Image forming apparatus and server for providing cloud print service

Abstract

To perform various print settings without installing a special application such as a printer driver.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus acquires, when a user selects one cloud service from a plurality of cloud services, a list of data corresponding to user information from a server that provides the selected cloud service on the basis of the user information of the user who logs in the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus further acquires, from a cloud print service, a preset list of print settings which is preliminarily registered in association with the user information and the selected cloud service. Then, the image forming apparatus acquires the data selected by the user from the list of data and generates a print job on the basis of the print settings selected by the user from the preset list of print settings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a server that perform printing using a cloud print service. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, with the spread of cloud print platforms, systems that link print services provided by the cloud with image forming devices such as printers and digital multifunction devices installed on company premises are becoming common. The advantage of introducing this print system is that it is no longer necessary to connect image forming devices to the company's intranet, and the complicated installation work is reduced.

[0003] Print services can also be used in a cloud environment where a single or multiple devices are managed by a company or a part of the organization. This unit of management is generally called a tenant. Whether the device is single or multiple depends on the size of the company or customer, but generally, when multiple devices are managed, a dedicated serviceman who mainly performs maintenance on the vendor side of the device is often assigned. On the other hand, in the case of a single device, a dedicated serviceman is rarely assigned for this one device. In other words, customers who contract for a single device are requested to be able to easily use the print function without a dedicated serviceman. An example of an easy print function is a system where you can print by simply registering an email address dedicated to the device and sending document data to that address. Another system where you can select the document data to be printed by referring to a general external cloud storage service and print by simply clicking the print button can also be called an easy print system. These print systems do not require the installation of a vendor-specific printer driver or special applications on the PC that sends the print job, so the work involved in installation can be omitted.

[0004] It is true that installation has become easier by eliminating the need to install printer drivers and special applications. This is not a problem for normal printing, but if you want to print with special print settings, you cannot do so with this printing system. For example, if you want to enlarge or reduce an image, allocate multiple pages to one sheet of paper, or enable stamp functions such as "Confidential" or "Top Secret", the print settings become complicated. These settings can be configured with the printer driver, but it is difficult to display the settings items on the operation panel attached to the image forming device, which has a low display resolution, making it difficult to configure them.

[0005] To solve this problem, a system has been proposed, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, that obtains print information from an information storage server on a network, displays a screen based on that information, and allows the user to modify print setting items. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-108103 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in order to build a system such as that described in Patent Document 1, a server for storing print information and the like is required, which increases the installation work rather than the labor required.

[0008] Therefore, this system makes it easy to set print settings when printing using a cloud print service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that communicates with a cloud print service, and when a user selects one cloud service from among a plurality of cloud services, the image forming apparatus includes a first acquisition means for acquiring a list of data corresponding to the user information from a server providing the selected cloud service based on user information of a user logged in to the image forming apparatus, a first display means for displaying the list of data acquired by the first acquisition means, a second acquisition means for acquiring from the cloud print service a preset list of print settings that are preregistered in association with the user information and the selected cloud service, a second display means for displaying the acquired preset list of print settings, a first acquisition means for acquiring data selected by the user from the list of data displayed by the first display means, a second acquisition means for acquiring print settings selected by the user from the list of print settings displayed by the second display means, and a creation means for creating a print job based on the data acquired by the first acquisition means and the print settings acquired by the second acquisition means. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform various print settings in a cloud print service without installing a special application such as a printer driver. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the cloud print service of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of the information processing terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of a login process to a cloud print service executed by a Web service of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] 4 is an example of a login screen for a Web service provided by the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of a main page screen of a Web service provided by an image forming apparatus. [Figure 9] An example of a web page screen for registering print setting presets provided by a cloud print service. [Figure 10] 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for registering a preset of print settings provided by a cloud print service. [Figure 11] 13 is an example of a preset list of specific print settings to be saved in the preset storage area of ​​the cloud print service. [Figure 12] 13 is an example of a print setting screen. [Figure 13] An example of a screen with the Feed Sheet tab selected. [Figure 14] An example of a screen with the output sheet tab selected. [Figure 15] 13 is an example of a print setting preset registration confirmation screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for selecting a print setting preset. [Figure 17] 4 is an example of a screen of an operation panel of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 18] 13 is an example of a screen displaying a list of print data. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for selecting a print setting preset and printing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments do not limit the present invention, and all of the configurations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the present invention.

[0013] <System configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the system of the present embodiment is composed of, for example, information processing devices 100 and 110, an information processing terminal 51, and an image forming device 200, which are connected to networks 10 and 20, respectively.

[0014] The information processing devices 100 and 110 are servers hosted on a cloud platform, and provide various services to connected clients. In particular, the information processing device 100 also has a service that provides print-related services, and hereinafter, the information processing device 100 may be referred to as a cloud print service 100. The information processing device 110 is also a server that provides cloud storage services such as Google Drive (registered trademark). There is an information processing device (server and storage) 110 for each of the various cloud storage services. Hereinafter, the information processing device 110 may be referred to as a cloud storage service 110.

[0015] The image forming apparatus 200 is a digital multifunction machine having multiple functions such as a copy function, a scan function, a print function, a FAX function, an E-mail transmission function, etc. Alternatively, it may be a printer having a single function.

[0016] The information processing terminal 51 is a personal computer (PC). The local network 20 is, for example, a network within a corporate office, and Fig. 1 shows an example in which a plurality of image forming apparatuses and information processing terminals used by a plurality of employees in the corporate office are connected.

[0017] Each image forming device and information processing terminal communicates with the cloud print service 100 via the Internet 10, and is able to use the Web services and print services provided by the cloud print service 100. Similarly, each image forming device communicates with the cloud storage service 110 via the Internet 10, and is able to use the file services provided by the cloud storage service 110.

[0018] <Hardware configuration of image forming device> 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 200 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 200 is an example of a digital multifunction peripheral, and is made up of a controller unit 210, an operation unit 261, a printer 281, and a scanner 282. The controller unit 210 further includes a CPU (processor) 220, a RAM 230, a ROM 240, a HDD 250, an operation unit I / F 260, a network I / F 270, a device I / F 280, and an expansion device I / F 290.

[0019] The CPU 220 is an execution medium for a control program built into the image forming apparatus 200, and controls the operation of devices connected to the controller unit via each I / F and memory of the storage medium. The RAM 230 stores programs and data such as an operating system, system software, and application software. The ROM 240 stores a system boot program, system programs, and application programs. In addition, information required for the image forming apparatus, such as fonts, may also be stored. The HDD 250 is a storage device with a larger capacity than the RAM 230, and stores an operating system, system software, application software, image data, setting data, print jobs, user information, and the like. The CPU 220 executes the program stored in the ROM 240, and the program stored in the HDD 250 is expanded in the RAM 230. Then, the CPU 220 executes the program expanded in the RAM 230, and processes the data stored in the RAM 230, the ROM 240, and the HDD 250. In addition, in a small multifunction machine, there is a configuration in which the system software, application software, and the like are stored in the ROM 240 without the HDD 250. Alternatively, instead of the HDD 250, a configuration using a storage device other than a hard disk, such as a solid state disk (SSD) or a flash memory, may be used.

[0020] The operation unit I / F 260 is an interface unit that controls input and output with an operation unit 261 having a touch panel, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 261 to the operation unit 261. In addition, the operation unit I / F 260 transmits input information input by a user operating the operation unit 261 to the CPU 220.

[0021] The network I / F 270 is connected to a network and communicates with external devices on the network.

[0022] The device I / F 280 connects the controller unit 210 to the printer 281 and scanner 282, which are image input / output devices, and inputs and outputs image data. The scanner 282 is controlled to read an original image, and the read image data is input via the device I / F 280 and stored in the RAM 230 or the HDD 250. The stored image data is subjected to image processing by an application program deployed in the RAM 230 as necessary. The image data is also output to the printer 281 via the device I / F 280, and the image data is printed on paper by controlling the printer 281.

[0023] The expansion device I / F 290 is a USB port or a wireless transceiver such as Bluetooth that allows optional devices to be connected, for example, an ID card reader or a biometric authentication device.

[0024] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2 as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved with a configuration not shown in Fig. 2. For example, a printer without a scanner 282 is also acceptable. Also, in the case of a multifunction machine with a FAX function, an I / F for a modem device not shown in Fig. 2 may be provided in the controller unit 210, and a modem may be used to connect to a public line to enable FAX transmission.

[0025] The hardware configuration of the cloud print service 100 and the cloud storage service 110 shown in FIG. 1 is the same as that of a general information processing server, and the hardware configuration of the information processing terminal 51 is the same as that of a general PC.

[0026] <Software configuration of image forming device> FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of a program executed by the CPU 220 of the image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment.

[0027] The operating system 360 provides various resource management services and frameworks optimized for controlling embedded systems for software running on the operating system. Specifically, the various resource management services and frameworks include multitask management, which manages multiple execution contexts of processes by the CPU 220 to effectively run multiple processes in parallel, and intertask communication, which realizes synchronization and data exchange between tasks. In addition, the operating system 360 also provides memory management, interrupt management, various device drivers, and protocol stacks that implement the processing of various protocols such as local interfaces, networks, and communications.

[0028] The controller platform 350 is composed of a user management module 351, a job / device control module 352, and a data management module 353. The user management module 351 provides an application with a mechanism for managing local users in the image forming apparatus and their authentication information using the RAM 230 or HDD 250. The login application can realize user login control for the image forming apparatus using the authentication information of the local users managed by the user management module 351. The job / device control module 352 executes image forming jobs such as scanning, printing, and copying while controlling the printer 281 and the scanner 282 according to instructions from the application. It also manages device states, errors, and the like of the printer 281 and the scanner 282.

[0029] The data management module 353 manages image data and various setting data required when executing an image formation job, and also manages job execution history, counter information, and various other data controlled by applications.

[0030] The system service 310 is a software module that handles program updates for the controller platform 350 and the operating system, and management of device information / network settings, etc. Furthermore, the system service 310 constitutes a Web service 311, and can be operated from a remote terminal such as the information processing terminal 51.

[0031] The application platform 340 is middleware that enables various applications to use it. Specifically, the mechanisms of the operating system 360 and the controller platform 350 are made available to various applications in the basic application library 320 and the extended application library 330, which will be described later.

[0032] The basic application library 320 indicates a group of applications that provide basic functions of the image forming apparatus and are stored in the ROM 240 or HDD 250 from the initial state when the image forming apparatus is purchased. The extended application library 330 indicates a group of arbitrary applications that are individually installed and run to extend the functions realized by the image forming apparatus. Each application displays a screen on the operation unit 261 and realizes various functions according to user operations received by the operation unit 261.

[0033] 3 shows an example in which the basic application library 320 includes a copy 321 and an application management 322. The copy 321 is an application for executing a copy job of scanning an original and printing it on paper. The application management 322 is an application for managing the installation and uninstallation of extended applications in the extended application library 330.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows, as an example, a state in which extended application library 330 includes extended applications, user login authentication 331, cloud scan 332, and cloud print 333, which are installed.

[0035] The user login authentication 331 is an application that displays a screen for inputting user authentication information on the operation unit 261 and realizes user login processing for the image forming apparatus using the user authentication information input from the operation unit 261. The user login processing is realized using not only the user authentication information input from the operation unit 261 but also the user authentication information read from an ID card reader or a biometric authentication device connected via an extended device I / F. The user login authentication 331 communicates with the cloud print service 100 via the network I / F 270 and performs user authentication by comparing the user authentication information managed on the cloud print service 100 with the user authentication information input on the image forming apparatus. The user login authentication 331 may also perform user authentication by comparing the user authentication information with the user authentication information managed by the user management 351.

[0036] Cloud scan 332 is an application that communicates with an unspecified cloud storage service 110 and transmits to the cloud storage service 110 an image file read by executing a scan job on the image forming apparatus.

[0037] Cloud print 333 is an application that communicates with the cloud print service 100, obtains image data to be printed from the cloud print service 100, and executes a print job on the image forming device. Alternatively, it is an application that obtains file data to be printed from the cloud storage service 110 and executes a print job on the image forming device. Cloud print 333 also transmits the execution result of the print job to the cloud print service 100.

[0038] <Cloud server software configuration> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the cloud print service 100 of the present embodiment.

[0039] The infrastructure 430 is a foundation for the cloud server to provide various services, and is composed of servers, virtual machines, cloud storage, networks, and operating systems.

[0040] The cloud platform 420 is a framework that uses an infrastructure 430 to provide a common basic function to the cloud print application manager 410. The cloud platform 420 further includes a web service 421, computing 422, cloud storage 423, and a database 424.

[0041] The cloud application manager 410 indicates a group of various applications that operate on a cloud platform 420. The cloud application manager 410 is made up of a user management 411, a device management 412, an authentication management 413, a cloud print service 414, and a tally / report 414.

[0042] The user management 411 centrally manages user information on the cloud print service 100. Registration / deletion of a user is performed from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 200. The user management 411 manages target user information using a database 424. The user management 411 is also a Web application that provides an API that accepts user authentication instructions from the user login authentication 331 that runs on the image forming apparatus.

[0043] License management 412 is a Web application that uses a Web service 421 to provide a Web portal screen for centrally managing each application on the cloud print service 100. This Web portal screen allows a user to install, register licenses for, and uninstall applications to be managed. License management 412 is also a Web application that provides an API that accepts license registration instructions from user login authentication 331 that runs on the image forming apparatus.

[0044] The authentication management 413 is a Web application that provides a Web portal screen for setting a user login authentication method using the Web service 421. This Web portal screen allows the user login authentication method of each application that is centrally managed on the cloud print service 100 to be set. The authentication management 413 manages the target user login authentication method using a cloud storage 423 or a database 424. The authentication management 413 is also a Web application that provides an API for receiving a setting information acquisition instruction from the user login authentication 331 that runs on the image forming apparatus. The authentication management 413 is also responsible for access to various Web portal screens provided by the cloud application manager 410 and for user authentication when calling the API.

[0045] The user management 411, license management 412, and authentication management 413 executed on the cloud print service 100 can operate in cooperation with the user login authentication 331 executed on the image forming apparatus 200. By operating in cooperation with the cloud print service 100, it becomes possible to log in to a device that cooperates with the cloud print service 100 using a centrally managed user authentication method and authentication information.

[0046] The print application 414 is a Web application that provides an API that accepts a print target document acquisition instruction and a print execution instruction from the cloud print 333 executed on the image forming apparatus using a Web service 421. The print application 414 accepts a print target document acquisition instruction and returns a list of print target documents existing in the target cloud storage. The print application 414 also accepts a print execution instruction and converts the print target document into a data format that can be printed by the image forming apparatus 200 using the computing 422. The print application 414 is also a Web application that provides an API that accepts a print job transmitted by email from the information processing terminal 51 and an API that accepts a print job acquisition instruction from the cloud print 333. The print application 414 on the cloud server and the cloud print 333 executed on the image forming apparatus 200 can operate in cooperation with each other. By operating in cooperation with each other, the user can execute the same print workflow in a device that cooperates with the cloud print service 100. The print application 414 is composed of a print setting item management 4141, a print setting item preset storage area 4142, and a print setting item UI 4143.

[0047] The print setting item management 4141 manages the presets of print setting items for each user who is managed in a unified manner by the user management 411, and for each application who is managed in a unified manner by the license management 412. The print setting item management 4141 provides a print setting item UI 4143 and stores print setting items set by the user in a preset storage area 4142. The print setting item management 4141 also provides an API that provides print setting item presets according to a request when printing is executed from the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 200. The preset storage area 4142 uses a database 422 to unifiedly manage a group of settings of print setting items. Please refer to the specific stored contents described later. The print setting item UI 4143 is a Web application that provides an API that accepts setting / registration of print setting items on the cloud print service 110 using the Web service 421.

[0048] The tally / report 415 is a Web application that provides an API for receiving job execution results sent from the cloud scan 332 and cloud print 333 executed on the image forming apparatus using a Web service 421. The tally / report 415 is also a Web application that uses computing 422 to tally up the received job execution results and provides a Web portal screen that displays the tally up results.

[0049] The Web portal screens and APIs provided by the various cloud application managers 410 are managed individually for each tenant, and for example, a different URL is generated for each tenant. In addition, the data managed by the various cloud application managers 410 is also managed individually for each tenant.

[0050] <Software configuration of information processing terminal> FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the information processing terminal 51 of this embodiment.

[0051] The program that runs on the information processing terminal 51 is composed of a network communication unit 510, a web page display unit 520, and an email sending unit. The network communication unit 510 is a module for communicating data with the cloud print service 100 connected via the networks 10 and 20. The web page display unit 520 is a web browser that displays various web portal screens provided by the cloud print service 100 and accepts user operations on those screens. The email sending unit 521 sends an email with print data attached to the cloud print service 100.

[0052] <Login sequence to the cloud print service executed by the Web service of the image forming device> 6 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of a login process to the cloud print service 100 executed by the Web service 311 of the image forming device 200 of this embodiment. First, this process is started by starting the Web page display unit 520 such as a Web browser of the information processing terminal 51.

[0053] The Web page display unit 520 is started, and the Web service 311 of the image forming device 200 is communicated to log in to the image forming device 200 (S601). As a general method of logging in, the user inputs a user name and password registered in the image forming device 200, and the image forming device 200 performs authentication processing (S602). FIG. 7 is an example of a login screen provided by the image forming device 200. As shown in this screen, the user inputs a user name in a "User Name:" field 701 and a password in a "Password:" field 702, and clicks a [Log in] button 703 to start authentication processing by the image forming device. If authentication is successful, the login screen transitions to a main page, and a login success notification is sent to the information processing terminal 51 (S603). FIG. 8 is an example of a main page screen provided by the image forming device 200. The main page screen will be described later, so please refer to it. On the main page screen, a button for accessing a cloud print service operating on the information processing device 100 is displayed (811 in FIG. 8). When the image forming device 200 receives an instruction to click on that button, it notifies the cloud print service 100 of the login process (S604). When the image forming device 200 receives the login process notification to the cloud print service 100, it uses the logged-in user information to perform the login process to the cloud print service 100 (S605). The cloud print service 100 performs the authentication process using the received user information (S606). If the authentication process is successful, the login screen is switched to a main page 700 of the cloud print service 100 as shown in FIG. 7, and a login success notification is sent to the information processing terminal 51 (S607).

[0054] <Example of a Web service screen provided by an image forming device> Fig. 7 is an example of a login screen for a Web service provided by image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment. Window 521 shown in Fig. 7 is a Web browser window of Web page display unit 520 displayed on a display (not shown) of information processing terminal 51.

[0055] The Web browser window has a title 700, a field 701 for inputting "User Name:", a field 702 for inputting "Password:", and an item for selecting "Login Destination:".

[0056] By inputting or setting these and clicking the [Log in] button 703, authentication processing of the image forming apparatus 200 is started.

[0057] Fig. 8 is an example of a main page screen of a Web service provided by image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment. Window 521 shown in Fig. 8 is a Web browser window of Web page display unit 520 displayed on a display (not shown) of information processing terminal 51.

[0058] The main page of the Web service is composed of a title 800, a device basic information field 801, a consumables information field 802, and various link navigation buttons (803 to 811). The device information field 801 is composed of a device status display 8011 and an error information display 8012. The consumables information field 802 is composed of a paper feed information display 8021 and a remaining toner amount display 8022. A detailed explanation of each of the link navigation buttons (803 to 811) will be omitted, but clicking on the link button 811 to the cloud print service takes you to a link to a Web portal provided by the cloud print service 110.

[0059] <Example of the web portal screen for the cloud print service> 9 is an example of a Web page screen for registering a preset of print settings provided by the cloud print service 100 of this embodiment. A window 521 shown in FIG. 9 is a Web browser window of a Web page display unit 520 displayed on a display (not shown) of the information processing terminal 51.

[0060] The web browser window is composed of a title 900, menu screens 901 to 903, and a list of print setting item presets (911 to 913) registered in association with each application. The menu screen is composed of a list of applications 901 installed for each accessible cloud storage service, settings 902 for print and scan functions, and diagnostic results 903 such as log information and reports. The list of applications 901 displays functions provided by the cloud print service (applications showing a print function from email) and functions for connecting to each cloud storage and acquiring files stored therein (applications shown by the names of each cloud storage). The list of print setting item presets (911 to 913) displays a list of print setting item presets registered in advance in association with an application selected from the list of applications 901 and user information of a user operating the information processing terminal. In the example of FIG. 9, a list of print setting presets is displayed when an application for printing print data attached to an email is selected. Specifically, "2in1(Duplex)" 911, "Monochrome" 912, and "Scale Fit to A4" 913 are registered. "2in1(Duplex)" 911 registers a print setting item preset in which the default settings have been changed from Layout (combined printing) to 2in1 and Duplex Mode (double-sided / single-sided printing mode) to Duplex. Each item also has an [Edit] button (911-913), and when it is accepted that the user has clicked on the button, the print setting item preset editing process is started.

[0061] <Print setting item preset registration sequence> Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure for registering a print setting preset executed by the Web service 421 of the cloud print service 100 of this embodiment. This process is started by receiving a notification that the "Edit" button for any item has been clicked on the print setting item preset screen of the Web service provided by the cloud print service 100 in Fig. 9. Unless otherwise specified, the target of this process is the cloud print service 100.

[0062] For example, when the "Edit" button 911 is clicked (S1001), the print setting screen is displayed (S1002). When the user completes the setting of the print setting items (S1003), the print setting screen is closed (S1104), and the data of the items set on the print setting screen is linked to the selected application and the user information of the user and saved as a preset of the print setting items (S1005).

[0063] 11 is a specific example of a list of specific presets stored in the preset storage area 4142 of the cloud print service 100. Presets of multiple print setting items can be registered in association with the user information of each user (User A to User D) and each application (Print from Email / Google Drive / Dropbox, etc.).

[0064] <Example of the print settings screen for the cloud print service> 12 shows an example of a screen displayed when a screen 1200 for setting print setting items of this embodiment is started. When a click on the [Edit] button 911 of the Web browser 521 is received (S1001 in FIG. 10), the print setting screen 1200 is displayed as a child window of the Web browser window (S1002 in FIG. 10).

[0065] The print setting screen 1200 is composed of a print preview screen 1201, sheet tabs 1211 to 1213 for each print setting item category, print setting items 1221 to 1226 for each category, and operation buttons 1231 to 1233. The sheet tabs for each print setting item category are composed of a general sheet tab 1211, a paper feed sheet tab 1212, and a paper output sheet tab 1213. The print setting items of each sheet tab will be described later. The print preview 1201 summarizes the setting status of the print setting items and displays a preview. The [Restore to Standard] button 1231 restores the standard print setting items registered in the cloud print service 100. The [Save] button 1232 saves the selected print setting items as a preset in the preset save area 4142 (S1005 in FIG. 10). The [Close] button 1233 does nothing and closes the print setting screen. A print preview 1201, a "restore to default" button 1231, a "save" button 1232, and a "close" button 1233 are common to the general sheet, the feed sheet, and the eject sheet, which will be described later.

[0066] 12 shows an example of a screen when a general sheet tab 1211 is selected. On the general sheet, items that can be set include output paper size 1221, print orientation 1222, number of copies 1223, double-sided 1224, page aggregation 1225, and color 1226.

[0067] 13 is an enlarged view of the screen 1200 when the feed sheet tab 1212 is selected. The feed sheet tab is made up of a feed method 1321 and a [Feed Method Details] button 1322. Details of the [Feed Method Details] button 1322 are not directly related to this embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0068] 14 is an enlarged view of the screen 1200 when the ejected sheet tab 1213 is selected. The ejected sheet includes a stapler 1421, a stapler (without staples) 1422, and a punch 1423.

[0069] FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the print setting preset registration confirmation screen of this embodiment. When the save button 1232 is selected after setting various print settings in FIG. 12 to FIG. 14, the registration confirmation screen of FIG. 15 is displayed. This registration confirmation screen is a final confirmation screen for finally registering the print settings set in FIG. 12 to FIG. 14 as a preset in the print cloud service 100. The print setting preset registration confirmation screen 1500 is composed of a preset title 1511, a setting summary 1521, a registration execution button 1513, and a close button 1514. The preset title 1511 is an editable control for editing the title of the preset. The setting summary display section 1521 displays items that have been changed from the base settings. When the registration execution button 1513 is clicked, the settings are saved in the preset saving area 4143 of the cloud print service 100.

[0070] <Sequence showing the steps to select a print setting preset> FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure for selecting a print setting preset in this embodiment.

[0071] After a user logs in to the image forming device 200, the user operates a panel of the image forming device and receives a click operation on an icon button of any application (a cloud service provided by a cloud print service or a cloud storage service), thereby starting this process. Unless otherwise specified, the target of this process is the image forming device 200.

[0072] For example, a case where the "Print from Email" icon 1721 in FIG. 17 is selected will be described. The operation panel of the image forming apparatus 200 in FIG. 17 will be described in detail later. First, the user selects the icon of the "Print from Email" application to start it (S1601). In this embodiment, the "Print from Email" application is a function provided by the cloud print service, and is a function to print a file attached to an email sent to the cloud print service as print data. In this case, since the print data is sent by email and directly saved in the cloud print service 100, a print data list is requested from the cloud print service 100 (a server that provides the cloud print service) (S1602). At this time, by also sending user information (such as the user's email address) of a user currently logged in to the image forming apparatus 200, a list of print data related to the user can be requested. Thereafter, the image forming apparatus 200 receives the print data list sent from the cloud print service 100 (S1603) and displays the list of print data on the panel (S1604). An example of a screen displaying print data is shown in FIG. 18. In Fig. 18, lists 1811 to 1813 of the received print data are displayed. Fig. 18 will be described in detail later.

[0073] When an icon button of an application other than "Print from Email" is selected, a list of folders and files is requested to the cloud storage service 101 (a cloud storage server providing a cloud storage service) associated with the selected application (S1605). At this time, by also transmitting user information of a user currently logged in to the image forming apparatus 200, a list of files and folders related to the user can be requested. The image forming apparatus 200 receives the list of data related to files and folders transmitted from the cloud storage service 101 (S1606), and displays a list of data related to folders and files on the panel (S1607). That is, when an application corresponding to a cloud storage service is selected, the image forming apparatus displays a list of file information transmitted from the cloud storage service.

[0074] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 200 requests a list of print setting information (preset print setting information) registered in advance from the cloud print service 100 (S1607). The cloud print service 100 extracts print setting information registered in advance in association with the user information of the user who has logged in to the image forming apparatus and is operating the image forming apparatus and the application information related to the started application (selected cloud print service or cloud storage service) from the table in FIG. 11, creates a print setting preset list (S1608), and transmits it to the image forming apparatus 200 (S1609). When the image forming apparatus receives the print setting preset list, it displays the print setting presets as buttons as shown by 1821 to 1823 in FIG. 18 (S1610).

[0075] <Example of the operation panel screen of the image forming device> FIG. 17 is an example of an operation panel screen of the image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment. The operation panel screen 1700 is composed of a window title 1711, a user name display field 1712, a main menu icon 1713, a custom menu icon 1714, a personal setting icon 1715, and a destination / forwarding setting icon 1716. In addition, there are function icons such as "Print from Email" 1721, "Scan to Email" 1722, and "Google Drive Connector" 1723. These function icons are displayed / hidden based on the license. In addition, the operation panel screen 1700 is composed of a "Status Check / Cancel" display button 1728 that displays the status of the image forming apparatus 200, an "Error Status Display Field" 1729, and a "Logout" button 1730 for logging out the currently logged-in user. The start of the application shown in FIG. 16 (S1601) is started when, for example, the "Print from Email" icon is selected by the user.

[0076] <Example of print job list display screen on the operation panel of the image forming device> 18 is an example of a print job list display screen on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 200. The print job list display screen 1800 is composed of print job lists 1811 to 1813, print setting preset buttons 1821 to 1823, an edit button 1824, and a print button 1825. The print job list displays print data that has been attached to an email and sent to the cloud print service 100. For example, when "123456789.xlsx" 1812 in the list is selected and the "2in1(Duplex)" button 1821 of the print setting preset buttons is selected, "Preset[2in1(Duplex)]" is displayed in the print job 1812. This means that the print setting preset "2in1(Duplex)" has been set to the selected "123456789.xlsx."

[0077] <Sequence diagram showing the procedure for selecting a print setting preset and printing> Fig. 19 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure for selecting a print setting preset and printing according to this embodiment. In Fig. 18, this process is started when the user operates the panel of the image forming apparatus 200 to select one of the print jobs and receives a click operation on the print button 1825. Unless otherwise specified, the target of this process is the image forming apparatus 200.

[0078] In this example, a case will be described where the user clicks on job 1812 "123456789.xlsx" in Fig. 18. It is also assumed that "123456789.xlsx" is associated with the print setting preset "2in1(Duplex)".

[0079] First, the user clicks the "Print" button 1825 to issue a print instruction (S1901). The image forming apparatus 200 that has received the print instruction requests the cloud print service 100 to transmit the selected print data (S1902). When the cloud print service 100 receives the print data request, it transmits the corresponding print data to the image forming apparatus 200 (S1903). If the running application is not "Print from Email", it transmits a data file request to the corresponding cloud storage service 101 (S1904). When the cloud storage service 101 receives the data file request, it transmits the corresponding data file to the image forming apparatus 200 (S1905). When it receives the print data, it requests the cloud print service 100 for information corresponding to the print setting preset selected by the user in FIG. 18 (S1906). The cloud print service 100 transmits information related to the selected print setting preset to the image forming apparatus 200 (S1907). The image forming apparatus reflects the received print setting presets in the print data, creates a print job (S1908), and prints out the created print job (S1909).

[0080] In this way, by registering print presets in the cloud print service 100 and associating them with print jobs on the operation panel of the image forming device 200, it becomes possible to make special print settings without installing special applications such as a printer driver on the information processing terminal 51.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus that communicates with a cloud print service, a first acquisition means for acquiring, when a user selects one cloud service from among a plurality of cloud services, a list of data corresponding to the user information from a server providing the selected cloud service based on user information of the user who is logged in to the image forming apparatus; a first display means for displaying a list of the data acquired by the first acquisition means; a second acquisition means for acquiring, from the cloud print service, a preset list of print settings that is registered in advance in association with the user information and the selected cloud service; a second display means for displaying the acquired list of presets of print settings; a first acquisition means for acquiring data selected by a user from the list of data displayed on the first display means; a second acquisition means for acquiring a print setting selected by the user from the list of print settings displayed on the second display means; a creation unit that creates a print job based on the data acquired by the first acquisition unit and the print settings acquired by the second acquisition unit; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cloud services include a service provided by the cloud print service and a cloud storage service.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the service provided by the cloud print service is a service that provides a file attached to an email as print data.

4. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the service provided by the cloud storage service is a service for providing stored files.

5. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the image forming apparatus is capable of using a plurality of cloud storage services, icon buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of cloud storage services are displayed, and the user is prompted to select an icon button corresponding to one of the cloud services.

6. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a preset of print settings that is pre-registered in association with the user information and the selected cloud service is registered in the cloud print service by a user's operation from an information processing terminal.

7. A server that provides a cloud print service, A registration means for registering a plurality of print setting presets in advance in association with user information and a cloud service; a transmission means for transmitting, when a request for a list of presets of print settings is received from an image forming apparatus, a list of presets of print settings, which is registered in association with user information of a user operating the image forming apparatus and a cloud service selected on the image forming apparatus, to the image forming apparatus; A server comprising:

8. A program for causing a processor of an image forming apparatus to function as each of the means of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images