Image processing system and control method thereof
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMasaki Unishi, Hiroharu Takahashi, Shin Muto
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image processing system including a host computer, a scanner and a printer, which can reduce the load added to the host computer as well as burden to a user, and improve data transfer efficiency. When an image is scanned by the scanner connected to the host computer, the processing conventionally performed by the host computer or a printer is selected by a scan control selection unit and the selected processing is performed at the time of scanning.
Claims22
An image processing system including a host computer, a scanner for scanning an image, and a printer for performing printing in accordance with scanned image data, comprising:
- inquiring means for the scanner to inquire of the host computer about a function of the printer;
- input means for inputting function data regarding a function of the printer, from the host computer to the scanner;
- selecting means for selecting a processing operation to be performed by the scanner on the basis of the function data inputted by said input means in order to obtain image data that is suitable for the function of the printer;
- scan control means for controlling the scanner such that the scanner performs the processing operation selected by said selecting means;
- and
- output means for outputting image data scanned and processed by the scanner to the host computer.
An image processing method in an image processing system including a host computer, a scanner for scanning an image, and a printer for performing printing in accordance with scanned image data, comprising the steps of:
- inquiring by the scanner of the host computer about a function of the printer;
- inputting function data regarding the function of the printer, from the host computer to the scanner;
- selecting a processing operation to be performed by the scanner on the basis of the function data inputted in said input step in order to obtain image data that is suitable for the function of the printer;
- controlling the scanner such that the scanner performs the processing operation selected in said selecting step;
- and
- outputting image data scanned and processed by the scanner to the host computer.
A scanner for scanning an image, comprising:
- inquiring means for a scanner to inquire of a host computer about a function of a printer;
- input means for inputting function data regarding the function of the printer, from the host computer to the scanner;
- selecting means for selecting a processing operation to be performed by the scanner on the basis of the function data inputted by said input means in order to obtain image data that is suitable for the function of the printer;
- scan means for scanning an image in accordance with the processing operation selected by said selecting means;
- and
- output means for outputting to the host computer the image data obtained by said scan means scanning the image.
A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for an image processing method in an image processing system including a host computer, a scanner for scanning an image, and a printer for performing printing in accordance with scanned image data, said product including:
- computer readable program code means for inquiring by the scanner of the host computer about a function of the printer;
- computer readable program code means for inputting function data regarding the function of the printer, from the host computer to the scanner;
- computer readable program code means for selecting a processing operation to be performed by the scanner on the basis of the inputted function data in order to obtain image data that is suitable for the function of the printer;
- computer readable program code means for controlling the scanner such that the scanner performs the selected processing operation;
- and
- computer readable program code means for outputting image data scanned and processed by the scanner to the host computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.