Image processing device, program, and control method for the image processing device

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus that notifies a desired user that it receives image data, a program, and a method for controlling an image processing apparatus.SOLUTION: A message application service comprises a plurality of MFPs that are image processing apparatuses, a plurality of user terminals, an application server, and a management server, which are connected via a network 70 and communicable with each other. The image processing apparatus communicable with a chat service has: storage means that stores information on a transmission source of image data and a talk room in the chat service in association with each other; receiving means that receives the image data; transfer means that transfers the image data received by the receiving means to a transfer destination stored by the storage means in association with the information on the transmission source of the image data; and notification means that notifies the reception of the image data by the receiving means to the talk room stored by the storage means in association with the information on the transmission source of the image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a program, and a control method for an image processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the spread of the cloud, data and services are generally being operated on the cloud, and users can edit the data and receive services without relying on a client terminal. There are various services and applications on the cloud, and there are chat services such as business chats and applications similar thereto. In those applications, a place (channel) can be created to gather messages, tools, and files together and share them among a team, and exchanges can be made.

[0003] A business chat can be linked with other cloud services and applications, and there are also services (hereinafter referred to as bots) that reply in an interactive format to an input. Further, by installing a linked application in the business chat, the linked application can be used on the business chat.

[0004] On the other hand, conventionally, an image processing apparatus that transfers an image received by fax to a server is known (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In order for a user to know that an image processing apparatus has received image data, it has been considered to use a chat service.

[0007] While a chat service may have more than one chat room, if notifications are sent to all users registered with the chat service, users will receive notifications that are irrelevant to them, making it bothersome for them to check all the notifications.

[0008] This invention was made to solve these problems. The object of this invention is to recognize that image data has been received. A room stored in association with the source information of the image data in question, which notifies the room in the chat service. The purpose is to provide a system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The image processing apparatus disclosed herein is A first reception method for receiving authentication information from the user, By sending the token issued based on the entered authentication information, Receive information from chat services First Receiving means and The aforementioned user-available room A display means that displays multiple rooms in the chat service based on information received by the first receiving means, A second receiving means for receiving image data from a predetermined source; a second receiving means for receiving source information indicating the predetermined source; and a third receiving means for receiving, from a plurality of displayed rooms, a destination to which the received image data is transmitted and a notification destination to which the receipt of the image data is notified, according to the user's instructions. The aforementioned The above received by the second reception method Sender information and , the above Third reception by means Accepted re Information indicating the recipient, and information indicating the notification recipient received by the third receiving means. A storage means for associating and storing the and the The second receiving means is Based on the receipt of image data, A transmission means that transmits the received image data to the recipient that has been received by the third receiving means, and a transmission means that, based on the fact that the second receiving means has received the image data, The aforementioned Second The image data is received by the receiving means. but Received So tako A notification indicating this is received by the third receiving means. re The aforementioned notification recipient and the room in the chat service where the notification was received. Notify Notification methods and , The storage means associates the destination and the notification recipient for each received source information, and the notification includes information for accessing the transmitted image data. An image processing device characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, when image data is received, A room stored in association with the source information of the image data in question, which notifies the room in the chat service. You will be able to do that. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows the system configuration in this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the MFP in this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the application server in this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the transfer settings screen of the MFP in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the transfer settings screen of the MFP in this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the transfer settings stored in the MFP in this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart regarding transfer setting registration in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart regarding transfer processing in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the message application screen displayed on the user terminal in this embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing an example of transfer application settings displayed in the message application in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a flowchart regarding transfer processing in the third embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In this embodiment, as an information processing apparatus, a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having print, scan, and FAX (also referred to as fax or facsimile) functions will be described as an example.

[0014] Furthermore, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0015] <First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0016] Figure 1 shows an example of the overall system configuration diagram in the present invention. The message application service consists of image processing devices MFPs 10-11, user terminals 20-22, an application server 30, and a management server 40. Each is connected and can communicate via a network 70. The network 70 is a wireless or wired network consisting of a WAN or LAN. A message application is one of the applications stored on the application server 30. In addition, MFPs 10-11 can send and receive faxes via the public telephone network 80.

[0017] MFP10-11 have fax transmission and reception capabilities. They also refer to image forming devices that have the functions to print images notified by the message application on the application server 30, notify the message application server of scanned images and faxed images, and notify messages. In the diagram, two MFPs shown as 10-11 are connected as an example, but the number of connections is arbitrary. MFP10-11 have the same configuration, and the following description will focus on MFP10.

[0018] User terminals 20-22 refer to information terminals such as smartphones, tablet devices, and personal computers used by users of the messaging application service. While the diagram shows an example with three terminals connected (20-22), the number of connected terminals is arbitrary. Users access the messaging application on the application server 30 in the cloud by operating one of the user terminals 20-22, and exchange messages with other users and run installed applications. The user terminals 20-22 and the application server 30 are connected to a wired or wireless communication network, enabling data transmission and reception. In this embodiment, a public network on the internet is assumed as an example of a communication network, but a dedicated line may also be used. User terminals 20-22 can have the same configuration, and the following description will focus on user terminal 20.

[0019] The application server 30 is a cloud server located on the cloud 60 and provides services such as chat services using the message application 306. The application server 30 performs all processing related to message exchange, including sending and receiving messages to and from user terminals 20-22, and displaying message exchange screens. The mechanism of message exchange in the message application 306 will be explained in the section on Figure 10.

[0020] The management server 40 is a cloud server located on the cloud 60 and provides security-related services such as issuing access tokens. The management server 40 stores user information, channel information, printer information, application information, file information, etc. User information includes username, password, affiliation, and email address. When the MFP 10 sends a notification to the message application 306, it must obtain an access token from the management server 40 before accessing it.

[0021] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP10.

[0022] The control unit 110, which includes the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, controls the operation of the entire MFP 10. The CPU 111 reads the control program stored in the ROM 112 or HDD 114 into the RAM 113 and performs various controls such as read control and print control.

[0023] The ROM (Read Only Memory) 112 stores control programs that can be executed by the CPU 111. The ROM 112 also stores boot programs, font data, and other related information.

[0024] The RAM (Random Access Memory) 113 is the main memory and is used as a temporary storage area for loading various control programs stored in the work area, ROM 112, and HDD 114.

[0025] The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 114 stores image data, print data, various programs, various addresses, and various setting information. The HDD 114 is a storage medium, and it does not have to be an HDD; an SSD (Solid State Drive), eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card), etc., can also be used.

[0026] In this embodiment, the MFP10 uses one CPU 111 and one memory (RAM 113) to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later, but it is not limited to this. For example, multiple CPUs, RAM, ROM, and HDDs can work together to execute each process. In addition, some processes may be executed using hardware circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) or FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0027] The operation interface 115 connects the control unit 110 to the operation unit 116, which includes a display unit such as a touch panel and hard keys. The operation unit 116 displays information to the user and detects user input.

[0028] The reading unit interface 117 connects the reading unit 118, such as a scanner, to the control unit 110. The reading unit 118 reads the image of the document, and the CPU 111 converts that image into image data such as binary data. The image data generated based on the image read by the reading unit 118 is transmitted to an external device or printed on recording paper.

[0029] The printing interface 119 connects the printing unit 120, such as a printer, to the control unit 110. The CPU 111 transfers image data (print data) stored in the RAM 113 to the printing unit 120 via the printing interface 119. The printing unit 120 prints an image based on the transferred image data onto recording paper fed from the paper cassette.

[0030] The wireless communication unit I / F 121 is an I / F for controlling the wireless communication unit 122 and connects to the control unit 110 and external wireless devices wirelessly. A configuration using user terminals shown in 20-22 may also be used as the external wireless devices.

[0031] The FAX section interface 123 connects to the public telephone network 80 by controlling the FAX communication unit 124. The FAX section interface is an interface for controlling the FAX communication unit 124, and by controlling the modem and NCU for facsimile communication, it is possible to connect to the public telephone network and control the facsimile communication protocol.

[0032] The communication interface 125 connects the control unit 110 and the network 70. The communication interface 125 allows the communication unit 126 to transmit image data and various internal information of devices to external devices on the network 70, and to receive print data and information on the network 70 from information processing devices on the network 70. Methods of transmission and reception via the network 70 include sending and receiving via email, and file transmission using other protocols (e.g., FTP, SMB, WebDAV, etc.). Furthermore, image data and various configuration data can also be sent and received via the network 70 through HTTP communication access from the user terminal 20 and the application server 30. Note that FTP stands for File Transer Protocol, SMB stands for Server Message Block, and HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 20. In this embodiment, the user terminal 20 is assumed to be a device such as a smartphone or tablet PC, but it may be any other information processing device that can connect to the network 70 using Wi-Fi communication or the like.

[0034] The CPU 207 reads the control program stored in the ROM 208 and executes various processes to control the operation of the user terminal 20.

[0035] ROM208 stores the control program.

[0036] RAM209 is used as the main memory and temporary storage area for the CPU207, such as the work area.

[0037] Flash memory 210 stores various types of data, such as photos and electronic documents.

[0038] The touch panel 201 can detect user touch operations and displays various screens provided by the OS and email sending applications. The touch panel 201 is also used to check information stored in the application server 30. Users can input desired operation instructions to the user terminal 20 by touching the touch panel 201. The user terminal 20 is equipped with hardware keys (not shown), and users can use these hardware keys to input operation instructions to the user terminal 20.

[0039] Camera 204 takes images according to the user's imaging instructions. The images taken by camera 204 are stored in a predetermined area of ​​flash memory 210. It is also possible to obtain information from QR codes read by camera 204 using a program capable of analyzing QR (Quick Response) codes (registered trademark).

[0040] The user terminal 20 can exchange data with various peripheral devices via the NFC (Near Field Communication) communication unit 205, the Bluetooth® communication unit 206, and the wireless LAN communication unit 211. The Bluetooth communication unit 206 of the user terminal 20 may also support Bluetooth Low Energy.

[0041] Figure 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the application server 30. The CPU 301 reads the control program stored in the ROM 302 and the message application 306 stored in the HDD 305, and executes various processes to control the operation of the message application server 30.

[0042] ROM302 stores the control program.

[0043] RAM303 is used as the main memory and temporary storage area for the CPU301, such as the work area.

[0044] The communication unit 304 is used by the application server 30 to exchange data with various devices such as the user terminal 20 and the MFP 10.

[0045] The HDD305 stores various data such as messages, images, channel information, and applications. The communication unit 304 may perform wired communication using Ethernet® or wireless communication such as Wi-Fi. The message application 306 is installed on the HDD305 and runs on the CPU301. The FAX application 307 is an application that works in conjunction with the message application 306 and can register and execute notifications for received FAXes sent from the MFP10, as well as which chat room to notify images to.

[0046] Figures 5 and 6 show an example of the fax transfer setting flow displayed on the operation panel 116 of the MFP10. The transfer setting is used as a transfer condition to determine whether or not to transfer image data when the MFP10 receives the image data by fax. The transfer setting also includes information indicating the transfer method, such as where, with what file name, and in what file format the image data will be transferred if it is to be transferred. Furthermore, the transfer setting includes a notification destination to notify that the fax has been received. In other words, the transfer destination for the faxed image data and the notification destination to notify that the fax has been received can be set separately. For example, the faxed image data can be stored on a file server, and the user can be notified on their terminal that a fax has been received. Upon receiving the notification, the user can access the image data stored on the file server via their terminal. Note that the transfer destination is not limited to a file server; it can also be an email address. In that case, the MFP10 will attach the faxed image data to an email and transfer it.

[0047] Screen 400 shows the transfer settings screen. When Transfer Function Settings 401 is pressed, the Transfer Function Settings screen 410 is displayed. When Print Image 402 is pressed, a screen is displayed for the user to set whether or not to print the received image, and the user sets whether or not to print the received image via that screen. When Save Image to Memory 403 is pressed, a screen is displayed for the user to set whether or not to save the received image to the MFP10, and the user sets whether or not to save the received image to the MFP10 via that screen. When Confirm Registration Information 404 is pressed, the Confirm Registration Information screen 420 is displayed.

[0048] Screen 410 shows the transfer function settings screen. Use transfer function 411 is an item for the user to set whether to enable or disable the transfer setting. When the transfer setting is enabled, the transfer settings configured via the screens in Figures 5 and 6 will be active, and when the transfer function is disabled, the transfer settings configured via the screens in Figures 5 and 6 will be disabled.

[0049] When Destination 412 is pressed, Destination 440 is displayed. When Source Number 413 is pressed, Source Number Screen 450 is displayed. When File Name 414 is pressed, a File Name Setting Screen is displayed for setting the file name of the image to be transferred, and the user can set the file name of the image to be transferred via this screen. When File Format 415 is pressed, the file format of the image to be transferred can be set. When Notification Destination 416 is pressed, Notification Destination Screen 430 is displayed. When Registration 417 is pressed, the settings configured via Figures 5 and 6 are registered in HDD 114.

[0050] Screen 420 shows the registration information confirmation screen. 421 and 422 are the transfer settings information registered on HDD114, respectively. 421 is registered to send a fax image received from phone number 11112222 to email address aaa@bb.cc. 422 sends a fax image received from phone number 33334444 to server A. A thumbnail image and a notification that a fax has been received are then sent to the chat room of channel 1 of the messaging application. The thumbnail image is, for example, the first page of the received fax image converted to JPEG. Sending this thumbnail image allows the messaging application to confirm what kind of image MFP10 received.

[0051] Screen 430 shows the notification destination screen. When Address Book 431 is pressed, the address book information stored on HDD 114 is displayed. The user selects the address they want to be notified from the displayed address book information. Once an address is selected, CPU 111 sets the selected address as the notification destination. When Message Application 432 is pressed, Message Application screen 460 is displayed. Message Application screen 460 will be described later using Figure 6. Thumbnail 433 allows you to set whether or not to send a thumbnail image. When OK is pressed on screen 430, screen 410 is displayed.

[0052] Screen 440 shows the forwarding destination screen. When Address Book 441 is pressed, the address book information stored on HDD 114 is displayed. The user selects the address they want to be notified from the displayed address book information. Once an address is selected, CPU 111 sets the selected address as the forwarding destination. When Message Application 442 is pressed, Message Application screen 460 is displayed. Message Application screen 460 will be described later using Figure 6. When OK is pressed on screen 440, screen 410 is displayed.

[0053] Screen 450 shows the sender number screen. When Address Book 451 is pressed, address book information stored on HDD 114 is displayed. The user selects the address to be notified from the displayed address book information. Once an address is selected, CPU 111 sets the selected address as the sender. When Phone Number 452 is pressed, the user is shown a screen not shown, and can enter the phone number to be set as the sender via the operation unit 116. When OK on screen 450 is pressed, screen 410 is displayed.

[0054] Screen 460 in Figure 6 shows the message application screen. When UserId461 is pressed, a UserId input screen (not shown) is displayed, and the user can enter their UserId through this screen. When Password462 is pressed, a Password input screen (not shown) is displayed, and the user can enter their Password through this screen. An access token is obtained from the management server 40 using the UserId and Password entered here. When OK463 is pressed, screen 470 is displayed.

[0055] Screen 470 shows the chat room settings screen. When Channel 471 is pressed, the channel screen 480 is displayed. When Personal 472 is pressed, screen 490 is displayed. When Logged-in User 473 is pressed, it becomes possible to notify the user entered on screen 460. Here, the notification can be sent to the user's own room, or a push notification can be sent to the user's device separately from the room.

[0056] Screen 480 shows the channel screen. Here, the channels to which the user entered on the message application screen 460 belongs are displayed as options. The channel information is obtained by the MFP10 using the access token from the management server 40 to obtain the channel information to which the logged-in user belongs. This screen shows, as an example, channels 1 (481) and 3 (482) have been obtained. Pressing 481 enables notification to channel 1, and pressing 482 enables notification to channel 3. When 481 or 482 is pressed, screen 460 is displayed.

[0057] Screen 490 shows the personal screen. Here, personal recipients belonging to the same organization as the user entered on the message application screen 460 are displayed as options. The MFP10 retrieves user information belonging to the same organization as the logged-in user from the management server 40 using an access token. This screen shows, as an example, the retrieved information for A (491) and B (492). Pressing 491 enables a notification to user A982, and pressing 492 enables a notification to user B. Here, users belonging to the same organization are displayed, but other information may be used. For example, the MFP10 could retrieve user information of users who have previously chatted with the user entered on the message application screen 460 from the management server 40 and display it. When 491 or 492 is pressed, screen 460 is displayed.

[0058] Figure 7 shows an example of transfer settings information stored on the HDD114 of the MFP10.

[0059] The transfer setting information 500 stores the transfer setting information entered in Figures 5 and 6. ID 501 is a management number assigned when new information is registered. ID 501 makes each stored transfer setting information uniquely identifiable. Once the input in Figures 5 and 6 is completed and registration 417 is pressed, a new ID 501 is assigned to and added to the transfer setting information 500.

[0060] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the transfer setting registration performed by the MFP10. In this embodiment, each operation (step) in the flowchart is executed by the CPU111, which reads the control program stored in the ROM112 or HDD114 into the RAM113. This flowchart in Figure 8 is started when the message application in Figure 5 or Figure 6 is pressed.

[0061] In S601, CPU111 determines whether the user has selected a messaging application as the transfer destination. If it determines that a messaging application has been selected, it proceeds to S602; if it determines that the address book has been selected, it proceeds to S603.

[0062] In S602, CPU 111 displays a message application screen 460 on the operation unit 116 for entering UserId and Password, and then proceeds to S604.

[0063] In S603, CPU 111 displays the address book on the operation unit 116 and then proceeds to S605.

[0064] In S604, CPU111 determines whether the user has entered a UserId and Password. If it determines that the user has entered them, it proceeds to S606. Hereafter, the user who has entered a UserId and Password will be referred to as the logged-in user.

[0065] In S605, CPU111 determines whether the logged-in user has selected an address. If an address is selected, the process proceeds to S617.

[0066] In S606, CPU111 requests the management server 40 to obtain an access token using the UserId and Password entered in S604.

[0067] In S607, CPU111 saves the access token obtained from management server 40 to HDD114.

[0068] In S608, CPU 111 displays the talk room selection screen 470 on the operation unit 116.

[0069] In S609, CPU111 determines whether the logged-in user has selected a channel. If a channel is selected, CPU111 proceeds to S613; otherwise, it proceeds to S610.

[0070] In S610, CPU111 determines whether the logged-in user selected "Individual". If "Individual" is selected, the process transitions to S612; if "Logged-in User" is selected, the process transitions to S611.

[0071] At S611, CPU111 sets the logged-in user as the transfer destination and transitions to S616.

[0072] In S612, the CPU 111 retrieves user information belonging to the same organization as the logged-in user from the management server 40 using an access token, displays the retrieved user information (e.g., username) on the personal screen 490 on the operation unit 116, and then proceeds to S614. As described in the explanation of screen 490, information other than users belonging to the same organization may be used here.

[0073] In S614, CPU111 determines if the logged-in user has selected a destination user. If selected, the selected user is set as the destination, and the process proceeds to S616.

[0074] If processing proceeds from S609 to S613, in S613 the CPU 111 uses the access token from the management server 40 to obtain channel information to which the logged-in user belongs. The CPU 111 displays the channel screen 480, which includes the obtained channel name, on the operation unit 116 and then proceeds to S616.

[0075] In S615, CPU111 determines if the logged-in user has selected a channel. If selected, it sets the destination to the selected channel and proceeds to S616.

[0076] Here, the notification destination settings follow the same flow as in S601-S615.

[0077] In S616, when the registration button 416 is pressed, CPU111 registers the configuration information to HDD114 and terminates the process.

[0078] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the transfer process performed by the MFP10. In this embodiment, each operation (step) in the flowchart involves the CPU111 reading the fax application program stored in the ROM112 or HDD114 into the RAM113 and executing it. The flowchart in Figure 9 starts when the MFP10 begins receiving fax image data. The received image data is stored in the HDD114 by the CPU111.

[0079] In S701, CPU111 determines whether the reception of the fax from the public telephone network 80 is complete. If it determines that the fax reception is complete, it proceeds to S702. Here, it receives the telephone number of the fax sender and stores that telephone number in RAM113.

[0080] In S702, CPU111 determines if the transfer setting is ON. If ON is selected in Use Transfer Function 411, the transfer setting is determined to be ON. If OFF is set in Use Transfer Function 411, the transfer setting is determined to be OFF. If the transfer setting is determined to be ON, the process transitions to S703. If it is determined to be OFF, the process transitions to S704.

[0081] In S703, CPU111 identifies the sender number sent from the source when a fax is received, and determines whether a sender number matching the identified sender number exists in the forwarding destination information 500 in Figure 7. If it determines that a sender number exists, CPU111 proceeds to S705. On the other hand, if there is no sender number, CPU111 proceeds to S704.

[0082] In S704, CPU 111 instructs the printing unit 120 to print the received fax image, and then terminates the process shown in Figure 9.

[0083] In S705, CPU111 converts the received fax image to the specified file format and then proceeds to S706.

[0084] In S706, the CPU 111 uses the destination information 500 in Figure 7 to transfer the image data converted in S705 to the communication unit 126 to the destination stored in association with the source number identified in S703, and then proceeds to S707.

[0085] In S707, CPU111 determines, based on the forwarding destination information 500 in Figure 7, whether a notification destination is set in the forwarding settings that include the source number identified in S705. If a notification destination is set, CPU111 proceeds to S708. If a notification destination is not set, it proceeds to S712.

[0086] In S708, CPU111 determines whether a thumbnail setting is configured for the forwarding configuration that includes the source number identified in S705. If a thumbnail setting is configured, CPU111 proceeds to S710. On the other hand, if a thumbnail setting is not configured, CPU111 proceeds to S709.

[0087] In S709, CPU 111 instructs communication unit 126 to send a message to the notification destination included in the forwarding settings, which includes the source number identified in S705, and then proceeds to S712.

[0088] If processing proceeds from S708 to S710, CPU111 in S710 converts the first page of the received image into a JPEG image and generates a thumbnail image. Here, the thumbnail image is converted to a JPEG of the first page, but other conversion methods are also possible. For example, the thumbnail image could be generated by converting multiple pages into a TIFF file.

[0089] In S711, the CPU 111 identifies the notification destination included in the forwarding settings, which include the sender number identified in S705. The communication unit 126 then sends a message and thumbnail image to the identified notification destination, and the process transitions to S712. This message indicates that a fax has been received.

[0090] In S712, CPU111 determines whether the image setting is ON. If it determines that the image setting is ON, CPU111 proceeds to S713. On the other hand, if the image setting is OFF, CPU111 proceeds to S714.

[0091] In S713, the CPU 111 instructs the printing unit 120 to print the received image, and then proceeds to S714.

[0092] In S714, CPU111 determines whether the setting to continue saving image data to memory (setting 403) is ON. If it determines that it is ON, CPU111 terminates the process shown in the flowchart in Figure 9 without deleting the received image data. If it determines that it is OFF, CPU111 proceeds to S715.

[0093] At S715, CPU111 deletes the received image data from HDD114 and terminates the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0094] Furthermore, in S709 and S711, if the notification destination is channel 1 as shown in ID2 in Figure 7, users belonging to the chat room in channel 1 can view the notification content by opening that chat room. On the other hand, for example, channel 3 will not receive this notification, so users not belonging to channel 1 will not receive it. Also, if user A is the notification destination as shown in ID3 in Figure 7, user A can view the notification content by opening their own notification area. On the other hand, for example, user B will not have to receive this notification. In other words, it is possible to prevent the notification frequency from becoming unnecessarily high due to a large number of notifications being sent indiscriminately to users or channels.

[0095] Figure 10 shows the screen that the user terminal 20 receives from the message application 306 of the application server 30 and displays on the user terminal 20's touch panel 201. The user terminal 20 is pre-registered with a user ID and password (the same as the UserId and Password registered on screen 460) for the user to log in to the application server 30. When the user performs an operation to open the message application using the user terminal 20, the user terminal 20 sends its user ID and password to the application server 30. The application server 30 receives the user ID and password sent from the user terminal 20 and performs user authentication based on the received user ID and password. The application server 30 then sends the screen data of the message application 306 for the authenticated user to the user terminal 20. As a result, the user terminal 20 displays the screen shown in Figure 10.

[0096] Figure 801 shows an example of a message screen displayed on the touch panel 201 of the user terminal 20.

[0097] 802 indicates the user information of the user operating the user terminal 20, and the group information to which that user belongs. This information is also registered by the application server 30 that authenticated the user, associating it with the authenticated user, and the application server 30 sends this information to the user terminal 20.

[0098] 803 displays the user information and channel information registered by the user. This channel information is also registered by the application server 30 that authenticated the user and associated with the authenticated user, and the application server 30 sends this channel information to the user terminal 20. The user can exchange messages with any recipient by selecting them from 803. If channel information (talk room information) is selected here, the user can exchange messages with all members belonging to that channel (talk room).

[0099] Button 804 is for adding a linked application; pressing this button will install the linked application.

[0100] 805 displays the message history with people registered in the channel selected by the user in 803. Messages are displayed chronologically in 805, with the newest messages appearing at the bottom of the 805 display.

[0101] 806 displays the history of messages sent by the user. Messages can be just text, like user 1's comments on 806, or they can include file information.

[0102] 807 is a notification message from MFP10. If thumbnail settings are ON, an image like 808 and the notification message will be displayed. If thumbnail settings are OFF, only the message will be notified. In this example, the message "Received a fax from 11112222" is displayed, indicating that a fax has been received. The message is not limited to this. For example, application server 30 may receive and notify from MFP10 a message indicating that the fax has been forwarded, or it may receive and notify from MFP10 the forwarding destination indicating where the fax was forwarded. Alternatively, application server 30 may receive and notify from MFP10 both.

[0103] As described above, this embodiment makes it possible to notify a desired user via a chat service that image data has been received. Furthermore, notifications to the chat service can be set to be sent to an individual user or to a chat room that can include multiple users.

[0104] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0105] In the first embodiment, by registering the forwarding settings of the MFP10, it became possible to limit the notification of fax reception to only the necessary users.

[0106] In the second embodiment, we will describe an example of how notifications can be filtered to only the necessary users by configuring notification settings in a messaging application.

[0107] Note that the system configuration, the hardware configuration of the device, and other aspects that are the same as in the first embodiment will be omitted from the explanation.

[0108] Figure 11 shows the screen that the user terminal 20 receives from the message application 306 and displays on the user terminal 20's touch panel 201. In this embodiment, this can be achieved by additionally installing the FAX transfer chatbot application 307 on the application server 30 using the button 804 for adding linked applications.

[0109] 901 is a message entered by the user by operating the touch panel 201 of the user terminal 20 to launch the linked application. The phrase "I want to set up forwarding notifications" triggers the launch of the FAX forwarding chatbot application and displays the FAX forwarding application screen 902. In this embodiment, the phrase "I want to set up forwarding notifications" is used as the trigger to launch the FAX forwarding chatbot application, but other phrases may also be used as the trigger. Also, in this embodiment, a phrase is used as the trigger to launch the FAX forwarding chatbot application, but the user may select and launch the FAX forwarding chatbot application.

[0110] 902 is the screen for the fax forwarding application. On this screen, users can configure settings related to fax forwarding notifications.

[0111] 903 allows you to enter the sender number for the notification.

[0112] 904 allows you to configure whether or not to send thumbnails.

[0113] 905 is a cancel button used to exit without saving the settings.

[0114] 906 is a registration button for saving settings. When the registration button is pressed, the setting information is saved to the HDD305 of the application server 30. Specifically, the source number set in source number 903, the notification destination channel 1 opened by the user on the user terminal 20, and the ON / OFF setting for thumbnails set in 904 are associated with each other and stored in the HDD305 as a notification setting. A unique ID (identifier) ​​is assigned to each newly stored notification setting.

[0115] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing the fax transfer process between the application server 30 and the MFP 10 in this embodiment.

[0116] In S1001, the user operates the user terminal 20 and enters the message "I want to set up forwarding notifications" into the application server 30.

[0117] At S1002, the application server 30 sends a request to the management server to retrieve device information. The management server 40 manages information on devices such as MFP10 and MFP11, and is able to send device information back to the application server 30 in response to the request from the application server 30.

[0118] At S1003, the management server 40 sends device information. If multiple device entries are registered, the user may be allowed to specify which device to configure.

[0119] In S1004, the application server 30 sends screen data to the user terminal 20, and the user terminal 20 displays the FAX transfer application screen 901 based on the received screen data.

[0120] In S1005, the user sets the sender number 903 and thumbnail 904, and then presses the register button 906. When the register button is pressed, the application server 30 saves the configuration information to HDD 305.

[0121] In S1006, MFP10 receives a fax. MFP10 has previously stored the sender number, destination, file name, file format, and thumbnail ON / OFF status, each associated with an ID, as shown in Figure 7. When MFP10 receives fax image data, it forwards the image data to the destination stored in association with the sender number that matches the notified sender number.

[0122] In S1007, MFP10 sends the received fax image data and sender number to application server 30.

[0123] In S1008, the application server 30 determines whether there is a source number in the transfer setting information registered in HDD305 that matches the source number received from MFP10. If the application server 30 determines in S1008 that there is a matching registration, it writes a notification that a fax has been received to the talk room registered in association with that source number. In other words, if the application server 30 determines in S1008 that there is a matching registration, it associates and saves the fact that a fax has been received to the talk room registered in association with that source number.

[0124] After that, in S1009, when the user accesses the chat room from user terminal 20, the written notification is displayed.

[0125] If the thumbnail setting is ON, the application server 30 converts the received image data to JPEG and notifies it along with the message.

[0126] As described above, according to this embodiment, notification settings can be configured by operating the user terminal. By configuring notification settings, it becomes possible to send notifications only to users who need them.

[0127] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0128] In the first embodiment, an example was described in which fax reception notifications were limited to specific users based on the transfer settings of the MFP10.

[0129] In the third embodiment, Figure 13 illustrates the process for when there is no sender number in the transfer settings that matches the sender number of the received fax image.

[0130] Note that the explanation of steps S1101 to S1115, which are the same operations as in the first embodiment, will be omitted.

[0131] At S1116, CPU 111 sends a notification of receipt to the shared channel talk room registered in MFP 10 using communication unit 126 and then proceeds to S1104. Here, the shared channel is a notification destination registered as a channel to which all users belong in the settings registration screen (not shown) as an information notification destination for MFP 10. Furthermore, a hashtag may be added to the notification destination to make it easier to find the notification. The notification destination may also be a notification destination registered as administrator information, or the system may choose not to send a notification and instead store the print data in MFP 10 without executing the print.

[0132] As explained above, this embodiment makes it possible to know that a user has received a fax by sending a notification even if there is no recipient whose sender number matches.

[0133] <Other Embodiments> In the embodiments described above, an example was explained in which the system notifies that there is FAX-received image data when executing a FAX transfer function that transfers received image data. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when executing a FAX receiving function that stores FAX-received image data in the HDD 114 of the MFP 10 and stores it until instructed by the user via the operation unit 116, the system may notify that there is FAX-received image data. In this case, the image data stored in the HDD 114 is printed based on the user's print instruction received via the operation unit 116. The image data stored in the HDD 114 is also displayed on the operation unit 116 based on the user's display instruction received via the operation unit 116. The image data stored in the HDD 114 is also sent to the destination based on the user's send instruction received via the operation unit 116. These instructions may be received from an external PC or user terminal 20 via the network 70.

[0134] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described an example of receiving image data by fax, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may also be applied when receiving image data by email. In that case, the information indicating the sender can be replaced with the sender's email address instead of a telephone number. The MFP10 determines whether an email address matching the sender's email address listed in the "From" section of the received email is pre-configured in the MFP10's forwarding settings. Based on the determination that it is configured, the MFP10 forwards the image data to the forwarding destination stored in association with that email address. The MFP10 also notifies the user that an email has been received using the notification method described above.

[0135] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiments explained an example of notifying that a fax has been received, in addition to that, information (file path or URL) for accessing the image data at the destination forwarded by the MFP10 may also be notified. Note that URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator. In the first and third embodiments, if a file path of a file server is set as the forwarding destination in the forwarding settings, the MFP10 notifies the application server 30 of that file path. As a result, the user operating the user terminal 20 can easily access the image data at the destination and refer to that image data by selecting that information.

[0136] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0137] 111 CPU 112 ROM 113 RAM 114 HDD 116 Operation section

Claims

1. A first receiving means for receiving authentication information from a user, A first receiving means that receives information from the chat service by sending a token issued based on the entered authentication information, A display means that displays a plurality of rooms in the chat service that are available to the user, based on information received by the first receiving means, A second receiving means for receiving image data from a predetermined source, A second receiving means for receiving source information indicating the predetermined source, A third receiving means that, in accordance with the user's instructions, receives from the displayed multiple rooms the destination to which the received image data is transmitted and the destination to which notification is given that the image data has been received. A storage means for storing, in association with, the source information received by the second receiving means, the destination information received by the third receiving means, and the notification destination information received by the third receiving means. A transmitting means that transmits the received image data to the destination received by the third receiving means based on the fact that the second receiving means has received the image data, The system includes a notification means that, based on the fact that the second receiving means has received the image data, notifies the notification destination, which is the room in the chat service that has received the notification, that the second receiving means has received the image data, The storage means associates the destination and the notification recipient for each of the received source information, The notification includes information for accessing the transmitted image data. An image processing apparatus characterized by the following:

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the third receiving means receives the transmission destination and the notification destination from the user via an operation unit of the image processing apparatus.

3. The image processing apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the third receiving means receives the destination and the notification destination from the user via an information processing apparatus capable of using the chat service.

4. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the information received from the chat service by the first receiving means is information about the room in the chat service.

5. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second transmission means for transmitting a thumbnail of the image data received by the second receiving means to the notification destination.

6. As the aforementioned room, select a channel or a personal room. When the channel is selected as the room, channel information indicating the selected channel is stored in association with the source information. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when the personal room is selected as the room, personal room information indicating the selected personal room is stored in association with the source information.

7. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a printing means.

8. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the reception of the image data by the image processing apparatus is by facsimile.

9. The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a reading means for reading a document.

10. The system further comprises a determination means for determining whether the source of the image data received by the second receiving means is one of the predetermined sources stored in the storage means, If it is determined that the source of the received image data is not the predetermined source, the notification means will notify the room of the shared channel registered in the image processing device. If it is determined that the source of the received image data is not the predetermined source, the printing means prints an image based on the image data received by the second receiving means. The image processing apparatus according to feature 7.

11. A program that causes the computer of the image processing device to execute a control method for the image processing device, wherein the control method is: The first reception process involves receiving authentication information from the user, A first receiving step involves receiving information from the chat service by sending a token issued based on the entered authentication information, A display step which displays a plurality of rooms in the chat service that are available to the user, based on the information received in the first receiving step, A second receiving step of receiving image data from a predetermined source, A second receiving step which receives source information indicating the predetermined source, A third receiving step, in accordance with the user's instructions, receives from the displayed multiple rooms the destination to which the received image data will be transmitted and the destination to which notification will be given that the image data has been received. A storage step that stores in association the source information received in the second reception step, the destination information received in the third reception step, and the notification destination information received in the third reception step, A transmission step in which, based on the reception of the image data in the second reception step, the received image data is transmitted to the recipient that was received in the third reception step, The system includes a notification step in which, based on the fact that the image data was received in the second receiving step, a notification indicating that the image data was received in the second receiving step is sent to the notification recipient, which was received in the third receiving step and is the room of the chat service where the notification was received, In the storage step, for each of the received source information, the destination and the notification recipient are associated, The notification includes information for accessing the transmitted image data. A program characterized by the following features.

12. The program according to claim 11, characterized in that in the third receiving step, the destination and notification destination are received from the user via the operation unit of the image processing device.

13. The program according to claim 11, characterized in that the third receiving step receives the destination and the notification destination from the user via an information processing device capable of using the chat service.

14. The program according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the information received from the chat service in the first receiving step is information about the room in the chat service.

15. The program according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising a second transmission step of transmitting a thumbnail of the image data received in the second reception step to the notification recipient.

16. As the aforementioned room, select a channel or a personal room. When the channel is selected as the room, channel information indicating the selected channel is stored in association with the source information. The program according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that when the personal room is selected as the room, personal room information indicating the selected personal room is stored in association with the source information.

17. The image processing apparatus further includes printing means, The program further includes a determination step that determines whether the source of the image data received in the second receiving step is the predetermined source stored in the storage step. If it is determined that the source of the received image data is not the predetermined source, the notification step will send a notification to the room of the shared channel registered in the image processing device. If it is determined that the source of the received image data is not the predetermined source, the printing means prints an image based on the image data received in the second receiving step. The program according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

18. The program according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that the reception of the image data by the image processing device is the reception of the image data by facsimile.

19. A first receiving step of receiving authentication information from a user, A first receiving step involves receiving information from the chat service by sending a token issued based on the entered authentication information, A display step which displays a plurality of rooms in the chat service that are available to the user, based on the information received in the first receiving step, A second receiving step of receiving image data from a predetermined source, A second receiving step which receives source information indicating the predetermined source, A third receiving step, in accordance with the user's instructions, receives from the displayed multiple rooms the destination to which the received image data will be transmitted and the destination to which notification will be given that the image data has been received. A storage step that stores in association the source information received in the second reception step, the destination information received in the third reception step, and the notification destination information received in the third reception step, A transmission step in which, based on the reception of the image data in the second reception step, the received image data is transmitted to the recipient that was received in the third reception step, The system includes a notification step in which, based on the fact that the image data was received in the second receiving step, a notification indicating that the image data was received in the second receiving step is sent to the notification recipient, which was received in the third receiving step and is the room of the chat service where the notification was received, In the storage step, for each of the received source information, the destination and the notification recipient are associated, The notification includes information for accessing the transmitted image data. A control method for an image processing apparatus, characterized by the features described above.

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