Patent ID: 8384934

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, which includes an input unit configured to input image data and which communicates with a plurality of external apparatuses via a network, comprising: an obtaining unit configured to obtain a document with a predetermined form via the network from one of the plurality of external apparatuses; a recognizing unit configured to recognize that the predetermined form described in the document obtained by the obtaining unit is a form to request input of image data; a transmitting unit configured to transmit the image data input by the input unit according to instructions from a user based on the predetermined form; a determining unit configured to determine whether use of the input unit should be restricted according to transmission destination of the image data transmitted by the transmitting unit, in the case that the recognizing unit recognizes that the predetermined form is a form to request input of image data; a control unit configured to restrict use of the input unit, based on determining results by the determining unit, wherein the input unit includes at least a mutually different first input unit and second input unit, and wherein the determining unit independently determines whether to restrict use of the first input unit and whether to restrict use of the second input unit.