300. After terminating the AP mode, the image reading device 100 connects to the AP 300 and transitions to the ST mode. When the image reading device 100 transitions to the ST mode and connects to the wireless access point (AP 300), it is connected using a fixed IP address. In other words, it is preferable that a fixed IP address is set. However, even if DHCP or the like is used, that is acceptable as long as it is possible to obtain the IP address that was used immediately before transitioning to the AP mode.

[0061] The following provides additional information about the flow from the AP mode process (S1105) shown in FIG. 5, to ending the AP mode (S1106), switching to the ST mode (S1107), starting scanning (S1108), and returning to the ST mode process (S1105).

[0062] During the AP mode processing (S1105), when the user presses the "Scan" button 711 on the setting information input screen (FIG. 7) sent from the image reading device 100 and the scan settings are sent from the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100, the image reading device 100 sends an access URL screen (FIG. 8) to the mobile terminal 200 and ends the AP mode (S1106). Furthermore, the image reading device 100 switches to the ST mode (S1107), starts scanning with the above-mentioned scan settings (S1108), and proceeds to the ST mode processing (S1109).

[0063] It should be noted that when the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 receives the access URL screen from the image reading device 100 in S606 of FIG. 6, it displays the access URL screen as shown in FIG.

[0064] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the access URL screen in the first embodiment. The access URL screen displays a URL for accessing a scanned image download screen as shown in Fig. 9, which will be described later, as a link 811. When an instruction such as clicking is given to the link 811, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 accesses the URL indicated by the link 811.

[0065] Note that the link 811 may be configured to be accessed automatically. Also, the web browser to be used may be controlled to be switched before the link 811 is accessed. That is, the web browser to be used may be switched from the standard browser or the default browser as described above to another web browser installed in the mobile terminal 200. At this time, in the redirection when the access URL screen is opened, an HTTP redirect mechanism for switching the web browser may be used, or any method capable of realizing this switching operation may be used, such as installing JavaScript for automatically starting the web browser.

[0066] In this embodiment, this URL will be described as indicating a web page provided by the image reading apparatus 100 that has shifted to the ST mode. That is, here, it is assumed that the image reading apparatus 100 provides the web page indicated by the link 811 via the AP 300. However, a configuration in which cloud storage or the like provides the web page indicated by the link 811 may also be used.

[0067] Note that at the timing when the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 accesses the web page corresponding to the link 811, the mobile terminal 200 is disconnected from the wireless access point (AP) of the image reading apparatus 100 and can access the web page corresponding to the link 811 via the AP 300. Even when the mobile terminal 200 is disconnected from the AP of the image reading apparatus 100, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 can continue to display the access URL screen (FIG. 8) until it is instructed to switch the screen, such as when the link 811 is indicated.

[0068] Also, the URL indicated by the link 811 is a URL composed of a complex string including a random string, and users other than those redirected to the access URL screen cannot access the scan image download screen as shown in FIG. 9 described later.

[0069] Note that the URL indicated by the link 811 may include a string (for example, a hash value) based on the identification information (for example, MAC address) of the mobile terminal 200. Also, a text input field may be newly provided on the setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7, and a string (for example, a hash value) based on the string input in the text input field may be included in the URL indicated by the link 811. Alternatively, these strings may be used as authentication keys when accessing the access destination of the URL indicated by the link 811, and the access destination such as the image reading apparatus 100 may be controlled so that the access destination is not displayed unless these strings are input.

[0070] <ST mode processing> In the ST mode process, the image reading device 100 accepts access to a Web page such as that shown in FIG. 9 that is provided by the image reading device 100 itself. In response to an access from the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 to a web page corresponding to the link 811, the image reading device 100 transmits a scanned image download screen as shown in FIG. 9 as a response to the access. The web browser of the mobile terminal 200 that receives the response displays a scan image download screen as shown in FIG. 9 and accepts input from the user.

[0071] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the scanned image download screen in the first embodiment. The scanned image download screen has a list 913 of image data scanned by the image reading device 100, a "download" button 911, and an "end" button 912 arranged thereon. For example, when a user selects an image to be downloaded from the list 913 and presses the "download" button 911, a download request including information specifying the image data selected in the list 913 is transmitted from the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100. Note that some Web browsers do not have a function for downloading multiple files of image data displayed in a list at once. In that case, the images may be downloaded one by one, or a URL may be passed to another application or the like capable of downloading multiple files at once to download the images.

[0072] In response to this request, image reading device 100 starts downloading the image data selected in list 913 to mobile terminal 200. When the user presses "End" button 912, an end request is sent from the web browser of mobile terminal 200 to image reading device 100. In response to this end request, image reading device 100 completes the ST mode processing. Note that even if the user does not press "End" button 912, image reading device 100 may complete the ST mode processing if a certain amount of time (e.g., three minutes) has elapsed since the end of scanning.

[0073] In addition, image reading device 100 may be configured to delete the web page and scanned image corresponding to the scanned image download screen in Figure 9 (i.e., the URL indicated by link 811) after a certain period of time (e.g., one week) has passed since the scan was completed.

[0074] 9 (i.e., the URL indicated by link 811), the scanned image download screen can be accessed from mobile terminal 200 at any time when image reading device 100 is operating in ST mode. In this case, when mobile terminal 200 that has transmitted a scan execution instruction to image reading device 100 by "Scan" button 711 in Fig. 7 is connected to image reading device 100 in AP mode, it is preferable that the access URL screen shown in Fig. 8 can be transmitted again to the web browser of mobile terminal 200 so as to be displayed.

[0075] For example, a list of access URL screens (FIG. 8) (classified by scan date and time, etc.) transmitted by image reading device 100 to mobile terminal 200 within the certain period of time may be displayed as an "access URL screen history" list (not shown) within the setting information input screen of FIG. 7. Then, when one is selected from the list, the access URL screen corresponding to the selection may be retransmitted to the web browser of mobile terminal 200. Note that mobile terminal 200 is identified using, for example, a MAC address, etc.

[0076] Furthermore, the image reading device 100 may be configured to only accept access from the same LAN as the LAN to which the image reading device 100 is connected in ST mode. For example, when a Web page corresponding to the scanned image download screen (i.e., the URL indicated by the link 811) in FIG. 9 is accessed from another LAN, the image reading device 100 may not respond to the access, or may respond with an error. This can prevent unauthorized access.

[0077] In addition, the image reading device 100 may send the scan image download screen of Figure 9 only based on a request from a device that has the same identification information (e.g., MAC address) as the mobile terminal that sent the reading setting information corresponding to the reading of the image data displayed on that screen (the mobile terminal on which the ``Scan'' button 711 was pressed on the setting information input screen of Figure 7). This makes it possible to prevent the scanned image data from being viewed by devices other than the mobile terminal that instructed the scan, thereby protecting confidential information.

[0078] As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if a display unit capable of displaying a two-dimensional code or the like indicating an IP address or the like of the image reading device 100 is not used, the image reading device 100 can be accessed from the mobile terminal 200 to instruct execution of a reading operation. Therefore, the image reading device 100 does not need to have a display unit, and costs can be reduced. However, this does not prevent the image reading device 100 from having a display unit, and it is sufficient that the image reading device 100 can be accessed from the mobile terminal 200 by the method described in the present embodiment without using a display unit. Furthermore, since the mobile terminal 200 is disconnected from the wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 after scanning is started, the user can freely use the mobile terminal 200 even during scanning, improving convenience. Furthermore, it is possible to instruct the image reading device 100 to scan from a web browser without installing a special application on the mobile terminal 200, improving user convenience. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to realize an image reading device that has a low-cost configuration, excellent operability, and high convenience.

[0079] For example, the image reading device 100 may display information about the access point to be connected to inform the user of the access point to be accessed when the image reading device 100 is in the ST mode. For example, the access URL screen shown in Fig. 8 may display information about the access point to be connected to when the image reading device 100 is in the ST mode (e.g., SSID, password, etc.) together with the link 811.

[0080] Also, the user may be able to specify the access point to be connected when the image reading device 100 transitions to the ST mode. This embodiment will be described below. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the setting information input screen in the first embodiment. The setting information input screen shown in FIG. The access point information input box 1011 is for inputting information on the access point to which the image reading device 100 should connect when the image reading device 100 is in ST mode. The access point information input box 1011 is used when the user wishes to connect the image reading device 100 to a network other than the AP 300. Even if the box is left blank, the "Scan" button may be made selectable, in which case the image reading device 100 may be connected to the AP 300.

[0081] Furthermore, the image reading device 100 may display other information in addition to the scanned image data on the scanned image download screen of Fig. 9. For example, a notification of an error during scanning, a download deadline for the scanned image data, a reading setting input dialogue for additional scanning, etc. may be displayed.

[0082] In the above description, the image reading device 100 transmits an access URL screen having a link 811 as shown in Fig. 8 to the mobile terminal 200, and when the link 811 is specified on the mobile terminal 200, the mobile terminal 200 accesses a scanned image download screen as shown in Fig. 9. However, the image reading device 100 may transmit a redirect instruction to the URL indicated by the link 811 to the mobile terminal 200, and the mobile terminal 200 may automatically access the URL indicated by the link 811.

[0083] In the above example, when a user inputs scan settings on the setting information input screen of FIG. 7 or FIG. 10 and issues a scan instruction, the input scan setting information (read setting information) is transmitted from mobile terminal 200 to image reading device 100, and image reading device 100 performs scanning using the scan setting information.

[0084] However, instead of the setting information input screen of FIG. 7 or FIG. 10, a scan instruction screen (having a “Scan” button) for issuing a scan instruction without inputting scan settings may be transmitted from image reading device 100 to mobile terminal 200.

[0085] When the "Scan" button is pressed on this scan instruction screen, a scan instruction is transmitted from the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100. Furthermore, when the image reading device 100 receives the scan instruction, it performs scanning using default scan setting information stored in advance.

[0086] Also, when the "Scan" button is pressed on the scan instruction screen, default scan setting information is transmitted from the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100. Furthermore, when the scan instruction is received, default scan setting information may be transmitted from the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100, and the image reading device 100 may perform scanning using the scan setting information. Also, the image reading device 100 may perform scanning with scan settings according to the type of the mobile terminal 200 that transmitted the scan instruction.

[0087] Second Embodiment <System configuration> 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system to which an image reading device according to the second embodiment can be applied. The system according to this embodiment includes an image reading device 100 and a mobile terminal 200.

[0088] In FIG. 11, an image reading device 100 and a mobile terminal 200 have wireless communication functions (WLAN communication functions) according to a method (WLAN method) compliant with wireless LAN (WLAN) standards such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac.

[0089] The image reading device 100 has a software access point (software AP) function for operating itself as a wireless access point. Note that the mechanical configuration of the image reading device 100 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The mobile terminal 200 is a typical information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer, and has a web browser that can access web pages installed thereon.

[0091] The configuration of the transport path and the like in the image reading device 100 of the second embodiment is similar to the configuration explained in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.

[0092] <Device configuration> FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the image reading apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment. 12, the control unit 10 of the image reading device 100 includes a CPU 11. The CPU 11 executes a program stored in a ROM 12 and controls the entire image reading device 100. The ROM 12 stores programs executed by the CPU 11 and fixed data. The RAM 13 stores variable data such as image data read by the line image sensor 1043 and calculation results of the CPU 11. The ROM 12 and the RAM 13 may be other storage devices.

[0093] The input / output I / F 14 of the control unit 10 is connected to an image processing circuit 26 that performs image processing such as shading correction on the image read by the line image sensor 1043 . The analog-to-digital converter (hereinafter referred to as "ADC") 25 is an analog-to-digital converter that converts the analog image signal output by the line image sensor 1043 into digital image data.

[0094] The light emitting unit 121 includes the light emitting units of the platen original document detection sensor 110 and the discharge unit original document detection sensor 111. The light receiving unit 122 includes the light receiving units of the platen original document detection sensor 110 and the discharge unit original document detection sensor 111.

[0095] Connected to the control unit 10 are a drive circuit 123 that drives the light emitting unit 121 and an ADC 124 that converts the analog signal received by the light receiving unit 122 into digital data. Also, a Web app mode button 150 is connected to the control unit 10, and pressing this button starts the Web app mode. The description of the Web app mode will be given in <Web app mode process> described later. Note that this Web app mode button 150 may be a software key displayed on a display unit such as an LCD provided in the image reading apparatus 100. The CPU 11 acquires the image data output from the image processing circuit 26.

[0096] The WLAN I / F 16 is a wireless NIC (network interface card) having a WLAN communication function. The WLAN I / F 16 is operable in an access point mode (hereinafter referred to as "AP mode") and a station mode (hereinafter referred to as "ST mode").

[0097] The AP mode is an operation mode in which a software AP function is used to establish a direct wireless connection with an external device (such as the mobile terminal 200) having a WLAN communication function. That is, the image reading device 100 has a function of forming a network directly connected to an information processing device such as the mobile terminal 200. The SSID for identifying a wireless access point provided in the AP mode is determined based on the model name of the image reading device 100. From the viewpoint of security, it is desirable to use a different character string for the SSID each time, so in this example, a unique random character string is added to the model name of the image reading device 100 (i.e., an SSID different from the SSID provided last time) is used, but this is not limited to this.

[0098] The ST mode is an operation mode in which the image reading device 100 is connected to a network by connecting as a wireless client to an access point provided by a router or the like. Thus, the WLAN I / F 16 is an example of a wireless interface capable of operating in both the AP mode and the ST mode.

[0099] Note that the process of detecting the document on the document table 102 (document detection process) in the image reading device 100 of the second embodiment is similar to the process described in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0100] <Captive Portal> When a wireless client connects to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 in AP mode, the image reading device 100 directs a web browser started in the wireless client to a specific web page. One example of a technology that realizes this operation is a captive portal.

[0101] A captive portal is a function that intercepts HTTP / HTTPS packets sent from a wireless client and redirects the wireless client to a specified web page (such as an authentication page). Captive portals are widely used in public wireless LANs in places such as cafes and airports.

[0102] Incidentally, common operating systems (OS) are equipped with a captive portal detection function that detects captive portals. When connecting to a wireless access point, the OS accesses a predefined web page called a Well-Known Web Page to verify the presence or absence of Internet access, and is designed to detect captive portals based on the response.

[0103] In addition, if the OS detects a captive portal, it accesses the web page specified in the above response using a web browser. Below is an example of how to detect a captive portal on a common OS.

[0104] For Android, when connecting to a wireless access point, if you access "http: / / google.com / gen_204" and get a response of "204 & No Content", it will be determined that it is not a Captive Portal. On the other hand, if you get a response other than "204 & No Content", it will be determined that it is a Captive Portal.

[0105] In addition, for iOS and macOS, when connecting to a wireless access point, "http: / / captive.apple.com / hotspot-detect.html" is accessed, and if a response with the text "Success" is obtained, it is determined that it is not a "Captive Portal." On the other hand, if a response other than the text "Success" is obtained, it is determined that it is a "Captive Portal."

[0106] In addition, in the case of Windows, when connecting to a wireless access point, it requests DNS name resolution for "dns.msftncsi.com" and if it receives a response of "131.107.255.255", it further accesses "http: / / www.msftncsi.com / ncsi.txt". If it receives a response with the text "Microsoft NCSI", it is determined that it is not a "Captive Portal". On the other hand, if it receives a response other than the text "Microsoft NCSI", it is determined that it is a "Captive Portal".

[0107] When the OS detects a "Captive Portal", it redirects the user to the destination specified in the response and accesses the web page at that destination. In this case, some OSs automatically launch the default web browser (without user interaction). The above examples are merely examples and may change due to changes in OS specifications, etc.

[0108] In this embodiment, the mechanism for displaying a predetermined Web page on the mobile terminal 200 connected to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 in AP mode is described using a captive portal, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any other technology may be used as long as it is capable of realizing displaying a predetermined Web page on the mobile terminal 200 connected to a wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100 in AP mode.

[0109] <Processing of Image Reading Device 100> Next, a processing procedure of the image reading device 100 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of the image reading device 100 in the second embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is realized by the CPU 11 loading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like into the RAM 13 as necessary and executing the program. First, when the user turns on the power of the image reading device 100, the image reading device 100 starts up, and the processing of this flowchart begins.

[0110] In S1301, the CPU 11 starts the ST mode. Next, in S1302, the CPU 11 enables acceptance of the start of the Web app mode. The start of the Web app mode is performed when the Web app mode button 150 provided in the image reading device 100 is pressed by the user. When the Web app mode button 150 is pressed, that is, when the start of the Web app mode is instructed (Yes in S1302), the CPU 11 advances the processing to S1303. When the Web app mode button 150 is not pressed (No in S1302), the CPU 11 returns the processing to S1302.

[0111] Note that while the CPU 11 is determining whether the Web app mode button 150 is pressed in this S1302, it operates in a state corresponding to the standby state in the conventional image reading device 100. That is, when a scan instruction is given from an information processing device connected via USB or LAN, the scan processing can be executed according to the scan instruction.

[0112] In S1303, after the CPU 11 ends the ST mode, it starts the AP mode. Note that the processing from S1303 to S1310 is the processing in the Web app mode, and the description of the Web app mode will be described in <Web app mode processing> described later. Note that in this example, a configuration for switching to the AP mode when an operation for switching to the AP mode is performed, such as when the Web app mode button 150 is pressed, is described. However, it may be switched to the AP mode when a manuscript is detected, or these may be used in combination. Also, it may be switched to the AP mode when an existing button is long-pressed without providing a dedicated button such as the Web app mode button 150. Furthermore, it may be switched to the AP mode by detecting that the user is standing in front of the image reading device 100 or the like using a human sensor or the like.

[0113] Next, in S1304, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is a connection from the mobile terminal 200 within a certain period of time. The user operates the mobile terminal 200 to perform an operation for connecting to the software AP provided by the image reading device 100.

[0114] If there is no connection within a certain period of time (for example, within five minutes) in S1304 (No in S1304), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1310. On the other hand, if a connection is made within the certain period of time in S1304 (Yes in S1304), the process proceeds to S1305.

[0115] In S1305, the CPU 11 provides (transmits) a setting information input screen such as that shown in Fig. 7 to the mobile terminal 200. When the CPU 11 receives a scan execution instruction from the mobile terminal 200, the process proceeds to S1306. In S1306, the CPU 11 performs a scan process. Next, in S1307, the CPU 11 provides (transmits) a scan image download screen to the mobile terminal 200. When the CPU 11 receives an instruction to download image data from the mobile terminal 200, the process proceeds to S1308.

[0116] In S1308, CPU 11 transmits the image data to mobile terminal 200. The user can arbitrarily select the image data to be transmitted by operating the scan image download screen of mobile terminal 200. Therefore, the user can select not to download the image, in which case the image data is not transmitted. When this process is completed, CPU 11 deletes the image data stored in RAM 13.

[0117] Next, in S1309, CPU 11 performs a scan continuation confirmation for mobile terminal 200, and when mobile terminal 200 selects to continue (Yes in S1309), CPU 11 returns the process to S1306. This allows scanning to be continued without starting the AP mode again.

[0118] On the other hand, in S1309, when it is selected that the scan is not to be continued (when the answer in S1309 is No), the CPU 11 proceeds to S1310 for processing. In S1310, the CPU 11 ends the AP mode, returns the processing to S1301 to end the Web app mode, and returns to the initial state.

[0119] <Web app mode processing> The Web app mode processing will be described below. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram for explaining the communication after a connection request is sent from the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading apparatus 100 when the Web app mode of the second embodiment is started and the image reading apparatus 100 enters the AP mode.

[0120] When the image reading apparatus 100 shifts to the AP mode, it accepts connections to the wireless access point it provides. When the user operates the mobile terminal 200 to instruct a connection to the access point of the image reading apparatus 100 and the mobile terminal 200 connects to the wireless access point provided by the image reading apparatus 100, the OS of the mobile terminal 200 requests (accesses) a Web page called the Well-Known Web Page described above (S1401).

[0121] In response to this request, the image reading apparatus 100 returns an instruction (transfer instruction) for redirecting to the URL of the setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7 described later as a response to the request (S1402).

[0122] The response from the image reading device 100 as described above is different from any specific response that depends on the OS when the OS determines that the OS is not a "Captive Portal" (i.e., a response when the OS running on the mobile terminal 200 detects a captive portal). For example, a response that determines that the OS is not a "Captive Portal" is "204 & No Content" for Android, the text "Success" for iOS and macOS, and the text "Microsoft NCSI" for Windows.

[0123] The OS of the mobile terminal 200 that has received the response (the redirect instruction of S1402) from the image reading device 100 as described above determines that a captive portal has been detected, and controls the mobile terminal 200 to access (redirect) the URL instructed to be transferred in the response using a Web browser (S1403). Note that in this embodiment, when a captive portal is detected, the OS of the mobile terminal 200 automatically starts up a default Web browser (without user operation) and performs the above redirection.

[0124] In response to the access in S1403, the image reading device 100 transmits a setting information input screen (a screen of a Web application provided by the image reading device 100) as shown in FIG. 7 as a response to the access (S1404).

[0125] As described above, the web page called a Well-Known Web Page requested by the OS of the mobile terminal 200 depends on the OS. For example, it is "http: / / google.com / gen_204" for Android, "http: / / captive.apple.com / hotspot-detect.html" for iOS and macOS, and "http: / / www.msftncsi.com / ncsi.txt" for Windows. Therefore, the image reading device 100 can determine the OS running on the mobile terminal 200 from the above request. Therefore, the image reading device 100 may respond with a transfer instruction for redirecting to the URL of a setting information input screen (setting information input screen for each OS) corresponding to the OS running on the mobile terminal 200. The Web browser of the mobile terminal 200 that receives the response displays a setting information input screen as shown in Fig. 7 and accepts input from the user. Fig. 7 has already been described in the first embodiment. That is, the response causes the mobile terminal 200 to automatically operate so as to automatically access the Web application provided by the image reading device 100 via the Web browser. That is, the response corresponds to a response for automatically accessing the Web application provided by the image reading device 100 from the Web browser executed on the mobile terminal 200.

[0126] When the user inputs reading setting information such as mode, paper size, resolution, reading side, etc. on the setting information input screen and presses the "Scan" button 711, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 sends a scan execution instruction including the reading setting information input on the setting information input screen to the image reading device 100 (S1405).

[0127] Upon receiving the scan execution instruction including this read setting information, the image reading device 100 stores the received read setting information in the RAM 13. The image reading device 100 starts an original reading operation (scanning process) based on the read setting stored in the RAM 13 (S1406). In the scanning process, the image reading device 100 sequentially transports and reads the originals 101 placed on the platen 102 to generate image data. The generated image data is stored in the RAM 13. When the originals on the platen 102 are cleared by the scanning process, the scanning process ends.

[0128] When the scan process is completed, the image reading device 100 transmits a scan image download screen to the mobile terminal 200 (S1407). The mobile terminal 200 displays the received screen on the Web browser and accepts input from the user.

[0129] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a scanned image download screen in the second embodiment. The scan image download screen has a list display section 1513 that displays a list of image data scanned by the image reading device 100, a "download" button 1511, and an "end" button 1512. The scan image displayed in the list display section 1513 is the scan image or a thumbnail image thereof transmitted from the image reading device 100 in S1407. For example, when the user selects an image to be downloaded from the list display section 1513 and presses the "download" button 1511, a download request including information specifying the image data selected in the list display section 1513 is transmitted from the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100. In response to this request, the image reading device 100 starts transmitting the image data selected in the list display section 1513 to the mobile terminal 200. After completing the transmission of the image data to the mobile terminal 200, the image reading device 100 subsequently transmits a continuation confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 16 to the mobile terminal 200 (S1409). The mobile terminal 200 displays the received continuation confirmation screen on the Web browser and accepts input from the user. When the transmission of the image data is completed, the image reading device 100 deletes the image data stored in the RAM 13.

[0130] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a continuation confirmation screen in the second embodiment. Next, when the user presses the continue button 1621 on the continuation confirmation screen, a new scan process is performed, but in this example, a case where the user presses the "End" button 1622 will be described.

[0131] When the user presses "Exit" button 1622, an end request is sent from the Web browser of mobile terminal 200 to image reading device 100 (S1410). In response to this end request, image reading device 100 ends the Web application mode process. Note that pressing "Exit" button 1512 also results in the same operation as when "Exit" button 1622 is pressed.

[0132] Furthermore, if the user does not press the “End” button 1512 or 1622, the image reading device 100 may end the Web application mode process when a certain period of time (for example, 60 minutes) has elapsed since the end of the scan process.

[0133] In this embodiment, when the image reading device 100 is accessed from the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200, a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. However, the setting information input screen may be omitted, and the scan process may be automatically started when the Web application provided by the image reading device 100 is accessed from the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200. The read settings at this time may be standard settings (mode: color, paper size: A4, resolution: 300 dpi) in which predetermined setting information is preset, such as settings that are generally used frequently, or various automatic detection settings (mode: black and white / color automatic detection, paper size: paper size automatic detection, resolution: resolution automatic detection) may be implemented as functions. Also, the scanned image may be automatically transmitted to the mobile terminal 200 from the Web application of the image reading device 100 without going through the scan image download screen.

[0134] 12 may further include a USB interface in addition to the configuration of this embodiment, and may be configured to be connectable to an information processing device via a USB cable. In this case, when starting the Web application mode from a state connected via the USB interface, the CPU 11 may store in the RAM 13 the fact that the connection was via the USB interface as previous connection information, and when ending the Web application mode, may read out the previous connection information and return to the USB interface, which is the previous connection method.

[0135] 15 based on a request from a device having the same identification information (e.g., MAC address) as the mobile terminal that sent the read setting information corresponding to the reading of the image data displayed on the screen (the mobile terminal on which the "Scan" button 711 was pressed on the setting information input screen in FIG. 7). This makes it possible to protect confidential information by preventing the scan image data from being viewed by devices other than the mobile terminal that instructed the scan.

[0136] As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to access the image reading device 100 from the mobile terminal 200 and instruct the image reading device 100 to execute a reading operation, without using a display unit capable of displaying a two-dimensional code or the like indicating an IP address or the like of the image reading device 100. Furthermore, it is possible to instruct the image reading device 100 to perform a scan from a web browser, without installing a special application on the mobile terminal 200, thereby improving user convenience.

[0137] Therefore, there is no need to install a dedicated application, and excellent operability is achieved without displaying a code image indicating connection information to an image reading device such as a two-dimensional code, thereby increasing user convenience, and there is no need to have a display unit capable of displaying code images, thereby enabling cost reduction.

[0138] Furthermore, the image reading device 100 may display other information in addition to the scanned image data on the scanned image download screen of Fig. 15. For example, a notification of an error during scanning, a download deadline for the scanned image data, etc. may be displayed.

[0139] In addition, the image reading device 100 may be configured so that when a user selects any image data from the list display section 1513 of the scan image download screen in Figure 15, the image data editing can be performed on the selected image, such as cropping or rotation.

[0140] Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below, but the basic configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment, and only the differences will be described.

[0141] In this embodiment, the image reading device 100 always operates in AP mode except for temporary exceptions described later. That is, regardless of the result of the document detection process in S1101 in Fig. 5, the image reading device 100 operates in AP mode, the processes of S1106 and S1107 in Fig. 5 are omitted, and the scan process in S1108 is executed while remaining in AP mode. Furthermore, the process of S1109 is also omitted. Note that, when a Web page such as that in Fig. 9 is provided to the URL of the image reading device 100 in ST mode as in the first embodiment to download an image, it is necessary to accept and process an access to the Web page such as that in Fig. 9 as in S1109, which will be described later.

[0142] However, while the AP mode described in the first embodiment is basically only about a direct connection between the image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200, in this embodiment, the image reading device 100 is configured to be connectable to the external Internet even in the AP mode. That is, the AP 300 described in the first embodiment has a function as a gateway for connecting to the external Internet, but the image reading device 100 in this embodiment has the function of this AP 300, and can use various wired network connections and wireless network connections including telephone line communication for connection to the external Internet.

[0143] Here, while the scan process of S1108 is being performed, the mobile terminal 200 remains connected to the image reading device 100 in AP mode, and it would be inconvenient if, for example, another web page could not be viewed using another web browser or browser tab. In this embodiment, to deal with this, the image reading device 100 operates as follows to enable communication with the outside after the start of the scan process for the mobile terminal 200 to which the setting information input screen has been transmitted.

[0144] In other words, in response to a request for access to the external Internet, etc. from mobile terminal 200 after the setting information input screen has been sent, image reading device 100 sends a response indicating that the OS of mobile terminal 200 is not a captive portal, and allows mobile terminal 200 to communicate as an access point that does not use a captive portal.

[0145] Alternatively, a captive portal may be used to perform authentication processing based on identification information of the user or the mobile terminal 200, and communication may be restricted depending on the authentication result. For example, authentication may be performed by having the user input credentials or the like on a setting information input screen, or authentication may be performed by having the user input only scan settings on the setting information input screen as in the first embodiment, and then when there is a request for access to the external Internet.

[0146] In these examples, when the scanning process is completed, the image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 are directly connected, and the image reading device 100 can directly provide the mobile terminal 200 with a scanned image download screen as shown in FIG. 9.

[0147] As another method for enabling the mobile terminal 200 to communicate with the outside after the start of the scanning process, the image reading device 100 may be controlled to temporarily cut off upstream communications with the AP 300, etc., after the scanning process is started and the transmission of the scanned image download screen is completed.

[0148] In this case, the OS of the mobile terminal 200 connected to the image reading device 100 can detect that the communication beyond the image reading device 100 has been cut off, and can cut off the connection with the image reading device 100 and execute a connection to the external Internet by another communication method possessed by the mobile terminal 200. In this example, the scanned image download screen may be provided to the URL of the image reading device 100 in the ST mode as in the first embodiment (in this case, the image reading device 100 is controlled so as to temporarily transition to the ST mode after the completion of the scan process), or may be provided to a URL indicating a specific location on an information processing device other than the image reading device 100. When temporarily transitioning to the ST mode, the image reading device 100 accepts access to the scanned image download screen in the ST mode and performs processing such as image download.

[0149] It is also possible to use a cloud service as an information processing device other than the above-mentioned image reading device 100. In that case, it is preferable to allow a specific cloud service to be specified on the setting information input screen or a Web page to which the user can be redirected from the setting information input screen. In that case, the user should be prompted to input credentials for the specified cloud service, and the image reading device 100 should be able to use the credentials when transmitting a scanned image to the cloud service.

[0150] [Fourth embodiment] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below, focusing only on the differences from the above-described embodiments. The system configuration of the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the conveying path in the image reading device 100, and the like are similar to the configurations described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0151] <Device configuration> 17 is a diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the image reading device 100 of the fourth embodiment. Note that the basic configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as those in FIG. 3, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0152] <Connection request processing> Hereinafter, a process (connection request process) performed when an external mobile terminal 200 requests a connection in AP mode in the image reading device 100 will be described. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication between the image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 after the mobile terminal 200 requests the image reading device 100 to connect to the image reading device 100 while the image reading device 100 is running in the AP mode. 18 is realized by the CPU 11 loading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like into the RAM 13 as necessary and executing it. Similarly, the processing of the mobile terminal 200 is realized by the CPU (not shown) of the mobile terminal 200 loading a program stored in the ROM or other storage device into the RAM as necessary and executing it.

[0153] The image reading device 100 operating in the AP mode accepts connections to the wireless access points it provides. When the OS of the mobile terminal 200 connects to the wireless access point provided by the image reading device 100, it requests (accesses) the above-mentioned Web page called the Well-Known Web Page (S2001).

[0154] In response to this request, the image reading device 100 returns an instruction (transfer instruction) for redirecting to the URL of a setting information input screen such as that shown in FIG. 19 (to be described later) as a response to the request (S2002).

[0155] As described above, since a web page called a Well-Known Web Page requested by the OS of the mobile terminal 200 depends on the OS, the image reading device 100 can determine the OS running on the mobile terminal 200 from the request. Therefore, the image reading device 100 may respond with a transfer instruction for redirecting to the URL of a setting information input screen (setting information input screen for each OS) corresponding to the OS running on the mobile terminal 200. Furthermore, the response from the image reading device 100 as described above is different from any specific response that depends on the OS and that the OS determines is not a "Captive Portal" (i.e., a response in which the OS running on the mobile terminal 200 detects a captive portal).

[0156] The OS of the mobile terminal 200 that has received the response (the redirect instruction of S2002) from the image reading device 100 as described above determines that a captive portal has been detected, and controls the mobile terminal 200 to access the URL instructed to be transferred in the response using a web browser (S2003). Note that in this embodiment, when a captive portal is detected, the OS of the mobile terminal 200 automatically starts a default web browser (without user operation) and performs the above redirection. However, the present invention is also applicable to an OS that does not automatically start a web browser. In the case of this type of OS, the web browser may be started by user operation or the like.

[0157] In response to the access in S2003, the image reading device 100 transmits a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 19 as a response to the access (S2004). The web browser of the mobile terminal 200 that receives the response displays a setting information input screen as shown in FIG. 19, and accepts input from the user.

[0158] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a setting information input screen in the fourth embodiment. This screen is displayed on the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 connected to the image reading device 100 in the AP mode as described above.

[0159] The setting information input screen has an input field 2101 for inputting reading setting information such as mode (black and white / color), paper size (A4 / A3 / B5 / B4 / ···), resolution (200 dpi / 300 dpi / 600 dpi / ···), reading side (single-sided / double-sided), etc. The setting information input screen also has a selection field 2102 for selecting transmission setting information as to whether to save image data on the mobile terminal or in a shared folder, and an input field 2103 for entering information for accessing the shared folder (user name, password, destination path) if saving in a shared folder is selected. Furthermore, the setting information input screen has a check box 2104 for selecting whether or not to check the scan status during scanning, and a “Scan” button 2105 .

[0160] When the user inputs reading setting information such as mode, paper size, resolution, and reading side, transmission setting information, and scan status confirmation, as necessary, on the setting information input screen and presses the ``Scan'' button 2105, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 sends a scan execution instruction to the image reading device 100, including the reading setting information, transmission setting information, and scan status confirmation information input on the setting information input screen (S2005). The image reading device 100 receives the scan execution instruction including the read setting, the transmission setting, and the scan status confirmation, and stores the received read setting information in the RAM 13 .

[0161] Next, the image reading device 100 checks whether or not it is necessary to transmit the screen displayed after scanning has started to the mobile terminal 200 (S2006). If the information included in the scan execution instruction received in S2005 indicates that "Save to this mobile terminal" is selected in the transmission settings 2102, or indicates that the "Confirm scan status" checkbox 2104 is checked, it is determined that it is necessary to transmit the screen displayed after scanning has started. In any other case, that is, if it indicates that "Shared folder" is selected in the transmission settings 2102 and that the "Confirm scan status" checkbox 2104 is not checked, it is determined that it is not necessary to transmit the screen displayed after scanning has started.

[0162] When it is determined that there is no need to transmit the screen after the start of scanning (No in S2006), the image reading device 100 ends the connection request process (S2009). On the other hand, if it is determined that the screen after the start of scanning needs to be transmitted (Yes in S2006), the image reading apparatus 100 advances the process to S2007.

[0163] In S2007, the image reading device 100 generates a screen after the start of scanning. Note that the image reading device 100 generates a different screen after the start of scanning depending on the transmission setting received from the mobile terminal 200 in S2005.

[0164] If the transmission setting received in S2005 indicates “Save to this mobile device,” the image reading device 100 will perform scanning while remaining in AP mode, and will generate a screen displaying the scanning in progress status as shown in FIG. 21A(a) described below.

[0165] On the other hand, if the transmission setting received in S2005 indicates a "shared folder," the image reading device 100 switches from AP mode to ST mode at a predetermined timing to perform scanning, and the access link destination changes. Therefore, the image reading device 100 generates a screen notifying a URL, which is access information, as shown in Fig. 20A(a) described later. This URL is an invalid URL even if accessed when the image reading device 100 is in AP mode, but if accessed when the image reading device 100 is in ST mode, a scanning screen like the screen in Fig. 20A(b) described later is displayed.

[0166] Next, the image reading device 100 transmits the screen after the start of scanning generated in S2007 to the mobile terminal 200 (S2008). When this transmission is completed, the image reading device 100 ends the connection request process (S2009).

[0167] Figures 20A and 20B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the mobile terminal 200 when the image reading device 100 performs scanning in ST mode in the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, Figures 20A and 20B will be simply referred to as "Figure 20." Each of the drawings will be described below.

[0168] FIG. 20A is a diagram showing an example of an access URL screen for image reading device 100 performing scanning in ST mode. The access URL screen for the image reading device 100 scanning in ST mode displays a URL for accessing a screen for checking the scan status as shown in FIG. 20(b) described later, such as a link 2211a.

[0169] When an instruction such as a click is given to the link 2211a, the web browser of the mobile terminal 200 accesses the URL indicated by the link 2211a. In this embodiment, this URL is described as indicating a web page provided by the image reading device 100 that has transitioned to the ST mode. That is, it is assumed here that the image reading device 100 provides the web page indicated by the link 2211a via the AP 300. However, a configuration may also be adopted in which another information processing resource such as a file server or cloud storage provides the web page indicated by the link 2211a.

[0170] 20B and 20C are diagrams showing examples of screens on which the image reading device 100 performing scanning in the ST mode displays the scan status. Figure 20(b) corresponds to the scan status screen when no scan error occurs, and Figure 20(c) corresponds to the screen when a scan error occurs.

[0171] 20(c) has a message 2211c that displays the error content, a button 2212c for continuing scanning, and a button 2213c for not continuing scanning. For example, when the user presses button 2212c or button 2213c, the web browser of mobile terminal 200 transmits the operation result to image reading device 100. The operation of image reading device 100 at this time will be described later.

[0172] 21A and 21B are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the mobile terminal 200 when the image reading device 100 performs a scan in the AP mode in the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, Fig. 21A and Fig. 21B will be simply referred to as "Fig. 21".

[0173] Figure 21(a) corresponds to the scan status screen when no scan error occurs, and Figure 21(b) corresponds to the screen when a scan error occurs.

[0174] 21(b) has a message 2311b displaying the error content, a button 2312b for continuing scanning, and a button 2313b for not continuing scanning. For example, when the user presses button 2312b or button 2313b, the web browser of mobile terminal 200 transmits the operation result to image reading device 100. The operation of image reading device 100 at this time will be described later.

[0175] FIG. 21C is a diagram showing an example of a scanned image download screen that is displayed after scanning is completed. On the scan image download screen, a list 2313c of image data scanned by the image reading device 100, a "download" button 2311c, and an "end" button 2312c are arranged.

[0176] For example, when a user selects an image to be downloaded from list 2313c and presses "download" button 2311c, a download request including information specifying the image data selected in list 2313c is transmitted from the Web browser of mobile terminal 200 to image reading device 100. In response to this request, image reading device 100 starts downloading the image data selected in list 2313c to mobile terminal 200.

[0177] Furthermore, when the user presses "End" button 2312c, a termination request is sent from the web browser of mobile terminal 200 to image reading device 100. In response to this termination request, image reading device 100 completes the image data download. Note that even if the user does not press "End" button 2312c, image reading device 100 may complete the image data download process when a certain amount of time (e.g., three minutes) has elapsed since the end of scanning.

[0178] <Processing of Image Reading Device 100> Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the image reading device 100 in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 22 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing procedure of the image reading device 100 in the fourth embodiment. The processing of the flowcharts shown in Fig. 22 and Fig. 23 described later is realized by the CPU 11 loading a program stored in the ROM 12 or the like into the RAM 13 as necessary and executing it.

[0179] When the user turns on the power of the image reading device 100, the image reading device 100 starts up and the process of this flowchart begins. First, in step S1801, the CPU 11 sets the wireless mode of the image reading device 100 to the AP mode.

[0180] Next, in S1802, the CPU 11 waits for a connection from the external mobile terminal 200. If there is a connection from the mobile terminal 200 (Yes in S1802), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1803. In S1803, the CPU 11 performs the connection request process shown in FIG.

[0181] Next, in S1804, the CPU 11 checks whether or not to save the scanned image data in the portable terminal based on the transmission setting stored in the RAM 13 in the connection request process of S1803. If the scanned image data is to be saved in the portable terminal (Yes in S1804), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1806.

[0182] On the other hand, if the scanned image data is not to be stored in the portable terminal (No in S1804), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1805. In S1805, CPU 11 connects to access point 300 and switches to the ST mode. At this time, the connection between portable terminal 200 and image reading device 100 is cut off, so that portable terminal 200 can reconnect to access point 300. This allows the user to freely use portable terminal 200 even during scanning, improving usability and convenience.

[0183] Next, in S1806, the CPU 11 performs a scan process. The scan process will be described later. When the scan process is completed, the CPU 11 advances the process to S1807. In S1807, the CPU 11 checks whether scanning has been performed in the ST mode. If scanning has been performed in the ST mode (Yes in S1807), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1808. In S1808, the CPU 11 transmits the scanned image data to a destination based on the transmission settings stored in the RAM 13 in the connection request process of S1803, and proceeds to S1809. Note that the flow from S1807 to S1808 may be executed at a predetermined timing in the scan process of S1808, such as every time a scanned image is generated for each document (page) during scanning.

[0184] On the other hand, if scanning was performed in AP mode (No in S1807), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1810. In S1810, the CPU 11 waits until the scanned image download by the mobile terminal 200 is completed, and when the download of the scanned image data is completed (Yes in S1810), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1809.

[0185] In S1809, if the CPU 11 does not detect an operation to turn off the power (No in S1810), the process returns to S1801. On the other hand, if a power-off operation is detected (Yes in S1809), the CPU 11 ends the process of this flowchart.

[0186] <Scanning process> FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the scan process (S1806 in FIG. 22) performed by the image reading device 100 in the fourth embodiment. In S1901, the CPU 11 starts an original reading operation (reading process) based on the reading settings stored in the RAM 13 in the connection request process shown in Fig. 18. In the original reading operation, the image reading device 100 sequentially conveys and reads the originals 101 loaded on the platen 102.

[0187] Next, in S1902, the CPU 11 checks whether or not a scan error has occurred in the image reading device 100. If no scan error has occurred (No in S1902), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1906. On the other hand, if a scan error has occurred (Yes in S1902), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1903.

[0188] In S1903, the CPU 11 checks whether or not to check the scan status. If the information received in S2005 of the connection request process shown in Fig. 18 indicates that the "check scan status" checkbox 2104 is checked, it determines that the scan status should be checked, and if not, it determines that the scan status should not be checked.

[0189] If the scan status is not to be confirmed (No in S1903), the CPU 11 ends the main scan process. On the other hand, when checking the scan status (Yes in S1903), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1904.

[0190] In S1904, the CPU 11 uses a Web page to notify the mobile terminal 200 as shown in Fig. 20(c) (in the case of scanning in ST mode) or Fig. 21(b) (in the case of scanning in AP mode). In response to this notification, when the user operates the "Yes" or "No" button for continuous scanning in Fig. 20(c) or Fig. 21(b) on the Web page of the mobile terminal 200, the result of the operation is transmitted from the Web browser of the mobile terminal 200 to the image reading device 100.

[0191] Next, in S1905, the CPU 11 checks the result of the operation for continuous scanning in the above S1904. If scanning is not to be continued (No in S1905), the CPU 11 ends the main scan process. On the other hand, if scanning is to be continued (Yes in S1905), the CPU 11 advances the process to S1906.

[0192] Next, in S1906, the CPU 11 generates image data of the document read by the reading process. Then, in S1907, the CPU 11 checks whether or not there is an original on the platen 102. If there is an original (No in S1907), the CPU 11 returns the process to S1902. On the other hand, when there is no document left on platen 102 (Yes in S1907), CPU 11 ends the main scan process.

[0193] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of each of the above-mentioned embodiments, it is possible to transmit a scanned image read by the image reading device 100 to the mobile terminal 200 or a destination designated by the user. It is also possible to check the scan status during scanning. Furthermore, even if a scan error occurs, it is possible to instruct the user to continue or end the scan. In this way, it is possible to further improve user convenience. Any configuration that combines each of the above-mentioned embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0194] In addition, in the fourth embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a scanned image read by the image reading device 100 can be sent to a shared folder as a destination, as explained using the setting information input screen shown in Figure 19, but this is not limited to this.

[0195] For example, a menu that allows transmission to a cloud service in parallel with the shared folder may be displayed, and transmission to a selected cloud service may be enabled. In this case, the configuration may be such that it is possible to link with an application installed on the mobile terminal 200 so that image data can be transmitted to a cloud service using credentials (identification information) such as a user name and password stored in the application installed on the mobile terminal 200.

[0196] Alternatively, the destination may be selected from an application installed on the mobile terminal 200, and in this case, it may be configured so that transmission can be made using credentials (identification information) such as a user name and password stored in the application.

[0197] Alternatively, the user may be allowed to input destination information such as the URL of the cloud service desired by the user as the destination, and further be allowed to input credentials (identification information) such as a user name and password, thereby enabling image data to be sent to the cloud service desired by the user.

[0198] In the above examples, login information such as a user name and password may not be input or obtained on the setting information input screen, but may be obtained from an application on the mobile terminal 200 or may be input by the user using the mobile terminal 200 or image reading device 100 at the time of actually transmitting image data.

[0199] According to each embodiment described above, it is possible to read an image with a simple operation without starting the imaging function of the mobile terminal, thereby improving user convenience. In addition, it is possible to realize a scan process with fewer steps without installing a dedicated application on the information processing device and without displaying a code image showing connection information to the image reading device on the image reading device, thereby improving user convenience, and it is also possible to eliminate the need to provide the image reading device with a display unit capable of displaying the code image, thereby reducing costs.

[0200] In the above embodiments, a Web application for performing document reading operations (scanning, downloading, etc.) by the image reading device 100 has been described as an example of a Web application provided by the image reading device 100. However, the Web application provided by the image reading device 100 may be any Web application as long as it is a Web application for using the image reading device 100 from an information processing device such as the mobile terminal 200. For example, the Web application may be a Web application for checking the status of the image reading device 100, or a Web application for maintaining the image reading device 100.

[0201] In the above embodiments, the captive portal detection specifications of the OS are utilized to automatically access a Web application provided by the image reading device when a terminal (information processing device) is connected to an access point provided by the image reading device, thereby enabling the image reading device to be used from the terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the captive portal detection specifications of the OS are utilized to automatically access a Web application provided by the electronic device when a terminal is connected to an access point provided by the electronic device (for example, various electronic devices such as a multifunction device, a printer, a network camera, a drive recorder, various home appliances, and various IoT devices), thereby enabling the terminal to use the electronic device. For example, the captive portal detection specifications of the OS are utilized to automatically display an operation screen of the electronic device on the terminal by a Web application provided by the electronic device, thereby enabling the terminal to accept operations of the electronic device (including confirmation of settings and status, etc.). This makes it possible to easily operate various electronic devices from the information processing device without starting the imaging function of the information processing device and without installing a dedicated application on the information processing device, thereby improving user convenience. In this case, the electronic device only needs to have a function equivalent to the network connection function of the image reading device described above.

[0202] It goes without saying that the configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and the data may have various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or to an apparatus composed of a single device. Furthermore, any combination of the above-described embodiments is also included in the present invention.

[0203] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of a plurality of devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes all configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modifications.

[0204] For example, in the above embodiment, the image reading device 100 and the mobile terminal 200 are wirelessly connected, but they may be configured to be wired, and even in that case, it is possible to transmit a Web page that is a setting information input screen by redirecting an access request from the mobile terminal 200 with a similar response. Furthermore, without being limited to this case, the mobile terminal 200 may be a stationary information processing device as long as it has a network communication function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0205] 100 Image reader 200 Mobile Devices 300 Access Points 101 Manuscripts 102 Manuscript stand 110 Document platen document detection sensor 150 Web app mode button

Claims

1. An image reading device that can operate in a first mode in which it operates as a wireless access point and in a second mode in which it operates by connecting to the wireless access point as a wireless terminal, and that performs an original reading operation to read an original placed on an original table and generate image data, a control means for switching the image reading device from the second mode to the first mode; a first transmission means for transmitting a first web page for instructing the start of the document reading operation to the information processing device in response to a request transmitted from the information processing device when the information processing device is connected to a wireless access point in the first mode, to the information processing device by the control means in response to a switching instruction for switching the image reading device, which is on standby in the second mode, to the first mode; an execution unit that executes the document reading operation based on the start instruction received via the first web page; 1. An image reading device comprising:

2. 2. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the first web page allows input of an instruction to start the document reading operation and reading setting information.

3. a detection means for detecting that an original has been placed on the original table; The image reading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means determines that the switching instruction has been made when the detection means detects that a document has been loaded on the document tray, and switches the image reading device, which is waiting in the second mode, to the first mode.

4. The image reading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means determines that the switching instruction has been made when a predetermined button provided on the image reading device is pressed, and switches the image reading device, which is waiting in the second mode, to the first mode.

5. A sensing means for sensing the presence of a person, The image reading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means determines that the switching instruction has been made when the detection means detects a user present in front of the image reading device, and switches the image reading device, which is waiting in the second mode, to the first mode.

6. the control means further has a function of switching the image reading device from the first mode to the second mode, 6. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switches the image reading device from the first mode to the second mode in response to receiving the start instruction.

7. a second transmission means for transmitting access information for accessing a second web page for acquiring image data generated by the document reading operation to the information processing device in response to receiving the start instruction, The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the control means further has a function of switching the image reading device in the first mode to the second mode, and switches the image reading device from the first mode to the second mode in response to the transmission of the access information.

8. The image reading device according to claim 7, characterized in that the access information is a URL including a random character string, a character string based on identification information that identifies the information processing device, or a character string based on information input on the first web page.

9. The execution unit starts the document reading operation based on the start instruction after the control unit switches the image reading device from the first mode to the second mode.

9. The image reading device according to claim 6, wherein

10. A method for controlling an image reading device that is operable in a first mode in which the image reading device operates as a wireless access point and in a second mode in which the image reading device operates by connecting to the wireless access point as a wireless terminal, and that performs an original reading operation to read an original placed on an original table and generate image data, comprising: a switching step of switching the image reading device to the first mode in response to a switching instruction input to a control means for switching the image reading device from the second mode to the first mode; a first transmission step of switching the image reading device to the first mode by the control means in response to a switching instruction to switch the image reading device waiting in the second mode to the first mode, and transmitting a first web page for instructing the start of the document reading operation to the information processing device in response to a request transmitted from the information processing device when the information processing device is connected to a wireless access point in the first mode; an execution step of executing the document reading operation based on the start instruction received via the first web page; 2. A method for controlling an image reading device, comprising:

11. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means recited in claim 1.

Images