# US 7,746,492 B2 · Image data transmitter and image data communication system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,746,492 B2 - Document ID: US7746492B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/976,929 - Filed: 2004-11-01 - Published: 2006-02-16 - Granted: 2010-06-29 - Earliest claimed: 2004-08-16 - Assignees: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Yasuhiro Ishihara; Shigeo Ogino; Munehiro Natsume; Natsuyo Higashi; Masazumi Ito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7746492B2 ## CPC - H04N 1/32064: {Multi-address calling} - H04N 1/32037: {Automation of particular transmitter jobs, e.g. multi-address calling, auto-dialing} - H04N 1/32128: {attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image (for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144)} - H04N 2201/0081: Image reader (H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence) - H04N 2201/3264: of sound signals - H04N 2201/3267: of motion picture signals, e.g. video clip - H04N 2201/3278: Transmission - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Provided is an image data transmitter in which, in the event of transmission of the same image data to multiple recipients, the image data with added supplementary information different for each of the multiple recipients can be transmitted through easy operation. Further provided is an image data communication system using the image data transmitter. An image of a document is read out, and a destination of the image is set. Multiple destinations can be set. Then, selection is performed whether or not to input supplementary information. When performing input processing, a destination to which the supplementary information is to be transmitted is selected from the multiple destinations. Subsequently, the supplementary information for the destination is input, and the supplementary information is correlated with the destination. Additionally, the image data and the supplementary information are combined. Then, composite data for the destination is transmitted to the destination. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image data transmitter comprising: an image data acquiring section that acquires image data; an image data transmitter section that transmits the image data to destinations; a destination setting section that sets at least two destinations; a destination selector section that selects at least one of the destinations which is set by the destination setting section; a supplementary information acquiring section that acquires supplementary information which is to be added selectably to the entirety of the image data or to a specific location in the image data; a destination versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the at least one destination selected by the destination selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section; and a data combiner section that creates composite data for the at least one destination selected by the destination selector section, the composite data being created by adding the supplementary information correlated to the at least one destination by the destination versus supplementary information correlator section to the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section, wherein the image data transmitter section transmits the composite data created by the data combiner section to the destination selected by the destination selector section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image data transmitter according to claim 1, wherein the image data transmitter section transmits the image data without added supplementary information to a destination not selected by the destination selector section. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image data transmitter according to claim 1 wherein the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section is at least one of supplementary information selected from sets of voice information, image information, and character information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image data transmitter according to claim 1, further comprising: a page information storage section that stores page information of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section; a page selector section that selects at least one of pages contained in page information stored in the page information storage section; and a page versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the page selected by the page selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section to the page in the image data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The image data transmitter according to claim 4, further comprising: a position specifying section that specifies a specified position in the page selected by the page selector section; and a position versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section and the specified position specified by the position specifying section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the specified position by the position versus supplementary information correlator section to the specified position in the image data. ### Claim 6 An image data transmitter comprising: an image data acquiring section that acquires image data; an image data transmitter section that transmits the image data to a destination; a destination setting section that sets a destination; a supplementary information acquiring section that acquires supplementary information which is to be added selectably to the entirety of the image data or to a specific location in the image data; a page information storage section that stores page information of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section; a page selector section that selects at least one of the pages contained in the page information stored in the page information storage section; a page versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the page selected by the page selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section; and a data combiner section that creates composite data created by adding the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section to the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section to the page in the image data; and the image data transmitter section transmits the composite data created by the data combiner section to the destination set by the destination setting section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The image data transmitter according to claim 6, further comprising: a position specifying section that specifies a specified position in the page selected by the page selector section; and a position versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section and the specified position specified by the position specifying section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the specified position by the position versus supplementary information correlator section to the specified position in the image data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The image data transmitter according to claim 7, further comprising a page display section that displays the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section in unit of page and that accepts a user specification of a position within a display range, wherein the position specifying section specifies a position specified on a display screen of the page display section to be the specified position. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The image data transmitter according to claim 7, wherein for supplementary information correlated by the position versus supplementary information correlator section with specified position, the data combiner section also adds position display data to image data, the position display data causing a mark indicative of the specified position to be displayed on a display screen of a device at a receiving end. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The image data transmitter according to claim 6, wherein the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section is at least one of supplementary information selected from sets of voice information, image information, and character information. ### Claim 11 An image data communication system comprising an image data transmitter and image data receivers, wherein the image data transmitter comprises: an image data acquiring section that acquires image data; an image data transmitter section that transmits the image data to destinations; a destination setting section that sets at least two destinations; a destination selector section that selects at least one of the destinations which is set by the destination setting section; a supplementary information acquiring section that acquires supplementary information which is to be added selectably to the entirety of the image data or to a specific location in the image data; a destination versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the destination selected by the destination selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section; and a data combiner section that creates composite data for the destination selected by the destination selector section, the composite data being created by adding the supplementary information correlated to the destination by the destination versus supplementary information correlator section to the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section, wherein the image data transmitter section transmits the composite data created by the data combiner section to the destination selected by the destination selector section; and the image data receivers comprise: an image data processor section that processes received image data; and a supplementary information processor section that processes supplementary information when the received data is composite data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image data communication system according to claim 11, wherein the image data transmitter section transmits the image data without added supplementary information to a destination not selected by the destination selector section. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The image data communication system according to claim 11, wherein the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section is at least one of supplementary information selected from sets of voice information, image information, and character information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The image data communication system according to claim 11, wherein the image data transmitter further comprising: a page information storage section that stores page information of image data acquired by the image data acquiring section; a page selector section that selects at least one of pages contained in the page information stored in the page information storage section; and a page versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the page selected by the page selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section to the page in the image data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image data communication system according to claim 14, wherein the image data transmitter further comprising: a position specifying section that specifies a specified position in page selected by the page selector section; and a position versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section and specified position specified by the position specifying section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with specified position by the position versus supplementary information correlator section to the specified position in the image data. ### Claim 16 An image data communication system comprising an image data transmitter and an image data receiver, wherein the image data transmitter comprises: an image data acquiring section that acquires image data; an image data transmitter section that transmits the image data to a destination; a destination setting section that sets a destination; a supplementary information acquiring section that acquires supplementary information which is to be added selectably to the entirety of the image data or to a specific location in the image data; a page information storage section that stores page information of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section; a page selector section that selects at least one of the pages contained in the page information stored in the page information storage section; a page versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the page selected by the page selector section and the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section; and a data combiner section that creates composite data created by adding the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section to the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section to the page in the image data; and the image data transmitter section transmits the composite data created by the data combiner section to the destination set by the destination setting section, and the image data receiver comprises: an image data processor section that processes received image data; and a supplementary information processor section that processes supplementary information when the received data is composite data. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The image data communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image data transmitter further comprising: a position specifying section that specifies a specified position in page selected by the page selector section; and a position versus supplementary information correlator section that establishes a correlation between the supplementary information correlated with the page by the page versus supplementary information correlator section and the specified position specified by the position specifying section, wherein the data combiner section adds the supplementary information correlated with the specified position by the position versus supplementary information correlator section to the specified position in the image data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image data communication system according to claim 17, wherein the image data transmitter further comprises a page display section that displays the image data acquired by the image data acquiring section in unit of page and that accepts a user specification of a position within a display range, wherein the position specifying section specifies a position specified on a display screen of the page display section to be the specified position. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The image data communication system according to claim 17, wherein for supplementary information correlated by the position versus supplementary information correlator section with specified position, the data combiner section also adds position display data to the image data, the position display data causing a mark indicative of the specified position to be displayed on a display screen of a device at a receiving end. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The image data communication system according to claim 16, wherein the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquiring section is at least one of supplementary information selected from sets of voice information, image information, and character information.