JP2019149132A - Application program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an application program utilizing a cloud server, with which it is possible to improve the ease of use when authenticating the cloud server.SOLUTION: A scan application 41 causes a PC 1 to function as a local server 43 when an authentication indication to a cloud A is accepted. The local server 43 instructs a browser 42 that the authentication screen of the cloud A be displayed and the local server 43 be designed as a redirect destination, placing the browser 42 in an active state and the scan application 41 in an inactive state. When a redirect request is received via the browser 42, the local server 43 instructs the browser 42 that a finish screen be displayed which indicates the result of authentication to the cloud A and which includes specific information indicating that the scan application 41 be placed in an active state, placing the browser 42 in an active state and the scan application 41 in an inactive state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The technical field of the technique disclosed in this specification is a technical field related to an application program that uses a cloud server.

  In recent years, a technique for uploading or downloading data from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) or a smartphone to a cloud server on the Internet is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which read data read by a scanner is uploaded to a server.

JP 2014-45461 A

  In an application program that uses a cloud server, the user is requested to perform an operation necessary for authentication to the cloud server. There is room for improvement in the operation of the application program at the time of authentication.

  Specifically, when requesting access permission from the application program to the cloud server when authenticating to the cloud server, the browser that is a program different from the application program displays the authentication screen provided by the cloud server, When information necessary for authentication is input by the user via the authentication screen, authentication on the cloud server is performed. Thereafter, although the browser is in an active state, it is difficult for the user to understand that the user needs to return the application program to the active state again, which may cause confusion.

  The present specification discloses a technology that solves the problem of improving the usability at the time of authentication to a cloud server, which is an application program that uses the cloud server.

  An application program made for the purpose of solving this problem is an application program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus, and the application program is in an active state on the computer via a user interface of the information processing apparatus Then, when an authentication instruction reception process for receiving an authentication instruction to the cloud server is executed, and when the computer receives the authentication instruction in the authentication instruction reception process, the computer functions as a local server that is a web server of a local host, Displaying an authentication screen provided by the cloud server on a browser incorporated in the information processing apparatus when the authentication instruction is received in the authentication instruction receiving process on the computer; and A browser instruction process for instructing to be a redirect destination of a direct request; and a first browser active process for making the browser active and making the application program inactive; Is a completion screen showing an authentication result to the cloud server when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser after the browser instruction processing, and displays the application program on the computer. An authentication result display process for instructing the browser to display the completion screen including specific information indicating that the application program is to be activated, the browser is activated, and the application program is deactivated Second browser If the computer has been successfully authenticated to the cloud server, the execution of the process using the cloud server in the active state of the application program is performed via the user interface. An execution instruction reception process for receiving an instruction is executed, and when the execution instruction is received in the execution instruction reception process, the process corresponding to the execution instruction is executed.

  The application program disclosed in this specification causes the computer of the information processing apparatus to function as a local server when receiving an authentication instruction to the cloud server. The local server displays an authentication screen on the browser, further activates the browser, and deactivates the application program. When the local server receives the redirect request, the local server instructs the browser to display a completion screen indicating the authentication result to the cloud server. The completion screen includes specific information indicating that the application program is to be activated. Therefore, the user can recognize that the application program needs to be in an active state, and can expect a reduction in confusion.

  An information processing apparatus incorporating the application program, a computer-readable storage medium storing the application program, and a control method for realizing the function of the application program are also novel and useful.

  According to the technology disclosed in the present specification, a technology that is an application program that uses a cloud server and that improves usability when authenticating to the cloud server is realized.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of PC. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the selection screen of a preservation | save destination. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the selection screen of a cloud. It is a sequence diagram which shows an authentication procedure. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the input screen of authentication request information. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the screen which receives authentication permission. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the completion screen at the time of completion of authentication. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the screen after completion of authentication. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a scan application process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an upload process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a local server process.

  In the present specification, an embodiment embodying an application program (hereinafter referred to as “application”) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present embodiment discloses a scan application that can be executed by a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment is connected to the scanner 2 and receives image data from the scanner 2. The PC 1 is an example of an information processing apparatus. The PC 1 is a device that can execute various programs. For example, a tablet computer or a smartphone may be used instead of the PC 1. The scanner 2 reads a document, acquires image data, and transmits the acquired image data to the PC 1. The number of scanners 2 connected to the PC 1 is not limited to one, and a plurality of scanners may be used. The PC 1 is not limited to the scanner, but may be connected to a device capable of acquiring and transmitting image data, such as a copier, a multifunction device, a FAX device, and a digital camera.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 of this embodiment is connected to the Internet 100 and is connected to the cloud server 101 and the cloud server 102 via the Internet 100. That is, the user of the PC 1 can use various cloud services provided via the Internet 100 using the PC 1.

  Each cloud service manages one or more storage servers and authentication servers, and provides services for uploading and downloading data to the managed storage servers. One of the storage servers may also serve as the authentication server. Hereinafter, a storage server and an authentication server managed by one cloud service are not distinguished and are collectively referred to as a “cloud server”. 1 illustrates a state in which two cloud servers 101 and 102 are connected to the PC 1, but the number of accessible cloud servers is larger, and the number of cloud servers that are actually connected is limited. Not.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the PC 1 according to this embodiment includes a control board 10 including a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, and a nonvolatile memory 14. Furthermore, a touch panel 15, a network communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “IF”) 16, and a USB-IF 17 are provided, and these are electrically connected to the control board 10. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer.

  The ROM 12 stores a startup program for starting the MFP 100 and the like. The RAM 13 is used as a work area when various processes are executed or as a storage area for temporarily storing data. The nonvolatile memory 14 is, for example, an HDD or a flash memory, and is used as an area for storing data such as various programs and image data and various settings.

  The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the ROM 12 and the nonvolatile memory 14 and based on user instructions. Note that the control board 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used for controlling the PC 1 and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the PC 1.

  The touch panel 15 is hardware that accepts user operations and displays information. That is, the touch panel 15 is an example of a user interface having both an input function and an output function. The user interface is not limited to the touch panel 15, and may be a combination of a display, a keyboard, and a mouse.

  The network communication IF 16 includes hardware for communicating with an external device via the Internet 100. The communication method of the network communication IF 16 may be wireless or wired, and may be any standard method such as LAN or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The USB-IF 17 includes hardware for communicating with the scanner 2. There may be a scanner connected via the network communication IF 16.

  Various programs including an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) 40, a scan application 41, and a browser 42 are stored in the nonvolatile memory 14 of the PC 1. The scan application 41 communicates with the scanner 2 based on a user's instruction, transmits reading settings to the scanner 2 and instructions for executing reading, and receives, displays, and receives image data read by the scanner 2. A program for storing image data. The browser 42 is a program that displays a web page. A part of the OS 40 may be included in the ROM 12.

  The medium in which the scan application 41 is stored is not limited to the nonvolatile memory 14. The medium in which the scan application 41 is stored may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. Non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM in addition to the above examples. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in the media.

  Next, the operation of the scan application 41 will be described. Note that the processing in the following description and each processing step in the flowchart basically indicate processing of the CPU 11 in accordance with an instruction described in a program such as the scan application 41. That is, processes such as “determination”, “acquisition”, “acceptance”, and “control” in the following description represent processes of the CPU 11. The processing by the CPU 11 includes hardware control using an IF (also referred to as API) for exchanging data with other modules of the OS 40 of the PC 1. In this specification, description of the OS 40 is omitted, and the operation of each program will be described. That is, in the following description, the statement that “the program P controls the hardware H” may refer to “the program P controls the hardware H using the API of the OS 40”. “Acquisition” is used in a concept that does not require a request. That is, the process that the CPU 11 receives data without requesting it is also included in the concept of “the CPU 11 acquires data”. Further, “data” in this specification is represented by a bit string readable by a computer. Data having substantially the same semantic content but different formats are handled as the same data. The same applies to “information” in this specification. Further, “requesting” and “instructing” are concepts indicating that information indicating a request or information indicating an instruction is output to the other party. Information indicating that the request is being made and information indicating that the request is being made are also simply referred to as “request” and “instruction”.

  Moreover, the process of CPU11 according to the instruction | indication described in the program may be described by the abbreviation text. For example, it may be described as “performed by CPU 11” or “performed by scan application 41”. Further, the process of determining whether or not the information A indicates the matter B is a process by the CPU 11 such as “determining whether or not the information A is the matter B”. May be described. Further, a process for determining whether the information A indicates the matter B or the matter C, which is a process by the CPU 11, is referred to as “from the information A to the matter C. It may be described conceptually as “determine if there is”.

  Upon receiving an activation instruction, the scan application 41 according to the present embodiment displays an application window on the touch panel 15 and accepts a user operation. The scan application 41, for example, causes the scanner 2 to read an image of a document based on a user instruction, receives image data from the scanner 2, and stores the received image data in a designated storage location. The procedure for uploading image data to the cloud server will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of an application window 411 displayed by the scan application 41 when an instruction to save image data is received. In FIG. 2, the scanned image area 81 of the application window 411 includes an image of image data received from the scanner 2. In addition, as save destination options, a “save to PC” button 82, a “save to cloud service” button 83, and an “open with application” button 84 are included. Then, the scan application 41 receives operations on the buttons 82 to 84.

  When the scan application 41 receives an operation on the button 83, the scan application 41 displays a cloud selection window 412 for receiving selection of an upload destination cloud server. FIG. 3 shows an example of the cloud selection window 412. The cloud selection window 412 is displayed in front of the application window 411.

  FIG. 3 shows an example in which a “cloud A” button 85 and a “cloud B” button 86 are displayed as options for the cloud server, and “cloud A” is selected. Each cloud server has an individual management system. Therefore, when uploading image data to the cloud server, the scan application 41 needs to be authenticated in accordance with the rules of the selected cloud server and acquire authentication information. In the cloud selection window 412, as shown in FIG. 3, “sign-in” buttons 851 and 861 for each cloud server are also displayed.

  In the cloud selection window 412, for example, the scan application 41 receives a selection of a cloud server by operating the button 85, and further receives a sign-in instruction by operating the button 851, and then performs a procedure for acquiring authentication information. Start. The button 851 is a button for accepting an instruction of “sign-in” to the cloud server, and also has a function of indicating that the user is not currently signed in to the cloud server, that is, a sign-out state.

  In the cloud server, for example, an authentication method using OAuth 2.0 is adopted. In the authentication method using OAuth 2.0, for example, an access token that is authentication information is acquired by the procedure shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. FIG. 4 shows a procedure for requesting authentication to the cloud server by a user who has already created an account to the cloud server. Cloud A is a program executed on the cloud server.

  When the operation to the button 851 illustrated in FIG. 3 is received, the scan application 41 executes a sign-in procedure to the cloud A as illustrated in FIG. When receiving the sign-in instruction (procedure 51), the scan application 41 first activates the local server 43 (procedure 52) and further activates the browser 42 (procedure 53).

  The local server 43 is a program that causes the PC 1 itself to operate as a web server of the local host. The web server of the local host is a web server configured to operate inside a device on which the web server operates and to be used by a client. That is, the local server 43 can perform HTTP communication within the browser 42 and the PC 1 in the same manner as a web server published on the Internet 100 performs HTTP communication with the browser.

  In step 53 of FIG. 4, the scan application 41 instructs the browser 42 of the URL of the authentication page of the cloud server to be accessed and the URL of the local server 43 as the redirect destination. The URL of the authentication page of each selectable cloud server is registered in the scan application 41 in advance. The scan application 41 reads the URL of the authentication page of the selected cloud server and sets it as the activation option of the browser 42.

  When the browser 42 is activated in the procedure 53 of FIG. 4, the browser 42 transmits an authentication procedure start request to the cloud A (procedure 54), and receives web page data of the authentication page from the cloud A (procedure). 55). Hereinafter, web page data indicating a page is also simply referred to as “page”. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the browser 42 displays a browser display screen 421 including an authentication page of cloud A on the touch panel 15. The authentication page of the cloud server is an example of an authentication screen.

  Note that the cloud server may provide a service for displaying registration information of a transmission source application. For example, the manufacturer of the scan application 41 applies in advance to the service provider of the cloud server to register registration information such as the application name and application icon in association with the identification information of the scan application 41. The service provider registers the registration information in the cloud server. When the cloud server receives the identification information of the scan application 41 at the start of the authentication procedure, the cloud server transmits web page data including the corresponding registration information to the browser 42. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, information related to the scan application 41, for example, the name of the application and the icon 91 of the application are displayed on the authentication page. The application icon 91 is an example of application information, and the identification information of the scan application 41 is an example of a command.

  On the authentication page of cloud A, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, an ID input field 92, a password input field 93, and a login button 94 are displayed. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the browser 42 accepts an input operation for authentication request information on the authentication page being displayed (procedure 56). The authentication request information is, for example, a set of an ID, an e-mail address, and a password, and is account information registered in the cloud A in advance by the user. Further, when the browser 42 accepts an operation to the login button 94 shown in FIG. 5 in a state where the authentication request information is input, the browser 42 transmits the input authentication request information to the cloud A as shown in FIG. Authentication is requested (procedure 57).

  Note that a button for creating an account may be displayed on the authentication page. A user who has not created an account, for example, moves from the authentication page to the account creation page, and executes the authentication procedure after creating the account. Further, the browser 42 may have a cache function and may store ID and password information input in the past. The browser 42 may display the initial information in the ID input field 92 and the password input field 93 with reference to the cache information. If the browser 42 has cache information, the input operation in step 56 may be omitted and the operation on the login button 94 in step 57 may be accepted.

  Cloud A performs an authentication process based on the authentication request information (procedure 58). If authentication is possible after the authentication process, the cloud A transmits a confirmation page to the browser 42 (procedure 59). An example of the confirmation page is shown in FIG. When the browser 42 receives the confirmation page, the browser 42 displays the confirmation page on the browser display screen 421. As shown in FIG. 6, the confirmation page displays a cancel button 95, a permission button 96, and a character string indicating that authentication is normally completed by operating the permission button 96. Then, the browser accepts operations on the buttons 95 and 96 on the confirmation page.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the browser 42 accepts an operation of the permission button 96 (procedure 60), the browser 42 transmits permission information to the cloud A (procedure 61). Cloud A receives the permission information and transmits the authorization code and the redirect destination information to browser 42 (procedure 62). The redirect destination information transmitted in the procedure 62 is the URL of the local server 43 specified in the procedure 53.

  Note that if an error occurs during the authentication procedure to the cloud A, or if an operation to the cancel button 95 is accepted on the confirmation page shown in FIG. 6, the cloud A does not transmit an authorization code. In this case, the browser 42 receives error information or cancellation information in step 62.

  The browser 42 redirects to the URL of the local server 43 based on the information received from the cloud A (procedure 63). That is, the browser 42 makes a redirect request for requesting the local server 43 to pass information on the web page to be displayed. In the redirect request, the browser 42 passes the information received from the cloud A to the local server 43. The information passed to the local server 43 in the procedure 63 includes, for example, a cloud A authorization code, error information, and cancellation information.

  The local server 43 determines whether or not the authorization code is included in the redirect request received in the procedure 63 (procedure 64). As shown in FIG. 4, when determining that the authorization code is included, the local server 43 transmits the received authorization code to the cloud A (procedure 65). When the cloud A receives the authorization code, the cloud A transmits a pair of an access token and a refresh token to the local server 43 that is the transmission source of the authorization code (procedure 66). Thus, the authentication procedure for the cloud A is completed, and the local server 43 determines that the authentication is successful by receiving the combination of the access token and the refresh token.

  When the authentication is successful, the local server 43 acquires data of an authentication completion screen that is a completion screen indicating the authentication result (procedure 67). Specifically, for example, in the case of an authentication completion screen 98 as shown in FIG. 7, the PC 1 displays data indicating the configuration of the web page and each component displayed in the page (for example, reference numerals 981 to 981 in FIG. 7). 984) is stored in the program files of the local server 43 and the scan application 41, or in a reference file referenced from each program. The local server 43 reads out these data and combines them to create web page data.

  Then, the local server 43 passes the authentication completion screen data to the browser 42 and instructs the browser 42 to display the data (procedure 68). At this time, the browser 42 becomes active, and an authentication completion screen 98 is displayed on the browser display screen 421, for example, as shown in FIG. An authentication completion screen 98 shown in FIG. 7 is a web page to be displayed on the browser 42 when authentication is successful, and is a completion screen for notifying the user that the authentication procedure has been completed. Details of the authentication completion screen 98 will be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the local server 43 passes the received combination of the access token and the refresh token to the scan application 41 (procedure 69). After receiving the access token and the refresh token, the scan application 41 ends the local server 43 (procedure 70).

  When the scan application 41 receives the access token and the refresh token, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the scan application 41 displays a save button 87 in the cloud selection window 412. Also, the button 851 (see FIG. 3) displayed in the button 85 is changed to a button 852 that receives a “sign-out” instruction, as shown in FIG. The button 852 also has a function of indicating that signing in to cloud A is in progress. Instead of the button 852, the scan application 41 may display indirect information indicating the sign-in state, such as an icon indicating sign-out.

  For example, the scan application 41 is activated by a user operation. Further, the scan application 41 receives an operation on the save button 87. When the scan application 41 accepts an operation to the save button 87, the scan application 41 transmits the image data with an access token attached (procedure 71). As a result, the image data is stored in the storage server of cloud A.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 64 that the authorization code is not included in the redirect request, the local server 43, as shown in FIG. 4, displays an unauthenticated screen that is a completion screen indicating that the authentication is not completed. (Step 72). Then, the local server 43 passes the unauthenticated screen data to the browser 42 and instructs the browser 42 to display it (procedure 73). At this time, the browser 42 is in an active state, and an unauthenticated screen is displayed on the browser display screen 421. The unauthenticated screen is a web page that is displayed on the browser 42 when the authentication procedure is not completed, and is a completed screen for notifying the user that authentication has failed.

  Furthermore, the local server 43 passes information indicating that it is not authenticated to the scan application 41 (procedure 74). After receiving the information indicating that the scan application 41 is not authenticated, the scan application 41 terminates the local server 43 (procedure 75).

  Next, the authentication completion screen 98 will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a color bar 981, authentication completion information 982, operation instruction information 983, a switching button 984, and a favicon 985 of the scan application 41 are displayed on the authentication completion screen 98. The In addition, it is not necessary to display all of these, and at least one is good to display. The color bar 981, the authentication completion information 982, the operation instruction information 983, the switching button 984, and the favicon 985 are all information indicating that the scan application 41 is activated, and is an example of specific information.

  The color bar 981 is a theme color band of the scan application 41 as shown in FIG. The theme color is, for example, the color used for the title bar of the application window 411 and the background color of the application window 411. The theme color is unique to the scan application 41 and is not the OS 40 theme color. In addition to the color bar 981, the background color of the page may be used as the theme color, or the characters in the page may be displayed in the theme color. By setting the page using the theme color of the scan application 41, it is easy to tell the user that the target to be activated is the scan application 41. That is, by displaying the color bar 981 of the theme color, it can be suggested that the scan application 41 is indirectly activated.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the authentication completion information 982 is text information indicating that the authentication procedure has been completed. The operation instruction information 983 is character information indicating that the display screen of the scan application 41 is activated. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the operation instruction information 983 includes a message 983 </ b> A for terminating the browser 42 and a name 983 </ b> B of the scan application 41. The operation instruction information 983 can prompt the user to exit the browser 42 and return to the operation of the scan application 41.

  By including the message 983A in the operation instruction information 983, it is easy to inform the user that the browser 42 needs to be terminated by the user. Also, by specifying the name 983B of the scan application 41 in the operation instruction information 983, it is easy to inform the user that the target to be activated is the scan application 41.

  Note that the scan application 41 selects a language to be used from a plurality of languages, and for example, various character information displayed on the application window 411 is expressed in the selected language. The scan application 41 has a page on which authentication completion information 982 and operation instruction information 983 are written in each usable language as an authentication completion screen. In step 67, the local server 43 acquires data of pages written in the language selected by the scan application 41 among the pages on the authentication completion screen. By writing the text information of the authentication completion information 982 and the operation instruction information 983 in the same language as the language used by the scan application 41, the user can easily understand the contents.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the switching button 984 is an input area for accepting an input operation for making the scan application 41 active. For example, the page data of the authentication completion screen 98 is prepared including a Java (registered trademark) script that is executed when the area of the switching button 984 is operated. Specifically, a Java script that instructs the local server 43 to activate the display screen of the scan application 41 is included in the page data of the authentication completion screen 98. When an operation to the switching button 984 is received, the browser 42 executes the Java script, so that the local server 43 passes a command to activate the scan application 41 to the OS 40, and the scan application 41 The display screen becomes active.

  Alternatively, it may be determined whether or not the local server 43 has accepted an operation for the area of the switching button 984. If it is determined that the scan application 41 has been received, the local server 43 may instruct the OS 40 to make the scan application 41 active. By displaying the switch button 984, an input for returning the scan application 41 to the active state is accepted in the authentication completion screen 98. Therefore, the display can be easily switched by operating the buttons. Note that a button for closing the browser 42 may be provided instead of the switching button 984 that activates the scan application 41.

  The tab of the authentication completion screen 98 may include a favicon 985 of the scan application 41 as shown in FIG. Favicon is an abbreviation for favorite icon, and is an icon indicating a symbol mark of a website. The browser 42 displays the favicon on a tab, a bookmark, or the like. The local server 43 passes the data of the favicon 985 to the browser 42 for display. The favicon 985 is an icon created to be displayed in a small size while retaining the taste of the icon of the application that has been applied to the cloud server service provider. The local server 43 and the scan application 41 are the same as the favicon 985. Images as icons.

  The display of the favicon 985 also makes it easy to inform the user that the target to be activated is the scan application 41. Then, by including the favicon 985 of the scan application 41 in the tab of the authentication completion screen 98, it can be suggested that the scan application 41 is indirectly activated. It should be noted that at least one of the icon in the application window 411 and the favicon 985 may be edited so as to be displayed small while leaving the icon taste.

  Note that, when the authentication procedure is not completed and a redirect request is received, such as when a cancel operation is received on the confirmation page (see FIG. 6), an unauthenticated screen is displayed as described above. In this embodiment, the unauthenticated screen also includes information indicating that the scan application 41 is in an active state, like the authentication completion screen 98. However, the unauthenticated screen includes information indicating that the authentication has not been completed, instead of the authentication completion information 982 on the authentication completion screen 98. In addition, the unauthenticated screen may include information indicating the reason for unauthenticated, such as being canceled, as character information.

  As described above, various types of data included in the web page such as the authentication completion screen 98 and the unauthenticated screen are stored in the program files of the local server 43 and the scan application 41, or in the reference files referred to by each program, that is, It is stored in a common area of the nonvolatile memory 14. The local server 43 and the scan application 41 refer to data stored in the nonvolatile memory 14 in common, so that common settings and parts, for example, a common application name, a common theme color, and a common Icons, common language can be used.

  Instead of storing in the common area, when the scan application 41 activates the local server 43, the scan application 41 passes the common information to the local server 43 and uses the information passed by the local server 43. You may do that. In addition, the name of the application and the application icon for which registration is requested from the service provider of the cloud server may be the same as that used by the local server 43 and the scan application 41 for display.

  Moreover, you may accept selection by a user about a use language, a theme color, and the icon of an application. For example, the scan application 41 may accept a user selection from a selection menu. Further, the scan application 41 may automatically select a color that is not uncomfortable as compared to the theme color of the OS 40 as the theme color, and store the selected color in the nonvolatile memory 14 as the theme color and the icon color. . In addition to the settings and components described above, the scan application 41 accepts user selection and input regarding information displayed in common in the application window and each web page, and the received information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 14. It may be stored and used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, since the browser 42 is in an active state in step 68 or 73, the scan application 41 is inactive at the timing when the authentication completion screen 98 or the unauthenticated screen is displayed. State. Therefore, in order to continue the operation on the scan application 41, the scan application 41 needs to be in an active state. The information indicating that the scan application 41 is activated is included in the authentication completion screen 98 and the unauthenticated screen, so that the user's attention can be drawn.

  Next, the procedure of the scan application process that realizes the operation of the scan application 41 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This scan application process is executed by the CPU 11 when the activation instruction of the scan application 41 is received by the PC 1.

  In the scan application process, the CPU 11 acquires the language used in the OS 40 (S101). For example, the CPU 11 can acquire the language used by making an inquiry to the OS 40. Then, the CPU 11 opens the application window 411 (see FIG. 2) of the scan application 41 (S102), and sets the page displayed on the application window 411 to be a page including character information of the language used in the OS 40. (S103).

  And CPU11 judges whether the instruction | indication which selects a language was received (S104). A user who wants to use a language different from the language used in the OS 40 can select and set the language used by the scan application 41 from selectable languages using a language selection menu. If it is determined that a language selection instruction has been received (S104: YES), the CPU 11 sets the selected language as the language used (S105), and sets the page of the application window 411 as the language used. On the other hand, when determining that the language selection instruction has not been received (S104: NO), the CPU 11 sets the language of the OS 40 as the language to be used (S106). The CPU 11 stores information indicating the language used in the nonvolatile memory 14. S105 and S106 are an example of a selection process.

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the scan application 41 has received an instruction to save to the cloud server (S107). When it is determined that an instruction that is not a storage instruction to the cloud server has been received (S107: NO), the CPU 11 executes an operation that has received the instruction (S108).

  When it is determined that an instruction to save to the cloud server has been received (S107: YES), the CPU 11 executes an upload process (S109). The upload process is an instruction that is selected after image data is acquired by a scan instruction or the like, and image data to be uploaded has already been acquired at the start of the upload process. The procedure of the upload process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the upload process, the CPU 11 displays the cloud selection window 412 (see FIG. 3), which is a cloud server selection screen, on the touch panel 15 in an active state (S201). The scan application 41 according to the present embodiment can select an upload destination from a plurality of cloud servers, and determines an upload destination cloud server based on the user's selection.

  And CPU11 judges whether selection of the cloud server was received (S202). When determining that the selection of the cloud server has not been received (S202: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not a cancel instruction has been received (S203). If it is determined that a cancel instruction has not been received (S203: NO), the CPU 11 waits until a cloud server selection or cancel instruction is received.

  When determining that the selection of the cloud server has been accepted (S202: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the user is currently signed in to the selected cloud server (S204). If it is determined that the user is not signed in (S204: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not a sign-in instruction has been received via the touch panel 15 (S205). As described above, the sign-in instruction is accepted by operating a button (for example, button 851 in FIG. 3) displayed on the active cloud selection window 412.

  If it is determined that a sign-in instruction has not been received (S205: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S202, and receives a selection of a cloud server, a cancel instruction, or a sign-in instruction. The process of accepting a sign-in instruction in S205 is an example of an authentication instruction accepting process, and the sign-in instruction is an example of an authentication instruction.

  If it is determined that a sign-in instruction has been received (S205: YES), the CPU 11 activates the local server 43 (S206) (step 52 in FIG. 4). Further, the CPU 11 activates the browser 42 (procedure 53 in FIG. 4), designates the local server 43 activated in S206 as a redirect destination, and instructs to display the authentication screen of the designated cloud server (S207). . S207 is an example of browser instruction processing.

  In response to the instruction in S207, the display screen of the browser 42 is displayed on the touch panel 15 in an active state, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. Therefore, the display screen of the scan application 41 such as the cloud selection window 412 is in an inactive state. That is, when the browser display screen 421 that is the window of the browser 42 is displayed in the foreground and the browser display screen 421 is arranged so as to overlap the application window 411, at least a part of the application window 411 is visible to the user. No state. S207 is also an example of browser active processing and first browser active processing.

  A window that is in an inactive state is changed to an active state by the OS 40 based on a user operation that instructs to change to an active state, such as a click on the window or a touch on the window. The predetermined window being in an active state indicates that the window is a target for accepting a user operation other than an operation instructing a change to the active state. User operations other than an instruction to change to an active state include, for example, button input, character input, and cursor movement. Note that a click or touch on a button included in a window in an inactive state may serve as both an instruction to change to an active state and an operation on the button. There is one program in the active state in the system, and when a certain program is made active, the other programs are controlled by the OS 40 so that they become inactive.

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether authentication information has been received from the local server 43 (S208). The authentication information may be a combination of the access token and the refresh token described above, or may be a single token or an authentication key. When determining that the authentication information has not been received (S208: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether error information has been received (S209).

  For example, when an error occurs during the authentication procedure for the cloud A, or when an operation to the cancel button 95 is accepted on the confirmation page shown in FIG. 6, the cloud A does not transmit an authorization code. In this case, the browser 42 receives error information or cancellation information in the procedure 62 of FIG. Then, since the received information is not an authorization code, the local server 43 does not perform the procedure 65 of FIG. 4 and the authentication procedure does not succeed. When the authentication is not successful, the scan application 41 receives error information indicating that the authentication is not performed from the local server 43.

  If it is determined that no error information has been received (S209: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S208 and waits until receiving authentication information or error information. If it is determined that error information has been received (S209: YES), the CPU 11 terminates the local server 43 (S210). Further, the process returns to S202, and a cloud server selection, cancellation instruction, or sign-in instruction is accepted.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the authentication information has been received (S208: YES) (step 69 in FIG. 4), the CPU 11 also terminates the local server 43 (S211) (step 70 in FIG. 4). Note that the local server 43 may terminate the local server 43 itself. In that case, S210 and S211 are unnecessary.

  Then, the CPU 11 changes the display of the button 851 (see FIG. 3) of the cloud selection window 412 to a display indicating that sign-in is being performed for the cloud server that has been authenticated (S212). S212 is an example of a sign-in display process. The CPU 11 deletes the button 851 and displays a button 852 indicating “sign out”, for example, as shown in FIG. By displaying the button 852, it is easy to inform the user that the user is in the signed-in state.

  After S212 or when it is determined that the user is already signed in (S204: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to save to the cloud server has been received (S213). Saving to the cloud server is an example of processing using the cloud server, the saving instruction is an example of an execution instruction, and S213 is an example of an execution instruction receiving process.

  If the selected cloud server is signed in, the scan application 41 displays a save button 87 in the cloud selection window 412 as shown in FIG. Then, the CPU 11 accepts an operation to the save button 87 while the scan application 41 is active. However, as described above, the browser 42 is in an active state in S107, and even after the local server 43 is terminated, the browser 42 remains in an active state unless a user operation is accepted. In this embodiment, the information 981 to 985 is included in the authentication completion screen 98 (see FIG. 7), thereby prompting a user operation for making the scan application 41 active.

  The scan application 41 does not need to determine whether or not the scan application 41 is in an active state when accepting an operation on the save button 87. For example, as described above, when a click or touch on a button also serves as an instruction to change to an active state, the scan application 41 proceeds to the save button 87 regardless of whether or not it is in an active state. The operation of is accepted.

  When it is determined that an instruction to save to the cloud server has not been received (S213: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether an instruction to cancel saving to the cloud server has been received (S214). If it is determined that a cancel instruction has not been received (S214: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S213 and waits until a save instruction or a cancel instruction is received.

  If it is determined that an instruction to save to the cloud server has been received (S213: YES), the CPU 11 sends the image data to the cloud server with the authentication information received in S208 (S215) (procedure 71 in FIG. 4). ). Then, after S215, or when it is determined that a cancel instruction has been accepted (S214: YES), or when the cloud selection is canceled (S203: YES), the CPU 11 ends the upload process.

  Next, the procedure of the local server process that is the process of the local server 43 activated in S206 of the upload process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The local server process is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 1 when the local server 43 is activated.

  In the local server process, the CPU 11 determines whether a redirect request has been received (S301). If it is determined that a redirect request has not been received (S301: NO), the CPU 11 waits until a redirect request is received.

  When determining that the redirect request has been received (S301: YES), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the authorization code is included in the received redirect request (S302). When determining that the authorization code is included (S302: YES), the CPU 11 transmits the authorization code to the cloud server (S303) (step 65 in FIG. 4). Then, the CPU 11 receives a set of an access token and a refresh token from the cloud server (S304) (procedure 66 in FIG. 4).

  Further, the CPU 11 acquires data of a completion screen indicating that the authentication result is authentication completion (S305) (procedure 67 in FIG. 4). CPU11 reads the web page data of the authentication completion screen 98 (refer FIG. 7) from the non-volatile memory 14, for example as a completion screen which shows having been authenticated.

  Then, the CPU 11 instructs the browser 42 to display the acquired data (S306) (procedure 68 in FIG. 4). The CPU 11 passes the acquired data on the authentication completion screen 98 to the browser 42. As a result, the browser 42 is in an active state, and the scan application 41 is in an inactive state. S307 is an example of an authentication result display process and a second browser active process. Further, the CPU 11 passes the received set of access token and refresh token to the scan application 41 (S307) (step 69 in FIG. 4).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the authorization code is not included in the received redirect request (S302: NO), the CPU 11 acquires data of a completion screen indicating that the authentication could not be performed (S308) (procedure of FIG. 4). 72). For example, when the authentication is canceled, the CPU 11 reads the web page data of the unauthenticated screen when the authentication is canceled from the nonvolatile memory 14 as a completion screen indicating that the authentication could not be performed.

  Then, the CPU 11 instructs the browser 42 to display the acquired data (S309) (procedure 73 in FIG. 4). In S309, the CPU 11 passes the data of the incomplete screen 99 to the browser 42, for example. As a result, the browser 42 is in an active state, and the scan application 41 is in an inactive state. S310 is also an example of the authentication result display process and the second browser active process. Then, the CPU 11 passes error information indicating that the authentication result is incomplete authentication to the scan application 41 (S310) (procedure 74 in FIG. 4).

  When an instruction to display a completion screen on the browser 42 is issued in S306 or S309, the browser 42 is in an active state, and the scan application 41 is in an inactive state. Thereby, the completion screen is displayed in the foreground, and the authentication status is notified to the user. On the other hand, in order to perform the subsequent operation by the scan application 41, the scan application 41 needs to be activated by a user operation. In the scan application 41 according to this embodiment, the authentication completion screen 98 or the unauthenticated screen that is a completion screen includes information indicating that the scan application 41 is activated. The necessity can be easily recognized, and the user's confusion can be reduced.

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an end command for ending the local server 43 has been received (S311). If it is determined that the end command has not been received (S311: NO), the CPU 11 waits until the end command is received. If it is determined that the end command has been received (S311: YES), the CPU 11 ends the local server process and ends the local server 43. Note that the local server 43 may end itself as a time-out if it does not receive a redirect request even after a predetermined time has elapsed after being activated.

  In the local server process described above, only a screen including information for instructing the scan application 41 to be in an active state is displayed, and the scan application 41 is in an active state by a user operation. However, the scan application 41 may be activated by local server processing. In this case, the local server process is a process in which the process for making the scan application 41 active is added to the local server process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Specifically, if the CPU 11 determines that an end command has been received in S311 of the local server process of FIG. 11, the CPU 11 passes a command to activate the scan application 41 to the OS 40 before ending the local server process. . The process of passing the command that activates the scan application 41 to the OS 40 is an example of the application active process. As a result, the application window 411 is activated and displayed on the front surface, so that the user can be prompted to return to the operation of the scan application 41. By automatically returning the scan application 41 to the active state, the user does not need to perform an operation to make the application active, and expects reduction of confusion.

  Even when the scan application 41 is activated, it is preferable to display the above-described completion screen (the authentication completion screen 98 or the unauthenticated screen) on the browser 42. Even when the scan application 41 is in an active state, since there is a user who returns the browser 42 to an active state, the browser 42 includes information indicating that the scan application 41 is in an active state. By displaying the completion screen, the user can recognize that the application needs to be in an active state, and can expect a reduction in confusion. Also, by displaying the completion screen, the user can recognize the completion of authentication.

  If the CPU 11 determines that an end command has been received in S311 of the local server process of FIG. 11, the CPU 11 may pass a command to end the browser 42 to the OS 40 before ending the local server process. The process of passing a command for terminating the browser 42 to the OS 40 is an example of a browser termination process. By closing the browser 42, the browser display screen 421 that is the display screen of the browser 42 is closed, and the display screen on the rear surface of the browser 42 becomes active. Since the browser 42 is activated from the scan application 41, there is a high possibility that the scan application 41 is on the rear surface of the browser 42, and there is a high possibility that the scan application 41 becomes active. After the authentication is completed, the browser 42 becomes unnecessary, so that closing the browser 42 saves the user trouble and increases the use efficiency of the memory.

  Note that the local server 43 may terminate the browser 42 after waiting for the elapse of a predetermined time after displaying the completion screen indicating the authentication result. Alternatively, the browser 42 may be terminated only when the authentication is successful.

  As described above in detail, when receiving the sign-in instruction to the cloud server, the scan application 41 according to the present embodiment activates the browser 42 to display the authentication page, and the authentication result to the cloud server indicates that the browser 42. When the authentication result is displayed on the browser 42, the browser 42 is in an active state, and in order for the user to continue the operation on the scan application 41, the scan application 41 is activated. There is a need. In this embodiment, the authentication completion screen 98 and the unauthenticated screen include information indicating that the scan application 41 is activated. When the authentication result is displayed on the browser 42, by including specific information indicating that the scan application 41 is activated, the user can recognize that the scan application 41 needs to be activated. Reduction can be expected.

  In addition, this Embodiment is only a mere illustration and does not limit this invention at all. Therefore, the present invention can be variously improved and modified without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the device connected to the PC 1 is not limited to an apparatus that acquires image data such as a scanner, but may be an apparatus that performs printing based on image data such as a printer. That is, the technique disclosed in this specification is not limited to an app that uploads image data to a cloud server, but can also be applied to an app that downloads image data from a cloud server.

  Further, for example, the specific information included in the authentication completion screen 98 and the unauthenticated screen is not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, the image of the device to be controlled by the scan application 41 such as the scanner 2, the browser 42 It may be a moving image showing a closing operation, a voice message, or the like.

  Also, for example, screen data acquisition processing by the local server 43 (local server processing S305, S308, steps 67 and 72 in FIG. 4) and display instruction to the browser 42 (local server processing S306, S309, FIG. 4) The procedures 68 and 73) may be after the transmission of the result to the scan application 41 (S307 and S310 of local server processing, procedures 69 and 74 of FIG. 4).

  Further, for example, the authentication method is not limited to the authentication method using OAuth 2.0. The scan application 41 may make an authentication request based on the authentication method employed by the selected cloud server.

  In addition, after successful authentication to the cloud server, the authentication result is notified by the browser, but after the application program is activated, the browser is terminated or the browser overlaps with the application program and is placed on the back side. Thus, it is difficult for the user to determine whether or not the authentication is successful, that is, whether or not the user is in the signed-in state.

  According to the technology of the present specification, since the application program displays the “sign out” button, the user can recognize that the user is in the sign-in state by simply looking at the window of the application program, and can reduce the user's confusion. .

  The processing disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, a plurality of CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the process disclosed in the embodiment can be realized in various modes such as a recording medium or a method in which a program for executing the process is recorded.

1 PC
11 CPU
15 Touch Panel 41 Scan Application 42 Browser 43 Local Server

Claims (15)

An application program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device,
In the computer,
Via the user interface of the information processing apparatus, in a state where the application program is active, execute an authentication instruction reception process for receiving an authentication instruction to the cloud server,
The computer,
When the authentication instruction is accepted in the authentication instruction acceptance process, function as a local server that is a web server of a local host,
In the computer,
When the authentication instruction is received in the authentication instruction reception process,
Browser instruction processing for instructing to display an authentication screen provided by the cloud server on a browser incorporated in the information processing apparatus, and to redirect the local server to a redirect request;
A first browser active process for making the browser active and making the application program inactive;
And execute
The local server is connected to the computer.
After the browser instruction process, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser,
An authentication result display process for instructing the browser to display the completion screen including specific information indicating that the application program is to be activated, the completion screen indicating an authentication result to the cloud server; ,
A second browser active process for making the browser active and making the application program inactive;
And execute
In the computer,
If the authentication to the cloud server is successful, via the user interface, the application program is in an active state, and an execution instruction reception process for receiving an instruction to execute the process using the cloud server is executed.
When the execution instruction is received in the execution instruction reception process, the process corresponding to the execution instruction is executed.
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to claim 1,
In the authentication result display process,
Passing web page data of the completion screen including the name of the application program to the browser;
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to claim 1 or 2,
In the authentication result display process,
Passing web page data of the completion screen including the theme color of the application program to the browser;
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the computer,
A selection process for selecting one language from a plurality of languages is executed.
In the authentication instruction acceptance process,
A screen for accepting the authentication instruction, displaying the screen in the language selected in the selection process;
The message of the specific information corresponds to a plurality of languages;
In the authentication result display process,
Passing web page data of the completion screen in the language selected in the selection process to the browser;
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the authentication result display process,
An input area for accepting input via the user interface to the browser, and when the input is made via the user interface, the completion screen including the input area that activates the application program Pass web page data,
An application program characterized by that. In the application program as described in any one of Claims 1-5,
The favicon on the completion screen is the same as the icon of the application program.
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the authentication result display process,
Passing web page data of the completion screen including a message to terminate the browser to the browser;
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
In the authentication instruction acceptance process,
While accepting the authentication instruction, on the display screen of the application program, information indicating that it is in a sign-out state is displayed,
In the computer,
After the browser instruction processing, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser and the authentication to the cloud server is successful, the application program display screen is in a signed-in state. Execute sign-in display processing to display information indicating
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
In the browser instruction process,
Add a command to display application information specifying the application program to the instruction to display the authentication screen,
In the authentication result display process,
Passing web page data of the completion screen including the application information to the browser;
An application program characterized by that. An application program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device,
In the computer,
Via the user interface of the information processing apparatus, in a state where the application program is active, execute an authentication instruction reception process for receiving an authentication instruction to the cloud server,
The computer,
When the authentication instruction is accepted in the authentication instruction acceptance process, function as a local server that is a web server of a local host,
In the computer,
When the authentication instruction is received in the authentication instruction reception process,
Browser instruction processing for instructing to display an authentication screen provided by the cloud server on a browser incorporated in the information processing apparatus, and to redirect the local server to a redirect request;
Browser active processing for bringing the browser into an active state and inactivating the application program;
And execute
The local server is connected to the computer.
After the browser instruction process, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser,
Causing the browser to be in an inactive state and executing an application active process for bringing the application program into an active state;
In the computer,
If the authentication to the cloud server is successful, via the user interface, the application program is in an active state, and an execution instruction reception process for receiving an instruction to execute the process using the cloud server is executed.
When the execution instruction is received in the execution instruction reception process, the process corresponding to the execution instruction is executed.
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to claim 10,
The local server is connected to the computer.
After the browser instruction process, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser,
Causing browser termination processing to terminate the browser;
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to claim 10,
The local server is connected to the computer.
After the browser instruction process, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser,
An authentication result display process for instructing the browser to display the completion screen that includes specific information indicating that the application program is to be activated, which is a completion screen that indicates an authentication result to the cloud server To execute,
An application program characterized by that. In the application program according to any one of claims 10 to 12,
In the authentication instruction acceptance process,
While accepting the authentication instruction, on the display screen of the application program, information indicating that it is in a sign-out state is displayed,
In the computer,
After the browser instruction processing, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser and the authentication to the cloud server is successful, the application program display screen is in a signed-in state. Execute sign-in display processing to display information indicating
An application program characterized by that. In the application program as described in any one of Claims 10-13,
In the browser instruction process,
A command for displaying application information for specifying the application program is added to the instruction to display the authentication screen.
An application program characterized by that. An application program that can be executed by a computer of an information processing device,
In the computer,
Via the user interface of the information processing apparatus, the application program is in an active state, accepts an authentication instruction to a cloud server, and while accepting the authentication instruction, the application program display screen is in a signed-out state. Execute authentication instruction acceptance processing to display information indicating that there is,
The computer,
When the authentication instruction is accepted in the authentication instruction acceptance process, function as a local server that is a web server of a local host,
In the computer,
When the authentication instruction is received in the authentication instruction reception process,
Browser instruction processing for instructing to display an authentication screen provided by the cloud server on a browser incorporated in the information processing apparatus, and to redirect the local server to a redirect request;
A first browser active process for making the browser active and making the application program inactive;
And execute
In the computer,
After the browser instruction processing, when the local server receives the redirect request via the browser and the authentication to the cloud server is successful, the application program display screen is in a signed-in state. Execute sign-in display processing to display information indicating
An application program characterized by that.

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