JP4995749B2 - Image forming apparatus, UI client for unifying UI screen thereof, image forming apparatus with extended console, and setting value selection coping method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in a network in which an image forming apparatus, a UI client that is an extended console of the image forming apparatus, and a UI server that manages screen transition of the UI client are coupled via a communication medium, The present invention relates to a UI client for unifying UI screens, an image forming apparatus with an extended console, an image forming apparatus incorporating a UI client function, and a setting value selection coping method in this network.

  In order to unify the UI screens of a plurality of image forming apparatuses having different manufacturers and models (models), a UI client having a touch panel type liquid crystal display device is externally attached to each image forming apparatus, and these are connected to the UI via a communication medium. A method is used in which a LAN is configured by combining with a server, and a Web browser of a UI client acquires an HTML file from the UI server and displays a UI screen on the touch panel (Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

According to this method, since the UI screens of a plurality of image forming apparatuses are unified, user operability is improved.
JP 2004-536513 A JP 2006-127503 A

  On the other hand, depending on the model of the image forming apparatus, there are, for example, ones that can set the reading resolution of a photographic image by a scanner to an automatic mode and those that cannot be set. In such a case, if detailed data for UI (user interface) screen display is changed on the UI server side according to the model so that the non-selectable options are not displayed, the uniformity in detail is lost and the detailed data depending on the model. The cost is high because the UI server must deal with it. In addition, when a part of models is replaced in such a LAN (local area network), the UI server must cope with it.

  In view of such a problem, the object of the present invention is to provide a UI even if there are options that cannot be set on the unified UI screen on the image forming apparatus side, or even if the options that cannot be set change due to model change. Image forming apparatus, UI client for unifying UI screen, image forming apparatus with extended console, and UI client functions that can be handled without changing the detailed UI screen display data on the server side An object of the present invention is to provide a setting value selection coping method in a forming apparatus and a network.

In the first aspect of the present invention, in an network in which an image forming apparatus, a UI client that is an extended console of the image forming apparatus, and a UI server that manages screen transition of the UI client are coupled via a communication medium. In the setting value selection handling method,
Setting information that cannot be selected is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus.
(A) The UI client transmits setting value selection information to the image forming apparatus in response to setting value selection or confirmation via the UI screen;
(B) In response to reception of the set value selection information, the image forming apparatus refers to the non-selectable setting information to determine whether or not the selection is possible. Information indicating that is sent to the UI client,
Has steps.

In the second aspect of the set value selection coping method according to the present invention, in the first aspect,
(C) In response to receiving information indicating that the setting value selection is not possible, the UI client further includes a step of displaying information corresponding to the information on the UI screen.

  In the third aspect of the set value selection coping method according to the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the setting information that cannot be selected is only the setting state that is not selectable among all of the plurality of setting states that can be selected on the UI screen. Information.

  In the fourth aspect of the set value selection coping method according to the present invention, in the second aspect, the UI screen is displayed by a Web browser, the transmission target in step (a) is a SOAP request message, and in step (c) The transmission target is a SOAP response message.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, the non-selectable setting information is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus, and the UI client responds to the setting value selection or the determination via the UI screen in response to the setting value. When the selection information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus determines whether or not the selection can be made by referring to the setting information that cannot be selected in response to the reception, and when the determination is negative, the setting value is selected. Since the information indicating that it is impossible is transmitted to the UI client, it is possible to deal with the details of the UI screen display program on the UI server side without changing the design according to the model of the image forming apparatus. There is an effect. In particular, even if a part of the image forming apparatus in the system is replaced, it is possible to cope with the UI server without changing the design of the program.

  According to the configuration of the second aspect, the UI client displays the information corresponding to this information on the UI screen in response to receiving the information indicating that the setting value selection is not possible. There is an effect that it is easy to deal with machine-independent on the client side.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect, since the setting information that is not selectable is only information about the setting state that is not selectable among all of the plurality of setting states that can be selected on the UI screen, The amount of data can be greatly reduced.

  According to the structure of the said 4th aspect, since a general purpose technique is used, there exists an effect that development cost can be reduced.

  Other objects, configurations and effects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In this system, the extension console-equipped image forming apparatuses 10 and 20 and the UI server 30 of different models are coupled to the LAN 40. For simplification, FIG. 7 shows a case where there are two image forming apparatuses. The UI server 30 is for unifying UI screens of a plurality of image forming apparatuses of different models, and manages the transition of UI screens of the respective image forming apparatuses. For this purpose, in the image forming apparatus 10 with an extended console, a UI client 60 is externally attached to the image forming apparatus 50. The UI client 60 is a normal computer system, and a touch panel 62 is coupled to the UI client main body 61 to function as an expansion console for the image forming apparatus 50. The image forming apparatus 20 with an extended console is the same as the apparatus 10.

  Hereinafter, the relationship between the image forming apparatus 10 with the extended console and the UI server 30 will be described, but the relationship between the image forming apparatus 20 with the extended console and the UI server 30 is the same.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the system of FIG.

  In the image forming apparatus 50, the MPU 51 is coupled to a PROM 53, a DRAM 54, an operation panel 55, a scanner 56, a printer 57, a FAX modem 58, and a network interface 59 via an interface 52. In FIG. 8, a plurality of interfaces are shown as one block interface 52 for simplicity.

  The PROM 53 is, for example, a flash memory, in which an operating system (OS), various drivers, various programs that operate on the upper layer of the OS, and various setting values are stored. The various programs include an image forming function unit, a Web service server (WS server), and a setting unit. The image forming function includes copy, scan, print, facsimile transmission / reception, and electronic mail transmission / reception. The WS server conforms to the SOAP / HTTP protocol. The setting unit includes a setting value selection availability determination method, a setting value update method executed when it is determined that the setting value selection is possible, and a setting state tree used for the setting value selection availability determination.

  The DRAM 14 is used for a work area, and is used for developing a bitmap of drawing data.

  The operation panel 55 includes a display unit and a key input unit, and is used for inputting setting information or instructions to display a selection screen, a setting screen, or the like. In this embodiment, the UI client 60 is normally used instead of the operation panel 55, and the operation panel 55 is used when the system fails.

  The scanner 56 is for image input in copying and facsimile transmission.

  The printer 57 includes a print engine, a toner cartridge, a fixing device, a paper feed unit, a transport unit, and a paper discharge unit. An image is formed, developed with toner, transferred to a sheet, fixed, and then discharged.

  The FAX modem 58 is for facsimile transmission / reception. The network interface 59 is coupled to the LAN 40, and the FAX modem 58 is coupled to a public line network (not shown).

  In the UI client main body 61, the MPU 63 is coupled to the PROM 65, DRAM 66, HDD 67, network interface 68, and touch panel 62 via the interface 64.

  The PROM 65 stores a basic input / output system (BIOS) and set values thereof. The DRAM 66 is used as a main storage device in a virtual storage system.

  The HDD 67 displays an OS, various drivers, a Web service (WS) client for the WS server of the image forming apparatus 50, and a UI screen display file (HTML or XHTML file) received from the TCP layer of the OS on the touch panel 62. A web browser for installing the program is installed.

  Similarly, in the UI server 30, the MPU 33 is coupled to the PROM 35, DRAM 36, HDD 37, network interface 38, and conversational input / output device 32 via the interface 34.

  The interactive input / output device 32 includes a keyboard and a pointing device as input devices, and a display device as an output device.

  The PROM 35 stores the BIOS and its set value. The DRAM 36 is used as a main storage device in a virtual storage system.

  The HDD 37 has a database (DB) that stores various settings for the OS, various drivers, and various image forming apparatuses, and manages this database (data search, update, addition, consistency check, exclusive lock, A program (including a shared lock) (DBMS), a Web server, and a Web application are installed. In response to an instruction from the Web server, this Web application dynamically generates an HTML or XHTML file using the data in the database or updates the data in the database.

  Hereinafter, a case where a document is set on the image forming apparatus 10 with the extension console and the document image is scanned by operating the touch panel 62 will be described.

  Assume that a UI screen 70 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the touch panel 62. On the UI screen 70, select boxes 71 to 75 for setting value selection, a scan button 76 for control and a scan stop button, and a button 78 for returning to the main menu screen are displayed.

  In any of the select boxes 71 to 75, when an arrow is touched, a drop-down list appears and a plurality of options are displayed on the drop-down list by the browser function. When one of these options is touched, the drop-down list disappears and the selected setting value is displayed in the text box by the browser function. Also, when the option changes due to this touch, an onChange event is generated and the processing described later is performed.

  The select box 71 is for setting a color mode, and choices include color and monochrome as shown in FIG.

  The select box 72 is for setting the document type, and the options include text and photo as shown in FIG.

  The select box 73 is used for setting the resolution, and the options differ depending on the combination of the color mode and the document type, as shown in FIG.

  The select box 74 is used for setting the orientation of the document, and the options include a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. The select box 75 is for setting the document size, and options include A3, A4, B4, and the like.

  In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the initial value of each scan setting item is selected. This initial value corresponds to a node 80 in the setting state tree shown in FIG. 5A (setting state in which “monochrome”, “text”, and “600 dpi” are selected in the scanner). In FIG. 5A, for simplification, the setting information from the highest level to the four layers is shown for scanning.

  When the original type is “photograph” in the initial setting value selection state of FIG. 4, the setting state is represented by a node 82 in FIG. Next, when the color mode is set to “color”, the nodes 83, 84, and 85 in FIG. 5A are selected, and the setting state is represented by the node 85.

  Here, when the document type is a photo, “Auto” that automatically determines the document reading resolution cannot be selected. Since the unified UI screen is displayed on the touch panel 62 regardless of the model, the setting value is displayed even if selection is not possible. Therefore, “Auto = false” is described to indicate that “Auto” cannot be selected. Similarly, when the color mode is monochrome and the document type is photograph, “1200 dpi = false” is described to indicate that the resolution of 1200 dpi cannot be selected.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a software configuration of the system of FIG.

  The communication unit 500 of the image forming apparatus 50, the communication unit 600 of the UI client 60, and the communication unit 300 of the UI server 30 all have network interface drivers (data link layers), OS TCP / IP layer, and socket layer programs. I have.

  The image forming apparatus 50 includes a communication unit 500, a WS server 501, an image forming function unit 502, and a setting unit. The setting unit includes a selectability determination unit 503, a setting state tree 504, and a setting value update unit 505. .

  The UI client 60 includes a communication unit 600, a web browser 601, and a WS client 602. The WS client 602 may be incorporated in the web browser 601. The combination of the script in the XHTML file that is interpreted and executed by the interpreter function of the Web browser 601 and the WS client 602 uses an Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) technique.

  The UI server 30 includes a communication unit 300, a Web server 301, a Web application 302, and a data management unit 303. The data management unit (database server) 303 includes a database (DB) that stores setting state values of each image forming apparatus, and a DBMS (database management system) that manages access to the database.

  The web application 302 accesses the management unit 304 in accordance with the content of the HTTP request message from the web server 301 to update the setting state of the image forming apparatus and transmit it to the web browser 601 (HTML or HTML). XHTML file) is dynamically generated using the setting state in the DB.

  In the UI screen file for displaying the UI screen 70 of FIG. 4, an event handler is described in the header portion thereof, and a selection input field (Select box) corresponding to each of the select boxes 71 to 75 and a button are included in the Form. A send button field corresponding to each of 76 to 78 is described, and an event handler call by a script (for example, JavaScript) is described in each of these fields. The selection input field is used to select setting values for the color mode, document type, resolution, document orientation, and document size from the list. For each selection input field, an onChange event is generated when the set value changes due to selection, and processing in response to this is performed in the event handler. Also, an onClick event occurs for each send button field, and processing that responds to this is performed by the event handler.

  When the set value is changed in any of the select boxes 71 to 75, the processing shown in FIG. 3A is started by the corresponding event handler. In the following, the step identification codes in the figure are in parentheses.

  (S10) Depends on the model including the identifier indicating the operation name “setting value change” and the function name “scanner” of the operation target, and the name (color mode, etc.) and value (changed setting value) of the selection field of the operation target The setting value change request is not made to the WS client 602.

  In response to this request, the WS client 602 generates a SOAP request message in accordance with the WSDL (Web Services Description Language) file and the SOAP protocol received in advance from the image forming apparatus 50, and includes the HTTP in the body. A request message is created and transmitted via the communication unit 600. This SOAP request message includes the URI of the selectability determination unit 503 of the image forming apparatus 50, the object name, the method name for setting value change in this object, and the argument of this method.

  The communication unit 500 receives the request message from the communication unit 600 and passes the request message to the WS server 501, and the WS server 501 extracts information from this message, and when this information means “setting value update”, Dispatches to the selectability determination unit 503.

  Thereby, the process shown in FIG. 2 is started. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart mainly showing processing by the selectability determination unit 503.

  In the setting state tree 504, a node identifier, for example, the identifier of the node 80 in FIG. 5A is substituted for the variable S for identifying the current setting state.

  (S0) The variable S, that is, the current setting state is updated based on the operation target that is an argument of the selection determination unit 503, for example, “scanner”, “original type”, “photo”, and the content of the variable S. To do. For example, when the variable S indicates the node 80 before the update on the setting state tree 504 indicating all the setting states as shown in FIG. 5A, the variable S indicates the node 82 by this update.

  (S1) If the setting value belonging to this setting state includes a non-selectable value, “= false” in this embodiment, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not, the process proceeds to step S2. For example, when “text” is changed to “photo” in the setting state of “scanner”, “monochrome”, “text”, and “1200 dpi”, “1200 dpi = false”.

  (S2) The set value update unit 505 is called by using the argument of the selectability determination unit 503 as an argument. Thereby, the setting value of this name is updated. For example, “original type” of “scanner” is changed from “text” to “photo”.

  (S3) The information indicating that the update is successful is substituted into the variable RV1, and the process proceeds to step S7.

  (S4) The set value that can be updated is updated. In the case of the example described in step S1, “text” can be changed to “photograph”, so the same processing as in step S2 is performed.

  For example, when “600 dpi” is changed to “1200 dpi” in the setting state of “scanner”, “monochrome”, “photograph”, and “600 dpi”, the setting value is not updated because “1200 dpi = false”. .

  (S5) Information indicating that the update has failed is substituted into the variable RV1.

  (S6) The non-selectable information indicating the non-selectable items detected in step S1, for example, “resolution 1200 dpi” in the above case, is substituted into the variable RV2.

  (S7) The contents of variables R1 and R2 are used as return values.

  The WS server 501 creates a SOAP response message including the contents of the return values R1 and R2 in the message body, adds an HTTP header to the SOAP response message, creates an HTTP response message, and transmits the HTTP response message via the communication unit 500.

  The communication unit 600 receives the request message from the communication unit 500 and passes it to the WS client 602. The WS client 602 extracts the contents of the variables R1 and R2 from this message, and uses them as return values for the event of the Web browser 601. Pass to the caller in the handler. In response to this, the event handler starts the process of step S11 shown in FIG.

  (S11) If the content of the variable RV1 indicates a failure to change the set value, the process proceeds to step S12, and if not, the process proceeds to step S14.

  (S12) RV2 + "cannot be selected" is substituted into a predetermined text box in the currently displayed XHTML file. That is, a part of the XHTML file is dynamically changed. Thereby, in the above case, as shown in FIG. 6A, “resolution 1200 dpi cannot be selected” is displayed on the UI screen.

  (S14) 0 is assigned to the script variable (scan prohibition flag) Fi, and the processing of this event handler is terminated.

  (S15) The empty character “” is substituted into the predetermined text box.

  (S16) 1 is assigned to the scan inhibition flag Fi, and the processing of this event handler is terminated. Thereby, for example, a UI screen display as shown in FIG. 6B is obtained.

  Since the UI server 30 centrally manages UI screens, the UI screen file is the same for all image forming apparatuses. According to the first embodiment, a set value update request is transmitted to the selectability determination unit 503 via the WS client 602 and the WS server 501 by a script that is uniformly included in these files. The setting state tree 504 is used to determine whether or not selection is possible, and the result is returned to the Web browser 601 via the WS server 501 and WS client 602. If the selection is impossible, the information is displayed on the touch panel 62. As a result, the UI server 30 side can deal with the details of the UI screen display program without changing the design according to the model of the image forming apparatus. In particular, even if a part of the image forming apparatuses in the system is replaced, it is possible to cope with the UI server 30 without changing the design of the program.

  In addition, since the selection availability determination method in the selection availability determination unit 503 does not depend on the setting state, the selection availability determination unit 503 of the same program determines various settings availability simply by creating the setting state tree 504 according to the model. There is an effect that it can be done.

  When the button 76 is touched on the UI screen 70 of the touch panel 62, processing of the event handler (script in the UI screen file) shown in FIG. 3B is started.

  (S20) If the value of the scan prohibition flag Fi is 1, the process of this event handler is terminated. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S21.

  (S21) The WS client 602 is requested to start scanning.

  This request is transmitted to the image forming function unit 502 via the WS client 602, the communication unit 600, the communication unit 500, and the WS server 501 in the same manner as described above. In response to this, the image forming function unit 502 executes the scan function in the current setting state.

  When the button 77 is touched on the UI screen 70 of the touch panel 62, the information is similarly transmitted to the image forming function unit 502, and the image forming function unit 502 stops executing the scan function.

  When the button 78 is touched on the UI screen 70 of the touch panel 62, a file of the main UI screen is requested from the UI server 30, and the main UI screen is displayed on the touch panel 62 as a response.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention includes various other modifications, and those using other configurations for realizing the functions described above, those skilled in the art will be able to use these configurations or Other configurations that may come from the function are also included in the present invention. For example, the present invention includes the following modifications.

  (1) In the setting state tree, if there is no unselectable node below a certain node, the part below the certain node may be omitted.

  (2) Instead of the setting state tree shown in FIG. 5 (A), the current setting is used instead of the variable S by using the impossible setting state tree including only the setting states that cannot be selected as shown in FIG. 5 (B). A structure variable that determines whether or not the current setting state is included in the disabled setting state tree using a structure variable that stores the state may be used. According to this configuration, there is an effect that the amount of data for determining the setting availability can be greatly reduced.

  (3) The description of the HTML or HTML file for UI screen is changed from that of the above embodiment, and a confirmation button is provided in the Form. When the confirmation button is touched, the current setting state (a set of setting values) is as described above. Then, it may be transmitted to the selectability determination unit 503 and the same processing as described above may be performed.

  (4) The function of the WS client 602 may be executed by a script in XHTML without using the WS client 602.

  (5) Execution of the image forming function is not limited to scan execution, and may be execution of copy, print, facsimile transmission, or e-mail transmission.

(6) The protocol used in the Web service is not limited to SOAP, and any protocol that can realize the Web service may be used.
(7) In the case of a device driver or scanner from the WS client 602 via the WS server 501 of the image forming apparatus 50 without using a WSDL file, for example, a setting value or a control command independent of the device model is sent to the Twin driver. The structure to give may be sufficient.

  (8) Instead of providing the UI client 60, the program may be stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 50 and the operation panel 55 may be used instead of the touch panel 62. In this case, the communication unit 600, the WS client 602, and the WS server 501 can be omitted.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the software structure of the system of FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing that is started by the selectability determination unit 503 in FIG. 1 when a set value is changed in any of the select boxes 71 to 75 in FIG. 4. (A) is a flowchart showing processing of an event handler that starts in response to a setting value change in any of the select boxes 71 to 75 in FIG. 4, and (B) starts in response to the drawing. It is a flowchart which shows the process of an event handler. It is a UI screen explanatory diagram of scanner settings and scan execution. (A) is an explanatory diagram of a setting state tree including all setting states, and (B) is an explanatory diagram of a setting state tree including only setting states that cannot be selected. (A) And (B) is UI screen explanatory drawing when the processing result of FIG. 3 (A) is displayed with a web browser. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the system of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus with expansion console 30 UI server 31 UI server main body 32 Interactive input / output device 33, 51, 63 MPU
34, 52, 64 interface 35, 53, 65 PROM
36, 54, 66 DRAM
37, 67 HDD
38, 59, 68 Network interface 50 Image forming apparatus 55 Operation panel 56 Scanner 57 Printer 58 FAX modem 60 UI client 61 UI client body 62 Touch panel 70 UI screen 71-75 Select box 76-78 Button 80-85 Node 300, 500, 600 Communication unit 301 Web server 302 Web application 303 Data management unit 501 WS server 502 Image forming function unit 503 Selectability determination unit 504 Setting state tree 505 Setting value update unit 601 Web browser 602 WS client

Claims (8)

In a setting value selection coping method in a network in which an image forming apparatus, a UI client that is an expansion console of the image forming apparatus, and a UI server that manages screen transition of the UI client are coupled via a communication medium,
Setting information that cannot be selected is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus.
(A) The UI client transmits setting value selection information to the image forming apparatus in response to setting value selection or confirmation via the UI screen;
(B) In response to reception of the set value selection information, the image forming apparatus refers to the non-selectable setting information to determine whether or not the selection is possible. Information indicating that is sent to the UI client,
A set value selection coping method characterized by comprising steps. (C) In response to reception of information indicating that the setting value selection is not possible, the UI client displays information corresponding to the information on the UI screen.
The set value selection coping method according to claim 1, further comprising a step.   The setting value selection countermeasure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the setting information that is not selectable is information on only a setting state that is not selectable among all of a plurality of setting states that can be selected on the UI screen. Method. The UI screen is displayed by a web browser,
The transmission target in step (a) is a SOAP request message,
The transmission target in step (c) is a SOAP response message.
The set value selection coping method according to claim 2. A processor, a storage means storing a program and data, a communication interface, and an operation panel are provided. A UI client as an expansion console and a UI screen of the UI client are connected to the communication interface via a communication medium. In an image forming apparatus combined with a UI server that manages transitions,
The data includes setting information that cannot be selected,
The program for the processor
In response to the reception of the setting value selection information from the UI client, the setting information that cannot be selected is referred to, and whether or not the selection can be determined is determined.
When a negative determination is made, information indicating that the set value cannot be selected is transmitted to the UI client.
An image forming apparatus having a step.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the setting information that is not selectable is information on only a setting state that is not selectable among all of a plurality of setting states that can be selected on the UI screen. A processor, a storage unit storing a program, a communication interface, and a conversational input / output unit; and an image forming apparatus and a UI screen of the conversational input / output unit via the communication medium. In a UI client for an image forming apparatus that is coupled to a UI server that manages transitions and functions as an extended console of the image forming apparatus,
The program for the processor
(A) In response to setting value selection or determination via the UI screen, setting value selection information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus;
(B) In response to receiving information indicating that setting value selection is not possible from the image forming apparatus, information corresponding to this information is displayed on the UI screen.
A UI client for an image forming apparatus, comprising: a step. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
The UI client for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , externally attached to the image forming apparatus,
An image forming apparatus with an extended console, comprising:

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