Patent ID: 8477352

Claim:
An image processing apparatus which communicates with a plurality of external apparatuses via a network, the image processing apparatus comprising: a service display unit constructed to display information of a plurality of services provided by said plurality of external apparatuses, wherein said plurality of services include at least an original data search service for searching original image data corresponding to input image data and returning an identifier of the original image data, and an original data print service for specifying the original image data corresponding to the identifier; a designation unit constructed to designate a desired service from the plurality of services displayed by said service display unit; an input unit constructed to input, when the original data search service is designated by said designation unit, a plurality of first image data; an image transmitting unit constructed to transmit, via the network to a first external apparatus which provides the original data search service designated by said designation unit, the plurality of first image data inputted by said input unit; a receiving unit constructed to receive, from the first external apparatus via the network, a plurality of identifiers for identifying second image data which is searched by the first external apparatus based on each of the plurality of first image data transmitted by said image transmitting unit wherein the searched second image data is stored in a storage unit before the first external apparatus searches the second image data, wherein each of a plurality of the second image data has an identifier for identifying the second image data itself, wherein the second image data for each of a plurality of different first image data transmitted by said image transmitting unit is stored in the storage unit before the first external apparatus executes search; a display unit constructed to display, when the original data print service is designated by said designation unit, the plurality of identifiers received by said receiving unit; an identifier transmitting unit constructed to transmit, via the network to a second external apparatus which provides the original data print service designated by said designation unit, an identifier which is selected by a user among the identifiers displayed by said display unit; and a processing unit constructed to receive, from the second external apparatus via the network, the second image data corresponding to the identifier transmitted by said identifier transmitting unit, and to print an image based on the received second image data.