JP2011100352A - Image forming apparatus, job execution method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability for executing an accumulate job. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes: an operator identification means for accepting the input of the identification information of the operator of the image forming apparatus; a job acquisition means for acquiring the list of jobs related with the identification information accumulated in a job accumulation device connected through a network; an automatic execution object selection means for changing the selection method of the job to be automatically executed according to whether the job using the image reading means is included in the list, and for selecting the job to be automatically executed from the list; and an execution control means for making the image forming apparatus execute the job selected as the object of automatic execution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a job execution method, and a program, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, a job execution method, and a program capable of executing a stored job.

  Conventionally, it is located between the client PC and the image forming apparatus, stores print jobs transmitted from the client PC, and transfers the stored print jobs to the image forming apparatus in response to a request from the image forming apparatus. There is a print server that performs (for example, Patent Document 1). In a printing system including such a print server, a user first inputs a print instruction on a client PC. The client PC transmits a print job corresponding to the print instruction to the print server. The print server does not immediately transfer the print job to the image forming apparatus, but stores it in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Thereafter, the user operates the image forming apparatus to instruct printing of the accumulated print job. In response to the instruction, the image forming apparatus acquires a print job from the print server and performs printing.

  According to such a printing system, there is an advantage that the user can select an image forming apparatus as an output destination at the time of output. In addition, the possibility of leaving the printed matter as an output result is reduced, and security can be appropriately ensured.

  However, when an accumulated print job is executed, there is a problem that the user's operation procedure on the image forming apparatus side becomes complicated as compared with a general print job execution procedure. Here, a general print job means that if a print instruction is given on the user terminal side such as a PC (Personal Computer), the output of the printed matter is performed even if an operation instruction or the like is not inputted in the output image forming apparatus. Refers to a print job that is automatically executed.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus, a job execution method, and a program capable of improving operability for executing a stored job. .

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, an operator identifying unit that receives input of identification information of an operator of the image forming apparatus, and a job storage device connected via a network. A job acquisition unit that acquires a list of jobs related to the identification information stored in the job, and a job that is automatically executed depending on whether the list includes a job that uses an image reading unit An automatic execution target selection unit that changes a method and selects a job to be automatically executed from the list; and an execution control unit that causes the image forming apparatus to execute the job selected as the target of automatic execution. Have

  In such an image forming apparatus, the operability for executing the accumulated job can be improved.

  According to the present invention, operability for executing a stored job can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the information processing system in embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the user terminal in embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when a job is submitted to a print widget. It is a figure which shows a mode that a document file is dragged and dropped on the main screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a print setting screen. It is a figure which shows the example of the widget information of a print widget. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process sequence at the time of transmission of widget information. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a user management table. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the main screen of a scan widget. It is a figure which shows the example of the widget information of a scan widget. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure when executing a job related to a widget in the image forming apparatus. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of widget information of a print widget transmitted from a widget management server to an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the widget information of the scan widget transmitted to an image forming apparatus from a widget management server. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the automatic execution process of the job based on widget information. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a widget selection screen. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a print job execution procedure based on widget information related to a print widget. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a scan job execution procedure based on widget information related to a scan widget.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1, one or more image forming apparatuses 10, one or more user terminals 20, and a widget management server 30 are connected to a network 40 (wired or wireless) such as a LAN (Local Area Network). It does not matter if it is different.)

  The user terminal 20 is a personal terminal used by a user, and can install and execute a software program. The user terminal 20 is not limited to a specific device as long as it has a communication function. Specific examples of the user terminal 20 include a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), or a mobile phone. In the present embodiment, the user terminal 20 has an application (hereinafter referred to as “widget”) that provides a predetermined service in cooperation with the image forming apparatus 10. In the figure, a print widget 21 and a scan widget 22 are shown as examples of widgets. The print widget 21 is a widget that causes the image forming apparatus 10 that can communicate via the network 40 to execute a print job, and includes a UI control unit 211, a widget information transmission unit 212, a cooperation unit 213, a print data generation unit 214, and attributes. It has an information management file 215 and the like.

  The UI control unit 211 displays various display screens related to the print widget 21 on the display device of the user terminal. The widget information transmission unit 212 transmits a widget information registration request of the print widget 21 to the widget management server 30 in response to an input of a print instruction. The widget information includes information necessary for executing the print widget 21. The widget information of the print widget 21 corresponds to a print job execution request to the image forming apparatus 10. The cooperation unit 213 controls communication (information exchange and the like) for cooperation with the image forming apparatus 10. The print data generation unit 214 generates print data (PDL (Page Description Language) data) of a document file (electronic data) to be printed by the image forming apparatus 10 using a printer driver installed in the PC 20. The attribute information management file 215 is a file that stores attribute information of the print widget 21. The attribute information includes, for example, an identifier (widget ID) of the print widget 21, a user ID of a user who is the owner of the print widget 21, an initial value of print setting information (information indicating print conditions), and the like.

  On the other hand, the scan widget 22 is a widget that executes predetermined processing (for example, distribution or storage) on image data (scanned image) scanned by the image forming apparatus 10. The scan widget 22 includes a UI control unit 221, a widget information transmission unit 222, a cooperation unit 223, a scan data processing unit 224, an attribute information management file 225, and the like.

  The UI control unit 221 displays various display screens related to the scan widget 22 on the display device of the user terminal. The widget information transmission unit 222 transmits a widget information registration request for the scan widget 22 to the widget management server 30 when the scan widget 22 is activated. The widget information includes information necessary for executing the scan widget 22. The widget information of the scan widget 22 corresponds to a scan job execution request to the image forming apparatus 10. The cooperation unit 223 controls communication (information exchange and the like) for cooperation with the image forming apparatus 10. The attribute information management file 225 is a file that stores setting information for the scan widget 22. The scan data processing unit 224 executes predetermined processing (distribution or storage) on the image data scanned by the image forming apparatus 10 and transferred to the user terminal 20. The attribute information management file 225 is a file that stores attribute information of the scan widget 22. The attribute information includes, for example, an identifier (widget ID) of the scan widget 22, a user ID of a user who is the owner of the scan widget 22, an initial value of scan setting information (information indicating scan conditions), and the like.

  As can be understood from the fact that the user ID of the owner of each widget is recorded in the attribute information management file 215 or the attribute information management file 225 of the print widget 21 and the scan widget 22, each widget belongs to a user. Therefore, even if the widgets are the same, if the users to which the widgets belong are different, the widgets are distinguished as different ones. For example, a widget belonging to user A is basically permitted to be used only by user A. The use of widgets belonging to user B is basically permitted only to user B. However, for example, the use of a widget owned by another person may be enabled by giving a use authority to another user by an access control function.

  In the figure, one print widget 21 and one scan widget 22 are shown. However, a plurality of print widgets 21 or scan widgets 22 are installed in one user terminal 20 and started at the same time. May be. For example, a plurality of scan widgets 22 having different processing contents (that is, a processing flow related to the scan image) of the scan data processing unit 224 are activated, and the user uses the scan widgets 22 in accordance with the target processing flow.

  Further, in the figure, only one user terminal 20 is shown, but a plurality of user terminals 20 may be connected to the network 40. In that case, the function of the widget which each user terminal 20 has may be different.

  The widget management server 30 is a computer having a widget information registration unit 31, an advertising unit 32, a widget information providing unit 32, an intermediary unit 34, and the like. The widget information registration unit 31 receives a widget information registration request transmitted from the user terminal 20 and stores the widget information in the widget information management table 35. The widget information management table 35 is generated in the storage device of the widget management server 30 for each user. That is, each widget information management table 35 manages a list of widget information of widgets belonging to the corresponding user. The advertisement unit 32 advertises (broadcasts or multicasts) the user ID and the like included in the widget information received by the widget information registration unit 31 on the network 40. Advertising is performed in units of users (units of user IDs). Specifically, even if new widget information belonging to the user A is received after being advertised with respect to the user A, the advertisement according to the widget information is not performed. That is, the advertisement by the advertising unit 32 is information for notifying the image forming apparatus 10 that a user who has become able to use some widget has newly occurred. However, the advertisement may be performed in units of widget information. In this case, duplicate advertisements are issued for the same user, but the elimination of duplication may be performed on the image forming apparatus 10 side. The widget information providing unit 33 provides (transmits) the widget information registered in the widget information management table 35 to the image forming apparatus 10 in response to a request from the image forming apparatus 10. The mediating unit 34 mediates communication between the widget and the image forming apparatus 10.

  Note that the user terminal 20 may also serve as the widget management server 30. The user terminal 20 may include a widget information registration unit 31, an advertisement unit 32, a widget information provision unit 33, a mediation unit 34, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine that implements functions such as printing, scanning, copying, and FAX transmission / reception with a single casing. However, a so-called printer having no scan function may be used as the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 includes a user detection unit 121, a UI control unit 122, a widget information acquisition unit 123, a widget cooperation unit 124, a job execution control unit 125, a user management table 126, an automatic execution target selection unit 127, and an authentication control unit 128. Etc.

  The user detection unit 121 detects the presence of a user who can use the widget based on the advertisement issued from the widget management server 30 and registers the user ID and the like included in the advertisement in the user management table 126. The user management table 126 is a table for managing a list of users whose available widgets exist on the network 40. The UI control unit 122 receives an input of a widget operation instruction or the like from the user. That is, the widget is arranged on the user terminal 20 but can also be operated from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 10. The widget information acquisition unit 123 acquires, from the widget management server 30, widget information related to a login user for the image forming apparatus 10 (that is, widget information of a widget activated by a user having the same user ID as the login user). The widget cooperation unit 124 controls communication with the widget. The job execution control unit 125 controls execution of a job related to the function requested from the widget. For example, a print job or a scan job is executed under the control of the job execution control unit 125. The automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects widget information to be automatically executed from the widget information (job execution request) acquired by the widget information acquisition unit 123 in response to a user login. The authentication control unit 128 controls user authentication processing when the user logs in to the image forming apparatus 10.

  Next, the hardware configuration of each device will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes hardware such as a controller 11, a scanner 12, a printer 13, a modem 14, an operation panel 15, a network interface 16, an SD card slot 17, and a card reader 18.

  The controller 11 includes a CPU 111, a RAM 112, a ROM 113, an HDD 114, and the like. The ROM 113 stores various programs and data used by the programs. The RAM 112 is used as a storage area for loading a program, a work area for the loaded program, and the like. The CPU 111 realizes various functions by processing a program loaded in the RAM 112. The HDD 114 records programs and various data used by the programs.

  The scanner 12 is hardware (image reading means) for reading image data from a document. The printer 13 is hardware (printing means) for printing print data on printing paper. The modem 14 is hardware for connecting to a telephone line, and is used to execute transmission / reception of image data by FAX communication. The operation panel 15 is hardware including input means such as buttons for accepting input from a user and display means such as a liquid crystal panel. The network interface 16 is hardware for connecting to a network such as a LAN (whether wired or wireless). The SD card slot 17 is used for reading a program recorded on the SD card 80. That is, in the image forming apparatus 10, not only the program recorded in the ROM 113 but also the program recorded in the SD card 80 can be loaded into the RAM 112 and executed. The card reader 18 is a so-called card reader that reads information from a magnetic card or an IC card. The card reader 18 may be incorporated as a part of the image forming apparatus 10 or may be connected via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or a serial interface provided in the image forming apparatus 10.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. The user terminal 20 shown in FIG. 3 includes a drive device 200, an auxiliary storage device 202, a memory device 203, a CPU 204, an interface device 205, a display device 206, and an input device 207 that are connected to each other via a bus B. And have.

  A program that realizes processing in the user terminal 20 is provided by a recording medium 201 such as a CD-ROM. When the recording medium 201 on which the program is recorded is set in the drive device 200, the program is installed from the recording medium 201 to the auxiliary storage device 202 via the drive device 200. However, it is not always necessary to install the program from the recording medium 201, and the program may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 202 stores the installed program and stores necessary files and data.

  The memory device 203 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 202 and stores it when there is an instruction to start the program. The CPU 204 realizes functions related to the user terminal 20 in accordance with a program stored in the memory device 203. The interface device 205 is used as an interface for connecting to a network. The display device 206 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like by a program. The input device 207 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and is used for inputting various operation instructions.

  Hereinafter, a processing procedure of the information processing system 1 will be described. First, a processing procedure when each widget information is registered in the widget management server 30 for each widget (for each of the print widget 21 and the scan widget 22) will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure when a job is submitted to the print widget.

  In response to the activation instruction of the print widget 21 input by the user in the user terminal 20, the UI control unit 211 displays the main screen of the print widget 21 on the display device 206 (S101). Subsequently, the UI control unit 211 receives selection of a document file to be printed from the user (S102). The document file is selected by, for example, dragging and dropping the document file icon onto the main screen of the print widget 21.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing how a document file is dragged and dropped onto the main screen. In the figure, a state in which the icon of the file A is dragged and dropped on the main screen 510 displayed on the display device 206 is shown. The main screen 510 is indicated by a simple rectangle, but may include display components such as a toolbar and a pull-down menu. The document file may be selected via a file dialog (dialog for selecting a file existing on the file system) displayed by selecting a tool button or menu item.

  In response to the selection of the document file, the UI control unit 211 records the file name of the selected document file in the memory device 203. Subsequently, the UI control unit 211 displays the icon of the selected document file in the main screen 510 and displays the print setting screen on the display device 206 (S103).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the print setting screen. In the drawing, a print setting screen 520 is displayed on the right side of the main screen 510. A detailed display example of the print setting screen 520 is shown on the right side of the drawing. In the example shown in the figure, settings such as the number of copies, printing direction, color mode, duplex printing, and aggregate printing can be made on the print setting screen 520. However, these setting items are merely examples, and the types of setting items are not limited to predetermined ones.

  When the values of the setting items are set on the print setting screen 510, the UI control unit 211 records the set information (hereinafter referred to as “print setting information”) in the memory device 203 (S105).

  Note that initial values displayed in each item of the print setting screen 520 are acquired from the attribute information management file 215. That is, the attribute information management file 215 includes print setting information desired by the user in advance. Therefore, the print setting screen 520 is not necessarily displayed. When the print setting screen 520 is not displayed, the print setting information acquired from the attribute information management file 215 may be loaded into the memory device 203.

  Subsequently, the print data generation unit 214 obtains a document file to be printed from the auxiliary storage device 202 based on the file name recorded in the memory device 203, and uses the print data of the document file as print setting information. Based on this, the printer driver is generated (S106).

  Subsequently, the widget information transmission unit 211 generates widget information of the print widget 21 based on the information acquired in the above step, and transmits a registration request for the widget information to the widget management server 30 (S107). Information (for example, an IP address or a host name) for communicating with the widget management server 30 is registered in advance in each user terminal 20.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the widget information of the print widget. In the figure, the widget information of the print widget 21 includes a widget ID, user ID, linkage function identifier, widget address, display name, print setting information, file name, last access date and time, print data, and the like.

  The widget ID is identification information that uniquely identifies each widget. The user ID is identification information of a user who is the owner of the print widget 21. The cooperation function identifier is information for identifying a function (in other words, a function used by the widget) that the image forming apparatus 10 that cooperates with the widget needs to have. Examples of the linkage function identifier include “print” and “scan”. “Print” indicates a print function. “Scan” indicates a scan function. The print widget 21 uses the print function of the image forming apparatus 10. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 7, “print” is the linkage function identifier. The widget address is identification information (for example, URL) for uniquely identifying each widget in network communication. The display name is a character string for displaying the name of the widget. The widget ID, user ID, linkage function identifier, widget address, and display name are acquired from the attribute information management file 215, for example.

  The print setting information is the print setting information set on the print setting screen 510 or the print setting information acquired from the attribute information management file 215. The file name is a file name acquired from the document file to be printed and recorded in the memory device 203. The last access date / time is information indicating the date / time (time) when the print widget 21 was last accessed (operated). Here, the access may be that the document file icon is dropped on the main screen 510 or that print setting information is input via the print setting screen 520. In the former case, the last access date and time is updated every time a user inputs a print job via the print widget 21. In the latter case, the last access date and time is updated when the print setting information is changed. In any case, the UI control unit 211 of the print widget 21 records the date and time when the corresponding operation is performed in the attribute information management file 215. The widget information transmission unit 211 includes the date and time recorded in the attribute information management file 215 in the widget information of the print widget 21. The print data is print data generated by the print data generation unit 214.

  Subsequently, a processing procedure executed by transmitting the widget information in step S107 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure when transmitting widget information.

  In step S111, the widget information transmitted from the widget information transmitting unit 212 is received by the widget information registration unit 31 of the widget management server 30. The widget information registration unit 31 registers the widget information in the widget information management table 35 corresponding to the user ID included in the received widget information. If there is no widget information management table 35 corresponding to the user ID, the widget information registration unit 31 generates a widget information management table 35 corresponding to the user ID, and stores the widget information in the generated widget information management table 35. Register (S112).

  When the widget information management table 35 is newly generated (that is, when the widget information is registered for the first time for the user associated with the user ID included in the received widget information), the advertising unit 32 receives An advertisement including a user ID included in the widget information and a widget information acquisition URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is issued on the network 40 (S113). The widget information acquisition URL is a unique URL for each widget information management table 35. For example, when the widget information registration unit 31 generates the widget information management table 35, the widget information registration unit 31 generates a widget information acquisition URL for the widget information management table 35. Here, the widget information management table 35 is generated for each user. Therefore, the URL for acquiring widget information is unique for each user.

  Subsequently, when receiving the advertisement, the user detection unit 121 of the image forming apparatus 10 registers the user ID and the widget information acquisition URL included in the advertisement in the user management table 126 (S114).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the user management table. As shown in the figure, the user management table 126 manages a pair of a user ID and a widget information acquisition URL. In the figure, an example in which records are registered for user A and user B is shown. The user management table 126 is stored in the HDD 114, for example.

  As described above, regarding the print widget 21, widget information is registered in the widget management server 30 for each print job. Therefore, when the same user continuously drags and drops another document file icon to the main screen 510, widget information related to the document file is registered in the widget management server 30. However, in this case, the advertisement by the advertisement unit 32 of the widget management server 30 is not issued. This is because an advertisement relating to the user has already been issued.

  Next, registration of the widget information of the scan widget 22 in the widget management server 30 will be described.

  In response to the activation instruction of the scan widget 22 input by the user on the user terminal 20, the UI control unit 221 displays the main screen of the scan widget 22 on the display device 206.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the main screen of the scan widget. In the figure, a scan setting screen 540 is attached to the right of the main screen 530 of the scan widget 22. A detailed display example of the scan setting screen 540 is shown on the right side of the drawing. In the example shown in the figure, on the scan setting screen 540, the resolution, the color mode (color or monochrome), and the path name on the file system of the user terminal 20 as the storage location of the scanned image data (scanned image) are displayed. Setting is possible. However, these setting items are merely examples, and the types of setting items are not limited to predetermined ones.

  When the value of each setting item is set on the scan setting screen 540, the UI control unit 221 records the set information (hereinafter referred to as “scan setting information”) in the memory device 203.

  Note that initial values displayed in each item of the scan setting screen 540 are acquired from the attribute information management file 225. That is, the attribute information management file 225 includes user-desired scan setting information in advance. Therefore, the scan setting screen 540 is not necessarily displayed. When the scan setting screen 540 is not displayed, the scan setting information acquired from the attribute information management file 225 may be loaded into the memory device 203.

  Subsequently, the widget information transmission unit 222 generates widget information of the scan widget 22 based on the information acquired in the above step, and transmits a request for registration of the widget information to the widget management server 30.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of widget information of the scan widget. In the figure, the widget information of the scan widget 22 includes a widget ID, a user ID, a linkage function identifier, a widget address, a display name, scan setting information, a last access date and time, and the like.

  The meanings of the widget ID, user ID, linkage function identifier, widget address, and display name items are the same as the widget information (FIG. 7) of the print widget 21. However, the value of each item excluding the user ID is different from that of the print widget 21. Specifically, the widget ID, widget address, and display name in FIG. 11 are the widget ID, widget address, and display name of the scan widget 22, respectively. The scan widget 22 uses the scan function of the image forming apparatus 10. Therefore, the value of the linkage identifier is “scan”.

  The scan setting information is scan setting information set on the scan setting screen 540 or scan setting information acquired from the attribute information management file 225. The last access date / time is information indicating the date / time (time) when the scan widget 22 was last accessed (operated). Here, “access” may mean that the main screen 530 is activated, or that scan setting information is input via the scan setting screen 540. In the former case, the last access date and time is updated every time a scan job is input by the user via the scan widget 22. In the latter case, the last access date is updated when the scan setting information is changed. In any case, the UI control unit 221 of the scan widget 22 records the date and time when the corresponding operation is performed in the attribute information management file 225. The widget information transmission unit 221 includes the date and time recorded in the attribute information management file 225 in the widget information of the scan widget 22.

  The widget information (FIG. 11) transmitted to the widget management server 30 by the widget information transmission unit 222 of the scan widget 22 is processed in the same manner as the processing procedure described in FIG. That is, the widget information registration unit 31 of the widget management server 30 registers the information in the widget information management table 35 corresponding to the user ID included in the widget information. If an advertisement has already been issued for the user ID, the advertisement is not issued in step S113 in FIG.

  As described above, regarding the scan widget 22, unlike the print widget 21, widget information is registered in the widget management server 30 in units of applications, not in units of jobs.

  As described above, the widget information (print job execution request) of the print widget 21 or the widget information (scan job execution request) of the scan widget 22 is registered and accumulated in the widget information management table 35 of the widget management server 30. The Therefore, the user moves to the installation location of the image forming apparatus 10 in order to execute the print job related to the print widget 21 or the scan job related to the scan widget 22. When a plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 are connected to the network 40, the same advertisement is received by the user detection unit 121 of each image forming apparatus 10, and the user ID is stored in the user management table 126 of each image forming apparatus 10. The widget information acquisition URL is registered. Therefore, the user can execute a job related to each widget regardless of which of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 10 is an operation target.

  Next, processing executed in response to a user operation in the image forming apparatus 10 will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure when executing a job related to a widget in the image forming apparatus.

  In step S201, the authentication control unit 128 of the image forming apparatus 10 that is the operation target executes a login process. The user ID is specified by the login process. The user ID is specified based on an IC card or a magnetic card (hereinafter simply referred to as “card”) set in the card reader 18 by the user. For example, when the user ID is recorded on the card, the user ID is specified by causing the card reader 18 to read the card. In addition, when another identifier associated with the user ID (for example, a unique identifier for each card (hereinafter referred to as “card ID”)) is recorded on the card, the card ID read from the card And the user ID recorded in association with the card ID in the HDD 114 or the external storage device.

  Alternatively, the UI control unit 122 of the image forming apparatus 10 operates a user selection screen (for example, a screen on which a button with a user name for each user is arranged) based on information registered in the user management table 126. The user ID may be specified according to the button displayed on the panel 15 and selected on the user selection screen. Further, a user ID may be input via a login screen displayed on the operation panel 15 by the authentication control unit 128.

  In any case, the authentication control unit 128 notifies the widget information acquisition unit 123 of the specified user ID.

  Subsequently, the widget information acquisition unit 123 acquires a widget information acquisition URL associated with the notified user ID from the user management table 126. Subsequently, the widget information acquisition unit 123 transmits a widget information acquisition request to the widget information acquisition URL (S202). The widget information acquisition request is received by the widget information providing unit 33 of the widget management server 30. The widget information providing unit 33 includes all widget information registered in the widget information management table 35 corresponding to the widget information acquisition URL (that is, the widget information management table 35 corresponding to the user who is operating the image forming apparatus 10). And a list of the acquired widget information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 10 (S203). When transmitting the list of widget information, the widget information providing unit 33 sets a URL for relaying communication between the image forming apparatus 10 and the widget (hereinafter referred to as “widget relay URL”) for each widget (for each widget information). Generate uniquely. The widget information providing unit 33 adds the widget relay URL generated for each widget to the widget information corresponding to each widget, and transmits a list of widget information to which the widget relay URL is added to the image forming apparatus 10. . Therefore, the widget information transmitted in step S203 has a configuration as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, for example.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of widget information of a print widget transmitted from the widget management server to the image forming apparatus. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of widget information of a scan widget transmitted from the widget management server to the image forming apparatus.

  The widget information shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 is obtained by adding a widget relay URL to the widget information of FIG. 9 or FIG. In step S203, a list of widget information as shown in the figure is transmitted. Here, items that contain only one piece of widget information are also referred to as a list of widget information.

  The widget relay URL may be generated and added to the widget information when the widget information registration unit 31 registers the widget information in the widget information management table 35.

  Upon receiving the widget information list, the widget information acquisition unit 123 records the list in the RAM 112. Subsequently, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 determines widget information to be automatically executed from the received list of widget information. If there is widget information that can be automatically executed, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 includes the widget information in the widget information. The job execution control unit 125 is caused to execute automatic job execution based on the job (S204). “Automatic execution” here refers to automatically determining or inferring widget information that is likely to be the user's execution target without asking the user about which widget information is the execution target, It means to execute. That is, up to step S204, the operation that the user has performed on the image forming apparatus 10 is only a user ID input operation such as setting a card in the card reader 18. Therefore, when viewed from the user, it seems that a job based on the widget information is automatically executed only by performing an input operation of the user ID.

  Next, details of step S204 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining automatic job execution processing based on widget information.

  In step S501, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 extracts widget information that the image forming apparatus 10 is capable of handling from the list of widget information. For example, when the image forming apparatus 10 is a simple printer that does not have the scanner 12, the widget information related to the scan widget is excluded from the extraction target. The scan-type widget is a widget related to widget information including “scan” in the linkage identifier. For example, the widget information of a copy widget (not shown) includes “scan” and “print” as linkage identifiers. This is because copying is realized by printing an image scanned from an original. Therefore, the copy widget is also handled as a scan widget. In the description of FIG. 15, the term “scan widget 22” means the same range as the scan widget.

  In addition, it may be determined whether or not correspondence is possible based on a setting value set in the print setting information or the scan setting information. For example, widget information that includes paper size, resolution, color designation, etc. that are not supported by the image forming apparatus 10 in print setting information or scan setting information is excluded from the extraction target. The widget information extracted in step S501 is hereinafter referred to as “corresponding widget information”.

  When there is no compatible widget information (when the image forming apparatus 10 cannot cope with all widget information in a capability manner) (No in S501), the UI control unit 122 displays the widget information recorded in the RAM 112. Based on this list, a screen (widget selection screen) for allowing the user to select widget information is displayed on the operation panel 15 (S531).

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the widget selection screen. In the figure, a button is displayed for each piece of widget information on the widget selection screen 620. In the figure, a button 621 corresponding to the widget information of the scan widget 22, a button 622 corresponding to the widget information of the print widget 21 related to the print request of the file A, and the widget information of the print widget 21 related to the print request of the file B are shown. A button 623 corresponding to is displayed.

  The user selects a button displayed on the widget selection screen 620 and presses the start key on the operation panel 15 to execute a job based on the arbitrarily selected widget information on the image forming apparatus 10 following the automatic execution. Can be made.

  On the other hand, when at least one piece of widget information is extracted as compatible widget information (Yes in S501), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 includes the widget information of the scan widget 22 in the list of compatible widget information. It is determined whether or not (S502). When the widget information of the scan widget 22 is included (Yes in S502), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 determines whether a document is set on the pressure plate or the ADF (Auto Document Feeder) of the image forming apparatus 10. (S503). Whether or not a document is set is determined based on a detection result by a sensor included in the image forming apparatus 10.

  If the widget information of the scan widget 22 is included in the list of compatible widget information and a document is set (Yes in S503), the user may want to execute a job related to the scan widget 22. Is expensive. Therefore, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 determines whether or not the widget information related to the scan widget 22 is one in the list of compatible widget information (S504). When there is only one widget information related to the scan widget 22 (Yes in S504), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 sets the widget information related to the one scan widget 22 as a target of automatic execution (S505). On the other hand, when there are multiple pieces of widget information related to the scan widget 22 (No in S504), it is not always clear which widget information the user wants to execute. Therefore, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 determines whether or not the plurality of widget information has an access date and time within a predetermined period (for example, within one hour) (S506). When there is widget information whose access date / time is within a predetermined period (Yes in S506), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects one widget information with the latest access date / time as the execution target from the corresponding widget information. (S507). The fact that the access date and time is recent is considered to be widget information that is relatively high in user interest.

  Subsequent to step S505 or S507, the job execution control unit 125 executes a scan job based on the widget information of one scan widget 22 selected by the automatic execution target selection unit 127 (S508). As a result, the two operation steps of selecting the button and pressing the start key on the widget selection screen 620 are omitted. After executing the scan job, the UI control unit 122 displays the widget selection screen 620 (S531). In step S506, if there is no widget information whose access date / time is within the predetermined period (No in S506), the widget selection screen 620 is displayed without being automatically executed (S531).

  If no document is set in step S503 (No in S503), it cannot be determined whether or not the user wants the job related to the scan widget 22 to be an execution target in the operation target image forming apparatus 10. In the first place, a scan job cannot be automatically executed when no document is set. Therefore, the automatic execution target selection unit 127 determines whether or not there is widget information whose access date / time is within a predetermined period (for example, within one hour) in the list of compatible widget information (S506). When there is widget information whose access date / time is within a predetermined period (Yes in S507), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects one widget information with the latest access date / time as the selection target among the corresponding widget information ( S512). The selection target here is not limited to the widget information of the scan widget 22. The widget information of the print widget 21 can also be selected. The widget information selected as a selection target is not a target of automatic execution, but the corresponding button is selected when the widget selection screen 620 is displayed. That is, in step S531, which is executed subsequent to step S512, the UI control unit 122 displays the widget selection screen 620 with the button corresponding to the widget information selected as the selection target in a selected state (ie, execution target). Therefore, in this case, if the selected button corresponds to the widget information desired by the user as an execution target, the user simply presses the start key and submits a job based on the widget information to the image forming apparatus. 10 can be executed. As a result, the operation step on the widget selection screen 620 can be omitted.

  In step S511, when there is no widget information whose access date / time is within the predetermined period (No in S506), the widget selection screen 620 is displayed without determining whether to be automatically executed or selected (S531). Therefore, in this case, none of the buttons are selected on the widget selection screen 620.

  In step S502, if the widget information of the scan widget 22 is not included in the list of compatible widget information (that is, only widget information related to the print widget 21 is included) (No in S502), automatic execution The target selection unit 127 determines whether or not the image forming apparatus 10 has the scan 12, that is, whether or not the image forming apparatus 10 is not a multifunction peripheral but a simple printer (S <b> 521). The determination may be performed based on, for example, the model name (model name) of the imager forming apparatus 10. The model name is recorded in, for example, the ROM 113 or the HDD 114 of the image forming apparatus 10 and can be acquired via a predetermined API (Application Program Interface).

  When the image forming apparatus 10 is a mere printer (when the scanner 12 is not provided) (Yes in S521), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects all compatible widget information as targets for automatic execution. Therefore, the job execution control unit 125 continuously executes the print job based on all the compatible widget information (S522).

  That is, in a situation where all the widget information that can be handled is related to the print widget 21, the fact that the user has set the mere printer as the operation target wants to execute all the widget information as the execution target. This is because the possibility is high.

  On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 10 is not a mere printer (when the image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine including both the scanner 12 and the printer 13) (No in S521), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 displays a widget in the list of compatible widget information. In the information arrangement order, the widget information whose number of printed sheets is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is searched in order from the top (S523 to S526). The arrangement order of the widget information follows, for example, the order of registration in the widget information management table 35 in the widget management server 30. For example, the number of prints is calculated by multiplying the number of print pages of print data to be printed by the number of print copies included in the print setting information. When widget information whose number of prints is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is searched (S524), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects one searched widget information as an execution target, and searches for the remaining widget information. Absent. Therefore, the job execution control 125 executes a print job based on the selected one widget information (S527). After execution of the print job, a widget selection screen 620 is displayed (S531).

  On the other hand, if there is no widget information whose number of prints is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (No in S525), the automatic execution target selection unit 127 selects the first one in the order of arrangement of widget information in the list of compatible widget information. Target (S528). However, the widget information to be selected does not necessarily have to be the first one. For example, the widget information to be selected may be determined based on a comparison of parameters included in the widget information such as the number of printed sheets. Subsequently, the UI control unit 122 displays the widget selection screen 620 with a button corresponding to the widget information selected as a selection target being selected (S531).

  As described above, when the image forming apparatus 10 to be operated is a multifunction peripheral, the print job is not executed for all the compatible widget information. This is because the use method of the multifunction device in a general user environment is taken into consideration.

  In general, there are many cases where the charging system of a multifunction device and a simple printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) are different. Specifically, the multifunction device employs a pay-as-you-go system (how much per page), and maintenance and consumables are mainly charged for printers. Users tend to use the multifunction device and the printer according to the purpose so that the cost can be suppressed as much as possible based on the difference between the charging systems. Specifically, there is a tendency that a printer is used for a normal print job, and a multi-function peripheral is used for a specific print job such as color printing or a job (copy job or scan job) that requires a scanner function.

  In view of the fact that the printer and the multifunction device are properly used in this way, when the image forming apparatus 10 to be operated is a multifunction device, all the compatible widget information relates to the print widget 21. However, automatically executing a print job for all available widgets may not fit the user's intention. This is because the user may want to limit the execution target in the multifunction peripheral to that related to the predetermined widget information in consideration of the pay-per-use billing system. Therefore, in the above description, the fact that the number of printed sheets is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is adopted as a determination criterion for meeting the user's intention. The predetermined threshold value may change according to the performance of the image forming apparatus 10 or the like. For example, the threshold value may be relatively high for a high speed machine, and the threshold value may be relatively low for a low speed machine.

  Further, the widget information to be automatically executed in the multifunction peripheral may be selected as follows by changing the viewpoint. For example, in a combination of a printer and a multifunction device arranged in one office, there are many cases where the multifunction device is a high-speed device (higher printing performance) than the printer. As a result, the user can cause the high-speed machine to execute the widget information (print job) stored on the high-speed machine, and the low-speed machine to execute the one with a small number of prints simultaneously. There is also the possibility of wanting to reduce execution time. Accordingly, when the print performance (for example, the number of printed sheets per predetermined time) of the operation target image forming apparatus 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the automatic execution target selecting unit 127 displays widget information indicating that the number of printed sheets is equal to or greater than the predetermined number. Select as execution target. A plurality of combinations may be set for the printing performance and the threshold value for the number of printed sheets. By doing so, for example, depending on whether the image forming apparatus 10 is a low-speed machine, a medium-speed machine, or a high-speed machine, the image forming apparatus 10 can automatically execute a print job of the number of prints according to the performance. it can.

  Next, a job execution procedure based on the widget information will be described. The job execution procedure differs depending on the type of widget related to the widget information to be executed (whether it is the print widget 21 or the scan widget 22). Therefore, the execution procedure will be described separately for the case where the widget information related to the print widget 21 is the execution target and the case where the widget information related to the scan widget 22 is the execution target. In FIG. 17 or 18, “widget information to be executed” refers to widget information selected as a target for automatic execution or widget information in which a corresponding button is selected on the widget selection screen 620. Accordingly, when the “widget information to be executed” is the widget information to be automatically executed, FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate the details of step S508, S522, or S527 in FIG. It corresponds to. However, in the case of step S522, the process of FIG. 17 is repeatedly executed according to the number of pieces of widget information to be executed. Further, when “widget information to be executed” is widget information in which a corresponding button is selected on the widget selection screen 620, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are processes executed subsequent to step S531 in FIG. Applicable.

  FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram for explaining a print job execution procedure based on widget information related to a print widget.

  The job execution control unit 125 of the image forming apparatus 10 that is the operation target includes the cooperation function identifier (“print”) included in the widget information that is the execution target (hereinafter, “current widget information”). Based on this, it is determined that the print job should be executed (S211). Subsequently, the widget cooperation unit 124 transmits a print job start notification to the widget relay URL included in the current widget information (S212). In response to the start notification, the mediation unit 34 of the widget management server 30 indicates data indicating that a job is being executed for the widget information corresponding to the widget relay URL (hereinafter referred to as “job execution flag”). ).

  Subsequently, the job execution control unit 125 causes the printer 13 to execute printing based on the print data included in the current widget information (S213). Subsequently, the widget cooperation unit 124 transmits information (execution result information) indicating the print job execution result (success / failure) to the widget relay URL included in the current widget information (S214). The execution result information addressed to the widget relay URL is received by the mediation unit 34 of the widget management server 30. In response to the reception of the execution result information, the mediation unit 34 deletes the job execution flag recorded for the widget information corresponding to the widget relay URL. The mediation unit 34 also stores the execution result information in association with the widget relay URL. The mediation unit 34 returns the execution result information in response to an inquiry (polling) from the print widget 21 corresponding to the widget relay URL (S215).

  FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram for explaining a scan job execution procedure based on widget information related to a scan widget.

  The job execution control unit 125 of the image forming apparatus 10 that is the operation target uses the cooperation function identifier (“scan”) included in the widget information that is the execution target (hereinafter, “current widget information”). Based on this, it is determined that the scan job should be executed (S301). Subsequently, the widget cooperation unit 124 transmits a scan job start notification to the widget relay URL included in the current widget information (S302). In response to the start notification, the mediation unit 34 of the widget management server 30 records a job execution flag for the widget information corresponding to the widget relay URL.

  Subsequently, the job execution control unit 125 controls reading of image data from the document based on the scan setting information included in the current widget information (S303). More specifically, the job execution control unit 125 causes the scanner 12 to scan a document set on the image forming apparatus 10 and outputs image data obtained as a result to the widget cooperation unit 124. The widget cooperation unit 124 transmits the image data to the widget relay URL included in the current widget information (S304). The image data transmitted to the widget relay URL is received by the mediation unit 34 of the widget management server 30. In response to the reception of the image data, the mediation unit 34 deletes the job execution flag recorded for the widget information corresponding to the widget relay URL.

  On the other hand, after transmitting the widget information, the scan widget 22 performs polling for confirming that image data has been scanned in the image forming apparatus 10 at regular intervals. Specifically, the cooperation unit 223 of the scan widget 22 transmits an acquisition request for scanned image data (scanned image) to the mediation unit 34 of the widget management server 30 (S311). The mediation unit 34 responds to the acquisition request (S312). In the stage before step S304, since the image data has not been scanned, a response indicating that there is no scanned image is returned.

  When a scan image acquisition request is received from the cooperation unit 223 after receiving the scan image (S313), the mediation unit 34 returns the scan image received in step S304 to the cooperation unit 223 (S314). The cooperation unit 223 inputs the scan image to the scan data processing unit 224. The scan data processing unit 224 executes processing (logic) mounted on itself for the scanned image as a processing target (S315). For example, the scan data processing unit 224 stores the scan image in a storage destination set in the attribute information management file 225. When the processing for the scanned image data is completed, the cooperation unit 223 resumes polling in preparation for the next scan (S316, S317).

  By the way, in this embodiment, the example in which the widget management apparatus 30 mediates between the user terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 10 has been described. Such an embodiment has an advantage that the correspondence of the communication protocol with the image forming apparatus 10 can be limited to the widget managing apparatus 30 by consolidating the apparatuses that communicate with the image forming apparatus 10 into the widget managing apparatus 30. is there. Further, there is an advantage that the amount of communication to the image forming apparatus 10 can be reduced. However, each user terminal 20 and the image forming apparatus 10 may directly communicate with each other. In this case, each user terminal 20 only needs to have the function of the widget management device 30.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment stores the capability or performance of the image forming apparatus 10 from the widget information (job execution request) stored in the widget management server 30 and the like. The user's intention is guessed in light of the combination of widget information, and widget information suitable for automatic execution is selected based on the estimation result. Therefore, the user only has to input his / her identification information (user ID). As a result, operation steps by the user for the image forming apparatus 10 are reduced.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing system 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Controller 12 Scanner 13 Printer 14 Modem 15 Operation panel 16 Network interface 17 SD card slot 18 Card reader 20 User terminal 21 Print widget 22 Scan widget 30 Widget management server 31 Widget information registration part 32 Advertising part 33 Widget information providing unit 34 Mediating unit 40 Network 80 SD card 111 CPU
112 RAM
113 ROM
114 HDD
121 User Detection Unit 122 UI Control Unit 123 Widget Information Acquisition Unit 124 Widget Cooperation Unit 125 Job Execution Control Unit 126 User Management Table 127 Automatic Execution Target Selection Unit 128 Authentication Control Unit 200 Drive Device 201 Recording Medium 202 Auxiliary Storage Device 203 Memory Device 204 CPU
205 Interface device 206 Display device 207 Input device 211 UI control unit 212 Widget information transmission unit 213 Cooperation unit 214 Print data generation unit 215 Attribute information management file 221 UI control unit 222 Widget information transmission unit 223 Cooperation unit 224 Scan data processing unit 225 Attributes Information management file

JP 2007-200284 A

Claims (11)

An image forming apparatus,
Operator identification means for receiving input of identification information of the operator of the image forming apparatus;
Job acquisition means for acquiring a list of jobs related to the identification information stored in a job storage device connected via a network;
The job selection method to be automatically executed is changed depending on whether or not the job using the image reading unit is included in the list, and the job to be automatically executed is selected from the list. Automatic execution target selection means;
An image forming apparatus having execution control means for causing the image forming apparatus to execute a job selected as a target for automatic execution. The automatic execution target selection unit is configured so that when the job that uses the image reading unit is not included in the list and the job that uses the printing unit is included, the image forming apparatus performs the image reading unit. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus selects the job to be automatically executed based on a comparison between the number of printed sheets of the job and a predetermined value.
  The automatic execution target selection unit is configured so that when the job that uses the image reading unit is not included in the list and the job that uses the printing unit is included, the image forming apparatus performs the image reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when there is no means, all jobs that use the printing means are selected as targets for the automatic execution.   The automatic execution target selection unit includes a job that uses the image reading unit in the list, and when a document is set on the image reading unit, a job that uses the image reading unit The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any one of them is selected as the target of the automatic execution.   The automatic execution target selection unit includes a job that uses the image reading unit in the list, and when a single document is set on the image reading unit, The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the job is selected as the automatic execution target. The job acquisition means acquires information indicating the time when the job was last operated by a user for each job,
The automatic execution target selection unit includes a job that uses the image reading unit in the list, and when there are a plurality of jobs when a document is set on the image reading unit, 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a job to be automatically executed is selected based on the time. The job acquisition means acquires information indicating the time when the job was last operated by a user for each job,
The automatic execution target selection unit includes a job that uses the image reading unit in the list, and when no document is set on the image reading unit, the automatic execution target selection unit performs the automatic execution based on the time. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a target job is selected. Display control means for displaying a selection screen for selecting a job to be executed from the list;
The automatic execution target selection means is included in the list when the job to be automatically executed is not included in the list based on a comparison between the number of printed sheets of the job and a predetermined value. Select one of the jobs,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays the selection screen with the selected job as a selection state. Display control means for displaying a selection screen for selecting a job to be executed from the list;
The automatic execution target selection means, when a job to be automatically executed based on the time is not included in the list, the job with the latest time is selected,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display control unit displays the selection screen with the selected job as a selection state. A job execution method executed by an image forming apparatus,
An operator identification procedure for receiving input of identification information of the operator of the image forming apparatus;
A job acquisition procedure for acquiring a list of jobs related to the identification information stored in a job storage device connected via a network;
The job selection method to be automatically executed is changed depending on whether or not the job using the image reading unit is included in the list, and the job to be automatically executed is selected from the list. Automatic execution target selection procedure,
A job execution method including an execution control procedure for executing a job selected as a target for automatic execution. In the image forming device,
An operator identification procedure for receiving input of identification information of the operator of the image forming apparatus;
A job acquisition procedure for acquiring a list of jobs related to the identification information stored in a job storage device connected via a network;
The job selection method to be automatically executed is changed depending on whether or not the job using the image reading unit is included in the list, and the job to be automatically executed is selected from the list. Automatic execution target selection procedure,
A program for executing an execution control procedure for executing a job selected for automatic execution.

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