Information processing apparatus, control method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus for printing a desired file group with simple operation.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: display control means which causes a display unit to display an item selection screen including a first item indicating "assigned", a second item indicating "submitted", and a third item indicating "scored", causes the display unit to display a file selection screen for selecting a file to be printed, from among files managed by a cloud service for allowing teachers and students to share the files, the file corresponding to the item selected on the item selection screen, and causes the display unit to switch the file selection screen to display a predetermined screen in which display elements representing the contents of settings for a sheet size set as print settings are displayed, in accordance with user operation on the file selection screen; receiving means which receives an instruction operation to print the file selected on the file selection screen while displaying the predetermined screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method, a program, and a storage medium for acquiring and printing a file from a network. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of education, a Learning Management System (hereinafter referred to as LMS) is known as a learning support system that can be used on the Web. Generally, homework is assigned online by a teacher, and students create submissions that the teacher can then grade (Non-Patent Document 1). LMSs can also link with other Web-based storage services to generate shared files on the Internet, allowing homework and submissions to be exchanged over the network (Non-Patent Document 2).

[0003] In a school classroom environment, teachers (privileged users) can create homework assignments as shared files for the class. Students (general users) can have their files shared or copied to their own network storage by their teachers. A known LMS control method allows a teacher to create a homework file when assigning homework and copy it for students to view (Patent Document 1). In this way, it is desirable to set different permissions for shared files stored in an online storage service depending on the user type (teacher and student). By adding access permission settings to homework assignments according to the user type, security can be ensured by preventing unauthorized access by users not intended by the teacher. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0118672 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Google Classroom (trademark) [online], [Retrieved April 17, 2020], Internet URL: http: / / edu.google.com / intl / products / classroom / [Non-patent document 2] Google Drive (trademark) [online], [Retrieved April 17, 2020], Internet URL: https: / / www.google.com / drive / Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in systems that acquire and print homework submitted via an LMS or student submissions, the set of shared files that can be batch printed varies depending on the user's account type (teacher, student, etc.) Even in such cases, a technology is needed that allows users to print the desired set of files with simpler operations.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, a control method, a program, and a storage medium that allow a desired group of files to be printed with simpler operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the information processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it has a display control means that displays an item selection screen on a display unit, including a first item indicating assigned, a second item indicating submitted, and a third item indicating graded, and displays a file selection screen on the display unit for selecting a file to print from files corresponding to the item selected on the item selection screen and managed by a cloud service for sharing files between teachers and students, and controls the display unit to switch from the file selection screen to a specified screen on which display elements indicating the paper size settings set as print settings are displayed in accordance with user operations on the file selection screen, and accepts an instruction operation to print the file selected on the file selection screen while the specified screen is displayed, [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a desired group of files can be printed with a simpler operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a printing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a printer. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of user authentication between multiple services. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining an account type. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a service selection screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user authentication screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a class selection screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a homework selection screen for a teacher. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a homework status selection screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user selection screen for teachers. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a homework selection screen for a student. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print setting screen. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a process up to printing execution. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a communication sequence between multiple servers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration for printing from an LMS (Learning Management System) via a network in this embodiment. A user who uses the printing system in Fig. 1 obtains a file on the network via the Internet 104 and prints it from a printer 105 located at home or in a classroom at school. The LMS service, which is a form of Web service, can be used via the Internet 104.

[0013] The LMS service is a program executed on the LMS server 101. The LMS server 101 is the core server that realizes the e-learning system, and for example, manages learning materials including shared files and configuration information for each class in an integrated manner. The LMS server 101 has a user account management service and a user authentication service to register and enable necessary users to use the service. Registered user information is stored in the LMS server 101. The LMS service realizes its functions in cooperation with a storage service for saving shared files created in classes. Shared files are files that can be shared between teachers and students, and include, for example, "homework" assigned by teachers to students.

[0014] The storage service is a program executed by the storage server 102. Information about homework files and submissions, which are the results of classes generated by the LMS server 101 through user operations, is registered in the storage server 102's network storage. The files that are generated by teachers or edited by students and saved in the network storage are the files to be printed. Printable file formats include, but are not limited to, document files (Word (trademark), PDF, etc.), slide files (PowerPoint (trademark), etc.), image files, and text files.

[0015] User authentication for the LMS service and storage service can be managed collectively by the LMS service, or can be managed separately for each service. As long as sufficient user authentication and authorization for each LMS or shared file service function used by the user is performed via screen operations on the printer 105 or client device 106, there are no restrictions on the form of security management for each service.

[0016] The cloud management server 103 mediates communication between the LMS server 101 and storage server 102 and the printer 105 and client device 106, and provides the LMS print service as a cloud management service. The LMS print service is a program executed on the cloud management server 103. The cloud management server 103 allows the printer 105 to communicate with external services via the Internet 104 via the cloud management server 103, without directly communicating with the LMS server 101 and storage server 102.

[0017] The printer 105 and client device 106 are connected to the Internet 104, for example, via an access point. The printer 105 and client device 106 are equipped with a web browser, and can provide the user with an LMS print service by displaying web services installed in the cloud management server 103 on the browser screen. The client device 106 is, for example, a PC or a mobile terminal, and has the configuration of a typical information processing device such as these.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the printer 105. The printer 105 in Fig. 2 is, for example, a multifunctional printer, and includes a printer device and a scanner device. In this embodiment, it is sufficient that the printer 105 includes at least a printer device, and it may also include a facsimile device as a device that realizes other functions, or the printer 105 may be a single-function printer.

[0019] The various components of the printer 105 are interconnected via a bus 205 arranged on an electric board (controller) 201, which performs overall control of the printer 105. The printer 105 is controlled by a CPU 202, which is a central processing unit, and the operation of the printer 105 in this embodiment is realized, for example, by a program stored in a ROM 204 being loaded into a RAM 203 and executed. The program includes an application for controlling printing and a control program for accessing an external server.

[0020] The printer 105 has, for example, a network interface (I / F) 210 and a USB interface 209 to receive print data from an external device and to transmit scanned image data to an external device. The network interface 210 has a configuration compatible with network media such as a wired LAN or wireless LAN, and can connect the electrical board 201 to the Internet 104 via the network interface 210. The electrical board 201 is connected to a power supply board 211 and supplies power to the printer 105 from an external device.

[0021] The electric board 201 and the printer unit 212 are connected by an engine interface 206. The printer unit 212 has a configuration compatible with a recording method such as inkjet recording or electrophotography, and records an image on a recording medium such as printing paper. The electric board 201 and the scanner unit 213 are connected by a scanner interface 207. The electric board 201 and the UI (user interface) unit 214 are connected by an operation unit interface 208. The UI unit 214 is configured to include, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The UI unit 214 may be configured to accept user operations using a touch panel or a button operation method independent of the LCD. The UI unit 214 may also be equipped with LEDs to indicate the operating status of the printer device or scanner device, an error status, and various setting statuses.

[0022] In this embodiment, the printer 105 will be described as a terminal of a user who uses the printing system of Fig. 1. However, the operations of the printer 105 in this embodiment other than the operation of recording on a recording medium may also be applied to the client device 106.

[0023] Below, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7, a description will be given of screen display control that is performed in common by teachers and students who use the printing system.

[0024] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the user authentication and authorization process to enable cooperative operation among multiple services. The process in Figure 3 is an example of the initial user authentication and authorization process when the web services of both the LMS service and the cloud management service cooperate to realize a printing function. The cloud management service includes various services such as a photo printing service and an SNS printing service, but will be described below as the LMS printing service. The process in Figure 3 is performed between the printer 105, cloud management server 103, and LMS server 101.

[0025] The cloud management server 103 registers the inter-service usage in advance with the LMS service. By registering the LMS print service with the LMS service, the LMS service and the LMS print service can cooperate with each other.

[0026] When the LMS print service is started by a user operation on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105, in S301 the printer 105 receives a login authentication screen for the LMS service via the Internet 104 and displays it on the UI unit 214. In S302, the printer 105 accepts input of a user account on the login authentication screen.

[0027] In S303, user authentication and authorization for the LMS service are performed for the entered account. For user authorization and authentication, the cloud management server 103 redirects the printer 105 or client device 106 to a login authentication screen for the LMS service. Here, OAuth authentication is used, for example. In OAuth authentication, the cloud management server 103 acts as a client, and the LMS server 101 acts as a resource server. In S303, user authentication confirms that the user logged in to the printer 105 or client device 106 has previously registered with the LMS service and is not impersonating another user. In addition, in S303, prior user authorization is obtained so that the LMS print service can use functions provided by the LMS service within the scope of the logged-in user's authority.

[0028] The LMS print service obtains authorization from the LMS server 101 and storage server 102 for the functions used in the LMS service and storage service it uses. For example, the UI unit 214 of the printer 105 displays a screen to the user to confirm whether each function is permitted or denied (user authorization). When the user is authorized, the cloud management server 103 specifies in advance the range of access rights of the user who wants to use the LMS service. The range of access rights may include, for example, class information, one's own homework, class rosters, profile icons, shared files on the storage server 102, etc.

[0029] The LMS service manages authorized items for the LMS print service on a per-user basis. If an item outside of the access permissions is requested after user authentication has been performed, an authorization screen for authorizing the item is displayed on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105. In either case, the cloud management server 103 redirects the printer 105 or the client device 106 to the authorization screen of the LMS service as necessary. The user selects authorization or denial according to the displayed authorization screen. Note that if the printer 105 encounters an authentication format for the LMS service that is not supported by the printer 105, a QR code can be displayed on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105, and authentication can be performed on a smartphone browser, for example.

[0030] User authentication is performed, and only if the user authorization is granted does the process proceed to the next stage. If the authorization is denied, the process in FIG. 3 is terminated, or the service is restricted so that only the denied functions are unavailable. In other words, the LMS print service operates within the authorized range. Furthermore, if all authorizations requested from the user via the UI unit 214 are not obtained, the process in FIG. 3 may be terminated. Note that in S303, user authentication and authorization for using the storage service are also performed. In this embodiment, the LMS service collectively manages user authentication and authorization for the storage service. Note that user authentication and authorization for using the LMS service and user authentication and authorization for using the storage service may be performed separately.

[0031] When user authentication and authorization for using the LMS service is completed in S303, the cloud management server 103 acquires an access token in S304. By using the acquired access token, the cloud management server 103 can subsequently use services linked with the LMS server 101 and storage server 102.

[0032] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for determining the user account type for the LMS service according to the class to which the user belongs in the printing system. For example, if a user is registered in multiple classes, the teacher / student account type (type) may change depending on the class. Therefore, in this embodiment, when printing is performed on the printer 105, it is determined whether the user's account type for the LMS print service is "teacher" or "student."

[0033] First, in S401, the cloud management server 103 obtains a list of registered classes from the LMS server 101. Here, only the list of permitted classes is obtained based on the access permissions set for the logged-in user account. For example, if a student only attends three classes (math, Japanese, and science), information about those classes is obtained. Note that for security reasons, viewing of shared files for a particular class (e.g., English class) may not be permitted.

[0034] The registered class list contains information that constitutes each class. This information includes, for example, the class name, teacher name, student name, shared files, and their attribute information. Attribute information for shared files includes status information such as "Question", "Submitted", and "Graded", URL information for obtaining the shared file, and submission deadline.

[0035] After acquiring the registered class list, in S402, the cloud management server 103 displays a class selection screen on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105. On the class selection screen, the selection of a class to be printed is accepted according to the acquired registered class list.

[0036] In S403, the cloud management server 103 determines whether the account type of the logged-in user is "teacher" or "student" based on the registered teacher list and registered student list included in the registered class list. Note that, depending on the LMS service, the registered class list may not include a registered teacher list or registered student list. In such cases, the account type of the logged-in user may be determined by obtaining these lists from the LMS server 101. Alternatively, if the cloud management server 103 or the printer 105 has information on the account type of the logged-in user, that information may be used.

[0037] 5 to 11 are diagrams showing examples of user operation screens displayed on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105 or the screen of the display unit of the client device 106. FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 9 are screens displayed commonly to teachers and students for narrowing down and determining files to be printed. FIGS. 8 and 10 are screens displayed to teachers, and FIG. 11 is a screen displayed to students. FIG. 12 is a print setting screen. The web browsers built into the printer 105 and the client device 106 display the above screens based on the screen content transmitted from the cloud management server 103.

[0038] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a service selection screen for the LMS print service. Items 501 to 504 are buttons for receiving instructions to start each service, and Fig. 5 shows that item 501 representing the LMS print service has been selected. In Figs. 5 to 12, button displays are shown as UI displays for receiving user operations such as selection, but other types of UI displays may also be used. When item 501 for starting the LMS print service is selected, the LMS print service is executed. After the "Next" button in Fig. 5 is pressed, the screen in Fig. 6 is displayed.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a user authentication screen for an LMS service. When a login (user) name and password previously registered in the LMS service are entered in areas 601 and 602, user authentication is performed and login to the LMS service is performed. The display of the screen in Fig. 6 and the processing related to the entry of the login name and password correspond to S301 to S303 in Fig. 3. After the "Next" button in Fig. 6 is pressed, the screen in Fig. 7 is displayed.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a class selection screen for the LMS print service. The display of the screen in FIG. 7 corresponds to S402 in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 shows an example in which an item 701 representing a math class, an item 702 representing an English class, and an item 703 representing a science class are displayed based on the logged-in user's account and registered class list. The user can select the class related to the file to be printed on the screen in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows that item 702 representing an English class has been selected.

[0041] The registered class list of S401 in Fig. 4 may be obtained each time just before the screen of Fig. 7 is displayed, or if the same list has already been obtained in the past, it may be stored in the cloud management server 103 and that list may be used to display the screen of Fig. 7. Item 704 in Fig. 7 is a button that accepts an instruction to print a list of all classes to which the user belongs. After the "Next" button in Fig. 7 is pressed, the account type is determined in S403 in Fig. 4.

[0042] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a homework selection screen that is displayed when the account type of the logged-in user is "teacher." Fig. 8 shows an example in which items 801 to 804 representing homework have been set by a teacher in an English class that the teacher is in charge of.

[0043] Figure 8 shows that item 801, which indicates Homework 2, has been selected. The selected item 801 is displayed as a folder icon. This is because, since multiple students are registered in a class, the results have not yet been narrowed down to students at the time the screen in Figure 8 is displayed, and there are files to be printed for multiple students that can be narrowed down. After the "Next" button in Figure 8 is pressed, the screen in Figure 9 is displayed.

[0044] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a status selection screen for narrowing down the files to be printed based on the attribute information of the shared files. The attribute information of the shared files includes status information such as "assigned," "submitted," and "graded," URL information for obtaining the shared file, and a submission deadline. FIG. 9 shows that an item 901 representing the attribute information "assigned," an item 902 representing the attribute information "submitted," and an item 903 representing the attribute information "graded" are displayed, and that item 903 has been selected. While FIG. 9 shows an example of status information as an example, other attribute information may also be displayed as selection items.

[0045] As described above, in this embodiment, the screen display is controlled so that the user selects a class on the screen shown in FIG. 7 at the beginning of the screen operation flow. If the logged-in user's account type is "student," a "Skip" button may be provided on the class selection screen shown in FIG. 7 after the registered class list is obtained in S401 of FIG. 4, assuming the user will attend multiple classes. This is effective, for example, when a student attends multiple classes. In this case, the screen shown in FIG. 9 may be configured to narrow down the files to be printed from all classes in which the user participates, using only the attribute information of the shared files (such as status information and submission deadlines). After pressing the "Next" button on FIG. 9, the screen shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 is displayed, depending on the account type.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a user selection screen that is displayed when the logged-in user's account type is "teacher." As shown in FIG. 10 , based on the user's previous screen operation flow of narrowing down the files to be printed by the attribute information "graded," text display 1001 indicates that "English Class / Graded" has been selected. Furthermore, the screen of FIG. 10 displays, as options, an item 1002 that accepts an instruction to print all students at once, and items 1003, 1004, and 1005 that accept an instruction to print shared files for individual students at once. In this way, according to this embodiment, a teacher user can select whether to print all students at once or to print shared files for individual students at once.

[0047] The number of files to be batch printed may also be displayed along with each batch printing button. This configuration allows the user to easily recognize the number of files to be batch printed, even when, for example, there are many students registered in the class and the buttons for each student do not fit on one screen. The number of files corresponding to each batch printing button may also be easily recognized. Furthermore, file types that cannot be printed by the printer 105 may be acquired in advance, and printing availability may be determined based on the extension of the files to be printed. The number of files excluded from the count of files to be batch printed may also be displayed. After pressing the "Next" button in FIG. 10, the screen shown in FIG. 12 is displayed.

[0048] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a homework file selection screen displayed when the logged-in user's account type is "student." As shown in FIG. 11 , based on the user's previous screen operation flow, which narrowed down the files to be printed by the attribute information "assigned," text display 1101 indicates that "English Class / Assigned" has been selected. Furthermore, the screen of FIG. 11 displays, as options, an item 1102 for accepting an instruction to print all homework assignments at once and items 1103, 1104, and 1105 for accepting an instruction to print shared files for individual homework assignments. Thus, according to this embodiment, a student user can select whether to print all homework assignments at once or to print shared files for individual homework assignments at once. The number of target files may also be displayed along with each batch printing button. This configuration allows the user to easily recognize the number of files to be batch printed, even when there are a large number of homework assignments and the individual homework buttons cannot all fit on one screen. Furthermore, the user can easily recognize the number of files corresponding to each batch printing button. Also, file types that cannot be printed by the printer 105 may be acquired in advance, and printing availability may be determined based on the extension of the file to be printed, and the number of files excluded from the count of the number of files to be batch printed may be displayed. After the "Next" button in Figure 11 is pressed, the screen in Figure 12 is displayed.

[0049] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a print setting screen. Fig. 12 shows an example of a print setting screen that is displayed when the account type of the logged-in user is "Student" and the files to be printed have been narrowed down to "English Class / Assigned / Homework 1" according to the user's previous screen operation flow. Text display 1201 indicates that the files to be printed have been narrowed down to "English Class / Assigned / Homework 1."

[0050] 12, the number of copies 1201, paper size 1203, and paper type 1204 are displayed, and the user can change the settings. When a print button 1205 is pressed, print setting parameters reflecting the settings on the screen and print data are sent from the cloud management server 103 to the printer 105. The items that the user can change the settings for are not limited to those described above, and other items may also be used.

[0051] In this embodiment, shared files that fall under the user's narrowed-down criteria are printed in bulk, so the shared files may be in multiple file formats. For example, slide format files and document format files. Therefore, the number of file formats may be obtained in advance and automatically counted without user operation, allowing multiple print settings to be configured. For example, the print settings screen in FIG. 12 may be displayed and configured the same number of times as the number of file formats. In this case, the extension and format name may be displayed on the print settings screen so that the user can recognize them.

[0052] Furthermore, the cloud management server 103 may determine, based on the file extension, shared files that include formats that cannot be processed using print data and skip them from processing the print data. In this case, after printing of all printable files has been completed, an error message may be displayed on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105 for files that cannot be printed because they are not supported.

[0053] Furthermore, if the print data includes a format that cannot be processed, the cloud management server 103 may request the print data to be processed by another server that can process the print data. For example, the cloud management server 103 may send a format conversion request to another server that can process the print data, and transmit the converted shared file to the printer 105 in a file format that the printer 105 can interpret (e.g., JPEG or PDF format).

[0054] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing up to print execution in the printing system of this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 13 is realized, for example, by the CPU 202 reading a program stored in the ROM 204 into the RAM 203 and executing it. In this embodiment, the user performs selections to narrow down the files to be printed (Figs. 7 to 11) and makes print settings (Fig. 12) by operating the operation screen of the printer 105 or the client device 106, and then executes printing. When the processing in Fig. 13 starts, the processing related to the screens in Figs. 5 and 6 has been completed.

[0055] In S1301, the CPU 202 displays the class selection screen of Fig. 7 on the UI unit 214 and accepts the selection of the class to be printed. In S1302, the CPU 202 determines whether the account type of the logged-in user for the selected class is "teacher" or "student" based on the processing of Fig. 4. If it is determined in S1302 that the account type of the logged-in user is "teacher," the process proceeds to S1303.

[0056] In S1303, the CPU 202 displays the homework selection screen of Fig. 8 on the UI unit 214 and accepts the selection of a homework folder for the selected class. At the time of displaying the screen of Fig. 8, multiple students have been assigned to one homework assignment given by the teacher, so a folder icon is displayed for each item.

[0057] In S1304, the CPU 202 displays the homework status selection screen of FIG. 9 on the UI unit 214, and accepts the selection of the homework status in addition to the selected class and selected homework folder.

[0058] In S1305, the CPU 202 determines whether the attribute information "Assigned" is selected on the screen of Fig. 9. If it is determined that the attribute information "Assigned" is selected, S1306 is skipped and the process proceeds to S1307. This is because the homework assigned by the logged-in user whose account type is "teacher" and whose status is "Assigned" is the homework assigned by the teacher user himself / herself, and there is no need to select individual / batch users in S1306, which will be described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the attribute information "Assigned" is not selected, in S1306, the CPU 202 displays the user selection screen of Fig. 10 on the UI unit 214, and accepts a selection of whether to print the homework of an individual student or all students at once, in addition to the selected class and the selected status (e.g., the "Graded" status).

[0059] If it is determined in S1302 that the account type of the logged-in user is "student," the process proceeds to S1311.

[0060] 9 on the UI unit 214, and accepts the selection of the homework status in addition to the selected class. If the account type of the logged-in user is "student," the process of S1303 is unnecessary and is not performed.

[0061] In S1312, the CPU 202 displays the user selection screen of Fig. 11 on the UI unit 214, and accepts the selection of whether to batch print one homework shared file from the individual candidate homeworks or batch print all homeworks, in addition to the selected homework status (e.g., "assigned" status). Note that batch print settings by students may be disabled by default and enabled by changing the settings. Also, the batch print setting function by students may not be provided.

[0062] As described above, when the account type is "teacher," homework is selected on the screen of FIG. 8 in S1303, and then the homework status is selected on the screen of FIG. 9 in S1304. On the other hand, when the account type is "student," homework status is selected on the screen of FIG. 9 in S1311, and then the homework is selected on the screen of FIG. 11 in S1312. In other words, the display order of the homework status selection screen and the homework file selection screen is reversed for "teacher" and "student." Generally, the relationship between teacher and student in a class is one to many, and the teacher assigns the homework. Based on this tendency, in this embodiment, the user's operation order is made different for "teacher" and "student" as described above, making it easier to narrow down the files to be printed.

[0063] After S1306 and S1312, in S1307, the CPU 202 displays the print setting screen of FIG. 12 on the UI unit 214 and accepts changes to the print settings or a print instruction. The print settings specified here are applied to all files to be printed. For example, if the number of copies is set to two, two copies of each file to be printed will be printed. For example, if the files to be printed include a document file and a presentation file as a result of narrowing down the files by the user using the screen operations of FIGS. 7 to 11, two copies of each file format will be printed.

[0064] When the print button 1205 is pressed on the print setting screen in FIG. 12, the CPU 202 executes printing in S1308.

[0065] In S1309, the CPU 202 displays a user interface screen on the UI unit 214 to prompt the user to terminate or continue the LMS print service after printing is complete, and determines whether to terminate or continue the LMS print service based on the selection result. If it is determined that the LMS print service should be terminated, the process in Fig. 13 ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the LMS print service should be continued, the process proceeds to S1310.

[0066] In S1310, the CPU 202 uses the account type information acquired in S1302 to determine whether the logged-in user is a teacher or a student in the selected class. If it is determined that the logged-in user is a teacher, the process repeats from S1301. On the other hand, if it is determined that the logged-in user is a student, the process repeats from S1312. Note that if a student belongs to multiple classes, the process of FIG. 13 is temporarily terminated and the process of FIG. 13 is performed for the other classes.

[0067] Processing other than that shown in FIG. 13 may be performed. For example, if the logged-in user is determined to be a teacher, the processing from S1303 may be repeated; if the logged-in user is determined to be a student, the processing from S1301 may be repeated. In this case, if the teacher belongs to multiple classes, the processing of FIG. 13 may be temporarily terminated and the processing of FIG. 13 may be performed for the other classes. Also, if the same user is a "teacher" in one class and a "student" in another class, the processing from the class selection in S1301 may be repeated. Also, when printing is continued in S1309 or S1310, the return destination of the processing may be switched depending on the number of registered classes, by obtaining the number of classes in which the logged-in user is registered from the registered class list information. For example, if the logged-in user is registered in multiple classes, the processing from S1301 may be repeated.

[0068] 14 is a diagram showing a communication sequence between multiple servers in the printing system of FIG. 1. In S1401, the printer 105 transmits a service information acquisition request to the cloud management server 103. In S1402, the cloud management server 103 transmits service information to the printer 105. In S1402, for example, service information represented by items 501 to 504 in FIG. 5 is transmitted. In S1403, the printer 105 receives the selection of an LMS print service, and then transmits the selection information to the cloud management server 103. This corresponds to, for example, the case where the LMS print service of item 501 on the screen of FIG. 5 is selected.

[0069] In S1404, the cloud management server 103 notifies the printer 105 of an access request to the authentication URL of the LMS service by redirection. In S1405, the printer 105 executes an authentication request for the LMS service to the LMS server 101. In S1406, the printer 105 receives the authentication screen sent from the LMS server 101 and displays it on the UI unit 214. This corresponds to the display of the screen in FIG. 6, for example. In S1407, the printer 105 sends authentication information such as a user name and password to the LMS server 101. In S1408, the LMS server 101 sends a completion notification of OAuth authentication to the cloud management server 103.

[0070] In S1409, the cloud management server 103 sends a class information acquisition request to the LMS server 101. In S1410, the LMS server 101 sends a shared file information acquisition request to the storage server 102 with which it cooperates, and acquires the shared file information from the storage server 102. In S1411, the LMS server 101 sends the class information and shared file information to the cloud management server 103. Here, the class information includes information such as a registered class list and the URL of the shared file.

[0071] In S1412, the printer 105 sends a screen display request to the cloud management server 103. In S1413, the cloud management server 103 sends operation screen data for the LMS print service. The processes of S1412 and S1413 are performed as many times as necessary depending on the selection results of the teacher and student in order to perform the screen operations required to narrow down the files to be printed. For example, they are performed as many times as necessary to obtain the screens of FIGS. 7 to 11. Note that the screen display request of S1412 includes, for example, information on pressing the "Next" button on each screen.

[0072] In S1414, when the user presses print button 1205 in Fig. 12, printer 105 sends a print execution request to cloud management server 103. In S1415, cloud management server 103 specifies the URL included in the shared file information acquired in S1411 as the destination, sends a shared file acquisition request to storage server 102, and acquires the shared file (file to be printed). Then, in S1416, cloud management server 103 sends the acquired shared file to printer 105, and printer 105 prints the received shared file in accordance with the print settings specified on the screen in Fig. 12. Here, if there are multiple shared files narrowed down by the user's screen operation, steps S1415 to S1416 are executed repeatedly.

[0073] If a shared file contains a format that cannot be printed, the cloud management server 103 determines based on the extension and skips that file during the repeated processing of S1415 to S1416. Note that this determination processing may also be performed by the printer 105. After printing of all printable files has been completed, an error message may be displayed on the UI unit 214 of the printer 105 in S1416 for any files that cannot be printed because they are not supported.

[0074] 14 in this embodiment may be performed by the client device 106. In this case, the description of the printer 105 is the same as that of the printer 105, except that the printer 105 is the recipient of the print data received in S1416.

[0075] As described above, according to this embodiment, in a system that prints via a cloud system, it is possible to easily narrow down shared files from a group of files shared across multiple users or multiple classes and print them all at once. For example, a teacher can use the screen shown in FIG. 10 to print all the files submitted by students in his or her class at once. Also, for example, a student can use the screen shown in FIG. 11 to print all the files submitted by the classes he or she is taking at once.

[0076] The effects of this embodiment are explained below. When printing from an LMS, multiple files to be printed that exist on network storage must be printed individually. Generally, LMS applications are often run from a web browser. Therefore, it was necessary to either call and use the default printing system built into the web browser, or to save the file as a portable document format (PDF) and then call a PDF viewer application to print it. Specifically, when printing is performed from an LMS web application, the web application converts the application document file to be printed into a single file in the universal PDF format. The converted file is then passed to the default print driver set in the operating system.

[0077] Some web applications allow you to select file formats other than PDF, such as text or CSV, for file output. However, this requires you to launch a separate viewer application that supports the file format, open the file you want to print, and then print, which makes the steps required to print even more complicated. This is particularly cumbersome when printing multiple files at once, as you have to repeat the print operation for each file.

[0078] In other words, when a teacher uses a printing service, there is a problem that the teacher cannot print the submitted files of multiple students in the class he / she is in charge of all at once. On the other hand, this embodiment makes it easy to print the submitted files of multiple students all at once.

[0079] Furthermore, when a student uses a printing service, there is a problem that the homework files for the multiple classes that the student attends cannot be printed all at once. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, it becomes easy to print all the homework files for the classes that the student attends all at once. Also, it becomes easy to print all the homework files for the multiple classes that the student attends all at once.

[0080] Furthermore, in cases where an LMS is used in a corporate training institution, it is conceivable that the same user may participate as a lecturer (teacher) in one class and as a student in another class. When the teacher and student are the same person, there is a problem in that printing cannot be performed with a simple operation according to the type of account of the logged-in user. On the other hand, according to this embodiment, even when the teacher and student are the same person, it is possible to determine the class type of the logged-in user's account and print with a simple operation flow according to the user's account type.

[0081] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0082] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 101 LMS Server: 102 Storage Server: 103 Cloud Management Server: 105 Printer: 106 Client Device: 202 CPU: 203 RAM: 204 ROM

Claims

1. displaying an item selection screen on a display unit, the item selection screen including a first item indicating that the item has been assigned, a second item indicating that the item has been submitted, and a third item indicating that the item has been graded; displaying a file selection screen on the display unit for selecting a file to be printed from among files corresponding to the item selected on the item selection screen and managed by a cloud service for sharing files between teachers and students; A predetermined screen on which a display element indicating the setting contents of the paper size set as the print setting is displayed is switched from the file selection screen in response to a user operation on the file selection screen and displayed on the display unit. a display control means for controlling the display of the image; a receiving unit for receiving an instruction to print the file selected on the file selection screen while the predetermined screen is displayed; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the settings of the paper size displayed on the predetermined screen can be changed in response to a user operation.

3. 3. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device controls the printing of print setting parameters that reflect the paper size settings displayed on the specified screen and the print data of the file selected on the file selection screen in response to the instruction operation while the specified screen is displayed.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined screen further displays at least one of the number of copies and the paper type set as print settings.

5. the display control means further controls the display unit to display a login screen for logging in to the cloud service; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the file selection screen is a screen corresponding to a user who has logged in to the cloud service.

6. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the display control means further controls the display unit to display a class selection screen that allows the user to select a class to which the user belongs by accessing the cloud service.

7. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the file selection screen is displayed according to a class selected on the class selection screen.

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means further controls the display unit to display a service selection screen for selecting a service to be executed from a plurality of services including the cloud service.

9. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means further controls the display unit to display a button for printing a plurality of files at once.

10. the display control means controls to display a class selection screen for selecting a class to which the user belongs when the user accesses the cloud service, and when a class is selected on the class selection screen, to display the item selection screen for narrowing down target files based on file attributes, and to display the file selection screen for displaying a list of files with the attributes selected on the item selection screen; 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the accepting unit accepts the instruction operation to print a file selected from a list of files displayed.

11. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the file attributes are status information indicating assigned, submitted, and graded, respectively.

12. An information processing device as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that when the first item is selected, a file selection screen is displayed for selecting a file to print from files with an assigned status, and information on the class and status selected by the user is displayed on the file selection screen.

13. 13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the display unit to display the file selection screen by acquiring information from the cloud service.

14. 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a file having a status corresponding to an item selected on the item selection screen is displayed on the file selection screen.

15. 15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined screen further displays information about a file selected on the file selection screen.

16. 16. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls to switch the display from the file selection screen to the predetermined screen in response to a user operation selecting one display item included in the file selection screen.

17. 17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a print instruction is sent to a printer in response to the instruction operation, and the printer executes printing based on the print instruction.

18. 18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation item displaying a character string "print" for accepting the instruction operation is displayed on the predetermined screen.

19. A control method executed by an information processing device, displaying an item selection screen on a display unit, the item selection screen including a first item indicating that the item has been assigned, a second item indicating that the item has been submitted, and a third item indicating that the item has been graded; displaying a file selection screen on the display unit for selecting a file to be printed from among files corresponding to the item selected on the item selection screen and managed by a cloud service for sharing files between teachers and students; A predetermined screen on which a display element indicating the setting contents of the paper size set as the print setting is displayed is switched from the file selection screen in response to a user operation on the file selection screen and displayed on the display unit. a display control step for controlling the display so that a receiving step of receiving an instruction operation to print the file selected on the file selection screen while the predetermined screen is displayed; A control method comprising:

20. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

21. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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