JP2023121085A - Computer program for terminal device, terminal device, and control method for terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for preventing specific processing of multiple processes of processing from being executed on a device despite the intention of a user when the specific processing can be executed not only on a terminal device but also on peripheral devices of the terminal device.SOLUTION: A terminal device includes: a display unit; a first display control unit which causes a display unit to display a first selection screen regarding specific processing out of multiple processes of processing related to a workflow, the first selection screen being a screen for selecting a terminal device or a peripheral device on which the specific processing is to be executed when the specific processing can be executed not only on the terminal device but also on the peripheral device; and a start unit which starts the multiple processes of processing, and which is configured to execute the specific processing on the terminal device when the terminal device is selected on the first selection screen, and execute the specific processing on the peripheral device when the peripheral device is selected on the first selection screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a terminal device for executing a plurality of workflow-related processes.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200010 discloses an information processing apparatus that executes a plurality of function providing means as a series of processes based on a workflow definition file. The series of processing includes, for example, scanning processing, character recognition processing, and file transmission processing to the FTP server. The information processing apparatus starts a series of processes upon receiving an execution instruction from the user.

JP 2019-040561 A

A specific process in the series of processes, for example, a process of transmitting a file to an FTP server, may be executed not only by the information processing device but also by another device that can communicate with the information processing device. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 does not consider a situation in which a specific process can be executed not only by an information processing device but also by another device. For this reason, for example, there is a possibility that a specific process is executed by the information processing apparatus even though the user intends to cause another apparatus to execute the specific process.

In this specification, in a situation where a specific process among a plurality of processes can be executed not only by a terminal device but also by a peripheral device of the terminal device, the specific process is executed by a device against the user's intention. Provide techniques for suppression.

This specification discloses a computer program for a terminal device. The terminal device includes a display unit and a computer, and the computer program causes the computer to display the following units, i.e., a first selection screen related to a specific process out of a plurality of processes related to workflow. A first display control unit for displaying on a display unit, wherein each of the plurality of processes is a process related to an image executed by one of the terminal device and a peripheral device of the terminal device; The selection screen selects a device to execute the specific process from either the terminal device or the peripheral device in a situation where the specific processing can be executed by the terminal device and also by the peripheral device. and a starter for starting the plurality of processes in response to a predetermined instruction, wherein the terminal device is a screen for selecting When selected, the specific process among the plurality of processes is executed by the terminal device, and when the peripheral device is selected on the first selection screen, one of the plurality of processes The particular process of which functions as the initiator, which is executed on the peripheral device.

For example, if the above-mentioned first selection screen is not displayed and an opportunity to select a device for executing a specific process is not given, the specific process may be executed by a device against the user's intention. have a nature. According to the above configuration, the display of the first selection screen gives the user an opportunity to select a device for executing a specific process. In a situation where a specific process among a plurality of processes can be executed not only by a terminal device but also by a peripheral device of the terminal device, it is possible to prevent the specific process from being executed by a device against the user's intention. .

The terminal device itself, the control method for realizing the terminal device, and the computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program are also novel and useful.

1 shows the configuration of a communication system; A block diagram of each device is shown. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of workflow generation processing; Shows the transition of each screen. 4 shows a flowchart of selection screen processing. FIG. 10 shows an output process selection screen in case C1. 10 shows an output process selection screen in case C2. 4 shows a flowchart of output setting processing. FIG. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a workflow execution process;

(First embodiment)
(Configuration of communication system 2; FIGS. 1 and 2)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication system 2 includes a terminal device 10 , a multi-function device (hereinafter referred to as “MFP”) 100 , a server 200 and a server 300 . MFP 100 is a device having multiple functions such as a print function, a scan function, and a FAX function. The terminal device 10 is a terminal device such as a notebook PC, a laptop PC, a tablet terminal, or a smart phone. The terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 are connected to a LAN (abbreviation for Local Area Network) 4 and can communicate with each other. LAN4 is wired or wireless.

LAN 4 is connected to Internet 6 . Servers 200 and 300 are connected to the Internet 6 . Each of the servers 200 and 300 is a server that provides services for storing image data, document files, and the like. The vendor of server 300 is different from the vendor of server 200 . For example, the service of the server 200 is Dropbox (registered trademark), and the service of the server 300 is EVERNOTE (registered trademark). Terminal device 10 and MFP 100 can communicate with servers 200 and 300 via LAN 4 and Internet 6 . Note that the number of servers is not limited to the two servers 200 and 300, and may be one, three or more, for example.

(Configuration of terminal device 10: FIG. 2)
The terminal device 10 includes an operation unit 12 , a display unit 14 , a communication interface 20 and a control unit 30 . In addition, below, an interface is described as "I/F."

The operation unit 12 has one or more buttons. The operation unit 12 can receive various instructions from the user. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 14 also functions as a touch panel (that is, an operation unit) that receives instructions from the user. Communication I/F 20 is an I/F for executing communication with MFP 100 and is connected to LAN 4 .

The control unit 30 has a CPU 32 and a memory 34 . CPU 32 executes various processes according to programs 40 and 42 stored in memory 34 . The memory 34 is composed of a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or the like.

An OS (abbreviation of Operating System) program 40 is a program for controlling basic operations of the terminal device 10 . The application program 42 (hereinafter referred to as “application 42 ”) is a program for generating one or more pieces of workflow information 44 and executing processing using the one or more pieces of workflow information 44 . One or more pieces of workflow information 44 are stored in memory 34 . The application 42 may be installed in the terminal device 10 from a server (not shown) on the Internet provided by the vendor of the MFP 100, or may be installed in the terminal device 10 from media shipped together with the MFP 100, for example.

Each of the one or more pieces of workflow information 44 is information indicating a plurality of processes (that is, a series of processes, workflow) regarding an image. The plurality of processes includes, for example, at least two of print process, scan process, image download process, upload process, mail transmission process, local storage process, image edit process, character recognition process, and the like. It should be noted that the plurality of processes described above is merely an example. For example, the plurality of processes include an acquisition process for acquiring setting information indicating print settings input in advance by a user from a storage destination of the information, and a print process according to the setting information acquired by the acquisition process. There may be.

MFP 100 is the entity that executes print processing and scan processing (hereinafter referred to as “execution entity”). The MFP 100 is suitable for execution of these processes, and the terminal device 10 is not suitable for execution of these processes. The printing process is a process in which MFP 100 executes printing according to instructions from terminal device 10 . The scanning process is a process in which MFP 100 executes scanning according to an instruction from terminal device 10 .

Also, the terminal device 10 is the execution subject of the local storage processing, image editing processing, and character recognition processing. The terminal device 10 is suitable for execution of these processes, and the MFP 100 is not suitable for execution of these processes. The local storage process is a process in which the terminal device 10 stores the results (eg, image data) of other processing (eg, scan processing) in a specific storage area of the memory 34 of the terminal device 10 . The image editing process is a process in which the terminal device 10 edits an image, and the editing includes, for example, image conversion using a filter such as smoothing, size change, trimming, and the like. Character recognition processing is processing in which the terminal device 10 recognizes a character string from an image, and is so-called OCR (abbreviation for Optical Character Recognition).

Either the MFP 100 or the terminal device 10 executes the image download process, the upload process, and the mail transmission process. Both the terminal device 10 and the MFP 100 are suitable for executing these processes. The execution subject may be selected by the user, or may be automatically selected by the terminal device 10 . Image download processing is processing in which either MFP 100 or terminal device 10 downloads image data from server 200 or 300 . Upload processing is processing in which either MFP 100 or terminal device 10 uploads the result (eg, image data) of another processing (eg, scanning processing) to server 200 or 300 . The mail transmission process is a process in which either MFP 100 or terminal device 10 transmits an e-mail containing the result of another process.

For example, specific workflow information 44 may indicate three processes: a scanning process, an image editing process, and an uploading process. The contents of each process (for example, scan conditions (resolution, data format), editing contents, upload conditions (folder name in server, file name rules, etc.)) are set in advance by the user. When specific workflow information 44 is selected from one piece of workflow information 44, the above three processes are executed in sequence. Specifically, terminal device 10 transmits to MFP 100 a scan execution instruction according to specific workflow information 44 and receives scan data from MFP 100 . Next, the terminal device 10 executes image editing processing according to the workflow information 44 on the image corresponding to the received scan data. In this case, the terminal device 10 is selected as the execution subject of the upload process. The terminal device 10 uploads the image data generated in the image editing process to the server (200, for example) indicated by the workflow information 44 . The user only needs to give an instruction to select specific workflow information 44, and does not have to give instructions for each of the above three processes. Contributes to user convenience.

(Configuration of MFP 100; FIG. 1)
MFP 100 includes communication I/F 120 and control unit 130 . Communication I/F 120 is an I/F for executing communication with terminal device 10 and is connected to LAN 4 . The control unit 130 has a CPU 132 and a memory 134 . CPU 132 executes various processes according to programs 140 stored in memory 134 .

(Workflow generation processing; Figs. 3 and 4)
Generation processing executed by the CPU 32 of the terminal device 10 according to the application 42 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . The generation process is a process of newly generating and storing the workflow information 44 . The process of FIG. 3 is triggered by an instruction to generate the workflow information 44 being input to the operation unit 12 on a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the display unit 14 according to the application 42 . In the following description, terminal device 10 (or MFP 100) communicates with other devices (for example, MFP 100, server 200) via communication I/F 20 (or 120). Hereinafter, the descriptions of "via the communication I/F 20 (or 120)", "via the LAN 4", and "via the Internet 6" will be omitted unless otherwise specified.

In S<b>10 , the CPU 32 acquires terminal subject information from the memory 34 . The terminal subject information indicates the type of processing (for example, local storage processing) that the terminal device 10 is suitable for as an execution subject. The terminal subject information is stored in the memory 34, for example, when the application 42 is installed or when the application 42 is updated.

In S<b>12 , CPU 32 acquires MFP subject information from MFP 100 . The MFP subject information indicates the type of processing (for example, print processing) that the MFP 100 is suitable for execution subject. Note that in a modification, the MFP subject information may be stored in the memory 34 of the terminal device 10 .

In S20, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display the input process selection screen SC1 (see FIG. 4). The input process selection screen SC1 is a screen for selecting the input process, which is the first process of the workflow, from various processes. As shown in FIG. 4, the input process selection screen SC1 includes an icon indicating each of various processes. In this case, the input process selection screen SC1 includes a “scan” icon indicating scan processing, a “download” icon indicating image download processing, and other processing (for example, an “upload” icon indicating upload processing). does not include Icons included in the input process selection screen SC1 are limited to icons indicating processes that can be selected as input processes. Note that the icons in the input process selection screen SC1 of FIG. 4 are merely an example, and the same applies to other screens (for example, the intermediate process selection screen SC2) to be described later.

In S22, the CPU 32 sets the process indicated by the icon selected on the input process selection screen SC1 to the input process indicated by the workflow information 44. FIG.

In S30, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display the intermediate process selection screen SC2 (see FIG. 4). The intermediate process selection screen SC2 is a screen for selecting an intermediate process between the first process and the last process of the workflow from various processes. As shown in FIG. 4, the input process selection screen SC1 includes an icon indicating each of various processes. Icons included in the intermediate process selection screen SC2 are limited to icons indicating processes that can be selected as intermediate processes.

In addition to the plurality of icons, the intermediate process selection screen SC2 includes an "output process" button for displaying an output process selection screen SC3, which will be described later. The user selects one or more intermediate processes by sequentially selecting icons in the intermediate process selection screen SC2 until the "output process" button is selected.

In S<b>32 , the CPU 32 sets one or more processes indicated by one or more icons selected on the intermediate process selection screen SC<b>2 as one or more intermediate processes indicated by the workflow information 44 . Then, when the "output process" button in the intermediate process selection screen SC2 is selected, the CPU 32 proceeds to S40.

In S40, the CPU 32 executes selection screen processing for displaying the output process selection screen SC3 (see FIG. 4). The selection screen processing will be described later with reference to FIG. The output process selection screen SC3 is a screen for selecting the last output process of the workflow from various processes. The output process selection screen SC3 includes a selection table ST and an AUTO radio button RB.

The selection table ST is a table for selecting both the content of the output process and the execution subject of the output process. The selection table ST includes an item “processing content”, an item “application”, and an item “MFP” for each of two or more processes that can be selected as the output process. The item "processing content" indicates the content of the corresponding processing, and is also a button for selecting the corresponding processing. For example, “send to server A” in the item “processing details” indicates upload processing to the server 200 .

The items “application” and “MFP” indicate the executing entity of the corresponding process, and are also buttons for selecting either the application 42 (that is, the terminal device 10) or the MFP 100 as the executing entity of the corresponding process. The item "application" further indicates one of a circle symbol, a triangle symbol, and a cross symbol. A cross symbol indicates that the application 42 is not compatible with the execution subject. For example, "printing" as the item "processing content" indicates printing processing. The execution subject of print processing is MFP 100, and application 42 is not the execution subject of print processing. Therefore, the item "application" corresponding to "printing" as the item "processing content" is indicated by a cross symbol.

A circle symbol indicates that the application 42 is suitable for the execution subject and authentication information for using the corresponding process is stored in the terminal device 10 . Here, the authentication information is, for example, an account name and password, and is information for the server (eg 200) to authenticate the user. For example, the upload processing includes authentication processing using authentication information by the server, and information is uploaded when the authentication processing is successful. A circle symbol indicates that the application 42 can be used as an execution subject because the authentication information is stored in the terminal device 10 . On the other hand, a triangular symbol indicates that the application 42 is compatible with the execution subject and authentication information is not stored in the terminal device 10 . That is, the triangular symbol indicates that the application 42 cannot be used as the execution subject due to the authentication information not being stored in the terminal device 10 . The item "MFP" also indicates one of a circle symbol, a triangle symbol, and a cross symbol, similarly to the item "application". For example, "local storage" as the item "processing content" indicates local storage processing. The execution subject of the local storage process is the terminal 10, and the MFP 100 is not the execution subject of the local storage process. For this reason, the item "MFP" corresponding to "local storage processing" as the item "processing content" indicates a cross symbol.

The AUTO radio button RB has a field "NO" for instructing the user to determine the execution subject of the output process and a field "NO" for instructing that the terminal device 10 automatically determines the execution subject of the output process. YES", or When the column "NO" is selected in the radio button RB, the user selects the execution entity of the output process using either the item "application" or the item "MFP" of the selection table ST. Note that in a process (for example, print processing) in which the execution subject of the output process is determined to be either the terminal device 10 or the MFP 100, even if the field "NO" is selected in the radio button RB, the execution subject of the output process is , is determined automatically. Further, when the column "YES" is selected in the radio button RB, the user selects only the item "processing content" in the selection table ST and does not select the subject of execution. Further, when the output process selection screen SC3 is displayed, the field "NO" is selected by default for the radio button RB.

In S42, the CPU 32 sets the process indicated by the item "process content" selected on the output process selection screen SC3 to the output process indicated by the workflow information 44. FIG.

In S44, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the column "YES" has been selected with the AUTO radio button RB. When determining that the column "YES" has been selected (YES in S44), the CPU 32 skips S46 and S50 and proceeds to S52. On the other hand, when the CPU 32 determines that the column "NO" has been selected (NO in S44), the process proceeds to S46.

In S46, the CPU 32 determines that the execution subject selected in the selection table ST (hereinafter referred to as "table selection subject") can be used in the process selected in the selection table ST (hereinafter referred to as "table selection process"). or not. Specifically, the CPU 32 determines that the table selection entity can use the table selection processing when the table selection entity stores authentication information for using the table selection processing. On the other hand, the CPU 32 determines that the table selection entity cannot use the table selection processing when the table selection entity does not store authentication information for using the table selection processing. For example, if the table selection entity is MFP 100, CPU 32 inquires of MFP 100 about the presence or absence of authentication information. If the CPU 32 determines that the table selection subject can be used in the table selection process (YES in S46), the CPU 32 skips S50 described later and proceeds to S52.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the table selection entity cannot be used in the table selection process (NO in S46), the CPU 32 proceeds to S50. In S50, the CPU 32 executes an output setting process for setting the output process. The output setting process will be described later with reference to FIG. When S50 ends, the CPU 32 proceeds to S52.

In S52, the CPU 32 generates workflow information 44 indicating a plurality of processes (that is, input process, one or more intermediate processes, and output process) selected on each of the screens SC1 to SC3, and stores the workflow information 44 in the memory 34. do. The workflow information 44 includes, for each of a plurality of processes indicated by the workflow information 44, a value indicating the conditions of the process (for example, scanning conditions, printing conditions, editing contents, uploading conditions, etc.), and the executing entity of the process. and a value indicating The values indicating the processing conditions are input by the user, for example, on an input screen (not shown) displayed after the processing is selected on each of screens SC1 to SC3. Further, when the column "YES" of the radio button RB is selected on the output process selection screen SC3, the workflow information 44 includes "AUTO" as a value indicating the execution subject of the output process. On the other hand, when the column “NO” is selected, the workflow information 44 includes a value indicating either the application 42 or the MFP 100 as the value indicating the execution subject of the output process. When S52 ends, the process of FIG. 3 ends.

In the process of FIG. 3, the selection of the execution subject is not limited to the output process. For example, in the intermediate process selection screen SC2, when an icon (for example, an "upload" icon) indicating a process whose execution subject can be selected is selected, a selection table (not shown) corresponding to the process is displayed. The selection table has the same configuration as the selection table ST in the output process selection screen SC3. In particular, the selection table includes a character string indicating the content of the process (eg, "send to server A" and "send to server B") as the item "process details", and other processes (eg, mail send process). ) does not contain strings related to The user can select an execution subject even in intermediate processing. A selection table for selecting an execution subject may also be displayed on the input process selection screen SC1.

(Selection screen processing; Figures 5 to 7)
The selection screen processing of S40 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In S60, the CPU 32 selects one process from all the candidates that can be selected as the output process.

In S62, the CPU 32 determines whether the process selected in S60 (hereinafter referred to as "selected process") is included in both the terminal subject information acquired in S10 of FIG. 3 and the MFP subject information acquired in S12. determine whether or not If the CPU 32 determines that the selected process is included in only one of the terminal subject information and the MFP subject information (NO in S62), it skips the processes of S64 to S82 described later and proceeds to S90. For example, when the selected process is "printing", the MFP subject information includes "printing", but the terminal subject information does not include "printing". The CPU 32 determines NO in S62, and proceeds to S90 without executing determination of addition of recommended symbols (S64, S66), which will be described later.

If the CPU 32 determines that the selected process is included in both the terminal subject information and the MFP subject information (YES in S62), the process proceeds to S64. In S64, CPU 32 determines whether or not both application 42 and MFP 100 can use the selected process. The determination of whether or not it is available in S64 is the same as in S46 of FIG. 3, and the same applies to S66, which will be described later. When CPU 32 determines that at least one of application 42 and MFP 100 cannot use the selected process (NO in S64), CPU 32 proceeds to S66.

In S66, CPU 32 determines whether either application 42 or MFP 100 can use the selected process. If CPU 32 determines that neither application 42 nor MFP 100 can use the selected process (NO in S66), CPU 32 proceeds to S67. In S67, the CPU 32 decides to add a △ symbol to both of the two items of the execution subject (that is, the item "application" and the item "MFP") corresponding to the selected process in the selection table ST. . When S67 ends, the CPU 32 proceeds to S90.

When CPU 32 determines that either application 42 or MFP 100 can use the selected process (YES in S66), CPU 32 proceeds to S68. In S68, the CPU 32 selects the execution subject determined to be available in S66 for the two items of the execution subject corresponding to the selected process in the selection table ST (that is, the item "application" and the item "MFP"). It is decided to add a circle symbol to the items shown, and to add a △ symbol to the items indicating the execution subject determined to be unavailable. For example, in the output process selection screen SC3 of FIG. 4, in the upload process corresponding to "send to server A", the item "application" is given a circle symbol, and the item "MFP" is given a triangular symbol. After completing the process of S68, the CPU 32 proceeds to S90.

If CPU 32 determines that both application 42 and MFP 100 can use the selected process (YES in S64), CPU 32 proceeds to S70. In S70, the CPU 32 determines whether the one or more intermediate processes set in S32 of FIG. determine whether Application compatible processing is processing (for example, character recognition processing) in which the application 42 is compatible with the subject of execution of the processing and MFP 100 is not compatible with the subject of execution of the processing. When the CPU 32 determines that the one or more intermediate processes include the application-compatible process (YES in S70), the process proceeds to S72.

In S72, the CPU 32 decides to add a recommendation symbol to the item "application" among the two items of execution subject corresponding to the selected process in the selection table ST. When S72 ends, the CPU 32 proceeds to S90.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the one or more intermediate processes do not include the application compatible process (NO in S70), the process proceeds to S80. In S80, CPU 32 determines whether or not one or more intermediate processes include MFP compatible processing (that is, at least one of the one or more intermediate processes is MFP compatible processing). MFP compatible processing is processing (for example, print processing) in which the MFP 100 is compatible with the execution entity of the processing and the application 42 is not compatible with the execution entity of the processing. When CPU 32 determines that one or more intermediate processes include MFP compatible processing (YES in S80), CPU 32 proceeds to S82.

In S82, the CPU 32 decides to add a recommended symbol to the item "MFP" among the two items of execution subject corresponding to the selected process in the selection table ST. When S82 ends, the CPU 32 proceeds to S90.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that one or more intermediate processes do not include the MFP compatible process (NO in S80), the CPU 32 skips the process of S82 and proceeds to S90.

In S90, the CPU 32 determines whether or not all candidates that can be selected as output processing have been selected. If the CPU 32 determines that all candidates have not been selected (NO in S90), the process returns to S60. On the other hand, when the CPU 32 determines that all candidates have been selected (YES in S90), the process proceeds to S92.

In S92, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display the output process selection screen SC3 in accordance with the determination of addition of the recommended symbols in S64 to S82. FIG. 6 shows a specific case C1 in which it is decided in S72 to add the recommendation symbol "(recommended)" to the item "application". Case C1 is a specific example of generating a workflow in which scan processing, character recognition processing, and upload processing are executed in this order, and a recommended symbol is given to the item “application” corresponding to “send to server B”. . Here, the character recognition processing is application-adaptive processing. For example, when the upload process is executed by MFP 100 , application 42 transmits the result of the character recognition process to MFP 100 after executing the character recognition process. Then, the MFP 100 executes upload processing for uploading the result of the character recognition processing to the server (200, for example). That is, communication is executed between the application 42 and the MFP 100 between the character recognition process and the upload process, and the execution subject is switched from the application 42 to the MFP 100 . On the other hand, when the upload process is executed by the application 42, the application 42 executes the upload process after the application 42 executes the character recognition process. The execution subject is not switched from the application 42 to the MFP 100. - 特許庁Compared to when the upload process is executed by MFP 100, it is possible to reduce the number of times the execution subject switches between the start and end of the workflow. In case C1, the user can be urged to select a method in which the execution subject is switched less frequently (that is, a method in which the application 42 is used as the execution subject).

Also, FIG. 7 shows a specific case C2 in which it is decided in S82 to add a recommended symbol to the item "MFP". Case C2 is a specific example of generating a workflow in which scan processing, print processing, and email transmission processing are executed in this order, and a recommended symbol is given to the item “application” corresponding to “email transmission”. Here, the print processing is MFP compatible processing. For example, when the mail transmission process is executed by the application 42, the MFP 100 executes the print process and then transmits the results of the scan process and the print process (for example, image data and print completion notification) to the application 42. . Then, the application 42 executes mail transmission processing for transmitting an e-mail containing the result. In this case, the execution subject switches from MFP 100 to application 42 . On the other hand, when the mail transmission process is executed by MFP 100, MFP 100 executes the mail transmission process after MFP 100 executes the print process. The execution subject is not switched from MFP 100 to application 42 . Compared to when the mail transmission process is executed by the application 42, it is possible to reduce the number of times the execution subject switches between the start and end of the workflow. In case C2, the user can be urged to select a method in which the execution subject is switched less frequently (that is, a method in which the MFP 100 is used as the execution subject).

(Output setting process; Fig. 8)
The output setting process of S50 of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the output setting process is executed when the table selection entity cannot be used in the table selection process (NO in S46). Specifically, the output setting process is executed when an execution subject item marked with a triangle is selected on the output process selection screen SC3.

In S110, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the other entity that is not the table selection entity (for example, if the table selection entity is the application 42, the other entity is the MFP 100) can be used in the table selection process. Here, whether or not it can be used is determined based on whether or not the other subject stores the authentication information, as in S46 of FIG. When the CPU 32 determines that the other subject can be used in the table selection process (YES in S110), the process proceeds to S112.

In S112, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display the first confirmation screen SC4. The first confirmation screen SC4 includes a "reference" icon, a "copy" icon, an "input" icon, and a "change" icon. The "reference" icon is an icon for instructing the other subject to refer to the authentication information. The "copy" icon is an icon for instructing copying of the authentication information stored in the other entity and storing it in the table selection entity. The "input" icon is an icon for inputting authentication information to the table selection subject. The "change" icon is an icon for instructing to change the execution subject from the table selection subject to the other subject.

At S114, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the "reference" button in the first confirmation screen SC4 has been selected. If the CPU 32 determines that the "reference" button has been selected (YES in S114), the process proceeds to S116.

In S116, the CPU 32 adds a value indicating execution of a reference process (see S212 in FIG. 9) for referring to the authentication information of the other subject as a condition for the output process indicated by the workflow information 44. FIG. When S116 ends, the CPU 32 ends the processing of FIG.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the "reference" button is not selected (NO in S114), the process proceeds to S120. At S120, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the "copy" button in the first confirmation screen SC4 has been selected. If the CPU 32 determines that the "copy" button has been selected (YES in S120), the process proceeds to S122.

At S122, the CPU 32 executes a copy process for copying and storing the authentication information stored in the other entity into the table selection entity. For example, if the other subject is application 42 , the copy process includes sending to MFP 100 a storage request including the authentication information stored in memory 34 . MFP 100 stores the authentication information in the storage request received from terminal device 10 in memory 134 of MFP 100 . Further, for example, when the other entity is MFP 100, the copy processing includes transmitting to MFP 100 a transmission request requesting transmission of authentication information. MFP 100 transmits the authentication request in memory 134 to terminal device 10 in accordance with the transmission request received from terminal device 10 . When S120 ends, the CPU 32 ends the processing of FIG. According to such a configuration, the user can cause the table selection entity to execute the table selection process without manually inputting the authentication information to the table selection entity. User convenience is improved.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the "copy" button is not selected (NO in S120), the process proceeds to S130. At S130, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the "input" button in the first confirmation screen SC4 has been selected. When the CPU 32 determines that the "enter" button has been selected (YES in S130), the process proceeds to S142.

In S142, the CPU 32 executes input processing for receiving manual input of authentication information. The input processing includes displaying an input screen (not shown) for inputting authentication information. For example, when the other entity is the application 42, the input processing includes storing in the memory 34 the authentication information input to the input screen. Further, for example, when the other subject is MFP 100, the input processing includes transmitting to MFP 100 a storage request including the authentication information input on the input screen. When S142 ends, the CPU 32 ends the processing of FIG.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the "change" button in the first confirmation screen SC4 has been selected (NO in S130), the process proceeds to S132. In S132, the CPU 32 changes the execution subject of the table selection process (that is, the output process) from the table selection subject to the other subject. When S132 ends, the CPU 32 ends the processing of FIG. For example, the user may erroneously select an unavailable execution entity in the output process selection screen SC3. According to this configuration, the user can change the execution subject to another available subject by selecting the "change" button.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the other subject is unavailable in the table selection process (NO in S110), the CPU 32 proceeds to S150. In S150, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display the second confirmation screen SC5. The second confirmation screen SC5 includes an "input" button and a "reselect" button. The "input" button is the same as the "input" button on the first confirmation screen SC4. A "reselect" button is a button for returning to S92 of FIG.

In S160, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the "reselect" button in the second confirmation screen SC5 has been selected. If the CPU 32 determines that the "reselect" button has been selected (YES in S160), the CPU 32 returns to S92 of FIG. 5 and causes the display unit 14 to display the output process selection screen SC3 again. This allows the user to reselect the output process. If the CPU 32 determines that the "input" button has been selected (NO in S160), the process proceeds to S142.

(Workflow execution processing; Fig. 9)
Execution processing executed by the CPU 32 according to the application 42 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . An execution process is a process for executing a plurality of processes indicated by one piece of workflow information 44 out of one or more pieces of workflow information 44 in memory 34 . The process of FIG. 3 is triggered by inputting an instruction to display a flow selection screen SC6, which will be described later, to the operation unit 12 on a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the display unit 14 according to the application 42 .

In S200, the CPU 32 causes the display unit 14 to display a flow selection screen SC6. The flow selection screen SC6 is a screen for selecting one workflow information 44 from one or more workflow information 44 in the memory 34. FIG.

In S202, the CPU 32 receives selection of one piece of workflow information 44 (for example, the workflow information 44 with the workflow name WF1) on the flow selection screen SC6. In S204, the CPU 32 determines whether the value indicating the execution subject of the output process in the single workflow information 44 selected in S202 (hereinafter referred to as "selected workflow information 44") is "AUTO". determine whether If the CPU 32 determines that the value indicating the execution entity of the output process in the selected workflow information 44 is "AUTO" (YES in S204), the process proceeds to S206.

In S<b>206 , CPU 32 automatically determines the execution subject of output processing so as to minimize the number of times the execution subject of multiple processes indicated by selected workflow information 44 is switched between application 42 and MFP 100 . For example, a specific example is assumed in which the selected workflow information 44 indicates three processes that are executed in this order: scan process, character recognition process, and upload process. In this specific example, the application 42 is determined as the execution subject of the upload process, which is the output process, so that the number of times the execution subject is switched is the minimum one. Also, for example, a specific example is assumed in which the selected workflow information 44 indicates three processes, scan process, print process, and mail transmission process, which are executed in this order. In this specific example, the MFP 100 is determined as the execution subject of the mail transmission process, which is the output process, so that the number of times the execution subject is switched is the minimum one. Note that the above specific example is merely an example. For example, when the selected workflow information 44 indicates two processes, the execution subject of the output process is determined so that the minimum number of times of switching is zero. Also, for example, when the selected workflow information 44 indicates N processes (N is an integer equal to or greater than 4), the minimum number of switching times is M (M is an integer less than N). As described above, the execution subject of the output process is determined. According to such a configuration, it is possible to automatically determine the optimum execution subject that minimizes the number of times of switching without requiring the user to select the execution subject. User convenience is improved.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the value indicating the execution subject of the output process in the selected workflow information 44 is not "AUTO" (NO in S204), the CPU 32 proceeds to S208. In S208, the CPU 32 determines the execution subject already determined in the selected workflow information 44 to be the device (the terminal device 10 or the MFP 100) that actually executes the output process.

After either S206 or S208, the CPU 32 proceeds to S210. In S210, the CPU 32 determines whether or not the selected workflow information 44 includes a value indicating execution of reference processing as a condition for output processing. If the CPU 32 determines that the selected workflow information 44 includes a value indicating execution of reference processing (YES in S210), the process proceeds to S212.

In S<b>212 , the CPU 32 executes reference processing for referring to authentication information stored in a subject other than the output processing execution subject indicated by the selected workflow information 44 . For example, when the execution subject of the output process is application 42, CPU 32 transmits a reference request for requesting reference to the authentication information to MFP 100, which is another subject. Thereby, CPU 32 receives the authentication information from MFP 100 . Further, for example, when the execution subject of the output process is the MFP 100, the CPU 32 transmits a usage request including the authentication information in the memory 34 to the MFP 100, which is the execution subject of the output process. MFP 100 executes output processing using the authentication information received from terminal device 10 . Note that the authentication information used by the execution subject of the output process indicated by the selected workflow information 44 in the reference process is immediately deleted from the execution subject. After S212 ends, the CPU 32 proceeds to S220. According to such a configuration, the user can execute output processing on either terminal device 10 or MFP 100 by inputting the authentication information to either terminal device 10 or MFP 100 . User convenience is improved.

Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the selected workflow information 44 does not include a value indicating execution of the reference process as a condition for the output process (NO in S210), the CPU 32 skips the process of S212 and proceeds to S220. move on. In S220, the CPU 32 starts the multiple processes indicated by the selected workflow information 44 (that is, the multiple processes are executed sequentially). When S220 ends, the process of FIG. 9 ends.

(Effect of this embodiment)
For example, if the output process selection screen SC3 including the selection table ST is not displayed and the user is not given an opportunity to select the execution subject of the output process, the output process may be executed by a device against the user's intention. have a nature. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the display of the output process selection screen SC3 including the selection table ST gives the user an opportunity to select an apparatus for executing the output process. In a situation where the output process can be executed not only by the terminal device 10 but also by the MFP 100, it is possible to prevent the output process from being executed by a device against the user's intention. As described above, the selection table for selecting an execution subject may be displayed not only on the output process selection screen SC3, but also on the input process selection screen SC1 and the intermediate process selection screen SC2. In this modified example, it is possible to prevent the input processing and the intermediate processing from being executed by a device against the user's intention.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the item "application" corresponding to "send to server A" is given a circle symbol, and the item "MFP" corresponding to "send to server A" A triangle symbol is given. A circle symbol indicates that the application 42 is available because the authentication information is already stored, and a triangle symbol indicates that the MFP 100 is not available because the authentication information is not stored. indicates that The user can see the circle symbol and the triangle symbol to know that application 42 is available and MFP 100 is not available. In other words, it is possible to prompt the user to select an available application 42 by adding a circle symbol and a triangle symbol.

(correspondence relationship)
The terminal device 10, the display section 14, the CPU 32, and the application 42 are examples of the "terminal device,""displaysection,""computer," and "computer program," respectively. The MFP 100 is an example of a "peripheral device". Output processing is an example of "specific processing". The output process selection screen SC3 is an example of the "first selection screen". The application compatible processing and the MFP compatible processing are examples of the "first type processing" and the "second type processing", respectively. In FIG. 6, the display mode in which the item "application" corresponding to "send to server B" is given a recommended symbol is an example of the "first display mode". In FIG. 7, the display mode in which the item "MFP" corresponding to "email transmission" is given a recommended symbol is an example of the "second display mode". In FIGS. 5 to 7, a display mode in which a circle symbol is attached to a triangular symbol is an example of the "third display mode." The storage processing of S122 in FIG. 8 is an example of the "storage processing". The first confirmation screen SC4 including the "change" button is an example of the "second selection screen". Selecting one piece of workflow information 44 in S202 is an example of a "predetermined instruction." Selecting the field "YES" of the radio button RB of AUTO is an example of the "specific instruction".

S40 in FIG. 3 and S220 in FIG. 9 are examples of processing implemented by the "first display control unit" and the "starting unit", respectively.

Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.

(Modification 1) "Specific processing" is not limited to output processing, and may be, for example, input processing or intermediate processing.

(Modification 2) The "peripheral device" is not limited to the MFP 100, and may be, for example, a printer, a scanner, a FAX device, or the like.

(Modification 3) The selection table ST is not limited to the output process selection screen SC3 in the workflow generation process of FIG. 3, and may be included in the flow selection screen SC6 in the workflow execution process of FIG. 9, for example. That is, the timing of displaying the "first selection screen" is not limited to when the workflow is generated, and may be when the workflow is executed.

(Modification 4) The “first display mode (and second display mode)” is not limited to giving the recommended symbol “(recommended)”, but either the item “application” or the item “MFP” , underline, color change, size change, symbol change from circle to double circle, and the like.

(Modification 5) It is not necessary to assign the recommended symbol. In this modification, at least one of the "first display mode" and the "second display mode" can be omitted.

(Modification 6) The process of S72 may be performed without performing the process of S70. In this modified example, the "first type of processing" can be omitted.

(Modification 7) The process of S82 may be performed without performing the process of S80. In this modified example, the "second type of processing" can be omitted.

(Modification 8) The "third display mode" is not limited to adding a circle symbol to a triangular symbol. , the difference between the contents of characters (for example, "permitted" and "impossible").

(Modification 9) The triangle symbol may not be given. In this modified example, the "third display mode" can be omitted.

(Modification 10) Even when at least one of the application 42 of FIG. 5 and the MFP 100 cannot use the selected process (NO in S64), a recommended symbol may be assigned. For example, a recommended symbol may be assigned to the item "MFP" to which a triangular symbol is assigned. Generally speaking, the "first selection screen" may have both the "third display mode" and the "first display mode (or second display mode)".

(Modification 11) The processes of S116 of FIG. 8 and S212 of FIG. 9 may not be executed. In this modified example, "referring to predetermined authentication information" can be omitted.

(Modification 12) The process of S122 in FIG. 8 may not be executed. In this modified example, the "memory processing" can be omitted.

(Modification 13) The first confirmation screen SC4 may not include the "change" button. In this modified example, the "second selection screen" can be omitted.

(Modification 14) The output process selection screen SC3 may not include the AUTO radio button RB. For example, the output process selection screen SC3 may execute the output setting process of S50 in FIG. 3 when the item "processing content" is selected and neither the item "application" nor the item "MFP" is selected. In this modified example, selecting the item "processing content" is an example of a "specific instruction".

(Modification 15) In S206 of FIG. 9, the execution subject of the output process may be automatically determined regardless of the number of times the execution subject is switched. For example, the execution subject of the output process may be determined based on the frequency of use as the execution subject of the output process. In this modified example, it is possible to omit "minimizing the number of times the subject switches".

(Modification 16) The process of S206 may not be executed. In this modified example, the “determination unit” can be omitted.

(Modification 17) The execution order of the plurality of processes indicated by the workflow information 44 does not necessarily follow the order indicated by the workflow information 44 . For example, when the plurality of processes are a first process, a second process, a third process, and a fourth process, the third process is executed in parallel with the second process. may

(Modification 18) In each of the above-described embodiments, each process in FIGS. 2 to 9 is realized by software (for example, programs 40 and 42). hardware.

In addition, the technical elements described in this specification or in the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the techniques exemplified in this specification or drawings achieve multiple purposes at the same time, and achieving one of them has technical utility in itself.

2: Communication system, 4: LAN, 6: Internet, 10: Terminal device, 12: Operation unit, 14: Display unit, 20: Communication I/F, 30: Control unit, 32: CPU, 34: Memory, 40: OS program, 42: application, 44: workflow information, 100: MFP, 120: communication I/F, 130: control unit, 132: CPU, 134: memory, 140: program, 200, 300: server, SC1: input processing Selection screen SC2: Intermediate processing selection screen SC3: Output processing selection screen SC4: First confirmation screen SC5: Second confirmation screen SC6: Flow selection screen ST: Selection table RB: Radio button

Claims (16)

A computer program for a terminal device, comprising:
The terminal device
a display unit;
a computer;
with
The computer program causes the computer to:
A first display control unit that causes the display unit to display a first selection screen regarding a specific process out of a plurality of processes related to a workflow, wherein each of the plurality of processes is performed by the terminal device and the terminal. It is a process related to an image that is executed by any of the peripheral devices of the device, and the first selection screen is displayed in a situation where the specific process can be executed by the terminal device and also by the peripheral device, the first display control unit, which is a screen for selecting either the terminal device or the peripheral device as the device to execute the specific process;
a starting unit for starting the plurality of processes in response to a predetermined instruction, wherein the specific process among the plurality of processes when the terminal device is selected on the first selection screen; is executed by the terminal device, and when the peripheral device is selected on the first selection screen, the specific processing out of the plurality of processing is executed by the peripheral device, the start Department and
A computer program that acts as 2. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein said first selection screen has a first display mode for prompting a user to select said terminal device rather than said peripheral device. When at least one of the remaining processes other than the specific process among the plurality of processes is a predetermined first type process, the first display control unit 3. The computer program according to claim 2, causing the display unit to display the first selection screen having a display mode. 2. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein said first selection screen has a second display mode for prompting a user to select said peripheral device rather than said terminal device. When at least one of the remaining processes other than the specific process among the plurality of processes is a predetermined second type of process, the first display control unit performs the second process. 5. The computer program according to claim 4, causing the display unit to display the first selection screen having a display mode. The specific processing includes authentication processing using predetermined authentication information,
The first display control unit stores the predetermined authentication information in one of the terminal device and the peripheral device, and stores the predetermined authentication information in the other device of the terminal device and the peripheral device. 2. The first selection screen having a third display mode for prompting the user to select the one device rather than the other device is displayed on the display unit when the device is not stored. 6. Computer program according to any one of 5. When the other device is selected on the first selection screen having the third display mode, the other device refers to the predetermined authentication information stored in the one device. 7. The computer program according to claim 6, for executing said specific processing. The computer program further causes the computer to:
A memory for storing the predetermined authentication information stored in the one device in the other device when the other device is selected on the first selection screen having the third display mode. 7. The computer program according to claim 6, functioning as a memory processing execution unit that executes processing. The computer program further causes the computer to:
When the other device is selected on the first selection screen having the third display mode, whether the device that should execute the specific process is changed from the other device to the one device 7. The computer program according to claim 6, functioning as a second display control unit that causes the display unit to display a second selection screen for allowing a user to select whether or not. The first display control unit displays the first selection screen on the display unit when a generation instruction for generating workflow information indicating the plurality of processes is input,
The computer program further causes the computer to:
When either the terminal device or the peripheral device is selected as the device to execute the specific process on the first selection screen, the first selection is made as the device to execute the specific process. 10. The computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 9, functioning as a storage control unit that generates said workflow information including a specific value indicating the device selected on the screen and stores it in memory. When a specific instruction is input without selecting either the terminal device or the peripheral device as a device to execute the specific process on the first selection screen, the storage control unit , storing in the memory the workflow information that does not include the specific value;
The computer program further causes the computer to:
In the first selection screen, after the specific instruction is input, when the predetermined instruction is input, the device to execute the specific process is either the terminal device or the peripheral device. function as a decision unit that decides on
When the device that should execute the specific process is determined to be a specific device that is either the terminal device or the peripheral device, the specific process among the plurality of processes is performed by the specific device. 11. A computer program as claimed in claim 10, which is executed in a . A subject that executes each of the plurality of processes is either the terminal device or the peripheral device,
The determining unit selects a device to execute the specific processing from the terminal device and the peripheral devices so as to minimize the number of times the subject is switched when transitioning from the current processing to the next processing in the plurality of processings. 12. Computer program according to claim 11, for determining between devices. The specific process is the last process among the plurality of processes,
The decision unit
when the subject of the process immediately before the last process is the terminal device, determining the terminal device as the device to execute the specific process;
13. The computer program according to claim 12, wherein when the subject of the process immediately before the last process is the peripheral device, the peripheral device is determined as the device to execute the specific process. 14. The computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein said first display control unit causes said display unit to display said first selection screen before said predetermined instruction is input. A terminal device,
a display unit;
A first display control unit that causes the display unit to display a first selection screen regarding a specific process out of a plurality of processes related to a workflow, wherein each of the plurality of processes is performed by the terminal device and the terminal. It is a process related to an image that is executed by any of the peripheral devices of the device, and the first selection screen is displayed in a situation where the specific process can be executed by the terminal device and also by the peripheral device, the first display control unit, which is a screen for selecting either the terminal device or the peripheral device as the device to execute the specific process;
a starting unit for starting the plurality of processes in response to a predetermined instruction, wherein the specific process among the plurality of processes when the terminal device is selected on the first selection screen; is executed by the terminal device, and when the peripheral device is selected on the first selection screen, the specific processing out of the plurality of processing is executed by the peripheral device, the start Department and
A terminal device. A terminal device control method comprising:
The terminal device comprises a display unit,
The control method is
a first display step of causing the display unit to display a first selection screen relating to a specific process out of a plurality of processes relating to a workflow, wherein each of the plurality of processes is performed by the terminal device and the terminal device; and the first selection screen is displayed in a situation in which the specific processing can be executed by the terminal device and also by the peripheral device. the first display step, which is a screen for selecting either the terminal device or the peripheral device as a device to execute a specific process;
a starting step of starting the plurality of processes in response to a predetermined instruction, wherein the specific process among the plurality of processes when the terminal device is selected on the first selection screen; is executed by the terminal device, and when the peripheral device is selected on the first selection screen, the specific processing out of the plurality of processing is executed by the peripheral device, the start process and
A control method comprising:

Images