JP2009267515A - Image processor, information processing method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processor capable of reducing time to be required for re-obtaining data when the data held in a device other than the self device is re-obtained, and attaining a rapid data output, and to provide an information processing method, and a storage medium. <P>SOLUTION: The image processor includes: a data storage means for storing configuration data configuring a part of the external holding data which is held in an external device; a communication means for obtaining from the external device description data, which is the data for describing the external holding data and includes information indicating the configuration data, and transmitting the description data when the configuration data, which corresponds to the information indicating the configuration data and is held in the external device, is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage means; a synthetic conversion means for obtaining the configuration data stored in the data storage means, synthesizing the configuration data with the description data transmitted from the communication means, and generating data capable of outputting the external holding data; and an output means for outputting the data generated by the synthetic conversion means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium that can acquire data via a network.

  An image that can directly acquire necessary data from a Web server without using an information processing device such as a personal computer, convert the acquired data into printable data, and output (for example, display / printing). Processing devices are already known.

  In addition, when outputting data acquired from a Web server, it is possible to browse the output data using a browser in the image processing apparatus, and to store the acquired data in the image processing apparatus. An image processing apparatus that can eliminate the cost of data acquisition by using the stored data when re-outputting is already known.

An example of such an image processing apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is intended to print data on a Web server, accesses the Web server to acquire data, and prints the acquired data.
JP 2008-3991 A

  However, in the apparatus as described above, when the data on the Web server is updated, it is necessary to reacquire all data again. Therefore, it takes time to reacquire data, and it takes time to output the reacquired data.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in the case of reacquiring data held by a device other than its own device, image processing that reduces the time required for data reacquisition and realizes quick data output An object is to provide an apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium.

  In order to achieve such an object, an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes data storage means for storing configuration data constituting a part of externally held data held by an external device, and data for describing the externally held data. The description data including the information indicating the configuration data is acquired from the external device, and the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage unit In this case, the communication means for sending the description data, and the composition conversion for acquiring the configuration data stored in the data storage means and combining the description data sent from the communication means to generate data capable of outputting the externally held data And output means for outputting the data generated by the synthesis conversion means.

  In the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication unit performs a first determination to determine whether or not the description data acquired from the external device includes information indicating the configuration data. As a result, when the description data includes information indicating the configuration data, a second determination is performed to determine whether the configuration data corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data has been stored in the data storage unit, As a result of the second determination, when the data has been stored in the data storage unit, it is determined which of the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data and the configuration data stored in the data storage unit is newer. The third determination is made based on the date / time information associated with each configuration data. As a result of the third determination, the configuration data held in the external device is the configuration data stored in the data storage means. Again not new, it may be sent the description data to the synthesis converter.

  In the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication means holds the external device when the configuration data held in the external device is newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage means as a result of the third determination. The configuration data may be acquired, the acquired configuration data may be overwritten on the configuration data stored in the data storage unit, and then the description data may be sent to the synthesis conversion unit.

  In the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication means may send the description data to the composition conversion means when the description data does not contain information indicating the configuration data as a result of the first determination. Good.

  In the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication unit acquires the configuration data held in the external device when the configuration data is not already stored in the data storage unit as a result of the second determination, and the acquired configuration Data may be stored in the data storage means.

  In the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication unit may perform control so as not to acquire pre-designated configuration data from an external device.

  The information processing method of the present invention is a data accumulation step for accumulating configuration data constituting a part of externally held data held by an external device, data for describing externally held data, and information indicating the configuration data Communication that transmits description data if the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage step. Generate the configuration data stored in the step and the data storage step, combine with the description data sent in the communication step to generate data that can output externally held data, and generate the composite conversion step An output step for outputting the processed data.

  In the information processing method of the present invention, the communication step further includes a first determination step for determining whether or not information indicating configuration data is included in the description data acquired from the external device; As a result of the determination step, when the description data includes information indicating the configuration data, a second determination for determining whether or not the configuration data corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data has been stored in the data storage step If the data is accumulated in the data accumulation step as a result of the step and the second determination step, the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data and the configuration data accumulated in the data accumulation step As a result of the third determination step for determining which is new based on the date and time information associated with each configuration data and the third determination step, the external device stores the new determination result. Configuration data is when the data storage not newer than the stored configuration data in step, a first sending step of sending the descriptive data, may have a.

  The storage medium of the present invention is a data storage process for storing configuration data that constitutes a part of externally held data held by an external device, and data for describing the externally held data. Communication processing for acquiring description data from an external device and sending the description data when the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage processing Generated by the composite conversion process, which generates the data that can output the externally held data by acquiring the configuration data stored in the data storage process and combining it with the description data sent in the communication process The present invention is characterized in that a program for causing a computer to execute output processing for outputting the received data is recorded.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when acquiring the data hold | maintained except an own apparatus, the time concerning data reacquisition can be reduced and a quick data output can be implement | achieved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment of the present invention described below does not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. In addition, all of the configurations described in the following embodiments are not essential configuration requirements of the present invention.

  The image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, an example of an image processing apparatus will be described using an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) 100 having a composite function such as copying, facsimile, scanner, and printing. Needless to say, application examples of the image processing apparatus are not limited to the MFP 100, but include a facsimile apparatus, a printer apparatus, a personal computer, a game machine, a mobile phone, a car navigation apparatus, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP 100, which is an example of the image processing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the MFP 100 includes a controller 110, a communication interface 120, a scanner engine 130, a printer engine 140, a FAX board 150, a user interface 160, a portable recording medium reading device 170, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 180, a bus. It is constituted by a line 190.

The controller 110 controls the overall processing of the MFP 100.
As an internal configuration of the controller 110, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112 in which fixed data such as a program for controlling the CPU 111 is stored in advance, and an area for temporarily storing various data are formed. And a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113.

  Communication interface 120 is controlled by controller 110 to communicate with an external device of MFP 100. With this communication interface 120, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment can communicate with a Web server 300 on the Internet network, for example, as shown in FIG. The communication interface 120 can also be configured with an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface, an IEEE1284 interface, or other interfaces.

  The scanner engine 130 is controlled by the controller 110 and has a function of executing image reading processing.

  The printer engine 140 is controlled by the controller 110 and executes an image forming process (for example, a printing process). The printer engine 140 can also be configured with a laser beam printer, an inkjet printer, or other printers.

  The FAX board 150 is controlled by the controller 110 and executes facsimile communication processing.

  The user interface 160 can display information sent from the controller 110 and can transmit information input by the user to the controller 110. In other words, information is output to the user and instructions from the user are input. Note that the user interface 160 can be configured by, for example, a display (for example, LCT or CRT), a pointing device (for example, a mouse, a touch pen), or a keyboard. Furthermore, as another configuration, a touch panel, a voice interface, or the like can be used.

  The portable recording medium reading device 170 is controlled by the controller 110 and performs processing for reading recording information of a portable recording medium such as an IC card, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a CD (Compact Disk), and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). Execute. Further, the portable recording medium reading device 170 accesses the portable recording medium according to an instruction from the controller 110, reads information from the portable recording medium, and notifies the controller 110 of the information.

  The HDD 180 has a function of writing and reading various data. The bus line 190 electrically connects the controller 110 to the communication interface 120, the scanner engine 130, the printer engine 140, the FAX board 150, the user interface 160, the portable recording medium reading device 170, and the HDD 180. For the bus line 190, an address bus, a data bus, or the like can be used.

  In MFP 100 having the above-described configuration, print job can be issued by selecting printer engine 140. Further, by selecting the scanner engine 130, a scan job can be issued. Further, by selecting the printer engine 140 and the scanner engine 130, a copy job can be issued. Further, by selecting the printer engine 140, the scanner engine 130, and the FAX board 150, it is possible to issue a facsimile reception job and a facsimile transmission job.

  Next, functions of the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 100 includes a display unit 210, an address management unit 220, a communication unit 230, a data storage unit 240, a composite conversion unit 250, and a printing unit 260.

  The display means 210 outputs various data by screen display. In particular, the display unit 210 has a browser function for interpreting and displaying HTML data. Display unit 210 also has a touch panel function that accepts instructions from a user who operates MFP 100. Examples of instructions from the user include an instruction to specify the address (for example, URL) of a Web page to be displayed, an instruction to specify data that need not be acquired from the Web server 300, and data output Instructions for setting conditions can be given. The display unit 210 may employ a configuration in which options (for example, menus) are presented to the user to prompt input of instructions. The instruction input unit 210 is realized by the user interface 160 shown in FIG.

  The address management unit 220 bookmarks and manages the address of the Web page input by the user via the display unit 210. Hereinafter, an example of a Web page address will be described as a URL. As an example of management, a URL for which a user has instructed bookmark registration is stored as a “bookmark selection list”. When the user receives a bookmark selection list presentation request, data for presenting the bookmark selection list is passed to the display unit 210. The display unit 210 receives this data and displays a bookmark selection list. When a predetermined URL on the bookmark selection list displayed on the display unit 210 is selected by the user, the address management unit 220 passes data indicating the URL selected on the display unit 210 to the communication unit 220. The address management unit 220 is realized by the user interface 160 and the HDD 180 shown in FIG.

  Here, an example of the display unit 210 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an example of screen display by the display unit 210. The screen shown in FIG. 4 is a touch panel, and the user can input an instruction by touching a desired position on the screen with a finger or the like. In the display area 10, a Web page with a specified URL, a bookmark selection list 13, a software keyboard 14, and the like are displayed. The bookmark selection list 13 presents URLs bookmarked in advance in a list format. The software keyboard 14 is a virtual keyboard used by a user to input characters, symbols, and the like, and has a character arrangement similar to that of a keyboard provided in a general personal computer, for example. Above the display area 10, a URL input area 11 and a bookmark operation button 12 are provided. The URL is input to the URL input area 11 when the user touches the software keyboard 14 with a finger or the like. The bookmark operation button 12 is a button to be pressed when the user wants to perform an operation related to the bookmark. When the user touches the bookmark operation button 12 with a finger or the like, for example, menus such as “bookmark display”, “add bookmark”, and “delete bookmark” are displayed in the display area 10. When the user touches the displayed “bookmark display”, a bookmark selection list 13 is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, and a URL bookmarked in advance (or a name and title indicating the URL) is displayed. In the example of FIG. 4, Web pages for news, weather, stock prices, and program guide are bookmarked. When “add bookmark” is selected by the user in a state where a predetermined URL is input in the URL input area 11, the input URL is added to the bookmark selection list 13. Further, when “delete bookmark” is selected by the user while a predetermined URL in the bookmark selection list 13 is selected, the selected URL is deleted from the bookmark selection list 13.

  The communication unit 230 communicates with apparatuses and devices other than the MFP 100. In this embodiment, the communication unit 230 communicates with the Web server 300 on the Internet network according to the URL directly input on the display unit 210 or the URL selected from the bookmark selection list. Then, the communication unit 230 sends a data acquisition request to the Web server 300 and acquires data held by the Web server 300. Here, examples of data acquired from the Web server 300 include description data for describing a Web page (an example of externally held data) and configuration data that actually configures a Web page. In the following description, an example of description data is described as HTML data, and an example of configuration data is described as image data. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples. When the communication unit 230 acquires HTML data from the Web server 300, the communication unit 230 passes the HTML data (hereinafter referred to as acquired HTML data) to the composition conversion unit 250. Further, when the communication unit 230 acquires image data from the Web server 300, the communication unit 230 passes the image data (hereinafter referred to as acquired image data) to the data storage unit 240.

  In addition, the communication unit 230 makes the following various determinations. First, when acquiring the HTML data, the communication unit 230 determines whether or not the acquired HTML data includes data that takes an acquisition time. Here, “data that takes acquisition time” is, for example, the above-described configuration data, and examples thereof include image data. Next, when the acquired HTML data includes image data, the communication unit 230 determines whether or not the image data is stored in the data storage unit 240 in advance. Next, the communication unit 230 determines which of the image data stored in the data storage unit 240 in advance (hereinafter referred to as stored image data) and the image data included in the acquired HTML data is newer. Here, the “image data included in the acquired HTML data” is, for example, image data constituting a Web page that is currently provided by the Web server 300. This determination is made by comparing date / time information associated with each image data and indicating the creation date of the image data. That is, the communication unit 230 accesses the Web server 300 to acquire the date / time information of the image data included in the acquired HTML data, acquires the stored image data from the data storage unit 240, and acquires the date / time information of the stored image data. get. Then, the respective date information is compared to determine which is newer. When the image data included in the acquired HTML data is newer, the communication unit 230 acquires only the image data (hereinafter referred to as update data) from the Web server 300 and passes it to the data storage unit 240. As a result, the stored image data stored in the data storage unit 240 is overwritten with the update data and updated. Note that the communication unit 230 does not issue a re-acquisition instruction to the Web server 300 even for data set by the user as not requiring re-acquisition via the display unit 210. The communication unit 230 is realized by the communication interface 120 and the controller 110 shown in FIG.

  The data storage unit 240 stores and stores various data. In this embodiment, data acquired by the communication unit 230 is accumulated. The accumulated data is data with a high communication load, for example, image data. The image data includes images such as logos, decorations, and backgrounds that constitute the Web page. In addition, when the communication unit 230 acquires the update data of the stored image data from the Web server 300, the stored image data of the data storage unit 240 is replaced with the update data and stored. The data storage unit 240 is realized by the HDD 180 shown in FIG.

  The combination conversion unit 250 combines the accumulated data (for example, image data) accumulated in the data accumulation unit 240 and the acquired data (for example, HTML data) acquired from the web server 300 by the communication unit 230, and then creates a web page. Generate data to complete the. Further, when performing data composition, the composition conversion unit 250 converts the data into display data to be displayed on the display unit 210 and print data to be printed by the printing unit 260. The display unit 210 displays the web page on the screen according to the display data from the composition conversion unit 250. The composite conversion means 250 is realized by the controller 110 shown in FIG.

  The printing means 260 outputs the received data by printing it on paper or the like. In the present embodiment, the web page is printed on paper or the like according to the print data from the composition conversion unit 250. The printing unit 260 is realized by the printer engine 140 shown in FIG.

  Next, a processing flow (information processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention) in MFP 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment.

  First, in the display unit 210, a URL is designated by a user operation (step S1). The URL is specified by direct input to the URL input area 11 shown in FIG. 4 or selection from the bookmark selection list 13 as described above. The communication unit 23 receives the designated URL from the display unit 210 or the address management unit 220.

  Next, the communication unit 230 accesses a designated URL (for example, the Web server 300 shown in FIG. 1). At this time, the communication unit 230 sends a request for acquiring description data (for example, HTML data) for describing a Web page provided on the Web server 300 to the Web server 300, and sends the corresponding HTML data to the Web server. Obtained from 300 (step S2).

  Next, the communication unit 230 determines whether the HTML data acquired from the Web server 300 (hereinafter referred to as acquired HTML data) includes information indicating data (for example, image data) that requires communication cost (step S3). ). In this determination (hereinafter referred to as the first determination), for example, it is determined whether or not an extension of predetermined image data is included in the acquired HTML data. It is assumed that what kind of extension is determined is set in advance by the user.

  If the communication unit 230 determines that the information indicating the preset image data is not included as a result of the first determination (step S3 / NO), the communication unit 230 passes the acquired HTML data to the synthesis conversion unit 250. The composite conversion unit 250 converts the acquired HTML data into display data for display on the display unit 210 or print data for printing by the printing unit 260 and outputs the data to the display unit 210 or the printing unit 260 ( Step S8). The acquired HTML data is converted into at least one of display data and print data. Which data is converted depends on a user instruction or setting. The display unit 210 displays a Web page on the screen according to the display data. The printing unit 260 performs printing on a sheet or the like according to the printing data.

  If the communication unit 230 determines that information indicating preset image data is included as a result of the first determination (step S3 / YES), the image data indicated by the information has already been stored in the data storage unit 240. Whether or not (step S4). In this determination (hereinafter referred to as the second determination), for example, image data having the same identifier as the identifier (for example, the part before the extension) of the image data included in the acquired HTML data exists in the data storage unit 240. It is determined whether or not.

  If the communication unit 230 determines that the data is not stored in the data storage unit 240 as a result of the second determination (step S4 / NO), the communication unit 230 acquires the image data from the Web server 300 and stores the image data in the data storage unit 240. (Step S6). In addition, the communication unit 230 passes the acquired HTML data to the synthesis conversion unit 250. The combination conversion unit 250 acquires the stored image data stored in the data storage unit 240, combines the acquired image data with the acquired HTML data, and displays data for display on the display unit 210 and printing for printing on the printing unit 260. Conversion into at least one of the data (step S7). Each converted data is output to a means designated by the user.

  If the communication unit 230 determines that the data is already stored in the data storage unit 240 as a result of the second determination (step S4 / YES), the image data stored in the data storage unit 240 and the Web server 300 Which image data is newer is determined (step S5). Here, “image data on the Web server 300” is, for example, image data included in the acquired HTML data. In this determination (hereinafter, referred to as a third determination), the new and old are determined by comparing date / time information associated with each image data and indicating the creation date of the image data. That is, the communication unit 230 acquires the date / time information of the image data included in the acquired HTML data from the Web server 300. Further, the communication unit 230 acquires image data having the same identifier as the identifier of the image data included in the acquired HTML data (hereinafter referred to as stored image data) from the data storage unit 240, and obtains date / time information of the stored image data get. Then, the respective date information is compared to determine which is newer.

  If the communication unit 230 determines that the image data included in the acquired HTML data is not newer than the stored image data as a result of the third determination (step S5 / NO), the communication unit 230 does not acquire the image data from the Web server 300. The acquired HTML data is passed to the synthesis conversion means 250. The combination conversion unit 250 acquires the accumulated image data stored in the data storage unit 240, combines the acquired image data with the acquired HTML data, and prints the display data for display on the display unit 210 and the print for printing on the printing unit 260. Conversion to at least one of the business data (step S7). Each converted data is output to a means designated by the user.

  When the communication unit 230 determines that the image data included in the acquired HTML data is newer than the stored image data as a result of the third determination (step S5 / YES), only the image data (hereinafter referred to as update data). Is acquired from the Web server 300 and passed to the data storage unit 240. As a result, the stored image data stored in the data storage unit 240 is overwritten with the update data and updated. In addition, the communication unit 230 passes the acquired HTML data to the synthesis conversion unit 250. The combination conversion unit 250 acquires the stored image data stored in the data storage unit 240, combines the acquired image data with the acquired HTML data, and displays data for display on the display unit 210 and printing for printing on the printing unit 260. Conversion into at least one of the data (step S7). Each converted data is output to a means designated by the user.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the MFP 100 acquires the Web page from the Web server 300. However, the MFP 100 is not limited to the Web page. In the above description of the embodiment, data is acquired via the Internet network, but is not limited to the Internet network.

  The above-described embodiment can be summarized as follows. First, in preparation for re-acquisition of a web page (an example of externally retained data) held in the web server, the MFP acquires configuration data instructed by the user in advance from configuration data constituting the web page. And accumulate. In general, Web pages published on the Internet often include text data with high update frequency and image data with low update frequency (for example, logo, decoration, background, etc.) as configuration data. Here, the configuration data stored in advance is data with low update frequency (for example, image data). After that, when the Web page is updated on the Web server, it takes time to re-acquire the entire Web page. First, the MFP acquires HTML data that is description data for describing the Web page. . Then, the MFP determines whether or not information (for example, an extension) indicating the image data exists in the HTML data. If there is information indicating the image data as a result of this determination, the MFP determines whether or not the image data indicated by the information has already been stored in the own apparatus. As a result of this determination, if it has been stored, the MFP determines which of the stored image data and the image data that corresponds to the information indicating the image data and that currently constitutes the Web page is newer. If the result of this determination is that the image data that currently constitutes the Web page is newer than the stored image data, the MFP determines that the new image data is updated image data, and re-acquires only the updated image data. The re-acquired updated image data is overwritten on the accumulated image data. Then, the MFP synthesizes the updated image data and the previously acquired HTML data, converts the data to a predetermined format, and generates composite conversion data that can output the updated Web page. Then, the MFP performs data output such as screen display and printing based on the composite conversion data. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the image data that currently constitutes the Web page is not newer than the stored image data, that is, if the image data of the Web page has not been updated, the MFP Do not reacquire image data from. Then, the MFP synthesizes the stored image data and the previously acquired HTML data, converts the data into a predetermined format, and generates composite conversion data that can output an updated Web page. Then, the MFP performs data output such as screen display and printing based on the composite conversion data.

  From the above, according to the present embodiment, when re-acquiring a Web page held by the Web server, the time for re-acquisition can be reduced, and the output speed of Web pull print can be increased. it can. Therefore, in this embodiment, the communication cost can be reduced by reducing the time required for data acquisition.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by adopting a large touch panel for the display screen, the user can easily perform a URL designation operation, a data designation operation that does not require acquisition, and the like. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to further increase the data output speed. In addition, there is an advantage that the operation is easy for the user.

  In this embodiment, since the MFP has a browser function, HTML data can be interpreted. Therefore, HTML data can be directly acquired from a Web server without using a personal computer or the like, and data output (for example, screen display, printing, etc.) can be performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to rasterize on a personal computer as in the case of using a personal computer, so that data output can be speeded up.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

  For example, the operations in the above-described embodiments can be executed by hardware, software, or a combined configuration of both.

  When executing processing by software, a program in which a processing sequence is recorded may be installed and executed in a memory in a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware. Or you may install and run a program in the general purpose computer which can perform various processes.

  For example, the program can be recorded in advance on a hard disk or a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a recording medium (storage medium). Alternatively, the program is temporarily or permanently stored on a removable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto Optical) disc, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magnetic disc, or a semiconductor memory. It can be stored and recorded. Such a removable recording medium can be provided as so-called package software.

  The program may be wirelessly transferred from the download site to the computer in addition to being installed on the computer from the removable recording medium as described above. Alternatively, the data may be transferred to the computer by a wire via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet. The computer can receive the transferred program and install it on a recording medium such as a built-in hard disk.

  In addition to being executed in time series in accordance with the processing operations described in the above embodiment, the processing capability of the apparatus that executes the processing, or a configuration to execute in parallel or individually as necessary Is also possible.

It is a figure which shows the example of a connection of the image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of the image processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display area 11 URL input area 12 Bookmark operation button 13 Bookmark selection list 14 Software keyboard 100 MFP (an example of image processing apparatus of this invention)
110 controller 111 CPU
112 ROM
113 RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 Communication interface 130 Scanner engine 140 Printer engine 150 FAX board 160 User interface 170 Portable recording medium reader 180 HDD
190 Bus line 210 Display means (an example of output means)
220 Address management means 230 Communication means 240 Data storage means 250 Composite conversion means 260 Printing means (an example of output means)
300 Web server (an example of an external device)

Claims (9)

Data accumulating means for accumulating configuration data constituting a part of the externally retained data retained by the external device;
The data for describing the externally held data, the description data including the information indicating the configuration data is acquired from the external device, and the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is Communication means for sending the description data if not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage means;
Composition data stored in the data storage means, combined with the description data sent from the communication means, and combined conversion means for generating data capable of outputting the externally held data;
Output means for outputting the data generated by the synthesis conversion means;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The communication means includes
Performing a first determination to determine whether or not the description data acquired from the external device includes information indicating the configuration data;
If the description data includes information indicating the configuration data as a result of the first determination, whether or not configuration data corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data has been stored in the data storage means Make a second decision to determine
As a result of the second determination, when the data has been stored in the data storage unit, the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data, the configuration data stored in the data storage unit, A third determination is made to determine which is new based on the date and time information associated with each configuration data;
As a result of the third determination, when the configuration data held in the external device is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage unit, the description data is sent to the synthesis conversion unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1. The communication means includes
As a result of the third determination, when the configuration data held in the external device is newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage means, the configuration data held in the external device is acquired.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the obtained configuration data is overwritten on the configuration data stored in the data storage unit, the description data is sent to the synthesis conversion unit. The communication means includes
4. The image according to claim 2, wherein, as a result of the first determination, if the description data does not include information indicating the configuration data, the description data is sent to the synthesis conversion unit. Processing equipment. The communication means includes
As a result of the second determination, if the configuration data is not already stored in the data storage unit, the configuration data held in the external device is acquired,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the acquired configuration data is stored in the data storage unit. The communication means includes
6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control is performed so that configuration data designated in advance is not acquired from the external apparatus. A data accumulation step for accumulating configuration data that constitutes a part of the externally held data held by the external device;
The data for describing the externally held data, the description data including the information indicating the configuration data is acquired from the external device, and the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is A communication step of sending the description data if not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage step;
A composition conversion step for obtaining the configuration data accumulated in the data accumulation step and synthesizing with the description data sent in the communication step to generate data capable of outputting the externally held data;
An output step of outputting the data generated by the synthesis conversion step;
An information processing method characterized by comprising: The communication step further includes:
A first determination step of determining whether or not the description data acquired from the external device includes information indicating the configuration data;
If the description data includes information indicating the configuration data as a result of the first determination step, whether the configuration data corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data has been stored in the data storage step. A second determination step for determining whether or not
As a result of the second determination step, if the data has been accumulated in the data accumulation step, the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data, and the configuration data accumulated in the data accumulation step A third determination step of determining which is new based on the date and time information associated with each configuration data;
As a result of the third determination step, if the configuration data held in the external device is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage step, a first transmission step of transmitting the description data;
The information processing method according to claim 7, further comprising: Data accumulation processing for accumulating configuration data that constitutes a part of externally held data held by an external device;
The data for describing the externally held data, the description data including the information indicating the configuration data is acquired from the external device, and the configuration data held in the external device corresponding to the information indicating the configuration data is A communication process for sending the description data if the data is not newer than the configuration data stored in the data storage process;
A composition conversion process for obtaining the configuration data accumulated in the data accumulation process and synthesizing with the description data transmitted in the communication process to generate data that can output the externally held data;
An output process for outputting data generated by the synthesis conversion process;
A storage medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute is recorded.

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