JP2006031438A - Web access control in expansion controller for image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform Web access without trouble even under a condition that a proxy server port registered by a proxy configuration is not in normal, to an expansion controller which is provided with a local-offering browser application and realizes a self-owned function, and to an image processor being a connection party for the expansion controller. <P>SOLUTION: In the expansion controller, the expansion controller for realizing the self-owned function and the image processor connected to the expansion controller are automatically excluded from proxy server port access when the proxy server port is set in the Web browser application. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention provides an image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, image conversion, etc., and is connected to the image processing apparatus to expand its functions and flexibility. The present invention relates to Web access control in an extended control device that realizes the above.

As a conventional technology, when a web page accessed via a proxy server has an error, information is received from the proxy server and the error content is displayed or an error recovery means is provided (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP-A-11-313105 JP 2002-073554 A

  However, with the conventional technology, it is possible to display the error information of the page that the user should have actually reached, and to provide a method for avoiding the error that occurred. There was no description of how to avoid it.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image processing system according to the present invention is connected to an image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, image conversion, and the like. In an image processing system to which an extended control device having an application such as a web browser application for extending functions and flexibility and realizing a function unique to itself is connected, the image processing device includes an extended control device to be connected. A connection extension control device setting means for specifying, the extension control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected, and the extension control device includes a proxy setting means for setting a proxy server port. In the Web browser application, the proxy server port was set by the proxy setting procedure. The proxy control setting unit for automatically excluding the image processing apparatus connected to the extension control apparatus and the image processing apparatus connected to the extension control apparatus from the proxy server / port access. Characterizing the image processing system, an image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion, and connecting to the image processing apparatus to expand its functions and flexibility, Further, in an image processing system connected to an extended control apparatus having an application such as a Web browser application for realizing a function specific to itself, the image processing apparatus is a connection extended control apparatus setting means for specifying an extended control apparatus to be connected The extended control device has a connected image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected, and the extended control device includes: In the proxy setting means for setting a proxy server port, and in the Web browser application, when the proxy server port is set by the proxy setting procedure, the image processing device connected to the extended control device is An image processing system characterized by having proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding from server / port access, and an image having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion An image processing system in which a processing device is connected to the image processing device to expand its functions and flexibility, and an extended control device having an application such as a web browser application for realizing its own function The image processing apparatus includes a connection expansion control for specifying an expansion control apparatus to be connected. Having an apparatus setting means, the extended control apparatus has a connected image processing apparatus setting means for specifying an image processing apparatus to be connected, the extended control apparatus includes a proxy setting means for setting a proxy server port, and the Web browser application When the proxy server / port is set by the proxy setting procedure, the proxy server / port state set by the proxy setting means is monitored, and the proxy server / port is not operating normally. A proxy exclusion setting unit that automatically excludes the extended control device that is the device itself and the image processing device connected to the extended control device from the proxy server / port access. Image processing system, document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, image conversion An image processing apparatus having the above functions, and an extended control apparatus having an application such as a web browser application for connecting to the image processing apparatus and extending its functions and flexibility, and realizing a function unique to itself. In the image processing system to be connected, the image processing device has a connection expansion control device setting means for specifying an extended control device to be connected, and the expansion control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying the image processing device to be connected. When the extended control device accesses the proxy server port once when performing Web access, and it is determined that the server is not normal, the extended control device is connected to the extended control device and the extended control device. Proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding the image processing apparatus that has been processed from the proxy server / port access. Wherein the image processing system, in constructed.

  According to the present invention, even if the proxy server / port registered in the proxy setting is not normal, the extended control device, which is a local device that is locally handled, and that is installed with the browser application, or the connection partner thereof Web access to existing image processing devices is possible.

  In the first and second embodiments, since the extended control device automatically performs the exclusion setting, the user is not aware of the web access to the extended control device that is the user's own device or the image processing device that is the connection partner. Can be done normally.

  In addition, when it is assumed that the user has intentionally set the proxy settings, the proxy server / port state is regularly monitored as in the fourth embodiment. If it is not in a normal state, direct access can be performed, and Web access can be performed in the method most suitable for the situation at that time.

  Further, in the fourth embodiment, a method different from that of the third embodiment is taken, and once the proxy server is accessed, if it is not normal, the direct access is performed. Web access can be done with.

  In addition, in both the third and fourth embodiments, even if it is once excluded from the proxy setting, it is possible to cancel the exclusion setting after returning to the normal state by periodically monitoring the state of the proxy server / port. You can always perform optimal web access according to the situation.

Example 1
A first embodiment will be described. Here, as described in claim 1, when the proxy setting is performed in the extended control apparatus, the extended control apparatus that is the own apparatus and the image processing apparatus connected to the extended control apparatus are excluded from the proxy settings. A description will be given of an embodiment in which the navigation from the Web browser application is excluded from the proxy server / port setting and the connection is made directly. In addition, the structure shown here is an example and is not limited to the structure of illustration.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a network environment in which an image processing system is used.

  The image processing system 10 is a system including an image processing apparatus 100 and an expansion control apparatus 103, and is further extended with respect to the image processing apparatus 100 having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion. Provided functions The image processing apparatus 100 and the extended control apparatus 103 are each connected to the LAN 400 and communicate with other network nodes via the LAN 400.

  A client personal computer (PC) 11 is an information processing apparatus for individuals, and is mainly placed on a user's desk to execute various application programs. The client PC 11 is connected to the LAN 400 and uses services provided by other network nodes via the LAN 400 or provides services to other network nodes.

  The server computer 12 is a large-scale information processing apparatus, is connected to the LAN 400, and mainly provides services to other network nodes via the LAN 400.

  The printer 13 is a network-compatible peripheral device, is connected to the LAN 400, and provides the image forming apparatus service to other network nodes via the LAN 400.

  The router 15 is a network node that connects the networks, and connects the wide area network 16 such as the Internet or a virtual private network and the LAN 400.

  The LAN 400 is a local area network laid in a user's office or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing device and an extended control device.

  The image processing apparatus 100 provides various basic image processing functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion.

  A reader unit (image input device) 200 optically reads a document image and converts it into image data. The reader unit 200 includes a scanner unit 210 having a function for reading a document and a document feeding unit 250 having a function for transporting a document sheet.

  A printer unit (image output device) 300 conveys a recording sheet, prints image data as a visible image thereon, and discharges the recording paper out of the apparatus. The printer unit 300 includes a paper feed unit 360 having a plurality of types of recording paper cassettes, a marking unit 310 having a function of transferring and fixing image data to the recording paper, and sorting and stapling the printed recording papers. And a paper discharge unit 370 having a function of outputting to

  The control device 110 is electrically connected to the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300, and is further connected to the LAN 400. The control device 110 controls the reader unit 200 to read image data of a document, and controls the printer unit 300 to output the image data to a recording sheet to provide a copy function. In addition, the image data read from the reader unit 200 is converted into code data, and is transmitted to a host computer (not shown) via the LAN 400, the code data received from the host computer via the LAN 400 is converted into image data, A printer function for outputting to the printer unit 300 is provided.

  The operation unit 150 is connected to the control device 110, is configured with a liquid crystal touch panel, and provides a user I / F for operating the image input / output system.

  The extended control device 103 includes a control device main body 170, an operation unit 171, and peripheral devices 172. The extended control device main body 170 has a hardware architecture equivalent to a well-known personal computer, and can execute general software including a general-purpose operating system, various device drivers, and various application programs. The operation unit 171 provides a user interface for the user to operate the extended control apparatus 103. The peripheral device 172 is various peripheral devices provided for a general personal computer, and expands the hardware of the expansion control device 170.

  The image processing apparatus 100 and the extended control apparatus 103 are connected via the LAN 400 and can communicate with each other. The local interface 201 is an optional interface for providing a dedicated communication path between the two, and is implemented by a USB or a dedicated bus.

  FIG. 3 is an external view of an image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing device and an extended control device.

  The image processing apparatus 100 is a multifunction machine that provides various image processing functions. The extended control device 170 is installed on the back surface of the image processing apparatus 100. The operation unit 171 is a liquid crystal display with a transparent touch panel pasted on the surface, and is electrically connected to the expansion control device 171. The peripheral device 172 is an I / O device electrically connected to the extended control device 171 and is, for example, an IC card reader / writer, a memory media drive, or the like. The operation unit 171 and the peripheral device 172 of the extended control apparatus 170 are installed on a dedicated stand and arranged so that they can be easily operated by a user standing in front of the image processing apparatus 100.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the control device 110 of the image processing apparatus.

  The main controller 111 mainly includes a CPU 112, a bus controller 113, and various I / F controller circuits.

  The CPU 112 and the bus controller 113 control the overall operation of the control device 110, and the CPU 112 operates based on a program read from the ROM 114 via the ROM I / F 115. The operation of interpreting PDL (page description language) code data received from the host computer and developing it into raster image data is also described in this program and processed by software. The bus controller 113 controls data transfer input / output from each I / F, and performs arbitration at the time of bus contention and control of DMA data transfer.

  The DRAM 116 is connected to the main controller 111 by a DRAM I / F 117, and is used as a work area for operating the CPU 112 and an area for storing image data.

  The Codec 118 compresses the raster image data stored in the DRAM 116 by a method such as MH / MR / MMR / JBIG / JPEG, and conversely decompresses the code data compressed and stored into raster image data. The SRAM 119 is used as a temporary work area of the Codec 118. The Codec 118 is connected to the main controller 111 via the I / F 120, and data transfer to and from the DRAM 116 is controlled by the bus controller 113 and DMA-transferred.

  The Graphic Processor 135 performs processing such as image rotation, scaling, and color space conversion.

  The external communication I / F 121 is connected to the main controller 111 by the I / F 122 and is connected to the external network by the connector 122.

  An expansion connector 124 for connecting an expansion board and an I / O control unit 126 are connected to the general-purpose high-speed bus 125. A general-purpose high-speed bus is a PCI bus.

  The I / O control unit 126 is equipped with two channels of asynchronous serial communication controllers 127 for transmitting / receiving control commands to / from the CPUs of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300. F circuits 140 and 145 are connected.

  The panel I / F 132 is connected to the LCD controller 131 and includes an I / F for displaying on a liquid crystal screen on the operation unit 150 and a key input I / F 130 for inputting hard keys and touch panel keys. Is done.

  The operation unit 150 includes a liquid crystal display unit, a touch panel input device attached on the liquid crystal display unit, and a plurality of hard keys. A signal input from the touch panel or the hard key is transmitted to the CPU 112 via the panel I / F 132 described above, and the liquid crystal display unit displays image data sent from the panel I / F 520. The liquid crystal display unit displays function display, image data, and the like in the operation of the image processing apparatus.

  The real-time clock module 133 is for updating / saving the date and time managed in the device, and is backed up by a backup battery 134.

  The E-IDE interface 161 is for connecting an external storage device. In the present embodiment, the hard disk drive 160 is connected via the I / F, and the image data is stored in the hard disk 162 or the image data is read from the hard disk 162.

  The connectors 142 and 147 are connected to the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300, respectively, and are composed of a synchronized step serial I / F (143, 148) and a video I / F (144, 149).

  The scanner I / F 140 is connected to the reader unit 200 via the connector 142, and is connected to the main controller 111 via the scanner bus 141, and has a function of performing predetermined processing on the image received from the reader unit 200. And a function of outputting a control signal generated based on the video control signal sent from the reader unit 200 to the scanner bus 141.

  Data transfer from the scanner bus 141 to the DRAM 116 is controlled by the bus controller 113.

  The printer I / F 145 is connected to the printer unit 300 via the connector 147, and is connected to the main controller 111 via the printer bus 146, and performs predetermined processing on the image data output from the main controller 111, It has a function of outputting to the printer unit 300, and further has a function of outputting a control signal generated based on the video control signal sent from the printer unit 300 to the printer bus 146.

  Transfer of raster image data developed on the DRAM 116 to the printer unit is controlled by the bus controller 113 and DMA-transferred to the printer unit 300 via the printer bus 146 and the video I / F 149.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a module structure of software of the controller of the image processing apparatus.

  Software processed by the controller 110 built in the image processing apparatus is implemented as so-called firmware, and is executed by the CPU 112 of the apparatus.

  The real-time OS 5001 is a real-time operating system, and provides various resource management services and frameworks optimized for control of embedded systems for software operating on them. The various resource management services and frameworks provided by the real-time OS include multi-task management (thread management) in which a plurality of processes are operated substantially in parallel by managing a plurality of execution contexts of processing by the CPU, synchronization between tasks, There are inter-task communication that implements data exchange, memory management, interrupt management, various device drivers, protocol stacks that implement processing of various protocols such as local interface, network, and communication.

  A file system 5002 is a mechanism for storing data constructed on a storage device such as a hard disk or a memory. It is used for spooling jobs handled by the image processing apparatus controller 110 and storing various data.

  The job control / device control module 5003 controls the hardware of the image processing device, and also executes jobs that use basic functions (print, scan, communication, image conversion, etc.) provided mainly by the hardware of the image processing device. Control.

  The management module 5004 manages the operation of the controller, such as controlling the internal state related to the operation of the image processing apparatus controller 110.

  The control API 5005 is an application programming interface provided in order that an embedded application group higher than this layer uses a service provided by a software module group lower than this layer.

  The network service 5006 makes it possible to use the basic functions of the apparatus from an external network node such as a client PC by mutually converting the control API 5005 and the network protocol. In particular, it has a network server function in which various protocols for network printing (LPR, NetWare, SMB, PAP, IPP, etc.) are mounted, and allows a print job to be input from an external network node such as a client PC.

  An embedded application logic 5007, a presentation interface 5008, and an embedded application UI 5009 constitute an embedded application. The embedded application realizes higher functions such as copying, image scanning, document transmission / reception, and document filing in addition to the basic functions of the image processing apparatus by using the basic functions of the control API. The embedded application logic 5007 corresponds to the business logic part of the embedded application. A presentation interface 5008 is an interface provided to separate business logic and presentation logic of an embedded application. The embedded application UI 5009 corresponds to the presentation logic of the embedded application, and controls the display and input of a graphical user interface (GUI) so that the user can operate the embedded application. The embedded application UI 5009 not only provides a local user interface on the operation unit 150 of the image processing apparatus, but also provides a web application realized using a markup language such as HTML and a web technology such as HTTP. The user can remotely operate the image processing apparatus by connecting to the Web application from a Web browser operating on a client PC or the like. A presentation layer of an embedded application implemented as a Web application is referred to herein as a remote UI.

  The built-in Java (registered trademark) environment 5010 is an interpreter environment configured around a Java (registered trademark) virtual machine. An embedded Java (registered trademark) environment 5010 reads and combines instruction sequence data described in Java (registered trademark) byte code at the time of execution, so that the Java (registered trademark) virtual machine sequentially reads and interprets and executes the instructions. It is configured. Therefore, it is on firmware that is statically coupled to a single load module in advance, including the real-time OS, and has the scalability and flexibility to add or replace software in a very small part. it can. A Java (registered trademark) class library group configured so that firmware (native system) resources and services including a real-time OS and job control / device control API can be used from a Java (registered trademark) program is Java ( (Registered trademark) Native Interface (JNI). The basic part of the Java (registered trademark) environment 5010 is constructed by the well-known Java (registered trademark) 2 Platform, Micro Edition.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a basic screen displayed on the display unit of the operation unit of the image processing apparatus.

  This screen is a touch panel, and the function is executed by touching the frame of the displayed function. A copy mode key 524 is a key to be pressed when performing a copying operation. When the copy mode key 524 is pressed, a copy mode screen 530 is displayed. The extended function key 501 enters a mode such as double-sided copying, multiple copying, movement, binding margin setting, frame erase setting, etc., by pressing this key.

  Reference numeral 540 denotes a status line, which displays a message indicating the device status and print information. In the case of this figure, it indicates that the copy is waiting.

  An image mode key 502 enters a setting mode for performing shading, shadowing, trimming, and masking on a copy image. A user mode key 503 can register a mode memory and set a standard mode screen. The applied zoom key 504 enters a mode for independently scaling the X and Y directions of a document, and a zoom program mode for calculating a scaling factor from the document size and copy size. An M1 key 505, an M2 key 506, and an M3 key 507 are keys that are pressed when calling a mode memory registered in each of them. An option key 509 is a key for setting an optional function such as a film projector for copying directly from the film. A sorter key 510 is a key for setting sort, non-sort, and group. A document mixed key 511 is a key to be pressed when setting A4 size and A3 size or B5 size and B4 size documents together in the document feeder. An equal magnification key 512 is a key to be pressed when the copy magnification is set to 100%. The reduction key 514 and the enlargement key 515 are keys that are pressed when performing standard reduction and enlargement. A paper selection key 513 is a key to be pressed when selecting a copy paper. The density keys 518 and 520 are darkly copied every time the key 518 is pressed, and lightly copied every time the key 520 is pressed. When the density keys 518 and 520 are pressed, the display of the density display 517 changes from side to side. An AE key 519 is a key to be pressed when automatic density adjustment copying is performed for a document having a dark background such as a newspaper. The HiFi key 521 is a key that is pressed when copying a document having a high halftone density such as a photographic document. The character emphasis key 522 is a key that is pressed when it is desired to highlight characters in copying a character document. A history key 560 is pressed to display history information of a printed job. For example, information such as an end time, a user name, a file name, and the number of copies of the print job is displayed. Reference numeral 600 denotes a printer selection key which is pressed when selecting a receiving side copying machine when performing remote copying or multiple copying.

  The guide key 523 is a key to be pressed when the function of a certain key is unknown, and an explanation of the key is displayed. The fax key 525 is a key that is pressed when performing a fax, and the Box key 526 is a key that is pressed when it is desired to display the Box function. A printer key 527 is a key that is pressed when it is desired to refer to print output detailed information of PDL data from a remote host computer.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the extended control apparatus.

  The main CPU 4101 is a central processing unit that performs overall control, and executes programs stored in the ROM 4105 and the hard disk unit 4105. The network interface 4102 is a control unit for performing data communication with other devices via a network. Software executed by the CPU 4101 can exchange data bidirectionally with a printing device, another network device, or another computer via the LAN 400. The peripheral interface 4103 is a control unit for controlling peripheral devices. The memory 4104 is generally a volatile storage unit for storing instructions executed by the CPU 4101, data, and the like. The ROM 4105 is a read-only storage unit for storing programs and data for performing basic hardware control. The hard disk unit 4105 is generally a non-volatile storage unit for storing programs executed by the computer 4100 main body, calculated data, and the like. A boot program (start program: a program for starting execution (operation) of hardware and software), a plurality of applications, an edit file, a user file, a network management program, and the like are stored. The display interface 4107 is a control unit for connecting a display unit for displaying the internal state and execution state of the extended control apparatus. The keyboard interface 4108 and the mouse interface 4109 can connect an input device for the user to input data and commands to the computer 4100. The peripheral device interface 4103 is a control unit for connecting a peripheral device 172 that implements specifications such as USB, RS-232C serial, and IEEE1394. The peripheral device 172 is, for example, an external storage device such as a CD-ROM drive or a memory media drive, or a user authentication device for specifying a user. The operation unit 171 includes a liquid crystal display 4203 and a touch panel 4202 attached to the surface of the liquid crystal display 4203 in a transparent sheet shape. A touch panel 4202 is a pointing device similar to a mouse. The software executed by the CPU 4101 can detect the position on the display pointed by the user on the touch panel 4202 as coordinate data. The touch panel 4202 is driven by the peripheral device interface 4103. A liquid crystal display 4203 is a display unit for displaying an internal state and an execution state of the extended control device. Software executed by the CPU 4101 can draw a graphical user interface on the liquid crystal display 4203. The liquid crystal display 4203 is driven by a display interface 4107.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an API for an application in the extended control apparatus to interface with the image processing apparatus.

  The blocks in the figure correspond to program modules of software executed by the CPU 4101 of the extended control apparatus main body 103.

  An application 8001 corresponds to various applications executed on the extended control apparatus main body 103.

  An API 8002 is an application program interface for the application 8001 to interface with software on the image processing apparatus controller 110.

  A printer driver 8003 is a module that enables printing by the application 8001. In order to implement printing, the client is implemented according to a print service protocol, and interfaces with the network service 5006 of the image processing apparatus.

  A scanner driver 8004 is a module that enables image scanning by the application 8001. In order to implement scanning, it interfaces with the control API 5005 as a client implemented according to a protocol corresponding to the control API 5005 in the image processing apparatus.

  A job control / device control interface 8005 is a module that enables basic job control and device control by the application 8001. In order to realize basic job control and device control, the client interfaces with the control API 5005 as a client implemented according to a protocol corresponding to the control API 5005 in the image processing apparatus.

  The presentation extension interface 8006 is a module that enables the application 8001 to extend the built-in application UI 5009 in the image processing apparatus. This module interfaces with the presentation interface 5008 as a client implemented according to a protocol corresponding to the presentation interface 5008. With the API provided by this module, the application 8001 in the extended control apparatus can implement the presentation logic (that is, the UI of the application) corresponding to the UI 5009 of the embedded application incorporated in the image processing apparatus. Further, depending on the implementation of the application 8001, functions not provided in the embedded application UI 5009 can be extended or customized.

  An embedded application extension interface 8007 is a module for enabling the application 8001 to customize the embedded application logic 5007 in the image processing apparatus. This module is a client implemented according to a protocol corresponding to an interface (not shown) for a plug-in provided in the embedded application logic, and interfaces with the embedded application logic 5007. With the API provided by this module, the application 8001 in the extended control apparatus can implement a plug-in that replaces or extends a part of the business logic 5007 of the embedded application embedded in the image processing apparatus.

  An image job control interface 8008 is a module that enables high-speed image processing by the application 8001. This module is a client implemented in accordance with a protocol corresponding to an internal API in the job control / device control module, and is combined between an extended control device and an image processing device by combining image transfer by the local interface 201. Achieve high-speed jobs for exchanging images and documents.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a hierarchical structure of software modules of the extended control apparatus.

  A general-purpose operating system (OS) 9001 is an operating system of the extended control device. Unlike a real-time OS, a general-purpose OS has been developed mainly as software that provides a foundation for information processing apparatuses and computers. Examples of the general-purpose OS include Windows (registered trademark), MacOS, Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and the like. The general-purpose OS 9001 abstracts various hardware and software resources included in the extended control apparatus so that it can be used easily and efficiently from higher-level software. Examples of the mechanism provided by the general-purpose OS include the following. That is, a multi-process mechanism or thread mechanism that manages a plurality of processes in parallel by managing a plurality of execution contexts of processing by the CPU, inter-process communication or inter-thread communication that realizes synchronization and data exchange between processes and threads Communication, memory management protected for each process, interrupt management, various device drivers, protocol stacks that implement processing of various protocols such as local interface, network, and communication are provided. It should be noted that many commercially available device drivers for general computer peripheral devices are provided for general-purpose OSs. This is because computer peripheral devices are generally developed for general-purpose information processing devices such as personal computers that run general-purpose OSs. By adopting a general-purpose OS, it is possible to divert the hardware and device drivers of various computer peripheral devices on the market as they are or relatively easily to the extended control device 103. The extended control apparatus 103 is an accessory added to supplement the expandability and flexibility of the image processing apparatus 100. The purpose of the extended control apparatus 103 is not only to adopt a hardware configuration equivalent to a general-purpose information processing apparatus but also to be software-like. Is achieved more efficiently by adopting a general-purpose OS.

  The extended controller platform 9002 is software (a library, a framework, a runtime module, and the like) that serves as a basis for providing an operating environment for software of the extended control apparatus 103. In addition, a utility library, a framework, and a run-time module group that are prepared so that an application that cooperates with an embedded application built in the image processing apparatus 100 can be easily built in the extended control apparatus 103 are included.

  A system application 9004 is a utility application group that is installed in the extended control apparatus 103 as a standard and helps the user to use and manage the image processing system.

  The application group classified as the user land application 9005 is an application group for providing an extended function of the image processing system to the user. Applications classified as the userland application 9005 can be added by installation or deleted by uninstalling each application as a unit. It is also possible to perform control so that the application is activated (activated) only when the user purchases a license (license) for executing the application program as well as the actual application program.

  The MFP integrated application 9006 is a user land application corresponding to an embedded application of the image processing apparatus 100, and makes it possible to use upper functions and basic functions provided by the image processing apparatus 100 from the extended control apparatus. The MFP integrated application 9006 interfaces with the embedded application of the image processing apparatus 100 through the presentation extended interface 8006 and the embedded application extended interface 8007. The MFP integrated application 9006 can provide not only the same functionality and user interface as the built-in application of the image processing apparatus 100 but also an extended version thereof. The MFP integrated application includes application components 9007 to 9012 and integrates them.

  A copy 9007 is an application component corresponding to a copy function that is a function of an embedded application of the image processing apparatus 100.

  A box 9008 is an application component corresponding to a document filing function which is a function of an embedded application of the image processing apparatus 100.

  A transmission 9009 is an application component corresponding to a document transmission / reception function which is a function of an embedded application of the image processing apparatus 100.

  The portal 9010 is an application component that provides an entrance for easily calling functions and routine processing that are frequently used according to user preferences. A user interface is provided in which an operation parameter setting, a series of operations, and the like are converted into macros across application components of the MFP integrated application 9006, and customized buttons for executing a plurality of macros can be freely arranged.

  A main body job monitor 9011 is an application component for referring to the status of a job being executed in the image processing apparatus 100 and a history of completed jobs.

  The device management 9012 is an application component that provides a user interface for managing the hardware of the image processing apparatus 100.

  A memory media operation 9013 is for operating various types of removable storage (such as magneto-optical media drive, USB storage, smart card, and memory card represented by CompactFlash (registered trademark)) connected to the extended control device as peripheral devices. This is a userland application. The document stored in the memory medium is transferred to the image processing apparatus 100 for printing, transmission, or filing, and the image scanned or received by the image processing apparatus 100 or the file that has been filed is received and stored in the memory medium. Can be.

  The encrypted secure print 9014 receives an encrypted print request from the client PC, stores the encrypted print request once, and decrypts the encrypted print request only when the user is authenticated as an operation by an authorized user. This is a userland application that provides an encrypted reserved printing function for printing on the image processing apparatus 100.

  A browser 9015 is a userland application that provides a browsing function such as Web on the operation unit of the extended control apparatus 103.

  Reference numerals 9016, 9017, and 9018 denote other user land applications. As described above, userland applications can be flexibly added, deleted, activated, or deactivated.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a system application group of the extended control apparatus.

  Software modules (packages) classified as system applications 9004 of the extended control apparatus 103 include the following utility programs and runtime modules.

  A function key panel 10001 is a framework and a container for arranging function menus, software keys, and the like on the desktop of the extended control device operation unit display unit. The following can be arranged as function keys. System default keys (eg logout, shutdown, counter check, remaining heat, system status, system settings, screen keyboard call), application context keys that switch depending on the selected application (eg guide, application settings, application status), Current application addition key (for example, a part of a unique menu in the application expanded and arranged as a key) that the selected application additionally arranges to help the operation. The key layout and look and feel can be customized (personalized) according to user preferences. The look and feel of the function key panel switches according to the theme of the entire system. For example, when a theme such as high contrast or inversion is selected, the display of the function key panel also switches to reflect each characteristic. On the function key panel, not only software keys and menus but also application components such as clocks and mail arrival flags can be arranged. In the usage situation of a certain user, keys named “user mode”, “keyboard”, “operation panel”, “guide”, “about” and “reset” are arranged on the function key panel.

  The “user mode” instructs the current application being selected to open the environment setting dialog or activates the system environment setting 10009 which is one of the system applications.

  “Keyboard” instructs activation of the screen keyboard 10002 which is one of the system applications.

  The “operation panel” instructs activation of an operation panel emulator 10003 which is one of system applications.

  “Guide” instructs the current application being selected to display an online manual corresponding to the operation status of the application, using help which is one of the system applications.

  “About” instructs the selected current application to display application information such as version, developer, and copyright, or displays version and copyright information for each module related to the entire system. To do.

  “Reset” instructs the current application being selected to cancel a series of operations performed by the user halfway and roll back to the previous checkpoint according to the situation at that time. For example, if the user presses reset to enter a character string in the text input field, the character string being input is cleared, or if reset is pressed during kana-kanji conversion of the character string, the conversion candidate selection state is canceled and the kana returns to kana If the reset button is pressed while the setting value is being changed for the dialog for setting the operation parameters of the image processing job, the setting in the middle of the change is canceled and returned to the original value.

  A screen keyboard 10002 is a software keyboard for emulating a physical full keyboard. The operability is optimized to operate the touch panel with a finger. Taking into account that an optional physical keyboard may be attached to the extended control unit 103, the physical keyboard is emulated at the lowest possible level of the system (ie, it is distinguished from the physical keyboard at most levels of the system). Configured to not need to). Covering the front of the screen keyboard display reduces the operability of the application that is the input destination, but it is considered to be as unobtrusive as possible, for example, switching between display and non-display and movement of the display position Easy to operate with your finger. Also, the resolution is independent so that the key top does not become so small that it is difficult to operate with a finger when the resolution of the display is increased. The screen keyboard is an object of internationalization, and an input language or the like is switched according to a destination locale to which the extended control apparatus 103 is shipped.

  The operation panel emulator 10003 is a software panel for emulating the physical operation panel of the image processing apparatus 100. Emulate the start key, stop key, numeric keypad, etc. that compose the operation panel by software. A key code generated when a component of various keys is pressed is mapped to a key code generated by a physical keyboard connected as an option to the extended control device. For example, when a numeric key is pressed, a physical full keyboard key code corresponding to each key is generated. The GUI of the operation panel emulator is displayed in response to a request from the application. It can also be displayed by an explicit operation of the user. The operation panel emulator has a plurality of modes for selecting a model-dependent difference in the image processing apparatus 100. For example, when the image processing apparatus 100 is a fax machine, it operates in a mode having a fax key (*, #, etc.). When the application calls the operation panel emulator, display / non-display for each key can be selected from the application.

  An icon box 10004 is a system application for switching the current application. A presentation logic of an application selection list is provided for the user to select a userland application to be operated at that time. The icon box 10004 displays a list of icon images and / or application names, and when the user selects, the current application is switched to that application. Application names can be displayed in either text or image format. The text is subject to localization in conjunction with the internationalization framework. As resources for icon images and application names, resources included in each user land application module are used. The user can edit the display order of icons. The look and feel changes according to the theme. The icon box itself is an application selector, not a launcher. However, by providing a delayed activation mechanism for lifecycle management, an application can be registered to be activated only when it is first selected. Functions such as forced termination and alert display for each application may be added.

  The installer 10005 is an installer for installing various software constituting the extended control apparatus. Software to be installed includes a userland application, a system application, a library, a driver, a module group of an extended controller platform, and the like. The software module to be installed can be supplied not only from a local file system such as a removable medium, but also via a network.

  The updater 10006 is a system application for updating various software constituting the extended control apparatus 103. The software to be updated is the same as the installation target of the installer 10005. Software modules to be updated can be supplied not only from the local file system (including removable media) but also via the network. It also has a function of detecting update of the updater existing in the server via the network and, if updated, prompting the administrator user to update.

  A counter reference 10007 is a system application for referring to a counter value. Both the counter of the image processing apparatus 100 and the counter of the extended control apparatus 103 that counts application usage can be referred to.

  The anti-virus 10008 is a system application for preventing and detecting virus infection and repairing at the time of infection.

  A system environment setting 10009 is a system application for referring to and editing various environment setting items (preferences and properties) of the system software and hardware of the extended control apparatus 103. The system environment setting is a container in which a plurality of components can be plugged in, and various environment setting items are processed by components for setting each according to the category. Depending on the setting target (setting item), access control is appropriately performed such that only the system administrator can refer to or set.

  The theme 10010 is a system application that provides a mechanism for centrally setting customization items (preferences) for each application while maintaining a sense of unity. For example, when the user designates overall color tone settings, component display size settings, and the like as the theme in accordance with his / her preference and physical characteristics, various applications operate in an operation mode linked to the theme.

  The start application selection 10011 is a system application that controls start and stop of an application for each user. The user can select an application from the list of applications installed in the system and change the state to the execution state. Whether or not execution is actually permitted is based on the authority of the user. In addition, an application can be selected from the applications in the execution state, and the state can be changed to the stop state. The system administrator can also make common settings common to all users.

  A login dialog 10012 is a system application corresponding to the login mechanism. The user interacts with the user to start a user session that uses the image processing system. The necessary dialogue is, for example, that the system prompts the user for information (domain name, user name, password) necessary for user authentication. The user name entry can be set not only to input text but also to be more easily selectable from the user list. In particular, when an operation that allows an operation by a guest user (a user who does not require authentication) is performed, a login operation by the guest user can be easily performed. The system administrator user changes the login method settings. Since it has a user interface that is displayed when the user is not logged in (during a system session that is not in a user session), a function for performing a system session management operation (such as shutdown) is added, or the image processing apparatus 100 In some cases, a function to display the status of the above is added. When user authentication is performed based on an IC card (smart card) or biometric authentication at the start of a user session, the user session is configured to be replaced with a dedicated login dialog (the login mechanism is also replaced).

  A user management 10013 is a system application that manages a user who uses the image processing system and manages the authority of the user.

  The address book 10014 is a system application for connecting to an internal or external directory service and editing directory information. Including, but not limited to, the destination information, the attributes are handled as directory information for each entity such as a user, organization, device, or service.

  A status ticker 10015 is a system application for displaying status information and messages notified by the system and applications. Text and icon images can be displayed. The status ticker 10015 performs priority-based arbitration and time-division display for a plurality of parallel message display requests. The status ticker message display supports various display effects such as animation.

  A system status monitor 10016 is a system application for monitoring the status of the system and the status of the application regarding both hardware and software of the extended control apparatus 103. Information such as versions and copyrights of various module groups constituting the image processing system 10 can also be confirmed.

  A log viewer 10017 is a system application for referring to and managing log information left by the respective systems and embedded applications of the extended control apparatus 103 and the image processing apparatus 100.

  The system setup 10018 requires the initial setup procedure when installing the image processing system 10, the replacement processing procedure when replacing the image processing apparatus 100 to a new model, and the system of the extended control apparatus 103 to be destroyed and restored due to some trouble. It is a utility system application for assisting recovery procedures when they occur.

  The backup 10019 stores data stored in a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory of each of the expansion control device 103 and the image processing device 100, such as a removable medium connected to the expansion control device 103, an external storage device, or a network storage. This is a system application for performing restoration to save the saved data and restore the saved data.

  The screen saver 10020 is a system application that controls display in order to prevent burn-in of the display unit when the user is not using the operation unit of the extended control apparatus 103. The screen saver 10020 can also reproduce an animation that introduces convenient usage of the image processing system 10. Further, alarm information such as no paper of the image processing apparatus 100 is displayed, a virtual message board on which a message set by a system administrator or the like (for example, “announcement of periodic maintenance date”) is displayed, The latest information (weather forecast, news, etc.) can be acquired from the server via the network and displayed. In an operation mode in which a plurality of users log in alternately and use the extended control apparatus 103, the screen saver 10020 performs an auto logout process for automatically logging out a user who forgot to log out and left the apparatus.

  The help system 10021 is a system application for displaying a document explaining how to use the entire system of the image processing system 10 and for helping each userland application to display the explanation document. It has a portal function that integrates commentary document content supplied by each module of each system module and each application module as a whole system. An application program can instruct the help system 10021 to present any location in the content to the user. Therefore, the application can present optimal information to the user according to the operation status. Since the help system 10021 is configured as a Web application, not only the browser 9015 in the user land application 9005 is used to display the explanation document on the operation unit 171 of the extended control apparatus 103 but also the Web that runs on the client PC 11 or the like. An explanatory document can also be displayed on the browser.

  The document viewer 1022 is a system application for displaying document data in various formats such as text, images, and application-specific formats. Examples of document formats to be displayed include text, documents written in markup languages such as HTML, XML, and SGML, images such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and JBIG, page description languages such as LIPS and PostScript, PDF, etc. Documents, programs with display such as Macromedia Flash and Sun Java (registered trademark) Applet, animation, or document data based on proprietary formats unique to various application programs such as word processors, presentations, and spreadsheets. Part or all of the document handled by the document viewer 1022 can be printed, scanned, transmitted / received, filingd, and the like by the image processing apparatus 100.

  The file operation 10027 is provided by a file system built on various storage means built in or connected to the extended control apparatus 103, a file system of the image processing apparatus 100, or a server computer 12 or a client PC 11 via a network. It is a system application that operates a network shared file system.

  The document management 10024 is a document management system (document management system) installed in the extended control apparatus 103. A document management 10024 provides functions for realizing storage, retrieval, management, and the like of various types of document data using the file system of the extended control apparatus 103, a database management system of an external server, and the like.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram for explaining a software package group constituting the software platform of the extended control apparatus.

  A system session management 11001 manages the configuration and settings of the entire system in order to perform session management of the entire system from boot up to shutdown of the extended control apparatus 103. It also manages the lifecycle of daemon-type services (system applications and user applications implemented as resident applications).

  The power control 11002 manages power control such as power saving setting of the extended control apparatus 103. Manage hardware systems and BIOS settings such as Wake On LAN and ACPI.

  A user session management 11003 manages a login session by a user from login to logout. Performs lifecycle management of console-type applications (system applications and user applications that run during a user login session). It also helps login session management mechanism of web application.

  A login mechanism 11004 is a mechanism by which a user starts a user session. The user is specified by the user management and user authentication package. For integration into the user environment, a login mechanism tailored to individual needs can be plugged in. For example, a login mechanism based on user authentication or biometric authentication using an IC card (smart card) can be integrated.

  The access control 11005 manages access privileges for various resources constituting the image processing system 10 for each user and for each group to which the user belongs.

  A user management / user authentication 11006 manages user accounts that use the system and identifies (identifies) users. In addition to what-you-know authentication using passwords, what-you-have authentication using IC cards (smart cards) and what-you-are authentication using biometric authentication can also be used.

  The directory service cooperation 11007 delegates user management, user authentication, or directory information management of the extended control apparatus 103 to an external directory service.

  A directory 11008 is a local directory service provided in the extended control apparatus 103, and manages information on users and various resources. Information to be managed includes attributes of all entities managed by the directory service and relationships between the entities. Examples of entities managed by a directory service such as NDS include users, printers, and file servers. The management targets are both resources inside the extended control apparatus 103 system and resources inside the image processing apparatus 100.

  The application life cycle management 11009 manages the life cycle (installation, update, uninstallation, activation, interruption, stop) of the system application and the userland application.

  A license management 11010 manages use permission of each application in the extended control apparatus 103.

  The application counter 11011 counts the usage amount of each application installed in the extended control apparatus 103 and the usage amount of system resources accompanying the usage of the application. Not only the total system count but also the count for each user is possible.

  The environment setting management 11012 is a database that holds environment settings (preferences, properties, configurations) for the entire system and each application. Common settings independent of users and user-specific settings for each user are managed.

  The resource management 11013 helps to structure and manage various resources (localizable character strings, icon images, sounds, plug-ins, GUI descriptions, auxiliary data, etc.) constituting the application.

  The personalization framework 11014 provides a framework for reflecting user preferences across application-specific settings of multiple applications. Themes (for example, selecting the color tone of the entire screen links the color tone of individual applications) and general environment settings (POP server information, etc.) that are specific to the user and are commonly referenced by multiple applications.

  The user assistance 11015 is a mechanism for registering and managing the entire system and application group documentation (guide / help, manual, tutorial, etc.) of the extended control apparatus 103 and assisting the user in using the system and applications.

  Input 11016 processes input events from the user. In the interaction between the user and the extended control device 103 system, the event input source from the user is a physical keyboard, operation unit hard key, pointing device such as mouse, screen keyboard, operation unit emulator, screen function key on the function key panel and so on. It also performs processing related to the input method (input means or front-end processor for inputting characters in each language).

  The status message management 11017 receives and manages the state or message expressed by each application. Provides a mechanism for a user or other application to obtain its status or message. For example, the status ticker 10015 acquires a message.

  Internationalization framework 11018 helps internationalize systems and applications.

  Logging 11019 provides a mechanism for each application to leave a log. The state and part of the message sent by the application to the application status message management is automatically logged. It handles not only logs for end users, but also logs for developers to debug applications.

  The window manager 11020 is an OS-independent window manager optimized for the extended control apparatus 103 and implemented in cooperation with a native general-purpose OS 9001 window manager. Controls the display and overlap of GUI windows opened by various applications. It also provides window titles, menus, sliders, etc. that are easy to operate with your finger.

  The GUI tool kit 11021 is a GUI framework, a GUI component (component), and a run-time module that design a look and feel for the extended control apparatus 103 system.

  The sound 11022 controls the presentation of information from the system or application to the user by sounds such as tap sounds and warning sounds. A library of sound data designed for the extended control device 103 system is prepared. Sound settings are personalized.

  The secure communication channel 1023 provides a secure network connection realized by a technique such as encryption. It also provides a mechanism to easily tunnel non-secure TCP connections using IETF Secure Shell (secsh or SSH).

  The secure file system 11024 provides a secure file system. It is realized by technology such as encryption.

  Cryptographic processing 11025 provides a mechanism for cryptographic processing.

  Key management 11026 provides a mechanism for securely managing keys necessary for various cryptographic processes.

  The image processing 11027 provides a mechanism for various image processing. A distributed imaging mechanism for using a dedicated image processing function using image processing hardware incorporated in the image processing apparatus 100 as a distributed service from an application of the extended control apparatus 103 is also provided. OCR and block selection technologies are also handled as part of image processing.

  The presentation extension interface 11028 provides a communication mechanism from the presentation logic implemented by the application in the extended control apparatus 103 system to the business logic of the embedded application in the image processing apparatus 100.

  The embedded application extension interface 11018 is an interface realized by a framework and an application protocol for making the business logic of the embedded application in the image processing apparatus 100 into a distributed component.

  The job control / device control interface 11030 is a primitive interface that provides a common and uniform control model across product series of image processing devices. The job control / apparatus control interface 1103 enables an application of the extended control apparatus 103 system to control the device functions of the image processing apparatus 100. The job control / device control interface 11030 cannot interface the software in the extended control device 103 with the embedded application layer in the image processing device 100.

  The image job control interface 11031 is a high-level interface that allows the image processing apparatus 100 to perform processing involving image transfer such as printing and scanning at high speed. The image job control interface 11031 enables an application in the extended control apparatus 103 system to use a device function of the image processing apparatus 100 main body. This interface cannot interface with the embedded application layer in the image processing apparatus 100 main body.

  The printer driver 11032 is a mechanism for submitting a print job, a fax transmission job, a document file storage job, and the like to the image processing apparatus 100 from an application of the extended control apparatus 103 using a print framework provided by the native general-purpose OS 9001.

  The scanner driver 11033 is a mechanism for inputting a pull scan job to the image processing apparatus 100 and acquiring a scan image from an application of the extended control apparatus 103 using an image scan framework provided by the native general-purpose OS 9001.

  The inter-application communication 11034 provides a communication mechanism between software processes and threads operating on the extended control apparatus 103. The general-purpose OS 9001 of the extended control apparatus 103 provides an independent protected memory space for each process operating on the extended OS 1031. Therefore, a special mechanism is required to perform communication between applications operating as different processes. And The inter-application communication 11034 implements a transport layer for inter-process communication using a mechanism such as a shared memory, a pipe, and a socket provided by the general-purpose OS 9001. The application protocol layer for inter-process communication is based on the XML-based message exchange using the XML protocol (SOAP), and a toolkit, a framework, and an engine that help handle the XML protocol are provided. The inter-application communication 11034 constructs a distributed system including a plurality of software groups that are distributed to a plurality of nodes and cooperate via a network, such as the extended control device 103 and the image processing device 100, and the extended control device 103 and an external system. Includes a framework to help. This framework is provided based on the aforementioned programming language independent XML protocol and based on RMI, which is a distributed object technology of Java (registered trademark).

  Macro scripting 11035 is a macro mechanism that combines a series of processes in software into a single process by techniques such as end-user programming, scripting, or example learning (recording and replaying user actions). It is. The macro scripting 11035 allows a user not only to convert a series of processes performed in a single application into a macro, but also to register and use a process combining a plurality of application processes as a macro for routine work. it can.

  Execution scheduling 11036 for scheduled execution (similar to cron, a UNIX utility), and system session events (eg boot up, shutdown), user session events (eg login, logout), etc. This is a mechanism for automatically executing desired processing in synchronization.

  The Web server 11037 is a service that transmits and receives data to and from a request source in response to a request based on HTTP (or a secure HTTPS or the like) that is a well-known network protocol.

  The application server 11038 works with the Web server 11037 to provide an operating environment for a Web application that dynamically exchanges data with clients. The HTTP request message received by the Web server 11037 is delivered as a request to an appropriate application corresponding to the request message, and a response from the application based on the processing result of the application is received and the original HTTP request is received as a corresponding HTTP response message. Return to the requester. The application server 11038 includes a template engine that dynamically generates a message by a combination of a template and a program based on a template language in order to efficiently develop and operate a Web application. The application server 11038 includes an application framework based on an MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture in order to efficiently develop and operate a Web application.

  The SOAP engine 11039 is an engine for facilitating the development of a processor that processes a well-known XML protocol. The SOAP engine 11039 is configured to work with the application server 11038. The SOAP engine 11039 processes the SOAP request message sent from the SOAP client and delivers it to the appropriate software for processing the message. When the software that processes the SOAP request message completes appropriate processing and returns, the SOAP engine generates a SOAP response message corresponding to the return and returns it to the requesting SOAP client.

  The XML tool kit 11040 is a tool kit for assisting the software group on the extended control apparatus 103 to execute processing such as interpretation, generation, and conversion of various markup languages defined as XML and its applications.

  The basic part of the Java (registered trademark) platform 11041 is constructed by the Java (registered trademark) platform well known as Java (registered trademark) 2 Platform, Standard Edition or Java (registered trademark) 2 Runtime Environment.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the extended control device operation unit of the image processing apparatus.

  This controller uses a PC, and the display monitor uses an LCD touch panel with a resolution of 1024 dots x 768 dots. Near the center of the screen is an application display area 12001, and as shown in the figure, a plurality of windows such as a copy screen are overlapped with the same size. From the user's perspective, it appears that only the frontmost window is moving. An icon box 12002 at the left end of the screen corresponds to the window switching means described above. Application names and icons corresponding to each window are displayed on a one-to-one basis, and if there are many applications that can be used and cannot fit within the screen, the display can be scrolled. By pressing an arbitrary icon on the icon box, the corresponding window is displayed on the application display area. A function key panel 12003 at the top of the screen is a set of function buttons commonly used in the extended control device operation unit. When the user mode button 12004 is pressed, a menu for calling the application setting screen displayed in the entire extended control apparatus or in the application display area is displayed, and each setting can be performed. A screen keyboard button 12005 can activate a screen keyboard described later. The operation unit panel emulator button 12006 can activate an operation unit panel emulator described later. The guide button 12007 displays a menu for calling the guide screen of the application displayed in the entire extended control apparatus or the application display area when the button is pressed, and each guide can be browsed. About button 12008, when the button is pressed, a menu for calling the entire extension control device or an application's about screen displayed in the application display area is displayed, and the respective about information can be browsed. The reset key 12009 can transmit the key code of the reset key to the application displayed in the application display area, and the application that has received the reset key performs an application default reset operation. A log off button 12010 at the bottom of the screen can log off the logged-in user or shut down the extended control apparatus. The software tally 12011 emulates the tally lamp of the image processing device, and can notify the status of this extended control device (eg, normal, warning, error, etc.) by blinking, turning on, and turning off red and blue. . The status ticker 12012 is an area for displaying a message generated by an application, and displays a message having the highest priority among messages sent from a plurality of applications. Since the message can be scrolled, it is possible to check all of the long messages. The history button 12013 can display the history screen of the extended control apparatus. The device status button 12014 can display the status of the image processing apparatus and a history screen.

  FIG. 13 shows a screen keyboard activated from the function key panel 12003.

  The screen keyboard enables character input on the LCD touch panel. Depending on the keyboard setting, the layout can be changed like 101 keyboard or 106 keyboard.

  FIG. 14 shows an operation unit panel emulator of the image processing apparatus activated from the function key panel 12003.

  The operation unit panel emulator enables input similar to the numeric keypad, start key, and stop key of the hardware operation unit of the image processing apparatus.

  FIG. 15 shows an encrypted secure print screen which is one of the userland applications installed in the extended control apparatus.

  Encrypted secure print is an application for maintaining confidentiality so that a printed document discharged from an output device cannot be seen by a third party, and maintaining confidentiality of print data flowing on a network. When a user issues a print job on the client PC, the user encrypts the print data using an arbitrary password or password, or uses an IC card, and transmits it to the extended control device. The encrypted print data is spooled in an encrypted state on the extended control device. After that, the user decrypts the encrypted print data by inputting an arbitrary password or password or inserting an IC card in the extended control device, and obtains the confidentiality of the desired print document. Is possible.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating connected device settings that are part of network settings in the user mode settings in the extended control apparatus. The user mode setting is displayed by pressing a user mode button 12004 in FIG.

  Reference numeral 601 represents a connection device setting of the user mode setting, 602 a network setting, 603 a connection device setting that is a child layer of the network setting 602, and 604 a proxy setting that is a child layer of the network setting 602. Show. In 605, the IP address of the image processing apparatus 100 to be connected can be set.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating connected device settings that are part of network settings in the user mode settings in the image processing apparatus. The user mode setting is displayed by pressing the user mode button 503 in FIG.

  Reference numeral 611 represents a connected device setting of the user mode setting, 602 indicates a network setting, and 613 indicates that there is a connected device setting that is a child layer of the network setting 602. In 614, the IP address of the extended control apparatus 103 to be connected can be set.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram similar to FIG. 16 but illustrating proxy settings that are part of the network settings in the user mode settings in the extended control apparatus. The user mode setting is displayed by pressing a user mode button 12004 in FIG.

  Reference numeral 621 represents proxy settings for user mode settings. A proxy address can be set in 622 and a proxy port can be set in 623.

  FIG. 19 shows the case where the proxy is set in FIG. 18, and automatically excludes the extended control apparatus and the image processing apparatus connected thereto from the proxy setting, or sets the proxy depending on the state of the proxy server / port. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a list of excluded addresses managed internally in the extended control device when being excluded from the network.

  An exclusion list is indicated at 635, and localhost indicating its own extended control device at 636, and an IP address indicating an image processing apparatus connected at 637, such as 172.22.11.12, for example, are input. . The IP address indicating the image processing apparatus is acquired from the connection destination extended control apparatus set in FIG. This exclusion list is managed by a file system and stored in the memory 4104 or the hard disk unit 4106.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a screen displayed when a browser application 9015, which is one of the user land applications 9005 in the extended control apparatus, is executed.

  641 is a URL input field, 642 is a button for displaying a list of URL histories, 643 is a confirmation button that is pressed when actually jumping after entering a URL in the URL input field 641, 644 is a read stop button, 645 Is an update button for updating the current display, 646 is a home button for jumping to a preset home page, 647 is a favorite button for displaying a favorite list, and 648 is a keyboard for displaying a software keyboard. A button, 649 is a return button for returning to the previous page of the currently opened page, 650 is a backward history button, 651 is a forward button for proceeding to the next page of the currently opened page, and 652 is a forward button Forward history button, 653 is a title field that displays the title of the opened web page 654, a content field for displaying the content of the opened web page, 655, a print button for printing the currently opened page, and 656, specification settings of the browser application itself (for example, character size, font, security) And 657 are full-screen display buttons for displaying the currently open page on the entire touch panel in a new window.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating proxy setting and proxy exclusion setting according to the second embodiment.

  First, in S401, it is determined whether proxy setting has been performed in the extended control apparatus. If proxy setting is executed, the process advances to step S402 to start proxy exclusion setting in the extended control apparatus, and sets itself to proxy exclusion as indicated by 636 in FIG. In S403, it is determined whether or not there is a setting of the connection destination device in the connection device setting of the extended control apparatus. If there is a setting, the IP address is automatically acquired in S404 and internally shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 637, it is added to the proxy setting exclusion list, and the process proceeds to S405. If no connected device is set in S403, the process proceeds to S405 as it is. In S405, the browser application 9015 is executed by the extended control apparatus. In S406, it is determined whether the address input in the URL input field 641 of the browser application 9015 matches the address in the exclusion list. If the address matches the address in the exclusion list, in S407, the connection is made directly to the designated address without going through the proxy. If they do not match, in S408, the settings in the proxy settings are viewed, and the connection is made to the address designated via the proxy.

(Example 2)
A second embodiment will be described. Here, as described in claim 2, when the proxy setting is performed in the extended control device, the image processing device connected to the extended control device is excluded from the proxy setting, and the navigation from the web browser application is performed as follows: A description will be given of an embodiment in which a direct connection is made by excluding the proxy server / port setting. In addition, the structure shown here is an example and is not limited to the structure of illustration.

  Since the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 18 and 20 are the same as those of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted, and only the difference regarding the exclusion list and the flowchart will be described.

  In addition, the structure shown here is an example and is not limited to the structure of illustration.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a list of excluded addresses that are internally managed in the extended control apparatus when the proxy is set in FIG.

  631 indicates an exclusion list, and an IP address indicating an image processing apparatus connected at 633, such as 172.22.11.12, is input. The IP address indicating the image processing apparatus is acquired from the connection destination extended control apparatus set in FIG. This exclusion list is managed by a file system and stored in the memory 4104 or the hard disk unit 4106.

  FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating proxy setting and proxy exclusion setting according to the second embodiment.

  First, in S501, it is determined whether proxy setting has been performed in the extended control apparatus. When the proxy setting is executed, the process proceeds to S502, and the proxy exclusion setting is started in the extended control apparatus. In S503, it is determined whether or not there is a setting of the connection destination device in the connection device setting of the extended control apparatus. If there is a setting, the IP address is automatically acquired in S504 and internally shown in FIG. 633 and add to the proxy setting exclusion list, and the process proceeds to S505. If no connected device is set in S503, the process proceeds to S505 as it is. In S505, the browser application 9015 is executed by the extended control apparatus. In step S506, it is determined whether the address input in the URL input field 641 of the browser application 9015 matches the address in the exclusion list. If it matches the address in the exclusion list, in S507, the connection is made directly to the designated address without going through the proxy. If they do not match, in S508, the settings in the proxy settings are viewed, and a connection is made to the address designated via the proxy.

Example 3
A third embodiment will be described. Here, as in claims 3, 4, and 5, in a state where proxy settings are made in the extended control device, the state of the proxy server / port set from the extended control device is regularly monitored, and normal Then, a description will be given of a configuration in which the proxy setting is left as it is, or is excluded from the proxy setting when the state is not normal, and the exclusion is canceled when the state returns to a normal state.

  Since the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description here is omitted, the description here is omitted, and only the difference regarding the exclusion list and the flowchart will be described.

  In addition, the structure shown here is an example and is not limited to the structure of illustration.

  In FIG. 24, the flowchart in the present embodiment will be described.

  First, in S601, it is determined whether proxy setting has been performed in the extended control apparatus. S602 indicates that the proxy server / port is regularly monitored. In S603, it is determined whether or not the monitored proxy server / port is normal. If it is not normal, the process proceeds to S604. If it is normal, the process proceeds to S612. In S604, the expansion control apparatus registers its own device in the proxy setting exclusion list as indicated by 636 in FIG. 19, and then in S605, whether the image processing apparatus is registered in the connected device settings of the expansion control apparatus. Judging. If registered, the image processing apparatus is registered in the proxy setting exclusion list in step S606 as indicated by 637 in FIG. 19, and the process advances to step S607. If it is not registered in the connected device settings in S605, the process directly proceeds to S607. S607 also shows that the proxy server / port state is regularly monitored. Next, in S608, it is determined whether or not the proxy server / port that was not normal has returned to a normal state. If not, the process proceeds to S609. In S609, the browser application 9015 is executed by the extended control apparatus, and in S610, direct connection is made to the designated address without going through the proxy. In S608, if the proxy server has returned to a normal state, in S611, the addresses of the image processing apparatus set as the connection destination setting are deleted from the exclusion list. Then, the process proceeds to S612. In S612, similar to S609, the browser application 9015 is executed by the extended control apparatus, the process proceeds to S613, the setting in the proxy setting is viewed, and the connection is made to the address designated via the proxy.

Example 4
A fourth embodiment will be described. Here, as described in claims 6, 7, and 8, when the proxy setting is performed in the extended control apparatus, it is set when connecting through the proxy from the browser application installed in the extended control apparatus. Explains the configuration in which if there is an abnormality in the proxy server / port, it will be excluded from the proxy settings and connected directly, and then the proxy server / port will be monitored periodically, and the exception will be removed when it returns to normal To do.

  Since the explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 1 to 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description here is omitted, the description here is omitted, and only the difference regarding the exclusion list and the flowchart will be described.

  In addition, the structure shown here is an example and is not limited to the structure of illustration.

  In FIG. 25, the flowchart in a present Example is demonstrated.

  First, in S701, it is determined whether proxy setting has been performed in the extended control apparatus. In S702, the browser application 9015 is executed by the extended control apparatus. In S703, it is determined whether or not the monitored proxy server / port is normal. If it is not normal, the process proceeds to S704. If it is normal, the process proceeds to S712. In S704, the expansion control apparatus registers itself in the proxy setting exclusion list as indicated by 636 in FIG. 19, and then in S705, whether the image processing apparatus is registered in the connected apparatus setting of the expansion control apparatus. to decide. If registered, the image processing apparatus is registered in the proxy setting exclusion list in step S706 as shown in 637 of FIG. 19, and the process advances to step S707. If it is not registered in the connected device settings in S705, the process directly proceeds to S707. S707 also shows that the state of the proxy server / port is regularly monitored. Next, in S708, it is determined whether or not the proxy server / port that was not normal has returned to a normal state. If not, the process proceeds to S709. In S709, the connection is made directly to the designated address without going through the proxy. If the proxy server / port is restored to the normal state in S708, the address of the image processing apparatus registered in the own device and the connection destination setting is deleted from the exclusion list in S710, and the navigation is resumed in S711. Proceed to S712. In S712, the setting in the proxy setting is seen, and the connection is made to the address designated via the proxy. If the proxy server / port is normal in S703, the process proceeds to S712, and similarly, connection is made to the address designated via the proxy.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the network environment where an image processing system is utilized. It is a block diagram of the image processing system comprised by the combination of the image processing apparatus and the extended control apparatus. 1 is an external view of an image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing device and an extended control device. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the control apparatus 110 of an image processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the module structure of the software of the controller of an image processing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the basic screen displayed on the display part of the operation part of an image processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of an extended control apparatus. It is a figure which shows API for the application in an extended control apparatus to interface with an image processing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the hierarchical structure of the module group of the software of an extended control apparatus. It is a block diagram explaining the system application group of an extended control apparatus. It is a block diagram explaining the software package group which comprises the software platform of an extended control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of the extended control apparatus operation part of an image processing apparatus. This is a screen keyboard activated from the function key panel 12003. This is an operation unit panel emulator of the image processing apparatus activated from the function key panel 12003. It is the screen of the encryption secure print which is one of the userland applications mounted in the extended control apparatus. It is a screen for performing connection device setting in the user mode setting in the extended control device. It is a screen for performing connection device setting in user mode settings in the image processing apparatus. It is a screen which performs the proxy setting in the setting of the user mode in an extended control apparatus. It is a figure explaining the exclusion list which manages the list when setting an exclusion address when proxy setting is performed. It is the screen of the browser application which is one of the user land applications installed in the extended control apparatus. It is a figure explaining the exclusion list which manages the list when setting an exclusion address when proxy setting is performed. 6 is a flowchart illustrating proxy setting and proxy exclusion setting according to the first exemplary embodiment. It is the flowchart explaining the proxy setting in Example 2, and a proxy exclusion setting. 10 is a flowchart illustrating proxy setting and proxy exclusion setting according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating proxy setting and proxy exclusion setting according to a fourth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

11 Client PC
12 Server computer
13 Printer
15 routers
16 Wide area network
100 Image processing device
103 Extended control unit
110 Controller
111 Main controller
112 CPU
113 Bus controller
114 ROM
115 ROMI / F
116 DRAM
117 DRAMI / F
118 Codec
120 I / F
121 External communication I / F
122 connector
124 Expansion connector
125 General-purpose high-speed bus
126 I / O controller
127 Asynchronous serial communication controller
128 I / O bus
130 Key input I / F
131 LCD controller
132 Panel I / F
133 Real-time clock module
134 Backup battery
135 Graphic Processor
140 External I / F circuit
141 Scanner bus
142 connectors
143 Synchronous serial interface
144 Video I / F
145 External I / F circuit
146 Printer bus
147 connector
148 Synchronous serial interface
149 Video I / F
150 Operation unit
160 hard disk drive
161 E-IDE interface
162 Hard disk
170 Control unit
171 Operation unit
172 Peripherals
200 Reader section
201 Local interface
210 Scanner unit
250 Document feeder
300 Printer section
310 Marking unit
360 paper feed unit
370 Output unit
400 LAN
501 Extended function key
502 Image mode key
503 User mode key
504 Advanced zoom key
505 M1 key
506 M2 key
507 M3 key
509 Option key
510 Sorter Key
511 Original mixed key
512 1x key
513 Paper selection key
514 Zoom out key
515 Expand key
517 Concentration display
518 Density key
519 AE key
520 density key
521 HiFi key
522 Character emphasis key
523 Guide key
524 Copy mode key
525 fax key
526 Box key
527 Printer key
600 Printer selection key
4100 calculator
4101 Main CPU
4102 Network interface
4103 Peripheral interface
4104 memory
4105 ROM
4106 Hard disk unit
4107 Display interface
4108 Keyboard interface
4109 Mouse interface
4202 touch panel
4203 LCD display
5001 Real-time OS
5002 File system
5003 Job control / device control module
5004 management module
5005 Control API
5006 Network service
5007 Embedded application logic
5008 Presentation interface
5009 Embedded application UI
5010 Embedded Java (registered trademark) environment
8001 Application
8002 API
8003 Printer driver
8004 Scanner driver
8005 Job control / device control interface
8006 Presentation extension interface
8007 Embedded application extension interface
8008 Image job control interface
9001 General-purpose OS
9002 expansion controller platform
9004 System application
9005 Userland application
9006 MFP integrated application
9007 copies
9008 box
9009 send
9010 Portal
9011 Job Monitor
9012 Device management
9013 Memory media operation
9014 Encrypted secure print
9015 browser
9016 Userland application
9017 Userland application
9018 Userland application
10001 Function key panel
10002 Screen keyboard
10003 Operation panel emulator
10004 Icon box
10005 installer
10006 Updater
10007 Counter reference
10008 Antivirus
10009 System environment app
10010 Theme
10011 Select application to start
10012 Login dialog
10013 User management
10014 address book
10015 status sticker
10016 System status monitor
10017 Log viewer
10018 System setup
10019 backup
10020 screen saver
10021 Help system
10022 Document viewer
10023 File operations
10024 Document management
11001 System session management
11002 Power control
11003 User session management
11004 Login mechanism
11005 access control
11006 User management / User authentication
11007 Directory service linkage
11008 directory
11009 Application lifecycle
11010 License management
11011 Application counter
11012 Configuration management
11013 Resource management
11014 Personalized framework
11015 User Assistance
11016 input
11017 Status message management
11018 Internationalization Framework
11019 logging
11020 Window manager
11021 GUI kit
11022 sound
11023 Secure communication channel
11024 secure file system
11025 Cryptographic processing
11026 Key management
11027 Image processing
11028 Presentation extension interface
11030 Job control / device control interface
11031 Image Job Control Interface
11032 Printer driver
11033 Scanner driver
11034 Communication between applications
11035 Macro Scripting
11036 execution scheduling
11037 Web server
11038 Application server
11039 SOAP engine
11040 XML toolkit
11041 Java platform
12001 Application display area
12002 Icon box
12003 Function key panel
12004 User mode button
12005 Screen keyboard buttons
12006 Operation panel emulator button
12007 Guide button
12008 About button
12009 Reset key
12010 Logoff button
12011 Soft tally
12012 Status sticker
12013 History button
12014 Device status button

Claims (8)

An image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion;
In the image processing system connected to the image processing apparatus to expand its function and flexibility, and connected to an extended control apparatus having an application such as a web browser application for realizing its own function,
The image processing apparatus has a connection expansion control device setting means for specifying an expansion control device to be connected,
The extended control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected,
The extended control device includes proxy setting means for setting a proxy server and port;
In the Web browser application, when the proxy server port is set by the proxy setting procedure,
A proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding the extended control device as its own device, and the image processing device connected to the extended control device from the proxy server and port access;
An image processing system characterized by having An image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion;
In the image processing system connected to the image processing apparatus to expand its function and flexibility, and connected to an extended control apparatus having an application such as a web browser application for realizing its own function,
The image processing apparatus has a connection expansion control device setting means for specifying an expansion control device to be connected,
The extended control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected,
The extended control device includes proxy setting means for setting a proxy server and port;
In the Web browser application, when the proxy server port is set by the proxy setting procedure,
Proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding the image processing apparatus connected to the extended control apparatus from the proxy server port access;
An image processing system characterized by having An image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion;
In the image processing system connected to the image processing apparatus to expand its function and flexibility, and connected to an extended control apparatus having an application such as a web browser application for realizing its own function,
The image processing apparatus has a connection expansion control device setting means for specifying an expansion control device to be connected,
The extended control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected,
The extended control device includes proxy setting means for setting a proxy server and port;
In the Web browser application, when the proxy server port is set by the proxy setting procedure,
Monitor the state of the proxy server and port set by the proxy setting means,
If the proxy server port is not working properly,
Proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding the extended control device that is its own device and the image processing device connected to the extended control device from the proxy server and port access;
An image processing system characterized by having The image processing system according to claim 3.
When the monitored proxy server / port returns to the normal state, the exclusion from the proxy server / port access is canceled and the access is made via the proxy server / port.
The image processing system according to claim 3, further comprising proxy resetting means. The image processing system according to claim 3 or 4,
5. The image processing system according to claim 3, wherein the proxy server / port monitoring method is a polling system in which status monitoring is performed at a predetermined time interval. An image processing apparatus having functions such as document input, document output, document storage, document transmission / reception, and image conversion;
In the image processing system connected to the image processing apparatus to expand its function and flexibility, and connected to an extended control apparatus having an application such as a web browser application for realizing its own function,
The image processing apparatus has a connection expansion control device setting means for specifying an expansion control device to be connected,
The extended control device has a connection image processing device setting means for specifying an image processing device to be connected,
The extended control device is connected to the extended control device, which is its own device, and the extended control device when it is determined that the server is not normal when accessing the proxy server port once when performing Web access. An image processing system comprising proxy exclusion setting means for automatically excluding the image processing apparatus from the proxy server / port access. The image processing system according to claim 6.
When the extended control device and the image processing device are excluded from the proxy server / port access by the proxy exclusion setting unit,
When the monitored proxy server / port returns to the normal state, the exclusion from the proxy server / port access is canceled and the access is made via the proxy server / port.
The image processing system according to claim 6, further comprising proxy resetting means. The image processing system according to claim 6 or 7,
8. The image processing system according to claim 6, wherein the proxy server / port monitoring method is a polling system that performs state monitoring at a predetermined time interval.

Images