Image formation apparatus, processing method, and program

Abstract

To solve such a problem that, in an image formation apparatus, there is a risk that required settings may not be performed.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus 100 comprises: a detection unit 111 that detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image formation apparatus 100; a transmission unit 112 that, when the detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of the predetermined event, transmits trigger information, the trigger information being information for displaying, on a terminal device 200, notification information that notifies a user of the occurrence of the predetermined event; an acquisition unit 113 that acquires setting information input to a setting screen guided from the notification information displayed on the terminal device 200; and a determination unit 114 that determines settings for processing related to the predetermined event on the basis of the setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, a processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for detecting events occurring in an image forming apparatus are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting that paper is set in a paper feed tray of an image forming apparatus.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The techniques disclosed in the above-mentioned documents only detect the occurrence of events such as paper setting in an image forming apparatus, and cannot prompt the user to set the processing related to the event. For this reason, there is a risk that the required settings may not be performed in the image forming apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a detection unit that detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus, a transmission unit that transmits trigger information, which is information for displaying notification information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined event on a terminal device, when the detection unit detects the occurrence of the predetermined event, an acquisition unit that acquires setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device, and a determination unit that determines settings for processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information.

[0006] In addition, in the processing method according to the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus, and when the occurrence of the predetermined event is detected, transmits trigger information, which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined event, acquires setting information input to a setting screen derived from the notification information displayed on the terminal device, and determines a setting of processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information.

[0007] In addition, the program according to the present disclosure causes a computer of an image forming apparatus to execute a detection step of detecting the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus, a transmission step of transmitting trigger information, which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined event, when the occurrence of the predetermined event is detected, an acquisition step of acquiring setting information input to a setting screen derived from the notification information displayed on the terminal device, and a determination step of determining a setting of processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 10

Figure 11A

Figure 11B

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Figure 13

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are appropriately omitted and simplified. Also, in each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image forming system 1 according to Embodiment 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 100, a terminal device 200, a management server 300, and a push notification server 400. The image forming apparatus 100, the terminal device 200, the management server 300, and the push notification server 400 are connected to a network N such as the Internet.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. In FIG. 1, one image forming apparatus 100 is illustrated, but the image forming system 1 may include a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a communication unit 130, a processing unit 140, a media supply apparatus 150, an operation panel 160, and a storage medium interface 170.

[0012] The storage unit 120 is a storage device in which a program for realizing the processing of the control unit 110 and data used for the processing of the image forming apparatus 100 are stored. This storage device may be, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and may include a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0013] The communication unit 130 is a network interface used for communication via the network N. The communication unit 130 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC). Note that the communication with the network N may be wireless communication. In this case, the communication unit 130 includes hardware for performing wireless communication. That is, in this case, the communication unit 130 is a wireless communication interface and may include a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and an antenna.

[0014] The processing unit 140 is a device that executes predetermined processing. In the present embodiment, as an example, the processing unit 140 is specifically a printing unit that performs printing on a medium such as paper. The processing unit 140 as the printing unit has a printing function for performing printing on a medium such as paper. Specifically, the processing unit 140 includes a printing engine. The printing engine is a mechanical configuration that executes printing of an image on a medium using a coloring material. The printing engine may have, for example, a mechanism for performing printing using ink by an inkjet method. Alternatively, the printing engine may have, for example, a mechanism for performing printing using toner by an electrophotographic method.

[0015] Note that the processing unit 140 may include a device that performs processing other than printing. For example, the processing unit 140 may include a scanner. In this case, the processing unit 140 as a scanner scans a document to generate image data. For example, the scanner optically reads a document by scanning the document in a predetermined direction, that is, the sub-scanning direction, using a light source and a sensor, and generates image data. The image data obtained by scanning may be printed by the printing engine. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 may have a copying function. Also, the image data obtained by scanning may be transmitted by FAX (Facsimile). That is, the image forming apparatus 100 may have a FAX function.

[0016] The medium supply device 150 is a device that supplies a medium such as paper to the processing unit 140. That is, the medium supply device 150 supplies the medium used by the processing unit 140 to the processing unit 140. The medium supply device 150 is composed of, for example, a cassette or tray in which the medium is set and a transport mechanism that transports the set medium.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 160 includes a button 161 for selecting the category of the medium set in the medium supply device 150 and an indicator light 162 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light that indicates the selected category. Each time the user U presses the button 161, the selected category is switched, and the indicator light 162 that lights up is also switched.

[0018] The storage medium interface 170 is an interface circuit that connects to a removable medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. The storage medium interface 170 includes, for example, a writing circuit that performs a writing process to a removable medium connected to the image forming apparatus 100 and a reading circuit that reads data from the removable medium. Note that when connection to a removable medium is not required, the image forming apparatus 100 may not have the storage medium interface 170.

[0019] The control unit 110 is a processor such as, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls each component of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 110 may have a plurality of processors. The control unit 110 reads a program into the memory and executes the program. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the control unit 110 realizes the functions of the detection unit 111, the transmission unit 112, the acquisition unit 113, the determination unit 114, and the processing control unit 115.

[0020] The detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus 100. The detection unit 111 may detect the occurrence of the event by acquiring a signal from a sensor for detecting the predetermined event. In the present embodiment, specifically, the detection unit 111 detects that a medium has been set in the medium supply device 150 as the detection of a predetermined event. For example, the detection unit 111 detects that a medium has been set by the user U in the cassette or tray of the medium supply device 150 by receiving a signal from a sensor that detects the setting of the medium.

[0021] The transmission unit 112 performs a process of transmitting information to other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, when the detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of a predetermined event, the transmission unit 112 performs a process of transmitting trigger information. Here, the trigger information is information for displaying, on the terminal device 200, notification information that is information for notifying the user U of the occurrence of a predetermined event. More specifically, the trigger information is information for displaying the notification information on the terminal device 200 and indicating that the occurrence of the predetermined event has been detected. Note that the trigger information can also be said to be information for triggering the display of the notification information on the terminal device 200. When the image forming system 1 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100, it is preferable that it be possible to specify in which of the image forming apparatuses 100 the event has occurred. For this reason, the trigger information may include identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 in which the predetermined event has been detected. In the present embodiment, when the detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of a predetermined event, the transmission unit 112 transmits trigger information indicating the occurrence of the event to the management server 300.

[0022] The acquisition unit 113 performs a process of acquiring information from other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 113 acquires setting information input by the user U on a setting screen derived from the above-described notification information displayed on the terminal device 200. Here, the setting information is information for setting the processing of the processing unit 140. In the present embodiment, specifically, the acquisition unit 113 acquires setting information regarding the characteristics of the medium set in the medium supply device 150. For example, the acquisition unit 113 acquires, as setting information regarding the characteristics of the medium, setting information specifying the size and type of the set medium. Here, the setting information for specifying the size and type of the medium is, more specifically, print settings used for printing on the medium set in the medium supply device 150 and specifying print settings determined according to the size and type of the medium.

[0023] The determination unit 114 determines the settings of the processing related to the predetermined event detected by the detection unit 111 based on the setting information acquired by the acquisition unit 113. In the present embodiment, specifically, the determination unit 114 determines the printing settings for the medium set in the medium supply device 150 based on the setting information acquired by the acquisition unit 113. That is, the determination unit 114 sets the printing settings used for printing on the medium set in the medium supply device 150 to the printing settings corresponding to the size and type of the medium specified by the setting information.

[0024] The processing control unit 115 controls the processing of the processing unit 140. In particular, the processing control unit 115 controls the processing of the processing unit 140 according to the settings determined by the determination unit 114. In the present embodiment, specifically, the processing control unit 115 executes printing on the medium set in the medium supply device 150 using the processing unit 140 according to the printing settings determined by the determination unit 114. That is, the processing control unit 115 causes the processing unit 140 to execute printing according to the printing settings corresponding to the size and type of the medium indicated by the setting information.

[0025] Next, the terminal device 200 will be described. The terminal device 200 is a device operated by the user U, and for example, it is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but is not limited thereto, and may be a PC (Personal Computer) or the like. In FIG. 1, one terminal device 200 and one user U are illustrated, but a plurality of users U can use the image forming system 1. For this reason, the image forming system 1 may include a plurality of terminal devices 200.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 200. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, a display unit 240, and an operation unit 250.

[0027] The storage unit 220 is a storage device that stores a program for realizing the processing of the control unit 210 and data used for the processing of the terminal device 200. This storage device may be, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and may include a memory such as a RAM.

[0028] The communication unit 230 is a network interface used for communication via the network N. The communication unit 230 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC). Note that the communication with the network N may be wireless communication. In this case, the communication unit 230 includes hardware for performing wireless communication. That is, in this case, the communication unit 230 is a wireless communication interface and may include a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and an antenna.

[0029] The display unit 240 and the operation unit 250 are user interfaces. The display unit 240 is composed of a display or the like that displays various information to the user. The operation unit 250 is composed of buttons or the like that receive input operations from the user. Note that the display unit 240 and the operation unit 250 may be integrally configured by a touch panel or the like.

[0030] The control unit 210 is a processor such as a microprocessor, an MPU, or a CPU that controls each component of the terminal device 200. The control unit 210 may have a plurality of processors. The control unit 210 reads a program into the memory and executes the program. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the control unit 210 realizes the functions of the position determination unit 211, the transmission unit 212, the acquisition unit 213, and the notification processing unit 214. Note that part or all of the functions of the position determination unit 211, the transmission unit 212, the acquisition unit 213, and the notification processing unit 214 may be implemented as part of the functions of a specific application or as part of the functions of a web browser. Further, when these are implemented as part of the functions of a web browser, they may be implemented as the functions of a Service Worker.

[0031] The position determination unit 211 determines whether the terminal device 200 is present within a predetermined area which is an area near the image forming apparatus 100. That is, the position determination unit 211 determines whether the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100. The position determination unit 211 determines whether the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100 using any known technique.

[0032] For example, the position determination unit 211 may determine whether the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100 using a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacon compliant with the power saving standard of Bluetooth (registered trademark). In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 transmits a BLE beacon, and the terminal device 200 stores in advance area identification information such as a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) that identifies the area where the BLE beacon is transmitted, that is, the receivable area of the BLE beacon. The image forming apparatus 100 transmits a BLE beacon including the area identification information. Then, when the terminal device 200 receives the BLE beacon, the position determination unit 211 determines whether the area identification information included in the received BLE beacon matches the area identification information corresponding to the image forming apparatus 100 stored in advance. When both pieces of area identification information match, the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100.

[0033] Also, the position determination unit 211 may determine whether the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100 using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) information. In this case, the terminal device 200 stores in advance the position information of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, when the position of the terminal device 200 specified from the GNSS information is close to the position of the image forming apparatus 100 stored in advance, the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100.

[0034] The transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting information to other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, when the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100, that is, when it is determined that the terminal device 200 exists within a predetermined area which is an area near the image forming apparatus 100, the transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting proximity information. Here, the proximity information is information indicating that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100. When the image forming system 1 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100, it is preferable that it is possible to specify which image forming apparatus 100 the terminal device 200 has approached. For this reason, the proximity information may include information for specifying which image forming apparatus 100 the terminal device 200 has approached. The information for specifying which image forming apparatus 100 the terminal device 200 has approached may be area identification information acquired by the terminal device 200, or may be identification information of the image forming apparatus 100 that the terminal device 200 has approached. In the present embodiment, when the terminal device 200 approaches the image forming apparatus 100, the transmission unit 212 transmits proximity information indicating that the terminal device 200 has approached this image forming apparatus 100 to the management server 300.

[0035] Further, the transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting setting information input by the user U to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device 200 by the process of the notification processing unit 214 described later. In the present embodiment, when setting information is input to the setting screen, the transmission unit 212 transmits this setting information to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0036] The acquisition unit 213 performs a process of acquiring information from other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 213 acquires information for instructing the display of notification information on the terminal device 200 from the push notification server 400. Hereinafter, the information for instructing the display of notification information on the terminal device 200 is also referred to as notification instruction information. Note that the notification instruction information can also be said to be information including an instruction to display notification information on the terminal device 200.

[0037] When the acquisition unit 213 acquires notification instruction information from the push notification server 400, the notification processing unit 214 performs a process of displaying the notification information on the display unit 240. The notification processing unit 214 notifies the user U of the notification information as a push notification in the terminal device 200. That is, the notification information is notified to the user U by push notification in the terminal device 200. Thereby, it is possible to make it easier for the user U to recognize the notification.

[0038] As described above, the notification information is information for notifying the user U of the occurrence of a predetermined event (specifically, that the medium has been set in the medium supply device 150) in the image forming apparatus 100. When the image forming system 1 includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses 100, it is preferable that it be possible to specify which image forming apparatus 100 the notification information is for. For this reason, the notification instruction information acquired from the push notification server 400 preferably includes information for identifying which image forming apparatus 100 the notification information is for. For this reason, for example, it may include the identification information of the image forming apparatus 100. Further, the notification instruction information may include information to be displayed as the notification information. In this case, the notification processing unit 214 displays the information indicated by the notification instruction information on the display unit 240 as the notification information. Further, the information to be displayed as the notification information may be stored in the storage unit 220 of the terminal device 200. In this case, for example, the notification processing unit 214 reads out the information stored in the storage unit 220 and displays it on the display unit 240 as the notification information.

[0039] In addition, the notification processing unit 214 guides the user U from the displayed notification information to the setting screen of the image forming apparatus 100. That is, the user U is guided from the notification information to the setting screen. Specifically, the notification processing unit 214 displays on the display unit 240 a setting screen for setting the processing in the image forming apparatus 100 in which a predetermined event has occurred, in response to an operation of the user U with respect to the display of the notification information. For example, when the user U performs an operation of pressing a pop-up window that displays the notification information, the notification processing unit 214 may display the setting screen of the image forming apparatus 100 on the display unit 240. Further, the notification information may include link information for guiding the user U to the setting screen.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of notification information displayed on the display unit 240 of the terminal device 200 by the processing of the notification processing unit 214. As shown in FIG. 5, the notification processing unit 214 displays, for example, notification information 80 indicating that paper has been set in the image forming apparatus 100 (printer) on the display unit 240. Here, when the user U performs an operation (for example, a tap operation) of pressing the pop-up window 81 of the notification information 80, the notification processing unit 214 displays, for example, a setting screen as shown in FIG. 6 on the display unit 240. The setting screen may be displayed using a web browser installed in the terminal device 200.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a setting screen displayed on the display unit 240 of the terminal device 200 by the processing of the notification processing unit 214. The setting screen 90 shown in FIG. 6 is provided with input fields 91 for setting the size and type for each category of media. Specifically, on the setting screen 90, it is possible to set the paper size and paper type for each of the three categories of photo, envelope, and document, respectively. Here, for the "photo" category, the paper size can be selected, for example, from a selection of predetermined sizes such as L size, 4×6, 2L size, etc. Also, for the "document" category, the paper size can be selected, for example, from a selection of predetermined sizes such as A4, LTR, 8.5×13, etc. Further, for the "envelope" category, the paper size can be selected, for example, from a selection of predetermined sizes such as #10, DL, long size No. 3, etc. Also, for the paper type, for the "document" category, it can be selected, for example, from a selection of predetermined types such as plain paper, super fine paper, postcard, etc. Also, for the "photo" category, it can be selected, for example, from a selection of predetermined types such as photo paper, glossy paper, semi-glossy paper, matte paper, etc. Also, for the "envelope" category, for example, only envelopes can be selected as the type, but other options may be provided for the "envelope" category. Note that the above-described categories, sizes, and types are merely examples, and other settings may be possible on the setting screen other than those described above. Also, the current settings may be displayed in advance in the input fields of the setting screen.

[0042] User U inputs the size and type of paper to be used during printing for each category on the setting screen 90, and presses (taps) a button 92 to reflect the setting information on the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the setting information input on the setting screen 90 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 and acquired by an acquisition unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100. Thereby, a determination unit 114 of the image forming apparatus 100 determines a process setting based on the acquired setting information. For example, user U who intends to print a document sets A4-size plain paper in a media supply device 150 of the image forming apparatus 100. Thereafter, on the setting screen 90 guided from the notification information displayed on the terminal device 200, user U selects A4 as the paper size for the "document" category, selects plain paper as the paper type for the "document" category, and presses button 92. At this time, user U only needs to select the size and type for at least the category to which the paper set in the media supply device 150 belongs, and does not necessarily need to select the size and type for all categories. Further, user U operates a button 161 on an operation panel 160 (see FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 100 to select a category corresponding to the media set in the media supply device 150. In this case, user U presses button 161 to turn on a display lamp 162 for the "document" category. Thereby, when receiving a print instruction, a process control unit 115 of the image forming apparatus 100 controls the process of a processing unit 140 to print an image on the paper according to a print setting suitable for printing on A4-size plain paper.

[0043] In the above example, in order to specify which category's setting information is used for printing, the user U operates the operation panel 160, but it is also possible to specify which category's setting information is used for printing on the setting screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the notification processing unit 214 may display a setting screen 90a including the selection of the category of the paper used for printing on the display unit 240. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the setting screen displayed on the display unit 240 of the terminal device 200 by the processing of the notification processing unit 214. The setting screen 90a shown in FIG. 7 includes an input field 93 for selecting the category of the paper used for printing, an input field 91 for selecting the size and type of the paper of the selected category, and a button 92 for reflecting the setting information on the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, even if the user U does not operate the operation panel 160 of the image forming apparatus 100, the processing control unit 115 of the image forming apparatus 100 can specify the category, size, and type of the paper used for printing.

[0044] Further, the setting screen displayed on the display unit 240 of the terminal device 200 by the processing of the notification processing unit 214 may be a setting screen for setting the paper size and type without selecting the category corresponding to the medium set in the medium supply device 150. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the setting screen displayed on the display unit 240 of the terminal device 200 by the processing of the notification processing unit 214. The setting screen 90b shown in FIG. 8 includes an input field 91a for selecting the size and type of the paper to be printed next, and a button 92 for reflecting the setting information on the image forming apparatus 100. User U inputs the size and type of the paper to be used for printing into the input field 91a for the setting screen 90b as shown in FIG. 8, and presses (taps) the button 92 to reflect the setting information in the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, the setting information input to the setting screen 90b is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 and acquired by the acquisition unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100. Thereby, the determination unit 114 of the image forming apparatus 100 determines the setting of the process based on the acquired setting information. For example, user U who wants to print a document sets A4 size plain paper in the media supply device 150 of the image forming apparatus 100. Thereafter, on the setting screen 90b guided from the notification information displayed on the terminal device 200, user U selects the paper size and paper type to be printed from the list and presses the button 92. As a result, when the process control unit 115 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives a print instruction, it controls the process of the processing unit 140 to print an image on the paper according to the print settings suitable for printing on A4 size plain paper. In this case, since the selection of the category is not required, the operation panel 160 shown in FIG. 3 is not required.

[0045] Next, the management server 300 will be described. The management server 300 is a server that manages the execution of push notifications for notification information. The management server 300 determines the target terminal device 200 for which the notification information is to be notified and the notification content of the notification information based on the information obtained from the terminal device 200 and the image forming apparatus 100, and requests the push notification server 400 to transmit the above-described notification instruction information to the terminal device 200. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 300. As shown in FIG. 9, the management server 300 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 320, and a communication unit 330.

[0046] The storage unit 320 is a storage device in which a program for realizing the processing of the control unit 310 and data used for the processing of the management server 300 are stored. This storage device may be, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and may include a memory such as a RAM.

[0047] The communication unit 330 is a network interface used for communication via the network N. The communication unit 330 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC). Note that the communication with the network N may be wireless communication. In this case, the communication unit 330 includes hardware for performing wireless communication. That is, in this case, the communication unit 330 is a wireless communication interface and may include a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and an antenna.

[0048] The control unit 310 is a processor such as a microprocessor, MPU, or CPU that controls each component of the management server 300. The control unit 310 may have a plurality of processors. The control unit 310 reads a program into the memory and executes the program. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the control unit 310 realizes the functions of the acquisition unit 311, the notification determination unit 312, and the transmission unit 313.

[0049] The acquisition unit 311 performs a process of acquiring information from other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 311 acquires the above-described proximity information transmitted from the terminal device 200. Further, the acquisition unit 311 acquires the above-described trigger information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100.

[0050] The notification determination unit 312 determines the target terminal device 200 to which the notification information is to be notified and the content of the notification information based on the proximity information and trigger information acquired by the acquisition unit 311. When the notification determination unit 312 detects that the terminal device 200 has approached a certain image forming apparatus 100 based on the proximity information and detects that a predetermined event has occurred in this image forming apparatus 100 based on the trigger information, it determines to perform a push notification. Specifically, the notification determination unit 312 determines to perform a push notification of the notification information notifying that an event has occurred in the image forming apparatus 100 on the terminal device 200 that has approached this image forming apparatus 100. That is, the notification determination unit 312 determines to perform a push notification on the terminal device 200 that has transmitted proximity information indicating that it has approached the image forming apparatus 100 that has transmitted the trigger information.

[0051] The transmission unit 313 performs a process of transmitting information to other devices. In particular, when the notification determination unit 312 determines to perform a push notification, that is, when the notification determination unit 312 determines the target terminal device 200 to which the notification information is to be notified and the content of the notification information, the transmission unit 313 transmits information requesting the transmission of notification instruction information to the push notification server 400 to this terminal device 200. Hereinafter, the information requesting the transmission of notification instruction information to the push notification server 400 will be referred to as transmission request information. The transmission request information transmitted to the push notification server 400 includes, for example, the identification information of the terminal device 200 that is the transmission destination of the notification instruction information, that is, the identification information of the terminal device 200 on which the push notification is to be performed. Further, the transmission request information may include information indicating the content of the notification information to be notified as a push notification.

[0052] Next, the push notification server 400 will be described. The push notification server 400 is a server that transmits notification instruction information for instructing the implementation of push notifications to the terminal device 200. For example, the push notification server 400 may be an FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) server. As described above, the terminal device 200 displays, on the display unit 240, notification information for guiding to the setting screen by acquiring the notification instruction information from the push notification server 400. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the push notification server 400. As shown in FIG. 10, the push notification server 400 includes a control unit 410, a storage unit 420, and a communication unit 430.

[0053] The storage unit 420 is a storage device in which a program for realizing the processing of the control unit 410 and data used for the processing of the push notification server 400 are stored. This storage device may be, for example, a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory, and may include a memory such as a RAM.

[0054] The communication unit 430 is a network interface used for communication via the network N. The communication unit 430 may include, for example, a network interface card (NIC). Note that the communication with the network N may be wireless communication. In this case, the communication unit 430 includes hardware for performing wireless communication. That is, in this case, the communication unit 430 is a wireless communication interface and may include a transmission circuit, a reception circuit, and an antenna.

[0055] The control unit 410 is a processor such as a microprocessor, an MPU, or a CPU that controls each component of the push notification server 400. The control unit 410 may have a plurality of processors. The control unit 410 reads a program into the memory and executes the program. Thereby, in the present embodiment, the control unit 410 realizes the functions of the acquisition unit 411 and the transmission unit 412.

[0056] The acquisition unit 411 performs a process of acquiring information from other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 411 acquires the above-described transmission request information from the management server 300.

[0057] The transmission unit 412 performs a process of transmitting information to other devices. In particular, in the present embodiment, when the acquisition unit 411 acquires the transmission request information, the transmission unit 412 transmits notification instruction information to the terminal device 200 specified by this transmission request information. As a result, the notification information is push-notified in the terminal device 200.

[0058] Next, the operation flow of the image forming system 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to a sequence chart. FIGS. 11A and 11B are sequence charts showing an example of the operation flow of the image forming system 1 according to Embodiment 1.

[0059] In step S100, the user U carrying the terminal device 200 moves near the image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S101, the position determination unit 211 of the terminal device 200 determines that the terminal device 200 exists within a predetermined area which is an area near the image forming apparatus 100. That is, the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100. As a result, in step S102, the transmission unit 212 of the terminal device 200 transmits approach information indicating that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100 to the management server 300. Then, the acquisition unit 311 of the management server 300 acquires the approach information.

[0060] Thereafter, in step S103, the user U sets the paper to be used for printing in the medium supply device 150 of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S104, the detection unit 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 detects the occurrence of an event that the paper has been set in the medium supply device 150. As a result, in step S105, the transmission unit 112 of the image forming apparatus 100 transmits trigger information indicating the occurrence of the event to the management server 300. Then, the acquisition unit 311 of the management server 300 acquires the trigger information.

[0061] When the acquisition unit 311 of the management server 300 acquires the trigger information, in step S106, the notification determination unit 312 of the management server 300 determines to perform a push notification. That is, the notification determination unit 312 determines the terminal device 200 that is the target of the notification of the notification information and the content of the notification information. Thereby, in step S107, the transmission unit 313 of the management server 300 transmits the transmission request information to the push notification server 400. Then, the acquisition unit 411 of the push notification server 400 acquires the transmission request information.

[0062] When the acquisition unit 411 of the push notification server 400 acquires the transmission request information, in step S108, the transmission unit 412 of the push notification server 400 transmits the notification instruction information to the terminal device 200. When the notification instruction information is transmitted, the acquisition unit 213 of the terminal device 200 acquires the notification instruction information. Note that the terminal device 200 that acquires the notification instruction information is the terminal device 200 that approached the image forming apparatus 100 that transmitted the trigger information in step S105. That is, the terminal device 200 that acquires the notification instruction information is the terminal device 200 that transmitted the approach information in step S102.

[0063] When the acquisition unit 213 of the terminal device 200 acquires the notification instruction information, in step S109, the notification processing unit 214 of the terminal device 200 displays the notification information on the display unit 240. Next, in step S110, the user U who has viewed the notification information performs a predetermined operation (for example, tapping) on the notification information displayed on the display unit 240. In response to this, in step S111, the notification processing unit 214 of the terminal device 200 displays the setting screen. Thereby, a setting screen for setting the processing in the image forming apparatus 100 that transmitted the trigger information in step S105 is displayed.

[0064] In step S112, when user U inputs setting information into the setting screen, in step S113, the transmission unit 212 of the terminal device 200 transmits the setting information to the image forming apparatus 100. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 that acquires the setting information is the image forming apparatus 100 that transmitted the trigger information in step S105. When the setting information is transmitted, the acquisition unit 113 of the image forming apparatus 100 acquires the setting information. Then, in step S114, the determination unit 114 of the image forming apparatus 100 determines the setting of the process by the processing unit 140 based on the setting information acquired by the acquisition unit 113.

[0065] As described above, Embodiment 1 has been explained. In this embodiment, when the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected, trigger information, which is information for displaying notification information on the terminal device 200, is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the image forming apparatus 100 acquires the setting information input to the setting screen guided from the notification information displayed on the terminal device 200, and determines the setting of the process based on this setting information. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the setting required for executing the process related to the predetermined event from not being performed. In particular, in this embodiment, the notification information is displayed on the terminal device 200 existing within a predetermined area, which is an area near the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, the notification information can be displayed only on the terminal device 200 of user U who will use the image forming apparatus 100 from now on. That is, it is possible to prevent disturbing the other user by the notification information being displayed on the terminal device 200 of the other user.

[0066] In the above-described configuration, the image forming system 1 includes the management server 300 separately from the push notification server 400. However, the push notification server 400 may include the functions of the management server 300 described above. In this case, the transmission unit 212 of the terminal device 200 transmits the proximity information to the push notification server 400. Similarly, the transmission unit 112 of the image forming apparatus 100 transmits the trigger information to the push notification server 400. Therefore, in an embodiment where the notification information is displayed on the terminal device 200 according to the notification instruction information from the push notification server 400, the trigger information may be transmitted to the push notification server 400 that transmits the notification instruction information or the management server 300 that requests the push notification server 400 to transmit the notification instruction information.

[0067] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 will be described. In Embodiment 1, a configuration in which the notification information is displayed based on the notification instruction information from the push notification server 400 was shown. In this embodiment, a configuration in which the notification information for guiding the user U to the setting screen is displayed on the terminal device 200 without using the push notification server 400 will be described.

[0068] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming system 2 according to Embodiment 2. The image forming system 2 is different from the image forming system 1 according to Embodiment 1 in that it does not have the management server 300 and the push notification server 400. In this embodiment, the network N may be a local area network. Hereinafter, differences from Embodiment 1 will be described, and descriptions of the same configurations and processes as those in Embodiment 1 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0069] In this embodiment, the terminal device 200 periodically inquires about the status of the image forming apparatus 100 and periodically acquires status information indicating the status of the image forming apparatus 100 from the image forming apparatus 100. Then, when the terminal device 200 acquires status information indicating that a predetermined event has occurred, it displays notification information for guiding the user U to the setting screen as shown in FIG. 5. Hereinafter, the processing of the image forming apparatus 100 and the processing of the terminal device 200 in this embodiment will be specifically described.

[0070] The image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is different from the image forming apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 in that the acquisition unit 113 and the transmission unit 112 execute the following processing. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 113 also acquires inquiry information from the terminal device 200. The inquiry information is information for inquiring about the status of the image forming apparatus 100 including the occurrence status of events in the image forming apparatus 100. Also, in this embodiment, when the acquisition unit 113 acquires inquiry information, the transmission unit 112 performs a process of transmitting status information indicating the status of the image forming apparatus 100 to the terminal device 200 that transmitted the inquiry information. The status information may include identification information of the image forming apparatus 100. When the detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus 100, the transmission unit 112 transmits status information indicating that the predetermined event has occurred to the terminal device 200. In this embodiment, the status information indicating that a predetermined event has occurred corresponds to trigger information for displaying notification information on the terminal device 200. That is, in this embodiment, when the detection unit 111 detects the occurrence of a predetermined event, the transmission unit 112 transmits the trigger information to this terminal device 200 as a response to an inquiry from the terminal device 200.

[0071] Further, the terminal device 200 of the present embodiment is different from the terminal device 200 according to the first embodiment in that the transmission unit 212, the acquisition unit 213, and the notification processing unit 214 execute the following processes. In the first embodiment, when the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100, the transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting proximity information to the management server 300. However, in the present embodiment, the transmission unit 212 does not perform such a process. Further, in the present embodiment, the transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting inquiry information to the image forming apparatus 100. In particular, when the position determination unit 211 determines that the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100, the transmission unit 212 performs a process of transmitting inquiry information to the image forming apparatus 100 that the terminal device 200 has approached. Further, in the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 213 acquires notification instruction information from the push notification server 400. However, in the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 213 does not perform such an acquisition process. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 213 acquires status information from the image forming apparatus 100 as a response to the inquiry information. In particular, when a predetermined event occurs in the image forming apparatus 100, the acquisition unit 213 acquires status information indicating that the predetermined event has occurred, which corresponds to trigger information. Further, in the first embodiment, when the acquisition unit 213 acquires notification instruction information from the push notification server 400, the notification processing unit 214 executes a process of displaying the notification information on the display unit 240. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when status information indicating that a predetermined event has occurred, that is, trigger information, is acquired as a response to the inquiry information, the notification processing unit 214 executes a process of displaying the notification information on the display unit 240. Note that also in the present embodiment, the notification processing unit 214 notifies the user U of the notification information as a push notification in the terminal device 200.

[0072] Next, the operation flow of the image forming system 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to a sequence chart. FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing an example of the operation flow of the image forming system 2 according to the second embodiment.

[0073] In step S200, user U carrying terminal device 200 moves near image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S201, position determination unit 211 of terminal device 200 determines that terminal device 200 has approached image forming apparatus 100.

[0074] When it is determined that terminal device 200 has approached image forming apparatus 100, in step S202, transmission unit 212 starts periodically transmitting inquiry information to image forming apparatus 100. The inquiry information transmitted from terminal device 200 is acquired by acquisition unit 113 of image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S203, transmission unit 112 of image forming apparatus 100 transmits status information to terminal device 200 as a response to the inquiry information. Note that at this point, since paper has not been set in media supply device 150, the information transmitted in step S203 is not trigger information.

[0075] Thereafter, in step S204, user U sets the paper to be used for printing in media supply device 150 of image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S205, detection unit 111 of image forming apparatus 100 detects the occurrence of an event that paper has been set in media supply device 150.

[0076] Thereafter, in step S206, transmission unit 212 of terminal device 200 transmits inquiry information to image forming apparatus 100. Then, in step S207, transmission unit 112 of image forming apparatus 100 transmits, as a response to the inquiry information, status information indicating that an event that paper has been set in media supply device 150 has occurred, that is, trigger information, to terminal device 200.

[0077] When acquisition unit 213 of terminal device 200 acquires the trigger information, in step S208, notification processing unit 214 of terminal device 200 displays notification information on display unit 240. Thereafter, the same operations as in Embodiment 1 are performed. That is, the operations from step S110 to step S114 shown in Embodiment 1 are performed as the operations from step S209 to step S213.

[0078] The above describes Embodiment 2. Also in this embodiment, similar to Embodiment 1, it is possible to prevent the situation where settings necessary for executing processing related to a predetermined event are not performed. In particular, according to this embodiment, the above-described effects can be achieved without using the push notification server 400. Also in this embodiment, the notification information is displayed on the terminal device 200 existing within a predetermined area which is an area near the image forming apparatus 100. For this reason, the notification information can be displayed only on the terminal device 200 of the user U who will use the image forming apparatus 100 from now on.

[0079] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and their modifications, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the setting information is directly transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100, but the setting information may be transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100 via a server on the cloud or the like. In this case, the transmission unit 212 of the terminal device 200 transmits the setting information to the server, and the server transfers the received setting information to the image forming apparatus 100. Also, in each of the above-described embodiments, a configuration is shown in which the notification information is displayed only on the terminal device 200 that has approached the image forming apparatus 100, but the notification information may be displayed on the terminal device 200 that has not approached the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, in Embodiment 1, the notification instruction information is transmitted to all the terminal devices 200 registered in advance. Also, in this case, in Embodiment 2, regardless of whether the terminal device 200 has approached the image forming apparatus 100 or not, the inquiry information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 100, and the status information as the trigger information is acquired.

[0080] In each of the above-described embodiments, as a specific example of a predetermined event, an event in which a medium is set in the medium supply device 150 has been given. However, the predetermined event is not limited to this. For example, when the image forming apparatus 100 has a scanner as the processing unit 140, the predetermined event may be that the cover of the scanner is opened or closed, or that a document is set in the medium supply device 150 that sends the document to the scanner. When the predetermined event is such an event, a setting screen for performing, for example, scan settings, copy settings, or FAX transmission settings may be displayed on the terminal device 200. Further, when the image forming apparatus 100 has a storage medium interface 170, the predetermined event may be that a removable medium is connected to the storage medium interface 170. When the predetermined event is such an event, a setting screen for performing, for example, scan settings may be displayed on the terminal device 200, or a setting screen for performing print settings may be displayed. Note that the scan settings may be, for example, settings for the image quality of the generated image, or settings for whether to generate a color or monochrome image. Also, the copy settings may be, for example, settings for the image quality of the printed image, settings for whether to copy in color or monochrome, or settings for the magnification of the copy. Further, the FAX transmission settings may be settings for the image quality of the transmitted image, settings for whether to transmit a color or monochrome image, or settings for the transmission destination. Also, the print settings may be settings for the size and type of the medium, settings for the image quality of the printed image, or settings for whether to print a color or monochrome image. Note that these are merely examples, and settings other than the above-described exemplary settings may be performed as scan settings, copy settings, FAX transmission, and print settings.

[0081] Also, in the above example, when the program is loaded into a computer, it includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing 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 technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a 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.

[0082] Some or all of the above embodiments and variations may be described as follows in the appended claims, but are not limited thereto. (Appendix 1) An image forming apparatus, a detection unit that detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus; a transmission unit that transmits trigger information, which is information for displaying, on a terminal device, notification information for notifying a user of the occurrence of the predetermined event when the detection unit detects the occurrence of the predetermined event; an acquisition unit that acquires setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device; a determination unit that determines a setting of processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information; An image forming apparatus comprising the above. (Appendix 2) The notification information is notified by push notification on the terminal device The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The notification information includes link information for guiding to the setting screen The image forming apparatus according to Appendix 1 or 2 (Appendix 4) The notification information is displayed on the terminal device existing within a predetermined area which is an area near the image forming apparatus The image forming apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3 (Appendix 5) The transmission unit transmits the trigger information to a first server that transmits an instruction to cause the terminal device to display the notification information or a second server that requests the first server to transmit the instruction The image forming apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4 (Appendix 6) The transmission unit transmits the trigger information to the terminal device as a response to an inquiry from the terminal device The image forming apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4 (Appendix 7) The detection unit detects that a medium is set in a medium supply device included in the image forming apparatus as detection of the predetermined event The acquisition unit acquires the setting information regarding characteristics of the medium The determination unit determines a setting for printing on the medium based on the setting information The image forming apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6 (Appendix 8) An image forming apparatus Detects occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus When occurrence of the predetermined event is detected, transmits trigger information which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined event Acquires setting information input to a setting screen guided from the notification information displayed on the terminal device Determines a setting for processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information Processing method (Appendix 9) to the computer of the image forming apparatus, a detection step of detecting the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus; a transmission step of transmitting, when the occurrence of the predetermined event is detected, trigger information which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying the user of the occurrence of the predetermined event; an acquisition step of acquiring setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device; a determination step of determining settings for processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information; A program for causing the above to be executed.

Explanation of Signs

[0083] 1... Image forming system, 2... Image forming system, 80... Notification information, 81... Pop-up window, 90... Setting screen, 90a... Setting screen, 90b... Setting screen, 91... Input field, 91a... Input field, 92... Button, 93... Input field, 100... Image forming apparatus, 110... Control unit, 111... Detection unit, 112... Transmission unit, 113... Acquisition unit, 114... Determination unit, 115... Processing control unit, 120... Storage unit, 130... Communication unit, 140... Processing unit, 150... Media supply device, 160... Operation panel, 161... Button, 162... Indicator light, 170... Storage medium interface, 200... Terminal device, 210... Control unit, 211... Position determination unit, 212... Transmission unit, 213... Acquisition unit, 214... Notification processing unit, 220... Storage unit, 230... Communication unit, 240... Display unit, 250... Operation unit, 300... Management server, 310... Control unit, 311... Acquisition unit, 312... Notification determination unit, 313... Transmission unit, 320... Storage unit, 330... Communication unit, 400... Push notification server, 410... Control unit, 411... Acquisition unit, 412... Transmission unit, 420... Storage unit, 430... Communication unit, N... Network, U... User

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, a detection unit that detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus; a transmission unit that transmits trigger information, which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying a user of the occurrence of the predetermined event, when the detection unit detects the occurrence of the predetermined event; an acquisition unit that acquires setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device; a determination unit that determines a setting of processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information; An image forming apparatus comprising the above.

2. The notification information is notified to the terminal device by push notification The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The notification information includes link information for guiding to the setting screen The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The notification information is displayed on the terminal device existing within a predetermined area, which is an area near the image forming apparatus The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The transmission unit transmits the trigger information to a first server that transmits an instruction to cause the terminal device to display the notification information or a second server that requests the first server to transmit the instruction The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The transmission unit transmits the trigger information to the terminal device as a response to an inquiry from the terminal device The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The detection unit detects that a medium has been set in a medium supply device included in the image forming apparatus as the detection of the predetermined event, The acquisition unit acquires the setting information regarding the characteristics of the medium, The determination unit determines a printing setting for the medium based on the setting information The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

8. An image forming apparatus, detects the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus, when the occurrence of the predetermined event is detected, transmits trigger information, which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying a user of the occurrence of the predetermined event, acquires setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device, determines a setting of processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information A processing method.

9. On a computer of an image forming apparatus, a detection step of detecting the occurrence of a predetermined event in the image forming apparatus; A transmission step of transmitting trigger information, which is information for causing a terminal device to display notification information for notifying a user of the occurrence of the predetermined event when the occurrence of the predetermined event is detected; An acquisition step of acquiring setting information input to a setting screen induced from the notification information displayed on the terminal device; A determination step of determining settings for processing related to the predetermined event based on the setting information; A program for causing the above to be executed.

Images