Patent Application
20050166155
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to printers and multifunction devices, and, more particularly, to a method of using such devices attached to a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Client computers are commonly connected with each other and with a server over a network. A client computer may be directly connected to a peripheral device, such as a multi-function device or machine which includes printer, scanner, facsimile and copier functions. Alternatively, the peripheral device may be coupled to the network for communication with one or more of the client machines.
The scanner and fax components or units of the multi-function machine may both be used as input devices for the creation of an image data file containing image data which is to be transmitted over the network to a client computer. In the case of a network connected machine, a user may place a page to be scanned on the multi-function machine and provide instructions that the image data file be transmitted as an e-mail attachment to the user's client machine located at a different part of the building. If the user returns to the client machine and then finds that the e-mail was not properly transmitted over the network, then the user must then return to the multi-function machine, rescan the page and retransmit the e-mail over the network. This can be frustrating and can result in lost productivity for the user.
Similarly, a multi-function machine may be used to receive fax data which is transmitted over a network to a client computer. It again would be desirable to have an automatic way of verifying that the e-mail with attached image file was transmitted successfully over the network.
What is needed in the art is a method of verifying to a user that an e-mail having an attached image was successfully or unsuccessfully transmitted over a network.
The present invention provides a printed transmission report for an email indicating success or failure of the email, and including a thumbnail image upon successful transmission.
The invention comprises, in one form thereof, a method of using a printer, including the steps of: transmitting an email over a network; and generating a transmission report at a printer, the transmission report including an indication of success or failure of the email transmission.
An advantage of the present invention is that a user is provided with a hard copy of a transmission report for an email.
Another advantage is that a thumbnail image of an image file attached to the email is also provided to the user.
Yet another advantage is that additional information pertaining to the attached image file may also be provided to the user, such as file name, data format, resolution, etc.
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplification set out herein illustrates one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to
Client computer 12 is coupled with a printer 18, and thus acts as a host computer to printer 18. Printer 18 may be any suitable type of printer, printing device, or printing apparatus, such as an ink jet printer, laser printer, multi-function device, etc. Moreover, printer 18 need not be connected to computer 12, but may be configured as a network printer which is coupled with network 16 and communicates with client computer 12.
Client computer 12 is also coupled with a scanner 20 and a fax 22. Printer 18, scanner 20 and fax 22 are shown as separate functional blocks in
Client computer 12 may include appropriate software for transmitting an email over network 16 to client computer 14. Client computer 12 can receive an image data file from either scanner 20 or fax 22 corresponding to a scanned document or a received fax, respectively. Client computer 12 can then be used to transmit an email over network 16 to client computer 14, including the image data file as an attachment to the email, with the image data file corresponding to the image which is inputted from scanner 20 or fax 22 (
Upon an unsuccessful transmission of the e-mail over network 16, the following information may be included on the transmission report using printer 18:
Preferably, no thumbnail of the attached image to the e-mail is provided for an unsuccessful transmission of the e-mail over network 16, regardless of whether the image is derived from scanner 20 or fax 22 (block 36). It is apparent that regardless of whether the e-mail transmission was successful or unsuccessful, the user may be automatically provided with a hard copy of a transmission report, with the format of the transmission report being dependent upon the success or failure of the e-mail.
It is also possible that the transmission report can be generated within printer 18 without automatically printing a hard copy of the transmission report. Configured in this manner, the user is likely prompted to determine whether the transmission report is to be printed, or whether a simple indication of success or failure of the email transmission is to be displayed on a display screen, etc.
Multifunction machine 42 is a smart machine which may have internal logic and/or software which allows multifunction machine 42 to transmit an e-mail over network 16 to client computer 12 and/or 14. For example, multifunction machine 42 can transmit an e-mail indicating success or failure of a scan to network job utilizing scanner 48. As a further example, multifunction machine 42 can transmit an e-mail over network 16 indicating success or failure of a transmitted or received fax using fax 46.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the structural configurations of the various components attached to the network over which an email is transmitted may vary from one application to another. Moreover, the methodology and logic of the present invention described herein may be carried out using any number of configurations such as electronic hardware, software, and/or firmware, or the like.
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
