JP6822172B2 - System, image forming device, information processing method and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system, an image forming apparatus, an information processing method and an information processing apparatus.

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 can be introduced and downloaded or installed on communication devices as they are have been developed.

For example, in Patent Document 1, an application explanation page displaying a download button (virtual button) requesting download of the application is provided from the server to the computer device (client device) for each of a plurality of applications held by the server. Is displayed on the display of the computer device. And when the download button on the application description page is selected, the technology that allows the download is disclosed only if the selected application is supported by the computer device.

However, for example, in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the display content of the page (Web page) introducing the application that can be used by the device is changed on the server side, the program on the device side is also changed according to the change. There is a need to. That is, conventionally, a page introducing an application that can be used by a device is provided (including both a form of providing the page itself and a form of providing information necessary for generating the page on the device side). There was no mechanism for the server to build pages with different display contents for each region, for example.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a system, an image forming apparatus, and information capable of constructing a page having different display contents for each region, for example, by a server that provides a page introducing an application that can be used by a device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing method and an information processing apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a system including a server and a device connected to the server via a network, and the server is a request from the device. The device includes a control unit that transmits Web content data including at least display information indicating an application that can be used by the device and an application command that causes the device to execute a process related to the application. , A display control unit that controls the display of a screen based on the Web content data received from the server on the display unit, and executes the application command included in the Web content data in response to a user operation via the screen. A Web browser including an execution unit that requests the device to execute a process related to the application corresponding to the application command, and a process related to the application corresponding to the request based on the request from the Web browser. The application command includes an installation command indicating an instruction to install the application, and the execution unit is selected in the display information according to the operation of the user. When a license key used for authenticating the usage authority of the application subject to the installation command is included, the license key and the installation command are notified to the processing execution unit, and the display control unit displays the license key. When the license key is not included in the display information, control is performed to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key .

According to the present invention, a server that provides a page introducing an application that can be used by a device can construct a page having different display contents for each region, for example.

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 the first correspondence information. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the second correspondence information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the third correspondence information. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the fourth correspondence information. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the license management module. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the fifth correspondence information. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the sixth correspondence information. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the seventh correspondence information. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the application download management module. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a modified example of the server. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a display information request. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of information received as a response to a display information request. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the installation confirmation screen. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the execution unit to the processing execution unit. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of application management information. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of detailed application information. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of an update instruction screen. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the execution unit to the processing execution unit. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion instruction screen. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion confirmation screen. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the execution unit to the processing execution unit. FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system. FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the server. FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system. FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system. FIG. 39 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operating procedure of the system. FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of a shortcut creation instruction screen. FIG. 41 is a diagram showing an example of an application list screen of a modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the system, image forming apparatus, information processing method, and information processing 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 system, a multifunction device (MFP), which is one aspect of the image forming apparatus, will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. A 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.

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 realizes a cloud computing type service.

The system 1 includes a cloud 5 and an MFP 4 connected to the cloud 5 via a network 3 such as the Internet. The cloud 5 has a server device group composed of a plurality of servers 2. The number of servers 2 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the number of servers 2 used is not limited to this. In the example of FIG. 1, only one MFP4 is illustrated as an information processing device included in the system 1 which is a client when viewed from the cloud 5 side, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the system 1 is not limited to this. The number and type of equipment included is arbitrary. For example, as a device to be a client, a PC (Personal Computer) may be included in the system 1.

The server 2 is composed of display information including information indicating an application available to the MFP 4 and screen information including at least an application command indicating a command for causing the MFP 4 to execute processing related to the application in response to a request from the MFP 4. The Web content data is transmitted to the 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, a display device 306, and an auxiliary storage device 307. The CPU 301 comprehensively controls the operation of the server 2. The ROM 302 is a non-volatile memory that stores 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. The auxiliary storage device 307 is composed of, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the server 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 2 has an application information management module 210, a license management module 220, and an application download management module 230. 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 functions 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 illustrated, 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”) 401 and a user information database (hereinafter, referred to as “user information DB”) 402.

The application information DB 401 stores, for each of a plurality of applications, the state information indicating whether or not the application is open and the model information that identifies the model of the device that can use the application in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the application information DB 401 includes the first correspondence information shown in FIG. 5, the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6, the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. It remembers the correspondence information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first correspondence information associates the model ID assigned to each model of the MFP4 with the model name of the MFP4 and the model code (“model information”) that identifies the model of the MFP4. Information. For example, one model ID may be associated with a plurality of model codes. As shown in FIG. 6, the second correspondence information includes an application ID that identifies the application, a license key used for authenticating the usage authority (license) of the application, a model ID, and an application identified by the application ID. This is information associated with the version information indicating the latest version of. In this example, the license key is associated with the application ID of the free application in advance because the license authentication is not required, but the application ID of the paid application is licensed. Since authentication is required, the license key cannot be associated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the third correspondence information is information in which the application ID is associated with the state information indicating whether or not the application is open to the public. By combining the above first correspondence information, the second correspondence information, and the third correspondence information, the state information indicating whether or not the state is open to the public for each of a plurality of applications and the application are used. It can be considered that it is associated with the model information that identifies the model of the possible device.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the fourth correspondence information includes the application ID, the language information indicating the language of the country or region in which the device is used, the display name of the application identified by the application ID, and the said. This is information associated with a message introducing an application identified by an application ID. 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 402 stores, for example, information necessary for authenticating 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. Here, the function of the control unit 212 is provided by the application programming interface (API) on the server 2 side.

Here, for convenience of explanation, the function of the screen providing unit 213 will be described before explaining the function of the control unit 212. When the screen providing unit 213 receives a screen information request requesting screen information from the MFP 4, it generates Web content data (screen information) including at least an application command, and as a response to the screen information request, Web content data (Web content data (screen information). Screen information) is transmitted to MFP4. Web content data (screen information) includes, for example, HTML, CSS included in HTML (or referred to by HTML), Javascript (registered trademark), and the like. This is displayed by the Web browser of the MFP 4 (display control unit 262 described later), and the API (control unit 212) of the server 2 is requested to display information by a technique called Ajax of Javascript. For example, when the application command is Javascript, the script itself may be embedded in HTML, or only the link may be described. In this example, a display information request including the model code of the source MFP4 and requesting display information is transmitted to the control unit 212. Examples of the type of application command of this embodiment include an installation command, an update command, and an uninstall command. The installation instruction indicates an instruction to install an application. The update instruction indicates an instruction to update the application. The uninstall instruction indicates an instruction to delete the installed application and return the state of the MFP4 to the state before installing the application.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit 212. As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 212 includes a specific unit 216, a display information generation unit 217, and a setting control unit 219.

When the identification unit 216 receives a display information request that includes at least the model code and requests the display information from the MFP4 (device), the identification unit 216 stores the information stored in the storage unit 211 (application information DB 401 in this example). With reference, the application corresponding to the combination of the model code included in the display information request and the state information indicating the published state is specified. More specifically, when the identification unit 216 receives the display information request from the MFP 4, the specific unit 216 is associated with the model code included in the received display information request with reference to the first corresponding information shown in FIG. Select the model ID. Next, the specific unit 216 selects one or more application IDs associated with the selected model ID with reference to the second correspondence information shown in FIG. Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and from the selected one or more application IDs, the application ID associated with the state information indicating the published state is associated with the identification unit 216. Select. The application identified by the application ID selected as described above is used as an application corresponding to the combination of the model code included in the display information request received from the MFP 4 and the state information indicating the published state (that is,). (As an application that can be used by the MFP4 that requested the display information request).

Further, since the display information request in the present embodiment includes language information (locale information) indicating the language of the country or region in which the MFP4 requesting the display information request is used, the specific unit 216 Refers to the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. 8, and identifies the application description information corresponding to the combination of the application ID specified as described above and the language information included in the display information request received from the MFP 4. can do. The above language information is generally described in the HTTP-Language header of HTTP.

The description of FIG. 9 will be continued. The display information generation unit 217 generates Web content data (display information) indicating the application specified by the specific unit 216, and transmits the generated Web content data (display information) to the MFP 4 as a response to the display information request. .. The Web content data (display information) of the present embodiment is the application details associated with detailed information indicating the details of the application for each application (for example, for each application ID) that can be used by the MFP4 that requests the display information request. Contains information. Detailed information includes a license key, version information, application description information, and the like.

The setting control unit 219 controls to reflect the setting by the setting unit 214 in the information stored in the storage unit 211. That is, the setting control unit 219 controls to update the information stored in the storage unit 211 according to the setting by the setting unit 214. In this example, the setting unit 214 has a function of variably setting the display information according to the operation of the user. For example, the setting unit 214 can variably set the application explanation information and the layout information indicating the arrangement of display parts on the screen according to the operation of the user. As a result, for example, the display content can be different for each region.

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 307 such as a ROM 302 or an HDD. In this example, the combination of the control unit 212 and the screen providing unit 213 is composed of display information indicating an application that can be used by the MFP 4 and screen information including at least an application command in response to a request from the MFP 4. It can be considered that it corresponds to the function of transmitting content data (“control unit”).

Next, the functions of the license management module 220 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functions included in the license management module 220. As shown in FIG. 10, the license management module 220 includes a storage unit 221, a control unit 222, and a license issuing unit 223. In the example of FIG. 10, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the license management module 220 are not limited to these.

As shown in FIG. 10, the storage unit 221 has a license information database (hereinafter, referred to as “license information DB”) 224 and a user information database (hereinafter, referred to as “user information DB”) 225.

The license information DB 224 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 223 stores the fifth correspondence information shown in FIG. 11, the sixth correspondence information shown in FIG. 12, and the seventh correspondence information shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the fifth correspondence information is the application ID, the license type indicating the license type, and the license form indicating the license form (in this example, either paid, free, or trial). This is information in which the expiration date indicating the valid period of the license and the number of volumes indicating the number of licenses that can be granted are associated with each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the sixth correspondence 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. 13, the seventh correspondence 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. is there.

Returning to FIG. 10, the description of the storage unit 221 will be continued. The user information DB 225 stores, for example, information necessary for authenticating a user who can perform an operation for issuing a license. This user information DB 225 may be common with the user information DB 402 of the application information management module 210.

Next, the function of the control unit 222 will be described. Here, the function of the control unit 222 is provided by the application programming interface (API) on the server 2 side. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the control unit 222. As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 222 includes a registration control unit 226, a license activation unit 227, and a license invalidation unit 228.

The registration control unit 226 controls to register the information related to the license issued by the license issuing unit 223 in the storage unit 221 (license information DB 224). In the present embodiment, when the license issuing unit 223 receives an operation of selecting the application ID of the application for which the license is issued and the license type from a user who has the authority to perform the operation for issuing the license, The license key corresponding to the application ID and license type selected by the accepted operation is issued. The license issuing unit 223 may only create a UI described in HTML or the like, and the function of issuing a license in response to a user operation may be in the form of the control unit 222. The registration control unit 226 controls to register the license key issued by the license issuing unit 223 and the information indicating the license type corresponding to the license key in the license information DB 224. More specifically, when the registration control unit 226 receives the license key and the license type corresponding to the license key from the license issuing unit 223, the registration control unit 226 includes the license key in the sixth correspondence information shown in FIG. Add a new record (in this example, line-by-line unit information) containing the received license key and license type.

The license activation unit 227 controls to activate the license in response to the request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the license activation unit 227 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 224. It is confirmed whether or not the license key included in the received activation request exists in the sixth correspondence information (see FIG. 12). If the confirmation result is affirmative, the license activation unit 227 refers to the fifth correspondence information (see FIG. 11) stored in the license information DB 224, and corresponds to the application ID included in the received activation request. Identify the attached expiration date. Then, in the seventh correspondence information shown in FIG. 13, 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, unit information for each line) is added. In addition, the license activation unit 227 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 sixth correspondence information shown in FIG. And update. Then, the license activation unit 227 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 224, 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 227 will return an error in response to the activation request from the MFP4.

The license invalidation unit 228 controls to invalidate the license in response to the request from the MFP4. In this example, when the license invalidation unit 228 includes at least the license key and the machine number and receives the invalidation request requesting the invalidation of the license from the MFP 4, the seventh license information DB 224 stores the license invalidation request. With reference to the correspondence information (see FIG. 13), 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 sixth correspondence information (see FIG. 12) stored in the license information DB 224, the number of licenses in use associated with the license key included in the invalidation request received from the MFP 4 is only "1". Decrement and update the number of used licenses by incrementing by "1". Then, the license invalidation unit 228 transmits to the MFP 4 that the license status is invalid as a response to the invalidation request. Upon receiving this notification, the MFP4 will not be able to use the application identified by the application ID included in the invalidation request.

Each of the functions of the control unit 222 and the license issuing unit 223 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 221 described above can be realized by an auxiliary storage device 307 such as a ROM 302 or an HDD.

Next, the functions of the application download management module 230 will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of the application download management module 230. As shown in FIG. 15, the application download management module 230 has an application storage 231 and a download unit 232. In the example of FIG. 15, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the application download management module 230 are not limited to these.

The application storage 231 stores a plurality of applications to be provided to the MFP 4. In this example, the application storage 231 stores a data file including the application main body in association with each of a plurality of application IDs. The download unit 232 controls to transmit (download) any application stored in the application storage 231 to the MFP 4 in response to a request from the MFP 4. In this example, when the download unit 232 includes at least the application ID and receives a download request requesting the download of the application from the MFP4, the download unit 232 transmits the application corresponding to the application ID included in the received download request to the MFP4. To do. More specifically, the download unit 232 identifies the data file corresponding to the application ID included in the download request received from the MFP 4 with reference to the application storage 231 and transmits the specified data file to the MFP 4.

The function of the download 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 application storage 231 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. As shown in FIG. 1, the server 2 may be configured to be composed of a plurality of servers. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the server 2 may be composed of an application server 240 and a database server 250. For example, the application server 240 may have the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, setting unit 214, control unit 222, and license issuing unit 223. Further, for example, the application server 240 is composed of a plurality of servers, and each of the above-mentioned control unit 212, screen providing unit 213, setting unit 214, control unit 222, license issuing unit 223, and download unit 232 is any server. It may be mounted in a distributed manner.

Further, for example, the database server 250 may have the above-mentioned storage unit 211 and storage unit 221. Further, for example, the database server 250 is composed of a plurality of servers, and each of the above-mentioned application information DB 401, user information DB 402, license information DB 224, user information DB 225, and application storage 231 is distributed and mounted on any of the servers. It may be in the form of

Next, the hardware configuration of the MFP 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, 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. As the communication path 30, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard can be used, but any standard may be used 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. 17, 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 connected to each other 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 or the like using the RAM 13 as a work area (work area), and has the above-mentioned copy function, scanner function, fax function, printer function, etc. 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) that automatically feeds documents.

Next, the hardware configuration of the operation unit 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 17, 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 or the like using the RAM 23 as a work area (work area), and provides information (image) according to the input received from the user. ) Is displayed and other functions described later 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 state, 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. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP4. As shown in FIG. 18, 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 softwares, 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, and a printer application for providing a printer function.

The software of the service layer 102 is software that intervenes between the application layer 101 and the OS layer 103 and provides 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 (app) of the operation unit 20 can also realize a function using the hardware resources of the main body 10 (for example, the engine unit 17) through 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 that of 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 resources included in the operation unit 20 to provide a predetermined function, but the functions (copy function, scanner function, fax function) mainly provided in the main body 10 may be provided. , Printer function) and the function to update the license file of the installed application, etc. It is software to provide the function of UI (user interface) for performing operations and displays. In this example, the application layer 201 executes an application for providing a Web browser function (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "browser application") or an application command included in the above-mentioned Web content data. An application for providing a function (hereinafter, may be referred to as an "installer") and the like are included.

In the present 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. It is done as communication between different devices. An operation (command communication) of transmitting information (instruction content from the user) received by the operation unit 20 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. In addition, 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. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the operation unit 20 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 19, the operation unit 20 includes an activation unit 261, a display control unit 262, an execution unit 263, and a processing execution unit 264. In the example of FIG. 19, the functions related to the present embodiment are mainly illustrated, but the functions of the operation unit 20 are not limited to these. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the display control unit 262 and the execution unit 263 are realized in the Web browser.

The activation unit 261 activates a browser application that provides a Web browser function in response to a user operation. For example, when the operation screen shown in FIG. 20 is displayed on the operation panel 27 and the pressing of the icon 5 named "App Market" is accepted, the activation unit 261 has a URL indicating the location of the server 2 on the network 3. Is acquired and the browser application is started.

The launched browser application transmits the above-mentioned screen information request as an HTTP request to the server 2 specified by the URL received from the activation unit 261, and Web content data (HTTP response) as a response to the screen information request (HTTP response). Screen information) is received. In this example, HTML and CSS / Javascript included in HTML (or referred to by HTML) are received as Web content data (screen information). The browser application interprets and executes Javascript, uses Ajax to send the above-mentioned display information request to the server 2 as an HTTP request, and Web content data including at least an application command as a response to the display information request (HTTP response). Receive (display information). FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a display information request, and FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of information received as a response to the display information request.

Then, the browser application controls to display the screen configured based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 on the operation panel 27 (display unit). Here, the function of the display control unit 262 is provided by the browser application. Further, as described above, in this example, the display control unit 262 generates a screen based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2, and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27. To do. The display control unit 262 holds the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, and stores the Web content data (screen information and display information) as needed. A screen can be generated by reading and using the read Web content data (screen information and display information).

In this example, the display control unit 262 inputs an application command selected according to the user's operation on the screen (screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information)) displayed on the operation panel 27. It can be specified and the specified application command can be notified to the execution unit 263. For example, the display control unit 262 can specify an application command selected by the user as Javascript, a custom scheme.

Among the application commands included in the Web content data, the execution unit 263 is notified from the application command (notified by the display control unit 262) included in the Web content data in response to the user's operation via the screen displayed on the operation panel 27. The application command) is executed to request the MFP 4 to execute the process related to the application corresponding to the application command. Here, the function of the execution unit 263 is provided by the application programming interface (API) on the MFP4 side. The MFP 4 can call the application programming interface (API) from the Web application arranged on the server 2 so that it can be used by the browser application of the operation unit 20.

The process execution unit 264 executes the process related to the application in response to the request based on the request from the Web browser (execution unit 263).

As described above, examples of the application command included in the Web content data received from the server 2 include an installation command, an update command, and an uninstall command.

In the following, an example will be described in which an installation command is selected according to a user operation on a screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2. In this case, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the installation instruction selected according to the user's operation, and the processing execution unit 264 executes the installation instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows.

In this example, the display control unit 262 uses the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 to display an application list screen showing a list of applications available in the MFP 4 on the operation panel 27. I do. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the application list screen. In the example of FIG. 23, the application list screen displays at least the name of the application and the application selection button 311 for selecting the application for each application available in the MFP 4. Further, in the example of FIG. 23, the application list screen displays the update selection button 321 for selecting the update of the application and the deletion selection button 331 for selecting the deletion of the application. The specific contents of these will be described later.

When the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of any of the application selection buttons 311, the display control unit 262 uses the display 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. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an installation instruction screen. In the example of FIG. 24, the installation instruction screen displays the application explanation information of the corresponding application and the installation button 312 for instructing the execution of the installation. In this example, pressing the install button 312 means selecting an installation instruction (which may be considered the selection of the application you want to install).

In this example, when the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of the installation button 312, the display control unit 262 controls to display the installation confirmation screen for finally confirming the execution of the installation on the operation panel 27. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the installation confirmation screen. In the example of FIG. 25, the installation confirmation screen displays a confirmation button 313 for instructing that the execution of the installation is finally accepted. In this example, the installation instruction is pasted in Javascript format for the confirmation button 313. Upon receiving the press of the confirmation button 313, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the installation instruction pasted on the pressed confirmation button 313. Then, the process execution unit 264 executes this installation instruction. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of information (Javascript pasted on the confirmation button 313) notified from the execution unit 263 to the processing execution unit 264 in this case.

Further, in the present embodiment, the execution unit 263 includes, in the display information received from the server 2, a license key used for authenticating the usage authority of the application subject to the installation command selected according to the user's operation. If it is included, the license key and the installation command are notified to the processing execution unit 264, and if the license key is not included, control is performed to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key. .. More specifically, the display control unit 262 includes detailed information corresponding to the application to be the target of the installation command selected according to the user's operation among the detailed application information in the display information received from the server 2. If the license key for authenticating the usage authority of the application is not included, the control is performed to display the input screen prompting the input of the license key, and if the license key is included, the license key is displayed. And the installation command are notified to the processing execution unit 264. More specifically, when the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of the above-mentioned installation button 312, the detailed information corresponding to the application selected by the user among the detailed application information in the display information received from the server 2 Check if the license key is included in. When the license key is not included, the display control unit 262 does not display the installation confirmation screen of FIG. 25, but controls to display the input screen prompting the input of the license key, and the execution unit 263 has input. Notify the processing execution unit 264 of the license key and the selected installation instruction. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen. The same installation command as in FIG. 26 is also attached to the OK button in FIG. 27. In this case, the character string input in the license key input area is input to appMgt. Pass it as the second argument of the installation function.

Next, a case where an update command is selected according to a user operation on a screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 will be described as an example. In this example, the display control unit 262 responds to the user's operation by using the current version of the installed application and the detailed application information included in the display information received from the server 2 for the application. Identify applications that differ from the version indicated by the corresponding details. Then, when the update instruction corresponding to the specified application is selected in response to the user's operation, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the selected update instruction. The processing execution unit 264 executes the update instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows.

When the display control unit 262 receives the press of the update selection button 321 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23, the display information received from the server 2 and the current application of the application installed in the MFP 4 are displayed. Acquires the application management information associated with the version. In this example, since the process execution unit 264 manages the above-mentioned application management information, the execution unit 263 requests the application management information from the process execution unit 264, and the display control unit 262 requests the application management information. get. Then, the display control unit 262 corresponds to the current version of the application installed in the MFP 4 corresponding to the application in the application management information and the application detailed information included in the display information received from the server 2. Identify an application that is different from the version indicated by the detailed information to be updated. For example, it is assumed that the application management information is in the aspect of FIG. 28, and the detailed application information included in the display information received from the server 2 is in the aspect of FIG. 29. In this case, the application ID "S001" and the application ID "S003" are specified as the application to be updated.

Then, the display control unit 262 controls to display the update instruction screen for receiving the update instruction of the application on the operation panel 27 for each application specified as described above. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of an update instruction screen. The update instruction screen displays an update instruction button 341 for receiving an update instruction for the application for each of a plurality of applications. In this example, an update instruction indicating an instruction to update the application is pasted to the update instruction button 341 corresponding to the application to be updated (the application specified as described above). In the example of FIG. 30, both the application to be updated (applications 1 and 3 in the example of FIG. 30) and the application not to be updated (application 2 in the example of FIG. 30) are displayed on the update instruction screen, and are not to be updated. The update instruction button 341 corresponding to the application of is in an inoperable state (a state in which pressing cannot be accepted). That is, the update instruction screen distinguishes between the application to be updated (the application specified as described above) and the application not to be updated, but the update instruction screen is not limited to this. Only the application to be updated may be displayed in association with the update instruction button 341 in an operable state. Further, for example, the display control unit 262 can also control to display information indicating the number of applications (applications to be updated) specified as described above. That is, the display control unit 262 displays information indicating the number of applications installed in the MFP 4 that are different from the current version of the application and the version of the detailed application information indicated by the detailed information corresponding to the application. You can also control the display. When the execution unit 263 receives the press of the update instruction button 341, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the update instruction pasted on the update instruction button 341. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the execution unit 263 to the processing execution unit 264 in this case.

In this example, the above-mentioned update instruction button 341 is individually provided for each application to be updated, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, in order to instruct to collectively update the application to be updated. The button may be provided. In this form, when the pressing of the button is accepted, the update instructions of all the applications to be updated are collectively selected. In short, the application command is a command to collectively update applications that are different from the current version of the application installed in the MFP4 and the version of the detailed application information indicated by the detailed information corresponding to the application. It may include a batch update command to indicate. In this case, when the batch update command is selected (when the button for instructing to execute the update of the application to be updated is pressed), the display control unit 262 has the application installed in the MFP4. Among the applications, the current version of the application and the version of the detailed application information indicated by the detailed information corresponding to the application are specified, and the execution unit 263 processes the update instruction corresponding to the specified application. It may be in the form of notifying the execution unit 264.

Further, for example, the server 2 may have a function of specifying an application to be updated. In this case, for example, the display control unit 262 acquires the above-mentioned application management information from the processing execution unit 264 before transmitting the above-mentioned display information request, and sends the display information request to the server 2 to which the acquired application management information is added. You can also send. The server 2 has a version associated with the application ID in the application management information and an application information DB 401 managed by the server 2 (second correspondence information) for each application ID included in the application management information received from the MFP 4. In, the version associated with the application ID can be compared, and the application ID having a difference can be specified as the application ID to be updated. Then, the server 2 may be in a form of including the information indicating the application ID specified as the update target in the display information and transmitting the information to the MFP 4. Further, for example, the server 2 may manage the applications installed in the MFP 4 (manage the above-mentioned application management information). In this case, for example, the server 2 can update the application management information at the timing of enabling or invalidating the license, and can also update the application management information at the timing of updating the application. In this case, since it is not necessary to acquire the current version of the application installed in the MFP 4 from the MFP 4, it is possible to determine the application to be updated only by the server 2 and reduce the processing load of the MFP 4.

Next, a case where an uninstall command is selected according to a user operation on a screen configured based on Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 will be described as an example. In this example, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the uninstall instruction selected according to the user's operation, and the processing execution unit 264 executes the uninstall instruction notified by the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows.

When the display control unit 262 accepts the pressing of the deletion selection button 331 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23, the display control unit 262 displays a deletion instruction screen for receiving the deletion instruction of the application for each application installed in the MFP4. Controls the display on the operation panel 27. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion instruction screen. The deletion instruction screen displays a deletion instruction button 351 for receiving a deletion instruction of the application for each application installed in the MFP4. When the display control unit 262 receives the press of the deletion instruction button 351, the display control unit 262 controls to display the deletion confirmation screen on the operation panel 27 for finally confirming the execution of the uninstallation. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a deletion confirmation screen. The deletion confirmation screen displays a confirmation button 361 for instructing that the execution of the uninstallation is finally accepted. In this example, a deletion command indicating a command for deleting one or more applications corresponding to the confirmation button 361 is attached to the confirmation button 361. Upon receiving the press of the confirmation button 361, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the uninstall command attached to the pressed confirmation button 361. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of information notified from the execution unit 263 to the processing execution unit 264 in this case.

In this example, the above-mentioned deletion instruction button 351 is individually provided for each application installed in the MFP4, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, in order to instruct to collectively delete the applications installed in the MFP4. The button may be provided. In this form, when the pressing of the button is accepted, the uninstall command of all the applications installed in the MFP 4 is selected at once. In short, the application command includes a batch uninstall instruction indicating an instruction to collectively delete the applications installed in the MFP4, and the execution unit 263 transfers the application installed in the MFP4 to the application installed in the MFP4 when the batch uninstall instruction is selected. The corresponding uninstall command (one or more installed applications and one or more uninstall commands corresponding to one-to-one) may be notified to the processing execution unit 264.

The functions of the activation unit 261, the display control unit 262, the execution unit 263, and the processing execution unit 264 described above are obtained by the CPU 21 executing a program stored in a storage device such as a ROM 22 or a flash memory 24. It is feasible.

FIG. 35 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 261 accepts the pressing of the icon 5 named "app market" on the operation screen (step S1), the activation unit 261 is a browser application (display control unit 262 and execution unit 263) that is a Web browser. The URL of the server 2 is transmitted together with the start command (step S2). The browser application (display control unit 262 and execution unit 263) started in response to the start command transmits the above-mentioned screen information request as an HTTP request to the server 2 specified by the received URL (step S3).

Next, the server 2 generates Web content data (screen information) in response to the request from the MFP 4 (step S4), and transmits the generated Web content data (screen information) to the MFP 4 as an HTTP response (step S5). ). The MFP4 (display control unit 262) receives Web content data (screen information) as a response to the screen information request which is an HTTP request. For example, the MFP4 (display control unit 262) receives HTML and CSS / Javascript included in HTML (or referred to by HTML) as Web content data (screen information).

The browser application of the MFP4 that has received the screen information interprets and executes Javascript, and uses Ajax to transmit the above-mentioned display information request (see FIG. 21) as an HTTP request to the server 2 (step S6).

The server 2 generates display information in response to a request from the MFP 4 (step S7), and transmits the generated Web content data (display information) to the MFP 4 as an HTTP response (step S8). The MFP4 (display control unit 262) receives Web content data (display information) as a response to the display information request which is an HTTP request.

The MFP 4 (display control unit 262) generates a screen configured based on the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 (step S9), and displays the generated screen on the operation panel 27 (step S9). Step S10). In this example, the display control unit 262 stores the Web content data (screen information and display information) received from the server 2 in a storage device such as a flash memory 24, and the received Web content data (screen information and display). Information) is used to first generate the application list screen shown in FIG. Then, control is performed to display the generated application list screen on the operation panel 27.

FIG. 36 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the server 2 generates application detailed information associated with detailed information indicating the details of the application for each application in which the MFP 4 can be used in step S7 described above. As shown in FIG. 36, when the identification unit 216 receives the above-mentioned display information request from the MFP 4, the identification unit 216 refers to the first corresponding information shown in FIG. 5 and sets the model code included in the received display information request. The associated model ID is selected (step S11). Next, the specific unit 216 selects one or more application IDs associated with the selected model ID with reference to the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6 (step S12). Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the third correspondence information shown in FIG. 7, and from the selected one or more application IDs, the application ID associated with the state information indicating the published state is associated with the identification unit 216. Is selected (step S13). At this time, the specifying unit 216 also specifies the version information associated with the application ID selected in step S13 among the second corresponding information shown in FIG. Next, the specific unit 216 refers to the fourth correspondence information shown in FIG. 8 and combines the application ID selected in step S13 with the language information (locale information) included in the display information request received from the MFP 4. The application description information corresponding to is specified (step S14). Then, the display information generation unit 217 corresponds to the application description information specified in step S14 and the application ID selected in step S13 among the second correspondence information shown in FIG. 6 for each application ID selected in step S13. The application detailed information can be generated by associating the attached version information with the detailed information including the license key if the license key is set (step S15).

FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when any of the application selection buttons 311 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23 is pressed. As described above, the display control unit 262 controls to display the above-mentioned installation instruction screen (see FIG. 24) on the operation panel 27 when any of the application selection buttons 311 is pressed (step 21). Next, when the display control unit 262 receives the press of the installation button 312, the display control unit 262 refers to the display information received from the server 2 and selects the application detailed information in the display information according to the user's operation. It is confirmed whether or not the license key is included in the detailed information corresponding to the application to be the target of the installed installation instruction (installation instruction pasted on the pressed installation button 312) (step S22). If the license key is included as a result of the confirmation in step S22, the operation panel 27 is controlled to display the above-mentioned installation confirmation screen (see FIG. 25) (step S23).

As a result of the confirmation in step S22 described above, when the license key is not included (that is, when the application targeted by the installation instruction is a paid application), the display control unit 262 displays the above input screen on the operation panel 27. Control the display (step S24) and accept the input of the license key from the user. 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 execution unit 263 includes an installation command selected according to the user's operation, an application ID (application ID of the application to be the target of the selected application command), and a license key (target of the selected application command). The application license key) is notified to the processing execution unit 264 (step S25). The processing execution unit 264 executes the installation instruction notified from the execution unit 263 by using the license key notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the process execution unit 264 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 232) 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 processing execution unit 264 transmits to the server 2 the above-mentioned activation request including at least the application ID, the license key, and the machine number and requesting the activation of the license (step S29). After receiving the activation request, the server 2 (license activation unit 227) 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 227 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 224. Check if the key exists. If the license key exists, the license activation unit 227 updates the information stored in the license information DB 224 as described above. In addition, the license activation unit 227 issues a license file that defines the license (use authority) such as the expiration date of the application identified by the application ID included in the activation request received from the MFP4, and responds to the activation request. As a result, the license file can be transmitted 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 224, an error is transmitted as a response to the activation request.

The MFP4 (processing execution unit 264) controls to install the application downloaded from the server 2 in step S28 when receiving the fact that the license status is valid as a response to the activation request (step S32). After the installation is completed, the process execution unit 264 adds the application management information to the above-mentioned application management information by associating the application ID of the application for which the installation has been completed with the version of the application at the time of installation. Update (step S33).

FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when the update selection button 321 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23 is pressed. As described above, when the display control unit 262 receives the press of the update selection button 321, the display control unit 262 identifies the application to be updated among the applications installed in the MFP 4 (step S41). Then, for each application specified in step S41, control is performed to display an update instruction screen (see FIG. 30) for receiving an update instruction for the application on the operation panel 27 (step S42). The specific contents of these are as described above.

Next, when the execution unit 263 accepts the pressing of any of the update instruction buttons 341, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the update instruction pasted on the update instruction button 341 (step S43). The processing execution unit 264 executes the update instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the process execution unit 264 transmits to the server 2 an update request including at least the application ID to be updated and requesting the latest version of the application (step S44). The server 2 that has received the update request selects an application corresponding to the application ID included in the received update request (step S45), and transmits the selected application to the MFP 4 (step S46).

Next, the MFP 4 (processing execution unit 264) controls to install the application (newly downloaded application) received from the server 2 as a response to the update request (step S47). After the installation is completed, the process execution unit 264 associates the application ID of the application for which the installation has been completed with the version of the application at the time of installation (update) and adds it to the above-mentioned application management information. Update the application management information (step S48).

FIG. 39 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the system 1 when the deletion selection button 331 displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23 is pressed. As described above, the display control unit 262 controls to display the above-mentioned deletion instruction screen (see FIG. 32) on the operation panel 27 when the deletion selection button 331 is received (step S51). Next, when the display control unit 262 receives the pressing of any of the deletion instruction buttons 351, the display control unit 262 controls to display the above-mentioned deletion confirmation screen (see FIG. 33) on the operation panel 27 (step S52). Next, when the execution unit 263 accepts the press of the confirmation button 361 displayed on the deletion confirmation screen, the uninstall command selected according to the user's operation (the uninstall attached to the pressed confirmation button 361). The installation instruction) is notified to the processing execution unit 264 (step S53).

The processing execution unit 264 executes the uninstall instruction notified from the execution unit 263. More specifically, it is as follows. First, the process execution unit 264 requests the server 2 to invalidate the license, including at least the license key and the machine number corresponding to the application to be the uninstall command, and requesting the invalidation of the license. Is transmitted (step S54). After receiving the invalidation request, the server 2 (license invalidation unit 228) controls to invalidate the license (step S55), and then responds to the invalidation request (here, the license status is invalid). (Response indicating) is returned to MFP4 (step S56). The specific contents of step S55 are as described above, and when the license invalidation unit 228 receives the above-mentioned invalidation request from the MFP4, among the information stored in the license information DB 224, the received invalidation request is received. 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".

When the MFP4 (processing execution unit 264) receives the fact that the license status is invalid as a response to the invalidation request, the MFP4 controls to uninstall the application corresponding to the license key included in the invalidation request (step). S57). After the uninstallation is completed, the process execution unit 264 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 S58).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the server 2 sends the display information indicating the application that can be used by the MFP 4 and the processing related to the application to the MFP 4 in response to the request from the MFP 4 connected via the network 3. It includes a control unit 212 that controls transmission of Web content data including at least an application command to be executed to the MFP 4, and the MFP 4 controls to display a screen based on the Web content data received from the server 2 on the operation panel 27. The application command included in the Web content data is executed in response to the user's operation via the display control unit 262 and the screen displayed on the operation panel 27, and the MFP 4 executes the processing related to the application corresponding to the application command. It includes a requesting execution unit 263 and. As a result, even if the display information is freely changed on the server 2 side, the application command included in the Web content data can be executed by the MFP4. Therefore, it is necessary to change the program on the MFP4 side according to the change in the display information. There is no. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a mechanism for the server 2 that provides a page introducing an application that can be used by the MFP 4 to construct a page having different display contents for each region, for example.

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 without departing 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.

For example, among the applications displayed on the application list screen shown in FIG. 23 (among the applications available to the MFP4), the application placed on the server 2 is used by the browser application of the operation unit 20 (that is, the application). , Web application) may be included. Since it is not necessary to install such a Web application on the MFP4, when the application selection button 311 corresponding to the Web application is received, the display control unit 262 displays a shortcut creation instruction screen as shown in FIG. 40, for example. May be controlled to be displayed on the operation panel 27. The shortcut creation instruction screen displays application explanation information of the corresponding application (Web application) and a shortcut creation button 371 for instructing the creation of a shortcut icon for calling the function of the Web application. In this example, a shortcut creation command indicating a command for creating a shortcut icon is pasted to the shortcut creation button 371. When the execution unit 263 receives the press of the shortcut creation button 371, the execution unit 263 notifies the processing execution unit 264 of the shortcut creation command pasted on the shortcut creation button 371. Then, the processing execution unit 264 executes the shortcut creation command notified from the execution unit 263. In short, the application command may include a shortcut icon creation command indicating an instruction for creating a shortcut icon for calling a function of the Web application. In this case, when the shortcut icon creation command is selected according to the user's operation (for example, when the shortcut creation button 371 described above is pressed), the execution unit 263 is instructed to create the selected shortcut icon (pressed). The shortcut creation command pasted on the shortcut creation button 371) may be notified to the processing execution unit 264, and the processing execution unit 264 may execute the shortcut icon creation command notified from the execution unit 263. For example, when the display information received from the server 2 by the MFP 4 includes an application that needs to be installed and a Web application, the value is "install" with reference to "appType" in the detailed information of FIG. May determine that the application needs to be installed and display FIG. 24, and if the value is "web", determine that it is a Web application and display FIG. 40.

Further, for example, the operation unit 20 (MFP4) may be further provided with a function (authority information management unit) for managing authority information associated with the authority of each of a plurality of users. The display control unit 262 is associated with a user who is using the MFP4 (a user who is recognized to have the authority to use the MFP4, a logged-in user) by referring to the authority information acquired from the authority information management unit. If the authority is in a form that cannot instruct the execution of installation, for example, the installation button 312 shown in FIG. 24 can be hidden. Similarly, when the authority associated with the user who is using the MFP 4 is, for example, a form in which the execution of the update cannot be instructed, the update instruction button 341 shown in FIG. 30 can be hidden. Further, when the authority associated with the user who is using the MFP 4 is in a form in which the execution of uninstallation cannot be instructed, for example, the deletion instruction button 351 shown in FIG. 32 can be hidden.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 operate independently of each other in different operating 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 operating system. It may be in the form. That is, the main body 10 and the operation unit 20 may be integrated.

Further, the form of the application list screen described above is arbitrary, and may be a form in which the above examples are combined, for example, as shown in FIG. 41.

Further, for example, the screen providing unit 213 may be in a form of generating Web content data including the above application command only when the above screen information request is received from the image forming apparatus including the MFP 4. That is, when the screen providing unit 213 receives the screen information request from a device (PC, tablet, etc.) other than the image forming apparatus, the screen providing unit 213 generates Web content data that does not include the application command, and as a response to the screen information request, the screen information request is generated. It may be in the form of transmitting the generated Web content data to the device. In this embodiment, when the screen providing unit 213 receives a screen information request from a device other than the image forming apparatus, the information (button) for selecting an application command (installation command, update command, uninstall command, etc.) The Web content data that does not include the above may be generated, and the generated Web content data may be transmitted to the device as a response to the screen information request. Further, the method of determining whether or not the screen information request received from the device is the screen information request from the MFP 4 is arbitrary, but it may be determined by, for example, the User-Agent header, or from the MFP 4. It may be a method of performing device authentication (authentication of whether or not it is MFP4) at the time of the first access of. Further, for example, a method may be used in which a command for the MFP4 is executed by Javascript, and if an error occurs, it is determined that the device is a device other than the MFP4.

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. It may be configured to be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as (Digital Versaille Disk) or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. You may. In addition, 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 216 Specific unit 217 Display information generation unit 219 Setting control unit 220 License management module 221 Storage unit 222 Control unit 223 License issuing unit 224 License information DB
225 User information DB
226 Registration control unit 227 License activation unit 228 License invalidation unit 230 App download management module 231 App storage 232 Download unit 262 Display control unit 263 Execution unit 264 Processing execution unit

JP-A-2010-182309

Claims (18)

A system including a server and a device connected to the server via a network.
The server
In response to a request from the device, a control unit that transmits Web content data including at least display information indicating an application that can be used by the device and an application command that causes the device to execute a process related to the application. Prepare,
The device is
A display control unit that controls the display of a screen based on the Web content data received from the server on the display unit, and the application command included in the Web content data are executed in response to a user operation via the screen. A Web browser including an execution unit that requests the device to execute a process related to the application corresponding to the application command.
Based on the request from the Web browser, the process execution unit that executes the process related to the application in response to the request, and
Equipped with a,
The application command includes an installation instruction indicating an instruction to install the application.
The execution unit
When the display information includes a license key used for authenticating the usage authority of the application subject to the installation command selected according to the operation of the user, the license key and the installation Notify the processing execution unit of the instruction and
The display control unit
If the license key is not included in the display information, control is performed to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key.
A system characterized by that. The execution unit is provided by an application programming interface.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is characterized by the above. The server
Each of the plurality of applications is further provided with a storage unit that stores the status information indicating whether or not the application is open and the model information that identifies the model of the device that can use the application in association with each other.
The control unit
When a screen information request requesting screen information is received from the device, the screen providing unit generates the screen information and transmits the generated screen information to the device as a response to the screen information request.
When a display information request including the model information and requesting the display information is received from the device, the model information included in the display information request is included with reference to the information stored in the storage unit. And a specific part that identifies the application corresponding to the combination with the state information indicating the published state.
The display information generation unit includes a display information generation unit that generates the display information indicating the application specified by the specific unit and transmits the generated display information to the device as a response to the display information request.
The system according to claim 1 or 2. The specific unit and the display information generation unit are provided by an application programming interface.
The system according to claim 3, wherein the system is characterized by the above. The server
A setting unit for variably setting the display information according to the user's operation is further provided.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the system is characterized by the above. When the installation command is selected in response to the operation of the user, the execution unit notifies the processing execution unit of the selected installation command.
The processing execution unit executes the installation instruction notified from the execution unit.
The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is characterized by the above. The application command includes an update instruction indicating an instruction to update the application.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the system is characterized by the above. The display information includes application detailed information associated with at least detailed information indicating the latest version of the application for each application available to the device.
The execution unit
In response to the operation of the user, among the applications installed on the device, an application in which the current version of the application and the version of the detailed information of the application indicated by the detailed information corresponding to the application are different is specified. When the update command corresponding to the specified application is selected, the selected update command is notified to the processing execution unit.
The processing execution unit executes the update instruction notified from the execution unit.
7. The system according to claim 7 . The display control unit
Control is performed to display information indicating the number of applications in which the current version of the application installed in the device and the version of the application detailed information corresponding to the application are different from the version indicated by the detailed information. ,
8. The system according to claim 8 . The application command is
Batch update indicating an instruction to batch update an application in which the current version of the application installed in the device and the version of the application detailed information corresponding to the detailed information are different from each other. Including instructions
The execution unit
When the batch update command is selected, among the applications installed on the device, the current version of the application and the version of the detailed information of the application indicated by the detailed information corresponding to the application are different. Identify and notify the process execution unit of the update command corresponding to the specified application.
8. The system according to claim 8 . The application command includes an uninstall command indicating an instruction to delete an installed application and return the state of the device to the state before the application was installed.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . The execution unit notifies the processing execution unit of the uninstall command selected according to the operation of the user.
The process execution unit executes the uninstall command notified by the execution unit.
11. The system according to claim 11 . The application command is
Includes a batch uninstall command that indicates a command to batch delete applications installed on the device.
The execution unit
When the batch uninstall command is selected, the process execution unit is notified of the uninstall command corresponding to the application installed on the device.
The system according to claim 11 or 12 . The application command includes a shortcut icon creation command indicating an instruction to create a shortcut icon for calling a function of a web application.
The execution unit
When the shortcut icon creation command is selected in response to the user's operation, the selected shortcut icon creation command is notified to the processing execution unit.
The processing execution unit executes the shortcut icon creation command notified by the execution unit.
The system according to any one of claims 1 to 13 , wherein the system is characterized by the above. The screen providing unit
When the screen information request is received from the device other than the image forming apparatus, the screen information not including the application command is generated, and the generated screen information is transmitted to the device as a response to the screen information request. To do
The system according to claim 3, wherein the system is characterized by the above. An image forming device connected to a server via a network.
A screen based on Web content data including at least display information received from the server indicating an application that can be used by the image forming apparatus and an application command for causing the image forming apparatus to execute processing related to the application is displayed on the display unit. By executing the application command included in the Web content data in response to the user's operation via the screen, the display control unit that controls the application is executed, and the processing related to the application corresponding to the application command is executed. A Web browser including an execution unit required for an image forming apparatus , and
Based on the request from the Web browser, the process execution unit that executes the process related to the application in response to the request, and
Equipped with a,
The application command includes an installation instruction indicating an instruction to install the application.
The execution unit
When the display information includes a license key used for authenticating the usage authority of the application subject to the installation command selected according to the operation of the user, the license key and the installation Notify the processing execution unit of the instruction and
The display control unit
If the license key is not included in the display information, control is performed to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that. An information processing method by a system including a server and a device connected to the server via a network.
The server
In response to a request from the device, control is performed to transmit Web content data including at least display information indicating an application that can be used by the device and an application command that causes the device to execute processing related to the application. Including control steps
The device is
A display control step that controls the display of a screen based on the Web content data received from the server, and a display control step.
An execution step of requesting the device to execute a process related to the application corresponding to the application command by executing the application command included in the Web content data in response to a user operation via the screen.
Based on the request, a process execution step that executes a process related to the application corresponding to the request, and
Only including,
The application command includes an installation instruction indicating an instruction to install the application.
The execution step is
When the display information includes a license key used for authenticating the usage authority of the application subject to the installation command selected according to the operation of the user, the license key and the installation Notify the command and the device,
The display control step is
If the license key is not included in the display information, control is performed to display an input screen prompting the input of the license key.
An information processing method characterized by this. An information processing device that is connected to a device via a network.
A control unit that controls transmission of display information indicating an application that can be used by the device and screen information including at least an application command indicating a command related to the application is provided in response to a request from the device .
The control unit
When a screen information request requesting screen information is received from the image forming apparatus, the screen information is generated, and as a response to the screen information request, the generated screen information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus. Including part
The screen providing unit
When the screen information request is received from the device other than the image forming apparatus, the screen information not including the application command is generated, and the generated screen information is used as a response to the screen information request. Send to device,
An information processing device characterized by this.

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