JP2023127720A - Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To recommend, for every user, a function that is convenient for users to use.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a storage unit that stores, for every user, a use history in which a user uses an application or functions of the application; a control unit that determines a function to be recommended to every user based on the use history stored in the storage unit; and a notification unit that notifies the function to be recommended to every user. The image forming apparatus can thus recommend, for every user, a function that is convenient for users to use.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program.

The image forming apparatus can execute a convenient application or each function of the application. However, there is a problem in that users are not aware of such convenient functions and are unable to use them.

Here, a technique is known that recommends functions related to frequently used functions (see Patent Document 1). For example, in Patent Document 1, optional functions related to frequently used functions are recommended from among optional functions executable by an image forming apparatus.

However, among the users of the image forming apparatus, there may be users who are unable to utilize the functions because they are unaware of the functions that would be convenient to use. Further, the functions used differ depending on the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to recommend functions that are convenient to use for each user.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, the present invention includes a storage unit that stores usage history of an application or each function of the application by a user for each user; The present invention is characterized by comprising a control unit that determines the recommended functions for each user based on the usage history, and a notification unit that notifies each user of the recommended functions.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, functions that are convenient to use can be recommended for each user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram showing usage history stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing recommendation data referred to by the control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a recommendation screen displayed on the display in steps S403 to S405 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of a recommendation screen displayed on the display 15 in step S408 of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a selection screen that is determined by the control unit and displayed on the display in step S403 of FIG. 4 when there are a plurality of recommended functions. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the recommendation screen displayed on the display in steps S403 to S405 of FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a plurality of image forming apparatuses including the image forming apparatus of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG.

Embodiments of an image forming apparatus, an image forming method, and a program will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent scope. . Various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations of constituent elements can be made without departing from the gist of the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a memory 10, a nonvolatile storage area 11, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12, a printing device 13, an input device 14, a display 15, and a communication means 16.

The nonvolatile storage area 11 is a read-only nonvolatile storage device. The nonvolatile storage area 11 stores programs such as an OS (Operating System) of an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), applications, SDK (Software Development Kit), and API (Application Programming Interface). An MFP is an image forming device that has a scanner function, a copy function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and the like.

For example, the nonvolatile storage area 11 stores an application that executes a copy process (hereinafter referred to as a copy process application), which will be described later, and an application that executes a scan process (hereinafter, referred to as a scan process application) that will be described later. Remember.

The memory 10 is a memory for operating the OS and programs in the nonvolatile storage area 11.

The CPU 12 performs overall control of the device. The CPU 12 executes programs such as the OS and applications in the nonvolatile storage area 11.

The printing device 13 is a device that prints a paper document. Here, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a reading device that can read printed matter as an image, a paper storage section that stores paper as a print medium, and a paper discharge tray.

For example, as application processing, the CPU 12 causes the printing device 13 to execute a copying process of printing an image read by a reading device. In the copy process, the paper is transported from the paper storage section under the control of the CPU 12, the printing device 13 prints an image on the transported paper, and the paper on which the image is printed is transported to the paper output tray under the control of the CPU 12. be done.

The copy process includes, for example, a function "color" for executing a color copy, a function "monochrome" for executing a monochrome copy, a function "two-color" for executing a two-color copy, and a function "aggregate" for executing an aggregate copy. For example, in copy processing, when executing one of the functions ``color'', ``monochrome'', or ``two-color'', when printing an image read by a reading device, and then executing the function ``consolidation'' , aggregate and print the images.

Here, the user can use each function of the copy process by installing a copy process application on the terminal used by the user. For example, a user can use each function of copy processing using the user's terminal. Specifically, the CPU 12 causes the printing device 13 to perform a copy process of printing an image on paper based on print data transmitted from the user's terminal.

Further, for example, as application processing, the CPU 12 causes the printing device 13 to execute a scanning process for saving an image read by the reading device in the user's terminal.

The scan process includes, for example, a function "scan" to perform a scan, and a function "aggregation" to perform aggregation. For example, in scanning processing, when executing the function "scan", images read by a reading device are saved on the user's terminal, and when executing functions "scan" and "aggregate", the images are aggregated. , saved on the user's device.

Here, the user can use each function of the scan process by installing a scan process application on the user's terminal. That is, the image on which the scan process has been executed is saved on a terminal in which the scan process application has been installed.

The input device 14 has a function of accepting input operations by a user. Examples of the input device 14 include a touch panel, a keyboard, a switch, and the like.

The display 15 has a function of displaying operation results and the like. Examples of the display 15 include a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (Electronic Luminescent) panel, and the like. Note that when the input device 14 and the display 15 constitute a touch panel display, for example, the input device 14 and the display 15 have a function of accepting input operations by the user and a function of displaying the results of the operations. The display 15 is an example of a display section.

The communication means 16 is a network communication means such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The communication means 16 is used to communicate with other devices on a LAN (Local Area Network) and to communicate with a cloud server on the Internet via the LAN.

Here, the image forming apparatus 1 performs user authentication in order to manage the usage history of each of the plurality of users. That is, each user needs to log into the image forming apparatus 1 when using the image forming apparatus 1. Here, the processing at the time of login will be explained.

For example, in the image forming apparatus 1, the memory 10 stores a plurality of pieces of user information that respectively identify a plurality of users. The user information includes a user ID and the like. The user logs in in advance using user information registered in the image forming apparatus 1. For example, the user uses the input device 14 of the image forming apparatus 1 to request the image forming apparatus 1 for authentication. The authentication request includes user information.

The CPU 12 of the image forming apparatus 1 compares the user information included in the user's request with the user information held by the image forming apparatus 1. If the comparison results in a match, the CPU 12 of the image forming apparatus 1 causes the display 15 to display a screen indicating that the request has been authenticated. In this case, each user can use the application of the image forming apparatus 1 or each function of the application.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 includes an application 20, a storage section 21, and a recommendation function module 22.

The application 20 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the application stored in the nonvolatile storage area 11 in FIG. 1, for example. That is, the nonvolatile storage area 11 stores, as the applications 20, the above-described copy processing application "copy" and the above-described scan processing application "scan".

The storage unit 21 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the memory 10 in FIG. 1, for example. The storage unit 21 stores a usage history 300, which will be described later.

The recommendation function module 22 in FIG. 2 corresponds to, for example, the CPU 12 in FIG. 1. The recommendation function module 22 executes a control section 22A and a notification section 22B. The control unit 22A and the notification unit 22B are recorded in the memory 10 in the form of programs executable by a computer, for example, and the recommendation function module 22 reads each program from the memory 10 and executes it.

For example, in process I shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 22A causes the storage unit 21 to store a usage history 300 in which a user used an application or each function of the application for each user. Specifically, the storage unit 21 stores, for each user, the number of times the user used each function of the application as the usage history 300.

Next, in process II shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 22A monitors the usage history 300 stored in the storage unit 21 for each user based on the recommendation data 310 including a preset threshold value. The recommendation data 310 will be described later.

Next, in process III shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 22A determines recommended functions for each user based on the usage history 300 stored in the storage unit 21. Specifically, the control unit 22A compares the number of times each user used each function of the application as the usage history 300 with a threshold value included in the recommendation data 310 for each user, and based on the comparison result, For each user, a function that is used less frequently is determined as a recommended function.

Next, in process IV shown in FIG. 2, the notification unit 22B notifies each user of recommended functions. Specifically, the notification unit 22B notifies each user by displaying on the display 15 a screen representing recommendation information for recommending the function determined by the control unit 22A.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a usage history 300 stored in the storage unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the storage unit 21 stores, as the usage history 300, the type of application function, the application name, the function ID, the user ID of each of a plurality of users, and the information used by the user with the user ID. The number of times is stored. For example, the user ID of one user among the plurality of users is "user 1" and the user ID of the other one user is "user 2."

For example, the storage unit 21 stores "aggregation" which is the function type of the scan processing application, the application name "xx.xx.xx.scan", and the function ID "00000001" of the function "aggregation". Ru. Correspondingly, as the usage history 300, the storage unit 21 stores the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 1" has used "2" and the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 2" has used the "17" is stored.

For example, the storage unit 21 stores "color" which is the function type of the copy processing application, the application name "xx.xx.xx.copy", and the function ID "00000001" of the function "color". Ru. In association with these, the storage unit 21 stores, as the usage history 300, the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 1" has used "100" and the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 2" has used the "5" is stored.

For example, the storage unit 21 stores "monochrome" which is the function type of the copy processing application, the application name "xx.xx.xx.copy", and the function ID "00000002" of the function "monochrome". Ru. In association with these, as the usage history 300, the storage unit 21 stores the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 1" has used "50" and the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 2" has used the number "50". "50" is stored.

For example, in the storage unit 21, the function type of the copy processing application "two colors", the application name "xx.xx.xx.copy", and the function ID "00000003" of the function "two colors" are stored. be remembered. Correspondingly, as the usage history 300, the storage unit 21 stores the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 1" has used "0" and the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 2" has used the "50" is stored.

For example, the storage unit 21 stores "scan" which is the function type of the scan processing application, the application name "xx.xx.xx.scan", and the function ID "00012345" of the function "aggregate". Ru. In association with these, the storage unit 21 stores, as the usage history 300, the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 1" has used "100" and the number of times the user whose user ID is "User 2" has used the "20" is stored.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing recommendation data 310 referred to by the control unit 22A of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. For example, the recommendation data 310 is stored in the storage unit 21 in advance, and the control unit 22A refers to the recommendation data 310 in the storage unit 21.

In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the storage unit 21 stores the type of application function, a reference function, a threshold value, and a recommendation function as recommendation data 310.

For example, the storage unit 21 contains "aggregation" which is the function type of the scan processing application, reference functions "xx.xx.xx.scan_00000001", "xx.xx.xx.scan_00012345", and threshold value "U_5". , "M_50" are stored. In association with these, a recommendation function “xx.xx.xx.scan_00000001” is stored in the storage unit 21 as the recommendation data 310.

For example, the storage unit 21 stores "two colors" which is the function type of the copy processing application, and the reference functions "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000001", "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000002", and "xx.xx". xx.copy_00000003” and threshold values “M_30”, “M_30”, and “U_5” are stored. In association with these, a recommendation function “xx.xx.xx.copy_00000003” is stored in the storage unit 21 as the recommendation data 310.

For example, the storage unit 21 stores “monochrome” which is the function type of the copy processing application, a reference function “xx.xx.xx.copy_00000001”, and a threshold value “M_100”. In association with these, a recommendation function “xx.xx.xx.copy_00000002” is stored in the storage unit 21 as the recommendation data 310.

As described above, the control unit 22A compares the number of times each user has used each function of the application as the usage history 300 with the threshold value included in the recommendation data 310 for each user, and based on the comparison result, For each user, a function that is used less frequently is determined as a recommended function. This will be explained using FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B.

First, in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B, the reference function "xx.xx.xx.scan_00000001" associated with the scan processing application function "Aggregation" and the threshold "U_5" indicate the number of times the function "Aggregation" is used. This indicates that the number of times is 5 or less. Further, the reference function “xx.xx.xx.scan_00012345” and the threshold value “M_50” indicate that the function “scan” has been used 50 times or more.

For example, the control unit 22A stores, as the usage history 300, the number of times the user used each function "Aggregation" and "Scan" of the scan processing application, and the thresholds "U_5" and "M_50" included in the recommendation data 310. Compare. Here, in the usage history 300 of FIG. 3A, the user ID is "User 1" as a user who has used the function "Aggregation" 5 times or less and has used the function "Scan" 50 times or more. User is applicable.

In this case, the control unit 22A determines the recommendation function "xx.xx.xx.scan_00000001" in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B based on the comparison result. Specifically, the control unit 22A determines the scan processing application function "Aggregation" as a function that is used less frequently by the user "User 1".

In this way, in a scan processing application, users who have used the function "Aggregation" five times or less and have used the function "Scan" more than 50 times do not use the aggregation function much. In this embodiment, an aggregation function is recommended. That is, the notification unit 22B recommends to the user the scan processing application function “aggregation” determined by the control unit 22A.

Next, in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B, the reference function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000001" associated with the function "two colors" of the copy processing application and the threshold value "M_30" indicate the use of the function "color". This indicates that the number of times has been 30 or more. Further, the reference function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000002" and the threshold value "M_30" indicate that the number of times the function "monochrome" has been used is 30 or more. Further, the reference function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000003" and the threshold value "U_5" indicate that the number of times the function "two colors" is used is 5 or less.

For example, the control unit 22A stores, as the user's usage history 300, the number of times the user has used each function "color", "monochrome", and "two-color" of the copy processing application, and the threshold value included in the recommendation data 310. Compare "M_30", "M_30", and "U_5". Here, in the usage history 300 of FIG. 3A, the user ID is " This corresponds to the user "User 1".

In this case, the control unit 22A determines the recommendation function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000003" in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B based on the comparison result. Specifically, the control unit 22A determines the copy processing application function "Two Colors" as a function that is used less frequently by the user "User 1".

In this way, in copy processing applications, users who use color copying and monochrome copying 30 or more times and two-color copying less than five times do not use two-color copying very often. , In this embodiment, a two-color function is recommended. That is, the notification unit 22B recommends to the user the copy processing application function “two colors” determined by the control unit 22A.

Next, in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B, the reference function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000001" associated with the function "monochrome" of the copy processing application and the threshold value "M_100" are the number of times the function "color" is used. is 100 times or more.

For example, the control unit 22A compares, as the user's usage history 300, the number of times the user has used the function “monochrome” of the copy processing application with a threshold value “M_100” included in the recommendation data 310. Here, in the usage history 300 of FIG. 3A, the user whose user ID is "user 1" corresponds to the user who has used the function "color" 100 times or more.

In this case, the control unit 22A determines the recommendation function "xx.xx.xx.copy_00000002" in the recommendation data 310 of FIG. 3B based on the comparison result. Specifically, the control unit 22A determines the copy processing application function "monochrome" as a function that is used less frequently by the user "user 1".

As described above, in a copy processing application, a user who has used color copying 100 times or more does not use monochrome copying much, and therefore monochrome copying is recommended in this embodiment. That is, the notification unit 22B recommends to the user the copy processing application function “monochrome” determined by the control unit 22A.

Next, processing of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

First, in step S401 in FIG. 4, the user logs in by inputting user information using the input device 14 of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, in step S402 of FIG. 4, the control unit 22A of the image forming apparatus 1 asks the logged-in user whether or not there is a function determined by the control unit 22A that is rarely used. judge.

Here, if there is a function that is used less frequently for the logged-in user (step S402; YES), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 proceeds to step S403 in FIG. 4. On the other hand, if there is no function that is used less frequently for the logged-in user (step S402; NO), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 proceeds to step S408 in FIG. 4.

Here, the control unit 22A determines the functions that are used less frequently for each user based on the result of comparing the number of times each function of the application is used by the logged-in user and the threshold value included in the recommendation data. There is. Therefore, in step S403 of FIG. 4, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user by displaying on the display 15 a recommendation screen representing recommendation information for recommending the determined function. .

In step S404 of FIG. 4, the control unit 22A determines whether the logged-in user has already installed an application that executes a function that is used infrequently.

Here, if an application that executes a function that is used less frequently has not been installed (step S404; NO), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 proceeds to step S405 in FIG. 4. On the other hand, if an application that executes an infrequently used function has been installed (step S404; YES), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 proceeds to step S408 in FIG. 4.

In step S405 of FIG. 4, the notification unit 22B displays a selection column on the recommendation screen for the logged-in user to allow the user to select whether or not to install an application that executes an infrequently used function. Display.

Here, if the user selects to install an application that executes a function that is rarely used in the selection field on the recommendation screen (step S405; YES), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 is performed in step S406 in FIG. Proceed to. On the other hand, if the user selects not to install an application that executes an infrequently used function in the selection column on the recommendation screen (step S405; NO), the process of the image forming apparatus 1 returns to step S408 in FIG. move on.

In step S406 of FIG. 4, the notification unit 22B causes the logged-in user to transition to a site where an application that executes a function that is used infrequently is installed. Then, in step S407 in FIG. 4, the logged-in user installs an application that executes a function that is rarely used.

In step S408 in FIG. 4, the notification unit 22B displays the installed application on the display 15 for the logged-in user. Then, in step S409 of FIG. 4, the control unit 22A sets a job for executing the function of the installed application (a function that is rarely used), and in step S410 of FIG. Execute the job you created.

Thereafter, in step S411 in FIG. 4, the user logs out using the input device 14 of the image forming apparatus 1. Here, in step S412 in FIG. 4, the control unit 22A of the image forming apparatus 1 causes the storage unit 21 to store the usage history of the logged-in user using the functions of the application.

At this time, in step S413 in FIG. 4, the storage unit 21 totals the usage history by storing, for each user, the number of times the user used each function of the application as the usage history. Note that in step S414 in FIG. 4, if a new application exists, the storage unit 21 updates the recommendation data.

Note that if the user is a guest, the image forming apparatus 1 does not perform any processing because the user does not have the authority to install. The control unit 22A stores the usage history of the application or each function of the application by a user who has not performed user authentication in the storage unit 21 as no user, and stores the usage history of the application or each function of the application by a user who has not performed user authentication, and stores the usage history of the application or each function of the application by a user who has not performed user authentication. may be recommended.

Further, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user by displaying a recommendation screen on the display 15, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 22A determines for each user a function that is rarely used as a recommended function, and the notification unit 22B sends recommendation information for recommending the function determined for each user to each user's terminal. Recommended functions may be notified to each user by transmitting the recommended function to each user.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a recommendation screen 500 displayed on the display 15 in steps S403 to S405 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of the recommendation screen 510 displayed on the display 15 in step S408 of FIG.

In the example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, it is assumed that the function determined by the control unit 22A is the function "aggregation" of the copy processing application. That is, a function that is used less frequently by the logged-in user is the function "aggregation" of the copy processing application. In this case, the notification unit 22B causes the display 15 to display a recommendation screen 500 representing recommendation information for recommending the determined function "aggregation" to the logged-in user.

Specifically, in the example shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the recommendation screen 500 includes a display field 501 that recommends the function "aggregation" of the copy processing application, and a display field 502 that represents an image of the function "aggregation". , and a display field 503 representing an explanatory text of the function "Aggregation" are displayed.

For example, assume that the logged-in user has not installed a copy processing application that executes the function "aggregation" recommended by the notification unit 22B. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 5A, the recommendation screen 500 further includes a selection button 504A "Install" and a selection button 504B "Do not install" for allowing the user to select whether or not to install the copy processing application. is displayed.

In this manner, the notification unit 22B notifies a user who has not installed the copy processing application of installation selection information for allowing the user to select whether or not to install the application. That is, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user of the installation selection information by displaying the recommendation screen 500 including selection buttons 504A and 504B on the display 15.

Here, when the logged-in user operates the selection button 504A "Install", steps S406 and S407 in FIG. 4 are executed, and the logged-in user installs the copy processing application. In this case, the logged in user can perform additional installations. On the other hand, when the logged-in user operates the selection button 504B "Do not install", step S408 in FIG. 4 is executed.

Further, for example, it is assumed that the logged-in user has installed a copy processing application that executes the function "aggregation" recommended by the notification unit 22B. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 5B, the recommendation screen 500 further includes a selection button 505A "Open app" for allowing the user to select whether or not to open (or execute) the copy processing application. , a selection button 505B "Close" is displayed.

In this manner, the notification unit 22B notifies a user who has installed the copy processing application of the function execution information for executing the function "aggregation" of the application. That is, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user of the function execution information by displaying the recommendation screen 500 including the selection buttons 505A and 505B on the display 15.

Here, if the logged-in user operates the selection button 505A "Open app", step S408 in FIG. 4 is executed. On the other hand, when the logged-in user operates the selection button 505B "Close", the processing of the image forming apparatus 1 ends.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen 600 that is determined by the control unit 22A in step S403 of FIG. 4 and that is displayed on the display 15 when a plurality of recommended functions exist. That is, this is an example of a screen displayed on the display 15 when a plurality of functions are recommended to a logged-in user.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that there are a plurality of recommended functions as the functions determined by the control unit 22A, and the plurality of recommended functions are the function "aggregation" and the function "color setting" of the copy processing application. In this case, the notification unit 22B displays a selection screen 600 on the display 15 for the logged-in user to select one of the multiple recommended functions "aggregation" and "color setting". let

Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the selection screen 600 displays a display field 601 that recommends the copy processing application functions "aggregation" and "color setting". Furthermore, the selection screen 600 includes a selection button 602A "Aggregation Copy" for allowing the user to select the function "Aggregation", a selection button 602B "Color Setting" for allowing the user to select the function "Color Setting", and a selection button 602B "Color Setting" for allowing the user to select the function "Color Setting". A button 603 "Close" is displayed.

In this way, when there are multiple functions recommended to the logged-in user, the notification unit 22B sends the function selection information for causing the user to select one of the multiple functions. Notify the user. That is, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user of the function selection information by displaying the selection screen 600 including the selection buttons 602A and 602B on the display 15.

Here, when the logged-in user operates the selection button 602A "aggregate copy", the notification unit 22B causes the display 15 to display a recommendation screen 500 that recommends the function "aggregate" to the user. On the other hand, when the logged-in user operates the selection button 602B "color setting", the notification unit 22B causes the display 15 to display a recommendation screen that recommends the function "color setting" to the user.

Note that when the logged-in user operates the selection button 603 "Close", the processing of the image forming apparatus 1 ends.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the recommendation screen 500 displayed on the display 15 in steps S403 to S405 of FIG. 4.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, in the recommendation screen 500, a display field 503 representing an explanatory text for the function "Aggregation" of the copy processing application further displays details of the explanation of the function "Aggregation" in the form of diagrams, videos, etc. , detailed information 700 to be displayed on the terminal of the logged-in user is displayed. The detailed information 700 is a QR code (registered trademark) or a URL, and for example, in the display field 503, a display field 701 that guides the detailed information 700 is displayed together with the detailed information 700.

In this way, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user of the detailed information 700 (QR code (registered trademark) or URL) for displaying the details of the recommended function on the user's terminal. do. That is, the notification unit 22B notifies the logged-in user of the detailed information 700 by displaying a recommendation screen 500 including a QR code (registered trademark) or URL on the display 15.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C including the image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. For example, the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C enable communication between the image forming apparatuses and the aggregation server 2, and collect the aggregation results not by the image forming apparatus alone but by the aggregation server 2, which is an external server. Recommendation data 310 is generated based on the information.

In the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C, the recommendation function module 22 further executes a notification section 22C and an acquisition section 22D.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the notification units 22C of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C notify the aggregation server 4 of the usage history 300 stored in the storage unit 21. The aggregation server 2 aggregates the usage history 300 notified from the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C. Here, the aggregation server 2 feeds back the aggregation results 800 to the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C by transmitting the aggregation history 300 as the aggregation results 800.

The acquisition units 22D of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C acquire the total results 800 fed back from the total server 2. The control unit 22A of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1A to 1C updates the recommendation data 310 (for example, updates the threshold value) based on the acquired total result 800, and determines the recommended function for each user.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 22A causes the storage unit 21 to store the usage history 300 in which the user used the application or each function of the application for each user. Then, the control unit 22A determines the recommended functions for each user based on the usage history 300, and the notification unit 22B notifies each user of the recommended functions.

Specifically, the storage unit 21 stores, for each user, the number of times the user used each function of the application as the usage history 300. Then, the control unit 22A compares the number of times with a preset threshold value for each user, and based on the comparison result, determines a function that is used less frequently for each user as a recommended function.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if there are users of the image forming apparatus 1 who are not aware of the functions that would be convenient to use and are not able to use the functions, the users may not be able to use the functions that would be convenient if they were to use them. It can be recommended every time.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 22B also provides information (selection button A recommendation screen 500) including 504A and 504B is notified to the user. Therefore, the user can utilize convenient functions by installing an application that executes the recommended functions.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 22B also provides information (including selection buttons 505A and 505B) for executing the function of the application to the user who has installed the application that executes the recommended function. Recommendation screen 500) is notified to the user. Therefore, a user who has installed the application can execute the recommended function by operating the selection button, for example.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 22B also provides information that allows the user to select one function from among the plurality of functions when there are a plurality of functions to be recommended to the user. (selection screen 600 including selection buttons 602A and 602B) is notified to the user. Therefore, the user can select one of the recommended functions by operating the selection button, for example.

In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 22B also provides information (recommended screen including QR code (registered trademark) or URL) to be displayed on the user's terminal with details of the functions recommended to the user. 500) to the user. Therefore, the user can use the recommended function after understanding it, for example, by displaying the details of the recommended function on the user's terminal.

Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the notification unit 22C notifies the external server (aggregation server 2) of the usage history 300. Then, the acquisition unit 22D acquires from the external server the aggregated results 800 of the usage history 300 notified from the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1 to the external server. The control unit 22A determines the recommended functions for each user based on the total result 800 acquired by the acquisition unit 22D.

Therefore, in this embodiment, functions that are convenient to use can be recommended for each user after considering the usage history 300 of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 1.

Note that the program executed by the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

For example, programs executed on the image forming apparatus 1, the user's terminal, and the aggregation server 2 may be stored in installable or executable files on a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD. The information may be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a digital versatile disk (Digital Versatile Disk).

Further, the program is configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by downloading via the network. It's okay. Further, the program executed by the image forming apparatus 1, the user's terminal, and the aggregation server 2 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The programs executed by the image forming apparatus 1, the user's terminal, and the aggregation server 2 have a module configuration including each of the above-mentioned parts (each functional structure), and the actual hardware includes the CPU (processor) described above. By reading the program from the ROM and executing it, each of the above functions is loaded onto the main memory, and each function of the image forming apparatus 1, the user's terminal, and the aggregation server 2 is generated on the main memory. It has become.

1 Image forming apparatus 10 Memory 11 Non-volatile storage area 12 CPU
13 Printing device 14 Input device 15 Display 16 Communication means 20 Application 21 Storage unit 22 Recommendation function module 22A Control unit 22B Notification unit 300 Usage history 310 Recommendation data 500 Recommendation screens 501 to 503 Display fields 504A, 504A Selection buttons 505A, 505A Selection buttons 600 Selection screen 601 Display fields 602A, 602B Selection button 603 Selection button 700 Detailed information 701 Display field 800 Total result

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-055339

Claims (9)

a storage unit that stores usage history of the application or each function of the application for each user;
a control unit that determines recommended functions for each user based on the usage history stored in the storage unit;
a notification unit that notifies each user of the recommended function;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The storage unit stores, for each user, the number of times the user has used each function of the application as the usage history,
The control unit compares the number of times with a preset threshold for each user, and based on the comparison result, determines a function that is used less frequently for each user as the recommended function.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The notification unit notifies the user who has not installed an application that executes the recommended function of information that allows the user to select whether or not to install the application.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The notification unit notifies the user who has installed an application that executes the recommended function of information for executing the function of the application.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The notification unit notifies the user of information that causes the user to select one of the plurality of functions when there are a plurality of the recommended functions for the user.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The notification unit notifies the user of information for displaying details of the recommended function on the user's terminal;
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. a notification unit that notifies an external server of the usage history;
an acquisition unit that acquires, from the external server, aggregated results of the usage history notified from the plurality of image forming apparatuses to the external server;
further comprising;
The control unit determines the recommended functions for each user based on the aggregation results acquired by the acquisition unit.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An image forming method executed by an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:
The image forming apparatus includes:
storing a usage history of the application or each function of the application by the user in a storage unit for each user;
determining recommended functions for each user based on the usage history stored in the storage unit;
a step of notifying each user of the recommended function;
An image forming method including. storing a usage history of the application or each function of the application by the user in a storage unit for each user;
determining recommended functions for each user based on the usage history stored in the storage unit;
Notifying each user of the recommended function;
A program that causes a computer to execute

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