Patent ID: 8368925

Claim:
An image transmission system comprising: an image storage device comprising: image storage means for storing a plurality of image data; information storage means for storing print request information requesting printing of an image, and transmission request information requesting transmission of the image data to an external unit, for each of the plurality of image data stored in the image storage means; first detection means for detecting a connection with the external unit; connection destination determination means for determining whether a connection destination is a printing device, or an external apparatus different from the printing device, when a connection with the external unit is detected by the first detection means; first transmission means for reading out the print request information stored in the information storage means, reading out from the image storage means image data which is associated with the print request information, and transmitting the image data to the printing device, when it has been determined by the connection destination determination means that the connection destination is the printing device; and second transmission means for reading out the transmission request information stored in the information storage means, reading out from the image storage means image data which is associated with the transmission request information, and transmitting the image data to the external apparatus, when it has been determined by the connection destination determination means that the connection destination is the external apparatus; and a first external apparatus comprising: reception means for receiving image data transmitted by the second transmission means; and third transmission means for transmitting to a second external apparatus, through a communication network connection, the image data received by the reception means; wherein: the second external apparatus has identification information allowing the second external apparatus to be identified through the communication network connection; the first external apparatus further comprises: identification information storage means for storing the identification information; second detection means for detecting a connection with the image storage device; and read-out means for reading out the identification information stored in the identification information storage means, when a connection with the image storage device is detected by the second detection means; and the third transmission means transmits to the second external apparatus, based on the identification information read out by the read-out means, the image data received by the reception means.