JP6988930B2 - Information processing equipment, programs, information processing systems and information processing methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program, an information processing system and information processing how.

In recent years, with the spread of various communication devices such as mobile phones and information mobile terminals, the development of applications that can be used on communication devices has become active. In order to promote the use of these applications, websites and applications that introduce the applications and can be downloaded and installed as they are on communication devices have also been developed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying recommended information such as an application and contents on a terminal owned by a user.

However, in the past, there was no configuration that reflects the user's unique information (customer information) to determine the application recommended for use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, to reflect the specific information of the user, the information processing apparatus capable of determining the application to recommend the use, program, an information processing system and information processing how The purpose is to provide.

To solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention via the network, an information processing apparatus connected one or more image forming apparatus and for forming an image on a recording medium, the image Using the acquired machine number to acquire the machine number for identifying the image forming device from the forming device, customer information indicating a corporation using the image forming device is associated with each machine number. correspondence information, and, on the basis of the relation information showing the relation between the customer information and the application, and a determination unit for determining one or more recommended applications take advantage to recommend the use in the image forming apparatus utilizing the corporation, before It includes a transmission unit that transmits screen information including one or more recommended applications determined by the determination unit to the image forming apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to determine an application recommended for use by reflecting user-specific information.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a function possessed by the server. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application information management module. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the application information DB. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the customer information management module. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the first information. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the second information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the recommended application information management module. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the third information. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the fourth information. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the fifth information. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the license management module. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the sixth information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the seventh information. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the eighth information. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application download management module. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a modified example of the server. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an installation confirmation screen. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the display control unit to the execution unit. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion instruction screen. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion confirmation screen. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the display control unit to the execution unit. FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system of the embodiment. FIG. 34 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system of the embodiment. FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system of the embodiment. FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of the ranking value of each application. FIG. 38 is a diagram showing an example of the ninth information. FIG. 39 is a diagram showing an example of the tenth information. FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of the eleventh information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the information processing apparatus, program, information processing system , information processing method, and image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, as an example of the equipment included in the information processing system, a multifunction device (MFP: Multifunction Peripheral), which is one aspect of the image forming apparatus, will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The multifunction device is a device having a plurality of different functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, and a fax function.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the system (information processing system) 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 includes a server 2 and an MFP 4 connected to the server 2 via a network 3 such as the Internet. In the example of FIG. 1, only one MFP 4 is illustrated as the device included in the system 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number and types of devices included in the system 1 are arbitrary. .. For example, as a device, a PC (Personal Computer) may be included in the system 1.

The server 2 is an example of an "information processing device", and displays screen information indicating a recommended application (referred to as a "recommended application" in the following description) that is recommended to be used by the MFP 4 in response to a request from the MFP 4. Send to MFP4. Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the server 2 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 2 includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a communication I / F 304, an input device 305, and a display device 306. The CPU 301 comprehensively controls the operation of the server 2. The ROM 302 is a non-volatile memory for storing various data such as programs. The RAM 303 is a volatile memory that functions as a work area (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU 301. The communication I / F 304 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The input device 305 is a device used for inputting an operation by a user, and is composed of, for example, a mouse or a keyboard. The display device 306 is a device that displays various types of information, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 2 has an application information management module 210, a customer information management module 220, a recommended application information management module 230, a license management module 240, and an application download management module 250. In the example of FIG. 3, only the modules related to the present embodiment are illustrated, but the modules included in the server 2 are not limited to these.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application information management module 210. The application information management module 210 includes a storage unit 211, a control unit 212, a screen providing unit 213, and a setting unit 214. In the example of FIG. 4, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly exemplified, but the functions of the application information management module 210 are not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 211 has an application information database (hereinafter referred to as “application information DB”) 307 and a user information database (hereinafter referred to as “user information DB”) 308.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the application information DB 307. The application information DB 307 stores a plurality of application information. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the plurality of application information includes an application ID that identifies the application, a license key used for authenticating the usage authority (license) of the application, and a version indicating the latest version of the application. It is information in which the information, the display name of the application, and the message introducing the application are associated with each other. In the following description, the combination of the display name and the message may be referred to as "application description information" for explaining the application.

Returning to FIG. 4, the description of the storage unit 211 will be continued. The user information DB 308 stores, for example, information necessary for authentication of a user who has the authority to perform an operation for setting by the setting unit 214 described later.

Next, the function of the control unit 212 will be described. The control unit 212 controls to transmit screen information indicating a "recommended application" to the MFP 4 in response to a request from the MFP 4. Here, the function of the control unit 212 is provided by the application interface (API) on the server 2 side.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit 212. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 212 includes an acquisition unit 261, a customer information request unit 262, a recommended application request unit 263, a generation unit 264, a transmission unit 265, and a setting control unit 266. ing.

The acquisition unit 261 acquires a screen information request from the MFP 4, which includes a machine number (device information) for identifying the MFP 4 and requests screen information indicating a "recommended application".

When the screen information request is acquired by the acquisition unit 261, the customer information request unit 262 uses the MFP 4 identified by the machine number included in the acquired screen information request for the customer information management module 220 described later. Request one or more customer information indicating the unique information of the user (individual or corporation such as a company). In this example, the customer information request unit 262 includes the machine number included in the screen information request acquired by the acquisition unit 261 for the customer information management module 220 described later, and provides one or more corresponding customer information. Send the requesting customer information request. Then, as a response to the customer information request, one or more customer information is acquired from the customer information management module 220 described later.

Here, the functions of the customer information management module 220 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the customer information management module 220. As shown in FIG. 7, the customer information management module 220 has a first storage unit 221 and a specific unit 222.

The first storage unit 221 stores, for each one or more machine numbers, correspondence information associated with one or more customer information indicating unique information of a user who uses the MFP 4 identified by the machine number. In this example, the correspondence information is information in which a plurality of types of customer information are associated with each one or more machine numbers, and is a combination of the first information shown in FIG. 8 and the second information shown in FIG. It is configured, but not limited to this. For example, the correspondence information may have a configuration in which one type of customer information is associated with each one or more machine numbers.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first information is information in which the tenant ID that identifies the tenant (which may be considered to represent the environment in which the MFP 4 is used) and the machine number that identifies the MFP 4 are associated with each other. .. As shown in FIG. 9, the second information includes a tenant ID, a customer name (which may be an individual or a corporation such as a company), customer information which represents a market layer (market size), and a customer who represents an industry. It is information in which information is associated with customer information indicating the number of bases.

The description of FIG. 7 will be continued. When the specifying unit 222 receives the customer information request from the customer information requesting unit 262, the specifying unit 222 refers to the corresponding information and identifies one or more customer information corresponding to the machine number included in the received customer information request. More specifically, when the specific unit 222 receives the customer information request from the customer information request unit 262, it first refers to the first information described above and sets the machine number included in the received customer information request. Identify the corresponding tenant ID. Next, the specifying unit 222 refers to the second information described above, and refers to three types of customer information corresponding to the specified tenant ID (in this example, customer information representing the market layer, customer information representing the type of business, and a base). Specify the customer information that represents the number). Then, the specific unit 222 returns the specified three customer information to the customer information request unit 262 as a response to the customer information request. In this example, the function of specifying the customer information corresponding to the machine number included in the screen information request acquired by the acquisition unit 261 (“specific unit”) may be considered to correspond to the function of the specific unit 222. It may be considered that it corresponds to the combination of the function of the customer information request unit 262 and the function of the specific unit 222. The above is the function of the customer information management module 220.

The function of the specific unit 222 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the first storage unit 221 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

Returning to FIG. 6, the description of the function of the control unit 212 of the application information management module 210 will be continued. When one or more customer information is acquired by the customer information request unit 262, the recommended application request unit 263 requests a "recommended application" from the recommended application information management module 230 described later. In this example, the recommended application request unit 263 includes one or more customer information acquired by the customer information request unit 262 for the recommended application information management module 230 described later, and requests a "recommended application". Send an app request. Then, as a response to the recommended application request, one or more "recommended applications" are acquired from the recommended application information management module 230 described later.

Here, the functions of the recommended application information management module 230 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the recommended application information management module 230. As shown in FIG. 10, the recommended application information management module 230 has a second storage unit 231 and a determination unit 232.

The second storage unit 231 shows the relationship between the application and the customer information, and stores the relationship information used for determining the "recommended application". In this example, the relationship information is information in which the cumulative number of installations is associated with each combination of the plurality of types of customer information and the plurality of types of applications. In the present embodiment, the relational information is composed of the third information shown in FIG. 11, the fourth information shown in FIG. 12, and the fifth information shown in FIG.

The third information shown in FIG. 11 includes a plurality of customer information (customer information representing the market layer "KG", customer information representing the market layer "MA", and a market layer "L", each of which represents a market layer. Corresponds to the cumulative number of installations for each combination of customer information represented, customer information representing the market layer "M2", etc.) and multiple types of applications (App A, App B, App C, App D, App E, etc.) This is the attached information. For example, the cumulative number of installations "45" associated with the combination of the application A and the customer information representing the market layer "MA" has been the customer belonging to the market layer "MA" (the market layer "MA"). It is shown that "App A" has been installed 45 times in total by the MFP 4 of the customer corresponding to the customer information representing the above. Others can be considered in the same way.

Further, the fourth information shown in FIG. 12 includes a plurality of customer information each representing an industry (customer information representing an industry called "medical", customer information representing an industry called "education", and a customer representing an industry called "construction". Information, information corresponding to the cumulative number of installations for each combination of multiple types of applications (App A, App B, App C, App D, App E, etc.) and customer information representing the industry of "finance") Is. Further, the fifth information shown in FIG. 13 includes a plurality of customer information each representing the number of bases (customer information representing the number of bases "1", customer information representing the number of bases "2-10", and "10 or more". This is information in which the cumulative number of installations is associated with each combination of a plurality of types of applications (application A, application B, application C, application D, application E, etc.) and customer information indicating the number of bases.

In this example, when the application is installed (it may be considered that the license status is valid), the recommended application information management module 230 is counted from the application information management module 210 as described later. Since the update request is sent, the recommended application information management module 230 increases the cumulative number of installations of the corresponding application by one. For example, when the customer's MFP4 corresponding to the combination of the customer information representing the market layer "MA", the customer information representing the industry "education", and the customer information representing the number of bases "1" installs the application A. Is assumed. In this case, the cumulative number of installations "45" associated with the combination of the app A and the customer information representing the market layer "MA" increases to "46", representing the app A and the industry "education". The cumulative number of installations "170" associated with the combination with customer information has increased to "171", and the cumulative number of installations associated with the combination of application A and customer information representing the number of bases "1" " "160" increases to "161".

The description of FIG. 10 will be continued. When the decision unit 232 receives the recommended application request from the recommended application request unit 263, the determination unit 232 and the customer information included in the received recommended application request (which can be considered to be the customer information specified by the "specific unit"). , One or more "recommended applications" are determined based on the relational information stored in the second storage unit 231. More specifically, the determination unit 232 selects the application having the largest cumulative number of installations from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information included in the recommended application request received from the recommended application request unit 263. Determined as a "recommended app". In this example, the determination unit 232 is a plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information for each of the plurality of types (three types in this example) of the customer information included in the recommended application request received from the recommended application request unit 263. From among them, the application with the largest cumulative number of associated installations is determined as the "recommended application".

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the recommended application request received from the recommended application request unit 263 are the customer information representing the market layer "L", the customer information representing the industry "construction", and "3". It is assumed that the customer information represents the number of bases.

In this case, the determination unit 232 refers to the third information described above, and the cumulative number of installations associated with the associated cumulative number of installations is determined from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the market layer "L". The most common "app D" is determined as the "recommended app" corresponding to the customer information representing the market layer "L". Further, the decision unit 232 refers to the above-mentioned fourth information, and has the largest number of associated cumulative installations among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the industry of "construction". "App B" is determined as a "recommended app" corresponding to customer information representing the industry of "construction". Further, the determination unit 232 corresponds to the customer information representing the number of bases "3" (corresponding to the customer information representing the number of bases "2 to 10" in this example) with reference to the fifth information described above. From the attached multiple types of applications, the "app D" having the largest number of associated cumulative installations is determined as the "recommended application" corresponding to the customer information representing the industry of "construction".

Further, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 232 is associated with the customer information for each of the plurality of types (three types in this example) of the customer information included in the recommended application request received from the recommended application request unit 263. From the types of applications, a predetermined number of applications are selected in descending order of the number of associated cumulative installations, and the selected predetermined number of applications are determined as "recommended applications". In the above case, the determination unit 232 refers to the third information described above, and refers to the cumulative number of installed applications associated with the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the market layer "L". Three applications (app D, app B, app E) are selected in descending order, and each of the selected three applications is determined as a "recommended app". At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time. Similarly, the decision unit 232 refers to the above-mentioned fourth information, and has a large cumulative number of associated installations from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the industry of "construction". Three applications (application B, application E, application C) are selected in order, and each of the selected three applications is determined as a "recommended application". At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time. Similarly, the determination unit 232 refers to the fifth information described above, and uses the customer information representing the number of bases "3" (in this example, corresponding to the customer information representing the number of bases "2 to 10"). From the multiple types of associated applications, select three applications (App D, App C, App E) in descending order of the cumulative number of associated installations, and select each of the three selected applications as "Recommended." Determined as "app". At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time.

Then, the decision unit 232 determines the "recommended application" (this example) for each of the three types of customer information (three types of customer information included in the recommended application request) determined as described above as a response to the recommended application request. Then, three "recommended applications") are returned to the recommended application request unit 263 for one customer information. In this example, the function of determining one or more "recommended apps" ("decision unit") based on the customer information specified by the "specific unit" and the related information corresponds to the function of the determination unit 232. It may be considered, or it may be considered that it corresponds to the combination of the function of the recommended application request unit 263 and the function of the determination unit 232. The above is the function of the recommended application information management module 230.

Further, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned screen information request includes an application ID (an example of "application identification information") that identifies an application installed in the MFP 4 from which the screen information request is requested. If there is an application that matches the application identified by the application ID included in the screen information request among one or more "recommended applications", the recommended application request unit 263 excludes the application from the "recommended applications". do. The function of this recommended application request unit 263 corresponds to the "exclusion unit".

The function of the determination unit 232 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the second storage unit 231 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

Returning to FIG. 6, the description of the function of the control unit 212 of the application information management module 210 will be continued. The generation unit 264 generates screen information indicating the "recommended application" acquired by the recommended application request unit 263. In this example, the generation unit 264 has display information indicating "recommended applications" (three "recommended applications" for one customer information) for each of the three types of customer information acquired by the recommended application request unit 263. , Generates screen information (information that is the source of the screen) including commands corresponding to each of the nine "recommended apps" in total. In the present embodiment, the generation unit 264 specifies the settings controlled by the setting control unit 266, which will be described later, to the screen providing unit 213, and also stores the application information (stored in the application information DB 307) corresponding to the "recommended application". The application information) is passed to request the generation of screen information, and the screen providing unit 213 that receives this request generates the screen information and passes it to the generation unit 264.

Further, the display information included in the screen information of the present embodiment includes application detailed information associated with detailed information indicating the details of the "recommended application" for each "recommended application". Detailed information includes a license key, version information, application description information, and the like.

Further, as a type of command included in the screen information of this embodiment, an installation command or the like can be mentioned. The installation instruction indicates an instruction to install the application.

The description of FIG. 6 will be continued. The transmission unit 265 transmits the screen information generated by the generation unit 264 to the MFP 4 as a response to the screen information request. That is, the transmission unit 265 has a function of transmitting screen information indicating one or more "recommended applications" determined by the "decision unit" to the MFP 4 as a response to the screen information request.

The setting control unit 266 causes the setting unit 214 to set layout information indicating application explanation information, arrangement of display parts on the screen, and the like according to the user's operation.

Each of the functions of the control unit 212, the screen providing unit 213, and the setting unit 214 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the storage unit 211 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

Next, the functions of the license management module 240 will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the license management module 240. As shown in FIG. 14, the license management module 240 has a storage unit 241, a control unit 242, and a license issuing unit 243. In the example of FIG. 14, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly exemplified, but the functions of the license management module 240 are not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 14, the storage unit 241 has a license information database (hereinafter referred to as “license information DB”) 244 and a user information database (hereinafter referred to as “user information DB”) 245.

The license information DB 244 stores information on the usage authority (license) of the application in association with each other for each of the plurality of applications. In the present embodiment, the license information DB 244 stores the sixth information shown in FIG. 15, the seventh information shown in FIG. 16, and the eighth information shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 15, the sixth information includes an application ID, a license type indicating a license type, and a license form indicating a license form (in this example, either paid, free, or trial). , Information that associates the expiration date, which indicates the period during which the license is valid, with the number of volumes, which indicates the number of volumes to which the license can be granted. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the seventh information includes the license type, the license key, the number of used licenses indicating the number of licenses in use, and the number of used licenses indicating the number of used licenses. It is the information associated with. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the eighth information is information in which the license key, the machine number, the expiration date, and the valid state information indicating whether the license is valid or invalid are associated with each other. ..

Returning to FIG. 14, the description of the storage unit 241 will be continued. The user information DB 245 stores, for example, information necessary for authenticating a user who can perform an operation for issuing a license. This user information DB 245 may be common with the user information DB 308 of the application information management module 210.

Next, the function of the control unit 242 will be described. Here, the function of the control unit 242 is provided by the application interface (API) on the server 2 side. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit 242. As shown in FIG. 18, the control unit 242 includes a registration control unit 246, a license activation unit 247, and a license invalidation unit 248.

The registration control unit 246 controls to register the information regarding the license issued by the license issuing unit 243 in the storage unit 241 (license information DB 244). In the present embodiment, when the license issuing unit 243 receives an operation of selecting the application ID of the application for which the license is issued and the license type from the user who has the authority to perform the operation for issuing the license, the license issuing unit 243 receives the operation. The license key corresponding to the application ID and license type selected by the accepted operation is issued. The registration control unit 246 controls to register information indicating the license key issued by the license issuing unit 243 and the license type corresponding to the license key in the license information DB 244. More specifically, when the registration control unit 246 receives the license key and the license type corresponding to the license key from the license issuing unit 243, the registration control unit 246 receives the license key in the seventh information shown in FIG. Add a new record (in this example, unit information for each row) containing the license key and license type.

The license activation unit 247 controls to activate the license in response to the request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the license activation unit 247 includes at least the application ID, the license key, and the machine number and receives the activation request requesting the activation of the license from the MFP 4, it is stored in the license information DB 244. It is confirmed whether or not the license key included in the received activation request exists in the seventh information (see FIG. 16). If the confirmation result is affirmative, the license activation unit 247 refers to the sixth information (see FIG. 15) stored in the license information DB 244 and associates it with the application ID included in the received activation request. Identify the expiration date. Then, in the eighth information shown in FIG. 17, a new record in which the license key and the machine number included in the received activation request, the specified expiration date, and the validity status information indicating validity are associated with each other ( In this example, the unit information for each line) is added. Further, the license activation unit 247 increments the number of licenses in use associated with the license key included in the activation request received from the MFP 4 by "1" with reference to the seventh information shown in FIG. And update. Then, the license activation unit 247 transmits to the MFP 4 that the license status is valid as a response to the activation request. Upon receiving this notification, the MFP 4 can use the application identified by the application ID included in the activation request.

For example, when the license key included in the activation request received from the MFP 4 does not exist in the information stored in the license information DB 244, or the number of volumes corresponding to the license key included in the activation request received from the MFP 4. If has already reached the upper limit, the license activation unit 247 will return an error in response to the activation request from the MFP 4.

Further, the license activation unit 247 notifies the application information management module 210 of the application ID for which the license status is valid and the machine number included in the activation request. Upon receiving this notification, the application information management module 210 requests the customer information management module 220 to specify the three customer information corresponding to the notified machine number, and the three customer information is used in the customer information management module 220. Get from. Then, the application information management module 210 includes the three customer information acquired from the customer information management module 220 and the application ID notified from the license activation unit 247 with respect to the recommended application information management module 230, and Send a count-up update request requesting a count-up for the cumulative number of installations. The recommended application information management module 230 that has received the count-up update request counts up (increments) the cumulative number of installations by "1" for each combination of the three customer information and the application ID included in the received count-up update request. )do.

The license invalidation unit 248 controls to invalidate the license in response to the request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the license invalidation unit 248 includes at least the application ID, the license key, and the machine number and receives the invalidation request requesting the invalidation of the license from the MFP 4, it is stored in the license information DB 244. With reference to the eighth information (see FIG. 17), the valid state information associated with the combination of the license key and the machine number included in the received invalidation request is changed to the information indicating invalidity. Further, referring to the seventh information (see FIG. 16) stored in the license information DB 244, the number of licenses in use associated with the license key included in the invalidation request received from the MFP 4 is decremented by "1". Then, the number of used licenses is incremented by "1" and updated. Then, the license invalidation unit 248 transmits to the MFP 4 that the license status is invalid as a response to the invalidation request. Upon receiving this notification, the MFP 4 cannot use the application identified by the application ID included in the invalidation request.

Further, the license invalidation unit 248 notifies the application information management module 210 of the application ID for which the license status is invalidated and the machine number included in the invalidation request. Upon receiving this notification, the application information management module 210 requests the customer information management module 220 to specify the three customer information corresponding to the notified machine number, and the three customer information is used in the customer information management module 220. Get from. Then, the application information management module 210 includes the three customer information acquired from the customer information management module 220 and the application ID notified from the license invalidation unit 248 for the recommended application information management module 230, and Send a countdown update request requesting a countdown for the cumulative number of installations. The recommended application information management module 230 that has received the countdown update request counts down (decrements) the cumulative number of installations by "1" for each combination of the three customer information included in the received countdown update request and the application ID.

Each of the functions of the control unit 242 and the license issuing unit 243 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the storage unit 241 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

Next, the functions of the application download management module 250 will be described. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the application download management module 250. As shown in FIG. 19, the application download management module 250 has an application storage 251 and a download unit 252. In the example of FIG. 19, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly exemplified, but the functions of the application download management module 250 are not limited to these.

The application storage 251 stores a plurality of applications to be provided to the MFP 4. In this example, the application storage 251 stores a data file including the application main body in association with each of a plurality of application IDs. The download unit 252 controls to transmit (download) any application stored in the application storage 251 to the MFP 4 in response to a request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the download unit 252 includes at least the application ID and receives a download request requesting download of the application from the MFP 4, the download unit 252 transmits the application corresponding to the application ID included in the received download request to the MFP 4. do. More specifically, the download unit 252 refers to the application storage 251 to specify a data file corresponding to the application ID included in the download request received from the MFP 4, and transmits the specified data file to the MFP 4.

The function of the download unit 252 described above can be realized by the CPU 301 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 302. Further, the application storage 251 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

The above is the configuration of the server 2. The server 2 may be configured to be composed of a plurality of servers. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, the server 2 may be configured to include an application server 270 and a database server 280. For example, the application server 270 may have the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, setting unit 214, specific unit 222, determination unit 232, control unit 242, license issuing unit 243, and download unit 252. Further, for example, the application server 270 is composed of a plurality of servers, and is composed of the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, setting unit 214, specific unit 222, determination unit 232, control unit 242, license issuing unit 243, and download unit 252. Each of the above may be distributed and mounted on any server.

Further, for example, the database server 280 may have the above-mentioned storage unit 211, the first storage unit 221, the second storage unit 231 and the storage unit 241 and the application storage 251. Further, for example, the database server 280 is composed of a plurality of servers, and each of the above-mentioned storage unit 211, first storage unit 221, second storage unit 231 and storage unit 241 and application storage 251 is any server. It may be mounted in a distributed manner.

Next, the hardware configuration of the MFP 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 21, the MFP 4 includes a main body 10 capable of realizing various functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a printer function, and an operation unit 20 that accepts user operations. It should be noted that accepting a user's operation is a concept including accepting information (including a signal indicating a coordinate value of a screen) input according to the user's operation. The main body 10 and the operation unit 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a dedicated communication path 30. The communication path 30 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard, but may be any standard regardless of whether it is wired or wireless.

The main body 10 can perform an operation according to the operation received by the operation unit 20. Further, the main body 10 can also communicate with an external device such as a client PC (personal computer), and can perform an operation according to an instruction received from the external device.

First, the hardware configuration of the main body 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 21, the main body 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, an HDD (hard disk drive) 14, a communication I / F (interface) 15, a connection I / F 16, and an engine unit 17. , These are interconnected via the system bus 18.

The CPU 11 comprehensively controls the operation of the main body 10. The CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire main body 10 by executing a program stored in the ROM 12 or the HDD 14 using the RAM 13 as a work area (work area), and has the above-mentioned copy function, scanner function, fax function, printer function, and the like. Realize various functions of.

The communication I / F 15 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The connection I / F 16 is an interface for communicating with the operation unit 20 via the communication path 30.

The engine unit 17 is hardware that performs general-purpose information processing and processing other than communication in order to realize a copy function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a printer function. For example, it is provided with a scanner (image reading unit) that scans and reads an image of a document, a plotter (image forming unit) that prints on a sheet material such as paper, and a fax unit that performs fax communication. Further, it may be provided with specific options such as a finisher for sorting printed sheet materials and an ADF (automatic document feeder) for automatically feeding documents.

Next, the hardware configuration of the operation unit 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 21, the operation unit 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a flash memory 24, a communication I / F 25, a connection I / F 26, and an operation panel 27, which are the system bus 28. They are connected to each other via.

The CPU 21 comprehensively controls the operation of the operation unit 20. The CPU 21 controls the operation of the entire operation unit 20 by executing a program stored in the ROM 22 or the flash memory 24 using the RAM 23 as a work area (work area), and information (image) according to the input received from the user. ) Is realized, and various functions described later such as display are realized.

The communication I / F 25 is an interface for connecting to the network 3. The connection I / F 26 is an interface for communicating with the main body 10 via the communication path 30.

The operation panel 27 accepts various inputs according to the user's operation and displays various information (for example, information according to the accepted operation, information indicating the operating status of the MFP 4, information indicating the setting status, etc.). .. In this example, the operation panel 27 is composed of a liquid crystal display device (LCD) equipped with a touch panel function, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be configured by an organic EL display device equipped with a touch panel function. Further, in addition to or in place of this, an operation unit such as a hardware key and a display unit such as a lamp may be provided.

Next, the software configuration of the MFP 4 will be described. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP 4. As shown in FIG. 22, the main body 10 has an application layer 101, a service layer 102, and an OS layer 103. The substance of the application layer 101, the service layer 102, and the OS layer 103 is various software stored in the ROM 12, HDD 14, and the like. By executing these software, the CPU 11 provides various functions.

The software of the application layer 101 is application software for operating hardware resources to provide a predetermined function (in the following description, it may be simply referred to as an "application"). For example, examples of the application include a copy application for providing a copy function, a scanner application for providing a scanner function, a fax application for providing a fax function, a printer application for providing a printer function, and the like.

The software of the service layer 102 is software that intervenes between the application layer 101 and the OS layer 103 to provide the application with an interface for using the hardware resources included in the main body 10. More specifically, it is software for providing a function of accepting an operation request for a hardware resource and arbitrating the operation request. As the operation request received by the service layer 102, a request such as reading by a scanner or printing by a plotter can be considered.

The interface function by the service layer 102 is provided not only to the application layer 101 of the main body 10 but also to the application layer 201 of the operation unit 20. That is, the application layer 201 (application) of the operation unit 20 can also realize a function using the hardware resource of the main body 10 (for example, the engine unit 17) via the interface function of the service layer 102.

The software of the OS layer 103 is basic software (operating system (OS)) for providing basic functions for controlling the hardware included in the main body 10. The software of the service layer 102 converts the usage request of the hardware resource from various applications into a command that can be interpreted by the OS layer 103 and passes it to the OS layer 103. Then, when the command is executed by the software of the OS layer 103, the hardware resource operates according to the request of the application.

Similarly, the operation unit 20 has an application layer 201, a service layer 202, and an OS layer 203. The application layer 201, the service layer 202, and the OS layer 203 included in the operation unit 20 also have the same hierarchical structure as the main body 10. However, the functions provided by the application of the application layer 201 and the types of operation requests that the service layer 202 can accept are different from those of the main body 10. The application of the application layer 201 may be software for operating the hardware resource provided in the operation unit 20 to provide a predetermined function, but the application mainly provided in the main body 10 (copy function, scanner function, fax function). , Printer function) and UI (user interface) functions for performing operations and displays related to functions such as updating license files for installed applications. In this example, in order to provide the application of the application layer 201 with an application for providing a browser function (sometimes referred to as a "browser application") and a function for executing a command included in the above-mentioned screen information. Applications (sometimes referred to as "installers") etc. are included.

In this embodiment, the software of the OS layer 103 on the main body 10 side and the software of the OS layer 203 on the operation unit 20 side are different from each other in order to maintain the independence of the functions. That is, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate independently of each other in different operating systems. For example, Linux (registered trademark) can be used as the software of the OS layer 103 on the main body 10 side, and Android (registered trademark) can be used as the software of the OS layer 203 on the operation unit 20 side.

As described above, in the MFP 4 of the present embodiment, since the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate on different operating systems, the communication between the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 is an interprocess communication in a common device. Not as communication between different devices. An operation (command communication) of transmitting information received by the operation unit 20 (instruction content from the user) to the main body 10 and an operation of the main body 10 notifying the operation unit 20 of an event correspond to this. Here, the function of the main body 10 can be used by the operation unit 20 performing command communication to the main body 10. Further, the event notified from the main body 10 to the operation unit 20 includes the execution status of the operation in the main body 10, the contents set on the main body 10 side, and the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the power supply to the operation unit 20 is performed from the main body 10 via the communication path 30, the power control of the operation unit 20 is separated from the power control of the main body 10 (independently). Can be done.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit 20 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 23, the operation unit 20 includes an activation unit 411, a display control unit 412, and an execution unit 413. In the example of FIG. 23, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly exemplified, but the functions of the operation unit 20 are not limited to these.

The activation unit 411 activates a browser application that provides a browser function in response to a user operation. For example, when the operation screen shown in FIG. 24 is displayed on the operation panel 27 and the icon 5 named “App Market” is pressed, the activation unit 411 has a URL indicating the location of the server 2 on the network 3. And control to start the browser application.

The launched browser application includes a machine number that identifies the MFP 4 and one or more application IDs that identify the application installed in the MFP 4 for the server 2 specified by the URL received from the activation unit 411. , Sends a screen information request requesting screen information, and receives screen information from the server 2 as a response to the screen information request. In this example, the MFP 4 holds application management information indicating the applications installed in the MFP 4.

Then, the browser application controls to display the screen corresponding to the screen information received as a response to the screen information request on the operation panel 27 (display unit). Here, the function of the display control unit 412 is provided by the browser application. Further, as described above, in this example, the display control unit 412 generates a screen corresponding to the screen information received from the server 2, and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27. The display control unit 412 may store the screen information received from the server 2 in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, read the screen information as necessary, and generate a screen using the read screen information. can.

In this example, the display control unit 412 identifies a command selected according to the user's operation on the screen (screen corresponding to the screen information) displayed on the operation panel 27, and transfers the specified command to the execution unit 413. You can be notified. For example, the display control unit 412 can specify a command selected by the user via extended Javascript (registered trademark), a custom scheme, or the like.

The execution unit 413 executes a command selected according to the user's operation (command notified from the display control unit 412) among the commands included in the screen information. Here, the function of the execution unit 413 is provided by the application interface (API) on the MFP4 side.

As described above, examples of the command included in the screen information received from the server 2 include an installation command and the like. In the following, a case where an installation command is selected according to a user's operation on the screen corresponding to the screen information received from the server 2 will be described as an example. In this case, the display control unit 412 notifies the execution unit 413 of the installation command selected according to the user's operation, and the execution unit 413 executes the installation command notified from the display control unit 412. More specifically, it is as follows. In this example, when the display control unit 412 receives screen information from the server 2 as a response to the screen information request, the display control unit 412 first uses the received screen information to display an application list screen showing a list of "recommended applications" to the MFP 4. Is controlled to be displayed on the operation panel 27. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. In the example of FIG. 25, the application list screen displays three applications (recommended applications) and three display parts corresponding to one-to-one for each of the three types of customer information (displays a total of nine display parts). , Each display component includes at least the name of the application and the application selection button 421 for selecting the application. The three applications displayed for each type of customer information may be displayed in a ranked format (ranking format).

When the display control unit 412 accepts the pressing of any of the application selection buttons 421, the display control unit 412 uses the screen information received from the server 2 to indicate the detailed contents of the corresponding application and to receive the installation execution instruction. Control is performed to display the instruction screen on the operation panel 27. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. In the example of FIG. 26, the installation instruction screen displays the application explanation information of the corresponding application and the installation button 431 for instructing the execution of the installation. In this example, the installation command is pasted to the install button 431 in the form of URI (for example, the form of URL). In this example, pressing the install button 431 means selecting the installation command pasted on the install button 431 (which may be considered to be the selection of the application to be installed).

In this example, when the display control unit 412 accepts the pressing of the installation button 431, the display control unit 412 controls to display the installation confirmation screen for finally confirming the execution of the installation on the operation panel 27. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an installation confirmation screen. In the example of FIG. 27, the installation confirmation screen displays a confirmation button 441 for instructing that the execution of the installation is finally accepted. Upon receiving the press of the confirmation button 441, the display control unit 412 notifies the execution unit 413 of the installation command attached to the corresponding installation button 431. Then, the execution unit 413 executes this installation command.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display control unit 412 is the application that is the target of the installation command selected according to the user's operation among the application detailed information in the display information included in the screen information received from the server 2. If the corresponding detailed information does not include the license key for authenticating the usage authority of the application, the control is performed to display the input screen prompting the input of the license key, and the license key is included. In that case, the license key and the installation instruction are notified to the execution unit 413. More specifically, when the display control unit 412 receives the press of the confirmation button 441 described above, the display control unit 412 refers to the screen information received from the server 2 and refers to the application detailed information in the display information included in the screen information. Among them, it is confirmed whether or not the license key is included in the detailed information corresponding to the application subject to the installation command pasted on the installation button 431 pressed by the user. If the license key is not included, the display control unit 412 controls to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key, and notifies the execution unit 413 of the input license key and the selected installation command. do. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the display control unit 412 to the execution unit 413 in this case.

Further, the display control unit 412 of the present embodiment controls to display the deletion instruction screen for receiving the deletion instruction of the application for each application installed in the MFP 4 on the operation panel 27 according to the operation of the user. You can also do it. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion instruction screen. The deletion instruction screen displays a deletion instruction button 451 for receiving a deletion instruction of the application for each application installed in the MFP 4. In this example, a deletion command indicating an instruction to delete the application corresponding to the deletion instruction button 451 is attached to each deletion instruction button 451. When the display control unit 412 receives the press of the deletion instruction button 451, the display control unit 412 controls to display the deletion confirmation screen for finally confirming the execution of the uninstallation on the operation panel 27. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion confirmation screen. The deletion confirmation screen displays a confirmation button 461 for instructing that the execution of the uninstallation is finally accepted. Upon receiving the press of the confirmation button 461, the display control unit 412 notifies the execution unit 413 of the uninstall command attached to the corresponding deletion instruction button 451. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the display control unit 412 to the execution unit 413 in this case.

Each of the functions of the activation unit 411, the display control unit 412, and the execution unit 413 described above can be realized by the CPU 21 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 22 or a flash memory 24.

FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 of the present embodiment. As described above, when the activation unit 411 accepts the pressing of the icon 5 named "app market" on the operation screen (step S1), the activation unit 411 is directed to the display control unit 412 (browser application) and the server together with the activation command. The URL of 2 is transmitted (step S2). Upon receiving the activation command, the activated display control unit 412 transmits the above-mentioned screen information request to the server 2 (step S3). As described above, the screen information request includes the machine number for identifying the MFP 4 and the application ID for identifying the application installed in the MFP 4, and requests the screen information indicating the "recommended application" for the MFP 4. Information to do.

When the application information management module 210 of the server 2 acquires the screen information request from the MFP 4, the customer information management module 220 includes one or more machine numbers included in the acquired screen information request and corresponds to one or more. Requesting Customer Information The above-mentioned customer information request is transmitted (step S4). When the customer information management module 220 receives the customer information request from the application information management module 210, the customer information management module 220 refers to the above-mentioned correspondence information and obtains one or more customer information corresponding to the machine number included in the received customer information request. Specify (step S5). The specific contents are as described above. Then, as a response to the customer information request, the customer information specified in step S5 is returned (step S6).

Next, the application information management module 210 includes one or more customer information received from the customer information management module 220 in step S6 of the recommended application information management module 230, and requests the "recommended application" as described above. Send the recommended application request (step S7). When the recommended application information management module 230 receives the recommended application request from the application information management module 210, the recommended application information management module 230 receives one or more "recommended applications" based on the customer information included in the received recommended application request and the above-mentioned related information. "(Step S8). The specific contents are as described above. Then, as a response to the recommended application request, the "recommended application" determined in step S8 is returned (step S9).

Next, when the application information management module 210 has an application matching the application identified by the application ID included in the screen information request from the MFP 4 among the one or more "recommended applications" received in step S9. performs a process of excluding the application from the "recommended application" (step S 10). Next, application information management module 210 generates screen information indicating the "recommended application" (step S 11), as a response to the screen information request, and transmits the generated screen information in step S11 to MFP 4 (Step S12) .. The MFP 4 generates a screen corresponding to the screen information received in step S12, and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27 (step S13). In this example, the display control unit 412 stores the screen information received as a response to the screen information request in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, and uses the received screen information to display the application list screen shown in FIG. 25. Is generated first. Then, control is performed to display the generated application list screen on the operation panel 27.

FIG. 34 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when any of the application selection buttons 421 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 25 is pressed. As described above, the display control unit 412 controls to display the above-mentioned installation instruction screen (see FIG. 26) on the operation panel 27 when any of the application selection buttons 421 is pressed (step 21). Next, the display control unit 412 controls to display the above-mentioned installation confirmation screen (see FIG. 27) on the operation panel 27 when the installation button 431 is pressed (step S22). Next, when the display control unit 412 accepts the press of the confirmation button 441 displayed on the installation confirmation screen, the display control unit 412 refers to the screen information received from the server 2 and applies the application in the display information included in the screen information. Among the detailed information, the license key is included in the detailed information corresponding to the application subject to the installation command (installation command pasted on the pressed install button 431) selected according to the user's operation. It is confirmed whether or not it is (step S23).

As a result of the confirmation in step S23 described above, when the license key is not included (that is, when the application targeted by the installation command is a paid application), the display control unit 412 displays the above input screen on the operation panel 27. The display is controlled (step S24), and the input of the license key from the user is accepted. Here, it is assumed that the user knows the license key corresponding to the purchased application in advance. For example, the administrator of the application may notify the user who purchased the application of the license key by mail, e-mail, or the like.

Next, the display control unit 412 notifies the execution unit 413 of the installation command selected according to the user's operation and the license key (license key of the application subject to the selected application command) (step S25). ). The execution unit 413 executes the installation command notified from the display control unit 412 by using the license key notified from the display control unit 412. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the execution unit 413 transmits to the server 2 the above-mentioned download request including at least the application ID of the application to be the target of the installation instruction and requesting the download of the application (step S26). The server 2 (download unit 252) that has received the download request selects an application corresponding to the application ID included in the received download request (step S27), and transmits the selected application to the MFP 4 (step S28).

Next, the execution unit 413 transmits the above-mentioned activation request including at least the application ID, the license key, and the machine number to the server 2 and requesting the activation of the license (step S29). After receiving the activation request, the server 2 (license activation unit 247) controls to activate the license (step S30), and then returns a response to the activation request to the MFP 4 (step S31). The specific content of step S30 is as described above, and when the license activation unit 247 receives the above-mentioned activation request from the MFP 4, the license included in the received activation request is included in the license information DB 244. Check if the key exists. If the license key exists, the license activation unit 247 updates the information stored in the license information DB 244 as described above. In addition, the license activation unit 247 issues a license file that defines the license (usage authority) such as the expiration date of the application identified by the application ID included in the activation request received from the MFP 4, and responds to the activation request. As a result, the license file can be sent in addition to the fact that the license status is valid. On the other hand, if the license key included in the received activation request does not exist in the license information DB 244, an error is transmitted as a response to the activation request.

Further, as described above, the license activation unit 247 notifies the application information management module 210 of the application ID for which the license status is valid and the machine number included in the activation request. Upon receiving this notification, the application information management module 210 requests the customer information management module 220 to specify the three customer information corresponding to the notified machine number, and the three customer information is used in the customer information management module 220. Get from. Then, the application information management module 210 includes the three customer information acquired from the customer information management module 220 and the application ID notified from the license activation unit 247 with respect to the recommended application information management module 230, and Send a count-up update request requesting a count-up for the cumulative number of installations. The recommended application information management module 230 that has received the count-up update request counts up (increments) the cumulative number of installations by "1" for each combination of the three customer information and the application ID included in the received count-up update request. )do.

The MFP 4 (execution unit 413) controls to install the application downloaded from the server 2 in step S28 when it receives that the license status is valid as a response to the activation request (step S32). After the installation is completed, the execution unit 413 updates the above-mentioned application management information by adding the application for which the installation has been completed (step S33).

FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when uninstalling the application installed in the MFP 4. First, the display control unit 412 controls to display the above-mentioned deletion instruction screen on the operation panel 27 in response to the user's operation (step S41). Next, the display control unit 412 controls to display the above-mentioned deletion confirmation screen (see FIG. 31) on the operation panel 27 when any of the deletion instruction buttons 451 is pressed (step S42). Next, when the display control unit 412 accepts the pressing of the confirmation button 461 displayed on the deletion confirmation screen, it is attached to the uninstall command (pressed deletion instruction button 451 selected according to the user's operation. Notify the execution unit 413 (step S43).

The execution unit 413 executes the uninstall command notified from the display control unit 412. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the execution unit 413 makes the above-mentioned invalidation request to the server 2, which includes at least the license key corresponding to the application to be the uninstall command and the machine number, and requests the invalidation of the license. Transmit (step S44). After receiving the invalidation request, the server 2 (license invalidation unit 248) controls to invalidate the license (step S45), and then responds to the invalidation request (here, the license status is invalid). The response indicating the above is returned to the MFP 4 (step S46). The specific content of step S45 is as described above, and when the license invalidation unit 248 receives the above-mentioned invalidation request from the MFP 4, the received invalidation request among the information stored in the license information DB 244. The number of licenses in use associated with the license key included in the received invalidation request by changing the valid status information associated with the combination of the license key and machine number included in to the information indicating "invalid". Is decremented by "1" and the number of used licenses is incremented by "1".

Further, as described above, the license invalidation 248 notifies the application information management module 210 of the application ID for which the license status is invalidated and the machine number included in the invalidation request. Upon receiving this notification, the application information management module 210 requests the customer information management module 220 to specify the three customer information corresponding to the notified machine number, and the three customer information is used in the customer information management module 220. Get from. Then, the application information management module 210 includes the three customer information acquired from the customer information management module 220 and the application ID notified from the license invalidation unit 248 for the recommended application information management module 230, and Send a countdown update request requesting a countdown for the cumulative number of installations. The recommended application information management module 230 that has received the countdown update request counts down (decrements) the cumulative number of installations by "1" for each combination of the three customer information included in the received countdown update request and the application ID.

The MFP4 (execution unit 413) controls to uninstall the application corresponding to the license key included in the invalidation request when receiving the fact that the license status is invalid as a response to the invalidation request (step S47). ). After the uninstallation is completed, the execution unit 413 updates the application management information by deleting the information corresponding to the application for which the uninstallation has been completed from the above-mentioned application management information (step S48).

As described above, the server 2 of the present embodiment has one or more machine numbers that indicate unique information of the user who uses the device identified by the machine number (MFP4 in this example). A first storage unit 221 for storing correspondence information associated with customer information and a second storage unit 231 for storing relationship information indicating the relationship between the application and customer information are provided. Then, when the server 2 acquires the above-mentioned screen information request from the MFP 4, the server 2 specifies the customer information corresponding to the machine number included in the acquired screen information request, and the specified customer information and the above-mentioned relationship information are used. Based on the above, one or more "recommended applications" are determined, and as a response to the screen information request from the MFP4, screen information indicating the determined one or more "recommended applications" is transmitted to the device (MFP4). That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine an application recommended for use of the device by reflecting the unique information of the user who uses the device.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment will be described. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment described above will be omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the above-mentioned correspondence information is information in which a plurality of types of customer information are associated with each machine number, and the "decision unit" is a plurality of types of customers specified by the "specific unit". After specifying the cumulative number of installations associated with each of the multiple types of applications associated with the customer information for each information, for each of the multiple types of applications (multiple types of applications included in the related information), " The cumulative sum showing the sum of multiple types of customer information specified by the "specific unit" and the cumulative number of installations corresponding to one-to-one is obtained, and the application with the largest cumulative sum value is determined as the "recommended application". .. More specifically, the "decision unit" selects a predetermined number of applications from a plurality of types of applications in descending order of the cumulative sum value, and determines the selected predetermined number of applications as "recommended applications". ..

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the above-mentioned application request are the customer information representing the market layer "L", the customer information representing the industry "construction", and the customer representing the number of bases "3". It is assumed that it is information.

In this case, the determination unit 232 that has received the above-mentioned recommended application request from the recommended application request unit 263 refers to the above-mentioned third information, and refers to the customer information representing the market layer "L" and the plurality of types of applications. Identify the cumulative number of associated installations for each combination. Further, the determination unit 232 specifies the cumulative number of installations associated with each combination of the customer information representing the industry of "construction" and the plurality of types of applications with reference to the above-mentioned fourth information. Further, the determination unit 232 specifies the cumulative number of installations associated with each combination of the customer information representing the number of bases "3" and the plurality of types of applications with reference to the fifth information described above.

Then, the decision unit 232 determines three types of customer information (in this example, customer information representing the market layer "L", customer information representing the industry "construction", and "3" for each of the plurality of types of applications. (Customer information indicating the number of bases) and three cumulative installation numbers corresponding to one-to-one are obtained. Hereinafter, "Appli A" will be described as an example with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. In this example, the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the market layer "L" (cumulative number of installations corresponding to the combination of the customer information representing the market layer "App A" and "L") is "10". (See Fig. 11), and the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the industry "construction" (the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the combination of the customer information representing the industry "App A" and "construction") is It is "10" (see Fig. 12), and the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the number of bases "3" (cumulative corresponding to the combination of the customer information representing the number of bases "App A" and "3"). The number of installations) is "10" (see FIG. 13). Therefore, the cumulative sum indicating the sum of these three cumulative installations is "30".

As described above, the determination unit 232 obtains the cumulative sum value for each of the plurality of types of applications (the plurality of types of applications included in the above-mentioned relationship information), and determines the application having the largest cumulative sum value. Determined as a "recommended app". In this example, app D will be determined as the "recommended app".

Further, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 232 selects three applications (app D, app B, and app E) in descending order of the cumulative sum value from the plurality of types of applications, and the selected three applications. Determine the application as a "recommended app". At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time. Subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above. The generation unit 264 of the present embodiment can create screen information corresponding to the application list screen as shown in FIG. 36, for example.

(Modified example of the second embodiment)
For example, a predetermined weight is set for each type of customer information, and the determination unit 232 sets a plurality of types of customer information (“specific unit”) included in the application request received from the recommended application request unit 263 for each of the plurality of types of applications. The application with the largest cumulative sum obtained by the weighted addition is regarded as the "recommended application" by performing the weighted addition of the multiple types of customer information specified by "" and the one-to-one corresponding cumulative number of installations. You can also decide. Further, for example, the determination unit 232 selects a predetermined number of applications from a plurality of types of applications in descending order of the cumulative sum obtained by weighted addition, and determines the selected predetermined number of applications as "recommended applications". You can also do it. At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time.

For example, customer information representing the number of bases may be given the highest priority, and the number of bases → market layer → industry may be arranged in descending order of importance. In this case, for example, a weighting coefficient of "2" is set for customer information representing a market layer, a weighting coefficient of "1" is set for customer information representing an industry, and customer information representing the number of bases is set. On the other hand, a form in which a weighting coefficient of "3" is set may be used.

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the above-mentioned application request are the customer information representing the market layer "L", the customer information representing the industry "construction", and the customer representing the number of bases "3". It is assumed that it is information. Similarly to the above, the determination unit 232 that has received the above-mentioned recommended application request from the recommended application request unit 263 has three types of customer information (in this example, a customer representing the market layer "L") for each of a plurality of types of applications. Information, customer information representing the industry of "construction", and customer information representing the number of bases "3") and three cumulative installations corresponding to one-to-one are obtained. Hereinafter, "Appli A" will be described as an example with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. In this example, the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the market layer "L" is "10" (see FIG. 11), and the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the industry "construction" is "10". It is "10" (see FIG. 12), and the cumulative number of installations corresponding to the customer information representing the number of bases "3" is "10" (see FIG. 13). In this example, a weighting factor of "2" is set for the customer information representing the market layer, a weighting factor of "1" is set for the customer information representing the industry, and the customer information representing the number of bases is set. On the other hand, since the weighting coefficient of "3" is set, the cumulative sum obtained by the weighted addition of the above three cumulative installation numbers is 10 × 2 + 10 × 1 + 10 × 3 = 60. As described above, the determination unit 232 can obtain the value of the cumulative sum for each of a plurality of types of applications.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment described above will be omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the above-mentioned correspondence information is information in which a plurality of types of customer information are associated with each machine number, and the above-mentioned relationship information is for each combination of a plurality of types of customer information and a plurality of types of applications. Assuming that the information is associated with the cumulative number of installations, the "decision unit" is a plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information for each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the "specific unit". After assigning a ranking value indicating the ranking in descending order of the cumulative number of installations to each, one-to-one with multiple types of customer information for each of multiple types of applications (multiple types of applications included in the related information). The rank sum indicating the sum of the corresponding plurality of rank values is obtained, and the application having the smallest rank sum value is determined as the "recommended application". More specifically, the "decision unit" selects a predetermined number of applications from a plurality of types of applications in ascending order of the sum of ranks, and determines the selected application as a "recommended application".

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the above-mentioned application request are the customer information representing the market layer "L", the customer information representing the industry "construction", and the customer representing the number of bases "3". It is assumed that it is information.

In this case, the determination unit 232 that has received the above-mentioned recommended application request from the recommended application request unit 263 refers to the above-mentioned third information, and refers to the customer information representing the market layer "L" and the plurality of types of applications. For each combination, specify the associated cumulative number of installations and assign a ranking value indicating the ranking in descending order of the cumulative number of installations. In this example, as shown in FIG. 37, a ranking value indicating “5” is assigned to the combination of the application A and the customer information representing the market layer “L”. Similarly, a ranking value indicating "2" is assigned to the combination of the application B and the customer information representing the market layer "L". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "4" is assigned to the combination of the application C and the customer information representing the market layer "L". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "1" is assigned to the combination of the application D and the customer information representing the market layer "L". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "3" is assigned to the combination of the application E and the customer information representing the market layer "L".

Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 37, a ranking value indicating “5” is assigned to the combination of the application A and the customer information representing the industry of “architecture”. Similarly, a ranking value indicating "1" is assigned to the combination of the application B and the customer information representing the industry of "architecture". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "3" is assigned to the combination of the application C and the customer information representing the industry of "architecture". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "4" is assigned to the combination of the application D and the customer information representing the industry of "architecture". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "2" is assigned to the combination of the application E and the customer information representing the industry of "architecture".

Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 37, "5" is set for the combination of the application A and the customer information representing the number of bases "2 to 10" (corresponding to the number of bases "3"). The indicated rank value is assigned. Similarly, a ranking value indicating "4" is assigned to the combination of the application B and the customer information indicating the number of bases "2 to 10". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "2" is assigned to the combination of the application C and the customer information indicating the number of bases "2 to 10". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "1" is assigned to the combination of the application D and the customer information indicating the number of bases of "2 to 10". Similarly, a ranking value indicating "3" is assigned to the combination of the application E and the customer information indicating the number of bases "2 to 10".

Then, the decision unit 232 refers to three types of customer information (in this example, customer information representing the market layer "L", customer information representing the industry "construction", and "3" for each of the plurality of types of applications. The ranking sum indicating the sum of the three ranking values corresponding to one-to-one with the customer information indicating the number of bases) is obtained. In the example of FIG. 37, the sum of ranks of app A is "15", the sum of ranks of app B is "7", the sum of ranks of app C is "9", and the sum of ranks of app D is "6". The sum of the rankings of App E is "8". In this example, the determination unit 232 determines the application D having the smallest sum of ranks as the "recommended application". Further, the determination unit 232 selects three applications (app D, app B, and app E) in ascending order of the sum of the ranks from the plurality of types of applications, and selects the selected three applications as "recommended apps". Is decided as. At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time. Subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

(Variation example of the third embodiment)
For example, a predetermined weight is set for each type of customer information, and the determination unit 232 sets a plurality of types of customer information (“specific unit”) included in the application request received from the recommended application request unit 263 for each of the plurality of types of applications. The application with the smallest rank sum obtained by the weighted addition is determined as the "recommended application" by performing weighted addition of multiple rank values corresponding to one-to-one with (multiple types of customer information specified by "). You can also do it. Further, for example, the determination unit 232 selects a predetermined number of applications from a plurality of types of applications in ascending order of rank sum obtained by weighted addition, and determines the selected predetermined number of applications as "recommended applications". You can also do it. At this time, the ranking can also be determined at the same time.

For example, customer information representing the number of bases may be given the highest priority, and the number of bases → market layer → industry may be arranged in descending order of importance. In this case, for example, a weighting coefficient of "2" is set for customer information representing a market layer, a weighting coefficient of "1" is set for customer information representing an industry, and customer information representing the number of bases is set. On the other hand, a form in which a weighting coefficient of "3" is set may be used.

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the above-mentioned recommended application request represent the customer information representing the market layer "L", the customer information representing the industry "construction", and the number of bases "3". It is assumed that it is customer information. Hereinafter, as an example, a method of calculating the rank sum corresponding to the application A will be described as an example. In this case, as shown in FIG. 37, a ranking value indicating "5" is assigned to the combination of the application A and the customer information representing the market layer "L", and the application A and the "architecture" are used. A ranking value indicating "5" is assigned to the combination with the customer information indicating the type of business, and "5" is assigned to the combination of the application A and the customer information indicating the number of bases "2 to 10". The indicated rank value is assigned. In this example, a weighting factor of "2" is set for the customer information representing the market layer, a weighting factor of "1" is set for the customer information representing the industry, and the customer information representing the number of bases is set. On the other hand, since the weighting coefficient of "3" is set, the rank sum obtained by the weighted addition of the above three rank values is 5 × 2 + 5 × 1 + 5 × 3 = 30. As described above, the determination unit 232 can obtain the value of the sum of ranks for each of a plurality of types of applications.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment described above will be omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the above-mentioned correspondence information is information in which a plurality of types of customer information are associated with each machine number, and the above-mentioned relationship information is a combination of a plurality of types of customer information and a plurality of types of applications. It is information associated with attribute information indicating whether or not it can be used for each combination.

In the present embodiment, the related information is composed of the ninth information shown in FIG. 38, the tenth information shown in FIG. 39, and the eleventh information shown in FIG. 40.

The ninth information shown in FIG. 38 includes a plurality of customer information (customer information representing a market layer "KG", customer information representing a market layer "MA", and a market layer "L", each of which represents a market layer. Attribute information is associated with each combination of customer information represented, customer information representing the market layer "M2", etc.) and multiple types of applications (app A, app B, app C, app D, app E, etc.). Information. In this example, the attribute information indicating "TRUE" indicates that the corresponding application can be used, and the attribute information indicating "FALSE" indicates that the corresponding application cannot be used.

Further, the tenth information shown in FIG. 39 is a plurality of customer information each representing an industry (customer information representing an industry called "medical", customer information representing an industry called "education", and a customer representing an industry called "construction". Information, customer information representing the industry of "finance", etc.) and multiple types of applications (App A, App B, App C, App D, App E, etc.) are associated with attribute information for each combination. be. Further, the eleventh information shown in FIG. 40 includes a plurality of customer information each representing the number of bases (customer information representing the number of bases "1", customer information representing the number of bases "2-10", and "10 or more". This is information in which attribute information is associated with each combination of a plurality of types of applications (app A, app B, app C, app D, app E, etc.) and customer information indicating the number of bases.

When the determination unit 232 of the present embodiment receives the recommended application request from the recommended application request unit 263, for each customer information included in the recommended application request, from among a plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information. , One or more applications associated with attribute information indicating availability (attribute information indicating "TRUE" in this example) are selected, and the application having the largest number of selections is determined as a "recommended application". In this example, the determination unit 232 selects a predetermined number of applications from a plurality of types of applications (multiple types of applications included in the relationship information) in descending order of the selected number, and the selected predetermined number of applications. Is decided as a "recommended app".

Now, for example, the three types of customer information included in the above-mentioned recommended application request represent the customer information representing the market layer "M2", the customer information representing the industry "finance", and the number of bases "3". It is assumed that it is customer information.

In this case, the determination unit 232 that has received the above-mentioned application request from the recommended application request unit 263 refers to the above-mentioned ninth information, and has a plurality of types associated with the customer information representing the market layer "M2". From the applications, select the application to which the attribute information indicating "TRUE" is associated. Further, the determination unit 232 refers to the tenth information described above, and is associated with the attribute information indicating "TRUE" from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the industry of "finance". Select the application. Further, the determination unit 232 refers to the above-mentioned eleventh information, and corresponds to the attribute information indicating "TRUE" from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information representing the number of bases "3". Select the attached application. Then, for each of the plurality of types of applications, three types of customer information (in this example, customer information representing the market layer "M2", customer information representing the industry "finance", and the number of bases "3" are represented. Identify the number of selections across (customer information) and determine the application with the most selections as the "recommended app".

In this example, the application B whose selected number is "3" is determined as the "recommended application". Further, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 232 selects a predetermined number of applications (up to the third place in this example) from a plurality of types of applications in descending order of the number of selected applications (in this example, application B). , App A, App D, App E), and the selected predetermined number of applications are determined as "recommended apps". At this time, the ranking can also be determined (1st place: App B, 2nd place: App A, App D, 3rd place: App E). Subsequent operations are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. In addition, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate independently of each other in separate operation systems, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate in the same operation system. It may be in the form. That is, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 may be integrated.

Further, the program executed by the system 1 (server 2, MFP4, etc.) of the above-described embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD. (Digital Versail Disc), USB (Universal Serial Bus), etc. may be configured to be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium, or may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. You may. Further, various programs may be configured to be provided by incorporating them into a ROM or the like in advance.

1 System 2 Server 3 Network 4 MFP
10 Main unit 20 Operation unit 210 App information management module 211 Storage unit 212 Control unit 213 Screen providing unit 214 Setting unit 240 License management module 241 Storage unit 242 Control unit 243 License issuing unit 244 License information DB
245 User information DB
246 Registration control unit 247 License activation unit 248 License invalidation unit 250 App download management module 251 App storage 252 Download unit

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-12567

Claims (19)

An information processing device connected to one or more image forming devices that form an image on a recording medium via a network.
An acquisition unit that acquires a machine number that identifies the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, and
Based on the corresponding information associated with the customer information indicating the corporation using the image forming apparatus and the relationship information indicating the relationship between the customer information and the application for each of the acquired machine numbers. A decision unit that determines one or more recommended usage applications recommended for use in the image forming apparatus used by the corporation, and a determination unit.
A transmission unit that transmits screen information including one or more recommended applications determined by the determination unit to the image forming apparatus.
Information processing device. A specific unit for specifying customer information corresponding to the machine number acquired by the acquisition unit is provided.
The related information is
It is information in which the cumulative number of installations is associated with each combination of the plurality of types of the customer information and the plurality of types of applications.
The decision-making part
From among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information specified by the specific unit, the application having the largest cumulative number of installations is determined as the recommended usage application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The decision-making part
From the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information specified by the specific unit, a predetermined number of applications are selected in descending order of the cumulative number of installations, and the selected predetermined number of applications are used as the recommended application. Decide as,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The correspondence information is
It is information in which a plurality of types of the customer information are associated with each machine number.
The decision-making part
For each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit, the application with the largest cumulative number of associated installations is determined as the usage recommended application from among the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information. do,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The decision-making part
For each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit, a predetermined number of applications are selected from the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information in descending order of the number of associated cumulative installations. The predetermined number of selected applications are determined as the recommended usage applications.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4. The correspondence information is
It is information in which a plurality of types of the customer information are associated with each machine number.
The decision-making part
After specifying the cumulative number of installations associated with each of the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information for each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit, for each of the plurality of types of applications, A cumulative sum indicating the sum of a plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit and a plurality of cumulative installations corresponding to one-to-one is obtained, and the application having the largest cumulative sum is used as the recommended application. decide,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The decision-making part
A predetermined number of applications are selected from a plurality of types of applications in descending order of the cumulative sum value, and the selected predetermined number of applications are determined as the recommended usage applications.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6. A predetermined weight is set for each type of customer information, and
The determination unit performs weighted addition of a plurality of cumulative installation numbers corresponding to one-to-one with a plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit for each of a plurality of types of applications, and obtains the weighted addition. The application having the largest cumulative sum is determined as the recommended application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 6. A specific unit for specifying customer information corresponding to the machine number acquired by the acquisition unit is provided.
The correspondence information is
It is information in which a plurality of types of the customer information are associated with each machine number.
The related information is
It is information in which the cumulative number of installations is associated with each combination of the plurality of types of the customer information and the plurality of types of applications.
The decision-making part
After assigning a ranking value indicating the ranking in descending order of the cumulative number of installations to each of the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information for each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit. For each of a plurality of types of applications, a rank sum indicating the sum of the customer information of a plurality of types and a plurality of the rank values corresponding to one-to-one is obtained, and the application having the smallest value of the rank sum is used as the recommended application. decide,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The decision-making part
A predetermined number of applications are selected from a plurality of types of applications in ascending order of the sum of ranks, and the selected application is determined as the recommended application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 9. A predetermined weight is set for each customer information, and a predetermined weight is set.
The determination unit performs weighted addition of a plurality of the rank values corresponding to one-to-one with the customer information of the plurality of types specified by the specific unit for each of the plurality of types of applications, and obtains the weighted addition. The application with the smallest sum of ranks is determined as the recommended application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 10. A specific unit for specifying customer information corresponding to the machine number acquired by the acquisition unit is provided.
The correspondence information is
It is information in which a plurality of types of the customer information are associated with each machine number.
The related information is
It is information in which attribute information indicating availability is associated with each combination of a plurality of types of the customer information and a plurality of types of applications.
The decision-making part
For each of the plurality of types of customer information specified by the specific unit, one or more applications to which the attribute information indicating availability is associated are selected from the plurality of types of applications associated with the customer information. Then, the application with the largest number of selections is determined as the recommended application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The decision-making part
A predetermined number of applications are selected from a plurality of types of applications in descending order of the selected number, and the selected predetermined number of applications is determined as the recommended usage application.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 12. The acquisition unit acquires a screen information request from the image forming apparatus, which includes the machine number and requests screen information indicating a usage recommended application recommended for use for the image forming apparatus.
The screen information request includes application identification information that identifies an application installed in the image forming apparatus from which the screen information request is requested.
If there is an application that matches the application identified by the application identification information included in the screen information request among the one or more recommended applications, an exclusion unit for excluding the application from the recommended applications is included. Have more
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13. The correspondence information includes information indicating the market layer, industry, or number of bases of the corporation, which is related to the customer information indicating the corporation.
The relevant information includes the cumulative number of downloads of each application for the market layer, the industry, or the number of bases.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. A computer mounted on an information processing device connected to one or more image forming devices that form an image on a recording medium via a network.
An acquisition step of acquiring a machine number for identifying the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, and
Based on the corresponding information associated with the customer information indicating the corporation using the image forming apparatus and the relationship information indicating the relationship between the customer information and the application for each of the acquired machine numbers. Then, a decision step for determining one or more recommended usage applications recommended for use in the image forming apparatus used by the corporation, and a determination step.
A program for executing a transmission step of transmitting screen information including one or more recommended applications determined by the determination step to the image forming apparatus. An information processing system that is connected to one or more image forming devices that form an image on a recording medium via a network and includes one or more information processing devices.
An acquisition unit that acquires a machine number that identifies the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, and
Based on the corresponding information associated with the customer information indicating the corporation using the image forming apparatus and the relationship information indicating the relationship between the customer information and the application for each of the acquired machine numbers. A decision unit that determines one or more recommended usage applications recommended for use in the image forming apparatus used by the corporation, and a determination unit.
A transmission unit that transmits screen information including one or more recommended applications determined by the determination unit to the image forming apparatus.
Information processing system. The image forming apparatus is
The copy function, which is a function to form an image on a recording medium,
An operation panel that displays an operation screen for selecting and operating functions including the copy function, and
Have,
The operation screen displayed on the operation panel is
An icon for selecting the copy function and
An icon for displaying a list of applications that can be installed in the image forming apparatus is displayed together.
In response to an operation on an icon for displaying a list of the applications, a machine number that identifies the image forming apparatus is transmitted to the information processing apparatus.
The information processing system according to claim 17. An information processing method by an information processing system that is connected to one or more image forming devices that form an image on a recording medium via a network and includes one or more information processing devices.
An acquisition step of acquiring a machine number for identifying the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus, and
Based on the corresponding information associated with the customer information indicating the corporation using the image forming apparatus and the relationship information indicating the relationship between the customer information and the application for each of the acquired machine numbers. Then, a decision step for determining one or more recommended usage applications recommended for use in the image forming apparatus used by the corporation, and a determination step.
A transmission step of transmitting screen information including one or more recommended applications determined by the determination step to the image forming apparatus is included.
Information processing method .

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