JP2012040765A - Image processing apparatus, information processing apparatus, editing program and editing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate authority determination at a PC side when customizing an operation screen of MFP at the PC side.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus via a network includes: a storage means for storing operation screen information in which identification information and authority determination are set, to each UI part of an editable operation screen; a receiving means for receiving the identification information from the information processing apparatus and an acquisition request of the operation screen information; a determination means for determining an editable UI part based on the identification information received by the receiving means and the authority information of the operation screen information requested to be acquired; a generation means for generating screen information including the UI part determined to be editable by the determination means; and a sending means for sending the screen information generated by the generation means to the information processing apparatus.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing device, an information processing device, an editing program, and an editing system.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing need to customize an operation screen of an image forming apparatus (MFP: Multifunction Peripheral) so that a user can easily use it. Therefore, a technique is already known in which an operation screen of the MFP can be customized so that a user or an administrator can use the MFP within the scope of each authority.

  In general user or administrator's authority judgment method, there is no problem when customizing with the MFP itself, but when customizing with a tool such as on an external PC (Personal Computer), the operation screen data is sent to the tool. It is also necessary to make authority judgment on the tool side.

  Also, when authority information is shared between the MFP and an external PC, the authority information on the PC side needs to be changed when the authority information of the MFP main body is changed.

  As a technique for improving the customization of the operation screen, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-323234 discloses a technique of giving customization authority to each UI component and applying the customized contents to an appropriate influence range. Is disclosed.

  However, according to the technique of Patent Document 1, since authority determination is performed on the PC side with respect to authority information included in the meta information, when the number of users increases, a large number of authority information must be included in the meta information. There was a problem that it was not performed efficiently. Further, when authority determination is performed on the PC side, meta information including authority information of other people is transmitted via a LAN or the like, which causes a security problem.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an image processing apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and an editing program that do not require authority determination on the PC side when the operation screen of the MFP is customized on the PC side. And an editing system.

  An image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus via a network, and identification information and authority information are set for each UI component on an editable operation screen. Storage means for storing the operation screen information received, receiving means for receiving identification information from the information processing apparatus, and an acquisition request for the operation screen information, identification information received by the receiving means, and the acquisition request. Determination means for determining editable UI parts based on authority information of the operation screen information, generation means for generating screen information including UI parts determined to be editable by the determination means, and the generation means Transmitting means for transmitting the screen information created by the above to the information processing apparatus.

  An information processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that executes editing of an operation screen of an image processing apparatus connected via a network, and includes an operation screen information acquisition request for the operation screen. A receiving unit that transmits identification information to the image processing device; a receiving unit that receives operation screen information including a UI component that is determined to be editable based on the identification information from the image processing device; Display control means for controlling display of operation screen information.

  The present invention can also be realized by causing a computer to read a recording medium that records the program of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, when the operation screen of the MFP is customized on the PC side, it is not necessary to perform authority determination on the PC side.

The figure which shows an example of the customization system in a present Example. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware of an MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of an MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of an operation screen. The figure which shows an example of the authority information with respect to UI components. The figure which shows an example of operation screen information. The figure which shows an example of A's screen information. The figure which shows an example of the screen information of an apparatus manager. The figure which shows an example of the screen information of a document manager. The figure explaining an example of operation screen management information. The flowchart which shows an example of a screen information generation process. The flowchart which shows an example of the reflection process of a customization result. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of an MFP according to a second embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the screen information containing dummy information. The figure which shows an example of the screen information containing dummy attribute information. The figure which shows an example of an operation screen (the 1). The figure which shows an example of an operation screen (the 2). 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by an image forming apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Example 1]
<System and hardware>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customization system (editing system) 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the customization system 10 is connected to MFPs 5 and 6, the information processing apparatus 1 and the like via a network. The number of connected devices is not limited to the example shown in FIG. In the customization system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 1 can customize the operation screen of the MFP 5 or the MFP 6. Also, the MFP 5 and the MFP 6 can customize their own operation screen.

  Next, the hardware of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11, a main storage unit 12, an auxiliary storage unit 13, an external storage device I / F unit 14, a network I / F unit 15, an input unit 16, and a display unit 17. including. These components are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to transmit and receive data.

  The control unit 11 is a CPU that controls each device, calculates data, and processes in a computer. The control unit 11 is an arithmetic device that executes a program stored in the main storage unit 12, receives data from the input device or the storage device, calculates and processes the data, and outputs the data to the output device or the storage device.

  The main storage unit 12 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and a storage device that stores or temporarily stores programs and data such as an OS and application software that are basic software executed by the control unit 11. It is.

  The auxiliary storage unit 13 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, and is a storage device that stores data related to application software or the like.

  The external storage device I / F unit 14 is an interface between the information processing device 1 and a storage medium 18 (for example, a flash memory) connected via a data transmission path such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  Also, a predetermined program is stored in the storage medium 18, and the program stored in the storage medium 18 is installed in the information processing apparatus 1 via the external storage device I / F unit 14, and the installed predetermined program is It can be executed by the information processing apparatus 1.

  The network I / F unit 15 is a peripheral having a communication function connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) constructed by a data transmission path such as a wired and / or wireless line. This is an interface between the device and the information processing apparatus 1.

  The input unit 16 includes a keyboard having cursor keys, numeric input, various function keys, and the like, and a mouse and a slice pad for selecting keys on the display screen of the display unit 17. The input unit 16 is a user interface for a user to give an operation instruction to the control unit 11 or input data.

  The display unit 17 is configured by a CRT, an LCD, or the like, and performs display according to display data input from the control unit 11. The display unit 17 may be separate from the information processing apparatus 1, and the information processing apparatus 1 in that case has a display control function for displaying on the display unit 17.

  The hardware of the MFP 5 in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of hardware of the MFP 5 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 5 includes a control unit 51, a main storage unit 52, an auxiliary storage unit 53, an external storage device I / F unit 54, a network I / F unit 55, an operation unit 56, a display unit 57, and an engine unit. 58. These components are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to transmit and receive data.

  The control unit 51 is a CPU that controls each device, calculates data, and processes in the computer. The control unit 51 is an arithmetic device that executes a program stored in the main storage unit 52 or the auxiliary storage unit 53. The control unit 51 receives data from the input device or the storage device, calculates and processes it, and then outputs the output device or the storage. Output to the device.

  The main storage unit 52 is a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and a storage device that stores or temporarily stores programs and data such as an OS and application software that are basic software executed by the control unit 51. It is.

  The auxiliary storage unit 53 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, and is a storage device that stores data related to application software or the like.

  The external storage device I / F unit 54 is an interface between the MFP 5 and a storage medium 59 (for example, a flash memory, an SD card, etc.) connected via a data transmission path such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  Further, a predetermined program is stored in the storage medium 59, the program stored in the storage medium 59 is installed in the MFP 5 via the external storage device I / F unit 54, and the installed predetermined program is executed by the MFP 5. It becomes possible.

  The network I / F unit 55 has a communication function connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network) constructed by a data transmission path such as a wired and / or wireless line. This is an interface between the device and the MFP 5.

  The operation unit 56 and the display unit 57 are composed of a key switch (hard key) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) having a touch panel function (including GUI software key: Graphical User Interface), and use the functions of the MFP 5 It is a display and / or input device that functions as a UI (User Interface).

  The engine unit 58 serves as an input / output unit for image data, and reads a paper document and prints it on a transfer sheet. The engine unit 58 may further include a scanner engine. Note that the MFP 6 also has the same hardware configuration as the MFP 5. Note that the MFP described below is also an image processing apparatus in the sense of processing an image.

<Configuration>
Next, functions of the MFP 5 and the information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. First, functions of the MFP 5 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the MFP 5 according to the first embodiment.

  4 includes a storage unit 501, a receiving unit 503, a determining unit 505, a generating unit 507, a transmitting unit 509, and a merging unit 511. The storage unit 501 can be realized by the main storage unit 52, the auxiliary storage unit 53, and the like, and the reception unit 503 and the transmission unit 509 can be realized by the control unit 511, the network I / F unit 55, and the like. Further, the determination unit 505, the generation unit 507, and the merge unit 511 can be realized by the control unit 51, the main storage unit 52 as a work memory, and the like.

  The storage unit 501 stores screen information of the operation screen of the MFP 5. Hereinafter, this screen information is also referred to as operation screen information. The operation screen information is stored in a customizable format. Further, the operation screen information includes authority information indicating a user who can customize the UI components which are elements constituting the operation screen. The storage unit 501 may store customized operation screen information for each user.

  The receiving unit 503 receives from the information processing apparatus 1 an operation screen information acquisition request and user information for identifying a user who has logged in to the information processing apparatus 1. For example, a user who is logged in to the information processing apparatus 1 is a user A. The receiving unit 503 outputs the received acquisition request and user information to the determining unit 505.

  The determination unit 505 acquires an operation screen information acquisition request and user information from the reception unit 503. The determination unit 505 determines, from the operation screen information stored in the storage unit 501, UI components that have customization authority for the user A indicated by the acquired user information. The determination unit 505 outputs the determined UI component to the generation unit 507.

  The generation unit 507 generates screen information for the user A based on the UI component acquired from the determination unit 505. The generation unit 507 outputs the generated screen information for user A to the transmission unit 509.

  The transmission unit 509 transmits the screen information for the user A acquired from the generation unit 507 to the information processing apparatus 1 that has requested acquisition of the investigation screen information.

  The receiving unit 503 receives the customized screen information for the user A from the information processing apparatus 1. The receiving unit 503 outputs the customized screen information to the merging unit 511.

  The merge unit 511 merges the customized screen information acquired from the reception unit 503 with the operation screen information of the user A stored in the storage unit 501 to generate new operation screen information. The new operation screen information reflects the customization result. The merging unit 511 assigns a file name to the new operation screen information and stores it in the storage unit 501 as user A operation screen information.

  As a result, even when the image forming apparatus 5 receives a request for customization of the operation screen from the information processing apparatus 1, the image forming apparatus 5 determines the authority of the user and generates screen information including customizable UI components. can do.

  The image forming apparatus 5 can execute the above functions by installing a customization program for causing a computer (for example, an image forming apparatus) to execute the functions shown in FIG.

  Next, functions of the information processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a reception unit 101, a transmission unit 103, a reception unit 105, and a display control unit 107.

  The reception unit 101 is realized by the control unit 11 and the input unit 16, the transmission unit 103 and the reception unit 105 are realized by the control unit 11 and the network I / F unit 15, and the display control unit 107 is controlled by the control unit 11. Or the like.

  The accepting unit 101 accepts an operation screen acquisition request from the input unit 16 in a state where the operation screen customization tool of the MFP 5 is activated. The accepting unit 101 assigns the user information of the login user to the accepted acquisition request and outputs it to the transmitting unit 103.

  The transmission unit 103 transmits the operation screen acquisition request acquired from the reception unit 101 and user information for identifying the user to the MFP 5.

  The receiving unit 105 receives screen information for the requested operation screen information from the MFP 5. At this time, the received screen information is composed of UI parts that can be customized by the login user. The receiving unit 105 outputs the received screen information to the display control unit 107.

  The display control unit 107 controls to display the screen information acquired from the receiving unit 105 on the display unit 17. The user customizes the UI component of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 17.

  As a result, the information processing apparatus 1 acquires screen information composed of UI parts that can be customized by the login user, so the user customizes the UI parts displayed on the display unit 17 without worrying about authority. be able to. Further, in the information processing apparatus 1, it is not necessary to determine the authority for customization of the login user.

  The information processing apparatus 1 can execute the above functions by installing a customization (editing) tool program for causing the computer to execute the functions shown in FIG.

<Specific example>
Next, specific examples of the operation screen, screen information, authority information, and the like will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen. The example shown in FIG. 6 shows a copy operation screen. On this operation screen, “tray paper size information”, “number of copies input”, “aggregation setting”, “magnification setting”, and “Start” are displayed as UI parts. The user can customize whether to change the size, change the color, or display the UI parts on the operation screen. Note that the screen shown in FIG. 6 can be displayed either on the MFP 5 side or on the information processing apparatus 1 side.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of authority information for UI components. The authority information shown in FIG. 7 indicates the user authority for each UI component on the copy operation screen shown in FIG. For example, as the authority for “copy input”, only “Mr. A” can change (edit) for “color change”, and “size change” and “display / non-display change” can be “document manager”. Only can be changed. Here, “color change”, “size change”, and “display / non-display change” are attribute information of UI parts.

  Next, an example of screen information will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen information. FIG. 8 is an example in which each UI component of the copy operation screen shown in FIG. 6 is expressed in xml format. The operation screen information shown in FIG. 8 is information stored in the storage unit 501 of the MFP 5.

  The screen operation information shown in FIG. 8 includes button type, display name, attribute information, and authority information for each UI component. For example, the button type of “aggregation setting” is “screen transition type”, the display name is “aggregation setting”, and the attribute information is “color”, “size”, and “display state”. In addition, the changeable “Mr. A” is set as the authority information of the attribute information “color”, and the changeable “device manager” is set as the authority information of the attribute information “size” and “display state”. Yes.

  Note that the operation screen information may be in a form in which authority information indicating changeable or not changeable is set for each UI component for each user ID for identifying the user.

  Next, screen information acquired by the information processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of Mr. A's screen information. The screen information illustrated in FIG. 9 is screen information that the information processing apparatus 1 acquires from the MFP 5 when the logged-in user is Mr. A. The screen information shown in FIG. 9 has UI parts that can be changed (customized) by Mr. A. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the screen information of Mr. A includes only the UI component attribute information in which “change authority = Mr. A” of the operation screen information illustrated in FIG. 8 is set, and the UI component.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen information of the device manager. The screen information shown in FIG. 10 is screen information that the information processing apparatus 1 acquires from the MFP 5 when the login user is a device administrator. The screen information illustrated in FIG. 10 includes UI components that can be changed (customized) by the device administrator. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the screen information of the device administrator is configured only from UI component attribute information in which “change authority = device manager” of the operation screen information illustrated in FIG. 8 is set, and the UI component.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen information of the document manager. The screen information shown in FIG. 11 is screen information that the information processing apparatus 1 acquires from the MFP 5 when the login user is a document manager. The screen information shown in FIG. 11 includes UI parts that can be changed (customized) by the document manager. As shown in FIG. 11, the screen information of the document manager is composed of only UI component attribute information in which “change authority = document manager” of the operation screen information shown in FIG. 8 is set, and UI components.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the operator of the information processing apparatus 1 can customize only the parts that can be customized. Also, the operator does not have to worry about customization authority when customizing.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen management information. As shown in FIG. 12, the operation screen management information associates the file name, Mail address, Fax number, etc. of the operation screen information for each user. This operation screen information is operation screen information generated by the merging means 511. When the merge unit 511 generates customized operation screen information, the merge unit 511 assigns a file name and stores the file name in the operation screen management information shown in FIG. In the operation screen management information, the file name of the customized user operation screen information is managed.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the MFP 5 in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the screen information generation process. In step S <b> 101 illustrated in FIG. 13, the receiving unit 503 receives an operation screen information acquisition request and user information of a user who has logged in the information processing apparatus 1 from the information processing apparatus 1.

  In step S102, the generation unit 507 extracts UI parts that can be changed by the user indicated by the user information determined by the determination unit 505, and generates screen information for the user (see FIGS. 9 to 11).

  In step S <b> 103, the transmission unit 509 transmits the screen information generated by the generation unit 507 to the information processing apparatus 1.

  Accordingly, the authority of the login user can be determined on the MFP 5 side, and UI components that can be customized by the login user can be extracted.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a customization result reflection process. In step S <b> 201 shown in FIG. 14, the receiving unit 503 receives the customized screen information from the information processing apparatus 1. At this time, the receiving means 503 also receives user information.

  In step S202, the merging unit 511 merges the screen information received by the receiving unit 503 and the default operation screen information stored in the storage unit 501 to generate new operation screen information. At this time, a unique file name is assigned to the new operation screen information.

  In step S <b> 203, the merging unit 511 stores the generated new operation screen information in the storage unit 501. The storage unit 501 stores new operation screen information in this user storage area. When this user requests the customization of the operation screen information again, the operation screen information of the storage area for the user is read, and the customized screen information is merged with the operation screen information of the storage area for the user. Is done.

  Thereby, the MFP 5 can manage the operation screen information for each user. Further, the MFP 5 does not need to be merged in all UI parts.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the operation screen of the MFP is customized on the information processing apparatus side, the authority determination need not be performed on the information processing apparatus side. Further, since the MFP according to the first embodiment does not need to transmit authority information for authority determination, the authority information of another person is not stolen for security. Further, in the MFP according to the first embodiment, when the number of users to be managed increases, information for authority determination becomes enormous, and it is not necessary to transmit this enormous information to the information processing apparatus.

[Example 2]
Next, a customization system according to the second embodiment will be described. In the customization system according to the second embodiment, the MFP generates screen information using, as dummy information, UI components that are not authorized for the login user of the information processing apparatus. In the first embodiment, only UI parts that can be customized are displayed. Therefore, if there are few UI parts that can be customized, the space in the displayed operation screen increases, and the appearance may not be good. Therefore, in the second embodiment, UI parts that cannot be customized are displayed as a dummy to improve the appearance and operability of the operation screen.

  The hardware of the MFP and information processing apparatus in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and has the hardware configuration shown in FIGS.

<Function>
Next, functions of the MFP 5 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions of the MFP 5 according to the second embodiment. In the function illustrated in FIG. 15, the same function as that illustrated in FIG. 4 is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the function shown in FIG. 15, functions different from the first embodiment are a generation unit 601 and a merge unit 605.

  The generation unit 601 generates screen information from the UI parts that are determined to be customizable by the determination unit 505, as in the first embodiment. The generation unit 601 includes a dummy assigning unit 603 and is different from the first embodiment in handling UI components that are determined not to be customized.

  The dummy assigning unit 603 changes the display name of the UI component that is determined not to be customized by the determining unit 505 to “dummy button”. Note that the UI component that is determined to be uncustomizable indicates a UI component that has no authority in all the attribute information of the UI component. The dummy assigning means 603 includes the UI component (hereinafter also referred to as dummy information) whose display name is changed to “dummy button” in the screen information.

  If there is any UI component attribute information that cannot be customized, the dummy assigning unit 603 additionally sets “status” indicating “Dummy” in the attribute information. The dummy assigning means 603 includes UI parts including attribute information (hereinafter also referred to as dummy attribute information) whose “state” is set to “Dummy” in the screen information.

  The transmission unit 509 transmits screen information including dummy information and / or dummy attribute information to the information processing apparatus 1.

  The merging unit 605 acquires the customized screen information received by the receiving unit 503. At this time, the merging means 605 is the same as that of the first embodiment with respect to portions other than the dummy information and the dummy attribute. The merge unit 605 has a dummy deletion unit 607 and an error notification unit 609.

  When the customized screen information includes dummy information and / or dummy attribute information, the dummy deleting unit 607 deletes the dummy information and / or dummy attribute information. Thereby, even if dummy information or dummy attribute information is changed, it is possible to prevent UI components and attributes that cannot be customized from being customized by deleting them using the dummy deleting unit 607.

  When the dummy information or dummy attribute information is customized, the error notification unit 609 notifies the information processing apparatus 1 of an error via the transmission unit 509. At this time, an error specifying which attribute information of which UI component was an error is notified to the information processing apparatus 1.

<Specific example>
Next, screen information including dummy information and dummy attribute information, and an example of the operation screen are shown. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen information including dummy information. The screen information shown in FIG. 16 shows an example of device administrator screen information including dummy information. UI parts 701 and 702 shown in FIG. 16 indicate dummy information. According to the operation screen information of FIG. 8, the device administrator cannot customize the UI parts “tray paper size information” and “copy number input” for all attribute information. In addition to the screen information of the device manager shown in FIG. 10, dummy information 701 and 702 are added to the screen information of the device manager shown in FIG.

  The dummy information 701 is a “tray paper size information” dummy, and the dummy information 702 is a “number of copies input” dummy. The dummy information is the same as the original attribute information except for the display name. As a result, a dummy button having the same position and the same size as a UI component button that cannot be customized by the device manager is displayed on the operation screen.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen information including dummy attribute information. The screen information shown in FIG. 17 shows an example of Mr. A's screen information including dummy attribute information. In the screen information shown in FIG. 17, “Dummy” is added to the attribute information “size” of the UI component “tray paper size information”. This indicates that Mr. A can customize the attribute information “color” of the UI component “tray paper size information”, but cannot customize “size”. As a result, the information processing apparatus 1 can display the portion having the attribute information “Dummy” in a half luminance or a dotted line so that it can be distinguished from the customizable portion.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen (part 1). The operation screen shown in FIG. 18 is a screen when the screen information shown in FIG. 16 is displayed. The dummy button is displayed at the same position and the same size as the original tray paper size information and the copy number input button. Thereby, the user (device manager) can know the layout of UI parts on the operation screen, and can easily grasp the limit of size change and the limit of movement of UI parts that can be customized. If the dummy button is not displayed, the customizable UI component may be moved to a position overlapping the originally displayed UI component.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation screen (No. 2). The operation screen shown in FIG. 19 is a screen when the screen information shown in FIG. 17 is displayed. The “tray paper size information” button surrounded by the dotted line is displayed with a dotted line because Mr. A cannot change the size. At this time, when the UI component attribute information “size” includes “Dummy”, the display control unit 107 performs control so that the button is displayed with a dotted line. Further, the display control means 107 distinguishes it from other customizable UI parts by, for example, making it half-luminous in addition to displaying buttons with dotted lines.

  In addition to providing dummy information and / or dummy attribute information, the generation unit 601 also provides a customizable UI component movement range, maximum size change value, minimum value, and the like as UI component option data. Also good.

  Thereby, the information processing apparatus 1 can grasp the movement range and the size change range without the dummy information.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 5 in Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. In step S301 illustrated in FIG. 20, the reception unit 503 determines whether the user information and the operation screen information acquisition request for the operation screen have been received from the information processing apparatus 1. When the receiving unit 503 receives these (S301-YES), the process proceeds to step S302, and when not received (S301-NO), the process returns to step S301.

  In step S302, the generation unit 601 generates screen information by using a UI component that cannot be customized as dummy information or attribute information of a UI component that cannot be customized as dummy attribute information (see FIGS. 16 and 17).

  In step S <b> 303, the transmission unit 509 transmits the screen information generated by the generation unit 601 to the information processing apparatus 1.

  In step S <b> 304, the receiving unit 503 determines whether a customization result (customized screen information) has been received from the information processing apparatus 1. If the receiving unit 503 receives the customization result (step S304—YES), the process proceeds to step S305, and if not received (step S304—NO), the process returns to step S304.

  In step S305, the merging unit 605 determines whether dummy information or dummy attribute information has been changed. The merging means 605 can determine that the dummy information and / or the dummy attribute information has been changed by collating with the original information. If it is determined that the merging means 605 has been changed (step S305—YES), the process proceeds to step S306, and if it is determined that it has not been changed (step S305—NO), the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S306, the error notification unit 609 notifies the information processing apparatus 1 via the transmission unit 503 of an error indicating that the dummy information and / or the dummy attribute information cannot be changed.

  In step S307, the merge unit 605 deletes the dummy information and the dummy attribute information, and then merges the customized UI component with the original operation screen information to generate new operation screen information. The newly generated operation screen information is stored (overwritten) in the storage area of the login user of the information processing apparatus 1 in the storage unit 501.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to improve the appearance and operability of the operation screen by displaying UI parts that cannot be customized as dummy. Further, according to the second embodiment, by displaying a UI part that cannot be customized as a dummy, it is possible to allow the user to grasp the movement range, the expansion range, and the like of the UI part that can be customized.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the case where the operation screen information is one has been described. However, the MFP 5 may hold an operation screen that can be customized for each application. In this case, an ID is attached to the operation screen. Can be distinguished.

  The customization system 10 of this embodiment is executed by an information processing apparatus that enables customization (editing) by displaying and controlling the image forming apparatus described above in each embodiment and screen information generated by the image forming apparatus. It is good also as a structure provided with the possible customization tool program.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed. It is also possible to configure the information processing apparatus by combining all or a plurality of the components of the above-described embodiments.

  Note that the processing content described in the embodiments may be a program, and the computer may execute the program to cause the information processing apparatus to execute the processing described above. It is also possible to record the program on a recording medium, cause the computer to read the recording medium on which the program is recorded, and cause the information processing apparatus to execute the processing described above.

1 Information processing device 5, 6 MFP
11, 51 Control unit 12, 52 Main storage unit 13, 53 Auxiliary storage unit 14, 54 External storage device I / F unit 15, 55 Network I / F unit 16 Input unit 17, 57 Display unit 56 Operation unit 58 Engine unit 101 Reception means 103 Transmission means 105 Reception means 107 Display control means 501 Storage means 503 Reception means 505 Determination means 507 Generation means 509 Transmission means 511 Merge means 603 Dummy assignment means 607 Dummy deletion means 609 Error notification means

JP 2007-323234 A

Claims (11)

An image processing apparatus connected to an information processing apparatus via a network,
Storage means for storing operation screen information in which identification information and authority information are set for each UI part of the editable operation screen;
Receiving means for receiving the identification information and the operation screen information acquisition request from the information processing apparatus;
A determination unit that determines an editable UI component based on the identification information received by the reception unit and the authority information of the operation screen information requested to be acquired;
Generating means for generating screen information including UI parts determined to be editable by the determining means;
Transmitting means for transmitting the screen information created by the generating means to the information processing apparatus;
An image processing apparatus comprising: The generating means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a UI component that is determined not to have editing authority by the determination unit is included in the screen information as displayable dummy information. In the operation screen information, authority information is set for each attribute of the UI component.
The generating means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an attribute of a UI component determined to have no editing authority by the determination unit is included in the screen attribute information as dummy attribute information that can be displayed. The generating means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein range information indicating an editable range of the editable UI component is included in the screen information in association with the UI component.   The image according to claim 2, further comprising a merging unit that merges the edited result with the operation screen information stored in the storage unit when the reception unit receives the operation screen information edited from the information processing apparatus. Processing equipment. The merging means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the edited operation screen information includes the dummy information or the dummy attribute information, the dummy information or the dummy attribute information is deleted and merged. The merging means includes
The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when it is detected that the dummy information has been edited, the information processing apparatus is notified that editing of the dummy information is invalid. An information processing apparatus that executes editing of an operation screen of an image processing apparatus connected via a network,
A transmission means for transmitting an operation screen information acquisition request for the operation screen and identification information to the image processing apparatus;
Receiving means for receiving, from the image processing apparatus, operation screen information including a UI component that is determined to be editable based on the identification information;
Display control means for controlling display of received operation screen information;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The display control means includes
9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the UI screen as dummy information is included in the operation screen information, the UI component is displayed and controlled as a dummy. For each UI component of the editable operation screen, an image processing apparatus having storage means for storing operation screen information in which identification information and authority information are set is connected to the information processing apparatus via a network.
A receiving step of receiving authority information and an operation screen information acquisition request from the information processing apparatus;
A determination step of determining an editable UI component based on the authority information received in the reception step and the authority information of the operation screen information requested to be acquired;
A generation step of generating screen information including UI parts determined to be editable by the determination step;
A transmission step of transmitting the screen information created by the generation step to the information processing device;
An editing program to execute.   8. An editing system comprising: the image processing apparatus according to claim 1; and a computer-executable editing tool program that controls display of screen information of an operation screen generated by the image processing apparatus.

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