Device and control method for the same, cloud print server system and control method for the same, cloud print system and control method for the same, and program

By sending device type information and enabling access token acquisition for cloud print and scan services, the multifunction peripheral registers and operates as a cloud scan device, addressing the inability of conventional systems to identify cloud scan compatibility.

JP2025118165APending Publication Date: 2025-08-13CANON KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024013309
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-01-31
Publication Date
2025-08-13

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional cloud printing systems fail to determine if a registered device supports a cloud scan function, preventing it from being used as a cloud scan device.

Method used

The device sends a registration request including its cloud print and scan functions to a cloud print server system, which enables access token acquisition for both services based on their settings, allowing registration and operation according to changed settings.

Benefits of technology

Enables a multifunction peripheral to register and operate as a cloud scan device by transmitting device type information, obtaining access tokens, and registering events for each service, even if settings change post-registration.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To register a device as a multifunction device and operate the device in accordance with the changed settings of the cloud print function and cloud scan function when registering the device with a cloud device registration service in cloud printing.SOLUTION: The device includes transmitting means for transmitting a registration request including a device type indicating which of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function the device possesses to a cloud print server system that provides cloud print services and cloud scan services and acquisition means for acquiring, from the cloud print server system, an access token for the service enabled by setting means among the cloud print service and the cloud scan service.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a control method thereof, a cloud print server system and a control method thereof, a cloud print system and a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional printing services, printing is achieved by users directly sending print jobs from client terminals such as PCs to multifunction devices. In recent years, however, cloud printing services (Patent Document 1) have been proposed that utilize cloud services provided over the Internet.

[0003] Here, a conventionally known operational sequence of cloud printing will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0004] Figure 1 is a sequence diagram of cloud print registration for a multifunction device.

[0005] The multifunction peripheral 101 is assumed to support a cloud print function and a Web UI function for operating the multifunction peripheral 101. The client terminal 100 is assumed to support a cloud print client function and a Web UI client for operating the Web UI. The cloud device registration service 102 is assumed to be an internet service provided by a cloud print server.

[0006] First, the user uses the WebUI client of the client terminal 100 to send a cloud device registration request 110 to the multifunction peripheral 101 via the WebUI. Upon receiving the request 110, the multifunction peripheral 101 sends a device code generation request 111 to the cloud device registration service 102. Upon receiving the request 111, the cloud device registration service 102 sends a device code generation response 112 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The device code generation response 112 includes a device code 130, a user code 131, and a verification URL 132 generated by the cloud device registration service 102. Upon receiving the device code generation response 112, the multifunction peripheral 101 sends a cloud device registration response 113 to the client terminal 100. The cloud device registration response 113 includes the user code 131 and the verification URL 132 generated by the cloud device registration service 102.

[0007] When the client terminal 100 receives the cloud device registration response 113, it displays the user code 131 and verification URL 132 on the WebUI client. The user operates the WebUI client to access the displayed verification URL 132. Then, by entering the cloud account 133 and the user code 131, it transmits a cloud device registration approval request 114 to the cloud device registration service 102. When the cloud device registration service 102 receives the cloud device registration approval request 114, it associates the administrator of the multifunction peripheral 101 being registered as the cloud account 133 and manages it as having been approved for registration. Then, the cloud device registration service 102 transmits a cloud device registration approval response 115 to the client terminal 100.

[0008] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends an access token request 116 to the cloud device registration service 102. The access token request 116 includes a device code 130 generated by the cloud device registration service 102. Upon receiving the access token request 116, the cloud device registration service 102 generates an access token 134. This access token 134 is used in subsequent registration processes and serves as proof of authorization for the registration processes. The cloud device registration service 102 sends an access token response 117 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The access token response 117 includes the access token 134 generated by the cloud device registration service 102.

[0009] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a registration request 118 to the cloud device registration service 102. The registration request 118 includes a device name 135 and a device type 136. An access token 134 is also added to the HTTP header of the registration request 118. The device name 135 is a device name set in the multifunction peripheral 101. The device type 136 indicates the device type of the multifunction peripheral 101, and is set to "printer" in the cloud print service 200. The cloud print service 200 is assumed to be an internet service provided by a cloud print server. Upon receiving the registration request 118, the cloud device registration service 102 determines whether the access token 134 is the token that it has responded to using the access token response 117. This allows the cloud device registration service 102 to confirm whether the transmitted registration request 118 is authorized. If the cloud device registration service 102 determines that the registration request is authorized as a result of the above confirmation, it transmits a registration response 119 to the multifunction peripheral 101 and starts the registration process for the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0010] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a registration status request 120 to the cloud device registration service 102. An access token 134 is also added to the HTTP header of the registration status request 120. When the cloud device registration service 102 receives the registration status request 120, it checks the access token 134 in the same way as when it received the registration request 118, and if it determines that the registration request is authorized, it continues the following processing. If registration is complete, the cloud device registration service 102 sends a registration status response 121 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The access token response 117 includes a print service URL 137, a notification service URL 138, and a print service resource ID 139. The print service URL 137 is endpoint information indicating the endpoint of the cloud print service 200. The notification service URL 138 is endpoint information indicating the endpoint of the cloud print event notification service 201. The print service resource ID 139 is unique information issued by the cloud device registration service to obtain an access token for using the print service. It is assumed that the cloud print event notification service 201 is a service on the Internet provided by a cloud print server.

[0011] Next, the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires an access token for using the cloud print service 200. The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a nonce request 122 to the cloud device registration service 102. A nonce is random data that is valid only once and is used for authentication. Upon receiving the nonce request 122, the cloud device registration service 102 generates a nonce 140 and transmits a nonce response 123 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The nonce response 123 includes the nonce 140.

[0012] When the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the nonce 140 in the nonce response 123, it generates a Jason Web Token (JWT) 141. The JWT is a signed version of the authentication information expressed in JSON format that has been Base64-encoded. The multifunction peripheral 101 then transmits an access token request 124 to the cloud device registration service 102. The access token request 124 includes the print service resource ID 139 received from the cloud device registration service 102 and the JWT 141 generated by the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0013] When the cloud device registration service 102 receives the access token request 124, it verifies the generated nonce 140 and the JWT 141 received from the multifunction peripheral 101 to authenticate the multifunction peripheral 101. The cloud device registration service 102 generates an access token 142 based on the print service resource ID 139 included in the access token request 124, and transmits an access token response 125 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The access token response 125 includes the access token 142. At this point, the cloud device registration process for the multifunction peripheral 101 is complete.

[0014] Next, we will explain Figure 2. Figure 2 is a sequence diagram of the cloud print startup sequence for the multifunction device. This sequence will be explained assuming that communication uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), a printing protocol that uses HTTP.

[0015] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a printer information transmission request 210 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Update-Output-Device-Attributes. The printer information transmission request 210 includes printer information 220. The printer information 220 is information expressed by printer-description, which is an IPP attribute group.

[0016] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a job information send request 211 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Update-Active-Jobs. The job information send request 211 includes job information 221. The job information 221 includes job-ids and output-device-job-states, which are IPP attributes. The job-ids indicates the ID of the job, and the output-device-job-states indicates the state of the job.

[0017] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends an event notification registration request 212 to the cloud print event notification service 201. The IPP operation is Create-Printer-Subscription. The event notification registration request 212 includes a job reception event 222 that indicates the type of event to be notified. The job reception event 222 includes job-fetchable, which is an IPP attribute. job-fetchable is an event type that indicates that a receivable job exists in the cloud print service.

[0018] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends an event acquisition request 213 to the cloud print event notification service 201. The IPP operation is Get-Notifications. The event acquisition request 213 includes a job reception event 222 as the type of event to be acquired. The job reception event 222 includes job-fetchable, which is an IPP attribute.

[0019] Next, a description will be given of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram of cloud print by the multifunction peripheral. The description will be made assuming that communication by the multifunction peripheral 101 in this sequence uses IPP, a printing protocol using HTTP.

[0020] The client terminal 100 sends a cloud printer information request 300 to the cloud print service 200. The cloud printer information request 300 includes a cloud account 133. When the cloud print service 200 receives the cloud printer information request 300, it sends a cloud printer information response 301 to the client terminal 100. The cloud printer information response 301 includes a cloud printer ID 320 that the cloud account 133 is permitted to use and printer attributes 321 that indicate the capabilities of that printer.

[0021] In response to a user's print operation, the client terminal 100 transmits a print request 302 to the cloud print service 200. The print request 302 includes a cloud printer ID 320 that identifies the printer, print data 322, and a cloud account 133 that identifies the user.

[0022] When the cloud print event notification service 201 detects that a print job addressed to the MFP 101 has been generated in the cloud print service 200, it transmits an event response 303 to the MFP 101. The event response 303 includes a job reception event 323 as the event type. The IPP operation is Get-Notifications Response. The job reception event 323 includes job-fetchable, which is an IPP attribute.

[0023] Upon receiving the event response 303, the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a print job request 304 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Get-Jobs.

[0024] When the cloud print service 200 receives the print job request 304, it sends a print job response 305 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The IPP operation is Get-Jobs Response. The print job response 305 includes a job ID 324 that indicates a downloadable job.

[0025] When the MFP 101 receives the print job response 305, it sends a print job attribute request 306 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Fetch-Job. The print job attribute request 306 includes a job ID 324 that specifies the target job.

[0026] When the cloud print service 200 receives the print job attribute request 306, it sends a print job attribute response 307 to the MFP 101. The IPP operation is Fetch-Job Response. The print job attribute response 307 includes job attributes 325 of the job ID 324. The job attributes 325 are information expressed in Job-Template-attributes, which is an IPP attribute group.

[0027] When the MFP 101 receives the print job attribute response 307, it sends a print job data request 308 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Fetch-Document. The print job data request 308 includes a job ID 324 that specifies the target job.

[0028] When the cloud print service 200 receives the print job data request 308, it sends a print job data response 309 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The IPP operation is Fetch-Document Response. The print job data response 309 includes job data 326 of the job ID 324.

[0029] So far, we have explained the operational sequence of cloud printing. Meanwhile, multifunction devices have also traditionally supported local scan functions (Patent Document 2, Non-Patent Document 1). Local scan will be explained below.

[0030] 4 is a scan sequence diagram of the local scan function of the multifunction device. In this sequence, communication with the multifunction device 101 will be described using eSCL, a scan protocol using HTTP.

[0031] The client terminal 100 sends a scanner capability request 410 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerCapabilities. Upon receiving the capability request 410, the multifunction peripheral 101 sends a scanner capability response 411 to the client terminal 100. The eSCL operation is ScannerCapabilities Response. The scanner capability response 411 includes scanner attributes 430. The scanner attributes 430 are information that indicates the scanner capabilities expressed in XML.

[0032] The client terminal 100 sends a scanner status request 412 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus. When the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the scanner status request 412, it sends a scanner status response 413 to the client terminal 100. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus Response. The scanner status response 413 includes a scanner status 431. The scanner status 431 is information that indicates the status of the scanner, expressed in XML.

[0033] The client terminal 100 sends a scan job creation request 414 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs. The scan job creation request 414 includes scan job attributes 432. The scan job attributes 432 are information that indicates the scan job attributes expressed in XML. The information that indicates the scan job attributes also includes destination information for the job scanned by the multifunction peripheral 101. Upon receiving the scan job creation request 414, the multifunction peripheral 101 sends a scan job creation response 415 to the client terminal 100. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs Response.

[0034] When the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the scan job creation request 414, it starts the scan process. The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a scan job transmission request 416 to the scan data transmission destination 400. The scan job transmission request 416 includes scan data 433 scanned by the multifunction peripheral 101. The scan data transmission destination 400 is specified from the client terminal 100 in a form included in the scan job attribute 432. The scan job transmission request 416 uses a protocol determined between the scan data transmission destination 400 and the client terminal 100. eSCL may not necessarily be used.

[0035] The client terminal 100 sends a scan job status request 417 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus. Upon receiving the scan job status request 417, the multifunction peripheral 101 sends a scan job status response 418 to the client terminal 100. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus Response. The scan job status response 418 includes information indicating the status of the scan job in a format expressed in XML.

[0036] When the scan data transmission destination 400 receives the scan data 433 in response to the scan job transmission request 416 , it transmits a scan job transmission response 419 to the multifunction peripheral 101 .

[0037] The client terminal 100 periodically sends a scan job status request 420 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus. When the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the scan job status request 420, it sends a scan job status response 421 to the client terminal 100. Here, if a scan job transmission response 419 is received from the scan data transmission destination 400 and the transmission of the scan data has been completed successfully, the scan job status response 421 contains information indicating completion as the scan job status, expressed in XML. Note that the scan job transmission response 419 uses a protocol determined between the scan data transmission destination 400. eSCL may not necessarily be used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0038] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-71252 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-136867 [Non-Patent Document 1] Mopria Alliance Technical Working Group eSCL Technical Specification, Ver2.9, March 22, 2021, Approved by the Mopria Board(URL=https: / / mopria.org / mopria-escl-specification) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0039] When registering a device with a cloud device registration service in conventional cloud printing, it was not possible to determine whether the registered device was a cloud scan-compatible device with a cloud scan function, and therefore the device registered with the cloud device registration service could not be used as a cloud scan device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0040] The device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a sending means for sending a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and cloud scan function possessed by the device to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service, and an acquisition means for acquiring an access token for one of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service that has been enabled by a setting means from the cloud print server system.

[0041] The cloud print server system of the present invention also includes a receiving means for providing a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device and receiving a registration request from the device including a device type of at least one of a cloud print function and a cloud scan function, and when the cloud print function is registered and use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token is sent to the device and printer information and job information are received from the device, and when the cloud scan function is registered and use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token is sent to the device and scanner capabilities and scanner status are received from the device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0042] In the present invention, when a multifunction peripheral registers itself with a cloud device registration service, it transmits information indicating that the device is a multifunction peripheral as the device type, regardless of whether the cloud print setting or cloud scan setting is enabled. Then, depending on whether the cloud print setting or cloud scan setting is enabled or disabled, the multifunction peripheral obtains an access token, transmits device registration, and registers events for each service. This allows the device to operate according to the changed settings even if the cloud print settings or cloud scan settings are enabled or disabled after the cloud device registration is complete. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] Cloud Print registration sequence diagram for a multifunction device. [Figure 2] Cloud print startup sequence diagram for a multifunction device. [Figure 3] Cloud print printing sequence diagram for a multifunction device. [Figure 4] Sequence diagram of starting up the local scan function of a multifunction device and printing. [Figure 5]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a cloud print server according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of a cloud print server according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a cloud device registration sequence for a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a start-up sequence diagram of the multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cloud print sequence diagram of the multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a scan sequence diagram of cloud scanning for a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing a device type transmitted by a multifunction peripheral during cloud device registration in an embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a cloud device registration process of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed when a cloud device registration service receives a registration request in one embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing settings on the UI of the multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart when the cloud print setting of the multifunction peripheral is changed in one embodiment. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process when a cloud scan setting of a multifunction peripheral is changed according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, 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.

[0045] First, the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 101 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The multifunction peripheral 101 includes a control unit 501, a printer 507, a scanner 509, and an operation panel 511. The control unit 501 includes a CPU 502, a RAM 503, a ROM 504, a HDD 514, a printer I / F 506, a scanner I / F 508, an operation panel I / F 510, and a network I / F 512. The blocks within the control unit 501 are connected via a system bus 505.

[0046] A control unit 501 including a CPU 502 controls the overall operation of the multifunction peripheral 101. The CPU 502 reads a control program stored in a ROM 504 into a RAM 503 to perform various types of control, such as communication control. The RAM 503 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 501. The HDD 514 stores data, various programs, and various information tables.

[0047] The printer I / F 506 serves as an interface for outputting an image signal to a printer 507 (printer engine). The scanner I / F 508 serves as an interface for inputting a read image signal from a scanner 509 (scanner engine). The CPU 502 processes the image signal input from the scanner I / F 508 and outputs it to the printer I / F 506 as a print image signal.

[0048] The operation panel I / F 510 connects the operation panel 511 to the control unit 501. The operation panel 511 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

[0049] The network I / F 512 transmits information to external terminals such as the client terminal 100 and the cloud print service 200, or receives various types of information from these external devices.

[0050] The software configuration of the multifunction peripheral 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Each functional unit shown in Fig. 6 is realized by the CPU 502 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reading out a control program stored in the ROM 504 into the RAM 503 and executing it. The software of the multifunction peripheral 101 includes an operation control unit 6000, a cloud device registration control unit 601, a cloud print print control unit 602, a cloud print job information management unit 603, a cloud print event control unit 604, a cloud print device information management unit 605, a storage unit 606, an image processing unit 607, a print processing unit 608, a scan processing unit 609, a cloud scan control unit 610, a cloud scan job information management unit 611, a cloud scan device information management unit 612, and a WebUI control unit 613.

[0051] The operation control unit 600 controls the operation panel 511. It displays an operation menu on the operation panel 511, waits for instructions to be input by the user, notifies other functional units of the received instructions, and displays the results of the instructions on the operation panel 511. A cloud device registration control unit 601 controls the process of registering the multifunction peripheral 101 with the cloud device registration service 102 in response to a cloud device registration request 110 received from the client terminal 100 .

[0052] The WebUI control unit 613 controls the display and input of Web content for accepting operations of the multifunction peripheral 101 via the Web. For example, in this embodiment, the cloud device registration request 110 is accepted by the multifunction peripheral 101 via the Web.

[0053] The cloud print print control unit 602 transfers the job data 326 received from the cloud print service 200 to the image processing unit 607 together with a print instruction according to the job attributes 325 . An image processing unit 607 performs processing to render a print job into image data for printing. The print processing unit 608 performs processing to print the image data rendered by the image processing unit 607 .

[0054] A cloud print job information management unit 603 manages job information of the multifunction peripheral 101 and notifies the cloud print service 200 of the information. A cloud print event control unit 604 controls the event notification process between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud print event notification service 201 .

[0055] A cloud print device information management unit 605 manages print device information of the multifunction peripheral 101 and notifies the cloud print service 200 of the information. A scan processing unit 609 controls the process of scanning a document set in the scanner of the multifunction peripheral 101 and capturing the document as data.

[0056] The cloud scan control unit 610 executes scanning in accordance with instructions from the client terminal 100 and controls the process of sending the generated data to the cloud scan service 1100. The cloud scan control unit 610 also transfers the job data 326 received from the cloud scan service 1100 to the image processing unit 607 together with a print instruction according to the job attributes 325.

[0057] The cloud scan job information management unit 611 manages cloud job information in the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud scan service 1100, and notifies the client terminal 100 of job information in response to an inquiry from the client terminal 100. The cloud scan device information management unit 612 manages the scan device information of the multifunction peripheral 101 and notifies the client terminal 100 and the cloud scan service 1100 of the scan device information.

[0058] In response to instructions from other functional units, the storage unit 606 stores designated data in the HDD 505 or RAM 503. The storage unit 606 also reads data stored in the RAM 503, ROM 504, and HDD 505. Examples of data managed by the storage unit 606 include print job data and scan job data.

[0059] The operation panel 511 of the multifunction peripheral 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The operation panel 511 is provided with a display panel 705, directional keys 706, an OK key 707, a numeric keypad 708, a black and white button 709, a color button 710, a stop button 711, a menu button 712, and a status check / cancel button 713. The display panel 705 is a display panel that uses an LCD or the like. A copy button 701, a fax button 702, and a scan button 703 are displayed on the display panel 705.

[0060] The copy button 701 is a button that is operated when making a copy using the multifunction peripheral 101, and operating the copy button 701 displays a copy operation screen on the display panel 705. The fax button 702 is a button that is operated when making a fax using the multifunction peripheral 101, and operating the fax button 702 displays a fax operation screen on the display panel 705. The scan button 703 is a button that is operated when making a scan using the multifunction peripheral 101, and operating the scan button 703 displays a scan operation screen on the display panel 705. The display panel 705 also displays a dialog for interacting with the user. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a user login screen and a print job list display screen are also displayed.

[0061] The numeric keypad 708 is used to input numbers, etc. The OK key 707 is used when deciding what is displayed on the display panel 705, etc. The directional keys 706 are used when selecting a menu, etc., displayed on the display panel 705. The black and white button 709 and color button 710 are used when executing black and white copying and color copying, respectively. The stop button 711 is used to stop processing. The menu button 712 is used to display a menu screen for setting the printing device 101. The status check / cancel button 713 is used when checking the status of the multifunction device 101, such as a list of print jobs received by the multifunction device 101.

[0062] The hardware configuration of a cloud print server according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The cloud print server is a server that provides a cloud device registration service 102, a cloud print service 200, a cloud scan service 1100, and a cloud print event notification service 201. The cloud print server has a control unit 801, which includes a CPU 802, a RAM 803, a ROM 804, an HDD 805, a system bus 806, and a network I / F 810. The blocks in the control unit 801 are connected by the system bus 806.

[0063] A control unit 801 including a CPU 802 controls the overall operation of the service provided by the cloud print server. The CPU 802 performs various controls such as communication control by reading a control program stored in a ROM 804 into a RAM 803 and executing it. The RAM 803 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 802. The HDD 805 stores data, various programs, or various information tables. The network I / F 810 transmits information to external terminals such as the client terminal 100 and the multifunction peripheral 101, and receives various information from these external devices.

[0064] The cloud device registration service 102, the cloud print service 200, the cloud scan service 1100, and the cloud print event notification service 201 may be services implemented by different servers. Also, one service may be implemented by multiple servers. The cloud print server may consist of one or multiple servers, and the term "server system" refers to a device that provides each service and is configured of one or multiple servers.

[0065] The software configuration of the cloud print server according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The cloud device registration service 102, cloud print service 200, cloud scan service 1100, and cloud print event notification service 201 according to the present invention are realized by the software of the cloud print server.

[0066] The software of the cloud print server includes a cloud device registration control unit 901, a cloud print printing control unit 902, a cloud print event control unit 903, a cloud print job information management unit 904, a cloud print device information management unit 905, a storage unit 906, a WebUI control unit 907, a cloud scan control unit 908, a cloud scan job information management unit 909, and a cloud scan device information management unit 910. Each functional unit shown in Fig. 9 is realized by a CPU 802 included in the cloud print server reading a control program stored in a ROM 804 into a RAM 803 and executing the control program.

[0067] The cloud print server is connected to the multifunction peripheral 101 via a network, and constitutes a cloud print system. A cloud device registration control unit 901 controls the process of registering the multifunction peripheral 101 with the cloud device registration service 102 .

[0068] The cloud print print control unit 902 receives the print request 302 from the client terminal 100 and controls the process of sending the print data 322 included in the print request 302 to the multifunction peripheral 101 .

[0069] The cloud print event control unit 903 receives an event notification registration request 212 and an event acquisition request 213 from the multifunction peripheral 101, and controls the process of sending an event response 303 depending on whether an event has occurred.

[0070] A cloud print job information management unit 904 manages the information and status of print jobs.

[0071] The cloud print device management unit 905 manages multiple multifunction peripherals 101 registered in the cloud device registration service 102. Specifically, it stores and manages printing capability information of the multifunction peripherals corresponding to each multifunction peripheral 101 and information on print queues in which print jobs are spooled.

[0072] The storage unit 906 stores designated data in the HDD 805 or RAM 803 in response to instructions from other functional units. The storage unit 906 also reads data stored in the RAM 803, ROM 804, and HDD 805. Examples of data managed by the storage unit 906 include print data 322, event information, and capability information of registered multifunction peripherals 101.

[0073] The cloud scan control unit 908 receives a scan job sent from the multifunction peripheral 101 and controls the process of sending the scan data to the scan data destination 400 .

[0074] A cloud scan job information management unit 909 manages the information and status of scan jobs.

[0075] The cloud scan device management unit 910 manages a plurality of multifunction peripherals 101 registered in the cloud device registration service 102. Specifically, it stores and manages the scan capability information of the multifunction peripherals corresponding to each of the multifunction peripherals 101.

[0076] The cloud device registration sequence of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The first half of this sequence, up until the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the access token response 117, is exactly the same as the cloud print registration sequence diagram for the multifunction peripheral described in Fig. 1. Therefore, the description up until the access token response 117 will be omitted here, and the description will start from the part where the multifunction peripheral 101 sends the registration request 118.

[0077] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a registration request 118 to the cloud device registration service 102. The registration request 118 includes a device name 135 and a device type 136. An access token 134 is also added to the HTTP header of the registration request 118. The device name 135 is the device name set in the multifunction peripheral 101. The device type 136 indicates the device type of the multifunction peripheral 101. As shown in FIG. 14, a device type value determined by whether the device is a printer, scanner, or multifunction peripheral is set. In this embodiment, since the device is a multifunction peripheral, "printer, scanner" is set. FIG. 14 will be described later. In addition, the device type 136 set here is determined based on whether the multifunction device 101 has the cloud print settings, cloud scan settings, and whether each setting is currently enabled or disabled.

[0078] The cloud device registration sequence of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The first half of this sequence, up until the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the access token response 117, is exactly the same as the cloud print registration sequence diagram for the multifunction peripheral described in Fig. 1. Therefore, the description up until the access token response 117 will be omitted here, and the description will start from the part where the multifunction peripheral 101 sends the registration request 118.

[0079] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a registration request 118 to the cloud device registration service 102. The registration request 118 includes a device name 135 and a device type 136. An access token 134 is also added to the HTTP header of the registration request 118. The device name 135 is the device name set in the multifunction peripheral 101. The device type 136 indicates the device type of the multifunction peripheral 101. As shown in FIG. 14, a device type value determined by whether the device is a printer, scanner, or multifunction peripheral is set. In this embodiment, since the device is a multifunction peripheral, "printer, scanner" is set. FIG. 14 will be described later.

[0080] When the cloud device registration service 102 receives the registration request 118, it determines whether the access token 134 is the token it has responded to by using the access token response 117. This allows it to confirm whether the transmitted registration request is authorized. If the cloud device registration service 102 determines that the registration request is authorized as a result of the above confirmation, it transmits a registration response 119 to the multifunction peripheral 101 and starts the registration process for the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0081] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a registration status request 120 to the cloud device registration service 102. The registration status request 120 also has an access token 134 added to the HTTP header.

[0082] When the cloud device registration service 102 receives the registration status request 120, it checks the access token 134 in the same way as when it received the registration request 118. If it determines that the registration status request is authorized, it continues the following processing. If registration is complete, the cloud device registration service 102 sends a registration status response 1010 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The registration status response 1010 includes a print service URL 1030, a scan service URL 1031, a notification service URL 1032, a print service resource ID 1033, and a scan service resource ID 1034. The print service URL 1030 is information indicating the endpoint of the cloud print service. The scan service URL 1031 is information indicating the endpoint of the cloud scan service 1100. The notification service URL 1032 is information indicating the endpoint of the cloud print event notification service. The print service resource ID 1033 is unique information issued by the cloud device registration service to obtain an access token for using the print service. The scan service resource ID 1034 is unique information issued by the cloud device registration service to obtain an access token for using the scan service. The print service resource ID 1033 and the scan service resource ID 1034 are examples of service identifiers for obtaining an access token in the present invention.

[0083] Next, the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires an access token for using the cloud print service in a sequence from a Nonce request 1011 to an access token response 1014. The access token acquisition process for using the cloud print service described here is performed only when the cloud print settings of the multifunction peripheral 101 are valid.

[0084] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a nonce request 1011 to the cloud device registration service 102. Upon receiving the nonce request 1011, the cloud device registration service 102 generates a nonce 1035 and transmits a nonce response 1012 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The nonce response 1012 includes the nonce 1035.

[0085] When the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires the nonce 1035 from the nonce response 1012, it generates a JWT 1037. Then, the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits an access token request 1013 to the cloud device registration service 102. The access token request 1013 includes the print service resource ID 1033 received from the cloud device registration service 102 and the JWT 1037 generated by the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0086] When the cloud print server receives the access token request 1013, it verifies the generated Nonce 1035 and the JWT 1037 received from the multifunction peripheral 101 to authenticate the multifunction peripheral 101. The cloud device registration service 102 generates an access token 1038 based on the print service resource ID 1033 included in the access token request 1013, and transmits an access token response 1014 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The access token response 1014 includes the access token 1038. The access token 1038 acquired here is used when the multifunction peripheral 101 communicates with the cloud print service 200 .

[0087] Next, the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires an access token for the cloud scan service 1100 in a sequence from a Nonce request 1015 to an access token response 1018. The access token acquisition process for using the cloud scan service described here is performed only when the cloud scan setting of the multifunction peripheral 101 is valid.

[0088] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a nonce request 1015 to the cloud device registration service 102. Upon receiving the nonce request 1015, the cloud device registration service 102 generates a nonce 1039 and transmits a nonce response 1016 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The nonce response 1016 includes the nonce 1039.

[0089] When the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires the nonce 1039 via the nonce response 1016, it generates a JWT 1041. Then, the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits an access token request 1017 to the cloud device registration service 102. The access token request 1017 includes the scan service resource ID 1034 received from the cloud device registration service 102 and the JWT 1041 generated by the multifunction peripheral 101.

[0090] When the cloud print server receives the access token request 1017, it verifies the generated Nonce 1039 and the JWT 1041 received from the multifunction device 101 to authenticate the multifunction device 101. The cloud device registration service 102 generates an access token 1042 based on the scan service resource ID 1034 included in the access token request 1039, and transmits an access token response 1018 to the multifunction device 101. The access token response 1018 includes the access token 1042. The access token 1042 acquired here is used when the multifunction peripheral 101 communicates with the cloud scan service 1100 .

[0091] Note that this embodiment is described on the assumption that the cloud print service 200 and the cloud scan service 1100 each use different access tokens. Therefore, a nonce request and an access token request are made twice. An embodiment in which the same access token is used by the cloud print service 200 and the cloud scan service 1100 may also be used. In that case, a nonce request and an access token request are made only once.

[0092] The start-up sequence of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this sequence, the communication between the multifunction peripheral 101, the cloud print service 200, and the cloud print event notification service 201 will be described as using IPP, a printing protocol that uses HTTP. In HTTP communication using IPP, the multifunction peripheral 101 sets an access token 1038 for the print service in the HTTP header. This allows the cloud print service 200 and the cloud print event notification service 201 to authorize the request.

[0093] In addition, the following description will be given assuming that communication between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud scan service 1100 uses eSCL, a scan protocol that uses HTTP. In HTTP communication using eSCL, the multifunction peripheral 101 sets an access token 1042 for the scan service in the HTTP header. This allows the cloud scan service 1100 to authorize the request.

[0094] In this sequence, communication between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud print service 102 and communication between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud print event notification service 200 are executed when the cloud print setting of the multifunction peripheral 101 is valid. In this sequence, communication between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud scan service 1100 is performed when the cloud scan setting of the multifunction peripheral 101 is enabled.

[0095] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a printer information transmission request 1100 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Update-Output-Device-Attributes. The printer information transmission request 1110 includes printer information 220. The printer information 1110 is information expressed by printer-description, which is an IPP attribute group.

[0096] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a job information send request 1101 to the cloud print service 200. The IPP operation is Update-Active-Jobs. The job information send request 1101 includes job information 1111. The job information 1111 includes job-ids and output-device-job-states, which are IPP attributes. The job-ids indicates the ID of the job, and the output-device-job-states indicates the state of the job.

[0097] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends an event notification registration request 1102 to the cloud print event notification service 201. The IPP operation is Create-Printer-Subscription. The event notification registration request 1102 includes a job reception event 1112 that indicates the type of event to be notified. The job reception event 1112 includes job-fetchable, which is an IPP attribute. job-fetchable is an event type that indicates that a receivable job exists in the cloud print service 200.

[0098] The multifunction peripheral 101 sends a scanner capability transmission 1104 to the cloud scan service 1100. The eSCL operation is ScannerCapabilities. The scanner capability transmission 1104 includes a scanner attribute 1113. The scanner attribute 1113 is information that indicates the scanner capabilities expressed in XML.

[0099] The multifunction device 101 sends a scanner status transmission 1105 to the cloud scan service 1100. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus. The scanner status transmission 1105 includes a scanner status 1114. The scanner status 1114 is information that indicates the status of the scanner and is expressed in XML.

[0100] FIG. 12 is a cloud print sequence diagram of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment. The cloud print print sequence is exactly the same as the sequence in FIG. 3. Therefore, a description thereof will be omitted here. In this sequence, communication between the multifunction peripheral 101, the cloud print service 200, and the cloud print event notification service 201 uses IPP, a printing protocol that uses HTTP. In HTTP communication using IPP, the multifunction peripheral 101 sets an access token 1038 for the print service in the HTTP header. As a result, the cloud print service 200 and the cloud print event notification service 201 authorize the request.

[0101] This sequence is also executed when the cloud print setting of the multifunction device 101 is enabled. The client terminal 100 sends a cloud printer information request 300 to the cloud printer service 200. If the cloud print setting of the multifunction device 101 is disabled, the cloud print service 200 does not respond to the cloud printer information request 300 with the desired cloud printer ID as a cloud printer information response 301. As a result, the client terminal 100 does not perform the process of sending a print request 302 to the cloud print service 200, and the print sequence is not executed.

[0102] The scan sequence of cloud scan by the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. In this sequence, communication between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud scan service 1100 will be described using eSCL, a scan protocol using HTTP. In HTTP communication using eSCL, the multifunction peripheral 101 sets an access token 1042 for the scan service in the HTTP header. This allows the cloud scan service 1100 to authorize the request.

[0103] Furthermore, the first half of this sequence, up until the multifunction peripheral 101 sends the scan job creation response 415, is exactly the same as the scan sequence diagram of the local scan function of the multifunction peripheral explained in Fig. 4. Therefore, the explanation up until the scan job creation response 415 will be omitted here, and the explanation will start from the part where the multifunction peripheral 101 sends the scan job creation request 1310.

[0104] This sequence is also executed when the cloud scan setting of the multifunction peripheral 101 is enabled. The client terminal 100 sends a scanner capability request 410 to the multifunction peripheral 101. If the cloud scan setting is disabled, the multifunction peripheral 101 does not return a scanner capability response 411 even when it receives the scanner capability request 410. Alternatively, the multifunction peripheral 101 returns a scanner capability response 411, but includes a capability attribute indicating that the cloud scan capability is disabled. As a result, the client terminal 100 does not perform processing to send a scan job creation request 414 to the multifunction peripheral 101, and the scan sequence is not executed.

[0105] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a scan job creation request 1310 to the cloud scan service 1100. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs. The scan job creation request 1310 may include the scan job attributes 432 transmitted from the client terminal 100.

[0106] When the cloud scan service 1100 receives the scan job creation request 1310, it creates a scan job and sends a scan job creation response 1311 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs Response. The scan job creation response 1311 includes a scan job ID 433.

[0107] The multifunction peripheral 101 transmits a scan job transmission request 1312 to the cloud scan service 1100. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs. The scan job transmission request 1312 includes scan data 434.

[0108] When the cloud scan service 1100 receives the scan job transmission request 1312, it saves the scan data in a storage area and transmits a scan job transmission response 1313 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScanJobs Response.

[0109] The cloud scan service 1100 sends a scan job transmission 1314 to the scan data transmission destination 400. The scan job transmission 1314 includes scan data 434. Note that the scan job transmission 1314 uses a protocol determined between the scan data transmission destination 400 and the cloud scan service 1100. eSCL is not necessarily used.

[0110] When the scan data transmission destination 400 receives the scan job transmission 1314, it transmits a scan job transmission response 1317 to the cloud scan service 1100. Note that the scan job transmission response 1317 uses a protocol determined between the scan data transmission destination 400 and the cloud scan service 1100. eSCL is not necessarily used.

[0111] To check the status of the scan job, the multifunction device 101 sends a scan job status request 1315 to the cloud scan service 1100. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus.

[0112] When the cloud scan service 1100 receives the scan job status request 1315, it transmits a scan job status response 1316 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus Response. The scan job status response 1316 is repeated until the scan job transitions to a final state.

[0113] To check the status of the scan job, the client terminal 100 sends a scan job status request 417 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus.

[0114] When the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the scan job status request 417, it transmits a scan job status response 418 to the client terminal 100. The eSCL operation is ScannerStatus Response. The scan job status response 418 is repeated until the scan job transitions to a final state.

[0115] The device type transmitted by the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment when registering a cloud device will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The device type described here is set by the multifunction peripheral 101 in the registration request 118 in the cloud device registration sequence diagram described in Fig. 10. The device type 1411 includes a printer, a scanner, and a multifunction peripheral. The multifunction peripheral 101 selects the device type depending on the service to be registered in the cloud device registration service.

[0116] If you are registering as a printer with cloud print functionality, set the device type value to "printer." If you are registering as a scanner with cloud scan functionality, set the device type value to "scanner." If you are registering as an all-in-one device with both cloud print and cloud scan functionality, set the device type value to "printer, scanner."

[0117] In the case of a multifunction peripheral, the device type value may be set to "MFP." In this case, the cloud device registration service 102 controls the registered device as if it has the cloud print service 200 and the cloud scan service 1100. The device type is determined based on whether the MFP 101 has the cloud print settings and cloud scan settings as a device, regardless of whether each setting is currently enabled or disabled.

[0118] The flow of cloud device registration processing of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 15. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the CPU 502 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 504 into the RAM 503 and executing it. Below, the step numbers of each process included in the flowchart are indicated by numbers beginning with "S". This also applies to the subsequent flowcharts.

[0119] This flowchart starts when the multifunction peripheral 101 receives the cloud device registration request 110 described with reference to FIG. In S1500, the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires a device code. This process is realized by the device code generation request 111 and the device code generation response 112 in FIG.

[0120] In S1501, the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires a registration access token. This is processing realized by the access token request 116 and the access token response 117 in FIG.

[0121] In S1502, the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 determines the device type. If the device type is a printer, the process proceeds to S1503, where "printer" is set as the device type, and the process proceeds to S1506. If the device type is a scanner, the process proceeds to S1504, where "scanner" is set as the device type, and the process proceeds to S1506. If the device type is a multifunction peripheral, the process proceeds to S1505, where "printer, scanner" is set as the device type, and the process proceeds to S1506.

[0122] In S1506, the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 performs cloud device registration processing. This processing is realized by the registration request 118, registration response 119, registration status request 120, and registration status response 1010 in Fig. 10. The information transmitted in the registration request 118 also includes the device type generated in S1503, S1504, or S1505.

[0123] When the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 completes the cloud device registration process in S1506, the process proceeds to S1507 and performs processing to obtain an access token. First, in S1507, the type of device is determined. If the device type is a printer, the process proceeds to S1508 and an access token for the print service is obtained. If the device type is a scanner, the process proceeds to S1509 and an access token for the scan service is obtained.

[0124] If the type of device is a multifunction peripheral, the process proceeds to S1510, where an access token for the print service is acquired first, and then the process proceeds to S1511. In S1511, an access token for the scan service is acquired.

[0125] In steps S1508 to S1511, when the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires the access token, the process proceeds to step S1512.

[0126] The flow of processing when the cloud device registration service 102 of the cloud print server in this embodiment receives a registration request will be described with reference to Fig. 16. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the CPU 802 of the cloud print server reading a program stored in the ROM 804 into the RAM 803 and executing it.

[0127] This flowchart starts when the cloud device registration service 102 receives the registration request 118 described with reference to FIG. 10 from the multifunction peripheral 101. In S1600, the cloud device registration control unit 901 of the cloud device registration service 102 analyzes the message of the registration request 118, transmits a registration response 119 indicating that the registration has been accepted, and the process proceeds to S1601.

[0128] In S1601, the cloud device registration control unit 901 of the cloud device registration service 102 reads the device type included in the message of the registration request 118, and the process proceeds to S1602. In S1602, the cloud device registration control unit 901 of the cloud device registration service 102 determines the value set in the device type read in S1601.

[0129] In S1602, if the value of the device type indicates a printer, the process proceeds to S1603. In S1603, the cloud print device information management unit 905 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which registration has been requested as a device that can be used by the cloud print service 200, and the process proceeds to S1604. In S1604, the cloud print event control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which the registration request has been made as a device that will perform event notification in the cloud print event notification service 201, and the process proceeds to S1605. In S1605, the cloud print registration control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 generates the print service resource ID 1033, and the process proceeds to S1613.

[0130] In S1602, if the value of the device type indicates a scanner, the process proceeds to S1606. In S1606, the cloud print device information management unit 905 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which registration has been requested as a device that can be used by the cloud scan service 1100, and the process proceeds to S1607. In step S1607, the cloud print registration control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 generates the scan service resource ID 1034, and the process proceeds to step S1613.

[0131] In S1602, if the value of the device type indicates a multifunction peripheral, the process proceeds to S1608. In S1608, the cloud print device information management unit 905 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which registration was requested as a device that can be used by the cloud print service 200, and the process proceeds to S1609.

[0132] In S1609, the cloud print event control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which the registration request has been made as a device that will perform event notification in the cloud print event notification service 201, and the process proceeds to S1610. In S1610, the cloud print registration control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 generates the print service resource ID 1033, and the process proceeds to S1611. In S1611, the cloud print device information management unit 905 of the cloud device registration service 102 adds the device for which the registration request has been made as a device that can be used by the cloud scan service 1100, and the process proceeds to S1612. In S1612, the cloud print registration control unit 903 of the cloud device registration service 102 generates the scan service resource ID 1034, and the process proceeds to S1613.

[0133] In S1613, the cloud device registration control unit 901 of the cloud device registration service 102 receives the registration status request 120 from the multifunction peripheral 101, and the process proceeds to S1614. In S1614, the cloud device registration control unit 901 of the cloud device registration service 102 transmits a registration status response 1010 to the multifunction peripheral 101. The following data is set in the registration status response 1010 depending on the device type.

[0134] If the device type is a printer, a print service URL 1030, a notification service URL 1032, and a print service resource ID 1033 are set. If the device type is a scanner, a scan service URL 1031 and a scan service resource ID 1034 are set. If the device type is a multifunction peripheral, a print service URL 1030, a scan service URL 1031, a notification service URL 1032, a print service resource ID 1033, and a scan service resource ID 1034 are set.

[0135] The settings on the UI of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This UI may be a setting screen displayed on the display panel 705 of the operation panel 511 of the multifunction peripheral 101, or may be a setting screen displayed on the browser of the client terminal 100. In the latter case, the setting screen to be displayed is generated by the WebUI control unit 613 of the multifunction peripheral 101 and then transmitted to the client terminal 100, whereupon the setting screen is displayed. In this case, the client terminal 100 sets whether to enable or disable the use of the cloud print service 102 and the cloud scan service 1100.

[0136] The cloud print usage setting 1710 indicates whether the cloud print setting is enabled or disabled. When the cloud print usage setting 1710 is ON, the multifunction device 101 transmits information about the multifunction device 101 to the cloud print service 200 and the cloud print event notification service in the startup sequence described with reference to Fig. 11. This makes the cloud print service 102 available for use.

[0137] The cloud scan usage setting 1711 is a setting that indicates whether the cloud scan setting is enabled or disabled. When the cloud scan usage setting 1711 is ON, the multifunction device 101 transmits information about the multifunction device 101 to the cloud scan service 1100 in the startup sequence described with reference to Fig. 11. This makes the cloud scan service available for use.

[0138] The printer name 1712 is used as a value to be set in the device name 135 in the registration request 118 . The registration button 1713 is a button used to register the multifunction peripheral 101 in the cloud device registration service 102. When the registration button 1713 is operated, the cloud device registration sequence described with reference to FIG.

[0139] Screen 1700 in FIG. 17(a) shows a setting in which both cloud print and cloud scan are enabled. A screen 1701 in FIG. 17(b) shows a setting in which cloud print is disabled and cloud scan is enabled. Screen 1702 in FIG. 17(c) shows a setting in which cloud print is enabled and cloud scan is disabled. 17D shows a screen 1703 in which both cloud print and cloud scan are disabled. On the screen 1703, the registration button 1713 is grayed out and cannot be operated.

[0140] The processing performed when the cloud print settings of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment are changed will be described with reference to Fig. 18. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the CPU 502 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 504 or HDD 514 into the RAM 503 and executing it.

[0141] The flowchart in FIG. 18 starts when the cloud print usage setting 1710 in FIG. 17 is changed. In S1801, the cloud print device information management unit 605 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reads the cloud print settings from the storage unit 606, and the process proceeds to S1802. In S1802, the cloud print device information management unit 605 of the multifunction peripheral 101 determines the setting values of the cloud print.

[0142] If the setting value for cloud print is ON, the process proceeds to S1808, where the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires an access token for the cloud print service. The acquired access token for the cloud print service is used in communication with the cloud print server in S1803 to S1805.

[0143] Next, in step S1803 , the cloud print device information management unit 605 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits the printer information to the cloud print service 200 . Next, in step S1804 , the cloud print job information management unit 603 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits the job information to the cloud print service 200 . Then, in step S1805 , the cloud print event control unit 604 of the multifunction peripheral 101 sends an event notification registration to the cloud print event notification service 201 .

[0144] If the result of the determination in S1802 is that the cloud print setting value is OFF, the process proceeds to S1806, where the cloud print event control unit 604 of the multifunction peripheral 101 deletes the event notification registration. Specifically, the connection between the multifunction peripheral 101 and the cloud print event notification service 201 is disconnected. If the event notification is realized by polling, the polling process is stopped. Next, in step S1807, the cloud print control unit 602 of the multifunction peripheral 101 suspends the cloud print job being processed.

[0145] The processing performed when the cloud scan setting of the multifunction peripheral in this embodiment is changed will be described with reference to Fig. 19. The processing described below is realized, for example, by the CPU 502 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reading a program stored in the ROM 504 or HDD 514 into the RAM 503 and executing it. The flowchart in FIG. 19 starts when the cloud scan usage setting 1711 in FIG. 17 is changed.

[0146] In S1901, the cloud scan device information management unit 612 of the multifunction peripheral 101 reads out the cloud scan usage settings from the storage unit 606. In S1902, the cloud scan device information management unit 612 of the multifunction peripheral 101 determines the setting value of the cloud scan. If the result of the determination is that the setting value of the cloud scan is ON, the process proceeds to S1907, where the cloud device registration control unit 601 of the multifunction peripheral 101 acquires an access token for the cloud scan service. The access token for the cloud scan service acquired here is used in communication with the cloud print server in S1903 and S1904.

[0147] Next, in S1903 , the cloud scan device information management unit 612 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits the scanner capability to the cloud scan service 1100 . Next, in S1904, the cloud scan device information management unit 612 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits the scanner status to the cloud scan service 1100. The scanner status transmitted here is data in which Idle is set in the State of ScannerStatus of eSCL.

[0148] If the determination result in S1902 is that the setting value of the cloud scan is OFF, the process proceeds to S1905, where the cloud scan device information management unit 612 of the multifunction peripheral 101 transmits the scanner status to the cloud scan service 1100. The scanner status transmitted here is data in which the State of ScannerStatus in eSCL is set to Stopped or Down. Next, in S1906, the cloud scan control unit 610 of the multifunction peripheral 101 suspends the scan job being processed.

[0149] <Other embodiments> 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. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0150] 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.

[0151] The disclosure of this specification includes the following devices and control methods thereof, cloud print server systems and control methods thereof, cloud print systems and control methods thereof, and programs. (Item 1) a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; and an acquisition unit that acquires, from the cloud print server system, an access token for the service that is enabled by the setting unit, out of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service. device. (Item 2) The setting means is further provided, the setting means sets whether to enable or disable the use of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service; Item 1. The device according to item 1. (Item 3) When the use of the cloud print service is disabled while the cloud print function is registered, the event notification registration of the cloud print service is deleted and the cloud print job being processed is interrupted. Item 1 or 2. The device according to item 1 or 2. (Item 4) the acquisition means, when the cloud print function is registered and use of the cloud print service is enabled, acquires an access token for the cloud print service from the cloud print server system, and transmits printer information and job information to the cloud print server system using the access token for the cloud print service; registering an event notification for the cloud print service with the cloud print server system using the access token for the cloud print service; The device according to any one of items 1 to 3. (Item 5) When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is disabled, the scanner status is sent to the cloud print server system and the cloud scan job being processed is interrupted. The device according to any one of items 1 to 4. (Item 6) When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, the acquisition means Obtaining an access token for a cloud scan service from the cloud print server system; Sending scanner capabilities and scanner status to the cloud print server system using an access token for the cloud scan service; 6. The device according to any one of items 1 to 5. (Item 7) The access token for the cloud print service is different from the access token for the cloud scan service. 7. The device according to any one of items 1 to 6. (Item 8) a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; an acquisition unit acquires, from the cloud print server system, an access token for the service that is enabled by the setting unit, out of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service; How to control the device. (Item 9) A program for causing a computer of a device to execute a device control method, The computer Sending a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; obtaining an access token for the validated service from the cloud print server system; A program to make it work like this. (Item 10) A cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, a receiving means for receiving from the device a registration request including a device type of a cloud print function and a cloud scan function that the device has; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. Cloud print server system. (Item 11) A control method for a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, comprising: a receiving means for receiving from the device a registration request including a device type of a cloud print function or a cloud scan function that the device has; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A method for controlling a cloud print server system. (Item 12) A program for executing a computer control method for a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, The computer receiving a registration request from the device, the registration request including a device type having one of cloud print and cloud scan capabilities; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A program to make it work like this. (Item 13) A cloud print system including a device and a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to the device, The device comprises: a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to the cloud print server system; an acquisition unit that acquires an access token for the service that has been validated by the setting unit from the cloud print server system; The cloud print server system includes: receiving means for receiving the registration request from the device; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. Cloud printing system. (Item 14) A control method for a cloud print system including a device and a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to the device, The device comprises: A transmission means transmits a registration request including a device type indicating at least one of a cloud print function and a cloud scan function to the cloud print server system; The cloud print server system includes: receiving the registration request from the device by a receiving means; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A method for controlling a cloud print system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0152] 100: Client terminal, 101: Multifunction device, 102: Cloud device registration service, 200: Cloud print service, 201: Cloud print event notification service, 1100: Cloud scan service

Claims

1. a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; and an acquisition unit that acquires, from the cloud print server system, an access token for the service that is enabled by the setting unit, out of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service. device.

2. The setting means is further provided, the setting means sets whether to enable or disable the use of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service; The device of claim 1 .

3. When the use of the cloud print service is disabled while the cloud print function is registered, the event notification registration of the cloud print service is deleted and the cloud print job being processed is interrupted. The device of claim 1 .

4. the acquisition means, when the cloud print function is registered and use of the cloud print service is enabled, acquires an access token for the cloud print service from the cloud print server system, and transmits printer information and job information to the cloud print server system using the access token for the cloud print service; registering an event notification for the cloud print service with the cloud print server system using the access token for the cloud print service; The device of claim 1 .

5. When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is disabled, the scanner status is sent to the cloud print server system and the cloud scan job being processed is interrupted. The device of claim 1 .

6. When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, the acquisition means Obtaining an access token for a cloud scan service from the cloud print server system; Sending scanner capabilities and scanner status to the cloud print server system using an access token for the cloud scan service; The device of claim 1 .

7. The access token for the cloud print service is different from the access token for the cloud scan service. The device of claim 1 .

8. a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; an acquisition unit acquires, from the cloud print server system, an access token for the service that is enabled by the setting unit, out of the cloud print service and the cloud scan service; How to control the device.

9. A program for causing a computer of a device to execute a device control method, The computer Sending a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service; obtaining an access token for the validated service from the cloud print server system; A program to make it work like this.

10. A cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, a receiving means for receiving from the device a registration request including a device type of a cloud print function and a cloud scan function that the device has; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. Cloud print server system.

11. A control method for a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, comprising: A receiving means receives a registration request from the device, the registration request including a device type of a cloud print function or a cloud scan function that the device has; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A method for controlling a cloud print server system.

12. A program for executing a computer control method for a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to a device, The computer receiving a registration request from the device, the registration request including a device type having one of cloud print and cloud scan capabilities; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A program to make it work like this.

13. A cloud print system including a device and a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to the device, The device comprises: a transmission means for transmitting a registration request including a device type of the cloud print function and the cloud scan function that the device has to the cloud print server system; an acquisition unit that acquires an access token for the service that has been validated by the setting unit from the cloud print server system; The cloud print server system includes: receiving means for receiving the registration request from the device; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. Cloud printing system.

14. A method for controlling a cloud print system including a device and a cloud print server system that provides a cloud print service and a cloud scan service to the device, The device comprises: A transmission means transmits a registration request including a device type indicating at least one of a cloud print function and a cloud scan function to the cloud print server system; The cloud print server system includes: receiving the registration request from the device by a receiving means; When the cloud print function is registered and the use of the cloud print service is enabled, an access token for the cloud print service is sent to the device; When the cloud scan function is registered and the use of the cloud scan service is enabled, an access token for the cloud scan service is sent to the device. A method for controlling a cloud print system.

Citation Information

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