Document management system, document management method, and program
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTakeshi Namikata
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Abstract
To obtain the same print result from MFPs with different specifications. When it is instructed to store image data read by a scanner of an MFP of a plurality of MFPs which forms the grid computing system, resources of an MFP converts a format of image data into a common format according to device profile information of the MFP and the image data whose format is converted is stored in a storage area shared in the system.
Claims19
A document management system in which a computer apparatus and a plurality of image processing apparatuses are connected with each other via a network for enabling load distribution processing, wherein each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses comprises;
- a scanner adapted to read a manuscript and convert into image data;
- a printer adapted to print image data;
- storage means adapted to store image data;
- and
- a CPU adapted to execute a program;
- wherein said computer apparatus comprises;
- storage means adapted to store device profile information and various types of data on specifications of each image processing apparatus;
- a CPU adapted to execute a program;
- a management module adapted to manage each storage area in storage means of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus, and a status of a CPU of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus;
- an image conversion module adapted to convert a format of image data according to said device profile information;
- and
- an instruction module adapted to instruct at least a CPU of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus to execute said image conversion module;
- wherein, when said management module is instructed to store image data read by a scanner of said plurality of image processing apparatuses,
- said management module instructs said at least a CPU to execute said image conversion module with said instruction module, converts the format of said image data, and stores the image data in any of said storage areas managed by the management module.
A document management method where a computer apparatus and a plurality of image processing apparatuses are connected with each other via a network for enabling load distributed processing, wherein each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses includes:
- a scanner for reading a manuscript and converting it into image data;
- a printer for printing image data;
- storage means for storing image data;
- and
- a CPU for executing a program;
- wherein said computing apparatus comprises:
- storage means for storing device profile information and various types of data on specification of each image processing apparatus;
- a CPU for executing a program;
- and
- said storage area in each storage means of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus;
- wherein said method comprises:
- a management step adapted to manage a status of a CPU in each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus;
- an image converting step adapted to convert a format of image data by at least a CPU of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and the computer apparatus according to said device profile information when it is instructed to store image data read by a scanner of said plurality of image processing apparatuses;
- and
- a storing step adapted to store the image data converted in format in any of said storage areas which are managed at said management step.
An image processing system comprising:
- registration means adapted to register device profile information on an image processing apparatus to participate when the image processing apparatus participates in a grid computing system consisting of a plurality of image processing apparatuses;
- and
- converting means adapted to convert image data of said inputted image into a predetermined format according to device profile information on an image processing apparatus in which an image is inputted and specifications of the image processing apparatus.
An image processing method in an image processing system comprising the steps of:
- registering device profile information on an image processing apparatus to participate when the image processing apparatus participates in a grid computing system consisting of a plurality of image processing apparatuses;
- and
- converting image data of said inputted image into a predetermined format according to device profile information on an image processing apparatus in which an image is inputted and specifications of the image processing apparatus.
An image processing method comprising:
- determining a status of emptiness of an image storage area included in a plurality of image processing apparatuses;
- and
- requesting said plurality of image processing apparatuses to convert the read image data into image data in a format independent of the reading apparatus,
- wherein the image data converted by said plurality of image processing apparatuses is stored in an image storage area of the image processing apparatus which is specified by the determining result of the determining step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.