Information processing device, method for controlling information processing device, and program

Abstract

To improve user's convenience.SOLUTION: An information processing device communicable with a client device that can use a web browser, includes: reception means for receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; authentication means for performing authentication processing of a user who uses the information processing device through the web browser in the case of receiving the request information by the reception means; and change means for changing individual setting information on the basis of the request setting information in the case that the user's authentication processing by the authentication means is successful and that the individual setting information associated with the user is different from the request setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a control method for an information processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus having a web server function is known as one type of information processing apparatus. This information processing apparatus communicates with a web browser running on a client terminal according to the HTTP protocol. Specifically, as an image forming apparatus, this information processing apparatus has a function of executing a job of the image forming apparatus in response to an HTTP request, and a function of responding to the client terminal with a web page as an HTTP response. These functions are called remote UI functions. Among image forming apparatuses having this remote UI function, a technology is known that determines the language to be displayed on a web page based on preferred language information (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-213462 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the language included in the Accept-Language header is not supported, the web page response is made in the language used on the operation panel of the image forming device. However, there are cases where the language used on the operation panel of the image forming device is a language that is not recommended to the user browsing the web browser. In such a case, if a user operates the image forming device from a web page using the remote UI function, it is expected that the operation will be performed in the language displayed on the operation panel of the image forming device that is not recommended to the user browsing the web browser. This may result in reduced convenience for the user.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to improve user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device capable of communicating with a client terminal that can use a web browser, and is characterized in that it comprises: a reception means for receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; an authentication means for performing authentication processing of a user using the information processing device via the web browser when the request information is received by the reception means; and a modification means for modifying the personal setting information based on the request setting information when the authentication processing of the user by the authentication means is successful and the personal setting information associated with the user differs from the request setting information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve user convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a software configuration of an image forming apparatus and a PC. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of personal setting data. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a cooperative process between a web browser and an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication screen displayed by a web browser. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of an authentication error screen displayed by a web browser. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a remote UI screen displayed by a web browser. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a login screen displayed on the display / operation unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed on a display / operation unit. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a cooperative process between a web browser and an image forming apparatus. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a remote UI screen displayed by a web browser. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of personal setting data. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display / operation unit after login. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a cooperative process between a web browser and an image forming apparatus. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a remote UI screen displayed by a web browser. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of features described in the following embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present disclosure. Note that the same reference numbers are used for the same components.

[0010] <<First embodiment>> <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration. This system includes an image forming apparatus 101 and a personal computer 102 (also referred to as PC 102). The image forming apparatus (image processing apparatus) 101 and the PC 102 are connected via a LAN (Local Area Network) 105. The image forming apparatus 101, serving as a server (also referred to as an information processing apparatus), has a web server function. The PC 102, serving as a client terminal, has a web browser function. The image forming apparatus 101 has a remote UI function that enables remote operation from the PC 102 via a web page displayed on the PC 102 after communication with the PC 102 is established.

[0011] Specifically, after communication with the PC 102 is established, when an HTTP request (also referred to as request information) arrives from the PC 102, the image forming apparatus 101 responds to the PC 102 with a website resource consisting of at least one web page. The PC 102, as a client terminal, transmits an HTTP request to the image forming apparatus 101 via a running web browser. In this embodiment, an example in which the PC 102 connects to the image forming apparatus 101 as one of the client terminals will be described, but the client terminal connected to the image forming apparatus 101 is not limited to the PC 102. The client terminal may be any terminal having a web browser function. The client terminal may be a mobile terminal having a web browser function, such as a smartphone. Alternatively, the client terminal may be another image forming apparatus having a web browser function.

[0012] 1 shows an example in which LAN 105 is a wired LAN, but if image forming apparatus 101 and PC 102 each have a wireless communication function, LAN 105 may be a wireless LAN. In the following description, image forming apparatus 101 having a web server function is appropriately referred to as a server. Also, a client terminal connected to this server is appropriately referred to as a client.

[0013] <Remote UI Function Overview> The following describes functions of a remote UI (User Interface) that is realized after the PC 102 is connected to the image forming apparatus 101. When an HTTP request is received from a client's web browser, the image forming apparatus 101 executes processing based on a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) included in the HTTP request. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 101 refers to the URI in the request line of the HTTP request, and also refers to "Accept-Language" and the like in the HTTP request header. Here, a URI is a general term for an identifier for identifying resources (files or directories) on the web. A URI is composed of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and a Uniform Resource Name (URN). A URL is an identifier for specifying the location of a resource on the web. A URN is an identifier for uniquely identifying a resource on the web.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 101 creates an HTTP response by referring to the contents of such an HTTP request. The body of the HTTP response includes web page data written in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), a script language, or the like. The image forming apparatus 101 transmits such an HTTP response to the client. When the client's web browser receives the HTTP response, it configures a screen based on the web page data included in the HTTP response and displays the configured screen. In this way, communication between the image forming apparatus 101 and the client's web browser is performed according to the HTTP protocol. This allows the image forming apparatus 101 to allow the client to use a remote UI function for checking the current state of the image forming apparatus 101, various settings, and checking or operating the processing status of a print job. That is, the client can use the remote UI function of the image forming apparatus 101. Such a remote UI function is used via the web browser. Details of the HTTP request will be described later.

[0015] Here, the current state of the image forming apparatus 101 includes, for example, the operating state, paper feed information, and remaining ink amount of the image forming apparatus 101. The operating state of the image forming apparatus 101 includes at least one of a normal state, a state in which a warning has occurred, and a state in which an error has occurred and printing is not possible. The paper feed information is information indicating the size and type of recording media set in the paper feed section of the image forming apparatus 101, and the remaining amount of recording media. When the PC 102 connects to the image forming apparatus 101, a communication path is established using the TCP protocol as a preliminary step to communication using the HTTP protocol. When this communication path is established, a TCP port number that allows transmission and reception may be specified, and the PC 102 may remotely connect to the image forming apparatus 101 using, for example, VNC (Virtual Network Computing).

[0016] <Hardware configuration> FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus 101 has a controller unit 201 and a display / operation unit 207. The display / operation unit 207 has a configuration for accepting a user's operation and displaying various contents. Specifically, the display / operation unit 207 has a display screen for displaying various contents and a hard key for accepting a user's operation. The display screen is, for example, a liquid crystal display, but is not particularly limited to this. The display screen may be an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. Alternatively, the display screen may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display. The one accepting the user's operation may be a touch panel instead of a hard key. Alternatively, the one accepting the user's operation may be both a hard key and a touch panel. In this case, the hard key and the touch panel may be arranged adjacent to each other, allowing them to be used in combination. The touch panel may be configured as a display with a touch panel by overlapping the display in the thickness direction of various displays such as a liquid crystal display, for example.

[0017] The image forming apparatus 101 is, for example, a printing apparatus (printer). The printing apparatus refers to an apparatus having a recording device with a printing function of recording information on a print medium using a recording material. For example, the image forming apparatus 101 may be further provided with a reading device for reading an image on an original and functioning as a copier, or may be a multi-function peripheral (MFP) with additional functions. For example, various devices such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, and a digital camera may be applied as the image forming apparatus 101 of this embodiment.

[0018] The controller unit 201 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 204. The controller unit 201 has a system bus 212 and an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 205. The controller unit 201 has a display / operation unit I / F 206, a network I / F 208, and a device I / F 209.

[0019] The CPU 202 is a calculation device that controls the entire image forming apparatus 101. The CPU 202 performs various controls via a system bus 212. The ROM 204 is a non-volatile memory. The ROM 204 stores image data, other data, various programs for the operation of the CPU 202, and the like. The RAM 203 is a volatile memory. The RAM 203 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 202. When the image forming apparatus 101 is in operation, programs such as an operating system, system software, and application software, as well as various data referenced when each program is executed, are appropriately loaded from the ROM 204 into the RAM 203.

[0020] That is, the CPU 202 controls each part of the image forming apparatus 101 by expanding a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. The program for the CPU 202 to operate is not limited to the one stored in the ROM 204, and may be one stored in the HDD 205 in advance. The HDD 205 stores programs such as an operating system, system software, and application software, as well as various data referenced when each program is executed, such as image data and setting data. However, as long as data can be stored, other storage devices such as an SSD, an SD memory card, or an eMMC (embedded Multi Media Card) may be used. Alternatively, the CPU 202 may take in a program stored in a removable semiconductor memory via an interface unit (not shown), expand it into the RAM 203, and execute it.

[0021] The display / operation unit I / F 206 is an interface with the display / operation unit 207. The display / operation unit I / F 206 outputs information to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207 to the display / operation unit 207. Alternatively, the display / operation unit I / F 206 accepts information input by a user to the display / operation unit 207. The network I / F 208 is an interface with the LAN 105. The network I / F 208 is connected to the LAN 105 and communicates with the PC 102 and the like connected to the same LAN. The device I / F 209 is an interface with various devices. The various devices are a scanner 210 and a printer 211. The scanner 210 has a function of acquiring an image recorded on an original as image data by a scanning operation. The printer 211 has a function of recording an image on a recording medium. The printer 211 may record an image by an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method. The device I / F 209 is connected to a scanner 210 and a printer 211. With this connection configuration, the controller unit 201 can input image data to the scanner 210. Alternatively, the controller unit 201 can output image data to the printer 211. In other words, with this connection configuration, the controller unit 201 can obtain image data by scanning an original, and output the image data by printing it on a recording medium.

[0022] Although a description of the hardware configuration of the PC 102 will be omitted, the hardware configuration is the same as that when the image forming apparatus 101 in Fig. 2 does not include the scanner 210 and the printer 211. The PC 102 may have a hardware configuration including the scanner 210 and the printer 211.

[0023] <Software configuration> 3 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 and the PC 102. The image forming apparatus 101 includes a plurality of software modules. The plurality of software modules include a web server 310, a remote UI control unit 311, a remote login control unit 312, a device control unit 313, a UI control unit 314, an authentication processing unit 315, and a personal setting data management unit 316. Data used by the plurality of software modules includes a content file 350, authentication data 351, a screen resource 352, and personal setting data 353.

[0024] Each software module and data is stored in ROM 204 or HDD 205. When each software module is executed by CPU 202, it is appropriately loaded from ROM 204 or HDD 205 to RAM 203. Content file 350, authentication data 351, screen resource 352, and personal setting data 353 may be stored in ROM 204 or HDD 205.

[0025] <HTTPリクエスト> The PC 102 is equipped with a web browser 301. The web browser 301 is a general browser application. The web browser 301 communicates with a web server 310 in the image forming apparatus 101 in accordance with the HTTP protocol. In communication in accordance with the HTTP protocol, when the web browser 301 makes a request to the web server 310, an HTTP request is sent. An HTTP request is made up of a request line, a header field, and a body. The request line is made up of a method, a URI, and HTTP version information. A method is a type of processing command. Examples of methods include "GET" for requesting a resource and "POST" for sending a resource. Here, a resource is a file identified by the URI in the request line.

[0026] A plurality of elements are defined in the header field. Each element is composed of a pair of a field name and the contents of the field name. The plurality of elements include, for example, "Accept-Language" and "User-Agent". The body defines parameters used in the method. In the web browser 301, the user can set preferred language information as request setting information in the elements of the header field. Here, preferred language information is information in which information of a plurality of natural languages ​​usable in the web browser 301 is prioritized. When the web browser 301 transmits an HTTP request to the web server, the preferred language information set in the web browser 301 is transmitted as an "Accept-Language header" included in the header of the HTTP request. For example, the contents of the "Accept-Language header" can be specified as follows according to RFC (Request for Comments) 7231:

[0027] Accept-Language:ja,en-US;q=0.8,en;q=0.7

[0028] The semantics of the above syntax is "Japanese is preferred, but American English is acceptable, and other varieties of English are acceptable." The weighting of the priority is specified using the parameter q. The highest priority is the one without the parameter q. If the parameter q is present, the higher the number, the higher the priority. Note that the preferred language information of the web browser 301 is usually set to the language of the OS of the PC 102 or the web browser 301 as the default. Therefore, in many cases, the preferred language information of the web browser 301 is set appropriately even if the user of the PC 102 does not consciously set it. For example, if the user of the PC 102 is Japanese, the OS and the web browser 301 are running in Japanese, and the language set in the preferred language information of the web browser 301 is also set to Japanese. In this case, the header field of the HTTP request sent by the web browser 301 includes "Accept-Language:ja."

[0029] <HTTPレスポンス> The web server 310 communicates with the web browser 301 in the PC 102 in accordance with the HTTP protocol. Specifically, the web server 310 receives an HTTP request from the web browser 301. The web server 310 calls a software module as appropriate in accordance with the HTTP request. The web server 310 returns an HTTP response based on the called software module to the web browser 301. The HTTP response is made up of a status line, a header field, and a body. The status line is made up of a three-digit number. This three-digit number notifies the client of the result of the HTTP request. For example, if the number is in the 200s, the notification content is "success." "Success" indicates that the HTTP request was successful. For example, if the method is "PUT," a resource indicating the result of the operation is sent in the message body. As with an HTTP request, each element of the header field is made up of a pair of a field name and the content of that field name. The body contains the server's response content to the HTTP request.

[0030] <Authentication Processing in the Remote Login Control Unit 312> When the web server 310 receives an initial HTTP request from the web browser 301, it calls the remote login control unit 312 from among multiple software modules. The web server 310 causes the remote login control unit 312 to execute a login process (also called an authentication process). The remote login control unit 312 performs the authentication process based on the information in the authentication data 351. Specifically, when the remote login control unit 312 is called by the web server 310, it generates data for a screen requesting input of an authentication ID and password. The remote login control unit 312 transmits the generated screen to the web browser 301 to display it. When a user inputs information on the screen requesting input of an authentication ID and password displayed on the web browser 301, the remote login control unit 312 receives the input authentication ID and password via the web server 310. The remote login control unit 312 performs the authentication process by collating the received authentication ID and password with the authentication data 351.

[0031] <Authentication successful> When the authentication is successful, the remote login control unit 312 calls the remote UI control unit 311 to execute the process requested based on the HTTP request. When the remote UI control unit 311 receives the request of the HTTP request, it calls the device control unit 313 based on the content of the request. The device control unit 313 can operate the scanner 210 or the printer 211 in FIG. 2 via the device I / F 209 in FIG. 2. When the device control unit 313 operates the scanner 210, it is possible to copy the original document or scan the original document. When the device control unit 313 operates the printer 211, it is possible to copy the original document or print on a recording medium. Also, the remote UI control unit 311 reads out various files stored in the content file 350 (template file, image file, script file, etc.). The remote UI control unit 311 generates an HTTP response with reference to the read various files. The remote UI control unit 311 returns the generated HTTP response to the web browser 301 via the web server 310. Note that when generating the HTTP response, the Accept-Language header is referred to. The Accept-Language header is included in the HTTP request obtained from the web browser 301.

[0032] <Authentication failure> On the other hand, when the authentication fails, the remote login control unit 312 generates a screen for notifying the authentication error and causes the web browser 301 to display the authentication failure screen via the web server 310.

[0033] <Authentication process in the UI control unit 314> The UI control unit 314 performs input / output control processing for the display / operation unit 207 of the image forming apparatus 101. Specifically, the UI control unit 314 receives operation information performed by a user using the hard keys and touch panel of the display / operation unit 207 via the display / operation unit I / F 206. The UI control unit 314 generates an operation screen based on the operation information received from the display / operation unit 207 or information notified from the device control unit 313, the authentication processing unit 315, etc. The UI control unit 314 displays the generated operation screen on the display / operation unit 207 via the display / operation unit I / F 206. Specifically, the UI control unit 314 appropriately reads out screen resources from the screen resource 352 and generates a screen by arranging the read out screen resources. At this time, the UI control unit 314 obtains the ID of the logged-in user from the authentication processing unit 315 and reads out the personal settings of the user from the personal setting data 353 via the personal setting data management unit 316. The UI control unit 314 generates a screen based on the personal setting data 353. For example, the UI control unit 314 generates a screen based on the display language setting 402 of the logged-in user, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 4. When the language set in the display language setting 402 of the logged-in user is Japanese, the UI control unit 314 generates a screen in Japanese. Alternatively, when the language set in the display language setting 402 of the logged-in user is English, the UI control unit 314 generates a screen in English. Alternatively, when the dark mode setting 403 of the logged-in user, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, is set to OFF, the UI control unit 314 generates a screen with a white base. When the dark mode setting 403 of the logged-in user is set to ON, the UI control unit 314 generates a screen with a black base. Note that the operation screen generated by the UI control unit 314 can be displayed on the web browser 301 of the PC 102 by the remote UI function of the image forming apparatus 101. Furthermore, the operation screen generated by the UI control unit 314 can also be operated by the user via the web browser 301 of the PC 102.

[0034] The authentication processing unit 315 is called by the UI control unit 314 when the authentication processing is executed, and performs the authentication processing. Specifically, when called by the UI control unit 314, an authentication ID and password information are passed to the authentication processing unit 315. The authentication processing unit 315 performs the authentication processing by checking the passed ID and password information against the information of the authentication data 351, and returns the authentication result to the UI control unit 314. The UI control unit 314 generates a screen based on the authentication result. The authentication ID and password information may be input by the user using at least one of the hard keys and the touch panel of the display / operation unit 207, or may be obtained from an IC card or the like.

[0035] <Personal settings management> The personal setting data management unit 316 manages personal setting data 353 of a user who uses the image forming apparatus 101. Either the UI control unit 314 or the remote UI control unit 311 calls the personal setting data management unit 316. When called by the UI control unit 314, the personal setting data management unit 316 links the personal setting data to a user ID in response to an instruction from the UI control unit 314. The personal setting data management unit 316 stores the personal setting data linked to the user ID as one of the personal setting element data constituting the personal setting data 353. According to this operation, in response to an instruction from the UI control unit 314 or an instruction from the remote UI control unit 311, the personal setting data management unit 316 can return the personal setting data linked to the user ID.

[0036] <Personal setting data 353> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the configuration of the personal setting data 353. The personal setting data 353 is setting information that can be held for each user among various settings for the image forming apparatus 101. The personal setting data 353 is configured with setting information for each user ID 401, that is, the display language setting 402, the dark mode setting 403, and the email address setting 404. That is, the personal setting data 353 has the setting information for each user ID 401, that is, the display language setting 402, the dark mode setting 403, and the email address setting 404, so that the personal setting data 353 can be searched for by the user ID 401. The user ID 401 is an identifier that can uniquely identify a user. The display language setting 402 is setting information that indicates the display language of a screen to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207. The dark mode setting 403 is setting information for specifying whether to use a black-based screen (dark mode) or a white-based screen (light mode) when generating a screen to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207. The email address setting 404 is setting information for an email address for each user.

[0037] For example, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the user ID 401 is "001", the display language setting 402 is "Japanese", the dark mode setting 403 is "OFF", and the email address setting 404 is "user1@example.com". In this case, the user ID 401 of "001" is associated with the display language setting 402 of "Japanese", the dark mode setting 403 of "OFF", and the email address setting 404 of "user1@example.com". In addition, for example, an example in which the user ID 401 is "002", the display language setting 402 is "English", the dark mode setting 403 of "OFF", and the email address setting 404 of "user2@example.com" is shown. In this case, the user ID 401 of "002" is associated with the display language setting 402 of "English", the dark mode setting 403 of "OFF", and the email address setting 404 of "user2@example.com". Also, for example, an example is shown in which the user ID 401 includes "003", the display language setting 402 includes "French", the dark mode setting 403 includes "OFF", and the email address setting includes "user3@example.com". In this case, the user ID 401 of "003" is associated with the display language setting 402 of "French", the dark mode setting 403 includes "OFF", and the email address setting 404 includes "user3@example.com". Also, for example, an example is shown in which the user ID 401 includes "004", the display language setting 402 includes "English", the dark mode setting 403 includes "ON", and the email address setting includes "user4@example.com". In this case, the user ID 401 of "004" is associated with the display language setting 402 of "English", the dark mode setting 403 includes "ON", and the email address setting 404 includes "user4@example.com".

[0038] 4 is an example, and may include other information. For example, information indicating a telephone number for each user may be added or replaced with other elements. Also, information specifying the country of origin of the user may be included in the personal setting data 353 instead of the display language setting. In this case, a country of origin language setting that can specify the language used in the country of origin from the user's country of origin may be set, and the language information set in the country of origin language setting may be made referable from the personal setting data 353.

[0039] <Example of operation> FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the cooperation process between the web browser 301 and the image forming apparatus 101. In FIG. 5, a scenario is assumed where access is made from the web browser 301 of the PC 102 to the image forming apparatus 101. That is, it is assumed that the operation screen generated by the UI control unit 314 is displayed on the web browser 301 of the PC 102 by the remote UI function of the image forming apparatus 101, and the user operates via the web browser 301 of the PC 102. Also, some or all of the functions of the steps in FIG. 5 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart diagram. Also, the processes of S501 to S508 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are realized by the CPU of the PC 102 expanding and executing the programs for realizing the respective software modules stored in the ROM or HDD into the RAM. Specifically, the processes from S501 to S508 are processes executed by the web browser 301 executed by the CPU of the PC 102, and the web browser 301 starts the process from S501. On the other hand, the processes of S551 to S559 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 are realized by the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 expanding and executing the programs for realizing the respective software modules stored in the ROM 204 or HDD 205 into the RAM 203. Specifically, the processes from S551 to S559 are processes executed by the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101, and the CPU 202 starts the process from S551. Note that the arrows indicated by the dotted lines in the figure indicate the flow of information transmitted and received between the image forming apparatus 101 and the PC 102.

[0040] The flowchart of FIG. 5 is started based on the fact that after the communication between the image forming apparatus 101 and the PC 102 is established, a remote UI operation is started from the web browser 301 of the PC 102 for the image forming apparatus 101.

[0041] <PC102: Access request> In S501, the CPU of PC 102 determines whether or not there is an access request to the image forming apparatus 101. If it is determined that there is an access request to the image forming apparatus 101, the CPU of PC 102 proceeds to S502. In S502, the CPU of PC 102 transmits an HTTP request to the image forming apparatus 101, and proceeds to S503. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no access request to the image forming apparatus 101, the CPU of PC 102 continues the processing of S501.

[0042] <Access Request: 1st Case; 2nd Case> Specifically, the access request may be the first or second case below. As the first case, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the image forming apparatus 101 may be input in an address input field of the web browser 301. In this first case, the web browser 301 determines that there is a request to access the image forming apparatus 101. Alternatively, as the second case, a link of the URL of the image forming apparatus 101 may be clicked. In this second case, the web browser 301 also determines that there is a request to access the image forming apparatus 101. As in the above two cases, when the web browser 301 determines that there is a request to access the image forming apparatus 101, the web browser 301 advances the process of S501 to the process of S502. In S502, the web browser 301 transmits an HTTP request specifying the input URL to the image forming apparatus 101. Note that the HTTP request includes an Accept-Language header. More specifically, the input URL is included in a request line that constitutes an HTTP request. Also, the Accept-Language header may contain language information corresponding to the display language of the web browser 301 as preferred language information.

[0043] <Image forming apparatus 101: Transmission of authentication screen data> In S551, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether there is an access from the web browser 301. If it is determined that there is an access from the web browser 301, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S552. In S552, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits authentication screen data. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no access from the web browser 301, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 continues the process of S551. Specifically, when the web server 310 receives the HTTP request transmitted by the web browser 301 in S502, the process proceeds to S552. In S552, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the authentication screen data to the web browser 30. More specifically, the web server 310 calls the remote login control unit 312. The remote login control unit 312 generates the authentication screen data. The web server 310 transmits the authentication screen data to the web browser 301.

[0044] <PC102: Operation of Authentication Screen> In S503, the CPU of the PC 102 receives the authentication screen data and proceeds to S504. In S504, the CPU of the PC 102 displays the authentication screen and proceeds to S505. In S505, the CPU of the PC 102 determines whether or not there is a user input. If it is determined that there is a user input, the CPU of the PC 102 proceeds to S506. In S506, the CPU of the PC 102 transmits authentication data. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no user input, the CPU of the PC 102 continues the process of S505. Specifically, in S503, the web browser 301 receives the authentication screen data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101 in S552. In S504, the web browser 301 displays the authentication screen based on the received authentication screen data. More specifically, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication screen displayed by the web browser 301. The authentication screen includes a user ID input field 601, a password input field 602, and a login button 603. In S505, the web browser 301 determines whether or not a user has entered information into a user ID input field 601 and a password input field 602 and operated a login button 603. If it is determined that a user has entered information, the process proceeds to S506. In S506, the web browser 301 transmits the user ID and password entered into the user ID input field 601 and the password input field 602, respectively, to the image forming apparatus 101 as authentication data. Note that when transmitting various data from the web browser 301 to the image forming apparatus 101 as in S502, S506, etc., an Accept-Language header is attached. That is, transmission from the web browser 301 to the image forming apparatus 101 as in S502, S506, etc. is realized by transmitting an HTTP request.

[0045] <Image forming device 101: User authentication> In S553, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 judges whether or not authentication data has been received. If it is judged that authentication data has been received, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S554. On the other hand, if it is judged that authentication data has not been received, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 continues the process of S553. That is, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 waits for reception of authentication data. In S554, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 judges whether or not authentication has been successful. If it is judged that authentication has been successful, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S556. On the other hand, if it is judged that authentication has not been successful, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S555. In S555, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits error screen data and ends the process. In S556, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the remote UI screen data, and the process proceeds to S557.

[0046] Specifically, in S553, when the web server 310 receives the authentication data transmitted from the web browser 301, the process proceeds to S554. When receiving this authentication data, the web server 310 also receives the Accept-Language header included in the HTTP request. This is because, when sending an HTTP response to the web browser 301, screen data is generated in the language specified in the Accept-Language header notified by the web browser 301. In S554, the web server 310 calls the remote login control unit 312. The authentication data received by the web server 310 is passed to the remote login control unit 312. The remote login control unit 312 compares the user input information, which is the passed authentication data, with the authentication information in the authentication data 351. The remote login control unit 312 returns the authentication result based on the comparison to the web server 310. If the authentication result is not successful, the process proceeds to S555. On the other hand, if the authentication result is successful, the process proceeds to S556. Here, unsuccessful authentication means, but is not limited to, that the user input information does not match the authentication information in the authentication data 351. For example, unsuccessful authentication may also include a case where the user input information is corrupted and cannot be compared.

[0047] <If authentication is unsuccessful: Error screen is sent> In S555, remote login control unit 312 generates a screen for notifying an authentication error, and transmits the generated error screen data to web browser 301. The generated error screen data is generated in the language specified in the Accept-Language header notified by web browser 301.

[0048] <If authentication is successful: Send Remote UI screen> In S556, the remote login control unit 312 returns to the web server 310 that the authentication has succeeded. When the web server 310 receives a response from the remote login control unit 312 indicating that the authentication has succeeded, it calls the remote UI control unit 311. The called remote UI control unit 311 reads the content file 350 to generate remote UI screen data, and transmits the generated remote UI screen data to the web browser 301. The generated remote UI screen data is generated in the language specified by the Accept-Language header notified from the web browser 301.

[0049] <PC102: Screen display (Overview)> In S507, the PC102 receives screen data from the web server 310. The screen data received by the web browser 301 of the PC102 from the web server 310 is the error screen data in S555 or the remote UI screen data in S556. In S508, the PC102 displays a screen based on the received screen data and ends a series of processes.

[0050] <PC102: Screen display (Error screen)> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication error screen displayed by the web browser 301. In an example of FIG. 7, the display of the message 701 is added above the user ID input field 601, the password input field 602, and the login button 603 in FIG. 6. The message 701 includes content notifying that authentication has failed. For example, as the message 701, the text "Login failed. Please check your user ID and password" is displayed on the web browser 301. Note that the text of the message 701 is not limited to this. For example, it may be text such as "The user ID and password could not be read. Please enter them again." Or it may be text such as "The entered user ID is not registered. Please enter it again." Or it may be text such as "The password is incorrect." In short, the content of the message 701 may be any content that indicates an authentication error.

[0051] <PC102: Screen display (Remote UI screen)> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a remote UI screen displayed by the web browser 301. In the example of FIG. 8, the remote UI screen is composed of areas 801 to 803. The state of the printer 211 and the scanner 210 is displayed in the area 801. In FIG. 8, the wording "printing is possible" is displayed as the state of the printer 211. Also, in FIG. 8, the wording "reading is possible" is displayed as the state of the scanner 210. In the area 802, consumables information is displayed. In FIG. 8, the storage status of recording media in each paper cassette and the remaining amount of toner of each color are displayed as the consumables information. In the area 803, link buttons are displayed. In FIG. 8, for example, a button for calling a function for checking the state of the printer 211 or the scanner 210 or for stopping use is displayed as the link button. Other examples of the link button include a button for calling a function for setting or registering the printer 211 or the scanner 210, a button for calling a function for printing, and a button for calling an address book. Note that the link buttons are not limited to these.

[0052] <Image forming apparatus 101: Determining personal setting data> In S557, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 reads out the personal setting data. Specifically, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 notifies the personal setting data management unit 316 of the authentication data received from the web browser 301. The personal setting data management unit 316 reads out the user's personal setting information. In S558, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether the data from the web browser 301 matches the personal setting data. Here, the data from the web browser 301 to be compared with the personal setting data is the Accept-Language header. That is, in S558, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether the language specified as the preferred language information matches the language specified as the display language setting 402 in FIG. 4. If it is determined that the data from the web browser 301 matches the personal setting data, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 ends the process. If it is determined that the data from the web browser 301 does not match the personal setting data, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S559. In S559, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 changes the personal setting data of the user and ends the process. Specifically, in S559, the remote UI control unit 311 notifies the personal setting data management unit 316 of the user ID and the preferred language information included in the Accept-Language header. The personal setting data management unit 316 rewrites the display language setting 402 of the personal setting data 353 of the user corresponding to the received user ID to the preferred language information received in the Accept-Language header.

[0053] <Login screen of image forming apparatus 101> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a login screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the image forming apparatus 101 is operated by user authentication. That is, the image forming apparatus 101 displays the login screen of FIG. 9 when it is powered on, initialized, and started up. In the example of FIG. 9, a user ID input field 901, a password input field 902, and a login button 903 are displayed. For example, when a user presses a part of the user ID input field 901, a soft keyboard screen (not shown) is called up, and the user can input a user ID using the displayed soft keyboard. The password input field 902 can also be input by the same operation as in the user ID input field 901. The login button 903 is operated by the user after inputting information in the user ID input field 901 and the password input field 902, and authentication processing is performed. The authentication processing is performed by the authentication processing unit 315. The authentication processing unit 315 can compare the user ID and password entered in the user ID input field 901 and password input field 902 with the authentication data 351. Instead of entering the user ID and password, IC card or biometric authentication may be performed. If the user authentication is successful, the UI control unit 314 generates an operation screen such as a home screen and displays it on the display / operation unit 207. When generating the operation screen, the UI control unit 314 passes the user ID of the logged-in user to the personal setting data management unit 316, reads out the display language setting 402 of the user, and generates the operation screen in that language.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207. FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed when a user whose language is set in the display language setting 402 to be "Japanese" logs in. The user in FIG. 10(a) is, for example, a user whose user ID is "001" in FIG. 4. FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed when a user whose language is set in the display language setting 402 to be "English" logs in. The user in FIG. 10(b) is, for example, a user whose user ID is "002" in FIG. 4.

[0055] <Advantages of the First Embodiment> As described above, when the image forming apparatus 101 is accessed from the web browser 301, the display language setting 402 of the user's personal setting data 353 is changed according to the information in the Accept-Language header sent from the web browser 301. Then, when the user logs in from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101, the screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207 is a screen according to the display language setting 402 set in the personal setting data 353. As described above, the information in the Accept-Language header sent from the web browser 301 is often set appropriately even if the user does not consciously set it. Therefore, the following becomes possible by changing the display language setting 402 of the user's personal setting data 353 according to the information in the Accept-Language header. That is, the image forming apparatus 101 can be used in a display language appropriate for the user by simply accessing the image forming apparatus 101 once from the web browser 301 that the user normally uses. This makes it possible to improve user convenience.

[0056] In the above description, an example is shown in which the display language setting 402 of the personal setting data 353 of the user is changed according to the information of the Accept-Language header sent from the web browser 301, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the dark mode setting 403 of FIG. 4 is enabled as the setting of the web browser 301, the dark mode setting 403 may be applied. In this case, when the web server 310 is accessed from the web browser 301, the web server 310 acquires the setting information of the dark mode setting 403 of the web browser 301. Then, in S557, it is determined whether the setting information of the dark mode setting 403 of the web browser 301 and the setting information of the dark mode setting 403 of the user match. If they do not match, in S559, the CPU 202 rewrites the dark mode setting 403 of the user. As a result, when the user logs in from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 101, the screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207 matches the setting information of the dark mode setting 403 of the web browser 301. Therefore, the user can use the image forming apparatus 101 with a screen appropriate for that user.

[0057] <<Second embodiment>> In the second embodiment, a description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment will be omitted. In the first embodiment, the personal settings of the user are automatically changed according to the settings transmitted from the web browser 301. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the remote UI allows the user to select whether or not to change the personal settings. Specifically, a selection screen (notification) is displayed that allows the user to select whether or not to change the personal settings. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a cooperative process between the web browser 301 and the image forming apparatus 101.

[0058] <Example of operation> <Image forming device 101: User authentication> Since the processing up to S554 is the same as the processing in FIG. 5, the description thereof is omitted. In S554, if it is determined that authentication has been successful, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S557. The processing in S557 is the same as the processing in FIG. 5.

[0059] <Image forming apparatus 101: Personal setting data determination> In S558, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether the data from the web browser 301 matches the personal setting data. If it is determined that the data from the web browser 301 matches the personal setting data, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S556. The processing in S556 is the same as the processing described in FIG. 5, and after the processing in S556, the processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the data from the web browser 301 does not match the personal setting data, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S1151. In S1151, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits remote UI screen data including confirmation of personal setting changes. Specifically, remote UI screen data obtained by adding a UI element for allowing the user to select the necessity of change to the remote UI screen generated in S556 is transmitted to the web browser 301.

[0060] <PC 102: Screen display (overview)> In S507, the PC 102 receives screen data from the web server 310. The screen data received by the web browser 301 of the PC 102 from the web server 310 is the error screen data in S555, the remote UI screen data in S556, or the remote UI screen data in S1151. In S508, the PC 102 displays a screen based on the received screen data.

[0061] <PC 102: Screen display (remote UI screen + change confirmation area 1201)> FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a remote UI screen displayed by the web browser 301. The remote UI screen in FIG. 12 is the remote UI screen in S1151. Therefore, the remote UI screen in FIG. 12 includes content indicating a personal setting change confirmation. In the example in FIG. 12, a change confirmation area 1201 is added as content indicating a personal setting change confirmation, so that a part of the screen in FIG. 8 is hidden by the change confirmation area 1201. The change confirmation area 1201 includes buttons 1202 and 1203. The button 1202 is displayed as "No." The button 1203 is displayed as "Yes." If it is determined in S1101 that a change request has been input, that is, if the button 1203 has been operated, the PC 102 proceeds to S1102. In S1102, the PC 102 transmits a personal setting change request. On the other hand, if it is determined that a change request has not been input, that is, if the button 1202 has been operated, the PC 102 ends the process.

[0062] <Image forming device 101: Request to change personal settings> In S1152, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether or not there is a personal setting change request. If it is determined that there is a personal setting change request, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S559. In S559, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 changes the personal setting data of the user, similar to the processing of S559 in Fig. 5, and ends the processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no personal setting change request, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 ends the processing.

[0063] <Effects of the second embodiment> As described above, in the second embodiment, a notification is given to indicate whether or not to change the personal setting data. This allows the remote UI to allow the user to select whether or not to change the personal setting data. This makes it possible to further improve user convenience.

[0064] <<Third embodiment>> In the third embodiment, the description of the configuration similar to that of the first and second embodiments will be omitted. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the web server 310 allows the user to select whether or not to change the personal settings.

[0065] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic example of the configuration of personal setting data 353. In FIG. 13, the difference from FIG. 4 is that difference information 1301 indicating whether there is a difference from the information from the web browser is added as new information in addition to the information specifying various settings in FIG. 4. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed on display / operation unit 207. The difference from the operation specified in the flowchart of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment is in S559. In S559 of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, the language information specified in display language setting 402 included in personal setting data 353 of the user is replaced with preferred language information specified in the Accept-Language header. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the presence or absence of a difference from the preferred language information of web browser 301 and the preferred language information of web browser 301 are included in personal setting data 353.

[0066] Specifically, assume that the display language setting 402 of the user with user ID 001 is Japanese, but the Accept-Language header was English when the user accessed the site with web browser 301. In this case, the fact that there was a difference is recorded as "Yes", for example, as difference information 1301 for that user, as shown in Figure 13. Similarly, it is shown that the current display language setting 402 of the user with user ID 004 is English, but the Accept-Language header when the user accessed the site with web browser 301 was French, not English.

[0067] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207 after login. FIG. 14 shows an example of a screen after a user with the user ID 401 of “001” in FIG. 13 logs in. The screen in FIG. 14 includes a message area 1401 and buttons 1402 and 1403. The message area 1401 displays a message for confirming whether or not to make the display language of the screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207 the same as the display language when the remote UI is displayed. The display language when the remote UI is displayed is a language specified by the preferred language information specified by the Accept-Language header included in the HTTP request transmitted from the web browser 301. The button 1402 is a button on which the word “YES” is displayed. The button 1403 is a button on which the word “NO” is displayed. When the user operates the button 1402, the setting of “Japanese” indicated in the display language setting 402 is changed to the setting of “English” specified by the preferred language information specified by the Accept-Language header. On the other hand, when the user operates button 1403, the setting of "Japanese" indicated in display language setting 402 is maintained, and the screen of Fig. 14 transitions to the home screen shown in Fig. 10(a). Note that the display language of message area 1401 and buttons 1402 and 1403 is displayed in both the language of display language setting 402 and the language of the preferred language information specified in the Accept-Language header. This operation makes it possible for even a user who has difficulty understanding the current display language to easily switch to an appropriate display language.

[0068] <Effects of the third embodiment> As described above, in the third embodiment, both the information based on the display language setting 402 included in the personal setting data 353 and the request setting information included in the HTTP request are displayed. This makes it possible for even a user who has difficulty understanding the current display language to easily switch to an appropriate display language.

[0069] <<Fourth embodiment>> In the fourth embodiment, descriptions of configurations similar to those in the first to third embodiments are omitted. The fourth embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that the screen to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207 of the image forming apparatus 101 is incorporated as a part of the screen of the web browser 301.

[0070] FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the cooperation process between the web browser 301 and the image forming apparatus 101. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a remote UI screen displayed by the web browser 301. In the operation example of the flowchart in FIG. 15 in this embodiment, differences from the operation example of the flowchart in FIG. 5 will be described.

[0071] <Operation example> <PC102: Remote operation request> In S1501, the PC 102 determines whether there is a remote operation request. If it is determined that there is a remote operation request, the PC 102 proceeds to S1502. For example, when the "Remote Operation" button in the area 803 in FIG. 16 is operated by the user, it is determined that there is a remote operation request. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no remote operation request, the process ends. In S1502, the PC 102 transmits the remote operation request to the web server 310 of the image forming apparatus 101.

[0072] <Image forming apparatus 101: Remote operation request reception> In S1551, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether a remote operation request has been received. If it is determined that a remote operation request has been received, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S557 and performs the processes of S557 to S559 similar to those in FIG. 5. After the process of S559, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 proceeds to S1553. In S1553, the CPU 202 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits the operation screen data to the web browser 301. Specifically, the remote UI control unit 311 calls the UI control unit 314 to acquire and transmit the data of the screen to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207.

[0073] <PC102: Operation Screen> In S1503, the CPU of PC102 receives the operation screen data transmitted in S1553. In S1504, the CPU of PC102 causes the web browser 301 to display a screen based on the received operation screen data. In FIG. 16, an example of a screen is shown by the web browser 301. In the area 1601, the same screen as the operation screen displayed on the display / operation unit 207 of the image forming apparatus 101 is displayed. That is, the screen to be displayed on the display / operation unit 207 of the image forming apparatus 101 is incorporated as a part of the screen of the web browser 301.

[0074] <Effects of the Fourth Embodiment> By the process of S559, the display language of the personal settings of the user becomes the same as the language specified by the preferred language information notified by the web browser 301 in the Accept-Language header. Therefore, the display screen in the area 1601 becomes a screen in the same language as the language of the other areas (for example, the area 803) of the remote UI screen. According to such an operation, it is possible to provide a screen that does not give a sense of discomfort to the user.

[0075] <<Other Embodiments>> In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the image forming apparatus 101 and the PC102 are connected has been described based on an example in which it is a wired LAN or a wireless LAN. However, it is not limited to this example. The configuration for connecting the image forming apparatus 101 and the client terminal may be, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (near field communication). If it is a configuration connected by Bluetooth, for example, it is possible to operate the image forming apparatus 101 even at a location away from the image forming apparatus 101 in the same room. Alternatively, if it is a configuration connected by NFC, for example, even for an image forming apparatus 101 that does not have a display / operation unit 207, it is possible to remotely operate the image forming apparatus 101 by connecting a client terminal such as a smartphone.

[0076] In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the explanation has been given based on an example in which information on the natural language recommended in the HTTP response is included in Accept-Language. However, this is not limited to this example. Information on the natural language recommended in the HTTP response may be included in a User-Agent header. Alternatively, language information set in the OS may be referenced from information on the OS (Operating System) included in the User-Agent header. In other words, what to send as information on the natural language recommended in the HTTP response may be determined based on the specifications of the web browser 301.

[0077] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the software modules are stored in the ROM 204 or the HDD 205, and are loaded in the RAM 203 when executed by the CPU 202. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, at least one of the content file 350, the authentication data 351, the screen resource 352, and the personal setting data 353 may be stored in an external server (not shown). In this case, when the CPU 202 executes each process, the data may be appropriately read from the external server, and the read data may be loaded in the RAM 204. In addition, at least one of the remote UI control unit 311, the remote login control unit 312, the device control unit 313, the UI control unit 314, the authentication processing unit 315, and the personal setting data management unit 316 may be in the external server. In this case, the web server 310 may execute the process in cooperation with the external server. For example, the authentication processing unit 315 and the authentication data 351 may be stored in the external server. In this case, the web server 310 can execute the authentication process in cooperation with the external server. By using such cooperative processing, it is also possible to distribute the processing load.

[0078] The above-mentioned embodiment can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer (CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program. The program may be executed by one computer, or may be executed by multiple computers in cooperation with each other. It is not necessary to realize all of the above-mentioned processes by software, and some or all of the processes may be realized by hardware such as ASIC. The CPU is also not limited to one that performs all processes by one CPU, and multiple CPUs may perform processes in cooperation with each other as appropriate.

[0079] In addition, the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are not only realized by a computer reading and executing the program code, but also include cases where an OS running on a computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are realized by the processing.

[0080] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes the following information processing device, a control method for the information processing device, and configurations typified by program examples.

[0081] <Configuration 1> An information processing device capable of communicating with a client terminal capable of using a web browser, a receiving means for receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; an authentication means for performing an authentication process for a user who uses the information processing device via the web browser when the request information is received by the reception means; a change means for changing the personal setting information based on the requested setting information when the authentication means has successfully authenticated the user and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information; An information processing device comprising:

[0082] <Configuration 2> 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the requested setting information received from the web browser includes setting information indicating a preferred display language.

[0083] <Configuration 3> 2. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the requested setting information received from the web browser includes setting information for either a dark mode or a light mode.

[0084] <Configuration 4> The information processing device according to at least one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the change means, when the authentication process of the user by the authentication means is successful and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information, notifies the user as to whether or not to change the personal setting information based on the requested setting information.

[0085] <Component 5> The information processing device according to configuration 4, wherein the change means, when making the notification, causes the web browser to display both information based on the requested setting information and information based on the personal setting information.

[0086] <Component 6> The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the change means, when requested to display the same screen as the screen to be displayed on the information processing device on the web browser, incorporates the screen to be displayed on the information processing device into the screen of the web browser.

[0087] <Component 7> a display operation means for receiving an operation by the user and performing a display based on the content of the operation; an interface means that functions as an interface between the authentication means and the display operation means; Further equipped with the authentication means is configured to further perform authentication processing of the user based on information input via the interface means; 2. The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, wherein the display operation means performs the display based on personal setting information associated with the user authenticated via the interface means.

[0088] <Component 8> 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display operation means performs the display in a language specified by a display language setting included in the personal setting information.

[0089] <Component 9> 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display operation means performs the display in a mode specified by a mode setting included in the personal setting information.

[0090] <Component 10> 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request information is information received through communication using an HTTP protocol.

[0091] <Component 11> A method for controlling an information processing device capable of communicating with a client terminal capable of using a web browser, comprising the steps of: a receiving step of receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; an authentication step of performing, when the request information is received by the receiving step, an authentication process of a user who uses the information processing device via the web browser; a modification step of modifying the personal setting information based on the requested setting information when the authentication process of the user in the authentication step is successful and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information; 23. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising:

[0092] <Component 12> A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to configuration 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 101 Image forming device 301 Web Browser

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with a client terminal capable of using a web browser, a receiving means for receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; an authentication means for performing an authentication process for a user who uses the information processing device via the web browser when the request information is received by the reception means; a change means for changing the personal setting information based on the requested setting information when the authentication means has successfully authenticated the user and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the requested setting information received from the web browser includes setting information indicating a preferred display language.

3. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the requested setting information received from the web browser includes setting information for either a dark mode or a light mode.

4. The information processing device according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the authentication process of the user by the authentication means is successful and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information, the change means notifies the user as to whether or not to change the personal setting information based on the requested setting information.

5. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when the change means issues the notification, the change means causes the web browser to display both information based on the requested setting information and information based on the personal setting information.

6. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, when a request is made to display on the web browser the same screen as the screen to be displayed on the information processing device, the change means incorporates the screen to be displayed on the information processing device into the screen of the web browser.

7. a display operation means for receiving an operation by the user and performing a display based on the content of the operation; an interface means that functions as an interface between the authentication means and the display operation means; Further equipped with the authentication means is configured to further perform authentication processing of the user based on information input via the interface means; 2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display operation means performs the display based on personal setting information associated with the user authenticated via the interface means.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the display operation means performs the display in a language specified by a display language setting included in the personal setting information.

9. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display operation means performs the display in a mode specified by a mode setting included in the personal setting information.

10. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request information is information received through communication using an HTTP protocol.

11. A method for controlling an information processing device capable of communicating with a client terminal capable of using a web browser, comprising the steps of: a receiving step of receiving request information including request setting information set in the web browser; an authentication step of performing, when the request information is received by the receiving step, an authentication process of a user who uses the information processing device via the web browser; a modification step of modifying the personal setting information based on the requested setting information when the authentication process of the user in the authentication step is successful and the personal setting information associated with the user is different from the requested setting information; 23. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising:

12. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 11.

Images