JP6819386B2 - Image processing equipment, systems and information processing methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to image processing devices, systems and information processing methods.

Conventionally, in an image processing device such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), an additional application is installed in an operation display unit that accepts operations related to multiple application functions (copy, scan, printer, fax, etc.) that can be executed by the image processing device. However, there are known techniques for adding functions to image processing devices.

In addition, in order to promote the use of these applications, websites and applications have been developed that can introduce the applications and download or install them on the image processing device as they are.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of comparing and determining whether an application can be installed in an MFP on a function-by-function basis and displaying a list of installable applications including a link to the application.

However, according to the conventional technology, if the application installed from the website is an application specialized in utilizing peripheral devices such as the finisher of the MFP and the motion sensor, the application itself is not provided in the MFP without peripheral devices. There was a problem that it may not be available.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to improve the searchability of an application that uses peripheral devices such as a finisher of an MFP and a motion sensor.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is an image processing device provided with a browser that is connected to a server that distributes an application via a network and browses the site of the server that acquires the application. That is, the detection unit that detects the connected peripheral device and the application command that is provided in the browser and is included in the web content data and acquires the information of the connected peripheral device from the detection unit are executed. The application to be executed and the application provided in the browser and using the peripheral device are displayed in the application list on condition that the peripheral device is detected by the detection unit in response to the execution of the application command. It is characterized by including a display control unit.

According to the present invention, an application that uses a peripheral device such as an MFP finisher or a motion sensor is dynamically displayed in an application list that is a UI for searching for an application when the peripheral device is detected. This has the effect of improving the searchability of applications that use peripheral devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a function possessed by the server. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application information management module. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the first correspondence information. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the second correspondence information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the third correspondence information. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the fourth correspondence information. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application download management module. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a modified example of the server. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the main body of the MFP. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit of the MFP. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a response example. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a response example. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a screen. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the installation confirmation screen. FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the server. FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation procedure for displaying the category screen from the application list screen. FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of generating the category screen. FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system.

Embodiments of the image processing apparatus, the system, and the information processing method will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, as an example of the equipment included in the system, a multifunction device (MFP: Multifunction Peripheral), which is one aspect of the image processing apparatus, will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A multifunction device is a device having a plurality of different functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, and a fax function.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the system (information processing system) 1 according to the embodiment. System 1 realizes a cloud computing type service.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 includes a cloud 5 and an MFP 4 connected to the cloud 5 via a network 3 such as the Internet. The cloud 5 has a server device group composed of a plurality of servers 2. The number of servers 2 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the number of servers 2 used is not limited to this. In the example of FIG. 1, only one MFP4 is illustrated as an image processing device included in the system 1 which is a client when viewed from the cloud 5 side, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the system 1 is not limited to this. The number and type of equipment included is arbitrary. For example, as a device to be a client, a PC (Personal Computer) may be included in the system 1.

The server 2 is composed of display information including information indicating an application available to the MFP 4 and screen information including at least an application command indicating a command for causing the MFP 4 to execute processing related to the application in response to a request from the MFP 4. Web content data (web content data) is transmitted to the MFP4. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the server 2 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 302, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303, a communication I / F (interface) 304, and an input device. It includes a 305, a display device 306, and an auxiliary storage device 307.

The CPU 301 comprehensively controls the operation of the server 2. The ROM 302 is a non-volatile memory that stores various data such as programs. The RAM 303 is a volatile memory that functions as a work area (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU 301.

The communication I / F 304 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The input device 305 is a device used for inputting an operation by a user, and is composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The display device 306 is a device that displays various types of information, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device. The auxiliary storage device 307 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 2 has an application information management module 210 and an application download management module 230. In the example of FIG. 3, only the modules related to the present embodiment are illustrated, but the modules included in the server 2 are not limited to these.

First, the functions of the application information management module 210 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the application information management module 210. The application information management module 210 includes a storage unit 211, a control unit 212, a screen providing unit 213, and a setting unit 214. In the example of FIG. 4, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the application information management module 210 are not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 211 has an application information database (hereinafter, referred to as “application information DB”) 401 and a user information database (hereinafter, referred to as “user information DB”) 402.

The application information DB 401 provides status information indicating whether or not the application is open to the public, a model code that identifies the model of the device that can use the application, and essential hardware for each of the plurality of applications. Store in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the application information DB 401 includes the first correspondence information shown in FIG. 5, the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6, the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. It remembers the correspondence information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first correspondence information associates the model ID assigned to each model of the MFP4 with the model name of the MFP4 and the model code (“model information”) that identifies the model of the MFP4. Information. For example, one model ID may be associated with a plurality of model codes. As shown in FIG. 6, the second correspondence information includes an application ID that identifies the application, a model code that identifies the model of the device that can use the application, and the latest version of the application identified by the application ID. This is application management information in which the version information indicating the above and the required hardware are associated with each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the third correspondence information is information in which the application ID is associated with the state information indicating whether or not the application is open to the public. By combining the above first correspondence information, the second correspondence information, and the third correspondence information, the state information indicating whether or not the state is open to the public for each of a plurality of applications and the application are used. It can be considered that the model code that identifies the model of the possible device and the essential hardware are associated with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the fourth correspondence information includes the application ID, the language information indicating the language of the country or region in which the device is used, the display name of the application identified by the application ID, and the said. This is information associated with a message introducing an application identified by an application ID. In the following description, the combination of the display name and the message may be referred to as "application description information" for explaining the application.

Returning to FIG. 4, the description of the storage unit 211 will be continued. The user information DB 402 stores, for example, information necessary for authenticating a user who has the authority to perform an operation for setting by the setting unit 214 described later.

Next, the function of the control unit 212 will be described. Here, the function of the control unit 212 is provided by the application programming interface (API) on the server 2 side.

Here, for convenience of explanation, the function of the screen providing unit 213 will be described before explaining the function of the control unit 212. When the screen providing unit 213 receives a screen information request requesting screen information from the MFP 4, it generates Web content data (screen information) including at least an application command, and as a response to the screen information request, Web content data (Web content data (screen information). Screen information) is transmitted to MFP4. Web content data (screen information) includes, for example, HTML, CSS included in HTML (or referred to by HTML), Javascript (registered trademark), and the like. This is displayed by the Web browser of the MFP 4 (display control unit 262 described later), and the API (control unit 212) of the server 2 is requested to display information by a technique called Ajax of Javascript. For example, when the application command is Javascript, the script itself may be embedded in HTML, or only the link may be described. In this example, a display information request including the model code of the source MFP4 and requesting display information is transmitted to the control unit 212. Examples of the type of application command of this embodiment include an installation command, an update command, and an uninstall command. The installation instruction indicates an instruction to install an application. The update instruction indicates an instruction to update the application. The uninstall instruction indicates an instruction to delete the installed application and return the state of the MFP4 to the state before installing the application.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit 212. As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 212 includes a specific unit 216, a display information generation unit 217, and a setting control unit 219.

When a display information request including at least a model code and requesting display information is received from the MFP 4 (device), the specific unit 216 stores the information stored in the storage unit 211 (application information DB 401 in this example). By referring to the application, the application corresponding to the combination of the model ID included in the display information request and the state information indicating the published state is specified.

More specifically, when the identification unit 216 receives the display information request from the MFP 4, the specific unit 216 is associated with the model ID included in the received display information request with reference to the first correspondence information shown in FIG. Select the model code. Next, the specific unit 216 selects one or more application IDs and essential hardware associated with the selected model code by referring to the second correspondence information shown in FIG. In addition to the categories that represent hardware, the required hardware also includes a list of compatible hardware models. Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and from the selected one or more application IDs, the application ID associated with the state information indicating the published state is associated with the identification unit 216. Select. The application identified by the application ID selected as described above corresponds to the combination of the model code included in the display information request received from the MFP4, the essential hardware, and the state information indicating the published state. (That is, as an application that can be used by the MFP4 that requested the display information request).

Further, since the display information request in the present embodiment includes language information (locale information) indicating the language of the country or region in which the MFP4 requesting the display information request is used, the specific unit 216 Refers to the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. 8, and identifies the application description information corresponding to the combination of the application ID specified as described above and the language information included in the display information request received from the MFP 4. can do. The above language information is generally described in the HTTP-Language header of HTTP.

The description of FIG. 9 will be continued. The display information generation unit 217 generates Web content data (display information) indicating the application specified by the specific unit 216, and transmits the generated Web content data (display information) to the MFP 4 as a response to the display information request. .. The Web content data (display information) of the present embodiment is the application details associated with detailed information indicating the details of the application for each application (for example, for each application ID) that can be used by the MFP4 that requests the display information request. Contains information. The detailed information includes version information, application description information, and the like.

The setting control unit 219 controls to reflect the setting by the setting unit 214 in the information stored in the storage unit 211. That is, the setting control unit 219 controls to update the information stored in the storage unit 211 according to the setting by the setting unit 214. In this example, the setting unit 214 has a function of variably setting the display information according to the operation of the user. For example, the setting unit 214 can variably set the application explanation information and the layout information indicating the arrangement of display parts on the screen according to the operation of the user. As a result, for example, the display content can be different for each region.

Each of the functions of the control unit 212, the screen providing unit 213, and the setting unit 214 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the storage unit 211 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device 307 such as a ROM 302 or an HDD. In this example, the combination of the control unit 212 and the screen providing unit 213 is composed of display information indicating an application that can be used by the MFP 4 and screen information including at least an application command in response to a request from the MFP 4. It can be considered that it corresponds to the function of transmitting content data (“control unit”).

Next, the functions of the application download management module 230 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the application download management module 230. As shown in FIG. 10, the application download management module 230 has an application storage 231 and a download unit 232. In the example of FIG. 10, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the application download management module 230 are not limited to these.

The application storage 231 stores a plurality of applications to be provided to the MFP 4. In this example, the application storage 231 stores a data file including the application main body in association with each of a plurality of application IDs.

The download unit 232 controls to transmit (download) any application stored in the application storage 231 to the MFP 4 in response to a request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the download unit 232 includes at least the application ID and receives a download request requesting the download of the application from the MFP4, the download unit 232 transmits the application corresponding to the application ID included in the received download request to the MFP4. To do. More specifically, the download unit 232 identifies the data file corresponding to the application ID included in the download request received from the MFP 4 with reference to the application storage 231 and transmits the specified data file to the MFP 4.

The function of the download unit 232 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the application storage 231 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device 307 such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

The above is the configuration of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the server 2 may be configured to be composed of a plurality of servers. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the server 2 may be composed of an application server 240 and a database server 250. For example, the application server 240 may have the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, and setting unit 214. Further, for example, the application server 240 is composed of a plurality of servers, and each of the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, setting unit 214, and download unit 232 is distributed and mounted on any of the servers. There may be.

Further, for example, the database server 250 may have the above-mentioned storage unit 211. Further, for example, the database server 250 may be composed of a plurality of servers, and each of the above-mentioned application information DB 401, user information DB 402, and application storage 231 may be distributed and mounted on any server.

Next, the hardware configuration of the MFP 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the MFP 4 includes a main body 10 capable of realizing various functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a printer function, and an operation unit 20 that accepts user operations. It should be noted that accepting a user's operation is a concept including accepting information (including a signal indicating a coordinate value of a screen) input according to the user's operation. The main body 10 and the operation unit 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a dedicated communication path 30. As the communication path 30, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard can be used, but any standard may be used regardless of whether it is wired or wireless.

The main body 10 can perform an operation according to the operation received by the operation unit 20. Further, the main body 10 can also communicate with an external device such as a client PC (personal computer), and can perform an operation according to an instruction received from the external device.

First, the hardware configuration of the main body 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the main body 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an HDD (hard disk drive) 14, a communication I / F (interface) 15, a connection I / F 16, and an engine unit 17. , These are connected to each other via the system bus 18.

The CPU 11 comprehensively controls the operation of the main body 10. The CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire main body 10 by executing a program stored in the ROM 12 or the HDD 14 or the like using the RAM 13 as a work area (work area), and has the above-mentioned copy function, scanner function, fax function, printer function, etc. Realize various functions of.

The communication I / F 15 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The connection I / F 16 is an interface for communicating with the operation unit 20 via the communication path 30.

The engine unit 17 is hardware that performs general-purpose information processing and processing other than communication in order to realize a copy function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a printer function. For example, it is provided with a scanner (image reading unit) that scans and reads an image of a document, a plotter (image forming unit) that prints on a sheet material such as paper, and a fax unit that performs fax communication. Further, the engine unit 17 may be provided with a finisher for sorting the printed sheet material and a specific option (hardware) such as an ADF (automatic document feeding device) for automatically feeding the document.

Next, the hardware configuration of the operation unit 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the operation unit 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a flash memory 24, a communication I / F 25, a connection I / F 26, and an operation panel 27, which are the system bus 28. They are connected to each other via.

The CPU 21 comprehensively controls the operation of the operation unit 20. The CPU 21 controls the operation of the entire operation unit 20 by executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the flash memory 24 or the like using the RAM 23 as a work area (work area), and provides information (image) according to the input received from the user. ) Is displayed and other functions described later are realized.

The communication I / F 25 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The connection I / F 26 is an interface for communicating with the main body 10 via the communication path 30.

The operation panel 27 accepts various inputs according to the user's operation and displays various information (for example, information according to the accepted operation, information indicating the operating status of the MFP 4, information indicating the setting state, etc.). .. In this example, the operation panel 27 is composed of a liquid crystal display device (LCD) equipped with a touch panel function, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be configured by an organic EL display device equipped with a touch panel function. Further, in addition to or in place of this, an operation unit such as a hardware key and a display unit such as a lamp may be provided.

Next, the software configuration of the MFP 4 will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP 4. As shown in FIG. 13, the main body 10 has an application layer 101, a service layer 102, and an OS layer 103. The substance of the application layer 101, the service layer 102, and the OS layer 103 is various software stored in the ROM 12, HDD 14, and the like. By executing these softwares, the CPU 11 provides various functions.

The software of the application layer 101 is application software for operating hardware resources to provide a predetermined function (in the following description, it may be simply referred to as an "application"). For example, examples of the application include a copy application for providing a copy function, a scanner application for providing a scanner function, a fax application for providing a fax function, and a printer application for providing a printer function.

The software of the service layer 102 is software that intervenes between the application layer 101 and the OS layer 103 and provides the application with an interface for using the hardware resources included in the main body 10. More specifically, it is software for providing a function of accepting an operation request for a hardware resource and arbitrating the operation request. As the operation request received by the service layer 102, a request such as reading by a scanner or printing by a plotter can be considered.

The interface function by the service layer 102 is provided not only to the application layer 101 of the main body 10 but also to the application layer 201 of the operation unit 20. That is, the application layer 201 (app) of the operation unit 20 can also realize a function using the hardware resources of the main body 10 (for example, the engine unit 17) through the interface function of the service layer 102.

The software of the OS layer 103 is basic software (operating system (OS)) for providing basic functions for controlling the hardware included in the main body 10. The software of the service layer 102 converts the usage request of the hardware resource from various applications into a command that can be interpreted by the OS layer 103 and passes it to the OS layer 103. Then, when the command is executed by the software of the OS layer 103, the hardware resource operates according to the request of the application.

Similarly, the operation unit 20 has an application layer 201, a service layer 202, and an OS layer 203. The application layer 201, the service layer 202, and the OS layer 203 included in the operation unit 20 also have the same hierarchical structure as that of the main body 10. However, the functions provided by the application of the application layer 201 and the types of operation requests that the service layer 202 can accept are different from those of the main body 10. The application of the application layer 201 may be software for operating the hardware resources included in the operation unit 20 to provide a predetermined function, but the functions (copy function, scanner function, fax function) mainly provided in the main body 10 may be provided. , Printer function), etc., is software for providing UI (user interface) functions for performing operations and displays. In this example, the application layer 201 executes an application for providing a Web browser function (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "browser application") or an application command included in the above-mentioned Web content data. An application for providing a function (hereinafter, may be referred to as an "installer") and the like are included.

In the present embodiment, the software of the OS layer 103 on the main body 10 side and the software of the OS layer 203 on the operation unit 20 side are different from each other in order to maintain the independence of the functions. That is, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate independently of each other in different operating systems. For example, Linux (registered trademark) can be used as the software of the OS layer 103 on the main body 10 side, and Android (registered trademark) can be used as the software of the OS layer 203 on the operation unit 20 side.

As described above, in the MFP 4 of the present embodiment, since the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate on different operating systems, the communication between the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 is an interprocess communication in a common device. It is done as communication between different devices. An operation (command communication) of transmitting information (instruction content from the user) received by the operation unit 20 to the main body 10 and an operation of the main body 10 notifying the operation unit 20 of an event correspond to this. Here, the function of the main body 10 can be used by the operation unit 20 performing command communication to the main body 10. In addition, the event notified from the main body 10 to the operation unit 20 includes the execution status of the operation in the main body 10, the contents set on the main body 10 side, and the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the power supply to the operation unit 20 is performed from the main body 10 via the communication path 30, the power control of the operation unit 20 is separated from the power control of the main body 10 (independently). Can be done.

Next, the functions of the main body 10 of the MFP 4 will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the main body 10 of the MFP 4. As shown in FIG. 14, the main body 10 of the MFP 4 has a detection unit 110. In the example of FIG. 14, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the main body 10 of the MFP 4 are not limited to these. The detection unit 110 is provided by the CPU 11 executing the above-mentioned software. The detection unit 110 may be realized by hardware such as a circuit.

The detection unit 110 detects and manages peripheral devices connected to the MFP 4 by a well-known method. Peripheral devices include a finisher and a motion sensor connected to the MFP4. For example, when the detection unit 110 newly detects the connection of a peripheral device, the detection unit 110 dynamically creates a device file corresponding to the peripheral device.

Next, the function of the operation unit 20 of the MFP 4 will be described.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit 20 of the MFP 4. As shown in FIG. 15, the operation unit 20 includes an activation unit 261, a display control unit 262, an execution unit 263, and a processing execution unit 264. In the example of FIG. 15, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the operation unit 20 are not limited to these. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the display control unit 262 and the execution unit 263 are realized in the Web browser.

The activation unit 261 activates a browser application that provides a Web browser function in response to a user operation. For example, when the operation screen shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the operation panel 27 and the pressing of the icon 5 named "App Market" is accepted, the activation unit 261 has a URL indicating the location of the server 2 on the network 3. Is acquired and the browser application is started.

The launched browser application transmits the above-mentioned screen information request as an HTTP request to the server 2 specified by the URL received from the activation unit 261, and Web content data (HTTP response) as a response to the screen information request (HTTP response). Screen information) is received. In this example, HTML and CSS / Javascript included in HTML (or referred to by HTML) are received as Web content data (screen information). The browser application interprets and executes JavaScript, and uses Ajax to send the above-mentioned display information request (for example, application list request) to the server 2 as an HTTP request, and as a response to the display information request (HTTP response). Receive Web content data (display information) including at least application commands.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a response example of a list of applications received as a response to the display information request. According to the response example of the application list shown in FIG. 17, there is a list called "categories" indicating which category each application belongs to as the content to be displayed on the application site. Here, the category includes essential hardware (peripheral devices such as finishers and motion sensors) for applications specialized in utilizing peripheral devices such as the finisher and motion sensor of MFP4.

For example, when registering an application on the application site of server 2, if the "finisher" that sorts the corresponding printed sheet materials is set in advance in association with the application, the category representing "finisher" is displayed in the "categories" list. Will be added. In addition, a list of corresponding "finisher" models is added to "support_options" in the "categories" list. The same applies when other peripheral devices such as a motion sensor are associated with the application and set.

Then, the browser application controls to display the screen configured based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 on the operation panel 27 (display unit). Here, the function of the display control unit 262 is provided by the browser application. Further, as described above, in this example, the display control unit 262 generates a screen based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2, and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27. To do. The display control unit 262 holds the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, and stores the Web content data (screen information and display information) as needed. A screen can be generated by reading and using the read Web content data (screen information and display information).

In this example, the display control unit 262 inputs an application command selected according to the user's operation on the screen (screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information)) displayed on the operation panel 27. It can be specified and the specified application command can be notified to the execution unit 263. For example, the display control unit 262 can specify an application command selected by the user as Javascript, a custom scheme.

Among the application commands included in the Web content data, the execution unit 263 is notified from the application command (notified by the display control unit 262) included in the Web content data in response to the user's operation via the screen displayed on the operation panel 27. The application command) is executed to request the MFP 4 to execute the process related to the application corresponding to the application command. Here, the function of the execution unit 263 is provided by the application programming interface (API) on the MFP4 side. The MFP 4 can call the application programming interface (API) from the Web application arranged on the server 2 so that it can be used by the browser application of the operation unit 20.

The process execution unit 264 executes the process related to the application in response to the request based on the request from the Web browser (execution unit 263).

As described above, examples of the application command included in the Web content data received from the server 2 include an installation command, an update command, and an uninstall command.

In the following, an example will be described in which an installation command is selected according to a user operation on a screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2. In this case, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the installation instruction selected according to the user's operation, and the processing execution unit 264 executes the installation instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows.

In this example, the display control unit 262 uses the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 to display an application list screen showing a list of applications available in the MFP 4 on the operation panel 27. I do.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. In the example of FIG. 18, the application list screen displays at least the name of the application and the application selection button 311 for selecting the application for all the applications available in the MFP 4. Further, in the example of FIG. 18, the application list screen displays the update selection button 321 for selecting the update of the application and the deletion selection button 331 for selecting the deletion of the application. The specific contents of these will be described later.

Further, in the example of FIG. 18, the application list screen can be displayed for each category. In the example of FIG. 18, the application list screen displays a tab 341 for displaying a list of all applications and selecting an application, and a tab 351 for narrowing down and selecting applications by category.

When the execution unit 263 accepts the pressing of the tab 351 that narrows down the application to each category and selects it, it interprets and executes Javascript and requests the MFP4 to confirm the presence or absence of the peripheral device connected to the MFP4. .. The MFP 4 confirms the presence or absence of a peripheral device connected to the MFP 4 by the detection unit 110.

At this time, the execution of Javascript is associated with the tab 351 and the Javascript itself is described in HTML. In addition, the present invention is not limited to this, and a site in which a link is placed as a shortcut on tab 351 may be accessed and executed by a browser.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a response received as a response to an execution request for confirming the presence or absence of a peripheral device. In the response example when confirming the presence or absence of the peripheral device shown in FIG. 19, the "finisher", "human sensor", and "large capacity tray" are the MFP4 as the list "option_id" of the peripheral device connected to the MFP4. It is stated that it is connected to.

As a result of the above processing, if there is an application in which a connected essential peripheral device exists, the display control unit 262 adds a category representing the peripheral device and displays the category. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when the tab 351 for narrowing down and selecting each category on the application list screen is operated. In the example of FIG. 20, as the category button B, the category button B1 indicating the "finisher" and the category button B2 indicating the "presence sensor" are displayed as the category representing the peripheral device.

In the example of FIG. 20, how many applications are registered for each category button B in which the applications are divided is displayed as a numerical value in the vicinity of the category name. When any of these category buttons B is selected, the display control unit 262 displays the installable applications.

On the other hand, as a result of the above processing, when there is no application in which the connected essential peripheral device exists, the display control unit 262 displays the category button B of the normal category. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when the tab 351 for narrowing down and selecting each category on the application list screen is operated. In the example of FIG. 21, the category button B1 indicating the "finisher" and the category button B2 indicating the "presence sensor", which are the category buttons B of the category representing the peripheral device shown in FIG. 20, are not displayed. ..

When the display control unit 262 accepts the pressing of the category button B in either FIG. 20 or FIG. 21, the display control unit 262 uses the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 to use the application that can be used in the MFP 4. Control is performed to display the application list screen showing the list of the above on the operation panel 27.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. The example of FIG. 22 is a case where the category button B2 indicating the “presence sensor” of FIG. 20 is pressed. In the example shown in FIG. 22, there is an application that can be used by the MFP4 that notifies by e-mail or the like when a human sensor is used to detect a person at night when there should be no person in a company room or the like. As shown in FIG. 22, the display control unit 262 displays at least the name of the application and the application selection button 311 for selecting the application for the application.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. The example of FIG. 23 is a case where the category button B1 indicating the “finisher” of FIG. 20 is pressed. In the example shown in FIG. 23, there is an application that can be used by the MFP 4 that manages frequently used settings in the finisher and adds / deletes them. As shown in FIG. 23, the display control unit 262 displays at least the name of the application and the application selection button 311 for selecting the application for the application.

When the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of any of the application selection buttons 311, the display control unit 262 uses the display information received from the server 2 to indicate the detailed contents of the corresponding application and to receive the installation execution instruction. Control is performed to display the instruction screen on the operation panel 27. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. In the example of FIG. 24, the installation instruction screen displays the application explanation information of the corresponding application and the installation button 312 for instructing the execution of the installation. In this example, pressing the install button 312 means selecting an installation instruction (which may be considered the selection of the application you want to install).

In this example, when the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of the installation button 312, the display control unit 262 controls to display the installation confirmation screen for finally confirming the execution of the installation on the operation panel 27. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the installation confirmation screen. In the example of FIG. 25, the installation confirmation screen displays a confirmation button 313 for instructing that the execution of the installation is finally accepted. In this example, the installation instruction is pasted in Javascript format for the confirmation button 313. Upon receiving the press of the confirmation button 313, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the installation instruction pasted on the pressed confirmation button 313. Then, the process execution unit 264 executes this installation instruction.

The functions of the activation unit 261, the display control unit 262, the execution unit 263, and the processing execution unit 264 described above are obtained by the CPU 21 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 22 or a flash memory 24. It is feasible.

FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1. As described above, when the activation unit 261 accepts the pressing of the icon 5 named "app market" on the operation screen (step S1), the activation unit 261 is a browser application (display control unit 262 and execution unit 263) that is a Web browser. The URL of the server 2 is transmitted together with the start command (step S2). The browser application (display control unit 262) started in response to the start command transmits the above-mentioned screen information request as an HTTP request to the server 2 specified by the received URL (step S3).

Next, the server 2 generates Web content data (screen information) in response to the request from the MFP 4 (step S4), and transmits the generated Web content data (screen information) to the MFP 4 as an HTTP response (step S5). ). The browser application (display control unit 262) receives Web content data (screen information) as a response to the screen information request which is an HTTP request. For example, the browser application (display control unit 262) receives HTML and CSS / Javascript included in HTML (or referenced from HTML) as Web content data (screen information). When the browser application (display control unit 262) loads the Javascript included in the HTML or the link to the Javascript, the browser application (display control unit 262) causes the execution unit 263 to execute the Javascript (step S6).

The browser application (execution unit 263) interprets and executes Javascript, and uses Ajax to transmit the above-mentioned display information request as an HTTP request to the server 2 (step S7).

The server 2 generates display information in response to a request from the MFP 4 (step S8), and transmits the generated Web content data (display information) to the MFP 4 as an HTTP response (step S9). The browser application (execution unit 263) receives Web content data (display information) as a response to the display information request which is an HTTP request.

The execution unit 263 passes the received Web content data (display information) to the display control unit 262 (step S10). The browser application (display control unit 262) generates a screen composed based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the execution unit 263 (step S11), and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27. (Step S12). In this example, the display control unit 262 stores the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 by the execution unit 263 in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, and the received Web content data (Web content data (screen information and display information)). The application list screen shown in FIG. 18 is first generated using the screen information and the display information). Then, control is performed to display the generated application list screen on the operation panel 27.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the server 2 generates application detailed information associated with detailed information indicating the details of the application for each application in which the MFP 4 can be used in step S7 described above. As shown in FIG. 27, when the identification unit 216 receives the above-mentioned display information request from the MFP 4, the identification unit 216 refers to the first corresponding information shown in FIG. 5 and sets the model code included in the received display information request. The associated model ID is selected (step S11). Next, the specific unit 216 selects one or more application IDs associated with the selected model ID with reference to the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6 (step S12). Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and from the selected one or more application IDs, the application ID associated with the state information indicating the published state is associated with the identification unit 216. Is selected (step S13). At this time, the specifying unit 216 also specifies the version information associated with the application ID selected in step S13 among the second corresponding information shown in FIG. Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. 8 and combines the application ID selected in step S13 with the language information (locale information) included in the display information request received from the MFP 4. The application description information corresponding to is specified (step S14). Then, the display information generation unit 217 corresponds to the application description information specified in step S14 and the application ID selected in step S13 among the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6 for each application ID selected in step S13. The application detailed information can be generated by associating the detailed information including the attached version information (step S15).

Next, an operation procedure for displaying the category screen from the application list screen in which all the applications available in the MFP 4 as shown in FIG. 18 are displayed will be described. FIG. 28 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation procedure for displaying the category screen from the application list screen.

As described above, when the pressing of the tab 351 on the application list screen is accepted (step S21), the execution unit 263 acquires the peripheral device connected to the MFP 4 via the detection unit 110 (step S22).

As a result of step S22 described above, when there is an application in which a connected essential peripheral device exists, the display control unit 262 adds a category representing the peripheral device and displays the category as shown in FIG. 20 (step). S23).

As a result of step S22 described above, when there is no application in which the connected essential peripheral device exists, the display control unit 262 displays a normal category as shown in FIG. 21 (step S24).

Here, FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the display control unit 262 generates a category screen in the above-mentioned steps S23 or S24. As shown in FIG. 29, the display control unit 262 compares the list of “support_options” of the application acquired from the application list with the acquired peripheral device list “option_id” (step S31).

When the list of "support_options" of the application and the acquired peripheral device list "option_id" match (Yes in step S32), the display control unit 262 presses the category button B of the category representing the peripheral device when it is not displayed. Display (step S33) and proceed to step S34.

On the other hand, if the display control unit 262 does not match the list of "support_options" of the application and the acquired peripheral device list "option_id" (No in step S32), the display control unit 262 proceeds to step S34 as it is.

The display control unit 262 repeats the processes of steps S31 to S33 until all the applications are executed (No in step S34).

When the processing of steps S31 to S33 is executed for all the applications (Yes in step S34), the display control unit 262 displays the category (step S35) and ends the processing.

FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when any of the application selection buttons 311 displayed on the application list screens shown in FIGS. 18, 22, and 23 is pressed. As described above, when the display control unit 262 accepts the pressing of any of the application selection buttons 311, the display control unit 262 displays the above-mentioned installation instruction screen (see FIG. 24) and installation confirmation screen (see FIG. 25) on the operation panel 27. Control is performed (step S41).

Next, when the press of the install button 312 is accepted, the execution unit 263 sets the installation command selected according to the user's operation and the application ID (application ID of the application to be the target of the selected application command). Notify the process execution unit 264 (step S42). The processing execution unit 264 executes the installation instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the process execution unit 264 transmits to the server 2 the above-mentioned download request including at least the application ID of the application to be the target of the installation instruction and requesting the download of the application (step S43). The server 2 (download unit 232) that has received the download request selects an application corresponding to the application ID included in the received download request (step S44), and transmits the selected application to the MFP 4 (step S45).

The MFP 4 (processing execution unit 264) controls to install the application downloaded from the server 2 in step S45 (step S46). After the installation is completed, the process execution unit 264 associates the application ID of the application for which the installation has been completed with the version of the application at the time of installation, and associates the above-mentioned application management information (second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6). ), The application management information (second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6) is updated (step S47).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the server 2 sends the display information indicating the application that can be used by the MFP 4 and the processing related to the application to the MFP 4 in response to the request from the MFP 4 connected via the network 3. It includes a control unit 212 that controls transmission of Web content data including at least an application command to be executed to the MFP 4, and the MFP 4 controls to display a screen based on the Web content data received from the server 2 on the operation panel 27. The application command included in the Web content data is executed in response to the user's operation via the display control unit 262 and the screen displayed on the operation panel 27, and the MFP 4 executes the processing related to the application corresponding to the application command. It includes a requesting execution unit 263 and. As a result, even if the display information is freely changed on the server 2 side, the application command included in the Web content data can be executed by the MFP4. Therefore, it is necessary to change the program on the MFP4 side according to the change in the display information. There is no. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a mechanism for the server 2 that provides a page introducing an application that can be used by the MFP 4 to construct a page having different display contents for each region, for example.

Further, according to the present embodiment, for an application that uses a peripheral device such as the finisher of the MFP4 or a motion sensor, when the peripheral device is detected, the application list, which is a UI for searching for the application, is dynamically displayed. By displaying in, the searchability of the application that uses the peripheral device can be improved.

For example, suppose you have an application that takes advantage of all the features of a particular finisher. If a user who does not connect the finisher to the MFP 4 additionally installs the application, the application that cannot be used will be installed, which is inconvenient. Further, from the viewpoint of the user who uses the finisher, the convenience is improved if there is an application that provides a usage method specialized for the connected finisher.

Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate independently of each other in different operating systems, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate in the same operating system. It may be in the form. That is, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 may be integrated.

Further, the program executed by the system 1 (server 2, MFP4, etc.) of the above-described embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD. It may be configured to be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as (Digital Versatile Disk) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. You may. In addition, various programs may be configured to be provided by incorporating them into a ROM or the like in advance.

1 System 2 Server 3 Network 4 Image processing device 110 Detection unit 262 Display control unit 263 Execution unit 264 Processing execution unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-058853

Claims (6)

An image processing device provided with a browser that is connected to a server that distributes an application via a network and browses the site of the server that acquires the application.
A detector that detects connected peripherals and
An execution unit provided in the browser and executing an application command for acquiring information on connected peripheral devices included in the web content data from the detection unit.
For the application provided in the browser and using the peripheral device, a display control unit for displaying in the application list, provided that the peripheral device is detected by the detection unit in response to the execution of the application command,
An image processing device characterized by comprising. When displaying the application that uses the peripheral device in the application list, the display control unit divides the application that uses the peripheral device into a display column for each category with the name of the peripheral device as a category. indicate,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. The display control unit displays a button for displaying a display column for each category with the name of the peripheral device as a category, and the button displays the number of the applications for each category.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2. When the peripheral device is not detected by the detection unit, the display control unit hides the button for displaying the display column for each category with the name of the peripheral device as a category.
The image processing apparatus according to claim 3. A system including a server that distributes an application and an image processing device provided with a browser that is connected to the server via a network and browses the site of the server that acquires the application.
The server
A control unit that transmits web content data including at least display information indicating the application and an application command for causing the image processing device to execute processing related to the application in response to a request from the image processing device. With
The image processing device is
A detector that detects connected peripherals and
An execution unit provided in the browser and executing an application command for acquiring information on connected peripheral devices included in the web content data from the detection unit.
For the application provided in the browser and using the peripheral device, a display control unit for displaying in the application list, provided that the peripheral device is detected by the detection unit in response to the execution of the application command,
To prepare
A system characterized by that. An information processing method in an image processing device provided with a browser that is connected to a server that distributes an application via a network and browses the site of the server that acquires the application.
A detection step that detects connected peripheral devices by the detection unit,
An execution step of executing an application command for acquiring information on a connected peripheral device included in the web content data from the detection unit by the browser, and an execution step.
For the application that uses the peripheral device by the browser, a display control step to be displayed in the application list, provided that the peripheral device is detected by the detection unit in response to the execution of the application command,
An information processing method characterized by including.

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