JP4001560B2 - Image forming apparatus, thumbnail acquisition method, and thumbnail acquisition system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a thumbnail obtaining method, and a thumbnail obtaining system , and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, a thumbnail obtaining method, and a thumbnail obtaining system for supplying thumbnails of stored documents to an external network device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, there has been known an image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a multifunction peripheral) in which the functions of each apparatus such as a printer, a copy, a facsimile, and a scanner are housed in one casing. This multi-function apparatus is provided with a display unit, a printing unit, an imaging unit, and the like in one casing, and four types of software corresponding to a printer, a copy, a facsimile, and a scanner, respectively. Operates as a copy, facsimile and scanner. Patent Document 1 describes an example of a fusion machine as described above.
[0003]
Such a multifunction peripheral stores document files as stored documents in a document management database (hereinafter referred to as a document management DB), for example. Further, the multifunction peripheral stores thumbnails (Thumbnail) in the document management DB as sample images of stored documents. Thumbnails facilitate the selection of stored documents by, for example, displaying an image sample of the stored document in a small size.
[0004]
The multi-function peripheral is connected to a network device or other multi-function peripheral via a network, and distributes, for example, stored documents and thumbnails stored in the document management DB using a distribution function. In order to cope with security problems, the multi-function peripheral often sets passwords for stored documents and thumbnails stored in the document management DB.
[0005]
For example, when a stored document or thumbnail is downloaded from the multifunction peripheral, the network device transmits a document ID for identifying the desired stored document or thumbnail and a password that proves the right to use the stored document or thumbnail to the multifunction peripheral.
[0006]
After performing password authentication, the multi-function peripheral reads the stored document or thumbnail corresponding to the document ID from the document management DB, and supplies the read stored document or thumbnail to the network device. For example, a network device downloads stored documents or thumbnails from a multifunction machine using a browser.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-84383
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the conventional multi-function peripheral receives various processing requests regarding stored documents and thumbnails from network devices and other multi-function peripherals in addition to the transfer request of stored documents and thumbnails. For this reason, the multi-function peripheral is provided with a user service process corresponding to various processing requests related to stored documents and thumbnails. Therefore, when passwords are set for stored documents and thumbnails, it is necessary to provide a password authentication function for each user service process that responds to various processing requests related to stored documents or thumbnails. there were.
[0009]
Further, when the multi-function apparatus handles the stored document or thumbnail read from the document management DB in a plurality of user service processes, the multi-function peripheral transfers the read stored document or thumbnail as it is. Therefore, there is a problem that the resources of the fusion machine are wasted.
[0010]
Furthermore, when there are requests for transfer of stored documents or thumbnails from many network devices at once, there is a problem that the load of the document management DB storing the stored documents and thumbnails increases.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can share an authentication function for thumbnails of stored documents, can distribute the load on the document management DB, and can store thumbnails of stored documents externally without wasting resources. It is an object to provide an image forming apparatus, a thumbnail acquisition method, and a thumbnail acquisition system that can be supplied to a network device.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides an output unit that outputs a document input from a scan unit or a network communication unit, and a document storage that can be stored as a stored document with usage restrictions on the input document. A thumbnail acquisition request management means for receiving and managing thumbnail acquisition requests for thumbnails of stored documents stored in the document storage unit from an external network device, and the thumbnail acquisition request management Based on the request from the means, the verification information according to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information creation means for creating certification information for specifying the verification information, and holding the correlation information and the certification information in association with each other Means, proof information transmitting means for transmitting the proof information to the thumbnail acquisition request managing means, and the thumbnail A display thumbnail generation request receiving means for receiving a display thumbnail generation request using the certification information from the acquisition request management means, and a display in which thumbnails of the stored documents collated with the collation information according to the certification information are duplicated Display thumbnail identification information acquisition means for acquiring display thumbnail identification information for display thumbnails, display thumbnail identification information transmission means for transmitting the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device, and the external network device A display thumbnail that receives a display thumbnail acquisition request using the display thumbnail identification information, acquires a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information from the document storage unit, and transmits the display thumbnail to the external network device. And transmitting means.
[0013]
The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus including an output unit that outputs a document input from a scan unit or a network communication unit, and a document storage unit that can store the input document as a stored document with usage restrictions. Is a thumbnail acquisition method for causing a display thumbnail to be acquired by an external network device, wherein a thumbnail acquisition request management means for managing a thumbnail acquisition request for thumbnails of stored documents stored in the document storage unit is received from an external network device. Based on the step of receiving the thumbnail acquisition request and the request from the thumbnail acquisition request management unit, the certification information creation unit creates verification information corresponding to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information for specifying the verification information The step and the holding means hold the collation information and the certification information in association with each other. A step in which certification information transmission means transmits the certification information to the thumbnail acquisition request management means, and a display thumbnail generation request reception means uses the certification information from the thumbnail acquisition request management means. The step of receiving the generation request, and the display thumbnail identification information acquisition means acquires the display thumbnail identification information of the display thumbnail obtained by duplicating the thumbnail of the stored document collated with the collation information according to the certification information. A display thumbnail identification information transmitting unit transmitting the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device; and a display thumbnail transmitting unit receiving the display thumbnail identification information from the external network device. The display thumbnail acquisition request used is received and the table Characterized in that the display thumbnail corresponding to use thumbnail identification information acquired from the document storage unit and a step of transmitting to the external network device.
In addition, the present invention uses one or more external network devices and an image forming apparatus connected to the external network devices via a network, and stores data stored in a document storage unit of the image forming apparatus. The thumbnail acquisition system in which the external network device acquires a thumbnail for displaying a document, wherein the image forming apparatus receives a thumbnail acquisition request for a thumbnail of the stored document stored in the document storage unit from the external network device Thumbnail acquisition request management means for managing the certification information, and certification information creation means for creating verification information corresponding to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information for specifying the verification information based on a request from the thumbnail acquisition request management means Holding means for holding the verification information and the certification information in association with each other, and the certification information Proof information transmitting means for transmitting to the thumbnail acquisition request managing means, a display thumbnail generation request receiving means for receiving a display thumbnail generation request using the proof information from the thumbnail acquisition request managing means, and according to the proof information Display thumbnail identification information obtaining means for obtaining display thumbnail identification information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating the thumbnail of the stored document collated with the collation information, and the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device. A display thumbnail identification information transmitting means for transmitting, a display thumbnail acquisition request using the display thumbnail identification information from the external network device is received, and a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information is received from the document Acquired from the storage unit to the external network device And having a display thumbnail transmitting means for signal.
[0014]
According to the present invention, after authenticating the thumbnail of the stored document, the certification information corresponding to the thumbnail acquisition request is generated, and the certification information is transmitted to the Web page service, so that the authentication function for the display thumbnail is shared. it can. Here, the display thumbnail is a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail created in response to a thumbnail acquisition request from an external network device.
[0015]
Further, according to the present invention, the load on the document management DB can be distributed by supplying thumbnail storage location information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail of an accumulated document to an external network device.
[0016]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the certification information according to the thumbnail acquisition request is transferred between the Web page service and the document management service, so that the display thumbnail itself need not be transferred unnecessarily, and resources are wasted. It is possible to supply thumbnails for display.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a compound machine according to the present invention. The multi-function machine 1 is configured to include a software group 2, a multi-function machine starting unit 3, and hardware resources 4.
[0019]
The compound machine starting unit 3 is executed first when the power of the compound machine 1 is turned on, and activates the application layer 5 and the platform 6. For example, the multi-function apparatus activation unit 3 reads the programs of the application layer 5 and the platform 6 from a hard disk device (hereinafter referred to as HDD) and transfers each read program to a memory area and activates it. The hardware resources 4 include a monochrome laser printer (B & W LP) 11, a color laser printer (Color LP) 12, and hardware resources 13 such as a scanner and a facsimile.
[0020]
The software group 2 includes an application layer 5 and a platform 6 activated on an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) such as UNIX (registered trademark). The application layer 5 includes programs that perform processing unique to user services related to image formation such as printers, copies, faxes, and scanners.
[0021]
The application layer 5 includes a printer application 21 that is a printer application, a copy application 22 that is a copy application, a fax application 23 that is a fax application, a scanner application 24 that is a scanner application, and a web page application. WEB page application 25, a SOAP communication application 26 that is a simple object access protocol (hereinafter referred to as “SOAP”) communication application, and one or more shared functions (hereinafter referred to as “SF”) 28. 7 and a wrapping layer 8 comprising a WEB service function (hereinafter referred to as WSF) 27 provided between the WEB page application 25 and the SOAP communication application 26 and the SF 28. Including.
[0022]
The WSF 27 has an application program interface (hereinafter referred to as API) 51 that can receive processing requests from the WEB page application 25 and the SOAP communication application 26 by a predefined function. In addition, the SF 28 has an API 52 that makes it possible to receive a processing request from the WSF 27 using a predefined function.
[0023]
When the WSF 27 receives processing requests from the WEB page application 25 and the SOAP communication application 26 via the API 51, the WSF 27 selects the SF 28 according to the processing request. The WSF 27 transmits the processing request received via the API 51 to the SF 28 selected according to the processing request via the API 52. When the SF 28 receives a processing request via the API 52, the SF 28 performs processing according to the processing request.
[0024]
For example, although the MFP 1 of FIG. 1 includes two SFs 28, one SF 28 performs processing of a document management service 143 described later, and the other SF 28 performs processing of a document output service 144 described later.
[0025]
Further, the platform 6 interprets a processing request from the application layer 5 and generates a hardware resource 4 acquisition request, and manages one or more hardware resources 4 to control the control service layer 9. A system resource manager (hereinafter referred to as SRM) 39 that arbitrates acquisition requests from the SRM 39 and a handler layer 10 that manages hardware resources 4 in response to the acquisition requests from the SRM 39.
[0026]
The control service layer 9 includes a network control service (hereinafter referred to as NCS) 31, a delivery control service (hereinafter referred to as DCS) 32, an operation panel control service (hereinafter referred to as OCS) 33, and a fax control service (hereinafter referred to as FCS) 34. , Engine control service (hereinafter referred to as ECS) 35, memory control service (hereinafter referred to as MCS) 36, user information control service (hereinafter referred to as UCS) 37, system control service (hereinafter referred to as SCS) 38, etc. The service module is configured to be included.
[0027]
The platform 6 is configured to have an API 53 that can receive a processing request from the application layer 5 using a predefined function. The OS executes the software of the application layer 5 and the platform 6 in parallel as processes.
[0028]
The process of the NCS 31 provides a service that can be commonly used for applications that require network I / O. Data received from the network side according to each protocol is distributed to each application, or data from each application. Mediation when sending to the network side.
[0029]
For example, the NCS 31 controls data communication with a network device connected via a network by HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol Daemon) by HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).
[0030]
The process of the DCS 32 performs control such as distribution of stored documents. The process of the OCS 33 controls an operation panel serving as information transmission means between the operator and the main body control. The FCS34 process provides APIs to perform fax transmission / reception using the PSTN or ISDN network from the application layer 5, registration / quotation of various fax data managed in the backup memory, fax reading, fax reception printing, etc. To do.
[0031]
The process of the ECS 35 controls engine units such as the black and white laser printer 11, the color laser printer 12, and the hardware resource 13. The process of the MCS 36 performs memory control such as acquisition and release of memory, use of the HDD, and compression and expansion of image data. The UCS 37 manages user information.
[0032]
The process of the SCS 38 performs processing such as application management, operation unit control, system screen display, LED display, hardware resource management, interrupt application control.
[0033]
The SRM 39 process controls the system and manages the hardware resources 4 together with the SCS 38. For example, the process of the SRM 39 performs arbitration in accordance with an acquisition request from an upper layer using the hardware resource 4 such as the black and white laser printer 11 and the color laser printer 12 and controls execution.
[0034]
Specifically, the process of the SRM 39 determines whether or not the requested hardware resource 4 is available (whether it is not used by another acquisition request). The higher layer is notified that the resource 4 is available. Further, the process of the SRM 39 performs scheduling for using the hardware resource 4 in response to an acquisition request from an upper layer, and the request contents (for example, paper conveyance and image forming operation by the printer engine, memory allocation, file generation, etc.) Has been implemented directly.
[0035]
The handler layer 10 includes a fax control unit handler (hereinafter referred to as FCUH) 40 for managing a fax control unit (hereinafter referred to as FCU), which will be described later, and an image for allocating memory to the process and managing the memory allocated to the process. A memory handler (hereinafter referred to as IMH) 41. The SRM 39 and the FCUH 40 make a processing request for the hardware resource 4 by using the engine I / F 54 that can transmit the processing request for the hardware resource 4 by a predefined function.
[0036]
The multi-function apparatus 1 can process the processing commonly required for each application by the platform 6. Next, a hardware configuration of the multifunction machine 1 will be described.
[0037]
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an embodiment of the compound machine according to the present invention. The multi-function apparatus 1 includes a controller 60, an operation panel 80, an FCU 81, an engine unit 82, and a plotter 83.
[0038]
The controller 60 includes a CPU 61, a system memory 62, a north bridge (hereinafter referred to as NB) 63, a south bridge (hereinafter referred to as SB) 64, an ASIC 66, a local memory 67, an HDD 68, and a network interface controller. (Hereinafter referred to as NIC) 69, USB device 70, IEEE 1394 device 71, and Centronics 72.
[0039]
The operation panel 80 is connected to the ASIC 66 of the controller 60. In addition, the FCU 81, the engine unit 82, and the plotter 83 are connected to the ASIC 66 of the controller 60 through the PCI bus 84.
[0040]
In the controller 60, the local memory 67, the HDD 68, and the like are connected to the ASIC 66, and the CPU 61 and the ASIC 66 are connected via the NB 63 of the CPU chip set. In this way, if the CPU 61 and the ASIC 66 are connected via the NB 63, it is possible to cope with a case where the interface of the CPU 61 is not disclosed.
[0041]
The ASIC 66 and the NB 63 are not connected via a PCI bus, but are connected via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) 65. As described above, in order to control execution of one or more processes forming the application layer 5 and the platform 6 in FIG. 1, the ASIC 66 and the NB 63 are connected via the AGP 65 instead of the low-speed PCI bus to prevent performance degradation. It is out.
[0042]
The CPU 61 performs overall control of the compound machine 1. The CPU 61 starts and executes NCS31, DCS32, OCS33, FCS34, ECS35, MCS36, UCS37, SCS38, SRM39, FCUH40, and IMH41 as processes on the OS, and also executes a printer application 21 and a copy application that form the application layer 5 22, the fax application 23, the scanner application 24, the WEB page application 25, the SOAP communication application 26, the WSF 27, and the SF 28 are activated and executed.
[0043]
The NB 63 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 61, system memory 62, SB 64, ASIC 66, NIC 69, USB device 70, IEEE 1394 device 71, and Centronics 72. The SB 64, NIC 69, USB device 70, IEEE 1394 device 71, and Centronics 72 are connected to the NB 63 via the PCI bus 73. The SB 64 is a bridge for connecting the NB 63 to the ROM, PCI bus, and peripheral device.
[0044]
The system memory 62 is a memory used as a drawing memory or the like of the multifunction machine 1. The local memory 67 is a memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer.
[0045]
The ASIC 66 is an IC for use in image processing having hardware elements for image processing. The HDD 68 is a storage for storing image data, document data, programs, font data, forms, and the like. The operation panel 80 is an operation unit that accepts an input operation from an operator and performs display for the operator.
[0046]
The NIC 69 is an interface device for connecting the compound machine 1 to a network. The USB device 70, the IEEE 1394 device 71, and the Centronics 72 are interfaces conforming to the respective standards. The FCU 81 has a memory. The memory of the FCU 81 is used for temporarily storing facsimile data received when the power of the multi-function apparatus 1 is OFF, for example.
[0047]
Hereinafter, a method for acquiring thumbnails of stored documents realized by the multi-function apparatus 1 will be sequentially described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the multi-functional apparatus for explaining the thumbnail acquisition method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the functional configuration diagram of FIG. 3, functional configurations that are not necessary for explanation are omitted.
[0048]
As shown in FIG. 3, the thumbnail acquisition method of the present invention is based on a document file (hereinafter referred to as storage) in which a network device 100 connected to the multifunction peripheral 1 via a network 200 such as the Internet is stored in the multifunction peripheral 1. Document)).
[0049]
First, it is assumed that the browser 120 of the network device 100 obtains a list of stored documents and a document ID stored in the MFP 1 from the MFP 1 using, for example, an HTTP request and an HTTP response. The user who operates the network device 100 inputs a password if it is necessary to acquire a thumbnail of the stored document, and clicks a button for acquiring a thumbnail provided on the screen of the browser 120 with a mouse or the like. To do. Note that the user may select all or a part of the accumulated documents from the list of accumulated documents displayed on the screen of the browser 120 and obtain thumbnails of the selected accumulated documents.
[0050]
In step S1, the browser 120 of the network device 100 creates an HTTP request including the document ID and password of the stored document, and transmits the HTTP request to the MFP 1 via the network 200 such as the Internet. The HTTP request transmitted from the network device 100 is supplied to the web page service 122 via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31.
[0051]
Proceeding to step S2 following step S1, the web page service 122 transmits the document ID and password of the stored document to the document management service 123, and makes a request to obtain a ticket 124 described later. The ticket acquisition request is made using, for example, a ticket acquisition function “base64Binary getDocTicket (unsigned int [] docId, string [] password)” with the document ID and password of the stored document as arguments.
[0052]
The document management service 123 is included in the document management application 38. Progressing to step S3 following step S2, the document management service 123 transmits the received document ID and password of the stored document to the MCS 36, and makes a password authentication request. The password authentication request is made using, for example, a password authentication request function “int mcsCheckPassword (unsignedInt DocId, string password)” that uses the document ID and password of the stored document as arguments for each document.
[0053]
The MCS 36 performs password authentication of the password received from the document management service 123. In step S <b> 4, the MCS 36 transmits the password authentication result to the document management service 123. The password authentication result is transmitted from the MCS 36 to the document management service 123 as a return value of the password authentication request function, for example.
[0054]
When the password is authenticated, the document management service 123 generates a ticket as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the ticket. FIG. 4A shows a structure of a ticket 124 transferred between the Web page service 122 and the document management service 123. The ticket 124 stores a ticket ID and a data size of the ticket.
[0055]
FIG. 4B is a table 126 for collating the tickets 124. The table 126 is held by the document management service 123. Table 126 includes ticket content information and ticket management information. The ticket content information includes, as information, an array of structures in which a file ID and password as a ticket ID, a ticket expiration date, the number of files, and a document ID are paired. The ticket management information includes the current ticket number and the number of issued tickets as information. Note that the ticket 124 and the table 126 are associated by a ticket ID.
[0056]
In step S <b> 5, the document management service 123 transmits the generated ticket 124 to the web page service 122. The ticket 124 is transmitted from the document management service 123 to the Web page service 122 as a return value of a ticket acquisition function, for example.
[0057]
Progressing to step S6 following step S5, the Web page service 122 transmits the ticket 124 received in step S5 to the document management service 123 and makes a request to generate a display thumbnail for display on the browser 120 of the network device 100. . The display thumbnail generation request is made using, for example, a display thumbnail generation function “anyURL createThumbnail (base64Binary ticket)” using the ticket 124 as an argument.
[0058]
Progressing to step S7 following step S6, the document management service 123 checks the validity of the received ticket 124 using the table 126, and if the ticket 124 is valid, transmits the document ID included in the ticket 124 to the MCS 36. And request to open the thumbnail file of the stored document corresponding to the document ID. A thumbnail file open request is made using, for example, a thumbnail open function “boolean mcsOpenPage (unsigndInt DocId)” with a document ID as an argument.
[0059]
After the thumbnail file is opened, the document management service 123 generates a display thumbnail that duplicates the thumbnail of the stored document corresponding to the document ID. The display thumbnail is stored in, for example, the system memory 62, the local memory 67, or the HDD 68. When the display thumbnail is stored in a document management DB other than the document management DB, the load on the document management DB is reduced.
[0060]
Then, the document management service 123 creates a URL indicating the storage location of the display thumbnail (hereinafter referred to as a thumbnail URL). The thumbnail URL is expressed as “http: // [IP address of device] / [document file name]? [Ticket data]”.
[0061]
In step S 8 following step S 7, the document management service 123 transmits the created thumbnail URL to the web page service 122. For example, the thumbnail URL is transmitted from the document management service 123 to the Web page service 122 as a return value of the display thumbnail generation function.
[0062]
Progressing to step S9 following step S8, the Web page service 122 transmits the thumbnail URL received in step S8 to the network device 100 via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31.
[0063]
Progressing to step S10 following step S9, the browser 120 of the network device 100 creates an HTTP request including a thumbnail URL, and transmits the HTTP request to the MFP 1 via the network 200.
[0064]
The HTTP request including the thumbnail URL is a request for the thumbnail URL by the HTTP GET method. The HTTP request transmitted from the network device 100 is supplied to the web page service 122 via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31.
[0065]
In step S11 following step S10, the web page service 122 transmits a thumbnail URL to the document management service 123 and makes a thumbnail acquisition request. The thumbnail acquisition request is made using, for example, a thumbnail acquisition function “void getThumbnail (anyURL docID)” with a thumbnail URL as an argument.
[0066]
Progressing to step S12 following step S11, the document management service 123 transmits the thumbnail ID of the display thumbnail corresponding to the thumbnail URL to the MCS 36, and requests opening of the thumbnail file. A thumbnail file open request is made using, for example, a thumbnail open function “boolean mcsOpenThumbnail (unsignedInt thumbnailID)” with a thumbnail ID as an argument.
[0067]
In step S13 following step S12, the MCS 36 uses the thumbnail ID received from the document management service 123 to read the display thumbnail corresponding to the thumbnail ID from the system memory 62, the local memory 67, the HDD 68, or the like, and displays the display thumbnail. Is transmitted to the document management service 123. The display thumbnail corresponding to the thumbnail ID is transmitted from the MCS 36 to the document management service 123 as a return value of the thumbnail open function, for example.
[0068]
Progressing to step S14 following step S13, the document management service 123 transmits the display thumbnail received from the MCS 36 to the web page service 122. The display thumbnail is transmitted from the document management service 123 to the Web page service 122, for example, as a return value of the thumbnail acquisition function.
[0069]
In step S15 following step S14, the Web page service 122 transmits the display thumbnail received from the document management service 123 to the network device 100 via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31.
[0070]
Then, the network device 100 displays the display thumbnail acquired from the MFP 1 on the screen of the browser 120. The document management service 123 deletes the generated display thumbnail after the expiration date of the ticket 124 has expired. For example, the display thumbnail deletion function “void mcsDeleteThumbnail (unsignedInt thumbnailId)” with the thumbnail ID as an argument is used to delete the display thumbnail.
[0071]
Therefore, the user can easily obtain the thumbnails for displaying the stored documents stored in the multifunction peripheral 1 by operating the browser 120 of the network device 100. In the multi-function apparatus 1, by using the ticket 124, the display thumbnail data itself is not transferred unnecessarily, and waste of resources can be prevented.
[0072]
FIG. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the multi-functional apparatus for explaining a thumbnail acquisition method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the functional configuration diagram of FIG. 5, functional configurations that are not necessary for explanation are omitted. Moreover, since the process of step S1-S13 of FIG. 5 is the same as the process of step S1-S13 of FIG. 3, description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0073]
Progressing to step S16 following step S13, the document management service 123 transmits the display thumbnail received from the MCS 36 in the process of step S13 to the network device 100 via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31.
[0074]
Then, the network device 100 displays the display thumbnail acquired from the MFP 1 on the screen of the browser 120. The document management service 123 deletes the generated display thumbnail after the expiration date of the ticket 124 has expired.
[0075]
Therefore, the user can easily obtain the thumbnails for displaying the stored documents stored in the multifunction peripheral 1 by operating the browser 120 of the network device 100. In the multi-function apparatus 1, by using the ticket 124, the display thumbnail data itself is not transferred unnecessarily, and waste of resources can be prevented.
[0076]
FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the multi-function apparatus for explaining a thumbnail acquisition method according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the functional configuration diagram of FIG. 6, functional configurations that are not necessary for explanation are omitted. Moreover, since the process of step S1-S12 of FIG. 6 is the same as the process of step S1-S12 of FIG. 3, description is abbreviate | omitted.
[0077]
Progressing to step S17 following step S12, the MCS 36 reads a display thumbnail corresponding to the thumbnail ID from the HDD 68 or the like using the thumbnail ID received from the document management service 123, and displays the display thumbnail on the network via the httpd 121 of the NCS 31. Transmit to device 100.
[0078]
Then, the network device 100 displays the display thumbnail acquired from the MFP 1 on the screen of the browser 120. The document management service 123 deletes the generated display thumbnail after the expiration date of the ticket 124 has expired.
[0079]
Therefore, the user can easily obtain the thumbnails for displaying the stored documents stored in the multifunction peripheral 1 by operating the browser 120 of the network device 100. In the multi-function apparatus 1, by using the ticket 124, the display thumbnail data itself is not transferred unnecessarily, and waste of resources can be prevented.
[0080]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.
[0081]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, after authenticating the thumbnail of the stored document, the certification information corresponding to the thumbnail acquisition request is generated, and the certification information is transmitted to the Web page service, so that the thumbnail for display is displayed. Can share the authentication function.
[0082]
Further, according to the present invention, the load on the document management DB can be distributed by supplying thumbnail storage location information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail of an accumulated document to an external network device.
[0083]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the certification information according to the thumbnail acquisition request is transferred between the Web page service and the document management service, so that the display thumbnail itself need not be transferred unnecessarily, and resources are wasted. It is possible to supply thumbnails for display.
[0084]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a compound machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an embodiment of a compound machine according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of a multi-function peripheral for explaining a thumbnail acquisition method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a ticket.
FIG. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of a multi-function peripheral for explaining a thumbnail acquisition method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of a multi-function peripheral for explaining a thumbnail acquisition method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fusion machine 2 Software group 3 Fusion machine starting part 4 Hardware resource 5 Application layer 6 Platform 7 Shared function layer 8 Wrapping layer 9 Control service layer 10 Handler layer 31 Network control service (NCS)
36 Memory control service 60 Controller 80 Operation panel 81 Fax control unit (FCU)
82 Engine unit 83 Plotter 100 Network device 120 Browser 121 httpd (HyperText Transfer Protocol Daemon)
122 Web page service 123 Document management service 124 Ticket 126 Table

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs a document input from a scanning unit or a network communication unit; and a document storage unit that can store the input document as a stored document with usage restrictions.
Thumbnail acquisition request management means for receiving and managing thumbnail acquisition requests for thumbnails of stored documents stored in the document storage unit from an external network device;
Based on a request from the thumbnail acquisition request management means, verification information creation means for creating verification information according to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information for specifying the verification information;
Holding means for holding the verification information and the certification information in association with each other;
  Proof information transmitting means for transmitting the proof information to the thumbnail acquisition request managing means;
  Display thumbnail generation request receiving means for receiving a display thumbnail generation request using the certification information from the thumbnail acquisition request management means;
  Display thumbnail identification information obtaining means for obtaining display thumbnail identification information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail of the stored document collated with the collation information according to the certification information;
  Display thumbnail identification information transmitting means for transmitting the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device;
  A display thumbnail acquisition request using the display thumbnail identification information is received from the external network device, a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information is acquired from the document storage unit, and the external network device is acquired. Display thumbnail sending means to send to
An image forming apparatus comprising: The display thumbnail identification information acquisition unit generates a display thumbnail by duplicating the thumbnail of the stored document collated by the collation information, and displays the display thumbnail identification information of the display thumbnail as the display thumbnail identification information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus transmits the image to a transmitting unit. The display thumbnail identification information acquisition means stores the generated display thumbnail in a storage unit other than the document storage unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display thumbnail transmitting unit acquires a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information from the storage unit and transmits the thumbnail to the external network device. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thumbnail acquisition request includes at least identification information for identifying a stored document and password information for certifying authority to use the stored document. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collation information includes identification information for identifying the authenticated accumulated document. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the verification information includes an expiration date of the verification information and the certification information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a deleting unit that deletes the collation information and the certification information held in the holding unit after the expiration date. An image forming apparatus having an output unit that outputs a document input from a scan unit or a network communication unit, and a document storage unit that can store the input document as a stored document with use restrictions, is provided in an external network device. A thumbnail acquisition method for acquiring a display thumbnail,
A thumbnail acquisition request managing means for managing thumbnail acquisition requests for thumbnails of stored documents stored in the document storage unit, receiving thumbnail acquisition requests from an external network device;
  Based on the request from the thumbnail acquisition request management means, the certification information creation means creates verification information corresponding to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information for specifying the verification information. Tep,
A holding unit holding the collation information and the certification information in association with each other;
Proof information transmitting means transmits the proof information to the thumbnail acquisition request managing means;
A display thumbnail generation request receiving unit receiving a display thumbnail generation request using the certification information from the thumbnail acquisition request managing unit;
  A display thumbnail identification information obtaining unit obtaining display thumbnail identification information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail of the stored document collated with the collation information according to the certification information;
  A display thumbnail identification information transmitting means for transmitting the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device;
  A display thumbnail transmission unit receives a display thumbnail acquisition request using the display thumbnail identification information from the external network device, and acquires a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information from the document storage unit. And transmitting to the external network device
A thumbnail acquisition method characterized by comprising: Using one or more external network devices and an image forming apparatus connected to the external network devices via a network, thumbnails for displaying stored documents stored in the document storage unit of the image forming apparatus are displayed. A thumbnail acquisition system acquired by the external network device,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Thumbnail acquisition request management means for receiving and managing thumbnail acquisition requests for thumbnails of stored documents stored in the document storage unit from an external network device;
Based on a request from the thumbnail acquisition request management means, verification information creation means for creating verification information according to the thumbnail acquisition request and certification information for specifying the verification information;
Holding means for holding the verification information and the certification information in association with each other;
  Proof information transmitting means for transmitting the proof information to the thumbnail acquisition request managing means;
  Display thumbnail generation request receiving means for receiving a display thumbnail generation request using the certification information from the thumbnail acquisition request management means;
  Display thumbnail identification information obtaining means for obtaining display thumbnail identification information of a display thumbnail obtained by duplicating a thumbnail of the stored document collated with the collation information according to the certification information;
  Display thumbnail identification information transmitting means for transmitting the display thumbnail identification information to the external network device;
  A display thumbnail acquisition request using the display thumbnail identification information is received from the external network device, a display thumbnail corresponding to the display thumbnail identification information is acquired from the document storage unit, and the external network device is acquired. Display thumbnail sending means to send to
A thumbnail acquisition system characterized by comprising:

Images