Printing control device, processing method, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: provision of a technique that can easily change the language in a chat is demanded.SOLUTION: A printing control device 100 has: a posting unit 111 that posts information on printing on a chat room 50; and a change instruction acquisition unit 112 that acquires a change instruction input to the chat room 50 and instructing a change of a posting language used in the chat room 50. When the change instruction is acquired, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language from a first language that has been used before the acquisition of the change instruction to a second language, before posting the information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In recent years, chat services in which messages and the like are posted have become widespread. Chatbots that respond to posts from users are also known. In the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a print instruction from a user via the chat service is received by the chatbot, a process is performed to cause a printer to print the document. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-60698 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A user may wish to change the language when chatting with a chatbot. The system described in Patent Document 1 does not allow the chat language to be changed, which is inconvenient. For this reason, there is a demand for a technology that allows the chat language to be easily changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The printing control device disclosed herein has a posting unit that posts information related to printing to a chat room, and a change instruction acquisition unit that acquires a change instruction entered into the chat room to change the posting language used in the chat room, and when the change instruction is acquired, the posting unit changes the posting language from a first language that was used before the change instruction was acquired to a second language and makes the post.

[0006] In addition, a processing method according to the present disclosure is a processing method by a device that posts to a chat room, which acquires a change instruction that is input to the chat room and instructs a change of the posting language used in the chat room, and when the change instruction is acquired, changes the posting language from a first language that was used before the change instruction was acquired to a second language and makes a post to the chat room.

[0007] In addition, the program disclosed herein causes a computer to execute a posting step of posting information related to printing to a chat room, and a change instruction acquisition step of acquiring a change instruction entered into the chat room to change the posting language used in the chat room, and in the posting step, when the change instruction is acquired, the posting language is changed from a first language used before the change instruction was acquired to a second language, and then the posting is made. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a print control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams showing an example of a transition of a screen of a terminal device when a posting language is changed. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen of a terminal device when a posting language is changed. [Diagram 5] 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen of a terminal device when a user posts a print instruction in a chat room. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation flow of the print control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen of a terminal device when a posting language is changed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. For clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate. In addition, in each drawing, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system 10 according to an embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 10 includes a terminal device 200, a chat server 300, a Web server 400, a print control device 100, and an image forming device 500. The terminal device 200, the chat server 300, the Web server 400, the print control device 100, and the image forming device 500 are connected to a network N such as the Internet.

[0011] In this embodiment, the terminal device 200 is communicatively connected to at least the chat server 300. The print control device 100 is communicatively connected to at least the chat server 300, the Web server 400, and the image forming device 500. However, if printing of a file present on the Web server 400 is not required, the information processing system 10 does not need to include the Web server 400.

[0012] The terminal device 200 is a device operated by a user U, and is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. Application software (also called a chat app) for using a chat service provided by the chat server 300 is installed in the terminal device 200. The user U is a user who has an account for using the chat service, and the user U can use the chat service by using the terminal device 200. The account includes identification information for identifying the user and other information associated with the identification information. Specifically, for example, the account includes a password in addition to a user ID. Note that, although one terminal device 200 and one user U are illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of users can use the information processing system 10. For this reason, the information processing system 10 can include a plurality of terminal devices 200.

[0013] The chat server 300 is a server that provides a chat service. The chat server 300 may be composed of a plurality of servers. In the chat service, members participating in the same chat room can chat with each other by posting to the chat room. The chat room is a virtual place where members exchange posts. The chat room is also called a talk room, a channel, or a workspace. In this embodiment, when a user U makes an input to a chat room in which the print control device 100 participates as a member, the chat server 300 transmits the input contents to the chat room together with the identification information of the user U who made the input to the print control device 100. Therefore, the print control device 100 receives the identification information of the user U who made the input and the input contents from the chat server 300. The input by the user U to the chat room may be a posting of text or a file to the chat room, a function call instruction or a change instruction to be described later, or a print instruction. Note that input (posting) by user U to the chat room is performed using terminal device 200, and therefore can also be said to be input (posting) to the chat room by terminal device 200.

[0014] The print control device 100 is a device that functions as a chatbot. Here, a chatbot is a software robot that receives data posted in a chat service and performs processing according to the data. The print control device 100 has an account for using the chat service, and participates as a member in a chat room in which a user U participates as a member. The print control device 100 also performs processing to cause the image forming device 500 to print a file. The print control device 100 is, for example, a server, but is not limited to a server and may be any device that has a function as a computer. The print control device 100 may be composed of multiple computers (multiple servers). The print control device 100 may be called an information processing device.

[0015] The Web server 400 is a server on which any file that can be printed exists. The Web server 400 may be a cloud storage that stores files. In this embodiment, the print control unit 114 of the print control device 100, which will be described later, may obtain the file to be printed from the Web server 400, for example, by using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) posted in a chat room.

[0016] The image forming device 500 is a device having a function of performing a printing process, and specifically, for example, a printer. The image forming device 500 is registered in advance in the print control device 100 as an image forming device to be used for printing. Although one image forming device 500 is illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of image forming devices 500 may be registered in the print control device 100 as image forming devices available for printing. For example, an image forming device 500 may be registered in the print control device 100 for each user U. In this embodiment, the print control device 100 causes the image forming device 500 associated with the account of the user U to print a file designated by the user U as a print target.

[0017] Next, a specific configuration and processing of the print control device 100 will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the print control device 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the print control device 100 has a processor 110, a memory 130, and a network interface 150. In this way, the print control device 100 has the functions of a computer.

[0018] The network interface 150 is used for communicating over the network N. The network interface 150 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC).

[0019] The memory 130 is configured, for example, by a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 130 is used to store programs executed by the processor 110, data used in various processes, and the like.

[0020] The processor 110 reads and executes a program from the memory 130. In this way, the processor 110 realizes the functions of a posting unit 111, a change instruction acquisition unit 112, a print instruction acquisition unit 113, and a print control unit 114, which will be described later. The processor 110 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 110 may include multiple processors.

[0021] The program includes instructions (or software code) that, when loaded into a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0022] The posting unit 111, the change instruction acquisition unit 112, the print instruction acquisition unit 113, and the print control unit 114 will be described below.

[0023] The posting unit 111 posts data (information) such as text to a chat room in which the print control device 100 as a chatbot participates. Specifically, the posting unit 111 transmits the data to be posted to the chat server 300. For example, the posting unit 111 posts information related to printing to the chat room. The information related to printing may be a message that prompts the user U to input an instruction related to the execution of printing or the setting of printing, or may be a response message to an instruction by the user U related to the execution of printing or the setting of printing. Note that these are merely examples of information related to printing, and the information related to printing is not limited to the information described above. Therefore, the information related to printing posted by the posting unit 111 includes any information related to printing, such as an advertisement for a printing service. Note that the posting unit 111 may post various information other than the information related to printing. Also, particularly in this embodiment, when the user inputs a change instruction or a function call instruction for the posting language to the chat room, the posting unit 111 executes a predetermined process. The process of the posting unit 111 when a change instruction or a function call instruction is input to the chat room will be described later. The posting language refers to a natural language used by the print control device 100 as a chatbot when posting to a chat room. The posting language can also be said to be a natural language displayed in the chat room. The posting unit 111 posts using a predetermined natural language (for example, Japanese) as a default posting language.

[0024] The change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires an instruction for changing the posting language input to a chat room in which the print control device 100 as a chatbot participates. In this embodiment, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a function call instruction and a change instruction input to the chat room. Here, the function call instruction is an instruction to call a function for changing the posting language. As described later, the function call instruction calls a candidate for a language that can be set as the posting language, so the function call instruction may be called a candidate call instruction. The function call instruction is posted to the chat room by the user U. In this embodiment, the function call instruction is text including a keyword that is predetermined as a keyword that means the function call instruction. When the text including the keyword is posted to the chat room, the function call instruction is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112. For example, when the text "Posting language setting" is posted to the chat room by the user U, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires this as a function call instruction. The change instruction is an instruction to change the posting language used in the chat room, and is input to the chat room by the user U. In this embodiment, for example, the change instruction is a selection operation for a posting language option provided by an input form posted by posting unit 111 in response to a function invocation instruction. That is, the change instruction is acquired by change instruction acquisition unit 112 when user U selects one of the posting language options displayed in the chat room.

[0025] Hereinafter, the processing of the posting unit 111 and the change instruction acquisition unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the transition of the screen of the terminal device 200 when the posting language is changed. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the posting language before the change is Japanese, and the posting language is changed to English by the operation of the user U. When the user U wants to change the posting language currently used by the print control device 100 as a chatbot, the user U inputs a function call instruction to the chat room 50 in which the user U and the print control device 100 participate. Specifically, the user U posts text 51a of the function call instruction to the chat room 50 by operating the terminal device 200. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the text 51a is posted in Japanese, but if a keyword in another language is used as a keyword meaning the function call instruction, the function call instruction may be posted in a language other than Japanese. In FIG. 3, the screen 210 shows a screen in which the chat room 50 at the time when the text 51a as the function call instruction is posted is displayed. In this way, the function call instruction by the user U is an instruction input to the chat room 50 using the terminal device 200, and therefore may be referred to as a function call instruction from the terminal device 200, or a function call instruction by the terminal device 200. When a function call instruction is input to the chat room 50, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires this function call instruction via the chat service. That is, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires from the chat server 300 the function call instruction input to the chat room 50 in which the user U and the print control device 100 as a chatbot participate.

[0026] When the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a function invocation instruction, the posting unit 111 posts candidates for languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​to the chat room 50. This allows the user U to perform an operation for changing the posting language even if the user U does not know in advance the settable posting languages. Specifically, the posting unit 111 posts a predetermined input form 51c to the chat room 50. This predetermined input form 51c is an input form that provides candidates for languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​as options and accepts an input to select one of the options. The input form may be written in the currently set posting language or in a predetermined language. In FIG. 3, a screen 211 shows a screen on which the chat room 50 at the time when the input form 51c is posted by the posting unit 111 is displayed. As shown on screen 211, when change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a function invocation instruction, posting unit 111 may post response message 51b to the function invocation instruction in chat room 50 in the currently set posting language, i.e., the currently used posting language. In the example shown in FIG. 3, response message 51b is posted in Japanese, and is a message saying "I will change the posting language." In this way, posting unit 111 posts the response message, so that user U can appropriately recognize the progress of the procedure for changing the posting language.

[0027] When candidates for languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​are posted in the chat room 50, the user U performs an input to the chat room 50 to specify one of the candidate languages. Specifically, the user U performs an operation to select one of the options provided by the input form 51c on the terminal device 200. That is, the selection of the option by the user U is input to the chat room 50 as a change instruction. In FIG. 3, the screen 212 shows a screen on which a list 51d of options provided by the input form 51c is displayed. The list 51d is included in the input form 51c. Therefore, the list 51d is posted to the chat room 50 as a part of the input form 51c. The list 51d is displayed, for example, by performing a predetermined operation (for example, tapping or clicking) on ​​the input form 51c. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the list 51d includes a first option 511 and a second option 512. Specifically, the first option 511 is an option for selecting to use Japanese as the posting language, and the second option 512 is an option for selecting to use English as the posting language. In the example shown in FIG. 3, Japanese and English are exemplified as the posting language candidates, but other natural languages ​​may be given as the posting language candidates, and the number of natural languages ​​that can be set as the posting language may be three or more. The user U performs an operation to select one of the options given in the list 51d. That is, the user U performs an operation to select a language to be used as the posting language. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user U performs an operation to select the second option 512 (that is, English). Specifically, the user U performs a predetermined operation (for example, tapping or clicking) on ​​the second option 512. As a result, an input to select one of the posting language candidates is input to the chat room 50. In this way, the change instruction by user U is an instruction input to chat room 50 using terminal device 200, and therefore may be referred to as a change instruction from terminal device 200 or a change instruction by terminal device 200. When a change instruction is input to chat room 50, change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires this change instruction via the chat service.That is, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires from the chat server 300 a change instruction that has been input to the chat room 50 in which the user U and the print control device 100 as a chatbot participate. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the change instruction that has been input to the chat room 50 is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112 as a change instruction to change the posting language to English. In this way, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires an input that specifies one of the candidate languages ​​as a change instruction. In particular, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the language specified by the user U is specified by a selection operation on the options provided by the input form 51c. With this configuration, the user can change the posting language with a simple operation.

[0028] When the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a change instruction, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language. That is, the posting unit 111 changes the setting of the posting language. Specifically, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language to a natural language specified based on the change instruction. More specifically, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language in the chat room used for chatting with the user U who input the change instruction. In particular, in this embodiment, the posting unit 111 uses the language specified by the change instruction as the posting language. More specifically, the posting unit 111 uses the language selected in the change instruction as the posting language. That is, the posting unit 111 makes various posts using the posting language newly set in response to the acquisition of the change instruction. In FIG. 3, a screen 213 shows a screen on which the chat room 50 is displayed after the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires the change instruction. As shown on screen 213, when the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a change instruction, the posting unit 111 may post a response message 51e to the change instruction in the chat room 50 in the changed posting language, i.e., the newly set posting language. In this case, specifically, for example, a response message 51e notifying that the posting language has been changed is posted. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 3, the response message 51e is posted in English. In this way, by the posting unit 111 posting the response message, the user U can easily recognize that the posting language has been appropriately changed.

[0029] In the above example, when the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a function invocation instruction, the posting unit 111 posts a predetermined input form including language candidates as options, but such an input form does not necessarily have to be posted. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the posting unit 111 may simply post text 52b informing the user U of language candidates that can be used as the posting language to the chat room 50. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a screen of the terminal device 200 when the posting language is changed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the posting language before the change is Japanese, and the posting language is changed to English by the operation of the user U. In FIG. 4, the screen 214 shows a screen on which the chat room 50 is displayed after the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires the change instruction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the text 52a of the function invocation instruction by the user U is posted, the posting unit 111 posts text 52b informing the user U of language candidates that can be used as the posting language, as shown in the screen 214. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the text 52a and the text 52b are posted in Japanese, but may be posted in other languages. The text 52b may also be referred to as a response message to a function call instruction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, specifically, the text 52b is posted in Japanese saying "Change posting language. Please select a language from the following. 1. Japanese 2. English". The language candidates (i.e., options) described in the text 52b may be written in the language. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the first candidate (option) may be written in Japanese as "1. Japanese" and the second candidate (option) may be written in English as "2. English". When the text 52b is posted, the user U performs an operation of posting the text 52c that specifies one of the languages ​​listed as the candidates to the chat room 50. That is, the user U posts the text 52c that specifies the language to be used as the posting language to the chat room 50. Text 52c, which is posted immediately after text 52b and specifies the language to be used as the posting language, is acquired by the modification instruction acquisition unit 112 as a modification instruction.That is, the text 52c is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112 as a change instruction to change the posting language to the language specified by the text 52c. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the user U posts the text 52c called "English". Note that the posting of the user U as a change instruction may be any posting that can specify the language to be used as the posting language from the candidate languages, and does not necessarily have to be a posting of the name of the language. For example, in the case where an identifier such as a number is associated with each candidate language, the user U may post an identifier corresponding to the language as a change instruction. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the user U who wishes to change the posting language to English may post "2". In this way, the user U may specify the language by posting to the chat room 50 that specifies one of the candidate languages. With this configuration, the posting language can be changed without using an input form. In the example shown in FIG. 4, since the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquired a change instruction to change the posting language to English, the posting unit 111 posts a response message 52d to the change instruction in English to the chat room 50.

[0030] If the change of the posting language according to the change instruction acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112 fails for some reason, the posting unit 111 may post error information to the chat room 50 in the currently set posting language. This error information may include information indicating the cause of the failure of the posting language. For example, if the user U posts text in which it is unclear which of the candidate languages ​​is specified for the text 52b posted by the posting unit 111, the change of the posting language fails. In this case, the posting unit 111 may post the error information in the currently set posting language (Japanese in the example shown in FIG. 4). Here, the posting of the error information has been described using FIG. 4 as an example, but if the change instruction using the above-mentioned input form is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112 and the change of the posting language fails for some reason, the error information may be posted. By posting the error information in this way, the user U can easily recognize that the change of the posting language has failed.

[0031] Return to the description of the configuration of the print control device 100 shown in FIG. 2. The print instruction acquisition unit 113 acquires a print instruction posted to the chat room 50. That is, the print instruction acquisition unit 113 acquires a print instruction instructing printing of a file from the chat server 300. The print instruction may include information identifying the file to be printed. The information identifying the file to be printed may be the file itself to be printed, the URL of the file to be printed, or the file path of the file to be printed. For example, the print instruction acquisition unit 113 may acquire a print instruction instructing printing of a file present on the Web server 400, or may acquire a print instruction instructing printing of a file present on the terminal device 200. The user U operates the terminal device 200 to post a print instruction to the chat room 50 in which the print control device 100 as a chatbot participates. In this way, the print instruction by the user U is an instruction given using the terminal device 200, and may be referred to as a print instruction from the terminal device 200, or a print instruction by the terminal device 200, etc.

[0032] The print control unit 114 causes the image forming device 500 to print the file instructed to be printed by the print instruction acquired by the print instruction acquisition unit 113. The print control unit 114 causes the image forming device 500 corresponding to the identification information of the user U who issued the print instruction to print the file. The print control unit 114 may cause the image forming device 500 to print via another device (e.g., a server) that manages or controls printing of the image forming device 500, rather than directly issuing a print instruction to the image forming device 500.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen of the terminal device 200 when the user U posts a print instruction to the chat room 50. In particular, in FIG. 5, the screen 215 shows a screen in which the chat room 50 is displayed after the posting language of the print control device 100 as a chatbot is changed from Japanese to English by the change instruction exemplified in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the user U first posts a message 53a, which is a print instruction, to the chat room 50 using the terminal device 200. The message 53a is posted in, for example, the same language as the posting language used by the print control unit 114, but may be posted in a language different from the posting language. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the message 53a is a print instruction written in English text, and includes the keyword "Print" that instructs printing and information that identifies the file to be printed (more specifically, the URL of the file to be printed). The message 53a is acquired as a print instruction by the print instruction acquisition unit 113. Then, the print control unit 114 acquires the file instructed to be printed in the print instruction, and causes the image forming apparatus 500 to print this file. As a result, the file is printed by the image forming apparatus 500. As shown in FIG. 5, the posting unit 111 may post a response message 53b to the print instruction in the chat room 50. This post is posted in the posting language changed in accordance with the change instruction (English in the example shown in FIG. 5). In this way, in this embodiment, the language of the post regarding printing by the chatbot can be changed to the language desired by the user U.

[0034] Next, an example of the operation of the print control device 100 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the operation of the print control device 100. The flowchart shown in Fig. 6 shows the flow of the operation of the print control device 100 when a user U uses the terminal device 200 to change the posting language and then performs an operation to instruct printing. Hereinafter, an example of the flow of the operation of the print control device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 6.

[0035] In step S100, in response to a function invocation instruction being an instruction to invoke a posting language change function being posted by user U in chat room 50, change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires this function invocation instruction via chat server 300.

[0036] Next, in step S101, posting unit 111 posts a response message to the function calling instruction in the currently set posting language to chat room 50. Note that posting of this response message may be omitted.

[0037] Next, in step S102, the posting unit 111 posts candidate languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​to the chat room 50. As described above with reference to Fig. 3, the posting unit 111 may post an input form that provides candidate languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​as options and accepts an input to select one of the options. Also, as described above with reference to Fig. 4, the posting unit 111 may post text that notifies the user U of candidate languages ​​that can be used as posting languages, instead of posting an input form.

[0038] After step S102, in step S103, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires a change instruction including a language designation by the user U. If an input form is posted in step S102, the user U's selection from the options provided by the input form is acquired as the change instruction. Also, if text notifying candidate languages ​​that can be used as the posting language is posted in step S102, the posting of text specifying any one of the candidate languages ​​is acquired as the change instruction.

[0039] After step S103, in step S104, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language. Specifically, from this step onwards, the posting unit 111 uses the language specified in the change instruction acquired in step S103 as the posting language. Then, in step S105, the posting unit 111 posts a response message to the change instruction in the changed posting language to the chat room 50. Note that the posting of this response message may be omitted.

[0040] Then, in step S106, in response to a print instruction posted by user U in chat room 50, print instruction acquisition unit 113 acquires this print instruction via chat server 300. When the print instruction is acquired by print instruction acquisition unit 113, in step S107, print control unit 114 acquires the file instructed to be printed in the print instruction, and causes image forming device 500 to print this file. Then, in step S108, posting unit 111 posts a response message to the print instruction in the changed posting language to chat room 50. This response message may be a message notifying about the result of printing. Also, posting of this response message may be omitted.

[0041] The embodiment has been described above. In this embodiment, when a change instruction inputted to a chat room is acquired, posting unit 111 changes the posting language from the first language used before the change instruction is acquired to the second language and posts. That is, the posting language is changed according to the change instruction inputted to the chat room. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the chat language can be easily changed.

[0042] Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist. For example, in the above embodiment, a function call instruction is acquired before acquiring a change instruction, but a function call instruction does not necessarily have to be acquired. For example, when the language of the change instruction posted to the chat room is different from the currently set posting language, the posting unit 111 may change the posting language to the language of the change instruction. This will be further described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen of the terminal device 200 when the posting language is changed. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the posting language before the change is Japanese, and the posting language is changed to English by the operation of the user U. In FIG. 7, the screen 216 shows a screen on which the chat room 50 is displayed after the change instruction acquisition unit 112 acquires the text 54b as a change instruction. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the user U posts the change instruction text 54b in English to the chat room 50 in a state in which Japanese is used as the posting language. This change instruction may be a predetermined keyword that instructs a change of the posting language, and may be a keyword expressed in any language that can be set as a posting language. The language of the posting by the user U can be determined by known natural language processing. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the text 54b as the change instruction is a text including the English keyword "Change post language." The change instruction shown in English is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112. In this case, the posting unit 111 changes the posting language from the currently used Japanese to English and makes the subsequent posting. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the posting unit 111 posts a response message 54c to the change instruction in English. According to such a configuration, the number of chats for changing the posting language is reduced compared to the above-mentioned embodiment, so that the posting language can be changed quickly. This improves the user's convenience. In FIG. 7, the posting unit 111 posts the text 54a in Japanese, "What will you do?", but this posting may be omitted.

[0043] Also, when text including a keyword (e.g., "change posting language") that is predetermined as a keyword that means a change instruction is posted to a chat room, the change instruction acquisition unit 112 may acquire this text as a change instruction, and the posting unit 111 may change the posting language to a predetermined language. In this case, the language of the change instruction may be a language different from the predetermined language. For example, the user U posts text "change posting language" in Japanese to a chat room. In this case, this text is acquired by the change instruction acquisition unit 112 as a change instruction, and the posting unit 111 changes the posting language to a predetermined language (e.g., English). In this way, when a change instruction is acquired, the posting unit 111 may change the posting language to the predetermined language and post it. Also, the change instruction may include a keyword that specifies the language in addition to the keyword that is predetermined as a keyword that means a change instruction. For example, text such as "change posting language to English" may be used as a change instruction. In this case, the posting unit 111 may change the posting language to the language specified by the change instruction. In this way, when a change instruction is acquired, the posting unit 111 may change the posting language to the language specified by the change instruction and post the message. In the above-described embodiment, only the posting language is changed in response to the change instruction, but the language of other processes may also be changed. For example, if the print control device 100 has a transmission processing unit that performs a process of transmitting information (e.g., e-mail, web page data, etc.) directly to the terminal device 200 without going through the chat server 300, the language of the information to be transmitted may also be changed in response to the change instruction.

[0044] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes. (Appendix 1) a posting section for posting printing-related information to a chat room; a change instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to change a posting language used in the chat room, the instruction having been input to the chat room; having When the change instruction is acquired, the posting unit changes the posting language from the first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language and posts the content. Print control device. (Appendix 2) The change instruction acquisition unit acquires a function invocation instruction, which is an instruction to invoke a posting language change function posted in the chat room before acquiring the change instruction, When the posting unit acquires the function invocation instruction, the posting unit posts candidates of languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​to the chat room; the change instruction acquisition unit acquires, as the change instruction, an input designating one of the languages ​​listed as candidates; The posting unit uses the second language, which is the language specified by the change instruction, as a posting language. 2. A printing control device as described in claim 1. (Appendix 3) the posting unit posts, to the chat room, an input form that provides options of languages ​​that can be used as a posting language and accepts an input of selecting one of the options; The designation is performed by a selection operation on the options provided by the input form. 3. A print control device as described in appendix 2. (Appendix 4) The designation is made by a posting to the chat room specifying one of the candidate languages. 3. A print control device as described in appendix 2. (Appendix 5) The posting unit posts a response message to the function calling instruction in the first language to the chat room. 5. A print control device according to claim 2, wherein the print control device comprises: (Appendix 6) The posting unit posts a response message to the change instruction in the second language to the chat room. 6. A print control device according to claim 1, (Appendix 7) When the language of the change instruction posted to the chat room is different from the first language, the posting unit changes the posting language from the first language to the second language, which is the language of the change instruction, and posts the message. 7. A print control device according to claim 1, (Appendix 8) a print instruction acquisition unit that acquires a print instruction posted in the chat room, The posting unit posts a response message to the print instruction in the second language to the chat room. 8. A print control device according to claim 1, (Appendix 9) When the posting unit fails to change the posting language in accordance with the change instruction, the posting unit posts error information in the first language to the chat room. 9. A print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) A processing method for a device that posts to a chat room, comprising: acquiring a change instruction inputted into the chat room for changing a posting language used in the chat room; When the change instruction is acquired, the posting language is changed from the first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language, and the posting is made in the chat room. Processing methods. (Appendix 11) a posting step of posting information related to printing to a chat room; a change instruction acquisition step of acquiring a change instruction inputted into the chat room for instructing a change to a posting language used in the chat room; Run the following on your computer: In the posting step, when the change instruction is acquired, the posting language is changed from a first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language, and posting is performed. program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10...information processing system, 50...chat room, 100...print control device, 110...processor, 111...posting unit, 112...change instruction acquisition unit, 113...print instruction acquisition unit, 114...print control unit, 130...memory, 150...network interface, 200...terminal device, 300...chat server, 400...web server, 500...image forming device

Claims

1. a posting section for posting printing-related information to a chat room; a change instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction to change a posting language used in the chat room, the instruction having been input to the chat room; having When the change instruction is acquired, the posting unit changes the posting language from the first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language and posts the content. Print control device.

2. The change instruction acquisition unit acquires a function invocation instruction, which is an instruction to invoke a posting language change function posted in the chat room before acquiring the change instruction, When the posting unit acquires the function invocation instruction, the posting unit posts candidates of languages ​​that can be used as posting languages ​​to the chat room; the change instruction acquisition unit acquires, as the change instruction, an input designating one of the languages ​​listed as candidates; The posting unit uses the second language, which is the language specified by the change instruction, as a posting language. The print control device according to claim 1 .

3. the posting unit posts, to the chat room, an input form that provides options of languages ​​that can be used as a posting language and accepts an input of selecting one of the options; The designation is performed by a selection operation on the options provided by the input form. The print control device according to claim 2 .

4. The designation is made by a posting to the chat room specifying one of the candidate languages. The print control device according to claim 2 .

5. The posting unit posts a response message to the function calling instruction in the first language to the chat room. The print control device according to claim 2 .

6. The posting unit posts a response message to the change instruction in the second language to the chat room. The print control device according to claim 1 .

7. When the language of the change instruction posted to the chat room is different from the first language, the posting unit changes the posting language from the first language to the second language, which is the language of the change instruction, and posts the message. The print control device according to claim 1 .

8. a print instruction acquisition unit that acquires print instructions posted in the chat room, The posting unit posts a response message to the print instruction in the second language to the chat room. The print control device according to claim 1 .

9. When the posting unit fails to change the posting language in accordance with the change instruction, the posting unit posts error information in the first language to the chat room. The print control device according to claim 1 .

10. A processing method for a device that posts to a chat room, comprising: acquiring a change instruction inputted into the chat room for changing a posting language used in the chat room; When the change instruction is acquired, the posting language is changed from the first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language, and the posting is made to the chat room. Processing methods.

11. a posting step of posting information related to printing to a chat room; a change instruction acquisition step of acquiring a change instruction inputted into the chat room for instructing a change to a posting language used in the chat room; Run the following on your computer: In the posting step, when the change instruction is acquired, the posting language is changed from a first language used before the change instruction is acquired to a second language, and posting is performed. program.

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