JP4016634B2 - Image processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and in particular, image processing for developing and recording image data as drawing data after receiving or accumulating image data sent from a communication terminal connected to a network. The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having a function for appropriately managing address information by a management server when the apparatus is managed by a management server connected to a network.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, the use of the Internet has become widespread, and various technologies and services have been provided for the use.
[0003]
Concerning printers as well, by connecting to a network, it is possible to use the printer from a remote location or to share a single printer, and convenience has been improved.
[0004]
In addition, the Internet and intranets have become widespread, and it has become possible to communicate with connection terminals all over the world and to obtain necessary information freely.
[0005]
The Internet and Intranet use TCP / IP (a combination of Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol) as a network protocol, and each connected device has a unique address called an IP (Internet Protocol) address. Have. Based on this, a packet is transmitted and communication is performed. Also in an image forming apparatus such as a printer apparatus, printing processing is performed using an application on TCP / IP.
[0006]
However, IP addresses, which are a series of numbers, are difficult for humans to remember and handle. In order to make this easy to handle, DNS (Domain Name System) has been devised. This method is defined in RFC (Request For Comet) 1034 and RFC1035. The RFC is a document that describes a TCP / IP standard created by an organization called IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).
[0007]
By using DNS, an IP address is associated with a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), and a terminal can be specified by using an FQDN including a host name and a domain name instead of a numerical IP address.
[0008]
On the other hand, in recent years, the network has grown rapidly, and the burden on network management has become enormous. Thus, an automatic address assignment function typified by DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) has been devised. DHCP is an address management method in which a server centrally manages address information and automatically distributes it, and is defined in RFC1514. By using DHCP, the address manager does not need to set an address for each terminal, and management can be performed easily.
[0009]
However, when automatic address assignment is performed, a terminal having a certain FQDN does not always acquire the same address. In such a situation, there is a problem that the FQDN and the IP address cannot be managed with a one-to-one static database. In order to solve this problem, a function called dynamic DNS has been devised. The dynamic DNS has a function in which a client itself registers a pair of an FQDN and an IP address given to the own device in a DNS server, and is defined in RFC2136. By using dynamic DNS, the DNS database can be automatically updated to the correct one by each client even when the IP address changes.
[0010]
In the dynamic DNS, the format of the update packet for deleting information on the server database from the client is specified. In order to use this, it is necessary to hold information to be deleted. A terminal in which power supply is not unexpectedly turned on / off can detect a change in the automatically assigned address and perform change registration with the DNS server based on this, thereby operating a correct DNS server. That is, change registration is normally performed in the DNS server by an initialization process performed when the power is turned on, a termination process performed when the power is turned off, and the like, thereby enabling correct DNS server operation.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, depending on the use form of the client, there are cases where the database on the DNS server cannot always be made correct by simply introducing the dynamic DNS.
[0012]
As an example of a dynamic DNS client, a terminal such as a printer that is frequently turned on and off by a user can be considered. In such a terminal, especially when the address information of the client changes after the power is turned off, the old domain information before the power is turned off is not deleted and is retained in the server database for a long time.
[0013]
If the old domain information remains on the server, there is a problem that database inconsistency occurs and there is a possibility of causing confusion in DNS operation in the network.
[0014]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and can prevent settings that cause inconsistencies and inconsistencies in address information even in a device that frequently shuts off power. An object is to provide an image processing apparatus.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 provides a management server that manages address information for identifying a plurality of devices connected to a network. A connected image processing apparatus, The address information for identifying the device on the network To the management server Registration, Update and deletion of the address information registered in the management server from the management server Address information updating means for performing, and a non-volatile memory for storing the address information for identifying the own device registered in the management server; The address information update unit is configured to newly perform the registration or the update after deleting from the management server the address information for identifying the self-registered device with the management server when connecting to the network. And controlling the nonvolatile memory so as to store the newly acquired address information by deleting the address information for identifying the previously registered device stored in the nonvolatile memory. And a control means.
[0016]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the address information update means, address information for identifying the own device on the network is sent to the management server that manages the address information for specifying a plurality of devices connected to the network. To admin server Registration, Update and deletion of address information registered on the management server from the management server Is done. For example, in dynamic DNS, address information is automatically assigned by a management server, and address information update means performs registration, deletion, update, and the like of address information for identifying the own device for the dynamic DNS management server. be able to.
[0017]
The nonvolatile memory stores address information for identifying the own device registered in the management server. Since the address information is stored in the non-volatile memory, the address information registered in the management server can be held even when the apparatus is turned off.
[0018]
Also, the control means When connecting to the network, To the management server for Last registered Own device Identify address information From the management server After deletion, the address information update unit is controlled to register or update the address information of its own device in the management server. At the same time, the non-volatile memory is controlled so as to store the address information newly acquired by deleting the address information for identifying the self-registered device previously stored in the non-volatile memory. this Thus, it becomes possible to connect to the network, and by deleting the address information of the own device, it is possible to prevent inconsistency due to the previous address information remaining in the management server when connected next time.
[0019]
In other words, the stored contents of the non-volatile memory are retained regardless of whether the power is turned on or off. Therefore, even when the power is frequently turned on / off, the previous address information registered in the management server is retained in the non-volatile memory and is retained. The previous address information can be deleted from the management server using the address information. Therefore, it is possible to prevent settings that cause inconsistencies or inconsistencies in address information even in devices that are difficult to perform initialization processing and termination processing for registering, deleting, and updating address information. it can.
[0020]
Address information updating means by the control means And nonvolatile memory Control of the claim 2 As described in the invention described above, it may be performed when the power is turned on.
[0021]
Claim 3 The invention described in claim 1 further comprises setting means for setting whether or not the address information for identifying the device on the network is automatically updated in the invention described in claim 1, wherein the control means includes the setting means. Based on the setting of the address information updating means And the nonvolatile memory It is characterized by controlling.
[0022]
Claim 3 According to the invention described in claim 1, in the invention described in claim 1, the information processing apparatus further comprises setting means for setting whether or not address information for identifying the own apparatus on the network is automatically updated. At this time, the control means, based on the setting of the setting means, the address information update means And nonvolatile memory To control. That is, in the control means, when the setting of the setting means is automatically updated, the address information updating means And nonvolatile memory If address control is performed and automatic updating is not performed, address information updating means And nonvolatile memory Can be prevented from being performed. Therefore, it is possible to use a different connection depending on whether a connection is made to a management server using dynamic DNS or a connection is made to a management server for manually registering address information different from dynamic DNS.
[0023]
Claim 4 The invention described in claim 3 In the invention described in the above item, when the setting of the setting unit is changed from the non-automatic update setting to the automatic update setting, Said To the management server for The address information for identifying the device registered last time From the management server Control the address information update means to perform the registration or the update after deletion And controlling the non-volatile memory so as to store the newly acquired address information by deleting the address information for identifying the device registered last time stored in the non-volatile memory. It is characterized by that.
[0024]
Claim 4 According to the invention described in claim 3 In the invention described in the above, when the control unit changes the setting of the setting unit from the non-automatic update setting to the automatic update setting, the address information update unit And nonvolatile memory By making control of ,tube To the physical server Vs. last time Registered address information From management server and non-volatile memory Since the address information is registered after the deletion, it is possible to prevent a setting that causes inconsistency or inconsistency of the address information.
[0025]
Claim 5 The invention described in claim 3 In the invention described in the above, when the setting of the setting unit is changed from automatic update setting to non-automatic update setting, For the management server The address information for identifying the device on the registered network From the management server Control the address information updating means to delete And controlling the non-volatile memory to delete the address information for identifying the self-registered device stored in the non-volatile memory. It is characterized by that.
[0026]
Claim 5 According to the invention described in claim 3 In the invention described in (2), when the setting unit setting is changed from automatic update to non-automatic update, the previous address information remains on the management server, so the control unit identifies the registered device on the registered network. Address information From management server and non-volatile memory Address information update means to delete And non-volatile memory By controlling, it is possible to prevent the previous address information from remaining on the management server.
[0027]
Claims 1 to 5 The invention described in any one of the claims 6 As described in the invention described above, the processing history by the address information updating means may be stored in the nonvolatile memory. As a result, in the event of any malfunction, it is possible to analyze the malfunction by reading the processing history.
[0028]
Claims 1 to 6 The invention described in any one of the claims 7 As in the invention described above, the processing history by the address information updating unit may be notified by the notification unit. For example, as the notification means, it is possible to notify the processing history by the address information updating means by using a display means for displaying the processing history, a recording means for recording the processing history on a recording medium such as paper.
[0029]
Furthermore, claims 1 to 7 The invention described in any one of the claims 8 As described above, a DNS server can be applied as the management server. At this time, as a DNS server, a server corresponding to dynamic DNS can be applied.
[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0031]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an image processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 10 of the present invention is connected to a network 12, and a management server 14 is connected to the network 12. As the management server 14, a DNS server is installed to manage identification information for identifying a device such as a domain name and a host name, and address information such as an IP address corresponding to the device. In addition, the management server 14 is applied with a DNS server corresponding to the dynamic DNS, and automatically assigns address information such as an IP address corresponding to the identification information of the device in response to a connection request from the device connected to the network 12. It has become. That is, when the image processing apparatus 10 makes a connection request to the management server 14, address information is assigned based on the identification information notified at the time of the connection request, and is thereby interconnected.
[0032]
The image processing apparatus 10 includes a network interface 16, an address information update unit 18, a user interface 20, a control unit 22, a nonvolatile memory 24, and a print processing unit 26, and each is connected to a bus 28. .
[0033]
The image processing apparatus 10 is connected to the network 12 via a network interface 16, and the network interface 16 is a processing unit that transmits and receives data via Ethernet (R), and is a host (not shown) connected to the network. Receives image data and code data as received data from the apparatus.
[0034]
The address information update unit 18 transmits identification information for identifying a device such as a host name and a domain name stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 to the management server 14 and acquires address information automatically assigned by the management server 14. And has a function of storing in the nonvolatile memory 24. In addition, the management server 14 has a function of deleting the identification information and address information previously registered in the management server 14.
[0035]
The control unit 22 controls the timing of the address information update operation performed by the address information update unit 18 and updates the data stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 used in the address information update operation, so that the address information update operation is normally performed. Control as done.
[0036]
The print processing unit 26 prints reception data (image data, code data, etc.) received via the network interface 16 and information stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 on a print medium such as paper.
[0037]
The nonvolatile memory 24 stores initialization parameters of the print processing unit 26, identification information for identifying the device such as the host name and domain name described above, address information received from the management server 14, and setting of whether or not address information can be automatically registered. To do. The non-volatile memory 24 holds information stored in the non-volatile memory 24 even when the power of the image processing apparatus 10 is turned off.
[0038]
The user interface 20 can perform a function of notifying the user of the state of the image processing apparatus 10 and various settings of the image processing apparatus 10. Various settings (for example, the above-described apparatuses) in the image processing apparatus 10 can be performed. Identification information for identifying the address, setting of whether or not address information can be automatically registered, etc.) and an execution instruction for print processing in the print processing unit 26. As the user interface 20, for example, a local operation unit such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the image processing apparatus 10 or keys for performing various settings may be applied, or various settings by software processing using a personal computer or the like may be performed. You may make it apply the operation means which can be operated remotely.
[0039]
Next, the operation when connecting to the network 12 in the image processing apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described.
[0040]
The operation when the power is turned on is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, in step 100, when the power is turned on, the address automatic registration permission information is read from the nonvolatile memory 24 by the control means 22, and it is determined whether or not the address automatic registration permission information is automatic registration permission. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 102 and update processing described later is performed. Then, the process shifts to step 104 to shift to an event waiting state such as a print process instruction and various setting changes, and the process at power-on is terminated.
[0041]
On the other hand, if the determination in step 100 is negative, the update process is not performed, the process proceeds to step 104, the event is waited for, and the process at power-on is terminated.
[0042]
On the other hand, in the event waiting state, the operation when the address automatic registration availability information is changed from non-updatable to updatable is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, in step 110, it is determined by the control means 22 whether or not the address automatic registration availability information has been changed from non-updatable to updatable by the user interface 20 or the like as an event. When the determination is configured, the process proceeds to step 112 and an update process described later is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step 114 to shift to an event waiting state such as a print process instruction or various setting changes, and the process when the address automatic registration information availability information is changed from not updatable to updatable is terminated.
[0043]
If the determination in step 110 is negative, the update process is not performed, the process proceeds to step 114, and the process waits again for an event.
[0044]
The update process described above is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, when the process proceeds to the update process, the address information update unit 18 is controlled by the control unit 22 so that an instruction to delete the identification information and the address information registered in the management server 14 last time is output to the management server 14 in Step 120. . As a result, the management server 14 deletes the previously registered identification information and the address information automatically assigned corresponding to the identification information, and returns a notification that the deletion has been completed.
[0045]
In step 122, it is determined by the control means 22 whether or not a deletion completion notification returned from the management server 14 has been received. If the determination is negative, the process waits until a deletion completion notification is received. If a deletion completion notification is not received even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the process may return to step 120 again to output an instruction to delete the previous registration identification information and address information from the management server 14.
[0046]
If the determination in step 122 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 124, and the address information previously registered in the management server 14 (management is performed by making a connection request to the management server 14 under the control of the control unit 22. The previous address information automatically assigned by the server 14) is deleted from the nonvolatile memory 24. Then, the process proceeds to step 126, and the deleted content in step 124 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 as a history (log).
[0047]
Next, in step 128, the address information updating means 18 is controlled by the control means 22 so as to instruct the management server to register the address information. That is, a connection request is output from the address information updating means 18 to the management server 14, and the management server 14 automatically assigns the identification information and the address information corresponding to the identification information, and notifies the registration completion of the address information. Reply as.
[0048]
In step 130, it is determined by the control means 22 whether or not the registration completion notice has been received. If the determination is negative, the process waits until a registration completion notification is received. If the registration completion notification is not received even after the predetermined time has elapsed, the process may return to step 128 to instruct the monitoring server to register the address information.
[0049]
When the determination in step 130 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 132, and the registered address information received from the management server 14 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 under the control of the control unit 22. This enables mutual communication.
[0050]
In step 134, the registration contents in step 132 are stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 as a history (log), and the update process is terminated.
[0051]
As described above, in the image processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the power is turned on, the identification information registered in the management server 14 before the power is turned off and the address automatically assigned by the management server 14 corresponding to the identification information. Since the connection request is made to the management server 14 after deleting the information, the previously registered identification information and address information are managed even if the power is turned on / off without performing initialization processing, termination processing, etc. Inconsistency due to remaining on the server 14 can be avoided.
[0052]
Similarly, when the automatic registration permission / inhibition information is changed from being unregisterable to being registerable, the previous identification information registered in the management server 14 and the address information automatically assigned corresponding to the identification information are deleted. Since the connection request is made to the management server 14 after that, it is possible to avoid inconsistency due to the previously registered identification information and address information remaining on the management server 14.
[0053]
Next, an operation when the address automatic registration availability information is changed from updatable to updatable in the event waiting state will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0054]
In step 150, the control means 22 determines whether or not the address automatic registration availability information is changed from updatable to nonupdatable by the user interface 20 or the like as an event. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 152 and a deletion update process described later is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step 154 to shift to an event waiting state such as a print process instruction or various setting changes, and the process when the address automatic registration availability information is changed from updatable to nonupdatable is completed.
[0055]
On the other hand, if the determination in step 150 is negative, the process proceeds to step 154 without performing the deletion / update process, and again transitions to the event waiting state.
[0056]
The above-described deletion update process is performed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, in step 160, the address information updating unit 18 is controlled by the control unit 22 so that an instruction to delete the identification information and the address information registered in the management server 14 is output to the management server 14. As a result, the management server 14 deletes the previously registered identification information and the address information automatically assigned corresponding to the identification information, and returns a notification that the deletion has been completed.
[0057]
In step 162, it is determined by the control means 22 whether or not a deletion completion notification returned from the management server 14 has been received. If the determination is negative, the process waits until a deletion completion notification is received. If a deletion completion notification is not received even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the process may return to step 160 again to output an instruction to delete the previous registration identification information and address information from the management server 14.
[0058]
If the determination in step 162 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 164, and the address information previously registered in the management server 14 (controlled by making a connection request to the management server 14 under the control of the control means 22). The previous address information automatically assigned by the server 14) is deleted from the nonvolatile memory 24. Then, the process proceeds to step 166, and the deletion content in step 164 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 as a history (log), and the deletion update process is terminated.
[0059]
As described above, when the automatic registration availability information is changed from registration possible to registration impossible, the identification information registered in the management server and the address information automatically allocated corresponding to the identification information are deleted. Thus, inconsistency due to the fact that the previously registered identification information and address information remain on the management server 14 when the automatic registration permission / prohibition information is changed to be registerable can be avoided.
[0060]
In the update process shown in FIG. 4 performed after the deletion process is performed, the control information is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 because the previously registered identification information and address information have already been deleted from the management server 14. A history of deletion processing may be detected from the stored log, and based on this history, the processing from step 120 to step 126 shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted. That is, when it is detected that the deletion process has already been performed when the update process is performed, the process of steps 120 to 126 shown in FIG. If it is detected that the deletion process has not been performed, the update process is performed without omitting the processes in steps 120 to 126 shown in FIG. Can be prevented.
[0061]
In the image processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the log is stored as the update history in the nonvolatile memory 24, as described above, whether the update process should be performed based on the update history or the deletion process It is also possible to determine whether to perform the operation, and it is possible to manage the state of the apparatus from the update history.
[0062]
Note that the update contents (for example, update processing, deletion update processing, etc.) in the above embodiment may be displayed on a display means such as a liquid crystal display device provided in an operation means such as a user interface. The user may be notified by printing on a print medium such as paper by the print processing unit 26. In this case, for example, when information for instructing the update history is input by an operation unit such as the user interface 20, display on the display unit, printing by the print processing unit 26, or the like may be performed. .
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the address information for identifying the own device registered in the management server that manages the address information for specifying a plurality of devices connected to the network is stored in the nonvolatile memory, and the nonvolatile memory is stored. By registering, deleting, and updating the address information that identifies the device on the network based on the address information stored in the memory, it becomes possible to delete the address information that identifies the device registered last time In subsequent registration, it is possible to prevent inconsistencies caused by the previous address information remaining in the management server, so that inconsistencies and inconsistencies in address information may occur even in devices where power is frequently shut down. There is an effect that it is possible to prevent settings that occur.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation at power-on of the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation when address automatic registration availability information is changed from non-updatable to updatable.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an update process.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation when address automatic registration availability information is changed from updatable to nonupdatable.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a deletion update process.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Image processing device
12 network
14 Management server
16 Network interface
18 Address information update means
20 User interface
22 Control means
24 Nonvolatile memory
26 Print processing section

Claims (8)

An image processing apparatus connected to a management server that manages address information for identifying a plurality of apparatuses connected to a network ,
Address information updating means for registering, updating, and deleting the address information registered in the management server and the address information for identifying the own device on the network;
A nonvolatile memory for storing the address information for identifying the device registered in the management server;
The address information update unit is configured to newly perform the registration or the update after deleting from the management server the address information for identifying the self-registered device with the management server when connecting to the network. Control means for controlling the non-volatile memory so as to store the address information newly acquired by deleting the address information for identifying the self-registered self-device stored in the non-volatile memory ,
An image processing apparatus comprising: The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the address information update unit and the nonvolatile memory when power is turned on. A setting unit configured to set whether or not to automatically update the address information for identifying the own device on the network; and the control unit includes the address information updating unit and the non-volatile memory based on the setting of the setting unit The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a memory is controlled. When the setting of the setting unit is changed from the non-automatic update setting to the automatic update setting, the control unit deletes the address information for identifying the own device registered with the management server last time from the management server. Later, the address information update unit is controlled to perform the registration or the update, and the address information newly acquired by deleting the address information for identifying the self-registered device stored in the nonvolatile memory is deleted. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the nonvolatile memory is controlled to store information . When the setting of the setting unit is changed from automatic update setting to non-automatic update setting , the control unit sends the address information for identifying the own device on the network registered with the management server from the management server. The address information updating means is controlled to be deleted, and the nonvolatile memory is controlled to delete the address information for identifying the previously registered device stored in the nonvolatile memory. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 . The control unit stores the processing history by the address information updating unit in the nonvolatile memory when at least one of registration, deletion, and updating is performed by the address information updating unit. address information updating means and the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that further control the non-volatile memory. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies a processing history of the address information update unit when at least one of registration, deletion, and update is performed by the address information update unit. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 . The management server, the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a DNS server.

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