JP6717130B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program.

There is known a technique of integrating an address book included in a device such as an image forming apparatus and an address book included in an external device such as a terminal device owned by a user.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which an address book of a multifunction peripheral and an address book of a mobile terminal are completely synchronized, and the address book is shared between the multifunction peripheral and the mobile terminal.

JP, 2001-249882, A

By the way, if the address book of an apparatus such as an image forming apparatus and the address book of an external apparatus are perfectly synchronized and the address book is always shared between the apparatus and the external apparatus, the address book of the external apparatus becomes a device. The address book held by the external device has a problem in that the security of the address book cannot be ensured.

An object of the present invention is to integrate the address management information of the information processing apparatus with the address management information of the external apparatus, as compared with the case where the address management information is always shared between the information processing apparatus and the external apparatus. It is to improve the security of information.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a storage unit that stores device address management information for managing address information, and an external device that communicates with an external device and manages the address information stored in the external device An acquisition unit that acquires device address management information from the external device; an integration unit that creates integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information and the external device address management information; An information processing device, comprising: a deleting unit that deletes the external device address management information included in the integrated address management information when communication with the device is canceled.

In the invention according to claim 2, the acquisition unit communicates with the external device by short-range wireless communication, and the external device is placed outside the communication range of the short-range wireless communication to cancel communication with the external device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deletion unit deletes the address management information for the external apparatus when the information is deleted.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the acquisition means acquires the external device address management information from the external device existing within a preset range based on the position of the information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the acquisition unit exists in the preset range, and the external device address management information is transmitted from the external device that permits acquisition of the external device address management information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information processing apparatus acquires.

In the invention according to claim 5, the acquisition unit acquires the external device address management information from each of the plurality of external devices, and the integration unit includes the device address management information and each of the external devices. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the integrated address management information for each of the external devices is generated by integrating the address management information.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the integration unit changes the address information to be integrated in the external device address management information in accordance with the usage history of the address information in the external device, and changes the external device address management information. The integrated address management information is generated by integrating the address information of the integration target therein and the address management information for the device, The integrated address management information according to claim 1, wherein the integrated address management information is generated. It is an information processing device.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the integrating means integrates the address information used for the external device address management information after a time point that is a predetermined period back from the current time point and the device address management information. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the integrated address management information is generated by:

In the invention according to claim 8, the integration means integrates the address information for which the use frequency is equal to or more than a preset threshold value in the external device and the device address management information, thereby The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, which is generated.

The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the integrating means creates the integrated address management information by integrating the address information actually used in the external device and the device address management information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the integration means integrates the address information having the attribute corresponding to the information processing device in the external device address management information and the device address management information, The integrated address management information is generated, and the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

In the invention according to claim 11, the integration means integrates the address information associated with specific identification information in the external device address management information and the device address management information, The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein integrated address management information is generated.

The invention according to claim 12 further comprises transmitting means for transmitting address information input by the user to the information processing device to the external device possessed by the user. The information processing device according to any one of 1.

The invention according to claim 13 further comprises transmitting means for transmitting the integrated address management information to the external device, wherein the transmitting means has a priority in advance in the address information included in the integrated address management information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein address information having a set reference importance level or higher is not transmitted to the external apparatus.

The invention according to claim 14 is a fee charged for the processing when the processing is performed using the integrated address management information and when the processing is performed using the device address management information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising changing means for changing a charge system for determining.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an acquisition unit that communicates a computer with an external device and acquires external device address management information for managing address information stored in the external device, from the external device. Integrating means for generating integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information for managing address information and the external device address management information, and when communication with the external device is disconnected, It is a program that functions as a deleting unit that deletes the external device address management information included in the integrated address management information.

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 15, when the address management information of the information processing device and the address management information of the external device are integrated, the address management information is always shared between the information processing device and the external device. Compared with, the security of address information is improved.

According to the invention of claim 2, the user's labor required for deleting information is reduced.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the integrated address management information is generated based on the external device address management information acquired from the external device possessed by the user predicted to use the information processing device.

According to the invention of claim 4, the security of the external device address management information is improved as compared with the case where the external device address management information is acquired even when the acquisition is not permitted.

According to the invention of claim 5, individual integrated address management information is generated for each external device.

According to the invention of claims 6-9, integrated address management information including address information predicted to be used in the information processing apparatus is generated.

According to the invention of claim 10, integrated address management information including address information usable in the information processing device is generated.

According to the invention of claim 11, the address information can be individually registered in the integrated address management information.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for the user to input the address information input by the information processing device again by the external device.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the security of the address information whose importance becomes equal to or higher than the reference importance improves.

According to the invention of claim 14, individual billing processing can be performed according to the used address management information.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the terminal device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the address management table for devices. It is a figure which shows an example of the address management table for terminals. It is a figure which shows an example of an integrated address management table. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation|movement of the image forming system which concerns on this embodiment.

An image forming system as an information processing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an example of an image forming system according to this embodiment. This image forming system includes an image forming device 10 as an information processing device and a terminal device 12 as an external device. The image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 have a function of communicating with each other via the communication path N. In the example shown in FIG. 1, one image forming apparatus 10 and one terminal device 12 are included in the image forming system, but a plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 and a plurality of terminal devices 12 are included in the image forming system. May be. Of course, other devices may be included in the image forming system.

The image forming apparatus 10 is an apparatus having an image forming function. The image forming apparatus 10 has, for example, at least one of a scan function, a print function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. The image forming apparatus 10 also has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices. The image forming apparatus 10 has a short-range wireless communication function such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). As the NFC, for example, wireless communication using a non-contact type IC card may be used. Of course, the image forming apparatus 10 may have a wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi communication or a wired communication function. The image forming apparatus 10 may have a function of transmitting/receiving data via a network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

The terminal device 12 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet PC (personal computer), and the like, and has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices. Of course, the terminal device 12 may be a non-portable PC. The terminal device 12 has a short-distance wireless communication function such as NFC or Bluetooth. Of course, the terminal device 12 may have a wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi communication or a wired communication function. In addition, the terminal device 12 may have a function of transmitting and receiving data via a network such as the Internet or a LAN.

The communication path N is, for example, a communication path realized by a short-range wireless communication function. Of course, the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 may communicate with each other via a communication path realized by a network such as the Internet or a LAN.

In the image forming system according to the present embodiment, address management information for managing address information (for example, telephone number, fax number, e-mail address, etc.) is stored in each of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12. ing. When the communication is established between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12, the image forming apparatus 10 receives the address management information stored in the image forming apparatus 10 and the address management information stored in the terminal device 12. Are integrated, whereby integrated address management information is generated. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is disconnected, the address management information sent from the terminal device 12 is deleted in the image forming apparatus 10.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10.

The communication unit 14 is a communication interface and has a function of transmitting data to another device and a function of receiving data from another device. The communication unit 14 has, for example, a short-range wireless communication function. Of course, the communication unit 14 may have a wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi communication or a wired communication function. The communication unit 14 may also have a function of transmitting and receiving data via a network such as the Internet or a LAN.

The image forming unit 16 performs an image forming process. The image forming unit 16 executes at least one of a scan function, a print function, a copy function, and a facsimile function, for example. By executing the scan function, the document is read and scan data (image data) is generated. An image is printed on a recording medium such as paper by executing the print function. By executing the copy function, the document is read and printed on the recording medium. By executing the facsimile function, the image data is transmitted or received by facsimile. The image data may be image data generated by reading a document, or may be image data transmitted from another device. Also, a composite function combining a plurality of functions may be executed. For example, a scan transfer function that combines a scan function and a transmission function (transfer function) may be executed. By executing this scan transfer function, the document is read, scan data (image data) is generated, and the scan data is transmitted to the destination. Of course, this combination function is only an example, and another combination function may be executed.

The storage unit 18 is a storage device such as a hard disk or a memory, and is generated by executing execution instruction information (for example, job information) indicating an instruction to execute an image forming process, image data to be printed, and a scan function. Scanned data, various control data, various programs, various data, etc. are stored. Of course, they may be stored in separate storage devices, or may be stored in the same storage device. The storage unit 18 also stores device address management information 20.

The device address management information 20 is information (address book information) for managing address information. The address information is, for example, a telephone number, fax number, electronic mail address, or the like. The device address management information 20 includes one or more pieces of address information. The device address management information 20 is, for example, shared address management information (address book information), and use of the device address management information 20 by authorized users and unauthenticated users is permitted. Of course, the device address management information 20 may be permitted to be used only by a specific user (for example, an authenticated user) and may be prohibited from being used by an unauthenticated user. The device address management information 20 is stored in the storage unit 18 in advance, for example. The address information included in the device address management information 20 may be edited (changed or deleted) by the user. Further, new address information may be added to the device address management information 20 by the user. Editing or addition of address information may be permitted only to an administrator or an authenticated user, or may be permitted to an unauthenticated user.

The UI unit 22 is a user interface unit and includes a display unit and an operation unit. The display unit is a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation unit is an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard. Of course, the UI unit 22 may be a user interface having both functions of a display unit and an operation unit (for example, a display as a touch panel, a display that electronically displays a keyboard, etc.).

The control unit 24 controls the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. For example, the control unit 24 causes the UI unit 22 to display the address information included in the device address management information 20. When the integrated address management information is generated as described later, the control unit 24 causes the UI unit 22 to display the address information included in the integrated address management information. The control unit 24 also includes an address management unit 26 that manages address information. The address management unit 26 includes an acquisition unit 28, an integration unit 30, and a deletion unit 32.

The acquisition unit 28 acquires the address management information (address book information) stored in the terminal device 12. For example, when communication (for example, short-range wireless communication) is established between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 via the communication path N, the acquisition unit 28 communicates information indicating an acquisition request for address management information. It transmits to the terminal device 12 via the path N, and receives the address management information stored in the terminal device 12 from the terminal device 12 via the communication path N in response to the acquisition request. Hereinafter, the address management information stored in the terminal device 12 will be referred to as “terminal address management information”.

The integration unit 30 creates integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information 20 stored in the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal address management information acquired from the terminal device 12. The integrated address management information is stored in the storage unit 18. The integration unit 30 creates integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information without deleting the device address management information 20 from the storage unit 18, for example. As a result, the storage unit 18 stores the device address management information 20 before integration and the integrated address management information. Of course, the integration unit 30 creates integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information, stores the integrated address management information in the storage unit 18, and stores the device before integration. The address management information 20 may be deleted from the storage unit 18. In this case, the integrated address management information is stored in the storage unit 18 without storing the device address management information 20 before integration. Of course, the terminal address management information may be stored in the storage unit 18 separately from the integrated address management information.

The deletion unit 32 deletes the terminal address management information from the image forming apparatus 10 at a specific timing. The specific timing is, for example, a timing at which communication (for example, near field communication) between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is disconnected, a timing at which the user instructs deletion, or a timing at which the user instructs disconnection of communication. , The timing at which a preset time has elapsed since the integrated address management information was generated, and the like. When the device address management information 20 and the integrated address management information are stored in the storage unit 18, the deletion unit 32 deletes the integrated address management information at a specific timing. When the device address management information 20 is not stored in the storage unit 18 and the integrated address management information is stored, the deletion unit 32 deletes the terminal address management information included in the integrated address management information at a specific timing. delete. As a result, the device address management information 20 is stored in the storage unit 18. When the terminal address management information is stored in the storage unit 18 separately from the integrated address management information, the deletion unit 32 also deletes the terminal address management information.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the terminal device 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the terminal device 12.

The communication unit 34 is a communication interface, and has a function of transmitting data to another device and a function of receiving data from another device. The communication unit 34 has, for example, a short-range wireless communication function. For example, an application for short-distance wireless communication is installed in the terminal device 12 and stored in the storage unit 36, and the short-distance wireless communication is executed by executing the application. Of course, the communication unit 34 may have a wireless communication function such as Wi-Fi communication or a wired communication function. Further, the communication unit 34 may have a function of transmitting and receiving data via a network such as the Internet or a LAN.

The storage unit 36 is a storage device such as a hard disk or a memory, and stores, for example, various programs and various data. Of course, they may be stored in separate storage devices, or may be stored in the same storage device. The storage unit 36 also stores terminal address management information 38.

The terminal address management information 38 is information (address book information) for managing the address information. The terminal address management information 38 includes one or more pieces of address information. The terminal address management information 38 is, for example, address book information unique to the user who owns the terminal device 12 (address book information used personally by the user). The terminal address management information 38 is stored in the storage unit 36 in advance, for example. The address management information included in the terminal address management information 38 may be edited by the user. Further, new address information may be added to the terminal address management information 38 by the user.

As described above, when the communication (for example, short-range wireless communication) via the communication path N is established between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12, the terminal address is transmitted in response to the acquisition request of the address management information. The management information 38 is transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the image forming apparatus 10. In the image forming apparatus 10, the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information 38 are integrated, so that integrated address management information is generated.

The UI unit 40 is a user interface unit and includes a display unit and an operation unit. The display unit is a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation unit is, for example, an input device such as a touch panel or a keyboard. Of course, the UI unit 40 may be a user interface having both functions of a display unit and an operation unit (for example, a display as a touch panel, a display that electronically displays a keyboard, etc.).

The control unit 42 controls the operation of each unit of the terminal device 12. For example, the control unit 42 causes the UI unit 40 to display the address information included in the terminal address management information 38.

Hereinafter, the image forming system according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described in detail with a specific example.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a device address management table (device address book) as the device address management information 20. In the device address management table, for example, a telephone number, a fax number, and an email address as address information are associated with each management ID as identification information. The name is associated with the address information. Of course, at least one of the telephone number, the fax number, and the e-mail address may be included in the device address management table as address information. Information other than the telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address, for example, address, IP address, Mac address, etc. may be included in the device address management table as address information.

For example, in the image forming apparatus 10, when the user gives a display instruction of the address book using the UI unit 22, the control unit 24 causes the UI unit 22 to display the address information included in the device address management table. From the device address management table, the user will specify the fax number, e-mail address, etc. of the facsimile transmission destination. Processing such as facsimile transmission and data transfer is executed according to the address information designated by the user. For example, the facsimile is transmitted to the fax number indicated by the address information, and the data (for example, image data generated by the scanning process) is transmitted to the e-mail address indicated by the address information.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a terminal address management table (terminal address book) as the terminal address management information 38. In the terminal address management table, as an example, a telephone number, a fax number, and an e-mail address as address information are associated with each management ID as identification information. The name is associated with the address information. Of course, at least one of the telephone number, the fax number, and the e-mail address may be included in the terminal address management table as address information. Information other than the telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address, for example, address, IP address, Mac address, etc., may be included in the terminal address management table as address information.

For example, in the terminal device 12, when the user gives an instruction to display the address book using the UI unit 40, the control unit 42 causes the UI unit 40 to display the address information included in the terminal address management table. From the terminal address management table, the user specifies the telephone number of the call destination, the fax number of the facsimile transmission destination, the electronic mail address, and the like. According to the address information designated by the user, a process such as a call or an electronic mail transmission is executed.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an integrated address management table (integrated address book) as integrated address management information. The integrated address management table is an address management table generated by integrating the device address management table and the terminal address management table, and is included in the address information and the terminal address management table included in the device address management table. Address information to be included. In the integrated address management table, as an example, a telephone number, a fax number, and an electronic mail address as address information are associated with each management ID as identification information. The name is associated with the address information. Of course, at least one of the telephone number, the fax number, and the e-mail address may be included in the integrated address management table as address information. Information other than the telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address, for example, address, IP address, Mac address, etc. may be included in the integrated address management table as address information.

For example, when the device address management table and the terminal address management table are integrated to generate an integrated address management table, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the address information included in the integrated address management table to be UI. It is displayed on the section 22. The integrated address management table may be displayed on the UI unit 22 according to a display instruction from the user. The user specifies a fax number, an e-mail address, etc. from the integrated address management table in the image forming apparatus 10. Processing such as facsimile transmission and data transfer is executed according to the address information designated by the user.

The operation of the image forming system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation.

First, the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 communicate with each other by near field communication (for example, NFC or Bluetooth) (S01). For example, when the terminal device 12 exists within the communication range of the near field communication based on the position of the image forming apparatus 10, the near field communication is established between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12. ..

Next, the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N formed by the short-range wireless communication (S02).

When the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information from the image forming apparatus 10, the terminal device 12 transmits the terminal address management information 38 to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N in response to the acquisition request ( S03). If the user permits, the terminal device 12 may transmit the terminal address management information 38 to the image forming apparatus 10. For example, when the control unit 42 of the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request for the address management information, the control unit 42 causes the UI unit 40 to display a screen for the user to instruct whether to permit or disallow the acquisition. If the user gives a permission instruction on the screen, the terminal address management information 38 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10. If the user does not give a permission instruction, the terminal address management information 38 is sent to the image forming apparatus 10. Not sent. In this way, the security of the terminal address management information 38 is improved by transmitting the terminal address management information 38 to the image forming apparatus 10 only when the user gives permission.

When the terminal address management information 38 is transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the image forming apparatus 10, the integrating unit 30 in the image forming apparatus 10 integrates the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information 38. As a result, integrated address management information is generated (S04). For example, the integration unit 30 generates integrated address management information without deleting the device address management information 20 from the storage unit 18. As a result, the storage unit 18 stores the device address management information 20 and the integrated address management information.

The control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 displays the integrated address management information on the UI unit 22 (S05). For example, the integrated address management table shown in FIG. 6 is generated, and the address information included in the management table is displayed on the UI unit 22. As a result, the address information included in the device address management information 20 and the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 are displayed on the UI unit 22.

The user will specify specific address information (for example, fax number, e-mail address, IP address, etc.) from the integrated address management information. Processing such as facsimile transmission and data transfer is executed according to the address information designated by the user.

Next, when the short-range wireless communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released (S06), the deleting unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 deletes the integrated address management information from the storage unit 18 ( S07). As a result, the terminal address management information 38 is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10.

For example, when the user who owns the terminal device 12 is away from the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is placed outside the communication range of the short-range wireless communication, the short distance between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is short. The wireless communication is released, and in response to this, the deletion unit 32 deletes the integrated address management information. As a result, the terminal address management information 38 is automatically deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. By automatically deleting the terminal address management information 38 from the image forming apparatus 10 in response to cancellation of communication, the user's time and effort required for the deletion can be reduced. As another example, when the user uses the UI unit 40 to instruct the terminal device 12 to cancel the near field communication, the terminal device 12 cancels the near field communication with the image forming apparatus 10, and According to the deletion, the deletion unit 32 may delete the integrated address management information. As yet another example, when the user instructs the terminal device 12 to delete the integrated address management information, the deletion unit 32 may delete the integrated address management information accordingly.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the device address management information 20 stored in the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal address management information 38 stored in the terminal device 12 are integrated, and as a result, they are integrated. Address management information is generated. As a result, in the image forming apparatus 10, the integrated address management information including the terminal address management information 38 becomes usable. When the near field communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the terminal address management information 38 is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As a result, the security of the terminal address management information 38 is improved.

When the user gives an instruction to display the address book using the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10, the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information 38 are integrated, and as a result, the integrated address is obtained. The address information included in the management information may be displayed on the UI unit 22. That is, when the user gives an instruction to display the address book in the image forming apparatus 10, short-range wireless communication is established between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal apparatus 12, and the image forming apparatus 10 manages the address in the terminal apparatus 12. An information acquisition request is sent. In response to this, the terminal address management information 38 is transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the image forming apparatus 10, the device address management information 20 and the terminal address management information 38 are integrated, and the address included in the integrated address management information. The information is displayed on the UI unit 22.

Hereinafter, modified examples of this embodiment will be described.

(Modification 1)
Modification 1 will be described. In the first modification, the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information to the terminal device 12 existing within the preset range with the position of the image forming apparatus 10 as a reference, and the terminal device. The terminal address management information 38 is acquired from 12. For example, when there are a plurality of terminal devices 12 within the communication range of the short-range wireless communication based on the position of the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus 10 determines the position of the image forming apparatus 10 within the communication range. Information indicating an acquisition request for address management information is transmitted to the terminal device 12 existing within a preset range as a reference, and the terminal address management information 38 is acquired according to the acquisition request. When there are a plurality of terminal devices 12 within the preset range, the image forming apparatus 10 sends the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information to the terminal device 12 that is located closest to the image forming apparatus 10. It may be transmitted and the terminal address management information 38 may be acquired in response to the acquisition request. The distance between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is calculated, for example, based on the signal strength of near field communication. For example, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 calculates the distance between the image forming apparatus 10 and each terminal device 12 based on the signal strength of the short-distance wireless communication with each terminal device 12, and The information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information is transmitted to the terminal device 12 that has the shortest distance from the forming device 10. The user who possesses the terminal device 12 that is located closest to the image forming apparatus 10 is a user who is predicted to use the image forming apparatus 10. Therefore, by acquiring the terminal address management information 38 from the terminal device 12 existing closest to the image forming apparatus 10 and generating the integrated address management information, the user who is predicted to use the image forming apparatus 10 can obtain the integrated address management information. Integrated address management information for is generated and displayed.

As another example, the image forming apparatus 10 is provided within the range set in advance with the position of the image forming apparatus 10 as a reference, and the terminal device 12 that permits the acquisition of the terminal address management information 38 The address management information 38 may be acquired. As a result, the security of the terminal address management information 38 is improved.

(Modification 2)
Modification 2 will be described. In the second modification, when a plurality of terminal devices 12 exist within a range preset with the position of the image forming device 10 as a reference, the image forming device 10 causes the plurality of terminal devices 12 to acquire the address management information. The information indicating the request is transmitted, and in accordance therewith, the terminal address management information 38 is acquired from each terminal device 12. In this case, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 creates integrated address management information for each terminal device 12 by integrating the device address management information 20 and the individual terminal address management information 38. More specifically, the image forming apparatus 10 acquires the user identification information (for example, user ID, name, etc.) together with the terminal address management information 38 from each terminal device 12, and integrates the user identification information, that is, for each user. Generate address management information.

For example, when the users A and B who own the terminal devices 12 of their own exist within a range preset with the position of the image forming device 10 as a reference, the image forming device 10 uses the terminal devices owned by the user A. The user identification information for identifying the user A is acquired together with the terminal address management information 38 from 12, and the terminal address management information 38 and the device address management information 20 are integrated to integrate the user A. Generate address management information. The integrated address management information for the user A is stored in the image forming apparatus 10 in association with the user identification information for identifying the user A. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 acquires the terminal address management information 38 and the user identification information for identifying the user B from the terminal device 12 possessed by the user B, and the terminal address management information 38 and the device address are acquired. By integrating with the management information 20, integrated address management information for user B is generated. The integrated address management information for the user B is stored in the image forming apparatus 10 in association with the user identification information for identifying the user B.

When the user A inputs the user identification information for identifying the user A using the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10, the integrated address management information for the user A associated with the user identification information is read. It is output and displayed on the UI unit 22. Similarly, when the user B inputs the user identification information for identifying the user B using the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10, the integrated address management information for the user B associated with the user identification information is input. Is read and displayed on the UI unit 22.

As described above, by generating the integrated address management information for each user, the integrated address management information suitable for each user is generated and displayed. Further, since the terminal address management information 38 of other users is not included in the integrated address management information of itself, the security of the terminal address management information 38 of each user is ensured.

Of course, the integrated address management information including the terminal address management information 38 of a plurality of users may be generated by integrating the terminal address management information 38 of a plurality of users and the device address management information 20. For example, the terminal address management information 38 for the user A, the terminal address management information 38 for the user B, and the device address management information 20 may be integrated.

The control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 may perform user authentication based on the user identification information transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the image forming apparatus 10. For example, if the authentication is successful, the control unit 24 permits the login to the image forming apparatus 10, and if the authentication is not successful, the control unit 24 does not permit the login of the image forming apparatus 10.

(Modification 3)
Modification 3 will be described. In the third modification, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 changes the address information to be integrated in the terminal address management information 38 according to the usage history of the address information in the terminal device 12, and then the terminal address management information 38. The integrated address management information is generated by integrating the integrated target address information and the device address management information 20. In the terminal device 12, the control unit 42 manages the usage history of the address information in the terminal device 12. Of course, also in the image forming apparatus 10, the control unit 24 may manage the use history of the address information in the image forming apparatus 10. Hereinafter, a specific example of Modification 3 will be described.

The integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 may generate integrated address management information by integrating the address information recently used in the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20. The recently used address information is, for example, address information used after a time point that is a predetermined period back from the current time point. The period may be changed by the user. For example, the user uses the UI unit 40 of the terminal device 12 to specify that only recently used address information is an integration target as a shared use condition of the address management information. When the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information from the image forming apparatus 10, the recently used address information included in the terminal address management information 38 is sent to the communication path N in response to the acquisition request. To the image forming apparatus 10 via. In the image forming apparatus 10, the integration unit 30 integrates the address information (most recently used address information) transmitted from the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20 to generate integrated address management information. .. The integrated address management information includes the device address management information 20 and the address information recently used in the terminal device 12. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the address information transmitted from the terminal device 12 (address information recently used in the terminal device 12). Are deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, the recently used address information is set as the integration target, so that the integrated address management information including the address information predicted to be used in the image forming apparatus 10 is generated.

As another example, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 integrates the address information whose device usage frequency is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value in the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20 to obtain the integrated address management information. May be generated. The frequency of use is, for example, the number of times of use during a preset period, the number of recent uses (the number of uses after the time point traced back by a preset period from the present time), and the like. The threshold may be changed by the user. For example, the user uses the UI unit 40 of the terminal device 12 to specify, as the shared use condition of the address management information, that only the address information whose usage frequency is equal to or higher than the threshold is to be integrated. When the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information from the image forming apparatus 10, the terminal device 12 is the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 according to the acquisition request, and the usage frequency is equal to or more than the threshold value. Then, the address information that becomes is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N. In the image forming apparatus 10, the integration unit 30 integrates the address information (address information whose usage frequency is equal to or more than a threshold) and the device address management information 20 transmitted from the terminal device 12, thereby integrating the integrated address management information. To generate. The integrated address management information includes the device address management information 20 and the address information whose usage frequency is equal to or higher than the threshold value in the terminal device 12. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the deletion information of the address information transmitted from the terminal device 12 (the usage frequency of the terminal device 12 becomes equal to or more than a threshold value). Address information) is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, the integrated address management information including the address information predicted to be used in the image forming apparatus 10 is generated by setting the address information whose usage frequency is equal to or higher than the threshold value as the integration target.

As yet another example, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 may generate integrated address management information by integrating the address information actually used in the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20. Good. For example, the user uses the UI unit 40 of the terminal device 12 to specify, as the sharing use condition of the address management information, that only the actually used address information is the integration target. When the terminal device 12 receives, from the image forming apparatus 10, the information indicating the acquisition request for the address management information, the terminal device 12 receives the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 according to the acquisition request. The address information that has been used in the above is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N. In the image forming apparatus 10, the integration unit 30 integrates the address information (address information actually used in the terminal device 12) transmitted from the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20 to create an integrated address. Generate management information. The integrated address management information includes the device address management information 20 and the address information actually used in the terminal device 12. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the address information (address information actually used in the terminal device 12) transmitted from the terminal device 12. ) Is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, the integrated address management information including the address information predicted to be used in the image forming apparatus 10 is generated by setting the address information actually used as the integration target.

(Modification 4)
Modification 4 will be described. In the fourth modification, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 integrates the address information having attributes corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10 in the terminal address management information 38 and the device address management information 20, Generate integrated address management information. The address information having an attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10 is address information having a format (usable) corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10, and is, for example, a fax number, an electronic mail address, an IP address, or the like. For example, the user uses the UI unit 40 of the terminal device 12 to specify, as the shared use condition of the address management information, that only the address information having the attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10 is to be integrated. When the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information from the image forming apparatus 10, the terminal device 12 is the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 and corresponds to the image forming apparatus 10 according to the acquisition request. The address information having the attribute to be transmitted is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N. In the image forming apparatus 10, the integration unit 30 integrates the address information (address information having an attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10) transmitted from the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20 to integrate the address information. Generate address management information. The integrated address management information includes the device address management information 20 and the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 and having the attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10. .. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 determines the address information (address having an attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10) transmitted from the terminal device 12. Information) is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, the integrated address management information including the address information usable in the image forming apparatus 10 is generated by setting the address information having the attribute corresponding to the image forming apparatus 10 as the integration target.

(Modification 5)
Modification 5 will be described. In the fifth modification, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 associates the address information associated with specific identification information (for example, tag information) in the terminal address management information 38 with the device address management information 20. The integrated address management information is generated by the integration. The specific tag information is, for example, information about the use of the address information, and is, for example, information indicating “business”, information indicating “private”, information indicating “friend”, and the like. Tag information is associated with each address information in advance. The association may be performed by the user or may be performed automatically. Of course, there may be address information that is not associated with tag information. For example, the user uses the UI unit 40 of the terminal device 12 to specify the tag information associated with the address information to be integrated as the shared use condition of the address management information. When the terminal device 12 receives the information indicating the acquisition request of the address management information from the image forming apparatus 10, the address associated with the specific tag information in the terminal address management information 38 according to the acquisition request. The information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N. For example, when the user specifies the tag information indicating “business” as the tag information of the address information to be integrated, the terminal device 12 is the address information included in the terminal address management information 38, and The address information associated with the tag information indicating “business” is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication path N. In the image forming apparatus 10, the integration unit 30 integrates the address information (address information associated with the tag information indicating “business”) transmitted from the terminal device 12 and the device address management information 20. Thus, the integrated address management information is generated. The integrated address management information includes the device address management information 20 and the address information included in the terminal address management information 38 and associated with the tag information indicating “business”. It will be. When the communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 is released, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 is associated with the address information (tag information indicating “business”) transmitted from the terminal device 12. Address information) is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. As described above, the integrated address management information according to the use is generated by setting the address information associated with the specific tag information as the integration target.

(Modification 6)
Modification 6 will be described. In Modification 6, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the address information input by the user in the image forming apparatus 10 to the terminal device 12. For example, the user uses the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10 to specify that the address information input to the image forming apparatus 10 is to be transmitted as a shared use condition of the address management information. Similar to the above-described embodiment, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 integrates the terminal address management information 38 and the device address management information 20 transmitted from the terminal device 12 to generate the integrated address management information. To generate. It is assumed that the user inputs the address information (Fax number, e-mail address, IP address, etc.) using the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10 without using the address information included in the integrated address management information. .. In this case, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the input address information to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N. The control unit 42 of the terminal device 12 registers the address information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10 (address information input by the user in the image forming apparatus 10) in the terminal address management information 38. Further, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 may register the address information input by the user in the device address management information 20. As described above, the address information input by the user in the image forming apparatus 10 is transmitted to the terminal device 12 and registered in the terminal address management information 38, so that the user can rewrite the address information in the terminal device 12. Compared with the case of inputting, the labor of the input is reduced.

As another example, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 may transmit the address information used in the image forming apparatus 10 to the terminal device 12. For example, the user uses the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10 to specify that the address information input to the image forming apparatus 10 and actually used is to be transmitted as a shared use condition of the address management information. To do. Similar to the above-described embodiment, the integration unit 30 of the image forming apparatus 10 integrates the terminal address management information 38 and the device address management information 20 transmitted from the terminal device 12 to generate the integrated address management information. To generate. The user inputs the address information (Fax number, e-mail address, IP address, etc.) using the UI unit 22 of the image forming apparatus 10 without using the address information included in the integrated address management information It is assumed that the processing using the information is instructed. In this case, the image forming apparatus 10 executes the process according to the address information. For example, when the user inputs a fax number and gives a facsimile transmission instruction, the image forming apparatus 10 performs facsimile transmission to the fax number. Further, when the user inputs an e-mail address or an IP address and gives an instruction for data transfer, the image forming apparatus 10 transfers data such as image data generated by scanning or the like to the e-mail address or IP address. Send to. When the address information input by the user is actually used in this way, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 transmits the input address information to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N. The control unit 42 of the terminal device 12 registers the address information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10 (address information input by the user in the image forming apparatus 10 and actually used) in the terminal address management information 38. When the address information input by the user is not used, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 does not send the input address information to the terminal device 12. The control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 registers the address information input and used by the user in the device address management information 20, and the address information input by the user but not used is managed by the device address. The information 20 does not have to be registered. Of course, the control unit 24 may register the address information input by the user but not used in the device address management information 20. As described above, by transmitting the address information input and actually used by the user in the image forming apparatus 10 to the terminal device 12 and registering the address information in the terminal address management information 38, the user can use the terminal device 12 with the user. Compared with the case of inputting the address information again, the time and effort of the input are reduced.

(Modification 7)
Modification 7 will be described. In Modification 7, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the terminal device 12 to transmit the address information whose importance is equal to or higher than the preset reference importance among the address information included in the integrated address management information. Instead, the address information whose importance is less than the reference importance is transmitted to the terminal device 12. The degree of importance is associated with each address information in advance. The association may be performed by the user or may be performed automatically. Of course, there may be address information that is not associated with importance. For example, the degree of importance is associated with each piece of address information included in the device address management information 20. The control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 transmits, to the terminal device 12, address information whose importance is less than the reference importance in the address information group included in the device address management information 20. The control unit 42 of the terminal device 12 registers the address information (address information whose importance is less than the reference importance) transmitted from the image forming apparatus 10 in the terminal address management information 38. By the above processing, the address information included in the device address management information 20 is registered in the terminal address management information 38 in the terminal device 12, so compared with the case where the user inputs the address information again in the terminal device 12. Therefore, the labor of the input is reduced. Further, since the address information whose importance is equal to or higher than the reference importance is not transmitted to the terminal device 12, the security of the address information whose importance is equal to or higher than the reference importance is ensured.

(Modification 8)
Modification 8 will be described. In the modified example 8, the control unit 24 of the image forming apparatus 10 has a function of performing a charging process. In this case, the control unit 24 is charged for the processing depending on whether the processing is performed using the integrated address management information or the processing is performed using the device address management information 20. Change the fee system to determine the fee. For example, when the processing is performed using the device address management information 20, the control unit 24 performs the charging processing for the preset charging destination according to the charge system for the device address management information 20. When the processing is performed using the integrated address management information, the control unit 24, for example, the integrated address management information for the charging destination for the user who owns the terminal device 12 that has transmitted the terminal address management information 38. The billing process is performed according to the charge system. For example, when the device address management information 20 is used, a charging process is performed on the company that manages the image forming apparatus 10, and when the integrated address management information is used, the terminal device 12 is possessed. The charging process is performed for the user (individual) who operates. By the above process, the charge process is applied by distinguishing the charge system.

The modifications 1-8 described above may be combined.

As described in the above embodiment and modification examples 1-8, all or part of the terminal address management information 38 is integrated into the device address management information 20, or the address information input in the image forming apparatus 10 is input. Also, the used address information is transmitted to the terminal device 12. As described above, in the present embodiment and the modified examples 1-8, not only the address information is shared between the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12, but also processing according to the situation is performed.

In the above-described embodiment and modification examples 1-8, when the user instructs the image forming apparatus 10 to store the terminal address management information 38, the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 causes the deletion unit 32 to delete the terminal address management information. 38 may not be deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. Also in this case, when the image forming apparatus 10 is installed in a storage prohibited place (for example, a general store), the deletion unit 32 of the image forming apparatus 10 is for a terminal even if the user issues a storage instruction. The address management information 38 is deleted from the image forming apparatus 10. This ensures the security of the terminal address management information 38.

Each of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 described above is realized by cooperation of hardware resources and software, for example. Specifically, each of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 includes one or a plurality of processors such as a CPU (not shown). The functions of the respective units of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 are realized by the one or more processors reading and executing the program stored in the storage device (not shown). The program is stored in the storage device via a recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, or via a communication path such as a network. As another example, the respective units of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 may be realized by hardware resources such as a processor and an electronic circuit. A device such as a memory may be used in the realization thereof. As another example, each unit of the image forming apparatus 10 and the terminal device 12 may be realized by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like.

10 image forming apparatus, 12 terminal device, 20 device address management information, 26 address management unit, 28 acquisition unit, 30 integration unit, 32 deletion unit, 38 terminal address management information.

Claims (15)

Storage means for storing device address management information for managing address information;
An acquisition unit that communicates with an external device and acquires external device address management information for managing address information stored in the external device, from the external device.
Integrating means for generating integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information and the external device address management information;
Deleting means for deleting the external device address management information included in the integrated address management information when communication with the external device is canceled,
Information processing device having a. The acquisition means communicates with the external device by short-range wireless communication,
When the external device is placed outside the communication range of the short-range wireless communication and the communication with the external device is released, the deleting unit deletes the external device address management information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires the external device address management information from the external device existing within a preset range based on the position of the information processing device,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. The acquisition unit acquires the external device address management information from the external device that exists within the preset range and permits acquisition of the external device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The acquisition unit acquires the external device address management information from each of the plurality of external devices,
The integrating means creates the integrated address management information for each of the external devices by integrating the device address management information and the individual external device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The integrating means changes the address information of the integration target in the address management information for the external device in accordance with the use history of the address information in the external device to obtain the address information of the integration target in the address management information for the external device. Generating the integrated address management information by integrating with the device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The integration unit integrates the address information used for the device and the address information used after the preset time from the present time in the address management information for the external device with the device address management information to obtain the integrated address management information. Generate,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that. The integration unit creates the integrated address management information by integrating the address information for which the use frequency is equal to or more than a preset threshold value in the external device and the device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that. The integrating means creates the integrated address management information by integrating the address information actually used in the external device and the device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that. The integration unit creates the integrated address management information by integrating address information having an attribute corresponding to the information processing apparatus in the external apparatus address management information and the device address management information.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that. The integrating means creates the integrated address management information by integrating address information associated with specific identification information in the external device address management information and the device address management information,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that. The information processing apparatus further comprises a transmission unit for transmitting the address information input to the information processing apparatus by the user to the external apparatus included in the user.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that. Further comprising transmitting means for transmitting the integrated address management information to the external device,
The transmitting means does not transmit, to the external device, address information whose importance is equal to or higher than a preset reference importance among the address information included in the integrated address management information.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that. A charge system for determining the charge charged for the process depending on whether the integrated address management information is used for processing or the device address management information is used for processing. Further having a changing means for changing,
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that. Computer,
An acquisition unit that communicates with an external device and acquires from the external device address management information for the external device, which is stored in the external device and manages address information.
Integrating means for generating integrated address management information by integrating the device address management information for managing the address information and the external device address management information,
Deleting means for deleting the external device address management information included in the integrated address management information when communication with the external device is disconnected,
A program to function as.

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