JP2007110263A - Information processing apparatus and method thereof, and image processing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to relieve the load of a system administrator for comprehending the state of use of an MFP, automatically discriminate an address directory required for every MFP and update the address directory. <P>SOLUTION: A distribution server receives an address directory (S600) and establishes a distribution condition of the address directory (S301). Then the distribution server attaches the established distribution condition to the address directory (S602) and distributes the address directory to the MFP (S603). When an update condition of destination information satisfies the distribution condition attached to the received destination information, the MFP updates the destination information stored in a memory into the received destination information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to distribution of setting information to an image processing apparatus.

  A multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a scanned image facsimile function, an electronic mail transmission function, and the like has an address book that holds information such as a destination telephone number and mail address (hereinafter referred to as “destination information”). When an MFP user transmits a facsimile or an e-mail using the MFP, the address book is displayed on the operation panel of the MFP, and a destination is selected for transmission.

  In general, the usage status of the MFP and the transmission destination required for each user are different. For example, a department that frequently communicates with outside the company needs an address book that contains outside address information, but a department that does not communicate with outside the company does not need an address book that contains outside address information. is there.

  Therefore, when distributing an address book to a plurality of MFPs simultaneously, it is desirable to distribute an address book in which necessary destination information is described for each MFP and unnecessary destination information is not described for each MFP. Then, since there is no unnecessary destination information, it is easy to select a destination, and it is possible to prevent mistakes in selecting an incorrect destination. Further, it is desirable that telephone numbers and e-mail addresses included in the address book are personal information and do not include unnecessary destination information in terms of security.

  As a method for realizing this, there is a method of managing MFPs in groups. The system administrator groups a plurality of MFPs under certain conditions and distributes the same address book for each group. However, in order to correctly distribute the address book required for each MFP, the system administrator must always grasp the information necessary for grouping the MFPs.

  However, when there are a large number of MFPs to be managed, grasping information necessary for grouping all the MFPs requires a great burden on the system administrator. In addition, if there is an error in grouping or changes in the usage status of MFPs related to grouping, for example, MFPs grouped by organization are transferred to other departments, inappropriate address books may be distributed. become.

  As a method for obtaining information necessary for grouping MFPs, it is conceivable to obtain MFP information such as an MFP name and an administrator name by MFP search. However, the grouping of MFPs varies depending on the organization and the situation. For example, there are departments that want to distribute different address books for each department, while there are departments that have both business and test MFPs used for external communication on the same floor and want to distribute address books only to business MFPs. . In addition, there is a department that wants to separate the MFP address book installed in the security section (for example, locked room) and the MFP installed in the other section. Furthermore, the case where these conditions are combined in a complicated manner must be considered. Therefore, there are various grouping criteria, and different information is required for each MFP grouping. In other words, information that can be acquired by MFP search is insufficient to perform flexible grouping. Therefore, it is difficult to automatically create a group sharing an address book by MFP search.

  As described above, it is desirable to reduce the burden on the system administrator who grasps the usage status of the MFP, automatically determines the necessary address book for each MFP, and updates the address book.

  Patent Document 1 transmits a personal address book stored in a PC to an MFP or facsimile apparatus on a network, stores the address book received by the MFP or facsimile apparatus, and performs facsimile transmission using the address book. Disclose technology.

JP 2002-041250 JP

  When distributing setting information from an information processing apparatus to an image processing apparatus, the present invention reduces the burden on a system administrator who operates the information processing apparatus, distributes more appropriate setting information to the image processing apparatus, and sets the setting information. The purpose is to do.

  The present invention has the following configuration as one means for achieving the above object.

  The information processing according to the present invention is a distribution condition for inputting setting information to be distributed to an image processing apparatus, and for determining whether the image processing apparatus updates the setting information that has already been set. When the update condition registered in advance in the processing device is satisfied, the distribution condition for updating the setting information is set, the predetermined destination is designated, or the setting information is transmitted together with the distribution condition by broadcasting. Features.

  The control according to the present invention is control of an image processing apparatus having a memory for storing setting information, wherein the setting information update condition is set, the setting information is received, and the update condition is the received setting When the distribution condition added to the information is satisfied, the setting information stored in the memory is updated.

  According to the present invention, when setting information is distributed from the information processing apparatus to the image processing apparatus, the burden on the system administrator who operates the information processing apparatus is reduced, and more appropriate setting information is distributed to the image processing apparatus. , Aim to set.

  Hereinafter, information processing according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an address book distribution system according to the first embodiment.

  An information processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “distribution server”) 101 that distributes an address book distributes destination information to the MFP via the network 100. At this time, the distribution server 101 adds an MFP condition for updating the address book, and distributes only destination information required by the MFP to each MFP.

  The MFPs 102 to 106 are multifunction devices that have a plurality of functions such as a scanner function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and an e-mail transmission function in addition to a copying function, and can be used as a copying machine, a printer, a scanner, and a facsimile .

  The system administrator 110 manages the entire system, and sends the destination information to the managed MFP by the distribution server 101. Each department 112 to 114 has a device manager 111. The device administrator sets the MFP of the department managed by the device administrator.

[Configuration of distribution server]
The distribution server is configured by MFP management software that operates on a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”). FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the PC 200 on which the distribution server operates.

  The CPU 201 executes an operating system (OS) and various programs stored in a hard disk drive (HDD) 211 connected to a ROM 202 and a disk controller (DKC) 207 using the RAM 203 as a work memory. Each component is controlled via the system bus 204.

  MFP management software for distributing the address book is supplied by a storage medium such as a CDROM. Then, it is read by the disk drive 212 and installed in the HDD 211.

  Further, the CPU 201 obtains user input from a keyboard or a pointing device (KB) 209 via a keyboard controller (KBC) 205. Then, the PC operating state, program execution status, user interface, and the like are displayed on the monitor 210 via the video card 206. Further, it connects to the network 100 via a network interface card (NIC) 208 and communicates with various devices connected to the network 100.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the address book distribution function of the MFP management software. The UI 300 is a user interface for inputting instructions when the system administrator distributes the address book, and the communication unit 301 is a functional unit that communicates with the MFP.

[MFP configuration]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the MFP.

  The CPU 21a of the controller 21 uses the RAM 21c as a work memory, executes a program stored in the ROM 21b, controls the MFP, and executes the following various jobs. The controller 21 communicates with devices (distribution server 101 and other client PCs) on the network 100 via a network interface card (NIC) 22 to control the scanner engine 23, printer engine 24, and FAX board 25. .

  The printer engine 24 is, for example, a laser beam type, ink jet type, or other type of printer. The FAX board 25 implements a facsimile function such as communication control when an image is transmitted / received by facsimile.

  The operation panel 26 is composed of, for example, an LCD and a keyboard. The operation panel 26 displays information received from the controller 21 on the LCD, and sends instructions input by the user by operating the keyboard to the controller 21.

  When a copy job is instructed via the operation panel 26, the controller 21 selects the printer engine 24 and the scanner engine 23, and executes a copy job for copying the image of the document placed on the document table.

  Further, when the controller 21 receives a print job via the NIC 22, the controller 21 selects the printer engine 24 and executes the received print job.

  Further, when a scan job is instructed via the NIC 22 or the operation panel 26, the controller 21 selects the scanner engine 23 and acquires an image of the document placed on the document table. Then, a scan job for transmitting the acquired image to a client PC designated via the NIC 22 or the operation panel 26 is executed.

  When the controller 21 is instructed to send an image via the NIC 22, the controller 21 executes a send job for sending the received image to a designated client (a PC connected to the network 100). The transmission job can be instructed from the client PC or another MFP.

  Further, when a facsimile transmission job or an e-mail transmission job is instructed via the NIC 22 or the operation panel 26, the controller 21 receives an image via the NIC 22 or acquires an original image by the scanner engine 23. Then, the facsimile transmission job for facsimile transmission by selecting the FAX board 25 is executed, or an e-mail attached with an image is transmitted via the NIC 22. At that time, the destination of the facsimile or electronic mail can be selected via the NIC 22 or the operation panel 26 from the address book held in the nonvolatile area of the RAM 21c. Further, when a facsimile is received via the FAX board 25, the received image is printed on the printer engine 24.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the controller 21.

  The UI 400 operates the MFP operation panel 26 or designates the MFP network address from the client PC, and refers to or operates the MFP setting content held in the setting content holding unit 404. It is a face. The setting content holding unit 404 is assigned to a nonvolatile memory area of the RAM 21c.

  The communication unit 401 performs communication with the distribution server 100, facsimile transmission, and electronic mail transmission. The condition comparison unit 402 performs a condition comparison for updating the address book. The address book holding unit 403 is a nonvolatile memory area of the RAM 21c that holds the address book.

[Update Address Book]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of an address book update condition setting procedure in the address book distribution system. When the device administrator 111 calls the UI 400 via the NIC 22 or the operation panel 26, the MFP controller 21 It is a process to be executed.

  The controller 21 displays the user interface provided by the UI 400 shown in FIG. 7 on the LCD of the MFP operation panel 26 or the screen of the client PC (S500). The device manager 111 operates the user interface to set an update condition for the address book by pressing a button that matches the MFP for each condition item. For example, the division of MFP 102 is set as the first section, and the installation location is set as the office. The controller 21 accepts this setting operation (S501).

  When the device manager 111 finishes setting the update conditions, the device manager 111 presses a “save” button shown in FIG. When the “Save” button is pressed, the controller 21 saves the set update condition in the setting content holding unit 404 (S502). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a format example of the update condition held in the setting content holding unit 404.

  Figures 7 and 8 show examples of condition items (department, location) and selection items (section 1, section 2, section 3, meeting room, office). If condition items and selection items other than these are required, the condition items and selection items may be uploaded from the update server 100 to each MFP. The uploaded condition items and selection items are stored in the nonvolatile memory area of the RAM 21c and referred to by the controller 21.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an address book distribution procedure, which is a process executed by the distribution server 101.

  First, the distribution server 101 inputs an address book (S600). In other words, the system administrator 110 may create an address book using the functions provided by the UI 300 of the distribution server 101, or import an address book created on another PC or MFP into the distribution server 101. Also good.

  Next, the distribution server 101 sets address book distribution conditions (S301). That is, the system administrator 110 uses the function provided by the UI 300 to set distribution conditions.

  10 and 11 are diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface for creating a distribution condition provided by the UI 300. FIG. The system administrator 110 inputs an address book file name or the like in the input box shown in FIG. 10, or selects an address book using the “select address book” button. Then, when the “condition setting” button is pressed, the user interface is switched to that shown in FIG.

  The system administrator uses the user interface shown in FIG. 11 to set the delivery conditions of the selected address book, for example, departments 1 and 3 and departments are offices. In other words, in the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11, the distribution condition is set such that the address book “AddressBook1” selected by the system administrator 110 is distributed to the MFP installed in the office of Section 1 or Section 3. Will be.

  Next, the distribution server 101 adds the set distribution condition to the selected address book (S602), and distributes the address book by the communication unit 301 (S603). Note that the address book may be distributed by setting the network address of the destination MFP, but the address book may be broadcast. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the data format of the address book to which distribution conditions are added.

  Following the address book name at the top of the data, the condition item operator 1201 and each condition item are recorded, followed by destination information. A condition item operator 1201 indicates a method of applying each condition item. The example of FIG. 12 represents that delivery is performed to the MFP that satisfies the condition items 1 and 2 by the and operator. An operator 1202 in the condition item indicates a method for applying the item in the condition item. The example of the first condition item shown in FIG. 12 indicates that the or operator is used to satisfy any of a plurality of items, that is, to deliver to the MFP in the first section or the third section.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an address book reception procedure, which is a process executed by the MFP controller 21.

  When the controller 21 receives the address book (S700), the condition comparison unit 402 compares the update condition held in the setting content holding unit 404 with the distribution condition added to the address book (S701). Then, it is determined whether or not the distribution condition satisfies the update condition (S702). If the distribution condition is satisfied, the address book held in the address book holding unit 403 is updated (S703). For example, since the update conditions of the MFP 102 shown in FIG. 7 are the first section and the office, the delivery conditions shown in FIG. 11 are satisfied and the address book is updated.

  Next, the controller 21 notifies the communication unit 301 of the distribution server 101 of the update result of the address book through the communication unit 401 (S704). Note that the notification of the update result may be performed only by the MFP that has updated the address book, or only by the MFP that has not updated the address book. The notification of the update result is recorded in a predetermined area of the HDD 211 of the distribution server 101 and can be referred to by the system administrator 110.

[Modification]
In the above description, an example in which the address book distribution conditions such as the department and the installation location are specifically set is given, but abstract information can also be used for the distribution conditions.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example in which abstract information is used for address book distribution conditions. An example of abstract information is “confidentiality”. The system administrator 110 creates a map indicating the relationship between specific distribution conditions and abstract information in advance and registers the map in the distribution server 101. The distribution server 101 provides a user interface as shown in FIG. 14 based on the registered map. When the system administrator 110 sets abstract distribution conditions using the user interface of FIG. 14, the distribution server 101 creates specific distribution conditions based on the map.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data format of the map. The office and the first section are set as conditions for high confidentiality.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of an address book distribution procedure when abstract information is set as a distribution condition, which is a process executed by the distribution server 101. The same processes as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In step S601, the system administrator 110 sets abstract distribution conditions using the user interface shown in FIG. The distribution server 101 converts the set abstract distribution conditions into specific distribution conditions using the map shown in FIG. 15 (S612). In the examples of FIGS. 14 and 15, “office” and “section 1” are mapped to the abstract condition of confidentiality “high”. Accordingly, the distribution server 101 sets specific distribution conditions for the department “first section” and the installation location “office”.

  Of course, abstract distribution conditions may be set in both the distribution server 101 and the MFP without converting the abstract distribution conditions into specific distribution conditions.

  In the first embodiment, the “delivery condition” has been described as an example of the address book delivery condition, but conversely, a “non-delivery condition” may be set.

  Further, an update condition that is set in the MFP in advance and that cannot be changed by the device manager 111 may be provided so that the device manager 111 does not make a setting contrary to the system manager 110 in the MFP. For example, if the item “Importance” is set and the distribution condition is more important than the MFP update condition, the address book is forcibly updated regardless of the MFP update condition. .

  In this way, the burden on the system administrator 110, such as grasping the usage status of the MFP, is reduced, and the address book in which the necessary destination information is recorded for each MFP is automatically determined, and the address book of the MFP is stored. Can be updated. In addition, it becomes possible to respond to requests for distribution grouping of various address books. Accordingly, it is possible to overcome the security problem due to the distribution of the address book in which unnecessary destination information is recorded, and to improve the operability related to the destination selection of the MFP user.

  The information processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that the same reference numerals in the second embodiment denote the same parts as in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, an address book distribution system is capable of dynamically changing the update condition and distribution condition items by transmitting an update condition list for creating an address book update condition from the distribution server 101 to the MFP. Will be explained.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for distributing the update condition list according to the second embodiment.

  First, the distribution server 101 creates an update condition list (S1100). That is, the system administrator 110 creates an update condition list using a function provided by the UI 300 of the distribution server 101.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an update condition list creation screen provided by the UI 300.

  The system administrator 110 inputs condition items (use and installation location in FIG. 17) and options (in FIG. 17, for office use, experiment use, etc.) used as address book delivery conditions. Then, a radio button for setting whether or not a plurality of options can be selected is set. That is, the system administrator 110 can set single or plural selections of options for each item when the device administrator 111 sets the update condition of the MFP address book.

  Next, the distribution server 101 distributes the update condition list from the communication unit 301 to the MFP based on the instruction via the UI 300 of the system administrator 110 (S1101). FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a data format of a distributed update condition list.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for receiving an update condition list and setting address book update conditions, and is a process executed by the MFP controller 21.

  First, the controller 21 receives the update condition list from the distribution server 101 via the communication unit 401, and holds the received update condition list in the setting content holding unit 404 (S1200). Next, based on the instruction from the device manager 111 via the UI 400, the controller 21 displays an address book update condition setting screen that reflects the contents of the update condition list on the UI 400 (S1201).

  Next, the controller 21 sets an update condition (S1202). That is, the device manager 111 sets an update condition by selecting an option from the update condition list using the function of the UI 400 provided by the controller 21. For example, in the example of FIGS. 17 and 18, the device manager 111 selects “for office” or “meeting room 1” according to the application and installation location of the MFP.

  In this way, for example, when it is necessary to set more detailed distribution conditions, when changing the distribution conditions, the system administrator 110 can easily change the items and options of the distribution conditions. .

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the distribution server distributes the destination information to the MFP on the network, but the information to be distributed is not limited to the destination information. As long as the information is set in the MFP, not the destination information but setting information for setting each operation mode such as printing, scanning or copying, network setting information necessary for communication in a network such as a LAN, and the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the distribution server distributes the destination information to the MFP on the network has been described. However, the MFP on the network may have the function of the distribution server. That is, the configuration may be such that destination information managed by a predetermined MFP on the network is distributed to other MFPs on the network.

[Other embodiments]
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (recording medium) that records software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus executes the software. Is also achieved. In this case, the software itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the software constitutes the present invention.

  In addition, the above functions are not only realized by the execution of the software, but an operating system (OS) running on a computer performs part or all of the actual processing according to the instructions of the software, and thereby the above functions This includes the case where is realized.

  In addition, the software is written in a function expansion card or unit memory connected to the computer, and the CPU of the card or unit performs part or all of the actual processing according to instructions of the software, thereby This includes the case where is realized.

  When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores software corresponding to the flowchart described above.

The figure which shows the example of a structure of the address book delivery system of Example 1, Block diagram showing a configuration example of a PC on which a distribution server operates, Block diagram showing a configuration example of the address book distribution function of the MFP management software, Block diagram showing a functional configuration example of MFP, Block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the controller, The flowchart which shows the example of a setting procedure of the update condition of an address book in an address book delivery system, A diagram showing an example of a user interface provided by the UI 400, The figure which shows the example of a format of the update conditions hold | maintained at a setting content holding | maintenance part, A flowchart showing an example of address book distribution procedure; The figure which shows an example of the user interface for creating the delivery conditions which UI 300 provides, The figure which shows an example of the user interface for creating the delivery conditions which UI 300 provides, The figure which shows the data format example of the address book where the delivery condition is added, A flowchart showing an example of an address book reception procedure; A diagram showing an example of using abstract information for address book delivery conditions, Figure showing map data format example, A flowchart showing an example of an address book distribution procedure when abstract information is set as a distribution condition; Flowchart illustrating an example of an update condition list distribution procedure according to the second embodiment The figure which shows an example of the update condition list creation screen which UI 300 provides, The figure which shows an example of the data format of the update condition list delivered, It is a flowchart which shows the example of a procedure which receives the update condition list | wrist and sets the update condition of an address book.

Claims (12)

An input means for inputting setting information to be set in the image processing apparatus;
The distribution condition for determining whether the image processing apparatus updates the setting information that has already been set, and updates the setting information when the update condition registered in advance in the image processing apparatus is satisfied. A setting means for setting distribution conditions;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a transmission unit that designates a predetermined destination or transmits the setting information together with the distribution condition by broadcasting.   2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus has a function of transmitting a document image to the outside, and the setting information is destination information indicating a transmission destination of the document image.   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a creation unit that creates an update condition list for setting the update condition, wherein the transmission unit transmits the update condition list to the image processing apparatus. Information processing device.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising conversion means for converting the abstract distribution condition set by the setting means into a specific distribution condition added to the destination information. The information processing apparatus described. A memory for storing setting information;
Setting means for setting an update condition of the setting information;
Receiving means for receiving the setting information;
An image processing apparatus comprising: an update unit configured to update the setting information stored in the memory when the update condition satisfies a distribution condition added to the received setting information.   6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiving unit receives an update condition list, and the setting unit sets the update condition based on the update condition list.   7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising notification means for notifying a transmission result of the setting information to a transmission source of the setting information. Enter the setting information to be distributed to the image processing device,
The distribution condition for determining whether the image processing apparatus updates the setting information that has already been set, and updates the setting information when the update condition registered in advance in the image processing apparatus is satisfied. Set delivery conditions,
An information processing method characterized by designating a predetermined destination or transmitting the setting information together with the distribution condition by broadcasting. A control method for an image processing apparatus having a memory for storing setting information,
Set the update condition of the setting information,
Receiving the setting information;
When the update condition satisfies a distribution condition added to the received setting information, the setting information stored in the memory is updated.   9. A program for controlling an information processing apparatus to realize the information processing described in claim 8.   10. A program for controlling an image processing apparatus to realize the control according to claim 9.   12. A recording medium on which the program according to claim 10 or 11 is recorded.

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