Information processing device and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information processing device and a computer-readable storage medium, which can convey notifications to more appropriate users compared to a method of displaying notifications related to processing being executed by the device to the administrator of the device or a method of displaying the notifications regardless of who is operating the device. When an object event occurs in the device, it determines whether the job owner who indicated the job that caused the event is consistent with the operator currently operating the device. If they are consistent, the device displays a message to the job owner corresponding to the event in a display form for the job owner (for example, full-screen display). If they are inconsistent, the device determines whether there is a conflict between the resources used by the job and the resources used by the job started from the screen instruction currently displayed. If there is a conflict, the message is displayed in the display form when there is a conflict (for example, banner display). If there is no conflict, the display form when there is no conflict is selected (for example, no display).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Some devices such as so-called multifunction machines have the function of displaying an operation screen to receive operation instructions for other processes while a process instructed by a user is being executed. The user who instructed the process being executed may operate the operation screen, or another user may operate the operation screen. In addition, a manager who manages the device may be set for the device.

[0003] The device may display a notification related to the process being executed on the screen of a display device included in the device. For example, when the process being executed stops due to an abnormality, the device displays a screen showing a message notifying this fact.

[0004] As conventional technologies for notifying a user of a message by a device or an information processing apparatus, there are technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. The apparatuses disclosed in these documents switch the display form of the message according to the attribute of the message to be notified.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a system for displaying a message notifying a vehicle of an event detected on a display device provided in the vehicle. In this system, when an event occurs, during a period in which the user class (class) of the current driver identified by the user identification unit is not the owner (owner), the message processing unit extracts a message corresponding to the event that occurred and the user class from a message table in a memory and displays it on the display device, and extracts a message corresponding to the event that occurred and the user class from a message table and stores it in the memory as unnotified message data. Furthermore, the message processing unit displays a message represented by the unnotified message data stored in the memory on the display device at the time point when the user identification unit identifies that the user whose user class is the owner is the current driver.

[0006] [Prior art literature]

[0007] [Patent Document]

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-253452

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-179038

[0010] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-314773 Summary of the invention

[0011] [Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0012] In the case where a notification is required regarding a process being executed by a device, if the notification is displayed on the operation screen while the administrator of the device is operating the device, the notification cannot be communicated to anyone before the administrator operates the device. Therefore, sometimes it is impossible to respond to the notification in a timely manner. On the other hand, if the notification is displayed on the displayed operation screen regardless of who is operating the device, the following situation will occur, that is, users who are not related to the notification will be disturbed, or the notification will be communicated to users to whom it should not be communicated.

[0013] An object of the present invention is to convey notifications related to processes being executed by a device to more appropriate users, compared with a method in which notifications related to processes being executed by a device are displayed to an administrator of the device or a method in which notifications are displayed regardless of who is operating the device.

[0014] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0015] The present invention is a device comprising a processor, wherein the processor identifies a user who is operating the device including the processor and performs display control, that is, controls the display of a notification related to a process being performed by the device on a display device included in the device based on whether the identified user is an indicator of the execution of the process.

[0016] The present invention is a computer-readable storage medium for enabling a computer included in a device to function so as to identify a user who is operating the device and perform display control, that is, to control the display of notifications related to a process being performed by the device on a display device included in the device based on whether the identified user is an indicator of the execution of the process.

[0017] [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, compared with a method in which a notification related to a process being executed by a device is displayed to an administrator of the device or a method in which a notification is displayed regardless of who is operating the device, a notification can be conveyed to a more appropriate user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the functional structure of a device.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer responsible for functions such as a device control unit and a screen display management unit.

[0021] Figure 3 (a) to Figure 3 (c) is a diagram for explaining a banner display of a message.

[0022] Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining full-screen display of a message.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating job management data.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating management data of resources used for each job type.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating management data of resources used for each operation screen.

[0026] Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 (b) is a diagram illustrating transition of the display of the operation screen.

[0027] Fig. 9 This is a diagram illustrating management data related to events that are the subject of messages.

[0028] Fig.10 This is a diagram illustrating a full-screen message screen that is displayed while a wait timeout event occurs.

[0029] Fig.11 This is a diagram illustrating the flow of message display processing performed by the screen display management unit.

[0030] Fig.12 This is a diagram illustrating management data regarding an event that is a message target in another example.

[0031] Fig.13 This is a diagram illustrating a part of the flow of the message display process performed by the screen display management unit in another example.

[0032] Fig.14 This is a diagram illustrating another part of the flow of the message display process performed by the screen display management unit in another example.

[0033] Fig.15 This is a diagram illustrating still another part of the flow of the message display process performed by the screen display management unit in another example.

[0034] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0035] 10: Display device

[0036] 12: Screen display management department

[0037] 14: Control Department

[0038] 16: Processing Agency

[0039] 18: Sensor

[0040] 102: Processor

[0041] 104: Memory

[0042] 106: Auxiliary storage device

[0043] 108: Input / output device

[0044] 110: Network interface

[0045] 112: Bus DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] <Outline functional structure of the equipment>

[0047] Reference Figure 1 An example of the functional structure of the device of the embodiment is described. The device is a device that provides the user with the processing performed by the processing mechanism 16. The type of device is not particularly limited, and it can also be any device such as a printer, a scanner, a copier, a fax device, a multifunction machine (a device that has the functions of a printer, a scanner, and a copier), a kiosk terminal, a photographic device, and an imaging device. For example, in the case where the device is a multifunction machine, the device includes one or more processing mechanisms 16. The processing mechanism 16 includes, for example, a printer, a scanner, a document sending device for a scanner, a network interface for network communication, a fax device, and an information processing mechanism for performing job management and other information processing.

[0048] The display device 10 is a device that displays display information for a user interface of a device. In this example, the screen of the display device 10 is a touch panel that detects a position on the screen that is contacted (touched) by a finger of a user or the like.

[0049] The screen display management unit 12 generates display information of a user interface screen in a graphical user interface (GUI) format for accepting instructions for device operation, and supplies the display information to the display device 10 for display. The user interface screen is called an operation screen. The operation screen includes display elements such as a background, a window, an icon, a menu, and a button. In addition, the screen display management unit 12 detects the user's operation on the display elements in the operation screen based on a signal indicating a touch position from the display device 10 (touch panel), and communicates the instructions indicated by the operation to the control unit 14, or updates the display content of the operation screen according to the operation. In addition, the screen display management unit 12 controls the screen display of the message described later.

[0050] The control unit 14 executes processing corresponding to the user's operation input by controlling each processing unit 16 in the device. The control unit 14 receives notifications of operation status such as feedback or error occurrence from each processing unit 16, and constantly understands the status of each processing unit 16 based on these notifications.

[0051] Sensors 18 are provided in the device for detecting the status of each part of the device. Each sensor 18 is a type of sensor suitable for detecting the status of each part of the monitoring object. For example, in the case where the device is a multifunction machine, examples of sensors 18 provided in the printing mechanism as one of the processing mechanisms 16 include paper detection sensors located in each part of the paper conveying path, sensors for detecting the remaining amount of the paper supply tray, sensors for detecting the remaining amount of each color toner, etc. The control unit 14 detects the status of the part corresponding to each sensor 18 based on the signals notified from these sensors 18.

[0052] In addition, on the operation screen generated by the screen display management unit 12, there are, for example, a main menu screen showing an overview of the functions (processing) provided by the device, a function screen for setting parameters related to each function, and the like. The screen displayed on the display device 10 changes according to an event that becomes a trigger. The trigger event for the screen change is not only an operation from the user, but also the state of the device detected by the control unit 14 from the signals from the processing mechanisms 16 and the sensors 18. For example, when the user presses (touches) a button representing the copy function on the main menu screen displayed on the display device 10 of the multifunction machine, the screen display management unit 12 changes the operation screen displayed on the display device 10 from the main menu screen to the function screen related to the copy function.

[0053] Furthermore, the screen display management unit 12 performs processing for displaying a display element representing a message from the device to the user (i.e., a notification to the operator). When receiving a notification of a specific event from the control unit 14, the screen display management unit 12 causes a display element representing a message corresponding to the event to be displayed on the display device 10, for example, in a form superimposed on the currently displayed operation screen. For example, when the control unit 14 detects that the remaining amount of a certain color toner has reached a state below a warning threshold based on a signal from a remaining amount sensor of the toner, a display element such as a banner that displays a message that reminds attention that the remaining amount of the toner has become low is displayed on the operation screen currently displayed on the display device 10.

[0054] <Example of hardware configuration>

[0055] The screen display management unit 12 and the control unit 14 in the device are realized by causing a computer to execute a program representing the functions of these functional elements.

[0056] Here the computer is for example Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , as hardware, the computer has a circuit structure as follows: a processor 102, a memory (main storage device) 104 such as a random access memory (RAM), a controller for controlling a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory, a solid state drive (SSD), or a hard disk drive (HDD), i.e., an auxiliary storage device 106, an interface with various input / output devices 108, and a network interface 110 for controlling connection with a network such as a local area network, etc. are connected via a data transmission path such as a bus 112. A program describing the processing contents of the screen display management unit 12 and the control unit 14 is installed in a computer via a network or the like, and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 106. The program stored in the auxiliary storage device 106 is executed by the processor 102 using the memory 104, thereby realizing the screen display management unit 12 and the control unit 14.

[0057] Here, the so-called processor 102 refers to a processor in a broad sense, including a general-purpose processor (such as a central processing unit (CPU)) or a special-purpose processor (such as a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device, etc.).

[0058] Furthermore, the operations of the processor 102 may be performed not only by one processor 102 but also by a plurality of processors 102 located in physically separate positions in cooperation. Furthermore, each operation of the processor 102 is not limited to the sequence described in the following embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0059] <Message display format>

[0060] The display forms of messages from the device include banner display, full-screen display, icon display and other display forms.

[0061] The banner display is a display form as described below, that is, Figure 3 (a) to Figure 3As shown in (c) of FIG. 1 , a banner 210 indicating a message is displayed at the bottom of the operation screen (a copy screen 200 of which an example is shown in the figure). The banner 210 covers only a part of the bottom side of the copy screen 200 . Figure 3 (a) Figure 3 (b) Figure 3 (c) shows the time transition of the display of the banner 210. In this example, as shown in the figure, the banner 210 is displayed in the form of an animation that appears while gradually sliding from the bottom of the copy screen 200. Figure 3 (c) shows a state where the banner 210 is fully displayed. Then, the display of the banner 210 is closed when a predetermined time has passed or the user presses the close button 212. After closing, the original copy screen 200 is displayed.

[0062] Full screen display is a display mode as described below, that is, Figure 4 As shown in the example, the message screen 220 is displayed in a manner covering the entire operation screen (for example, the copy screen 200). The illustrated message screen 220 is a screen indicating that a document jam has occurred in the document feeding device of the scanner, and displays a title "Document Jam" and a message body "Document Jam has occurred in the document feeding device of the scanner. Please open the cover of the document feeding device and remove the document." The illustrated message screen 220 is closed when the jammed document is removed. In other words, once the message screen 220 is displayed, it will not be closed until the jammed document is removed. When the message screen is closed, the original operation screen is displayed.

[0063] However, in the full-screen message screen, sometimes Figure 3 (a) to Figure 3 The close button 212 of the example (c) is similar to a button, and when the operator presses the button, the operation is closed. In this way, in the message screen displayed in full screen, there are cases where the operation is not closed until the error that caused it is eliminated, and cases where the operation can be closed by the operator's instruction. In addition, the error of the operation here refers to an abnormal state that occurs in the device and is an abnormal state that interrupts the execution of the operation.

[0064] Although not shown in the figure, icon display is a mode in which messages are displayed in the form of icons within the operation screen.

[0065] <Example of management data>

[0066] Next, an example of management data used for controlling message display by the screen display management unit 12 will be described. These management data are stored in, for example, the auxiliary storage device 106 of a computer in which the device control unit 14 and the screen display management unit 12 are installed.

[0067] Figure 5 2 illustrates job management data managed by the control unit 14 for job management. A job is a process performed by the control unit 14 under the control of one or more processing units 16 based on instructions from the user, such as a print job, a scan job, a copy job, an email job, and a file transfer job. In addition, there may be a composite job in which the processes of multiple processing units 16 cooperate, such as a "scan / mail" job that scans a document and sends it to an email address specified by the user.

[0068] The illustrated job management data includes items such as job ID, job type, job owner, and status. Job ID is unique identification information assigned to a job by the control unit 14. Hereinafter, identification information is referred to as ID. Job type is the type of the job, such as printing, scanning, etc. In the column of job owner, identification information of the user (i.e., the indicator) who instructed the execution of the job is registered. Status indicates the current status of the job. The status of a job includes waiting for execution, executing, completed, interrupted due to an error, etc. In addition, Figure 1 The illustrated device includes a plurality of processing mechanisms 16 , and a plurality of tasks can be executed in parallel at the same time as long as the tasks do not use the same processing mechanism 16 .

[0069] Figure 6 It is management data that represents the resources used by the job for each job type. Regarding the resources used by the job, the processing mechanism 16 that operates when the job is executed is a representative example. In addition, the software resources of the control unit 14 used for the execution of the job are also examples of resources used by the job. For example, when the number of connections for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) communication from the device to the outside is limited to less than a specified number due to certain reasons such as security, in the job performing FTP communication, the connection itself used for the communication is the resource used by the job. In the example shown in the figure, the job of the type shown in the column of job type uses the resources shown in the column of "Resources Used" on the right, but does not use other resources. For example, a print job uses one of the processing mechanisms 16 included in the device, namely a printer, but does not use other resources such as a scanner or a fax device.

[0070] Figure 7 This is management data indicating resources used by a job that can be instructed to execute from each operation screen displayed by the screen display management unit 12. The device operation screen group is designed to change to another operation screen in response to a user's operation on a displayed operation screen.

[0071] For example Figure 8(a) and Figure 8 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , when the user selects one of the application buttons 252 listed and displayed in the main menu screen 250 of the device by touching or other operations, the operation screen displayed on the display device 10 is changed to an operation screen for specifying the parameters of the application represented by the application button 252. In the example shown in the figure, the user touches the copy button, one of the application buttons 252 on the main menu screen 250, and as a result, the displayed screen is changed to the copy screen 200. The copy screen 200 displays a start button 202 for instructing the start of copying, a number column 204 for indicating the number of copies, a numeric keypad 206 for inputting the number of copies displayed in the number column 204, and a group of setting items 208 for displaying the values ​​of various setting items related to copying and calling up an operation screen for changing the values. In the display state shown in the figure, only one setting item 208 is displayed, but by scrolling the copy screen 200, other setting items 208 arranged thereunder are also displayed. As in this example, in general, the displayed operation screen is changed from a screen for performing rough functions to a screen for performing detailed settings. The screen display management unit 12 holds screen transition management data (not shown) indicating which operation screen will be transitioned to when which button on which operation screen is selected, and uses the management data to transition the operation screen in accordance with the user's operation.

[0072] The transition of the operation screen includes a forward transition and a reverse transition. The forward transition is, for example, the direction from a screen for rough designation to a screen for more detailed designation, such as the example of a transition from the main screen of a composite function to a screen for inputting basic functions constituting the composite function. The reverse transition is a transition in the opposite direction of the forward transition. For example, the transition of the operation screen displayed before the transition to the currently displayed operation screen in response to the pressing of the "Return" button, or the transition of the main menu screen in response to the pressing of the "Return to Main Menu" button are examples of reverse transitions.

[0073] Figure 7 The management data includes “resources used” and “resources used in the transition destination screen” in association with the screen ID which is identification information of the operation screen.

[0074] Among the various operation screens, the operation screen that is opened by pressing the application button 252 displayed on the main menu screen 250 is a screen that accepts input of instructions for applications provided by the device, that is, application functions. In addition to basic functions such as scanning, copying, fax sending, etc., the applications provided by the device also have composite functions that combine more than one basic function. For example, the scan / mail sending function is a composite function that combines the scanning function and the mail sending function. Moreover, the file box function is a composite function that combines a function of displaying a file box list, a function of displaying a list of documents selected from the file box list and stored in the file box, a function of printing a document selected from the list of documents, a function of sending a document selected from the list of documents to an email address specified by the user, and a function of forwarding a document selected from the list of documents to a storage location on the network specified by the user. The screen ID of the operation screen displayed when calling up an application like this can also be said to be the ID of the application itself.

[0075] In response to the user's operation, it is also a common case that the screen changes from the operation screen of the application to the operation screen for setting the parameters of the job executed in the application. For example, the screen 200, which is an example of an application screen, changes to a screen for selecting the mode of printing color (for example, black and white or full color). In addition, there is also a case where the screen of the application of a composite function changes to the screen of the basic function constituting the composite function. For example, when the user selects a document and selects printing as the job to be executed on the screen that displays the document group in the file box selected from the file box list, the screen displayed on the display device 10 changes to the printing screen. The printing screen is the same screen as the aforementioned copy screen 200, and includes a GUI component for accepting the designation of the number of copies to be printed, or a GUI component for calling a screen for accepting the setting of various parameters, a start button, etc. When the user sets the number of copies or changes the parameters on the printing screen or the setting screen of various parameters and presses the start button, the control unit 14 causes the printer, which is one of the processing mechanisms 16, to print the document selected by the user.

[0076] In addition, the so-called document box refers to a logical storage area for storing document data provided in the device (for example, in the auxiliary storage device). Sometimes, a plurality of document boxes can be provided in the device, and for each document box, a user who can use the document box is set. For example, a user can save document data scanned by a scanner as the device in a document box available to him / her, or set the data of a received fax sent to him / her to be saved in the document box. A document box is sometimes also called a private document box or a secure document box.

[0077] Figure 7The item "resources used" in the management data of is the resources used by the job started from the instruction of the operation screen. Figure 8 (a) and Figure 8 In the case of the copy screen 200 illustrated in (b), when the user presses the start button 202 while the copy screen 200 is displayed, the scanner and printer in the device are operated to copy the original document. Therefore, the "resources used" on the copy screen are the scanner and the printer. On the other hand, the document box screen only displays an overview of the document boxes provided in the device, and when a document box is selected from the overview, it only changes to a screen that displays a list of documents in the document box. That is, when the document box screen is displayed, the execution of a job that uses limited resources (such as the processing mechanism 16 or the number of connections with an upper limit) will not start from the user's instruction. Therefore, there are no "resources used" on the document box screen.

[0078] The item "resources used in the target screen to be transitioned" refers to the resources used for the job that is started by the target screen to which the screen is transitioned. For example, the file box screen illustrated above undergoes several layers of screen transitions, and the print screen for printing the document selected by the user from the file box is transformed into the mail sending screen for sending the selected document by mail. Furthermore, when the start button is pressed while the print screen is displayed, the printer in the device prints the selected document. Furthermore, when the start button is pressed while the mail sending screen is displayed, an email with the document attached is sent through the mail sending software and network interface in the device. Therefore, in the file box screen, there are no "resources used", but as "resources used in the target screen to be transitioned", there are printers or network interfaces.

[0079] Fig. 9 The management data of the message display is shown as an example. The management data includes items such as event ID, operator type, message, and display mode.

[0080] The event ID is identification information for identifying the type of event to which the message is directed. Among the events detected by the control unit 14, there are events for which a message corresponding to the event should be notified to the user. Fig. 9 The management data illustrated includes information on each event that is a message target.

[0081] The operator type is the type of user (i.e., operator) who is currently operating the device, i.e., at the time when the message corresponding to the event is displayed on the display device 10. The operator types include a job owner (hereinafter also referred to as "owner") and a non-job owner (hereinafter also referred to as "non-owner"). The job owner is the owner of the job in which the event that becomes the target of the message has occurred, that is, the person who has instructed the execution of the job. The non-job owner is a user other than the job owner of the job in which the event has occurred.

[0082] When an event such as an error occurs in a processing mechanism 16 or information processing related to the execution of a certain job while the job is being executed, the job is referred to as the "job where the event occurred" with respect to the event. Jobs where the event occurred are often jobs that were interrupted during execution due to an error or the like or jobs that are in execution. In the sense of being a job that is the target of a message, the job where the event occurred is referred to as the "target job" below.

[0083] The message is a message notifying the user about the event. Fig. 9 In the example of , a message is prepared for each operator type.

[0084] The display form is the display form of the message notified to the user about the event. The display form of the message includes, for example, the aforementioned full screen display, banner display, etc. Moreover, in this example, non-display of the message is processed as one of the display forms of the message.

[0085] and, Fig. 9 In the example of , the display form of the message when the operator type is non-owner is selected based on whether there is a conflict between the target operation and the operation screen currently displayed on the display device 10 (hereinafter referred to as "current screen") and the resources used. Figure 6 ) contains the resources used by the current screen (that is, the resources used by the job started from the current screen, see Figure 7 ), then there is a "conflict" between the resources used by the target job and the resources used by the current screen. If there are no duplicate resources between the resources used by the target job and the resources used by the current screen, then there is no conflict between the resources used by the two. Fig. 9 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , when there is a resource conflict, a more prominent display form is used than when there is no resource conflict.

[0086] About Fig. 9 The data of the event ID "0002" in the management data of the device is described in detail. The event is an event that a document jam occurs in the document feeding device of the scanner. In other words, the event is an error event indicating that the execution of a job using the document feeding device, such as a scanning job or a copying job, is interrupted.

[0087] In the display process of the message about the event, if the operator of the device at the time of the display is the job owner of the target job, the message is displayed in full screen (see Figure 4 ) to display the message "A document jam has occurred in the document feeding device of the scanner..." That is, the job owner who instructed the execution of the job that caused the error has the responsibility to remove the jammed document. Therefore, if the operator of the device at the time when the message is displayed is the job owner, the message is displayed in the most eye-catching display form, that is, full-screen display. The full-screen displayed message will continue to be displayed until the document that is the cause of the error is removed from the document feeding device. When the document is removed, the full-screen display is turned off, and the operation screen displayed before the full-screen display is displayed.

[0088] Moreover, in this example, the message notified to the operator when the operator is not the job owner is the same content as when the operator is the job owner. And, at this time, if there is a conflict in the resources used between the job that is further instructed to be executed from the current screen and the target job, that is, the job in which the original document is blocked, the message is displayed in full screen. As long as the original document is not removed, the job that is instructed to be executed from the screen cannot be executed, so the operator is urged to remove the original document through full screen display. When the original document is removed, the full screen display is closed, and the operation screen displayed before the full screen display is performed (that is, the "current screen" at the beginning of this paragraph) is displayed. As a result, the operator can instruct the execution of the job that uses the original document to be sent to the device and the scanner from the operation screen.

[0089] Furthermore, if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in the resources used by the job to be started from the current screen and the target job, Fig. 9 In the example of , the message is not displayed. In this case, the operation that the operator wants to execute from the current screen does not use the original document to be sent to the device, so it can be executed even if an error occurs in sending the original document to the device. In addition, at this time, the message can also be displayed in a display form such as a banner display or an icon display that is less noticeable than a full-screen display or less likely to hinder the operation of the current screen, so as to eliminate the original document jam as soon as possible.

[0090] Moreover, despite Fig. 9, but if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in the resources used between the job instructed to be executed from the current screen and the target job, the display form of the message may be switched based on the presence or absence of a conflict in the resources used by the target screen from the current screen and the target job. For example, if there is a conflict in the resources used between the target screen from the current screen and the target job, the message may be displayed in a display form such as a banner display or an icon display that is less likely to interfere with the operation of the current screen than a full-screen display. Furthermore, if there is no conflict in the resources used between the target screen from the current screen and the target job, the message may not be displayed, or may be displayed in a display form that is less noticeable than when there is a conflict.

[0091] Next, Fig. 9 The data related to the event of event ID "0055" in the management data shown is described in detail. The event is an event as follows, that is, when a job is executed accompanied by data forwarding via a network, there is no response from the forwarding target for the connection request sent to the forwarding target. For example, when there is still no response from the forwarding target after a specified length of time has passed since the execution of the job, and thus the connection with the forwarding target cannot be established, the event occurs. When the connection with the forwarding target cannot be established after a specified length of timeout period has passed since the execution of the job, the execution of the job fails and ends. During the period from the start of execution to the timeout period, the job itself is not interrupted and continues, but the processing of the main body of the job (i.e., the forwarding of the document) is not executed. During the period from the start of execution of the job to the timeout period, the network connection from the device to the outside is occupied by the job, and other jobs using the network connection cannot be executed until the job times out or is completed. Therefore, although the event is not an error itself, it can be said to be close to an error in occupying the resource of the network connection.

[0092] In the display process of the message about the event, if the operator of the device at the time of the display is the job owner of the target job, the operator is informed of the event content to solicit a response. That is, at this time, the screen display management unit 12 displays a screen showing the following message in full screen display, the message indicating that the network connection is occupied by the operator's job, thereby causing interference to other users. Fig.10The message screen 230 displayed in full screen at this time is illustrated. On the message screen 230, in addition to the message of the subject, it also includes a query whether to cancel the job in execution (i.e., the job that is the cause of the event and the network connection is occupied), and a GUI button for inputting an instruction to agree ("Yes") or refuse ("No") to this. If the operator selects "Yes", the execution of the currently executing job will be forced to end and the network connection will be released. Subsequently, the device can accept a job accompanied by data forwarding via the network from a remote client device and execute it immediately. The full screen display is closed when the operator selects "Yes" or "No" in response to the query, or when the timeout period has passed.

[0093] Furthermore, when the operator is not the job owner, the message notified to the operator indicates that the network connection is occupied by other jobs and the remaining time until the job times out. Furthermore, at this time, if there is a conflict in the resources used between the job that is further instructed to be executed from the current screen and the target job, i.e., the job in which the manuscript jam occurs, the message is displayed in a display form that is not more eye-catching than the full-screen display, such as a banner display. In the case of the manuscript jam, the non-job owner can also take measures to eliminate the manuscript jam, but in this case, the non-job owner cannot cancel the executing job. Therefore, the operator is not asked to respond by displaying the message in full-screen display, but the operator is simply provided with information on the remaining time until the timeout. Since it is only information provision, the banner display is used as the display form in this example, but it can also be replaced by a full-screen display including a close button. After the operator understands the situation through the full-screen display, the close button is pressed, thereby closing the display.

[0094] Furthermore, if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in the resources used by the job to be executed from the current screen and the target job, no message will be displayed. In this case, the job that the operator wants to execute from the current screen does not use the network, so it can be executed even if the network connection is occupied by other jobs.

[0095] Next, Fig. 9 The data related to the event of event ID "0123" among the management data shown will be described in detail. This event is caused when a job that takes a long time to print is being executed.

[0096] For example, the time required for printing can be estimated based on the number of pages of the target document and the number of copies to be printed. Moreover, at a time point during the execution of printing, by subtracting the time that has passed from the start of printing to the time point from the required time, the remaining time until the completion of the job can be estimated. Before the job is completed, neither the person who instructed the execution of the job nor other users can start the execution of the job using the printer in the device. That is, the case is a case in which the start of other new jobs must wait due to the job being executed normally. The event occurs when the remaining time until the completion of the job using the printer being executed is greater than a specified threshold.

[0097] Even in the case where the above event occurs, the job owner of the job that is the cause of the event, i.e., the job accompanying the currently executed printing, has already known that he / she has previously instructed the start of a job that performs a large amount of printing processing. Therefore, when instructing another job accompanying the printing, the job owner will of course know that the start of the new job will be delayed to a certain extent. Therefore, Fig. 9 In the management data of , if the current operator is the job owner of the job that became the cause of the event, the message is not displayed.

[0098] Moreover, despite Fig. 9 However, even if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in resources used between the job started from the current screen and the target job, if there is a conflict in resources used between the target screen from the current screen and the target job, the message to the non-job owner can be displayed in a display form such as a banner display or an icon display that is less likely to interfere with the operation of the current screen than a full-screen display.

[0099] Furthermore, when the operator is not the job owner, the message notified to the operator indicates that the printer is currently occupied by other jobs and the remaining time until the job is completed. Fig. 9 In the example, at this time, if there is a conflict in the resources used between the job that is further instructed to be executed from the current screen and the target job, that is, the job that is occupying the printer, the message is displayed in a display form that is not more eye-catching than the full-screen display, such as a banner display. In this case, non-job owners can only wait for the execution of the job to be completed. Therefore, the operator is not asked to respond by displaying the message in full-screen display, but simply provided with information on the remaining time until the job is completed. Since it is only information provision, a banner display that is unlikely to interfere with the display of the operation screen is used as the display form in this example.

[0100] Furthermore, if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in resources used between the job to be executed from the current screen and the target job, no message is displayed. In this case, the job that the operator wants to execute from the current screen does not use the printer, so it can be executed even if the printer is occupied by other jobs.

[0101] Moreover, despite Fig. 9 However, even if the operator is not the job owner and there is no conflict in resources used between the job started from the current screen and the target job, if there is a conflict in resources used between the target screen from the current screen and the target job, the message to the non-job owner can be displayed in a display form such as a banner display or an icon display that is less likely to interfere with the operation of the current screen than a full-screen display.

[0102] <Processing flow example>

[0103] Next, refer to Fig.11 An example of the flow of message display executed by the screen display management unit 12 will be described. Fig.11 The process is that an event that becomes a message notification object (that is, an event registered in Fig. 9 In addition, Fig.11 The process is also executed when the operator opens the operation screen during the occurrence of such an event (that is, during the period when the cause of the event has not been resolved).

[0104] Fig.11 In the process, first, the screen display management unit 12 obtains the event ID of the event that has occurred or is occurring, which is the execution trigger of the process, and the job ID of the job (i.e., the "target job") in which the event occurred from the control unit 14 (S10). The control unit 14 grasps these event IDs and job IDs. In addition, the screen display management unit 12 obtains the user ID of the user (i.e., the operator) who is currently operating the device from the control unit 14, and obtains the screen ID of the operation screen currently displayed on the display device 10 (S12). When using the device, the user logs in to the device by entering the user ID, password, etc. on the login screen provided by the device, or by having the IC card reader provided in the device read the IC card that holds his or her authentication information. The control unit 14 manages the user ID identified by the login process as the user ID of the current operator. The execution order of S10 and S12 may not be as shown in the figure.

[0105] Next, the screen display management unit 12 searches the job management data (see Figure 5), thereby determining the job owner and job type of the target job (S14). Then, the screen display management unit 12 obtains the management data of the resource used for each job type (refer to Figure 6 ), the “used resources” corresponding to the determined job type are searched. Furthermore, the screen display management unit 12 uses the screen ID obtained in S12 as a keyword to search the management data of the used resources of each screen (refer to Figure 7 ), thereby determining the resources used for the job that can be started from the currently displayed operation screen. The execution order of S14 and S16 may be different from the order shown in the figure.

[0106] Next, the screen display management unit 12 Fig. 9 In the management data of the message for each event illustrated, information corresponding to the event ID acquired in S10 is acquired (S18).

[0107] Next, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether the current device operator is consistent with the job owner of the target job based on the information obtained in S12 and S14 (S20). Fig. 9 The message for the job owner corresponding to the event ID in the management data is displayed on the display device 10 in a display form for the job owner (S22). For example, if the event ID is "0002" or "0055", the message is displayed in full screen display. Moreover, if the event ID is "0123", the message is not displayed.

[0108] If the result of S20 is negative, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether a resource conflict occurs between the target job and the currently displayed operation screen (S24). If there are multiple resources used by the target job, it is also possible to determine in S24 whether there is a conflict between the resource that is the cause of the event that triggers the processing flow and the resource used by the job that receives the execution instruction from the current screen. If the result of S24 is positive, the screen display management unit 12 will Fig. 9 The message for non-job owners corresponding to the event ID in the management data is displayed on the display device 10 in a display form corresponding to the situation where there is a resource conflict (S26). In S26, for example, if the event ID is "0002", the message is displayed in full screen display, and if the event ID is "0055" or "0123", the message is displayed in banner display.

[0109] If the result of determination in step S24 is negative, the screen display management unit 12 will Fig. 9The message for non-job owners corresponding to the event ID in the management data is displayed on the display device 10 in a display format corresponding to a situation where there is no resource conflict (S28). Fig. 9 In the example of management data, in S28, the message is not displayed.

[0110] As described above, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the current operator is consistent with the job owner of the target job, and the content or display form of the displayed message is controlled according to the result of the determination. Therefore, for the job owner, the message for the job owner is displayed in the display form for the job owner, and for the non-job owners, the message for the non-job owners is displayed in the display form for the non-job owners.

[0111] From another perspective, using Fig. 9 and Fig.11 The control of the message display mode corresponding to the presence or absence of resource conflict when the operator in the example described is not the job owner can be understood as the following control. That is, it can be said that the control displays a message when the currently displayed operation screen can accept the execution instruction of the job using the resources occupied by the target job. This is to display the message on the screen when there is a resource conflict between the currently displayed operation screen and the target job.

[0112] Fig. 9 and Fig.11 In the example shown, the management data of the message for each event includes information defining the display form when the message is displayed, but this is only an example.

[0113] As another example, the display form of the message may be determined based on the type of event. Fig.12 An example of management data for a message for each event used in this example. The management data includes, for each event ID, information on the type of event and information on a message corresponding to the event. In this example, the event types include error, waiting timeout, and waiting for processing to complete. The event type "error" is an event of the type that interrupts a job in execution, such as the event with event ID "0002". The event type "waiting timeout" is an event indicating that a job in execution has waited for a timeout, such as the event with event ID "0055". The event type "waiting for processing to complete" is an event indicating that the remaining time that the job in execution has occupied resources is above a threshold, such as the event with event ID "0123".

[0114] The flow of message display control of the screen display management unit 12 in this example is shown in FIG. Figure 13 to Figure 15 . Fig.13 The processing of S10 to S18 in the flow shown is the same as Fig.11 The processing of steps with the same symbols in the processing flow is the same.

[0115] After S18, the screen display management unit 12 Fig.12 The event type corresponding to the event ID obtained in S10 is obtained from the management data of the screen display management unit 12, and it is determined whether the event type is an error, a waiting timeout, or a waiting process completion (S30). If the event type is an error, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether the current operator is consistent with the job owner of the target job (S32). If the result of the determination is yes, the screen display management unit 12 will Fig.12 The message corresponding to the event ID in the management data is displayed on the display device 10 in a full-screen display format that is predetermined as a display format for the job owner (S34), and the processing is terminated.

[0116] If the result of S32 is negative, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether a resource conflict has occurred between the target job and the currently displayed operation screen (S36). If the result of the above determination is positive, the screen display management unit 12 displays the message corresponding to the event ID on the display device 10 in a banner display that is predefined as a display format when a resource conflict exists (S38). If the result of S36 is negative, the screen display management unit 12 does not display the message corresponding to the event ID on the display device 10 (S40). In addition, in S40, instead of not displaying the message, the message may be displayed in a display format that is less noticeable than a banner display (e.g., an icon display).

[0117] If it is determined in S30 that the event type is a waiting timeout, the screen display management unit 12 Fig.14 As shown in FIG. 1 , the screen display management unit 12 determines whether the current operator is consistent with the job owner of the target job (S42). If the result of the determination is yes, the screen display management unit 12 Fig.12 The message corresponding to the event ID in the management data is displayed on the display device 10 in a full-screen display in a display format predetermined as a display format for the job owner (S44), and the processing is terminated. If the judgment result of S42 is no, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether a resource conflict has occurred between the target job and the operation screen currently displayed (S46). If the result of the judgment is yes, the screen display management unit 12 displays the message corresponding to the event ID in a banner display in a display format predetermined as a display format when a resource conflict exists on the display device 10 (S48). If the judgment result of S46 is no, the screen display management unit 12 does not display the message corresponding to the event ID on the display device 10 (S50).

[0118] If it is determined in S30 that the event type is waiting for the completion of the processing, the screen display management unit 12 will Fig.15 As shown, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether the current operator is consistent with the job owner of the target job (S52). If the result of the determination is yes, the screen display management unit 12 does not display the message (S54). If the result of the determination of S52 is no, the screen display management unit 12 determines whether a resource conflict has occurred between the target job and the operation screen currently displayed (S56). If the result of the determination is yes, the screen display management unit 12 displays the message corresponding to the event ID on the display device 10 in a banner display that is pre-defined as the display format when there is a resource conflict (S58). If the result of the determination of S56 is no, the screen display management unit 12 does not display the message (S60).

[0119] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The embodiments are merely illustrative and various modifications or improvements can be made within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising a processor, wherein the information processing device is characterized in that: the processor identifying a user who is operating the information processing device including the processor, performing display control, that is, controlling display of a notification related to the process being executed by the information processing device on a display device included in the information processing device, according to whether the identified user is an instructor who instructs execution of the process, In a case where the identified user is not the indicator, the notification is displayed when an operation screen of the information processing device that is capable of accepting an execution instruction of a function that uses resources occupied by the processing among resources possessed by the information processing device has been displayed or is being displayed on the display device. 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control controls a display form of the notification on the display device.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The display control is a control as described below, that is, when the notification is a notification related to an abnormality generated during the execution of the process and the identified user is the indicator, the notification is displayed in a display form that is more eye-catching than the display form of the notification when the user is not the indicator.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The display control is a control as described below, that is, when the notification is a notification related to an abnormality generated during the execution of the process and the identified user is the indicator, the notification is displayed in a display form that will not be closed from the display device until the abnormality is eliminated.

5. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that When the identified user is not the indicator, and when there is a conflict between the resources used by the processing being executed by the information processing device and the resources used by the processing that can be instructed to execute from the operation screen displayed, the display control displays the notification in a more eye-catching display form than when there is no conflict.

6. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The display control displays the notification in a more eye-catching display form than a case where the identified user is not the indicator and when there is a conflict between the resources used by the processing being executed by the information processing device and the resources used by the processing that can be instructed to execute from the operation screen being displayed.

7. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the notification is a first notification indicating that, because there are resources among the resources possessed by the information processing device that are being occupied by the processing, other processing using the resources cannot be executed until the processing is completed, The display control is a control for not displaying the first notification when the identified user is the pointer.

8. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the notification is a second notification urging to respond to a state in which the process is occupying any of the resources provided by the information processing device, The display control is control for displaying the second notification when the identified user is the indicator.

9. A computer-readable storage medium for causing a computer included in an information processing device to function so as to recognize a user who is operating the information processing device, performing display control, that is, controlling display of a notification related to the process being executed by the information processing device on a display device included in the information processing device, according to whether the identified user is an instructor who instructs execution of the process, In a case where the identified user is not the indicator, the notification is displayed when an operation screen of the information processing device that is capable of accepting an execution instruction of a function that uses resources occupied by the processing among resources possessed by the information processing device has been displayed or is being displayed on the display device.

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