Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus capable of reducing establishment of wireless communication between the information processing apparatus and a terminal apparatus which is other than a terminal apparatus A carried by a user who is located around the information processing apparatus in order to use the information processing apparatus.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information on the information processing apparatus, the processor being configured to: generate a code image including the identification information and cause display means to display the code image; detect a communication from a terminal apparatus; if the communication includes the identification information on the information processing apparatus, make a request for connection to the terminal apparatus which has transmitted the communication, via the communication means that performs wireless communication to establish a connection to the terminal apparatus; and perform control, if a communication from another terminal apparatus is detected within a predetermined period of time from the establishment of the connection, so as not to connect with the other terminal apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 addresses the issue that when using a network service via a device installed in a public place, there is a risk that a third party may intercept and see a user ID and password when the user enters the ID and password into the operation unit of the device, and discloses an image processing device that can communicate with a user's mobile terminal having an authentication module for biometric authentication, and when it receives verification data issued by a service providing system, it identifies the authentication module possessed by the mobile terminal as the authentication module that should perform the biometric authentication, and causes the authentication module possessed by the mobile terminal to execute authentication processing for the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-198400 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although it is desired to perform wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device in order to use the information processing device, there are cases in which wireless communication is established between the information processing device and a terminal device B that is located farther away from the information processing device than the terminal device A. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and an information processing program that can reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than the terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device in order to use the information processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The gist of the present invention for achieving the above object resides in the following inventions. The invention of claim 1 is an information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection via a communication means which is wireless communication to the terminal device which is the source of the communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, controlling not to establish a connection with the other terminal device.

[0006] The invention of claim 2 is an information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the processor controls to allow connection to the other terminal device via the communication means when communication with the terminal device to which a connection has been established is not possible.

[0007] The invention of claim 3 is the information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the information processing device is an image processing device, and the processor controls the terminal device so that it does not connect to the other terminal device when the terminal device uses the reading function of the information processing device.

[0008] The invention of claim 4 is an information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection via a communication means which is wireless communication to the terminal device which is the source of the communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, connecting to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0009] The invention of claim 5 is the information processing device described in claim 4, wherein the information processing device is an image processing device, and the processor enables connection to the other terminal devices via the communication means when the terminal device and the other terminal devices use the printing function of the information processing device.

[0010] The invention of claim 6 is an information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection via a communication means which is wireless communication to the terminal device which is the source of the communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, and if the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the terminal device, controlling to enable a connection to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0011] The invention of claim 7 is an information processing device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, and the processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection via a communication means which is wireless communication to the terminal device which is the source of the communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and after establishing the connection, acquiring authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and permitting the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the acquired authentication information.

[0012] The invention of claim 8 is the information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the processor performs authentication in the information processing device to determine whether or not the permission is granted.

[0013] The invention of claim 9 is the information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the processor requests another authentication device to authenticate authentication information regarding the permission, and obtains an authentication result from the other authentication device.

[0014] The invention of claim 10 is an information processing system having an information processing device and a second processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the first processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, controlling not to connect to the other terminal device, the information processing device and a second processor, the second processor reading the encoded image using a reading means, extracting the identification information from the encoded image, and communicating including the identification information, receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device.

[0015] The invention of claim 11 is an information processing system having a terminal device, the information processing system comprising an information processing device and a first processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the first processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means which is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, connecting to the other terminal device via the communication means, the second processor reading the encoded image using a reading means, extracting the identification information from the encoded image, and communicating including the identification information, receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means which is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device.

[0016] The invention of claim 12 is an information processing system having an information processing device and a second processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the first processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, and the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the terminal device, controlling to enable a connection to the other terminal device via the communication means, the second processor reading the encoded image using a reading means, extracting the identification information from the encoded image, and communicating including the identification information, receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device.

[0017] The invention of claim 13 is an information processing system having a terminal device, the information processing system comprising an information processing device and a first processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, the first processor generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying it on a display means, detecting communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requesting a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device, and after establishing the connection, acquiring authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and allowing the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the acquired authentication information, the information processing system comprising an information processing device and a second processor, the second processor reading the encoded image using a reading means, extracting the identification information from the encoded image, and communicating including the identification information, receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication, and controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device.

[0018] The invention of claim 14 is an information processing program for executing a process in which the memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, and the processor generates an encoded image including the identification information and displays it on a display means, detects communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requests a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means which is wireless communication, and controls to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, controls not to connect to the other terminal device.

[0019] The invention of claim 15 is an information processing program for executing a process in which the memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, and the processor generates an encoded image including the identification information and displays it on a display means, detects communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requests a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means which is wireless communication, and controls to establish a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, connects to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0020] The invention of claim 16 is an information processing program for executing a process in which the memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, and the processor generates an encoded image including the identification information and displays it on a display means, detects communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, controls to request a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means which is wireless communication, and establishes a connection with the terminal device, and if communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after establishing the connection, and the other terminal device is closer to this information processing device than the terminal device, controls to enable a connection to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0021] The invention of claim 17 is an information processing program for executing a process in which the memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, and the processor generates an encoded image including the identification information and displays it on a display means, detects communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes the identification information of the information processing device, requests a connection to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means which is wireless communication, controls to establish a connection with the terminal device, and after establishing the connection, obtains authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and allows the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the obtained authentication information. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the information processing device of claim 1, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, it is possible to control so as not to connect to the other terminal device.

[0023] According to the information processing device of claim 2, when communication with a terminal device with which a connection has been established cannot be established, it is possible to perform control so as to permit connection to another terminal device.

[0024] According to the information processing device of claim 3, when the terminal device uses the reading function, it is possible to control so as not to connect to other terminal devices.

[0025] According to the information processing device of claim 4, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, it is possible to connect to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0026] According to the information processing device of claim 5, when the terminal device and the other terminal device use the print function, it is possible to make the connection to the other terminal device possible.

[0027] According to the information processing device of claim 6, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than the terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established and the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the terminal device, it is possible to control the information processing device to enable connection to the other terminal device.

[0028] According to the information processing device of claim 7, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than the terminal device A carried by a user in the vicinity of the information processing device in order to use the information processing device. After establishing a connection, it is possible to permit the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the authentication information.

[0029] According to the information processing device of claim 8, it is possible to determine whether or not permission is granted by performing authentication in the information processing device.

[0030] According to the information processing device of claim 9, it is possible to request another authentication device to authenticate authentication information, and to obtain an authentication result from the other authentication device.

[0031] According to the information processing system of claim 10, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after a connection is established, it is possible to control so as not to connect to the other terminal device.

[0032] According to the information processing system of claim 11, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between the information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, it is possible to connect to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0033] According to the information processing system of claim 12, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after a connection is established and the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the terminal device, it is possible to control the other terminal device to be able to connect.

[0034] According to the information processing system of claim 13, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user in the vicinity of the information processing device in order to use the information processing device. After establishing a connection, it is possible to permit the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the authentication information.

[0035] According to the information processing program of claim 14, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after a connection is established, it is possible to control so as not to connect to the other terminal device.

[0036] According to the information processing program of claim 15, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, it is possible to connect to the other terminal device via the communication means.

[0037] According to the information processing program of claim 16, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user who is in the vicinity of the information processing device to use the information processing device. Then, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after a connection is established and the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the terminal device, it is possible to control the information processing device to enable connection to the other terminal device.

[0038] According to the information processing program of claim 17, it is possible to reduce wireless communication between an information processing device and a terminal device other than terminal device A carried by a user in the vicinity of the information processing device in order to use the information processing device. After establishing a connection, it is possible to permit the user of the terminal device to use a service based on the authentication information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1A] FIG. 2 is a conceptual module configuration diagram of a configuration example of the present embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a conceptual module configuration diagram of a configuration example of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system configuration using the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a connection process between an image processing device and a terminal device is performed without using the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a system configuration using the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system configuration including specific devices related to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7A] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7B] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of connection information. [Figure 9A] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9B] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. [Figure 15] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a conceptual module configuration of an example of the configuration of this embodiment. In addition, a module generally refers to a logically separable piece of software (including a computer program as an interpretation of "software"), hardware, etc. Therefore, the module in this embodiment refers not only to a module in a computer program, but also to a module in a hardware configuration. Therefore, this embodiment also describes a computer program for functioning as those modules (for example, a program for causing a computer to execute each procedure, a program for causing a computer to function as each means, a program for causing a computer to realize each function), a system, and a method. However, for convenience of explanation, words such as "store" and "store" are used, but these words mean to store in a storage device or to control to store in a storage device when the embodiment is a computer program. In addition, a module may correspond one-to-one to a function, but in implementation, one module may be configured with one program, multiple modules may be configured with one program, or conversely, one module may be configured with multiple programs. In addition, multiple modules may be executed by one computer, or one module may be executed by multiple computers by computers in a distributed or parallel environment. In addition, one module may contain other modules. In the following, the term "connection" is used not only for physical connection but also for logical connection (e.g., data transfer, instruction, reference relationship between data, login, etc.). "Predetermined" means that it is determined before the target processing, and is used to include the meaning that it is determined according to the situation or state at that time or according to the situation or state up to that point, not only before the processing according to this embodiment starts, but also after the processing according to this embodiment starts, so long as it is before the target processing. When there are multiple "predetermined values", each may be a different value, or two or more values ​​("two or more values" includes all values, of course) may be the same. In addition, the description "If A, do B" is used to mean "determine whether A is true, and if it is determined that A is true, do B."However, this does not include cases where it is not necessary to judge whether it is A or not. In addition, when things are listed as "A, B, C", etc., this is an illustrative list unless otherwise specified, and includes cases where only one of them is selected (for example, only A). Furthermore, a system or device may be configured by connecting multiple computers, hardware, devices, etc. via a communication means such as a network ("network" includes one-to-one communication connections), and may also be realized by a single computer, hardware, device, etc. "Device" and "system" are used as synonymous terms. Needless to say, a "system" does not include anything that is merely a social "mechanism" (i.e., a social system) that is an artificial arrangement. Furthermore, for each process by each module, or for each process when multiple processes are performed within a module, the target information is read from the storage device, and after the process is performed, the processing results are written to the storage device. Therefore, the description of reading from the storage device before processing and writing to the storage device after processing may be omitted.

[0041] The information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment shown in the example of FIG. 1A has a function of performing wireless communication processing with a terminal device 250 carried by a user 210. As shown in the example of FIG. 1A, the information processing device 100 has at least a processor 105, a memory 110, and a communication device 195, and is configured with a bus 198 for connecting them to exchange data. In addition, the information processing device 100 may have an output device 185 and a reception device 190. Data is exchanged between the processor 105, the memory 110, the output device 185, the reception device 190, and the communication device 195 via the bus 198.

[0042] The block diagram shown in the example of Fig. 1A also shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the information processing device 100 of this embodiment. The hardware configuration of the computer on which the program of this embodiment is executed is a computer as shown in Fig. 1A, specifically a personal computer, a computer that can be a server, etc. As a specific example, a processor 105 is used as a processing unit, and a memory 110 is used as a storage device.

[0043] The number of processors 105 may be one or more. Examples of the processor 105 include a CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit), a microprocessor, etc. When a plurality of processors 105 are used, the processors may be in the form of either a tightly coupled multiprocessor or a loosely coupled multiprocessor. For example, a single processor 105 may be equipped with a plurality of processor cores. Furthermore, a system may be provided in which a plurality of computers are connected via a communication path to behave virtually as if they were a single computer. As a specific example, the loosely coupled multiprocessor may be configured as a cluster system or a computer cluster. The processor 105 executes a program in the program memory 140.

[0044] The memory 110 may include, for example, semiconductor memory inside the processor 105, such as a register or cache memory, a main memory which is a primary storage device composed of RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory) or ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory), or an internal storage device such as an HDD (abbreviation of Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (abbreviation of Solid State Drive) having a function as a persistent storage device, an external storage device or auxiliary storage device such as a CD, DVD, Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, USB memory, or memory card, or may also include a storage device such as a server connected via a communication line. The memory 110 has a data memory 120 that mainly stores data, and a program memory 140 that mainly stores programs. Note that the data memory 120 and the program memory 140 may store, in addition to the illustrated information and module programs, programs such as an OS for starting up the computer, and data such as parameters that change as appropriate during execution of the modules.

[0045] The output device 185 includes, for example, a display device 187, a printing device 189, etc. The display device 187, such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a three-dimensional display, a projector, etc., displays the processing results by the processor 105, the data in the data memory 120, etc. as text, image information, etc. The printing device 189, such as a printer, a multifunction device, etc., prints the processing results by the processor 105, the data in the data memory 120, etc. In addition, the output device 185 may include a speaker, an actuator that vibrates a device, etc. The reception device 190 includes, for example, an instruction reception device 192, a document reading device 194, etc. The instruction reception device 192, which includes a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a camera (including a gaze detection camera, etc.), etc., receives data based on the user's operations (including movements, voice, gaze, etc.) on these devices. Also, there may be a device, such as a touch screen, that has the functions of both the display device 187 and the instruction receiving device 192. In that case, even if there are no physical keys, the keyboard function may be realized by drawing a keyboard (also called a software keyboard or a screen keyboard) on the touch screen by software to realize the keyboard function. As a user interface, a display device 187 and an instruction receiving device 192 are mainly used. A document reading device 194 such as a scanner or camera reads or photographs a document and accepts the resulting image data.

[0046] The communication device 195 is a communication line interface such as a network card for connecting to other devices via a communication line. The wireless communication module 195A (an example of a "communication means") performs wireless communication with the terminal device 250. For example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), BLE (abbreviation of Bluetooth Low Energy), Wi-Fi, etc. are applicable. In the following, BLE will be used for illustration. The wired communication module 195B performs wired communication with other devices (for example, the service providing device 230 described later with reference to FIG. 2, the FIDO server 565 described later with reference to FIG. 5, the cloud server (contract) 570, the cloud server (public) 575, etc.). For example, communication via the Internet is possible.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the computer program is implemented by loading a computer program, which is software, into the program memory 140 of the present hardware configuration, and the software and hardware resources work together to realize the present embodiment. In other words, the present embodiment is specifically realized by software information processing using hardware resources (including at least the processor 105, memory 110, and possibly the output device 185, the receiving device 190, and the communication device 195), and utilizes the laws of nature as a whole. 1A and 1B are merely examples of the hardware configuration, and the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1A and 1B, and may be configured in any manner that can execute the modules described in the present embodiment. For example, a GPU (abbreviation of Graphics Processing Unit, including GPGPU (abbreviation of General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units)) may be used as the processor 105 and the processor 255, or some of the modules may be executed using dedicated hardware (for example, an application specific integrated circuit (a specific example is ASIC (abbreviation of Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) or a reconfigurable integrated circuit (a specific example is FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)). Array), some of the modules may be in an external system and connected via a communication line, or a plurality of the systems shown in Figs. 1A and 1B may be connected to each other via a communication line and operate in cooperation with each other. In particular, the information processing device 100 shown in the example of Fig. 1A may be incorporated in, for example, a server, a personal computer, an information appliance, a robot, a copier, a fax, a scanner, a printer, a multifunction machine (an image processing device having two or more functions of a scanner, a printer, a copier, a fax, etc.). The terminal device 250 shown in the example of Fig. 1B may be incorporated in, for example, a portable information communication device (including a mobile phone, a smartphone, a mobile device, a wearable computer, etc.).

[0048] The processor 105 is connected to the memory 110, the output device 185, the reception device 190, and the communication device 195 via a bus 198. The processor 105 executes processing according to a computer program that describes the execution sequence of each module, which is a program in the program memory 140. For example, when the wireless communication module 195A receives communication from the terminal device 250 or the instruction reception device 192 receives an operation from a user, the processor 105 executes processing by a module corresponding to the operation in the program memory 140, stores the processing result in the data memory 120, outputs it to the display device 187, or controls the communication device 195 to transmit it to another device.

[0049] The memory 110 includes a data memory 120 and a program memory 140 , and is connected to the processor 105 , the output device 185 , the reception device 190 , and the communication device 195 via a bus 198 .

[0050] The data memory 120 includes an identification information storage module 122 . The identification information storage module 122 stores identification information of the information processing device 100. The identification information is information for uniquely identifying the information processing device 100 in this embodiment (including a system configuration of the information processing device 100 alone and a system configuration of the information processing device 100 and the terminal device 250), and may be, for example, a MAC address (Media Access Control address), a hash value, a manufacturing number (serial number), a name, or the like, assigned to the information processing device 100. The identification number in the identification information storage module 122 may be unique information, and may be subject to change as described below.

[0051] The program memory 140 stores an encoded image generation module 142 and a wireless communication control module 144 . The encoded image generating module 142 generates an encoded image including the identification information in the identification information storage module 122, and displays it on the display device 187. The encoded image refers to an image code that is systematically created to represent electronic data in a machine-readable manner, and specifically includes a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional code, etc. In particular, QR codes (Quick Response code: registered trademark) have been used recently as two-dimensional codes, and this QR code is also exemplified in this embodiment. The encoded image displayed on the display device 187 is read by the terminal device 250 . In other words, a terminal device 250 capable of reading an encoded image (or a user 210 carrying the terminal device 250) can read an encoded image displayed on the display device 187 of the information processing device 100, and is therefore considered to be in close proximity to the information processing device 100. In this case, close proximity means at least being close enough to read the encoded image displayed on the display device 187 using the camera function of the terminal device 250. More specifically, the encoded image generation module 142 may generate an encoded image including connection information 800, which will be described later using the example of FIG. An instruction to the effect that "Please load the encoded image into your terminal device 250" may be displayed on the display device 187 together with the encoded image.

[0052] The wireless communication control module 144 detects a communication from the terminal device 250, and when the communication includes identification information of the information processing device 100, requests a connection to the terminal device 250 that is the source of the communication via the wireless communication module 195A, which is wireless communication. That is, this is the case when a communication from the terminal device 250 that has read the encoded image displayed on the display device 187 of the information processing device 100 is detected. Here, the "communication" in "detecting communication from the terminal device 250" corresponds to, for example, a beacon or the like from the terminal device 250. Then, the wireless communication control module 144 performs control so as to establish a connection with the terminal device 250 .

[0053] Furthermore, the wireless communication control module 144 may be configured to perform control so as not to request a connection with the terminal device 250 when the communication detects a communication from the terminal device 250 and the communication does not include identification information of the information processing device 100. That is, this is the case when the wireless communication control module 144 detects a communication from a terminal device 250 that has not read the encoded image displayed on the display device 187 of the information processing device 100. Needless to say, a wireless communication connection with the terminal device 250 will not be established.

[0054] Furthermore, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication from another terminal device 250 within a predetermined period after the connection is established, the wireless communication control module 144 may perform control so as not to establish a connection with the other terminal device 250. In other words, the information processing device 100 performs wireless communication only with the terminal device 250 with which the information processing device 100 first establishes a wireless communication connection by the wireless communication module 195A. Here, the "other terminal device 250" refers to a terminal device 250 other than the terminal device 250 with which a wireless communication connection has already been established.

[0055] However, when communication with the terminal device 250 with which a connection has been established cannot be established, the wireless communication control module 144 may perform control so as to permit connection to another terminal device 250 via the wireless communication module 195A.

[0056] The information processing device 100 may also be an image processing device. In this case, the wireless communication control module 144 may control the terminal device 250 not to connect to other terminal devices 250 when the terminal device 250 uses the reading function of the information processing device 100 (scanning function in which the terminal device 250 acquires an image made by using the document reading device 194). This is because the reading function is not used by multiple people, but the information processing device 100 should be used by one person. A specific explanation will be given. When using the reading function in which the terminal device 250 acquires an image of a document read by the document reading device 194 of the information processing device 100, it is important that the person who places the document on the document reading device 194 of the information processing device 100 and issues an instruction to execute reading is the person who operates the information processing device 100 in front of the information processing device 100. In the case of wireless communication, since it is possible to connect to the terminal device 250 of a person who is a little far away, if the destination terminal device 250 is mistaken, the image of the document read may be transmitted to the terminal device 250 of another person instead of the terminal device 250 of the person who operated it. Therefore, it is not preferable to connect to multiple terminal devices 250 at the same time. Furthermore, for example, if information indicating which function of the information processing device 100 to use is included in the information transmitted in communication from the terminal device 250, it will be possible for the terminal device 250 and other terminal devices 250 to determine whether or not to use the reading function of the information processing device 100.

[0057] Furthermore, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication from another terminal device 250 within a predetermined period after the establishment of the connection, the wireless communication control module 144 may also connect to the other terminal device 250 via the wireless communication module 195A. That is, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication not only with the terminal device 250 with which the wireless communication connection by the wireless communication module 195A was first established, but also with the second or subsequent terminal device 250, and the communication contains the identification information of the information processing device 100 (the identification information embedded in the encoded image displayed by the display device 187), the information processing device 100 connects to the second or subsequent terminal device 250 via the wireless communication module 195A to establish a wireless communication connection.

[0058] The information processing device 100 may also be an image processing device. In this case, when the terminal device 250 and the other terminal device 250 use the printing function of the information processing device 100 (printing function using the printer 189), the wireless communication control module 144 may also enable connection to the other terminal device 250 via the wireless communication module 195A. The printing function only requires sequential processing of received print instructions, and can be used in a connected state by multiple people, so the information processing device 100 can be used by multiple people. A specific explanation will be given. When the terminal device 250 uses the printing function of the information processing device 100, it only requires sending a print job, so even if print jobs are received from multiple terminal devices 250 at the same time, they can be printed in the order of reception, so there is no problem with multiple connections at the same time. Furthermore, for example, if the communication from the terminal device 250 includes information indicating which function of the information processing device 100 to use, it will be possible for the terminal device 250 and other terminal devices 250 to determine whether or not to use the printing function of the information processing device 100.

[0059] In addition, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication from another terminal device 250 within a predetermined period after the connection is established, and the other terminal device 250 is closer to the information processing device 100 than the terminal device 250, the wireless communication control module 144 may control the other terminal device 250 to be able to connect via the wireless communication module 195A. For example, whether the terminal device 250 is closer to the information processing device 100 may be determined based on the strength of the radio wave received from the terminal device 250. Specifically, when the strength of the radio wave received from the terminal device 250 (terminal device 250A) that has already established a connection is stronger than the strength of the radio wave received from the other terminal device 250 (terminal device 250B), it indicates that the terminal device 250A is closer to the information processing device 100 than the terminal device 250B. Of course, conversely, when the strength of the radio wave received from the terminal device 250B is stronger than the strength of the radio wave received from the terminal device 250A, it indicates that the terminal device 250B is closer to the information processing device 100 than the terminal device 250A.

[0060] Furthermore, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication from the terminal device 250, if the communication contains information indicating a FIDO service, the wireless communication control module 144 may control to connect to the terminal device 250 that is the source of the communication via the wireless communication module 195A. In other words, if the communication from the terminal device 250 contains identification information of the information processing device 100 and information indicating a FIDO service, the wireless communication control module 144 controls to connect to the terminal device 250 that is the source of the communication via the wireless communication module 195A. Furthermore, when the wireless communication control module 144 detects communication from the terminal device 250, if the communication does not include information indicating a FIDO service, the wireless communication control module 144 may control not to connect to the terminal device 250 that is the source of the communication. In other words, even if the communication from the terminal device 250 includes identification information of the information processing device 100, if there is no information indicating a FIDO service, the wireless communication control module 144 controls not to connect to the terminal device 250 that is the source of the communication.

[0061] Furthermore, the encoded image generation module 142 may change the identification information after the display device 187 displays the identification information of the information processing device 100. For example, this is to prevent the terminal device 250 from performing wireless communication via the wireless communication module 195A of the information processing device 100 and then moving away from the information processing device 100 after performing wireless communication via the wireless communication module 195A. Note that "after the display device 187 displays the identification information of the information processing device 100" may be changed to "after a wireless communication connection is established via the wireless communication module 195A", which is even later. The timing for changing the identification information of the information processing device 100 may further be one of the following, or a combination of these: when the information processing device 100 is started up; when the information processing device 100 enters a power saving state; when the information processing device 100 recovers from a power saving state; at predetermined intervals; when a connection with the terminal device 250 is established; when the connection with the terminal device 250 is terminated; when an operator performs a change operation; or when an operator performs an operation to display an encoded image.

[0062] The encoded image generating module 142 may generate an encoded image including a password in addition to the identification information of the information processing device 100. The password is for decrypting the identification information included in the communication from the terminal device 250. The wireless communication control module 144 may then use the password to decrypt the identification information included in the communication from the terminal device 250 .

[0063] Furthermore, the encoded image generation module 142 may generate an encoded image including information indicating services that can be provided via the information processing device 100 in addition to the identification information of the information processing device 100 . The wireless communication control module 144 may then use information indicating the service included in the communication from the terminal device 250 to connect to an external service.

[0064] Furthermore, after establishing the connection, the wireless communication control module 144 may acquire authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device 250, and permit the user of the information processing device 100 to use the service based on the acquired authentication information. For example, the process related to this authentication information is a process after "BLE connection" and corresponds to an authentication process for using the service in CTAP communication. Moreover, the information processing device 100 may perform authentication to determine whether or not the permission is granted. In addition, the authorization may be granted by requesting another authentication device to authenticate the authentication information and obtaining the authentication result from the other authentication device. Specifically, the "other authentication device" may be a FIDO server (including a FIDO2 server) or the like.

[0065] The terminal device 250 according to the present embodiment shown in the example of FIG. 1B has a function of performing wireless communication processing with the information processing device 100 that the user 210 is going to use. As shown in the example of FIG. 1B, the terminal device 250 has at least a processor 255, a memory 260, and a communication device 288, and is configured with a bus 298 for connecting them to exchange data. In addition, the terminal device 250 may have an output device 278 and a reception device 282. Data is exchanged between the processor 255, the memory 260, the output device 278, the reception device 282, and the communication device 288 via the bus 298.

[0066] The block diagram shown in the example of Fig. 1B also shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer that realizes the terminal device 250 of this embodiment. The hardware configuration of the computer on which the program of this embodiment is executed is a computer as shown in Fig. 1B, specifically, a computer that can be a mobile information communication device. As a specific example, a processor 255 is used as a processing unit, and a memory 260 is used as a storage device.

[0067] The functions of the processor 255, memory 260, output device 278, reception device 282, communication device 288, and bus 298 in the terminal device 250 correspond to the functions of the processor 105, memory 110, output device 185, reception device 190, communication device 195, and bus 198 in the information processing device 100, respectively, and have equivalent functions. Similarly, the data memory 267 corresponds to the data memory 120, the program memory 270 corresponds to the program memory 140, the display device 280 corresponds to the display device 187, the instruction reception device 284 corresponds to the instruction reception device 192, and the wireless communication module 290 corresponds to the wireless communication module 195A, and have equivalent functions. The camera 286 captures the above-mentioned encoded image (the encoded image displayed by the information processing device 100) as a digital image in response to the operation by the user 210 of the instruction reception device 284, which also serves as a shutter. The encoded image captured by the camera 286 is passed to the encoded image analysis module 272. Of course, as described above, the terminal device 250 is a portable information communication device and is therefore small enough to be carried by a human.

[0068] The identification information storage module 267 stores the identification information of the information processing device 100 extracted from the encoded image by the encoded image analysis module 272 . The encoded image analysis module 272 receives an encoded image captured by the camera 286, analyzes the encoded image, and extracts identification information of the information processing device 100 embedded in the encoded image. The wireless communication control module 274 performs communication including the identification information, receives a connection request from the information processing device 100 via the wireless communication module 290 (an example of a second communication means), and performs control to establish a connection with the information processing device 100. The wireless communication control module 274 mainly performs wireless communication with the wireless communication control module 144 of the information processing device 100. As described above, this corresponds to BLE and the like. Additionally, the communication device 288 may also be capable of communication via wireless telephone, wireless internet, or the like.

[0069] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system configuration using this embodiment. The image processing device 200 includes the information processing device 100. An example in which the information processing device 100 is an image processing device is shown. The user 210 carries a terminal device 250. The terminal device 250 is a portable information communication device that the user 210 can carry, has a camera function, and is capable of reading an encoded image displayed on the display device 187 of the information processing device 100.

[0070] The image processing device 200A, the image processing device 200B, and the service providing device 230 are connected to each other via a communication line 299. The communication line 299 may be wireless, wired, or a combination of these, and may be, for example, the Internet, an intranet, or the like as a communication infrastructure. The service providing device 230 provides a service to the terminal device 250 (or the user 210) via the image processing device 200. As a service, for example, a document printed by the image processing device 200 is stored, or a document read by the image processing device 200 is stored. Furthermore, the function of the service providing device 230 may be realized as a cloud service.

[0071] When the image processing device 200 and the terminal device 250 are connected by wireless communication using BLE, the closest image processing device 200 and the terminal device 250 are not necessarily connected. For example, even if a user 210A carrying a terminal device 250A approaches the image processing device 200A to use the image processing device 200A, the terminal device 250A and the image processing device 200A are not connected, and instead, the terminal device 250B carried by a user 210B may be connected to the image processing device 200A. Therefore, the image processing device 200A first displays an encoded image in which the identification information of the image processing device 200A (information processing device 100A) is embedded. In this case, only the terminal device 250A held by the user 210A who is close enough to operate the image processing device 200A can read the identification information. The terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B perform beacon communication to connect to the image processing device 200 (not necessarily the image processing device 200A), and when the identification information of the image processing device 200A itself is included in the beacon communication, a BLE connection with the image processing device 200A is established. In the example of FIG. 2, a BLE connection is established between the image processing device 200A and the terminal device 250A, but not between the image processing device 200A and the terminal device 250B. This is because the beacon of the terminal device 250B does not include the identification information of the image processing device 200A, and this is because the encoded image displayed on the image processing device 200A is not read.

[0072] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a case where a connection process is performed between the image processing device 300 and the terminal device 250 without using this embodiment. That is, this shows an example of a case where the image processing device 300 does not display an encoded image in which identification information of the image processing device 300 itself is embedded. In BLE, it is possible to identify a terminal by receiving a broadcast packet called an Advertising packet and analyzing its contents. However, assuming that the image processing device 300 is installed in an office, when there are multiple terminal devices 250 in the vicinity, it is difficult to determine whether the terminal device 250 detected by the image processing device 300 is really that of the user 210A who is in front of the image processing device 300 itself. In other words, there is a concern of erroneous connection. Note that the accuracy of position detection based on the strength of the received Bluetooth radio waves is low, and it is difficult to determine the nearest terminal device 250 based only on the strength of the received radio waves. In other words, if the user 210B who is near the image processing device 300 also launches the same application as the terminal device 250A, the terminal device 250B may be detected.

[0073] The following will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in the example of Fig. 3. The person attempting to use image processing device 300 is user 210A carrying terminal device 250A (user 210A standing in front of image processing device 300), and user 210B carrying terminal device 250B is a person who happens to be passing by image processing device 300. However, both terminal device 250A and terminal device 250B have launched an application for using image processing device 300. In addition, the CTAP2 specification used in FIDO2 prescribes a procedure in which the Authenticator (terminal device 250) transmits an advertising packet including a FIDO UUID, and the Browser (image processing device 300) searches for and connects to the terminal device 250 (FIDO UUID). Processing conforming to the FIDO2 CTAP2 specification is performed.

[0074] In step S302, the terminal device 250A transmits a beacon (A). This corresponds to the transmission of the advertising packet described above. However, it is assumed that the image processing device 300 cannot receive this beacon (A). In step S304, the terminal device 250B transmits a beacon (B). This corresponds to the transmission of the advertising packet described above. It is assumed that the image processing device 300 receives this beacon (B).

[0075] In step S306, the image processing device 300 determines that the source of the detected beacon is the terminal device 250B. In step S308, the image processing device 300 sends a connection request to the terminal device 250B.

[0076] In step S310, the terminal device 250B responds to the connection request. In step S312, a connection is established between the image processing device 300 and the terminal device 250B.

[0077] In this way, there is a possibility that an advertising packet of a beacon transmitted by the terminal device 250B may be acquired, and in this case, a connection may not necessarily be established with the nearest terminal device 250 (which would normally be the terminal device 250A). Therefore, the image processing device 300 should establish a wireless communication connection with the nearest terminal device 250 (terminal device 250 of user 210 standing in front of the image processing device 300 to use the image processing device 300). In the following, a process will be described in which the image processing device 300 according to this embodiment reduces wireless communication with terminal devices other than those held by users in the vicinity of the image processing device 300.

[0078] In addition, for example, when using a network service via an image processing device 300 installed in a public place, when entering a user ID and password into the operation screen of the image processing device 300, in order to address the risk of a third party intercepting the information, biometric authentication is performed on the terminal device 250, the verification results are sent to the image processing device 300, and an access token is issued if the user is authenticated by the verification system. When authentication modules of multiple terminal devices 250 are found, in order to identify the authentication module, one of the authentication methods and communication methods is displayed on the screen of the image processing device 300, and the user 210 who possesses the terminal device 250 must manually select one. Since the image processing device 300 installed in a public place does not have the usage authority of the user 210 who owns the terminal device 250 registered therein, the image processing device 300 cannot switch to the services and billing method provided by the image processing device 300 that conform to the terms of use contract for the user 210. In this embodiment, the terminal device 250 (authentication module) carried by the user 210 who wishes to use the image processing device 300 is automatically identified and a BLE connection can be established, thereby preventing erroneous connection and eliminating the need for operations to select an authentication method and a communication method for identifying the authentication module. By being able to identify the usage authority of the user 210 who owns the terminal device 250 to which the image processing device 300 is connected before performing authentication processing by the FIDO server 565, it is possible to automatically switch the services provided and the billing method, and provide operational assistance according to the usage authority.

[0079] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a system configuration using this embodiment. The image processing device 300 includes a printer control module 315, a scanner control module 320, an operation panel control module 325, an encoded image control module 330, a BLE control module 335, a RAM 337, a BLE stack 339, a BLE interface module 340, and a communication interface module 350. The image processing device 300 is a specific example of the above-mentioned information processing device 100 (or the image processing device 200).

[0080] The printer control module 315, the scanner control module 320, the operation panel control module 325, the encoded image control module 330, the BLE control module 335, the BLE interface module 340, and the communication interface module 350 are each connected via a bus 390. A printer 305 and a scanner 310 are connected to the image processing device 300 . The printer 305 is connected to a printer control module 315. The printer control module 315 controls the printing process performed by the printer 305. The scanner 310 is connected to a scanner control module 320. The scanner control module 320 controls the reading process performed by the scanner 310.

[0081] The operation panel control module 325 controls a panel capable of displaying and accepting operations. For example, the operation panel control module 325 displays an encoded image in which identification information of the image processing device 300 is embedded on the panel, accepts operations on the image processing device 300 by the user 210, and displays the processing results of the image processing device 300, etc. The encoded image control module 330 is an example of the encoded image generation module 142 described above. The BLE control module 335 is connected to the RAM 337 and the BLE stack 339. The BLE control module 335 is an example of the above-mentioned wireless communication control module 144. Specifically, the BLE control module 335 controls BLE communication and CTAP communication for FIDO server authentication. The RAM 337 is connected to the BLE control module 335. The RAM 337 stores a local name, a one-time password, tenant ticket information, and the like. The BLE stack 339 is connected to the BLE control module 335. The BLE stack 339 stores a collection of protocols for BLE communication, and is constructed hierarchically. One communication is composed of multiple protocols. Each protocol communicates with the protocols in the upper and lower layers. The lowest protocol layer is a layer that communicates with hardware, and the higher the layer, the more the protocol functions of that layer are added. The communication interface module 350 is connected to the communication line 299. The communication interface module 350 is an example of the above-mentioned wired communication module 195B. Specifically, the communication interface module 350 is connected to the service providing device 230 (which may further include a FIDO server) via the Internet. The BLE interface module 340 is connected to the BLE antenna 355, and is controlled by the BLE control module 335. The BLE interface module 340 and the BLE antenna 355 are an example of the wireless communication module 195A described above.

[0082] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system configuration including specific devices related to this embodiment. The image processing device 300 can automatically identify the terminal device 250 (corresponding to an authentication module in FIDO) held by the user 210 who wants to use the image processing device 300 and establish a BLE connection, thereby preventing erroneous connection and eliminating the need to select an authentication method or communication method to identify the authentication module. Before executing authentication processing by the FIDO server 565, the usage authority of the user 210 who owns the terminal device 250 connected to the image processing device 300 can be identified, which makes it possible to automatically switch the services provided and the billing method, and to provide operation assistance according to the usage authority. In other words, it is possible to shorten the time until service use can be started, and easy-to-understand procedure guides regarding cloud connection and billing methods can be displayed on the panel 525.

[0083] 4 as described above, the image processing device 300 further includes a panel 525, a BLE interface module 340 for communication, and a communication interface module 350. An encoded image 530 is displayed on the panel 525. Image processing device 300 is installed in public space 550, and there are user 210A, user 210B, and user 210C. User 210A possesses terminal device 250A, user 210B possesses terminal device 250B, and user 210C possesses terminal device 250C. On the other hand, a solution service provider 560 connected via a communication line 290 has a FIDO server 565 and a cloud server (contract) 570. If authentication by FIDO2 is successful, the FIDO server 565 sends an access token for connecting to the cloud server (contract) 570. The cloud server (contract) 570 executes the services provided by the solution service provider. The service is provided to a predetermined user group. This user group may be a group of users belonging to an organization such as a company, or a group of users participating in a cross-organizational project, and will be described below as a tenant. Examples of users included in the tenant include employees of a client company who have a contract to use the image processing device 300. Cloud server (public) 575 is a public cloud server that is usually available to users connected to the Internet. Cloud server (public) 575 provides services such as storing files and sending and receiving e-mails.

[0084] The image processing device 300 (BLE interface module 340) can be connected to the terminal device 250A, the terminal device 250B, and the terminal device 250C via BLE. The image processing device 300 (communication interface module 350) can communicate with the FIDO server 565, the cloud server (contract) 570, and the cloud server (public) 575 via the communication line 299. The terminal device 250 is connected to the image processing device 300 by BLE, communicates with the FIDO server 565, the cloud server (contract) 570, and the cloud server (public) 575 via the image processing device 300, and receives services from the cloud server (contract) 570 and the cloud server (public) 575. The terminal device 250 has an authentication module capable of performing biometric authentication, a wireless interface capable of performing BLE connection, and a camera.

[0085] In the system shown in the example of Fig. 5, for example, the following process is performed. In particular, this explanation (the description in the paragraph numbers) is intended to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, and is not intended to be used for a limited interpretation. It goes without saying that this explanation alone should not be used to determine whether the invention for which a patent is sought is one described in the detailed description of the invention (Patent Law, Article 36, Paragraph 6, Item 1). The image processing device 300 displays an encoded image 530 such as a QR code on the panel 525, and the terminal device 250 reads the encoded image 530 using the camera function. The encoded image 530 includes information for identifying the image processing device 300, information listing cloud services that the image processing device 300 can use, and a one-time password for encrypting information to be passed from the terminal device 250 to the image processing device 300. The terminal device 250 transmits, to the image processing device 300, information for identifying the image processing device 300 read from the encoded image 530, information on cloud services used by the image processing device 300, and a tenant ticket of the user encrypted with a one-time password, by a BLE advertising beacon. Information for identifying the terminal device 250 itself may be included. This tenant ticket is information including which tenant the user belongs to and the services available to the user. This tenant ticket is also called service contract information. The image processing device 300 scans the BLE advertising beacon of the terminal device 250, and if the BLE advertising beacon contains information for identifying the image processing device 300 itself, establishes a BLE connection with the terminal device 250. Then, the image processing device 300 determines the user's usage authority from the encrypted tenant ticket of the user. When establishing a BLE connection, information for identifying the terminal device 250 may be used. For example, users may use it in the following ways: User 210A scans documents that have been contracted at a sales client using a shared image processing device 300 installed in a shared office (public space 550) that he or she is visiting, and intends to store the data in a cloud server (contract) 570 of a solution service provider 560 that is also used in the user's own office. This solution service provider 560 installs a FIDO server 565 and sends the results of biometric authentication performed by the terminal device 250 held by the user 210 to the image processing device 300 via BLE communication, thereby providing a service in which an access token for a cloud server (contract) 570 is issued and logging in to the cloud server (contract) 570 can be performed without entering a password. User 210A had previously registered an account on FIDO server 565, and since he was a contracted user of solution service provider 560, he received a service ticket and saved it in terminal device 250A before heading out. When the user 210A stood in front of the image processing device 300 in the shared office and instructed to use it, an encoded image 530 (e.g., a QR code) was displayed on the panel 525. The user 210A started an application on the terminal device 250A, read the encoded image 530, and was then prompted to perform biometric authentication using a fingerprint on the terminal device 250A. If the biometric authentication was successful, a folder on the cloud server (contract) 570 used in the company's office was displayed, and when a document was scanned on the image processing device 300, the data was stored, and when data transmission was complete, the encoded image 530 was displayed again. User 210B runs a private store and is trying to print catalogs and flyers to distribute to customers from a shared image processing device 300 installed in a shared office that he has dropped in to. User 210B has not signed up for cloud services from solution service provider 560, but has registered an account for FIDO server 565 and has already registered cloud server (public) 575 that he regularly uses. When the user 210B stood in front of the image processing device 300 in the shared office and instructed to use it, an encoded image 530 was displayed on the panel 525. The user 210B started up an application on the terminal device 250B, read the encoded image 530, and was then prompted to perform biometric authentication using a fingerprint on the terminal device 250B. After the biometric authentication was successful, the cloud server (public) 575 to be used and the billing method were displayed, and once the settings were complete, a catalog or flyer stored on the cloud server (public) 575 was printed by the image processing device 300.

[0086] For example, a user 210A who owns a terminal device 250A has a FIDO account and is a member of a predetermined tenant. In other words, the user 210A has contracted for a service provided by a solution service provider 560 and has registered an account with a cloud server (contract) 570. A user 210B who owns a terminal device 250B has a FIDO account but is not a member of a tenant. In other words, the user 210B usually uses a cloud server (public) 575 and has registered only an account for a cloud server (contract) 570 of a solution service provider 560. A user 210C who possesses a terminal device 250C does not have a FIDO account. In other words, the user 210C has not registered an account with a cloud server (contract) 570. However, it does not matter whether the user 210C is a subscriber of the service provided by the solution service provider 560. Examples of processing by the system including the terminal device 250, image processing device 300, solution service provider 560, FIDO server 565, cloud server (contract) 570, and cloud server (public) 575 in these cases will be described using the examples of Figures 6, 7, and 9 below.

[0087] 6 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to the present embodiment. The processing example shows a processing example of FIDO account registration by the solution service provider 560 (FIDO server 565). This processing is performed in advance when the image processing device 300 is used. Processing is performed between the solution service provider 560 (FIDO server 565) and the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B. A user 210A who possesses a terminal device 250A applies for a FIDO account to a solution service provider 560 (FIDO server 565), and a tenant ticket, which is information for using a cloud server (contract) 570, is issued. A user 210B who owns a terminal device 250B applies for a FIDO account to a solution service provider 560 (FIDO server 565). A tenant ticket for using a cloud server (contract) 570 is not issued. Note that user 210C who possesses terminal device 250C does not perform any operations on solution service provider 560 (FIDO server 565), does not have a FIDO account, and is not issued a tenant ticket.

[0088] In step S602, a mobile application is installed in terminal device 250A and terminal device 250B. This mobile application is a software program for performing the process shown in the example of FIG. 6 and the processes shown in the examples of FIG.

[0089] In step S604, the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B send their respective service provider accounts to the solution service provider 560 to apply for a FIDO account. In step S606, the solution service provider 560 accepts the FIDO accounts from the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B. Specifically, in the processes of steps S604 and S606, an application for a FIDO account is made from the installed mobile application to the FIDO server 565 of the solution service provider 560. The terminal device 250A includes the registration ID of the service (cloud server (contract) 570) for which the terminal device 250A has a usage contract in the account application information (service provider account). The terminal device 250B includes the registration information of the public cloud (cloud server (public) 575) that the terminal device 250B normally uses in the account application information (service provider account).

[0090] In step S608, the solution service provider 560 registers each FIDO account and transmits FIDO account information to the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B. In step S610, terminal device 250A and terminal device 250B each store FIDO account information. Specifically, in the processes of steps S608 and S610, if there is no problem with the application for a FIDO account, the account is registered in the FIDO server 565 and an access token for connection is stored in the cloud server (contract) 570. Then, the mobile applications of the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B store the FIDO account information (server URL, user ID, etc.) provided by the solution service provider 560 in the non-volatile memory of the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B, respectively.

[0091] In step S612, the solution service provider 560 determines whether or not the user is a tenant user, and if so, proceeds to step S614, otherwise the process ends (step S699). In this example, the user 210A (person who possesses the terminal device 250A) is a tenant user, but the user 210B (person who possesses the terminal device 250B) is not a tenant user. In step S614, the solution service provider 560 issues a tenant ticket to the user 210A, and transmits information about the tenant ticket to the terminal device 250A. The information about the tenant ticket may include contract information and the like in addition to the tenant ticket for using the cloud server (contract) 570. In step S616, the terminal device 250A stores the tenant ticket received from the solution service provider 560. In the process from step S612 to step S616, specifically, a tenant ticket is issued to the terminal device 250A of the subscriber (user 210A) who uses the service provided by the solution service provider 560, and the terminal device 250A stores the tenant ticket in a non-volatile memory.

[0092] 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing a processing example according to this embodiment. This is a processing example in which a subscriber (user 210A) of a service (cloud server (contract) 570) provided by a solution service provider 560 uses this system. Processing is performed among a terminal device 250A, an image processing device 300, a FIDO server 565, and a cloud server (contract) 570.

[0093] In step S702, the image processing device 300 generates an encoded image. For example, the encoded image 530 in which the connection information 800 is embedded is generated. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the connection information 800. The connection information 800 has a local name field 802, a one-time password field 804, a cloud service number field 806, and a cloud ID field 808. The local name field 802 stores a local name that is identification information for uniquely identifying the image processing device 300 in this embodiment. The one-time password field 804 stores a one-time password used to encrypt the tenant ticket. The cloud service number field 806 stores the number of cloud services. The cloud ID field 808 stores cloud IDs (a list of cloud server IDs) equal to the number of cloud services. The cloud ID is identification information for uniquely identifying a cloud service (or a cloud server) in this embodiment.

[0094] In step S704, the image processing device 300 displays the encoded image. Specifically, the image processing device 300 detects a user using a motion sensor or the like, and displays the encoded image 530 on the panel 525 when the user (in this case, the user 210A) stands in front of the image processing device 300 and issues an instruction to "authenticate with a mobile terminal."

[0095] In step S706, the terminal device 250A reads the coded image 530 on the panel 525. In step S708, the terminal device 250A extracts the local name, the one-time password, and the list of cloud IDs. Specifically, in the processing of steps S706 and S708, the terminal device 250A reads the encoded image 530 displayed on the panel 525 of the image processing device 300 using the camera function (camera 286), and extracts information such as the local name, one-time password, and a list of available cloud IDs. Terminal device 250A then displays available cloud services to user 210A in a selectable manner, allowing user 210A to select a cloud service to be used. In addition, if the available cloud services are fixed or there is only one available cloud service, the information on the list of available cloud IDs does not need to be displayed or selected; if the available cloud services are not fixed and there are multiple available cloud services, the information may be displayed on terminal device 250A and user 210A may select one.

[0096] In step S710, the terminal device 250A encrypts the tenant ticket. In step S712, the terminal device 250A transmits advertising to the image processing device 300. For example, the advertising includes a local name, a cloud ID used, an encrypted tenant ticket, and a UUID (Universally Unique IDentifier) ​​of the terminal device 250A. Specifically, in the processing of steps S710 and S712, the terminal device 250A encrypts the tenant ticket provided in advance by the solution service provider 560 with a one-time password, and sends out the local name, information on the cloud ID to be used, and a UUID, which is information that identifies the terminal device 250A, as a BLE advertising beacon.

[0097] In step S714, the image processing device 300 detects the terminal device 250 by scanning in BLE. In step S716, the image processing device 300 determines whether the local names match, and if they match, proceeds to step S718, otherwise returns to step S702. Specifically, in the processing of steps S714 and S716, the image processing device 300 searches for advertising packets of the terminal device 250 by BLE scanning, and selects the terminal device 250 (in this case, the terminal device 250A) whose local name matches the local name included in the encoded image 530. The UUID, tenant ticket, and cloud server ID of the terminal device 250A whose local name matches are extracted and stored in memory (RAM). If a terminal device 250 with a matching local name is not found after a certain period of BLE scanning, the process returns to step S702 for generating the encoded image 530 and waits for a request from the user of the next image processing device 300.

[0098] In step S718, the tenant ticket is extracted and decrypted. In step S720, the image processing device 300 determines whether or not there is a tenant ticket. If there is, the process proceeds to step S722. If not, the process proceeds to step S920 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. In step S722, the image processing device 300 determines whether the tenant ticket is valid or not. If the tenant ticket is valid, the image processing device 300 proceeds to step S724, and otherwise returns to step S702. Specifically, in steps S718 to S722, the tenant ticket of the terminal device 250A is decrypted, and if the tenant ticket is valid, the image processing device 300 transitions to a GAP communication state of a BLE connection. If the tenant ticket is not extracted, the image processing device 300 transitions to a state of a service that can be provided with the authority for the terminal device 250B, based on the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 9 (the processing from step S920 onward). Also, if the decrypted tenant ticket is determined to be invalid, the image processing device 300 displays an unavailable message on the panel 525, returns to step S702 of generating the encoded image 530, and waits for the next request from the user of the image processing device 300.

[0099] In steps S724 and S726, the image processing device 300 and the terminal device 250A establish a BLE connection and transmit and receive BLE packets (GAP). Specifically, the terminal device 250A performs BLE pairing with the image processing device 300, and if successful, a BLE connection is established.

[0100] In step S728, the terminal device 250A performs biometric authentication. In step S730, the terminal device 250A performs CTAP communication with the image processing device 300 and transmits a BLE packet (GATT (Generic attribute profile)) and a biometric authentication result. In step S732, the image processing device 300 transmits authentication information and biometric authentication results to the FIDO server 565. In step S734, the FIDO server 565 performs authentication. Specifically, in steps S728 to S734, biometric authentication of the user 210A is performed on the terminal device 250A, and if the authentication is successful, CTAP communication is performed to the image processing device 300 via BLE GATT communication, and the image processing device 300 executes an authentication request to the FIDO server 565 using the UUID and biometric authentication result of the terminal device 250A. Note that the biometric authentication result here is information indicating that biometric authentication has been performed correctly on the terminal device 250A.

[0101] In step S736, the FIDO server 565 obtains the access token issued by the cloud server (contract) 570, and transmits the access token to the image processing device 300. In step S738, the image processing device 300 acquires an access token. Specifically, in steps S736 and S738, if the FIDO server 565 succeeds in the authentication confirmation, the FIDO server 565 acquires an access token issued by a cloud server (contract) 570 that has been previously set up for authentication collaboration with the FIDO server 565, and transmits the access token registered by the user 210A of the terminal device 250A to the image processing device 300.

[0102] In step S740, the image processing device 300 transmits a connection request and login information to the cloud server (contract) 570, and connects to the cloud server (contract) 570. In step S742, cloud server (contract) 570 transmits a login result to image processing device 300. Specifically, in steps S740 and S742, the image processing device 300 uses the access token obtained from the FIDO server 565 to connect to the cloud server (contract) 570 provided by the solution service provider 560, and logs in to the cloud service provided by the cloud server (contract) 570.

[0103] In step S744, the image processing device 300 executes the scan service and transmits the scan data to the cloud server (contract) 570. In step S746, the cloud server (contract) 570 stores the scan data. In step S748, the image processing device 300 transmits a disconnection request to the cloud server (contract) 570, and the process returns to step S702. In step S750, the cloud server (contract) 570 disconnects. Specifically, in steps S744 to S750, when image processing device 300 has successfully connected to cloud server (contract) 570 and logged in to the cloud service provided by cloud server (contract) 570, image processing device 300 transmits data read using scanner 310 of image processing device 300 to cloud server (contract) 570. When transmission of the scanned data is completed, image processing device 300 logs off the connection to cloud server (contract) 570 and transitions to a standby state for the next service usage.

[0104] Although an example of the scan service has been shown, in the case of the print service, the following processing is performed as the processing after step S744. When the image processing device 300 succeeds in connecting to the cloud server (contract) 570 and logging in to the cloud service, the image processing device 300 receives the print data stored in the cloud server (contract) 570 and executes print output using the printer 305. When the print output is completed, the image processing device 300 logs off the connection to the cloud server (contract) 570 and transitions to a standby state for the next service usage.

[0105] 9A and 9B are flowcharts showing a processing example according to the present embodiment. This is a processing example in which a user (user 210B) of a cloud server (public) 575 only registers an account for a cloud server (contract) 570 of a solution service provider 560. Processing is performed among a terminal device 250B, an image processing device 300, a FIDO server 565, and a cloud server (public) 575. It is assumed that the FIDO server 565 and the cloud server (public) 575 are linked for authentication. If the FIDO server 565 authenticates, the cloud server (public) 575 issues an access token.

[0106] In step S902, the image processing device 300 generates an encoded image. In step S904, the image processing device 300 displays the encoded image. In step S906, the terminal device 250B reads the encoded image. In step S908, the terminal device 250B extracts the local name / one-time password / cloud ID list.

[0107] In step S910, the terminal device 250B transmits advertising to the image processing device 300. For example, the advertising includes a local name, a cloud ID to be used, and a UUID of the terminal device 250B. The tenant ticket is not sent because it has not been stored. Specifically, the terminal device 250B transmits a combination of the local name and the information of the cloud ID to be used as a BLE advertising beacon to the image processing device 300. At this time, the tenant ticket provided by the solution service provider 560 is not stored.

[0108] In step S912, the image processing device 300 detects the terminal device 250 by scanning in BLE. In step S914, the image processing device 300 determines whether the local names match, and if they match, proceeds to step S916, otherwise returns to step S902. In step S916, the tenant ticket is extracted and decrypted.

[0109] The processes from step S902 to step S916 are equivalent to the processes from step S702 to step S718 in the flowchart shown in the example of Fig. 7A. However, since the terminal device 250B does not have a tenant ticket in the first place, the process of step S710 shown in the example of Fig. 7A is unnecessary.

[0110] In step S918, the image processing device 300 determines whether or not there is a tenant ticket. If there is, the process proceeds to step S722 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 7, and otherwise the process proceeds to step S920. Specifically, since the tenant ticket of the terminal device 250B is not stored, the state transitions to a state of a service that can be provided with the authority of the user of the cloud server (public) 575. The image processing device 300 transitions to a GAP communication state of a BLE connection. In addition, if a tenant ticket is stored, based on the flowchart shown in the example of Figure 7B (processing from step S722 onwards), the image processing device 300 transitions to a state in which it can use the services provided by the solution service provider 560 with authority for the terminal device 250A.

[0111] In steps S920 and S922, the image processing device 300 and the terminal device 250B establish a BLE connection and transmit and receive BLE packets (GAP). Specifically, the terminal device 250B performs BLE pairing with the image processing device 300, and if successful, a BLE connection is established.

[0112] In step S924, the terminal device 250B performs biometric authentication. In step S926, the terminal device 250B performs CTAP communication with the image processing device 300 and transmits a BLE packet (GATT) and a biometric authentication result. In step S928, the image processing device 300 transmits the authentication information and the biometric authentication result to the FIDO server 565. In step S930, the FIDO server 565 performs authentication. Specifically, in steps S924 to S930, biometric authentication of user 210B is performed on terminal device 250B, and if authentication is successful, CTAP communication is performed to image processing device 300 via BLE GATT communication, and image processing device 300 executes an authentication request to FIDO server 565 using the UUID of terminal device 250B and the biometric authentication result.

[0113] In step S932, if authentication collaboration with the cloud server (public) 575 has been set in advance, the FIDO server 565 obtains an access token issued by the cloud server (public) 575 and transmits the access token to the image processing device 300. Note that an access token will be issued for each cloud service or a common access token. In step S934, the image processing device 300 acquires an access token. Specifically, in steps S932 and S934, if the FIDO server 565 succeeds in the authentication confirmation, an access token for the cloud server (public) 575 registered by the user 210B of the terminal device 250B is issued to the image processing device 300.

[0114] In step S936, the image processing device 300 selects a cloud to be used and a billing method. In step S938, the image processing device 300 inputs a password. In step S940, the image processing device 300 transmits an access token and a connection request to the cloud server (public) 575 and connects to the cloud server (contract) 570. In step S942, the cloud server (public) 575 transmits a login result to the image processing device 300. Specifically, in steps S936 to S942, the image processing device 300 displays a list of available cloud servers and a list of billing methods on the panel 525, and allows the user 210B to select one. Based on the selected information, the image processing device 300 connects to the cloud server (public) 575 using an access token acquired from the FIDO server 565, and executes login to the cloud service provided by the cloud server (public) 575 by inputting a password.

[0115] In step S944, the image processing device 300 executes the scan service and transmits the scan data to the cloud server (public) 575. In step S946, the cloud server (contract) 570 stores the scan data. In step S948, the image processing device 300 transmits a disconnection request to the cloud server (contract) 570, and the process returns to step S902. In step S950, the cloud server (contract) 570 disconnects. Specifically, in steps S944 to S950, if connection to cloud server (public) 575 and login to the cloud service are successful, data read using scanner 310 of image processing device 300 is transmitted to cloud server (public) 575. Upon completion of transmission of the scanned data, image processing device 300 logs off connection to cloud server (public) 575 and transitions to a standby state for the next service usage.

[0116] Although an example of the scan service has been shown, in the case of the print service, the following processing is performed as the processing after step S944. When the image processing device 300 successfully connects to the cloud server (public) 575 and logs in to the cloud service, the image processing device 300 receives document data stored in the cloud server (public) 575 and executes print output of the received document data using the printer 305. When the print output is completed, the image processing device 300 logs off the connection with the cloud server (public) 575 and transitions to a standby state for the next service usage.

[0117] The process in which the image processing device 300 establishes a connection with the terminal device 250 will be described with reference to the example flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to this embodiment (image processing device 300). In step S1002, a local name to be passed to the terminal device 250 is generated. The local name here is an example of identification information of the image processing device 300. In step S1004, the encoded image 530 with the local name embedded therein is generated and displayed on the panel 525. That is, the encoded image 530 is made readable by the terminal device 250.

[0118] The local name may be updated at a predetermined timing. For example, the local name may be changed when the terminal device 250 reads the encoded image 530 (i.e., when the local name is read by the terminal device 250). In other words, the local name is a one-time value. Of course, when the local name is changed, the one-time password may also be changed, or the one-time password may also be changed independently of the change in the local name. In addition, the local name may be updated at any one of the following times or in any combination thereof: (1) When the image processing device 300 is started (2) When the image processing device 300 enters a power saving state (3) When the image processing device 300 recovers from a power saving state (4) At predetermined intervals (5) When a Bluetooth connection with the terminal device 250 is established (6) When the Bluetooth connection with the terminal device 250 is terminated (7) When a change is made by user 210 (8) When the user 210 performs an operation to display the encoded image 530 The local name may be reused without updating the same value. Also, the predetermined period in "(4) Every predetermined period" may be set by the user 210. In other words, the user 210 may set the timing for updating the local name.

[0119] In step S1006, the terminal device 250 that has set a local name is searched for by scanning BLE. Specifically, the image processing device 300 starts scanning BLE and searches for an advertising packet that uses the local name generated in step S1002. Note that here, if the terminal device 250 cannot be found within a predetermined period of time, the local name may be updated.

[0120] In step S1008, it is determined whether or not the terminal device 250 was found in step S1006, and if it was found, the process proceeds to step S1010, and if it was not found and a timeout occurs, the process returns to step S1002. Specifically, when the image processing device 300 detects an advertising packet broadcast from the terminal device 250 and including the local name set in step S1002, the image processing device 300 determines that the terminal device 250 transmitting the advertising packet is the connection partner. Further, the distance (strength of received radio waves) from the terminal device 250 may be added as a condition for connection. In other words, when two or more terminal devices 250 are found, the terminal device 250 with the strongest received radio waves is set as the terminal device 250 to be connected with BLE. In step S1010, a BLE connection is established with the terminal device 250. The image processing device 300 requests a BLE connection to the terminal device 250 for which the answer in step S1008 is determined to be "Yes."

[0121] In step S1012, it is determined whether or not the connection has been successful. If it has been successful, the process proceeds to step S1014; otherwise, the process returns to step S1002. In step S1014, a service (such as authentication) is performed using BLE. Specifically, when a BLE connection is established between the image processing device 300 and the terminal device 250, BLE pairing and service processing are performed. More specifically, there is (1) BLE pairing processing, and (2) authentication processing using the BLE GATT service, that is, processing for reading account information from the terminal device 250. Furthermore, if the image processing device 300 does not receive a connection response from the terminal device 250 for a predetermined period of time, the image processing device 300 suspends the connection process. If a new terminal device 250 is found after a connection, the terminal device 250 may be switched or simultaneously connected. These processes will be described later.

[0122] 11 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to this embodiment. This shows processing in the case where, when communication from another terminal device 250B is detected within a predetermined period after a connection with the terminal device 250A is established, control is performed so as not to request a connection with the terminal device 250B. Examples of "when communication from another terminal device 250B is detected" include a case where communication from the terminal device 250B is detected immediately after communication (e.g., a beacon) from the terminal device 250A is detected, and a case where the coded image 530 is read from another terminal in succession.

[0123] The processing from step S1102 to step S1112 is the same as the processing from step S1002 to step S1012 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. In step S1114, a search is performed for the terminal device 250 that has set a local name by scanning BLE. This is the same process as in step S1006. In step S1116, it is determined whether or not the terminal device 250 was found in step S1114, and if it was found, the process proceeds to step S1118, and if it was not found and a timeout occurred, the process proceeds to step S1122. This is the same process as in step S1008.

[0124] In step S1118, a BLE connection is not established with the terminal device 250 discovered in step S1116. In step S1120, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the connection was successful (since step S1112 was determined to be "Yes"), and if so, the process proceeds to step S1122; otherwise, the process returns to step S1114. In step S1122, a service (such as authentication) is performed using BLE. This is the same process as in step S1014.

[0125] 12 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to this embodiment. This shows a processing example in which, if the encoded image 530 is displayed and the local name is read by another terminal device 250B within a predetermined period after the connection with the terminal device 250A is established, a request for connection with the terminal device 250B is not made.

[0126] The processing from step S1202 to step S1212 is the same as the processing from step S1002 to step S1012 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. In step S1214, the encoded image 530 with the local name embedded therein is generated and displayed on the panel 525. This is the same process as in step S1004. In step S1216, a search is performed for the terminal device 250 that has set a local name by scanning BLE. This is the same process as in step S1006.

[0127] In step S1218, it is determined whether or not the terminal device 250 was found in step S1216, and if it was found, the process proceeds to step S1220, and if it was not found and a timeout occurred, the process proceeds to step S1224. This is the same process as in step S1208. In step S1220, a BLE connection with the terminal device 250 is not established. In step S1222, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed, and if so, the process proceeds to step S1224, and if not, the process returns to step S1214. In step S1224, a service (such as authentication) is performed using BLE. This is the same process as in step S1014.

[0128] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to this embodiment. This is adapted to handle a case where communication with the terminal device 250A with which a connection has already been established by the processing according to the flowchart shown in the example of Fig. 11 or 12 becomes impossible. In this case, the processing is shown for controlling a terminal device 250B requesting a connection to make a request for a BLE connection. The "terminal device 250B requesting a connection" here is the terminal device 250 with which a BLE connection has not been established by the flowchart (steps S1118, S1220) shown in the example of Fig. 11 or 12.

[0129] Note that the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 13 illustrates an example of processing after a BLE connection with the terminal device 250A is established. In step S1302, it is determined whether or not communication with terminal device 250A is possible, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1304, and otherwise the process proceeds to step S1314.

[0130] In step S1304, terminal device 250A determines whether or not to use the scan function of image processing device 300, and if so, proceeds to step S1316, otherwise (for example, if the print function of image processing device 300 is to be used) proceeds to step S1306. In step S1306, it is determined whether or not another terminal device 250B that has set a local name after connection with terminal device 250A has been found. If so, the process proceeds to step S1308; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S1320.

[0131] In step S1308, a BLE connection is established with the other terminal device 250B, which is the same process as in step S1010. In step S1310, it is determined whether the connection has been successful, and if it has been successful, the process proceeds to step S1312, otherwise the process proceeds to step S1320, which is the same process as step S1012.

[0132] In step S1312, a service (such as authentication) is performed using BLE. This is the same process as in step S1014. In step S1314, communication is performed with the terminal device 250A, and the process continues.

[0133] In step S1316, an attempt is made to connect to the terminal device 250A. In step S1318, it is determined whether the process in step S1316 is successful in connecting to terminal device 250A, and if so, the process proceeds to step S1314, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1320. In step S1320, the process returns to the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 10 (step S1002).

[0134] The process of step S1118 of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 11 or step S1220 of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 12 may be replaced with the process of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to the present embodiment. This shows a processing example in which, when communication from the terminal device 250B is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, a request for a BLE connection is also made to the terminal device 250B. More specifically, when the terminal device 250A and the terminal device 250B use the print function of the image processing device 300, this shows a processing example in which a request for a BLE connection is also made to the terminal device 250B.

[0135] In step S1402, the first connected terminal device 250A and the next available terminal device 250B determine whether or not to use the print function of the image processing device 300, and if so, proceeds to step S1404, otherwise proceeds to step S1406.

[0136] In step S1404, a BLE connection is established with the terminal device 250B. In step S1406, a BLE connection with the terminal device 250B is not established. In addition, the processing of step S1122 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 11 or step S1224 in the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 12 may be changed to "perform print processing between terminal device 250A and terminal device 250B using BLE."

[0137] The process of step S1118 of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 11 or step S1220 of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 12 may be replaced with the process of the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a processing example according to the present embodiment. When communication from the terminal device 250B is detected within a predetermined period after the connection with the terminal device 250A is established, and the terminal device 250B is closer to the image processing device 300 than the terminal device 250A, a control is performed to request a BLE connection to the terminal device 250B.

[0138] In step S1502, it is determined whether the distance between the next connectable terminal device 250B and the image processing device 300 is closer than the distance between the initially connected terminal device 250A and the image processing device 300. If it is closer, the process proceeds to step S1504, otherwise the process proceeds to step S1508. As described above, the "determination of whether the distance is closer or not" can be performed using the strength of the radio wave received from the terminal device 250. If the strength of the radio wave from the terminal device 250B is stronger than the strength of the radio wave from the terminal device 250A, the process proceeds to step S1504, and if the strength of the radio wave from the terminal device 250A is stronger than the strength of the radio wave from the terminal device 250B, the process proceeds to step S1508.

[0139] In step S1504, a BLE connection is established with the terminal device 250B. In step S1506, the BLE connection with the terminal device 250A is disconnected. In step S1508, a BLE connection with the terminal device 250B is not established.

[0140] When three or more terminal devices 250 are connected or connectable, the process of step S1502 may be changed to "Is the terminal device 250 closest to the image processing device 300 other than the already connected terminal device 250A?". Then, the process of step S1504 may be changed to "BLE connect to the closest terminal device 250".

[0141] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.). In addition, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate. The program described above may be provided by storing it in a recording medium, or the program may be provided via a communication means. In that case, for example, the program described above may be regarded as an invention of "a computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded." "Computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded" refers to a computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded, which is used for installing, executing, distributing, etc. a program. Examples of recording media include digital versatile discs (DVDs) such as "DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, etc." which are standards established by the DVD Forum, and "DVD+R, DVD+RW, etc." which are standards established for DVD+RW, compact discs (CDs) such as read-only memories (CD-ROMs), CD recordables (CD-Rs), CD rewritables (CD-RWs), Blu-ray (registered trademark) Discs, magneto-optical discs (MOs), flexible disks (FDs), magnetic tapes, hard disks, read-only memories (ROMs), electrically erasable and rewritable read-only memories (EEPROMs, registered trademarks), flash memories, random access memories (RAMs), and SD (short for Secure Digital) memory cards. The whole or a part of the program may be recorded on the recording medium and stored or distributed, etc. Also, the program may be transmitted by communication using a transmission medium such as a wired network used in a local area network (LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, etc., a wireless communication network, or a combination of these, or may be transmitted on a carrier wave. Furthermore, the program may be a part or the whole of another program, or may be recorded on a recording medium together with a separate program, or may be divided and recorded on a plurality of recording media, or may be recorded in any manner that allows restoration, such as compression or encryption.

[0142] The above-described embodiment may be understood as the following invention. (1) A memory and a processor; The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; Information processing device. (2) the processor, detecting a communication from a terminal device, and when the communication does not include identification information of the information processing device, controlling so as not to request a connection with the terminal device; An information processing device as described in (1). (3) the processor, When communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, control is performed so that the connection with the other terminal device is not established. An information processing device as described in (1). (4) the processor, When communication with the terminal device with which a connection has been established cannot be established, control is performed so as to permit connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing device according to (3). (5) The information processing device is an image processing device, The processor, When the terminal device uses the reading function of the information processing device, the terminal device is controlled not to connect to the other terminal device. An information processing device according to (3). (6) The processor, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the connection is established, a connection is also made to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing device as described in (1). (7) The information processing device is an image processing device, The processor, When the terminal device and the other terminal device use a printing function of the information processing device, the information processing device is also connected to the other terminal device via the communication means. (6) An information processing device. (8) The processor, when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the establishment of the connection, and when the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the other terminal device is, control is performed to enable connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing device as described in (1). (9) The processor, changing the identification information of the information processing device after the display means displays the identification information; An information processing device as described in (1). (10) The timing for changing the identification information of the information processing device may further be any one of the following, or a combination of these: when the information processing device is started up; when the information processing device enters a power saving state; when the information processing device recovers from a power saving state; at predetermined intervals; when a connection with a terminal device is established; when a connection with a terminal device is terminated; when an operator performs a change operation; or when an operator performs an operation to display an encoded image. An information processing device according to (9). (11) The processor, generating an encoded image including a password in addition to said identification information; An information processing device as described in (1). (12) The processor, decrypting the identification information included in the communication from the terminal device using the password; An information processing device according to (11). (13) The processor, generating an encoded image including information indicating services that can be provided via the information processing device in addition to the identification information; The information processing device according to claim 1. (14) The processor, connecting to an external service using information indicating the service included in the communication from the terminal device; An information processing device according to (13). (15) The processor, After establishing the connection, acquire authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and permit the user of the terminal device to use the service based on the acquired authentication information. An information processing device as described in (1). (16) The processor, The information processing device performs authentication to determine whether the permission is granted or not. 16. The information processing device according to claim 15. (17) The processor, Regarding the permission, request another authentication device to authenticate the authentication information, and obtain an authentication result from the other authentication device. An information processing device according to (15). (18) A method for controlling a computer system comprising: The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The first processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; An information processing device; a second processor; The second processor, reading the encoded image using a reading means and extracting the identification information from the encoded image; performing communication including the identification information, and receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device; Terminal equipment An information processing system having the above configuration. (19) An information processing device that is a computer having a memory and a processor, the memory storing identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is a source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; An information processing program for executing processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 100...Information processing device 105…Processor 110…Memory 120…Data memory 122...Identification information storage module 140…Program memory 142...Encoded image generation module 144...Wireless communication control module 185...Output device 187...Display device 189...Printing device 190...Reception device 192...Instruction reception device 194...Document reading device 195...Communication equipment 195A…Wireless communication module 195B…Wired communication module 198…Bus 200...Image processing device 210...User 230...Service providing equipment 250...Terminal device 299…Communication lines 300...Image processing device 305...Printer 310…Scanner 315…Printer control module 320…Scanner control module 325...Operation panel control module 330...Encoded image control module 335…BLE control module 337...RAM 339…BLE stack 340…BLE interface module 350…Communication interface module 355…BLE antenna 390…Bus 525…Panel 530…Encoded image 550…Public space 560: Solution service provider 565…FIDO server 570…Cloud server (contract) 575…Cloud server (public)

Claims

1. It has memory and a processor. The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; When communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, control is performed so that the connection with the other terminal device is not established. Information processing device.

2. The processor, When communication with the terminal device with which a connection has been established cannot be established, control is performed so as to permit connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the information processing device is an image processing device, The processor, When the terminal device uses the reading function of the information processing device, the terminal device is controlled not to connect to the other terminal device. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. It has memory and a processor. The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the connection is established, a connection is also made to the other terminal device via the communication means. Information processing device.

5. the information processing device is an image processing device, The processor, When the terminal device and the other terminal device use a printing function of the information processing device, the information processing device is also connected to the other terminal device via the communication means. The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. It has memory and a processor. The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the establishment of the connection, and when the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the other terminal device is, control is performed to enable connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. Information processing device.

7. It has memory and a processor. The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; After establishing the connection, acquire authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and permit the user of the terminal device to use the service based on the acquired authentication information. Information processing device.

8. The processor, The information processing device performs authentication to determine whether the permission is granted or not. The information processing device according to claim 7.

9. The processor, Regarding the permission, request another authentication device to authenticate the authentication information, and obtain an authentication result from the other authentication device. The information processing device according to claim 7.

10. A memory and a first processor, The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The first processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; When communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, control is performed so that the connection with the other terminal device is not established. An information processing device; a second processor; The second processor comprises: reading the encoded image using a reading means and extracting the identification information from the encoded image; performing communication including the identification information, and receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device; Terminal equipment An information processing system having the above configuration.

11. A memory and a first processor, The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The first processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the connection is established, a connection is also made to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing device; a second processor; The second processor comprises: reading the encoded image using a reading means and extracting the identification information from the encoded image; performing communication including the identification information, and receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device; Terminal equipment An information processing system having the above configuration.

12. A memory and a first processor, The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The first processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the establishment of the connection, and when the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the other terminal device is, control is performed to enable connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing device; a second processor; The second processor comprises: reading the encoded image using a reading means and extracting the identification information from the encoded image; performing communication including the identification information, and receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device; Terminal equipment An information processing system having the above configuration.

13. A memory and a first processor, The memory stores identification information of the information processing device, The first processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is the source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; After establishing the connection, acquire authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and permit the user of the terminal device to use the service based on the acquired authentication information. An information processing device; a second processor; The second processor comprises: reading the encoded image using a reading means and extracting the identification information from the encoded image; performing communication including the identification information, and receiving a connection request from the information processing device via a second communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the information processing device; Terminal equipment An information processing system having the above configuration.

14. The memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is a source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; When communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period after the connection is established, control is performed so that the connection with the other terminal device is not established. An information processing program for executing processing.

15. The memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is a source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the connection is established, a connection is also made to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing program for executing processing.

16. The memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is a source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; when communication from another terminal device is detected within a predetermined period of time after the establishment of the connection, and when the other terminal device is closer to the information processing device than the other terminal device is, control is performed to enable connection to the other terminal device via the communication means. An information processing program for executing processing.

17. The memory of an information processing device, which is a computer having a memory and a processor, stores identification information of the information processing device, The processor, generating an encoded image including the identification information and displaying the encoded image on a display means; Detecting a communication from a terminal device, and if the communication includes identification information of the information processing device, making a connection request to the terminal device that is a source of the communication via a communication means that is wireless communication; Controlling to establish a connection with the terminal device; After establishing the connection, acquire authentication information included in the communication from the terminal device, and permit the user of the terminal device to use the service based on the acquired authentication information. An information processing program for executing processing.

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