Abstract: Provide a shared device control method and server-client system, which inform the client user of the state of a shared device upon accessing the connectable shared device on the network, thereby preventing unwanted situations (for example, the user cannot determine what has happened; the user cannot obtain a desired access result; access results in other fatal errors; and so forth). A shared device, to be shared by a plurality of data processing apparatuses connected via a network, is controlled by one of the plurality of data processing apparatuses, and the other data processing apparatuses inquires of the data processing apparatus controlling the shared device, a reserve or ready state of the shared device, or a mode which displays a window via the network, prior to use of the shared device informs the client user of the state of the shared device.

Abstract: There is provided a terminal device with which a shared unit shared with the other terminal device on a network is connected, characterized in that the terminal device comprises a transmitting/receiving section for receiving information sent from the other terminal device with respect to the shared unit, and a control section for allowing the other terminal device a right to use the shared unit based on the information sent from the other terminal device and received by the transmitting/receiving section, and for releasing a state having the right to use the shared unit, if the information sent from the other terminal device is indicative of a given instruction.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to allow a user to perform operations while he or she is unconscious of the types of interfaces of various image input devices on a network. An image input server device on a network is searched for, device control information of an image input device locally connected to the found image input server is obtained from the server, and virtual device information based on a universal image in-out interface is generated from the obtained device control information. An image reading session is executed in collaboration with the image input server device by using the virtual device information and information of communication with the image input server device. An image input server device to which an image input device is locally connected receives a session request from a client on a network and determines the type of requesting client from the session request.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to allow a user to perform operations while he or she is unconscious of the types of interfaces of various image input devices on a network.

Abstract: There is provided a terminal device with which a shared unit shared with the other terminal device on a network is connected, characterized in that the terminal device comprises a transmitting/receiving section for receiving information sent from the other terminal device with respect to the shared unit, and a control section for allowing the other terminal device a right to use the shared unit based on the information sent from the other terminal device and received by the transmitting/receiving section, and for releasing a state having the right to use the shared unit, if the information sent from the other terminal device is indicative of a given instruction.

Abstract: A charging management apparatus which allows constructing a charging system corresponding to various conditions when a plurality of apparatuses share a locally connected image reading apparatus and also allows use of the locally connected image reading apparatus as a chargeable peripheral device is disclosed. An image reading apparatus sharing server (302) serving as a charging management apparatus stores and manages a charging setting information structure based on charging setting related to sharing of an image reading apparatus (301) by a client PC (303), responds to a charging setting information structure acquisition inquiry from the client PC (303), collects, stores, and manages use information related to sharing of the image reading apparatus (301) from the client PC (303), and calculates, stores, and manages a charging result for actual use of the image reading apparatus (301) on the basis of the use information and charging setting information structure.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus stores image data by compressing the image data in succession to a predetermined resolution, comparing the data before compression and the data after compression at each stage of the compressions to generate encoded data, and storing thus compressed image data and a plurality of thus generated encoded data in a memory. For image display or image output, the image data of a resolution required for such image display are prepared from the compressed image data and the encoded data stored in the memory. Thus conversion of image data from the original resolution to the resolution required in the display can be dispensed with.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus stores image data by compressing the image data in succession to a predetermined resolution, comparing the data before compression and the data after compression at each stage of the compressions to generate encoded data, and storing thus compressed image data and a plurality of thus generated encoded data in a memory. For image display or image output, the image data of a resolution required for such image display are prepared from the compressed image data and the encoded data stored in the memory. Thus conversion of image data from the original resolution to the resolution required in the display can be dispensed with.