Image forming apparatus, image data transmission method, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10270919-B2
Application number	US-201615172808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2016
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a reception unit configured to receive identifiers for communication of respective destinations from a first server; a display unit configured to display a screen to make an user select any one of the identifiers as an address of image data; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the image data to the selected identifier when any one of the identifiers has been selected and to transmit the image data to a transmission device for storing the identifier or a second server from which the transmission device downloads the data when the identifier is not received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus configured to transmit image data to a destination corresponding to a respective identification, the image forming apparatus comprising:
a display unit;
a transmitter; and
a hardware processor configured to:
receive first identifiers for communication with respective destinations from a first server which stores the first identifiers as addresses for the respective destinations, the destination being one of the destinations;
when any one of the first identifiers is able to be received from the first server, transmit the image data to the destination, which corresponds to at least one of the first identifiers that is selected by a logged in user among the received first identifiers which are displayed on the display, with the transmitter; and
when the first identifiers are not able to be received from the first server:
(A) the display unit displaying a first screen indicating an email address of the logged in user and a personal folder of the logged in user as alternatives, the alternatives being retrieved from the received first identifiers previously received by the image forming apparatus;
(B) transmit the image data to the personal folder of (i) a terminal device operable by the user, provided on a network with the image forming apparatus and storing second identifiers as addresses including the respective destination or (ii) a second server which the terminal device is configured to access and from which the terminal device downloads the image data from the personal folder, such that
(C) the terminal device is configured to then transmit the image data to the respective destination corresponding to at least one of the second identifiers that is selected by the user among the stored second identifiers in the terminal device.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the display unit is configured to display a second screen indicating the terminal device and the second server as an alternative instead of a screen when the first identifiers are not able to be received from the first server, and
the transmitter transmits the image data to one of the terminal device and the second server which has been selected by the user.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein when the first identifiers are not received, the display unit further displays a third screen which indicates third identifiers which have been specified by the user as the address based on transmission history, and
when at least one of the third identifiers has been selected, the transmitter transmits the image data to the selected third identifier.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the third identifier is an identifier which has been specified by the user as the address when the identifier has not been received before.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the second and third screens indicate identifiers according to a device or a function available for the user.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second server comprises a mail server or a file server; and
the image data is transmitted to the destination of the mail server corresponding to an email address of the logged in user or the destination of the file server corresponding to a personal folder of the logged in user.

7. An image data transmission method of an image forming apparatus for transmitting image data to a destination corresponding to a respective identification, the method comprising:
receiving first identifiers for communication with respective destinations from a first server which stores the first identifiers as addresses for the respective destinations, the destination being one of the destinations;
when any one of the first identifiers is able to be received from the first server, transmitting the image data to the destination, which corresponds to at least one of the first identifiers that is selected by a logged in user among the received first identifiers which are displayed on a display; and
when the first identifiers are not able to be received from the first server:
(A) displaying a first screen indicating an email address of the logged in user and a personal folder of the logged in user as alternatives, the alternatives being retrieved from the received first identifiers previously received by the image forming apparatus;
(B) transmitting the image data to the personal folder of (i) a terminal device operable by the user, provided on a network with the image forming apparatus and storing second identifiers as addresses including the respective destination or (ii) a second server which the terminal device is configured to access and from which the terminal device downloads the image data from the personal folder, such that
(C) the terminal device is configured to then transmit the image data to the respective destination corresponding to at least one of the second identifiers that is selected by the user among the stored second identifiers in the terminal device.

8. The image data transmission method according to claim 7 , wherein
the displaying displays a second screen indicating the terminal device and the second server as an alternative instead of the screen when the first identifiers are not able to be received from the first server, and
the transmitting transmits the image data to one of the terminal device or the second server which has been selected by the user.

9. The image data transmission method according to claim 8 , wherein when the first identifiers are not received, displaying a third screen which indicates third identifiers which have been specified by the user before as the address based on transmission history, and
the transmitting transmits the image data to the selected third identifier when at least one of the third identifiers has been selected.

10. The image data transmission method according to claim 9 , wherein the third identifier is an identifier which has been specified by the user as the address when the identifier has not been received before.

11. The image data transmission method according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the second and third screens indicate identifiers screen indicates a device to which the image data is transmitted from among the transmission device, the second server, and the second identifier according to a device or a function available for the user.

12. The image data transmission method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the second server comprises a mail server or a file server; and
the image data is transmitted to the destination of the mail server corresponding to an email address of the logged in user or the destination of the file server corresponding to a personal folder of the logged in user.

13. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program executed by an computer of an image forming apparatus having a function to transmit image data to a destination corresponding to a respective identification, the program causing the computer to execute:
receiving first identifiers for communication with respective destinations from a first server which stores the first identifiers as addresses for the respective destinations, the destination being one of the destinations;
when any one of the first identifiers is able to be received from the first server, transmitting the image data to the destination, which corresponds to at least one of the first identifiers that is selected by a logged in user among the received first identifiers which are displayed on a display; and
when the first identifiers are not able to be received fro

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Sugiyama Takanobu
• Oikawa Takashi
• Kitaguchi Tatsuya
• Iwaoka Shumpei

Classifications

• H04N1/00095 Primary

  Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal · CPC title

• H04N1/00411

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

• H04L51/28

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N1/00244

  with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324) · CPC title

• H04L51/10

  Multimedia information · CPC title