JP2016063380A - Information processing system, information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to execute each step in a series of processing including a plurality of steps in appropriate order.SOLUTION: When processing according to an execution request detected by a cooperative operation receiving part 141 includes a plurality of predetermined steps in order different from order set in advance in a modification rule storage part 145, an execution order modification part 144 modifies the details of the processing according to the execution request so as to execute the plurality of steps in the order set in advance. A cooperative operation management part 146 controls a plurality of information processing apparatuses so as to execute the processing according to the execution request according to the details after the modification.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a technique that realizes a function of receiving a series of processing instructions including a plurality of processes from a user and distributing the plurality of processes in the processing to a plurality of apparatuses and sequentially executing the processes. For example, when an image read by a scanner is transmitted to and stored in a server, the scanner performs an image reading process and the server executes an image storage process.
Such techniques are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4, for example.

  Among the above, Patent Document 3 combines the image reading processing capability of the image reading device with the image processing capability of the transfer destination device that transfers the image read by the image reading device and performs image processing. Thus, there is disclosed a technique for registering processing instructions executed by an image reading apparatus and a transfer destination apparatus in a batch without being aware of their execution order.

However, in this technique, there is no particular description regarding the determination of the execution order of each registered processing instruction.
On the other hand, in the processing to be executed on the image data, if the processing is executed in an inappropriate order, the quality of the processing result may be deteriorated or the processing load may be increased.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, and it aims at enabling each process of a series of processes including a some process to be performed in an appropriate order.

  In order to achieve the above object, in an information processing system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses, the present invention includes a request detection unit that detects a process execution request, and a process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit. When the predetermined steps are included in an order different from the predetermined order, the execution order for changing the contents of the processing related to the execution request so that the plural steps are executed in the predetermined order A change unit, and a control unit that controls the plurality of information processing apparatuses so as to execute a process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit in accordance with the contents changed by the execution order change unit. .

  According to the said structure, each process of a series of processes including a some process can be performed in an appropriate order.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming system which is an embodiment of an information processing system of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline of the hardware constitutions of the server 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration of an MFP 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of functions included in an MFP 10 and a server 20. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of apparatus capability data. It is a figure which shows the example of process addition data. It is a figure which shows the example of order rule data. It is a figure which shows the example of the process data which shows the content of the process which concerns on the execution request received by the cooperation operation | movement reception part. It is a figure which shows the example of the change which each part performs with respect to the process data shown in FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by the CPU of the MFP when changing process data described with reference to FIG. 9. It is a flowchart which shows the other example. It is a flowchart which shows the further another example. It is a figure for demonstrating a MRC model. It is a figure which shows the example of apparatus status data. It is a figure which shows the example of movement condition data. It is a figure for demonstrating the movement of the process which paid its attention to the data size of process target data. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by the CPU of the MFP when process data is changed in accordance with movement condition data. It is a figure which shows the example of a change of the process data by the process of FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an image forming system which is an embodiment of an information processing system of the present invention.
An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 connects m MFPs (Multi Function Peripheral) 10 and n servers 20, which are information processing apparatuses, via a network 30 so that they can communicate with each other. It is configured. The MFP 10 is indicated by reference numerals 10-1 to 10-m in the figure, but the reference numeral 10 is used when it is not necessary to specify an individual. The server 20 is indicated by reference numerals 20-1 to 20-n in the figure, but the reference numeral 20 is used when it is not necessary to specify an individual.

Each of the MFPs 10-1 to 10-m is an image forming apparatus having various functions such as copying, printing, scanning, facsimile communication, and document storage. Although details will be described later, a series of processes including a plurality of steps can be distributed to a plurality of apparatuses constituting the image forming system 1 in accordance with an execution request by an operation from the user. Further, in response to a request from another device, the process of the steps included in the series of processes can be executed.
It should be noted that the functions of each device may be different among the plurality of MFPs 10. Some devices are capable of forming a color image, while others are only monochrome.

Each of the servers 20-1 to 20-n is an information processing device that executes various processes in response to requests from an external device such as the MFP 10 connected via the network 30. For example, the image data can be stored in a folder provided in the storage unit in response to a request from the MFP 10. Moreover, the function with which each apparatus is provided in the some server 20 may be mixed. Some devices can perform compression and OCR processing, while others are only compression devices, and so forth.
The network 30 can employ any standard communication path regardless of wired or wireless.

Next, FIG. 2 shows an outline of the hardware configuration of the server 20 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the server 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, an HDD (hard disk drive) 24, a communication I / F (interface) 25, an operation unit 26, and a display unit 27, which are connected by a system bus 28. The configuration is as follows.

The CPU 21 controls the entire server 20 by executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the HDD 24 using the RAM 23 as a work area, thereby realizing various functions including those described later with reference to FIG.
The ROM 22 and the HDD 24 are non-volatile storage media (storage means), and store various programs executed by the CPU 21 and various data described later.
The communication I / F 25 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the MFP 10 via the network 30. What is necessary is just to provide the thing according to the specification of the network 30 to be used.

The operation unit 26 is an operation unit for receiving an operation from the user. It can be configured by a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, or the like.
The display unit 27 is a presentation means for presenting a GUI (graphical user interface) for accepting an operation from the user, an operation state of the server 20, setting contents, a message, and the like to the user. Etc.

In the case where the server 20 does not need to directly receive an operation from the user (the operation unit 26 may accept an operation or present information by an external device connected via the communication I / F 25). And the display unit 27 may not be provided.
In addition to the above, the server 20 may include a dedicated processing circuit for performing image processing, compression / decompression processing, and the like.

Next, FIG. 3 shows an outline of the hardware configuration of the MFP 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 10 includes a controller 100, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 110, a scanner unit 111, a paper discharge tray 112, a display panel 113, a paper feed table 114, a print engine 115, paper discharge. A tray 116, a network I / F 117, and a near field communication I / F 118 are included.
The controller 100 includes a main control unit 130, an engine control unit 101, an input / output control unit 102, an image processing unit 103, and an operation display control unit 104.

As shown in FIG. 3, the MFP 10 is configured as a multifunction machine having a scanner unit 111 and a print engine 115. In FIG. 3, the electrical connection is indicated by solid arrows, and the flow of paper is indicated by broken arrows.
The display panel 113 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the MFP 10, and is also an input interface (operation unit) when the user directly operates the MFP 10 or inputs information to the MFP 10 as a touch panel. The network I / F 117 is an interface for the MFP 10 to communicate with other devices such as a manager terminal via the network, and a network I / F 117 conforming to the network 30 standard is used. For example, there are Ethernet (registered trademark) and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  The near field communication I / F 118 is an interface for the MFP 10 to communicate with other devices by near field wireless communication, and interfaces such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), and FeliCa (registered trademark) are provided. Used.

  The controller 100 is configured by a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a software control unit configured by loading a control program such as firmware stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as a ROM or HDD into a RAM and performing a calculation by a CPU as a processor according to the program. The controller 100 is configured by hardware such as an integrated circuit. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire MFP 10.

  The main control unit 130 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100 and gives a command to each unit of the controller 100. The engine control unit 101 serves as a driving unit that controls or drives the print engine 115, the scanner unit 111, and the like. The input / output control unit 102 inputs signals and commands input via the network I / F 117 and the short-range communication I / F 118 to the main control unit 130. The main control unit 130 also controls the input / output control unit 102 to access other devices via the network I / F 117, the near field communication I / F 118, and the network.

  The image processing unit 103 generates drawing information based on image information to be printed out under the control of the main control unit 130. The drawing information is information for drawing an image to be formed in the image forming operation by the print engine 115 as an image forming unit. The image processing unit 103 processes image data input from the scanner unit 111 and generates image data. This image data is information stored in the MFP 10 as a result of the scanner operation or transmitted to another device via the network I / F 117 or the short-range communication I / F 118. The operation display control unit 104 displays information on the display panel 113 or notifies the main control unit 130 of information input via the display panel 113.

  When the MFP 10 operates as a scanner, the operation display control unit 104 or the input / output control unit 102 responds to a user operation on the display panel 113 or a scan execution instruction input from an external device via the network I / F 117. A scan execution signal is transferred to the main control unit 130. The main control unit 130 controls the engine control unit 101 based on the received scan execution signal. The engine control unit 101 drives the ADF 110 and conveys the document to be imaged set on the ADF 110 to the scanner unit 111. Further, the engine control unit 101 drives the scanner unit 111 and images a document conveyed from the ADF 110. If no original is set on the ADF 110 and the original is directly set on the scanner unit 111, the scanner unit 111 captures the set original under the control of the engine control unit 101. That is, the scanner unit 111 operates as an imaging unit.

  In the imaging operation, an imaging element such as a CCD included in the scanner unit 111 optically scans the document, and imaging information based on the optical information is generated. The engine control unit 101 transfers the imaging information generated by the scanner unit 111 to the image processing unit 103. The image processing unit 103 generates image information based on the imaging information received from the engine control unit 101 under the control of the main control unit 130. Image information generated by the image processing unit 103 is stored in a storage medium attached to the MFP 10 such as an HDD. The image information generated by the image processing unit 103 is stored in the HDD or the like as it is according to a user instruction, or is transmitted to an external device by the input / output control unit 102 via the network I / F 117 and the short-range communication I / F 118. Sent.

  Next, in FIG. 4, among the functions provided in the MFP 10 and the server 20, a series of processes including a plurality of processes is distributed to a plurality of apparatuses constituting the image forming system 1 in accordance with an execution request by an operation from the user. The configuration of functions related to the operations to be executed is shown. In FIG. 4, the MFP 10 is shown as a representative device that receives an execution request by an operation from a user and causes each device to execute a process according to the request. The server 20 is shown as a representative of a device that executes any one of the processes. However, the division of roles between the MFP 10 and the server 20 is not limited to this, and the server 20 may receive a process execution request, or the MFP 10 may execute one of the processes. It is also conceivable that the apparatus itself that has received a process execution request executes any of the processes.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the MFP 10 includes a cooperative operation reception unit 141, a capability & state collection unit 142, a setting collection unit 143, an execution order change unit 144, a change rule storage unit 145, a cooperative operation management unit 146, and an operation execution unit 147. The function of the operation request unit 148 is provided.
Among these, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 has a function of receiving a setting of the contents of a series of processes including a plurality of steps and an execution request for the processes from the user. The operation for detecting this request is the operation of the request detection procedure, and in this case, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 functions as a request detection unit. You may enable it to detect not only what the user input but what was received from other apparatuses. In any case, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 passes the process data indicating the processing content related to the detected execution request to the execution order changing unit 144 for processing.

  The capability & status collection unit 142 has a function of collecting information on capability and operation status of a device from a range of devices (for example, all devices constituting the image forming system 1) in which the MFP 10 can execute processing. The cooperative operation reception unit 141 refers to the collected information and determines an option to be presented to the user when the processing content setting is received.

  The setting collection unit 143 has a function of collecting setting information related to automatic execution of processing performed in a device within a range in which the MFP 10 can execute processing. For example, in the server 20, when data is stored in a specific folder, it may be possible to perform a setting such that an OCR process is automatically performed on data to be stored before that. In this case, if the user sets the processing content without knowing this fact, there is a possibility that the processing is executed unexpectedly or the execution of the overlapping processing is instructed. Therefore, the setting collection unit 143 collects such information.

  The cooperation operation reception unit 141 presents the information collected by the setting collection unit 143 to the user when the setting of the processing content is received. Further, for convenience of processing in the execution order changing unit 144, information on processing that is automatically executed based on information collected by the setting collection unit 143 is also added to the data indicating the received processing content.

  The execution order changing unit 144 inspects the processes of each process included in the process data passed from the cooperative operation accepting unit 141, and determines that the order and the device in charge of the process should be changed. Are provided with functions of an execution order changing means and a changing means for making the change. The determination criteria and the details of the change will be described in detail later. Further, the execution order changing unit 144 passes the changed process data to the cooperative operation management unit 146 for processing.

The change rule storage unit 145 has a function of storing determination criteria and change contents used by the execution order change unit 144. Details thereof will be described later.
The cooperative operation management unit 146 has a function of a control unit that controls each device constituting the image forming system 1 so as to execute processing related to the process data based on the process data passed from the execution order changing unit 144. .

This control is performed by, for example, passing an execution request for the first process and information on the subsequent process to the device in charge of the first process (which may be the MFP 10 itself). It is conceivable to use a method in which a device in charge of a process requests a device in charge of a subsequent process. Alternatively, the cooperative operation management unit 146 divides all processes for each device in charge, requests the device in charge of the first step to perform the processing for the device, and acquires the execution result. It is also conceivable that the cooperative operation management unit 146 performs a method in which the next device is involved until the end of the processing, such as requesting the next device for processing for that device.
In any case, what kind of request the cooperative operation management unit 146 specifically issues to which device should cause each device to execute the operation related to the execution request is determined as appropriate in accordance with the architecture of each device. You just have to decide.

The cooperative operation management unit 146 requests the operation execution unit 147 to execute the operation to be executed in the MFP 10, and requests the operation request unit 148 to execute the operation to be executed by another device with respect to the corresponding device. To send an execution request.
The operation execution unit 147 executes an operation related to a function included in the MFP 10 in accordance with a request from the cooperative operation management unit 146. For example, image reading, printing, image processing, image data transmission, and the like. Further, it is possible to request other devices to execute the subsequent processing based on the execution result by the operation execution unit 147.
The operation request unit 148 has a function of requesting another device to execute an operation in accordance with a request from the cooperative operation management unit 146. In response to the request, data to be processed is also transmitted as necessary.

Next, the server 20 includes a capability & state management unit 221, a setting storage unit 222, and an operation execution unit 223.
Among these, the capability & status management unit 221 has a function of managing the capability and operation status information of the server 20 that is collected by the capability & status collection unit 142 of the MFP 10.
The setting storage unit 222 has a function of managing setting information related to automatic execution of processing, which is collected by the setting collection unit 143 of the MFP 10 and reflected in the operation of the operation execution unit 223. This setting can be arbitrarily changed by the administrator of the server 20.
In response to a request from the operation request unit 148 or the operation execution unit 147, the operation execution unit 223 executes an operation related to the function provided in the server 20. For example, image processing or saving of image data in a folder.

Next, the operation of each unit shown in FIG. 4 will be described using specific data examples.
First, FIG. 5 shows an example of device capability data collected by the capability & state collection unit 142.
FIG. 5 shows information about the functions of the device named “MFP_A” corresponding to the MFP 10 and the device named “Server A” corresponding to the server 20. From the data in FIG. 5, it can be seen that, for example, MFP_A has functions such as image reading, printing, MRC encoding (encoding processing of the Mixed Raster Contents model), OCR processing, and the like. Functions other than these include form recognition, simple compression (JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) compression or JPEG2000 compression) other than MRC, and color reduction processing.
Information regarding the status of each device will be described later.

Next, FIG. 6 shows an example of process additional data collected by the setting collection unit 143.
FIG. 6 shows information on processing that is automatically executed in association with a certain process for the server A. The data in FIG. 6 indicates that the “additional process” process is automatically executed when the “process” process is executed. The “position” indicates whether the “addition process” is performed before or after the “process”.

From the data shown in FIG. 6, for example, when “save in folder A2” is instructed to server A, it is understood that “OCR processing” is automatically executed before saving.
It should be noted that a process having no “addition process” such as “save in folder A3” may not be included in the process addition data, or data indicating that there is no “addition process” may be registered. Parentheses indicate this.

Next, FIG. 7 shows an example of order rule data stored in the change rule storage unit 145.
This order rule data is data indicating that when a plurality of predetermined steps are included in the process related to the execution request, these steps should be performed in a predetermined order. In the example of FIG. 7, when the process of “previous process” and the process of “post process” are included, the process of “previous process (first process)” is changed from the process of “post process (second process)”. The order is defined in a way that indicates what should be done first. However, the pre-process and the post-process need not be performed continuously. “ID” is identification information of the rule of each row.

  In FIG. 7, for example, the rule of ID = 1 specifies that the OCR process should be performed first when the process related to the execution request includes the OCR process and the MRC encoding. As will be described later, if the MRC encoding is performed prior to the OCR processing, the accuracy of the OCR processing is lowered. Therefore, this rule is provided to avoid such a situation. The same applies to the other rules.

Next, FIG. 8 shows an example of process data indicating the contents of the processing related to the execution request received by the cooperative operation reception unit 141.
“Process ID” in the process data shown in FIG. 8 is process identification information. “Execution apparatus” is the name of an apparatus that executes the corresponding process. “Processing content” is the name of the processing to be executed in the corresponding process. The process data indicates that the process of each process is executed in order from top to bottom.

That is, for the process data shown in FIG. 8, first, image reading processing is executed by MFP_A, then MRC encoding is executed by MFP_A, and finally the processed image data is stored in folder A2 by server A. Indicates that the processing to be performed is performed.
As described above, the cooperative operation accepting unit 141 accepts, as the contents of the process to be executed, the process to be executed in each process, the apparatus for executing the process, and the setting of the execution order from the user.

  Although not shown in FIG. 8, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 can also accept setting of parameter values used for each process, and the setting contents are also included in the process data. For example, there are reading conditions such as resolution at the time of image reading, document size, and monochrome / color.

  Further, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 may set the processing content by selecting a file format corresponding to the processing instead of allowing the user to set the processing content itself. For example, when OCR processing is set, a file format “Searchable PDF (Portable Document Format)” is selected, and when MRC encoding is set, a file format “High Compression PDF” is selected. When “OCR and MRC encoding” is set, for example, “searchable high-compression PDF” can be designated.

Next, FIG. 9 shows an example of a change made by each unit for the process data of FIG.
FIG. 9A shows the same process data as FIG. If the user confirms the processing content with this content, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 searches the process additional data shown in FIG. 6 and adds a process to be added to the process data, if any.

Comparing FIG. 9A and FIG. 6, it can be seen that “OCR processing” is automatically performed before the “save to folder A2” process in server A. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, by adding a process of “OCR process” before “save in folder A2”, the process data is actually executed in response to the execution request. Can be a thing.
When all necessary additions are completed, the cooperative operation reception unit 141 passes the process data in that state to the execution order change unit 144.

  Next, the execution order changing unit 144 refers to the order rule data in FIG. 7 and investigates whether or not a process that violates the rule is included in the process data. Comparing FIG. 9B and FIG. 7, the process data of FIG. 9B is in conflict with the ID = 1 rule in that the MRC encoding process is performed before the OCR process. Recognize.

When the execution order changing unit 144 finds a place that violates the rule in this manner, the execution order changing unit 144 tries to eliminate the state. That is, it tries to change the execution order of the process of the conflicting part so that it may meet a rule. This method can be roughly divided into the following three types.
First, as shown in (c1), an apparatus (first information processing apparatus) that executes a post-process related to a rule executes a corresponding pre-process before executing the post-process. In the example of (c1), the MFP_A that executes the MRC encoding process is caused to execute the OCR process before the MRC encoding process.

The OCR process in the server A (second information processing apparatus) may or may not be deleted. This is because the process of the OCR process often includes a process of determining whether or not the data to be processed has been subjected to the OCR process, and skipping the current OCR process when the OCR process has been completed. For example, when the OCR process includes a process of adding text data of the OCR process result as metadata to the image data file to be processed, whether or not the target image data has been subjected to the OCR process depending on the presence or absence of the text data. Can be judged.
In such a case, even if the OCR process overlaps between process ID = 3 ′ and process ID = 3, there is no substantial increase in processing load, and there is no particular problem.

  Next, as shown in (c2), the apparatus (second information processing apparatus) that executes the pre-process according to the rule executes the corresponding post-process after executing the pre-process. With respect to the apparatus (first information processing apparatus) that was to be executed, execution of the post-process is canceled. In the example of (c2), the server A that executes the OCR process is caused to execute the MRC encoding process after the OCR process, and the MFP_A that originally performed the MRC encoding process performs the MRC encoding process. I try to cancel the execution.

  When this method is adopted, it should be noted that there is no meaning to change if the MRC encoding process cannot be canceled in MFP_A. This is because if the MRC encoding process is simply added after the OCR process, the MRC encoding process is executed before the OCR process.

  It should be noted that in the server A, the OCR process is automatically performed in accordance with the “save to folder A2” process. This method cannot be used when the automatic execution is stopped by an instruction from the MFP 10 or when at least the process cannot be interrupted between the OCR process and the “save in folder A2” process.

Note that, for example, the execution of automatic processing in the server A such as the above-described OCR processing is executed and specified only when execution of other processing (or not executing processing) is not explicitly specified. There is an architecture that does not execute.
In this case, for example, “do_process” is used as a command for instructing saving of the file in the folder, such as “do_process (folder in which the file is placed, file name to be placed, OCR processing + MRC encoding)”, before saving. If the process to be executed is explicitly specified, the specified process can be executed instead of automatic execution. Therefore, the process indicated by the process data (c2) can be executed.
If the process to be executed before saving is not explicitly specified as “do_process (folder in which the file is placed, file name to be placed)”, the server A follows the setting shown in FIG. OCR processing is automatically executed.

Finally, as shown in (c3), the process executed by the device (second information processing apparatus) that was to execute the previous process according to the rules is changed from the previous process to the corresponding subsequent process, The process executed by the device (first information processing apparatus) that was to execute the post-process is changed from the subsequent process to the corresponding pre-process. That is, the apparatus that executes the pre-process and the apparatus that executes the post-process are interchanged.
When this method is adopted, it should be noted both of the points described in (c1) and (c2) above.

The execution order changing unit 144 passes the process data changed by any of the above methods to the cooperative operation management unit 146, and causes each device to execute the process indicated by the process data. Note that it is arbitrary which method (c1) to (c3) is adopted, and another method may be tried when a certain method cannot be used.
The execution order changing unit 144 can also make further changes based on the state of each device after the above-described changes, which will be described later.

Next, FIGS. 10 to 12 show flowcharts of processing executed by the CPU of the MFP 10 when the process data described with reference to FIG. 9 is changed. These processes are processes according to the embodiment of the information processing method of the present invention.
FIG. 10 shows processing corresponding to the method (c1).
When the CPU of the MFP 10 detects that the user has given an instruction to perform settings related to a process including a plurality of processes, the CPU of the MFP 10 starts the process illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. First, a process procedure setting and an execution request for the set process are received from the user (S11). The data set here is, for example, process data in the state shown in FIG.

Next, the CPU adds an additional process as shown in FIG. 9B to the process data indicating the procedure of the process accepted in step S11 (S12). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not there is a process in the process data in the execution order that conflicts with the rule indicated by the order rule data (S13).
If the answer is No in step S13, there is no need to change the process data, so that each apparatus executes the process in charge based on the process data after the addition in step S12 (S20), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if Yes in step S13, the CPU determines whether or not the apparatus that executes the post-process related to the rule determined to be in conflict in step S13 can also execute the corresponding pre-process (S14). In the example of FIG. 9, MFP_A that performs MRC encoding determines whether or not OCR processing can also be performed.
If Yes in step S14, the CPU changes the process data so that the apparatus that executes the subsequent process executes the previous process before the subsequent process (S15). In the example of FIG. 9, the OCR process is added before the MRC coding as a process in charge of MFP_A.

Next, the CPU determines whether or not the original previous process can be deleted (S16). In the example of FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not the server A can be prevented from executing the OCR process. If automatic execution is compulsory and cannot be stopped from the MFP 10, this determination is No. If it can be stopped as described above with respect to (c2), this determination is Yes.
If Yes in step S16, the previous previous process is deleted from the process data (S17). In the example of FIG. 9, the OCR processing step handled by the server A is deleted. If No in step S16, step S17 is skipped.

  In any case, the CPU next notifies the user of the change contents of the process data in steps S15 to S17 (S18). For example, this notification can be made by a message such as “OCR processing is automatically set in MFP_A” or “Searchable high-compression PDF is automatically selected”.

Then, it returns to step S13 and repeats a process. If there is no other place that violates the rules, the process proceeds to step S20, and each apparatus is caused to execute a process in charge based on the process data after the change so far. If there is still a conflicting portion, the processing after step S14 is executed again.
In the case of No in step S14, in the range of the method of (c1), since the corresponding part can only be left in conflict with the rules, the corresponding part is excluded from the target of subsequent processing (S19), Returning to S13, the process is repeated.
In the above processing, steps S13 to S17 are processing of the execution order changing procedure, and step S20 is processing of the control procedure.

Next, FIG. 11 shows processing corresponding to the method (c2). This process is different from FIG. 10 only in that the processes of steps SA to SD are executed instead of steps S14 to S17 of FIG. Therefore, only this part will be described.
In the process of FIG. 11, in the case of Yes in step S <b> 13, the CPU determines whether or not the device that executes the previous process related to the rule determined to be in conflict in step S <b> 13 can also execute the corresponding subsequent process (SA). ). In the example of FIG. 9, the server A that executes the OCR process determines whether or not the MRC encoding is also possible.

If Yes in step SA, the CPU next determines whether or not the original post-process can be deleted (SB). In the example of FIG. 9, it is determined whether it is possible to prevent MFP_A from executing MRC encoding.
If YES in step SB, the CPU changes the process data so that the apparatus that executes the previous process executes the subsequent process after the previous process (SC). In the example of FIG. 9, MRC encoding is added after the OCR process as a process that the server A takes charge of. Further, the CPU further deletes the original subsequent process from the process data (SD). In the example of FIG. 9, the MRC encoding process in charge of MFP_A is deleted.

Thereafter, the CPU notifies in step S18 and returns to step S13.
In the case of No in step SA or SB, in the range of the method of (c2), since the corresponding part can only be left in conflict with the rules, the corresponding part is excluded from the target of subsequent processing (S19). Returning to step S13, the process is repeated.

Next, FIG. 12 shows processing corresponding to the method (c3). This process is different from FIG. 10 only in that the processes of steps SE to SJ are executed instead of steps S14 to S17 of FIG. Therefore, only this part will be described.
In the process of FIG. 12, in the case of Yes in step S <b> 13, the CPU determines whether the device that executes the post-process related to the rule determined to be in conflict in step S <b> 13 can also execute the corresponding pre-process (SE). ). This determination is the same as step S14 in FIG.

If “Yes” in step SE, the CPU next determines whether or not the apparatus that executes the previous process according to the rule determined to be in conflict in step S13 can also execute the corresponding subsequent process (SF). This determination is the same as step SA in FIG.
If YES in step SF, the CPU next determines whether both the original previous process and the subsequent process can be deleted (SG). This determination is a combination of step S16 in FIG. 10 and step SB in FIG.

If step SG is also Yes, the CPU once deletes the previous process and the subsequent process from the process data (SH), and adds the previous process to the processing of the apparatus that executes the original subsequent process (SI). A post-process is added to the processing of the apparatus that executes the pre-process (SJ). As described above, the pre-process and the post-process are substantially interchanged.
Thereafter, the CPU notifies in step S18 and returns to step S13.
In addition, in the case of No in any of steps SE to SG, in the range of the method of (c3), since the corresponding part can only be left in conflict with the rules, the corresponding part is excluded from the target of subsequent processing. (S19), returning to step S13, the process is repeated.

According to each process described above, the procedure set by the user is changed to a procedure that does not conflict with the order rule data shown in FIG. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the quality of processing from deteriorating due to an inappropriate processing order.
In particular, it is difficult for non-skilled users to set all processing procedures in an appropriate order, taking into account the automatically added processes, and such automatic order adjustment. The need for is high.

  Further, processes that can be executed by each device constituting the image forming system 1 are added at any time by software update or the like, and a plurality of devices can often execute the same process. Therefore, there are many cases where the process data can be changed as shown in (c1) to (c3) of FIG. 9, and it is useful to try the change by performing the processes shown in FIGS.

Here, the background that defines the order rule data shown in FIG. 7 will be described.
In image processing, the processing execution order becomes a problem, for example, in image recognition processing and quantization processing, and the rules shown in FIG. 7 are determined from this viewpoint.
The quantization processing is to reduce the image capacity, to reduce the resolution (resolution quantization), to reduce the number of gradations and the number of colors per pixel (color reduction), and like the MRC structure. In addition, the character area and the picture area are separated, and the resolution and the number of gradations are reduced for each area.

  Since quantization reduces the amount of information in the original image, if detection / recognition is performed on the quantized image, the detection / recognition accuracy decreases. On the other hand, even if certain information is detected / recognized from the original image, such detection / recognition usually does not affect the original image. For example, just because it is detected that a character is included in a certain image does not deteriorate that image. As a result, the order to be satisfied occurs in the quantization and detection / recognition processing.

  Regarding this order, creation of an MRC model file will be described as an example of quantization processing. What will be described below is that "when an MRC model file is created, the original character may be treated as a picture due to misseparation, and the image quality of the original character may deteriorate."

  For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a method called an MRC model is used to divide a document of one page into three layers such as character / line drawing color information (foreground), character / line drawing shape information (mask), and image information (background). This is a method of performing encoding for each layer. Although the details are described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-177777, the purpose of adopting the MRC model is to prevent deterioration of characters and line drawings at a high compression rate.

  In the encoding using the MRC model, the foreground and the background are compressed at a high compression rate (for example, 1/40) in order to increase the compression rate. Furthermore, the foreground and background often have a resolution different from that of the mask. In general, the resolution of the mask is the highest and the resolution of the foreground and background is lower than that.

As described above, in the MRC model, an image is separated into “character / line drawing” and “picture”. However, the purpose of the separation is not to perform OCR processing but to increase the compression rate, and since high-speed processing is also required, Simplification and restrictions are provided.
For example, in MRC, white characters (reverse characters), light-colored characters, and characters having a large font size (for example, 40 points or more) may be separated not as characters but as patterns. These are compressed at a high compression rate with a reduced resolution (resolution is quantized).

In MRC, the resolution of a pattern is typically reduced to 150 dpi (dots per inch), while OCR processing generally requires an image scanned at 200 dpi or higher. This is because in the case of OCR processing, if the resolution is less than 200 dpi, fine characters may be crushed and cannot be recognized.
As described above, when encoding with the MRC model is performed prior to OCR, white characters and the like are quantized to a resolution that cannot be recognized, and the accuracy of the OCR processing is not achieved. For this reason, it can be said that the OCR processing should be performed prior to the MRC encoding processing.

The same can be said for form recognition and MRC encoding. Here, the form recognition is processing for recognizing vertical ruled lines and horizontal ruled lines of a table in a scanned image, converting them into graphic vector data called line segments, and holding them.
Text data in OCR corresponds to a line segment in form recognition. In the post-separation at the time of encoding the MRC model, for example, when a ruled line on the color ground is separated as a pattern instead of a line drawing, the ruled line may be interrupted due to resolution quantization. As a result, the accuracy of form recognition decreases.

The same can be said for the combination of OCR processing and color reduction processing. For example, (R, G, B) = (8 bits, 8 bits, 8 bits), one pixel color represented by a total of about 16.77 million colors is any of 256 colors defined as typical colors. This is a substitute process.
Due to the subtractive color, originally different colors become the same color, so the characters on the color ground are also close to the color ground and OCR may not be applied.

  It is clear that the same can be said for the combination of form recognition and color reduction processing. In any case, quantization causes degradation of image quality, especially edge, and is detrimental to typical recognition processing using edge information, so it should be performed after recognition processing. is there.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 18, processing related to change of process data based on the state of each device, which is executed by the execution order changing unit 144, will be described.
As described above, the capability & status collection unit 142 of the MFP 10 has a function of collecting information on the operation status of the apparatus from a range of apparatuses in which the MFP 10 can execute processing.

FIG. 14 shows an example of device state data, which is information on this operation state collected by the capability & state collection unit 142.
FIG. 14 shows a device named “MFP_A” corresponding to the MFP 10, a device named “Server A” corresponding to the server 20, and a device named “Server B” corresponding to another server 20. The operation status information is shown.

As shown in FIG. 14, the capability & status collection unit 142 collects status information related to “processing speed”, “number of execution waiting processes”, “remaining memory capacity”, “energy saving mode”, and the like from each device. Can do.
Among these, the “processing speed” indicates the processing speed of the CPU provided in the apparatus as a relative value.
The “number of execution waiting processes” is the number of tasks waiting for execution in each apparatus and waiting.

“Remaining memory” is the free memory capacity that can be used as a work area in each device.
“Energy saving mode” is information indicating whether each device is currently in the energy saving mode with YES or NO. Note that the energy saving mode is an operation mode in which energization to a portion with large power consumption is cut in order to reduce power consumption. Here, in particular, it is assumed that a certain amount of time is required until a normal process can be executed after a return trigger is detected.
The change rule storage unit 145 also stores movement condition data in addition to the order rule data shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the movement condition data.
This movement condition data changes the device that executes a certain process when the device that executes a certain process included in the process data is different from the device that executes the process (immediately or immediately after) adjacent to that process. This data defines when to do this.
In the example of FIG. 15, the movement condition data defines five cases of ID = 1 to 5, and the apparatus and process that satisfy “condition 1” and “condition 2” are included in the process data, respectively. In this case, the apparatus for executing the process should be changed as defined in “movement of process”.

The condition of ID = 1 focuses on the data size of the processing target data. Consider a case where the specific process X executed by the apparatus M is to increase the capacity of data to be processed, for example, a process of expansion processing. In this case, if the next process is executed by another apparatus N, the process target data is stored before the process X is executed, rather than the process X is transferred to the apparatus N after the process X is executed. Transferring to the device N and executing the process X in the device N can reduce the capacity of data to be transferred. This can reduce transfer time and addition to the network. This is as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG.
Considering this, if the apparatus N can execute the process X, it can be said that it is desirable to cause the apparatus N to execute the process X instead of the apparatus M.

  The condition of ID = 1 stipulates that in such a case, the apparatus N should be made to execute the process X instead of the apparatus M. That is, the process data includes a specific process X in which the amount of data is larger after processing than before processing, and one apparatus M that executes the specific process X, and the next process of the specific process X When the apparatus N that executes the next process Y is different from the apparatus N that executes Y and can execute the specific process X, the specific process X is replaced with the apparatus M, and the next process Y is performed. It is defined that the content of the process data is changed so that the apparatus N to be executed executes. This change corresponds to the function of the first changing means. Note that which process corresponds to the specific process X may be set in the change rule storage unit 145 in advance.

Next, the condition of ID = 2 focuses on the processing speed of the apparatus that executes the process. When the execution speed of the apparatus M is faster than the execution speed of the apparatus N that executes the process Y that is continuous with the process X executed by the apparatus M, the process Y is also executed by the apparatus M together with the process X. It is thought that the processing time can be shortened.
Considering this, if the apparatus M can execute the process X, it can be said that it is desirable to cause the apparatus M to execute the process Y instead of the apparatus N.

  The condition of ID = 2 stipulates that in such a case, the apparatus M should be executed instead of the apparatus N. That is, the process data includes a place where two different devices M and N execute two consecutive processes X and Y, and one of the two devices M and N that has a higher processing speed is 2 When the process Y performed by the other apparatus N among the processes X and Y can be performed, the process Y performed by the other apparatus N is replaced with the one apparatus M instead of the other apparatus N. It is defined that the content of the process data is changed so as to be executed. This change corresponds to the function of the second changing means.

  Next, the condition of ID = 3 pays attention to the number of processes waiting for execution of the apparatus that executes the process. As in the case where the processing speed is high, it is considered that the processing time can be shortened by executing the processing on a device having a small number of execution waiting processes. Therefore, when ID = 2 in consideration of the number of execution waiting processes The same conditions are defined.

  That is, the condition of ID = 3 includes a point where the process data includes two consecutive apparatuses X and Y that are executed by two different apparatuses M and N, and among the two apparatuses M and N, a process waiting for execution If one device M having a smaller number is capable of executing the process Y performed by the other device N of the two processes X and Y, the other device N performs the process Y performed by the other device N. Instead of this, it is defined that the content of the process data is changed so that the one apparatus M executes the process. This change corresponds to the function of the third changing means.

  Next, the condition of ID = 4 focuses on the remaining memory capacity of the device that executes the process. As in the case where the processing speed is fast, it is considered that the processing time can be shortened by executing the processing in a device having a large amount of remaining memory. Therefore, focusing on the remaining amount of memory, it is the same as in the case of ID = 2. This is a special condition. This is because when a large amount of memory is required for processing or the amount of data after processing increases, high-speed processing cannot be expected if the remaining amount of memory is small.

  The condition of ID = 4 includes a point where the process data includes two consecutive apparatuses X and Y that are executed by two different apparatuses M and N, and the remaining capacity of the two apparatuses M and N is larger. Apparatus M can perform the process Y performed by the other apparatus N of the two processes X and Y, the process Y performed by the other apparatus N is replaced with the other apparatus N, It is defined that the content of the process data is changed so as to be executed by the one apparatus M. This change corresponds to the function of the fourth changing means.

Next, the condition of ID = 5 pays attention to whether or not the apparatus that executes the process is in the energy saving mode. Since the apparatus in the energy saving mode cannot start processing immediately, when the apparatus N that executes the process Y subsequent to the process X executed by a certain apparatus M is in the energy saving mode, rather than causing the apparatus N to execute the process Y. It is considered that the processing time as a whole can be shortened when the apparatus M executes the process Y together with the process X.
Considering this, if the apparatus M can execute the process Y, it can be said that it is desirable to cause the apparatus M to execute the process Y instead of the apparatus N.

The condition of ID = 5 stipulates that in such a case, the apparatus M should execute the process Y instead of the apparatus N. That is, the process data includes a place where two different apparatuses M and N execute two consecutive processes X and Y, and the apparatus N that executes the subsequent process Y of the two processes X and Y is in the energy saving mode. And the apparatus M that executes the previous process X can execute the subsequent process Y, the subsequent process Y is replaced with the apparatus N that is operating in the energy saving mode. It is defined that the content of the process data is changed so that the apparatus M that executes the previous process X is executed.
In addition, you may consider combining these several conditions.

Next, processing for changing process data according to the movement condition data shown in FIG. 15 will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of this process.
The process shown in FIG. 17 is executed by the CPU of the MFP 10 instead of the process shown in FIGS.
In the process of FIG. 17, steps S31 and S32 are the same as steps S11 and S12 of FIG. 10, and step S33 is a process from step S13 to step S18 in any of the processes of FIGS. .

When executing the process of FIG. 17, after step S33, the CPU determines whether or not there is a location in the process data that satisfies the combination of the first condition and the second condition of FIG. 15 (S34). It should be noted that any of the conditions of ID = 1 to 5 and how many should be considered may be determined arbitrarily.
In step S34, if there is at least one location that satisfies the condition, the determination is Yes. In this case, the CPU determines whether or not “movement of the process” corresponding to the satisfied condition is possible for the corresponding part of the process data (S35). The case where the movement is impossible is a case where the automatic execution cannot be stopped, as considered in (c2) of FIG.

And if it is Yes at step S35, CPU will change the applicable location of process data according to the "movement of a process" corresponding to the satisfy | filled conditions (S36). If No in step S35, it is determined that the process data cannot be changed for the corresponding part, and the process that cannot be moved is excluded from the subsequent examination (S37).
In either case, the process returns to step S34 and the process is repeated. If No in step S34, the CPU determines that there is no further change in the process data, and notifies the user of the change contents of the process data in steps S34 to S36 (S38). Thereafter, based on the process data after the change so far, each apparatus is caused to execute a process in charge (S39), and the process is terminated.

FIG. 18 shows an example of changing the process data by the process of FIG.
In the example of FIG. 17, a change from the state shown in (c3) of FIG. 9 is considered.
In this case, the places where two different apparatuses execute two consecutive processes are OCR processing with ID = 3 ′ and MRC encoding with ID = 2 ′. From the device capability data in FIG. 5, it can be seen that these steps can be executed by either MFP_A or server A.
Here, the OCR process is a process in which, when executed, text data as an OCR result is added to image data to be processed, and the amount of data increases. Therefore, according to the condition of ID = 1, the OCR process should be moved to the server A that executes the next step, and the content is changed to that shown in (d1) accordingly.

  Further, referring to the device status data of FIG. 14, it can be seen that the server A is larger in terms of processing speed (ID = 2) and remaining memory capacity (ID = 4). For this reason, even in accordance with these conditions, the apparatus for executing the OCR process should be changed to the server A, and the process data is changed to the content shown in (d1).

On the other hand, the number of execution waiting processes (ID = 3) is smaller in MFP_A. Therefore, according to the condition of ID = 3, on the contrary, the apparatus that performs MRC encoding should be changed to MFP_A, and the process data is changed to the content shown in (d2).
In this way, for locations where two different devices execute two consecutive processes, the device that executes the process in a specific case is changed based on the operating state of the two devices and the characteristics of the process related to the process. By doing so, the processing speed as a whole can be improved.

This is the end of the description of the embodiment. In the present invention, the specific configuration of the device, the specific processing procedure, the number of devices, the data configuration, the content of each process, the content of conditions, etc. It is not limited to the one described in.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the information processing system of the present invention is configured as an image forming system has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Each device does not need to have an image reading function or an image forming function, and the processing executed by each device may be only processing that has nothing to do with an image. The contents of processing that can be executed by each device (that is, the contents collected as the device capability data in FIG. 5) are completely arbitrary.
Further, the number of devices constituting the system is arbitrary.

Further, the function related to the process data change based on the state of each apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18 is separated from the process data change based on the order rule data shown in FIGS. It is also possible to carry out.
Moreover, order rule data may prescribe | regulate those orders regarding three or more processes.

  Further, the functions of the MFP 10 or the server 20 in the above-described embodiment may be provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of apparatuses, and the functions equivalent to the MFP 10 or the server 20 may be realized by cooperating the plurality of apparatuses. In this case, the plurality of apparatuses function as an information processing system having functions equivalent to those of the MFP 10 or the server 20.

The embodiment of the program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to control required hardware to realize the functions of the MFP 10 or the server 20 (particularly those shown in FIG. 4) in the above-described embodiment.
Such a program may be stored in a ROM or other nonvolatile storage medium (flash memory, EEPROM, etc.) provided in the computer from the beginning. However, it can also be provided by being recorded on an arbitrary nonvolatile recording medium such as a memory card, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. Each procedure described above can be executed by installing the program recorded in the recording medium in a computer and executing the program.

Furthermore, it is also possible to download from an external device that is connected to a network and includes a recording medium that records the program, or an external device that stores the program in a storage unit, and install and execute the program on a computer.
In addition, it goes without saying that the configurations of the embodiments and the modifications described above can be arbitrarily combined and implemented as long as they do not contradict each other.

1: image forming system, 10: MFP, 20: server, 21: CPU, 22: ROM, 23: RAM, 24: HDD, 25: communication I / F, 26: operation unit, 27: display unit, 28: system Bus: 100: Controller, 101: Engine control unit, 102: Input / output control unit, 103: Image processing unit, 104: Operation display control unit, 110: ADF, 111: Scanner unit, 112: Paper discharge tray, 113: Display Panel: 114: Paper feed table, 115: Print engine, 116: Paper discharge tray, 117: Network I / F, 118: Short-range communication I / F, 141: Cooperation operation reception unit, 142: Capability & status collection unit, 143: Setting collection unit, 144: Execution order change unit, 145: Change rule storage unit, 146: Cooperation operation management unit, 147: Operation execution unit, 148: Operation Requesting unit, 221: capability and status management unit, 222: setting storage unit, 223: operation execution unit

JP 2000-270148 A JP 2008-99118 A JP 2008-42251 A JP 2006-338211 A

Claims (14)

An information processing system comprising a plurality of information processing devices,
Request detection means for detecting a request for execution of processing;
When the process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit includes a plurality of predetermined steps in a different order from a predetermined order, the plurality of steps are executed in the predetermined order. , Execution order changing means for changing the contents of the processing related to the execution request;
An information processing system comprising: control means for controlling the plurality of information processing apparatuses so as to execute processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection means in accordance with the contents changed by the execution order changing means. system. The information processing system according to claim 1,
The execution order changing means includes
The predetermined plurality of steps and the predetermined order for each step execute the first step and the second step in this order, and the execution request detected by the request detection unit. The related process executes the second step in a first information processing apparatus that is one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and then the second information processing apparatus that is another one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses. When the first information processing apparatus includes a part that executes one process and the first information processing apparatus can execute the first process, the first information processing apparatus performs the first process before executing the second process. An information processing system comprising means for changing the content of the processing related to the execution request so as to execute The information processing system according to claim 1,
The execution order changing means includes
The predetermined plurality of steps and the predetermined order for each step execute the first step and the second step in this order, and the execution request detected by the request detection unit. The related process executes the second step in a first information processing apparatus that is one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and then the second information processing apparatus that is another one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses. The first information is included when the first information processing apparatus includes a part that executes one process, and the first information processing apparatus can execute the first process, and the second information processing apparatus can execute the second process. The step executed by the processing device is changed from the second step to the first step, and the step executed by the second information processing device is changed from the first step to the second step. Change the content of the processing related to the request The information processing system characterized in that it comprises a stage. The information processing system according to claim 1,
The execution order changing means includes
The predetermined plurality of steps and the predetermined order for each step execute the first step and the second step in this order, and the execution request detected by the request detection unit. The related process executes the second step in a first information processing apparatus that is one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses, and then the second information processing apparatus that is another one of the plurality of information processing apparatuses. When the second information processing apparatus includes a part that executes one process and the second information processing apparatus can execute the second process, the second process is excluded from the processes performed by the first information processing apparatus, and the second process is performed. An information processing system comprising: means for changing a content of a process related to an execution request so that the information processing apparatus executes the second process after the first process. An information processing system according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The information processing system characterized in that the first step is an image recognition process and the second step is a quantization process. The information processing system according to claim 5,
An information processing system, wherein the first step is an OCR process, and the second step is an MRC model encoding process. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit includes a specific process in which the amount of data is larger after the process than before the process, and the information processing apparatus that executes the specific process, and the specific process When the information processing apparatus that executes the next process is different from the information processing apparatus that executes the next process, and the information processing apparatus that executes the next process can execute the specific process, the specific process is determined as the one information. An information processing system comprising first changing means for changing the content of a process related to the execution request so that the information processing apparatus that executes the next step is executed instead of the processing apparatus. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection means includes a location where two different information processing devices execute two consecutive processes, and one of the two information processing devices having a faster processing speed When the apparatus is capable of executing a process executed by the other information processing apparatus of the two processes, the process executed by the other information processing apparatus is replaced with the one information processing apparatus. An information processing system comprising: a second changing unit that changes the content of a process related to the execution request so as to be executed by the information processing apparatus. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit includes a place where two different information processing apparatuses execute two consecutive processes, and the number of processes waiting for execution among the two information processing apparatuses is smaller If the information processing apparatus can execute the process performed by the other information processing apparatus among the two processes, the process performed by the other information processing apparatus is replaced with the other information processing apparatus. An information processing system comprising: a third changing unit that changes the content of the process related to the execution request so that the one information processing apparatus executes the information processing apparatus. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The information related to the execution request detected by the request detection means includes a location where two different information processing apparatuses execute two consecutive processes, and the information on the remaining information remaining in the two information processing apparatuses When the processing apparatus can execute the process executed by the other information processing apparatus of the two processes, the process executed by the other information processing apparatus is replaced with the one of the other information processing apparatuses. An information processing system comprising: a fourth change unit that changes the content of the process related to the execution request so that the information processing apparatus executes the information. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection means includes a location where two different information processing devices execute two consecutive steps, and the information processing device that executes the subsequent step of the two steps saves energy. When the information processing apparatus that is operating in the mode and that executes the previous process can execute the subsequent process, the subsequent process is replaced with the information processing apparatus that is operating in the energy saving mode. An information processing system comprising: a fifth changing unit that changes the content of the process related to the execution request so that the information processing apparatus that executes the previous step executes the process. An information processing apparatus,
Request detection means for detecting a request for execution of processing;
When the process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit includes a plurality of predetermined steps in a different order from a predetermined order, the plurality of steps are executed in the predetermined order. , Execution order changing means for changing the contents of the processing related to the execution request;
Control means for controlling one or more information processing apparatuses connected to the information processing apparatus so as to execute processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection means in accordance with the contents changed by the execution order changing means; An information processing apparatus comprising the information processing apparatus. Processor
A request detection procedure for detecting a process execution request;
When the processing related to the execution request detected in the request detection procedure includes a plurality of predetermined steps in a different order from a predetermined order, the plurality of steps are executed in the predetermined order. , An execution order changing procedure for changing the contents of the processing related to the execution request;
And a control procedure for controlling a plurality of information processing apparatuses so as to execute processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection procedure according to the contents after the change by the execution order changing procedure. . Computer
Request detection means for detecting a request for execution of processing;
When the process related to the execution request detected by the request detection unit includes a plurality of predetermined steps in a different order from a predetermined order, the plurality of steps are executed in the predetermined order. , Execution order changing means for changing the contents of the processing related to the execution request;
To function as a control means for controlling one or more information processing devices connected to the computer so as to execute processing related to the execution request detected by the request detection means in accordance with the contents changed by the execution order changing means. Program.