Display device, and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide a display device which can display pieces of image data scattered at a plurality of spots in a slide show.SOLUTION: An MFP (10) registers a plurality of pieces of path information including a network path of image data held by a display unit (105) and an SMB server 1 (30) and a network path of the image data held by a Web server (20), acquires a plurality of pieces of image data based on the plurality of pieces of registered path information and sequentially displays the plurality of pieces of acquired image data on the display unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention is an information processing system capable of displaying a slideshow of photographic images on a display unit. Devices used in this information processing system include office equipment such as copiers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and MFPs, as well as general information processing devices such as PCs and mobile terminals. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, devices such as digital photo frames are known that can display slideshows of image files stored in storage devices such as USB memory sticks and SD cards. Recently, image processing devices (information processing devices) such as MFPs that have such slideshow functions have also appeared.

[0003] Also, a digital signage system has been disclosed that realizes a slide show with the same content on a plurality of display devices by distributing slide show information from a management service (distribution server) to the plurality of display devices (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication 2015-524114 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the prior art including Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in the method of acquiring target images for a slideshow, because these prior arts are configured to display slideshows of images collected in one location such as an internal storage (including an SD card, USB memory, etc.) or a distribution server, and therefore cannot handle slideshows of images scattered across multiple locations.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device that can display a slide show of image data scattered at multiple locations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is characterized in that the display device comprises a display unit for displaying information, a means for registering a plurality of path information including a network path of image data held by a first server and a network path of image data held by a second server, and a means for acquiring a plurality of image data based on the registered plurality of path information and displaying the acquired plurality of image data sequentially on the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device capable of sequentially displaying image data scattered at multiple locations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network configuration. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an MFP. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a software configuration diagram of the MFP10. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a top screen of a setting screen for an extension application. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic setting editing screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a registration screen for a new slide. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen of the setting screen of the extension application in a state where "Specify slides one by one" is selected in the slide specification method setting means. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen of the setting screen of the extension application in a state where "collective designation from folder" is selected in the slide designation method setting means. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a folder setting editing screen. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the information set in FIG. 9 displayed on the top screen of the setting screen for the extended application. FIG. [Figure 11] Fig. 11(a) shows an example of an extended application launch button displayed on the display unit of the MFP, and Fig. 11(b) shows an example of an application execution screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of setting an extension application. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow when an extension application is executed. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing processing between an extended application and a server. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of registering slide show settings in an extension application. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a slide show display process in the extension application. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for obtaining image data for a slide show in an extension application. [Figure 18] 16 is a diagram showing an example of setting data stored in the slide setting area shown in FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow when changing the display order of slides. [Figure 20] Fig. 20(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen, and Fig. 20(b) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen. [Figure 21] 21(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen in Modification 1. FIG. 21(b) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen in Modification 1. [Figure 22]22(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen in Modification 2. FIG. 22(b) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen in Modification 2. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of setting values ​​for each slide registered on a new slide registration screen. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic setting editing screen. [Figure 25] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of slide registration information held by an extension application. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of Meta information held by an extension application. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of slide synthesis. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 shows an example of an alternative slide. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a slide display process. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an error screen configuration. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for obtaining image data for a slide show in an extension application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of components and steps described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. Some or all of the components and steps described in the embodiments may be replaced with equivalents. Also, some components and steps may be omitted.

[0011] Example 1 <System> In this embodiment, a system for an environment where there is a demand for a slide show of images scattered in multiple locations on a single MFP (image forming apparatus) will be described.

[0012] For example, consider a case where a common guide is displayed on the displays of MFPs installed at multiple administrative offices in several buildings at a large university campus. This common guide may include information about various clubs. In this case, we focus on MFPs that read from internal storage. Unless the image data created by each club is stored in the internal storage of all MFPs, the common guide cannot be displayed on each MFP. If a club needs to replace an image in its guide, it must save the replacement image on all MFPs in multiple buildings, which is extremely cumbersome. On the other hand, consider a way to achieve the same thing with digital signage that receives distribution from a distribution server. In this case, simply registering and saving the replacement image on the distribution server eliminates the need to store it on all digital signage displays in multiple buildings. However, if a club member wants to replace an image, they must register the replacement image on the distribution server. For security reasons, distribution servers are often restricted to specific server administrators. In this case, circle members must provide images to a server administrator, who must then register and store them on a distribution server, which can easily be imagined as taking up a lot of time. Therefore, for example, a system configuration is provided that allows for a slideshow to be created by combining images stored on a server that can only be operated by the server administrator with images stored on a server that can be operated by users other than the server administrator. This allows for flexible editing of the slideshow content. The system of this embodiment will now be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, in display system 1 of this embodiment, MFP 10, web server 20, file server (SMB1) 30, file server (SMB2) 40, information processing device 60, etc. are connected via network line 50. MFP 10 is an image processing device (information processing device) that functions as an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet, an image reading device that reads a document, etc. MFP 10 also functions as a display device that displays information. Web server 20, file server (SMB1) 30, and file server (SMB2) 40 are general servers, and information processing device 60 is a general information processing device such as a PC.

[0014] Each of the web server 20, file server (SMB1) 30, file server (SMB2) 40, and information processing device 60 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, and storage. The programs stored in the ROM or storage are loaded into RAM and executed by the CPU to operate. The web server 20, file server (SMB1) 30, file server (SMB2) 40, and information processing device 60 also have network I / Fs and the like, allowing them to communicate with the MFP 10. The MFP 10 can acquire data on the web server 20 using the HTTP protocol. Similarly, the MFP 10 can acquire data on the file server (SMB1) 30 and file server (SMB2) 40 using the SMB protocol. The MFP 10 can then display the acquired data on its display unit. In particular, the MFP 10 of this embodiment can display a slideshow of images scattered across multiple locations by executing an extended application 310. The extended application 310 will be described in detail later. For simplicity, an example is shown in which only one MFP 10 is connected to the network line 50, but multiple MFPs may be connected to the network line 50. Each MFP may then execute a slideshow of images.

[0015] <System usage sequence> When the extended application 310 is used on the MFP 10, a setting process is first performed by the user. FIG. 12 shows the flow of setting the extended application 310. In step 12-010 (hereinafter referred to as S12-010, etc.), the user requests a setting screen from the extended application 310 using a web browser running on the information processing device 60 connected to the MFP 10 via the network line 50. The extended application 310 has a server function that provides web pages (HTML data) to external devices. Upon receiving the setting screen request from the web browser running on the information processing device 60, the extended application 310 transmits a top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310 to the web browser in S12-020. Next, the user sets up the application in S12-030, and a setting registration request is transmitted to the extended application 310 in S12-040. In S12-050, the setting content transmitted in response to the setting registration request in S12-040 is stored in the eMMC 109. Next, in S12-060, the extension application 310 sends a screen showing the setting registration results to the Web browser. This completes the setting process.

[0016] Once the above settings are complete, the extended application 310 becomes available for use. FIG. 13 shows the flow when the extended application 310 is executed. If a setting has been made using the application automatic startup setting means 503 on the basic setting editing screen 501 (described later), the startup timing is detected based on the setting (S13-010). As a result, an execution instruction is issued to the extended application 310 in S13-040. This execution instruction can be issued even if the startup timing has not been detected in S13-010. When the extended application startup button 1106 displayed on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10 is pressed in S13-020, an application execution request is issued from the display unit 105 to the MFP 10 in S13-030. If the startup timing is detected in S13-010 or if an application execution request is made in S13-030, an execution instruction is issued to the extended application 310 in S13-040. Upon receiving the execution instruction, the extended application 310 checks the setting value from the eMMC 109 in S13-050. In S13-060, a request to acquire an image file is made to a server such as the web server 20, file server (SMB1) 30, or file server (SMB2) 40 according to the setting values ​​confirmed in S13-050. In S13-070, the server sends the image file to the extended application 310. Upon receiving the image file from the server, the extended application 310 instructs the display unit 105 to display it in S13-080. In S13-090, the display unit 105 displays the image file received from the server according to the setting values ​​confirmed in S13-050. In this manner, the basic operation of image display is performed.

[0017] Next, the operation of the extended application when acquiring images from multiple servers will be described. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing the processing between the extended application and the server. First, in S14-010, the extended application 310 reads the slide setting information and identifies the settings. Based on this slide setting information, the process of acquiring images from the registered server is performed from the next step. Here, a case where two slides are set will be described. In S14-020, an image meta information acquisition request is made to the server 1 registered for the first slide in the slide setting information. Here, the image meta information indicates information such as the modification date and time of the specified image and its size. In S14-030, the server 1 requested in S14-020 transmits the specified image meta information. In S14-040, the image meta information received in S14-030 is compared with the image meta information previously saved to confirm whether the meta information differs. If the meta information is different, S14-050 to S14-070 are executed. If the meta information is the same, since there is no need to acquire a slide image, S14-080 and subsequent steps are executed to acquire the next slide image. In S14-050, an image data acquisition request is made to the server 1 registered in the slide setting information. In S14-060, the requested server 1 transmits the specified image data. Here, communication between the extension application 310 and the server is performed based on the protocol type registered in the slide setting information. For example, if the protocol type is SMB, the SMB protocol is used, and if the protocol type is HTTP, the HTTP protocol is used. In S14-070, the image meta information and image data acquired in S14-030 and S14-060 are saved in the image forming device. This saved image meta information is used as "pre-saved image meta information" the next time S14-040 is executed. Next, S14-080 to S14-130 are executed for the information registered for the second slide in the slide setting information. This procedure is the same as steps S14-020 to S14-070 on the first slide, so we will not explain it here.Finally, in S14-140, each slide is displayed based on the image data obtained from the server.

[0018] <mfp> Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an MFP. As shown in Fig. 2, MFP 10 includes CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, display controller 104, display unit 105, operation controller 106, and operation unit 107. MFP 10 also includes eMMC host controller 108, eMMC 109, reading controller 110, reading unit 111, recording controller 112, and recording unit 113. MFP 10 also includes USB host controller 114, MODEM 115, network control unit (NCU) 116, and network interface card (NIC) 117.

[0019] The CPU 101 is a control unit (processor, controller) that performs overall control of each device connected to the system bus 118. When power is supplied to the CPU 101, it executes a boot program stored in the ROM 102. Typically, the boot program loads a main program saved in storage into the RAM 103 and jumps to the beginning of the loaded main program. The RAM 103 functions not only as a loading location for the main program but also as a work area for the main program. The CPU 101 executes each control program shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 (described below for each figure) to perform the processes shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, which will be described later.

[0020] Display controller 104 is a display control unit (controller) that controls drawing on display unit 105. Display unit 105 is, for example, a WVGA-sized full bitmap LCD. On the other hand, operation controller 106 is an operation control unit (controller) that controls input from operation unit 107 equipped on the MFP. Operation unit 107 is made up of a touch panel superimposed on display unit 105 and is capable of detecting touch operations by the user.

[0021] The reading unit 111 is configured to read documents, and is a device that includes a line sensor, a camera, etc., and drives and utilizes these. The reading unit 111 is optionally equipped with an automatic document feeder (not shown), and can automatically read multiple documents. The reading unit 111 is connected to a reading controller 110, and the CPU 101 communicates with the reading unit 111 via the reading controller 110.

[0022] The recording unit 113 is an image forming unit that forms an image on recording paper by electrophotography. The recording unit 113 is connected to a recording controller 112, and the CPU 101 communicates with the recording unit 113 via the recording controller 112.

[0023] The USB host controller 114 is a controller that is in charge of USB protocol control and mediates access to USB devices such as USB memory (not shown).

[0024] The MODEM 115 is configured to modulate and demodulate signals required for facsimile communication. The MODEM 115 is also connected to the NCU 116. The signals modulated by the MODEM 115 are sent via the NCU 116 to the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

[0025] The NIC 117 exchanges data bidirectionally with mail and file servers via the LAN.

[0026] The MFP 10 of this embodiment includes an eMMC 109 as storage. An SSD or HDD may be used instead of the eMMC 109. The CPU 101 accesses the eMMC 109 via an eMMC host controller 108.

[0027] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the software configuration of MFP 10. Each unit indicated by a solid line in Fig. 3 is a software module realized when CPU 101 executes a main program loaded into RAM 103 by the boot program described above.

[0028] The execution of each module, which will be described later, of the main program is managed and controlled by an OS (Operating System) 301. The OS unit 301 is combined with a Device Driver unit 308. The Device Driver unit 308 mediates communication with hardware devices such as the display controller 104, operation controller 106, and reading controller 110.

[0029] A UI (User Interface) 302 provides various information to the user via the display unit 105 and the operation unit 107, and also receives various instructions from the user.

[0030] A job controller unit 303 receives jobs such as copying, printing, and faxing, and controls the execution of the received jobs.

[0031] The storage unit 306 is a software module that physically stores and manages data such as images to be sent and received by facsimile, user settings, and the like in the eMMC 109 .

[0032] For example, in the MFP 10 of this embodiment, when the Job Controller unit 303 accepts a fax job, the Scan unit 307 receives the job request and controls the reading unit 111 to scan an original. The scanned facsimile image data is then stored in the Storage unit 306. The facsimile image data stored in the Storage unit 306 is read by the Fax unit 304 and transmitted by facsimile to the other party via the MODEM 115 and NCU 116. Alternatively, image data received by facsimile from the other party via the MODEM 115 and NCU 116 is captured by the Fax unit 304 and stored in the Storage unit 306.

[0033] The MFP 10 of this embodiment includes a VM (Virtual Machine) / FW (Framework) unit 309. The extended application 310 is composed of any program written in a script language. For example, a language system such as Java (registered trademark) or Lua, which is an interpreter that interprets and executes bytecode, may be used. The VM / FW unit 309 installs any program written in a script language or a predetermined high-level language into the extended application 310, or uninstalls it from the extended application 310. The VM / FW unit 309 also mediates between functions implemented by any program installed in the extended application 310 and existing functions. The VM / FW unit 309 then interprets and executes the written script language. As a result, the MFP 10 of this embodiment can easily implement any function, such as a login application or a slideshow, while maintaining the detachability of functions.

[0034] The UI device controller 311 mediates the output of various information to the display unit 105 by the UI 302 and the extension application 310, and the transmission of user operations by the operation unit 107 to the UI 302 and the extension application 310. Details will be described later.

[0035] 11A shows an example of an extended application launch button 1106 and an application execution screen displayed on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10. Here, the button name of the extended application launch button 1106 is the name set as the button name on the basic settings editing screen 501. The display unit 105 of the MFP 10 may also include a button 1105 for transitioning to a counter confirmation screen for checking a counter value and a button 1104 for transitioning to a status confirmation screen for checking the status of a job or device. When the extended application launch button 1106 displayed on the display unit 105 of the MFP is pressed, or when the timing set by the application automatic launch setting means 503 on the basic settings editing screen 501 arrives, the extended application 310 is launched. When the extended application 310 is launched, the extended application 310 displays information on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10 according to information set on the new slide registration screen 601 or the folder settings editing screen 901.

[0036] <Settings screen> 4 to 10 are diagrams showing examples of setting screens of the extended application 310. These setting screens are displayed on a web browser running on an information processing device 60 connected to the MFP 10 via a network line 50. Here, an example of the setting screen of the extended application 310 is shown, which sequentially displays slides containing pre-specified image files on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10.

[0037] 4 shows a top screen 401 of the setting screen for the extended application 310. An application information area 402 displays information about the version and size of the extended application 310. A basic setting area 403 displays the settings made on a basic setting edit screen 501 that is displayed by pressing an edit button 404.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a basic settings editing screen 501 displayed when the edit button 404 in FIG. 4 is pressed. The basic settings editing screen 501 includes a button name setting unit 502, an application automatic startup setting unit 503, a display time setting unit 504 for one slide, and a slide designation method setting unit 505. The slide designation method setting unit 505 is a unit for selecting whether to designate image files to be displayed collectively from a folder or individually by slide. When the OK button 506 in FIG. 5 is pressed, the settings made by the setting unit are registered in the extended application 310. When the cancel button 507 in FIG. 5 is pressed, the settings made by the setting unit are discarded, and the screen returns to the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310.

[0039] When the OK button 506 is pressed with "Specify slides one by one" selected on the basic settings editing screen 501, a slide management area including a new slide registration button 405 is displayed on the top screen 401 of the settings screen of the extended application 310.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a new slide registration screen 601 that is displayed when the new slide registration button 405 on the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310 is pressed. A background specification unit 602 allows the user to select "Specify image file by path," "Specify by URL," or "Specify color without displaying image file." If "Specify image file by path" or "Specify by URL" is selected, the path or URL of the image file can be specified (registered) using a file location specification unit 603. Furthermore, if "Specify image file by path" is selected, the user name setting unit 604 and password setting unit 605 set a username and password for accessing the image file. Pressing an OK button 609, which is a connection confirmation button, confirms the connection using the setting information set using the file location specification unit 603, username setting unit 604, and password setting unit 605 on the new slide registration screen 601.

[0041] When "Specify Color" is selected in the background specification unit 602, a background color selection unit 606 sets the color to be displayed in the background. The new slide registration screen 601 further includes a character display setting unit 607 for specifying whether or not to display text on the slide. It also includes a display character setting unit 608 for setting the text to be displayed and for specifying the font, font size, font color, scroll text speed, scroll direction, and other settings for the text to be displayed. When the OK button 609 is pressed, the settings made by the setting unit in FIG. 6 are registered in the extended application 310, and the screen returns to the top screen 401 of the setting screen for the extended application 310. FIG. 7 shows an example of the top screen 401 of the setting screen for the extended application 310, which is displayed after the OK button 609 is pressed. The top screen 401 of the setting screen for the extended application 310 displays a list display 701 of the slides registered in the new slide registration screen 601. The extended application 310 displays image files on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10 in the order displayed in the list display 701. Slides displayed in the list display 701 can be deleted by pressing a delete button 702. When the cancel button 610 in FIG. 6 is pressed, the contents set by the setting means in FIG. 6 are discarded and the screen returns to the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extension application 310.

[0042] Slides 1107, 1108, and 1109 in Fig. 11(b) are diagrams showing examples of display when slides are specified as in the list display 701 in Fig. 7. The extension application sequentially displays each slide in the list display 701 according to the time specified by the display time setting means 504 for one slide on the basic setting editing screen 501. In the example shown in Fig. 11(b), slide 1107 is displayed first, and after being displayed for the time specified by the display time setting means 504 for one slide, slide 1108 is displayed. When the time specified by the display time setting means 504 for one slide has elapsed again, slide 1109 is displayed, and after slide 1109, the display returns to slide 1107 and is repeated.

[0043] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310 when the OK button 506 is pressed with "Specify all from folder" selected in the slide designation method setting means 505 of the basic setting editing screen 501. When "Specify all from folder" is selected in the slide designation method setting means 505 of the basic setting editing screen 501, a folder setting area 801 is displayed on the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310. The folder setting area 801 displays the contents set on the folder setting editing screen 901, which is displayed when the edit button 802 is pressed.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a folder setting edit screen 901 displayed when the edit button 802 is pressed. A folder path setting unit 902 sets path information (folder path) to a folder in which image files to be displayed are stored. A username setting unit 903 and a password setting unit 904 set a username and password for accessing the folder. Pressing a connection confirmation button 906 confirms connection using the setting information set in the folder path setting unit 902, the username setting unit 903, and the password setting unit 904. A display order setting unit 905 for files in a folder selects "by file name" or "by update date and time." According to the setting selected in the file display order setting unit 905, image files (image data in the folder path) stored in the folder set in the folder path setting unit 902 are displayed in order on the display unit 105 of the MFP 10. Here, "by file name" or "by update date and time" is selected in the file display order setting unit 905 for files in a folder, but other means for setting the display order of files in a folder may be used. When the OK button 907 in Fig. 9 is pressed, the contents set by the setting means are registered in the extended application 310, and the screen returns to the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310. The information set in Fig. 9 is also displayed in the folder setting area 801 of the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310. Fig. 10 shows an example of the information set in Fig. 9 displayed on the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310. When the cancel button 908 in Fig. 9 is pressed, the contents set by the setting means are discarded, and the screen returns to the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extended application 310.

[0045] <Control flow> Hereinafter, the process of setting, registering, and displaying the extended application in this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

[0046] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the process of registering slide show settings in the extension application 310 of this embodiment.

[0047] The registration process shown in Figure 15 is an HTTP servlet process. The process is configured to be invoked when a predetermined URL is accessed using a web browser on the information processing device 60 or the like shown in Figure 1. The registration process is part of the process constituting the slideshow application (not shown) installed in the extension application 310. As described above, the VM / FW unit 309 interprets the script language describing the process, and the interpreted content is executed by the CPU 101 via the VM / FW unit 309.

[0048] In S15-001, the CPU 101 displays the screens as described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10 on the web browser, and prompts the user to set up a slide show using various means.

[0049] In S15-002, the CPU 101 saves the slideshow settings made in S15-001 in the slide setting area 1500. For convenience, in FIGS. 4 to 10, the settings are described as being registered in the extended application 310. However, strictly speaking, all the settings are saved in the slide setting area 1500 on the storage unit 306 shown in FIG. 3, which is assigned to the slideshow application installed in the extended application 310. Details of the setting data saved in the slide setting area 1500 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 18.

[0050] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the slide show display process in the extension application 310 of this embodiment.

[0051] 16 is part of the processing that constitutes the slideshow application installed in the extension application 310. As with the registration processing shown in Fig. 15, the VM / FW unit 309 interprets the script language that describes the processing, and the interpreted content is executed by the CPU 101 via the VM / FW unit 309.

[0052] When the user presses button 1106 shown in FIG. 11(a), or when the timing set by the application automatic startup setting means 503 in the basic setting editing screen 501 arrives, this process is called as shown in S13-040 in FIG. 13.

[0053] First, in S16-001, the CPU 101 reads out the slide show settings saved in S15-002 of FIG.

[0054] Next, in S16-002, CPU 101 initiates image data acquisition processing. For ease of explanation, FIG. 14 illustrates the process of displaying images in S14-140 being executed after image data storage in S14-070 and S14-130 is completed. However, strictly speaking, the slideshow display process and the image data acquisition process operate asynchronously and in parallel. More specifically, whenever a slideshow display is requested, image data is acquired. Image data is acquired once as needed, and thereafter, the acquired image data is used for display until the slideshow display is completed. The detailed flow of the image data acquisition process will be described later.

[0055] In S16-003, the CPU 101 causes the display unit 105 to display a message indicating that preparation is in progress.

[0056] In S16-004, CPU 101 sets index i to 1 and proceeds to the next step. Here, index i indicates the display order of list display 701 shown in Fig. 7 if the setting of slide designation method setting means 505 shown in Fig. 5 is to designate slides one by one. Also, if the setting of slide designation method setting means 505 shown in Fig. 5 is to designate all slides at once from a folder, index i indicates the display order of files based on the setting of file display order setting means 905 shown in Fig. 9. Setting this to 1 means that it points to the first image.

[0057] In S16-005, the CPU 101 determines whether there is a stop request for the slideshow application. Here, the VM / FW unit 309 of this embodiment is configured so that, when an application related to a slideshow is running, touching any position on the screen of the display unit 105 requests the extended application 310 to stop. Similarly, pressing any key on the operation unit 107 requests the extended application 310 to stop. If the user performs any of the above operations, a stop request is generated, and the display processing is terminated. At this time, the VM / FW unit 309 is also requested to forcibly terminate the image data acquisition processing described below, although this is not shown in detail because it is not relevant to the present invention. If there is no stop request, the process proceeds to S16-006.

[0058] In S16-006, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the i-th image display has been completed. If it has not yet been displayed, the process proceeds to S16-007, and if not, the i-th image display process is skipped and the process proceeds to S16-009.

[0059] In S16-007, the CPU 101 determines whether the i-th image has been cached in the cache area 1600 by the image data acquisition process started in S16-002. Here, the cache area 1600 is secured in the storage unit 306 shown in FIG. 3. "Cached" indicates a state in which the cached image is valid and can be used for slide display. If it has been cached, the CPU 101 proceeds to S16-008; if not, the CPU 101 returns to S16-005.

[0060] In S16-008, the CPU 101 displays the i-th cached image on the display unit 105. If the background specification means 602 shown in FIG. 6 has been set to "specify color," the image is not actually acquired in the image data acquisition process described below, but is treated as cached, and in this case, a background of the specified color is drawn in S16-008. Note that this is not relevant to the present invention, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Also, as will be described later, the image data acquisition process may set an error state in the cache area 1600 indicating that acquisition of the i-th image data has failed. In this case, image data previously stored in the slideshow application is displayed on the screen, indicating that the i-th image cannot be displayed.

[0061] Next, in S16-009, the CPU 101 determines whether or not a setting to display a character string on the i-th image has been made by the character display presence / absence setting means 607 shown in Fig. 6. If it has been made, the CPU 101 proceeds to S16-010; if not, it skips S16-010 and proceeds to S16-011.

[0062] In S16-010, the CPU 101 displays the i-th character string based on the setting of the display character setting means 608 shown in Fig. 6. Also, the display is updated appropriately according to the setting of the scroll direction.

[0063] In S16-011, the CPU 101 checks the time since the start of displaying the i-th image and determines whether or not the display time for one slide set by the display time setting means 504 shown in Fig. 5 has elapsed. If the time has elapsed, the CPU 101 proceeds to S16-012, and if the time has not elapsed, the CPU 101 returns to S16-005.

[0064] In S16-012, the CPU 101 increments the index i by one. Then, in S16-013, the CPU 101 determines whether the i-th image indicated by the incremented index i exists. If the i-th image exists, the CPU 101 returns to S16-005, and if not, returns to S16-004.

[0065] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the process of acquiring image data for a slide show in the extension application 310 of this embodiment.

[0066] 17 is part of the processing that constitutes the slideshow application installed in the extension application 310. As with the display processing shown in Fig. 16, the script language that describes the processing is interpreted by the VM / FW unit 309, and the interpreted content is executed by the CPU 101 via the VM / FW unit 309.

[0067] As described above, in S16-002 in FIG. 16, this process is started so as to operate asynchronously and in parallel with the display process.

[0068] First, in S17-001, it is determined whether the setting of the slide designation method read out in S16-001 is collective designation from a folder. If the setting of the slide designation method setting means 505 shown in Fig. 5 is collective designation from a folder, the process proceeds to S17-002, and if not, the process proceeds to S17-003.

[0069] In S17-002, target image files are identified and their display order is determined based on the settings of the file display order setting means 905 shown in Figure 9. More specifically, the folder is first accessed using the SMB protocol based on the "path to folder" set in the folder path setting means 902. Then, for example, if the setting of the file display order setting means 905 is "by file name," a list of file names saved in the folder is obtained. Next, the obtained list is sorted by file name, and a predetermined number of files from the top of the list are identified as target image files. Finally, for subsequent processing, the paths of the identified files are converted into the same format as the internal path information used when "specifying slides one by one" is specified as the slide specification method.

[0070] Next, in S17-003, the cache status of all image data previously stored in the cache area 1600 is temporarily set to an invalid state.

[0071] Then, in S17-004, the index i is set to 1 and the process proceeds to the next step. Here, the index i indicates the display order, as in the explanation of S16-004 in FIG. 16, and setting it to 1 indicates the first image.

[0072] Next, in S17-005, it is determined whether the i-th image needs to be cached. This determination corresponds to the sequence of S14-040 in FIG. 14. That is, the image meta information received in S14-030 is compared with the image meta information previously stored in the cache area 1600 to confirm whether the image meta information has been updated. If the modification date and time of the received image meta information is newer than the modification date and time of the previously stored image meta information, it is determined that the image has been updated. Alternatively, if the size of the received image meta information differs from the size of the previously stored image meta information, it is determined that the image has been updated. In addition, if the corresponding image meta information has not been previously stored in the cache area 1600, it is treated as having been updated. If it is determined that the image has not been updated, proceed to S17-006; if it is determined that the image has been updated, proceed to S17-007.

[0073] In S17-006, the cache status of the ith image that was temporarily invalidated in S17-003 is restored to a valid state, and the process proceeds to S17-011. As a result, in S16-007 in Fig. 16, it is determined that the image has been cached. Note that, as explained in S16-008 in Fig. 16, if the background designation means 602 in Fig. 6 has been set to "specify color," the image is not actually acquired, but is treated as having been cached, and the status is set to valid in this step.

[0074] Meanwhile, in S17-007, it is determined whether a path or a URL has been selected in the background designation means 602 shown in Fig. 6. If a path has been designated, it is assumed that access via the SMB protocol is requested, and the process proceeds to S17-008. On the other hand, if a URL has been designated, it is assumed that access via the HTTP protocol is requested, and the process proceeds to S17-009.

[0075] In S17-008, the i-th image data is acquired using the SMB protocol from the path specified by the file location specification means 603 shown in Fig. 6. At this time, SMB authentication is also requested based on the authentication information set by the user name setting means 604 and password setting means 605. Once acquisition is complete, the process proceeds to S17-010.

[0076] Meanwhile, in S17-009, the i-th image data is acquired using the HTTP protocol from the URL specified by the file location specification means 603 shown in Fig. 6. If the acquisition is completed successfully or is aborted for some reason, the process proceeds to S17-010.

[0077] In S17-010, it is determined whether acquisition of the ith image data was successful in S17-008 or S17-009. If successful, proceed to S17-011. On the other hand, if acquisition is aborted for some reason and acquisition of the image data fails, proceed to S17-12. Typical reasons for aborting acquisition include a connection loss due to a poor network line, an SMB authentication failure, or a timeout due to an HTTP server down. It may also be that the file at the specified path has been deleted. Furthermore, since the capacity of the storage unit 306 available for caching in the MFP 10 of this embodiment is very limited, the MFP 10 is configured to abort acquisition of image data that exceeds a predetermined size.

[0078] If the acquisition of the image data is completed normally, in S17-011, the acquired i-th image data is saved in the cache area 1600. At the same time, the image Meta information of the i-th image is also rewritten to the acquired information, and the cache status of the i-th image is set to a valid state.

[0079] On the other hand, if acquisition of the image data fails, the cache of the i-th image data is set to an error state in S17-012, and as a result, as explained in Fig. 16, pre-prepared image data indicating that the i-th image cannot be displayed is displayed on the screen.

[0080] In S17-013, the index i is incremented by one.

[0081] Then, in S17-014, it is determined whether or not there is a request to display the i-th image indicated by the incremented index i. If there is a request to display the i-th image, the process returns to S17-005; if not, the image data acquisition process ends.

[0082] As described above with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, image data is acquired sequentially in the file display order based on the setting of the file display order setting means 905 shown in FIG. 9. Then, the slideshow is displayed in the order of acquired image data. This makes it possible to display the slideshow in order from the acquired image data without waiting for the completion of acquisition of all image data. In other words, acquiring image data in the display order as described above is optimal for minimizing the wait time for displaying each image data. However, slideshow display can also be achieved using other image data acquisition methods.

[0083] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of setting data stored in the slide setting area 1500 shown in FIG.

[0084] When the OK button 506, 609, or 907 is pressed on each of the basic setting editing screen 501, new slide registration screen 601, and folder setting editing screen 901, the setting data is stored in the slide setting area 1500 in S15-002. Note that, to reiterate, the slide setting area 1500 is allocated to an area dedicated to the slide show application in the storage unit 306 on the eMMC 109.

[0085] 18 are set with values ​​registered in the button name setting means 502, the display time per slide setting means 504, and the slide designation method setting means 505, respectively. When the OK button 907 is pressed on the folder setting editing screen 901, the value of each item indicated in the description 2002 of the setting data 2001 is set. Also, when the OK button 609 is pressed on the new slide registration screen 601, the value of each item indicated in 2003 of the setting data 2001 is set. For the descriptions 2005 to 2008 of FIG. 18, the values ​​registered in the folder path setting means 902, the user name setting means 903, and the password setting means 904 of the folder setting editing screen 901, respectively, are set. Here, since the description 2008 is information indicating a password, in the example shown in FIG. 18, an encrypted value registered in the password setting means 904 is set. 18 is set to a value corresponding to one of "file name order" or "update date and time order" registered by the display order setting means 905 for files in a folder. A value corresponding to one of "specify by path," "specify by URL," or "specify color" registered by the background designation means 602 is set to a value corresponding to one of "specify by path," "specify by URL," or "specify color" registered by the background designation means 602. A value registered in "file location" by the file location designation means 603 and a file name registered by the file location designation means 603 are set to descriptions 2011 and 2012 in FIG. 18. Values ​​registered by the username setting means 604 and password setting means 605 are set to descriptions 2013 to 2015 in FIG. 18. Since description 2015 is information indicating a password, an encrypted value registered by the password setting means 605 is set to description 2016 in FIG. 18. A value corresponding to an option selected by the background color selection means 606 is set to description 2016. Here, the options of the background color selection means 606 are, for example, "white, black, red, yellow, green, blue," etc. 18 is set to a value registered in the character display presence / absence setting means 607. The values ​​registered in the respective items of the display character setting means 608 are set to descriptions 2018 to 2023 in FIG.Here, options for "font" include, for example, "standard, bold, italic, bold+italic," options for "font size" include, for example, "large, medium, small," and options for "font color" include, for example, "white, black, red, yellow, green, blue." Also, options for "scroll character speed" include, for example, "slow, standard, fast," and options for "scroll direction" include, for example, "no scroll, right-to-left, left-to-right, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top." Furthermore, when multiple slides are registered on the new slide registration screen 601, the information shown in the description 2003 in FIG. 18 is generated for each slide in accordance with the slide display order.

[0086] In addition, the setting status of each slide is managed by a management table 21901. This improves display responsiveness when viewing settings on a settings list screen (not shown) or the like. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing example setting values ​​for each slide registered on the new slide registration screen 601. As shown in FIG. 23, the management table 21901 includes information columns 21902 to 21915. Each slide designated as a display target as described above is managed by the management table 21901. Information column 21903 stores information about a method for designating images to be displayed in a slide show. In this embodiment, text information can be added to images to be displayed in a slide show, so the images to be displayed are represented as "background." This information is designated by the background designation means 602. Information column 21904 stores information about the location of image files to be displayed in a slide show. This information is set by the file location designation means 603 or the folder path setting means 902. Information column 21905 stores information about a user name to be used when accessing images. This information is set by the username setting means 604 or the username setting means 903. Information column 21906 stores password setting information. A value corresponding to the status of the check box of the setting means 605 or the setting means 903 is set for this information. Information column 21907 stores password information. This information is set by the check box of 605 or the setting means 903. Information column 21908 stores background color information. This information is set by the check box of the setting means 605 or the setting means 903. This information is set by the setting means 606. Information column 21909 stores setting information for whether to display text on the slide. A value corresponding to the input status of the check box of the setting means 607 is set for this information. Information column 21910 stores display text information. This information is set by the setting means 608. Information column 21911 stores font information. This information is set by the setting means 608. Information column 21912 stores font size information. This information is set by the setting means 608. The information column 21913 stores information about the font color.This information is set by the setting means 608. Information column 21914 stores information on the scrolling character speed. This information is set by the setting means 608. Information column 21915 stores information on the scrolling direction. This information is set by the setting means 608.

[0087] <Display order setting process> In this embodiment, the display order of slides designated as display targets can be changed. Setting the display order of a slide show will be described using Figs. 19, 20(a), and 20(b). Fig. 19 is a diagram showing a flowchart of processing when changing the display order of slides in this embodiment. This flowchart is realized by the CPU 101 executing the extension application 310. Fig. 20(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen. Fig. 20(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen. Here, an example is shown when setting the display order shown in the management table 21901 of Fig. 19.

[0088] In S21501, the extended application 310 determines whether the Edit Display Order button 406 has been pressed on the top screen 401 of the settings screen. If the Edit Display Order button 406 has not been pressed (NO), the process returns to S21501 and repeats. If the Edit Display Order button 406 has been pressed (YES), the process proceeds to S21502.

[0089] In S21502, the extension application 310 performs a process of displaying a display order edit screen. On the display order edit screen, the user performs a display order change operation.

[0090] 20(a) and 20(b) show examples of the display order editing screen. The display order editing screen 21601 includes a move up button 21605, a move down button 21606, an OK button 21607, a cancel button 21608, and a list display area 21609. The list display area displays a list of slides registered on the registration screen 601. The list display area 21609 includes slide display order information 21603 indicating the display order of the slides, and file name information 21604 indicating the file names of the image files to be displayed. The list display area 21609 also includes display character information 21610 registered on the new slide registration screen 601, and a slide selection means 21602 for selecting a slide. In this embodiment, the list display area 21609 displays path information 21611 indicating the path information of the image files to be displayed. After selecting a slide with slide selection means 21602 on display order editing screen 21601, pressing up button 21605 or down button 21606 changes the display order in list display area 21609.

[0091] FIG. 20(a) shows an example of a state in which image file registration processing has been performed in order for each network path. Specifically, the image files of "server1" are registered as the first to third images in the display order, the image file of "server2" is registered as the fourth image in the display order, and the image file of "server3" is registered as the fifth image in the display order. In this state, the check box of the slide selection unit 21602 corresponding to the fourth image, "samp01.png," is checked, and the move up button 21605 is selected twice. This operation results in the display order shown in FIG. 20(b). Next, the check box of the slide selection unit 21602 corresponding to the third image, "picture03.jpg," is checked, and the move down button 21606 is selected twice. By these operations, the display order shown in the management table 21901 is displayed in the display area 21609 in the same order.

[0092] In S21504, the extended application 310 determines whether or not the OK button 21607 on the display order editing screen 21601 has been pressed. If it is determined that the OK button 21607 has been pressed (YES), the extended application 310 proceeds to S21505. If it is determined that the OK button 21607 has not been pressed (NO), the extended application 310 proceeds to S21506.

[0093] In S21505, the extended application 310 updates the display order setting (order information) in accordance with the information on the display order change operation in S21503, and then displays the top screen 401 of the setting screen, thereby ending the process.

[0094] In S21504, the extension application 310 determines whether the cancel button 21608 on the display order edit screen 21601 has been pressed.

[0095] If it is determined in S21506 that the cancel button 21608 has been pressed (NO), the extension application 310 returns the process to S21503. If it is determined that the cancel button 21608 has been pressed (YES), the extension application 310 proceeds to step S21507.

[0096] In S21507, the extension application 310 discards the operation content of the display order change operation, displays the top screen 401, and ends the process.

[0097] Although the above example uses buttons as a means for changing the display order, the UI is not limited to this. For example, the following modifications may be used.

[0098] (Variation 1) In a first modification, the display order can be changed by dragging and dropping the names of slides displayed in a list. Fig. 21(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen in modification 1. Fig. 21(b) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen in modification 1.

[0099] The display order editing screen 21701 includes a list display area 21702 that displays a list of slides registered on the registration screen 601. Image name information is arranged in the display area 21702. The display order is changed by selecting the slide whose display order you want to change from this list display area 21702, moving it to the desired display order position using drag-and-drop means 21703, and then pressing the OK button 21704. When the cancel button 21705 is pressed, the display order information changed using the drag-and-drop means 21703 is discarded, and the top screen 401 of the setting screen for the extended application 310 is displayed.

[0100] (Variation 2) In a second modified example, the display order can be changed by dragging and dropping thumbnails of slides. Fig. 22(a) is a diagram showing a display example of step 1 on the display order editing screen in modified example 2. Fig. 22(b) is a diagram showing a display example of step 2 on the display order editing screen in modified example 2.

[0101] The display order editing screen 21801 includes a thumbnail display area 21802. The thumbnail display area 21802 is a thumbnail list in which thumbnail images of each slide are arranged. These thumbnail images are obtained by acquiring image files indicated by the image file path or image file URL specified by the file location specification means 603 and caching them as thumbnail images. The display order is changed by selecting the thumbnail of the slide whose display order you want to change from the thumbnail display area 21802, moving it to the desired display order position by drag-and-drop means 21803, and then pressing the OK button 21804. When the cancel button 21805 is pressed, the display order information changed by the drag-and-drop means 21803 is discarded, and the top screen 401 of the setting screen of the extension application 310 is displayed.

[0102] <Notes> The configuration described above makes it possible to collect and display image data scattered across multiple locations from a preset path. Furthermore, as described above, according to this embodiment, after registering image paths scattered across multiple locations as targets for a slideshow, the display order can be changed. Therefore, when registering image paths, there is no need to be concerned about the display order, resulting in superior usability. Furthermore, changing the display order can be performed intuitively, such as by dragging and dropping, resulting in superior usability. Furthermore, thumbnails of currently available images indicated by the image paths can be displayed, making it easy to understand the current slide order.

[0103] Example 2 In the first embodiment, an example was described in which image data scattered across multiple locations was collected from a preset path and displayed correctly. However, in a configuration in which images are acquired from multiple locations via a network, a situation may arise in which some of the multiple images cannot be accessed. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a case is described in which, when image data scattered across multiple locations is acquired via a network and a slideshow is created using the acquired image data, slides corresponding to images that cannot be acquired are appropriately processed. According to the second embodiment, a display device can be provided that can appropriately process slides corresponding to images that cannot be acquired when image data scattered across multiple locations is sequentially displayed and acquired via a network to create a slideshow. Note that, except for the characteristic parts, the configuration of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0104] <Settings screen> FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the basic setting editing screen shown in FIG. 5 to which a slide image error processing means has been added. The basic setting editing screen 30501 includes a button name setting means 30502, an application automatic startup setting means 30503, a display time setting means 30504 for one slide, a slide designation method setting means 30505, an OK button 506, and a Cancel button 507. The above configuration corresponds to the means 501 to 505 and buttons 506 and 507 in FIG. 5. The slide image error processing method 30508 is a means for selecting a slide display processing method when a normal image cannot be downloaded from the server based on the information set in the slide. The alternative image selection method setting means 30509 is a means for selecting an image to be displayed when alternative image display is selected in the slide image error processing method 30508. If "Use default" is selected, an image pre-installed in the extension application is used. If "Use registered image" is selected, an image registered by the user using the alternative image registration means 510 is used. The alternative image registration means 30510 is a means for registering an image stored in the user's local environment to the device. By checking the "Register alternative image" button and pressing the "Browse" button, a file in the user's local environment can be registered.

[0105] <Image data acquisition process> The process of acquiring slideshow image data will be described with reference to Fig. 21. This process is part of the process constituting the slideshow application installed in the extension application 310. The script language describing this process is interpreted by the VM / FW unit 309, and the interpreted content is executed by the CPU 101 via the VM / FW unit 309.

[0106] First, in S21-001, CPU 101 determines whether the setting of the slide designation method is "collective designation from a folder." If the setting in slide designation method setting means 505 shown in Fig. 5 is "collective designation from a folder" (YES), CPU 101 proceeds to S21-002. Otherwise, if slides are designated one by one, CPU 101 proceeds to S21-003.

[0107] In S21-002, the CPU 101 identifies the target image files based on the settings of the file display order setting means 905 shown in FIG. 9, and determines the display order.

[0108] In S21-003, the CPU 101 temporarily sets the cache status of all image data previously stored in the cache area 2100 to an invalid state.

[0109] In S21-004, the CPU 101 sets the index i to 1 and proceeds to the next step. Here, the index i indicates the display order, and setting it to 1 indicates the first image.

[0110] In S21-005, the CPU 101 determines whether the i-th image needs to be cached. This determination corresponds to the sequence of S14-040 in FIG. 14. That is, the CPU 101 compares the image meta information received in S14-030 with the image meta information previously stored in the cache area 2100 to check whether the image meta information has been updated. If the modification date and time of the received image meta information is newer than the modification date and time of the previously stored image meta information, the CPU 101 determines that the image meta information has been updated. Alternatively, if the size of the received image meta information differs from the size of the previously stored image meta information, the CPU 101 determines that the image meta information has been updated. In addition, if the corresponding image meta information has not been previously stored in the cache area 2100, it is treated as having been updated. If it is determined that the image meta information has not been updated, the CPU 101 proceeds to S21-006. If it is determined that the image meta information has been updated, the CPU 101 proceeds to S21-007.

[0111] In S21-006, the CPU 101 restores the cache state of the ith image, which was once invalidated in S21-003, to a valid state, and the process proceeds to S21-012.

[0112] In S21-007, the CPU 101 determines whether a path or a URL has been selected in the background designation means 602 shown in Fig. 6. If a path has been designated, the CPU 101 determines that access via the SMB protocol is required, and proceeds to S21-008. If a URL has been designated, the CPU 101 determines that access via the HTTP protocol is required, and proceeds to S21-009.

[0113] In S21-008, the CPU 101 acquires the ith image data using the SMB protocol from the path specified by the file location specification means 603 shown in Fig. 6. At this time, SMB authentication is also requested based on the authentication information set by the user name setting means 604 and the password setting means 605. When this acquisition process is completed, the CPU 101 proceeds to S21-010.

[0114] In S21-009, the CPU 101 acquires the ith image data using the HTTP protocol from the URL specified by the file location specification means 603 shown in Fig. 6. When this acquisition process is complete, the CPU 101 advances the process to S21-010.

[0115] In S21-010, the CPU 101 checks whether the image data was successfully acquired. For example, if there is a network error, an SMB ID / PASSWORD authentication error, or an image data incompatible format error, the acquisition fails. If the image data acquisition is successful, the CPU 101 proceeds to S21-011. If the image data acquisition fails, the CPU 101 proceeds to S21-014.

[0116] In S21-014, the CPU 101 increments the retry count and advances the process to S21-015.

[0117] In S21-015, the CPU 101 checks whether the retry count has exceeded a predetermined number of times. If the count has not been exceeded, the CPU 101 returns to S21-007 to perform retry processing of the image data. If the count has been exceeded, the CPU 101 gives up on obtaining the current slide image data and proceeds to S21-012.

[0118] In S21-011, the CPU 101 saves the acquired ith image data in the cache area 2100. At the same time, the CPU 101 also rewrites the image Meta information of the ith image with the acquired information, and sets the cache status of the ith image to a valid state.

[0119] In S21-012, the CPU 101 advances the index i by one.

[0120] In S21-013, the CPU 101 determines whether or not there is a display request for the i-th image indicated by the incremented index i. If there is a display request for the i-th image, the CPU 101 returns the process to S21-005. If not, the CPU 101 ends the image data acquisition process.

[0121] <Management data> Figure 26 shows an example of meta information saved by saving meta information in S14-130 of Figure 14. This meta information has information in information columns 316-01 to 316-04. Information column 316-01 manages image protocol information. Information column 316-02 manages image path information. Information column 316-03 manages image size information obtained from the server. Information column 316-04 manages update date and time information for images obtained from the server. Specifically, the meta information for "¥¥server1¥dir1¥path¥image1.jpg" in the SMB protocol is size "10000" and update date and time "2021 / 1 / 1".

[0122] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of slide setting information data saved by the setting save indicated by S12-050 in FIG. 12. Here, an example is shown in which four slides are registered. The slide setting information has information columns 315-01 to 315-04. Information column 315-01 manages information on the slide number. Information column 315-02 manages information on the text string to be displayed on the slide. Information column 315-03 manages information on the protocol used to access the image to be displayed on the slide. Information column 315-04 manages information on the image path used to access the image to be displayed on the slide. Specifically, the first slide displays the text string "test1" and downloads and displays the image "¥¥server1¥dir1¥path¥image1.jpg" using the SMB protocol. In this way, information on four slides is registered. In this example, all the protocols are the same, but different protocols may be used for each slide.

[0123] It is important to note that the Meta information in Fig. 26 holds three pieces of Meta information, while the slide setting information in Fig. 25 holds information for four slides. The Meta information in Fig. 26 holds Meta information for a combination of protocol and image path, while the slide setting information in Fig. 25 holds information for each slide. Therefore, even if slide 1 and slide 4 refer to the same image, the slide setting information holds four pieces of information.

[0124] <Character composition> In this embodiment, when images are displayed as a slide show, information such as text can be added. Fig. 27 shows an example of combining slide images based on information registered in the slide setting information. Image 317-01 indicates the image data registered in the slide. Information 317-02 indicates the character string data registered in the slide. If the setting for combining text has been configured in advance, when the slide is displayed, the image data of image 317-01 and the character string data of information 317-02 are combined to generate the image shown in image 317-03, which is used for display.

[0125] <Error handling> In this embodiment, a display error handling process is performed when an image to be included in a slideshow cannot be acquired. Figure 28 shows an example of a slide composition in which an image data cannot be rendered during slide composition. In this embodiment, image data is acquired from a server, and at this time, image data may not be acquired correctly due to factors such as server setting changes. If correct image data cannot be acquired, the image data cannot be rendered. Consequently, the slide image to be displayed cannot be composed. In such cases, an error handling process is required in the slide image display process. As shown in Figure 5, there are multiple error handling methods. In this embodiment, the user can select the desired error handling method from multiple error handling methods according to their preference. The first error handling method is "Do not display slides," which skips playback of slides for which images could not be acquired. The second error handling method is "Display only text," which, as shown in image 318-01, displays only the registered text on the slide without rendering the image data that could not be acquired. The third error handling method is to "display an alternative image and text," which, as shown in image 318-02, combines image data indicating that the image data cannot be rendered with the registered text and displays it as a slide. The fourth error handling method is to "display only an alternative image," which, as shown in image 318-03, displays only image data (alternative image data) indicating that the image data cannot be rendered. The fifth error handling method is to "display a blank," which, as shown in image 318-04, displays a blank screen that does not display either image data or text data (text data, text data for composition). The error handling method to be used can be specified for the entire slideshow, or it can be specified for each slide. It is also possible to design the system so that a predetermined error handling method is used without requiring the user to specify it.

[0126] FIG. 29 is a diagram showing details of the slide display process in S14-140 of FIG.

[0127] In S319-010, the CPU 101 checks whether the image information set in the slide setting information contains any slides that can be displayed correctly. For example, if an image download from the server fails, the slide cannot be displayed as is. Here, it is checked whether there is at least one slide that can be displayed correctly.

[0128] If there is one or more slides that can be displayed (YES), the CPU 101 advances the process to S319-030. If there is no slide that can be displayed (NO), the CPU 101 advances the process to S319-020.

[0129] In S319-020, the CPU 101 displays an error screen 320-00 in FIG. 30 indicating that there are no slides that can be displayed, and ends the application.

[0130] In S319-030, the CPU 101 checks for each slide whether that slide can be displayed. If the slide can be displayed, the CPU 101 advances the process to S319-040, and if the slide cannot be displayed, the CPU 101 advances the process to S319-050.

[0131] In S319-040, the CPU 101 displays the slide in which the images shown in FIG. 27 have been combined, and then advances the process to S319-060.

[0132] In S319-060, the CPU 101 waits for a certain period of time and then advances the process to S319-070.

[0133] In S319-050, the CPU 101 advances the process to one of S319-51 to S319-54 or S319-070 in accordance with the setting contents of the slide image error processing method 508 in FIG.

[0134] In steps S319-51 to S319-54, the CPU 101 performs the error handling process set in the slide image error processing method 508, and then advances the process to step S319-070.

[0135] In S319-070, the CPU 101 advances to the next slide to be processed and returns to S319-030.

[0136] By performing the control described above, when an image cannot be acquired normally, an error message that reflects the user's intention can be displayed.

[0137] (Other Examples) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0138] The present invention may be applied to a system consisting of multiple devices or to an apparatus consisting of a single device. For example, a part of the software module may be configured to be executed on an external server, and the function may be realized by obtaining the results processed by the external server. For example, a storage unit for storing data may be provided within the external server.

[0139] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, all configurations that combine the above-described embodiments and their modifications are included in the present invention.

[0140] In the above-described embodiment, the slide show application is provided as one of the extended applications. However, the effects of the present invention can be obtained without any difference even if the slide show application is configured as part of the main program, which is built-in software, rather than as an extended application.

[0141] In the above-described embodiment, the device is configured to support two protocols: SMB and HTTP. However, the protocols are not limited to these two. For example, the device may be configured to support the WebDav protocol as well. Alternatively, the device may be configured to store path information for removable external storage, such as a USB memory stick or SD card, that can be housed in the display device, or for internal storage (built-in storage), such as an eMMC 109. This makes it possible to collect and display image data from a wide range of paths. Conversely, the same effect can be achieved by configuring the device to support only the SMB protocol.

[0142] In the above embodiment, the user authentication information required when accessing a folder using the SMB protocol is configured to be saved (retained) in pairs (separately) with the network path settings. However, if, for example, only URLs accessible using the HTTP protocol that do not require user authentication are supported, the same effect can be achieved without configuring the system to save user authentication information in pairs with the network path settings.

[0143] In the above-described embodiment, the character strings set in advance by the character display setting means 607 and the display character setting means 608 shown in Fig. 6 are configured to be superimposed on the displayed image. However, the effects of the present invention can be obtained even if the character strings are not superimposed.

[0144] In the above embodiment, the system is configured to display a screen with a specified background color instead of an image acquired from a pre-registered network path. However, displaying a background color is not an essential function of the present invention, and similar effects can be obtained without it.

[0145] In the above-described embodiment, the slide designation method setting means 505 shown in FIG. 5 is configured to allow switching between "all designation from folder" and "designating slides one by one." However, "all designation from folder" is not essential to the present invention, and similar effects can be achieved without it. Conversely, by expanding the setting items for "all designation from folder," it is possible to achieve effects different from those of the present invention. For example, the file display order setting means 905 shown in FIG. 9 is configured to allow switching between "file name order" and "update date order." Adding "size order" to this switching item, or allowing the selection of ascending or descending order as the order, would enable more detailed display settings.

[0146] Meanwhile, a mechanism for distributing application setting values ​​is known as a publicly known technology completely separate from the present invention. By applying this technology, it becomes possible to share (duplicate) one setting of the slideshow application of the present invention among multiple display devices. Such a configuration makes it possible to display the same image on multiple display devices without creating a distribution server, as in the digital signage described in the background section. This technology may also be combined with the present invention. In this way, for example, by replacing image data on an SMB server with the same file name, it is possible to simultaneously change the content of the slideshow on multiple display devices without changing the network paths registered on the multiple display devices.

[0147] The abbreviations used in the examples have the following meanings:

[0148] ASIC stands for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. EMMC stands for Embedded MultiMediaCard.

[0149] FAX stands for Facsimile. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. LAN stands for Local Area Network. MFP stands for Multi Function Peripheral. NCU stands for Network Control Unit. NIC stands for Network Interface Card. OS stands for Operating System. PC stands for Personal Computer. PSTN stands for Public Switched Telephone Networks. RAM stands for Random-Access Memory. ROM stands for Read Only Memory. RTC stands for Real-Time Clock. SMB stands for Server Message Block. SSD stands for Solid State Drive. UI stands for User Interface. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. VM stands for Virtual Machine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0150] 10 MFP 20 Web Server 30 SMB Server 1 40 SMB Server 2 50 network lines 60 Information processing equipment 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 Display Controller 105 Display section 106 Operation Controller 107 Operation section 108 eMMC Host Controller 109 eMMC 110 Reading Controller 111 Reading unit 112 Recording Controller 113 Recording Department 114 USB Host Controller 115 MODEM 116 NCU 117 NIC 118 System Bus 301 OS 302 UI 303 Job Controller 304 Fax 305 Send 306 Storage 307 Scan 308 Device Driver 309 VM / FW 310 Extended Applications 311 UI Device Controller 1500 Slide Settings Area 1600 cache space< / mfp>

Claims

Claim 1: A display device comprising a display unit, control means for sequentially displaying a series of images on the display unit; registration means for registering path information including a first network path of image data held by a first server and a second network path of image data held by a second server, and a display order of a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the path information; The control means sequentially displays a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the first network path and the second network path included in the registered path information on the display unit in the display order. The display device is characterized by this. Claim 2: The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first network path corresponds to a first protocol, and the second network path corresponds to a second protocol different from the first protocol. Claim 3: The display device according to claim 2, wherein the first protocol is an SMB protocol, and the second protocol is an http protocol. Claim 4: The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the registration means further registers authentication information for accessing each of the first network path and the second network path in association therewith. Claim 5: The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the registration means can further register, as the path information, a path of a storage built in the display device or a path of a storage detachably attached to the display device. Claim 6: The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display device has a server function for providing a web page for receiving an input for registering the path information by the registration means. Claim 7: The display device according to claim 6, wherein in the web page, it is possible to edit the display order of a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the path information. Claim 8: The display device further comprises an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet. When a screen including an icon for selecting a function using the image forming unit is displayed on the display unit and a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control means executes control to sequentially display a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the registered path information in the display order. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that.

9. The display device further includes a reading unit that reads a document, When a screen including an icon for selecting a function using the reading unit is displayed on the display unit and a predetermined condition is satisfied, the control means executes control to sequentially display a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the registered path information in the display order. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

10. When image data cannot be acquired based on the network path included in the registered path information, the control means displays, on the display unit, a screen indicating that the image could not be acquired. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that.

11. A control method for a display device including a display unit, A control step of sequentially displaying a series of images on the display unit; A registration step for registering path information including a first network path of image data held by a first server and a second network path of image data held by a second server, and a display order of a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the path information; In the control step, a plurality of pieces of image data acquired based on the first network path and the second network path included in the registered path information are sequentially displayed on the display unit according to the display order. A control method characterized by that.

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