Information processing device, image forming device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To correctly interpret facsimile destination information input via a telephone function, on an image formation device.SOLUTION: Destination information indicative of a destination for facsimile transmission is set. It is determined whether a first code indicative of an instruction in a telephone function is contained in the destination information. When it is determined that the first code is contained in the destination information, the first code is converted to a second code indicative of an instruction in a facsimile transmission function of the image formation device. The destination information containing the second code is transmitted to the image formation device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the widespread use of high-performance mobile terminals known as smartphones, these mobile terminals are now able to link with image forming apparatuses using applications to perform functions such as scanning, printing, and job transmission. For example, in the job transmission function, a mobile terminal searches for an image forming apparatus on a LAN and transmits a transmission job to which a user has added a destination and various scan setting information (e.g., color, double-sided printing). This configuration allows a mobile terminal to perform a series of processes required for faxing in an image forming apparatus with a fax function.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a technology in which a mobile terminal sets a fax destination and read / send information related to reading a document and sends it to an image forming device, and the image forming device sends a fax using the received destination and read / send information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Application No. 2020-210503 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, there have been cases where a command for a telephone function, such as a pause function, input as a destination on a mobile terminal is not correctly interpreted by the image forming apparatus.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to enable an image forming apparatus to correctly interpret fax destination information input via a telephone function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the object of the present invention, for example, an information processing apparatus according to one embodiment comprises the following configuration: a setting unit for setting destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent, a determining unit for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function, a converting unit for converting the first code into a second code indicating the command for a fax sending function of an image forming apparatus when it is determined that the destination information includes the first code, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the destination information including the second code to the image forming apparatus. The destination information is information in a format that is input in the telephone function. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] It is possible for the image forming apparatus to correctly interpret fax destination information input via the telephone function. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6a] , [Figure 6b] , [Figure 6c] , and [Figure 6d] FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a UI of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7a] , and [Figure 7b]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a UI of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a fax transmission instruction process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a fax transmission process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a fax transmission process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11a] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table of commands for a fax transmission function according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11b] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table of commands for a fax transmission function according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system including an information processing device 101 according to this embodiment. In the system 100, the information processing device 101, a terminal 102, and an image forming device 104 are connected to each other via a network 103.

[0012] The information processing device 101 is a device capable of transmitting destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent to the image forming device 104. An operating system (OS) for small terminals or a program for controlling telephone calls or data communications may run in the information processing device 101. In this embodiment, a user inputs information to the information processing device 101 to instruct the image forming device 104 to execute a job and cause the image forming device 104 to execute various functions. In this embodiment, the information processing device 101 is described as being a mobile terminal such as a smartphone with a telephone function, but it may also be a device separate from the image forming device 104, such as a personal computer (PC).

[0013] The terminal 102 provides a wireless LAN via Wi-Fi. The terminal 102 according to this embodiment can be implemented as, for example, a wireless LAN base station having a general network router function, and performs communication via the wireless LAN within a home, an office, or the like. Note that the function provided by the terminal 102 is not limited to a wireless LAN as long as it provides a communication function to the information processing device 101 and the image forming device 104, and may be connected to the image forming device by wire, for example.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 104 is, for example, a digital multifunction peripheral and has a fax transmission function. In addition to the fax transmission function, the image forming apparatus 104 may also have, for example, a printer function, a copy function, or a scanner function.

[0015] Furthermore, the information processing device 101 and the image forming device 104 may perform short-range wireless communication via wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or BLE (Bloetooth Low Energy (registered trademark)). The image forming device 104 according to this embodiment has connection information (such as an IP address or a MAC address) for communicating with the information processing device 101 in an NFC communication unit 310 and a BLE communication unit 311 (described later), and the information processing device 101 can acquire this connection information. In this case, the information processing device 101 initiates a connection with the image forming device 104 based on the acquired connection information. Hereinafter, when simply written as "short-range wireless communication," it refers to wireless communication between the information processing device 101 and the image forming device 104.

[0016] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 101 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 101 has a control unit 201, which controls various communication units including an NFC communication unit 210, a BLE communication unit 211, a LAN communication unit 212, and a data communication unit 218, and various UI units including a microphone / speaker 213, a display 214, and an input unit 215.

[0017] The control unit 201 includes a CPU 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, a network interface (I / F) 205, an audio control unit 206, a display control unit 207, an input control unit 208, a storage device 209, and a telephone control unit 217. The functional units of the control unit 201 are connected to each other via a system bus 216.

[0018] The CPU 202 is a central processing unit that controls the entire system of the information processing device 101. The ROM 203 stores the OS of the information processing device 101 or applications that control calls or data communications, etc., and the CPU 202 reads these and executes various programs. The RAM 204 is a memory for the CPU 202 to execute various programs and is a work memory in which programs are executed by applications. The storage device 209 is a non-volatile storage device that stores various operation mode settings or operation logs that need to be retained even after the information processing device 101 is restarted.

[0019] The network I / F 205 connects to various communication units including an NFC communication unit 210, a BLE communication unit 211, a LAN communication unit 212, and a data communication unit 218, and controls various wireless communications with the image forming device 104 or a base station (not shown) that handles telephone lines.

[0020] The audio control unit 206 controls the input and output of audio data via the microphone / speaker 213. The microphone / speaker 213 is, for example, a sound collection unit provided in the information processing device 101, and may acquire the user's voice as input. The microphone / speaker 213 is, for example, a speaker provided in the information processing device 101, and may provide audio notification in accordance with the results of processing, etc.

[0021] The display control unit 207 controls the output of image data to be displayed on the display 214. The display 214 is not particularly limited in form as long as it is a display unit for displaying processing results and the like to the user. For example, the display 214 may be a liquid crystal display or a touch panel that also serves as the input unit 215.

[0022] The input control unit 208 controls the input of information instructed by the user via the input unit 215. The input unit 215 may be, for example, a touch panel or buttons provided on the mobile terminal, or may be a keyboard. In this embodiment, various applications running on the information processing device 101 are provided to the user using these various UI units. When the user inputs destination information via the input control unit 208, job setting information including the destination information in a format input in a telephone function is generated and transmitted to the image forming apparatus 104.

[0023] A telephone control unit 217 controls the calling of a destination input by the user, or communicates with a base station that handles telephone lines via a data communication unit 218 .

[0024] In this embodiment, destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent is set in the information processing device 101 (for example, based on a user input). Here, for example, the destination information input by the user by the input control unit 208 is set as the destination. The destination information according to this embodiment includes a telephone number. In addition to the telephone number, this destination information may also include a code indicating a command for the telephone function (for example, a command indicating a pause function). Here, what is recognized as a command for the telephone function is not particularly limited, and for example, a code such as the character string comma "," (corresponding to the pause function) or the character string semicolon ";" (corresponding to the wait function) may be used. Here, the pause function is a function that generates a wait time of several seconds by inputting "," and making a call, thereby enabling, for example, switching between an internal line and an external line (also called zero dialing).

[0025] Next, the information processing device 101 determines whether the set destination information includes a code indicating a command for the telephone function. If it determines that the destination information includes a code indicating a command for the telephone function, the information processing device 101 converts the code into a code for the fax transmission function of the image forming device 104. The information processing device 101 then transmits the converted destination information to the image forming device 104, and the image forming device 104 transmits the fax. Hereinafter, when simply referring to a "destination," the explanation will be made assuming that it refers to the destination to which the fax is sent. Furthermore, such code conversion will also be expressed as command conversion.

[0026] The destination information according to this embodiment is transmitted and received between the information processing apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 104 as being included in the "job setting information." In particular, in this embodiment, when the job setting information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 104, if the destination information included in the job setting information includes a code indicating a command for the telephone function, the code is converted into a code for the fax transmission function. The transmission and reception process of the job setting information will be described later.

[0027] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 104 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 104 has a control unit 301, which controls communication units including an operation unit 307, an NFC communication unit 310, a BLE communication unit 311, and a LAN communication unit 312, a scanner 314, and a printer 315.

[0028] When a user uses the copy function, the control unit 301 controls the scanner 314 to acquire image data of an original document, and controls the printer 315 to print and output the image on paper. When a user uses the scan function, the control unit 301 controls the scanner 314 to acquire image data of an original document, converts it into code data, and transmits it to the information processing device 101 or the like via the network 103. When a user uses the print function, the control unit 301 receives image data (code data) via the information processing device 101 or the network 103, converts the received image data into print data, and transmits it to the printer 315. The printer 315 then prints and outputs an image on paper based on the received print data. These copy function, scan function, and print function can be implemented using known technology, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0029] The image forming device 104 also has a fax receiving function for receiving and printing data from an ISDN or the like, and a fax sending function for sending scanned data to an ISDN or the like. An instruction to execute a process for each of these functions is called a job, and the image forming device 104 executes a predetermined process in accordance with the job corresponding to each function.

[0030] The control unit 301 includes a CPU 302, a RAM 303, a ROM 304, a HDD 305, an operation unit I / F 306, a network I / F 308, and a device I / F 309. The functional units of the control unit 301 are connected to each other via a system bus 313.

[0031] The CPU 302 is a central processing unit and controls the entire system of the image forming apparatus 104. The RAM 303 is a system work memory for the operation of the image forming apparatus 104 and temporarily stores image data. The RAM 303 may store scanned image data read by the scanner 314, or may store print image data received from the information processing apparatus 101 via the network 103. Programs and data such as the OS, system software, or application software are arranged in the RAM 303 according to this embodiment. The ROM 304 stores the system boot program of the image forming apparatus 104. The HDD 305 stores various data such as the OS, system software, application software, image data, or setting data.

[0032] The operation unit I / F 306 outputs information to be displayed on the operation unit 307 to the display unit of the operation unit 307. The operation unit I / F 306 also acquires information indicating user input via the operation unit 307. In this embodiment, the operation unit 307 is various buttons, a touch panel, a dial, or the like provided on the image forming apparatus 104, which is a digital multifunction peripheral, and the I / F 306 acquires user operations on these.

[0033] The network I / F 308 is connected to various communication units including an NFC communication unit 310, a BLE communication unit 311, and a LAN communication unit 312, and controls various wireless communications with the information processing apparatus 101. The LAN communication unit 312 establishes a wireless LAN connection with the information processing apparatus 101 via the network 103. The NFC communication unit and the BLE communication unit 311 establish a short-range wireless signal with the information processing apparatus 101 via a wireless signal. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 104 transmits and receives job setting information and image data to and from the information processing apparatus 101 via the network I / F 308, and executes jobs by receiving execution commands for various functions of the image forming apparatus 104 from the information processing apparatus 101.

[0034] The device I / F 309 connects the control unit 301 with a scanner 314 that reads and prints image data, and a printer 315, and inputs and outputs image data.

[0035] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus 101 according to this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 4, an application 401 is software executed by the CPU 202 of the information processing apparatus 101 and stored in the RAM 204. Below, a description will be given of fax transmission processing by the information processing apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 104, but a detailed description of general processing will be omitted.

[0036] The UI control unit 402 accepts job setting information input by the user via the touch panel 215 and transmits it to the setting management unit 406 via the input control unit 208. The UI control unit 402 also receives a response from the setting management unit 406 or the job control unit 407 and outputs it to the display 214 via the display control unit 207. The UI control unit 402 also accepts authentication information input by the user via the touch panel 215 and transmits it to the authentication management unit 403 via the input control unit 208.

[0037] The authentication management unit 403 transmits authentication information to the network unit 405 based on the user information received from the UI control unit 402. This authentication information is used in authentication processing (described later using a flowchart) in the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103.

[0038] The connection unit 404 establishes communication between the information processing device 101 and the image forming device 104, and communication via a network. In this embodiment, the connection unit 404 can establish short-range wireless communication between the information processing device 101 and the image forming device 104 using NFC or BLE, and wireless LAN communication via the network 103. For example, when NFC is used, the connection unit 404 starts short-range wireless communication when the user brings the NFC communication unit 210 of the information processing device 101 and the NFC communication unit 310 of the image forming device 104 close to each other and makes them contact each other. Also, for example, when BLE is used, the user brings the BLE communication unit 211 of the information processing device 101 and the BLE communication unit 311 of the image forming device close to each other, and when the connection unit 404 determines that the distance is such that the BLE strength is equal to or greater than a certain level, short-range wireless communication is started. In this way, the connection unit 404 can acquire device information of the image forming apparatus 104 and start short-range wireless communication when the user performs an operation (called a touch operation) of bringing the NFC or BLE communication units of the information processing apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 104 close to each other. Furthermore, from the device information of the image forming apparatus 104 acquired in this way, the connection unit 404 can start a wireless LAN connection via the network 103. These processes related to short-range wireless communication and wireless LAN connection are well-known technologies, so detailed explanations will be omitted, and other types of communication processes may be used instead as long as similar data transmission and reception is possible.

[0039] The network unit 405 transmits and receives data to and from the image forming apparatus 104. In this embodiment, the network unit 405 can transmit job settings, job execution instruction commands, image data, user authentication information, and the like to the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103. The network unit 405 may also receive job setting information stored in the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103.

[0040] The setting management unit 406 stores job setting information input by the user via the UI control unit 402 or job setting information received from the image forming apparatus 104 via the network unit 405 in the RAM 204 or the storage device 209. Here, the setting management unit 406 may manage this job setting information as settings frequently used by the user ("favorites"). The setting management unit 406 may also manage custom job settings stored in the RAM 204 or the storage device 209 when the application 401 is installed as "presets." The job setting information according to this embodiment may include destination information indicating a destination.

[0041] The job control unit 407 generates job execution instruction information from job settings (including "favorites" and "presets") stored in the setting management unit 406, and transmits a job execution request to the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103. The job control unit 407 may also obtain the job execution status or the operating status of devices such as the scanner 314 and printer 315 from the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103 and transmit the information to the UI control unit 402.

[0042] When destination information included in the job setting information includes a code indicating a command for the telephone function, conversion unit 408 converts the code into a code for the fax transmission function of image forming apparatus 104. In this embodiment, conversion unit 408 determines whether or not the destination in the job setting information includes a character string indicating a pause command or a tone command in addition to a telephone number, and if so, converts the character string into a character string corresponding to the fax transmission function.

[0043] 5 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 104 according to this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4, an application 401 is software executed by the CPU 302 of the image forming apparatus 104 and stored in the RAM 303.

[0044] The UI control unit 502 accepts job setting information input by the user via the operation unit 307 and transmits it to the execution management unit 506. The UI control unit 502 also receives a response from the execution management unit 506 or the job control unit 507 and outputs it to the operation unit 307. The authentication unit 503 executes user authentication processing based on the authentication information received from the information processing device 101 and returns the result to the information processing device 101.

[0045] The connection unit 504 performs handover between the information processing apparatus 101 and the image forming apparatus 104 by short-range wireless communication, and establishes wireless LAN communication via the network 103 .

[0046] The network unit 505 transmits and receives data to and from the information processing device 101. In this embodiment, the network unit 505 can receive job settings, job execution instruction commands, image data, user authentication information, and the like from the information processing device 101 via the network 103. The network unit 505 may also transmit job setting information stored in the image forming device 104 to the information processing device 101 via the network 103.

[0047] The execution management unit 506 stores job setting information input by the user via the UI control unit 502 or job setting information received from the information processing apparatus 101 via the network unit 505 in the RAM 303 or the HDD 305. Here, the execution management unit 506 may manage this job setting information as settings frequently used by the user ("favorites"). In addition, the execution management unit 506 may manage custom job settings stored in the RAM 303 or the HDD 305 when the application 501 is installed as "presets."

[0048] The job control unit 507 controls the fax processing unit 514 to perform fax transmission processing in accordance with job settings received from the information processing device 101 or job settings (including "favorites" and "presets") stored in the execution management unit 506. The job control unit 507 can also control the scan processing unit 511, copy processing unit 512, or print processing unit 513 to execute various jobs in accordance with the received job settings or job settings stored in the execution management unit 506. Job setting information referenced by the job control unit to execute a job may be received from the information processing device 101 (via short-range wireless communication or wireless LAN communication) as described above, or may be information input into the image forming apparatus 104 by the UI control unit 502. The job control unit 507 may also transmit job execution status or the operating status of devices such as the scanner 314 and printer 315 to the information processing device 101 via the network 103.

[0049] Next, the UI (operation panel) of the operation unit I / F of the image forming apparatus 104 will be described with reference to Figs. 6a to 6c. Fig. 6a is a diagram showing an example of an authentication screen of the image forming apparatus 104 according to this embodiment. A login screen 601 is a screen for user authentication, and user information is entered in an input field 602 for entering the username of the user who will locally log in, and in an input field 603 for entering the password. Here, local login means entering user information in the authentication screen of the operation panel to log in. When a login button 604 is pressed on the login screen 601, local login is started using the username and password entered in the input fields 602 and 603.

[0050] FIG. 6b is a diagram showing an example of a home screen of the image forming apparatus 104. The home screen 610 is a screen that displays a list of functions of the image forming apparatus 104, and displays a UI for the user to select a function that they want to use. The copy button 611 is a button used to execute a copy function, and when pressed, the home screen 610 transitions to a copy setting screen (not shown). The status check button 612 is a button used to refer to the job execution status and history, etc., and when pressed, the home screen 610 transitions to a status check screen (not shown) that displays these statuses. The logout button 613 is a button used to log out, and when pressed, the user is logged out and the home screen 610 transitions to the login screen 601. The logout button 613 may display the name of the currently logged-in user.

[0051] FIG. 6c is a diagram showing an example of a fax transmission screen of the image forming apparatus 104. The fax screen 620 is a screen for configuring fax settings, and displays a UI for selecting a destination or configuring scan settings in a fax setting area 623. In the example of FIG. 6c, a fax transmission function is being executed, and a scanning display 621 is displayed on the fax screen 620. While the scanning display 621 is displayed, it is not possible to press various buttons arranged in the fax setting area 623 of the fax screen 620 to configure settings. A stop button 622 is a button for canceling job execution; when pressed, the execution of the job (fax in the example of FIG. 6c) is stopped, and the fax screen 620 transitions to the login screen 601 or the home screen 610. A stop button 624 is a button for canceling a job in progress; when pressed, the job (fax in the example of FIG. 6c) is canceled and the scanning display 621 stops displaying.

[0052] 6d is a diagram showing an example of the fax transmission screen of image forming apparatus 104 when the destination includes a pause command. Destination 630 is a text field in which the user can input the destination, and can display numbers entered using soft keyboard 632, character strings entered using buttons such as pause button 631, or destinations included in job setting information. In the example of FIG. 6d, the command for the pause function is displayed as "P," and fax processing unit 514 interprets this "P" as a pause command.

[0053] Next, fax settings of the information processing device 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7a is a diagram showing an example of a fax screen displayed on the information processing device 101. A fax transmission screen 701 is a screen for making settings for sending a fax on the image forming device 104. A title 702 displays a title (here, the contents of the job, such as fax or print) and also includes a button ("x") for canceling the settings and returning to the previous screen. A destination setting area 703 is a text field in which the destination to send the fax can be entered (for example, using a soft keyboard). The screen when the soft keyboard is launched will be described with reference to FIG. 7b.

[0054] The address book launch button 704 is a button for launching the address book of the information processing device 101. When the user selects a phone number in the address book, that phone number is set as the destination, and the selected phone number is displayed in the destination setting area 703. When the resolution setting item 705 is pressed, the fax transmission screen 701 transitions to a resolution setting screen (not shown) for changing the resolution setting, and the resolution setting set on the resolution setting screen is displayed in the lower part. Explanation of other setting items will be omitted. When the start button 706 is pressed, the set fax information (destination phone number) and scan settings are sent to the image forming device as job setting information, and an instruction to execute the job is issued. Here, the scan settings are settings for using the scan function of the image forming device 104, and can be entered on the fax transmission screen 701. However, since they are used in a general scan function, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0055] 7b is a diagram showing a scene on the fax screen of the information processing device 101 where a soft keyboard is displayed for inputting a destination into the destination setting area 703. The standby button 707 is a button for inputting a character string indicating a pause command in the telephone function of the information processing device 101 into the destination. Note that the telephone function of the information processing device 101 interprets the character string comma "," as a pause command, and in the example of FIG. 7b, the pause command is displayed as the character string comma ",". The destination setting area 703 in FIG. 7b is displayed when a zero, a pause command, is input.

[0056] Next, the flow of processing when transmitting a fax from the image forming apparatus by operating the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Each operation (step, represented by S) shown in the flowchart of Fig. 8 is realized by the CPU 202 reading onto the RAM 204 and executing a program for realizing each control module stored in the ROM 203 or the storage device 209.

[0057] 7A, the CPU 202 receives input of fax destination information and scan settings on the fax transmission screen 701.

[0058] In S802, when a user issues an instruction to start processing, the CPU 202 determines whether a destination is set in the job setting information input in S801. If a destination is set, the process proceeds to S803, and if not, the process proceeds to S814. In S814, the CPU 202 notifies the user of an error indicating that a destination is not set, and ends the process.

[0059] In S803, the CPU 202 performs remote authentication for communication with the image forming apparatus 104 using authentication information managed by the authentication management unit 403. Here, remote authentication refers to authentication as to whether the image forming apparatus 104 will permit connection from the information processing apparatus 101 via the network 103, and is performed using user information registered in the image forming apparatus 104. In S804, the CPU 202 determines whether the result of the remote authentication is OK, and if OK, proceeds to S805; if not, proceeds to S813. In S813, the CPU 202 notifies the user of a remote authentication error and ends the process.

[0060] In S805, the CPU 202 determines whether the destination includes a command for the telephone function of the information processing apparatus 101. If a command is included, the process proceeds to S806; if not, the process proceeds to S807. In S806, the CPU 202 converts the command for the telephone function included in the destination into a command for the fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus 104, and the process proceeds to S807. In this example, the CPU 202 converts ",", which indicates a pause command for the telephone function, into "P", which indicates a pause command for the fax transmission function.

[0061] In S807, the CPU 202 transmits the authentication information and job setting information as fax transmission information to the image forming apparatus 104. In S808, the CPU 202 determines whether or not an error has been received from the image forming apparatus 104, and if so, proceeds to S815, otherwise proceeds to S809. In S815, the CPU 202 notifies the user of a job error notification and ends the process.

[0062] In S809, the CPU 202 acquires the status of the execution management unit 506 of the image forming apparatus 104. In S810, the CPU 202 determines from the status acquired in S809 whether the image forming apparatus 104 is waiting to execute a job, and if it is waiting to execute a job, returns the process to S809; if not, proceeds to S811. Here, waiting to execute a job refers to information indicating the period from when the image forming apparatus 104 receives the job setting information transmitted in S807 until the start of scanning execution.

[0063] In step S811, the CPU 202 notifies the user of the completion of job transmission, and in step S812, performs remote authentication logout from the image forming apparatus 104, and ends the process.

[0064] Next, the flow of fax transmission processing of the image forming apparatus 104 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Each operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 9 is realized by the CPU 302 reading into the RAM 303 a program for implementing each control module stored in the ROM 304 or HDD 305 and executing the program. Note that the processing shown in Fig. 9 is started, for example, when a user performs local login.

[0065] In S900, the CPU 302 determines whether fax transmission information has been received from the information processing device 101, and if so, proceeds to S901, otherwise, terminates the processing. In S901, the CPU 302 changes the job status of the execution management unit 506 to awaiting job execution (the initial setting of the job status is no setting).

[0066] In S902, the CPU 302 references the authentication information included in the fax transmission information, and in S903 performs local authentication based on the authentication information. In S904, the CPU 302 determines whether the local authentication is OK or NG, and if OK, proceeds to S905; if not, proceeds to S924. In S924, the CPU 302 notifies the information processing apparatus 101 that the local authentication is NG, and ends the process.

[0067] In S905, the CPU 302 changes the job status to job in progress, and in S906 causes the information processing apparatus 101 to display a screen indicating that a fax is being sent. In S907, the CPU 302 determines whether the paper is undefined. Here, it is assumed that the paper is undefined when there is no document to be scanned in the ADF of the image forming apparatus 104 and the paper size cannot be detected on the platen. If it is determined that the paper is undefined, the process proceeds to S915; otherwise, the process proceeds to S908.

[0068] In S908, CPU 302 executes scanning based on the scan settings included in the job setting information and acquires a scanned image. In S909, CPU 302 determines whether an instruction to cancel the job (for example, by pressing the cancel button 622 or the stop button 624 in FIG. 6) has been given during execution of the scanning started in S908. If an instruction to cancel the job has been given, the process proceeds to S925; otherwise, the process proceeds to S910. In S925, CPU 302 cancels the scanning process and ends the process.

[0069] In S910, the CPU 302 checks whether the destination included in the job setting information contains any character string that cannot be interpreted by the image forming apparatus 104. If an uninterpretable character string is included, the process proceeds to S911; otherwise, the process proceeds to S912. In S911, the CPU 302 deletes the uninterpretable character string from the destination, and the process proceeds to S912. In this embodiment, a table showing examples of character strings that are interpreted as commands for the fax transmission function (the character string "P" corresponding to the pause function and the character string "T" corresponding to the tone function) is shown in FIG. 11A. Here, a character string that cannot be interpreted by the image forming apparatus 104 is considered to be a character string that does not match a character string corresponding to the fax transmission function shown in FIG. 11A or a number (for example, the character string ":").

[0070] In S912, the CPU 302 uses the fax transmission function to transmit the scanned image acquired in S908 to the destination included in the job setting information. Here, fax transmission is performed to the destination for which the command conversion was performed in S806.

[0071] In S913, the CPU 302 checks whether the setting for displaying the user mode transmission confirmation screen is ON, and if it is ON, the process proceeds to S920, and if it is OFF, the process proceeds to S914. In S914, the CPU 302 logs out of local authentication, displays the login screen, and ends the process.

[0072] In S920, the CPU 302 displays a transmission confirmation screen, and in S921, determines whether or not a user input has been received on the transmission confirmation screen. If a user input has been received, the process proceeds to S922; otherwise, the process proceeds to S923. In S922, the CPU 302 determines whether or not the user input is an operation to press a button to close the transmission confirmation screen. If the operation is an operation to press the close button, the CPU 302 closes the transmission confirmation screen and proceeds to S914; otherwise, the process returns to S921. In S923, the CPU 302 determines whether or not an auto-clear time (e.g., 10 seconds) has elapsed without receiving a user input in S921. If the time has elapsed, the CPU 302 closes the transmission confirmation screen and proceeds to S914; otherwise, the process returns to S921. Here, the auto-clear time is a time set to close the screen if a user operation is performed within a certain period of time, and may be set in advance or may be arbitrarily set by the user.

[0073] In S915, which is the case when it is determined in S907 that the paper type is unspecified, the CPU 302 displays a paper selection screen. In S916, the CPU 302 determines whether or not a user input has been received on the paper selection screen. If so, the process proceeds to S917. If not, the process proceeds to S918. In S917, the CPU 302 determines whether or not the received input is an OK button press. If so, the process proceeds to S908. If not, the process returns to S916. In S918, the CPU 302 determines whether or not the auto-clear time (e.g., 10 seconds) has elapsed without receiving a user input in S916. If so, the CPU 302 closes the paper selection screen and proceeds to S919. If not, the process returns to S916. In S919, the CPU 302 notifies the information processing apparatus 101 of the job cancellation, and the process proceeds to S914.

[0074] According to this processing, it is possible to convert a command for the telephone function of the information processing device 101 included in the fax destination into a command for the fax transmission function of the image forming device 104, and to instruct the image forming device to execute a job. Therefore, even if a user inputs a command for the telephone function into the fax destination, the fax transmission function of the image forming device can also interpret it as the same command, and the fax can be sent to the destination intended by the user.

[0075] Although the present embodiment has been described assuming that a scanned image is transmitted by fax, different image data may be transmitted by fax without performing the above-described scanning process. For example, instead of a scanned image, the information processing device 101 can transmit a desired image by fax according to user settings, such as an image stored in the storage device 209 or an image of a page referenced by the information processing device 101.

[0076] [Embodiment 2] In the first embodiment, a method has been described in which a command for the telephone function of the information processing device 101 included in a fax destination is converted into a command for the fax transmission function and then transmitted to the image forming device 104. On the other hand, when the image forming device 104 according to this embodiment receives job setting information that includes a command for the telephone function of the information processing device 101 as a destination, it interprets the command as a command for the fax transmission function and transmits the fax.

[0077] The information processing apparatus 101 and image forming apparatus 104 according to this embodiment basically have the same configurations and functions as those described in Figures 1 to 7 in the first embodiment, and therefore redundant description will be omitted. When destination information included in job setting information received from the information processing apparatus 101 includes a command for the telephone function, the image forming apparatus 104 according to this embodiment interprets the command as a command for the fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus 104. For example, the image forming apparatus 104 can convert a character string indicating a command for the telephone function, which is included in the received job setting information, into a character string indicating a command for the fax transmission function.

[0078] The information processing device 101 according to this embodiment does not convert a command for the telephone function into a command for the fax transmission function, but transmits the fax transmission destination to the image forming device 104. That is, the information processing device 101 can transmit a fax transmission instruction to the image forming device 104 by performing the same processing as in FIG. 8 of the first embodiment, except that the processing of S805 and S806 is not performed.

[0079] Next, the flow of fax transmission processing of the image forming apparatus 104 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Each operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10 is realized by the CPU 302 reading into the RAM 303 a program for implementing each control module stored in the ROM 304 or HDD 305 and executing the program. The processing of Fig. 10 is performed in the same manner as Fig. 9 except that the processing of S1001 and S1002 is performed between S909 and S910, and therefore a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0080] In S1001, if an instruction to cancel the job has not been issued in S909, the CPU 302 determines whether the destination included in the job setting information includes a command for the telephone function of the information processing device 101. If a command for the telephone function is included, the process proceeds to S1002; otherwise, the process proceeds to S910.

[0081] In S1002, the CPU 302 converts the command for the telephone function included in the destination into a command for the fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus 104, and proceeds to S910. In this example, the CPU 302 converts ",", which indicates a pause command for the telephone function, into "P", which indicates a pause command for the fax transmission function.

[0082] Note that the image forming apparatus 104 may be configured to interpret commands for the telephone function as commands for the fax function in the processes of S910 and S911 without performing the conversion processes of S1001 and S1002. In this case, in S911 and S912, the CPU 302 interprets the character string "," in addition to the character string "P" as a command for the pause function, as shown in the table of Fig. 11b, and deletes character strings that cannot be interpreted.

[0083] This process allows the image forming device to convert commands for the telephone function included in the destination of a received fax into commands for the fax transmission function and execute the job. Therefore, even if a user inputs a command for the telephone function into the fax destination, the fax transmission function of the image forming device can interpret it as the same command, and the fax can be sent to the destination intended by the user.

[0084] (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0085] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 101: Information processing device, 102: Terminal, 103: Network, 104: Image forming device

Claims

1. a setting means for setting destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a determination means for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; a conversion means for converting the first code into a second code indicating the command for a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a transmitting unit for transmitting the destination information including the second code to the image forming apparatus; Equipped with The information processing device, wherein the destination information is information in a format input in the telephone function.

2. A setting means for setting destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a determination means for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; a conversion means for converting the first code into a second code indicating the command for a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a transmitting unit for transmitting the destination information including the second code to the image forming apparatus; Equipped with the destination information includes a telephone number and a first character as the first code; The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the conversion means converts the first character in the destination information into a second character as the second code.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the destination information includes a number following the first character.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first code is a code indicating a command for a pause function in the telephone function.

5. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second code is a code indicating a command for a pause function in the fax transmission function.

6. A setting means for setting destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a determination means for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; a conversion means for converting the first code into a second code indicating the command for a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a transmitting unit for transmitting the destination information including the second code to the image forming apparatus; Equipped with The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the transmission means transmits to the image forming apparatus, in addition to the destination information, an instruction to scan an image to be transmitted by the fax transmission function.

7. An image forming apparatus, receiving means for receiving destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a determination means for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; an interpretation means for interpreting the first code as a second code indicating the command in a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a transmitting means for transmitting a fax based on the destination information including the command; Equipped with 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the destination information is information in a format input in the telephone function.

8. An image forming apparatus, receiving means for receiving destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a determination means for determining whether the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; an interpretation means for interpreting the first code as a second code indicating the command in a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a transmitting means for transmitting a fax based on the destination information including the command; Equipped with the destination information includes a telephone number and a first character as the first code; The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the interpretation means interprets the first code as the second code indicating the command by converting the first character into a second character indicating the command in the fax transmission function.

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the destination information includes a number following the first character.

10. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first code is a code indicating a command for a pause function in the telephone function.

11. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second code is a code indicating a command for a pause function in the fax transmission function.

12. A control method for an information processing device, comprising: a step in which a setting unit of the information processing apparatus sets destination information indicating a destination to which a fax is to be sent; a step in which a determination means of the information processing device determines whether or not the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; a step of converting the first code into a second code indicating the command in a fax transmission function of the image forming apparatus by a conversion means of the information processing apparatus when it is determined that the first code is included in the destination information; a step of transmitting the destination information including the second code to the image forming apparatus by a transmitting means of the information processing apparatus; Equipped with A control method, wherein the destination information is information in a format input in the telephone function.

13. A control method for an information processing device, comprising: a step in which a receiving means of the information processing device receives destination information indicating a destination to which a facsimile is to be sent; a step in which a determination means of the information processing device determines whether or not the destination information includes a first code indicating a command for a telephone function; when it is determined that the destination information includes the first code, the interpretation means of the information processing device interprets the first code as a code indicating the command in a fax transmission function of the image forming device; a step of transmitting a fax based on the destination information including the instruction by a transmitting means of the information processing device; Equipped with A control method, wherein the destination information is information in a format input in the telephone function.

14. 12. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the information processing device according to claim 1 or the image forming apparatus according to claim 7.

Images