Information processing device, method therefor, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem that it is desired to easily confirm whether or not a scheduled color verification is implemented or a result of the color verification.SOLUTION: A program for causing a computer of an information processing device to execute a control method includes an acquisition step of acquiring an execution result of a color verification and a display step of displaying an execution schedule of the color verification. In the display step, the execution schedule is displayed in such a manner that a user can identify a result of a color verification and whether or not the color verification is executed on the basis of the execution result of the color verification acquired in the acquisition step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for verifying the color quality of a printed matter, an information processing apparatus, and control of an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that in image forming devices, deviations in output colors occur due to individual differences, environmental dependence, changes in the physical load of the device, and the like. It is known that color verification is performed as a method for checking whether color deviations in output colors occur. In color verification, a color chart is output from the image forming device, and the color chart is measured using a device called a colorimeter, and the deviation from the ideal color is measured as a color difference. If the color difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that color deviations have occurred, and an operation to adjust the color output of the image output device (for example, calibration) is often performed.

[0003] In the commercial printing field, color verification is often performed periodically. For example, at a printing company, an operator performs color verification at the start of work to check whether color shifts have occurred in the image forming device. If color shifts have occurred, the operator performs calibration or other adjustments to adjust the colors output by the image forming device. Patent Document 1 describes performing a series of operations for color verification and displaying the color measurement results using a web browser. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-50739 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, it is conceivable that an administrator may create an execution schedule for periodically executing the above-mentioned color verification and have an operator execute the color verification based on the schedule. In such a case, it is necessary for the administrator or operator to easily grasp the schedule and status of the color verification. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method by which a user can easily grasp the schedule and status of the color verification. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The program for causing a computer of an information processing device to execute a control method includes an acquisition step of acquiring execution results of color verification, and a display step of displaying an execution schedule of color verification, and the display step displays the execution schedule based on the execution results of color verification acquired in the acquisition step so that a user can identify the results of color verification and whether or not color verification has been executed. Effect of the Invention

[0007] This enables the user to easily grasp the schedule and status of color verification. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an entire color verification system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the color verification system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for color verification according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating settings to be stored in a color verification storage unit of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is an example of a color patch used for color verification in the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a schedule function according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an execution history of a schedule function according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a color measurement function and a color verification management function of the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a color measurement result according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a calendar screen for color verification according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a calendar screen display function for color verification according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the present embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments and modifications described below may be combined selectively as appropriate.

[0010] [System Configuration] The image forming system, color verification system, and hardware configuration according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagrams of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the color verification system according to this embodiment. The system is broadly divided into a web system 107 and a printing company system 104, which are connected to each other via a network 100 such as the Internet. The web system 107 includes an information processing device 101, and executes management, control, etc. of the image forming device. The web system 107 may be constructed in the cloud, or may be constructed on each company's server.

[0011] The internal configuration of the printing company system 104 will be described in detail below. As shown in Fig. 1, an information processing device 102 and an image forming device 103 having a printing function are interconnected via a network 106. A colorimeter 105 is also interconnected via a serial bus 108. The image forming device 103 is controlled under the control of a group of programs running on the information processing device 102, processes the print settings and print data received from the web system 101, and produces a deliverable.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatuses 101 and 102. The information processing apparatus is composed of a CPU 202 that performs calculations, and a storage unit that is composed of an HDD 201, a ROM 203, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 204. The CPU 202 is stored in the storage unit and controls the execution of a program loaded into the RAM 204. The information processing apparatus also includes a display unit such as a display 205 as an input / output device, an operation reception unit such as a pointing device 207, and a keyboard 206, and a data communication unit 208 as a group of controller devices that manage a network or a data bus on hardware. Examples of such information processing apparatuses include a PC (personal computer), a smartphone, and a tablet terminal. Each device can communicate data with each other through various controllers and buses in the information processing. The image forming apparatus 103 has a similar configuration, but is also equipped with a printer engine, a scanner, and the like.

[0013] 3 is a block diagram showing the functions of the web system 107 and the printing company system 104 that constitute the color verification system according to this embodiment. Each function is realized by the CPU executing a program in the storage unit.

[0014] First, a description will be given of the functional blocks installed in the information processing device 102 of the printing service provider system 104. The information processing device 102 includes a web browser 507, a print control application 520, an on-premise application 517, a print communication unit 515, and the like.

[0015] The web browser 507 communicates with the communication unit 504 to acquire content such as Web content. The web browser 507 then analyzes the syntax of the acquired content and displays it. The web browser 507 can also execute the processing of programs written in a programming language such as JavaScript.

[0016] The on-premise application 517 is an application that serves to relay access between the web system 107 and the image forming apparatus 103, the colorimeter 105, and the web browser 507. For example, when printing a chart, the web system 107 prints the chart on the image forming apparatus 103 via the on-premise application 517. When measuring the color of the printed chart, the colorimeter 105 is controlled via the on-premise application 517. The web browser 507 is used to receive instructions for creating and measuring color verification tests, and to display results such as color verification results.

[0017] The colorimetry control unit 511 receives instructions from the web browser 507 and controls the colorimetry device 105 through the colorimetry device linking unit 512. The colorimetry control unit 511 also stores the reading results in a colorimetry result storage unit 514. Furthermore, when the colorimetry control unit 511 receives a colorimetry completion instruction from the web browser 507, it receives the colorimetry results that match the ID in the colorimetry completion instruction from the colorimetry result storage unit 514 and transmits them to the communication unit 504 through the colorimetry communication unit 510.

[0018] The colorimetry communication unit 510 performs communication between the colorimetry control unit 511 and the communication unit 504. When the colorimetry communication unit 510 receives a colorimetry result from the colorimetry control unit 511, it starts communication with the communication unit 504 and transmits the colorimetry result to the communication unit 504. Although the communication method is not specified, HTTP communication is used in this embodiment.

[0019] The colorimeter cooperation unit 512 is an interface with the colorimeter 105 , and mediates communication between the colorimeter control unit 511 and the colorimeter 105 .

[0020] A print communication unit 515 communicates between the print control unit 523 and the communication unit 504. When a print instruction is given by a user, the print communication unit 515 receives a print job consisting of print settings and print data from the communication unit 504, and further receives the IP address of the destination image forming apparatus, and passes the same to the print control unit 523.

[0021] The print application 520 is a print management application for printing documents such as PDF and images such as JPEG, and has a print control unit 523 and a print job storage unit 522. The print application 520 can receive print commands from the outside and transmit the print commands to the image forming apparatus 103 via the print control unit 523. By using the print application 520, the user can manage printing using the image forming apparatus 103. The operation of the print application 520 will be described in detail later.

[0022] The print setting acquisition unit 524 requests and acquires print settings of a print job from the print control unit 523 of the print application 520. If the image forming apparatus 103 has a print job management function similar to that of the print control application 520, the print setting acquisition unit 524 requests the print settings of the print job from the image forming apparatus 103 and acquires the print settings of the print job.

[0023] The colorimetry result storage unit 514 is a place where the colorimetry control unit 511 stores the colorimetry results of the chart when the colorimetry of the chart for colorimetry is completed. The colorimetry result storage unit 514 stores the colorimetry results as a file in a storage unit such as an HDD of the information processing apparatus 102.

[0024] The print job storage unit 522 is a place for storing print jobs created by the print application 520 and print jobs of color charts for color measurement. The print job storage unit 522 stores print jobs as files in a storage unit such as an HDD of the information processing device 102. This concludes the description of the functional blocks mounted on the information processing device 102.

[0025] Next, a functional block diagram mounted on the information processing device 101 of the web system 107 will be described. The communication unit 504 is a service program that performs HTTP communication with the web browser 507 and provides the web browser 507 with display of HTML and objects (images, etc.). The communication unit 507 also performs HTTP communication with the print communication unit 515 and transmits a print job to the on-premise application 517. Furthermore, the communication unit 504 performs HTTP communication with the colorimetry communication unit 510 and receives the colorimetry result of the color chart from the colorimetry control unit 510.

[0026] The schedule management unit 530 sends an email to the pre-registered email address of the user at the time of the reserved color verification based on the schedule settings stored in the colorimetry settings storage unit 500 via the communication unit 504. After sending the email, the schedule management unit 530 stores the schedule execution history in the schedule execution history storage unit 531.

[0027] The color verification management unit 503 is a function for controlling the execution of each process in the color verification process. Based on user instructions input via a web browser 507, the color verification management unit 503 executes processes from chart printing to color measurement and color verification. It also stores the color measurement results received by the communication unit 504 in a color measurement result storage unit 514.

[0028] The colorimetry setting storage unit 500 is a place for storing colorimetry settings input by a user. When a user inputs and saves colorimetry settings on a web browser 507, the web browser 507 passes the colorimetry settings to a communication unit 504. The input and setting screens for colorimetry settings will be described later. When the communication unit 504 receives the colorimetry settings, a color verification management unit 503 stores the received colorimetry settings in the colorimetry setting unit 500.

[0029] A print job generation unit 506 has a function of generating print settings and print data. Specifically, a print instruction is given by a user on a web browser 507. When a print instruction is given, the web browser 507 transmits the print instruction to a communication unit 504. When the communication unit 504 passes the print instruction to a color verification management unit 503, the color verification management unit 503 acquires colorimetric settings from a colorimetric setting storage unit 500 based on an identifier (e.g., 00001) specified by the print instruction.

[0030] The color verification management unit 503 passes the acquired colorimetry settings to a print job generation unit 506. The print job generation unit 503 generates a print job consisting of print settings and print data for a chart that satisfies the colorimetry settings. The print job generation unit 506 saves the generated print job in a print setting storage unit 505. The print setting storage unit 505 saves the print job as a file in a storage unit such as a HDD of the information processing apparatus 101. The print job is generated not only in response to a print instruction from the user, but also in response to a print instruction from a scheduling function and at the timing when the colorimetry settings are saved in the colorimetry setting storage unit 500.

[0031] <Explanation regarding the print application 520> The operation of the print application 520 will be described. The print application 520 manages and controls printing using the image forming apparatus 103 and print schedules using print jobs. The print application 520 saves print setting information and the like of print jobs executed in the image forming apparatus as history information, and manages print jobs to be executed. Generally, a print shop has a shipping schedule for products, i.e., printed matter, and often organizes a printing process according to the schedule. The print application 520 is also used when creating a printing process according to the schedule as described above. The print application 520 has an interface that accepts print commands from an external application, and can transmit the print command accepted via the print control unit 523 to the image forming apparatus 103. In addition, the print application 520 has an interface that returns a print schedule and a print job execution history in a format (for example, JSON format) that can be interpreted by other applications upon request. For example, when the print control unit 523 receives a print job from the print communication unit 515, it transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 103 whose IP address is included in the received information. In this embodiment, the method of transmitting the print job is assumed to be HTTP communication, but other print transmission methods such as USB communication and hot folders may also be used, and the means is not limited.

[0032] <Settings screen> FIG. 4 shows an example of a color verification setting screen displayed on a web browser 507. A display area 350 is an area for displaying the contents of a web page. A list of color verifications used in color verification is arranged in a colorimetry setting list 306, and some of the settings used in color verification are displayed together with the setting item names. One setting is shown on one line. An add colorimetry setting button 301 is used to add a new colorimetry setting to the colorimetry setting list 306. When the user presses the add colorimetry setting button 301, a colorimetry setting editing area 307 is displayed, and the user enters the information necessary for creation.

[0033] The edit colorimetric settings button 302 is a button for the user to edit and change the settings of colorimetric settings that already exist in the colorimetric settings list 306. When the user selects a setting displayed in the colorimetric settings list 306 and presses the edit colorimetric settings button 302, a colorimetric settings edit area 307 is displayed, and the user can change the settings of the selected colorimetric settings.

[0034] The delete colorimetry settings button 303 is a button for the user to delete colorimetry settings that are already present in the colorimetry settings list 306. When the user selects a setting displayed in the colorimetry settings list 306 and presses the delete colorimetry settings button 303, the color verification management unit 503 deletes the specified colorimetry settings 500 from the colorimetry settings storage unit.

[0035] The print data download button 304 is for downloading the print data of the chart to a specified local folder. For example, if you want to perform color verification on an image forming device that is not supported by the color verification system, the color verification system may not be able to print on that image forming device. For this reason, you can download the print data of the chart to a local folder once and then print the downloaded print data using a separate printer driver.

[0036] The print button 305 is for directly instructing the image forming apparatus 103 to print a chart from the web system 107. For example, when the print button 305 is pressed, the web browser 507 transmits a print instruction of the selected colorimetry setting to the communication unit 504, and the communication unit 504 passes the print instruction to the color verification management unit 503. The print job generation unit 506 generates a print job consisting of print settings and print data of the chart that satisfy the colorimetry setting. Then, the print job generation unit 506 passes the generated print job to the color verification management unit 503. The color verification management unit 506 transmits the print job and the IP address of the image forming apparatus 103 to the on-premise application 517 via the communication unit 504. The on-premise application 517 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 103. The image forming apparatus 103 outputs a printed matter based on the print job. The user measures the color of the chart, which is the output printed matter, and performs color verification.

[0037] The schedule display button 308 is a button for displaying a calendar for displaying a list of scheduled color verifications. When the user presses the button 308, a calendar display screen 1401 shown in Fig. 14 is displayed, and the user can check the scheduled color verifications. The calendar display function will be described later. In addition to being able to check the color verification schedule on the calendar display screen 1401, it is also possible to receive an operation to instruct color measurement in the color verification and an instruction to display the color measurement results.

[0038] The colorimetry settings save button 330 is a button for saving the colorimetry settings that have been edited and set in the colorimetry settings editing area 307. When the colorimetry settings button 330 is pressed, communication is performed with the communication unit 504 via the web browser 507, and the color verification management unit 503 assigns an identifier (e.g., 000001) to the colorimetry settings and saves them in the colorimetry settings save unit 500 in the JSON format that is generally used in web systems.

[0039] <Explanation of each item on the editing screen> Each setting item in the color measurement setting editing area 307 will be described.

[0040] A setting item 310 is an item for specifying a name for the color measurement setting, and the user can set any name.

[0041] A setting item 311 is an item for specifying a printer for performing color measurement. The user can select from among printers connected to the on-premise application 517.

[0042] Setting items 312, 313, 314, and 315 are setting items for setting print settings used during color measurement. The user sets the paper type in setting item 312, the paper basis weight in setting item 313, the paper size in setting item 314, and the resolution in setting item 315. The selectable items may be preset types of setting items defined by the on-premise application 517, or may be generated based on capability information of the image forming device obtained using the print control unit 523 or the printer driver.

[0043] The setting item 316 is an item for selecting the color standard used in color measurement. The displayed items may be the standard printing color standard or a user-defined printing color standard. The standard printing color standard is, for example, a color standard for each region, such as GRACOL in the United States, FOGRA in Europe, and Japan Color in Japan. The format of the chart used in color measurement and the layout of the color patches used in the chart are determined according to the color standard selected in the color standard selection section 316.

[0044] Setting items 318, 319, and 320 are setting items related to the scheduling function. By combining each setting item, the user can execute color verification automatically at a specified time or at regular intervals. For example, if regular execution is selected in setting item 318 and 8:00 a.m. on weekdays is set in setting item 319, color verification will be executed regularly at 8:00 a.m. on weekdays.

[0045] <Description of colorimetry settings stored in the colorimetry settings storage unit 500> With reference to FIG. 5, the colorimetry settings saved in the colorimetry settings saving unit 500 when the user presses the button 330 on the editing screen 307 will be described. FIG. 5 is an example of the colorimetry settings. A character string 600 is the entire setting value of the colorimetry settings, and is saved in JSON format. A character string 608 indicates the last update date of the setting value. A character string 601 is an ID for identifying the color verification to which this setting value is applied, and is set to "00000001". A character string 602 indicates the name of the color verification, and is set to "Fogra-A4-Coated". A character string 603 indicates the type of color verification standard used in the color verification, and is set to "Fogra". A character string 604 indicates the name of the image forming device used in the color verification, and is set to "Printer A". A character string 605 indicates the paper size, and is set to "A4". A character string 606 indicates the type of paper, and is set to plain paper. A character string 607 indicates the basis weight of the paper, and is set to 100. A character string 610 is an identifier representing a set of schedule settings. A character string 611 is a character string representing the format in which the schedule settings are executed. For example, if "frequency" is set in the character string 611, the schedule settings are executed periodically on a weekly basis. A character string 612 represents the time at which the color verification is executed, and is set to "11:00". A character string 613 represents the days of the week at which the color verification is executed, and is set to Monday and Friday.

[0046] <Color chart explanation> FIG. 6 shows an example of a color chart printed during color verification. When a print job for color verification is printed, a color chart 1000 is printed according to the print settings of the print job. The color chart 1000 is printed with a plurality of rows of color patches 1001 arranged. The layout and color type of the color patches 1001 differ depending on the type of standard for color verification. The user measures the color patches 1001 on the printed color chart using a colorimeter 105 and reads the color. The read color is processed by a color verification management unit 503, and the difference between the value of each color patch defined in the color standard is calculated. The short ID 1002 is an ID that links the color verification stored in the color verification storage unit 500 to the color chart. When a user inputs the short ID 1002 into the on-premise application 517, the color measurement result is transmitted to the communication unit 504 via the browser 507, and the color measurement management unit 503 links the color measurement result to the color measurement setting and stores it in the color measurement setting storage unit 500. In this embodiment, details of the processing are omitted.

[0047] <Schedule function explanation> The schedule management function of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 7. The schedule management unit 530 realizes the schedule management function by periodically (for example, every minute) executing a process to be described later.

[0048] The schedule management unit 530 reads the colorimetry settings saved in the colorimetry settings saving unit 500, and proceeds to S102 (S101). The schedule management unit 530 reads the schedule-related settings from the colorimetry settings, and proceeds to S103 (S102). The schedule management unit 530 determines whether or not a schedule setting exists among the schedule-related settings (S103). When the schedule management unit 530 determines that a schedule setting exists, the process proceeds to S104. When the schedule management unit 530 determines that a schedule setting does not exist, the process proceeds to S109. Here, it is determined whether or not a color verification schedule exists that has been set by an administrator or the like by operating the colorimetry settings editing area 307.

[0049] The schedule management unit 530 checks the time of each scheduled task by referring to the schedule settings, and proceeds to S105 (S104). Here, a task refers to a series of color verification processes including chart printing, color measurement, and verification, and one color verification is performed for one task. The schedule management unit 530 determines whether the current time is a scheduled time for any of the tasks checked in S104 (S105). If the current time is a scheduled time, proceeds to S106. If the current time is not a scheduled time, proceeds to S109.

[0050] When the scheduled time arrives, the schedule management unit 530 creates a schedule execution history, which will be described later, and proceeds to S107 (S106). After creating the schedule execution history, the schedule management unit 530 sets the execution status of the corresponding task in the schedule execution history to "due," associates it with the colorimetry settings, and stores it in the schedule execution history storage unit 531, and proceeds to S108 (S107). An email is automatically sent to the email address of the user that was registered in advance and stored in the colorimetry settings storage unit 500, and the process ends (S108). Here, for example, an email is sent to the operator of the image forming device, and the operator performs color verification.

[0051] If the scheduled time is not reached in S105, the schedule management unit 530 reads the schedule execution history stored in the schedule execution history storage unit 531 and proceeds to S110 (S109). The schedule management unit 530 checks and judges whether there is a task with an execution history of "due" or "overdue" (S110). The execution status becomes "due" if the scheduled date and time has passed, and becomes "overdue" if a predetermined time has passed since the status became "due" but color verification has not been performed. If it is judged in S110 that there is a schedule execution history with an execution status of "due" or "overdue", the process proceeds to S111. If it is judged that there is no schedule execution history with an execution status of "due" or "overdue", the process ends. The schedule management unit 530 checks the current time and checks whether there is a schedule execution history with an execution status of "due" or "overdue" and whether a certain time has passed since the set date and time (S111). If there is a match, the process proceeds to S112. If there is no match, the process ends. If the answer is YES in S111, the schedule management unit 530 sets the execution status of the corresponding task in the schedule execution history to "overdue", saves it in the schedule execution history storage unit 531, and proceeds to S108 (S112). When the user receives the email in the above-mentioned flow, the user prints a chart and measures and inspects the color of the printed chart from the web system 107 outside the above-mentioned flow.

[0052] <Explanation about schedule execution history> The schedule execution history stored by the schedule management unit 530 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is an example of the schedule execution history 700, which is generated, for example, by the process of S302 described later.

[0053] The character strings 601 to 613 are the same as the color measurement settings shown in FIG. 5, so the description will be omitted. The character string 710 is an identifier representing a set of schedule execution history. The character string 711 represents the date and time when the schedule was executed, and is set to "2023 / 7 / 14 11:00". The character string 712 represents the execution status of the schedule, and is set to "executed", which indicates that the color verification has ended. In addition to the above-mentioned "executed", the execution status of the schedule can be "due" or "overdue". In the schedule function of this embodiment, the entire color verification (chart printing, color measurement, and verification) is managed as a single task. However, this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to manage the execution status even in the middle of the color verification, such as when the chart has been printed but color measurement has not been performed.

[0054] <Explanation of color verification function> The color verification function of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. When a user issues an instruction to start colorimetry from a web browser 507, the on-premise application 517 reads colorimetry settings from the colorimetry settings storage unit 500 via the web browser 507 and the communication unit 504, and the process proceeds to S202 (S201). The user measures the color patch 1001 on the printed color chart using the colorimeter 104, and reads the colorimetry value. Then, the colorimetry management unit 503 acquires the colorimetry value from the colorimeter 104, and the process proceeds to S203 (S202). The colorimetry management unit 503 calculates the difference between the acquired colorimetry value of each color patch and the value of each color patch defined in the color standard, and the process proceeds to S204 (S203).

[0055] The colorimetry management unit 503 checks whether the difference acquired in S203 is within a predetermined range (S204). Here, it may be checked whether the differences corresponding to all the patches are within the predetermined range, and in addition, it may be checked whether the sum of the differences corresponding to all the patches is within a threshold value. In other words, it is sufficient to check whether the image forming apparatus can perform appropriate color output. If YES in S204, that is, if the color verification is passed, proceed to S205. If NO in S204, that is, if the color verification is failed, proceed to S206. If the difference is within the predetermined range, the colorimetry management unit 503 sets the quality level to "OK" and stores the colorimetry result in the colorimetry result storage unit 514, and proceeds to S207 (S205). If the difference is within the predetermined range, the colorimetry management unit 503 sets the quality level to "NG" and stores the colorimetry result in the colorimetry result storage unit 514, and proceeds to S207 (S206). The on-premise application 517 transmits the colorimetry results to the colorimetry management unit 503 via the web browser 507 and the communication unit 504, and ends the colorimetry process.

[0056] When the colorimetry management unit 503 receives the colorimetry results sent in S207, it associates the colorimetry results with the colorimetry settings and stores them in the colorimetry settings storage unit 500, and proceeds to S302 (S301). The schedule management unit 530 then sets the execution status of the schedule execution history stored in the schedule execution history storage unit 531 to "executed" and stores it, and proceeds to S303 (S302). The color verification management unit 503 automatically sends an email to the pre-registered user email address stored in the colorimetry settings storage unit 500, notifies the user of the color verification results, and ends the process (S303).

[0057] <Description of color measurement results stored in the color measurement result storage unit 514> The colorimetry results stored in the colorimetry result storage unit 514 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows an example of the colorimetry results, which are generated, for example, by the processing of S205 and S206. A character string 800 is the entire colorimetry result, and is stored in JSON format.

[0058] The character strings 601 to 613 are the same as the color measurement settings, so a description thereof will be omitted. The character string 810 is an identifier representing a set of color measurement results. The character string 811 represents the result of the color verification, and "OK" is set, indicating a pass. In addition to "OK", the color verification result can also be "NG", indicating a fail. Although only the results of "OK" and "NG" are shown here, the color measurement values ​​and differences of each color patch may also be included.

[0059] <Schedule Calendar Screen Explanation> A calendar for checking the color verification schedule and setting status set by the user is displayed on the web browser 507. Figure 11 shows the web browser 507 displaying a calendar using the calendar display function. Each scheduled color verification task is displayed on the calendar. Also displayed are the date and time of each task, whether it was executed, and the execution result.

[0060] The calendar screen 1401 has a calendar screen 1404 on the left side of the screen, and a schedule, results, and result display screen 1403 on the right side of the screen, which is a screen that displays the schedule, results, and results corresponding to a date selected on the calendar screen 1404 in chronological order for each image forming device. When the user selects a date section 1402 (e.g., October 16th) that is a date on the calendar, the screen changes to display a schedule, results, and result display screen 1403 corresponding to the selection. For example, the schedule, results, and results of color verification for one week from the selected date are displayed. An image forming device icon 1411 indicates an image forming device for which there is a schedule, results, and result of color verification. To the right of the image forming device icon 1411, icons indicating the schedule, results, and results of color verification for the corresponding image forming device are displayed in chronological order. A group of icons including the schedule, results, and results indicate one task of color verification, and for example, it indicates that color verification is scheduled to be performed at 9:00, 13:00, and 17:00 for Printer A on October 16th. The color verification passed icon 1412 indicates that the executed color verification has passed, and an icon indicating that the color verification has passed is displayed, along with the time of the executed color verification, the paper type used for the execution, and the pass icon. The color verification passed icon 1412 is displayed in gray so that it can be distinguished from other icons. The color verification not executed icon 1413 indicates that the scheduled date and time has passed but the color verification has not been executed, and the time, the paper type used for the execution, and an icon indicating that the verification has not been executed are displayed. The color verification failed icon 1414 indicates that the executed color verification has failed, and the time, the paper type used for the execution, and an icon indicating that the verification has failed are displayed. The color verification scheduled time arrival icon 1415 indicates that the scheduled date and time has been reached, and the time, the paper type used for the execution, and an icon indicating that the scheduled date and time has been reached are displayed. In other words, this indicates that the color verification is a task that should be executed at the present time. The color verification scheduled icon 1416 indicates that a color verification task that has not yet passed the scheduled date and time has been set, and the time, the paper type, and an icon indicating that the color verification is scheduled are displayed. The execution schedule as shown here is created and managed by, for example, an administrator who creates the schedule by setting the date and time of the color verification task to be executed, the paper type to be used, and other settings.A detailed setting and result of the corresponding color verification task may be displayed when the user selects the color verification passed icon 1412 or the color verification failed icon 1414. A detailed setting of the corresponding color verification task may be displayed when the user selects the color verification not executed icon 1413, the color verification scheduled time reached icon 1415, or the color verification scheduled icon 1416, from which the user can instruct to execute color verification.

[0061] <Calendar display function explanation> The display function of the calendar screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 12. The process of this flowchart realizes the display of the calendar as shown in Fig. 11.

[0062] When the user selects the date section 1402 (for example, July 3), which is a calendar date, the web browser 507 starts a calendar display function in response to the selection. The schedule management section 530 reads the colorimetry settings stored in the colorimetry settings storage section 500, and proceeds to S402 (S401). The schedule management section 530 then reads the settings related to the schedule from the colorimetry settings, and proceeds to S403 (S402). The schedule management section 530 reads the measurement results stored in the colorimetry settings storage section 500 via the color verification management section 503, and proceeds to S404 (S403). The schedule management section 530 reads the schedule execution history stored in the schedule execution history storage section 531 via the color verification management section 503, and proceeds to S405 (S404).

[0063] The schedule management unit 530 selects an image forming device for which a screen has not been created from among the image forming devices set in the colorimetry settings, and proceeds to S406 (S405). The schedule management unit 530 holds icons of image forming devices that can be used in this system in advance, selects the icon corresponding to the image forming device selected in S405, and proceeds to S407 (S406).

[0064] The schedule management unit 530 extracts the measurement results for the selected date range from among the measurement results for which the corresponding image forming apparatus is set, and generates a measurement result schedule screen. If the quality level of the colorimetry result is "OK" in S205 of Fig. 9, a measurement result schedule screen is generated using a color verification pass icon 1412. If the quality level of the colorimetry result is "NG" in S206 of Fig. 9, a measurement result schedule screen is generated using a color verification fail icon 1414. After the measurement result schedule screen is generated, the process proceeds to S408 (S407).

[0065] The schedule management unit 530 extracts schedule execution history for which the image forming device is set, within the selected date range, that has an execution status of "due" or "overdue", and generates a color verification unexecuted schedule screen (S408).

[0066] 7, if the execution status of the schedule execution history becomes "due", a color verification not yet executed schedule screen is generated using a color verification scheduled time arrival icon 1415. If the execution status of the schedule execution history becomes "overdue" in S112 of Fig. 7, a color verification not yet executed schedule screen is generated using a color verification not yet executed icon 1413. After the color verification not yet executed schedule screen is generated, the process proceeds to S409 (S408).

[0067] The schedule management unit 530 extracts color verification settings that are within the selected date range and whose scheduled date and time have not yet reached the current time from among the color verification settings for which the corresponding image forming apparatus is set, and generates a color verification schedule screen. In this case, the color verification schedule screen is generated using the color verification schedule icon 1416, and the process proceeds to S410 (S409).

[0068] The schedule management unit 530 sorts the generated screens by date and time, generates a schedule screen, and proceeds to S411 (S410). If there is an image forming device for which a screen has not been created among the image forming devices set in the colorimetry setting, the schedule management unit 530 returns to S405, and if there is no image forming device for which a screen has not been created, the process ends (S411). The screen generated by the schedule management unit 530 is displayed using the web browser 507.

[0069] According to the above configuration, it is possible to simultaneously check whether or not work has been performed and the results of the work from the chronological work schedule related to color verification, making it possible to easily check not only the status of work execution but also the results of the work.

[0070] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, when color verification has already been performed, the results of the work execution can be displayed without indicating whether the work has been performed or not, so that within a limited display range, it is possible to easily check not only the execution status of color verification but also the results of color verification.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since the work schedule is displayed for each device, it is possible to check the work schedule for each device.

[0072] <Other Examples> In the above description of the schedule function, the user manually performs color verification by automatically sending an email to the user's email address. However, if the image forming device has an automatic execution function for color verification, the color verification may be automatically executed at the scheduled time. In this case, if the image forming device is unable to automatically execute color verification because the image forming device is turned off or there is no paper, the execution status of the schedule execution history does not become "executed" and remains "due". Therefore, when a certain amount of time has passed since the scheduled time, the schedule management unit 530 automatically sends an email to the user's email address in the schedule function. With this function, even in the case where color verification is automatically executed, if the image forming device is unable to automatically execute color verification, the user can be prompted to manually execute color verification.

[0073] A recording medium on which the program code of the software for realizing the above-mentioned functions is recorded may be supplied to the system or device, and the computer (CPU, MPU) of the system or device may read and execute the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium will realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the storage medium on which the program code is stored will constitute the above-mentioned device.

[0074] Examples of storage media for supplying the program code include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs.

[0075] In addition, the above-mentioned functions may be realized not only by the computer executing the read program code, but also by the OS running on the computer performing all or part of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code. OS is an abbreviation for Operating System.

[0076] Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be written to a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, and a CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit may perform part or all of the actual processing based on instructions in the program code to realize the above-mentioned functions.

[0077] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0078] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Configuration 1) A program for causing a computer of an information processing device to execute a control method, An acquisition step of acquiring a result of the execution of color verification; A display step of displaying a schedule for executing color verification, In the display step, the execution schedule is displayed so that a user can identify the result of color verification and whether or not color verification has been performed based on the execution result of color verification acquired in the acquisition step. A program characterized by: (Configuration 2) 2. The program according to configuration 1, wherein the display step displays a plurality of scheduled color verification tasks in the order of their scheduled dates and times. (Configuration 3) The program according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that in the display step, a task for which color verification has not been performed even though a scheduled date and time has passed is displayed in a manner that is identifiable by a user. (Configuration 4) The program described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that in the display step, whether the color verification has passed or failed is displayed so that the user can distinguish it based on the execution result of the color verification acquired in the acquisition step. (Configuration 5) 5. The program according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the display step displays the color verification task to be executed at the present time in a manner that is identifiable by the user. (Configuration 6) 6. The program according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the display step displays the execution schedule for each image forming apparatus. (Method 1) A control method executed by an information processing device, comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring a result of the execution of color verification; A display step of displaying a schedule for executing color verification, In the display step, the execution schedule is displayed so that a user can identify the result of color verification and whether or not color verification has been performed based on the execution result of color verification acquired in the acquisition step. A control method comprising: (device 1) An information processing device, An acquisition means for acquiring a result of execution of color verification; A display means for displaying a schedule for executing color verification, The display means displays the execution schedule based on the execution result of the color verification acquired by the acquisition means so that the user can identify the result of the color verification and whether or not the color verification has been executed. 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

Claims

1. A program for causing a computer of an information processing device to execute a control method, An acquisition step of acquiring a result of the execution of color verification; A display step of displaying a schedule for executing color verification, In the display step, the execution schedule is displayed so that a user can identify the result of color verification and whether or not color verification has been performed based on the execution result of color verification acquired in the acquisition step. A program characterized by:

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the display step displays a plurality of scheduled color verification tasks in the order of their scheduled dates and times.

3. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the display step displays a task for which color verification has not been performed even though a scheduled date and time has passed, in a manner that allows a user to identify the task.

4. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the display step displays whether the color verification has passed or failed based on the execution result of the color verification acquired in the acquisition step so that the user can distinguish the result.

5. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the display step displays the color verification task to be executed at the current time in a manner that is identifiable by the user.

6. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the display step displays the execution schedule for each image forming apparatus.

7. A control method executed by an information processing device, comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring a result of the execution of color verification; A display step of displaying a schedule for executing color verification, In the display step, the execution schedule is displayed so that a user can identify the result of color verification and whether or not color verification has been performed based on the execution result of color verification acquired in the acquisition step. A control method comprising:

8. An information processing device, An acquisition means for acquiring a result of execution of color verification; A display means for displaying a schedule for executing color verification, The display means displays the execution schedule based on the execution result of the color verification acquired by the acquisition means so that the user can identify the result of the color verification and whether or not the color verification has been executed.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

Images