Information processing system

Abstract

To provide an information processing system for updating information which is not operationally changed at the time of start in a second operating system.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes a first processor provided on a side of a first operating system, a second processor provided on a side of a second operating system, a first library provided on the side of the first operating system, and a second library provided on the side of the second operating system. The first processor notifies the second processor of update information based on an update request of the second library from the second processor at the time of startup, and the second processor acquires the information that does not change in operation notified from the first processor at the time of startup and notifies the terminal side of the information when the information displayed according to the operation of the operation unit on the terminal side is the information that does not change in operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an image processing device with a printing function that receives a predetermined message from an external device, analyzes the message, and performs processing according to the message. The image processing device has a process separation means that analyzes the message received from the external device and separates the processing into printing-related processing and processing other than printing-related processing. The image processing device also has a priority determination means that determines the priority of the printing-related processing separated by the separation means based on predetermined factors, and a process execution means that performs the printing-related processing in an order based on the priority. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-105754 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system in which information that does not change operationally is updated at startup in a second operating system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing system according to the first aspect includes a first processor provided on the side of a first operating system having real-time performance on a device side and having device control software installed therein, and a second processor provided on the side of a second operating system having versatility on a terminal side and having service software installed therein and being able to communicate with the first operating system; The terminal device is provided with a first library provided on the side of the first operating system for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information, and a second library provided on the side of the second operating system for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information, wherein the first processor notifies the second processor of update information based on an update request for the second library from the second processor at startup, and when the information to be displayed in response to operation of an operation unit on the terminal side is information that does not change operationally, the second processor obtains the information that does not change operationally notified from the first processor at startup and notifies the terminal side.

[0006] The information processing system described in the second aspect is the information processing system described in the first aspect, in which the first processor adds priority information to information requested for notification by the second operating system, and notifies the second operating system of the information with a relatively high priority before notifying the second operating system of the information with a relatively low priority.

[0007] An information processing system according to a third aspect is the information processing system according to the second aspect, wherein the second processor processes the information notified to the second operating system.

[0008] The information processing system described in the fourth aspect is the information processing system described in the first aspect, wherein the second processor updates the information of the second library based on the operationally unchanged information notified to the terminal side.

[0009] An information processing system according to a fifth aspect is the information processing system according to the first aspect, wherein the first operating system is installed in a printing device that prints on a medium in response to a print request from the terminal, and the operationally invariant information includes one or more of the paper quality of the medium and the size of the medium.

[0010] The information processing system described in the sixth aspect is the information processing system described in the first aspect, wherein the second processor determines, in accordance with the operation of the operation unit on the terminal side, whether the information related to the operation is information that changes operationally, and if the information is information that changes operationally, requests the first operating system to obtain information about the first library.

[0011] The information processing system described in the seventh aspect is the information processing system described in the fifth aspect, wherein the operationally changing information includes one or more of the status of the device, the status of the storage unit that stores the medium, and the status of consumables.

[0012] An information processing system described in an eighth aspect is the information processing system described in the second aspect, in which the first processor acquires response information from the first library based on a request to acquire information from the first library, and determines whether the priority of the response information is relatively high.

[0013] An information processing system according to a ninth aspect is the information processing system according to the eighth aspect, wherein the first processor stores the response information in a first storage unit when the priority of the response information is relatively high, and stores the response information in a second storage unit when the priority of the response information is relatively low.

[0014] An information processing system described in a 10th aspect is the information processing system described in the 9th aspect, wherein the first processor notifies the second operating system of the response information stored in the first storage unit in order of decreasing priority from the response information stored in the first storage unit, and if there is no response information stored in the first storage unit, notifies the second operating system of the response information stored in the second storage unit in order of decreasing priority.

[0015] An information processing system described in an eleventh aspect is the information processing system described in the sixth aspect, wherein the second processor determines whether the information related to the operation is information that changes operationally, and if it is information that does not change operationally, obtains the information that does not change operationally from the second library and displays the information that does not change operationally on a display unit on the terminal side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the information processing system of the first aspect, information that does not change operationally at the time of startup is updated in the second operating system.

[0017] According to the information processing system of the second aspect, delays in notification of information with high priority can be suppressed compared to when information is notified in the order of request.

[0018] According to the information processing system of the third aspect, delays in processing information with a high priority can be suppressed compared to when information is processed in the order of notification regardless of priority.

[0019] According to the information processing system of the fourth aspect, the amount of communication between the operating systems is reduced even for information that changes dynamically at startup, compared to when the information in the second library is updated.

[0020] According to the information processing system of the fifth aspect, one or more of the paper quality of the medium and the size of the medium can be updated as information that does not change during operation of the second library.

[0021] According to the information processing system of the sixth aspect, the amount of communication between the operating systems is reduced compared to when information is requested from the first operating system regardless of whether there is an operational change.

[0022] According to the information processing system described in the seventh aspect, the first operating system can be requested to obtain one or more pieces of operationally changing information, including the status of the device, the status of the storage unit that stores the medium, and the status of consumables.

[0023] According to the information processing system described in the eighth aspect, delays in notification of information with higher priority can be reduced compared to when response information is notified in the order of requests to obtain information from the first library, regardless of the priority of the response information.

[0024] According to the information processing system of the ninth aspect, response information with a relatively low priority can be processed more easily than when the information is not stored in the second storage unit.

[0025] According to the information processing system of the tenth aspect, processing is simplified compared to when response information is stored in the same storage unit regardless of priority.

[0026] According to the information processing program of the eleventh aspect, the amount of communication between the operating systems is reduced compared to when information is requested from the first operating system regardless of whether there is an operational change. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a user terminal in the information processing system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printing device in the information processing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a user terminal in the information processing system. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a printing apparatus in the information processing system. [Figure 6]FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing between a user terminal and a printing device in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information processing handled by a user terminal in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information processing handled by a printing device in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to a first comparative example. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an information processing system of a second comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components and parts in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0029] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment.

[0030] (Overall configuration of information processing system) 1, the information processing system 1 includes a user terminal 10 as an example of a terminal and a printing device 40 as an example of an apparatus. The printing device 40 has a scanning function for reading an original and a printing function for printing image data on a recording medium as an example of a medium.

[0031] As an example, the information processing system 1 is a system in which a user terminal 10 and a printing device 40 installed in a location different from the user terminal 10 are connected via the Internet or a wired or wireless network. Although not shown in the figures, the information processing system 1 may include a print server as a relay unit for connecting the user terminal 10 and the printing device 40.

[0032] In the information processing system 1, for example, a print job is sent from a user terminal 10 or a print server (not shown) to a printing device 40, and printing is performed by the printing device 40. The printing device 40 manages the device as an apparatus and manages print jobs. The user terminal 10 obtains information about the printing device 40 from a device controller 52 (described later) and updates and processes the information of the user terminal 10.

[0033] The user terminal 10 includes a control device 20 and a display unit 16. The control device 20 includes a general-purpose OS (operating system) 120. The general-purpose OS 120 is an example of a second operating system, and is an operating system that has versatility on the user terminal 10 side. The general-purpose OS 120 is equipped with an OEM controller 21. OEM is an abbreviation for "Original Equipment Manufacturing," and refers to a manufacturer manufacturing products on behalf of other companies at their request.

[0034] The generic OS 120 is implemented with OEM software (OEM SW) 22, which is an example of service software. As an example, an OEM controller 21 includes the OEM software (OEM SW) 22. The OEM software 22 includes a service controller 23, a communication framework 24, and a library 25.

[0035] The service controller 23 controls input / output and security of the user terminal 10. The service controller 23 controls the display screen of the display unit 16. The communication framework 24 is a module for easily and efficiently performing inter-OS communication with the device controller 52 (described later). The library 25 is an example of a second library, and stores multiple pieces of information and collectively manages the multiple pieces of information. The library 25 stores, for example, operationally invariant information (described later).

[0036] The service controller 23 and the communication framework 24 are connected via an input / output interface (not shown) to input and output information. The communication framework 24 can obtain information from a library 25.

[0037] The printing device 40 includes a real-time OS (operating system) 150, a print unit 46, and a scan unit 47. As an example, the real-time OS 150 is installed in the printing device 40, which executes printing on a recording medium in response to a print request from the user terminal 10. The real-time OS 150 is an example of a first operating system, and is an operating system (e.g., a real-time OS) that has real-time performance on the printing device 40 side. The real-time OS 150 is installed with an OWN controller 51. The OWN controller 51 is a term used in contrast to the OEM controller 21. OWN means that a manufacturer manufactures products themselves without outsourcing to another company.

[0038] The OWN controller 51 includes a device controller 52. The device controller 52 includes device control software (device control SW) 53, a communication framework 54, a library 55, and a driver 56.

[0039] The device control software 53 is an example of machine control software, and controls each unit in the printing device 40 to execute a print job. The communication framework 54 is a module for easily and efficiently performing inter-OS communication with the OEM software 22. The library 55 is an example of a first library, and stores and collectively manages multiple pieces of information. The driver 56 controls the operation of the print unit 46 and the scan unit 47.

[0040] The device control software 53 and the communication framework 54 are connected via an input / output interface (not shown) and perform input / output of information. Similarly, the device control software 53 and the driver 56 are connected via an input / output interface (not shown) and perform input / output of information. The communication framework 54 can obtain information from the library 55.

[0041] The print unit 46 prints the image data on a recording medium. The scan unit 47 reads an original document and stores the read data as image data.

[0042] In the printing device 40, the image data received via the network or the image data obtained by scanning an original document with the scanning unit 47 is printed on a recording medium by the printing unit 46.

[0043] In the information processing system 1, the OWN controller 51 notifies the OEM controller 21 of update information based on a request to update the library 25 from the OEM controller 21 at startup. Furthermore, if the information to be displayed on the display unit 16 is information that does not change operationally, the OEM controller 21 acquires the information that does not change operationally notified from the OWN controller 51 at startup and notifies the user terminal 10. The above information processing will be described later.

[0044] (Hardware configuration of user terminal) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10. As shown in FIG.

[0045] 2, the user terminal 10 has components including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, an input unit 15, a display unit 16, and a communication interface 17. Each component is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 19. Although not shown in the figure, the control device 20 (see FIG. 1) has the CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, the storage 14, and the communication interface 17.

[0046] The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. The CPU 41 is an example of a second processor. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a work area. The CPU 11 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In the first embodiment, the ROM 12 or the storage 14 stores an information processing program.

[0047] The ROM 12 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 14 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. In the first embodiment, the library 25 is stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

[0048] The input unit 15 is used for a user (e.g., a requester) to perform various input operations. The input unit 15 is an example of an operation unit. The input unit 15 includes, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard.

[0049] The display unit 16 displays various types of information and is, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0050] The communication interface 17 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the printing device 40 and a server (not shown). The communication interface 17 uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0051] (Hardware configuration of the printing device) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the printing device 40. As shown in FIG.

[0052] 3, the printing device 40 includes a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a storage 44, an operation panel 45, a print unit 46, a scan unit 47, and a communication interface 48. Each component is connected to each other via a bus 49 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0053] The CPU 41 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. The CPU 41 is an example of a first processor. That is, the CPU 41 reads a program from the ROM 42 or the storage 44 and executes the program using the RAM 43 as a work area. The CPU 41 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing in accordance with the program stored in the ROM 42 or the storage 44. In the first embodiment, an information processing program is stored in the ROM 42 or the storage 44.

[0054] The ROM 42 stores various programs and various data. The RAM 43 temporarily stores programs or data as a working area. The storage 44 is configured with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) and stores various programs including an operating system and various data. The storage 44 stores a driver program. The CPU 41 reads the driver program from the storage 44 and executes the program, thereby functioning as a driver 56 for operating the print unit 46 and the scan unit 47. In the first embodiment, the library 55 is stored in the ROM 42 or the storage 44.

[0055] The operation panel 45 has an input unit 45A and a display unit 45B. The display unit 45B is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. A touch panel system is adopted for the display unit 45B, and a part of the display unit 45B functions as the input unit 45A.

[0056] As an example, the printing unit 46 is an electrophotographic printing unit that prints image data on a recording medium using toner of multiple colors. However, the printing unit 46 may be an inkjet printing unit that prints image data on a recording medium.

[0057] The communication interface 48 is an interface for communicating with the user terminal 10 and other devices such as a server (not shown), and uses standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0058] (OEM controller function configuration) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side.

[0059] 4, the OEM controller 21 has, as its functional components, an information request output unit 31, an operational change information determination unit 32, an information acquisition unit 33, an information processing unit 34, and a display control unit 35. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 11 reading out an information processing program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14, expanding the program in the RAM 13, and executing the program.

[0060] The information request output unit 31 outputs an update request to the OWN controller 51 to update the information in the library 25. For example, when the user terminal 10 is started up, the information request output unit 31 outputs an update request to the OWN controller 51 to update the information in the library 25. As an example, the library 25 holds information that does not change operationally. By outputting an update request for the library 25 when the user terminal 10 is started up, the information that does not change operationally, notified by the OWN controller 51, can be updated in the library 25.

[0061] For example, when the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is information that changes operationally according to the determination result by the operational change information determination unit 32, the information request output unit 31 requests the OWN controller 51 to acquire information from the library 55. This makes it possible to acquire the operationally changing information from the OWN controller 51.

[0062] The behavioral change information determination unit 32 determines whether the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is behaviorally changed information in response to the operation of the input unit 15 of the user terminal 10. For example, when the behavioral change information determination unit 32 determines that the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is behaviorally changed information, the information request output unit 31 requests the OWN controller 51 to acquire information from the library 55.

[0063] Here, operationally changing information refers to information that changes dynamically and changes depending on the operation of the printing device 40. Furthermore, operationally unchanging information refers to information that does not change dynamically and does not change even when the printing device 40 is operating. Operationally changing information includes, for example, one or more of the device status of the printing device 40, the status of a tray as an example of a storage unit that stores recording media, and the status of consumables. Operationally unchanging information includes, for example, one or more of the paper quality of the recording media and the size of the storage medium.

[0064] The information acquisition unit 33 acquires update information for updating the information in the library 25. When the information request output unit 31 outputs an update request for the library 25 to the OWN controller 51 at the time of startup of the user terminal 10, the information acquisition unit 33 acquires update information from the OWN controller 51. For example, as update information for the library 25, information that does not change operationally is acquired from the OWN controller 51.

[0065] For example, when the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is determined to be information that does not change operationally based on the judgment result of the operational change information judgment unit 32, the information acquisition unit 33 acquires information that does not change operationally from the library 25.

[0066] For example, when the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is information that changes operationally according to the determination result of the operational change information determination unit 32, the information acquisition unit 33 acquires information of the library 55 from the OWN controller 51.

[0067] The information processing unit 34 processes the information notified by the OEM controller 21. For example, the information processing unit 34 updates the information stored in the library 25 based on update information notified from the OWN controller 51. For example, the information processing unit 34 updates the information in the library 25 based on operationally unchanged information notified from the OWN controller 51 when the user terminal 10 is started up.

[0068] Furthermore, when the information processing unit 34 is notified of information about the library 55 from the OWN controller 51, the information processing unit 34 processes the notified information. For example, the information processing unit 34 processes operationally changing information notified from the OWN controller 51.

[0069] The display control unit 35 controls the display screen of the display unit 16. For example, when information that does not change operationally is acquired from the library 25, the display control unit 35 displays the information that does not change operationally on the display unit 16. For example, when information that changes operationally is notified from the OWN controller 51, the display control unit 35 may display the information that changes operationally on the display unit 16.

[0070] (OWN controller functional configuration) FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the OWN controller 51 on the printing device 40 side.

[0071] 5, the OWN controller 51 has, as its functional components, an information request receiving unit 61, a priority adding unit 62, a response information determining unit 63, a response information holding unit 64, a response information notifying unit 65, a print control unit 66, and a scan control unit 67. Each functional component is realized by the CPU 41 reading out an information processing program stored in the ROM 42 or the storage 44, expanding it in the RAM 43, and executing it.

[0072] The information request receiving unit 61 receives an information request communicated from the OEM controller 21. For example, the information request receiving unit 61 receives an update request from the OEM controller 21 to update information on the library 25. For example, the information request receiving unit 61 receives a request from the OEM controller 21 for information on the library 55 on the printing device 40 side.

[0073] The priority assignment unit 62 assigns priority information to information requested for notification by the OEM controller 21. The priority assignment unit 62 relatively increases the priority of commands related to print jobs and commands from the library 55, for example. The priority assignment unit 62 relatively decreases the priority of commands such as diagnostic data from the print unit 46, image quality information, and device status notifications. A command is an example of information. A command is an instruction that instructs a computer to execute a specific function. Commands from the library 55 are related to the display on the display unit 16 and print jobs. For this reason, the priority of commands from the library 55 is relatively increased so as not to affect user operability or productivity, allowing them to be processed preferentially.

[0074] The response information determination unit 63 determines the priority of response information to be notified to the OEM controller 21. Specifically, the response information determination unit 63 acquires response information (for example, a command) from the library 55. Then, the response information determination unit 63 determines whether the priority of the response information (for example, a command) is relatively high.

[0075] The response information storage unit 64 temporarily stores response information to be notified to the OEM controller 21. The response information storage unit 64 has a first storage unit 64A and a second storage unit 64B. The first storage unit 64A stores response information (e.g., commands) with a relatively high priority. The first storage unit 64A is configured, for example, by a stack. A stack is one of the basic data structures used in computers, and stores data in a last-in, first-out structure. The second storage unit 64B stores response information with a relatively low priority, i.e., response information with a relatively low priority (e.g., commands). The second storage unit 64B is configured, for example, by a stack.

[0076] The response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of response information. The response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of information with a relatively high priority before information with a relatively low priority. Specifically, the response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of response information (e.g., a command) stored in the first storage unit 64A before notifying the OEM controller 21 of response information (e.g., a command) stored in the second storage unit 64B. For example, the response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of the response information stored in the first storage unit 64A in descending order of priority. When there is no response information stored in the first storage unit 64A, the response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of the response information stored in the second storage unit 64B. For example, the response information notifying unit 65 notifies the OEM controller 21 of the response information stored in the second storage unit 64B in descending order of priority.

[0077] The print control unit 66 controls the printing operation onto the recording medium executed by the print unit 46 .

[0078] The scan control unit 67 controls the document reading operation executed by the scan unit 47 .

[0079] (Issues with the information processing systems of the first and second comparative examples) Here, the problems with the information processing systems of the first and second comparative examples will be described.

[0080] Fig. 10 shows a schematic configuration of an information processing system of a first comparative example. As shown in Fig. 10, an information processing system 800 has an OEM controller 802, an input device 804, and an OWN output device 806. The OEM controller 802 is equipped with OEM software (SW) 810.

[0081] The OEM software 810 includes service software (SW) 812, device control software (SW) 814, and scanner control software (SW) 816. The service software 812 provides a print service to a user via a network. The device control software 814 controls the OWN output device 806. The scanner control software 816 controls the input device 804.

[0082] The input device 804 is a device for inputting data. The input device 804 includes, for example, a scanner for reading an original. The own output device 806 includes printer control software (SW) 820. The own output device 806 is a device for outputting data. The own output device 806 includes, for example, a print unit for outputting image data to a recording medium.

[0083] In the information processing system 800, the OEM develops an OEM controller 802 for each model to control an input device 804 and an OWN output device 806, which poses a problem of a heavy development burden on the OEM.

[0084] Fig. 11 shows a schematic configuration of an information processing system of the second comparative example. As shown in Fig. 11, the information processing system 900 of the second comparative example includes an OEM controller 902, an OWN device controller 904, an OWN input device 906, and an OWN output device 908. The OEM controller 902 includes OEM software 910. The OEM software 910 includes service software 912.

[0085] The OWN device controller 904 includes OWN software (SW) 920. The OWN software 920 includes device control software 922, scanner control software 924, and printer control software 926. The OWN input device 906 includes, for example, a scanner. The OWN output device 908 includes, for example, a printing unit.

[0086] The information processing system 900 uses a new engine OEM form that differs from the information processing system 800 of the first comparative example. The new engine OEM form provides a model-wide interface for device control software 922, printer control software 926, and scanner control software 924. This allows the OEM client to use the device functions without being aware of the device (for example, the OWN input device 906 and the OWN output device 908).

[0087] In the information processing system 900, various functions can be realized by performing inter-OS communication between the OEM service software 912 and the OWN device control software 922.

[0088] In the information processing system 900, when a print job is executed, the service software 912 must obtain device information. In the new engine OEM configuration described above, the device status is managed by the OWN device controller 904. Therefore, in order for the service software 912 to obtain the device status, it must perform inter-OS communication to access the information storage unit of the device control software 922. As a result, more information is notified via inter-OS communication than in the information processing system 800 of the first comparative example. This may cause overlapping with other notifications, resulting in a delay in notification information in the inter-OS communication unit. For example, when an operation panel is performed, inter-OS communication is performed to access the information storage unit of the device control software 922 to obtain the status of consumables and trays. At this time, there is a concern that overlapping with notifications of diagnostic data, image quality information, device status, etc. from the OWN output device 908 may result in a delayed response.

[0089] If both the OEM controller 902 and the OWN device controller 904 had information storage units that stored the status of all devices, management would be difficult. Also, if the device status could not be provided to the service software 912, the service software 912 would not be able to grasp the limitations imposed by the device. This would require the service software 912 to separately grasp the specifications of the hardware.

[0090] (Operation of the first embodiment) Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

[0091] 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing between the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side and the device controller 52 on the printing device 40 side by the information processing system 1. The information processing shown in FIG. 6 is processing for updating information in the library 25 of the OEM controller 21 at startup. The startup occurs, for example, when the power switch (not shown) of the user terminal 10 is turned on.

[0092] 6, in process 101, the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side starts a startup process for starting up each unit of the user terminal 10. In process 102, the OEM controller 21 requests the device controller 52 to update the information in the library 25.

[0093] In process 103, the device controller 52 on the printing device 40 side issues a command for updating the information in the library 25. In process 104, the device controller 52 notifies the library 25 of information (for example, a command) for updating the library 25.

[0094] In step 105 , the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side updates the library 25 based on the information notified from the device controller 52 .

[0095] Information that does not change operationally is held in the library 25. Therefore, the information that does not change operationally is updated in the library 25. This completes the process of updating the information in the library 25 of the OEM controller 21 at startup.

[0096] 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing handled by the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side of the information processing system 1. In the OEM controller 21, the CPU 11 reads an information processing program from the ROM 12 or storage 14, expands it in the RAM 13, and executes it, thereby performing information processing. The information processing shown in FIG. 7 is processing performed when the input unit 15 is operated.

[0097] The CPU 41 determines whether or not an input operation has been performed on the input unit 15 (step S201).

[0098] If no input operation is performed on the input unit 15 (step S201: NO), the CPU 11 waits until an input operation is performed on the input unit 15.

[0099] If an input operation is performed on the input unit 15 (step S201: YES), the CPU 11 notifies the library 25 of a command to call the library 25 (step S202).

[0100] The CPU 11 determines whether or not the information related to the input operation is information that changes depending on the operation (step S203).

[0101] If the information related to the input operation is not information that changes operationally (step S203: NO), the CPU 11 acquires information from the library 25 (step S204). If the information related to the input operation is not information that changes operationally, this means that the information related to the input operation is information that does not change operationally. For example, information that changes operationally includes paper quality information of recording media accommodated in a tray of the printing device 40.

[0102] If the information related to the input operation is information that changes depending on the operation (step S203: YES), the CPU 11 requests information about the library 55 from the device controller 52 on the printing device 40 side (step S205).

[0103] After the process of step S204, the CPU 11 displays the information acquired from the library 25 on the display unit 16 (step S206). Specifically, the CPU 11 notifies (for example, outputs) the information acquired from the library 25 to the display unit 16 of the user terminal 10, thereby causing the information acquired from the library 25 to be displayed on the display unit 16.

[0104] In other words, if the information to be displayed in response to input operations on the input unit 15 is information that does not change operationally, the CPU 11 obtains from the library 25 the information notified by the device controller 52 at startup and notifies the display unit 16 of the user terminal 10.

[0105] After the process of step S205, the CPU 11 determines (step S207) whether or not a response command has been notified (that is, received) from the device controller 52. The response command is an example of response information.

[0106] If no response command is notified from the device controller 52 (step S207: NO), the CPU 11 waits until response information is notified from the device controller 52. That is, the CPU 11 enters a state of waiting to receive a response command.

[0107] If a response command is notified from the device controller 52 (step S207: YES), the CPU 11 processes the notified command (step S208). Based on the notified command, the CPU 11 performs processing such as reflecting the status on the tray setting screen. This ends the processing based on the information processing program handled by the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side of the information processing system 1.

[0108] 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing handled by the device controller 52 on the printing device 40 side of the information processing system 1. In the device controller 52, the CPU 41 reads an information processing program from the ROM 42 or storage 44, expands it in the RAM 43, and executes it, thereby performing information processing. The information processing shown in FIG. 8 is processing for notifying a command to the OEM controller 21 on the user terminal 10 side.

[0109] The CPU 41 determines whether or not the OEM controller 21 has requested information about the library 55 on the printing device 40 side (step S251).

[0110] If the OEM controller 21 does not request information about the library 55 on the printing device 40 side (step S251: NO), the CPU 41 waits until the OEM controller 21 requests information about the library 55 on the printing device 40 side.

[0111] When the OEM controller 21 requests information about the library 55 on the printing device 40 side (step S251: YES), the CPU 41 issues a response command based on the information about the library 55 (step S252). The response command is an example of response information. For example, a response command such as the tray status of the printing unit 46 is issued. The tray status of the printing unit 46 is information that changes depending on the operation.

[0112] The CPU 41 assigns priority information to the command (step S253). For example, the CPU 41 assigns priority information to the command in accordance with information notified from the print unit 46.

[0113] The CPU 41 determines whether the command has a relatively high priority (step S254).

[0114] If the command has a relatively high priority (step S254: YES), the CPU 41 stores the command in the first storage unit 64A (step S255). Storing commands in the first storage unit 64A means that a plurality of commands are temporarily stored in the first storage unit 64A by storing each command in the first storage unit 64A.

[0115] If the command does not have a relatively high priority (step S254: NO), the CPU 41 stores the command in the second storage unit 64B (step S256). If the command does not have a relatively high priority, it means that the command has a relatively low priority.

[0116] The CPU 41 determines whether or not there is a command in the first holding unit 64A (step S257).

[0117] If there is a command in the first holding unit 64A (step S257: YES), the CPU 41 extracts a command with a relatively high priority from the first holding unit 64A and notifies the OEM controller 21 of the extracted command (step S258). As a result, the command is notified to the OEM controller 21.

[0118] If there is no command in the first holding unit 64A (step S257: NO), the CPU 41 retrieves the command from the second holding unit 64B and notifies the OEM controller 21 of the command (step S259). As an example, the CPU 41 retrieves the command from the second holding unit 64B in descending order of priority and notifies the OEM controller 21 of the command. Alternatively, the CPU 41 may notify the OEM controller 21 of the commands in the order in which the response commands were issued.

[0119] After the process of step S258, the CPU 41 determines whether or not all commands in the first holding unit 64A have been notified (step S260).

[0120] If all the commands in the first holding unit 64A have not been notified (step S260: NO), the CPU 41 returns to the process of step S258.

[0121] If all commands in the first storage unit 64A have been notified (step S260: YES), the CPU 41 retrieves the commands from the second storage unit 64B and notifies the commands to the OEM controller 21 (step S259). This ends the processing based on the information processing program handled by the device controller 52 on the printing device 40 side of the information processing system 1.

[0122] In the information processing system 1 described above, the CPU 41 notifies the CPU 11 of update information based on a request to update the library 25 from the CPU 11 at startup. If the information displayed in response to an operation of the input unit 15 of the user terminal 10 is information that does not change operationally, the CPU 11 acquires the information that does not change operationally notified from the CPU 41 at startup and notifies the user terminal 10. Therefore, according to the information processing system 1, the information that does not change operationally at startup is updated in the general-purpose OS 120.

[0123] Furthermore, the CPU 41 adds priority information to information requested for notification by the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side. The CPU 41 notifies the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side of information with a relatively high priority before notifying the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side of information with a relatively low priority. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, delays in notification of high-priority information can be suppressed compared to when information is notified in the order of request.

[0124] The CPU 11 processes the information notified to the OEM controller 21 on the side of the general-purpose OS 120. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, delays in processing of information with high priority can be suppressed compared to when the information is processed in the order of notification regardless of priority.

[0125] The CPU 11 updates the information in the library 25 based on operationally unchanged information notified to the user terminal 10. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, the amount of communication between the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side and the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side is reduced compared to when the information in the library 25 is updated even for information that dynamically changes at startup.

[0126] The real-time OS 150 is installed in the printing device 40, which executes printing on a recording medium in response to a print request from the user terminal 10. The operationally invariant information includes one or more of the paper quality and size of the recording medium. Therefore, the information processing system 1 can update one or more of the paper quality and size of the medium as operationally invariant information in the library 25.

[0127] In response to an operation of the input unit 15 of the user terminal 10, the CPU 11 determines whether the information related to the operation is information that changes operationally. If the information is information that changes operationally, the CPU 11 requests the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side to acquire information from the library 55. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, the amount of communication between the OEM controller 21 on the general-purpose OS 120 side and the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side is reduced compared to when information is requested from the real-time OS 150 side regardless of whether there is an operational change.

[0128] The operationally variable information includes one or more of the status of the printing device 40, the status of the tray that stores the recording medium, and the status of the consumables. Therefore, the information processing system 1 can request the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side to acquire one or more of the operationally variable information, the status of the printing device 40, the status of the tray that stores the recording medium, and the status of the consumables.

[0129] The CPU 41 acquires response information from the library 55 based on the request to acquire information from the library 55, and determines whether the priority of the response information is relatively high. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, it is possible to prevent delays in notification of information with high priority compared to when the response information is notified in the order of the requests to acquire information from the library 55, regardless of the priority of the response information.

[0130] When the priority of the response information is relatively high, the CPU 41 stores the response information in the first storage unit 64A, and when the priority of the response information is relatively low, the CPU 41 stores the response information in the second storage unit 64B. This makes it easier to process response information with a relatively low priority in the information processing system 1 compared to when the response information is not stored in the second storage unit.

[0131] The CPU 41 notifies the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side of the response information stored in the first storage unit 64A in descending order of priority. If there is no response information stored in the first storage unit 64A, the CPU 41 notifies the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side of the response information stored in the second storage unit 64B in descending order of priority. This simplifies processing in the information processing system 1 compared to when response information is stored in the same storage unit regardless of priority.

[0132] The CPU 11 determines whether the information related to the operation of the input unit 15 is operationally variable information, and if the information is operationally invariant information, acquires operationally invariant information from the library 25. The CPU 11 displays the operationally invariant information on the display unit 16 of the user terminal 10. Therefore, in the information processing system 1, the amount of communication between the OEM controller 21 on the general-purpose OS 120 side and the WN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side is reduced compared to when information is requested from the real-time OS 150 side regardless of whether there is an operational change.

[0133] Second Embodiment Next, an information processing system according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0134] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system 300 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the information processing system 300 includes a user terminal 302, a general-purpose OS (operating system) 330, and a printing device 40. The general-purpose OS (operating system) 330 is an example of a second operating system, and is an operating system that is versatile on the user terminal 302 side. The general-purpose OS 330 is equipped with an OWN controller 304. The user terminal 302 includes a display unit 16 and a control device 20. The control device 20 is equipped with OEM software (SW) 312. The OEM software 312 includes a service controller 23.

[0135] The OWN controller 304 installed in the general-purpose OS 330 is a separate system from the user terminal 302. As an example, the OWN controller 304 installed in the general-purpose OS 330 is configured as a relay unit between the user terminal 302 and the printing device 40. In the second embodiment, the OWN controller 304 includes OWN software (SW) 322. The OWN software 322 includes a communication framework 24 and a library 25. As an example, information is communicated between the service controller 23 and the communication framework 24 via socket communication.

[0136] Although not shown in the figure, the OWN controller 304 includes a CPU as an example of a processor. The CPU of the OWN controller 304 performs processing related to communication with the device controller 52, among the processing performed by the CPU 11 of the information processing system 1 of the first embodiment. Other configurations of the information processing system 300 are similar to those of the information processing system 1 of the first embodiment.

[0137] In the information processing system 300, the CPU 41 on the printing device 40 side notifies the CPU of the OWN controller 304 of update information based on a request to update the library 25 from the CPU of the OWN controller 304 when the user terminal 302 is started up. If the information displayed in response to an operation of the input unit 15 of the user terminal 10 is information that does not change operationally, the CPU of the OWN controller 304 acquires the information that does not change operationally notified from the OWN controller 51 when the user terminal 302 is started up and notifies the user terminal 302. Therefore, according to the information processing system 300, the information that does not change operationally is updated in the general-purpose OS 330 when the user terminal 302 is started up.

[0138] Furthermore, the information processing system 300 has the same configuration as the information processing system 1 of the first embodiment, and can therefore achieve the same functions and effects.

[0139] 〔others〕 The processing system of the present disclosure is not limited to the information processing systems 1 and 300 described in the first and second embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the information processing system 1 described in the first embodiment, the configuration of the OEM controller 21 on the generic OS 120 side and the configuration of the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side can be modified. For example, in the information processing system 300 described in the second embodiment, the configuration of the OWN controller 304 on the generic OS 330 side and the configuration of the OWN controller 51 on the real-time OS 150 side can be modified.

[0140] The processing of the information processing systems 1 and 300 can also be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit. In this case, the processing may be performed by a single piece of hardware or by multiple pieces of hardware.

[0141] Furthermore, the program that operates the information processing system 1, 300 may be provided by a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a flexible disk, or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is typically transferred and stored in a memory or storage. Furthermore, this program may be provided as, for example, standalone application software, or may be incorporated into the software of each device of the information processing system 1 as one function thereof.

[0142] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0143] [Note] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments. (((1))) a first processor provided on the side of a first operating system having real-time performance on the device side and implementing device control software; a second processor provided on the side of a second operating system having versatility on a terminal side, the second operating system having service software installed therein and capable of communicating with the first operating system; a first library provided on the side of the first operating system for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information; a second library provided on the second operating system side for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information; The first processor notifying the second processor of update information based on an update request for the second library from the second processor at startup; The second processor An information processing system that, if the information displayed in response to operation of the operation unit on the terminal side is information that does not change operationally, obtains the information that does not change operationally notified from the first processor at startup and notifies the terminal side.

[0144] (((2))) The first processor adding priority information to the information requested to be notified by the second operating system; The information processing system according to (((1))), wherein the information having a relatively high priority is notified to the second operating system before the information having a relatively low priority.

[0145] (((3))) The second processor The information processing system according to (((2))) processes the information notified to the second operating system.

[0146] (((4))) The second processor An information processing system described in any one of (((1))) to (((3))), which updates the information in the second library based on the operationally unchanged information notified to the terminal side.

[0147] (((5))) the first operating system is installed in a printing device that executes printing on a medium in response to a print request from the terminal; An information processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((4))), wherein the operationally invariant information includes one or more of the paper quality of the medium and the size of the medium.

[0148] (((6))) The second processor determining whether or not information related to the operation is information that changes operationally in response to an operation of an operation unit on the terminal side; An information processing system described in any one of (((1))) to (((5))), which, when the information changes operationally, requests the first operating system to obtain information about the first library.

[0149] (((7))) The information processing system described in (((5))), wherein the operationally changing information includes one or more of the status of the device, the status of a storage unit that stores the medium, and the status of a consumable item.

[0150] (((8))) The first processor The information processing system according to (((2))) obtains response information from the first library based on a request to obtain information from the first library, and determines whether the priority of the response information is relatively high.

[0151] (((9))) The first processor The information processing system described in (((8))) is configured such that, when the priority of the response information is relatively high, the response information is stored in a first storage unit, and when the priority of the response information is relatively low, the response information is stored in a second storage unit.

[0152] (((10))) The first processor notifying the second operating system of the response information stored in the first storage unit in descending order of priority; The information processing system described in (((9)))) further includes a step of notifying the second operating system of the response information stored in the second storage unit in descending order of priority when there is no response information stored in the first storage unit.

[0153] (((11))) The second processor When it is determined that the information related to the operation is information that does not change operationally as a result of determining whether the information is information that changes operationally, the information that does not change operationally is acquired from the second library; The information processing system according to (((6))), wherein the operationally invariant information is displayed on a display unit of the terminal.

[0154] According to the information processing system described in (((1))), information that does not change operationally is updated in the second operating system at startup.

[0155] According to the information processing system described in (((2))), delays in notification of information with high priority can be reduced compared to when information is notified in the order of request.

[0156] According to the information processing system described in (((3))), delays in processing information with a higher priority can be reduced compared to when information is processed in the order in which it was notified regardless of priority.

[0157] According to the information processing system described in (((4))), the amount of communication between operating systems is reduced compared to when information in the second library is updated even for information that changes dynamically at startup.

[0158] According to the information processing system described in (((5))), one or more of the paper quality of the medium and the size of the medium can be updated as information that does not change during operation of the second library.

[0159] According to the information processing system described in (((6))), the amount of communication between the operating systems is reduced compared to when information is requested from the first operating system regardless of whether there is an operational change.

[0160] According to the information processing system described in (((7))), the first operating system can be requested to acquire one or more pieces of operationally changing information, including the status of the device, the status of the storage unit that stores the medium, and the status of consumables.

[0161] According to the information processing system described in (((8))), it is possible to prevent delays in notification of information with higher priority compared to when response information is notified in the order of requests to obtain information from the first library, regardless of the priority of the response information.

[0162] According to the information processing system described in (((9))), response information with a relatively low priority can be processed more easily compared to a case where the information is not stored in the second storage unit.

[0163] According to the information processing system described in (((10))), processing is simpler than when response information is stored in the same storage unit regardless of priority.

[0164] According to the information processing program described in (((11))), the amount of communication between the operating systems is reduced compared to when information is requested from the first operating system regardless of whether there is an operational change. [Explanation of symbols]

[0165] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 User terminal (example of terminal) 11 CPU (an example of a second processor) 15 Input section (an example of an operation section) 16 Display section 21 OEM Controllers 22 OEM software (an example of service software) 25 Library (an example of a second library) 40 Printing device (example of device) 41 CPU (an example of the first processor) 46 Printing Department 51 OWN controller (example of the first operating system) 52 Device Controller 53 Device control software (an example of equipment control software) 55 Library (Example of the first library) 64A 1st holding part 64B 2nd holding part 120 General-purpose OS (an example of a second operating system) 150 Real-time OS (an example of the first operating system) 300 Information Processing Systems 302 User terminal (an example of a terminal) 304 OWN Controller 322 OWN Software (an example of service software) 330 General-purpose OS (an example of a second operating system)

Claims

1. a first processor provided on the side of a first operating system having real-time performance on the device side and implementing device control software; a second processor provided on the side of a second operating system having versatility on a terminal side, the second operating system having service software installed therein and capable of communicating with the first operating system; a first library provided on the side of the first operating system for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information; a second library provided on the second operating system side for collectively managing a plurality of pieces of information; The first processor notifying the second processor of update information based on an update request for the second library from the second processor at startup; The second processor An information processing system that, if the information displayed in response to operation of the operating unit on the terminal side is information that does not change operationally, obtains the information that does not change operationally notified from the first processor at startup and notifies the terminal side.

2. The first processor adding priority information to the information requested to be notified by the second operating system; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information having a relatively high priority is notified to the second operating system before the information having a relatively low priority.

3. The second processor 3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the information notified to the second operating system is processed.

4. The second processor 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information in the second library is updated based on the operationally unchanged information notified to the terminal side.

5. the first operating system is installed in a printing device that executes printing on a medium in response to a print request from the terminal; The information processing system of claim 1 , wherein the operationally invariant information includes one or more of a paper quality of the medium and a size of the medium.

6. The second processor determining whether or not information related to the operation is information that changes operationally in response to an operation of an operation unit on the terminal side; 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein when the information is operationally variable, a request is made to the first operating system to acquire the information of the first library.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5 , wherein the operationally variable information includes one or more of a state of the device, a state of a storage unit that stores the medium, and a state of a consumable item.

8. The first processor 3. The information processing system according to claim 2, further comprising: acquiring response information from the first library based on a request to acquire information from the first library; and determining whether the priority of the response information is relatively high.

9. The first processor 9. The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein when the priority of the response information is relatively high, the response information is stored in a first storage unit, and when the priority of the response information is relatively low, the response information is stored in a second storage unit.

10. The first processor notifying the second operating system of the response information stored in the first storage unit in descending order of priority; 10. The information processing system according to claim 9, wherein when there is no response information stored in the first storage unit, the response information stored in the second storage unit is notified to the second operating system in descending order of priority.

11. The second processor If the information related to the operation is determined to be operationally invariant information as a result of determining whether the information is operationally invariant information, the information is acquired from the second library. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein the operationally invariant information is displayed on a display unit of the terminal.

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