Binding method and apparatus of an image forming device

Abstract

The application provides a binding method of an image forming device, relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and is used for solving the defects that different operations exist when the accounts of different web applications are bound to a printing device in the prior art, and the user operation is complicated. The method of the application comprises the following steps: a cloud printing identification step, which is used for identifying whether the image forming device supports cloud printing; a display step, which is used for displaying a jump interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing, the jump interface being used for executing a jump step in response to a jump signal; a jump step, which is used for invoking a web application and transmitting device information of the image forming device to the web application; and a binding step, which is used for enabling the account of the web application to be bound to the image forming device through the device information. The application further provides a binding device of an image forming device. One application of the application is a cloud printing technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and more specifically to a binding method and apparatus for an image forming device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of image formation, such as printing, copying, and faxing, various image formation operations can be completed in conjunction with cloud servers. For example, cloud printing technology can send documents to be printed directly to a cloud server, which then forwards the documents to a cloud printing device, enabling the cloud printing device to directly complete the printing operation. To make cloud printing more convenient, existing technologies offer a method of controlling cloud printing devices using web applications (such as mini-programs) instead of application programs. This method requires enabling Bluetooth in the web application interface to receive device information from the printing device via Bluetooth. The web application then uploads the account information and printing device information to the cloud server for binding.

[0003] In existing technologies, users can bind printing devices through mini-programs, mobile printing apps provided by printing manufacturers, or other communication applications. Each time a user uses a different platform, they need to search for and bind the printing device again, and sometimes network configuration is also required. The network configuration methods may also differ between different platforms, causing inconvenience to users. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One objective of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies where different web application accounts require different operations when binding to printing devices, leading to cumbersome user operations.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a binding method for an image forming device is provided, comprising: a cloud printing identification step for identifying whether the image forming device supports cloud printing; a display step for displaying a jump interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing, the jump interface being used to execute a jump step in response to a jump signal; a jump step for waking up a web application and transmitting device information of the image forming device to the web application; and a binding step for enabling the web application's account to bind with the image forming device through the device information.

[0006] Preferably, the cloud printing recognition step further includes a network configuration step, which is used to establish communication with the image forming device and send network configuration information to the image forming device, so that the image forming device connects to the access point corresponding to the network configuration information.

[0007] Preferably, the process of establishing communication between the network configuration step and the image forming device is as follows: establishing at least one wireless connection with the image forming device, including Bluetooth connection, WiFi Direct connection, NFC connection, and SAP wireless connection.

[0008] Preferably, the process of identifying whether the image forming device supports cloud printing is as follows: a search signal is sent, and the image forming device returns a response signal after receiving the search signal; the image forming device is then judged to support cloud printing based on the response signal.

[0009] Preferably, before the cloud printing recognition step, the method further includes: after discovering that the image forming device is on the same local area network as the image forming device through a search, if the image forming device is selected by the user, then the cloud printing recognition step is executed.

[0010] Preferably, the cloud printing identification step is used to: when a search reveals that the image forming device is on the same local area network as the image forming device, identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing based on the response signal returned by the image forming device in response to the search.

[0011] Preferably, the display step is performed after the distribution network step has been successfully completed.

[0012] Preferably, the display step is performed when the device information page of the image forming device is accessed.

[0013] Preferably, the display step is performed when the image forming device is successfully added.

[0014] Preferably, the web application is a single-page application within an instant messaging software.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a binding device for an image forming apparatus is provided, comprising: a cloud printing identification module for identifying whether the image forming apparatus supports cloud printing; a display module for displaying a redirect interface when the image forming apparatus supports cloud printing, the redirect interface being used to execute the redirect module in response to a redirect signal; a redirect module for waking up a web application and transmitting device information of the image forming apparatus to the web application; and a binding module for enabling the web application's account to bind to the image forming apparatus through the device information.

[0016] Preferably, the binding device further includes a network distribution module, which includes: a communication establishment unit for establishing communication with the image forming device; and a network distribution information sending unit for sending network distribution information to the image forming device, so that the image forming device connects to the access point corresponding to the network distribution information.

[0017] Preferably, the communication establishment unit is used to connect to the softAP of the image forming device.

[0018] Preferably, the cloud printing recognition module further includes: a search unit for sending a search signal, causing the image forming device to return a response signal after receiving the search signal; and a determination unit for determining whether the image forming device supports cloud printing based on the response signal.

[0019] Preferably, the binding device further includes a search module, which is used to execute the cloud printing recognition module when a search reveals that the image forming device is on the same local area network as the image forming device and the image forming device is selected by the user.

[0020] Preferably, the cloud printing identification module is further configured to: when a search reveals that the image forming device is on the same local area network as the image forming device, identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing based on the response signal returned by the image forming device in response to the search.

[0021] Preferably, the display module is executed after the distribution network module returns a successful distribution network message.

[0022] Preferably, the display module is configured to execute when the device information page of the image forming device is accessed.

[0023] Preferably, the display module is configured to execute upon successful addition of the image forming device.

[0024] Preferably, the web application is a single-page application within an instant messaging software.

[0025] One of the technical advantages of this invention is that it enables the image forming device to be easily bound to different application platforms without requiring users to go through the cumbersome process of binding different platforms.

[0026] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of jump and binding in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the prior art; where Figure 3(a) is a schematic diagram of the initial state; Figure 3(b) is a schematic diagram of the mobile terminal connecting to the printing device AP for network configuration and disconnecting from the cloud server; Figure 3(c) is a schematic diagram of the network configuration completed;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic block diagram of a distribution network module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cloud print recognition module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0035] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or use.

[0036] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0037] In all the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0038] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0039] Many existing mobile web applications support binding accounts to cloud printing devices, such as web-based social media apps, instant messaging applications, and office software. This also includes popular single-page applications, such as mini-programs embedded in mobile apps. A key characteristic of web applications is that they require logging into an account on the web and binding the device within the web page. Typically, mobile devices can only display one page at a time. Therefore, if multiple web applications need to bind their accounts to cloud printing devices, it requires frequently switching pages and performing the binding steps for each application, which is cumbersome. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a more convenient solution that can implement binding functionality for different web applications.

[0040] <Method>

[0041] To address the aforementioned problems, this embodiment provides a method for binding an image forming device, which can be executed by an application within a mobile terminal (such as a mobile printing app). Figure 1 As shown, it includes:

[0042] S120: Cloud printing identification step, used to identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing. The identification method can be: QR code scanning, searching based on stored data, or identification through a search. When identifying via QR code, the mobile terminal uses its camera to scan the identification code (such as a QR code) of the image forming device. This identification code can be displayed on the device body or panel of the image forming apparatus, or in the information page printed out by the image forming apparatus. A field indicating whether cloud printing is supported is added to the identification code. When the mobile terminal scans the code, it obtains information about whether the image forming device supports cloud printing through this field. After scanning the identification code, the mobile terminal can establish a wireless point-to-point connection with the image forming device and perform network configuration, enabling the image forming device to connect to the target network. Once network configuration is successful, the mobile terminal searches for the image forming device and binds it to the mobile printing app. After this scanning identification discovers that the image forming device supports cloud printing, the mobile printing app will display a jump interface when adding the image forming device. If the mobile printing app has already added or bound an image forming device, it should also store the information about the image forming device's support for cloud printing, or create a lookup table. This lookup table should at least store the unique identification information of the image forming device and whether it supports cloud printing. When the mobile printing app identifies an image forming device that has already been added, it can determine its support through the lookup table. When identifying the device through a search, the mobile terminal sends a search signal, causing the image forming device to return a response signal upon receiving the search signal. The returned response signal is used to determine whether the image forming device supports cloud printing. One optional search method is a UDP port lookup, and the Bonjour protocol can also be used. Another implementation of the cloud printing identification step is: when a search reveals that the image forming device is on the same local area network, the response signal returned by the image forming device to the search indicates whether it supports cloud printing. That is, when the mobile terminal is already on the same local area network as the printing device, the mobile printing app searches for the image forming device, and the response signal returned by the image forming device can contain information about whether it supports cloud printing.

[0043] S130: Display Step, used to display a jump interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing. The jump interface is used to execute a jump step in response to a jump signal. For example... Figure 2As shown, the jump interface 411 can be used to jump from the mobile printing APP operation interface 410 to the web application interface 420.

[0044] S140: A jump step used to invoke the web application and pass the device information of the image forming device to the web application. Different invocation commands can be selected depending on the type of web application. For example, when the web application is a single-page application (such as a mini-program) within instant messaging software, the mini-program page can be invoked using SDK commands supported by the instant messaging software. Device information can be obtained along with the identification of whether cloud printing is supported, or it can be obtained separately through other methods.

[0045] S150: Binding step, used to bind the web application's account to the image forming device using the device information. As shown in Figure 3, after the web application is invoked, it can upload the account information and the device information obtained in step S140 to the cloud server to complete the binding between the account and the image forming device.

[0046] Before the cloud printing recognition step S120 is executed, the system may further include a network configuration step S110, used to establish communication with the image forming device and send network configuration information to the image forming device, enabling the image forming device to connect to the access point corresponding to the network configuration information. The network configuration information may include the SSID and password of the access point. Further, the process of establishing communication with the image forming device in the network configuration step S110 involves establishing at least one wireless connection with the image forming device, including Bluetooth, WiFi Direct, NFC, and SAP wireless connections. "At least one" means that the mobile terminal can establish multi-channel connections with the image forming device, such as connecting to both Bluetooth and SAP, as long as there is no conflict between the connection methods.

[0047] The display step S130 can be executed in several optional scenarios. For example, it can be executed after the network configuration step returns a successful network configuration message. This allows the user to immediately jump to the web application interface to complete the binding upon completion of network configuration, reducing the need for the user to manually switch to the web application. The display step S130 can also be executed when accessing the device information page of the image forming device. This allows the user to accurately identify cloud-enabled printing devices and quickly bind them to other web applications when viewing added printing devices in the mobile printing app on their mobile terminal.

[0048] Furthermore, the display step can have multiple redirect interfaces, each corresponding to a web application account. The redirect interface is used to respond to a redirect signal and redirect to the web application page corresponding to the redirect interface, and bind the web application account to the image forming device.

[0049] In particular, when establishing an SAP wireless connection with an image forming device, it can solve the technical problem of web application pages losing network responsiveness, as shown in Figure 3. Figures 3(a) to 3(c) This is an application scenario that binds a mini-program account to an image forming device. Binding requires uploading account information and printing device information to a cloud server, enabling the cloud server to associate the account information with the printing device. This requires both the mobile terminal and the printing device to be able to connect to the cloud server normally, i.e., maintain communication with the wide area network (WAN). In Figure 3(a), the printing device only supports SAP point-to-point connection and does not support Bluetooth connection. Initially, the mobile terminal can access the cloud server, for example, by communicating with the WAN through a mobile network or router. The user can open the web application and log in to their account. At this time, the printing device is not connected to the WAN and therefore cannot access the cloud server. In Figure 3(b), the user's mobile terminal connects to the printing device's softAP, forming a local area network connection. The user cannot use the web application to send the target router's SSID and password to the printing device. This is because connecting the mobile terminal to the softAP requires disconnecting from other wireless access points or mobile networks, resulting in the mobile terminal losing its WAN connection and being unable to use the web application. Unlike mobile printing apps, web applications can be used offline, while web applications may become unresponsive when offline. For example, in Figure 3(c), the web application is still in an inoperable state, and the user may need to restart the web application to complete the subsequent binding process.

[0050] Therefore, it can be seen that when a mobile printing app establishes an SAP wireless connection with an image forming device, the embodiments of the present invention can solve the problem. Figures 3(a) to 3(c) The issue of web applications becoming unresponsive and unable to complete binding when mobile terminals connect to SAP image forming devices will not be addressed. This invention allows image forming devices that only support SAP connections to be easily bound to web applications to use cloud printing services, providing users with more service options.

[0051] Application Example 1:

[0052] In this example, the mobile printing app on the user's mobile terminal has not added the target printing device, and it cannot be found in the target network. Therefore, it can be determined that the target printing device is not configured to the target network. In this case, the target printing device needs to be configured first: the mobile printing app sends the target network information (such as SSID and / or password) to the target printing device, enabling the device to connect to the access point and be on the same network segment as the mobile terminal. Then, the mobile printing app sends a search signal, causing the target printing device to return information including a flag indicating whether the device supports cloud printing. After successfully adding the printing device, if cloud printing is detected, a redirect interface is displayed. When the user triggers the redirect interface, the mobile printing app invokes the web application through the interface and sends the device information, such as the target printing device's serial number, to the web application. The web application then sends the serial number and other device information, along with the logged-in account information, to the cloud server to complete the binding.

[0053] Application Example 2:

[0054] In this example, the mobile printing app on the user's mobile terminal had not added the target printing device, but it was found in the target network. This indicates that the target printing device has been configured to the target network. At this point, the target printing device returns information including a flag indicating whether it supports cloud printing. If the target printing device supports cloud printing and is successfully added, a redirect interface is displayed. When the user triggers this interface, the app invokes the web application and sends device information such as the target printing device's serial number (SN) to the web application. The web application then sends the SN and other device information, along with the logged-in account information, to the cloud server to complete the binding process.

[0055] Application Example 3:

[0056] In this example, if the user's mobile printing app has added the target printing device, the system will look up the saved device characteristics information to determine whether the target printing device supports cloud printing.

[0057] Specifically, if the mobile printing app has already added the target printing device, when the user opens the mobile printing app, the app will display the icon of the previously connected or added printing device. After clicking the icon, the user can enter the detailed page of the printing device. On the detailed page, the user can view the remaining consumables, product model, serial number, etc. If the printing device supports cloud printing, there will be a redirect interface on the detailed page. Through this redirect interface, the printing device currently added by the mobile printing app will be synchronously added to the web application after the redirect.

[0058] This embodiment enables the printing devices that have been successfully bound to the mobile printing APP to be simultaneously bound to other applications, achieving the synchronous binding requirements of different application platforms with a single binding, reducing user operations, and eliminating the need for users to re-search for and bind printing devices in different applications.

[0059] Another implementation involves displaying the printer's icon after adding it to a mobile printing app. If the printer supports cloud printing, a prompt can be added to the printer's icon, allowing users to access other applications to add the same printer.

[0060] Application Example 4:

[0061] When a mobile printing app on a mobile device needs to add or bind a printing device, it first searches for printing devices on the local area network (LAN) where the mobile device is located. The search is typically done using Bonjour search. Printing devices respond to the search, returning information that may include whether they support cloud printing. Therefore, this application example can search for printing devices on the LAN and simultaneously identify whether the found devices support cloud printing. When the user selects a device from the search list, they can see which printing device supports cloud printing. If the user selects a cloud-enabled printing device, the mobile printing app adds the selected device and displays a redirect interface, allowing the user to add the selected printing device to other web applications. This method identifies cloud-enabled printing devices during the search, enabling users to quickly add target printing devices. Since cloud printing devices can be associated with instant messaging applications, a redirect interface can be displayed when binding a printing device to the mobile printing app, allowing users to bind the printing device to other commonly used instant messaging applications.

[0062] Optionally, when the mobile printing app searches for printing devices on the local area network, the above identification steps are not performed. However, after the user selects a printing device from the search list, the mobile printing app can further interact with the printing device to determine whether it supports cloud printing when adding the printing device. Therefore, the redirect interface can be displayed after the selected printing device is added in the mobile printing app.

[0063] The identification of whether a printing device supports cloud printing in this embodiment of the invention is not limited to the above description. Whether the identification of whether a printing device supports cloud printing is performed when adding a printing device in a mobile printing APP, or whether the identification of whether cloud printing is supported after successful addition, is within the scope of this embodiment of the invention. The search involved in this embodiment of the invention can determine whether a printing device supports cloud printing through response information, regardless of whether a local area network search, Bluetooth search, or SAP search is selected. Therefore, the above search methods are also within the scope of this embodiment of the invention.

[0064] Application Example 5:

[0065] In this example, the user wants to bind multiple web application accounts to a target printing device. The mobile printing app displays one or more redirect interfaces on each interface related to the target printing device. These interfaces include at least one or more of the following: a notification interface upon successful network configuration, a notification interface upon successful addition of the printing device, a list of successfully added printing devices, and a device information interface accessed after clicking the icon of a successfully added printing device. Each of these redirect interfaces corresponds to a web application. Clicking a redirect interface leads to the corresponding web application, and the web application's account information and the printing device information corresponding to the redirect interface are sent to the server to complete the binding.

[0066] This invention allows users to add printing devices using a mobile printing app. After adding the device, the app identifies whether it supports cloud printing. If so, a redirect page is displayed, allowing users to simultaneously add the printing device from the mobile app to other applications. This enables the simultaneous addition and binding of the same printing device across different application platforms, eliminating the need for users to perform cumbersome binding processes on different platforms.

[0067] <device>

[0068] This embodiment is a virtual device corresponding to the aforementioned method embodiment, set in the application 200 of the mobile terminal. The binding device for the image forming device specifically includes: a cloud printing recognition module 220, used to identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing; a display module 230, used to display a jump interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing, the jump interface being used to execute the jump module in response to a jump signal; a jump module 240, used to invoke the web application and pass the device information of the image forming device to the web application; and a binding module 250, used to enable the web application's account to bind with the image forming device through the device information.

[0069] The binding device 250 may further include a network distribution module 210, which further includes: a communication establishment unit 211 for establishing communication with the image forming device, and further, the communication establishment unit for connecting to the softAP of the image forming device; and a network distribution information sending unit 212 for sending network distribution information to the image forming device, enabling the image forming device to connect to the access point corresponding to the network distribution information.

[0070] The cloud printing recognition module 220 may further include: a search unit 221, used to send a search signal so that the image forming device returns a response signal after receiving the search signal; and a determination unit 222, used to determine whether the image forming device supports cloud printing based on the response signal.

[0071] The cloud printing recognition module 220 is also used to: when a search reveals that the image forming device is on the same local area network as the image forming device, identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing based on the response signal returned by the image forming device in response to the search.

[0072] The binding device 250 may also include a search module, which executes the cloud printing recognition module when the image forming device and the mobile device are found to be on the same local area network through a search and the image forming device is selected by the user.

[0073] The display module can be executed after the network distribution module returns a successful network distribution message, or when entering the device information page of the image forming device, or when the image forming device is successfully added.

[0074] Web applications are preferably single-page applications within instant messaging software.

[0075] While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the examples are for illustrative purposes only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for binding an image forming device, used to bind an account to the image forming device via a mobile terminal, wherein an identification code is displayed on the body or panel of the image forming device, and the identification code includes a field indicating whether cloud printing is supported; characterized in that, The method includes: The cloud printing identification step is executed in the printing APP and is used to identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing through the field. The method of identifying whether the image forming device supports cloud printing is that the mobile terminal uses its camera to scan the identification code of the image forming device. After scanning the identification code, the mobile terminal can establish a wireless connection with the image forming device. The network configuration step is used to establish an SAP wireless connection with the image forming device; when a mobile terminal connects to SAP, it needs to disconnect from other wireless access points or mobile networks; when a web application is configured to be offline, the page becomes unresponsive. The display step is executed in the printing APP after the network configuration step returns the network configuration success information. It is used to display the jump interface on the printing APP operation interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing. The jump interface is used to execute the jump step in response to the jump signal. The jump step is executed in the printing APP, which uses SDK instructions supported by the instant messaging software to wake up the web application in the instant messaging software and pass the device information of the image forming device to the web application; The binding step is performed in a web application within an instant messaging software, enabling the web application's account to bind to the image forming device using the device information.

2. The binding method of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The network distribution step is also used to send network distribution information to the image forming device, so that the image forming device connects to the access point corresponding to the network distribution information.

3. The binding method of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The web application is a single-page application within an instant messaging software.

4. A binding device for an image forming apparatus, used to bind an account to the image forming apparatus via a mobile terminal, wherein an identification code is displayed on the body or panel of the image forming apparatus, and the identification code includes a field indicating whether cloud printing is supported; characterized in that, The device includes: The cloud printing recognition module, installed in the printing APP, is used to identify whether the image forming device supports cloud printing through the field. The method of identifying whether the image forming device supports cloud printing is that the mobile terminal uses its camera to scan the recognition code of the image forming device. After scanning the recognition code, the mobile terminal can establish a wireless connection with the image forming device. The network configuration module includes: a communication establishment unit for establishing an SAP wireless connection with the image forming device; a mobile terminal needs to disconnect from other wireless access points or mobile networks when connected to SAP; and a web application becomes unresponsive when configured to be offline. The display module, located in the printing APP, is executed after the network configuration module returns a successful network configuration message. It is used to display the jump interface when the image forming device supports cloud printing. The jump interface is used to execute the jump module in response to the jump signal. A jump module, set in the printing APP, is used to use SDK instructions supported by the instant messaging software to invoke the web application in the instant messaging software and pass the device information of the image forming device to the web application; A binding module, set in a web application within instant messaging software, is used to bind the web application's account to the image forming device using the device information.

5. The binding device for the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The power distribution module also includes: The distribution network information sending unit is used to send distribution network information to the image forming device, so that the image forming device can connect to the access point corresponding to the distribution network information.

6. The binding device of the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The web application is a single-page application within an instant messaging software.

Images