Communication system and information processing device

Abstract

To solve such a problem that a folder accessed during the execution of a function and setting information used during the execution of the function are managed in different locations and it is difficult to keep them as a single history.SOLUTION: An information processing device that communicates with a server rendering Web contents and displays the Web contents on the basis of the rendering results, includes: first execution means that executes a process based on the function of the information processing device; first transmission means that transmits identification information and address information of the Web contents to the server; first reception means that receives a rendering image corresponding to the Web contents based on the identification information and the address information from the server; and storage means that stores the address information of the Web contents that were accessed when executing the function on the basis of the execution of the function by the information processing device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a technology that allows image forming devices to access web services using a web browser on the cloud, making it possible to link the scanning, printing, and other functions of image forming devices with cloud storage services.

[0003] Generally, when uploading image data scanned by an image forming device to a cloud storage service, the scanned image is uploaded to a specified folder in a specified cloud storage service with specified settings. Alternatively, when printing an image stored in cloud storage with an image forming device, an arbitrary file in a specified folder in a specified cloud storage service is printed with specified settings. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-46984 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] By storing and reusing history information of functions used by the image forming device, it is possible to increase the efficiency of re-executing functions. On the other hand, when a cloud storage service is accessed from the image forming device using a web browser on the cloud, it is the web browser on the cloud that manages a specific folder in a specific cloud storage service. In other words, the access history information is also the web browser on the cloud. Therefore, when a desired function is to be executed again on the image forming device, an operation to move to the specific folder again is required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is an information processing device that communicates with a server that renders Web content and displays the Web content based on the result of the rendering, and is characterized in having a first execution means that executes processing based on a function of the information processing device, a first transmission means that transmits identification information and address information of the Web content to the server, a first receiving means that receives a rendering image corresponding to the Web content based on the identification information and the address information from the server, and a storage means that stores address information of the Web content that was accessed when the information processing device executed the function, based on the execution of the function. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of operations required to move to a specific folder again when attempting to execute a desired function again. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing an example of the cloud browser system configuration [Diagram 2] Block diagram showing an example of a virtual machine hardware configuration and software configuration [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration and a software configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cloud browser screen of the image forming apparatus; [Figure 6] An example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a process performed by a cloud browser [Figure 7] A sequence diagram showing an example of the web content rendering process using a cloud browser system. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of the screen that appears when accessing a cloud storage service using a cloud browser. [Figure 9] A sequence diagram showing an example of printing processing using a cloud browser system [Figure 10] Figure showing an example of the print settings screen of a cloud browser [Figure 11] Sequence diagram showing an example of scanning processing using a cloud browser system [Figure 12] An example of the cloud browser scan settings screen [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of history information stored in an image forming apparatus; [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a history screen displayed on the image forming apparatus; [Figure 15] An example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a process performed when a history is selected [Figure 16] An example of a flowchart showing a process for displaying a print / scan setting screen [Figure 17] An example of a flowchart showing the procedure of a process for displaying history [Figure 18] An example of a flowchart showing the procedure for processing when displaying the previous history button DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all of the combinations of features described in each embodiment are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus is used as an example of an information processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0010] (Example) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a communication system of a cloud web browser according to the present invention. In the system of FIG. 1, a user is viewing the screen of an image forming device 1-01, and the user operates the image forming device 1-01 to input the URL (address information) of a Web content server 1-05 that the user wishes to view. The image forming device 1-01 that receives the input transmits the URL of the Web content server 1-05 to an image generating system 1-00 as an information processing system installed on the cloud via a router 1-04. The image forming device 1-01 has a function of printing an image, or a function of transmitting image data generated by scanning to an arbitrary destination. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which three image forming devices are connected, the number of connections is arbitrary. The image forming device 1-01, the image forming device 1-02, and the image forming device 1-03 have the same configuration, and the image forming device 1-01 will be described below.

[0011] The browser 1-08 in the virtual machine 1-07 of the image generation system 1-00 receives the URL of the Web content server 1-05 transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1-01 via the gateway 1-06. The browser 1-08 then accesses the Web content server 1-05 corresponding to the received URL via the gateway 1-06. The Web content server 1-05 generates Web content for the requested URL and transmits it to the requesting browser 1-08.

[0012] The browser 1-08 generates a rendering result of the Web content received from the Web content server 1-05. The browser 1-08 then transmits the generated rendering result of the Web content to the image forming device 1-01 via the gateway 1-06. The image forming device 1-01 receives the rendering result of the Web content transmitted from the image generation system 1-00 and presents the Web content to a user by displaying the received rendering result. Note that in addition to the image forming device 1-01, multiple image forming devices such as 1-02 and 1-03 may be connected to the cloud web browser system.

[0013] 2(A) is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a virtual machine that operates in the cloud web browser system of the present invention. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2-01 executes various processes using computer programs and data stored in the storage. As a result, the CPU 2-01 controls the operation of the entire virtual machine 1-07, and executes or controls each process that will be described as being performed by the virtual machine 1-07. The storage 2-02 stores setting data for the virtual machine 1-07, computer programs and data related to the startup of the virtual machine 1-07, computer programs and data related to the basic operation of the virtual machine 1-07, and the like.

[0014] The RAM 2-03 has an area for storing computer programs and data loaded from the storage 2-02, and data received from an external device via the communication interface 2-05. The RAM 2-03 also has a work area used by the CPU 2-01 when executing various processes. In this way, the RAM 2-03 can provide various areas (storage regions) as appropriate. The interface 2-04 is an interface that includes a display unit for displaying the results of processing by the CPU 2-01 using images and characters, and an operation unit operated by the user to perform various operational inputs. The display unit includes an LCD screen and a touch panel screen. The operation unit includes user interfaces such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel screen.

[0015] The communication interface 2-05 is an interface for performing data communication with an external device. The CPU 2-01, the storage 2-02, the RAM 2-03, the interface 2-04, and the communication interface 2-05 are all connected to the bus 2-06. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example of a configuration applicable to the virtual machine according to this embodiment, and is not intended to be limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2.

[0016] For example, in the configuration shown in Fig. 2, a memory device may be further connected to the bus 2-06. The memory device may include, for example, a hard disk drive, a USB memory, a magnetic card, an optical card, an IC card, a memory card, and a drive device (a drive device for a storage medium such as an optical disk such as a flexible disk (FD) or a compact disk (CD)). Such a memory device may constitute a "memory area of ​​a virtual machine" to be described later.

[0017] The virtual machine 1-07 can be configured by so-called virtualization technology, and various resources constituting a computer system can be organized into logical units independent of the physical configuration. That is, it is possible to configure the virtual machine 1-07 by integrating multiple resources, or to divide one resource and configure one of the divided resources as the virtual machine 1-07. That is, the virtual machine 1-07 can be configured using at least a part of multiple resources (which can be composed of multiple devices) of an information processing system constituting a cloud.

[0018] Fig. 2(B) is a diagram showing the software configuration of a virtual machine that operates in the cloud web browser system. The overall control unit 2-50 is a module that controls the entire virtual machine of the cloud web browser system. The NW control unit 2-53 is a module that receives communication from the outside via the communication interface 2-05 and transmits data. The NW control unit 2-53 receives a rendering request for web content specified by a URL and notifies the overall control unit 2-50 of the request.

[0019] The overall control unit 2-50 receives the rendering request notification and notifies the browser engine 2-51 of the specified URL. The browser engine 2-51 passes the URL to the HTTP client 2-52 to acquire the Web content indicated by the URL. The NW control unit 2-53 accesses the URL via the specified proxy and acquires the Web content. The browser engine 2-51 requests the drawing control unit 2-55 to draw the information of the acquired Web content. The overall control unit 2-50 notifies an external communication device of the image data drawn by the drawing control unit 2-55 via the NW control unit 2-53.

[0020] Fig. 3(A) is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. Fig. 3(B) is a diagram showing a software configuration of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a controller unit 3-00. The controller unit 3-00 is connected to a scanner 3-70 which is an image input device and a printer 3-95 which is an image output device, and is also connected to an operation unit 3-12. The controller unit 3-00 performs control to realize a copy function in which the scanner 3-70 reads an original and generates image data, which the printer 3-95 prints out on paper.

[0021] The controller unit 3-00 includes a CPU 3-01. The CPU 3-01 starts up an operating system (OS) using a boot program stored in a ROM 3-03. The CPU 3-01 executes a program stored in a storage 3-04 on this OS, thereby executing various processes. The RAM 3-02 is used as the working area of ​​the CPU 3-01.

[0022] The RAM 3-02 provides a working area and also provides an image memory area for temporarily storing image data. The storage 3-04 stores programs and image data. The CPU 3-01 is connected to the ROM 3-03, the RAM 3-02, the operation unit I / F (hereinafter, interface) 3-06, the network I / F 3-10, the USB host I / F 3-13, and the image bus I / F 3-05 via the system bus 3-07. The operation unit I / F 3-06 is an interface with the operation unit 3-12 having a touch panel, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 3-12 to the operation unit 3-12. The operation unit I / F 3-06 also sends information input by a user on the operation unit 3-12 to the CPU 3-01. The network I / F 3-10 is an interface for connecting the image forming apparatus to a LAN.

[0023] The USB host I / F 3-13 is an interface unit that communicates with the USB storage 3-14. The USB host I / F 3-13 is an output unit for storing data stored in the storage 3-04 in the USB storage 3-14. The USB host I / F 3-13 also inputs data stored in the USB storage 3-14 and transmits it to the CPU 3-01. The USB storage 3-14 is an external storage device that stores data, and is detachable from the USB host I / F 3-13. A plurality of USB devices including the USB storage 3-14 can be connected to the USB host I / F 3-13.

[0024] The RTC 3-15 controls the current time. The time information controlled by the RTC 3-15 is used for recording the time when a job is submitted, etc. The image bus I / F 3-05 is a bus bridge that connects the system bus 3-07 and the image bus 3-08, which transfers image data at high speed, and converts the data format. The image bus 3-08 is configured by a PCI bus or IEEE 3-394, etc.

[0025] The image bus 3-08 is connected to the device I / F 3-20, the scanner image processing unit 3-80, and the printer image processing unit 3-90. The device I / F 3-20 is connected to the scanner 270 and the printer 3-95, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data. The scanner image processing unit 3-80 corrects, processes, and edits input image data. The printer image processing unit 3-90 performs correction, resolution conversion, etc. on print output image data according to the printer 3-95.

[0026] Fig. 3(B) is a diagram showing the software configuration of the image forming apparatus. The function control unit 3-51 is a module that cooperates with each module to control the overall functions of the image forming apparatus. The UI control unit 3-52 is a module that displays a screen on the operation unit 3-12, accepts operations from the user, notifies the function control unit 3-51 of the operation information, and updates the screen upon receiving a drawing instruction from the function control unit 3-51. The job execution control unit 3-53 is a module that receives a job execution instruction from the function control unit 3-51 and controls job processing such as copying, scanning, and printing.

[0027] The NW control unit 3-54 receives a communication request from the function control unit 3-51, controls the network IF 3-10, and controls communication with external devices. It is also a module that receives a request from an external device, notifies the function control unit 3-51 of the contents of the request, and responds to the external device with the results of processing by the function control unit 3-51. The storage control unit 3-55 is a module that records and manages setting information and job information. Each module accesses the storage control unit 3-55 to refer to and set setting values.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen display displayed on the operation unit 3-12 in Fig. 3 of an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) which is an image processing device. The home screen 4-00 is made up of buttons 4-01 to 4-06 which display functions related to the MFP.

[0029] In FIG. 5, six buttons with functions are displayed on the home screen 4-00, but the number of buttons is arbitrary. The button 4-01 is an example of a button related to a copy function. When the button 4-01 is pressed, the function associated with the button 4-01 is executed. The buttons 4-02 and 4-03 are also examples of buttons related to a copy function. Like the button 4-01, when the buttons 4-02 and 4-03 are pressed, the functions associated with the respective buttons are executed. The buttons 4-04, 4-05, and 4-06 are examples of buttons related to a cloud web browse function. The buttons 4-04, 4-05, and 4-06 distinguish the users who use the cloud web browse function, and provide the cloud web browse function for user 1, user 2, and user 3, respectively. The cloud web browse function activated from each button holds information for each user. For example, cookies saved for each web page are managed for each user. In this embodiment, a launch button is provided for each user, but it is also possible to have a single launch button that works in conjunction with the device's user login function to launch the cloud web browsing function for the user who is logged in to the device.

[0030] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen generated by the cloud web browser. This screen 5-00 is displayed on the operation unit 3-1 of the MFP in FIG.

[0031] This screen 5-00 includes the following components: The address bar (5-1) is an area for specifying the URL of the web page to be displayed in the cloud web browser. The button (5-2) is a button that is pressed when starting access to the URL specified in the address bar. The last scan button (5-3) is a button that is pressed when opening the web page that was accessed when the scanned image was uploaded to a web service of your choice from the cloud web browser. The scan history display button (5-4) is a button that displays the history (Figure 14 (A)) of when the scanned image was uploaded to a web service of your choice.

[0032] The Last Print button (5-5) is pressed to open the web page that was accessed when printing information downloaded from any web service. The Print History Display button (5-6) displays the history of the web page that was accessed when printing information downloaded from any web service (Fig. 14(B)). The user can easily scan or print by pressing the Last Scan button (5-3) or the Last Print button (5-5).

[0033] 6A is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the image forming apparatus 3-00 in the cloud web browser system according to the present invention. This procedure is executed by the CPU 3-01 of the image forming apparatus 3-00.

[0034] In S6-010, the user presses button 4-06 on the home screen in Fig. 4 displayed on the operation unit 3-12 of the image forming apparatus in Fig. 3(A) to select the cloud web browser. The operation unit I / F 3-06 detects that button 4-06 has been selected and launches the cloud web browser associated with button 4-06.

[0035] In S6-020, the cloud web browser accepts user input. If there is no user input, it continues to wait for input. If there is user input, it transitions to S6-040. In S6-040, the cloud web browser requests the virtual machine 1-07 to render the corresponding web page along with the user input information from the network I / F 3-10 of the image forming device 3-00 via the router 1-04. The rendering request may include the user input information entered in S6-040. In this case, user input may include text input, clicking a link, scrolling, zooming, etc.

[0036] Therefore, when inputting text, the character string input by the user is sent as user input information. When a link is pressed, the CPU 3-01 sends the pressed coordinates on the operation unit 3-12 to the virtual machine 1-07 as user input information. When scrolling and zooming are performed, the CPU 3-01 sends the character strings associated with each to the virtual machine 1-07 as user input information. The CPU 3-01 also obtains the processing result from the virtual machine 1-07. Next, in S6-060, the CPU 3-01 accesses the URL for obtaining a rendering image included in the processing result obtained from the virtual machine 1-07 from the network I / F 3-10 via the router 1-04, obtains the rendering image, and stores it in the RAM 3-02. In S6-090, the CPU 3-01 displays the image data stored in the RAM 3-02 on the operation unit 3-12. This ends the series of processing in FIG. 6(A).

[0037] 6B is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the virtual machine 1-07 in the cloud web browser system according to the present invention. This procedure is executed on the CPU 2-01 of the virtual machine 1-07. In S6-110, the presence or absence of a processing request is confirmed through the communication interface 2-05. If there is a rendering request, the process proceeds to S6-120. If there is an end request, the process ends.

[0038] In S6-120, the received rendering request information is interpreted and notified to the browser engine 2-51. In S6-130, the browser engine 2-51 obtains the Web content via the gateway 1-06 based on the notified rendering request information. The received rendering request information contains a URL indicating the Web content to be accessed. This URL contains the identification information of the Web content server 1-05 to be accessed.

[0039] In addition to the Web content server identification information, the URL also includes information such as path information and a query for the Web content server 1-05. The browser engine 2-51 accesses the Web content server 1-05 included in the URL and notifies the Web content server 1-05 of information other than the Web content server identification information included in the URL (such as the path information and the query).

[0040] The Web content server 1-05 analyzes this request, performs a predetermined process, and returns the requested Web content. As a result, the browser engine 2-51 acquires the Web content. In S6-140, the drawing control unit 2-55 performs rendering from the Web content acquired by the browser engine 2-51. In S6-150, the image data of the rendering result generated in S6-140 is stored in the storage 2-02 via the NW control unit 2-53. In S6-160, a URL for accessing the image data stored in the storage 2-02 is generated, and notified to the image forming device 3-00 that made the request. This completes the series of processes in FIG. 6(B).

[0041] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a communication control flow between the image forming apparatus 3-00, the virtual machine 1-07, and the Web content server 1-05. The user presses the button 4-06 on the home screen displayed on the operation unit 3-12 of the image forming apparatus, and the cloud web browser of the image forming apparatus 3-00 is started by the function control unit 3-51 (S7-010). When the cloud web browser is started, the screen shown in Fig. 5 is displayed on the operation unit 3-1. The user inputs the URL of the Web content that he or she wants to access into the address bar 5-1 displayed on the operation unit 3-1 (S7-15).

[0042] The image forming device 3-00 accesses the virtual machine 1-07 and requests the image forming device 3-00 and the virtual machine 1-07 to start browsers (S7-020). Next, the virtual machine 1-07 starts the browser 1-08 (S7-030). Next, in S7-040, the image forming device 3-00 notifies the Web content server 1-05 of the URL of the Web content specified by the user in S7-15 and requests rendering. The browser that has received the rendering request makes a content acquisition request (S7-050) to the Web content server 1-05 specified by the URL.

[0043] The Web content server 1-05 that receives this content acquisition request S7-050 returns the Web content of the specified URL (S7-060). The virtual machine 1-07 renders the received Web content in the browser 1-08 and saves the rendered image (S7-070). The virtual machine 1-07 returns a URL for accessing the saved rendered image (S7-080). The image forming device 3-00 issues an image acquisition request for the rendered image URL received in S7-080 (S7-090). The virtual machine 1-07 returns an image corresponding to the URL of the image acquisition request (S7-100). The image forming device 3-00 that has acquired the rendered image displays the image rendering on the operation unit 3-12 (S7-110). The user checks the screen displayed on the operation unit 3-12 and clicks on an item of the Web page displayed on the screen (S7-115). The image forming device 3-00 detects the user's click operation, acquires the clicked coordinate information, and requests click processing by adding the coordinate information (S7-120). The browser that receives the click processing request performs click processing (S7-130) based on the specified coordinate information.

[0044] In this click process (S7-130), if the click target is an HTML link, a content acquisition request is sent to the Web content server 1-05 of the URL specified in the link (S7-140). The Web content server 1-05 that has received the content acquisition request S7-140 returns the Web content of the specified URL (S7-150). The virtual machine 1-07 renders the received Web content in the browser 1-08 and saves the rendered image (S7-160). The virtual machine 1-07 returns a URL for accessing the saved rendered image to the image forming device 3-00 (S7-170). The image forming device 3-00 issues an image acquisition request for the rendered image URL received in S7-170 (S7-180). The virtual machine 1-07 returns an image corresponding to the URL of the image acquisition request (S7-190). The image forming device 3-00 that has acquired the rendered image displays the image rendering on the operation unit 3-12 (S7-200). When the user has finished using the browser, he or she issues a termination request to the image forming apparatus 3-00 (S7-210). The image forming apparatus 3-00 receives the termination request and requests the virtual machine 1-07 to terminate the browser (S7-220). The virtual machine 1-07, which has received the browser termination request, terminates the browser 1-08 (S7-230).

[0045] Figure 8 shows a sample screen when a web page is displayed by the cloud web browser. This screen is rendered by the browser engine 2-51, and the rendering result is displayed on the operation unit 3-1 of the MFP in Figure 3 by the cloud web browser function. The display result differs depending on the configuration of the web page of the accessed URL.

[0046] 8(A) is a sample of a web page displayed when accessing a web page of a cloud storage service that stores user files in a file cloud. This web page has a folder structure display area S8-001 that shows the folder structure stored in the cloud storage service, and a file upload button S8-002 for uploading a new file to the displayed folder.

[0047] When the user clicks on a Folder displayed in the folder structure display area S8-001, the click information is processed and the page is switched to one showing the contents of the clicked Folder. The switching of the screen display from the user's click is as shown in S7-015 to S7-0200 in FIG. 7. For example, when FolderA in FIG. 8(A) is clicked, the display is switched to that of FIG. 8(B) showing the contents of FolderA. FIG. 8(B) is a sample screen showing the contents of FolderA. This screen has a folder structure display area S8-011 showing the folder structure held by the cloud storage service, as in FIG. 8(A), and a file upload button S8-012 for uploading a new file to the displayed folder. When FolderA_1 is clicked here, the screen is switched to one showing the contents of FolderA_1, as in the case of clicking FolderA in FIG. 8(A). FIG. 8(C) is a sample screen showing the contents of FolderA_1 in FolderA.

[0048] Similar to Fig. 8(A), this screen has a folder structure display area S8-021 that shows the folder structure held by the cloud storage service, and a file upload button S8-022 for uploading a new file to the displayed folder. In Fig. 8(C), File1.pdf and File2.pdf are displayed in the folder structure display area S8-021. This indicates that two files, File1.pdf and File2.pdf, are held in FolderA_1. In addition, link information is associated with File1.pdf and File2.pdf, and the files can be downloaded by clicking on each of them.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a communication control flow between the image forming apparatus 3-00, the virtual machine 1-07, and the Web content server 1-05 when File1.pdf is clicked in FIG. 8C and File1.pdf is printed.

[0050] The user checks the screen displayed on the operation unit 3-12 and clicks on an item of the web page displayed on the screen (S9-010). The image forming device 3-00 makes a request to acquire the title of the web page currently displayed in the browser (S9-012). The virtual machine 1-07 receives the title acquisition request and returns the title information (S9-014). The image forming device 3-00 makes a request to acquire the URL of the web page currently displayed in the browser (S9-016). The virtual machine 1-07 receives the title acquisition request and returns the URL (S9-018). The image forming device 3-00 detects the user's click operation, acquires the clicked coordinate information, and requests click processing by adding the coordinate information (S9-020).

[0051] The virtual machine 1-07 that has received the click processing request performs click processing (S9-030) based on the specified coordinate information. Next, it performs click processing content judgment (S9-035) to determine what content has been processed by the click processing. If the click processing content judgment indicates that the processing is a link, it issues a content acquisition request to the Web content server 1-05 of the URL specified in the link (S9-040). The Web content server 1-05 that has received the content acquisition request S9-040 sends back the web content of the specified URL (S9-050). If the received web content is an image or document, the virtual machine 1-07 saves the web content (S9-060). The virtual machine 1-07 notifies the image forming apparatus 3-00 of the URL for accessing the saved web content (S9-070).

[0052] The image forming device 3-00 accesses the received URL and requests to download the web content (S9-080). The virtual machine 1-07 transmits the web content of the specified URL (S9-090). The image forming device 3-00 displays the print job setting screen shown in FIG. 10 to determine the settings for printing the downloaded data (S9-100). The user sets the print job (S9-110). The image forming device 3-00 prints the downloaded data based on the print job settings (S9-120). The image forming device 3-00 records the information at the time of printing in the history (S9-130). The history includes the execution date and time, the identification information of the executing user (user information), the executed job type, the title acquired in the flow S9-012, the URL acquired in S9-016, and the print settings (attribute information) of the job input in S9-120. The user information may be, for example, information about a user who has logged in and been authenticated to the image forming apparatus.

[0053] Fig. 10 is a sample of a print job setting screen, as shown in the flow of Fig. 9. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 3-1 in Fig. 3 of the MFP. This setting screen is displayed by the image forming device, which lays out setting items necessary for executing a print job of the image forming device. This setting screen display is performed by the image forming device alone. This screen includes a print job setting area 10-01 for specifying print job settings, a print job confirmation button 10-02 for starting printing with the specified job settings, and a print cancel button 10-03 for canceling printing.

[0054] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a communication control flow between the image forming device 3-00, the virtual machine 1-07, and the Web content server 1-05 when uploading a scanned image by clicking the upload button 8-022 in Fig. 8(C). The user checks the screen displayed on the operation unit 3-12 and clicks on an item of a Web page displayed on the screen (S11-010). The image forming device 3-00 makes a request to obtain the title of the Web page currently displayed in the browser (S11-012).

[0055] The virtual machine 1-07 receives the title acquisition request and returns the title information (S11-014). The image forming device 3-00 makes a request to acquire the URL of the web page currently displayed in the browser (S11-016). The virtual machine 1-07 receives the title acquisition request and returns the URL (S11-018). The image forming device 3-00 detects the user's click operation, acquires the clicked coordinate information, and adds the coordinate information to request click processing (S11-020).

[0056] The browser that has received the click processing request performs click processing (S11-030) based on the specified coordinate information. Next, a click processing content determination (S11-035) is performed to determine what content has been processed by the click processing. In this click processing content determination, <input> Determine whether the element type="file" is processed. <input> If the element type="file" is a process, the virtual machine 1-07 notifies the upload URL (S11-040).

[0057] The image forming device 3-00 displays the scan job setting screen shown in FIG. 12 in order to scan an image to be uploaded to the upload URL (S11-050). The user sets the scan job (S11-060). The image forming device 3-00 performs scanning according to the specified scan job settings (S11-070). The image forming device 3-00 transmits the scanned image data to the upload URL acquired in S11-040 (S11-075). The virtual machine 1-07 passes the received image data to the browser engine 2-51.

[0058] The browser engine 2-51 uploads the received image data to the Web content server 1-05 (S11-080). The Web content server 1-05 sends an upload completion notification (S11-090). The virtual machine 1-07 sends an upload completion notification (S11-100). The image forming apparatus 3-00 records the Web page information when the image was uploaded in the history (S11-110). At this time, the history stores the job execution date and time, information identifying the user who executed the job, the type of job executed, the title obtained in flow S11-012, the URL obtained in flow S11-016, and the job settings entered in flow S11-070, as shown in FIG.

[0059] Fig. 12 is a sample of a scan job setting screen, as shown in the flow of Fig. 11. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 3-1 in Fig. 3 of the MFP. This setting screen is displayed by the image forming device, which lays out setting items necessary for executing a print job of the image forming device. This setting screen display is performed by the image forming device alone. This screen includes a scan job setting area 12-01 for specifying scan job settings, a scan job confirmation button 12-02 for starting scanning with the specified job settings, and a scan cancel button 12-03 for canceling scanning.

[0060] 13 shows history information that records information about jobs submitted using the cloud web browser function of the image forming apparatus 3-00. This information is stored in the storage 3-04 of the image forming apparatus 3-00. This history stores the job execution date and time 13-01, information 13-02 for identifying the user who executed the job, the type of job executed 13-03, the title 13-04, the URL 13-05, and the settings 13-06 of the submitted job.

[0061] Fig. 14 is a sample of a history display screen that displays history information held by the cloud web browser of the image forming apparatus 3-00. This screen is displayed on the operation unit 3-1 of the MFP in Fig. 3. The history displayed here is filtered from the history information recorded as in Fig. 13 to display only the history of users who are using the cloud web browser.

[0062] This setting screen is displayed by the image forming apparatus, which lays out the display items. This setting screen display is performed solely by the image forming apparatus. FIG. 14(A) is an example of a screen displayed as a scan history screen when user 1 is using a cloud web browser. The scan history screen is composed of the following elements: The open button 14-01 is a button for opening a specific history. The date and time display area 14-02 is an area for displaying the date and time. The title display area 14-03 is an area for displaying the title. The URL display area 14-04 is an area for displaying the URL. The job setting display area 14-05 is an area for displaying the job settings.

[0063] FIG. 14(B) is a print history screen that displays the print history. The print history screen is composed of the following elements: Button display area 14-11 is an area for opening a specific history. Date and time display area 14-12 is an area for displaying the date and time. Title display area 14-13 is an area for displaying the title. URL display area 14-14 is an area for displaying the URL. Job setting display area 14-15 displays the job settings. History display areas (14-10 to 14-15) display specific history information. For example, the history displayed in history display area 14-10 displays the history information when a scan was performed from the Web page in FIG. 8(C).

[0064] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the process when the Previous Scan button (5-3), the Previous Print button (5-5) shown in Fig. 5, or the Open button 14-01 in Fig. 14 is pressed. The process of this flowchart is executed by the CPU 3-01 of the image forming apparatus 3-00. First, the CPU 3-01 acquires history information linked to the pressed Open button (S15-005). Next, the job type is confirmed from the acquired history information (S15-010). If the job here is a scan, the process proceeds to S15-020. If the job is a print job, the process proceeds to S15-030.

[0065] In S15-020, the CPU 3-01 updates the acquired job settings as the default settings for scan jobs. In S15-030, the CPU 3-01 updates the acquired job settings as the default settings for print jobs. Finally, a rendering request is made to the virtual machine 1-07 to open the page of the acquired URL. The process after the rendering request is the same as that after S7-020 in FIG. 7, and will not be described further. For example, when the open button associated with 14-10 in FIG. 14(A) is pressed, the web page in FIG. 8(C) is opened.

[0066] 16 is a flowchart showing a process for setting default job values ​​when the job setting screen (FIGS. 10 and 12) is displayed. The process of this flowchart is executed on the CPU 3-01 of the image forming apparatus 3-00.

[0067] Fig. 16(A) is a flow chart showing the process of setting default values ​​for a print job when the print job setting screen (Fig. 10) is displayed. First, the default settings for the print job that have been set in advance are read (S16-010). When a Web page is opened from the history, the job settings are updated to those saved in the history, as shown in S15-030 of Fig. 15. Next, the settings in the print job setting area 10-01 of the print job setting screen are reflected based on the default settings (S16-020).

[0068] Fig. 16(B) is a flow chart showing the process of setting the default values ​​for a scan job when the scan job setting screen (Fig. 12) is displayed. First, the preset default settings for the scan job are read (S16-030). When a Web page is opened from the history, the job settings are updated to those saved in the history, as shown in S15-020 of Fig. 15. Next, the settings in the scan job setting area 12-01 on the scan job setting screen are reflected based on the default settings (S16-020).

[0069] This simplifies the process of submitting a job with the same settings when you open a Web page from the history.

[0070] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart of a process for acquiring the history to be displayed on the history display screen (FIGS. 14(A) and (B)) from the history information in FIG. 13. The process of this flowchart is executed on the CPU 3-01 of the image forming apparatus 3-00. First, index information indicating which history information is to be accessed is initialized (S17-010). Next, it is confirmed whether the index is within the range of the number of histories (S17-020). If it is within the range, the process proceeds to S17-030, and if it is outside the range, the process ends. In S17-030, the index-th data is acquired from the history information (S17-030). Next, it is confirmed whether the user identification information 13-02 of the acquired data is the same as that of the current user using the cloud web browser (S17-040). If it is the same, the process proceeds to S17-050, and if it is different, the process proceeds to S17-070.

[0071] In S17-050, it is confirmed whether the job type information 13-03 of the acquired data is the same as the job type to be displayed (S17-050). If it is the same, proceed to S17-060, and if it is different, proceed to S17-070. In S17-060, the acquired data is displayed in the history. Next, the index is incremented (S17-070).

[0072] Fig. 18 shows a flowchart of the process of displaying the previous scan button (5-3) and the previous print button (5-5) shown in Fig. 5. The process of this flowchart is executed by the CPU 3-01 of the image forming device 3-00. First, it is confirmed whether printing is possible using the cloud web browser of the image forming device 3-00 (S18-010).

[0073] The determination of whether printing is possible is made based on whether the user using the cloud web browser has the authority to print. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to S18-020, and if printing is not possible, the process proceeds to S18-050. In S18-020, the CPU 3-01 acquires the previous print job history of the current user. Next, the CPU 3-01 sets the acquired print job history to the previous print button (5-5) (S18-030).

[0074] Next, the CPU 3-01 displays the previous print button (5-5) (S18-040). Next, the CPU 3-01 checks whether scanning is possible with the cloud web browser (S18-050). The CPU 3-01 determines whether scanning is possible based on whether the user using the cloud web browser has the authority to print. Alternatively, the CPU 3-01 determines whether the printer is equipped with a scanner, or whether there is a functional restriction on the scanner function (a setting for prohibiting or not using the function). If the printer is not equipped with a scanner, the CPU 3-01 determines that scanning is not possible, and makes the previous scan 5-3 unselectable. If scanning is possible, the process proceeds to S18-060, and if scanning is not possible, the process ends.

[0075] In S18-060, the CPU 3-01 acquires the previous scan job history of the current user (S18-060). Then, the CPU 3-01 sets the acquired scan job history to the previous scan button (5-3) (S18-070). Then, the CPU 3-01 displays the previous scan button (5-3) (S18-080).

[0076] With the above configuration, even if the folder to be accessed when executing a function and the setting information to be used when executing the function are managed in different locations, they can be stored and executed as a single history.

[0077] (Other embodiments) Although various examples and embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions within this specification.

[0078] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1-00 Image Generation System 1-01 Image forming device 1-07 Virtual Machine 2-01 CPU 2-04 Interface

Claims

1. A communication system having a server that renders web content, and an information processing device that communicates with the server and displays the web content based on a result of the rendering, The information processing device includes: a first execution means for executing a process based on a function of the information processing device; a first transmitting means for transmitting identification information and address information of the Web content to the server; a first receiving means for receiving a rendering image corresponding to the Web content from the server; a storage means for storing address information of the Web content accessed when the information processing device executes the function, based on the execution of the function by the information processing device; The server, a second receiving means for receiving the identification information and the address information of the Web content from the information processing device; and a second transmission means for accessing the Web content based on the address information, interpreting the Web content to generate a rendering image, and transmitting the rendering image to the information processing device.

2. The information processing apparatus has a reading unit for reading an original and generating image data, The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the functions include at least a function of generating image data by the reading means.

3. the information processing device has a printing means for printing image data on paper; 2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the functions include at least a function of printing image data on a sheet of paper by the printing means.

4. The information processing apparatus includes a reading unit for reading an original and generating image data; The information processing device has a printing means for printing image data on paper, The functions include at least a first function of generating image data by the reading means and a second function of printing the image data on a sheet by the printing means; The communication system described in claim 1, characterized in that the storage means stores first address information of the Web content that was accessed when the information processing device executed the first function based on the information processing device executing the first function, and stores second address information of the Web content that was accessed when the information processing device executed the second function based on the information processing device executing the second function.

5. The information processing device has a receiving means for receiving a selection from a user, the rendering image includes a first region that designates the first address information stored based on a first execution of the first function, and a second region that designates the second address information stored based on a second execution of the second function; The communication system described in claim 4, characterized in that in the receiving means, when the first area included in the rendering image is selected, the first transmitting means transmits the first address information to the server, and when the second area included in the rendering image is selected, the first transmitting means transmits the second address information to the server.

6. The communication system of claim 5, characterized in that the rendering image includes a third area specifying at least one third address information stored based on an execution of the first function prior to the first execution, and a fourth area specifying at least one fourth address information stored based on an execution of the second function prior to the second execution.

7. The identification information is user information, 5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the storage means stores the first address information and the second address information in association with user information.

8. 6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein when a functional restriction is set on the reading means in the information processing device, the rendering image makes the first area unselectable.

9. The communication system according to claim 4, characterized in that the storage means stores the first address information and the first attribute information based on the information processing device executing the first function, and stores the second address information and the second attribute information based on the information processing device executing the second function.

10. 10. The communication system according to claim 9, wherein the first attribute information and the second attribute information are setting information for print settings.

11. An information processing device that communicates with a server that renders Web content and displays the Web content based on a result of the rendering, a first execution means for executing a process based on a function of the information processing device; a first transmitting means for transmitting identification information and address information of the Web content to the server; a first receiving means for receiving a rendering image corresponding to the Web content based on the identification information and the address information from the server; a storage means for storing address information of the Web content that was accessed when the function was executed by the information processing device, based on the execution of the function by the information processing device.

12. A reading means for reading an original and generating image data is provided.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the functions include at least a function of generating image data by the reading means.

13. A printing means for printing image data on paper, 12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the functions include at least a function of printing image data on a sheet by the printing means.

14. A reading means for reading an original and generating image data; A printing means for printing image data on paper, The functions include at least a first function of generating image data by the reading means and a second function of printing the image data on a sheet by the printing means; The information processing device according to claim 11, characterized in that the storage means stores first address information of the Web content that was accessed when the information processing device executed the first function, based on the information processing device executing the first function, and stores second address information of the Web content that was accessed when the information processing device executed the second function, based on the information processing device executing the second function.

15. A receiving means for receiving a selection from a user, the rendering image includes a first region that designates the first address information stored based on a first execution of the first function, and a second region that designates the second address information stored based on a second execution of the second function; The information processing device according to claim 14, characterized in that in the receiving means, when the first area included in the rendering image is selected, the first transmitting means transmits the first address information to the server, and when the second area included in the rendering image is selected, the first transmitting means transmits the second address information to the server.

16. The information processing device of claim 15, characterized in that the rendering image includes a third area specifying at least one third address information stored based on an execution of the first function prior to the first execution, and a fourth area specifying at least one fourth address information stored based on an execution of the second function prior to the second execution.

17. The identification information is user information, 15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the storage means stores the first address information and the second address information in association with user information.

18. 16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, when a functional restriction is set on the reading means, the rendering image makes the first area unselectable.

19. 15. The information processing device according to claim 14, wherein the storage means stores the first address information and the first attribute information based on the execution of the first function, and stores the second address information and the second attribute information based on the execution of the second function.

20. 20. The information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first attribute information and the second attribute information are setting information of print settings.

Images