JP7346862B2 - Information processing equipment, systems, and programs - Google Patents

Description

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

As methods for configuring devices, there are already known methods that provide methods for configuring settings remotely using a PC browser or the like, in addition to methods for directly operating the device itself.

In addition, a technique for transmitting an error screen displayed by an image processing apparatus to another computer via a web server included in the image processing apparatus has also been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

However, in the past, the user interface provided was different depending on whether the settings were made by directly operating the device itself or remotely, and the operation methods differed depending on the device the user was operating, resulting in poor operability. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an information processing device, a system, and a program that can unify the user interface when configuring settings by directly operating the main body and when configuring settings remotely. The purpose is to provide

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, an information processing device according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores information on operation items that can be changed through an operation screen, and a client that requests the operation screen. a server unit that provides the operation screen in response to a request for the operation screen via a network and a request for the operation screen from the client unit; and a server unit that makes changes to the operation items on the operation screen. a changing unit that changes information of the operation item that can accept the change in the storage unit by accepting the change, and the server unit provides the operation screen provided via a network and the client unit. When a common operation screen is generated as the operation screen and a setting operation is performed on the own device itself based on the operation screen provided by the client section, the operation screen provided by the client section of the own device It is characterized by adding changes for direct operation to setting items that are operated by direct operation of the main body .

According to the present invention, it is possible to unify the user interface when setting is performed by directly operating the main body and when setting is performed remotely.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an electronic whiteboard system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic whiteboard according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the external terminal. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a function for setting up the electronic whiteboard from the electronic whiteboard main body and an external terminal. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when a user changes the settings of the electronic whiteboard. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing according to a modification when the user changes the settings of the electronic whiteboard. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the top screen of the settings screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a registered data management screen that is displayed when the registered data management button is selected on the top screen. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system settings screen that is displayed when the system settings button is selected on the top screen.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing device, a system, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As an embodiment of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, an example will be shown in which the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an information device having an electronic whiteboard function (hereinafter referred to as an "electronic whiteboard (interactive whiteboard)"). Note that the electronic whiteboard is an example, and the present invention may be applied to other devices as long as they are information processing devices that store information on operation items that can be changed using an operation screen.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an electronic whiteboard system according to an embodiment. The electronic whiteboard 1 is a device that performs various information processing using an electronic whiteboard function. The electronic whiteboard 1 is connected to a network N, and can communicate with an external terminal 2 such as a PC (Personal Computer) via the network N. In this system, the electronic whiteboard 1 serves as a server device, and the external terminal 2 serves as a client device. The network N is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or the Internet.

The electronic whiteboard 1 stores information on operation items that can be changed using the operation screen. There are a variety of changeable operation items, such as system settings and file operations. Here, operating information on these items is referred to as setting, and the operation screen will be described as a setting screen.

There are two methods for setting the system of the electronic whiteboard 1 (including changing settings): by directly operating the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1, and by remote from the external terminal 2 via the network N. In this embodiment, a unified setting screen E is displayed on both displays, whether the settings are made by directly operating the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 or the settings are made remotely from the external terminal 2. Configure the system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic whiteboard 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic whiteboard 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 104, a network I /F (Interface) 105 and external device connection I/F 106.

The CPU 101 executes programs to control the entire operation of the electronic whiteboard 1. The ROM 102 mainly stores programs executed by the CPU 101 at startup. The RAM 103 serves as a work area when the CPU 101 executes a program.

The SSD 104 is a nonvolatile memory in which various programs, data, etc. of the electronic whiteboard 1 are stored. Electronic whiteboard programs include a server program, a client program, a setting program, and the like. The data includes setting data that can be changed by the user.

The network I/F 105 is an interface such as a wireless LAN or a wired LAN, and communicates with the external terminal 2 etc. via the network N.

The external device connection I/F 106 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The external device is, for example, an external device (camera 110, microphone 140, speaker 150, etc.). Further, for example, a removable external memory is connected, and writing to or reading from the external memory is performed. The external memory is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 130 or an SD card.

The electronic whiteboard 1 also includes a capture device 111 , a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 112 , a display controller 113 , a contact sensor 114 , a sensor controller 115 , an electronic pen controller 116 , a short-range communication circuit 119 , and a short-range communication circuit 119 . It includes an antenna 119a, a power switch 122, and selection switches 123.

The capture device 111 takes in (captures) the video that the external PC 170 is displaying on the display device. The GPU 112 is a processor dedicated to drawing that calculates the pixel value of each pixel on the display 180. The display controller 113 outputs the image created by the GPU 112 to the display 180.

Based on the signal output from the contact sensor 114, the sensor controller 115 detects the position (position on the screen) touched by a pen, finger, or the like. The contact position is detected using an infrared blocking method. In addition to the infrared cutoff method, there are also capacitance methods that detect contact positions based on changes in capacitance, resistive film methods that detect contact positions based on voltage changes between two opposing resistive films, and electromagnetic induction methods. , the detection method may be selected as appropriate.

Electronic pen controller 116 communicates with electronic pen 190. For example, the electronic pen controller 116 determines the usage status of the electronic pen, the position where the electronic pen 190 is used, etc. by acquiring information indicating the posture and position from the electronic pen 190.

The electronic pen 190 includes a gyro sensor and the like, and communicates with the electronic pen controller 116.

The photographing camera 110 has an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) equipped with a visible light filter such as RGB, and transmits frame images of a photographing range at a predetermined frame rate. do.

The near field communication circuit 119 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The power switch 122 is a switch for switching the power of the electronic whiteboard 1 on and off. The selection switches 123 are, for example, a group of switches for adjusting the brightness, shade, etc. of the display on the display 180. The bus line 160 that electrically connects the CPU 101 and the like is an address bus, a data bus, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the external terminal 2 (PC as an example). As shown in FIG. 3, the external terminal 2 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage unit 203, a network I/F 204, an external connection I/F 205, a bus 208, and the like. Additionally, a display section 206 and an operation section 207 are also included.

The CPU 201 reads programs and data from the memory 202, the storage unit 203, etc., and executes processes to realize each function provided in the external terminal 2. The memory 202 includes, for example, a RAM used as a work area for the CPU 201, a ROM that stores a startup program, and the like.

The storage unit 203 is a storage unit that stores client programs, data, etc., and is configured by, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like.

The network I/F 204 is an interface such as a wireless LAN or a wired LAN, and connects the external terminal 2 to the network N to communicate with the electronic whiteboard 1 and the like.

The external connection I/F 205 is, for example, an interface for connecting an external storage device such as a USB memory.

The display unit 206 displays a screen on a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence).

The operation unit 207 receives operation signals from an operation device such as a mouse or a keyboard.

A bus 208 is connected to each of the above components and transmits address signals, data signals, various control signals, and the like.

(Functional block)
The electronic whiteboard 1 realizes various functions (including a setting function) of the electronic whiteboard 1 by the CPU 101 executing various programs (server program, client program, setting program, etc.) of the electronic whiteboard 1.

Further, the external terminal 2 realizes various functions (including the function of setting the electronic whiteboard 1) by the CPU 201 executing a client program.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a function for setting the electronic whiteboard 1 from the electronic whiteboard 1 main body and the external terminal 2. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic whiteboard 1 has a setting change function 301, a setting storage function 302, and a server function 303 as setting functions. Furthermore, the electronic whiteboard 1 has a client function 304 that accepts settings through direct operation of the electronic whiteboard 1 main body.

Here, the setting change function 301, the setting save function 302, etc. correspond to the "change unit". The server function 303 corresponds to the "server section". The client function 304 corresponds to the "client section".

The client function 304 is a function (equivalent function) corresponding to the client function 305 of the external terminal 2. In other words, the electronic whiteboard 1 has both server and client functions. When the user directly operates the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 to make settings, the client function 304, like the client function 305 of the external terminal 2, receives the settings and requests the server function 303 to perform the setting procedure. When the user configures the electronic whiteboard 1 using the external terminal 2, the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 accepts the settings and requests the server function 303 to perform the configuration procedure.

Therefore, the server function 303 recognizes the client function 304 of the electronic whiteboard 1 and the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 as having equivalent functions, and provides equivalent screen information to each.

Each function will be explained in detail below.
The setting change function 301 is a function that controls the settings of the electronic whiteboard 1 body. The settings change function 301 reads settings from the settings storage function 302, that is, information on operation items that can be changed by the user, writes settings to the settings storage function 302, and generates a settings change screen.

A settings storage function 302 stores settings. Note that the location where settings are saved by the settings storage function 302 (corresponding to the "storage unit") is not particularly limited. One example is a method of saving the configuration file in a storage such as the SSD 104. In addition, a method of storing in the registry, a method of storing in memory, a method of storing in external memory via external device connection I/F 106, etc. may be used.

The server function 303 communicates with the client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 or the client function 305 of the external terminal 2, and receives requests from the client function 304 or the client function 305. In this example, the server function 303 accepts a request for setting change, and transmits a setting change screen generated by the setting change function 301 to the client. In addition, when the server function 303 receives the settings changed on the settings change screen and a settings change request from the destination client (client function) of the settings change screen, the server function 303 sends the settings change request to the settings change function 301. request.

In this way, the client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 and the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 communicate with the server function 303, and display a unified setting change screen for the client on their respective screens. Accept settings from users.

The client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 and the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 have all parts related to setting changes in common. Therefore, the server function 303 can basically not be aware of which connection is coming from. Note that the parts related to startup and termination, the parts related to selection of the connection destination, the form of the application providing the client function, etc. do not need to be the same.

An example of implementing the server function 303 and each client function 304, 305 is a method using HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol). In this case, the server function 303 provides a server function generally called a Web server, and each of the client functions 304 and 305 provides a client function equivalent to what is generally called a Web browser. Screen information and setting information such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) are transmitted between the server function 303 and client functions 304 and 305 through HTTP communication.

Next, common processing when the server function 303 of the electronic whiteboard 1 receives a setting change from the client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 or the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 will be explained. When viewed from the server function 303, the client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 and the client function 305 of the external terminal 2 look the same without being distinguished. Therefore, the server function 303 provides the same setting screen and performs setting change processing in the same flow without distinguishing between the client function 304 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 and the client function 305 of the external terminal 2. The processing flow for changing common settings will be explained below. Note that, for purposes of explanation, a case in which the user directly operates the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 will be described below as an example, but the process is similar when the user operates the external terminal 2.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when a user changes the settings of the electronic whiteboard 1. Starting from a user operation, the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 first activates the client function 304 (step S401).

Subsequently, the activated client function 304 connects to the server function 303 of the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 (step S402). Here, a preferred example of communication between the server function 303 and client function 304 in the main body of the electronic whiteboard 1 is to perform communication using the TCP/IP protocol using a mechanism called a socket, but this is just one example. Yes, but not limited to this.

Subsequently, when the server function 303 receives a request for a setting screen from the client function 304, the setting change function 301 generates a setting screen (step S403). When it is necessary to display the current setting state on the setting screen, the setting change function 301 reads the setting from the setting storage function 302 and reflects it on the setting screen.

Subsequently, the setting screen is sent from the server function 303 to the client function 304, and displayed on the screen of the electronic whiteboard 1 by the client function 304 (step S404).

When the user performs a setting change operation on the setting screen from the operation unit of the electronic whiteboard 1, the changed information is sent from the client function 304 to the server function 303, and the changed information is transferred from the server function 303 to the setting change function 301. and is saved by the setting save function 302 (step S405).

The series of steps from steps S401 to S405 is the same even when the user changes settings remotely from the external terminal 2. The difference is that when changing the settings remotely from the external terminal 2, the activation of the setting client in S401 is executed within the external terminal 2. All processes after step S402 are common, and this makes it possible to unify user interfaces such as setting screens. Further, since there is no need to change the user interfaces of the electronic whiteboard 1 main body and the external terminal 2 according to their respective specifications, it is also possible to reduce the developer's work costs.

(Modified example)
Even if the electronic whiteboard 1 and the external terminal 2 have the same user interface for settings, the electronic whiteboard 1 and the external terminal 2 may need to display different items required for settings. In such a case, some of the items to be displayed are changed depending on whether the client is the electronic whiteboard 1 client or the external terminal 2 client.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing according to a modification when the user changes the settings of the electronic whiteboard 1. Here, description of parts common to the embodiment will be omitted, and parts different from the embodiment will be mainly described.

The process according to modification 2 further adds a determination process to determine whether or not the electronic whiteboard 1 main body is directly operated between step S403 and step S404 of the process according to the embodiment (flow in FIG. 5). It is. As shown in FIG. 6, after generating the setting screen in step S503, the electronic whiteboard 1 determines whether the generated setting screen is a direct operation or a remote operation, if there are any parts that differ depending on whether the operation is a direct operation or a remote operation (step S503). S403.1).

For example, if the server function 303 determines that it is a direct operation (step S403.1: Yes), the electronic whiteboard 1 changes to a setting screen for direct operation (step S403.2).

Specifically, in step S403, a setting screen is generated similarly to the embodiment. In the setting screen generated at this time, if there are parts that differ depending on whether the operation is direct operation or remote operation, the server function 303 determines whether it is direct operation or remote operation in step S403.1. If it is determined in step S403.1 that direct operation is required, changes for direct operation are added to the setting screen in step S403.2, and the process proceeds to step S404. If it is determined in step S403.1 that it is a remote operation, the process directly advances to step S404.

An example of a case where the setting items are different between the electronic whiteboard 1 and the external terminal 2 is an operation of importing a file containing setting information (see FIG. 8). When operating electronic whiteboard 1 directly, you want to be able to import only from the USB memory connected to electronic whiteboard 1, but when operating remotely from external terminal 2, you can import any file on external terminal 2. There are things that I want to be able to do. In this way, when it is desired to separate only some screens and processes and make all others common, each system setting (see FIG. 9) is performed using the process of the modified example.

In this modified example, when generating the settings screen, the flow is such that changes are made to the settings screen only in the case of direct operation, but the order and conditions of the steps in this part are not limited to this, and in the case of remote operation It is also possible to create a flow in which the setting screen is changed only in , or to change the order of S403 and 403.1. In addition, the settings screen generated in step S403 includes both screens for direct operation and remote operation, so that only the necessary screen is displayed when displayed on the client in step S403.2. It's okay.

The determination in step S403.1 needs to be made on the server side when the determination result is used when generating the settings screen in step S403, and the determination result is used when displaying the settings screen in step S404. In some cases, it is necessary to make a determination on the client side.

As preferred examples of the former case, that is, when the determination is made on the server side, there are the following two methods. The first method is to determine based on the IP address of the client that is the connection source. If the IP address indicates the electronic whiteboard 1, it is determined that it is a direct operation; otherwise, it is determined that it is a remote operation. The second method is to include information indicating direct operation or remote operation in the request sent from the client (request source) to the server. For example, this can be achieved by including a unique character string in the HTTP User-Agent header only in the case of direct manipulation.

A preferable example of the latter, ie, a case where the determination is made on the client side, is a method of determining from the host name of the connection destination URL (Uniform Resource Locator). In this method, if the host part of the connection destination URL represents itself (the terminal running the client), it is determined to be a direct operation, and otherwise, it is determined to be a remote operation.

Note that the above-mentioned determination method is an example, and other methods may be used. According to the second modification described above, while the overall user interface is unified, it is possible to have a setting screen that is partially dependent on the operating terminal, and it is also possible to reduce costs for developers. .

FIGS. 7 to 9 are diagrams showing examples of screen configurations of setting screens. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the top screen E1 of the setting screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the registered data management screen E2 that is displayed when the registered data management button is selected on the top screen E1. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system setting screen E3 that is displayed when the system settings button is selected on the top screen E1.

The setting screens E (E1, E2, E3) shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 are basically unified for direct operation of the electronic whiteboard 1 itself and operation from the external terminal 2. Therefore, the display layout and operation method are unified when operating directly on the electronic whiteboard 1 body and when operating from the external terminal 2, and even when a user who operates directly uses the external terminal 2, the same It is now possible to operate.

An example of settings that differ between the direct operation and the operation from an external terminal described in the modified example is as follows.

(Items that only exist on the electronic whiteboard itself)
For example, the setting "Reduce the frame rate of external input display when operating the whiteboard", which is a setting related to display and operation of the main body, exists only on the electronic whiteboard main body. This setting is necessary to maintain writing comfort even when external input is displayed, so it is only necessary when operating the main unit.

For example, the setting "Use flat", which is a setting related to the installation of the main body included in "Device Management", exists only for the electronic whiteboard main body. This setting allows you to display a screen rotation button on the whiteboard depending on whether the electronic whiteboard is used vertically or horizontally.

For example, settings for functions that use communication such as "Display digital signage during standby", "Use Crestron control system", and "Enable connection from external applications" are settings that only exist on the web page. These include ``using cloud storage'' and ``device management (SNMP).''

In addition, items that exist on both the main unit and externally but have different operations include "File Upload/Download", "Email Address Book", "Contact List", "Shared Folder List", "Templates", and "Custom Stamp". ”, “log”, etc.

The programs to be executed by the information processing apparatuses of this embodiment and the modified examples may be provided by being incorporated in a ROM in advance. In addition, it is provided as an installable or executable file recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Good too. Alternatively, the information may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and may be provided by being downloaded via the network.

(effect)
As described above, in the system according to the present embodiment and the modified example, the user's operability is improved by unifying the operation method and user interface. Furthermore, by unifying the implementation method, development and maintenance costs for developers can be reduced.

1 Electronic whiteboard 2 External terminal 301 Setting change function 302 Setting saving function 303 Server function 304 Client function 305 Client function

JP2012-014280A

Claims (4)

a storage unit that stores information on operation items that can be changed through an operation screen;
a client unit that requests the operation screen;
a server unit that provides the operation screen in response to a request for the operation screen via a network and a request for the operation screen from the client unit;
a change unit that changes information of the operation items that can accept the change in the storage unit by the server unit accepting changes to the operation items on the operation screen;
has
The server section generates a common operation screen as the operation screen provided via the network and the operation screen provided to the client section, and performs settings on the own device itself based on the operation screen provided by the client section. when an operation is performed, adding a change for direct operation to a setting item on the operation screen provided by the client unit that is operated by direct operation of the device itself ;
An information processing device characterized by: When a user operates an operation screen in the information processing device to change the operation items that can accept the change, the operation screen provided by the server section through communication between the server section and the client section. a change to the operation item is sent from the client unit to the server unit;
The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A system including a server device that stores information on operation items that can be changed through an operation screen, and a client device that communicates with the server device via a network,
The server device includes:
a client unit that requests the operation screen;
a server section that provides the operation screen in response to a request for the operation screen via a network and a request for the operation screen from the client section;
a changing unit that changes stored information of the operation items that can accept the change by the server unit accepting changes to the operation items on the operation screen;
has
The server section generates a common operation screen as the operation screen provided via the network and the operation screen provided to the client section, and configures the server device main body based on the operation screen provided by the client section. when the operation is performed, adding a change for direct operation to a setting item on the operation screen provided by the client unit that is operated by direct operation of the server device main body ;
A system characterized by: A computer of an information processing device having a storage unit that stores information on operation items that can be changed through an operation screen,
a client unit that requests the operation screen;
a server unit that provides the operation screen in response to a request for the operation screen via a network and a request for the operation screen from the client unit;
The server unit functions as a changing unit that changes information of the operation items that can accept the changes in the storage unit by accepting changes to the operation items on the operation screen,
Furthermore, a common operation screen is generated as the operation screen provided via the network and the operation screen provided to the client section, and the information processing apparatus main body performs setting operations based on the operation screen provided by the client section. A program for making a function of adding changes for direct operation to setting items of the operation screen provided by the client section that are operated by direct operation of the information processing apparatus main body when the information processing apparatus main body is operated .

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