JP2018077913A - Electronic apparatus, control method of the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience of a user related to change of a setting value related to control of an electronic apparatus.SOLUTION: When an image forming apparatus has determined that a category indicated in an apparatus setting file is a category requiring a reboot (YES at a step S402), the image forming apparatus 201 displays, on an LCD panel 104, the fact that the image forming apparatus requires a reboot due to change in a setting value (step S403). When a user instructs change in the setting value through an operation unit (YES at step S406), the image forming apparatus changes the setting value (step S408).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method thereof, and a program.

  In recent image forming apparatuses, the number of setting items that can be edited by the user has increased with the increase in functionality. Under such circumstances, as a technique for simplifying registration of setting values of a series of setting items, setting data indicating setting values of an image forming apparatus is taken out to an external device and registered in the same type image forming apparatus or different image forming apparatuses. An import function or an export function is provided to enable this.

  In addition, a technique has been proposed in which, when an application that can be operated on the image forming apparatus is installed, the operation can be continued by reducing the frequency of restarting the image forming apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-221201 A

  However, since the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technique related to updating an application that operates in the image forming apparatus, it is not referred to a technique related to setting data import.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operation of the image forming apparatus cannot be continued without restarting after import, and it is also possible to notify whether restart is necessary before import or during installation. There wasn't.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device, a control method therefor, and a program that improve user convenience related to a change in setting values related to control of the electronic device.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 is an electronic device including a display unit that displays information to a user and an operation unit that receives an operation input of the user. When the setting values related to control are classified by category, and the setting values belonging to the category are changed, category information in which restart information indicating whether or not the electronic device needs to be restarted is stored for each category is stored. And whether the category indicated in the device setting file in which the setting value to be changed is indicated is a category that needs to be restarted based on the restart information in the category information stored in the storage means. And when the category indicated in the device setting file is determined to be a category that needs to be restarted, the setting value is changed. Display means for displaying on the display unit that the electronic device needs to be restarted, and a setting shown in the device setting file when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit And changing means for changing the set value of the electronic device to the value.

  According to the present invention, when it is determined that the category indicated in the device setting file is a category that needs to be restarted, the display unit displays that the electronic device needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. When the user instructs to change the set value on the operation unit, the set value is changed. Thereby, since it can be notified in advance that it is necessary to restart, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user regarding the change of the set value.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the image forming apparatus in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting value management information memorize | stored in HDD in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the data category information memorize | stored in HDD in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus setting file in which the setting value to change was shown. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus setting file in which the setting value to change was shown. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus setting file in which the setting value to change was shown. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an import / export service in the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on the LCD panel in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on the LCD panel in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen displayed on the LCD panel in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the import process performed by CPU in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the export process performed by CPU in FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 200 including an image forming apparatus 201 as an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a system 200 includes a management target image forming apparatus 205, a management server 204, a remote user environment 206, and a service environment 209.

  Among these, the management target image forming apparatus 205, the management server 204, and the remote user environment 206 are connected to the network 203, and the remote user environment 206 and the service environment 209 are connected to the Internet 207.

  The management target image forming apparatus 205 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses including the image forming apparatus 201 and the image forming apparatus 202 according to the present embodiment.

  In particular, the image forming apparatuses 201 and 202 can read a document, perform image processing, and output it. The image forming apparatuses 201 and 202 can receive image data of other apparatuses and PDL data generated by a client computer via the network 203. It can also be printed.

  The image forming apparatuses 201 and 202 can also transmit the read image data to various apparatuses such as a file server and a mail server via the network 203.

  The management server 204 communicates with each image forming apparatus included in the management target image forming apparatus 205 via the network 203 for exporting and importing setting values related to control of the image forming apparatus.

  In this communication, known protocols such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) are used.

  The remote user environment 206 is operated by the service environment 209. By this operation, setting values of each image forming apparatus included in the management target image forming apparatus 205 can be imported and exported.

  This import and export can also be executed by directly connecting a USB storage device to each image forming apparatus.

  In the following description, the image forming apparatus 201 is described as an example of the image forming apparatus to be managed among the image forming apparatuses of the management target image forming apparatus 205. However, the image forming apparatus 201 is also applied to other than the image forming apparatus 201.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 201 in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 201 includes a main controller 100 and a sub-controller.

  The main controller 100 includes a CPU 108, a RAM 109, an operation unit interface 112, a network interface 113, an external serial interface 114, a flash ROM 110, an HDD 111, and a bus bridge 116, which are connected by a system bus 115.

  The main controller 100 also includes an LCD panel 104 that is a display unit that displays information to the user, an operation unit 103 that includes operation buttons and a touch panel that accepts user operation inputs, a USB host 128, and a card reader / coin device 127. It is connected to the.

  The CPU 108 controls the entire image forming apparatus 201 by executing various programs stored in the flash ROM 110 and the HDD 111 and expanded in the RAM 109.

  The RAM 109 stores programs and data, and is also used as a work area for the CPU 108. The operation unit interface 112 is an interface between the LCD panel 104 and the operation unit 103 and the main controller 100, displays an image on the LCD panel 104, and transmits information input through the operation unit 103 to the CPU 108.

  The network interface 113 is an interface with the network 203. The external serial interface 114 is an interface between the USB controller 128, the card reader / coin device, and the main controller 100.

  The flash ROM 110 and the HDD 111 are non-volatile storage devices that store image data and setting values that are imported or exported in the present embodiment, in addition to various programs. The HDD 111 corresponding to the storage means stores setting value management information and data category information, which will be described later.

  The bus bridge 116 connects the main controller 100 and the sub controller 101.

  Next, the sub controller 101 will be described. The sub controller 101 includes a CPU 117, a RAM 118, a memory image processing unit 123, a device interface 120, a scanner image processing unit 121, a printer image processing unit 122, and a modem 125, and is connected to the scanner 105 and the printer 106.

  The CPU 117 controls the sub controller 101 as a whole. The RAM 118 stores image data obtained by the scanner 105, image data printed by the printer 106, image data stored in the flash ROM 110 and the HDD 111, and the like.

  The device interface 120 is an interface between the scanner 105, the printer 106, and the sub-controller 101, and exchanges control signals and image data with the CPU 117 via the device interface 120.

  The scanner image processing unit 121 performs various processes such as color space conversion, movement, color adjustment, density control, and delay amount control on the image data obtained by the scanner 105. The printer image processing unit 122 performs various processes such as color space conversion, movement, color adjustment, density control, and delay amount control on the image data printed by the printer 106.

  The memory image processing unit 123 performs image processing such as rotation, scaling, color space conversion, gray scale conversion, composition, encoding, and decoding on the image data stored in the RAM 118.

  The modem 125 has a built-in NCU (Network Control Unit) and is connected to the public line 107 to modulate / demodulate the fax image data to be transmitted / received.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of setting value management information stored in the HDD 111 in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the setting value management information is stored as a device setting DB, which will be described later, and includes “setting value name”, “data category”, “setting value ID”, “data type”, “data size”, and Consists of “restart required”.

  Among these, “setting value name” indicates the name of the setting value. “Data category” indicates the category to which the set value belongs. “Setting value ID” indicates an ID assigned to the setting value. The “data type” indicates which data type such as a character string or binary is used for the setting value. The data size indicates the size allocated to the set value data. “Restart required” corresponds to other restart information and indicates whether or not the image forming apparatus 201 needs to be restarted when the corresponding setting value is changed. “1”, and “0” when no restart is required.

  This restart will be described. The hardware that constitutes the image forming apparatus requires hardware reset due to the characteristics of the hardware, and the timing for notifying the hardware of the change of the setting value is limited at the time of starting the image forming apparatus. There are things.

  When such a setting value related to hardware is changed, a restart is required. Therefore, the setting value management information includes an item “restart required”.

  In the data category, for example, “scanner device setting” is a category related to the control of the scanner 105, and “printer device setting” is a setting related to the control of the printer 106. “MODEM setting” is a category related to the control of the modem 125.

  “Coin manager setting” and “IC card reader setting” are categories related to the control of the card reader and the coin device 127, respectively. “Network setting” is a category related to the control of the network interface 113.

  In the “printer device setting” in the present embodiment, the restart required flag is set to “1”. Therefore, restart is required after changing these setting values. The combination of required setting values is not limited to a specific category.

  In the present embodiment, the data category information is embedded in the setting value management information, but the data category information may use data or commands different from the setting value management information.

  As described above, in the setting value management information, when the setting value is changed, other restart information indicating whether or not the image forming apparatus needs to be restarted is provided for each setting value.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data category information stored in the HDD 111 in FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the data category information is stored as a device setting DB together with the setting value management information described above, and is composed of “data category”, “restart required”, and “import time”.

  Among these, “data category” and “restart required” have the same meaning as those in the setting value management information described above. However, “restart required” is restart information indicating whether or not the image forming apparatus needs to be restarted when a setting value belonging to a category is changed, and is a setting value included in the “data category”. Among them, if there is one with “restart required” being “1”, it is “1”.

  “Import time” is the result of measuring the time required for importing setting values belonging to each data category in minutes using standard import data. It depends on the type of setting value supported and the number of setting values.

  As described above, in the data category information, when the setting values are classified by category and the setting values belonging to the category are changed, restart information indicating whether or not the image forming apparatus needs to be restarted is provided for each category. ing. The category information further includes time required for changing the setting values belonging to the category for each category.

  5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of a device setting file in which setting values to be changed are indicated.

  Import data imported to the image forming apparatus 201 and export data exported from the image forming apparatus 201 have a common format, and the device setting files in FIGS.

  5 to 7, the device setting file is expressed in XML, the data category and the setting value ID can be determined by the tag, and the data type, the setting value, and the like are expressed. These device setting files are generally received by the image forming apparatus 201 in a compressed state.

  Reactivation in the case of these device setting files will be described. For example, in FIG. 5, the data category of the setting value included in the device setting file can be acquired from “data_category id” in the tag “data_categories”.

  Then, in the data category information of FIG. 4, it is possible to determine whether or not a restart is required after import by referring to “restart required” corresponding to the acquired data category.

  Specifically, in the device setting file of FIG. 5, the data categories are “address book” and “department management setting”. In the data category information of FIG. 4, “restart required” corresponding to each category is “restart required”. Therefore, restart after importing the device setting file in FIG. 5 is not necessary.

  On the other hand, in the device setting file of FIG. 6, the data categories are “scanner device setting” and “system management setting”, and in the data category information of FIG. 4, “restart required” corresponding to each category is “1”. Therefore, it is necessary to restart after importing the device setting file in FIG.

  Furthermore, as shown in the device setting file of FIG. 7, when the data category is not shown in the device setting file, it is unclear whether or not a restart is necessary.

  Even if the restart is unknown before the import, it is determined whether the restart is necessary during the import. Specifically, for example, when the setting value of the setting value ID “auto_sleep_time” of the device setting file in FIG. 7 is imported, “restart required” corresponding to the setting value ID of the setting value management information is “1”. It will be determined that a restart is necessary.

  As for the import time, for example, in the device setting file of FIG. 5, the data categories are “address book” and “department management setting”. In the data category information of FIG. 4, “import time” corresponding to each category. Are “15” and “10”, the import time of the device setting file of FIG. 5 is 25 minutes of the sum of them.

  On the other hand, for example, in the device setting file of FIG. 6, the data categories are “scanner device setting” and “system management setting”, and in the data category information of FIG. 4, the “import time” corresponding to each category is “5”. ”And“ 5 ”, the import time of the device setting file in FIG. 6 is 10 minutes of the sum of them.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the import / export service in the image forming apparatus 201 in FIG.

  In the description of FIG. 8, the import process and the export process will be described in this order. In the network import process when the image forming apparatus 201 imports the device setting file received from the network 203, the import service requester 301 is the side that transmits the device setting file, and the import service provider 300 receives the device setting file. Become the side.

  The import service requester 301 and the import service provider 300 communicate via the intranet 302 using a SOAP message.

  After the HTTP server 303 and the SOAP server 304 interpret the request message, the network import unit 305 activates the device setting import CGI 306 for the process corresponding to the request message.

  Further, the SOAP server 304 activates the device setting import CGI 306 in accordance with the request message. The activated device setting import CGI 306 causes the network import module 307 to primarily store the received device setting file in the temporary area of the HDD 111.

  As described above, the device setting file is obtained by compressing a plurality of XML files shown as examples in FIGS.

  The import management module 309 determines which data category setting value is included in the XML file, and determines whether the time required for importing or restarting for enabling the setting value after import is necessary.

  After the completion of the primary store, the network import module 307 requests the secondary store from the import management module 309. The import management module 309 reads the compressed data from the temporary area and performs decompression processing.

  When the decompression process ends, the device setting file DB 310 is initialized. After initialization, the setting value ID item described in FIG. 3 is registered in the corresponding device setting file DB 310 while parsing the obtained XML.

  The import management module 309 requests a tertiary store to the device setting import module 314 of the setting value management module 313. Upon receiving the request, the device setting import module 314 acquires a setting value that matches the setting value ID to be processed from the device setting file DB 310 that has been secondarily stored, and registers the setting value in the device setting DB 315.

  The device setting DB 315 includes the setting value management information described with reference to FIG. 3 and the data category information described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the data category is included in the device setting file, but the data category may be included in the communication command between the import data or the import service requester 301 and the import service provider 300. Further, the data category information in FIG. 4 can be referred from other modules via the device setting import module 314.

  As described above, some of the setting values need to be restarted due to the change. Therefore, when the setting value that requires restarting is registered in the device setting DB 315 by the tertiary store, the image is sent to the power control module. It is notified that the forming apparatus 201 needs to be restarted.

  In the present embodiment, the device setting import module 314 reads the setting contents of the device setting file DB 310 one by one and registers them in the device setting DB 315. Thereby, the network import processing of the device setting file received by the image forming apparatus 201 via the network 203 is completed.

  Next, import processing from the USB storage will be briefly described. The USB import module 312 performs import processing for the USB storage device 208 instead of the network import unit 305.

  The USB import module 312 detects that a device setting file is stored in the USB storage device 208. After storing the device setting file in the temporary area, the import management module 309 is requested for a secondary store. The contents of the import process after this are the same as the contents of the network import process.

  Next, the export process will be described. In the network export process in which the image forming apparatus 201 exports the requested device setting file via the network 203, the import service requester 301 is the side that receives the device setting file, and the import service provider 300 transmits the device setting file. It becomes the side to do.

  When the 300 import service provider 300 receives an export request via the intranet 302, it requests the import management module 309 to create an export file.

  Receiving the export file creation request, the import management module 309 requests storage of the setting values to be exported to each import module (not shown) in the device setting file DB 310.

  When the import management module 309 receives from the import module 321 that storage of setting values to be exported in the device setting file DB 310 has been completed, the import management module 309 creates a device setting file in the temporary area.

  When the import management module 309 finishes the compression processing of the device setting file, the import service provider 300 and the intranet 302 notify the export request source that the creation of the device setting file has ended.

  Thereafter, when a device setting file is requested via the intranet 302, the import service provider 300 sends the created device setting file to the export request source. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 201 finishes the export processing of the device setting file requested via the network 203.

  Next, export processing to the USB storage will be briefly described. When it is detected that the operation unit 103 has performed an operation indicating an export request, the import management module 309 starts the export process. Thereafter, the contents of the network export process are the same until the import management module 309 finishes the compression process of the device setting file.

  Thereafter, when the USB import module 312 receives the completion of the creation of the device setting file, the USB import module 312 requests the device setting file from the import management module 309.

  The USB import module 312 stores the acquired device setting file in the USB storage.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the import process and the export process are controlled by a common module such as the import service provider 300 and the import management module 309. However, the import process and the export process are separately controlled by different modules. It doesn't matter.

  In the present embodiment, secondary storage is performed in the device setting file DB 310. However, setting values may be directly registered in the device setting DB 315 from the device setting file without performing the secondary store. .

  The secondary store is a process for filtering unsupported setting values by the device setting import module 314 in consideration that the setting values supported by the respective image forming apparatuses are different.

  Next, an example of a screen displayed on the LCD panel 104 in this embodiment will be described.

  9 to 11 are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on the LCD panel 104 in FIG.

  9 to 11 are screens created by the operation unit control module 317.

  FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a screen when importing that does not require restart is started.

  In FIG. 9A, the user can select whether to start importing device information, which is a device setting file, with “Yes” or “No”, and the time required for importing is about 25 minutes. It is also shown. Thus, in the present embodiment, the total time indicated in the category information corresponding to the category indicated in the device setting file is displayed on the LCD panel 104.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a screen in the case of starting an import that needs to be restarted. FIG. 9B shows that restart is necessary in addition to the information shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating a screen for starting import when there is a possibility that restart is necessary.

  As described above, when the data category is not shown in the device setting file, it is unclear whether or not a restart is necessary, so the screen in FIG. 10A is shown when the device setting file is imported. It is a screen to be displayed.

  FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a screen displayed during import. FIG. 10B shows that the import is in progress. Further, in the case of this import, since restart is necessary, it is also shown that the main power supply needs to be turned on again.

  FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed during import when there is a possibility that a restart is required. 11B is being imported when it is determined that a restart is required during import in a state where the data category is not indicated in the device setting file as shown in the device setting file in FIG. It is a figure which shows the screen displayed on.

  FIG. 11C is a diagram showing a screen that is displayed when the import is completed when restart is necessary. It also shows that a main power cycle is required because a restart is required.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of import processing executed by the CPU 108 in FIG.

  In FIG. 12, the device setting file is stored in the temporary area via the network or the USB storage device (step S401). Next, the import management module 309 reads the device setting file stored in the temporary area, and determines whether restart is necessary from the data category of the device setting file (step S402).

  This step S402 is a restart determination unit that determines whether or not the category indicated in the device setting file in which the setting value to be changed is a category that needs to be restarted based on the restart information in the category information stored in the HDD 111. Corresponding to

  As a result of the determination in step S402, if it is not determined that restart is necessary (NO in step S402), the operation unit control module 317 and the import service requester 301 are notified of whether restart is necessary or unknown (step S404). The process proceeds to step S405.

  Cases in which negative determination is made in step S402 include a case in which the setting value to be changed is a setting value that does not require restart due to the change, and a case in which no category is indicated in the device setting file.

  As described above, when the category to which the setting value to be changed belongs is not indicated in the device setting file, the CPU 108 indicates that the image forming apparatus may need to be restarted due to the change of the setting value. To display.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S402 that restart is necessary (YES in step S402), the operation unit control module 317 and the import service requester 301 are notified that restart is required (step S402). S403).

  In step S403, when it is determined that the category indicated in the device setting file is a category that needs to be restarted, the LCD panel 104 displays that the image forming apparatus needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. Corresponds to the display means to be displayed.

  Next, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the time required for import is calculated and notified to the operation unit control module 317 and the import service requester 301 (step S405).

  Thus, when the restart is unnecessary, the screen of FIG. 9A is displayed. If restart is necessary, the screen of FIG. 9B is displayed. When the restart is unknown, that is, when there is a possibility that the restart is necessary, the screen of FIG. 10A is displayed.

  Next, it is determined whether or not “yes” is input on the screens of FIGS. 9A, 9B, or 10A (step S406). Here, it is assumed that whether to start the import is input by the operation unit 103, but it is also possible to accept an import start / stop request from the import service requester by an apparatus other than the image forming apparatus 201. is there.

  If “Yes” is not input as a result of the determination in step S406 (NO in step S406), an import end notification is given (step S413), and this process ends.

  On the other hand, if “Yes” is input as a result of the determination in step S406 (YES in step S406), the device setting file is secondarily stored in the device setting file DB 310 to notify that the import start has been accepted. (Step S407).

  When the import start is accepted, the operation unit control module 317 displays the screen of FIG. 10B when restart is necessary. Further, when there is a possibility that restart is necessary, the screen of FIG. 11A is displayed.

  Next, the device setting import module 314 extracts the setting values developed in the device setting file DB 310 one by one and registers them in the device setting DB 315 (step S408). Since registration is performed one by one, the processing from step S408 to S412 is repeated until all the setting values are registered. In this step S408, the setting value is changed by registration. Therefore, when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit 103 (YES in step S406), the setting value indicated in the device setting file is changed to an image. This corresponds to changing means for changing the setting value of the forming apparatus.

  Next, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to restart and whether or not the registered setting value is a setting value that requires restart (step S409). As described above, in step S409, when the category to which the setting value to be changed belongs is not indicated in the device setting file, the setting value indicated in the device setting file is changed by other restart information in the setting value management information. It is determined whether or not the set value requires restart.

  If it is determined as a result of the determination in step S409 whether or not a restart is necessary, or if the registered setting value is determined to be a setting value that does not require a restart (NO in step S409), the process proceeds to step S411. .

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S409, if it is unknown whether restart is necessary and the registered setting value is a setting value that requires restart (YES in step S409), restart is necessary. Is notified to the operation unit control module 317 (step S410). Thereby, the screen of FIG. 11B is displayed. As described above, when it is determined that the setting value indicated in the device setting file is a setting value that needs to be restarted, the CPU 108 indicates that the image forming apparatus needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. It is displayed on the panel 104.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the import is completed (step S411). As described above, since the setting values are registered one by one, it is determined here whether or not all the setting values have been registered.

  If the result of determination in step S411 is that import has not ended (NO in step S411), the time required for import is notified again (step S412), and the process returns to step S408. The re-notification here will be described later.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S411 is that import has ended (YES in step S411), an import end notification is made as described above (step S413), and this process ends. In this case, for example, when the import that needs to be restarted is completed, the screen of FIG. 11C is displayed.

  When the screen of FIG. 11C is displayed, the user waits for an operation to turn the main power of the image forming apparatus 201 back on, but may be automatically rebooted.

  Further, regarding the re-notification in step S412, for example, when importing the setting values of “address book” and “department management setting” in the device setting file of FIG. 5, the total import time is 25 minutes. is there.

  When the import of the setting value of the data category “address book” that takes 15 minutes to import is completed, the remaining is 10 minutes. The ten minutes are notified in step S412. With this notification, the time until the end shown in FIG. 10B is updated. Thus, every time the set value is changed (step S408), the time obtained by subtracting the time indicated in the category information corresponding to the category to which the changed set value belongs from the total is displayed on the LCD panel 104 (step S412). ).

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of export processing executed by the CPU 108 in FIG.

  In FIG. 13, upon receiving an export request from the USB import module 312 or the network import module 307, if there is a setting value to be exported managed by the device setting DB 315, it is read (step S501). Here, one set value is read out.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the setting value to be exported has been read (step S502).

  If it is determined in step S502 that the setting value to be exported can be read (YES in step S502), the setting value is stored in the device setting file DB 310 in XML format as a device setting file (step S503). ), The process returns to step S501.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S502 that the setting values to be exported cannot be read (NO in step S502), it means that all the setting values to be exported have been read. Then, the data category is added to the device setting file (step S504), and this process is terminated.

  The device setting file thus created is output as an export file to the USB storage device 208 via the USB import module 312 or transmitted to the management server 204 of the image forming apparatus via the import service provider unit.

  For example, when the device setting file in FIG. 5 is exported, first, all setting values (address1, address2, address3) belonging to the “address book” are read one by one and stored in the device setting file.

  Next, all setting values belonging to “department management setting” are similarly read out and stored in the device setting file.

  Since all setting values to be exported are read out and stored in the device setting file, the data category is added with “data_category id” in the tag “data_categories”, and the export processing in FIG. .

  Thus, in the present embodiment, when a set value is output to the outside, the category to which the set value belongs is output together with the set value.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to inform the user that the restart is required or the time required for the import before or during the import, so that the user can use the image forming apparatus systematically. become.

  According to the present embodiment, when the category indicated in the device setting file is determined to be a category that needs to be restarted (YES in step S402), the image forming apparatus is restarted by changing the setting value. Is displayed on the LCD panel 104 (step S403), and when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit (YES in step S406), the setting value is changed (step S408). Thereby, since it can be notified in advance that it is necessary to restart, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user regarding the change of the set value.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus is described as an example of the electronic apparatus. However, the processing and configuration related to the gist of the present invention are not performed using the characteristics of the image forming apparatus, and are realized by a general electronic apparatus. Since this is possible, the present invention can be applied to general electronic devices.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is also realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or apparatus reads the program code. It is a process to be executed. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present invention.

100 Main controller 101 Sub controller 103 Operation unit 104 LCD panel 108, 117 CPU
109,118 RAM
110 Flash ROM
111 DD
128 USB host 200 system 300 import service provider 306 device setting import CGI
307 Network import module 309 Import management module 312 USB import module 314 Device setting import module 315 Device setting DB

Claims (15)

An electronic device including a display unit that displays information to a user and an operation unit that receives an operation input of the user,
When the setting values relating to the control of the electronic device are classified by category and the setting values belonging to the category are changed, restart information indicating whether the electronic device needs to be restarted is provided for each category Storage means for storing category information;
Restart determination means for determining whether or not the category indicated in the device setting file in which the setting value to be changed is a category that requires restart based on the restart information in the category information stored in the storage means; ,
If the category indicated in the device setting file is determined to be a category that needs to be restarted by the determining means, the display unit indicates that the electronic device needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. Display means to be displayed on,
And changing means for changing the setting value of the electronic device to the setting value indicated in the device setting file when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit. Electronics. When the category to which the setting value to be changed is not indicated in the device setting file, the display means that the electronic device may need to be restarted due to the change of the setting value. Displayed on the
The change unit is configured to register a setting value indicated in the device setting file as a setting value of the electronic device when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit. Item 1. An electronic device according to Item 1. The storage means further stores setting value management information provided for each of the setting values with other restart information indicating whether the electronic device needs to be restarted when a setting value is changed,
When the category to which the setting value to be changed belongs is not indicated in the device setting file, the determination means is the setting value management information in which the setting value indicated in the device setting file is stored in the storage means. Determining whether or not the setting value requires restarting based on the other restart information in
When the determination unit determines that the setting value indicated in the device setting file is a setting value that needs to be restarted, the display unit needs to restart the electronic device by changing the setting value. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the fact. The category information further includes a time required for changing the setting value belonging to the category for each category.
The sum of time indicated in the category information corresponding to the category indicated in the device setting file is displayed on the display unit, and the changed setting value belongs each time the setting value is changed by the changing means. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a time obtained by subtracting the time indicated by the category information corresponding to a category from the total is displayed on the display unit.   5. The category according to claim 1, wherein when a setting value related to control of the electronic device is output to the outside, a category to which the setting value belongs is output together with the setting value. Electronic equipment. A display unit that displays information to a user, an operation unit that receives an operation input of the user, and setting values related to control of the electronic device are classified by category, and when the setting value belonging to the category is changed, the electronic device A storage means for storing category information in which restart information indicating whether restart is necessary is provided for each category, and a control method for an electronic device comprising:
A determination step of determining whether the category indicated in the device setting file in which the setting value to be changed is a category that needs to be restarted based on the restart information in the category information stored in the storage unit;
If the category indicated in the device setting file is determined to be a category that needs to be restarted by the determining step, the display unit indicates that the electronic device needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. Display steps to be displayed on the
A change step of changing the setting value of the electronic device to the setting value indicated in the device setting file when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit. Control method. If the category to which the setting value to be changed is not indicated in the device setting file, the display step indicates that the electronic device may need to be restarted due to the change of the setting value. Displayed on the
The change step is characterized in that, when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit, the setting value indicated in the device setting file is registered as the setting value of the electronic device. Item 7. The control method according to Item 6. The storage means further stores setting value management information provided for each of the setting values with other restart information indicating whether the electronic device needs to be restarted when a setting value is changed,
When the category to which the setting value to be changed belongs is not indicated in the device setting file, the determination step includes the setting value management information in which the setting value indicated in the device setting file is stored in the storage unit. Determining whether or not the setting value requires restarting based on the other restart information in
If it is determined in the determination step that the setting value indicated in the device setting file is a setting value that needs to be restarted, the display step needs to restart the electronic device by changing the setting value. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising: displaying on the display unit that the above is true. The category information further includes a time required for changing the setting value belonging to the category for each category.
The sum of time indicated in the category information corresponding to the category indicated in the device setting file is displayed on the display unit, and the changed setting value belongs every time the setting value is changed by the changing step. The control method according to claim 6, wherein a time obtained by subtracting the time indicated by the category information corresponding to a category from the total is displayed on the display unit.   10. The category according to claim 6, wherein when a setting value related to control of the electronic device is output to the outside, a category to which the setting value belongs is output together with the setting value. Control method. A display unit that displays information to a user, an operation unit that receives an operation input of the user, and setting values related to control of the electronic device are classified by category, and when the setting value belonging to the category is changed, the electronic device A program for causing a computer to execute a control method for an electronic device comprising: storage means for storing category information in which restart information indicating whether restart is necessary is stored for each category;
The control method is:
A determination step of determining whether the category indicated in the device setting file in which the setting value to be changed is a category that needs to be restarted based on the restart information in the category information stored in the storage unit;
If the category indicated in the device setting file is determined to be a category that needs to be restarted by the determining step, the display unit indicates that the electronic device needs to be restarted by changing the setting value. Display steps to be displayed on the
A change step of changing the setting value of the electronic device to the setting value indicated in the device setting file when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit. program. If the category to which the setting value to be changed is not indicated in the device setting file, the display step indicates that the electronic device may need to be restarted due to the change of the setting value. Displayed on the
The change step is characterized in that, when the user instructs to change the setting value on the operation unit, the setting value indicated in the device setting file is registered as the setting value of the electronic device. Item 11. The program according to Item 11. The storage means further stores setting value management information provided for each of the setting values with other restart information indicating whether the electronic device needs to be restarted when a setting value is changed,
When the category to which the setting value to be changed belongs is not indicated in the device setting file, the determination step includes the setting value management information in which the setting value indicated in the device setting file is stored in the storage unit. Determining whether or not the setting value requires restarting based on the other restart information in
If it is determined in the determination step that the setting value indicated in the device setting file is a setting value that needs to be restarted, the display step needs to restart the electronic device by changing the setting value. The program according to claim 11, wherein the display unit displays the information. The category information further includes a time required for changing the setting value belonging to the category for each category.
The sum of time indicated in the category information corresponding to the category indicated in the device setting file is displayed on the display unit, and the changed setting value belongs every time the setting value is changed by the changing step. 12. The program according to claim 11, wherein a time obtained by subtracting the time indicated in the category information corresponding to a category from the total is displayed on the display unit.   15. When outputting a setting value related to control of the electronic device to the outside, a category to which the setting value belongs is output together with the setting value. Program.

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