JP6582741B2 - Relay device and communication system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system that allows data communication between an image forming apparatus and a service providing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that can receive a service provided by a service providing apparatus on the Internet is known. The service provided by the service providing apparatus includes, for example, a service for storing data uploaded by the image forming apparatus in the service providing apparatus or a service for downloading data stored in the service providing apparatus to the image forming apparatus. . For example, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can receive authentication by transmitting authentication information to a web server, and can receive content data from the web server.

JP 2008-229933 A

  Some service providing apparatuses can provide a plurality of services. In such a case, selecting a desired service from among a plurality of services requires a complicated operation from the user. In particular, the image forming apparatus may not be able to use all the services provided by the service providing apparatus, and may be able to use only a part of a plurality of services. For this reason, selecting a desired service from a plurality of services including services that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus requires a complicated operation from the user. This problem becomes particularly noticeable when only one of a plurality of services provided by the service providing apparatus can be used by the image forming apparatus.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it simplifies a user's operation for designating a service to be used by an image forming apparatus from among a plurality of services provided by a service providing apparatus. It is to provide a relay device.

  (1) A relay device according to one embodiment of the present specification includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit can communicate with an information processing terminal, an image forming apparatus that performs a forming operation for forming an image, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service. The control unit is requested by a first reception process for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit and the issuance request information received in the first reception process. A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the authentication information, and a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus in response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process. The decision process is executed. The authentication information indicating that the first service providing apparatus can provide the first service that can be used by the image forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus, and has an authority to receive the service. Is a service providing apparatus that can issue a service for each service. The control unit executes a first transmission process of transmitting issue instruction information through the communication unit to the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process. The issue instruction information is information for issuing the authentication information corresponding to the target service. The control unit receives the authentication information issued according to the issue instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the communication unit and the second receiving process received by the second receiving process. A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to acquire authentication information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit; and a second transmission process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. 3 reception processing is executed. The service request information is information that includes the authentication information acquired by the image forming apparatus using the acquisition instruction information and requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information. The control unit executes a third transmission process of transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. The communication instruction information is information indicating a method for using a service corresponding to the authentication information included in the service request information.

  According to the above configuration, when the information processing terminal requests issuance of authentication information by the first service providing apparatus, the image forming apparatus that can be used by the image forming apparatus among a plurality of services provided by the first service providing apparatus. One service can be determined as a target service, and authentication information of the target service can be issued to the first service providing apparatus. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user operation for specifying a service to be used by the image forming apparatus.

  (2) For example, the control unit sends list request information for requesting transmission of a service list to the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit in response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process. And a fourth receiving process for receiving the service list from the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit. The service list includes a plurality of service identification information for identifying services that can be provided by the first service providing apparatus. In the determination process, the control unit determines, as the target service, the first service that is one of the services identified by the service identification information included in the service list.

  (3) For example, the relay device includes a storage unit that stores a white list including first identification information that is the service identification information of the first service. The control unit executes an extraction process for extracting the service identification information included in the white list out of the service identification information included in the service list, and extracted by the extraction process in the determination process The first service identified by the first identification information is determined as the target service.

  (4) Preferably, the control unit performs a fifth transmission process of transmitting service designation instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit in response to extracting a plurality of the service identification information in the extraction process. Execute. The service designation instruction information is information that includes a plurality of the service identification information extracted by the extraction process and designates one of the service identification information. The control unit performs a fifth reception process of receiving service designation information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit. The service designation information includes the first identification information that is the service information for which the information processing terminal has accepted designation. In the determination process, the control unit determines the first service identified by the first identification information included in the service designation information as the target service.

  According to the above configuration, the service identification information included in the service list can be filtered with the white list, and a desired service can be designated from the filtered service identification information. Thereby, it is possible to simplify a user operation for designating a service to be used by the image forming apparatus, compared to a case where a desired service is designated from all service identification information included in the service list.

  (5) Preferably, the storage unit includes second identification information that is the service identification information of the second service, and is the service identification information of the third service provided by the first service providing apparatus. 3 Further, a black list not including identification information is stored. In the extraction process, the control unit further extracts the service identification information not included in the black list from the service identification information included in the service list.

  As in the above configuration, by including the third service in which it is unknown whether or not the image forming apparatus can be used in the options, the service forming apparatus can cause the image forming apparatus to use a service newly provided by the user's judgment. it can.

  (6) Preferably, the control unit does not execute the fifth transmission process in response to extracting only one of the first identification information in the extraction process, and in the determination process, The first service identified by the identification information is determined as the target service.

  (7) For example, the white list includes only one piece of the first identification information.

  On the other hand, when only one service identification information is extracted in the extraction process, a user operation for designating a service to be used by the image forming apparatus is simplified by determining a service identified by the service identification information as a target service. Can be

  (8) Preferably, the control unit does not execute the fourth transmission process in response to specifying the second service providing apparatus in the specifying process, and the fourth service is the target in the determination process. Decide on a service. The second service providing apparatus is the service providing apparatus that can provide only the fourth service that can be used by the image forming apparatus and can issue the authentication information corresponding to the fourth service.

  When a service providing apparatus that provides only one service is selected as in the above configuration, the processing load on the relay apparatus is reduced by omitting the fourth transmission process.

  (9) For example, the control unit receives server list request information for requesting transmission of server designation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit, and the information processing terminal through the communication unit. And a sixth transmission process for transmitting the server designation instruction information. The server designation instruction information is information that includes apparatus identification information for identifying the service providing apparatus that provides a service that can be used by the image forming apparatus, and that designates one of the apparatus identification information. The control unit receives the issue request information including the device identification information specified by a user of the information processing terminal in the first receiving process, and the device included in the issue request information in the specifying process The service providing apparatus identified by the identification information is specified.

  (10) For example, the control unit includes an issuing process for issuing identification information for identifying the authentication information received in the second receiving process, the authentication information received in the second receiving process, and the issuing process. A storage process for associating the issued identification information with the storage unit and storing it in the storage unit. In the second transmission process, the identification information issued in the issue process is used as the acquisition instruction information through the communication unit. Send to the information processing terminal.

  (11) For example, the control unit receives the identification information received by the identification information received in the seventh reception process and the seventh reception process of receiving the identification information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. And a seventh transmission process for transmitting to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit.

  (12) A relay device according to another aspect of the present specification includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit can communicate with an image forming apparatus that performs an image forming operation and a service providing apparatus that provides a service. The control unit executes a first reception process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. The service request information is information that includes authentication information and requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information. The control unit identifies the service providing apparatus that is the issuing source of the authentication information included in the service request information received in the first receiving process, and identifies the first service providing apparatus by the identifying process Accordingly, a determination process for determining the first service as a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus is executed. The first service providing apparatus can provide the first service that can be used by the image forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus, and can provide both the first service and the second service. The service providing apparatus capable of issuing the authentication information indicating that it has the authority to receive the service information. The control unit executes a first transmission process of transmitting service instruction information to the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the communication unit. The service instruction information includes the authentication information included in the service request information and service identification information for identifying the target service, and is information for instructing transmission of communication instruction information. The control unit receives the communication instruction information indicating a method of using the target service from the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the communication unit and the second receiving process. And performing a second transmission process for transmitting the communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit.

  (13) A relay device according to another aspect of the present specification includes a communication unit and a control unit. The communication unit can communicate with an information processing terminal, an image forming apparatus that performs a forming operation for forming an image, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service. The control unit is requested by a first reception process for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit and the issuance request information received in the first reception process. A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the authentication information; and a determining process for determining a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus in response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process. Execute. The first service providing apparatus is the service providing apparatus capable of issuing a plurality of services and issuing the authentication information indicating that the first service providing apparatus has an authority to receive services for each service. The control unit executes a first transmission process of transmitting issue instruction information through the communication unit to the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process. The issue instruction information is information for issuing the authentication information corresponding to the target service. The control unit receives the authentication information issued according to the issue instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the communication unit and the second receiving process received by the second receiving process. A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to acquire authentication information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit; and a second transmission process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. 3 reception processing is executed. The service request information is information that includes the authentication information acquired by the image forming apparatus using the acquisition instruction information and requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information. The control unit executes a third transmission process of transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. The communication instruction information is information indicating a method for using a service corresponding to the authentication information included in the service request information. The control unit further transmits, through the communication unit, list request information for requesting transmission of a service list to the first service providing device in response to specifying the first service providing device in the specifying process. A fourth transmission process and a fourth reception process for receiving the service list from the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit are executed. The service list includes a plurality of service identification information for identifying services that can be provided by the first service providing apparatus. The control unit performs a fifth transmission process of transmitting service designation instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit. The service designation instruction information is information that includes a plurality of the service identification information included in the service list and that designates one of the service identification information. The control unit performs a fifth reception process of receiving service designation information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit. The service designation information includes the service identification information designated by a user of the information processing terminal. In the determination process, the control unit determines a service identified by the service identification information included in the service designation information as the target service.

  (14) A communication system described in this specification includes a relay device, an information processing terminal, and an image forming apparatus. The relay device includes a first communication unit capable of communicating with the information processing terminal, the image forming device, and a service providing device that provides a service, and a server control unit. The server control unit includes a first reception process for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the first communication unit, and the issuance request information received in the first reception process. A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the requested authentication information, and a target for causing the image forming apparatus to use the first service in response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process. A determination process for determining a service is executed. The authentication information indicating that the first service providing apparatus can provide the first service that can be used by the image forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus, and has an authority to receive the service. Is a service providing apparatus that can issue a service for each service. The server control unit executes a first transmission process for transmitting issue instruction information to the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the first communication unit. The issue instruction information is information for issuing the authentication information corresponding to the target service. The server control unit receives the authentication information issued according to the issue instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified by the specifying process through the first communication unit and the second receiving process. A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to receive the received authentication information to the information processing terminal through the first communication unit; and from the image forming apparatus through the first communication unit. A third reception process for receiving service request information is executed. The service request information is information that includes the authentication information acquired by the image forming apparatus using the acquisition instruction information and requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information. The server control unit performs a third transmission process of transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the first communication unit. The communication instruction information is information indicating a method for using a service corresponding to the authentication information included in the service request information. The information processing terminal includes a second communication unit capable of communicating with the relay device, and a terminal control unit. The terminal control unit transmits the issue request information to the relay device through the second communication unit, and receives the acquisition instruction information from the relay device through the second communication unit. The image forming apparatus includes a forming unit that executes a forming operation for forming an image, a third communication unit that can communicate with the relay device, and the device control unit. The device control unit transmits the service request information to the relay device through the third communication unit, and receives the communication instruction information from the relay device through the third communication unit.

  According to the present invention, when the information processing terminal requests the issuance of authentication information by the first service providing apparatus, the image forming apparatus that can be used by the image forming apparatus among a plurality of services provided by the first service providing apparatus. Since the authentication information of one service is issued to the first service providing apparatus, it is possible to simplify the user operation for specifying the service to be used by the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 according to the present embodiment. 2A is a block diagram of the multi-function device 10, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the information processing terminal 50. 3A is a block diagram of the relay device 80, FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of a token list, and FIG. 3C is a diagram illustrating a white list and a black list. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing for causing the service providing apparatus 110 to issue a token through the information processing terminal 50. 5A is a flowchart of the login process, and FIG. 5B is a flowchart of the search process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the service determination process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing in which the multi-function device 10 receives a token from the relay device 80. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a modification in which the multifunction machine 10 receives a service from the service providing apparatus 110. FIG. 9 is a display example of the display unit 53, where (A) shows a server selection screen and (B) shows a login screen. 10A and 10B are display examples of the display unit 53, where FIG. 10A shows a service designation screen and FIG. 10B shows a TempID display screen. FIG. 11 is an example of a TempID input screen displayed on the display unit 23.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 in the present embodiment. A communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a multifunction device 10, an information processing terminal 50, and a relay device 80. The communication system 100 is a system for receiving service provision from the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120. The multifunction device 10, the information processing terminal 50, the relay device 80, and the service providing devices 110 and 120 can communicate with each other via a communication network. Although the specific example of a communication network is not specifically limited, For example, the internet 101, wired LAN (abbreviation of Local Area Network), wireless LAN102, or these combination may be sufficient.

  The multifunction machine 10 and the information processing terminal 50 belong to the wireless LAN 102. The wireless LAN 102 is connected to the Internet 101 through the router 102A. Further, the relay device 80 and the service providing devices 110 and 120 are connected to the Internet 101. The multifunction device 10 and the information processing terminal 50 can communicate with the relay device 80 and the service providing devices 110 and 120 via the Internet 101 from the router 102A. However, the multifunction machine 10 and the information processing terminal 50 may belong to different communication networks.

[Multifunction machine 10]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the multifunction machine 10 includes a printer unit 11, a scanner unit 12, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 25, a CPU 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit. A bus 33 is mainly provided. Each component constituting the multi-function device 10 is connected to each other via a communication bus 33. The multifunction machine 10 is an example of an image forming apparatus, the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12 are examples of a forming unit that forms an image, and the communication unit 25 is an example of a third communication unit.

[Printer 11 and Scanner 12]
The printer unit 11 executes a recording operation for recording an image indicated by the image data on a recording sheet. The recording paper is an example of a sheet or a recording medium. As a recording method of the printer unit 11, a known method such as an ink jet method or an electrophotographic method can be adopted. The scanner unit 12 performs a scanning operation for reading an image recorded on a document and forming image data. The printer unit 11 is an example of a recording unit, and the scanner unit 12 is an example of a reading unit. The multi-function device 10 may further execute a FAX operation for performing FAX transmission / reception, a copy operation for reading an image recorded on a recording sheet, and recording the image on another recording sheet.

[Display unit 23]
The display unit 23 includes a display screen that displays various types of information. As the display unit 23, a liquid crystal display (abbreviation of Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (abbreviation of Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or the like can be adopted.

[Operation unit 24]
The operation unit 24 receives a user operation for selecting an object displayed on the display screen of the display unit 23. Specifically, the operation unit 24 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 31. Further, the operation unit 24 may include a film-like touch sensor superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 23. That is, the display unit 23 may be configured as a touch panel display.

  The “object” refers to an image that can be selected by the user operating the operation unit 24. As an example, the object is a character string displayed on the display unit 23. One of the objects is highlighted when the direction key of the operation unit 24 is pressed, and the object is highlighted by pressing the enter button of the operation unit 24. A light-displayed object may be selected. As another example, an object when the operation unit 24 is a touch panel is an icon, a button, a link, or the like displayed on the display unit 23, and the object displayed at the touch position may be selected.

  The operation unit 24 realized as a touch panel receives a user operation for touching the display screen of the display unit 23. The operation unit 24 outputs position information indicating the position on the display screen touched by the user. The position information can be expressed, for example, as coordinates (x, y) on the xy plane with the upper left corner of the display screen as the origin, the right direction as the positive direction of the x axis, and the downward direction as the positive direction of the y axis. For the touch sensor, a known method such as a capacitance method or a resistance film method can be adopted.

  Note that “touch” in this specification includes all operations for bringing an input medium into contact with a display screen. That is, a tap operation to move the touched input medium away from the display screen within a predetermined time, a long touch operation to make the touched input medium stand still on the display screen, a slide operation to slide the touched input medium on the display screen, a display screen Flick operation where the acceleration of the input medium sliding above the threshold is more than a threshold, pinch-in operation to slide two input media touched at different positions on the display screen toward each other, two touched at different positions on the display screen A pinch-out operation or the like that slides the input medium away from each other is an example of a touch.

  In addition, even if the input medium is not touching the display screen, the concept of “touch” may include bringing the input medium close to a position where the distance from the display screen is very small. Furthermore, the input medium may be a user's finger or a touch pen. Hereinafter, the tap of the position of the icon displayed on the display unit 23 will be described as an example of a user operation for selecting the icon.

[Communication unit 25]
The communication unit 25 is an interface for communicating with an external device. Specifically, the communication unit 25 can communicate with the information processing terminal 50, the relay device 80, and the service providing devices 110 and 120. The communication unit 25 performs communication according to a procedure compliant with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 standard and Wi-Fi (registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance).

[CPU 31]
A CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit) 31 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. The CPU 31 acquires and executes various programs, which will be described later, from the storage unit 32 based on various information output from the operation unit 24 and various information acquired from an external device through the communication unit 25. That is, the CPU 31 and the storage unit 32 constitute an example of a device control unit.

[Storage unit 32]
The storage unit 32 includes a program storage area 32A and a data storage area 32B. In the program storage area 32A, an OS (abbreviation of Operating System) 34 and a control program 35 are stored. The OS 34 and the control program 35 are programs built in a binary format. The control program 35 may be a single program or an aggregate of a plurality of programs. Data or information necessary for execution of the control program 35 is stored in the data storage area 32B. The storage unit 32 is an example of a device storage unit.

  Note that “data” and “information” in this specification are common in that they are bits or bit strings that can be handled by a computer. “Data” refers to data that can be handled by the computer without taking into account the meaning of each bit. On the other hand, “information” refers to information that the operation of the computer branches depending on the semantic content indicated by each bit. Furthermore, the “instruction” is a control signal for prompting the destination apparatus to perform the next operation, and may include information or itself has a property as information. There is also.

  In addition, even if the format (for example, text format, binary format, flag format, etc.) is changed for each computer, “data” and “information” have the same data and information as long as they are recognized as the same meaning content. Are treated as For example, information indicating “two” is stored as text information “0x32” in ASCII code in one computer, and binary format information “10” in binary notation in another computer. May be.

  However, the distinction between the above “data” and “information” is not strict, and exceptional handling is allowed. For example, data may be temporarily treated as information, or information may be temporarily treated as data. Also, what is handled as data in a certain device may be handled as information in another device. Furthermore, information may be extracted from the data, or data may be extracted from the information.

  The storage unit 32 includes, for example, RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory), ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory), EEPROM (abbreviation of Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), HDD (abbreviation of Hard CPU) 31 (HDD). It is configured by a buffer or the like or a combination thereof.

  The storage unit 32 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transitory medium. Non-transitory media include recording media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM in addition to the above examples. A non-transitory medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electrical signal that carries a program downloaded from a server on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in the media.

  The program stored in the program storage area 32A is executed by the CPU 31. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described with the CPU 31 omitted. That is, in the following description, the description that “the program A executes the process A” may indicate that “the CPU 31 executes the process A described in the program A”.

  Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A determines an event and operates according to the determination result. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting the determination. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that “the control program executes process A according to condition A” is “whether or not the control program is condition A. The control program makes an affirmative determination. In response to this, the processing A may be executed.

  The program stored in the program storage area 32A specifies, extracts, or selects data and the like. The program specifies data and the like, for example, specifies data that satisfies a condition from a plurality of data and stores the data itself or information for identifying the data in a predetermined storage area. Refers to processing. The information for identifying data or the like is, for example, identification information for identifying the data or the like, an index of an array in which the data or the like is stored, a pointer of a storage area in which the data or the like is stored, or the like. The same applies to the process of extracting or selecting data or the like by the program.

  Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A acquires data and the like. The acquisition of data or the like by the program may refer to a process of reading data from a storage area in which data is stored, for example. The acquisition of data or the like by the program may refer to a process of receiving data transmitted from an external device, for example. The acquisition of data or the like by the program may refer to, for example, a process for requesting a return of data from external data and receiving the data returned from the external device. The acquisition of data or the like by a program may refer to a process of receiving data output by another program such as an OS. The acquisition of data or the like by a program may refer to, for example, a process of requesting data output from another program and receiving data output from another program.

  The OS 34 provides an API (abbreviation for Application Programming Interface) for controlling the printer unit 11, the scanner unit 12, the display unit 23, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, and the like that are hardware constituting the multifunction machine 10. It is a basic program. That is, each of the above programs controls each hardware by calling an API provided by the OS 34. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described with the OS 34 omitted. That is, in the following description, the description “the program B controls the hardware C” may refer to “the program B controls the hardware C through the API of the OS 34”.

  The basic operation of the program described above is not limited to the program stored in the program storage area 32A, but also in each program stored in the program storage areas 62A and 92A of the information processing terminal 50 and the relay device described later. Can be applied as well.

[Information processing terminal 50]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the information processing terminal 50 mainly includes a display unit 53, an operation unit 54, a communication unit 55, a CPU 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication bus 63. The CPU 61 and the storage unit 62 constitute an example of a terminal control unit. The communication unit 55 is an example of a second communication unit. The display unit 53, the operation unit 54, the communication unit 55, the CPU 61, the storage unit 62, and the communication bus 63 included in the information processing terminal 50 are the display unit 23, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, and the CPU 31 included in the multifunction machine 10. Since the format is basically the same as that of the storage unit 32 and the communication bus 33, the description thereof will be omitted. The information processing terminal 50 may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC (abbreviation for Personal Computer). The control program 65 is, for example, a browser program.

[Relay device 80]
As shown in FIG. 3A, the relay device 80 mainly includes a communication unit 85, a CPU 91, a storage unit 92, and a communication bus 93. The CPU 91 and the storage unit 92 constitute an example of a server control unit. The communication unit 85 is an example of a first communication unit. The communication unit 85, the CPU 91, the storage unit 92, and the communication bus 93 included in the relay device 80 are basically in the same manner as the communication unit 25, the CPU 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication bus 33 included in the multifunction machine 10. There will be no further explanation.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the data storage area 92B can store a TempID and a token associated with the TempID. Hereinafter, the information shown in FIG. 3B may be collectively referred to as “token list”, and each record shown in FIG. 3B may be referred to as “token record”. The token list can include multiple token records.

  The token is an example of authentication information issued by the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120 of the service providing source in order to indicate that the token has authority to receive the service. TempID is an example of identification information issued by the relay device 80 in association with a token. The token is, for example, binary data. On the other hand, TempID is, for example, a numeric string or a character string that can be recognized by the user of the information processing terminal 50.

  Further, the data storage area 92B stores a white list and a black list as shown in FIG. 3C, for example. The white list includes service IDs of services that can be used by the multifunction machine 10 among services provided by the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120. The black list includes service IDs of services that the multifunction peripheral 10 cannot use among services provided by the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120. The service ID is an example of service identification information for identifying a service.

  The white list of the present embodiment includes a service ID “A” of service A provided by the service providing apparatus 110 and a service ID “D” of service D provided by the service providing apparatus 120. The black list of the present embodiment includes the service ID “B” of the service B provided by the service providing apparatus 110. On the other hand, the service ID “C” of the service C provided by the service providing apparatus 110 is not included in either the white list or the black list.

  Note that the number of service IDs included in the white list and the black list is not limited to the example of FIG. For example, only the service ID “A” may be included in the white list, a plurality of service IDs may be included in the black list, or the service ID may not be included in the black list. Further, the white list and the black list may be updateable by an administrator of the relay device 80, for example.

  Although not shown, the data storage area 92B stores the device IDs of the service providing devices 110 and 120 in association with the service IDs of services that can be provided by the service providing devices 110 and 120. That is, the data storage area 92B according to the present embodiment includes the device ID “001” of the service providing device 110 and the service IDs “A”, “B”, and “C” of the services A to C provided by the service providing device 110. Are stored in association with each other. In addition, the data storage area 92B stores the device ID “002” of the service providing device 120 and the service ID “D” of the service D provided by the service providing device 120 in association with each other.

[Cooperation between MFP 10 and relay device 80]
The multifunction device 10 and the relay device 80 can execute a cooperative operation. In the cooperative operation, the relay device 80 instructs the multifunction device 10 to operate, the multifunction device 10 executes the operation instructed to the relay device 80, and the multifunction device 10 reports the result of the operation to the relay device 80. Based on the report, the relay device 80 instructs the MFP 10 to perform the next operation. In the cooperative operation, information from the multifunction device 10 to the relay device 80 is transmitted as an HTTP (abbreviation of HyperText Transfer Protocol) request, and information from the relay device 80 to the multifunction device 10 is transmitted as an HTTP response.

  In addition, the instruction information transmitted from the relay device 80 to the multifunction device 10 is described in, for example, XML (abbreviation of eExtensible Markup Language). The instruction information includes, for example, screen definition information for defining a screen to be displayed on the display unit 23, interface information for specifying an interface (for example, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, etc.) for acquiring the information, And a next operation URL that specifies an operation request destination. The instruction information can further include service usage information added to an HTTP request for requesting the instruction information.

  The MFP 10 that has received the instruction information causes the display unit 23 to display the screen defined by the screen definition information, obtains information through the interface specified by the interface information, and next instruction information indicated by the next operation URL. An HTTP request for requesting transmission is sent. In addition, when the MFP 10 transmits the HTTP request, the MFP 10 transmits the service usage information acquired in a series of cooperative operations to the relay device 80 by a GET method. That is, the URL analyzed by the multifunction machine 10 at this time is the service operation information added to the end of the next operation URL.

[Service providing devices 110 and 120]
The service providing devices 110 and 120 are devices that provide services to the multifunction machine 10. The service providing devices 110 and 120 exist on the Internet and provide various services in response to requests from the multifunction device 10, the information processing terminal 50, or the relay device 80. The service providing devices 110 and 120 according to the present embodiment include, for example, a service for managing the state of the multifunction machine 10, a service for storing uploaded data, a service for transmitting stored data in response to a download request, or You may provide the service etc. which convert the format of data.

  The service providing apparatus 110 can provide a plurality of services. More specifically, the service providing apparatus 110 provides services A and C that can be used by the multifunction device 10 and a service B that cannot be used by the multifunction device 10. Further, the service providing apparatus 110 issues an individual token for each service. On the other hand, the service providing apparatus 120 provides only the service D that can be used by the multifunction machine 10. Further, the service providing apparatus 120 issues a token corresponding to the service D. The service providing apparatus 110 is an example of a first service providing apparatus, and the service providing apparatus 120 is an example of a second service providing apparatus. The device ID “001” for identifying the service providing device 110 and the device ID “002” for identifying the service providing device 120 are examples of device identification information.

  Service A is an example of the first service, service B is an example of the second service, service C is an example of the third service, and service D is an example of the fourth service. The token corresponding to service A is an example of first authentication information, the token corresponding to service B is an example of second authentication information, the token corresponding to service C is an example of third authentication information, and service D The token corresponding to is an example of fourth authentication information. The service ID “A” of the service A is an example of the first identification information, the service ID “B” of the service B is an example of the second identification information, and the service ID “C” of the service C is the third identification information. The service ID “D” of service D is an example of fourth identification information.

  The service providing devices 110 and 120 are, for example, “Evernote (registered trademark of Evernote Corporation)”, “Dropbox (registered trademark of DropBox, Inc.)”, “Google Drive (Google is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.)”. , SharePoint (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation), OneDrive for Business (OneDrive is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation), and the like.

[Operation of Communication System 100]
The operation of the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the description will be focused on the processing of the relay device 80 for causing the multifunction device 10 to use the service provided by the service providing device 110.

  First, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 transmits server list request information to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 in response to receiving a token issuing instruction from the user through the operation unit 54 (S11). The server list request information is information that requests transmission of a list of device IDs of the service providing devices 110 and 120 that provide services that can be used by the multifunction machine 10.

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives server list request information from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S11). And the control program 95 transmits server designation | designated instruction information to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication part 85 (S12). The server designation instruction information is information that includes the device IDs “001” and “002” stored in the data storage area 92B and allows the user of the information processing terminal 50 to designate one of the device IDs. The process of step S11 is an example of a sixth reception process, and the process of step S12 is an example of a sixth transmission process.

  Next, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 receives server designation instruction information from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 (S12). Next, the control program 65 displays a server selection screen on the display unit 53 (S13). FIG. 9A is an example of a server selection screen. The server selection screen shown in FIG. 9A includes a plurality of server icons 131 and 132 corresponding to the device ID included in the server designation instruction information. In the present embodiment, the server icon 131 corresponds to the device ID “001”, and the server icon 132 corresponds to the device ID “002”. Then, the control program 65 accepts a user operation for selecting one of the server icons 131 and 132 through the operation unit 54 (S14).

  Next, for example, in response to receiving selection of the server icon 131 through the operation unit 54 (S14), the control program 65 transmits issue request information to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 54 (S15). The issue request information includes a device ID “001” corresponding to the server icon 131 that has received the designation. The issuance request information is information for requesting issuance of a token by the service providing apparatus 110 identified by the apparatus ID “001”.

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives the issue request information from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S15). The process of step S15 is an example of a first reception process. The control program 95 executes the login process shown in FIG. 5A (S16). The control program 95 transmits the login request information through the communication unit 85 to the service providing apparatus 110 identified by the apparatus ID “001” included in the issue request information (S31). The login request information is information for requesting transmission of an access URL (abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator). The access URL is information indicating the transmission destination of the account information acquired by the information processing terminal 50 from the user.

  Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives login request information from the relay apparatus 80 (S31). Then, the service providing apparatus 110 generates an access URL and transmits login instruction information including the access URL to the relay apparatus 80 (S32). The login instruction information is, for example, HTML (abbreviation of HyperText Markup Language) that includes an issued access URL and defines a login screen described later.

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives login instruction information from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S32). Then, the control program 95 transmits login instruction information to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S33). For example, in step S33, the control program 95 sends the login instruction information received from the service providing apparatus 110 in step S32 to the information processing terminal 50 including the redirect URL indicating the transmission destination of the redirect information.

  Next, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 receives the login instruction information from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 (S33). Then, the control program 65 displays a login screen on the display unit 53 according to the login instruction information (S34). FIG. 9B is an example of a login screen. The login screen shown in FIG. 9B includes a message “Please enter your user ID and password and press [Login].” And a text box 135 that displays the user ID entered through the operation unit 54. , A text box 136 for displaying a password input through the operation unit 54, and a [login] icon 137. Then, the control program 65 receives a user operation on the login screen through the operation unit 54 (S35).

  Next, the control program 65 receives input of a user ID and a password through the operation unit 54. The user ID and password are issued in advance by the service providing apparatus 110 in order to use the service provided by the service providing apparatus 110. A combination of a user ID and a password is an example of account information. Then, in response to accepting selection of the [login] icon 137 through the operation unit 54 (S35), the control program 65 transmits the account information accepted to the service providing apparatus 110 indicated by the access URL to the communication unit 55. (S36).

  Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives account information from the information processing terminal 50 (S36). Next, the service providing apparatus 110 determines whether the received account information is valid. Then, in response to determining that the account information is valid, the service providing apparatus 110 transmits redirect information to the information processing terminal 50 (S37). The redirect information is information that causes the relay apparatus 80 to acquire the token issued by the service providing apparatus 110. In other words, the redirect information is information such as a URL indicating the acquisition destination of the token issued by the service providing apparatus 110.

  Next, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 receives redirect information from the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 55 (S37). Then, the control program 65 transmits the redirect information received in step S37 to the relay device 80 indicated by the redirect URL received in step S33 through the communication unit 55 (S38).

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives redirect information from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S38). Note that the processing of steps S31 to S38 may be executed in accordance with a well-known procedure conforming to the OAuth protocol, for example. Returning to FIG. 4, the control program 95 specifies the service providing devices 110 and 120 identified by the device ID included in the issue request information (S17). In other words, the control program 95 identifies the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120 that have issued the token requested by the issue request information. The process of step S17 is an example of a specific process.

  Then, the control program 95 executes a search process in response to specifying the service providing apparatus 110 that provides a plurality of services (S17: Yes) (S18). On the other hand, the control program 95 omits the execution of the search process (S18) in response to specifying the service providing apparatus 120 that provides only one service (S17: No). In step S17, the control program 95 may determine the number of services provided by the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120 based on the number of service IDs stored in the data storage area 92B in association with the apparatus ID. The service providing apparatuses 110 and 120 may be inquired through the communication unit 85. Details of the search process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the control program 95 transmits search token request information through the communication unit 85 to the service providing apparatus 110 identified in step S17 (S41). The search token request information is information for requesting transmission of a search token to be added to service list request information described later. Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives the search token request information from the relay apparatus 80, issues a search token, and transmits the search token to the relay apparatus 80. Then, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives the search token from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S42).

  Next, the control program 95 transmits service list request information to the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 85 (S43). The service list request information is information that includes the search token received in step S42 and requests transmission of the service list. The service list is information indicating services provided by the service providing apparatus 110. More specifically, the service list includes service IDs of a plurality of services provided by the service providing apparatus 110. The process of step S43 is an example of a fourth transmission process.

  Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives the service list request information from the relay apparatus 80 and transmits the service list to the relay apparatus 80. Then, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives the service list from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S44). The service list of this embodiment includes service IDs “A”, “B”, and “C”. The service list may include information necessary for acquiring a token corresponding to each service ID. The process of step S44 is an example of a fourth reception process.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 executes a service determination process (S19). The service determination process is a process of determining one of a plurality of services discovered in the search process as a target service to be used by the multifunction machine 10. Details of the service determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the control program 95 compares the service ID included in the service list with the service IDs included in the white list and the black list. Then, the control program 95 extracts service IDs included in the white list and service IDs not included in both the white list and the black list from the service IDs included in the service list (S51). The service ID included in the white list indicates a service that the relay apparatus 80 recognizes as being usable by the multifunction device 10. On the other hand, a service ID that is not included in both the white list and the black list indicates a service that is not recognized by the relay apparatus 80 as to whether or not the multifunction machine 10 is available. In this embodiment, service IDs “A” and “C” are extracted. The process of step S51 is an example of an extraction process.

  Next, the control program 95 determines whether or not a plurality of services have been extracted in step S51 (S52). Then, in response to determining that a plurality of services have been extracted (S52: Yes), the control program 95 transmits service designation instruction information to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S53). The service designation instruction information is information including a plurality of service IDs “A” and “C” extracted in step S51 and instructing to designate one of the service IDs. The process of step S53 is an example of a fifth transmission process.

  Next, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 receives service designation instruction information from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 (S53). Next, the control program 65 displays a service designation screen on the display unit 53 (S54). FIG. 10A is an example of a service designation screen. The service designation screen shown in FIG. 10A includes a plurality of service icons 141 and 142 corresponding to the service ID included in the service designation instruction information. In the present embodiment, the service icon 141 corresponds to the service ID “A”, and the service icon 142 corresponds to the service ID “C”. Then, the control program 65 receives a user operation for selecting one of the service icons 141 and 142 through the operation unit 54 (S55).

  Next, the control program 65 transmits service designation information to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 in response to, for example, selection of the service icon 141 received through the operation unit 54 (S55) (S56). The service designation information includes a service ID “A” corresponding to the service icon 141 that has accepted the designation.

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives service designation information from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S56). Then, the control program 95 determines the service A identified by the service ID “A” included in the service designation information as a target service (S57). On the other hand, when the control program 95 determines that only the service ID “A” is extracted in step S51 (S52: No), the control program 95 does not execute steps S53 to S57, and is identified by the extracted service ID “A”. The service A to be performed is determined as the target service (S58). The process of step S56 is an example of a fifth reception process, and the processes of steps S57 and S58 are an example of a determination process.

  Returning to FIG. 4 again, the control program 95 transmits the issue instruction information to the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 85 (S20). The issue instruction information is information for issuing a token corresponding to the target service A, including the service ID “A” of the target service A determined in the service determination process. The issue instruction information may further include information necessary for acquiring a token included in the token list. The process of step S20 is an example of a first transmission process. Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives the issue instruction information from the relay apparatus 80 (S20). Then, the service providing apparatus 110 issues a token “0x18A3” corresponding to the target service A, and transmits the token to the relay apparatus 80 (S21).

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives a token corresponding to the target service A from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S21). Next, the control program 95 issues TempID “012” corresponding to the received token “0x18A3” (S22). Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the control program 95 adds a token record including the token “0x18A3” received in step S21 and the TempID “012” issued in step S22 to the token list. (S23). The process of step S21 is an example of a second reception process, the process of step S22 is an example of an issue process, and the process of step S23 is an example of a storage process.

  Further, the control program 95 transmits the TempID issued in step S22 to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S24). TempID is an example of acquisition instruction information for causing the MFP 10 to acquire the token received in step S21. The process of step S24 is an example of a second transmission process.

  Next, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 receives TempID from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 (S24). Then, the control program 65 displays a TempID display screen on the display unit 53 (S25). FIG. 10B is an example of a TempID display screen. The TempID display screen shown in FIG. 10B includes a message “Please input the displayed TempID to the MFP that uses the target service” and TempID “012”.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 displays a TempID input screen in response to receiving a user operation for instructing acquisition of a token of the target service A through the operation unit 24. 23 is displayed (S61). FIG. 11 is an example of a TempID input screen. The TempID input screen shown in FIG. 11 includes a message “Please input TempID.”, A text box 145 displaying the TempID input through the operation unit 24, and a [Send] icon 146.

  Next, the control program 35 accepts a user operation for inputting TempID “012” displayed on the display unit 53 through the operation unit 24. Then, in response to accepting selection of the [Send] icon 146 via the operation unit 24 (S62), the control program 35 sends TempID “012” accepted to the relay device 80 via the communication unit 25 ( S63).

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives TempID from the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S63). Next, the control program 95 reads the token “0x18A3” associated with the received TempID “012” from the token list (S64). Next, in response to the token “0x18A3” associated with the received TempID “012” being registered in the token list (S64: Yes), the control program 95 passes the communication unit 85 to the MFP 10 in question. The token “0x18A3” is transmitted (S65). The process of step S63 is an example of a seventh reception process, and the process of step S65 is an example of a seventh transmission process.

  Further, the control program 95 does not execute the process of step S65 in response to the token “0x18A3” associated with the received TempID “012” not being registered in the token list (S64: No), and Error information is transmitted to the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S67). The error information is information indicating that there is no token corresponding to the input TempID.

  On the other hand, the control program 35 of the MFP 10 receives a token from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 (S65). Then, the control program 35 stores the token in the data storage area 32B in association with the service ID “A” of the target service A (S66). Further, in response to receiving the error information (S67), the control program 35 displays an error screen (not shown) on the display unit 23 (S68). The error screen includes, for example, a message such as “TempID is incorrect”.

  When the server icon 132 on the server selection screen is selected in step S14, the relay device 80 executes the following process. First, the control program 95 receives issuance request information including the device ID “002” from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 (S15). And the control program 95 specifies the service provision apparatus 120 which provides only one service (S17: No). Then, the control program 95 does not execute the search process (S18), and determines the service D provided by the service providing apparatus 120 as a target service in the service determination process (S19).

  Furthermore, the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment can cause the MFP 10 to use the target service A using the token received in step S65 by executing the processes of steps S75 and S80 to S83 in FIG. it can.

  That is, the control program 35 of the multifunction device 10 transmits service request information to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 in response to accepting a user operation for instructing the use of the service A through the operation unit 24 (S75). The service request information is information that includes the service ID “A” and the token “0x18A3” of the service A to be used and requests the service providing apparatus 110 to provide the service A.

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives service request information from the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S75). Then, the control program 95 transmits service instruction information to the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 85 (S80). The service instruction information is information that includes the service ID and token included in the service request information and instructs the provision of the service A identified by the service ID. The process of step S75 is an example of a third reception process.

  Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives service instruction information from the relay apparatus 80 (S80). Then, the service providing apparatus 110 transmits communication instruction information to the relay apparatus 80 (S81). The communication instruction information is information indicating a method of communication with the service providing apparatus 110 for using the service A. The communication instruction information may be information such as a URL indicating a transmission destination of a request for using the service A, for example. Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives communication instruction information from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S81). Then, the control program 95 transmits communication instruction information to the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S82). The process of step S82 is an example of a third transmission process.

  Next, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 receives the communication instruction information from the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 (S82). The control program 35 can use the service A provided by the service providing apparatus 110 by communicating with the service providing apparatus 110 according to the received communication instruction information.

  Hereinafter, as a specific example of service A, a service for storing image data formed by the scanner unit 12 of the multifunction machine 10 in the service providing apparatus 110 (hereinafter referred to as “scan upload service”), and a service providing apparatus 110. A service for downloading stored data to be recorded in the printer unit 11 (hereinafter referred to as “download print service”) will be described.

  First, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 using the scan upload service causes the scanner unit 12 to execute a scan operation. The scanner unit 12 reads an image recorded on a document set on a contact glass (not shown) or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) and forms image data indicating the image. The communication instruction information corresponding to the scan upload service includes an upload destination URL indicating the upload destination of the image data.

  In step S83, the control program 35 transmits the image data formed by the scanning operation as upload data to the service providing apparatus 110 indicated by the upload destination URL included in the communication instruction information through the communication unit 25. Further, the service providing apparatus 110 receives the upload data from the multifunction device 10, stores the upload data in the storage unit, and transmits upload completion information to the multifunction device 10. Then, in step S83, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 receives upload completion information from the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 25. The upload completion information is information indicating that upload data has been stored.

  In step S75, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 using the download print service transmits service request information further including a data ID for identifying the download data to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25. Similarly, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 transmits service instruction information further including a data ID included in the service request information to the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 in step S80. The communication instruction information corresponding to the download print service includes a download source URL indicating the location of the download data indicated by the data ID included in the service instruction information. The download data may be, for example, data in an image format such as JPEG, data in a document format such as DOC, or data in any other format.

  In step S83, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 transmits the data request information to the service providing apparatus 110 indicated by the download source URL included in the communication instruction information through the communication unit 25. In addition, the service providing apparatus 110 receives data request information from the multifunction device 10 and transmits download data to the multifunction device 10. In step S83, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 receives download data from the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 25. Further, the control program 35 causes the printer unit 11 to execute a recording operation for the download data. That is, the printer unit 11 records the image indicated by the download data on the recording paper.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
According to the relay device 80 of the above-described embodiment, when the information providing terminal 50 requests the issuance of a token by the service providing device 110, the multifunction device 10 of the plurality of services provided by the service providing device 110 is The available service A can be determined as a target service, and the service providing apparatus 110 can issue a token of the target service. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user operation for specifying a service to be used by the multifunction machine 10.

  More specifically, when there is only one service ID extracted in the extraction process, the service identified by the service ID is determined as the target service. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user operation for specifying a service to be used by the multifunction machine 10. Further, when the service providing apparatus 120 that provides only one service is specified, the search process is omitted and the service D provided by the service providing apparatus 120 is determined as the target service. Thereby, the processing load of the relay apparatus 80 is reduced.

  On the other hand, when there are a plurality of service IDs extracted in the extraction process, the service identified by the service ID selected by the user of the information processing terminal 50 is determined as the target service. Here, the user of the information processing terminal 50 selects one of the service IDs extracted from the service list using the white list and the black list. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user operation for designating a service to be used by the multi-function device 10 as compared with a case where a desired service is designated from all service IDs included in the service list.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the service ID is extracted using the white list and the black list has been described. As a result, the service C whose unknown whether or not the multifunction machine 10 can be used is extracted, so that the service newly provided by the service providing apparatus 110 can be used by the multifunction machine 10 based on the user's judgment. However, the black list can be omitted. In this case, only the service ID “A” of service A is extracted in step S51 of the above embodiment. Alternatively, the white list may be omitted. In the extraction process in this case, service IDs “A” and “C” are extracted. Further, both the white list and the black list may be omitted. Then, the control program 95 may extract a predetermined service ID “A” from the service IDs included in the service list.

  Alternatively, on the server selection screen, the user of the information processing terminal 50 may select icons corresponding to the services A to D provided by the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120. Then, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 may transmit issuance request information including the service ID of the service corresponding to the icon for which the selection has been received, to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25. Then, in the service determination process, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 may determine a service identified by the service ID included in the issuance request information among the service IDs included in the service list as the target service.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the information necessary for acquiring the token is not included in the token list, the control program 95 may omit the search process (S18). The control program 95 in this case may execute the service determination process (S19) using the service ID stored in the data storage area 92B instead of the service list received from the service providing apparatus 110.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the MFP 10 acquires a token by inputting the TempID displayed on the display unit 53 of the information processing terminal 50 to the MFP 10 has been described. The method for acquiring the token is not limited to this. For example, when the MFP 10 and the information processing terminal 50 can execute NFC (Near Field Communication) communication, the relay device 80 transmits a token to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 in step S24. May be. The multifunction device 10 may receive a token from the information processing terminal 50 through the NFC communication unit immediately before step S75. NFC communication is an example of short-range wireless communication or direct wireless communication, and can be replaced with Bluetooth (registered trademark) , Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE, or the like.

[Modification 1]
Next, processing of the communication system 100 according to the first modification will be described with reference to FIG. Note that details of processing common to the above-described embodiment are omitted, and differences will be mainly described. The communication system 100 according to the modified example 1 is different from the above-described embodiment in which the target service is determined when the token is issued in that the target service is determined when the service is used.

  Further, the service providing apparatus 110 according to the modification 1 is different from the above-described embodiment in which individual tokens are issued for the services A, B, and C in that a token common to the services A, B, and C can be issued. To do. That is, the token issued by the service providing apparatus 110 in the first modification indicates that it has the authority to receive all of the services A, B, and C.

  Furthermore, it is assumed that the communication system 100 according to the first modification performs the processes of FIGS. 4 and 7 prior to the process shown in FIG. However, the processing of steps S17 to S19 in FIG. 4 is omitted. Thus, the token issued by the service providing apparatus 110 is stored in the data storage area 32B of the multifunction machine 10.

  Next, steps S71 to S74 in FIG. 8 are the same as steps S11 to S14 in FIG. 4 except that the communication partner of the relay device 80 is the multifunction device 10, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Then, the control program 35 of the multifunction device 10 responds to the selection of the server icon 131 through the operation unit 24 (S74), for example, by the device ID “001” corresponding to the server icon 131 and the service providing device 110. The service request information including the issued token is transmitted to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 (S75).

  Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives service request information from the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S75). The process of step S75 is an example of a first reception process. Moreover, since the process of step S76-S79 is common to step S16-S19 of FIG. 4, it abbreviate | omits description again. Then, the control program 95 transmits the service instruction information including the service ID “A” of the target service determined in step S79 and the token included in the service request information to the service providing apparatus 110 through the communication unit 85 (S80). . The process of step S80 is an example of a first transmission process.

  Next, the service providing apparatus 110 receives the service instruction information from the relay apparatus 80 and transmits the communication instruction information to the relay apparatus 80. Next, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 receives communication instruction information from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 (S81). Then, the control program 95 transmits communication instruction information to the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 85 (S82). The process of step S81 is an example of a second reception process, and the process of step S82 is an example of a second transmission process. Furthermore, since the process of step S83 is common to the process described in the above embodiment, a repetitive description is omitted.

  Also in the above modification, the user operation for designating a service to be used by the multifunction machine 10 can be simplified. That is, when the service providing apparatus 110 issues an individual token for each service, the above embodiment can be applied, and when the service providing apparatus 110 issues a token common to a plurality of services, the first modification can be applied. It becomes.

[Modification 2]
Further, in the service determination process of the above embodiment and modification 1, the process of step S51 may be omitted. That is, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 may transmit service designation instruction information including all service IDs included in the service list to the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 in step S53. Since other processes are common to the above-described embodiment and Modification 1, description thereof will be omitted.

  In recent years, new services have been released one after another in the service providing apparatuses 110 and 120. And procedures for using the service tend to be diversified. Therefore, if the relay apparatus 80 is caused to execute extraction processing using a white list and a black list as in the above-described embodiment and modification example 1, the burden on the administrator of the relay apparatus 80 may increase excessively. is there.

  Therefore, according to the second modification, it is not necessary to manage the white list and the black list by the relay device 80. As a result, it is not necessary to update the white list and the black list each time a new service that can be used by the multifunction machine 10 is released, so that the burden on the administrator of the relay device 80 can be reduced.

[Modification 3]
Further, the data storage area 92B of the relay device 80 may store a plurality of white lists associated with model information indicating the model of the multifunction machine 10. The model information can be formed by, for example, hardware (for example, the printer unit 11 or the scanner unit 12) included in the multifunction device 10 or functions of the hardware (for example, the size of printable recording paper, the scanner unit 12). This is information specifying the resolution of the image data. That is, the white list according to the modified example 3 indicates services that can be used by the multifunction peripheral 10 of the model indicated by the model information associated with the white list.

  Then, the control program 65 of the information processing terminal 50 may display a list of models of the multifunction machine 10 on the service selection screen in step S13. Further, the control program 65 may accept a user operation for selecting a model of the multifunction machine 10 that uses the service from the list through the operation unit 54 in step S13. Furthermore, the control program 65 may transmit issuance request information including model information indicating the model for which selection has been accepted to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 55 in step S15.

  Further, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 may receive the issue request information including the model information from the information processing terminal 50 through the communication unit 85 in step S15. Then, in step S51, the control program 95 compares the service list with the white list associated with the model information included in the issue request information among the plurality of model information stored in the data storage area 92B. Good. According to the third modification, even if the available service differs depending on the model of the multifunction device 10, it is possible to simplify the user operation for specifying the service to be used by the multifunction device 10.

[Modification 4]
Furthermore, the processing in steps S17 to S19 in FIG. 4 may be omitted, and the processing in step S19 may be executed immediately after step S64 in FIG. In this case, the issue instruction information is information for issuing tokens corresponding to all services provided by the service providing apparatus 110, for example. That is, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 may receive three tokens corresponding to the services A, B, and C from the service providing device 110 through the communication unit 85 in step S21. Then, in step S23, the control program 95 may store a plurality of tokens in association with the TempID in the data storage area 92B.

  Further, the control program 95 may determine one of a plurality of services A, B, and C provided by the service providing apparatus 110 as a target service in step S19 executed immediately after step S64. In step S65, the control program 95 may transmit the token corresponding to the target service among the plurality of tokens stored in the data storage area 92B to the multifunction device 10 through the communication unit 85.

  Furthermore, when combining the modified examples 3 and 4, the control program 35 of the multifunction machine 10 may transmit the model information and the TempID to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 in step S63. The model information is stored in advance in the data storage area 32B of the multifunction machine 10. In addition, the control program 95 of the relay device 80 may receive the model information and the TempID from the multifunction device 10 through the communication unit 85 in step S63. And control program 95 should just perform extraction processing using white list corresponding to model information received at Step S63 in Step S19 performed immediately after Step S65.

  Thereby, compared with the modification 3, the user operation for selecting the model of the multifunction machine 10 can be omitted. Further, the same effect can be obtained by combining the first and third modifications. In this case, the control program 35 of the MFP 10 may transmit service request information including model information to the relay device 80 through the communication unit 25 in step S75. Since other processes are common to the combinations of the modified examples 3 and 4, the description thereof will be omitted.

  Further, in the MFP 10, the information processing terminal 50, and the relay device 80 of each embodiment, various programs stored in the program storage areas 32A, 62A, 92A of the storage units 32, 62, 92 are executed by the CPUs 31, 61, 91. The example in which each process executed by the control unit of the present invention is realized by being executed has been described. However, the configuration of the control unit is not limited to this, and part or all of the configuration may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC (Integrated Circuit)).

  Furthermore, the present invention can be realized not only as the multifunction device 10, the information processing terminal 50, and the relay device 80, but also as a program that causes the multifunction device 10, the information processing terminal 50, and the relay device 80 to execute processing. . Then, the program may be provided by being recorded on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a storage unit mounted on a server that can be connected to the MFP 10, the portable terminal 50, and the relay device 80 via a communication network in addition to a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like. Good. And the program memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the server may be delivered via communication networks, such as the internet, as the information or signal which shows the said program.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 11 ... Printer part 12 ... Scanner part 31, 61, 91 ... CPU
23: Display unit 24: Operation unit 25, 55, 85 ... Communication unit 32, 62, 92 ... Storage unit 35, 65, 95 ... Control program 50 ... Information processing terminal 80 ... Relay devices 110, 120 ... Service providing devices

Claims (14)

A relay device comprising a communication unit and a control unit,
The communication unit can communicate with an information processing terminal, an image forming apparatus that performs a forming operation for forming an image, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service,
The controller is
First reception processing for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit;
A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the authentication information requested by the issue request information received in the first receiving process;
In response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process, a determination process for determining a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus is executed. The first service providing apparatus The service provision capable of providing the first service that can be used by the forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus and that can issue the authentication information for each service indicating that it has the authority to receive the service. Device,
The control unit executes a first transmission process for transmitting issuance instruction information to the service providing apparatus identified by the identification process through the communication unit, and the issuance instruction information includes the authentication information corresponding to the target service. Information to be issued,
The controller is
A second receiving process for receiving the authentication information issued according to the issuing instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process through the communication unit;
A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to acquire the authentication information received in the second reception process to the information processing terminal through the communication unit;
Run the third reception processing for receiving a service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, the service request information includes the authentication information by the image forming apparatus has acquired with the acquisition instruction information And information requesting provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information,
The control unit executes a third transmission process for transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, and the communication instruction information uses a service corresponding to the authentication information included in the service request information. A relay device that is information indicating a method to perform. The controller is
A fourth transmission process for transmitting list request information for requesting transmission of a service list to the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit in response to identifying the first service providing apparatus in the identifying process;
And a fourth reception process for receiving the service list from the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit, wherein the service list includes a plurality of service identification information for identifying services that can be provided by the first service providing apparatus. Including
2. The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines, in the determination process, the first service, which is one of services identified by the service identification information included in the service list, as the target service. . The relay device includes a storage unit that stores a white list including first identification information that is the service identification information of the first service,
The controller is
Executing an extraction process for extracting the service identification information included in the white list from the service identification information included in the service list;
The relay apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the determination process, the first service identified by the first identification information extracted in the extraction process is determined as the target service. The control unit executes a fifth transmission process of transmitting service designation instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit in response to the extraction of a plurality of the service identification information in the extraction process, and the service designation The instruction information is information that includes a plurality of the service identification information extracted in the extraction process and instructs to designate one of the service identification information,
The control unit executes a fifth reception process for receiving service designation information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit, and the service designation information is the service identification information for which the information processing terminal has received designation. Including first identification information;
The relay apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit determines, in the determination process, the first service identified by the first identification information included in the service designation information as the target service. The storage unit includes second identification information that is the service identification information of the second service, and does not include third identification information that is the service identification information of the third service provided by the first service providing apparatus. Remember more blacklists,
The relay device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit further extracts the service identification information not included in the black list from the service identification information included in the service list in the extraction process.   In response to extracting only one piece of the first identification information in the extraction process, the control unit does not execute the fifth transmission process and is identified by the first identification information in the determination process. The relay apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first service is determined as the target service.   The relay device according to claim 3, wherein the white list includes only one piece of the first identification information.   The control unit does not execute the fourth transmission process in response to specifying the second service providing apparatus in the specifying process, and determines the fourth service as the target service in the determining process, The second service providing apparatus is the service providing apparatus capable of providing only the fourth service available to the image forming apparatus and issuing the authentication information corresponding to the fourth service. 8. The relay device according to any one of 7. The control unit receives server list request information for requesting transmission of server designation instruction information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit;
And a sixth transmission process for transmitting the server designation instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit, wherein the server designation instruction information is a service providing apparatus that provides a service that can be used by the image forming apparatus. Information including device identification information to be identified, and specifying one of the device identification information,
The controller is
In the first reception process, the issue request information including the device identification information specified by a user of the information processing terminal is received;
The relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein in the specifying process, the service providing device identified by the device identification information included in the issue request information is identified. The controller is
An issuing process for issuing identification information for identifying the authentication information received in the second receiving process;
A storage process for storing the authentication information received in the second receiving process and the identification information issued in the issuing process in the storage unit in association with each other;
The relay device according to claim 1, wherein, in the second transmission process, the identification information issued in the issue process is transmitted to the information processing terminal through the communication unit as the acquisition instruction information. The controller is
A seventh reception process for receiving the identification information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit;
11. The relay device according to claim 10, wherein a seventh transmission process for transmitting the authentication information identified by the identification information received in the seventh reception process to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit is executed. A relay device comprising a communication unit and a control unit,
The communication unit is capable of communicating with an image forming apparatus that performs a forming operation for forming an image, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service.
The control unit executes a first reception process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, and the service request information includes authentication information and requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information. Information
The control unit specifies a service providing apparatus that is an issuing source of the authentication information included in the service request information received in the first reception process;
In response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process, a determination process for determining a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus is executed. The first service providing apparatus The authentication information indicating that the first service that can be used by the forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus can be provided, and that the user has an authority to receive both the first service and the second service. The service providing apparatus capable of issuing
The control unit executes a first transmission process for transmitting service instruction information to the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process through the communication unit, and the service instruction information is included in the authentication information included in the service request information And service identification information for identifying the target service, and information for instructing transmission of communication instruction information,
The controller is
A second receiving process for receiving, via the communication unit, the communication instruction information indicating a method of using the target service from the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process;
A relay device that executes a second transmission process of transmitting the communication instruction information received in the second reception process to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit. A relay device comprising a communication unit and a control unit,
The communication unit can communicate with an information processing terminal, an image forming apparatus that performs a forming operation for forming an image, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service,
The controller is
First reception processing for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit;
A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the authentication information requested by the issue request information received in the first receiving process;
In response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process, a determination process for determining a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus is executed, and the first service providing apparatus can provide a plurality of services. And the service providing apparatus capable of issuing, for each service, the authentication information indicating the authority to receive a service,
The control unit executes a first transmission process for transmitting issuance instruction information to the service providing apparatus identified by the identification process through the communication unit, and the issuance instruction information includes the authentication information corresponding to the target service. Information to be issued,
The controller is
A second receiving process for receiving the authentication information issued according to the issuing instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process through the communication unit;
A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to acquire the authentication information received in the second reception process to the information processing terminal through the communication unit;
A third reception process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, the service request information including the authentication information acquired by the image forming apparatus using the acquisition instruction information; And information requesting the provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information,
The control unit executes a third transmission process for transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, and the communication instruction information uses a service corresponding to the authentication information included in the service request information. Information that shows how to
In response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process, the control unit further includes:
A fourth transmission process for transmitting list request information for requesting transmission of a service list to the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit;
And a fourth reception process for receiving the service list from the first service providing apparatus through the communication unit, wherein the service list includes a plurality of service identification information for identifying services that can be provided by the first service providing apparatus. Including
The control unit executes a fifth transmission process of transmitting service designation instruction information to the information processing terminal through the communication unit, and the service designation instruction information includes a plurality of the service identification information included in the service list. And information for designating one of the service identification information,
The control unit executes a fifth reception process for receiving service designation information from the information processing terminal through the communication unit, and the service designation information includes the service identification information designated by a user of the information processing terminal. ,
In the determination process, the control unit determines a service identified by the service identification information included in the service designation information as the target service. A communication system comprising a relay device, an information processing terminal, and an image forming device,
The relay device is
A first communication unit capable of communicating with the information processing terminal, the image forming apparatus, and a service providing apparatus that provides a service;
Server control unit,
The server control unit
A first reception process for receiving issuance request information for requesting issuance of authentication information from the information processing terminal through the first communication unit;
A specifying process for specifying the service providing apparatus that issued the authentication information requested by the issue request information received in the first receiving process;
In response to specifying the first service providing apparatus in the specifying process, a determination process for determining a target service to be used by the image forming apparatus is executed. The first service providing apparatus The service provision capable of providing the first service that can be used by the forming apparatus and the second service that cannot be used by the image forming apparatus and that can issue the authentication information for each service indicating that it has the authority to receive the service. Device,
The server control unit executes a first transmission process of transmitting issue instruction information to the service providing apparatus specified by the specification process through the first communication unit, and the issue instruction information corresponds to the target service. It is information that issues authentication information,
The server control unit
A second receiving process for receiving, through the first communication unit, the authentication information issued according to the issuing instruction information from the service providing apparatus specified in the specifying process;
A second transmission process for transmitting acquisition instruction information for causing the image forming apparatus to acquire the authentication information received in the second reception process to the information processing terminal through the first communication unit;
And a third reception process for receiving service request information from the image forming apparatus through the first communication unit, wherein the service request information includes the authentication information acquired by the image forming apparatus using the acquisition instruction information. Including information that requests provision of a service corresponding to the authentication information,
The server control unit executes a third transmission process for transmitting communication instruction information to the image forming apparatus through the first communication unit, and the communication instruction information corresponds to the authentication information included in the service request information. Information indicating how to use the service,
The information processing terminal
A second communication unit capable of communicating with the relay device;
Terminal control unit,
The terminal control unit
Transmitting the issuance request information to the relay device through the second communication unit;
Receiving the acquisition instruction information from the relay device through the second communication unit;
The image forming apparatus includes:
A forming unit for performing a forming operation for forming an image;
A third communication unit capable of communicating with the relay device;
And a equipment control unit,
The device controller is
Transmitting the service request information to the relay device through the third communication unit;
A communication system that receives the communication instruction information from the relay device through the third communication unit.

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