JP2018011182A - Information processor, system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible for a user to select whether to quickly transit to an initial screen without reflecting personal setting information in a server device after log-in, or whether to transit to the initial screen after reflecting the personal setting information in the server device.SOLUTION: An information processor includes a display means and a transition means. The display means displays, on a display part, a first instruction object for instructing a skip of reflection processing which reflects personal setting information about a user obtainable from a server device before an initial screen is displayed on the display part. The transition means transits to the initial screen without waiting for completion of the reflection processing when a skip of the reflection processing is instructed via the first instruction object displayed by the display means, and waits for the completion of the reflection processing and transits to the initial screen when the skip of the reflection processing is not instructed via the first instruction object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9B

Description

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

A technique is known in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as image forming apparatuses connected to each other via a network share personal setting information for each user with respect to the users of the plurality of information processing apparatuses. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that each information processing apparatus copies and holds personal setting information for sharing, and shares (synchronizes) the personal setting information with each information processing apparatus. A technique for sharing information processing apparatuses is disclosed.
Further, there is known an image forming apparatus capable of having personal setting information set so that each user can easily use the image forming apparatus for each user. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus that acquires and reflects personal setting information stored in a server when the user logs in. In Patent Document 2, each image forming apparatus reflects the acquired personal setting information when the user's personal setting information can be acquired from the server within a period set after the user logs in. Each image forming apparatus does not reflect the acquired personal setting information when the personal setting information of the user cannot be acquired from the server within the period set after the user logs in. As a result, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not spend time for user login.

JP 2009-225368 A JP 2016-10005 A

However, in Patent Document 1, when the information processing apparatus waits for synchronization of personal setting information from the server, the login process may take time. When acquiring and reflecting personal setting information from the server when the user logs in, for example, due to the size of the personal setting information or the limitation of the network bandwidth, the login time may vary depending on the load state of the server or the network. There is such a possibility.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, if the information processing apparatus cannot acquire the setting information from the server within the set period, it cannot reflect the contents of the latest personal setting information managed by the server.
When a user logs in to an information processing device, it may take a long time to log in, and it may be necessary to reflect personal setting information to use it. is there. However, in the prior arts such as Patent Documents 1 and 2, after the user logs in to the information processing apparatus, the user quickly changes to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information, or after reflecting the personal setting information, the initial screen is displayed. It was not possible to select whether to transition to.
It is an object of the present invention to determine whether a user immediately transitions to the initial screen without reflecting personal setting information of the server device after login or whether to transition to the initial screen after reflecting personal setting information of the server device. The purpose is to allow selection.

  In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the first instruction object for instructing the skip of the reflection process reflecting the user's personal setting information acquired from the server apparatus is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in. Before being displayed, if the skip of the reflection process is instructed via the display means displayed on the display unit and the first instruction object displayed by the display means, the reflection process waits for completion. Without transition to the initial screen, and when the skip of the reflection process is not instructed via the first instruction object, the transition means for waiting for the completion of the reflection process and transitioning to the initial screen, Have.

  According to the present invention, after the login, whether the user promptly transits to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information of the server device or whether the user transits to the initial screen after reflecting the personal setting information of the server device. Can be selected.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of a synchronous system. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a setting information management server. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an MFP. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a function structure etc. of a setting information management server. It is a figure which shows an example of setting information. It is a figure which shows an example of a registered user management table. It is a figure which shows an example of setting information. It is a figure which shows an example of a login screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a dialog during synchronization. It is a figure which shows an example of a top menu screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a copy screen. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of a process of a synchronous system. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of a process of a synchronous system. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by an MFP. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of a process of a synchronous system. It is a figure which shows an example of a skip selection screen. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of a process of a synchronous system. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of a process of a synchronous system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a synchronization system. The synchronization system includes a setting information management server 110, an MFP 120a, and an MFP 120b. The setting information management server 110, the MFP 120a, and the MFP 120b are connected to each other via the network 100. In this embodiment, the synchronization system includes two MFPs, the MFP 120a and the MFP 120b. However, the synchronization system may include three or more MFPs. Hereinafter, the MFP 120a and the MFP 120b are collectively referred to as the MFP 120.
Each of the MFPs 120 is an information processing apparatus such as an image forming apparatus having a plurality of types of functions (copy, FAX, etc.), and stores setting information for each user therein. The setting information is information that is used when the information processing apparatus such as the MFP 120 executes various functions. For example, the setting information includes information on fonts and sizes of characters displayed on a display and the like, information on print processing, and the like. In this embodiment, the setting information management server 110 and the MFP 120 manage setting information for each user (for each individual), for each group, for each device, and the like. Hereinafter, setting information managed for each user (for each individual) is referred to as personal setting information.
In the present embodiment, the synchronization system performs personal setting information synchronization processing between the MFP 120 and the setting information management server 110. The setting information synchronization process is a process of updating either the setting information held by the MFP 120 or the setting information held by the setting information management server 110 in accordance with the other setting information that is newer setting information.

The setting information management server 110 is an information processing apparatus such as a PC or a server apparatus that manages master data of personal setting information used by the MFP 120. Master data is data that is the basis of setting information managed by the synchronization system. When the setting information management server 110 confirms the update of the personal setting information from the MFP 120, if there is the latest personal setting information different from the personal setting information held by the MFP 120, the setting information management server 110 transmits the latest personal information via the network 100. The setting information is transmitted to the MFP 120. When the held personal setting information is changed, the MFP 120 transmits the changed personal setting information to the setting information management server 110 via the network 100. When the setting information management server 110 receives the changed personal setting information from the MFP 120, the setting information management server 110 updates the master data value of the personal setting information with the received changed personal setting information value. When the MFP 120 receives the latest setting information from the setting information management server 110, the MFP 120 updates the value of the held personal setting information with the value of the received latest personal setting information.
For example, when the personal setting information of the MFP 120 a is changed, the MFP 120 a transmits the changed personal setting information to the setting information management server 110. Then, the setting information management server 110 updates the master data of the personal setting information with the received changed personal setting information, and transmits the personal setting information corresponding to the updated master data to the MFP 120b. Details of processing of the setting information management server 110 and the MFP 120 will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of each hardware configuration of the MFP 120. The MFP 120 may include other components (for example, an optical disk drive, a paper feeding device, etc.) other than those shown in FIG. Further, the hardware configuration of the MFP 120 may be a hardware configuration different from that of FIG. 2 that provides the same effect as that of the present embodiment.
Each of the MFPs 120 includes a CPU 211, a RAM 212, a ROM 213, an input control I / F 214, a display control I / F 215, a storage device I / F 216, and a communication I / F controller 217. The CPU 211, RAM 212, ROM 213, input control I / F 214, display control I / F 215, storage device I / F 216, and communication I / F controller 217 are connected to each other via the system bus 210. A scanner 221 and a printer 222 are connected to the system bus 210. Each element connected to the system bus 210 can exchange data with each other via the system bus 210.
The CPU 211 is a central processing unit such as a central processing unit that performs processing such as control of the MFP 120 and calculation / processing of data. The RAM 212 is a volatile memory such as a Random Access Memory, and is used as a temporary storage area such as a main memory and a work area of the CPU 211. The ROM 213 is a non-volatile memory such as Read Only Memory, and stores various programs and various data used for the operation of the CPU 211 in predetermined areas.

For example, the CPU 211 executes a program stored in the ROM 213 to control each unit of the MFP 120 using the RAM 212 as a work memory. The program executed by the CPU 211 is not limited to the program stored in the ROM 213, and the CPU 211 may execute the program stored in the storage device 220.
The input control I / F 214 receives an operation by a user via an input device such as the touch panel 218, generates a control signal corresponding to the received operation, and supplies the control signal to the CPU 211. For example, the input control I / F 214 is connected to a character information input device such as a keyboard, a hard key for directly inputting a numerical value, or a pointing device such as a touch panel 218 as an input device that receives a user operation. The touch panel 218 is, for example, an input device that is configured in a planar manner and outputs coordinate information corresponding to a touched position. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the MFP 120 is connected to the touch panel 218 as an input device, but may be connected to another input device such as a keyboard. The CPU 211 controls each element of the MFP 120 according to a program based on a control signal generated and supplied by the input control I / F 214 in accordance with a user operation performed on the input device. Thereby, the CPU 211 can perform processing according to the user's operation.

The display control I / F 215 outputs a display signal for displaying an image on a display device (display unit) such as the display 219. For example, the CPU 211 supplies the generated display control signal to the display control I / F 215 according to the program. The display control I / F 215 generates a display signal based on the display control signal and outputs the display signal to the display 219. For example, the display control I / F 215 causes the display 219 to display a GUI screen constituting a GUI (Graphical User Interface) based on a display control signal generated by the CPU 211.
The touch panel 218 may be configured integrally with the display 219. For example, the touch panel 218 may be configured such that the light transmittance does not hinder the display of the display 219, and may be attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display 219. By doing so, the input coordinates on the touch panel 218 and the display coordinates on the display 219 are associated with each other. Accordingly, the MFP 120 can configure a GUI as if the user can directly operate the screen displayed on the display 219.

To the storage device I / F 216, for example, a storage device 220 configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like is connected. The CPU 211 reads data from the storage device 220 and writes data to the storage device 220. The CPU 211 may use the storage device 220 instead of the RAM 212 or the ROM 213. Further, the storage device 220 is not limited to one, and may be composed of a plurality of different types of storage devices.
Based on the control of the CPU 211, the communication I / F controller 217 performs communication with the network 100 including various networks such as a LAN, the Internet, wired, and wireless. Various devices such as a PC, another MFP, a printer, and a server are connected to the network 100 so as to be communicable with the MFP 120. The CPU 211 also communicates with an external authentication server via the communication I / F controller 217.

The scanner 221 reads a document based on the control of the CPU 211 and generates image data corresponding to the read document. For example, the CPU 211 instructs the scanner 221 to perform a scanning process according to a user instruction input via the input control I / F 214. The scanner 221 reads a document placed on a document table or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder), converts it into digital data, and generates image data. The scanner 221 stores the generated image data in the storage device 220 via the storage device I / F 216.
The printer 222 prints image data stored in the storage device 220 based on the control of the CPU 211. For example, the CPU 211 instructs the printer 222 to perform print processing according to a user instruction input via the input control I / F 214 or a command input from an external device via the communication I / F controller 217. . The printer 222 reads image data from the storage device 220, converts it into a printable data format, and prints it on a paper document.
The CPU 211 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220, thereby realizing the processing of the MFP 120 in the functions described later in FIG. Further, the CPU 211 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220, thereby realizing the processing of the flowchart described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the setting information management server 110. The setting information management server 110 includes a CPU 311, a RAM 312, a ROM 313, an input control I / F 314, a display control I / F 315, a storage device I / F 316, and a communication I / F controller 317. The CPU 311, RAM 312, ROM 313, input control I / F 314, display control I / F 315, storage device I / F 316, and communication I / F controller 317 are connected to each other via the system bus 310.
The setting information management server 110 may include other hardware components (for example, an optical disk drive, etc.) other than the hardware components shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 3 has the same effect as FIG. Different hardware configurations may be used.
The CPU 311 is a central processing unit that controls each device and calculates / processes data. The RAM 312 is a volatile memory and functions as a temporary storage area such as a main memory and work area of the CPU 311. The ROM 313 is a nonvolatile memory, and stores various programs executed by the CPU 311 and various data in respective set areas. The CPU 311 controls each element of the setting information management server 110 using the RAM 312 as a work memory according to a program stored in the ROM 313, for example. The CPU 311 may execute not only the program stored in the ROM 313 but also the program stored in the storage device 320.

The input control I / F 314 receives an operation by a user via an input device such as the operation device 318, generates a control signal corresponding to the operation, and supplies the control signal to the CPU 311. For example, the input control I / F 314 is connected to an operation device 318 configured as a character information input device such as a keyboard, a hard key for directly inputting a numerical value, or a pointing device such as a touch panel as an input device that receives a user operation. Is done. The CPU 311 controls each element of the setting information management server 110 according to a program based on a control signal generated and supplied by the input control I / F 314 according to a user operation performed on the input device. Thereby, the CPU 311 can perform processing according to the user operation.
The display control I / F 315 outputs a display signal for displaying an image on a display device such as the display 319. For example, the CPU 311 supplies the generated display control signal to the display control I / F 315 according to the program. The display control I / F 315 generates a display signal based on the display control signal and outputs the display signal to the display 319. For example, the display control I / F 315 causes the display 319 to display a GUI screen constituting the GUI based on a display control signal generated by the CPU 311.

The storage device I / F 316 is connected to a storage device 320 configured by, for example, an HDD or a flash memory. The CPU 311 reads data from the storage device 320 and writes data to the storage device 320. The CPU 311 may use the storage device 320 instead of the RAM 312 or the ROM 313.
The communication I / F controller 317 performs communication with the network 100 configured by various networks such as a LAN, the Internet, wired, and wireless based on the control of the CPU 311. Various devices such as a PC, an MFP, a printer, and a server are connected to the network 100 so as to be able to communicate with the setting information management server 110.
In this embodiment, the setting information management server is a server device, but may be an MFP having a hardware configuration similar to that of the MFP 120.
When the CPU 311 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320, the function described later in FIG. 5 and the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the sequence diagram processing described later in FIGS. Realized.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of each MFP 120. Each of the MFPs 120 includes a display operation control unit 401, an authentication control unit 402, a setting information control unit 403, and a communication control unit 404. Each functional component of each MFP 120 can exchange information with each other.
The MFP 120 may include functional components other than the functional components shown in FIG. 4 (for example, a print control unit that controls print processing or the like). Further, the MFP 120 may have a functional configuration different from that of FIG. 4 that provides the same effect as the MFP 120 of the present embodiment. Programs for realizing the functions of the respective functional components shown in FIG. 4 are stored in the ROM 213 and the like, and are loaded into the RAM 212 as necessary when starting up or using the functions, and executed by the CPU 211.
The MFP 120 has one or more functions such as copy, scan, and fax. The functions and operations of the MFP 120 are realized by functional components that control the functions and operations. For example, the MFP 120 has functional components of a copy control unit, a scan control unit, and a transmission control unit for each function of copying, scanning, and information transmission. In addition to the functional components shown in FIG. 4, the MFP 120 includes functional components for functions and operations related to the processing of the MFP 120.

The display operation control unit 401 controls the input control I / F 214 and the display control I / F 215 based on the control of the CPU 211. For example, the display operation control unit 401 displays an image on the display 219 via the display control I / F 215 or the touch panel 218 via the input control I / F 214 based on an instruction from another functional component. To get information entered by the user.
Based on the control of the CPU 211, the authentication control unit 402 performs an authentication process for authenticating a user, and determines whether the operator of the MFP 120 is a valid user of the MFP 120. In the following, it is assumed that login is performed by authenticating the operator of the MFP 120 and starting a session in the case of a valid user. In addition, the authentication control unit 402 manages a database (hereinafter, user information DB 410) that stores user information mounted in the storage device 220. The user information is information for specifying a user, such as a user identifier, a user name, a domain name, a password, and other information accompanying the user.

The authentication control unit 402 performs user authentication based on user information stored in the user information DB 410 inside the MFP 120. However, the authentication control unit 402 connects to an external authentication server via the communication I / F controller 217, entrusts a user authentication process to the connected external authentication server, and receives an authentication result from the external authentication server. The user authentication process may be performed by acquiring. The authentication control unit 402 exchanges authentication information with an external authentication server using a known technique. In the following, it is assumed that logging out after the user has finished using the MFP 120 ends the user's session.
Further, the authentication control unit 402 provides functions such as a function of registering and deleting a user and updating user information. Further, the authentication control unit 402 may provide a group function. A group is a collection of a plurality of users, and the authentication control unit 402 can register a plurality of groups. A user can belong to zero or more groups. The authentication control unit 402 also provides functions such as group registration and deletion, group information update, user belonging to a group, and user withdrawal from a group. The authentication control unit 402 stores, in the user information DB 410, an identifier that uniquely identifies a user (hereinafter, a user identifier) and an identifier that uniquely identifies a group (hereinafter, a group identifier). The user information DB 410 is recorded in the storage device 220.

The setting information control unit 403 has a function of registering, obtaining, changing, etc. device setting information and personal setting information. Device setting information is one type of setting information, and is setting information that is referred to by all users. The personal setting information is setting information that is referred to only by each user. The group setting information is setting information that can be referenced only by users belonging to each group. The setting information control unit 403 may have a function of registering, acquiring, changing, etc., group setting information. For example, the setting information control unit 403 may use the group setting information of the group to which each user belongs in place of the individual setting information of each user. The setting information control unit 403 may manage setting information of a type other than personal setting information, device setting information, and group setting information (for example, client group setting information determined for each group of client devices). Good.
The setting information control unit 403 manages a database that stores setting information implemented in the storage device 220 (hereinafter, setting information DB 420). The setting information control unit 403 receives an input from the user via the touch panel 218 or a request from the communication control unit 404 or the like, and accesses the setting information stored in the setting information DB 420 on the storage device 220. At this time, the setting information control unit 403 accesses the setting information corresponding to each of the device setting information, the personal setting information, and the group setting information depending on which of the inputs is input.
The communication control unit 404 performs processing for the setting information management server 110 via the communication I / F controller 217 in accordance with an instruction from the setting information control unit 403. Control is performed to acquire and register the latest setting information stored in the setting information management server 110 and notify the setting information management server 110 of information updated by the MFP 120. The communication control unit 404 performs communication with the setting information management server 110 using a known technique such as a communication protocol such as WebAPI.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the setting information management server 110. The setting information management server 110 includes a display operation control unit 501, a master setting information control unit 502, and a communication control unit 503. Each functional component of the setting information management server 110 can exchange information with each other.
The setting information management server 110 may include functional components (for example, an operation input control unit that controls input from an input device) other than the functional components shown in FIG. Further, the setting information management server 110 may have a functional configuration different from that of FIG. 5 that exhibits the same effect as the setting information management server 110 of the present embodiment. Programs for realizing the functions of the respective functional components in FIG. 5 are stored in the ROM 313 and the like, and are loaded into the RAM 312 as necessary when starting up or using the functions, and executed by the CPU 311. The setting information management server 110 includes functional components for functions and operations related to processing of the setting information management server 110 in addition to the functional components shown in FIG. The setting information management server 110 includes, for example, functional components for controlling user authentication processing.

The display operation control unit 501 controls the input control I / F 314 and the display control I / F 315 based on the control of the CPU 311. For example, the display operation control unit 501 displays an image on the display 319 via the display control I / F 315 based on an instruction from another functional component, or displays the image on the operation device 318 via the input control I / F 314. Get information entered by the user.
Master setting information control unit 502 has a function for integrating, registering, obtaining, and changing setting information handled by MFP 120 as a client. The master setting information control unit 502 manages a master setting information DB 510 that stores the master data of the setting information of all the MFPs 120 mounted in the storage device 320. The master setting information control unit 502 receives a request from the MFP 120 via the communication I / F controller 317 and the communication control unit 503, and accesses the setting information stored in the master setting information DB 510.
In response to an instruction from the master setting information control unit 502, the communication control unit 503 transmits the latest setting information stored in the setting information management server 110 to the MFP 120 via the communication I / F controller 517. Further, the communication control unit 503 performs control for registering the setting information updated by the MFP 120 in the master setting information DB 510. The communication control unit 503 uses a known technique such as a communication protocol such as WebAPI in communication with the MFP 120.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the setting information management table 600 stored in the setting information DB 420. The setting information management table 600 stores setting information for a target as a set of information on the target, a key for specifying what the information is, and a value of the information. The MFP 120 manages setting information using a setting information management table 600 as shown in FIG.
Setting information stored in the setting information management table 600 is expressed by hierarchical information. The setting information includes information on the hierarchical structure of the target 601, the key 602, and the value 603. The target 601 is information that identifies which target the setting information is related to. The target 601 is also information for specifying the type of the setting information such as whether the setting information is device setting information, personal setting information, or group setting information. The target 601 is a user identifier that is an identifier that identifies an individual user in the case of personal setting information, and a group identifier that is an identifier that identifies an individual group in the case of group setting. The example of FIG. 6 shows a state in which device setting information, user A personal setting information, user B personal setting information, and group 1 group setting information are stored. In the example of FIG. 6, the target 601 includes information for specifying a device as “device”, user identifiers of users A and B as “user A” and “user B”, and group identifier of group 1 as “group 1”. It has become. The identifier of the device, user, or group is not limited to the description of the target name such as “device”, “user A”, etc. For example, as described under “user A” in FIG. A character string or the like that can uniquely identify the target may be used. An example of processing when the user identifier is a character string such as “a13ab” will be described later in the description of (personal setting information acquisition processing) and (personal setting information registration / update processing) in FIG.

A key 602 is information for specifying what setting the setting information is for which function. The combination of the target 601 and the key 602 identifies which function setting information of which subject (device, user, group, etc.) is the setting information. The value of the setting information corresponding to the target 601 and the key 602 is stored in the value 603. In the example of FIG. 6, the value 603 for the target 601 “user A” and the key 602 “display language” is “Japanese”. The value of the setting information of the key 602 “display language” being “Japanese” means that the device displays information in Japanese on the display unit to the user. That is, for the user A, the display language displayed on the display unit by the device is Japanese. Also, the value 603 for the target 601 “user B” and the key 602 “display language” is “Chinese”. Also, the value 603 for the target 601 “user B” and the key 602 “personal address book-personal address 1” is “ccc@abc.com”.
The setting information DB 420 stores personal setting information by the number of users. On the other hand, the setting information DB 420 stores only one piece of device setting information. This is because, for each MFP 120, the device setting information to be used is only the device setting information for itself. In the case of the example of FIG. 6, the value 603 corresponding to the key 602 “display setting-display language” of the device setting information is “English”.

Regarding the group setting information of the target 601 “group 1”, the value 603 for the key 602 “group address book-group address 1” is “g1@abc.com”. For example, assume that user A and user B belong to group 1. User A and user B can log in to MFP 120 as user A or user B and refer to group address 1, but user C who does not belong to group 1 cannot refer to it.
The personal setting information key 602 and the device setting information key 602 may be common or not common. When the personal setting information and the device setting information have a common key 602, the setting information control unit 403 uses the value corresponding to the device setting information key 602 as the initial value of the value 603 corresponding to the personal setting information key 602. 603 can be used. The setting information control unit 403 can use the value of the device setting information as the initial value of the newly registered user personal setting information. In the example of FIG. 6, the personal setting information of the user C is not registered, and the setting information control unit 403 newly registers the personal setting information of the user C. In this case, the setting information control unit 403 determines the value 603 for the key 602 “display language” of the personal setting information of the user C as “English” which is the value 603 for the key 602 “display language” of the device setting information. To do.
When the user logs in, the setting information control unit 403 searches the setting information management table 600 for the same target 601 as the user identifier specified by the login. Then, the setting information control unit 403 reads the retrieved personal setting information and reflects the read personal setting information on each function / operation of the MFP 120. Therefore, the user can use MFP 120 customized according to the registered personal setting information for the user. Also, the setting information control unit 403 reads device setting information from the setting information management table 600 and reflects it on each function / operation of the MFP 120 when the user logs out. Therefore, the MFP 120 provides each function / operation reflecting the device setting information when the user is not logged in.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a registered user management table 700 for managing users registered in the MFP 120. The registered user management table 700 is stored in the setting information DB 420. When the user is registered in the MFP 120, the setting information control unit 403 adds the registered user information to the registered user management table, generates personal setting information about the registered user, and generates the generated personal setting information. , Added to the setting information management table 600. In other words, the user registered in the registered user management table 700 is a target user who stores personal setting information in the MFP 120. The registered user management table 700 includes a user identifier 701, a last synchronization date and time 702, a size 703, a user name 704, a domain name 705, and a last login date and time 706.
The user identifier 701 is an identifier that uniquely identifies a user without duplication among all the MFPs included in the MFP 120. For example, the setting information control unit 403 generates, as an identifier, a character string combined with a user name and a domain name, a hash value generated from the user name and the domain name, which is input at the time of login. .

The last synchronization date and time 702 is information on the date and time when the communication control unit 404 acquired the latest personal setting information of each user from the setting information management server 110. In the present embodiment, each of the setting information management server 110 and the MFP 120 uses synchronized time information. In this embodiment, the setting information control unit 403 uses the date and time when the setting information is received from the setting information management server 110 as the final synchronization date and time 702, but other date and time may be used as the final synchronization date and time 702. For example, the setting information control unit 403 may set the date and time when the setting information in the setting information management table 600 is updated based on the setting information received from the setting information management server 110 as the final synchronization date and time 702. The size 703 is information indicating the data size of the personal setting information of each user.
A user name 704, a domain name 705, and a last login date / time 706 are information on the user name, the domain name, and the last login date / time of the MFP 120 corresponding to the user identifier 701, respectively. Each time the MFP 120 logs in, the setting information control unit 403 updates the last login date and time 706 for the logged-in user with information on the date and time when the login was performed. The last login date and time 706 for a user who has only been registered in the MFP 120 and has not logged in to the MFP 120 is 0.

In the present embodiment, the registered user management table 700 includes a user name 704 and a domain name 705. However, the setting information control unit 403 can acquire the user name and the domain name from the user identifier, for example, when the user identifier is a character string obtained by combining the user name and the domain name. The setting information control unit 403 can acquire the user name and domain name by inquiring the authentication control unit 402 about the user name and domain name corresponding to the user identifier. In such a case, the registered user management table 700 may not include the user name 704 and the domain name 705.
The setting information control unit 403 may acquire the last login date and time 706 by inquiring the authentication control unit 402 about the last login date and time for the user name and domain name. In that case, the registered user management table 700 may not include the last login date and time 706.
In addition, the registered user management table 700 includes the user name 704 and the domain name 705 and does not include the user identifier 701, so that the setting information control unit 403 generates the user name 704 and the domain name 705 when the user identifier is required. May be. Further, the setting information control unit 403 may inquire the user identifier to the authentication control unit 402 based on the user name 704 and the domain name 705.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the master setting information management table 800. The master setting information management table 800 is a table that stores master data of setting information, and is stored in the master setting information DB 510 of the setting information management server 110. The master data of the setting information stored in the master setting information management table 800 is expressed by hierarchical information as in the setting information of the setting information management table 600 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the master data of the setting information is referred to as master setting information. The master setting information includes a target 801, a key 802, and a value 803 corresponding to the target 601, the key 602, and the value 603, respectively. Details of the target 801, key 802, and value 803 are the same as those of the target 601, key 602, and value 603, respectively.
Unlike the setting information management table 600, the master setting information management table 800 includes a last update date and time 804 indicating when each value 803 has been updated. The value of the target 801 may be a character string indicating the name of the target such as “user A” or “device”, or may be a character string that uniquely specifies the target such as “a13ab”, or the subject can be uniquely specified. Any information can be used. Processing when the value of the target 801 is “a13ab” will be described in the following (personal setting information acquisition processing) and (personal setting information registration / update processing).

Here, registration, update, and acquisition processing of setting information performed by the MFP 120 and the setting information management server 110 will be described.
(Personal setting information acquisition process)
A process in which the MFP 120 acquires the latest personal setting information of the user stored in the setting information management server 110 and updates the personal setting information of the user who uses the MFP 120 will be described.
When the user inputs information necessary for authentication, such as a user name and password, to the MFP 120, the authentication control unit 402 performs authentication processing for confirming the validity of the input information, and executes login processing of the user to the MFP 120. To do. Assume that the user identifier of the user who has logged into the MFP 120 is “a13ab”. When the authentication control unit 402 confirms the validity of the user and completes the login process, the authentication control unit 402 requests the setting information control unit 403 for setting information of the user identifier “a13ab”.

The setting information control unit 403 acquires the last synchronization date and time 702 “2016/01/15 13:28:40” of the user corresponding to the user identifier 701 “a13ab” from the registered user management table 700 stored in the setting information DB 420. . The setting information control unit 403 sends the last synchronization date “2016/01/15 13:28:40” from the setting information management server 110 to the communication control unit 404 from the personal setting information of the user with the user identifier “a13ab”. Instruct to get updated after that.
The communication control unit 404 performs the following processing via the network 100 using the communication I / F controller 217. That is, the communication control unit 404 requests the setting information management server 110 to acquire personal setting information updated after “2016/01/15 13:28:40” for the user A corresponding to the user identifier “a13ab”. .
Upon receiving a request from the MFP 120, the communication control unit 503 of the setting information management server 110 analyzes the received request. Further, the communication control unit 503 returns to the master setting information control unit 502 personal setting information updated after the last synchronization date “2016/01/15 13:28:40” of the user identifier “a13ab”. To instruct.

The master setting information control unit 502 stores the master setting information stored in the master setting information DB 510 for the personal setting information updated after the last synchronization date “2016/01/15 13:28:40” of the user identifier “a13ab”. A search is performed from the management table 800. The last update date and time in the MFP 120 with the user identifier “a13ab” is “2016/01/15 13:28:40”. The master setting information control unit 502 searches for a set of the target 801, the key 802, and the value 803 whose target 801 includes “a13ab” and whose last update date / time 804 is “2016/01/15 13:28:40” or later. To do.
In the example of FIG. 8, the master setting information control unit 502 sets the target 801 as “user A (a13ab)”, the key 802 as “personal address book-personal address 2”, and the value 803 as “bbb@abc.com”. Will be searched. The master setting information control unit 502 searches for a plurality of sets when there are a plurality of sets that match the conditions. If there is no data updated after the designated last synchronization date and time, the search result by the master setting information control unit 502 is none.

The master setting information control unit 502 transmits to the communication control unit 503 information on the searched target 801, key 802, value 803, and the date and time of the search processing execution time. For example, it is assumed that the date and time when the search processing by the master setting information control unit 502 is performed is 2016/03/16 13:41:59.
The communication control unit 503 transmits the user identifier, key, value, and search date / time information corresponding to the information received from the master setting information control unit 502 to the MFP 120. In this embodiment, the information transmitted to the MFP 120 includes a user identifier “a13ab”, a key “personal address book-personal address 2”, a value “bbb@abc.com)”, and a search date “2016/03”. / 16 13:41:59 ".

In the MFP 120, the communication control unit 404 receives user identifier, key, value, and search date / time information from the setting information management server 110 and analyzes the received information. The communication control unit 404 sends the user identifier (a13ab), key (personal address book-personal address 2), value (bbb@abc.com), search date and time (2016) received from the setting information management server 110 to the setting information control unit 403. / 03/16 16:41:59). Then, the communication control unit 404 instructs the setting information control unit 403 to update the personal setting information.
The setting information control unit 403 updates the personal setting information stored in the setting information management table 600 stored in the setting information DB 420 based on the information passed from the communication control unit 404. For example, the setting information control unit 403 updates the values corresponding to the user identification (a13ab) and key (personal address book-personal address 2) received from the communication control unit 404 with the received (bbb@abc.com). . For example, the setting information control unit 403 updates the value 603 in which the target 601 includes (a13ab) and the key 602 is (personal address book-personal address 2) with (bbb@abc.com).
The communication control unit 404 further sets the last synchronization date and time of the user identifier “a13ab” of the registered user management table 700 stored in the setting information DB 420 to the search date and time (2016/03/16 13:41: in the setting information management server 110). 59).

As described above, the personal setting information of the user A of the MFP 120 a is updated in synchronization with the latest state of the setting information management server 110. The setting information control unit 403 passes the personal setting information of the user A to the functional components for the respective functions of the MFP 120 a and transfers control to the display operation control unit 401. The display operation control unit 401 displays a screen after login in which the personal setting information of the user identifier “a13ab” is reflected.
The above processing is an example of processing in which the MFP 120 acquires the latest personal setting information of the user stored in the setting information management server 110 when the user logs in to the MFP 120. Further, for example, the MFP 120 instructs the setting information management server 110 to explicitly synchronize the personal setting information, and sends the latest setting information from the setting information management server 110 at a timing other than when the login is performed. It is good also as acquiring. Further, for example, the setting information management server 110 may instruct the MFP 120 to explicitly synchronize the personal setting information, and the setting information management server 110 may transmit the latest personal setting information to the MFP 120.

(Personal setting information registration and update processing)
A process in which the setting information management server 110 registers the user personal setting information updated in the MFP 120 will be described. Assume that the login processing of the MFP 120 of the user whose user identifier is “a13ab” described in (Personal setting information acquisition processing) has been completed. When the user performs an operation for changing the personal setting information of the user via the touch panel 218, the setting information control unit 403 changes the personal setting information of the user based on the performed operation.
For example, the setting information control unit 403 changes the personal setting information by the following process. That is, the setting information control unit 403 changes the initial screen displayed after login or prints a copy application based on a user operation via the personal setting information change screen used for changing the personal setting information. Change the setting to duplex printing. The personal setting information change screen is a screen including, for example, the names of setting items that can be changed and radio buttons indicating a plurality of options of setting information corresponding to the setting items. When the user selects one of a plurality of radio buttons indicating options of a certain setting item on the personal setting information change screen, the setting information on the setting item is changed.

The functional component that has changed the personal setting information passes the changed user identifier “a13ab” and the value specified by the user to the setting information control unit 403. Here, the value designated by the user is, for example, a set of a key 602 and a value 603. As an example, assume that a user with a user identifier “a13ab” designates “personal address book-personal address 1” as the key 602 and “xxx@yyy.co.jp” as the value 603. The setting information control unit 403 confirms whether or not the user identifier “a13ab” exists in the registered user management table 700. When the user identifier “a13ab” does not exist in the registered user management table 700, the setting information control unit 403 registers information about the user with the user identifier “a13ab” in the registered user management table 700. At this time, the setting information control unit 403 registers the user identifier 701, the user name 704, the domain name 705, and the last login date and time 706 of the registered user, but items other than these are undecided and are blank (or Value 0). In the example of FIG. 7, since the user identifier “a13ab” is registered in the registered user management table 700, the setting information control unit 403 does not register a new user.
Further, the setting information control unit 403 includes a key 602 (personal address book-personal address 1) designated by the user in the personal setting information whose target 601 is “a13ab” stored in the setting information management table 600. Check whether or not. If the setting information control unit 403 confirms that it does not exist, the setting information control unit 403 registers the key 602 (personal address book-personal address 1) in the personal setting information whose target 601 is “a13ab”. In the example of FIG. 6, since the key 602 of “personal address book-personal address 1” is registered in the personal setting information whose target 601 is “a13ab”, the setting information control unit 403 does not newly register the key 602. .

Then, the setting information control unit 403 sets the value 603 corresponding to the target 601 “a13ab” and the key 602 “personal address book-personal address 1” in the setting information management table 600 to “xxx @ yyy. co.jp ". In the example of FIG. 6, the setting information control unit 403 changes the value 603 of the target 601 “a13ab” and the key 602 “personal address book—personal address 1” from “bbb@abc.com” to “xxx@yyy.co.jp”. Change to When the values of the target 601 and the key 602 specified by the user do not exist in the setting information management table 600, the setting information control unit 403 registers the newly specified information.
When the setting information control unit 403 completes the update processing of the setting information management table 600, the setting information control unit 403 returns a response indicating that the update has been completed to the functional component that requested the update. In addition, the setting information control unit 403 indicates to the setting information management server 110 that the value of “personal address book-personal address 1” of the user identifier “a13ab” is “xxx@yyy.co.jp”. Send information. Then, the setting information control unit 403 instructs the setting information management server 110 to update the setting information managed by the setting information management server 110 based on the transmitted information.

The communication control unit 404 performs the following processing via the network 100 using the communication I / F controller 217. The communication control unit 404 transmits to the setting information management server 110 an instruction to update the value of the key “personal address book-personal address 1” of the user identifier “a13ab” to “xxx@yyy.co.jp”. .
The communication control unit 503 of the setting information management server 110 receives an instruction to update setting information from the MFP 120. The communication control unit 503 analyzes the received request. Then, the communication control unit 503 sends to the master setting information control unit 502 the value 803 of “personal address book-personal address 1” as the key 802 whose target 801 in the master setting information management table 800 is “a13ab”, “xxx @ yyy.co.jp "is instructed to update.
The master setting information control unit 502 sets the value 803 corresponding to the target 801 (a13ab) and key 802 (personal address book-personal address 1) to “xxx @ yyy” with respect to the master setting information management table 800 of the master setting information DB 510. .Co.jp ". The update here is the same processing as the update of the setting information management table 600 in the MFP 120.

After updating the personal setting information corresponding to the target 801 (a13ab) in the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 performs the following processing. In other words, the master setting information control unit 502 acquires the current time in the setting information management server 110, and adds the acquired time information to the last update date and time 804 corresponding to the updated value 803.
The master setting information control unit 502 transmits information indicating that the update process has been completed to the communication control unit 503. The communication control unit 503 transmits information indicating that the update processing of the setting information management server 110 has been completed to the MFP 120.
When the communication control unit 404 of the MFP 120 receives information indicating that the update of the personal setting information is completed from the setting information management server 110, the communication control unit 404 completes the update process. The MFP 120 and the setting information management server 110 may perform the process set as the error process when an error occurs in the setting information registration, update, and acquisition processes. For example, when an error occurs, the MFP 120 and the setting information management server 110 may display an error on each display unit.

Next, processing in which the synchronization system changes the screen of the MFP 120 to the initial screen after the user logs in will be described. First, the screen used for the transition process to the initial screen will be described with reference to FIGS. Next, details of the transition process to the initial screen executed by the synchronization system will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of a login screen 900 used for a user login to the MFP 120. When receiving a user login, the display operation control unit 401 displays a login screen 900 on the display 219. The login screen 900 includes a user name input form 901, a domain name input form 902, and a login button 903. The user inputs an arbitrary character string into the user name input form 901 and the domain name input form 902 via the touch panel 218 or the like, and then selects the login button 903. Upon detecting selection of the login button 903, the authentication control unit 402 acquires character strings input to the user name input form 901 and the domain name input form 902, and performs user authentication processing based on the acquired character strings. To do.
FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of the in-synchronization dialog 910 displayed when the personal setting information is synchronized between the MFP 120 and the setting information management server. The display operation control unit 401 displays a synchronization dialog 910 on the display 219 while the personal setting information is being synchronized between the MFP 120 and the setting information management server. The in-synchronization dialog 910 is a dialog displayed for the purpose of indicating that the personal setting information is being synchronized with the user. The display operation control unit 401 displays the in-synchronization dialog 910 while the (personal setting information acquisition process) described in FIG. 8 is being performed. The in-synchronization dialog 910 includes a skip button 911. The skip button 911 is a button used for instructing the transition to the initial screen without waiting for completion of the (personal setting information acquisition process) described in FIG. The skip button 911 is an example of a first instruction object used for selecting whether to skip the reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110. The in-synchronization dialog 910 is used as a first instruction object to select whether to skip the reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110, instead of the skip button 911. May include a checkbox. In that case, if the check box is checked, the MFP 120 skips the process of reflecting the personal setting information.

Next, as an example of the initial screen, a top menu screen 920 and a copy screen 930 will be described.
FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating an example of the top menu screen 920. Top menu screen 920 includes a link button to each application in MFP 120.
FIG. 9D is a diagram illustrating an example of the copy screen 930. A copy screen 930 is an operation screen of a “copy” application that the MFP 120 has.
In the present embodiment, the MFP 120 displays the screens of FIGS. 9A to 9D from the user login to the transition to the initial screen. However, the MFP 120 may display other screens. For example, instead of the login screen 900, the MFP 120 displays a login screen used for inputting a user name, a domain name, and a password on the display 219, and accepts not only a user name and a domain name but also a password from the user. It is good as well. Further, the MFP 120 may display a screen having the same effect as the screens of FIGS.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the synchronization system in the present embodiment. A process for acquiring the latest setting information of the user registered in the registered user management table 700 in the MFP 120 from the setting information management server 110 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing of the MFP 120 in the sequence diagram of FIG. 10 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. Similarly, the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the sequence diagram of FIG. 10 is realized by the CPU 311 executing a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320.
In step S <b> 1000, the display operation control unit 401 displays a login screen 900 on the display 219.
In step S1001, the authentication control unit 402 receives input from the user to the login screen 900 displayed in step S1000, and receives a login request from the user. The authentication control unit 402 performs user authentication processing based on information input to the login screen 900. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a user name and a domain name corresponding to a specific user identifier are specified on the login screen 900. The authentication control unit 402 acquires the user identifier corresponding to the user name and domain name specified on the login screen 900 from the registered user management table 700, and the acquired user identifier is specified by the user. The authentication control unit 402 may generate the specific user identifier from the user name and domain name specified on the login screen 900, and the generated user identifier may be specified by the user.

In S1002, the setting information control unit 403 acquires information on the last synchronization date and time 702 corresponding to the same user identifier 701 as the user identifier specified in S1001 from the registered user management table 700 stored in the setting information DB 420. .
In step S <b> 1003, the setting information control unit 403 requests the setting information management server 110 to synchronize personal setting information via the communication control unit 404. The communication control unit 404 transmits, for example, the user identifier specified in S1001 and the information of the last synchronization date acquired in S1002 to the setting information management server 110. The communication control unit 404 transmits to the setting information management server 110 an acquisition request for personal setting information that has been updated after the last synchronization date acquired in S1002 for the specified user identifier specified in S1001.
In step S <b> 1004, the display operation control unit 401 displays a synchronization dialog 910 indicating that the personal setting information synchronization processing is being performed on the display 219.

In step S1005, the master setting information control unit 502 determines whether the user identifier transmitted in step S1003 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800. When the master setting information control unit 502 determines that the user identifier transmitted in S1003 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 performs the following processing. That is, the master setting information control unit 502 acquires a newer one than the date and time indicated by the information of the last synchronization date and time transmitted in S1003 among all the last update dates and times 804 corresponding to the user identifier determined to exist.
When the user identifier transmitted in S1003 is not registered in the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated. The master setting information control unit 502 also updates the last update date and time 804 corresponding to the user identifier transmitted in S1003 even when there is no newer date and time than the date and time indicated by the last synchronization date and time information transmitted in S1003. Judge that there is no personal setting information to be found.
When determining that there is no personal setting information to be updated, the master setting information control unit 502 skips the processing of S1006. In step S <b> 1007, the communication control unit 503 returns information indicating that the personal setting information to be updated is 0 to the MFP 120.
When the master setting information control unit 502 is able to acquire the latest update date and time 804 corresponding to the user identifier transmitted in S1003, which is newer than the date and time indicated by the last synchronization date and time information transmitted in S1003 , The process proceeds to S1006.
In step S <b> 1006, the master setting information control unit 502 extracts personal setting information to be updated in the MFP 120. The master setting information control unit 502 extracts a combination of a key 802 and a value 803 corresponding to the last update date and time 804 acquired in S 1005 in the master setting information management table 800 as personal setting information to be updated by the MFP 120.

In step S <b> 1007, the communication control unit 503 transmits information on the set of the key 802 and the value 803 extracted in step S <b> 1006 to the MFP 120 as update information. The update information is information used by the MFP 120 to update personal setting information stored in the MFP 120.
In step S1008, the setting information control unit 403 updates the user personal setting information indicated by the user identifier specified in step S1001 stored in the setting information DB 420 according to the update information transmitted in step S1007. For example, the setting information control unit 403 specifies personal setting information including the user identifier specified in S1001 for the target 601 from the setting information management table 600. Then, the setting information control unit 403 includes, in the update information, a value 603 corresponding to the same key 602 as the key 802 included in the update information transmitted in S1007 among the values 603 included in the identified personal setting information. The value 803 corresponding to the key 802 is updated.
In step S1009, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S1001 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information. For example, the display operation control unit 401 switches the language to be displayed on the display 219 according to information in which the key 602 is “display setting-language” in the personal setting information.
In step S <b> 1010, the display operation control unit 401 acquires, from the setting information DB 420, information whose key 602 is “display setting-initial screen” among the personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S <b> 1001. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired initial screen setting. When the user identifier “a13ab” is assigned in S1001, in the example of FIG. 6, among the personal setting information including “a13ab” in the target 601, the value 603 whose key 602 is “display setting-initial screen” is “ "Top menu". Therefore, the display operation control unit 401 displays a top menu screen 920 on the display 219 as an initial screen.

The process of FIG. 10 will be described in the case of the setting information of FIGS. Before starting the processing of FIG. 10, in the setting information management table 600, the value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the device setting information in which the target 601 is a device is “English”. The value 603 corresponding to the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” of the device setting information is “top menu”.
A value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “Japanese”. The value 603 corresponding to the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” of the personal setting information of the user A is “top menu”.
In the master setting information management table 800, the value 803 corresponding to the key 802 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “Japanese”, and the value corresponding to the key 802 “display setting—initial screen”. Reference numeral 803 denotes “copy”.
The last synchronization date and time 702 corresponding to the user identifier 701 “a13ab” (user identifier of user A) in the registered user management table of FIG. 7 is 2016/01/15 13:28:40. Therefore, information updated after the last synchronization date and time (2016/01/15 13:28:40) of the user A in the personal setting information of the user A in the master setting information management table 800 has the key 802 “ It is only information that is “display setting—initial screen”. Therefore, in step S1006, information about the key 802 “display setting—initial screen” is extracted as update data and transmitted to the MFP 120 in step S1007. In S1008, the value 603 of the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” in the personal setting information of the user A in the setting information management table 600 is updated from “top menu” to “copy”. In step S <b> 1009, the display operation control unit 401 changes the language displayed on the display 219 to “Japanese”. In step S <b> 1010, the screen transitions from the synchronizing dialog 910 to the copy screen 930.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the synchronization system. The process of the synchronization system when the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910 is selected will be described with reference to FIG. The processing of the MFP 120 in the sequence diagram of FIG. 11 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. Similarly, the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the sequence diagram of FIG. 11 is realized by the CPU 311 executing a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320.
The processing of S1000 to S1007 is the same as that in FIG.
In step S1101, the setting information control unit 403 detects selection of the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910 via the touch panel 218 or the like by the user.
In S1102, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires personal setting information corresponding to the user identifier specified in S1001 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information.
In step S <b> 1103, the display operation control unit 401 acquires a value 603 corresponding to the key 602 “display setting—initial screen” of the personal setting information acquired from the setting information DB 420 in step S <b> 1102. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired value 603.

The timings of S1102 and S1103 are before update information is transmitted from the setting information management server 110 (before the processing of S1007). Therefore, in S1102 and S1103, the MFP 120 operates according to the personal setting information stored in the MFP 120 at the start of the processing in FIG.
In S1104, the setting information control unit 403 updates the user's personal setting information indicated by the user identifier specified in S1001 stored in the setting information DB 420 according to the update information transmitted in S1007. For example, the setting information control unit 403 specifies personal setting information including the user identifier specified in S1001 for the target 601 from the setting information management table 600. Then, the setting information control unit 403 includes, in the update information, a value 603 corresponding to the same key 602 as the key 802 included in the update information transmitted in S1007 among the values 603 included in the identified personal setting information. The value 803 corresponding to the key 802 is updated. The personal setting information updated in S1104 is not used by each functional component of the MFP 120 at the timing of the processing of S1104. Used. That is, the process of S1104 is only a process of updating the content of the personal setting information of the user A stored in the MFP 120.

The process of FIG. 11 will be described for the case of the setting information of FIGS. In the setting information management table 600 before the processing of FIG. 11 is started, the value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the device setting information is “English” and corresponds to the key 602 “display setting—initial screen” The value 603 to be used is “top menu”. The value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “Japanese”, and the value corresponding to the key 602 “display setting—initial screen” is “top menu”.
In the master setting information management table 800, the value 803 corresponding to the key 802 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “Japanese” and corresponds to the key 802 “display setting-initial screen”. The value 803 to be used is “copy”.
Therefore, in step S1102, the display operation control unit 401 performs the following processing according to the personal setting information of the user A stored in the setting information management table 600 from the start of the processing in FIG. In other words, the display operation control unit 401 changes the language displayed on the display 219 to “Japanese”, and changes the screen from the synchronizing dialog 910 to the top menu screen 920 in S1103.
The last synchronization date and time 702 corresponding to the user identifier 701 “a13ab” (user identifier of user A) in the registered user management table of FIG. 7 is 2016/01/15 13:28:40. Therefore, information updated after the last synchronization date and time (2016/01/15 13:28:40) of the user A in the personal setting information of the user A in the master setting information management table 800 has the key 802 “ It is only information that is “display setting—initial screen”. Therefore, in step S1006, information about the key 802 “display setting—initial screen” is extracted as update data and transmitted to the MFP 120 in step S1007. In S1104, the value 603 of the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” in the personal setting information of the user A in the setting information management table 600 is updated from “top menu” to “copy”. However, since the display operation control unit 401 has already transitioned to the initial screen, it does not transition to the copy screen 930.

Details of the processing of the MFP 120 in the processing of FIGS. 10 and 11 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the processing in FIG. 12 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the display operation control unit 401 displays the login screen 900 on the display 219 at the start of the process of FIG.
In step S1601, the authentication control unit 402 accepts an input by the user to the login screen 900 and accepts a login request from the user. The authentication control unit 402 performs user authentication processing based on information input to the login screen 900. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a user name and a domain name corresponding to a specific user identifier are specified on the login screen 900. It is assumed that the authentication control unit 402 generates the specific user identifier from the user name and domain name specified on the login screen 900, and the generated user identifier is specified. The process of S1601 corresponds to the process of S1001 of FIGS.
In S1602, the setting information control unit 403 acquires information on the last synchronization date and time 702 corresponding to the same user identifier 701 as the user identifier specified in S1001 from the registered user management table 700 stored in the setting information DB 420. . The process of S1602 corresponds to the process of S1002 of FIGS.

In step S <b> 1603, the setting information control unit 403 requests the setting information management server 110 to synchronize personal setting information via the communication control unit 404. The communication control unit 404 transmits, for example, the user identifier specified in S1001 and the information of the last synchronization date acquired in S1002 to the setting information management server 110. The communication control unit 404 transmits to the setting information management server 110 an acquisition request for personal setting information that has been updated after the last synchronization date acquired in S1002 for the specified user identifier specified in S1001. The process of S1603 corresponds to the process of S1003 of FIGS.
In step S <b> 1604, the display operation control unit 401 displays a synchronization dialog 910 indicating that the personal setting information synchronization processing is being performed on the display 219. The process of S1604 corresponds to the process of S1004 of FIGS.
In step S1605, the setting information control unit 403 determines whether the user has selected the skip button 911 of the in-sync dialog 910. When the setting information control unit 403 detects that the user has selected the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910 via the touch panel 218 or the like, the setting information control unit 403 determines that the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910 has been selected by the user, and processing in step S1608 Proceed to When the setting information control unit 403 does not detect selection of the skip button 911 of the synchronizing dialog 910 via the touch panel 218 or the like by the user, the setting information control unit 403 determines that the skip button 911 of the synchronizing dialog 910 is not selected by the user. Then, the setting information control unit 403 proceeds to the process of S1606. The process of detecting selection of the skip button 911 by the setting information control unit 403 corresponds to the process of S1101 in FIG.
The processing in the case where it is determined in S1605 that the skip button 911 of the in-sync dialog 910 has been selected by the user corresponds to the processing in FIG. The process when it is determined in S1605 that the skip button 911 of the in-sync dialog 910 has not been selected by the user corresponds to the process of FIG.

In step S1606, the communication control unit 404 waits until a response to the request transmitted in step S1603 is received from the setting information management server 110. The process in which the setting information management server 110 transmits a response to the request transmitted in S1603 corresponds to the process in S1007 in FIGS.
In step S1607, the setting information control unit 403 performs the following process. That is, the setting information control unit 403 transmits the user's personal setting information indicated by the user identifier specified in S1601 stored in the setting information DB 420 as a response to the request transmitted from the setting information management server 110 in S1603. Update according to the updated information. For example, the setting information control unit 403 specifies personal setting information including the user identifier specified in S1601 for the target 601 from the setting information management table 600. Then, the setting information control unit 403 corresponds to the value 603 corresponding to the same key 602 as the key 802 included in the update information, among the identified values 603 of the personal setting information, corresponding to the key 802 included in the update information. Update with the value 803. The process of S1607 corresponds to the process of S1008 in FIG. 10 and S1104 in FIG.

If it is determined in S1605 that the user has selected the skip button 911 of the synchronization dialog 910, the communication control unit 404 waits for a response from the setting information management server 110, but the setting information control unit 403 In parallel with this, the process of S1608 is performed.
In step S1608, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S1601 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information. The process of S1605 corresponds to the process of S1009 in FIG. 10 and the process of S1102 in FIG.
In step S <b> 1609, the display operation control unit 401 acquires, from the setting information DB 420, information whose key 602 is “display setting-initial screen” among the personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S <b> 1601. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired initial screen setting. The processing in S1609 corresponds to the processing in S1010 in FIG. 10 and the processing in S1103 in FIG.
If it is determined in S1608 and S1609 that the skip button 911 has been selected in S1605, the MFP 120 follows the personal setting information at the start of processing in FIG. . If the skip button 911 is not selected in step S <b> 1605, the MFP 120 follows the personal setting information synchronized with the setting information management server 110.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the MFP 120 displays the skip button 911 in the synchronization dialog 910 and accepts the selection of the skip button 911. When the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 transitions to the initial screen according to the user's personal setting information already stored in the MFP 120 and continues the operation. If the skip button 911 is not selected, the MFP 120 transitions to the initial screen according to the user's personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 and continues the operation.
When the user wants to use the MFP 120 in which the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 is reflected, the personal setting information synchronization processing is completed without selecting the skip button 911, and the personal setting information after the synchronization processing is completed is displayed. Wait for reflection. Further, when the user wants to use the MFP 120 promptly without waiting for the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 to be reflected on the MFP 120, the user selects the skip button 911 to reflect the already stored personal setting information. MFP 120 is used.
As described above, according to the processing of the present embodiment, after logging in to the MFP 120, the user promptly transitions to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110, or displays the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110. You can select whether to transition to the initial screen after reflecting.

In the present embodiment, when the skip button 911 is not selected, the MFP 120 does not transition to the initial screen until the personal setting information synchronization processing with the setting information management server 110 is completed. However, the MFP 120 may skip the process of reflecting the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 when a set period has elapsed from the time when the display of the synchronization dialog 910 or the skip button 911 is started. . In other words, the MFP 120 may start the same processing as when the skip button 911 is determined to be selected in S1101 when a set period has elapsed from the time when the display of the synchronization dialog 910 or the skip button 911 is started. Good.
The MFP 120 stores in advance information on a period indicating how long a period of time has elapsed since the start of the display of the in-synchronization dialog 910 or the skip button 911 and the process of reflecting the personal setting information from the setting information management server 110 is skipped. Assume that it is stored in the device 220 or the like. Further, the MFP 120 can update the content of the information stored in the storage device 220 or the like for the period based on the user's operation via the touch panel 218 or the like.
With the above processing, the MFP 120 takes more time than the period set for the synchronization processing of the personal setting information with the setting information management server 110 without requiring the user to select the skip button 911. You can transition to the initial screen without waiting for the completion of the synchronization process.

The MFP 120 creates and registers personal setting information for a user who has logged in. Therefore, a user who has logged in to the MFP 120 can use the MFP 120 in which his / her personal setting information adjusted at the previous login is reflected. The user may suffice if it is possible to use the MFP 120 reflecting the personal setting information for himself / herself stored in the MFP 120 without intentionally synchronizing the personal setting information between the MFP 120 and the setting information management server 110. is there. In such a case, there is a problem that it is troublesome for the user to select via the skip button 911 whether or not to skip the synchronization process at each login. When the user logs in to the MFP 120 for the first time, the personal setting information of the user does not exist in the MFP 120. Therefore, unless the MFP 120 acquires the personal setting information of the user from the setting information management server 110, there is a problem that the personal setting information for the user cannot be reflected.
Therefore, the MFP 120 may perform the process of FIG. 12 only for the user who logs in for the first time. As a result, a user who has logged in to the MFP 120 can use the MFP 120 in which his / her personal setting information is reflected without selecting whether or not to skip the synchronization process. In addition, a user who has not logged in to the MFP 120 selects whether to skip the synchronization process, and his / her personal setting information stored in the setting information management server 110 is reflected as necessary. The MFP 120 can be used.

In the present embodiment, when the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 reflects the personal setting information of the logged-in user stored in the MFP 120. However, there is a possibility that the user forgets the contents of the personal setting information for the user adjusted before, and the contents may be set unintended by the current user. In such a case, the user may desire to use the MFP 120 in the default state without reflecting the personal setting information for the user to the MFP 120.
Therefore, when the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 may reflect default setting information (for example, device setting information) of the MFP 120. As a result, the user can use the MFP 120 in the default state.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, when the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 does not reflect the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110. In the present embodiment, a process of reflecting personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 at an arbitrary timing specified by the user after the MFP 120 logs in and transitions to the initial screen will be described.
The system components of the synchronization system of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Further, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the MFP 120 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the setting information management server 110 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The CPU 211 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220, thereby realizing the processing of the MFP 120 in the function of FIG. 4 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later with reference to FIG. The CPU 311 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320, thereby realizing the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the function of FIG. 5 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later in FIG. The

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of the synchronization system of the present embodiment. A process of the synchronization system when the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910 is selected and the user instructs the MFP 120 to reflect the synchronized personal setting information will be described with reference to FIG. Of the processes in FIG. 13, the process of the MFP 120 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. Similarly, the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the processing of FIG. 13 is realized by the CPU 311 executing a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320.
The processes in S1000 to S1007 in FIG. 13 are the same as those in FIGS. The processes in S1101, S1102, and S1104 in FIG. 13 are the same as those in FIG. The process of FIG. 13 differs from FIG. 11 in that the process of S1201 is performed instead of the process of S1103, and the processes of S1202 and S1203 are performed after the process of S1104.
In S1201, the display operation control unit 401 acquires a value 603 corresponding to the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” of the personal setting information acquired from the setting information DB 420 in S1102, as in S1103. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired value 603. The display operation control unit 401 further displays on the display 219 an instruction object used for instructing the MFP 120 to reflect the personal setting information transmitted from the setting information management server 110 in S1007. The instruction object displayed here is an example of a second instruction object for instructing execution of a reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the server device. The display operation control unit 401 may display an instruction object used for instructing the MFP 120 to reflect the personal setting information transmitted from the setting information management server 110 inside the initial screen. You may display outside. The instruction object is, for example, a button or a check box.

In S1202, the setting information control unit 403 receives a request for reflecting the personal setting information updated in S1104 from the user. For example, the setting information control unit 403 receives a request for reflecting the personal setting information updated in S1104 from the user via the instruction object displayed in S1201. For example, when the instruction object displayed in S1201 is a button, the setting information control unit 403 detects the selection of the button displayed in S1201 to reflect the personal setting information updated in S1104 from the user. Accept the request.
In step S1203, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires the personal setting information updated in step S1104 for the user identifier specified in step S1001 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information. For example, the display operation control unit 401 switches the language to be displayed on the display 219 according to information in which the key 602 is “display setting-language” in the personal setting information.

In the present embodiment, the contents of the setting information management table 600 and the master setting information management table 800 are as follows. In the setting information management table 600 before the start of the processing in FIG. 13, the value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the device setting information is “English” and corresponds to the key 602 “display setting-initial screen”. The value 603 to be assumed is “top menu”. The value 603 corresponding to the key 602 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “Japanese”, and the value corresponding to the key 602 “display setting—initial screen” is “top menu”. To do.
In the master setting information management table 800, the value 803 corresponding to the key 802 [display setting-language] of the personal setting information of the user A is “French”, and corresponds to the key 802 “display setting—initial screen”. It is assumed that the value 803 is “copy”.
In S1001, it is assumed that the user identifier of user A is specified. Therefore, in S1102, the display operation control unit 401 performs the following process according to the personal setting information of the user A stored in the setting information management table 600 from the start of the process of FIG. In other words, the display operation control unit 401 changes the language displayed on the display 219 to “Japanese”, and changes the screen from the synchronizing dialog 910 to the top menu screen 920 in S1103.

The last synchronization date and time 702 corresponding to the user identifier 701 “a13ab” (user identifier of user A) in the registered user management table of FIG. 7 is 2016/01/15 13:28:40. Therefore, information updated after the last synchronization date and time (2016/01/15 13:28:40) of the user A in the personal setting information of the user A in the master setting information management table 800 has the key 802 “ It is only information that is “display setting—initial screen”. Therefore, in step S1006, information about the key 802 “display setting—initial screen” is extracted as update information. Then, the update information extracted in S1006 is transmitted to the MFP 120 in S1007. In S1104, the value 603 of the key 602 “display setting-initial screen” in the personal setting information of the user A in the setting information management table 600 is updated from “top menu” to “copy”. However, since the display operation control unit 401 has already transitioned to the initial screen, it does not transition to the copy screen 930.
In step S1203, the display operation control unit 401 changes the language displayed on the display 219 to “French”. The setting information of the key 802 “display setting-initial screen” is information indicating the content of the initial screen displayed immediately after login. In S1104, the value 803 of the key 802 “display setting-initial screen” in the personal setting information of the user A is updated. The transition to is not made.

As described above, in the present embodiment, after the user logs in, the MFP 120 does not reflect the personal setting information from the setting information management server 110, and reflects the personal setting information already stored in the MFP 120 to the MFP 120 and shifts to the initial screen. To do. In addition to the initial screen, the MFP 120 displays on the display 219 an instruction object used for an instruction to reflect the personal setting information from the setting information management server 110 on the MFP 120.
When the user wants to reflect the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 on the MFP 120 after the transition to the initial screen, the user instructs the MFP 120 to reflect it via the instruction object. The MFP 120 that has received the reflection instruction from the user reflects the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 on the MFP 120.
As described above, even if the user selects to immediately switch to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 after logging in to the MFP 120 by the processing of the present embodiment, the following is performed. Can do. That is, the user reflects the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 on the MFP 120 at an arbitrary timing after the MFP 120 transits to the initial screen, and the MFP 120 on which the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 is reflected. Can be used.

<Embodiment 3>
In the first embodiment, the MFP 120 performs processing according to selection or non-selection of the skip button 911 by the user. That is, each time the user logs in to the MFP 120, the user determines whether to select the skip button 911. However, the user may request to promptly shift to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 without taking the trouble of selecting the skip button 911.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the MFP 120 prepares a mode that prioritizes the login speed. In the mode in which the login speed is prioritized, the MFP 120 skips the reflection of the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110 without accepting the selection of the skip button 911 and transitions to the initial screen. .
The system components of the synchronization system of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Further, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the MFP 120 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the setting information management server 110 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the skip setting screen 1300. The skip setting screen 1300 is an example of a screen for allowing the user to select whether or not to set the login speed to a priority mode. When the user is logged in, the MFP 120 displays a skip setting screen 1300 on the display 219 in order to allow the user to select whether or not to set the login speed as a priority mode for the user. The skip setting screen 1300 includes a button 1301, a button 1302, a cancel button 1303, and an OK button 1304. Only one of the button 1301 and the button 1302 that can be selected can be selected. When one of the buttons is clicked, the clicked button is selected, and the other is not selected. The display operation control unit 401 presents to the user that the selected button 1301 or not button 1302 is selected by changing the color of the selected button, highlighting, or the like. If the MFP 120 detects that the user has selected the OK button 1304 while the button 1301 is selected, the MFP 120 sets the MFP 120 to a mode that prioritizes the login speed.
In the mode in which the login speed is prioritized, the MFP 120 always performs the same processing as when the skip button 911 of the in-sync dialog 910 is selected. For example, in the example of FIG. 12, the MFP 120 determines that the skip button 911 has been selected in S1605 even if the user has not selected the skip button 911.

When the MFP 120 detects selection of the OK button 1304 in a state where the no button 1302 is selected, the MFP 120 sets the MFP 120 to a mode in which the reflection of the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 is prioritized. In the mode in which the reflection of the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 is prioritized, the MFP 120 always performs the same process as when the skip button 911 is not selected. For example, in the example of FIG. 12, the MFP 120 always determines that the skip button 911 has not been selected in S1605.
When the MFP 120 detects selection of the Cancel button 1303, the MFP 120 does not change the mode of the MFP 120.
Further, the display operation control unit 401 may not display the skip button 911 in the mode in which the login speed is prioritized or the mode in which the reflection of the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 is prioritized.
The MFP 120 may store the mode information in the setting information DB 420 in the form of personal setting information, group setting information, device setting information, or the like. For example, “mode” is added to the key 602 of the personal setting information of a certain user, and “mode for giving priority to login speed” is stored in a value 603 corresponding to the added key 602 “mode”.
In the present embodiment, the MFP 120 determines the mode for each user, but may determine the mode for each group or may determine a mode common to all users of the MFP 120.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the MFP 120 provides a mode in which priority is given to a login speed for performing the same processing as when the skip button 911 is selected even if the skip button 911 is not selected. As a result, the user can quickly transition to the initial screen without reflecting the personal setting information of the setting information management server 110 on the MFP 120 without taking the trouble of selecting the skip button 911.

<Embodiment 4>
In the first embodiment, in the (personal setting information acquisition process) described with reference to FIG. 8, the synchronization system synchronizes all personal setting information set for each user. In the present embodiment, a process will be described in which the process of (personal setting information acquisition process) described in FIG. 8 is performed a plurality of times according to the priority for each personal setting information set in advance by the synchronization system.
The system components of the synchronization system of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Further, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the MFP 120 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the setting information management server 110 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The CPU 211 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220, thereby realizing the processing of the MFP 120 in the function of FIG. 4 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later with reference to FIG. Further, the CPU 311 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320, thereby realizing the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the function of FIG. 5 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later in FIG. The

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the synchronization system of the present embodiment. A process in which the MFP 120 acquires the latest personal setting information of the user registered in the registered user management table 700 from the setting information management server 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 15 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. Similarly, the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the processing of FIG. 15 is realized by the CPU 311 executing a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320.
The processing of S1000 to S1002 is the same as that in FIG.
In step S <b> 1401, the setting information control unit 403 makes a first personal setting information synchronization request to the setting information management server 110 via the communication control unit 404. The communication control unit 404 transmits, for example, the user identifier specified in S1001, the last synchronization date acquired in S1002, and the priority of requested personal setting information to the setting information management server 110. The priority of the personal setting information is an index indicating how much priority is given to the synchronization processing for the personal setting information, and is set in advance for each key of the personal setting information. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the priority “high” is set for some of the keys included in the personal setting information, and the priority “low” is set for the other keys. The priority “high” is higher than the priority “low”. The personal setting information for the key with the priority “high” is preferentially synchronized with the personal setting information for the key with the priority “low”. It is assumed that the priority transmitted to the setting information management server 110 in S1401 is the priority “high”.
Then, the communication control unit 404 acquires personal setting information for a key that is updated after the last synchronization date acquired in S1002 for the user identifier specified in S1001 and whose priority is set to “high”. The request is transmitted to the setting information management server 110.
The processing in S1004 is the same as that in FIG.

In step S1402, the master setting information control unit 502 determines whether the user identifier transmitted in step S1401 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800. When the master setting information control unit 502 determines that the user identifier transmitted in S1401 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 performs the following processing. That is, the master setting information control unit 502 acquires a newer one than the date and time indicated by the information of the last synchronization date and time transmitted in S1401 among all the last update dates and times 804 corresponding to the user identifier determined to exist. The master setting information control unit 502 acquires, in the acquired last update date and time 804, the priority set to the corresponding key 802 with the priority “high” transmitted in S1401. The master setting information control unit 502 updates the acquired last update date and time 804 when the priority set in the corresponding key 802 is the priority “high” transmitted in S1401. Judge that there is personal setting information that should be present.
If the user identifier transmitted in S1401 is not registered in the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated. The master setting information control unit 502 also updates the last update date and time 804 corresponding to the user identifier transmitted in S1401 even when there is nothing newer than the date and time indicated by the last synchronization date and time information transmitted in S1401. Judge that there is no personal setting information to be found. In addition, the master setting information control unit 502 sets the priority set to the corresponding key 802 in the last update date and time 804 indicating the date and time newer than the date and time indicated by the information of the last synchronization date and time transmitted in S1401. Even if there is no “high”, it is determined as follows. That is, the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated.
When determining that there is no personal setting information to be updated, the master setting information control unit 502 skips the process of S1403. In step S <b> 1404, the communication control unit 503 returns information indicating that the personal setting information to be updated is 0 to the MFP 120.
If the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is personal setting information to be updated, the process proceeds to S1403.

In step S <b> 1403, the master setting information control unit 502 extracts personal setting information to be updated in the MFP 120. The master setting information control unit 502 extracts a set of key 802 and value 803 corresponding to the last update date and time 804 acquired in S1402 in the master setting information management table 800.
In step S <b> 1404, the communication control unit 503 transmits the information of the key 802 and value 803 pair extracted in step S <b> 1403 to the MFP 120 as update information.
In step S1405, the setting information control unit 403 updates the user personal setting information indicated by the user identifier specified in step S1001 stored in the setting information DB 420 according to the update information transmitted in step S1404. For example, the setting information control unit 403 specifies personal setting information including the user identifier specified in S1001 for the target 601 from the setting information management table 600. Then, the setting information control unit 403 includes, in the update information, a value 603 corresponding to the same key 602 as the key 802 included in the update information transmitted in S1404 among the values 603 included in the specified personal setting information. The value 803 corresponding to the key 802 is updated.

In step S1406, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S1001 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information. For example, the display operation control unit 401 switches the language to be displayed on the display 219 according to information in which the key 602 is “display setting-language” in the personal setting information.
In step S <b> 1407, the display operation control unit 401 acquires, from the setting information DB 420, information whose key 602 is “display setting-initial screen” among the personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S <b> 1001. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired initial screen setting.
In step S1408, the setting information control unit 403 requests the setting information management server 110 to synchronize the personal setting information for the second time via the communication control unit 404. The communication control unit 404 transmits, for example, the user identifier specified in S1001, the last synchronization date acquired in S1002, and the priority of requested personal setting information to the setting information management server 110. In step S1408, the communication control unit 404 transmits a priority “low” as the priority of the requested personal setting information to the setting information management server 110.

In step S1409, the master setting information control unit 502 determines whether the user identifier transmitted in step S1408 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800. When the master setting information control unit 502 determines that the user identifier transmitted in S1408 exists in the target 801 of the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 performs the following processing. In other words, the master setting information control unit 502 acquires the latest update date and time 804 corresponding to the user identifier determined to exist, which is newer than the date and time indicated by the last synchronization date and time information transmitted in S1408. The master setting information control unit 502 acquires, in the acquired last update date and time 804, the priority set to the corresponding key 802 with the priority “low” transmitted in S1408. The master setting information control unit 502 updates the acquired last update date and time 804 when the priority set in the corresponding key 802 is the priority “low” transmitted in S1408. Judge that there is personal setting information that should be present.
If the user identifier transmitted in S1408 is not registered in the master setting information management table 800, the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated. The master setting information control unit 502 also updates the last update date and time 804 corresponding to the user identifier transmitted in S1408 even if there is no newer date and time than the date and time indicated by the last synchronization date and time information transmitted in S1408. Judge that there is no personal setting information to be found. In addition, the master setting information control unit 502 sets the priority set to the corresponding key 802 in the last update date and time 804 indicating the date and time newer than the date and time indicated by the information of the last synchronization date and time transmitted in S1408. Even if there is no “low”, it is determined as follows. That is, the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated.
When the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is no personal setting information to be updated, the master setting information control unit 502 skips the process of S1410. In step S1411, the communication control unit 503 returns information indicating that the personal setting information to be updated is 0 to the MFP 120.
If the master setting information control unit 502 determines that there is personal setting information to be updated, the process proceeds to S1410.

In step S1410, the master setting information control unit 502 extracts personal setting information to be updated in the MFP 120. The master setting information control unit 502 extracts a set of key 802 and value 803 corresponding to the last update date and time 804 acquired in S1409 in the master setting information management table 800.
In step S1411, the communication control unit 503 transmits information about the set of the key 802 and the value 803 extracted in step S1410 to the MFP 120 as update information.
In step S1412, the setting information control unit 403 updates the user personal setting information indicated by the user identifier specified in step S1001 stored in the setting information DB 420 according to the update information transmitted in step S1411. For example, the setting information control unit 403 specifies personal setting information including the user identifier specified in S1001 for the target 601 from the setting information management table 600. Then, the setting information control unit 403 includes, in the update information, a value 603 corresponding to the same key 602 as the key 802 included in the update information transmitted in S1411 among the values 603 included in the specified personal setting information. The value 803 corresponding to the key 802 is updated.
In S1416, each functional component of the MFP 120 acquires personal setting information for the user identifier specified in S1001 from the setting information DB 420, and operates the MFP 120 according to the acquired personal setting information.

Further, the processing of the synchronization system when the skip button 911 is selected is the same as that in FIG. That is, when the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 operates according to the personal setting information already stored in the setting information DB 420 without waiting for the update information to be transmitted in S1404 or S1411.
The priority “high” is preferably set for personal setting information that cannot be consistent unless it is reflected before the initial screen is displayed after login, such as initial screen setting and language setting. On the other hand, the priority “low” is preferably set in the personal setting information to be read from the setting information DB 420 and used by each functional component of the MFP 120 at an arbitrary timing.
In this embodiment, two levels of priority, “high” and “low”, are set in the personal setting information, and the synchronization system performs synchronization processing of the personal setting information with the priority “high”. The synchronization processing of the personal setting information with the priority “low” is performed. However, multi-level priority may be set in the personal setting information, such as three levels of “high”, “medium”, and “low”. In that case, the synchronization system executes the synchronization processing of the personal setting information in the order of the priority level in order from the highest priority.

In the present embodiment, the synchronization system performs synchronization processing of personal setting information with a priority “high”, and then performs synchronization processing of personal setting information with a priority “low”. However, the synchronization system first performs synchronization processing of personal setting information that is equal to or higher than a threshold value (for example, “medium”) for which priority is set, and then performs processing for personal setting information that has a lower priority than the set value. It is good also as performing a synchronous process.
Further, the MFP 120 may determine the priority of other personal setting information according to the content of the specific personal setting information. For example, when the value of the key “initial screen” is “copy”, the MFP 120 may perform processing such as setting the highest priority of personal setting information setting related to copy processing. Further, when a specific function is not installed in the MFP 120, the MFP 120 may determine the priority of personal setting information related to the function as the lowest priority. For example, if the scanner 221 is not installed in the MFP 120 and copying cannot be used, the MFP 120 determines that the priority for personal setting information related to the copy process (for example, the key 602 is [Copy-History]) is “low”. May be.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the synchronization system sets priorities in the personal setting information, performs the synchronization processing in descending order of priority, and transitions to the initial screen after the completion of the first synchronization processing. As a result, the synchronization system can make a transition to the initial screen in a shorter period of time after login, compared to a case in which the transition is made to the initial screen after all personal setting information is synchronized at once. The synchronization system can transition to the initial screen after reflecting personal setting information to be reflected with priority without waiting for selection of the skip button 911. The user can quickly use the MFP 120 in which the personal setting information to be reflected with priority is reflected without the effort of selecting the skip button 911. In addition, the synchronization system can perform synchronization processing on personal setting information for which synchronization processing has not been completed in the background after the first synchronization processing.

<Embodiment 5>
In the fourth embodiment, the skip button 911 is enabled (selectable by the user) at the same time as the display of the synchronization dialog 910 starts. However, in the present embodiment, a process for enabling the skip button 911 without shifting to the initial screen after the MFP 120 completes the first personal setting information synchronization process (the processes of S1401 to S1405) will be described.
The system components of the synchronization system of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Further, the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the MFP 120 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the setting information management server 110 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.
The CPU 211 executes processing based on a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220, thereby realizing the processing of the MFP 120 in the function of FIG. 4 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later with reference to FIG. Further, the CPU 311 executes processing based on the program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320, thereby realizing the processing of the setting information management server 110 in the function of FIG. 5 and the processing of the sequence diagram described later in FIG. The

FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing of the synchronization system of the present embodiment. A process of acquiring the latest personal setting information from the setting information management server 110 for a user who has been registered in the MFP 120 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing of the MFP 120 in FIG. 16 is realized by the CPU 211 executing a program stored in the ROM 213 or the storage device 220. Similarly, the processing of the setting information management server 110 in FIG. 16 is realized by the CPU 311 executing a program stored in the ROM 313 or the storage device 320.
The processing of S1000 to S1002 is the same as that in FIG.
The process of S1401 is the same as that in FIG.
In step S <b> 1501, the display operation control unit 401 displays a synchronization dialog 910 indicating that personal setting information synchronization processing is being performed on the display 219. The display operation control unit 401 does not display the skip button 911 at the stage of S1501. Further, the display operation control unit 401 may display the skip button 911 disabled so that it cannot be selected in gray. Further, the display operation control unit 401 may display a cross mark superimposed on the skip button 911 that has been disabled so that it cannot be selected. By displaying in this way, the display operation control unit 401 can present to the user that the skip button 911 is invalid.
The processing of S1402 to S1405 is the same as that in FIG.
In S1502, the display operation control unit 401 enables (selectable) the skip button 911 of the in-synchronization dialog 910.
The processing of S1408 to S1413 is the same as that in FIG.
In step S1503, the display operation control unit 401 acquires, from the setting information DB 420, information whose key 602 is “display setting-initial screen” among the personal setting information for the user identifier specified in step S1001. Then, the display operation control unit 401 closes the in-synchronization dialog 910 and transitions to the initial screen according to the acquired initial screen setting.

Further, the processing of the synchronization system when the skip button 911 is selected is the same as that in FIG. That is, when the skip button 911 is selected, the MFP 120 operates according to the personal setting information already stored in the setting information DB 420 without waiting for the update information to be transmitted in S1411.
In the present embodiment, the synchronization system enables the skip button 911 after the synchronization processing for the personal setting information whose priority is set to “high” is completed. However, the synchronization system may validate the skip button 911 after the synchronization processing for the preset personal setting information is completed. In this case, the synchronization system starts synchronization processing for other personal setting information after completing synchronization processing for preset personal setting information. For example, it is assumed that the MFP 120 stores in advance information about personal setting information that needs to be completed after the user has logged in. After the user logs in, the MFP 120 acquires information about personal setting information that needs to be completed after the user logs in, which is stored in the storage device 220, and the personal setting information included in the acquired information Start synchronous processing.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the MFP 120 validates the skip button 911 after completing the synchronization processing for the personal setting information whose priority is set to “high”. As a result, the MFP 120 can ensure that the personal setting information whose priority is set to “high” operates according to the personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server.
For example, the user designates in advance MFP 120 information on personal setting information to be reflected. The MFP 120 sets the priority for the personal setting information designated by the user to “high”, and performs synchronization processing for the personal setting information for which the priority is set to “high” when the user logs in.
Through the above processing, the MFP 120 can always perform the synchronization processing on the personal setting information for which the priority “high” is set, and can provide the user with the MFP 120 reflecting the personal setting information. In addition, the user can select whether or not to perform synchronization processing for personal setting information that is not set to high priority.

<Other embodiments>
In the first to fifth embodiments, the synchronization system includes the setting information management server 110 and the MFP 120. However, the synchronization system may include another information processing apparatus instead of the MFP 120. In that case, when the user logs in to the information processing apparatus included in the synchronization system, the personal setting information of the user is synchronized between the information processing apparatus and the setting information management server 110. The information processing apparatus reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the setting information management server 110. Such information processing apparatuses include, in addition to MFPs, class PCs installed in a plurality of classrooms, for example, in schools and cram schools. Students who are users log in to the PC in each classroom and take classes. The user desires to use the PC installed in his / her seat in each classroom in a state in which his / her personal setting information is reflected. Therefore, when the PC of each classroom accepts the login of the user, it acquires the personal setting information of each user from the setting information management server 110 and reflects the acquired personal setting information.
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.
As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to the specific embodiment which concerns.
For example, part or all of the functional configuration of the MFP 120 or the setting information management server 110 described above may be implemented in the MFP 120 or the setting information management server 110 as hardware.

110 Setting information management server 120 MFP
911 Skip button

Claims (17)

The first instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the server device is displayed before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in. Display means for displaying on the section;
When skipping the reflection process is instructed via the first instruction object displayed by the display unit, the first instruction object is transitioned to the initial screen without waiting for the completion of the reflection process. When the skip of the reflection process is not instructed via the transition means for waiting for the completion of the reflection process and transitioning to the initial screen,
An information processing apparatus.   The display means displays the first instruction object for instructing the skip of the reflection process to reflect the latest personal setting information of the user acquired from the server device after the login of the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed on the display unit before being displayed on the display unit. When the display means is further instructed to skip the reflection process via the first instruction object, the display means instructs the execution of the reflection process after transitioning to the initial screen by the transition means. A second pointing object is displayed on the display unit,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reflection unit that executes the reflection process when the execution of the reflection process is instructed via the second instruction object displayed by the display unit.   In the mode in which the login speed is prioritized, the transition means completes the reflection process even when the skip of the reflection process is not instructed via the first instruction object displayed by the display means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus transitions to the initial screen without waiting.   The transition means further instructs to skip the reflection process via the first instruction object before a set period of time elapses from the time when the display of the first instruction object by the display means is started. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if not, the information processing apparatus transitions to the initial screen without waiting for completion of the reflection process.   The display means includes the first instruction object for instructing the user to skip the reflection process that reflects the set personal setting information out of the user personal setting information acquired from the server device. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the login, the information is displayed on the display unit before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit.   The display means skips the reflection process of reflecting personal setting information having a higher priority than a set threshold as the set personal setting information among the personal setting information of the user acquired from the server device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first instruction object for instructing is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in and before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit. Further comprising a determining means for determining the priority of the personal setting information of the user based on the initial screen;
The display means uses, as the set personal setting information, personal setting information having a higher priority determined by the determining means than the set threshold among the personal setting information of the user acquired from the server device. 8. The first instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process to be reflected is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in and before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit. Information processing device.   The display means is the first instruction for instructing to skip the reflection process that reflects personal setting information excluding the set personal setting information among the personal setting information of the user acquired from the server device. The object is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in, and after the reflection processing of the set personal setting information is completed and before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit. 1. An information processing apparatus according to item 1.   The display unit reflects personal setting information excluding the set personal setting information, which is personal setting information higher than a threshold with a priority set, among the personal setting information of the user acquired from the server device. The initial screen for displaying the first instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process is displayed on the display unit after the user has logged in and after the reflection process of the set personal setting information is completed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the information processing apparatus is displayed on the display unit before.   The display means displays the first instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process reflecting the personal setting information of the user who logs in for the first time acquired from the server device, after the user logs in, the transition The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the information is displayed on the display unit before transitioning to the initial screen by means.   When the transition means is instructed to skip the reflection process via the first instruction object displayed by the display means, the transition means waits for the completion of reflection of default setting information, transitions to the initial screen, 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the skip of the reflection process is not instructed via the first instruction object, the information processing apparatus waits for the completion of the reflection process and transitions to the initial screen.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first instruction object is a button selected when an instruction to skip the reflection process is given.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus that communicates with the server apparatus. An information processing apparatus that reflects personal setting information of a logged-in user when the user logs in, and a server device that manages the personal setting information of the user,
The information processing apparatus includes:
An instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the server device is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in and before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit. Display means to
When skipping the reflection process is instructed via the instruction object displayed by the display means, the process proceeds to the initial screen without waiting for the completion of the reflection process, and the reflection process is performed via the instruction object. When skipping is not instructed, transition means for waiting for completion of the reflection process and transitioning to the initial screen;
Having a system. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus,
An instruction object for instructing to skip the reflection process that reflects the user's personal setting information acquired from the server device is displayed on the display unit after the user logs in and before the initial screen is displayed on the display unit. Display step to
When skipping the reflection process is instructed via the instruction object displayed in the display step, the process proceeds to the initial screen without waiting for the completion of the reflection process, and the reflection process is performed via the instruction object. A transition step of waiting for the completion of the reflection process and transitioning to the initial screen,
An information processing method including:   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the information processing apparatus of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 14.

Images