Information processing system and information processing program

Abstract

To continue transmission and reception processing even when a problem occurs in any of a plurality of devices in a case in which data recorded in each memory of the plurality of devices is synchronized with an external device.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes at least one processor, which acquires device information representing device information for each of a plurality of devices (devices 200 to 203), and on the basis of the acquired device information, sets priorities for the plurality of devices (devices 200 to 203) to become representative devices that perform data transmission and reception processing with an external device (server 400), and determines the device with the highest priority as the representative device among the devices that meet the suitability to be the representative device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing device in which a node provided between a terminal device and a processing server determines whether the node should process a packet sent from the terminal device to the processing server, and if it determines that the node should process the packet, the node takes over the processing for the processing server. Patent Document 2 discloses a business agent system that performs business operations between multiple branch offices. Patent Document 3 discloses a specific device that communicates with multiple devices and transmits execution information of user jobs to a management server on the cloud side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 099320 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-49579 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-072290 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure aims to provide an information processing system and an information processing program that can continue transmission and reception processing even if a problem occurs in one of multiple devices when synchronizing data recorded in each memory of multiple devices with an external device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information processing system according to a first aspect includes at least one processor, which acquires device information representing device information for each of a plurality of devices, sets priorities for the plurality of devices to become representative devices that perform data transmission and reception processing with external devices based on the acquired device information, and determines the device with the highest priority among the devices that meet the suitability to be the representative device to be the representative device.

[0006] In the information processing system according to a second aspect, in the configuration of the first aspect, the suitability is determined according to a current usage status of the device.

[0007] An information processing system according to a third aspect is the same as that of the second aspect, wherein the processor determines that the device is suitable when the usage status of the device is an unused status.

[0008] In the information processing system of the fourth aspect, in the configuration of the first aspect, when the processor determines that a first device is not suitable to be the representative device, it determines the suitability of a second device that has a lower priority than the first device to be the representative device.

[0009] In the information processing system according to a fifth aspect, in the configuration of the first aspect, the processor sets the priority based on one or more indicators including the startup time of the device, the frequency of use of the device, and the processing performance of the device.

[0010] An information processing system according to a sixth aspect is configured as the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the processor sets the priority order based on an evaluation score derived by assigning a weight to each of the indicators.

[0011] In the information processing system of the seventh aspect, in the configuration of the sixth aspect, the processor causes a specific device among the plurality of devices to execute an acquisition process for acquiring the device information of each of the plurality of devices and a setting process for setting the priority.

[0012] An information processing program according to an eighth aspect causes a computer to acquire device information representing device information for each of a plurality of devices, set priorities for the plurality of devices to become representative devices that perform data transmission and reception processing with external devices based on the acquired device information, and determine the device with the highest priority as the representative device among the devices that meet the suitability to be the representative device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the information processing system of the first aspect and the information processing program of the eighth aspect, when synchronizing data recorded in each memory of multiple devices with an external device, the transmission and reception process can be continued even if a problem occurs in one of the multiple devices.

[0014] According to the information processing system of the second aspect, suitability can be determined according to the real-time usage status of the device.

[0015] According to the information processing system of the third aspect, it is possible to make an unused device perform transmission and reception processing.

[0016] According to the information processing system of the fourth aspect, the power supply is supplied to the device with the higher priority. but Even if a problem occurs, such as when the device is turned off, transmission and reception processing with an external device can be continued.

[0017] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect, it is possible to set priorities according to the status of the devices.

[0018] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect, it is possible to set priorities according to the status of the devices.

[0019] According to the information processing system of the seventh aspect, the priority set by a specific device can be shared among a plurality of devices. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a priority table. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a priority table to which weighting is applied. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a periodic process in the device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a representative device determination process in a device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of synchronization processing in the device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] An information processing system and an information processing program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Components indicated by the same reference numerals in the drawings are the same components. However, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component is not limited to one, and multiple components may exist.

[0022] Furthermore, descriptions of overlapping configurations and symbols in each drawing may be omitted. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and may be implemented by making appropriate modifications, such as omitting configurations, replacing them with different configurations, or combining one embodiment with various modified examples, within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure.

[0023] <Information Processing System> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an information processing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 100 of this embodiment includes four devices 200 to 203 as examples of equipment, a PC (Personal Computer) 300, and a server 400 as an example of an external device. The four devices 200 to 203 and the PC 300 are connected to each other via a local network 500, and are connected to the server 400 via an external network 600.

[0024] In this embodiment, the four devices 200-203 are, for example, so-called multifunction peripherals that have multiple functions such as printing, scanning, copying, and facsimile functions. To reduce the burden on the administrator managing these devices 200-203, device information such as the current number of printed pages, error occurrence status, and remaining capacity of consumables is reported to an external server 400 on a daily basis for centralized management. This centralized management makes it possible to provide various services such as monthly meter (machine) tightening, maintaining optimal conditions, and automatically ordering consumables.

[0025] To provide such services, there are parameters that need to be synchronized between the devices 200-203 and the server 400, such as the enabled state of the consumables automatic ordering function. In this embodiment, these parameters are synchronized by the devices 200-203 notifying the server 400 of changed parameter values ​​and reflecting the response results in the devices 200-203. In the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, when synchronizing the parameters recorded in the memories of the devices 200-203 with the server 400, one representative device among the devices 200-203 performs transmission and reception processing with the server 400, so that the transmission and reception processing can be continued even if a problem occurs in one of the devices 200-203. Note that parameter changes and synchronization processing will be described in detail later.

[0026] <pc> The PC 300 in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment is a terminal operated by an administrator of the information processing system 100, and is a personal computer according to known technology. The PC 300 issues an instruction to change parameter settings collectively for one of the devices 200-203 that it manages. Note that the instruction to set parameters collectively is an instruction to set parameters that need to be synchronized between the devices 200-203 and the server 400, such as the enabled state of an automatic consumables ordering function. In other words, the instruction includes information such as changed parameter values. The one device may be any device, but as an example, the device installed closest to the installation location of the PC 300 is selected to confirm that it is turned on.

[0027] <device> Next, the devices 200 to 203 in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail. In the following explanation, the operation of the device 200 will be mainly described, but the devices 201 to 203 also have the same configuration. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the device 200 in this embodiment.

[0028] 2, device 200 is a so-called multifunction peripheral that has multiple functions such as a printing function, a scanning function, a copying function, and a facsimile function. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, device 200 includes a control device 11, an image reading unit 12, an image forming unit 13, a communication unit 14, an input unit 15, and a display unit 16. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 18.

[0029] The image reading unit 12 is a component (e.g., a scanner) that reads an image of a document. The image reading unit 12 optically reads the image of the document and converts it into a digital signal to generate image data. Note that the image includes text.

[0030] The image forming unit 13 is a component that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper. The image forming unit 13 forms an image on the recording medium by, for example, an electrophotographic method that performs the steps of charging, exposing, developing, transferring, and fixing. Note that the image forming unit 13 may also form an image on the recording medium by another method such as an inkjet method.

[0031] The communication unit 14 is a component for communicating with other devices such as the devices 201 to 203 and the server 400. Specifically, the communication unit 14 communicates with other devices by using communication means such as wired, wireless, the Internet, an intranet, or a public line such as a telephone line. Note that the communication means may be communication means using sound, light, vibration, image, or the like.

[0032] In this embodiment, the communication unit 14 communicates with the server 400 and the devices 201 to 203 over different networks. Specifically, the communication unit 14 communicates with the devices 201 to 203 over a local network 500 (see FIG. 1 ), such as a LAN, which is a closed network to which specific devices including the devices 201 to 203 and the PC 300 can connect. The local network 500 is a network incorporating a boundary-type security system such as a firewall. The communication between the communication unit 14 and the devices 201 to 203 does not require, for example, certificate verification.

[0033] On the other hand, communication between the communication unit 14 and the server 400 requires, for example, certificate verification. In this embodiment, the presence of a boundary security system such as a firewall prevents push distribution from the server 400 to the communication unit 14. For this reason, pseudo-push communication involving polling from the communication unit 14 to the server 400 is performed. That is, synchronization processing is performed by this pseudo-push communication.

[0034] In this embodiment, when the device 200 makes an inquiry to the server 400 via the communication unit 14, the communication unit 14 is configured to be able to receive communication from the server 400 as a response to the inquiry.

[0035] In the device 200, for example, the image reading unit 12 reads an image of a document and generates image data, thereby performing a scan process using the scan function. In addition, in the device 200, for example, the image data generated by reading an image of a document using the image reading unit 12 is transmitted to another device such as another multifunction peripheral, thereby performing a facsimile process using the facsimile function.

[0036] In addition, in device 200, a copy process is performed by a copy function, for example, by image forming unit 13 forming an image on a recording medium such as paper based on image data generated by reading an image of a document in image reading unit 12. In addition, in device 200, a print process is performed by a print function, for example, by image forming unit 13 forming an image on a recording medium such as paper based on image data acquired from a terminal such as a PC or a smartphone, or a storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0037] The input unit 15 is a component into which instructions are input by the user. Specifically, the input unit 15 is composed of, for example, input keys (for example, a keyboard and operation buttons) and a touch panel, etc., through which the user performs input operations.

[0038] An instruction from a user includes an execution instruction to cause the device 200 to execute a job related to processing such as copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile. A job is a processing unit of an operation that is executed by a single instruction from a user.

[0039] The display unit 16 displays information to be presented to the user. For example, the display unit 16 is configured with a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like. The display unit 16 may also function as the input unit 15. In this case, the input unit is configured with, for example, a touch panel of a resistive film type or a capacitive type, and instructions from the user are input by touching the touch panel.

[0040] The control device 11 is a device that controls each part of the device 200. The control device 11 has the functions of a computer, and has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11C, and a storage 11D, as shown in Fig. 2. The CPU 11A, the ROM 11B, the RAM 11C, and the storage 11D are connected to each other by a control bus 18.

[0041] The CPU 11A is a central processing unit that executes various programs, including information processing programs such as information synchronization programs, and controls each part. The CPU 11A corresponds to a processor. The ROM 11B stores various programs, including information processing programs, and various data. The RAM 11C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area.

[0042] The storage 11D is configured with a storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system, and various data. Here, the various data include parameters such as various settings and states of the device 200, as well as a priority table, which will be described later. Note that the information processing program may be stored in the storage 11D.

[0043] In the control device 11, the CPU 11A reads various programs including an information processing program from the ROM 11B or the storage 11D, and executes the programs using the RAM 11C as a work area. The CPU 11A executes the information processing program to realize various functions for controlling each part of the device 200. The following describes the functional configuration realized by the cooperation of the CPU 11A as a hardware resource and the information processing program as a software resource. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 11 according to this embodiment.

[0044] In the control device 11, the CPU 11A executes an information processing program to function as a data communication unit 21, a device information acquisition unit 22, a priority setting unit 23, a table storage unit 24, a representative device determination unit 25, and a synchronization processing unit 26, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] The data communication unit 21 communicates with the server 400 based on a batch setting instruction, which will be described later, and executes parameter synchronization processing between the device 200 and the server 400. In this embodiment, the synchronization processing is executed when the representative device determination unit 25 determines that the device 200 is a representative device, which will be described later. As a result, the data communication unit 21 communicates with the server 400 and executes synchronization processing only when the device 200 satisfies the suitability as a representative device.

[0046] Here, the "synchronization process" refers to a process of matching the parameters held by the device 200 with the parameters held by the server 400. In this embodiment, the parameters of the device 200, such as various settings and states, are also held by the server 400. Then, to eliminate the difference between the parameters of the device 200 and the parameters of the server 400, the server 400 transmits to the server 400 the changed values ​​of the parameters of the device 200 instructed by the batch setting instruction, thereby updating the parameters held by the server 400, and the response result is reflected in the device 200.

[0047] When a device is determined to be the information collector, the device information acquisition unit 22 acquires device information including parameters such as various settings and states stored in the devices 201 to 203. The device information is an example of equipment information. The acquired device information is stored in the table storage unit 24, which will be described later as an example, together with the device's own device information. Specifically, the device information is stored as a priority table, which will be described later as an example. The "information collector" is an example of a specific device, and is determined based on a common algorithm held by each of the devices 200 to 203 in the ROM 11B, such as "the device with the highest serial number." The device determined to be the information collector is then shared among the devices 200 to 203.

[0048] The priority setting unit 23 sets priorities for the devices 200 to 203 based on the device information acquired from the devices 201 to 203 and their own device information so that the devices 200 to 203 become representative devices that perform data transmission and reception processing with the server 400. A representative device is an example of a representative device. In the present embodiment, as an example, the set priorities are stored in a priority table, which will be described later.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a priority order table. In this embodiment, as an example, as shown in Fig. 4, the device information of each device 200 to 203 acquired by the device information acquisition unit 22 includes information indicating processing performance, the average number of jobs processed per day, and the average startup time per day. Here, the startup time indicates the time during which the device is connected to the local network 500 and the external network 600.

[0050] This device information is stored as a priority order table, as shown in Fig. 4. As an example, the priority order setting unit 23 calculates evaluation points based on the priority order table using the processing performance, the average number of jobs processed per day, and the average startup time per day as indicators, and determines the priority order based on the calculated evaluation points. The average number of jobs processed per day is an example of the frequency of device use.

[0051] Specifically, the processing performance of device 200 is 2 GHz, that of device 201 is 800 MHz, that of device 202 is 1 GHz, and that of device 203 is 1 GHz, so the order of highest processing performance is device 200, device 202, device 203, and device 201. Furthermore, the average number of processed jobs is 100 jobs for device 200, 50 jobs for device 201, 10 jobs for device 202, and 10 jobs for device 203, so the order of lowest average number of processed jobs is device 202, device 203, device 201, and device 200. Furthermore, the average startup time is 8 hours (hours) for device 200, 8 hours for device 201, 1 hour for device 202, and 5 hours for device 203, so the order of longest average startup time is device 200, device 201, device 203, and device 202.

[0052] In the priority order table, the ranking is shown in brackets [ ] as an example. In this embodiment, as an example, the higher the processing performance, the higher the ranking because communication with the server 400 can be performed smoothly, and the lower the average number of processed jobs, the higher the ranking because there is more time available for communication with the server 400. Also, the longer the average startup time, the higher the ranking because there is more time available for communication with the server 400.

[0053] The priority setting unit 23 calculates an evaluation score by adding up the rankings of processing performance, the average number of jobs processed per day, and the average startup time per day. That is, the device 200 receives an evaluation score of 6 because 1+4+1=6, the device 201 receives an evaluation score of 8 because 4+3+1=8, the device 202 receives an evaluation score of 7 because 2+1+4=7, and the device 203 receives an evaluation score of 5 because 2+1+2=5.

[0054] For example, the priority setting unit 23 determines the priority in descending order of evaluation points because the lower the evaluation points, the more indexes with high rankings there are. Specifically, the priority setting unit 23 sets the priority in descending order of priority as device 203, device 200, device 202, and device 201.

[0055] In this embodiment, the priority setting unit 23 directly reflects the ranking of the following indexes, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and weighting may be assigned to each index. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a priority table to which weighting has been assigned.

[0056] As an example, as shown in FIG. 5, the priority setting unit 23 assigns a weight of "1.2" to processing performance, a weight of "1.0" to the average number of jobs processed per day, and a weight of "0.8" to the average startup time per day. In this embodiment, the lower the evaluation score, the higher the priority. Because a device must be running in order to communicate with the server 400, the weight of the average startup time is set to a small value. Similarly, because a device must be in an unused state, such as when no user is logged in, in order to communicate with the server 400, the weight of the average number of jobs processed is set to a smaller value than the processing performance.

[0057] The priority setting unit 23 assigns weights to the rankings of processing performance, the average number of jobs processed per day, and the average startup time per day, and then adds them up to calculate the evaluation score. That is, the evaluation score for device 200 is 6 because 1×1.2 + 4×1.0 + 1×0.8 = 6, and the evaluation score for device 201 is 8.6 because 4×1.2 + 3×1.0 + 1×0.8 = 8.6. The evaluation score for device 202 is 6.6 because 2×1.2 + 1×1.0 + 4×0.8 = 6.6, and the evaluation score for device 203 is 5 because 2×1.2 + 1×1.0 + 2×0.8 = 5.

[0058] Therefore, when weighting is applied, for example, the priority setting unit 23 sets the devices 203, 200, 202, and 201 in descending order of priority. Note that when the evaluation points are the same, the rankings are compared in descending order of the index with the lowest weighting value, and the device with the highest ranking is given a higher priority. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, when weighting is not applied, for example, the rankings are compared in descending order of the index that is more essential for communication with the server 400, and the device with the highest ranking is given a higher priority. In this case, in this embodiment, for example, the rankings are compared in the order of the average startup time per day, the average number of jobs processed per day, and processing performance.

[0059] The table storage unit 24 stores device information and a priority order table. The table storage unit 24 in this embodiment is provided in the storage 11D, for example.

[0060] The representative device determination unit 25 determines the device with the highest priority as the representative device among the devices that satisfy the suitability as a representative device. Here, "suitability" is determined according to the current usage status of the device, and as an example, a device is determined to be suitable when it is unused. Note that an unused status may be, for example, when no user is logged in to the device or when the device is not in a job status.

[0061] In the present embodiment, as an example, the storage 11D stores information for determining the suitability of the device 200. That is, the storage 11D stores, for example, information indicating whether the device 200 is in an unused state, as an example of information indicating the usage status of the device 200. Note that examples of the information indicating whether the device 200 is in an unused state include information indicating whether a user is logged in to the device 200 and information indicating whether the device 200 is in a job state.

[0062] When synchronization processing unit 26 is determined to be the representative device, synchronization processing unit 26 performs synchronization processing to transmit the parameter settings of devices 200 to 203 based on the parameter batch setting instruction to server 400 via communication unit 14, receive the updated parameter setting results from server 400 as a response, and reflect the results in its own parameter settings. Furthermore, synchronization processing unit 26 also performs synchronization processing to transmit the synchronized parameter settings to other devices and reflect the parameter settings in the other devices.

[0063] <server> Next, the server 400 in the information processing system of this embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 400 in this embodiment.

[0064] The server 400 is an example of a synchronization destination of the devices 200 to 203. The server 400 is an example of an external device, and is a device virtually constructed on a cloud server. As described above, the server 400 is capable of communicating with the devices 200 to 203C through pseudo-push communication.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 6, the server 400 includes a data communication unit 41 and a data storage unit 42 as functional units.

[0066] The data communication unit 41 functions as a receiving unit that receives parameter settings transmitted from a representative device among the devices 200 to 203. The data communication unit 41 also functions as a transmitting unit that transmits to the devices 200 to 203 synchronization results based on the parameter settings of the devices 200 to 203 transmitted from the representative device among the devices 200 to 203. Specifically, the data communication unit 41 communicates with the devices 200 to 203 using communication means such as wired, wireless, the Internet, an intranet, or a public line such as a telephone line. Note that the communication means may also be communication means using sound, light, vibration, image, or the like.

[0067] The data storage unit 42 stores parameters synchronized based on the parameter settings of the devices 200 to 203 transmitted from a representative device among the devices 200 to 203. The data storage unit 42 can be provided, for example, in a storage (not shown) constituting a control device (not shown) in the server 400. Like the storage 11D of the device 200, this storage is configured from a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory.

[0068] <Processing flow in the device> Next, a description will be given of the flow of processing executed in the devices 200 to 203 of this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of periodic processing in the devices 200 to 203 according to this embodiment.

[0069] 7, when the devices 200 to 203 are powered on and start operating, first, in step S11, the control devices 11 of the devices 200 to 203 determine whether or not they are responsible for collecting information. As described above, the information collector is determined based on a common algorithm stored in the ROM 11B of each of the devices 200 to 203, such as "the device with the highest serial number," and is shared among the devices 200 to 203. If it is determined in step S11 that a device is responsible for collecting information (step S11; YES), in step S12, the device information acquisition unit 22 in the device responsible for collecting information acquires device information including parameters such as various settings and states of the devices 201 to 203. Specifically, the device transmits an inquiry to devices other than itself responsible for collecting information, and receives device information of the device to which the inquiry is addressed as a response to the inquiry.

[0070] In step S13, the priority setting unit 23 in the device in charge of information collection updates the priority table (see FIG. 4 or 5) based on the device information acquired by the device information acquisition unit 22. Specifically, the priority setting unit 23 updates the values ​​of each index in the priority table stored in advance in the table storage unit 24 of the device in charge of information collection, and calculates and updates the evaluation points and priorities based on the updated values ​​of each index.

[0071] In step S14, the priority setting unit 23 in the device in charge of collecting information transmits the updated priority table to the device that was the destination of the inquiry via the communication unit 14. Next, in step S15, the control device 11 of the device in charge of collecting information determines whether or not it has completed obtaining device information and transmitting the updated priority table for all devices other than itself. If it determines that it has not completed (step S15; NO), the control device 11 proceeds to step S12 and continues the subsequent processes.

[0072] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the acquisition of device information for all devices other than itself and the transmission of the updated priority order table have been completed (step S15; YES), then in step S16 the control device 11 determines whether or not the processing has been completed. Here, the determination of whether or not the processing has been completed is made, for example, based on whether or not an instruction has been given to turn off the power to the device in charge of information collection. That is, as an example, the processing is determined to have been completed when an instruction to turn off the power has been given. If the control device 11 determines in step S16 that the processing has been completed (step S16; YES), the control device 11 terminates all processing.

[0073] If the control device 11 determines in step S16 that the processing has not ended (step S16; NO), the control device 11 shifts the processing to step S11 and continues the subsequent processing. On the other hand, if the control device 11 determines in step S15 that the acquisition of device information for all devices other than itself and the transmission of updated priority order tables have not been completed (step S15; NO), the control device 11 shifts the processing to step S12 and performs the processing from step S12 onwards until the acquisition of device information for all devices other than itself and the transmission of updated priority order tables have been completed.

[0074] If it is determined in step S11 that the device is not in charge of collecting information (step S11; NO), the control device 11 of the device that is not in charge of collecting information determines whether or not there is an inquiry from the device in charge of collecting information in step S17. If it is determined that there is no inquiry (step S17; NO), the control device 11 proceeds to step S16.

[0075] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that an inquiry has been made (step S17; YES), then in step S18, the control device 11 of the device that is not in charge of collecting information transmits its own device information to the device that is in charge of collecting information via the communication unit 14. Next, in step S19, the control device 11 of the device that is not in charge of collecting information determines whether or not it has received an updated priority order table from the device that is in charge of collecting information. If it determines that it has not received an updated priority order table (step S19; NO), the control device 11 of the device that is not in charge of collecting information repeats the process of step S19 until it has received it. If it determines that it has received it (step S19; YES), the process proceeds to step S20, where the priority order setting unit 23 of the device that is not in charge of collecting information updates the priority order table stored in the table storage unit 24 based on the received priority order table, and the control device 11 proceeds to step S16.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, the periodic processing shown in FIG. 7 is performed successively at predetermined intervals until an instruction to power off devices 200 to 203 is received, and information required to determine a representative device, i.e., a priority order table, is shared in advance among devices 200 to 203.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a representative device determination process in the devices 200 to 203 according to this embodiment.

[0078] 8, in the devices 200 to 203, first, in step S21, the control devices 11 of the devices 200 to 203 determine whether or not they have received a parameter batch setting instruction transmitted by the PC 300. If it is determined that the instruction has been received (step S21; YES), in step S22, the representative device determination unit 25 of the device that received the batch setting instruction selects a representative candidate. Specifically, based on the priority order table stored in the table storage unit 24 of the device that received the batch setting instruction, the device with the highest priority order is selected as the representative candidate. For example, if the priority order table shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the table storage unit 24, the representative device determination unit 25 selects the device 203 as the representative candidate.

[0079] Next, in step S23, the representative device determination unit 25 transfers the batch setting instruction received from the PC 300 to the device 203 selected as the representative candidate. Then, in step S24, the representative device determination unit 25 determines whether or not there is a representative acceptance response from the device 203. If it is determined that there is a representative acceptance response (step S24; YES), in step S25, the representative device determination unit 25 determines the device 203 as the representative device.

[0080] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that there is no response to accept the representative role (step S24; NO), the representative device determination unit 25 proceeds to step S22, selects the device with the next highest priority after device 203 as the representative candidate based on the priority table, and performs the processing from step S23 onwards in the same manner as described above.

[0081] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S21 that the control device 11 of the devices 200 to 203 has not received the parameter collective setting instruction transmitted by the PC 300 (step S21; NO), then in step S26 the representative device determination unit 25 of the devices 200 to 203 determines whether or not a parameter collective setting instruction has been transferred from the device that received the collective setting instruction. If it is determined that no transfer has been made (step S26; NO), then in step S27 the representative device determination unit 25 of the devices 200 to 203 resets a flag indicating whether or not an instruction has been transferred, and then transitions to the process of step S21 and performs the processes from step S21 onwards.

[0082] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a transfer (step S26; YES), in step S28, the representative device determination units 25 of the devices 200 to 203 determine whether or not they (the devices) satisfy the suitability to be a representative device. Specifically, the representative device determination units 25 of the devices 200 to 203 determine suitability based on the information for determining suitability stored in the storage 11D. That is, the representative device determination units 25 of the devices 200 to 203 determine that they are suitable when, for example, they are unused.

[0083] If it is determined in step S29 that the parameter is not suitable (step S29; NO), the representative device determination unit 25 resets the flag indicating whether or not an instruction transfer has occurred in step S27, and then proceeds to step S21 to perform the processing from step S21 onwards. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S29 that the parameter is suitable (step S29; YES), then in step S30 the representative device determination unit 25 registers the parameter batch setting as its own event in, for example, the storage 11D.

[0084] Next, in step S31, representative device determination unit 25 transmits information indicating that it has accepted the role of representative to the device that received the batch setting instruction, i.e., device 203, which is the transfer source, and ends the process. Note that the representative determination process shown in Fig. 8 is repeated until a representative device is determined. Note that in step S22, for example, if the device with the highest priority in the priority order table stored in table storage unit 24 is itself (the device), the processes of steps S23 and S24 are not performed, and the processes of steps S28 to S30 are performed.

[0085] As described above, in this embodiment, among the devices 200 to 203, the device with the highest priority to become the representative device becomes the representative device, among the devices 200 to 203 that satisfy the suitability to be the representative device.

[0086] Next, a flow of synchronization processing executed in the devices 200 to 203 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of synchronization processing in the devices 200 to 203 according to this embodiment. Note that the synchronization processing shown in Fig. 9 starts after the representative device determination processing shown in Fig. 8 has ended.

[0087] First, in step S41, the control device 11 of the devices 200 to 203 determines whether or not a parameter collective setting event has been registered. If an event has been registered (step S41; YES), the device itself is the representative device, and therefore in step S42, the synchronization processing unit 26 starts communication with the server 400 via the communication unit 14, and in step S43, the parameter setting synchronization process is performed as described above.

[0088] Next, in step S44, synchronization processing unit 26 performs synchronization processing by sequentially transmitting the parameter settings that have been synchronized with server 400 to devices other than itself. In step S45, synchronization processing unit 26 determines whether synchronization has been completed in all devices 200 to 203. If it is determined that synchronization has not been completed (step S45; NO), synchronization processing unit 26 proceeds to the processing in step S44, and performs processing from step S44 onwards until synchronization is completed in all devices 200 to 203.

[0089] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that synchronization has been completed (step S45; YES), the synchronization processing unit 26 transmits information indicating that synchronization has been completed as a result to the instruction forwarding device, which is the device that received the parameter batch setting instruction.

[0090] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S41 that there is no event registration for parameter batch setting (step S41; NO), the device itself is not the representative device, and therefore in step S47, synchronization processing unit 26 determines whether or not synchronized parameter settings have been received. If it is determined that they have been received (step S47; YES), in step S48, synchronization processing unit 26 synchronizes the received parameter settings with its own parameter settings. On the other hand, if it is determined that they have not been received in step S47 (step S47; NO), the device waits until synchronized parameter settings are received.

[0091] Next, in step S49, synchronization processing unit 26 determines whether or not the device itself is an instruction forwarding device. Specifically, the determination of whether or not the device is an instruction forwarding device is made based on whether or not a parameter batch setting instruction has been received from PC 300. That is, if a parameter batch setting instruction has been received from PC 300, the device is determined to be an instruction forwarding device. If it is determined to be an instruction device (step S49; YES), synchronization processing unit 26 determines in step S50 whether or not it has received a result from the representative device, which is information indicating that synchronization has been completed. If it is determined that a result has been received (step S50; YES), synchronization processing unit 26 transmits information indicating that synchronization has been completed in all devices 200 to 203 to PC 300 as a result, and all processing ends.

[0092] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S50 that the result has not been received (step S50; NO), the synchronization processing unit 26 waits until the result is received. Also, if it is determined in step S49 that the synchronization processing unit 26 is not an instruction forwarding device (step S49; NO), the synchronization processing unit 26 ends all processing.

[0093] <Action and effect> In the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, one representative device selected from the plurality of devices 200 to 203 performs transmission and reception processing (synchronization processing) with the server 400, thereby reducing the burden on the communication environment and the server 400 compared to when the plurality of devices 200 to 203 each perform transmission and reception processing with the server 400.

[0094] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, a priority order is set for the plurality of devices 200 to 203 to become a representative device that performs data transmission and reception processing with the server 400, and the device with the highest priority order is determined as the representative device among the devices that satisfy the suitability as a representative device. Therefore, when parameters recorded in the storage 11D of the plurality of devices 200 to 203 are synchronized with the server 400, the transmission and reception processing can be continued even if a problem occurs in any of the plurality of devices 200 to 203.

[0095] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, the suitability is determined according to the current usage status of the devices 200 to 203, and therefore the suitability can be determined according to the usage status of the devices 200 to 203 in real time.

[0096] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, if the current usage status of the devices 200 to 203 is an unused status, the devices 200 to 203 are determined to be suitable, and therefore, the unused devices can be made to perform transmission and reception processing.

[0097] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, when a device is determined to be unsuitable as a representative device, the suitability of a device with a lower priority than the device is determined as a representative device. Therefore, even if a problem occurs with a device with a higher priority, such as the device being powered off, transmission and reception processing with the server 400 can be continued.

[0098] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, the priority is set based on one or more indicators including the startup time of the device, the frequency of use of the device, and the processing performance of the device, so that the priority can be set according to the status of the device.

[0099] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, priorities can be set based on evaluation points derived by assigning weights to each index, so priorities can be set according to the device status.

[0100] Furthermore, in the information processing system 100 of this embodiment, a specific device among the multiple devices 200 to 203 executes an acquisition process for acquiring device information about each of the multiple devices 200 to 203 and a setting process for setting a priority order. Therefore, the priority order set by the specific device can be shared among the multiple devices 200 to 203.

[0101] [Other embodiments] The information processing system 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.

[0102] In the above embodiment, a multifunction peripheral (specifically, devices 200 to 203) is used as an example of an apparatus, but this is not limiting. An example of an apparatus may be, for example, a printer that only performs print processing, or an image forming apparatus other than a multifunction peripheral. Furthermore, an example of a terminal operated by the administrator of the information processing system 100 is not limited to a PC, but may be a terminal such as a smartphone, or any other device capable of communication.

[0103] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0104] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0105] Furthermore, the program for realizing the embodiment of the present invention can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0106] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above-described modified examples may be appropriately combined to form a configuration.

[0107] <Additional Notes> The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiment.

[0108] (((1))) at least one processor; The processor: Acquire device information representing information about each of the plurality of devices; based on the acquired device information, assigning a priority to the plurality of devices to become a representative device that performs data transmission and reception processing with an external device; An information processing system that determines, as the representative device, the device with the highest priority among the devices that satisfy the suitability as the representative device.

[0109] (((2))) The suitability is determined according to the current usage situation of the device. The information processing system according to (((1))).

[0110] (((3))) The processor: If the usage status of the device is an unused status, the device is determined to be suitable. The information processing system according to (((2))).

[0111] (((4))) The processor: An information processing system described in any one of (((1))) to (((3))), wherein, when it is determined that a first device is not suitable to be the representative device, the system determines the suitability of a second device having a lower priority than the first device to be the representative device.

[0112] (((5))) The processor: An information processing system according to any one of ((1))) to (((4))), wherein the priority is set based on one or more indicators including the startup time of the device, the frequency of use of the device, and the processing performance of the device.

[0113] (((6))) The processor: The information processing system according to (((5))) sets the priority order based on evaluation scores derived by assigning weights to the respective indicators.

[0114] (((7))) The processor: An information processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((6))), which causes a specific device among the plurality of devices to execute an acquisition process for acquiring the device information of each of the plurality of devices and a setting process for setting the priority.

[0115] (((8))) On the computer, Acquire device information representing information about each of the plurality of devices; based on the acquired device information, assigning a priority to the plurality of devices to become a representative device that performs data transmission and reception processing with an external device; determining, as the representative device, the device with the highest priority among the devices that satisfy the suitability as the representative device; Information processing program.

[0116] The effects of the configuration described above will be described below.

[0117] According to the information processing system (((1))), when data recorded in each memory of multiple devices is synchronized with an external device, the transmission and reception process can be continued even if a problem occurs in one of the multiple devices.

[0118] According to the information processing system (((2))), suitability can be determined based on the real-time usage status of the device.

[0119] According to the information processing system of (((3))), it is possible to make unused devices perform transmission and reception processing.

[0120] According to the information processing system (((4))), even if a problem occurs with a device with a higher priority, such as the device being turned off, transmission and reception processing with an external device can be continued.

[0121] According to the information processing system of (((5))), it is possible to set priorities according to the status of the devices.

[0122] According to the information processing system of (((6))), it is possible to set priorities according to the status of the devices.

[0123] According to the information processing system of (((7))), the priority set by a specific device can be shared among a plurality of devices.

[0124] According to the information processing program (((8))), when data recorded in each memory of multiple devices is synchronized with an external device, the transmission and reception process can be continued even if a problem occurs in one of the multiple devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 11 Control device 11A CPU (Processor) 11B ROM 11C RAM 11D Storage (Memory) 12 Image reading unit 13 Image forming unit 14 Communications Department 15 Input section 16 Display 18 Control Bus 21 Data Communications Department 22 Device information acquisition unit 23 Priority setting section 24 Table storage section 25 Representative device determination unit 26 Synchronization processing section 41 Data Communications Department 42 Data Storage Unit 100 Information Processing Systems 200~203 Devices 400 Server (external device) 500 Local Network 600 External Network< / pc>

Claims

1. at least one processor; The processor: Acquire device information representing information about each of the plurality of devices; based on the acquired device information, assigning a priority to the plurality of devices to become a representative device that performs data transmission / reception processing with an external device; An information processing system that determines, as the representative device, the device with the highest priority among the devices that satisfy the suitability as the representative device.

2. The suitability is determined according to the current usage situation of the device. The information processing system according to claim 1 .

3. The processor: If the usage status of the device is an unused status, the device is determined to be suitable. The information processing system according to claim 2 .

4. The processor: The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that a first device is not suitable to be the representative device, the system determines the suitability of a second device having a lower priority than the first device to be the representative device.

5. The processor:

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the priority is set based on one or more indices including startup time of the device, frequency of use of the device, and processing performance of the device.

6. The processor: The information processing system according to claim 5 , wherein the priority order is set based on evaluation points derived by assigning weights to the respective indicators.

7. The processor: The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein a specific device among the plurality of devices is caused to execute an acquisition process for acquiring the device information of each of the plurality of devices and a setting process for setting the priority order.

8. On the computer, Acquire device information representing information about each of the plurality of devices; based on the acquired device information, assigning a priority to the plurality of devices to become a representative device that performs data transmission / reception processing with an external device; determining, as the representative device, the device with the highest priority among the devices that satisfy the suitability as the representative device; Information processing program.

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