1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an image formation apparatus, an image processing system, a memory area sharing method for the image reading apparatus, and a memory area sharing method for the image processing system, and particularly to an image reading apparatus, an image formation apparatus, an image processing system, a memory area sharing method for the image reading apparatus, and a memory area sharing method for the image processing system that allow a P2P connecting scanner printer system to implement an enhanced function processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, multifunction machines having various capabilities, such as those of a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and the like, have been put on the market. The multifunction machine prints an image on a printing paper when functioning as a copying machine or a printer, reads an original and generates an image when functioning as a scanner, and sends an image to or receives it from another piece of equipment through a telephone line when functioning as a facsimile.
With a multifunction machine, various types of information processing are executed with a variety of programs, such as an application, a platform, or the like. As the memory destination of a piece of information pertaining to this information processing, various types of memories, such as an HD (Hard Disk), a memory card, and the like, are available, and further, for example, an image formation apparatus, an information processing apparatus, an information processing program, and a memory medium that allow even an HD and a memory card loaded in a PC (Personal Computer) or a server PC to be utilized are available (for example, referring to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-63422).
In addition, recently, scanners and printers as a single unit having an enhanced capabilities have appeared on the market, and for example, printers that, if additionally equipped with an HD as an option, is capable of covering the function of electronic sorting (a function that is used in printing plural copies for carrying out such an operation as storing the data for a first copy, and printing second and subsequent copies by reading out the stored data, or the like), or the like, have been put on the market.
However, for the user, it is troublesome to additionally install an HD as an option in the printer, and added expenses are required for the additional installation as an option.
Further, in recent years, a scanner printer system that connects the scanner and the printer with an interface that is loosely coupled for both software and hardware has been proposed, and assuming that, in order to realize a copy server in that scanner printer system, not only the scanner but also the printer is additionally provided with an HD, the scanner and the printer both would have an HD, which would be disadvantageous from the viewpoint of cost.