# US 8,570,582 B2 · Image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus utilization system, and method for generating image data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,570,582 B2 - Document ID: US8570582B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/675,746 - Filed: 2012-11-13 - Published: 2013-04-18 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2009-08-31 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Osamu Torii; Hiroki Hiraguchi - Inventors: Osamu Torii; Hiroki Hiraguchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8570582B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/1217: {achieving reduced idle time at the output device or increased asset utilization} - H04N 1/00244: {with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324)} - H04N 1/0097: {Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs} - H04N 1/33369: {Storage of mode or retrieval of prestored mode} - H04N 1/4406: {Restricting access, e.g. according to user identity (mechanisms actuated y cards, PIN or the like in apparatus for dispensing G07F7/08)} - H04N 1/4433: {to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function} - H04N 1/444: {to a particular document or image or part thereof} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An image forming apparatus including an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of combinations of document reading settings and delivery destination information of image data from a storage device configured to store the plurality of combinations, a reception unit configured to display the plurality of combinations acquired by the acquisition unit and receive a selection of the plurality of combinations by a user, a duplication identification unit configured to determine, upon the reception unit receiving the selection, whether the selected plurality of combinations contain duplicated delivery destination information, and a control unit configured to control, upon the duplication identification unit determining that the selected plurality of combinations selected contain the duplicated delivery destination information, a transmission of image data such that the image data is transmitted once to a delivery destination corresponding to the duplicated delivery destination information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image forming apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of combinations of document reading settings and delivery destination information of image data from a storage device configured to store the plurality of combinations; a reception unit configured to display the plurality of combinations acquired by the acquisition unit and receive a selection of the plurality of combinations by a user; a duplication identification unit configured to determine, upon the reception unit receiving the selection, whether the selected plurality of combinations contain duplicated delivery destination information; and a control unit configured to control, upon the duplication identification unit determining that the selected plurality of combinations selected contain the duplicated delivery destination information, a transmission of image data such that the image data is transmitted once to a delivery destination corresponding to the duplicated delivery destination information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a selection order identification unit configured to determine a selection order of the plurality of combinations selected by the user upon the reception unit receiving the selection, wherein the control unit controls the transmission of image data such that the image acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the selection order of the one of the plurality of combinations being determined by the selection order identification unit as an earliest order. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a cost computation unit configured to compute a cost of the transmission of image data based on the plurality of combinations of document reading settings upon the image data being transmitted to the delivery destination, wherein the control unit controls the transmission of image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the document reading setting of the one of the plurality of combinations implementing a lowest cost of the transmission of image data computed by the cost computation unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a selection reception unit configured to receive a selection of one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the control unit controls transmission of image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the selected one of the plurality of combinations is transmitted to the delivery destination. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a determination standard reception unit configured to receive a determination standard for determining one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the control unit determines one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information based on the determination standard received by the determination standard reception unit, and controls the transmission of image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the determined combination is transmitted to the delivery destination. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the determination standard is one of the selection order upon the reception unit receiving the selection of the plurality of combinations, an ascending order of a cost of the transmission of image data to the delivery destination computed based on the plurality of combinations of document reading settings, and an assignment of a priority to the plurality of combinations selected by the user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising: a transmission unit configured to transmit the image data and the delivery destination information to an image delivery apparatus based on the delivery destination information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A system comprising: the image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 1 configured to read a document to generate image data; a storage device configured to store a plurality of combinations of document reading settings and delivery destination information of the image data; and an image delivery apparatus configured to deliver the image data, the image forming apparatus, the storage device, and the image delivery apparatus being connected via a network. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises: a selection order identification unit configured to determine a selection order of the plurality of combinations selected by the user upon the reception unit receiving the selection, wherein the control unit controls the transmission of image data such that the image acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the selection order of the one of the plurality of combinations being determined by the selection order identification unit as an earliest order. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises: a cost computation unit configured to compute a cost of the transmission of image data based on the plurality of combinations of document reading settings upon the image data being transmitted to the delivery destination, wherein the control unit controls transmission of the image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the document reading setting of the one of the combinations implementing a lowest cost of the transmission of image data computed by the cost computation unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises: a selection reception unit configured to receive a selection of one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the control unit controls the transmission of image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the selected one of the plurality of combinations is transmitted to the delivery destination. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus further comprises: a determination standard reception unit configured to receive a determination standard for determining one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the control unit determines one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information based on the determination standard received by the determination standard reception unit, and controls the transmission of image data such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the determined combination is transmitted to the delivery destination. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: acquiring, using an image forming apparatus, a plurality of combinations of document reading settings and delivery destination information of image data from a storage device configured to store the plurality of combinations; displaying, using the image forming apparatus, the plurality of combinations acquired by the image forming apparatus and receive a selection of the plurality of combinations by a user; determining, using the image forming apparatus, whether a selection, by a user, of the plurality of selected combinations contain duplicated delivery destination information upon the image forming apparatus receiving the selection; and controlling, using the image forming apparatus, a transmission of image data such that the image data is transmitted once to a delivery destination corresponding to the duplicated delivery destination information upon the image forming apparatus determining that the selection contain the duplicated delivery destination information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: determining, using the image forming apparatus, a selection order of the plurality of combinations selected by the user upon the reception unit receiving the selection, wherein the controlling of the transmission of image data is such that the image acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the selection order of the one of the plurality of combinations being determined as an earliest order. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: computing, using the image forming apparatus, a cost of the transmission of image data based on the plurality of combinations of document reading settings upon the image data being transmitted to the delivery destination, wherein the controlling of the transmission of image data is such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the document reading setting of the one of the plurality of combinations implementing a lowest computed cost of the transmission of image data. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: receiving, using the image forming apparatus, a selection of one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the controlling of the transmission of image data is such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the selected one of the plurality of combinations is transmitted to the delivery destination. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: receiving, using the image forming apparatus, a determination standard for determining one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information, wherein the controlling of the transmission of image data is such that the image data acquired based on the document reading setting contained in the determined combination is transmitted to the delivery destination upon determining that one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information based on the determination standard is received by the image forming apparatus. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the determination standard is one of the selection order of upon the reception unit receiving the selection of the plurality of combinations, an ascending order of a cost of the transmission of image data to the delivery destination computed based on the plurality of combinations of document reading settings, and an assignment of a priority to the plurality of combinations selected by the user. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: transmitting, using the image forming apparatus, the image data and the delivery destination information to an image delivery apparatus based on the delivery destination information. ### Claim 20 An image forming apparatus comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of combinations of document reading settings and delivery destination information of image data from a storage device configured to store the plurality of combinations; a reception unit configured to display the plurality of combinations acquired by the acquisition unit and receive a selection of the plurality of combinations by a user; a selection order identification unit configured to determine a selection order of the plurality of combinations selected by the user upon the reception unit receiving the selection; a duplication identification unit configured to determine, upon the reception unit receiving the selection, whether the selected plurality of combinations contain duplicated delivery destination information; and a control unit configured to, control, upon the duplication identification unit determining that the selected plurality of combinations selected contain the duplicated delivery destination information, a transmission of image data such that the image data is transmitted once to a delivery destination corresponding to the duplicated delivery destination information, and control the transmission of image data such that the image acquired based on the document reading setting included in one of the plurality of combinations containing the duplicated delivery destination information is transmitted to the delivery destination, the selection order of the one of the plurality of combinations being determined by the selection order identification unit as an earliest order.