JP2007122485A - Data backup/restore means of expanded image processing system composed of image processor and expansion controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that various data such as user information for using image data and a device can not be restored even though the device can be restored by exchanging storage devices and reinstalling various programs when physical destruction occurs in a storage device. <P>SOLUTION: In a printing system composed of an image forming apparatus and an external controller, control programs and various data of the respective devices are backed up to one device. When an HDD of a device itself fails to be unstartable, the control program backed up to the one device is read onto a memory to start the device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having functions such as a printer, a FAX, and a copy, and an extended image processing system to which an expansion controller apparatus of the image processing apparatus is connected. It is.

  In recent years, computers such as PCs have rapidly spread in individuals and offices, and networks such as LANs that connect them to each other have also become widespread. For this reason, recently, an environment that allows a plurality of users to share and use devices such as a printer and a scanner connected to a network has been widely constructed. In particular, in the office, a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP) that has multiple functions such as printing / printer functions, scanner functions, etc., and can share the functions via a network. Is widely used.

  Further, in the recent MFP market, an extended image processing system has been devised in which a general-purpose PC is connected as an extended external controller of an MFP to control the MFP. By using such an external controller of a general-purpose PC platform, it becomes possible to add various functions that have been difficult in an MFP embedded application.

  For example, it is possible to provide various services such as document management via the network such as scan / print data held in the MFP, and storage services using mass storage devices such as HDDs held by the MFP and expansion controller. It is.

For example, Patent Document 1 can be cited as a conventional example.
JP 2003-312067 A

  In such an extended image processing system, in each storage device of the MFP as the image forming apparatus and the extended controller of the image forming apparatus, various control programs, application programs, and image data for controlling each module in the device And various data such as user information for using the device.

  However, if the control program stored in the storage device cannot be read due to a malfunction of one of the storage devices and becomes inoperable, the expansion can be performed even though one can operate normally. It becomes impossible to function as an image processing system.

  In particular, when the storage device itself is physically destroyed or damaged, use various control programs, application programs, and image data and devices that control each module in the device that was held inside the storage device. It is difficult to restore various data such as user information.

  When such physical destruction of the storage device occurs, the device can be restored by replacing the storage device and reinstalling various programs, but the user who uses the image data or the device Various data such as information cannot be recovered.

  In order to avoid such a situation and restore the device to a state before the storage device is destroyed, it is necessary to back up various data stored in the storage device of each device to another storage device in advance. is there.

  As a means for backing up data held by the apparatus, a method of backing up data by separately installing a backup server or the like and transferring the data to the server has been used in practice.

  However, it is not desirable in terms of cost to separately install such a data storage server as a part of the system.

  Further, when a data storage server is installed, when the system is restored, it is complicated because the user needs to manually reinstall various programs and list backup data.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
An extended image processing system in which an image processing apparatus having a plurality of functions such as a printer, a FAX, a copy, and the like and an expansion controller device of the image processing apparatus are connected, and each apparatus of the extended image processing system includes:
In the storage medium inside the apparatus, various data such as a control program for controlling the apparatus, an application program operating on the apparatus, and image data and user information using the apparatus are stored.
A means for transmitting the control program, the application program and the various data to one device to which the device is connected, and holding the data as backup information;
An extension characterized by having means for reading and starting a control program backed up in one connected device when it is determined that the control program cannot be read due to a malfunction of the storage device of the device itself An image processing system,
When the device is activated by the means activated by the control program read from the one connected device, if the problem of the storage device of the device is resolved, the control program from the one connected device, The backup information of application programs and various data such as image data and user information that uses the device is read, and the data that has been saved and backed up in its own storage device can be independently stored by cooperation between the devices. It has a means for performing restoration.

In addition, when the apparatus is activated by the control program read from one connected apparatus by the above-described means, various data acquired via the network or the input device held by the apparatus is connected to one of the connected apparatuses. Means for temporarily storing in the storage device of the device, and means for reading out the data stored in the storage device of one of the devices connected by the storage means,
Furthermore, when the problem of the storage device of the device is resolved, the data temporarily stored in the storage device of one device is read from the one connected device, and the data is stored in its own storage. It is characterized by having a means for restoring temporarily stored data to be stored again in the apparatus.

  Thus, even when the control program stored in the storage device cannot be read due to a malfunction of the storage device, the backup control program stored in one device is read and started, and one device is By using this storage device to store data, the system can operate normally even when a storage device malfunction occurs.

  Further, when the problem of the storage device is resolved, the backup data can be restored autonomously by cooperation between the devices, and the system can be easily restored.

  As described above, each device of the extended image processing system to which the image processing device of the present invention and the extended controller device of the image processing device are connected is a control program and device for controlling the device on a storage medium inside the device. The application program that operates above and various data such as image data and user information for using the device are stored, and the control program, application program, and various data are transmitted to one device connected to the device. If it is determined that the control program cannot be read due to a malfunction of the storage device held by the device, the data is backed up to one connected device. It has a means for reading and starting a control program In the extended image processing system, when the device is activated by the control program read from one of the connected devices by the above means, the device is connected when the problem of the storage device of the device is solved Read back-up information of various data such as control program and image data and user information that uses the device from one device, and the data saved and backed up in its own storage device is autonomous by cooperation between each device In the case where the apparatus is activated by the control program read from one of the connected apparatuses by the above means, the data is acquired from the network or input from the input apparatus held by the apparatus. Temporarily transfer various data to the storage device of one connected device And means for reading the data stored in the storage device of one of the devices connected by the storage means, and when the problem of the storage device of the device is resolved, While the device is being activated by the activation means activated by the control program read from the device, the data temporarily stored in the storage device of one device is read from the one connected device, Even if the control program stored in the storage device cannot be read due to a malfunction of the storage device by having means for storing the data in its storage device again, the backup stored in one device By reading out the activated control program and starting it, and using the storage device of one of the devices to save the data Failure of the storage device is capable of operating the system correctly even during generation.

  Further, when the problem of the storage device is resolved, the backup data can be restored autonomously by the cooperation between the devices to restore the system.

  Further, since backup / restore can be performed only between devices constituting the system, a backup / restore system can be easily constructed without requiring a separate backup device such as a backup server.

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

  The extended image processing system 10 includes an image processing apparatus 100 and an extended controller 103, and is further extended to the image processing apparatus 100 having functions such as a printer, image input, document filing, document transmission / reception, and image conversion. Provide the function. The image processing apparatus 100 and the expansion controller 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 LAN 400 is a local area network laid in a user's office or the like.

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

  The image processing apparatus 100 provides various basic image processing functions such as a printer, image input, document filing, 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 controller 103 includes a control device main body 170, an operation unit 171, and peripheral devices 172. The extended controller 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 expansion controller 103. The peripheral device 172 is various peripheral devices provided for a general personal computer, and expands the hardware of the expansion controller 170.

  The image processing apparatus 100 and the expansion controller 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 extended image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing apparatus and an extended controller.

  The image processing apparatus 100 is a multifunction machine that provides various image processing functions. The expansion controller 170 is installed on the back surface of the image processing apparatus 100. The operation unit 171 is a liquid crystal display having a transparent touch panel pasted on the surface thereof, and is electrically connected to the expansion controller 170. The peripheral device 172 is an I / O device electrically connected to the expansion controller 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 expansion controller 170 are installed on a dedicated stand and are 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. The CPU 112 is based on a program read from a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b via the ROM / NVRAM I / F 115 Operate. 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. The 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 that implements various protocols for network printing, and enables print jobs 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 such 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.

  The backup / restore control module 5011 is a module that performs processing related to transmission / reception of backup data and storage in a storage medium in the present embodiment, and exists independently of other upper layer modules.

  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 shown in FIG. 11 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 copier 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 to be pressed when the print density is changed or when detailed print output information of PDL data from a remote host computer is to be referred to.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the expansion controller.

  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 a program for performing basic hardware control (for example, a boot program (a startup program: a program for starting execution (operation) of hardware and software)), data, and the like. is there. 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 plurality of applications, editing files, user files, network management programs, 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 controller. 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 the internal state and execution state of the extended controller. 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 controller 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 controller main body 103.

  An application 8001 corresponds to various applications executed on the extended controller 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 controller 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 controller 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 by combining image transfer by the local interface 201, an image can be transferred between the expansion controller and the image processing device. And speed up the job of exchanging documents.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the hierarchical structure of the software module group of the extended controller.

  A general-purpose operating system (OS) 9001 is an operating system for the expansion controller. 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. The general-purpose OS 9001 abstracts various hardware and software resources included in the extended controller 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, the hardware and device drivers of various computer peripheral devices on the market can be used for the expansion controller 103 as they are or relatively easily. The expansion controller 103 is an accessory added to supplement the expandability and flexibility of the image processing apparatus 100. The purpose of the expansion controller 103 is not only to adopt a hardware configuration equivalent to a general-purpose information processing apparatus, but also in terms of software. Can be achieved more efficiently by adopting a general-purpose OS.

  The extended controller platform 9002 is software (a library, a framework, a runtime module, etc.) that serves as a basis for providing an operating environment for software of the extended controller 103. Further, a utility library, a framework, and a run-time module group prepared in order to make it possible to easily build an application that cooperates with an embedded application built in the image processing apparatus 100 in the extended controller 103 is included. A system application 9004 is a utility application group that is installed in the extended controller 103 as a standard and helps the user to use and manage the extended image processing system.

  The application group classified as the user land application 9005 is an application group for providing a user with an extended function of the extended image processing system. 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 the 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 extension controller. 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 a userland application for operating various types of removable storage (such as a magneto-optical media drive, a USB storage, and a memory card) connected as peripheral devices to the expansion controller. 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 extension controller 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.

  The backup / restore control module 9019 is a module that performs processing related to transmission / reception of backup data and storage in a storage medium in the present embodiment, and exists independently of other upper layer modules.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram for explaining a system application group of the expansion controller.

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

  A function key panel 10001 is a framework and container for arranging function menus, software keys, and the like on the desktop of the extended controller 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. Considering that the expansion controller 103 may be optionally equipped with a physical keyboard, emulate the physical keyboard at the lowest possible level of the system (ie distinguish it from the physical keyboard at most levels of the system) Configured to be unnecessary). 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 in accordance with a destination locale to which the extended controller 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. Key codes generated when various key components are pressed are mapped to key codes generated by a physical keyboard connected as an option to the expansion controller. 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 kinds of software constituting the extended controller. 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 kinds of software constituting the extended controller 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 that counts the application usage of the extended controller 103 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 controller 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 using the extended 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 performing user authentication based on an IC card or biometric authentication at the start of a user session, it is configured to be replaced with a dedicated login dialog implementation (the implementation of the login mechanism is also replaced similarly).

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

  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 applications related to both hardware and software of the expansion controller 103. Information such as the version and copyright of various module groups constituting the extended 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 controller 103 and the image processing apparatus 100.

  The system setup 10018 requires an initial setup procedure when installing the extended image processing system 10, a replacement process procedure when replacing the image processing apparatus 100 with a new model, and the system of the expansion controller 103 needs 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 is a safe storage unit such as a removable medium, an external storage device, or a network storage connected to the expansion controller 103 for storing data stored in a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory of each of the expansion controller 103 and the image processing apparatus 100. This is a system application for performing a restoration that restores the saved data to the original state.

  This system application is a module different from the module that executes transmission / reception of backup data and storage of data in the present embodiment, which is incorporated in the extended controller platform 9002.

  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 controller 103. The screen saver 10020 can also reproduce an animation that introduces convenient usage of the extended 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 controller 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 extended 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, it can display not only the description document on the operation unit 171 of the extended controller 103 but also the description document on a Web browser operating on the client PC 11 or the like.

  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 display include text, documents written in markup languages such as HTML, XML, and SGML, images such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and JBIG, page description languages, documents such as PDF, and display There are accompanying programs, animations, 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 expansion controller 103, a file system of the image processing apparatus 100, or the server computer 12 or the 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 controller 103. The 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 controller 103, the 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 controller.

  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 expansion controller 103. It also manages the lifecycle of daemon-type services (system applications and user applications implemented as resident applications).

  A power control 11002 manages power control such as power saving setting of the expansion controller 103. Manage hardware system and BIOS settings.

  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 can be integrated.

  The access control 11005 manages access privileges for various resources constituting the extended 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 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 controller 103 to an external directory service.

  A directory 11008 is a local directory service provided in the extended controller 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 controller 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 controller 103.

  The application counter 11011 counts the usage amount of each application installed in the extended controller 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 controller 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 controller 103 system, the event input source from the user is a physical keyboard, operation unit hard key, pointing device such as a mouse, a screen keyboard or operation unit emulator, a screen function key on a function key panel, etc. There is. 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 controller 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 toolkit 11021 is a GUI framework, a GUI component (component), and a runtime module that design a look and feel for the extended controller 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 controller 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 controller 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 extension controller 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 allows an application of the extended controller 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 controller 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 controller 103 system to use the 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 controller 103 by 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 controller 103 by an image scan framework provided by the native general-purpose OS 9001.

  The inter-application communication 11034 provides a communication mechanism between processes and threads of software operating on the extended controller 103. Since the general-purpose OS 9001 of the extended controller 103 provides an independent protected memory space for each process operating on the extended controller 103, a special mechanism is required to perform communication between applications operating as different processes. To do. 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 is for helping to construct 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 expansion controller 103 and the image processing apparatus 100 and the expansion controller 103 and an external system This framework is also included. 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.

  The execution scheduling 11036 is a mechanism for automatically executing a desired process in synchronization with a scheduled execution and a system session event (for example, boot-up or shutdown) or a user session event (for example, login or log-out). .

  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 controller 103 to execute processes 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 a 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 a display screen example of the extended controller 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 controller operation unit. By pressing each button, it is possible to start another application such as an application guide, a screen keyboard (to be described later), or an operation unit panel emulator, and a key code such as a reset key is transmitted to the other application. It is possible. FIG. 12 shows a screen when the version display button is pressed on the function key panel 12003. When the button is pressed, a menu 12004 with two options is displayed, and it is possible to select whether to display the version information of the application currently displayed in the foreground or the version information of the basic software of the image processing system. . A status ticker 12005 at the bottom of the screen 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 software tally 12006 emulates the tally lamp of the image processing apparatus, and can notify the status of the extended controller (for example, normal, warning, error, etc.) by blinking red, blue, turning on and off.

  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 expansion controller.

  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 a client PC, the user encrypts the print data using an arbitrary password or password or uses an IC card and sends it to the expansion controller. The encrypted print data is spooled in an encrypted state on the extended controller. After that, the user can obtain the desired print manuscript confidentially by decrypting the encrypted print data by inputting an arbitrary password or password or inserting an IC card in the expansion controller. It becomes possible.

  The data backup / restoration operation between the MFP as the image processing apparatus and the extended control apparatus in the present embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation in the case of performing data backup to the MFP-side extended controller device which is the image processing device in this embodiment.

  This processing is processing executed by the backup / restore control module 5011 shown in FIG. 5 in the image processing apparatus.

  Further, when the backup data of the image processing apparatus is transmitted to the expansion controller side by this processing, the data reception / storage processing on the expansion controller side is executed by the backup / restore control module 9019 of the expansion controller shown in FIG. Is done.

  In this embodiment, various control data and various application programs configured as software modules of the controller of the image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 and arbitrary various data such as image data stored in the apparatus are targeted for backup. To do.

  In this embodiment, the backup setting screen 1700 can be displayed on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit shown in FIG. 6 as shown in FIG. 17, and data to be backed up can be selected by the user's operation. is there. For example, when the control program and image data are to be backed up, check the check boxes for “control program”, “stored print data”, and “stored scan data” illustrated in 1703 of FIG. Thus, each data stored under a predetermined directory in the hard disk 162 can be a backup target.

  First, in step S1601, location information (such as an IP address) of a data backup destination extended controller preset in the image processing apparatus is acquired.

  This setting information is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as the ROM 114a and the NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  In step S1602, it is determined whether the location information of the backup destination apparatus has been acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S1603, based on the information acquired in S1601, the backup destination expansion controller is connected via the network.

  In this embodiment, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving backup data. A communication protocol other than FTP may be used as the communication protocol.

  In addition, a backup setting screen 1700 may be displayed on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit, and a communication protocol may be selected by a user operation as illustrated in 1701. Further, when the FTP protocol is used as in this embodiment, data flowing over the network is transmitted and received in plain text, which is not preferable for security. Therefore, TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSH (Secure SHell), IPSec It is desirable to encrypt and transmit / receive data using encrypted communication.

  In step S1604, it is determined whether or not connection to the backup destination expansion controller has been established, and processing proceeds to the next step.

  If the connection is successful in step S1604, information required for authentication with the backup destination expansion controller is acquired in S1605.

  In this embodiment, since the FTP protocol is used as a protocol for transmitting / receiving backup data, authentication information such as a user name and a password necessary for authentication by the FTP protocol is acquired from a storage device inside the apparatus. This authentication information is also set by a user operation or the like, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b shown in FIG. (For example, a setting screen 1700 related to backup is displayed on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit shown in FIG. 6 as shown in FIG. 17, authentication information is input by user operation, and the information is stored in a storage device such as NVRAM. save). If authentication is necessary even when using another communication protocol, authentication information is stored by the same means and acquired.

  It is assumed that the same information is set for the authentication information such as the user name and the password by the same means on the backup destination extended controller side.

  In step S1606, the authentication information acquired in step S1605 is transmitted to the backup destination extended controller. In step S1607, it is determined whether or not the authentication is accepted, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If it is determined in step S1607 that the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step S1608, and in step S1608, the control program and various application programs stored in the hard disk 162 shown in FIG. Various data such as image data is transmitted as backup data to the expansion controller, and stored under a predetermined directory for backup in the storage device of the expansion controller.

  When all the data to be backed up is transmitted in step S1608, the connection is disconnected in step S1609.

  In step S1610, it is determined whether the above-described processing has been performed correctly, and the processing is terminated.

  If the process has not been performed normally, error processing such as displaying an error on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit in FIG. 6 is performed in step S1611.

  Further, in this error processing, the error may be notified not only to the display unit of the image processing apparatus but also to the extended controller as a backup destination and displayed on the touch panel 4202 of the extended controller shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the timing for starting the backup processing is as follows. The backup setting screen 1700 is displayed on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit shown in FIG. 6 as shown in FIG. Processing is started by pressing a button 1704. However, the apparatus may automatically and periodically start backup processing, or may set a backup time in advance and perform backup at each set time.

  In addition, various settings related to backup as shown in FIG. 17 may be set from the expansion controller side using the operation unit of the expansion controller via the network.

  In addition, since the data to be backed up may include highly confidential data, the device that holds the backup data encrypts the received backup data with the device's own key. It is desirable to keep it.

  FIG. 18 shows a control program backed up in the expansion controller device when a hard disk failure or the like occurs on the MFP, which is the image processing device, and the control program held by the image processing device itself cannot be started. Processing when reading and starting up, and if the problem is resolved by replacing the hard disk after a hard disk problem occurs, the control program backed up to the expansion controller device is read and automatically 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when system recovery is performed.

  This processing is automatically executed in the image processing apparatus when the image processing apparatus is started up by the backup / restore control module 5011 shown in FIG.

  When the backup data of the image processing apparatus is received from the extended controller side by this processing, the backup data read / send processing on the extended controller side is processed by the backup / restore control module 9019 of the extended controller shown in FIG. Is executed.

  First, in step S1801, the device control program stored in the hard disk 162 is loaded by the boot program stored in the ROM 114a of FIG.

  In the next step S1802, it is determined whether or not the control program can be loaded. If the program cannot be loaded, the process proceeds to the next step in order to obtain the backed up control program from the extended controller.

  Here, the hard disk is checked in step S1803 to check in advance whether or not there is a problem with the hard disk.

  Next, in step S1804, location information such as the IP address of the expansion controller that is a data backup destination set in advance in the image processing apparatus is acquired.

  This setting information is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as the ROM 114a and the NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  In step S1805, it is determined whether the location information of the backup destination apparatus has been acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S1806, based on the information acquired in S1804, the backup destination expansion controller is connected via the network.

  In this embodiment, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving backup data. A communication protocol other than FTP may be used as the communication protocol. Further, when the FTP protocol is used as in this embodiment, data flowing over the network is transmitted and received in plain text, which is not preferable for security. Therefore, TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSH (Secure SHell), IPSec, etc. It is desirable to encrypt and transmit / receive data by encrypted communication.

  In step S1807, it is determined whether or not connection to the backup destination expansion controller has been established, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If the connection is successful in step S1807, information necessary for authentication with the backup destination expansion controller is acquired in S1808.

  In this embodiment, since the FTP protocol is used as a protocol for transmitting / receiving backup data, authentication information such as a user name and a password necessary for authentication by the FTP protocol is acquired from a storage device inside the apparatus. This authentication information is also set by a user operation or the like, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b shown in FIG. Also, when other communication protocols are used and authentication is necessary, authentication information is acquired by the same means.

  It is assumed that the same information is set for authentication information such as a user name and a password by the same means on the extended controller side of the backup destination.

  In step S1809, the authentication information acquired in step S1809 is transmitted to the backup destination extended controller. In step S1810, it is determined whether or not the authentication is accepted, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  Here, in step S1811, based on the result of checking the hard disk in step S1803, if there is a problem with the hard disk, the process proceeds to step S1812.

  If there is a problem with the hard disk, when the backup data is acquired from the expansion controller, the data cannot be held on its own hard disk.

  Therefore, in step S1812, the backup data of the control program acquired from the expansion controller is directly expanded in the DRAM 116.

  When the backup data of all the control programs has been received in step S1812, the connection is disconnected in step S1813.

  With this process, even when there is a problem with the hard disk, the image forming apparatus can be activated by reading the control program from the backup destination expansion controller.

  If it is determined in step S1811 that the hard disk can operate normally based on the result of checking the hard disk in step S1803, the process proceeds to step S1814.

  This has been solved by replacing the hard disk after a hard disk malfunction or the like has occurred before, but the hard disk still has no control program.

  Therefore, in step S1814, backup data of the control program is acquired from the expansion controller, and saved / restored in the storage device of the device itself. Also, in step S1814, not only the control program, but all other backed up data such as application programs and image data are acquired, and all the data backed up to the expansion controller is restored to its own hard disk. To do.

  Next, in step S1814, when the backup data of all the control programs has been received and stored, in step S1815, the connection is disconnected, and in step S1816, the control program acquired in step S1814 is loaded from its own hard disk. Expand to.

  After the above processing, in step S1817, it is determined whether the control program is correctly loaded in step S1812 or step S1816. If the control program is correctly loaded, the image forming apparatus is activated in step S1818. Perform processing.

  As a result, when the problem of the hard disk is solved, the system can be automatically restored without reinstalling the control program of the image forming apparatus.

  Also, in this embodiment, when the image forming apparatus acquires and starts backup data of the control program due to a problem with the hard disk of the image forming apparatus, data cannot be stored in the hard disk of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to temporarily store and read various data such as image data using the storage device.

Therefore, in step S1819, it is determined whether backup data restoration processing has been performed by the processing from steps S1814 to S1816. If restoration is performed, the restoration is temporarily stored in the expansion controller in step S1820. Perform data restore processing. (Details of this restore process will be described later)
Finally, in step S1821, it is determined whether or not the process has been performed correctly in steps S1801 to S1820, and the process ends.

  If the process is not performed normally, error processing such as displaying an error on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit in FIG. 6 is performed in step S1822.

  In this error processing step S1821, if there is a problem with the hard disk of the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus starts up after acquiring backup data of the control program, it is unconditionally determined that the problem has occurred with the hard disk. Is displayed as an error.

  Further, in the error processing, an error may be notified not only to the display unit of the image processing apparatus but also to the extended controller side that is the backup destination and displayed on the touch panel 4202 of the extended controller shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, since the data to be backed up may contain highly confidential data, the device that holds the backup data encrypts the received backup data with the device's own key. It is desirable to keep it.

  When restoring such encrypted backup data, the apparatus holding the backup data decrypts it with its own key and transmits it to the requesting side of the backup data.

  In this embodiment, when the data input via the scanner device or the network is stored in a storage device such as a hard disk of the image forming apparatus by the operation of each application on the image forming apparatus, each application is usually performed. 5 passes data to the management module 5004 via the control API 5005 shown in FIG. 5, and the management module 5004 performs data storage processing on the file system 5002.

  However, in this embodiment, when data cannot be stored in the file system 5002 due to a problem with the hard disk, the management module 5004 backs up the data transferred from each application via the control API 5005 to the backup / restore control module 5011. The backup / restore control module 5011 stores the data in the data temporary storage area of the storage device of the expansion controller.

  FIG. 19 shows a case where the image forming apparatus is activated by a control program backed up in the expansion controller device due to a hard disk failure in this embodiment, and various data such as image data are temporarily stored using the storage device of the expansion controller. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the means image forming apparatus for storing automatically.

  This processing is processing executed by the backup / restore control module 5011 shown in FIG. 5 in the image processing apparatus.

  Further, when the temporary storage data of the image processing apparatus is transmitted from the extended controller side by this processing, the reception / storage processing on the extended controller side is executed by the backup / restore control module 9019 of the extended controller shown in FIG. Is done.

  When the management module 5004 receives data input from each application on the image forming apparatus via the scanner device or the network via the control API 5005, the management module 5004 stores the data in the file system 5002 due to a hard disk failure. If it is not possible, a data storage request to the expansion controller device is transmitted to the backup / restore control module 5011.

  First, in step S1901, the backup / restore control module 5011 waits for a data storage request from the management module 5004 to the expansion controller device, and if there is a request, proceeds to the next step.

  In step S1902, location information such as the IP address of an expansion controller that is a data backup destination set in advance in the MFP is acquired.

  This setting information is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as the ROM 114a and the NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  In step S1903, it is determined whether the location information of the backup destination apparatus has been acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S1904, based on the information acquired in S1902, the backup destination expansion controller is connected via a network.

  In this embodiment, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving temporarily stored data. A communication protocol other than FTP may be used as the communication protocol. Further, when the FTP protocol is used as in the present embodiment, data flowing over the network is transmitted and received in plain text, which is not preferable for security. Therefore, TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSH (Secure SHell), IPSec It is desirable to encrypt and transmit / receive data using encrypted communication.

  In step S1905, it is determined whether or not connection to the expansion controller has been established, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If the connection is successful in step S1905, information necessary for authentication with the backup destination expansion controller is acquired in S1906.

  In this embodiment, since the FTP protocol is used as a protocol for transmitting / receiving backup data, authentication information such as a user name and a password necessary for authentication by the FTP protocol is acquired from a storage device inside the apparatus. This authentication information is also set by a user operation or the like, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b shown in FIG. Also, when other communication protocols are used and authentication is necessary, authentication information is acquired by the same means.

  Authentication information such as the user name and password is set to the same information on the backup destination extended controller side by the same means.

  In step S1907, the authentication information acquired in step S1906 is transmitted to the backup destination extended controller. In step S1908, it is determined whether or not the authentication is accepted, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If it is determined in step S1908 that the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step S1909. In step S1909, a response indicating that data temporary storage is possible is returned as a response to the data storage request from the management module 5004. Upon receiving this response, the management module 5004 sends temporarily saved data to the backup / restore control module 5011.

  In step S1910, the data sent from the management module is acquired, and the temporary storage data is transmitted to the expansion controller, and stored in the data temporary storage directory in the storage device of the expansion controller.

  In this embodiment, the temporary data storage directory of the storage device on the extended controller side has the same hierarchical structure as the directory hierarchy in the storage device on the image forming apparatus side.

  Therefore, when storing data in the data temporary storage directory of the storage device on the extended controller side, the same directory path is accessed as in the case of storing data in the storage device on the image forming device side. Data will be saved.

  When all the data has been transmitted in step S1910, the connection is disconnected in step S1911.

  In step S1912, it is determined whether or not the above processing has been performed correctly. If the processing has been performed correctly, the management module 5004 is notified that the data temporary storage processing has been completed in step S1913.

  If the process has not been performed normally, in step S1914, the management module 5004 is notified that an error has occurred during the process.

  When the processing up to step S1913 or step S1914 is completed, the process returns to step S1901, and again waits for a data storage request from the management module 5004 to the expansion controller device.

  The management module 5004 notifies each application of the result of temporary data storage via the control API 5005 according to the return result of step S1913 or step S1914.

  In this embodiment, every time data storage processing is performed, connection / authentication to the expansion controller is performed. However, the connection to the expansion controller may be established in advance, or after successful connection, Even after the storage process is completed, the connection may be continued without disconnecting the connection.

  In the present embodiment, it is also possible to read data stored in the data temporary storage area of the storage device of the extended controller from the image forming apparatus side.

  FIG. 20 shows various data such as image data temporarily stored in the storage device of the expansion controller when the image forming apparatus is activated by a control program backed up in the expansion controller device due to a hard disk failure in this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the image forming apparatus acquires the image.

  This processing is processing executed by the backup / restore control module 5011 shown in FIG. 5 in the image processing apparatus.

  When temporary storage data of the image processing apparatus is received from the extended controller side by this processing, the transmission / read processing on the extended controller side is executed by the backup / restore control module 9019 of the extended controller shown in FIG. Is done.

  The management module 5004 acquires various data such as image data temporarily stored in the storage device of the expansion controller from each application on the image forming apparatus through the control API 5005 by the means shown in step S1900 of FIG. When requested to do so, a data read request from the expansion controller device is transmitted to the backup / restore control module 5011.

  In step S2001, the backup / restore control module 5011 waits for a data read request from the management module 5004 to the expansion controller device. If there is a request, the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S2002, location information such as the IP address of the expansion controller that is a data backup destination set in advance in the MFP is acquired.

  This setting information is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as the ROM 114a and the NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  In step S2003, it is determined whether the location information of the backup destination apparatus has been acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S2004, based on the information acquired in S2002, a backup destination expansion controller is connected via a network.

  In this embodiment, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving temporarily stored data. A communication protocol other than FTP may be used as the communication protocol. Further, when the FTP protocol is used as in the present embodiment, data flowing over the network is transmitted and received in plain text, which is not preferable for security. Therefore, TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSH (Secure SHell), IPSec It is desirable to encrypt and transmit / receive data using encrypted communication.

  In step S2005, it is determined whether or not connection to the expansion controller has been established, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If the connection is successful in step S2005, information necessary for authentication with the backup destination expansion controller is acquired in S2006.

  In this embodiment, since the FTP protocol is used as a protocol for transmitting / receiving backup data, authentication information such as a user name and a password necessary for authentication by the FTP protocol is acquired from a storage device inside the apparatus. This authentication information is also set by a user operation or the like, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b shown in FIG. Also, when other communication protocols are used and authentication is necessary, authentication information is acquired by the same means.

  It is assumed that the same information is set for authentication information such as a user name and a password by the same means on the extended controller side of the backup destination.

  In step S2007, the authentication information acquired in step S2006 is transmitted to the backup destination extended controller. In step S2008, it is determined whether or not the authentication is accepted, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If it is determined in step S2008 that the authentication is successful, the process proceeds to step S2009, and in step S2009, a response indicating that the temporarily stored data can be read is returned as a response to the data read request from the management module 5004.

  In step S2010, the requested temporary storage data is acquired from the extended controller, and the temporary storage data is transmitted to the management module.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the temporary data storage directory of the storage device on the extended controller side has the same hierarchical structure as the directory hierarchy in the storage device on the image forming apparatus side. When acquiring data from the temporary storage directory of the storage device, the same directory path is accessed and stored in the directory as when acquiring data from the storage device on the image forming apparatus side. You will get the data.

  When all the data has been received in step S2010, the connection is disconnected in step S2011.

  In step S2012, it is determined whether or not the above processing has been performed correctly. If the processing has been performed correctly, in step S2013, the management module 5004 is notified that reading of the temporarily stored data has been completed.

  If the process has not been performed normally, in step S2014, the management module 5004 is notified that an error has occurred during the process.

  When the process up to step S2013 or step S2014 is completed, the process returns to step S2001, and again waits for a data read request from the management module 5004 to the expansion controller device.

  The management module 5004 notifies the requested application of the temporary storage data acquisition result via the control API 5005 according to the return result of step S2013 or step S2014, and passes the acquired temporary storage data to the application.

  In this embodiment, every time data read processing is performed, connection / authentication to the expansion controller is performed. However, a connection to the expansion controller may be established in advance, or after successful connection, Even after the saving process is completed, the connection may be continued without disconnecting the connection.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation in this embodiment when restoring data temporarily stored in the MFP-side extended controller device which is an image processing device.

  This flowchart corresponds to the temporary data restoration process processed in step S1820 of the flowchart shown in FIG.

  This processing is processing executed by the backup / restore control module 5011 shown in FIG. 5 in the image processing apparatus.

  Further, when the backup data of the image processing apparatus is received from the extended controller side by this processing, the data transmission / read processing on the extended controller side is executed by the backup / restore control module 9019 of the extended controller shown in FIG. Is done.

  First, in step S2101, location information such as the IP address of an extended controller that is a data backup destination set in advance in the MFP is acquired.

  This setting information is stored in a nonvolatile memory such as the ROM 114a and the NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  In step S2102, it is determined whether the location information of the backup destination apparatus has been acquired, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  In step S2103, based on the information acquired in S2101, the backup destination expansion controller is connected via a network.

  In this embodiment, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used as a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving backup data. A communication protocol other than FTP may be used as the communication protocol. Further, when the FTP protocol is used as in the present embodiment, data flowing over the network is transmitted and received in plain text, which is not preferable for security. Therefore, TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSH (Secure SHell), IPSec It is desirable to encrypt and transmit / receive data using encrypted communication.

  In step S2104, it is determined whether or not connection to the backup destination expansion controller has been established, and processing proceeds to the next step.

  If the connection is successful in step S2104, information necessary for authentication with the backup destination expansion controller is acquired in S2105.

  In this embodiment, since the FTP protocol is used as a protocol for transmitting / receiving backup data, authentication information such as a user name and a password necessary for authentication by the FTP protocol is acquired from a storage device inside the apparatus. This authentication information is also set by a user operation or the like, and is stored in a nonvolatile storage device such as the ROM 114a or NVRAM 114b shown in FIG.

  Also, when other communication protocols are used and authentication is necessary, authentication information is acquired by the same means.

  It is assumed that the same information is set for authentication information such as a user name and a password by the same means on the extended controller side of the backup destination.

  In step S2106, the authentication information acquired in step S2105 is transmitted to the backup destination extended controller. In step S2107, it is determined whether or not the authentication is accepted, and the process proceeds to the next step.

  If it is determined in step S2107 that the authentication has succeeded, the process proceeds to step S2108. In step S2108, all the data temporary storage directories in the storage device of the expansion controller are searched, and temporarily stored in step S2109. If it is determined that data exists, in step S2110, temporarily stored data is acquired, and the acquired data is stored in the storage device of the image forming apparatus. If it is determined in step S2109 that there is no temporarily stored data, the process proceeds to step S2111.

  In step S2110, when acquisition of all temporarily stored data and storage in the storage device of the image forming apparatus are completed, the connection is disconnected in step S2111.

  In step S2112, it is determined whether the above-described processing has been performed correctly, and the processing is terminated.

  If the process has not been performed normally, error processing such as displaying an error on the touch panel of the image processing apparatus operation unit in FIG. 6 is performed in step S2113.

  Further, in this error processing, the error may be notified not only to the display unit of the image processing apparatus but also to the extended controller as a backup destination and displayed on the touch panel 4202 of the extended controller shown in FIG.

  The data backup / restore means between the image forming apparatus and the expansion controller is realized by the means shown in the flowcharts of FIGS.

  In this embodiment, the control program of the image forming apparatus, the application program, and various data such as image data are backed up to the expansion controller side, and if a problem occurs in the storage device of the image forming apparatus, the expansion controller side Acquire backup control program and start image forming device, or if storage device trouble is solved, acquire all data backed up from expansion controller side, system Although only the means for performing the restoration is described, the extended controller control program, application program, and various data such as image data can be backed up to the image forming apparatus by holding the same means and configuration in the extended controller. , Expansion controller storage If a problem occurs in the image forming apparatus, a backup control program is acquired from the image forming apparatus side and the expansion controller is started, or if the problem of the storage device is resolved, the image forming apparatus By acquiring all the backup data and restoring the system, the image forming apparatus and the expansion controller can be configured to perform the backup / restore described in this embodiment. Also good.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the network environment where an extended image processing system is utilized. It is a block diagram of an extended image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing apparatus and an extended controller. 1 is an external view of an extended image processing system configured by a combination of an image processing apparatus and an extended controller. 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 expansion controller. It is a figure which shows API for the application in an extended controller 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 controller. It is a block diagram explaining the system application group of an expansion controller. It is a block diagram explaining the software package group which comprises the software platform of an extended controller. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of the extended controller 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 installed in the expansion controller. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the image processing apparatus performs data backup to an expansion controller apparatus. It is the figure which showed an example of the setting screen regarding backup displayed on the touch panel of an image processing apparatus operation part. Processing when the image processing apparatus reads and starts the control program backed up to the expansion controller apparatus, and operation when the control program backed up to the expansion controller apparatus is read and the system is automatically restored It is a flowchart which shows. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the image forming apparatus temporarily stores various data using the storage device of the extension controller. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the image forming apparatus acquires data temporarily stored in the storage device of the extension controller. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when the image processing apparatus restores data temporarily stored in the expansion controller apparatus.

Claims (4)

An extended image processing system in which an image processing device having a plurality of functions and an extended controller device of the image processing device are connected, and each device of the extended image processing system includes:
In addition to storing a control program for controlling the device, an application program operating on the device, and various data in a storage medium inside the device,
A means for transmitting the control program, the application program and the various data to one device to which the device is connected, and holding the data as backup information;
When it is determined that the control program cannot be read due to a malfunction of the storage device held by the apparatus itself, the apparatus has means for reading and starting the control program backed up in one connected apparatus Extended image processing system. An extended image processing system in which an image processing device having a plurality of functions and an extended controller device of the image processing device are connected, and each device of the extended image processing system includes:
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when activated by a control program read from one connected device, the information obtained from the network or input from the input device held by the device itself is connected. An extended image processing system comprising: means for transmitting and temporarily storing data to a storage device of the device; and means for reading data stored in the storage device of one of the devices connected by the storage means . An extended image processing system in which an image processing device having a plurality of functions and an extended controller device of the image processing device are connected, and each device of the extended image processing system includes:
When the device is activated by the control program read from one connected device by means of claim 1 and it is determined that the problem of the storage device of the device has been resolved, one of the connected devices An extended image processing system comprising means for reading control program and image data and backup information of various data using the device from the device, storing them in its own storage device, and restoring the backup data. An extended image processing system in which an image processing device having a plurality of functions and an extended controller device of the image processing device are connected, and each device of the extended image processing system includes:
When the device is activated by the control program read from one connected device by means of claim 1 and the problem of the storage device of the device is solved, from the one connected device Read the control program and backup information of various data, have a means to save and restore the data backed up to other devices in its own storage device,
Furthermore, the data temporarily stored in the storage device of one device is read from the one connected device by the data storage means according to claim 2 and the data is temporarily stored in its storage device. An extended image processing system comprising a stored data restoration unit.

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