Network system, device server, and network system control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9398074-B2
Application number	US-201214000380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2012
Priority date	Feb 21, 2011
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A network system enables controlling an image input device without requiring a driver that depends on the computer environment. A client terminal has a component that acquires a web page having an embedded scanner control script that controls image input from a scanner; a component that sends an image acquisition request through an interface board to the scanner as controlled by the scanner control script; and a component that gets an image from the scanner as a response to the image acquisition request as controlled by the scanner control script. The interface board receives the image acquisition request, and sends the image scanned by the scanner based on the received image acquisition request to the client terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network system comprising a web application server on which a web application operates, one or more client terminals that use a web browser to access the web application server, and an image input device that operates in conjunction with operation of the client terminal, wherein at least the web application server and the client terminal, and the client terminal and the image input device, are respectively connected over a network, wherein:
the client terminal comprises
a web page acquisition unit that gets from the web application server a web page having an embedded image input control script that operates at least on the web browser and controls image input from the image input device,
an image acquisition request transmission unit that is controlled by the image input control script to send an image acquisition request to the image input device when a specific operation is performed on the acquired web page,
an image acquisition unit that is controlled by the image input control script to acquire an image from the image input device as a response to the image acquisition request,
a selection window display unit that is controlled by the image input control script to display a selection window for selecting whether or not to stop operation of the image input device when a change event that changes the web page occurs while the image input device is operating, and
a stop operation request transmission unit that is controlled by the image input control script to send a stop operation request to the image input device when stopping operation of the image input device is selected in the selection window; and

the image input device comprises
an image acquisition request receiving unit that receives the image acquisition request, and
an image transmission unit that sends an image to the client terminal based on the received image acquisition request;

wherein the client terminal does not include nor use a device driver to control display of the selection window for selecting whether or not to stop operation of the image input device when a change event that changes the web page occurs while the image input device is operating.

2. A network system described in claim 1 , further comprising a printer that connects over a network to the client terminal, wherein:
a printing control script that operates on the web browser and controls printing related to the web page is also embedded in the web page acquired by the web page acquisition unit;
the client terminal includes
a drawing process unit that is controlled by the image input control script to draw an image acquired by the image acquisition unit in a specific drawing area,
a print data generating unit that is controlled by the printing control script in conjunction with a print operation on the web page to generate print data that converts the image data drawn in the drawing area to a form that can be processed by the printer, and
a print data transmission unit that is controlled by the printing control script to send the generated print data to the printer; and

the printer includes
a print data receiving unit that receives the print data sent by the print data transmission unit, and
a print control unit that controls a printing process based on the received print data.

3. Control method for a network system that includes a web application server on which a web application operates, one or more client terminals that use a web browser to access the web application server, and an image input device that operates in conjunction with operation of the client terminal, wherein at least the web application server and the client terminal, and the client terminal and the image input device, are respectively connected over a network, the control method of the network system comprising:
the client terminal executing
a web page acquisition step of getting from the web application server a web page having an embedded image input control script that operates at least on the web browser and controls image input from the image input device,
an image acquisition request transmission step that is controlled by the image input control script to send an image acquisition request to the image input device when a specific operation is performed on the acquired web page,
an image acquisition step that is controlled by the image input control script to acquire an image from the image input device as a response to the image acquisition request,
a selection window display step that is controlled by the image input control script to display a selection window for selecting whether or not to stop operation of the image input device when a change event that changes the web page occurs while the image input device is operating, and
a stop operation request transmission step that is controlled by the image input control script to send a stop operation request to the image input device when stopping operation of the image input device is selected in the selection window; and

the image input device executing
an image acquisition request reception step to receive the image acquisition request, and
an image transmission step to send an image to the client terminal based on the received image acquisition request;

wherein the client terminal does not include nor use a device driver to control the display of the selection window for selecting whether or not to stop operation of the image input device when a change event that changes the web page occurs while the image input device is operating.

Assignees

• Nakamura Hideo
• Nishizawa Koji
• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nakamura Hideo
• Nishizawa Koji

Classifications

• H04N1/00973 Primary

  from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal · CPC title

• G06F3/1289

  in server-client-printer device configuration, e.g. the server does not see the printer · CPC title

• H04N1/00238

  using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer (output via network, e.g. network printing H04N1/00233) · CPC title

• H04N1/00244

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

• H04N1/00204

  with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server (programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561) · CPC title