JP2020052574A - Management device, data distribution system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a management device which can reduce annoyance for a user in input operation when the user uses a system.SOLUTION: A management device comprises: an extraction unit which extracts distribution setting information including an account for identifying a user and a distribution destination of data generated in a first information processing apparatus in association with the account, from a first server which distributes the data generated by the first information processing apparatus, to the distribution destination; a storage unit in which the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit is stored; and a transmission unit which transmits the distribution setting information stored in the storage unit to a second server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a management device, a data distribution system, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a data distribution system that distributes data generated based on information input to an information processing device to a distribution destination designated by a user has been known. If an image forming apparatus (MFP: Multi Function Peripheral) is used as an information processing apparatus constituting the data distribution system, an original is read by an image reading function provided in the MFP to form image data, which is data to be distributed. be able to. However, in the conventional data distribution system, it is necessary to input distribution setting information necessary for distributing image data to the MFP each time the data distribution system is used.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the complexity of the input operation when using the data distribution system, the MFP receives the past distribution setting information associated with the authentication information input by the user from the server, and receives the received distribution setting information. A technology for distributing data using information is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  The information processing system disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is configured to manage all MFPs by one server. However, in the information processing system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the number of MFPs connected to the server increases, it becomes necessary to share and manage the MFPs by a plurality of servers in order to distribute the load.

  By the way, in recent years where remote work and location-free are progressing, users do not always use the same MFP. That is, each time the data distribution system is used, there is a possibility that the MFP managed by a different server is used. When a user uses an MFP managed by a different server, even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied, the trouble of the input operation is not reduced.

  Therefore, in a data distribution system in which an MFP is shared and managed by a plurality of servers, when trying to use an MFP managed by a different server, the user must re-enter distribution setting information. That is, the effect of reducing the complexity of the input operation in the conventional data distribution system is extremely limited, and there is room for further improvement in reducing the complexity of the input operation.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a data distribution system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses are shared and managed by a plurality of servers, and a management apparatus capable of reducing troublesome input work by a user when using the system.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a plurality of information processing apparatuses and a plurality of servers each connected to the different information processing apparatus and distributing data generated by the information processing apparatus. A management apparatus connected to a data delivery system including: an account for identifying a user; and delivery setting information including a delivery destination of data generated by the first information processing apparatus in association with the account, wherein the first information An extraction unit that extracts data generated by a processing device from a first server that distributes the data to the distribution destination, a storage unit that stores the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit, and the distribution that is stored in the storage unit. And a transmission unit for transmitting the setting information to the second server.

  According to the present invention, in a data distribution system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses are shared and managed by a plurality of servers, it is possible to reduce the burden of user input work when using the system.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a data distribution system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the MFP according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a server and a management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a server according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of data stored in a management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing processing between the MFP and the server according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a login screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a distribution destination input screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing processing between the server and the management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where a new MFP and a server are connected to the data distribution system shown in FIG. 1.

[Summary of the present invention]
The gist of the management apparatus according to the present invention is to extract distribution setting information from each of a plurality of servers each managing a different MFP and transmit the extracted distribution setting information to another server. Accordingly, even when data is distributed using an information processing device managed by any server, it is possible to reduce the burden of inputting distribution destination information.

[Embodiment of the present invention]
Hereinafter, a data distribution system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a data distribution system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The data distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of MFPs 100a, 100b, 100c (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “MFP100”) and a plurality of servers 200a, 200b (hereinafter, referred to as “MFP100”). Are sometimes collectively referred to as “server 200”), and a management device 300.

  MFP 100, server 200, and management device 300 are mutually connected via a communication network. A specific example of the communication network is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the Internet, a mobile communication network, a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof. The physical network configuration of the data distribution system 1 is not limited to the tree type shown in FIG. 1, but may be a star type or the like.

  The MFPs 100a, 100b, 100c are connected to one of the servers 200a, 200b. MFP 100 is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus that forms image data, and is an embodiment of an information processing apparatus that generates data. However, a specific example of the information processing apparatus is not limited to the MFP 100, and may be a PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. Further, the data generated by the information processing apparatus is not limited to image data, and may employ any format such as text data, document data, and spreadsheet data.

  The servers 200a, 200b are connected to different MFPs 100a, 100b, 100c, respectively. Specifically, server 200a is connected to MFPs 100a and 100b, and server 200b is connected to MFP 100c. The number of MFPs 100 connected to each server 200 is not limited to the example in FIG. The correspondence between MFP 100 and server 200 is set for each of MFP 100 and server 200 by the administrator via operation panel 150 and operation unit 270 described below. The servers 200a and 200b are connected to the same management device 300.

  The management device 300 is connected to the servers 200a and 200b. The management device 300 stores a server ID for identifying the connected servers 200a and 200b. In the present embodiment, the server 200a is identified by the server ID “server-A”, and the server 200b is identified by the server ID “server-B”. Although a specific example of the server ID is not particularly limited, for example, an IP address, a MAC address, a computer name, and the like can be adopted.

  The servers 200a and 200b are installed on, for example, each floor or each base of an organization (for example, a company or a school) that introduces the data distribution system 1. That is, the servers 200a and 200b manage the MFPs 100 installed on each floor or each base. On the other hand, only one management device 300 needs to be installed in the data distribution system 1. The installation location of the management apparatus 300 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, one of a plurality of bases, a data center, or a cloud.

[Hardware Configuration of MFP 100, Server 200, and Management Device 300]
Next, hardware configurations of the MFP 100, the server 200, and the management device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the MFP 100 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 120, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 130, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 140, and an operation panel 150. , And I / F 160 are connected via a common bus 180. The I / F 160 is connected to a scanner unit 165 as an image reading device and a communication module 170 for transmitting and receiving data to and from another device via a communication network.

  CPU 110 is a computing unit, and controls the operation of MFP 100 as a whole. The RAM 120 is a volatile storage medium that can read and write information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 110 processes information. The ROM 130 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 140 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information and having a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The operation panel 150 is a user interface including a display for displaying a screen, a touch panel superimposed on the display, push buttons, and the like. The I / F 160 connects and controls the common bus 180 with various hardware and networks. Communication module 170 is a communication interface for MFP 100 to connect to a communication network. The scanner unit 165 is hardware that optically reads an image recorded on a document and forms image data.

  The server 200 and the management device 300 according to the present embodiment include the same configuration as a general server, PC, or the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the server 200 and the management device 300 are connected to the CPUs 210 and 310, the RAMs 220 and 320, the ROMs 230 and 330, the HDDs 240 and 340, and the I / Fs 250 and 350 via the common buses 290 and 390. Configuration. In addition, LCDs (Liquid Crystal Display) 260, 360, operation units 270, 370, and communication modules 280, 380 are connected to the I / Fs 250, 350.

  The configurations of the CPUs 210 and 310, the RAMs 220 and 320, the ROMs 230 and 330, the HDDs 240 and 340, and the communication modules 280 and 380 are the same as those of the CPU 110, the RAM 120, the ROM 130, the HDD 140, and the communication module 170. . The LCDs 260 and 360 are user interfaces for an administrator to check the status of the server 200 and the management device 300. The operation units 270 and 370 are user interfaces for an administrator to input information to the server 200 and the management device 300, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel.

  The MFP 100, the server 200, and the management device 300 having the above hardware configurations are loaded into the RAMs 120, 220, and 320 from storage media such as the control programs stored in the ROMs 130, 230, and 330 and the HDDs 140, 240, and 340. This is an apparatus that processes an information processing program (application program) and the like using the arithmetic functions of the CPUs 110, 210, and 310. The processing constitutes a software control unit including various functional modules of the MFP 100, the server 200, and the management device 300. Functional blocks that realize the functions of the MFP 100, the server 200, and the management device 300 according to the present embodiment are configured by a combination of the software control unit configured as described above and hardware resources including the above-described configuration. .

[Functional Configuration of Server 200]
Next, functional blocks of the server 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The server 200 includes a determination unit 201, a distribution destination acquisition unit 202, a storage control unit 203, a server storage unit 204, and a distribution unit 205. The determination unit 201, the distribution destination acquisition unit 202, the storage control unit 203, and the distribution unit 205 are realized by a controller that combines a software control unit and hardware. The server storage unit 204 is realized by the RAM 220 or the HDD 240.

  The determination unit 201 determines whether the account information input to the MFP 100 by the user via the operation panel 150 is stored in the server storage unit 204, and notifies the determination result to the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 and the distribution unit 205. More specifically, determination section 201 receives account information from MFP 100 through communication module 280, and determines whether or not the received account information is stored in server storage section 204.

  When the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is not stored, the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 acquires (receives) the distribution destination information input by the user to the MFP 100 from the MFP 100 via the communication module 280, and acquires The delivered destination information is transferred to the storage control unit 203. More specifically, distribution destination acquisition section 202 instructs the user to input distribution destination information to MFP 100 and receives distribution destination information input by the user from MFP 100. Further, the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 receives distribution setting information from the management device 300.

  The storage control unit 203 causes the server storage unit 204 to store the distribution setting information received from the MFP 100 or the management device 300 via the communication module 280. More specifically, when the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is not stored, the storage control unit 203 stores, in the server storage, the distribution setting information including the account information and the distribution destination information input to the MFP 100 by the user. The information is stored in the unit 204. In addition, when the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 receives the distribution setting information from the management device 300, the storage control unit 203 causes the server storage unit 204 to store the distribution setting information.

  The distribution setting information includes at least account information and distribution destination information. The account information is information for identifying a user of MFP 100, and is, for example, a combination of a user ID and a password. The distribution destination information is information indicating the distribution destination of the image data formed by MFP 100. The distribution destination information according to the present embodiment is, for example, a combination of a service ID for identifying a cloud service of a distribution destination and an authentication code indicating that the user has an access right to the cloud service.

  The distribution setting information may include other information necessary for distributing the image data, such as the resolution of the image data to be formed by the MFP 100, the file format of the image data, a storage folder in the cloud service, and the like. The distribution destination of the image data is not limited to the cloud service. As another example, the delivery destination information when the image data is attached to an e-mail and delivered is an e-mail address. As yet another example, distribution destination information when image data is stored in a local folder is a file path of the local folder.

  The distribution unit 205 distributes the image data formed by the MFP 100 to the distribution destination indicated by the distribution destination information. More specifically, distribution unit 205 instructs scanner unit 165 of MFP 100 to read an image recorded on a document and form image data, and transmits the image data received from MFP 100 through communication module 280 to distribution destination information. Is delivered through the communication module 280 to the delivery destination indicated by.

  Note that, when the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is not stored, the distribution unit 205 distributes the image data to the distribution destination indicated by the distribution destination information input to the MFP 100 by the user. On the other hand, when the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is stored, the distribution unit 205 sets the distribution destination indicated by the distribution destination information stored in the server storage unit 204 in association with the account information. Send image data.

[Function Configuration of Management Device 300]
Next, the functional blocks of the management device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. The management device 300 includes an extraction unit 301, a device storage unit 302, a transmission unit 303, and a detection unit 304. The extraction unit 301, the transmission unit 303, and the detection unit 304 are realized by a controller that combines a software control unit and hardware. The device storage unit 302 is realized by the RAM 320 or the HDD 340.

  The extraction unit 301 extracts (receives) the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204 of the server 200 through the communication module 380. More specifically, the extraction unit 301 inquires of the server 200 at predetermined time intervals whether or not new distribution setting information is stored in the server storage unit 204. Then, when receiving from the server 200 a response indicating that new distribution setting information exists, the extraction unit 301 receives the distribution setting information from the server 200 via the communication module 380.

  The device storage unit 302 stores the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit 301 in association with the extraction source server ID and the transmitted server ID. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the device storage unit 302 stores the distribution setting information (user ID, password, service ID, and authentication code) extracted from the server 200 and the server 200 from which the distribution setting information is extracted. An extraction source server ID for identifying the server 200 and a transmitted server ID for identifying the server 200 to which the distribution setting information has been transmitted are stored in association with each other.

  That is, distribution setting information including the user ID “userA”, the password “aaaaaa”, the service ID “CloudServiceA”, and the authentication code “111122223333” is extracted from the server 200a identified by the extraction source server ID “server-A”. This indicates that the data has already been transmitted to the server 200b identified by the transmitted server ID “server-B”. In addition, the delivery setting information including the user ID “userC”, the password “cccccc”, the service ID “CloudServiceB”, and the authentication code “444445556666” is extracted from the server 200a identified by the extraction source server ID “server-A”. This indicates that it has not been transmitted to another server 200 yet.

  The transmission unit 303 transmits the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit 302 to the server 200 other than the extraction source server 200 via the communication module 380. As an example, the transmission unit 303 may transmit the distribution setting information in real time at the timing when the extraction unit 301 extracts the distribution setting information or at the timing when the distribution setting information is stored in the device storage unit 302. As another example, when a predetermined time (eg, midnight, every hour) arrives, the transmission unit 303 may collectively transmit the distribution setting information received so far.

  The detecting unit 304 detects that a new server 200 has been connected to the data distribution system 1, and notifies the transmitting unit 303 of the detection result. As an example, the detection unit 304 may constantly monitor the communication network to detect that a new server 200 has been connected. As another example, when the server ID of the new server 200 is registered by the administrator via the operation unit 370, the detection unit 304 may detect that the server 200 is newly connected.

[Example of operation of data distribution system 1]
Next, an example of the operation of the data distribution system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, processing (data distribution processing) executed between MFP 100a and server 200a will be described with reference to FIGS. However, the processing described below is similarly executed between MFP 100b and server 200a and between MFP 100c and server 200b.

  The controller of the MFP 100a displays the login screen shown in FIG. 8 on the display of the operation panel 150 (S11). The login screen is a screen for instructing a user to input account information. The login screen includes, for example, a text box 401 for receiving an input of a user ID, a text box 402 for receiving an input of a password, and a [login] button 403 indicating that the input of account information has been completed.

  When the user inputs a user ID and a password through the operation panel 150 and presses the [login] button 403, the controller of the MFP 100a transmits the account information acquired from the user through the login screen to the server 200a (S12). Note that account information is not limited to being input through operation panel 150, and may be input by holding an IC card over an IC cart reader provided in MFP 100a.

  Next, when receiving the account information from the MFP 100a, the determination unit 201 of the server 200a determines whether the received account information is stored in the server storage unit 204 (S13). Then, the determination unit 201 notifies the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 and the distribution unit 205 of the determination result.

  When the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is not stored (S13: No), the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 executes login authentication (S14). The login authentication is a process of determining whether to permit the user identified by the account information to use the MFP 100a. In the present embodiment, the following processing will be described assuming that login authentication has succeeded. On the other hand, if the login authentication fails, the process returns to step S11, and the account information may be input again.

  Next, distribution destination acquiring section 202 transmits a distribution destination input instruction to MFP 100a (S15). The distribution destination input instruction is for instructing the user who has input the account information to input the distribution destination information to MFP 100a. The distribution destination input instruction according to the present embodiment instructs input of a service ID for identifying a cloud service and an authentication code issued by the cloud service identified by the service ID.

  Next, when receiving the distribution destination input instruction from the server 200a, the controller of the MFP 100a displays the distribution destination input screen shown in FIG. 9 on the display of the operation panel 150 (S16). The distribution destination input screen is a screen for instructing the user to input distribution destination information. The distribution destination input screen includes, for example, a pull-down menu 404 that receives selection of a service ID, a text box 405 that receives input of an authentication code, and a [NEXT] button 406 that indicates that input of distribution destination information has been completed. The distribution destination input screen may further include an object that receives an input (selection) such as a resolution of the image data, a file format of the image data, and a storage folder in the cloud service.

  Then, when the user selects a service ID through operation panel 150, inputs an authentication code corresponding to the service ID, and presses [NEXT] button 406, the controller of MFP 100a transmits the distribution destination information acquired through the distribution destination input screen. The data is transmitted to the server 200a (S17).

  Next, upon receiving the distribution destination information from the MFP 100a, the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 of the server 200a transmits the authentication code included in the distribution destination information to the cloud service identified by the service ID included in the distribution destination information. Then, the authentication result is received from the cloud service (S18). If the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 determines that the authentication has failed (S18: No), the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 executes the processing of step S15 and subsequent steps again. On the other hand, when determining that the authentication has succeeded (S18: Yes), the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 transfers the distribution destination information acquired from the MFP 100 to the storage control unit 203.

  Next, the storage control unit 203 of the server 200a causes the server storage unit 204 to store the distribution setting information including the account information acquired from the MFP 100a in Step S12 and the distribution destination information acquired from the MFP 100a in Step S17 (S19). ). That is, storage control section 203 causes server storage section 204 to store only the distribution setting information for which the account information has been successfully authenticated, among the distribution setting information acquired from MFP 100a.

  Next, the distribution unit 205 of the server 200a transmits a scan instruction to the MFP 100a (S20). The scan instruction instructs the scanner unit 165 of the MFP 100a to read an image recorded on a document and form image data. The “document” to be scanned includes any document, photograph, postcard, and the like.

  Next, when receiving the scan instruction from the server 200a, the controller of the MFP 100a causes the scanner unit 165 to execute the scan (S21). The scanner unit 165 causes an image recorded on a document set on a contact glass or an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) to be read by a contact image sensor (CIS) or a charge-coupled device (CCD), and an image indicating the image is read. Form the data. The image data formed here is a form of data generated in association with the account information input through the login screen. Then, the controller of the MFP 100a transmits the image data formed by the scanner unit 165 to the server 200a (S22).

  Next, when acquiring the image data from the MFP 100a, the distribution unit 205 distributes the image data to the destination indicated by the destination information acquired from the MFP 100a in step S17 (S23).

  On the other hand, when the determination unit 201 determines that the account information is stored (S13: Yes), the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 and the storage control unit 203 do not execute the processing of steps S14 to S19, and Proceed to processing. That is, the input operation of the distribution destination information by the user is omitted.

  When the determining unit 201 determines that the account information is stored (S13: Yes), the distribution unit 205 stores the distribution destination information stored in the server storage unit 204 in association with the account information. read out. Then, the distribution unit 205 distributes the image data acquired in Step S22 to the distribution destination indicated by the distribution destination information read from the server storage unit 204 (S23).

  Next, processing (information sharing processing) executed between the servers 200a and 200b and the management apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the processing in FIG. 10 will be described assuming that the distribution setting information (setting distribution information including the user ID “userC”) in the third line in FIG. 6 has not been stored in the device storage unit 302 yet. The process shown in FIG. 10 is executed asynchronously with the process shown in FIG. Further, the roles of the servers 200a and 200b in FIG. 10 may be reversed.

  The extraction unit 301 of the management device 300 inquires of the server 200a whether new distribution setting information is stored in the server storage unit 204 (S31). More specifically, the extraction unit 301 inquires of the server 200a whether or not there is distribution setting information that has not been transmitted to the management device 300 among the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204 in step S19 of FIG. . The controller of the server 200a replies to the inquiry from the management device 300 whether or not there is new distribution setting information (S32).

  Next, when the extraction unit 301 of the management device 300 receives from the server 200a that there is no new distribution setting information (S33: No), the extraction unit 301 executes the processing of step S31 and subsequent steps again after a predetermined time has elapsed. I do. That is, the extraction unit 301 inquires of the server 200a at predetermined time intervals whether there is new distribution setting information (S31 to S33).

  On the other hand, when the extraction unit 301 receives a response indicating that new distribution setting information exists from the server 200a (S33: Yes), the extracting unit 301 transmits a distribution setting information transmission instruction to the server 200a (S34). The distribution setting information transmission instruction instructs transmission of the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204.

  Next, when receiving the distribution setting information transmission instruction from the management device 300, the server 200a transmits the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204 to the management device 300 (S35). As an example, the server 200a may transmit only the distribution setting information that has not been transmitted to the management device 300 among the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204. In this case, a flag indicating whether or not the data has been transmitted to the management device 300 may be added to the distribution setting information. As another example, the server 200a may transmit all the distribution setting information stored in the server storage unit 204.

  Next, when the distribution setting information is received (extracted) from the server 200a, the extraction unit 301 of the management device 300 stores the distribution setting information in the device storage unit 302 (S36). As an example, when only the unextracted distribution setting information is received, the extraction unit 301 may store all the received distribution setting information in the device storage unit 302. As another example, when receiving all the distribution setting information stored in the server 200a, the extraction unit 301 extracts only the distribution setting information that is not yet stored in the device storage unit 302 among the received distribution setting information. , May be stored in the device storage unit 302.

  In the present embodiment, the distribution setting information (user ID “userC”, password “cccccc”, service ID “CloudServiceB”, authentication code “444445556666”) on the third line in FIG. 6 is newly stored in the device storage unit 302. Shall be. Further, the extraction unit 301 causes the device storage unit 302 to store the extraction source server ID “server-A” that identifies the server 200 a from which the distribution setting information is extracted, in association with the new distribution setting information. On the other hand, at this point, the item of the transmitted server ID is blank.

  Next, the transmission unit 303 of the management device 300 transmits the distribution setting information received from the server 200a to a server 200b different from the extraction source server 200a (S37). More specifically, the transmitting unit 303 sets “server-A” as the extraction source server ID and “server-B” as the transmitted server ID in the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit 302. The distribution setting information that has not been set is transmitted to the server 200b. Then, the transmission unit 303 sets “server-B” to the transmitted server ID associated with the distribution setting information transmitted to the server 200b.

  As an example, the transmitting unit 303 may transmit the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit 302 in the process after the process of step S36 is performed by the extracting unit 301 in real time. As another example, when a predetermined time (for example, every hour at midnight) arrives, the transmission unit 303 executes the processing of step S37 most recently and then stores all the data stored in the device storage unit 302. The distribution setting information may be transmitted together.

  Next, when the distribution destination acquisition unit 202 receives the distribution setting information from the management device 300, the storage control unit 203 of the server 200b stores the distribution setting information in the server storage unit 204 (S38). As a result, distribution setting information (S19) input by the user to MFP 100 managed by server 200 and distribution setting information (S38) received from management device 300 are stored in server storage unit 204. .

  Next, a process (system expansion process) when a new server 200c is connected to the data distribution system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that MFP 100d is connected to server 200c.

  The detection unit 304 of the management device 300 detects that a new server 200c has been connected to the data distribution system 1, and notifies the transmission unit 303 of the detection result. Although a specific method of detecting the server 200c by the detection unit 304 is not particularly limited, for example, the following method can be considered.

  As an example, the server 200c connected to the data distribution system 1 may transmit the server ID “server-C” to the management device 300 via the communication network. Then, when receiving the server ID “server-C” through the communication module 380, the detection unit 304 may detect the server 200c identified by the server ID “server-C”.

  As another example, the administrator of the data distribution system 1 may connect the server 200c to the data distribution system 1 and then register the server ID “server-C” in the management device 300 via the operation unit 370. Then, when the server ID “server-C” is registered via the operation unit 370, the detection unit 304 may detect the server 200c identified by the server ID “server-C”.

  Next, when the detecting unit 304 detects a new server 200c, the transmitting unit 303 of the management device 300 transmits the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit 302 to the server 200c. More specifically, the transmission unit 303 sets a server ID other than “server-C” as the extraction source server ID in the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit 302, and May be transmitted to the server 200c in which “server-C” is not set.

  According to the data distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment described above, for example, the distribution setting information input to the MFPs 100a and 100b managed by the server 200a is registered not only in the server 200a but also in the servers 200b and 200c. You. In other words, the server storage unit 204 of each of the servers 200a, 200b, and 200c stores not only the distribution setting information input to the MFP 100 managed by itself but also the distribution setting information input to the MFP 100 managed by the other server 200. Is also stored.

  This eliminates the need for the user to re-enter distribution destination information not only when performing data distribution using the MFP 100a that is normally used, but also when performing data distribution using the MFP 100c installed on another floor or base. . As a result, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the user's input work when using the data distribution system 1.

  In the data distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, even if the connection destination of the MFP 100a is changed from the server 200a to the server 200b, the distribution destination information input before the connection destination is changed is input after the connection destination is changed. There is no need to do it again. As a result, the complexity of the user's input work due to the configuration change of the data distribution system 1 is reduced.

  Further, according to the data distribution system 1 according to the present embodiment, the distribution setting information extracted from the existing servers 200a and 200b is registered in the newly connected server 200c. That is, when the user who normally uses the MFP 100a uses the newly installed MFP 100d, there is no need to input the distribution destination information again. As a result, the complexity of the user's input work due to the expansion of the data distribution system 1 is reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the example of the polling process in which the management device 300 periodically inquires the server 200 about the presence or absence of new distribution setting information has been described (S31 to S33). However, the trigger by which the management device 300 extracts the distribution setting information from the server 200 is not limited to the polling process. As another example, the server 200 may transmit the distribution setting information to the management device 300 after registering new distribution setting information in step S19. That is, the management device 300 may extract the distribution setting information at a timing when new distribution setting information is registered in the server 200.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the management device 300 extracts and stores the distribution setting information from each server 200, and each server 200 inquires the management device 300 of the presence or absence of the distribution setting information as necessary. Is also good. However, by registering the distribution setting information in each server 200 in advance, the response speed to the MFP 100 during data distribution is improved.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope thereof, and the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are described. Are all objects of the present invention. Although the above-described embodiment shows a preferred example, those skilled in the art can realize various modifications from the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included in the technical scope described in the claims.

1 Data distribution system 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d MFP
110, 210, 310 CPU
120, 220, 320 RAM
130, 230, 330 ROM
140, 240, 340 HDD
150 Operation panel 160, 250, 350 I / F
165 Scanner unit 170, 280, 380 Communication module 180, 290, 390 Common bus 200, 200a, 200b, 200c Server 201 Judgment unit 202 Distribution destination acquisition unit 203 Storage control unit 204 Server storage unit 205 Distribution unit 260, 360 LCD
270, 370 Operation unit 300 Management device 301 Extraction unit 302 Device storage unit 303 Transmission unit 304 Detection unit 401, 402, 405 Text box 403 [Login] button 404 Pulldown menu 405 [NEXT] button

JP 2011-130272 A

Claims (7)

A management device connected to a data distribution system including a plurality of information processing devices and a plurality of servers each connected to the different information processing device and distributing data generated by the information processing device,
A first method of distributing data generated by the first information processing device to the distribution destination, including distribution setting information including an account for identifying a user and a distribution destination of data generated by the first information processing device in association with the account. An extraction unit that extracts from the server;
A storage unit that stores the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit,
A transmission unit that transmits the distribution setting information stored in the storage unit to a second server;
A management device comprising: The extraction unit extracts only the distribution setting information whose account has been authenticated by the first server from among the distribution setting information input by the user to the first information processing apparatus;
The management device according to claim 1, wherein: The extraction unit includes:
Inquiring of the first server at predetermined time intervals for the presence or absence of the new distribution setting information,
Extracting, from the first server, the distribution setting information when receiving a response that the new distribution setting information exists from the first server;
The management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The extraction unit extracts all the distribution setting information stored in the first server,
The storage unit, among the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit, newly stores only the distribution setting information not yet stored in the storage unit,
The transmission unit transmits the distribution setting information newly stored in the storage unit to the second server,
The management device according to claim 1, wherein: A third server that distributes the data generated by the second information processing apparatus includes a detection unit that detects that the third server is connected to the data distribution system;
The transmission unit transmits the distribution setting information stored in the storage unit to the third server when the detection unit detects the third server.
The management device according to claim 1, wherein: A data distribution system comprising: a plurality of information processing apparatuses; a plurality of servers each connected to the different one of the information processing apparatuses, for distributing data generated by the information processing apparatuses; and a management apparatus connected to the plurality of servers. The system
The server is
A determining unit that determines whether account information input by the user to the information processing device is stored in a server storage unit,
A delivery destination acquisition unit that, when the determination unit determines that the account information is not stored, acquires delivery destination information input to the information processing apparatus by a user;
A storage control unit configured to store in the server storage unit the distribution setting information including the account information and the distribution destination information input by the user to the information processing device, or the distribution setting information received from the management device;
A distribution unit that distributes the data generated by the information processing device,
The distribution unit,
When it is determined that the account information is not stored by the determination unit, distributes data to a destination indicated by the destination information that the user has input to the information processing apparatus,
When it is determined that the account information is stored by the determination unit, distributes data to a distribution destination indicated by the distribution destination information stored in the server storage unit in association with the account information,
The management device,
An extraction unit configured to extract the distribution setting information from one of the plurality of servers;
A device storage unit that stores the distribution setting information extracted by the extraction unit,
A transmission unit that transmits the distribution setting information stored in the device storage unit to the server different from the server from which the distribution setting information is extracted,
A data distribution system comprising: A program for a management device connected to a data distribution system including a plurality of information processing devices and a plurality of servers each connected to a different one of the information processing devices and distributing data generated by the information processing device. ,
A first method of distributing data generated by the first information processing device to the distribution destination, including distribution setting information including an account for identifying a user and a distribution destination of data generated by the first information processing device in association with the account. Extracting from the server;
Storing the extracted distribution setting information;
Transmitting the stored distribution setting information to a second server;
A program for causing the management device to execute the program.