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US 8,427,669 B2Granted
Scanner control system and scanner driver program
AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasatoshi Kadota
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A scanner control system is described. The scanner control system includes a first communication interface which communicates with a first device group, a second communication interface which communicates with a second device group, the first device group and the second device group each containing a scanner, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface, a storage device which stores scanner information on at least one scanner contained in the second device group, and a system main unit that transmits an instruction from an application unit to-the to a scanner driver unit and transmitting data from the scanner drive unit to the application unit.
Claims13
A scanner control system comprising:
- a first communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a first device group;
- a second communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a second device group, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface;
- a storage device which is configured to store a setup file including scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the second device group and store a model description file including a model name and scanner information while being associated with each other;
- an operation unit which is configured to allow a user to input a model name of an additional scanner contained in the second group;
- a setting unit which is configured to obtain scanner information associated with the model name input by the operation unit from the model description file, and store the obtained scanner information in the setup file, the setting unit being local to the storage device;
- an application unit;
- a scanner driver unit which is configured to control a scanner contained in either the first device group and the second device group, and which is configured to receive image data transmitted from the scanner, the scanner driver unit including:
- a first scanner-information obtaining unit which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in the first device group via the first communication interface, thereby obtaining scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the first device group;
- a second scanner-information obtaining unit which is configured to obtain the scanner information regarding the at least one scanner connected via the second communication interface whose scanner information is stored in the setup file of the storage device;
- a list providing unit which is configured to provide a list of scanners based on the scanner information which is obtained by the first scanner-information obtaining unit and the second scanner-information obtaining unit;
- a target scanner information obtaining unit which is configured if one of the scanners from the list is selected as a target scanner and target scanner information which indicates the target scanner is provided from a system main unit, to obtain the target scanner information;
- a judgment unit which is configured to judge which one of the first device group and the second device group the target scanner is contained in, on the basis of the target scanner information;
- a scanner control unit which is configured to control the target scanner by utilizing either the first communication interface or the second communication interface, according to a judgment result by the judgment unit;
- an image data receiving unit which is configured to receive image data transmitted from the target scanner;
- and
- an image data providing unit which is configured to provide image data received by the image data receiving unit,
- wherein the system main unit transmits an instruction from the application unit to the scanner driver unit, the system main unit receives the list provided by the list providing unit and the image data provided by the image data providing unit, and transmits at least one of the list and the image data to the application unit.
14 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a computer to have a function of a scanner driver, the computer configured to perform predetermined operations, the computer including:
- a first communication interface which is configured to communicate with at lease once scanner contained in a first device group including a scanner;
- a second communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a second device group including at least one scanner, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface;
- a storage device which is configured to store a setup file including scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the second device group and store a model description file including a model name and scanner information while being associated with each other;
- an operation unit which is configured to allow a user to input a model name of an additional scanner contained in the second device group;
- a setting unit which is configured to obtain scanner information associated with the model name input by the operation unit from the model description file, and store the obtained scanner information in the setup file, the setting unit being local to the storage device;
- an application unit;
- a scanner driver unit;
- and
- a system main unit which is configured to transmit an instruction from the application unit to the scanner driver unit, the system main unit receiving data from the scanner driver unit, and transmitting the data to the application unit;
- and
- the predetermined operations comprising:
- obtaining scanner information on a scanner contained in the first device group by communicating with the first device group via the first communication interface;
- obtaining the scanner information stored in the setup file of the storage device regarding the at least one scanner connected via the second communication interface;
- providing a list of scanners based on the scanner information which is obtained from the first device group and the scanner information stored in the setup file of the storage device;
- obtaining target scanner information when one of the scanners from the list is selected as a target scanner and target scanner information which indicates the target scanner is provided from a system main unit, to obtain the target scanner information;
- judging which one of the first device group of the second device group the target scanner is contained in on the basis of the target scanner information;
- controlling the target scanner by utilizing either the first communication interface or the second communication interface, according to a judgment result;
- receiving image data sent from the target scanner;
- and
- providing image data received by the receiving of the image data unit to the system main unit.
17 more elements
A scanner control system comprising:
- a first communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a first device group;
- a second communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a second device group, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface;
- a storage device which is configured to store a setup file including scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the second device group and store a model description file including a model name and scanner information while being associated with each other;
- an operation unit which is configured to allow a user to input a model name of an additional scanner contained in the second device group;
- a setting unit which is configured to obtain scanner information associated with the model name input by the operation unit from the model description file, and store the obtained scanner information in the setup file, the setting unit being local to the storage device;
- an application unit;
- a scanner driver unit which is configured to control a scanner contained in either the first device group and the second device group, and which is configured to receive image data transmitted from the scanner, the scanner driver unit including:
- a first scanner-information obtaining unit which is configured to communicate with the at least one scanner contained in the first device group via the first communication interface, thereby obtaining scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the first device group;
- a second scanner-information obtaining unit which is configured to read out a scanner information stored in the setup file of the storage device to obtain the scanner information regarding the at least one scanner connected via the second communication interface, wherein the scanner information is stored in the storage device in the same format as the information obtained by the first scanner-information obtaining unit;
- a function information providing unit which is configured to provide function information corresponding to the scanner information obtained by the first scanner-information obtaining unit or the second scanner-information obtaining unit;
- an operational parameter information obtaining unit which is configured, if an operation condition of a target scanner is set and operation parameter information which indicates the operation condition is provided from a system main unit, to obtain the operation parameter information;
- a scanner control unit which is configured to transmit a command corresponding to the operational parameter obtained by the operational parameter information obtaining unit by using at least one of the first communication interface and the second communication interface, thereby controlling the target scanner;
- an image data receiving unit which receives image data transmitted from the target scanner;
- and
- an image data providing unit which provides image data received by the image data receiving unit,
- wherein the system main unit transmits an instruction from the application unit to the scanner driver unit, the system main unit receives and the image data provided by the image data providing unit, and transmits at least one of the list and the image data to the application unit, and the system main unit transmits the operation parameter information to the scanner driver unit.
13 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, enable a computer to perform predetermined operations the computer including:
- a first communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a first device group including a scanner;
- a second communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a second device group including at least one scanner, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface;
- a storage device which is configured to store the setup file of scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the second device group and store a model description file including a model name and scanner information while being associated with each other;
- an operation unit which is configured to allow a user to input a model name of an additional scanner contained in the second device group;
- a setting unit which is configured to obtain scanner information associated with the model name input by the operation unit from the model description file, and store the obtained scanner information in the setup file, the setting unit being local to the storage device;
- an application unit;
- a scanner driver unit;
- and
- a system main unit which is configured to transmit an instruction from the application unit to the scanner driver unit, the system main unit configured to receive data from the scanner driver unit, and transmit the data to the application unit;
- and
- the predetermined operations comprising:
- obtaining scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the first device group by communicating with the first device group via the first communication interface;
- reading out a scanner information from the setup file of the storage device for the at least one scanner connected via the second communication interface, the scanner information in the storage device being stored in the same format as the information obtained via the first communication interface;
- providing function information corresponding to the scanner information obtained by one of the obtaining of the scanner information via the first communication interface and the obtaining the scanner information stored in the second device;
- obtaining operational parameter information if an operation condition of a target scanner is set and operation parameter information which indicates the operation condition is provided from a system main unit, to obtain the operation parameter information;
- transmitting a command corresponding to the operational parameter obtained by using at least one of the first communication interface and the second communication interface, thereby controlling the target scanner;
- receiving image data sent from the target scanner;
- and
- providing image data received to the system main unit.
16 more elements
A scanner control system comprising:
- a first communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a first device group;
- a second communication interface which is configured to communicate with at least one scanner contained in a second device group, the second communication interface being different in specifications from the first communication interface;
- a storage device which is configured to store a setup file including scanner information on the at least one scanner contained in the second device group and store a model description file including a model name and scanner information while being associated with each other;
- an operation unit which is configured to allow a user to input a model name of an additional scanner contained in the second device group;
- a setting unit which is configured to obtain scanner information associated with the model name input by the operation unit from the model description file, and store the obtained scanner information in the setup file, the setting unit being local to the storage device;
- an application unit;
- a scanner driver unit which is configured to control a scanner contained in either the first device group and the second device group, and which is configured to receive image data transmitted from the scanner, the scanner driver unit configured to:
- determine whether the scanner is connected via the first interface or the second interface,
- based on a determination that the scanner is attached to the first interface, obtain scanner information from the scanner via the first interface and, based on a determination that the scanner is attached to the second interface, obtain scanner information from the setup file of the storage device, and
- control the scanner based on the obtained scanner information.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.