Abstract:
There is provided an information processing device comprising: an image processing unit including at least one of an image reading function and a print function; a historical information acquisition unit to acquire a plurality of pieces of historical information, each of the plurality of pieces of historical information concerning execution of at least one of the image reading and print functions; a historical information transmission unit to transmit the historical information to the client device; a request reception unit to receive from the client device a request for data corresponding to a selected piece of historical information selected from the plurality of pieces of historical information through the client device, the data concerning a job executed by at least one of the image reading function and the print function; and a data obtaining unit configured to obtain the data corresponding to the request received by the request reception unit.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-258892, filed on Oct. 2, 2007. The entire subject matter of the application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Aspects of the present invention relate to an information processing device configured to have at least one of an image scanning unit and an image formation unit and to be used in a network system including a client PC and a server. 
     2. Related Art 
     Information processing devices configured to have an image scanning unit and an image formation unit and to be connectable to a network including a client PC and a server have been widely used. As an example of such information processing devices, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2004-102549A (hereafter, referred to as JP2004-102549A) discloses a copying device used in a network system. In the network system disclosed in JP2004-102549A, the server stores historical data containing a user ID of a user who requested a print operation through the copying device, copy data and a corresponding job ID, while associating the historical data, the copy data and the job ID with each other. 
     The server has a function of notifying the copying device of the job ID, and the copying device has a function of sending an e-mail to a user to notify the user of the job ID so as to enable the user to reuse the copy data associated with the job ID. In order to reuse the copy data associated with the job ID, the user inputs the job ID to the copying device, for example, by sending an e-mail containing the job ID to the copying device. After the job ID is inputted, the server checks whether the inputted job ID matches the job ID stored in the historical data. If the inputted job ID matches the job ID in the historical data, the server sends the copy data corresponding to the job ID to the copying device. 
     As a result, the copying device is able to obtain the copy data to be reused from the server, and to print the copy data again. In the network system disclosed JP2004-102549A, data (e.g., copy data) is accumulated in the server without intervention by the user. Therefore, the network system is very convenient for the user who wants to reuse the accumulated data. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, the network system disclosed in JP2004-102549A has the following drawbacks.
     (a1) In the network system, only a user who has received the e-mail containing the job ID (i.e., a user who has requested the print operation corresponding to the job ID in the past) is allowed to reuse the copy data. Other users are not allowed to reuse the copy data. Considering a group of members belonging to the same department, reuse of copy data used by one of the members in the past is not allowed for all of the members.   (a2) One of solutions for the above drawback (a1) is an accessing manner where each of the users directly accesses the copy data managed by the server to reuse the copy data. However, in consideration of protection of personal and private information managed in the server, it is necessary to configure the server to limit access to data managed in the server so that only authorized users can obtain the historical data and the copy data stored in the server. If a user for whom the copy data is registered in the server is not the authorized user of the server, the user needs to get permission for accessing the server from an administrator of the server. Therefore, this solution is not convenient for the users.   (a3) In the case where the historical data is stored in the server, the historical data may include information concerning all of a plurality of information processing devices (e.g., copying devices) in the network system. Therefore, if the historical data in the server is opened to all the information processing devices, data concerning execution of the scanning operation on one of information processing devices is displayed on another information processing device. Such a configuration may raise a problem concerning protection of information.   

     Aspects of the present invention are advantageous in that an information processing device enabling users to reuse data concerning execution of a scanning operation and/or a print operation while achieving a high degree of usability in reusing such data is provided. 
     According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an information processing device that is to be connected to a client device via a network. The information processing device comprises: an image processing unit including at least one of an image reading function and a print function; a historical information acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of pieces of historical information, each of the plurality of pieces of historical information concerning execution of at least one of the image reading function and the print function; a historical information transmission unit configured to transmit the historical information to the client device; a request reception unit configured to receive from the client device a request for data corresponding to a selected piece of historical information that is selected from the plurality of pieces of historical information through the client device, the data concerning a job executed by at least one of the image reading function and the print function; and a data obtaining unit configured to obtain the data corresponding to the request received by the request reception unit. 
     Since the information processing device acquires the historical information, the information processing device is able to provide the historical information for a client device when the user operates the client device to reuse the data. Such a configuration of the information processing device makes it possible to display the historical information on the client device and to allow the user to select the data to be reused from a plurality of pieces of jobs contained in the historical information. In this case, the information processing device is able to obtain the data specified by the user. Therefore, the user who is allowed to use the information processing device is able to smoothly reuse the data concerning the image reading function or the print function. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method to be implemented on an information processing device that is to be connected to a client device via a network and includes at least one of an image reading function and a print function. The method comprises the steps of: acquiring a plurality of pieces of historical information, each of the plurality of pieces of historical information concerning execution of at least one of the image reading function and the print function; transmitting the historical information to the client device; receiving from the client device a request for data corresponding to a selected piece of historical information that is selected from the plurality of pieces of historical information through the client device, the data concerning a job executed by at least one of the image reading function and the print function; and obtaining the data corresponding to the received request. 
     Since the information processing device acquires the historical information, the information processing device is able to provide the historical information for a client device when the user operates the client device to reuse the data. Such a configuration of the information processing device makes it possible to display the historical information on the client device and to allow the user to select the data to be reused from a plurality of pieces of jobs contained in the historical information. In this case, the information processing device is able to obtain the data specified by the user. Therefore, the user who is allowed to use the information processing device is able to smoothly reuse the data concerning the image reading function or the print function. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer readable instruction stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor of an information processing device that is to be connected to a client device via a network and includes at least one of an image reading function and a print function, configures the processor to perform the steps of: acquiring a plurality of pieces of historical information, each of the plurality of pieces of historical information concerning execution of at least one of the image reading function and the print function; transmitting the historical information to the client device; receiving from the client device a request for data corresponding to a selected piece of historical information that is selected from the plurality of pieces of historical information through the client device, the data concerning a job executed by at least one of the image reading function and the print function; and obtaining the data corresponding to the received request. 
     Since the information processing device acquires the historical information, the information processing device is able to provide the historical information for a client device when the user operates the client device to reuse the data. Such a configuration of the information processing device makes it possible to display the historical information on the client device and to allow the user to select the data to be reused from a plurality of pieces of jobs contained in the historical information. In this case, the information processing device is able to obtain the data specified by the user. Therefore, the user who is allowed to use the information processing device is able to smoothly reuse the data concerning the image reading function or the print function. 
     It is noted that various connections are set forth between elements in the following description. It is noted that these connections in general and unless specified otherwise, may be direct or indirect and that this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Aspects of the invention may be implemented in computer software as programs storable on computer-readable media including but not limited to RAMs, ROMs, flash memory, EEPROMs, CD-media, DVD-media, temporary storage, hard disk drives, floppy drives, permanent storage, and the like. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a network system in which MFPs according to an embodiment are provided. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a historical data receiving process executed by the MFP. 
         FIG. 3  is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication scheme between a PC, the MFP and a server in the historical data receiving process. 
         FIG. 4  is an example of onscreen representation of thumbnail images on a display of the PC. 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a control unit of the MFP. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a data structure of historical data stored in the MFP. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereafter, an embodiment according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a network system  100  in which MFPs (multifunction peripherals)  12  according to an embodiment are provided. In the network system  100 , a plurality of MFPs  12  are connected to a LAN  11 . Each MFP  12  has multiple functions of printing images and scanning documents. That is, the MFP  12  is provided with a print engine  28  for the printing function and a scanner  27  for the scanning function (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     To the LAN  11 , a server  14  and PCs (personal computers)  13  are also connected. Although in  FIG. 1  two PCs  13  are illustrated, more than two PCs  13  may be connected to the LAN  11 . That is, more than two PCs  13  may be communicatably connected to the MFP  12 . 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram of the MFP  12  illustrating a configuration of a control unit  20  of the MFP  12 . The control unit  20  includes a CPU  21 , a ROM  22 , a RAM  24 , and a communication unit  25 . The ROM  22  stores a historical data receiving program  23 . The RAM  24  is used as a work memory for the CPU  21 . The CPU  21  records historical data  26  in the RAM  24 . The communication unit  25  interfaces the MFP  12  with the LAN  11 . To the control unit  20 , the scanner  27  and the print engine  28  are connected. 
     Hereafter, a historical data receiving process executed under control of the CPU  21  of the MFP  12  is explained. The historical data receiving process is started by loading and executing the historical data receiving program  23 .  FIG. 2  is a flowchart of the historical data receiving process. 
     First, the CPU  21  waits until connection with the PC  13  is established (step S 12 : NO). When the connection with the PC  13  is established (S 12 : YES), control proceeds to step S 13  where the CPU  21  connects to the server  14  through the LAN  11  in accordance with information concerning a data storage server stored in the MFP  12 . If connection with the server  14  is successfully established (S 14 : YES), the CPU  21  sends information indicating that connection with the server  14  is successfully established, to the PC  13  (step S 15 ). 
     If connection with the server  14  is failed (S 14 : NO), the CPU  21  sends information indicating that connection with the server  14  is failed, to the PC  13  (step S 16 ). Then, control returns to step S 12 . 
     After step S 15  is processed, the CPU  21  waits for an instruction from the PC  13  (step S 17 : NO). When an instruction is received from the PC  13  (S 17 : YES), the CPU  21  judges whether the instruction is a disconnection request (step S 18 ). If the instruction is not the disconnection request (S 18 : NO), the CPU  21  judges whether the request is a thumbnail request (step S 21 ). If the instruction is not the thumbnail request (S 21 : NO), the CPU  21  judges whether the instruction is a stored data request (step S 23 ). 
     If the instruction is the stored data request (S 23 : YES), control proceeds to step S 24  where the CPU  21  judges whether the requested data is print data having a print data format (step S 24 ). If the requested data is print data (S 24 : YES), the CPU  21  obtains the requested data (print data) from the server  14  and prints an image corresponding to the obtained print data through the print engine  28  (step S 25 ). Then, control returns to step S 17  to process a next instruction. 
     If the requested data is not print data (S 24 : NO), the CPU  21  obtains the requested data (i.e., scanned data having an image data format) from the server  14  and sends the obtained data (scanned data) to the PC  13  (step S 26 ). Then, control returns to step S 17 . It is noted that the PC  13  which received the scanned data (e.g., image data) is able to display the scanned data on a display thereof. 
     If the instruction is not the stored data request (S 23 : NO), control returns to step S 17 . 
     If the instruction is the thumbnail request (S 21 : YES), the CPU  21  obtains thumbnail data corresponding to the thumbnail request from the server  14 , and sends the obtained thumbnail data to the PC  13  (step S 22 ). Then, control returns to step S 17 . 
     If the instruction is the disconnection request (S 18 : YES), the CPU  21  disconnects the MFP  12  from the server  14  (step S 19 ). Next, the CPU  21  disconnects the MFP  12  from the PC  13  (step S 20 ). Then, control returns to step S 12 . 
     The operations of the PC  13 , the MFP  12  and the server  14  in the historical data receiving process are explained with reference to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication scheme between the PC  13 , the MFP  12  and the server  14  in the historical data receiving process. 
     The PC  13  waits for a request for the stored data from a user who wants to reuse the stored data (e.g., scanned data which the user obtained in the past through the scanning function of the MFP  12 ). 
     When the PC  13  receives the request from the user, the PC  13  connects to the MFP  12  via the LAN  11 . More specifically, in this case the PC  13  sends a TCP/IP-based connection request to the MFP  12  (S 12 : YES), and the MFP  12  establishes the connection with the PC  13  (S 14 : YES). 
     Next, the PC  13  sends a request for historical data (M 11 ) to the MFP  12  (S 23 : YES). The MFP  12  sends historical data (M 12 ) which was generated by the MFP  12 , to the PC  13 . The historical data contains parameters concerning the scanning function or the printing function executed on the MFP  12  in the past (see  FIG. 6 ). 
     Then, the PC  13  sends the thumbnail data request (M 13 ) to the MFP  12 . The thumbnail data request is a request for thumbnail data concerning the scanned data or the print data associated with the historical data. Since the thumbnail data concerning the historical data is stored in the server  14  (i.e., the MFP  12  does not store the thumbnail data), the MFP  12  operates to obtain the thumbnail data from the server  14 . More specifically, the MFP  12  sends a TCP/IP based connection request to the server  14 . Then, the server  14  establishes the connection with the MFP  12 . 
     Next, the MFP  12  requests the thumbnail data from the server  14  (M 14 , “S 21 : YES”). The server  14  sends the requested thumbnail data to the MFP  12  (M 15 ). The MFP  12  which received the thumbnail data from the server  14  sends the thumbnail data to the PC  13  (M 16 , S 22 ). 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a data structure of the historical data stored in the MFP  12 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the historical data includes, for each of a plurality of pieces of scanned data and print data used on the MFP  12  in the past, an ID uniquely specifying the stored data, a filename of the stored data, a thumbnail filename, and information representing a date and time when the data is registered. In  FIG. 6 , each of data G 1 , data G 2  and data G 4  is scanned data. 
     The PC  13  displays images corresponding to the received thumbnail data.  FIG. 4  is an example of onscreen representation of the thumbnail images on the display of the PC  13 . In  FIG. 4 , thumbnail images of the scanned data G 1 , G 2  and G 4  are displayed. Under each thumbnail image, the date and time when the data is scanned on the MFP  12 , and the filename of the scanned data are displayed. Since data G 3  and G 5  is print data, an icon indicating the data is document data is represented on the display in place of displaying a thumbnail image. Under the icon “document”, the date and time when the data is printed and the filename of the print data are displayed. 
     Through the screen shown in  FIG. 4 , the user is able to select the stored data to be reused. That is, the user clicks one of the icons or thumbnail images. Since images of the scanned data are displayed on the PC  13 , the user is able to select the desired scanned data without knowledge about the filename of the desired scanned data. Regarding the print data, the date and time when the print data is printed on the MFP is displayed under the icon. Such a configuration enables the user to select the desired image data to be reused based on the date and time without knowledge about the filename of the print data. 
     In response to the selection (clicking) of the desired data by the user, the PC  13  sends a stored data request (M 17 ) to the MFP  12 . After receiving the stored data request, the MFP  12  sends the filename corresponding to the requested data to the server  14 . Then, the server  14  sends sequentially data corresponding to the requested filename to the MFP  12  (M 18 ). 
     If the requested data is print data, the MFP  12  prints the print data without waiting for reception of a print command (S 25 ). On the other hand, if the requested data is the scanned data, the MFP  12  sends the scanned data obtained from the server  14  to the PC  13  (S 26 ). The PC  13  displays the scanned data received from the MFP  12 . 
     It is noted that the server  14  is not accessed directly from the PC  13 . Therefore, even if the server  14  is configured to limit access from an unauthorized PC, the server is not accessed by the unauthorized PC  13 . Therefore, data security can be maintained. 
     It is noted that the MFP  12  has a function of registering the print data and the scanned data in the server  14 . That is, the MFP  12  is a source device of the print data and the scanned data. In other words, the server  14  does not reply the request from the PCs  13 , but only provides the requested data to the MFP  12  which processed the requested data and registered the requested data in the server  14  in the past. Therefore, the fact that the server  14  provides the requested data (the scanned data or the print data) for the MFP  12  does not affect the data security in the network system  100 . 
     After the PC  13  receives the requested data, the user clicks a button for completion of the data acquisition (not shown in  FIG. 4 ). Then, the MFP  12  is disconnected from the server  14 . The PC  13  is disconnected from the MFP  12 . 
     As described above, the MFP  12  includes a historical data storage unit (“ 26 ” in  FIG. 5 ). The communication unit  25  sends the historical data  26  corresponding to a plurality of pieces of print data and/or scanned data to the PC  13  in response to the request for historical data of the PC  13 . The communication unit  25  receives a request for specified historical data from the PC  13 , and obtains the registered data corresponding to the specified historical data from the server  14 . 
     By storing the historical data in the MFP  12 , the MFP  12  is able to provide the historical data to the PC  13  so that the PC  13  is able to display images corresponding to the historical data (e.g., thumbnail images) and the user is able to select desired data to be reused on the screen. By sending the filename of the data selected by the user to the server  14 , the MFP  12  is able to obtain only the data corresponding to the selected filename from the server  14 . Such a configuration enables all of the available users of the MFP  12  to easily obtain the desired data to be reused. 
     The historical data storing unit of the MFP  12  stores its own historical data. The MFP  12  obtains the data related to its own historical data from the server  14 . That is, the MFP  12  is able to display its own historical data on the PC  13  when the user wants to reuse the data so that the user is allowed to select one of the plurality of pieces of stored data. The MFP  12  sends the filename corresponding to the selected data to the server  14  to instruct the server  14  to send only the selected data. Therefore, all of the users of the MFP  12  are able to easily reuse the stored data. 
     By contract, if the server  14  has historical data storing all of pieces of data which the server  14  received from MFPs  12  in the past, a certain MFP receives history of another MFP. Such a configuration may raise a problem concerning data security. 
     However, according to the embodiment, the historical data concerning a certain MFP is provided for the user of the certain MFP. Therefore, data security can be enhanced. Such a configuration also eliminates the need for implementing the function of extracting particular historical data corresponding to the requesting source MFP  12  from a plurality of pieces of historical data, on the server  14 . 
     The MFP  12  is able to place, for each of users, a restriction on the execution of the scanner function or the print function. If such restrictions are applied to the users, the users are allowed to see the historical data within the range of the use restrictions. In this case, no problem arises in regard to the data security. 
     The MFP  12  which is provided with the scanner  27  sends the scanned data obtained by the scanner  27  to the PC  13 . When the user wants to reuse the scanned data, the PC  13  is able to receive the scanned data from the MFP  12 . Such a configuration enhances usability of the MFP  12 . 
     The MFP  12  which is provided with the print engine  28  prints the print data corresponding to the historical data without receiving a print command. Such a configuration also enhances the usability of the MFP  12 . 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. 
     In the above mentioned embodiment, the various functions including the historical data receiving process are implemented on the MFP  12 . However, the various functions including the historical data receiving process may be implemented on various types of information processing devices, such as a copying device, a facsimile device, or a printer with a scanning function.