JP2005209075A - Communication terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication terminal device for connection to a server device, that is capable of downloading programs without disclosing access information such as URLs and that is easy for users to operate. <P>SOLUTION: A digital complex device 20 stores access information 9a in its hard disk drive 9. Based on a signal coming from, for example, a client personal computer 30 for indicating the update of a program that the digital complex device 20 has, a main control part 1 accesses an HTTP server device 200 via the Internet 90 while using the access information 9a to download via the Internet 90 the program of a printer driver stored in the driver memory 200a of the HTTP server device 200. Based on the downloaded program of the printer driver, the program of the printer driver that the digital complex device 20 has is updated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus, a digital composite apparatus, and a personal computer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are websites for users who have purchased a printer or a digital composite apparatus, and the latest driver program is downloaded from the server apparatus.

  Further, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a conventional example) for downloading and executing a necessary program from a server apparatus on a network.

  In this conventional apparatus, a plurality of applications are stored in a service management server apparatus, and a terminal apparatus is connected to the server via a network, and an IC card in which personal information including a user ID and a password is stored is a terminal. When inserted into the device, the terminal device reads the personal information on the card and sends it to the user management server device to authenticate the user. When the authentication is successful, the terminal device makes a service request including the user ID of the card to the server device, and automatically downloads a plurality of applications corresponding to the user ID output from the server device. It is executed in response to a startup request from the user side.

JP 2002-169621 A.

  However, it is necessary to disclose the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the service management server device according to the conventional example, and it is easily attacked by hackers and the like. Further, in the conventional example, it is necessary to use an IC card for personal authentication, and there is a problem that the operation is troublesome.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and can download a program without disclosing access information such as a URL, and can be easily operated by a user, and is a communication terminal for connecting to a server device. To provide an apparatus.

A communication terminal device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a communication terminal device connected via a network to a server device that stores a predetermined program.
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Based on the update instruction or update instruction signal of the program possessed by the communication terminal device, the access information is used to access the server device, the program stored in the server device is downloaded, and based on the downloaded program And a control means for updating a program of the communication terminal device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal device connected to a server device storing a predetermined program via a first network and connected to a client device having the program via a second network. ,
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Based on the update instruction signal of the program possessed by the client device, the server device is accessed using the access information, the program stored in the server device is downloaded, and the downloaded program is transferred to the client device. And a control means for controlling to update the program of the client device based on the transferred program.

A communication terminal device according to a third invention is a communication terminal device connected via a network to a server device that accepts predetermined processing.
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Control means for accessing the server apparatus using the access information based on the execution instruction or execution instruction signal of the predetermined process and transmitting the execution instruction signal of the predetermined process to the server apparatus. It is characterized by that.

  In the communication terminal apparatus according to the third invention, the control means receives an acceptance signal returned in response to the execution instruction signal for the predetermined process.

  In the communication terminal device, the access information includes authentication information.

  In the communication terminal device, the access information is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the server device.

  Further, in the communication terminal device, the server device is an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) server device.

  According to the communication terminal device of the present invention, access information to the server device is stored, and based on an update instruction or update instruction signal of a program included in the communication terminal apparatus, or an execution instruction or execution instruction signal of a predetermined process Since the access information is used to access the server device, access information such as URL and authentication information does not need to be disclosed, and safety is greatly improved. Further, there is no need for an IC card for authentication, and the user's operation is simple.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is an example of a communication terminal apparatus according to the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a LAN system including a digital composite apparatus 20 that is a facsimile apparatus with a copy, printer, and scanner function according to an embodiment. .

  The LAN system according to this embodiment is connected to a public telephone network 80 via a plurality of N client personal computers 30-1 to 30-N (hereinafter collectively referred to as reference numeral 30) and a public telephone line L. The digital composite apparatus 20 and the router apparatus 60 connected to the Internet 90 are connected via a LAN 70. By connecting each client personal computer 30 to the Internet 90 via a router device 60 and a mail server device (not shown), it is possible to browse home pages and send and receive e-mails. Reference numeral 30 denotes a configuration in which the copy, printer, scanner, and facsimile functions of the apparatus 20 can be used in common by accessing the digital composite apparatus 20.

  In one example of this embodiment, the LAN 70 is connected via the Internet 90 to an HTTP server device 200 having a driver memory 200 a that stores a driver program for the digital composite device 20. For example, as shown in the second embodiment of FIG. 5, the digital composite apparatus 20 as a communication terminal apparatus stores the access information 9 a in the hard disk drive 9, and the main control unit 1 receives, for example, from the client personal computer 30. Based on the update instruction signal of the program possessed by the digital composite apparatus 20 (or an update instruction input using the operation unit 5 of the digital composite apparatus 20), the access information 9a is used for the Internet. 90, the HTTP server device 200 is accessed, the printer driver program stored in the driver memory 200a of the HTTP server device 200 is downloaded via the Internet 90, and the digital composite is based on the downloaded printer driver program. It is characterized by updating a printer driver program included in the location 20.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the client personal computer 30 of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, a client personal computer 30 is an external terminal device that is a known personal computer, and executes processing such as generation, recording, and storage of image data and character data. In this embodiment, as an example, the client personal computer 30 is an external terminal device that receives image data scanned by a scanner, or image data of an original image generated by the client personal computer 30 (for example, software of a word processor). It is used as an information processing apparatus that transmits the created document image data to the receiving communication terminal apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus or a digital composite apparatus via the digital composite apparatus 20. The client personal computer 30 is used as a device for generating an update instruction signal for a printer driver for a PC or a device 20 based on a user operation, as in the first and second embodiments of FIG.

  The main control unit 101 is specifically composed of a CPU and is connected to the following hardware units via the bus 113 to control them and execute various software functions to be described later. In the client personal computer 30, an image reading unit and an image recording unit (not shown) are optionally provided. The display unit 104 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a CRT display, and displays the operation state of the client personal computer 30 and displays image data of a document to be transmitted and received image data. Do. The operation unit 105 is a keyboard, for example, for inputting character data and instruction commands.

The ROM 106 stores various software programs that are necessary for the operation of the client personal computer 30 and executed by the main control unit 101 in advance. The RAM 107 is composed of SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, etc., and is used as a working area for the main control unit 101 to store temporary data generated when the program is executed. Further, the hard disk drive 108 is a storage device containing a recording medium, and includes the following tables or areas.
(A) Image data memory area 108a: a memory area for storing image data.
(B) Program memory area 108b: A memory area for storing application programs to be executed and image data.

  In the client personal computer 30 configured as described above, the main control unit 101 of the client personal computer 30 is scanned and converted by the image reading unit 2 of the digital composite apparatus 20, and then the corresponding memory in the memory box area 8a. When transferring the image data stored in the box into its own device, the main control unit in the digital multifunction device 20 sends a transfer instruction request signal including instruction data for instructing the corresponding memory box via the LAN interface 112 and the LAN 70. In response to this, image data transmitted from the digital composite apparatus 20 via the LAN 70 is received and stored in the hard disk drive 9.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the digital composite apparatus 20 of FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the digital composite apparatus 20 has functions of a copy, a printer, and a scanner in addition to a conventional facsimile communication function such as the G3 system. The main control unit 1 is specifically composed of a CPU, and is connected to the following hardware units via the bus 13 to control them, and executes various software functions to be described later. The image reading unit 2 reads a document with a scanner using a CCD or the like, and outputs dot image data converted into monochrome binary. The image recording unit 3 is, for example, a printer apparatus such as an electrophotographic system, and prints out image data scanned and converted by the image reading unit 2 or image data received from another facsimile apparatus by facsimile communication as a hard copy. Record or record character data.

  The display unit 4 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD) or a CRT display, and displays the operation state of the digital composite device 20 and displays image data of a document to be transmitted and received image data. Do. The operation unit 5 includes character keys, dial keypads, speed dial keys, one-touch dial keys, various function keys, and the like necessary for operating the digital composite apparatus 20. In addition, you may comprise so that a part or all of the various keys of this operation part 5 may be substituted by making the above-mentioned display part 4 into a touch panel system.

The ROM 6 stores various software programs that are necessary for the operation of the digital composite apparatus 20 and executed by the main control unit 1 in advance. The RAM 7 is composed of SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM or the like, and is used as a working area for the main control unit 1 to store temporary data generated when the program is executed. When a flash memory is used as the RAM 7, the contents of the data are not lost even when the power is cut off due to a power failure, movement of the device, or the like. Here, the RAM 7 stores the following tables.
(A) Memory box management table 7a: a table for managing the memory box area 8a in the image memory 8, and a memory box number assigned to the client personal computer 30 connected to the LAN 70 or its user And the recipient name of the user, the storage address of the image data in the image memory 8, and the e-mail address of the client personal computer 30 or the user (when necessary, such as notification of facsimile reception).

The image memory 8 is composed of a DRAM or the like, and stores image data to be transmitted, received image data, or image data that has been scanned and converted. Here, the image memory 8 includes a memory box area 8a divided into a plurality of memory boxes corresponding to a plurality of client personal computers 30 or their users. Each client personal computer 30 transfers image data transmitted / received by a facsimile function, image data scanned and converted by a scanner function or a copy function, and image data when using a printer function to a corresponding memory box. When the data is temporarily stored and read from the memory box, a transfer instruction request signal is transmitted to read and transfer from the corresponding memory box. Further, the hard disk drive 9 is a storage device having a built-in recording medium, and stores various data and programs. Specifically, the hard disk drive 529 includes the following information and programs.
(A) Access information 9a: Access information to the HTTP server device 200, which includes URL and authentication information (such as ID and password).
(B) Printer driver 9b for the apparatus: a program for driving and controlling the image recording unit 3.
(C) PC (personal computer) printer driver 9c: a program for driving and controlling a printer connected to the client personal computer 30, and the digital composite device 20 is a server device for the program.

  The fax modem 10 is a modem connected to the public telephone line L and having a function of a fax modem for normal facsimile communication. An NCU (Network Control Unit) 11 is a hardware circuit that performs an operation of closing and opening a DC loop of an analog public telephone line L and having an automatic dial function. Is connected to the public telephone line L. Here, the NCU 11 detects the ID receiving terminal activation signal and the normal telephone call signal in the outgoing telephone number notification service, and transmits the primary response signal and the secondary response signal in the outgoing telephone number notification service as necessary. can do. The NCU 11 may be connected to a baseband transmission type digital line (for example, an ISDN line) via a predetermined terminal adapter and DSU (Subscriber Line Termination Unit: Digital Service Unit).

  Further, the LAN interface 12 is connected to the LAN 70 and receives signals and data from the LAN 70, and transmits signals and data to the LAN 70 to execute interface processing related to LAN communication such as signal conversion and protocol conversion. .

  In the facsimile communication function of the digital composite apparatus 20 configured as described above, the dot image data transferred from each client personal computer 30-1 to 30-N or the dot image data read by the image reading unit 2 is facsimile. After being encoded by software according to an encoding method such as MH, MR, or MMR defined in the communication standard, the encoded data is transmitted to the facsimile machine of the other party, and conversely received from the facsimile machine of the other party The data is also decoded into image data by software, stored in the image memory 8, and printed by the image recording unit 3 as necessary.

  FIG. 4 shows a download of the printer driver for PC according to the first embodiment, which is executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows a communication and a processing procedure.

  In FIG. 4, when the user of the client computer 30-n instructs to update the printer driver using the operation unit 105, the client personal computer 30-n transmits a PC printer driver update instruction signal to the digital composite apparatus 20. In response to this, the digital composite apparatus 20 accesses the HTTP server apparatus 200 by transmitting a PC printer driver download instruction signal, which is an HTTP source request signal including the URL and authentication information of the HTTP server apparatus 200. . In response to this, the HTTP server device 200 reads the PC printer driver program stored in the driver memory 200a and transmits the data to the digital composite device 20 in the form of an HTTP source signal. In response to this, the digital multifunction peripheral 20 updates the PC printer driver 9c in the hard disk drive 9 based on the received new PC printer driver program. Next, in response to the PC printer driver download instruction signal from the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20 reads the PC printer driver 9c in the hard disk drive 9 and sends it to the client personal computer 30-n. And the driver is updated in the client personal computer 30-n.

  In the first embodiment described above, the client personal computer 30-n transmits a PC printer driver update instruction signal to the digital composite apparatus 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation unit of the digital composite apparatus 20 is used. 5 may be used to send a PC printer driver update instruction signal to the HTTP server device 200.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the access information to the HTTP server apparatus 200 is stored, and the access information is stored based on the update instruction or update instruction signal of the driver program that the digital multifunction apparatus 20 has. Since the HTTP server device 200 is used to access, access information such as URL and authentication information does not need to be disclosed, and safety is greatly improved. Further, there is no need for an IC card for authentication, and the user's operation is simple.

  FIG. 5 shows a printer driver for the digital composite apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment, which is executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows communication and processing procedure of download.

  In FIG. 5, when the user of the client computer 30-n instructs to update the printer driver for the digital composite apparatus 20 using the operation unit 105, the client personal computer 30-n sends a printer driver update instruction signal for the apparatus 20. In response to this transmission, the digital multifunction device 20 sends a printer driver download instruction signal for the device 20 which is an HTTP source request signal including the URL and authentication information of the HTTP server device 200 to the HTTP server device 200. Send to access. In response to this, the HTTP server device 200 reads the printer driver program for the device 20 stored in the driver memory 200a and transmits the data to the digital composite device 20 in the form of an HTTP source signal. In response to this, the digital composite device 20 updates the printer driver 9b for the device 20 in the hard disk drive 9 based on the received new printer driver program for the device 20.

  In the second embodiment described above, the client personal computer 30-n transmits the printer driver update instruction signal for the apparatus 20 to the digital composite apparatus 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation of the digital composite apparatus 20 is performed. By instructing using the unit 5, a printer driver update instruction signal for the apparatus 20 may be transmitted to the HTTP server apparatus 200.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, the access information to the HTTP server apparatus 200 is stored, and the access information is stored based on the update instruction or update instruction signal of the driver program that the digital composite apparatus 20 has. Since the HTTP server device 200 is used to access, access information such as URL and authentication information does not need to be disclosed, and safety is greatly improved. Further, there is no need for an IC card for authentication, and the user's operation is simple.

  FIG. 6 shows consumables of the digital composite apparatus 20 according to the third embodiment that are executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the communication and processing procedure for order processing.

  In FIG. 6, when the user of the client computer 30-n instructs the consumables ordering instruction of the digital composite device 20 using the operation unit 105, the client personal computer 30-n sends the consumables ordering instruction signal to the digital composite device 20. In response to this, the digital composite apparatus 20 transmits a consumables ordering instruction signal, which is an HTTP source request signal including the URL and authentication information of the HTTP server apparatus 200, to the HTTP server apparatus 200 for access. To do. In response to this, the HTTP server device 200 accepts the consumable item order, and the digital multifunction device 20 transmits a consumable item order acceptance signal to the digital multifunction device 20 in the form of an HTTP source signal. Next, the digital composite apparatus 20 transfers the received consumables order acceptance signal to the client personal computer 30-n.

  In the third embodiment described above, the client personal computer 30-n transmits the consumables ordering instruction signal to the digital multifunction device 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation unit 5 of the digital multifunction device 20 is used. By using the instruction, the consumables ordering instruction signal may be transmitted to the HTTP server device 200.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, the access information to the HTTP server device 200 is stored, and the access information is used based on the ordering instruction or the instruction signal such as the consumables of the digital multifunction device 20. Since the HTTP server device 200 is accessed, there is no need to disclose access information such as URL and authentication information, and safety is greatly improved. Further, there is no need for an IC card for authentication, and the user's operation is simple. Therefore, it is possible to prevent others from impersonating and placing an order without permission.

  In the third embodiment described above, the ordering process for the consumables of the digital multifunction apparatus 20 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the HTTP server apparatus is configured to instruct a predetermined process. May be.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, an example of the digital composite apparatus 20 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be widely applied to communication terminal apparatuses such as a facsimile apparatus having a facsimile function and a facsimile server apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, the HTTP server device 200 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to HTTP, but may be a server device using another communication procedure. For example, an FTP communication procedure can be used for downloading a printer driver.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a LAN system including a digital composite apparatus 20 that is a facsimile apparatus having a copy, printer, and scanner function according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the client personal computer 30 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital composite apparatus 20 of FIG. Communication and processing procedure for downloading the printer driver for PC according to the first embodiment executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. FIG. Communication of download of the printer driver for the digital composite apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure. For the consumables ordering process of the digital composite apparatus 20 according to the third embodiment executed among the client personal computer 30-n, the digital composite apparatus 20, and the HTTP server apparatus 200 connected to the LAN 70 of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the communication and process sequence of.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... main control part,
2. Image reading unit,
3 ... image recording unit,
4 ... display part,
5 ... operation part,
6 ... ROM,
7 ... RAM,
7a ... Memory box management table,
8 ... Image memory,
8a ... Memory box area,
9 ... Hard disk drive,
9a ... access information,
9b: Printer driver for the device,
9c ... Printer driver for PC
10. Fax modem,
11 ... NCU,
12 ... LAN interface,
13 ... Bus
20: Digital composite device,
30, 30-1 thru | or 30-N ... client personal computer,
60 ... Router device,
70: Local area network (LAN),
80 ... public telephone network,
90 ... Internet,
101 ... main control unit,
104 ... display section,
105 ... operation unit,
106 ... ROM,
107 ... RAM,
108: Hard disk drive,
108a: Image data memory area,
108b ... Program memory area,
112 ... LAN interface,
113 ... Bus,
200 ... HTTP server device,
200a: Driver memory.

Claims (7)

In a communication terminal device connected via a network to a server device that stores a predetermined program,
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Based on the update instruction or update instruction signal of the program possessed by the communication terminal device, the access information is used to access the server device, the program stored in the server device is downloaded, and based on the downloaded program A communication terminal apparatus comprising: a control unit that updates a program included in the communication terminal apparatus. In a communication terminal device connected via a first network to a server device storing a predetermined program and connected via a second network to a client device having the program,
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Based on the update instruction signal of the program possessed by the client device, the server device is accessed using the access information, the program stored in the server device is downloaded, and the downloaded program is transferred to the client device. And a control means for controlling to update the program of the client device based on the transferred program. In a communication terminal device connected via a network to a server device that accepts predetermined processing,
Storage means for storing access information to the server device;
Control means for accessing the server apparatus using the access information based on the execution instruction or execution instruction signal of the predetermined process and transmitting the execution instruction signal of the predetermined process to the server apparatus. A communication terminal device.   4. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means receives an acceptance signal returned in response to the execution instruction signal for the predetermined process.   The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access information includes authentication information.   6. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the access information is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the server device. 7. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the server device is an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) server device.

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