JP2022161441A - Information processing device, program, and system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that generates an integrated screen of applications.SOLUTION: The present invention is an information processing device 104 communicating with a terminal device 101, and includes: a communication unit that receives a request for a screen of an application from the terminal device; and a screen generation unit that, when the communication unit receives a request for a screen of a first application that cooperates with a second application, generates an integrated screen of the first application and the second application using item information used in the screens of the first application and the second application. The communication unit transmits screen information of the integrated screen generated by the screen generation unit to the terminal device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, program, and system.

One of services provided via a network is a service provided by a web application. A user can operate a Web application necessary for providing services and perform processing necessary for business such as printing.

Techniques for GUI (Graphical User Interface) integration are known in order to simplify user operations in Web applications (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200014). Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique in which an information processing apparatus finds, from operation logs, GUI components that handle data items common to different Web applications, and generates an integrated GUI.

However, the conventional technology has a problem that an application screen cannot be generated when the operation log cannot be analyzed. For example, if the operation log of the web application is not recorded or if the operation log is encrypted, the information processing apparatus cannot find common data items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus that generates an application integrated screen.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an information processing apparatus that communicates with a terminal device, comprising: a communication unit that receives a request for an application screen from the terminal device; When a request for a screen of one application is received, an integrated screen of the first application and the second application is displayed using item information used for the screens of the first application and the second application. and a screen generation unit for generating, wherein the communication unit transmits screen information of the integrated screen generated by the screen generation unit to the terminal device.

It is possible to provide an information processing apparatus that generates an application integrated screen.

It is a figure explaining the system configuration example of an information processing system. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a server apparatus. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram illustrating functions of a server device and a terminal device divided into blocks; It is a figure which shows an example of the application registration information of a cooperation application. It is a figure which shows an example of application common data. It is a figure which shows an example of application individual data. FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for a server device to generate an integrated screen of a web application; It is a figure explaining the generation method of an integrated screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the integrated screen which the screen production|generation part produced|generated. FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a procedure for a server device to execute Web application A or B and save output data;

Hereinafter, an information processing system and a display method provided by the information processing system will be described as an example of a mode for carrying out the present invention.

<Terms>
A cooperative application refers to a plurality of web applications that are highly related, such as one web application using the output of another web application. When the user performs a series of operations, use the cooperative application properly. Which web application and which web application are cooperative applications are registered in the server device.

A web application is software that runs on a web browser, or its mechanism, that operates through cooperation between a program written in a programming language (such as JavaScript (registered trademark)) that runs on a web browser and a program on the web server side. . A web application is an example of an application.

An integrated screen is a screen in which screens of a plurality of different applications are combined into one.

<System configuration example>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration example of an information processing system 100 according to this embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes a terminal device 101 , a DFE 102 , one or more image forming apparatuses 103 (two image forming apparatuses 103 A and 103 B in the figure), and a server device 104 .

The terminal device 101 and the server device 104, and the terminal device 101 and the DFE 102 can communicate via a network. The network includes, for example, a LAN within the facility where the image forming apparatus 103 is arranged, and further includes the Internet when the server apparatus 104 or DFE 102 is arranged on the Internet. A system 110 that is part of the information processing system 100 has a terminal device 101 and a server device 104 .

The server device 104 and the image forming device 103 may be connected one-to-one via a dedicated line, or may be connected via a network. Also, the DFE 102 and the image forming apparatus 103 may be connected one-to-one via a dedicated line, or may be connected via a network. Note that the DFE 102 and the image forming apparatus 103 may be integrated or detachable.

A web browser is running on the terminal device 101 . A Web browser can access the server device 104 and display various kinds of information. The terminal device 101 accepts operations such as changing setting values for the image forming apparatus 103 from general users, and transmits these to the server device 104 . The server device 104 transmits setting values to the image forming device 103 .

To log in to the server device 104 , the administrator and general users enter their user IDs and passwords into the terminal device 101 . Since the terminal device 101 transmits the user ID and password to the server device 104, if the authentication by the server device 104 is successful, the user is identified as a general user or an administrator. The screen displayed and the items that can be entered may differ depending on whether the user is a general user or an administrator. Note that the authentication server may perform the authentication of the administrator or the general user.

The terminal device 101 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a wearable PC (sunglass type, wristwatch type, etc.). However, it suffices if a web browser or a dedicated application runs on the server device 104 having a communication function. For example, the terminal device 101 can be a car navigation system, a game machine, a television receiver, or the like.

One or more image forming apparatuses 103 are registered in the server apparatus 104 in advance, and the life and death of the registered image forming apparatuses 103 are periodically monitored. Further, the server apparatus 104 can periodically inquire of the image forming apparatus 103 whether there is an abnormality, or can receive an abnormality notification from the image forming apparatus 103 without inquiring.

Also, the server device 104 generates screen information for a screen displayed by the web browser. The screen information is a program described in HTML, XML, script language, CSS (cascading style sheet), etc. Mainly, the structure of the web page is specified by HTML, and the operation of the web page is specified by the script language. CSS specifies the style of a web page. Also, an application realized by linking screen information on the client side with an application or database on the server side is called a web application. Also in this embodiment, the terminal device 101 or the image forming device 103 and the server device 104 cooperate to execute the web application.

In this way, the server device 104 provides the administrator or general user with a user interface (input operation screen, GUI, etc.) for operating the terminal device 101 . Since the web browser also operates in the image forming apparatus 103 , the server apparatus 104 provides a user interface (input operation screen, GUI, etc.) for operating the image forming apparatus 103 to the administrator or general user. The server device 104 has one or more information processing devices.

The server device 104 may also have input/output devices such as a display, keyboard, mouse, etc., and may serve as a user interface. In this case, the terminal device 101 is unnecessary, and the administrator or general user operates the server device 104 directly.

The DFE 102 is essentially a control device that receives a print job executed by the image forming apparatus 103, performs image processing (RIP: Raster Image Processor), manages progress during execution, and the like.

It is also possible for DFE 102 to have the functionality of server device 104, in which case server device 104 is not required.

The image forming apparatus 103 is an example of equipment that executes a print job in response to a request received from the DFE 102 . Also, when some kind of abnormality occurs, information about the abnormality is transmitted to the server device 104 .

The image forming apparatus 103 has a function of printing an image on paper. Methods for forming an image include an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, and the like. Also, the image forming apparatus 103 may be a multifunction machine or an MFP (Multi-function Peripheral/Product/Printer). The image forming apparatus 103 may be called a printer, a printing device, or the like.

An arbitrary image forming apparatus is simply referred to as an image forming apparatus 103, and specific image forming apparatuses are referred to as image forming apparatuses 103A and 103B.

Also, the image forming apparatus 103 of this embodiment may be a so-called commercial printer. A commercial printer is not a device for printing printed matter for internal use by an employee or the like, but a device for commercial printing in which the printed matter is a product. In commercial printing, the image forming apparatus 103 outputs printed matter used for business activities of general companies and organizations. For example, flyers, pamphlets, posters, catalogs, company guides, manuals, etc. may be output. The image forming apparatus 103 for office use and the image forming apparatus 103 for commercial use mainly differ in printing speed, image quality, compatible paper types and sizes, and the like.

Also, the present embodiment can be applied to equipment other than the image forming apparatus 103 . Devices include, for example, PJs (projectors), electronic blackboards, teleconference terminals, digital signage, HUD (Head Up Display) devices, industrial machines, imaging devices, sound collectors, medical devices, network appliances, game machines, ATMs. , a wearable PC, a desktop PC, or the like.

Note that the configuration in FIG. 1 is an example, and any one of the image forming apparatuses 103 may have the function of the server apparatus 104 . In this case, the server device 104 becomes unnecessary. Server device 104 may have the function of DEF 102 . In this case, the DFE 102 becomes unnecessary. The image forming apparatus 103 may have the functions of the server apparatus 104 and the DFE 102 .

<Hardware configuration>
<<Server Device>>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the server device 104. As shown in FIG. The server device 104 has a configuration similar to that of a computer. The server device 104 has a CPU 201 , ROM 202 , RAM 203 , HDD/SSD 204 , I/F 205 and display 206 .

The CPU 201 uses the RAM 203 as a work area and executes programs stored in the ROM 202 .

HDD/SSD 204 is used as a storage unit. Information stored in the HDD/SSD 204 may be used by the CPU 201 when executing a read program.

An I/F 205 is an interface that enables communication with the image forming apparatus 103 and the terminal device 101 .

A display 206 displays information transmitted from the server device 104 on a web browser or the like.

It should be noted that the hardware configuration of the terminal device 101 may be the same as or different from that of the server device 104, but this will not hinder the explanation of the present embodiment.

<<Image forming apparatus>>
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 103 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 103 is, for example, an inkjet type image forming apparatus 103, and mainly includes a paper feeding unit 401, an image forming unit 306, a drying unit 402, a paper discharging unit 403, and a control device 423. there is In the image forming apparatus 103 , the image forming unit 306 forms an image with ink, which is a liquid for image formation, on paper P, which is a recording material as a sheet material fed from the paper feeding unit 401 . After the drying unit 402 dries the ink adhering to the paper, the paper is discharged by the paper discharging unit 403 .

The paper feeding unit 401 mainly includes a paper feeding tray 411 on which a plurality of papers P are stacked, a feeding device 412 that separates and feeds the papers one by one from the paper feeding tray 411 , and the image forming unit 306 that feeds the papers. It is composed of a pair of registration rollers 413 for feeding. As the feeding device 412, any feeding device can be used, such as a device using rollers or rollers, or a device using air suction. After the leading edge of the paper fed from the paper feeding tray 411 by the feeding device 412 reaches the pair of registration rollers 413, the pair of registration rollers 413 is driven at a predetermined timing to feed the paper to the image forming unit 306. be. Note that in the present embodiment, the configuration of the paper feeding unit 401 is not limited as long as it feeds the paper P to the image forming unit 306 .

The image forming unit 306 mainly includes a receiving cylinder 361 that receives the fed paper P, a paper carrying drum 362 that carries and transports the paper P conveyed by the receiving cylinder 361 on its outer peripheral surface, and a paper carrying drum 362 . and a transfer cylinder 365 for transferring the paper P transported by the paper carrying drum 362 to the drying unit 402 . The paper P transported from the paper feeding unit 401 to the image forming unit 306 is gripped at its leading end by a paper gripper provided on the surface of the receiving cylinder 361 and transported as the surface of the receiving cylinder 361 moves. The paper conveyed by the receiving cylinder 361 is transferred to the paper carrying drum 362 at a position facing the paper carrying drum 362 .

A paper gripper is also provided on the surface of the paper carrying drum 362, and the leading edge of the paper is gripped by the paper gripper. In addition, a plurality of suction holes are dispersedly formed on the surface of the paper carrying drum 362 , and a suction device 363 generates a sucking air current toward the inside of the paper carrying drum 362 in each of the suction holes. The paper P transferred from the receiving cylinder 361 to the paper carrying drum 362 is gripped by the paper gripper at the leading end, is attracted to the surface of the paper carrying drum 362 by the suction air current, and moves along with the movement of the surface of the paper carrying drum 362. transported by

The ink ejection unit 364 of this embodiment ejects four colors of ink, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), to form an image. of liquid ejection heads 364C, 364M, 364Y and 364K. The liquid ejection heads 364C, 364M, 364Y, and 364K are not limited in their configuration as long as they eject liquid, and any configuration can be adopted. The image forming apparatus 103 has a liquid ejection head that ejects special ink such as white, gold, or silver ink, or a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid that does not form an image, such as a surface coating liquid, as required. You can do it.

The ejection operations of the liquid ejection heads 364C, 364M, 364Y, and 364K of the ink ejection section 364 are controlled by drive signals corresponding to image information. When the paper P carried on the paper carrying drum 362 passes through the area facing the ink ejection section 364, the liquid ejection heads 364C, 364M, 364Y, and 364K eject inks of different colors, and an image corresponding to the image information is produced. It is formed. Note that in the present embodiment, the configuration of the image forming unit 306 is not limited as long as the image forming unit 306 forms an image by depositing liquid on the paper P.

The drying unit 402 mainly includes a drying mechanism 421 for drying ink adhered to the paper P in the image forming unit 306, and a transport mechanism 422 for transporting the paper P transported from the image forming unit 306. It is The paper P conveyed from the image forming unit 306 is received by the conveying mechanism 422 , conveyed so as to pass through the drying mechanism 421 , and delivered to the paper discharging unit 403 . When the paper P passes through the drying mechanism 421, the ink on the paper P is subjected to a drying process, whereby liquids such as moisture in the ink evaporate, the ink adheres to the paper P, and the paper P curls. Suppressed.

The paper discharge unit 403 mainly includes a paper discharge tray 431 on which a plurality of sheets P are stacked. The sheets of paper P transported from the drying section 402 are sequentially stacked and held on the discharge tray 431 . Note that, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the discharge unit 403 is not limited as long as it discharges the paper P. FIG.

A control device 423 is an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus 103 . The control device 423 has, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, SSD (HDD), communication device, and the like. The control device 423 communicates with the DFE 102 to receive setting values and operation requests according to execution of the print job.

The image forming apparatus 103 also has an operation panel 440 . The operation panel 440 is a flat panel display such as liquid crystal having a touch panel. An operation panel 440 displays screens generated by applications and web browsers, and accepts user operations. Note that the operation panel 440 may not be integrated with the image forming apparatus 103 and may be attached externally to the image forming apparatus 103 .

<About functions>
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram for explaining the functions of the server device 104 and the terminal device 101 by dividing them into blocks. Note that the functions of the image forming apparatus 103 and the DFE 102 are omitted because they will be described as necessary.

<<Server Device>>
As shown in FIG. 4, the server device 104 has a communication unit 21, an application management unit 23, a screen generation unit 22, an application management unit 23, and a user input unit 24. These functions of the server device 104 are functions or means implemented by the CPU 201 executing instructions included in one or more programs installed in the server device 104 .

Note that each function of the server device 104 includes a web application function realized by cooperation between the server function of the server device 104 and the web browser of the terminal device 101 .

The communication unit 21 communicates with the terminal device 101 (a web application that operates on the terminal device 101) to transmit and receive various types of information. The communication unit 21 has an API (Application Programming Interface) for each application, and identifies the web application used by the terminal device 101 by the IP address of the destination. The communication unit 21 receives operation information input by the user from the terminal device 101 .

The application management unit 23 manages information related to web applications stored in the storage unit 29 and controls execution of the applications. The application management unit 23 transfers input/output data between web applications when a user executes a series of operations using the functions of a plurality of cooperating web applications.

The user input unit 24 receives user operation information received by the communication unit 21 and displays it via the screen generation unit 22 as necessary.

The screen generation unit 22 generates screen information of the web application to be transmitted to the terminal device 101 . Further, when the user executes a plurality of cooperating web applications, the screen generation unit 22 generates an integrated screen in which the screens of the plurality of cooperating web applications are integrated. Although the details will be described later, the screen generation unit 22 acquires item information necessary for operations from a plurality of cooperating Web applications and generates an integrated screen.

The server device 104 also has a storage unit 29 . The storage unit 29 included in the server device 104 is realized by the HDD/SDD 204, RAM 203, etc. included in the server device 104. FIG. The storage unit 29 stores the following information.
・Application registration information for linked applications ・Input/output data used for individual applications (application-specific data)
・Input/output data used by applications (common application data)
FIG. 5 is an example of application registration information of a cooperative application stored in the storage unit 29. As shown in FIG. Application registration information is information registered in a web application. Each item of the application registration information will be described below. Further, when distinguishing between different web applications, they are referred to as web applications A and B. FIG.

- The application ID is identification information for identifying a web application.

- The application name is the name of the web application. In this embodiment, a preflight application (web application A) and an imposition application (web application B) will be described as examples. A preflight application is a web application that detects printing problems in a file to be printed based on a predetermined profile. The imposition application is a web application that accepts settings related to aggregation and aggregates multiple pages into one page.

The connection destination is address information (IP address) of each web application, and the terminal device 101 connects to address information corresponding to the web application selected by the user.

- The user name is the user name entered by the user when using the web application.

- A password is a password which a user inputs when using a web application. FIG. 5 shows a case where the user names and passwords of individual users are not authenticated, but the user names and passwords are the same even if the users are different when using the same Web application. Individual users may be authenticated.

- Item information 1 to N are items that each Web application screen has. For example, the preflight application has a profile loading button, proofreading button, preview button, etc., and the imposition application has items such as double-sided/single-sided (pull-down), aggregation (pull-down), and layout order (pull-down). ing. These are associated with HTML, XML, JavaScript (registered trademark), CSS, etc., and the screen generator 22 can generate an integrated screen using the item information of each Web application.

FIG. 6 is an example of application common data stored in the storage unit 29 . Application common data is data commonly used by web applications even if the web applications are different. Each item of the application common data will be described below.

- The job ID is identification information for identifying a print job.

• File is the file name of the file to be printed in the print job. The file has been sent from the terminal device 101 or the like to the server device 104 .

Application A-file is a file output by Web application A in response to file input. App A-files are files that have been proofread by the preflight app. For example, the application A-files (job1_A.pdf, job2_A.pdf) in FIG. 6 are proofread files obtained by directly proofreading the input files by the preflight application. A proofread file is a file in which colors, fonts, use of transparency, image resolution, total ink amount, PDF version, etc., which are determined to be incompatible as a result of inspection with a profile described later, have been corrected.

Note that the preflight application may output an application A-file with an application B-file as an input.

Application B-file is a file or a file output by Web application B in response to the input of Application A-file. For example, job 1_AB.pdf of application B-file in FIG. 6 is a file imposed by web application B on input of application A-file (job 1_A.pdf). In this way, files are input and output between web applications. Job 3_B.pdf is a file in which Web application B directly imposed the input file.

Note that the application A-file or application B-file for which "none" is set in FIG. 6 indicates that the file was not generated because the user did not execute the web application A or B.

FIG. 7 shows an example of individual application data stored in the storage unit 29. As shown in FIG. The individual application data is data individually input or output by a web application when the web applications are different. Each item of the application individual data will be described below.

- The job ID is identification information for identifying a print job.

Application A - Input data is data that only Web application A uses for input. Profiles are typically entered in the preflight app. A preflight profile is a definition of inspection conditions. In the profile, it is possible to check whether the colors, fonts, use of transparency, image resolution, total ink amount, PDF version compatibility, etc. conform to the specifications of the image forming device, and to automatically correct them if they do not conform. It is set whether or not to

• Application A—The output data is the preflight inspection results. Application A-output data is neither an input for web application A nor an input for web application B.

<< terminal device >>
At least two web applications A and B operate on the terminal device 101 . Web applications A and B each have a communication unit 11 , a display control unit 12 , and an operation reception unit 13 . These functions of the terminal device 101 are functions or means implemented by the CPU of the terminal device 101 executing commands included in a web application running on the terminal device 101 .

The communication unit 11 mainly communicates with the server device 104 . The communication unit 11 receives notifications and screen information transmitted by the server device 104 and transmits user operation information to the server device 104 .

The display control unit 12 analyzes the screen information and displays the web application screen on the display 206 .

The operation accepting unit 13 accepts a user's operation on the screen of the web application.

<Procedure for generating the integrated screen>
Next, a method for generating an integrated screen for Web applications will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an example of a flowchart showing a procedure for the server apparatus 104 to generate an integrated screen of Web applications.

A user operates the terminal device 101 to communicate with the server device 104 . As a result, the terminal device 101 displays a top screen including a list of web applications. A user selects a Web application that is appropriate for the job he or she does. Even if the user selects individual web applications, the terminal device 101 can display the integrated screen generated by the server device 104 .

A user selects Web application A or B. The operation accepting unit 13 accepts the selection, and the communication unit 11 transmits the application ID of the selected web application to the server device 104 . The communication unit 21 of the server device 104 receives the application ID (S1).

First, the application management unit 23 determines whether execution of the cooperative application has been requested based on the application ID (S2). It is assumed that whether or not the application is a cooperative application is determined in advance. For example, when an application ID is registered in the application registration information, it is determined as a cooperative application. In addition, which web application cooperates with which web application is also registered in the application registration information.

In the case of a cooperative application, the screen generator 22 acquires item information from the application registration information (S3). The screen generator 22 acquires the item information 1 to 3 of the web application A and the item information 1 to 3 of the web application B. FIG.

The screen generator 22 generates an integrated screen by arranging item information 1 to 3 of Web application A and item information 1 to 3 of Web application B in a template (model of integrated screen). FIG. 9 shows a method of generating an integrated screen.

The communication unit 21 of the server device 104 transmits the screen information of the integrated screen to the terminal device 101 . The communication unit 11 of the terminal device 101 receives the screen information of the integrated screen, and the display control unit 12 displays it on the display.

<Generation of integrated screen>
A method of generating an integrated screen will be described with reference to FIG. 9A shows a screen example of the web application A, and FIG. 9B shows a screen example of the web application B. FIG. Since the Web applications A and B each have many items, FIG. 9 shows the items explained in this embodiment.

The web application A has a read profile button 31 , a calibration start button 32 and a preview button 33 . The web application B has a double-sided/single-sided setting pull-down menu 41 , an aggregate pull-down menu 42 , and an arrangement order pull-down menu 43 . The item information of these screens is described in HTML, JavaScript (registered trademark), CSS, etc., and can be arranged in the template by the screen generator 22 as components.

FIG. 9C is an example of the template 30 of the integrated screen. The template 30 has a web application A area 501 , a web application B area 502 , and a standard area 503 . The template 30 is, for example, an editor in which HTML data and the like are stored. The screen generation unit 22 arranges the item information 1 to 3 of the web application A in the area 501 of the web application A, arranges the item information 1 to 3 of the web application B in the area 502 of the web application B, and creates the integrated screen. Generate.

A standard area 503 is an area in which standard items are displayed even if the Web application is different, and is automatically generated by the screen generation unit 22 . Items used as standard include, for example, an input file acceptance button.

FIG. 10 is an example of an integrated screen 500 generated by the screen generator 22. As shown in FIG. The integrated screen 500 has the Web application A area 501, the Web application B area 502, and the standard area 503, as described above. The area 501 of Web application A has a read profile button 31 , a calibration start button 32 and a preview button 33 . The area 502 of Web application B has a double-sided/single-sided setting pull-down menu 41 , an aggregate pull-down menu 42 , and an arrangement order pull-down menu 43 . Standard area 503 has input file button 39 and send button 38 .

Therefore, since the user can operate the web applications A and B on the integrated screen 500, when operating the web applications that are linked like the web applications A and B, the user selects the web application A or B again to switch the screen. No need to change.

<Running the linked application>
Next, a procedure for executing Web application A or B from the integrated screen 500 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the procedure for the server device 104 to execute the web application A or B and save the output data.

The user designates an input file with the input file button 39 on the integrated screen 500 and presses the send button 38 . The operation reception unit 13 of the terminal device 101 receives the depression, and the communication unit 11 transmits the input file to the server device 104 . The communication unit 21 of the server device 104 receives the input file (S11).

Also, the user selects an item on the integrated screen 500 and presses the send button 38 . The operation reception unit 13 of the terminal device 101 receives selection of an item, and the communication unit 11 requests the server device 104 to perform processing according to the item. The application management unit 23 determines whether execution of a function related to the cooperative application has been requested based on the requested process (S12). For example, if proofreading start is requested, it can be determined that execution of Web application A is requested, and if double-sided/single-sided setting is transmitted, it can be determined that execution of Web application B is requested. Alternatively, the terminal device 101 may transmit the application ID of the web application operated by the user to the server device 104 each time a request is made.

The transmission of the input file in step S11 and the function execution request in step S12 may be executed as the same process.

Further, in step S12, for example, when the user requests a web application C that is not a cooperative application, it is determined No.

If the determination in step S12 is Yes, the application management unit 23 determines whether the input data is application-specific data or application-common data (S13). The application management unit 23 determines, for example, whether the file transmitted by the terminal device 101 is application-specific data or application-common data, based on the file name and extension of the file.

Input data is a file, an application A-file, or an application B-file. When Web application A is executed, application A-input data (profile) is also included in the input data. If the user presses the send button 38 without selecting a profile even though the proofreading start button 32 of the web application A is pressed, the display control unit 12 of the terminal device 101 determines that no profile has been selected. It is advisable to display a message to that effect and call attention to it.

The application management unit 23 acquires the application individual data, and acquires the application common data (S14, S15). Both application individual data and application common data may be input.

The application management unit 23 executes the function of the web application requested by the terminal device 101 (S16). That is, the application management unit 23 executes the web application A or B whose item information is pressed on the integrated screen for the input data (file). Note that the web application may be executed by the server device 104 or by the terminal device 101 .

Output data (application-specific data or application-common data) is generated according to the web application requested to be executed by the user and its function. A case where there is no output data is a case such as a simple screen transition.

For example, when the preview button 33 is pressed, Web application A generates an application A-file (preview data), which is data common to applications. When the double-sided/single-sided setting is executed, the web application B generates an application B-file (data after imposition), which is data common to applications. When the calibration start button 32 is pressed, the web application A generates an application A-file, which is application common data, and application A-output data (inspection result.txt), which is application individual data.

The application management unit 23 determines whether the output data is application individual data, application common data, or none (S17). This determination may be made based on the extension or file name.

The application management unit 23 stores the application individual data in the storage unit 29 in the case of application individual data, and stores the application common data in the storage unit 29 in the case of application common data (S18, S19).

Note that the server device 104 transmits the output data to the terminal device 101 . Thereby, the user can confirm the execution results of the Web applications A and B. FIG.

In addition, in FIG. 11, a single function of Web application A or B is being executed. Execution can also be requested from the server device 104 . For example, the user selects the calibration start button 32 , sets aggregation in the aggregation pull-down menu, and presses the send button 38 . In this case, the application management unit 23 uses the input file as an input for Web application A (an example of a first application), performs calibration, generates an application A-file, and distributes this application A-file to Web application B (second Application B-file is generated by aggregating the input of (example of the application).

In principle, the application management unit 23 successively executes the web applications A→B, but the user may be able to specify the order of the web applications B→A on the integrated screen 500 .

The server device 104 uses the application-common data obtained by executing Web application A (or B) as an input for Web application B (or A) that is continuously executed, and outputs further application-common data.

Thus, the server device 104 can pass input/output data from Web application A to B or vice versa.

<Main effects>
As described above, the server device 104 of this embodiment can generate the integrated screen 500 using the item information of the cooperating Web applications. Moreover, since the server device 104 transfers input/output data between Web applications, a series of operations can be realized using functions of a plurality of Web applications.

<Other application examples>
Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using examples, the present invention is by no means limited to such examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. and substitutions can be added.

For example, in the present embodiment, the user operates the terminal device 101 to communicate with the server device 104, but the user may operate the image forming device to execute the web application. In this case, a web browser operates in the image forming apparatus.

For example, the configuration examples shown in FIG. 4 are divided according to main functions in order to facilitate understanding of processing by the server device 104 and the terminal device 101 . The present invention is not limited by the division method or name of the unit of processing. The processing of the server device 104 and the terminal device 101 can also be divided into more processing units according to the content of the processing. Also, one processing unit can be divided to include more processing.

Moreover, the devices described in the examples are only representative of one of several computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. In some embodiments, server machine 104 includes multiple computing devices, such as a server cluster. Multiple computing devices are configured to communicate with each other over any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, etc., to perform the processes disclosed herein.

Further, the server device 104 can be configured to share the disclosed process steps, eg, flow chart diagrams such as FIG. 11, in various combinations. For example, a process executed by a given unit can be executed by a plurality of information processing devices of server device 104 . Also, the server device 104 may be integrated into one server device, or may be divided into a plurality of devices.

Each function of the embodiments described above may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. As used herein, "processing circuitry" refers to processors programmed by software to perform their functions, such as processors implemented by electronic circuitry, ASICs designed to perform the functions described above. (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and devices such as conventional circuit modules.

100 Information Processing System 103 Image Forming Apparatus 104 Server Device

JP-A-2012-64129

Claims (9)

An information processing device that communicates with a terminal device,
a communication unit that receives an application screen request from the terminal device;
When the communication unit receives a request for a screen of a first application that cooperates with a second application, using item information used for screens of the first application and the second application, a screen generator that generates an integrated screen of one application and the second application;
The information processing device, wherein the communication unit transmits screen information of the integrated screen generated by the screen generation unit to the terminal device. The screen generation unit acquires the item information used for the screens of the first application and the second application from application registration information in which the item information is registered in association with the application;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the integrated screen is generated by arranging the item information in a template. the communication unit receives a file to be processed by an application;
an application management unit that executes an application for the file;
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application management unit executes the first application or the second application for which the item information is pressed on the integrated screen on the file. The application management unit outputs application common data that enables execution of the second application when the first application is executed on the file,
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when said second application is executed on said file, application common data that allows said first application to be executed is output. 4. The information according to claim 3, wherein, when the first application is executed on the file, the application management unit outputs application-specific data that is not used for inputting the first application and the second application. processing equipment. When the communication unit receives that the item information of the first application and the second application has been pressed on the integrated screen, the application management unit activates the first application for the file. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second application is executed to generate the application common data, and another application common data is generated by executing the second application on the application common data. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first application is a preflight application and the second application is an imposition application. an information processing device that communicates with a terminal device,
a communication unit that receives an application screen request from the terminal device;
When the communication unit receives a request for a screen of a first application that cooperates with a second application, using item information used for screens of the first application and the second application, function as a screen generation unit that generates an integrated screen of one application and the second application;
A program in which the communication unit transmits screen information of the integrated screen generated by the screen generation unit to the terminal device. A system in which a terminal device and an information processing device communicate via a network,
The information processing device is
a communication unit that receives an application screen request from the terminal device;
When the communication unit receives a request for a screen of a first application that cooperates with a second application, using item information used for screens of the first application and the second application, function as a screen generation unit that generates an integrated screen of one application and the second application;
The communication unit transmits screen information of the integrated screen generated by the screen generation unit to the terminal device,
The terminal device
A system for receiving screen information of the integrated screen transmitted from the information processing apparatus and displaying the integrated screen.

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