Electrophotography – Remote monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-19
2002-08-13
Rinehart, Mark H. (Department: 2152)
Electrophotography
Remote monitoring
C399S082000, C709S201000, C709S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434343
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite machine-server system that is constructed by connecting composite machines and a server to each other via a network, a composite machine and a server for constructing such a composite machine-server system, and a program recording medium on which a program for causing a computer having a communication function to operate as a server is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various kinds of information has come to be exchanged between computers via a network such as an LAN (local area network), a WAN (wide area network), or the Internet. On the other hand, the digitization of copiers has advanced and hence it has become easy to add a fax function or a printer function to a copier. As a result, apparatuses called composite machines that have copier, fax, and printer functions are now on the market.
Composite machines of another type are also known to which an LAN board is added to allow the printer function of the above type of composite machines to be used by a computer that is connected to an LAN (that is, a network printer function is added).
In a system in which a plurality of composite machines each having a network printer function are connected to an LAN, copying and fax transmission of a document can be performed by using each composite machine as well as a document produced by a computer that is connected to the LAN can be printed by an arbitrary composite machine.
However, conventional composite machines are configured without consideration of a mode of use in which data is exchanged between composite machines. Therefore, in an LAN system to which a plurality of conventional composite machines are connected, a process of transferring scan data generated by a certain composite machine to another composite machine cannot be executed easily. That is, although having various functions, a conventional composite machine can be used merely as a printer by a computer that is connected the network.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a composite machine-server system which has functions equivalent to or surpassing the functions of systems that are constructed by using conventional composite machines, which can handle electronic documents more efficiently, and which can be realized at a low cost. Another object of the invention is to provide a composite machine and a server which can be used for constructing such a composite machine-server system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To attain the above objects, according to the present invention, a composite machine-server system is constructed by connecting a plurality of composite machines and a server to a network. Each of the composite machines has a second-kind process function of executing a second-kind process without cooperating with the server when requested to execute the second-kind process, as well as a first-kind process function of sending, when requested to execute a first-kind process, an electronic document necessary for execution of the first-kind process to the server and requesting the server to execute the first-kind process on the electronic document. The server has a function of executing first-kind processes whose execution is requested by the composite machines.
That is, according to the invention, in constructing a composite machine capable of executing several kinds of processes, the processes are classified into processes (second-kind processes; for instance, copying) that are desired to be executed independently by a composite machine and processes (first-kind processes; for instance, fax transmission and document management) that need not always be executed by a composite machine and are preferred to be executed together by another apparatus (server). For a first-kind process, an electronic document (image data or the like) necessary for its execution is sent to the server. The server are provided with functions for actually executing the first-kind processes whose execution is requested by a plurality of composite machines. And a system (composite machine-server system) is constructed by connecting the server and the composite machines to a network. In this composite machine-server system, each composite machine can execute the first-kind processes even if it does not have hardware necessary for only the first-kind processes (circuits for fax, a storage device for document management, etc.). Therefore, by using the composite machine-server system of the invention, the same document environment as constructed by using conventional composite machines can be realized at a lower cost. Further, since electronic documents relating to first-kind processes that are executed by the composite machines are gathered by the server, electronic documents can be managed more efficiently.
In constructing the composite machine-server system that can attain the above objects, the following composite machine according to the invention can be used.
The invention provides a composite machine that is used in a state that it is connected to a network, comprising (a) scanner means for generating image data of a document; (b) first-kind process executing means for executing first-kind processes each of which uses the image data generated by the scanner means and requires an operation in cooperation with the server; (c) second-kind process executing means for executing second-kind processes each of which uses the image data generated by the scanner means and does not require an operation in cooperation with the server; (d) designating means for designating a first-kind process to be executed by the first-kind process executing means or a second-kind process to be executed by the second-kind process executing means; (e) execution control means for causing the scanner means to generate the image data when a first-kind process or a second-kind process is designated by using the designating means, and for causing the first-kind process executing means or the second-kind process executing means to execute the designated first-kind or second-kind process by using the image data; (f) status judging means for judging whether a status is such that an operation in cooperation with the server is possible; and (g) designation control means for controlling the designating means so that it cannot designate any of the first-kind processes when the status judging means has judged that the status is such that an operation in cooperation with the server is not possible.
As described above, in the composite machine of the invention, the operation state is automatically changed to a state that an execution instruction for an unexecutable process cannot be issued. Therefore, in the composite machine-server system that is constructed by using the composite machines of the invention, a user's execution instruction can cause execution of a process in a reliable manner. In other words, a composite machine-server system can be obtained that is free of an event that after a user instructed to a composite machine to execute a certain process, a message to the effect that the process cannot be executed because no communication is performed with the server is shown to the user.
In implementing the composite machine of the invention, it is desirable to employ, as the status judging means, means that transmits a connection establishment request to the server when the composite machine is started and a first predetermined time after judging that the status was such that an operation in cooperation with the server was not possible, judges that the status is such that an operation in cooperation with the server is possible when receiving from the server an assignment completion notification indicating that a cooperative operation has become possible, and judges that the status is such that an operation in cooperation with the server is not possible when no assignment completion notification is received or when a second predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting a latest request to the server.
This is because an eve
Ishiguro Keiji
Kawasaki Takashi
Kobayashi Sumitake
Murata Ken
Fujitsu Limited
Kang Paul
Rinehart Mark H.
LandOfFree
Composite machine, server, composite machine-server system,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Composite machine, server, composite machine-server system,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Composite machine, server, composite machine-server system,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2904756