Printer multifunction system having scanner controlled data transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10061550-B2
Application number	US-201715468709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A printer multifunction system includes a printer having a printer controller and a scanner having a scanner controller and a memory configured to store data obtained by reading a print original by a sensor. The printer and the scanner are connected to a network to which a computer is connected, wherein the scanner controller determines whether to transmit the data stored in the memory to the printer or the computer, based on at least one of a state of the printer, a reading setting of the scanner, and a state of the memory, and causes the scanner to transmit the data stored in the memory to a destination determined by the scanner controller. The printer controller receives the data from the scanner in a case where the data is transmitted to the printer, and receives the data from the computer in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer from the scanner, and the printer controller causes the printer to execute a printing operation, based on the data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printer multifunction system comprising a printer having a printer controller and a scanner having a scanner controller and a memory configured to store data obtained by reading a print original by a sensor,
wherein the printer and the scanner are connected to a network to which a computer is connected,
wherein the scanner controller determines whether to transmit the data stored in the memory to the printer or the computer, based on at least one of a state of the printer, a reading setting of the scanner, and a state of the memory, and causes the scanner to transmit the data stored in the memory to a destination determined by the scanner controller,
wherein the printer controller receives the data from the scanner in a case where the data is transmitted to the printer, and receives the data from the computer in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer from the scanner, and
the printer controller causes the printer to execute a printing operation, based on the data.

2. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner controller determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on a size of the print original read by the scanner as the reading setting of the scanner.

3. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner controller further determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on a response which is transmitted from the computer to indicate whether the data is able to be transmitted to the printer.

4. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer, the scanner controller transmits the data to which information on the printer executing the printing operation is added and the computer specifies the printer to which the data is transmitted based on the information on the printer.

5. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the computer notifies information on own data processing capability to the scanner controller and the scanner controller determines a computer to which the data is to be transmitted based on the information on the processing capability in a case where a plurality of computers is connected to the network.

6. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer, the scanner controller makes a reservation to transmit the data to the printer and the printer determines whether the data is able to be transmitted from the computer based on the transmission reservation.

7. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner controller compares a free space of the memory as the state of the memory with a maximum size predicted as data of a next reading print original and determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on the comparison.

8. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the reading setting includes a long print original mode or a continuous reading mode,
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmit the data to the computer, in a case where the reading setting is the long print original mode or the continuous reading mode.

9. The printer multifunction system according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner controller checks a free space of the memory as the state of the memory, and
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmit the data to the printer, in a case where the memory has a predetermined free space, and
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmits the data to the computer, in a case where the memory does not have the predetermined free space.

10. A scanner connected to a network to which a printer and a computer are connected, the scanner comprising:
a scanner controller; and
a memory configured to store data obtained by reading a print original by a sensor,
wherein the scanner controller determines whether to transmit the data stored in the memory to the printer or the computer, based on at least one of a state of the printer, a reading setting of the scanner, and a state of the memory, and causes the scanner to transmit the data stored in the memory to a destination determined by the scanner controller, and
wherein the printer receives the data from the scanner in a case where the data is transmitted to the printer, and receives the data from the computer in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer from the scanner, and
the printer executes a printing operation, based on the data.

11. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the scanner controller determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on a size of the print original read by the scanner as the reading setting of the scanner.

12. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the scanner controller further determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on a response which is transmitted from the computer to indicate whether the data is able to be transmitted to the printer.

13. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer, the scanner controller transmits the data to which information on the printer executing the printing operation is added and the computer specifies the printer to which the data is transmitted based on the information on the printer.

14. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the computer notifies information on own data processing capability to the scanner controller and the scanner controller determines a computer to which the data is to be transmitted based on the information on the processing capability in a case where a plurality of computers is connected to the network.

15. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein in a case where the data is transmitted to the computer, the scanner controller makes a reservation to transmit the data to the printer and the printer determines whether the data is able to be transmitted from the computer based on the transmission reservation.

16. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the scanner controller compares a free space of the memory as the state of the memory with a maximum size predicted as data of a next reading print original and determines whether to transmit the data to the printer or the computer based on the comparison.

17. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the reading setting includes a long print original mode or a continuous reading mode,
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmit the data to the computer, in a case where the reading setting is the long print original mode or the continuous reading mode.

18. The scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the scanner controller checks a free space of the memory as the state of the memory, and
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmit the data to the printer, in a case where the memory has a predetermined free space, and
wherein the scanner controller determines to transmits the data to the computer, in a case where the memory does not have the predetermined free space.

19. A printing method by a printer multifunction system configured to include a printer and a scanner having a memory configured to store data obtained by reading a print original by a sensor, wherein the printer and the scanner are connected to a network to which a computer is connected,
the method comprising the steps of:
determining whether to transmit the data stored in the memory

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Miyahara Katsutoshi

Classifications

• G06F3/1236

  Connection management · CPC title

• G06F3/1286 Primary

  via local network · CPC title

• G06F3/1203

  Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/00411

  the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen · CPC title