Information processing system, information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, an information processor, an information processing method and a program, allowing even a low-specialized operator to quickly solve a problem related to image quality adjustment by receiving presentation of a solution to the problem.SOLUTION: An information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that executes image quality adjustment and an image quality adjustment assistance system includes an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to an image forming device and history information of interaction between a user side and a service provider side, a transmission unit that transmits a request for assistance for a problem related to image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system, a search unit that obtains handling method candidates by a learning model generated by machine learning, and a display control unit that causes a display device used by a service provider to display the handling method candidates on an assistance screen. And a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system as a response to the request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventional color adjustments for printing presses include color sample matching, which matches the color reproducibility of a printing press executing a print job to the colors of a print sample already in print, and a process of reading a printed color chart with a colorimeter and adjusting the print output to achieve a quality target color difference. Such color adjustments are typically performed by users themselves using specialized software or other methods based on the results of color measurement with the colorimeter. Because this requires specialized knowledge and experience, there is a problem with inconsistent color adjustment results when performed by an operator with limited expertise. This problem also applies to color adjustments and general image quality adjustments, including adjustments for unevenness in shading, etc.

[0003] As a technology related to such color adjustment, a technique has been disclosed in which similar objects (image objects, etc.) are searched for by referring to a history of color adjustments made by experts in the past, and the correction methods in that history are applied to the color adjustments (for example, Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the problem cannot be solved by simply adjusting the image quality, the user must search for a solution on their own, which can take a long time to solve the problem.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing system, information processing device, information processing method, and program that allow even low-specialty operators to receive solutions to problems related to image quality adjustment and quickly resolve them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides a service to solve problems related to the image quality adjustment, the information processing system including an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to the image forming devices and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming devices and a service provider of the service, a transmission unit that transmits a request for assistance with problems related to the image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system in accordance with operations on an input unit by the user, and a transmission unit that uses at least the job information and the history information to provide assistance with problems related to the image quality adjustment. a search unit that obtains candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment that corresponds to the request using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem; a display control unit that displays the candidate solutions obtained by the search unit on a display device used by a service provider of the service on an assistance screen that displays information to assist in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment; and a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system of the response from the service provider to the request for assistance with the problem related to the image quality adjustment based on the candidate solutions displayed by the display control unit as a response to the request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even an operator with low expertise can receive a solution to a problem related to image quality adjustment and quickly solve the problem. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the color adjustment system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the operation of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of color adjustment history information. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation history information. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a database configuration according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of extracting the phenomenon, cause, countermeasure, and result from the support history. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of causes of problems related to job color adjustment and how to deal with them. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment result screen displayed on the printing company side. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment result screen displayed on the printing company side. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an assistance request screen displayed on the printing company side. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (adjustment result tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (analysis tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (log tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 17]FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (assist tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment assistance screen (adjustment result tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the assist tab is pressed on the job color adjustment assistance screen displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment assistance screen (assist tab) displayed on the service provider side. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of an assistance request screen when a response is received from the service provider. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of the overall operation of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the assist process of the information processing system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an information processing system, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the components in the following embodiments include those that would be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalents. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the following embodiments.

[0010] (Overall configuration of information processing system) 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment, and the overall configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0011] The information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that enables two-way communication when a printing company requests assistance from a service provider when performing color adjustment using a print sample PS and a color chart CC, etc., and the service provider provides guidance, comments, etc. in response to the request. Here, assistance refers to help, support, or assistance. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 10, a color adjustment system 20, an image reading apparatus 30, a color adjustment assistance system 40, a device management system 50, a service provider terminal 60, an image analysis system 91, a similar job search system 92, and a database 93. Among these, the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, the similar job search system 92, and the database 93 are capable of data communication with each other via a network N. 1 shows one image forming device 10 for the sake of simplicity, but the present invention is not limited to this and multiple image forming devices 10 may be managed by the color adjustment system 20. Furthermore, the information processing system 1 is not limited to including systems of a single printing company (image forming device 10, color adjustment system 20, image reading device 30) and may include systems of multiple printing companies.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 10 is an image forming apparatus, such as a commercial printing press, an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral), or an electrophotographic or inkjet printing press having a printer function as its primary function, that is the target of color adjustment. Here, an MFP is a multifunction device that has at least two of the following functions: copy, printer, scanner, and fax. The color adjustment involves having the image reading device 30 read a print sample PS, which serves as a sample of color reproduction for each print job, and using the read data to match the color of the print sample. This is referred to as job color adjustment. The color adjustment involves having the image reading device 30 read a color chart CC printed out from the image forming apparatus 10 for each image forming apparatus 10 (or for each sheet of paper printed out from the image forming apparatus 10) and using the read data to reduce in-plane unevenness. This is referred to as device color adjustment. In job color adjustment, an input profile is generated for converting the color values ​​of the original data included in the job into color values ​​of a device-independent color space (L*a*b* values, XYZ values, etc.), and in device color adjustment, an output profile is generated for converting the color from the device-independent color space into a color space for printing by the image forming apparatus 10. Note that the input profile and the output profile may be referred to collectively without distinction and simply as a profile.

[0013] The color adjustment system 20 is a system such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a workstation that performs color adjustment using data read by an image reading device 30 from a print sample PS of a job or a color chart CC printed out by the image forming device 10. The color adjustment system 20 also manages manuscript data to be printed by the image forming device 10. The color adjustment system 20 may be realized by a single information processing device, or may be realized by a system configured of multiple information processing devices.

[0014] Specifically, the color adjustment system 20 generates an input profile by performing job color adjustment using read data obtained by reading a print sample PS of the job with the image reading device 30, and transmits the input profile to the image forming device 10. The color adjustment system 20 also generates an output profile by performing device color adjustment using read data obtained by reading a color chart CC printed out by the image forming device 10 with the image reading device 30, and transmits the output profile to the image forming device 10. The image forming device 10 then prints out the document data using the received input profile and output profile.

[0015] The image reading device 30 reads the print sample PS and the color chart CC printed by the image forming device 10, generating read data consisting of colorimetric values ​​such as L*a*b* values, XYZ values, or RGB values. The image reading device 30 transmits the read data to the color adjustment system 20. The image reading device 30 may be, for example, an image scanner, a colorimeter, or other device, but is not limited to these, and refers to any device capable of acquiring read data from the print sample PS and the color chart CC. The colorimetric values ​​obtained by the reading process by the image reading device 30 are described as L*a*b* values ​​in the L*a*b color system (hereinafter simply referred to as Lab values). The read data read by the image reading device 30 is not limited to colorimetric values ​​such as Lab values. The image reading device 30 may transmit the read data to the color adjustment system 20 as RAW data, which is then converted to colorimetric values ​​by the color adjustment system 20.

[0016] The image reading device 30 also performs a reading process on a reproduced image printout RIP, which is a printout obtained by printing out the manuscript data of a job corresponding to the print sample PS by the image forming device 10. The read data of the reproduced image printout RIP is used for job color adjustment by the color adjustment system 20.

[0017] The color adjustment assistance system 40 collects the profile generated by the color adjustment system 20, the print sample PS read by the image reading device 30, the read data of the reproduced image printout RIP and the color chart CC, the manuscript data printed by the image forming apparatus 10, the operation history of the image forming apparatus 10 and the color adjustment system 20, the history of color adjustment by the color adjustment system 20, information about the image forming apparatus 10 that is the target of color adjustment (target device information), and comments and attachments (hereinafter sometimes referred to as adjustment-related information) exchanged between the color adjustment system 20 and the color adjustment assistance system 40. When a request for assistance is received from the color adjustment system 20, the system transmits a response to the request to the color adjustment system 20 via the service provider terminal 60 based on the adjustment-related information. Note that the comments exchanged (sent and received) between the color adjustment system 20 and the color adjustment assistance system 40 (i.e., historical information about the exchanges between the user of the image forming apparatus 10 and the service provider) will hereinafter sometimes be referred to as a support history. Furthermore, the color adjustment assistance system 40 may be realized by a single information processing device, or may be realized by a system made up of multiple information processing devices.

[0018] The device management system 50 is a system that collects information such as the operating status of the image forming apparatus 10, the history of errors that have occurred in the image forming apparatus 10, and print setting information for document data and color chart CC (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as device-related information), and provides the device-related information in response to a request from the color adjustment assistance system 40. Here, the print setting information includes, for example, the name of the image forming apparatus 10, information on the media and ink used, etc. The device management system 50 may be realized by a single information processing apparatus, or may be realized by a system made up of multiple information processing apparatuses.

[0019] The image analysis system 91 is a system that performs image analysis related to color adjustment on the original data, and the scanned data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP in response to a request from the color adjustment assistance system 40. The image analysis system 91 transmits image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis to the color adjustment assistance system 40. Here, the image analysis information includes, for example, the average color difference and maximum color difference before job color adjustment, the density value near the maximum color difference, the number of feature points, the image area, the number of colors, the number of out-of-gamut pixels, and the image pattern.

[0020] The similar case search system 92 is a system that, in response to a request from the color adjustment assistance system 40, uses a learning model generated by machine learning to search for cases similar to job color adjustment problems based on the job information, image analysis information, and support history described below, and presents candidate solutions.

[0021] The database 93 is a database for managing job information and the like, which will be described later.

[0022] The above-described color adjustment assistance system 40, device management system 50, image analysis system 91, similar project search system 92, and database 93 are systems realized on the cloud and managed by a service provider that provides a service that responds with guidance or the like in response to a request for assistance with color adjustment by the color adjustment system 20. Note that the color adjustment assistance system 40, device management system 50, image analysis system 91, similar project search system 92, and database 93 do not have to be separate systems, and at least one of them may be the same system.

[0023] The service provider terminal 60 is an information terminal through which a service provider with specialized knowledge about color adjustment can input a response to a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20 notified via the color adjustment assistance system 40, based on the adjustment-related information and device-related information provided by the color adjustment assistance system 40.

[0024] (Hardware configuration of image forming device) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that, in Fig. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 is described as an MFP, but even if the image forming apparatus 10 is a commercial printing machine or an electrophotographic or inkjet printing machine having a printer function as its main function, the basic configuration is similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 2.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is configured such that a controller 700, an operation display unit 710, an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 720, a plotter 731 (printing device), and a scanner 732 are connected via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus.

[0026] The controller 700 is a device that controls the entire image forming apparatus 10 , and controls drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 710 .

[0027] The operation display unit 710 is, for example, a touch panel, and is a device that accepts input to the controller 700 (input function) and displays the status of the image forming apparatus 10 (display function), and is directly connected to the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 706 described later.

[0028] The FCU 720 is a device that implements a fax function, and is connected to the ASIC 706 via, for example, a PCI bus.

[0029] The plotter 731 is a device that realizes a printing function and is connected to the ASIC 706 via, for example, a PCI bus. The scanner 732 is a device that realizes a scanner function and is connected to the ASIC 706 via, for example, a PCI bus.

[0030] The controller 700 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 701, a system memory (MEM-P) 702, a northbridge (NB) 703, a southbridge (SB) 704a, a network I / F 704b, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) I / F 704c, a Centronics I / F 704d, an ASIC 706, a local memory (MEM-C) 707, and an auxiliary storage device 708.

[0031] The CPU 701 performs overall control of the image forming apparatus 10, and is connected to a chip set consisting of a system memory 702, a north bridge 703, and a south bridge 704a, and is connected to other devices via this chip set.

[0032] The system memory 702 is a memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for expanding programs and data, a memory for printer drawing, etc., and has a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). Of these, the ROM is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM is a writable and readable memory used as a memory for expanding programs and data, a memory for printer drawing, etc.

[0033] The north bridge 703 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 701 with the system memory 702, the south bridge 704a, and the AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 705, and has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the system memory 702, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

[0034] The southbridge 704a is a bridge for connecting the northbridge 703 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. The southbridge 704a is connected to the northbridge 703 via a PCI bus, and the network I / F 704b, USB I / F 704c, Centronics I / F 704d, etc. are connected to the PCI bus.

[0035] The network I / F 704b is an interface for communicating data with an external device such as the color adjustment system 20 using the network N. The network I / F 704b is compatible with, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark) and is capable of communication in accordance with TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol) or the like. Note that the network I / F 704b may also be a wireless communication interface in accordance with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or the like.

[0036] The USB I / F 704c is an interface that can communicate with devices that comply with the USB standard.

[0037] The Centronics I / F 704d is an interface that conforms to the specifications of a parallel port and is capable of transmitting multiple bits.

[0038] The AGP bus 705 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to accelerate graphics processing. The AGP bus 705 is a bus that accelerates the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the system memory 702 at high throughput.

[0039] The ASIC 706 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing and serves as a bridge connecting the AGP bus 705, PCI bus, auxiliary storage device 708, and local memory 707. The ASIC 706 is composed of a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 706, a memory controller that controls the local memory 707, multiple direct memory access controllers (DMACs) that perform image data rotation and other operations using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data via the PCI bus between the ASIC 706 and the plotter 731 and scanner 732. The ASIC 706 is connected to, for example, the FCU 720, plotter 731, and scanner 732 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 706 is also connected to a host PC (personal computer) and a network (not shown), etc.

[0040] The local memory 707 is a memory used as an image buffer for copying and a code buffer.

[0041] The auxiliary storage device 708 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), SD (Secure Digital) card, or flash memory, and is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

[0042] The program for the image forming apparatus 10 described above may be distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (auxiliary storage device 708, etc.) as a file in an installable or executable format.

[0043] Furthermore, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and it is not necessary for all of the components to be included, and other components may also be included.

[0044] (Hardware configuration of color adjustment system, etc.) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a color adjustment system according to an embodiment. The hardware configuration of a color adjustment system 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The hardware configurations of a color adjustment assistance system 40, a device management system 50, a service provider terminal 60, an image analysis system 91, and a similar case search system 92 also conform to the configuration shown in Fig. 3.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the color adjustment system 20 includes a CPU 801, a ROM 802, a RAM 803, an auxiliary storage device 805, a media drive 807, a display 808, a network I / F 809, a keyboard 811, a mouse 812, and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) drive 814.

[0046] The CPU 801 is a computing device that controls the overall operation of the color adjustment system 20. The ROM 802 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs for the color adjustment system 20. The RAM 803 is a volatile storage device that is used as a work area for the CPU 801.

[0047] The auxiliary storage device 805 is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD that stores various data, programs, etc. The media drive 807 is a device that controls reading and writing of data from and to a recording medium 806 such as a flash memory under the control of the CPU 801.

[0048] The display 808 is a display device configured with a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc., that displays various information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, or an image.

[0049] The network I / F 809 is an interface for communicating data with the image forming apparatus 10, the image reading apparatus 30, etc. via the printing company's internal network (such as a LAN (Local Area Network)), and for communicating data with the color adjustment assistance system 40 and the device management system 50, etc. via the network N. The network I / F 809 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) that is compatible with Ethernet and capable of communication compliant with TCP / IP, etc. The network I / F 809 may also be a wireless communication interface compliant with Wi-Fi, etc. The interface for the internal network and the interface for the network N may be configured separately.

[0050] The keyboard 811 is an input device for selecting letters, numbers, and various instructions, moving the cursor, etc. The mouse 812 is an input device for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving the cursor, etc.

[0051] The DVD drive 814 is a device that controls reading and writing of data from and to a DVD 813 such as a DVD-ROM or a DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disk Recordable) as an example of a removable storage medium.

[0052] The above-mentioned CPU 801, ROM 802, RAM 803, auxiliary storage device 805, media drive 807, display 808, network I / F 809, keyboard 811, mouse 812 and DVD drive 814 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a bus 810 such as an address bus and a data bus.

[0053] Note that the hardware configurations of the color adjustment system 20, color adjustment assistance system 40, device management system 50, service provider terminal 60, image analysis system 91, and similar case search system 92 shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples, and do not necessarily include all of the components shown in FIG. 3, or may include other components.

[0054] (Configuration and operation of functional blocks of information processing systems) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of functional blocks of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the operation of the information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of color adjustment history information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of operation history information. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a database according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram explaining the operation of extracting phenomena, causes, countermeasures, and results from support history. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the cause of and countermeasures for problems related to job color adjustment. The configuration and operation of functional blocks of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a communication unit 101, a job acquisition unit 102, a print control unit 103, a profile acquisition unit 104, a device information transmission unit 105, and a storage unit 106.

[0056] The communication unit 101 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the color adjustment system 20 and the device management system 50. The communication unit 101 is realized by the network I / F 704b and the CPU 701 shown in FIG.

[0057] The job acquisition unit 102 is a functional unit that acquires the document data and the print job of the color chart CC from the color adjustment system 20. The job acquisition unit 102 also acquires a normal print job from an external device via the network N. The job acquisition unit 102 is realized, for example, by the CPU 701 shown in FIG. 2 executing a program.

[0058] The print control unit 103 is a functional unit that applies a profile generated by the color adjustment system 20 based on the print job of the manuscript data acquired by the job acquisition unit 102, and causes the plotter 731 to print out a reproduced image printout. Also, based on the print job of the color chart CC acquired by the job acquisition unit 102, the print control unit 103 causes the plotter 731 to print out the color chart CC.

[0059] Furthermore, the print control unit 103 stores a history indicating the operating status of the image forming apparatus 10 in the storage unit 106 as operation history information shown in Fig. 7. The operation history information is part of the device-related information described above. The operation history information shown in Fig. 7 as an example is history information that associates the standby time, printing time, stop time due to color adjustment or abnormality, and total operating time of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0060] The print control unit 103 is realized by, for example, the CPU 701 shown in FIG. 2 executing a program.

[0061] The profile acquisition unit 104 is a functional unit that acquires, via the communication unit 101, the input profile and the output profile generated by color adjustment in the color adjustment system 20. The profile acquisition unit 104 stores (registers) the acquired profile in the storage unit 106. The profile stored in the storage unit 106 is applied to the control of print output onto paper by the print control unit 103. The profile acquisition unit 104 is realized, for example, by the CPU 701 shown in FIG. 2 executing a program.

[0062] The device information transmission unit 105 is a functional unit that collects device-related information about the image forming apparatus 10 and transmits it to the device management system 50 via the communication unit 101 as shown in Fig. 5. The device information transmission unit 105 is realized, for example, by the CPU 701 shown in Fig. 2 executing a program.

[0063] The storage unit 106 is a functional unit that stores the profile acquired by the profile acquisition unit 104, device-related information, various data, programs, etc. The storage unit 106 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 708 shown in FIG.

[0064] At least a portion of the functional units of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 that are implemented by software (programs) may be implemented by hardware circuits such as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs.

[0065] Furthermore, the functional units of the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 are conceptual representations of their functions, and are not limited to such configurations. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the image forming apparatus 10 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in FIG. 4; it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the image forming apparatus 10.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 4, the color adjustment system 20 includes a communication unit 201, a job transmission unit 202, a color information acquisition unit 203, a calculation unit 204, a color adjustment unit 205, a profile transmission unit 206, a color adjustment information transmission unit 207 (an example of a transmission unit), an input unit 208, a display control unit 209, a memory unit 210, and a detection unit 211.

[0067] The communication unit 201 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the image forming apparatus 10, the image reading apparatus 30, and the color adjustment assistance system 40. The communication unit 201 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0068] The job sending unit 202 is a functional unit that sends document data and a print job of a color chart CC to be printed out in the image forming apparatus 10 to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 201. The job sending unit 202 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0069] The color information acquisition unit 203 is a functional unit that acquires read data consisting of colorimetric values ​​(Lab values, etc.) obtained by reading the reproduced image printout and color chart CC printed out by the image forming apparatus 10, and the print sample, using the image reading device 30, via the communication unit 201, as shown in Fig. 5. The color information acquisition unit 203 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in Fig. 3 executing a program.

[0070] The calculation unit 204 is a functional unit that calculates the color difference between a print sample image and a reproduced image after color matching in job color adjustment and generates a color difference map. For example, the calculation unit 204 calculates the color difference for each pixel value of a pixel in the print image relative to the pixel value of a corresponding pixel in the reproduced image. Here, the print sample image is an image displayed based on scanned data of the print sample, and the reproduced image is an image displayed based on scanned data of a reproduced image printout. The color difference map is, for example, a map that displays monochrome gradations changed according to color difference values. In addition, the calculation unit 204 calculates the color difference between the print sample image and the reproduced image (i.e., the reproduced image before color matching) in job color adjustment and generates a color difference map. The calculation unit 204 also calculates a color difference average that is the average value of these color differences (the one corresponding to before color matching may be referred to as pre-adjustment ΔE, and the one corresponding to after color matching may be referred to as post-adjustment ΔE).

[0071] Furthermore, in device color adjustment, the calculation unit 204 calculates the average value (average ΔE) and maximum color difference (maximum ΔE) of the color differences between the patches from the read data of the color chart CC.

[0072] The calculation unit 204 is realized by, for example, the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0073] The color adjustment unit 205 is a functional unit that generates an input profile by adjusting the colors of a reproduction image to match the colors of a print sample image during job color adjustment. Furthermore, since the color values ​​of each patch in the color chart CC are known during device color adjustment, the color adjustment unit 205 creates an output profile by performing color adjustment processing using a known technique such that the colorimetric values ​​of each patch corresponding to the color adjustment patch CP reproduce the known color values. The color adjustment unit 205 is realized, for example, by a program executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3.

[0074] Furthermore, the calculation unit 204 and the color adjustment unit 205 store the results of the job color adjustment and the device color adjustment in the storage unit 210 as color adjustment history information shown in Fig. 6. The color adjustment history information is part of the adjustment-related information described above. The color adjustment history information shown as an example in Fig. 6 is an example of history information for device color adjustment, and is history information that associates the date and time when the average ΔE was calculated by the calculation unit 204, the type of color chart CC (chart type) used in the device color adjustment, and the average ΔE calculated by the calculation unit 204.

[0075] The profile transmission unit 206 is a functional unit that transmits the profile generated by the color adjustment unit 205 to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 201 as shown in Fig. 5. The profile transmission unit 206 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in Fig. 3 executing a program.

[0076] The color adjustment information transmission unit 207 is a functional unit that collects adjustment-related information related to job color adjustment and device color adjustment for the image forming apparatus 10 and transmits the information to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, when the detection unit 211 detects that a problem has occurred with job color adjustment or device color tone, and when a user (printing company) requests assistance on an assistance request screen 1200 shown in FIG. 13 (described later), the color adjustment information transmission unit 207 transmits the adjustment-related information along with the assistance request to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. The user (printing company) corresponds to the "user" in the present invention. The color adjustment information transmission unit 207 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0077] The input unit 208 is a functional unit that accepts operation inputs from a user (printing company) to a device color adjustment result screen 1000 (described later), etc. The input unit 208 is realized by a keyboard 811 and a mouse 812 shown in FIG.

[0078] The display control unit 209 is a functional unit that controls the display of various screens (such as a device color adjustment result screen 1000, which will be described later) and information on the display 808 of the color adjustment system 20. The display control unit 209 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0079] The storage unit 210 is a functional unit that stores adjustment-related information such as document data, color chart CC data, and profiles generated by the color adjustment unit 205. The storage unit 210 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 805 shown in FIG.

[0080] The detection unit 211 is a functional unit that detects whether job color adjustment has been judged NG a predetermined number of times in succession and whether device color adjustment has been judged NG a predetermined number of times in succession. For example, in job color adjustment, the judgment is NG if the post-adjustment ΔE calculated by the calculation unit 204 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In device color adjustment, the judgment is NG if at least one of the average ΔE or maximum ΔE calculated by the calculation unit 204 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Note that the detection unit 211 is not limited to detecting whether job color adjustment or device color adjustment has been judged NG a predetermined number of times in succession, as described above, but may also detect the occurrence of a problem with job color adjustment or device color tone by confirming that a predetermined condition is satisfied. Examples of the predetermined condition include whether a predetermined percentage of color adjustments have been judged NG a predetermined number of times, or whether the color difference calculated by color adjustment indicates an abnormal value that exceeds expectations.

[0081] At least a part of the functional units of the color adjustment system 20 shown in FIG. 4 that are implemented by software (programs) may be implemented by hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs.

[0082] Furthermore, the functions of each functional unit of the color adjustment system 20 shown in FIG. 4 are conceptually illustrated, and the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the color adjustment system 20 shown in FIG. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the color adjustment system 20 shown in FIG. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the color adjustment system 20 do not need to be configured as clear software modules as the blocks shown in FIG. 4, and it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the color adjustment system 20.

[0083] In the above description, the user (printing company) performs operational input using the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20 on the device color adjustment result screen 1000 or the like displayed by the display control unit 209 of the color adjustment system 20, but this is not limiting. For example, the device color adjustment result screen 1000 or the like may be displayed on an information terminal used by the user (printing company) that is capable of data communication with the color adjustment system 20, and operational input may be performed on the screen via the information terminal.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 4, the color adjustment assistance system 40 includes a communication unit 401, a UI (User Interface) unit 402 (an example of a display control unit), an information acquisition unit 403, an information transmission unit 404, a search information acquisition unit 409 (acquisition unit), an image analysis request unit 410, a search request unit 411, an analysis unit 405, a response acquisition unit 406, an information notification unit 407, and a memory unit 408.

[0085] The communication unit 401 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the color adjustment system 20, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar job search system 92. The communication unit 401 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0086] The UI unit 402 is a functional unit that provides screen information for the printing company (user) to the color adjustment system 20 and screen information for the service provider to the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. Details of the screens provided by the UI unit 402 will be described later. The UI unit 402 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0087] The information acquisition unit 403 is a functional unit that acquires adjustment-related information from the color adjustment system 20 and device-related information from the device management system 50 via the communication unit 401. The information acquisition unit 403 acquires the adjustment-related information from the color adjustment system 20, for example, periodically or when assistance is requested from the color adjustment system 20. The information acquisition unit 403 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0088] The information transmission unit 404 is a functional unit that transmits the adjustment-related information and device-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403 to the color adjustment system 20 and the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. The information transmission unit 404 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0089] The search information acquisition unit 409 is a functional unit that acquires job information and support history from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. Here, the job information is, for example, information regarding a job involving manuscript data, including the name of the image forming apparatus 10 on which the job was executed, the media, and the ink used, and may be acquired, for example, from the print setting information described above. The search information acquisition unit 409 also acquires the manuscript data, as well as the scanned data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP, from the adjustment-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. The search information acquisition unit 409 may also be configured to automatically collect this information periodically. The search information acquisition unit 409 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 5, the image analysis request unit 410 is a functional unit that transmits an image analysis request to the image analysis system 91 along with the manuscript data acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409 and the scanned data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP. The image analysis request unit 410 then receives image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis by the image analysis system 91. The image analysis request unit 410 also associates the manuscript data acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, the scanned data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP, and the image analysis information received from the image analysis system 91 with each job and stores them in the database 93, as shown in FIG. 8. In the configuration of the database 93 shown in FIG. 8, the image-related data corresponds to the manuscript data and the scanned data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP. The image analysis request unit 410 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0091] 5, the search request unit 411 is a functional unit that transmits a search request for jobs similar to the job color adjustment problem to the similar job search system 92, together with the job information and support history acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409 and the image analysis information received by the image analysis request unit 410. The search request unit 411 also receives the search results from the similar job search system 92.

[0092] The analysis unit 405 is a functional unit that analyzes color adjustment problems in the adjustment-related information and device-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. For example, the analysis unit 405 automatically generates a comment indicating the analysis result from the color adjustment history of the adjustment-related information, and automatically generates a comment indicating a proposed response to the user (printing company) based on the analysis result. The analysis unit 405 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 5 , the response acquisition unit 406 is a functional unit that acquires, via the communication unit 401, at least one of a comment, a profile created and adjusted by the service provider, and an attached file such as manuscript data, as a response to a request for assistance from the service provider via the service provider terminal 60. Also, as shown in FIG. 5 , the response acquisition unit 406 can provide, in cooperation with the information notification unit 407, remote operation or remote setting of the image forming apparatus 10 or the color adjustment system 20 as the response from the service provider via the service provider terminal 60. Such remote operation or remote setting allows the service provider to directly address, for example, a print setting problem. The response acquisition unit 406 then stores the support history acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, including the comment acquired in response to the request for assistance, in association with the corresponding job in the database 93. The response acquisition unit 406 is realized, for example, by a program executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 .

[0094] The information notification unit 407 is a functional unit that notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the answer acquired by the answer acquisition unit 406 via the communication unit 401. The information notification unit 407 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0095] The storage unit 408 is a functional unit that stores the adjustment-related information and device-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403, as well as the answers acquired by the answer acquisition unit 406. That is, the adjustment-related information acquired from the color adjustment system 20 and the device-related information acquired from the device management system 50 are collected in the storage unit 408, and as described below, the screens displayed on the color adjustment system 20 side and the service provider terminal 60 side display information based on this information. This allows the user (printing company) and the service provider to share this information, and by collecting this information in the storage unit 408, it is built as a knowledge base that can be used to solve problems in the future. The storage unit 408 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 805 shown in FIG. 3.

[0096] At least a part of the functional units of the color adjustment assistance system 40 shown in FIG. 4 that are implemented by software (programs) may be implemented by hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs.

[0097] Furthermore, the functional units of the color adjustment assistance system 40 shown in FIG. 4 are conceptual representations of their functions, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the color adjustment assistance system 40 shown in FIG. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the color adjustment assistance system 40 shown in FIG. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the color adjustment assistance system 40 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in FIG. 4; it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the color adjustment assistance system 40.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 4, the device management system 50 includes a communication unit 501, an information collection unit 502, an information provision unit 503, and a storage unit 504.

[0099] The communication unit 501 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the image forming apparatus 10 and the color adjustment assistance system 40. The communication unit 501 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0100] The information collection unit 502 is a functional unit that periodically collects device-related information from the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 501. The information collection unit 502 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0101] The information providing unit 503 is a functional unit that provides device-related information about the image forming apparatus 10 indicated by the target device information to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 501 in response to a request from the color adjustment assistance system 40. The information providing unit 503 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0102] The storage unit 504 is a functional unit that stores the device-related information and the like collected by the information collection unit 502. The storage unit 504 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 805 shown in FIG.

[0103] At least a part of the functional units of the device management system 50 shown in FIG. 4 that are implemented by software (programs) may be implemented by hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs.

[0104] Furthermore, the functional units of the device management system 50 shown in FIG. 4 are conceptual representations of their functions, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the device management system 50 shown in FIG. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the device management system 50 shown in FIG. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the device management system 50 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in FIG. 4; it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the device management system 50.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 4, the image analysis system 91 includes a communication unit 911 and an image analysis unit 912.

[0106] The communication unit 911 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the color adjustment assistance system 40. The communication unit 911 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0107] The image analysis unit 912 is a functional unit that, when receiving an image analysis request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911, performs image analysis on the manuscript data received together with the image analysis request, as well as the read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP. The image analysis unit 912 transmits image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911. The image analysis unit 912 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0108] The image analysis unit 912 of the image analysis system 91 shown in FIG. 4 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC.

[0109] Furthermore, the functional units of the image analysis system 91 shown in Fig. 4 are conceptual representations of functions, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the image analysis system 91 shown in Fig. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the image analysis system 91 shown in Fig. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the image analysis system 91 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in Fig. 4; it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the image analysis system 91.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 4, the similar case search system 92 includes a communication unit 921 , a learning unit 922 , a search unit 923 , and a storage unit 924 .

[0111] The communication unit 921 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the color adjustment assistance system 40. The communication unit 921 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0112] The learning unit 922 is a functional unit that uses machine learning to search for cases similar to job color adjustment problems and generate a learning model for inferring candidate solutions. The machine learning is, for example, supervised learning, and the learning data used to train the learning model includes, for example, job information, image analysis information, and phenomena, causes, and results extracted from support history. Furthermore, labels added to the learning data (teacher data) used in supervised learning include solutions extracted from support history and the results of addressing the problems (e.g., whether the problems were resolved). The learning unit 922 may generate such learning data by referencing the database 93. In this case, the learning unit 922 may extract phenomena, causes, solutions, and results from the support history stored for each job in the database 93, as shown in FIG. 9 . The learning model is generated to output, for example, candidate solutions, case similarities, and response results. If multiple candidate solutions are found, they may be output in order of priority according to similarity and response results. For example, if the response result indicates that the problem has been solved, the corresponding response method may be output preferentially. The learning unit 922 stores the generated learning model in the storage unit 924.

[0113] 10 shows a list of causes of problems with job color adjustment, specific examples of the problems, and examples of how to deal with them. The ways to deal with them include ways to deal with them on the assistance side (service provider side) and ways to deal with them on the user side.

[0114] The learning unit 922 is realized by, for example, the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0115] The search unit 923 is a functional unit that, upon receiving a search request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921, searches for cases similar to the job color adjustment problem using the learning model stored in the storage unit 924, using the job information, support history, and image analysis information received along with the search request. Specifically, the search unit 923 extracts phenomena from the received support history, inputs the received job information, image analysis information, and the extracted phenomena as input data into the learning model, and obtains candidate solutions to the job color adjustment problem output from the learning model. Here, the candidate solutions are solutions used in similar cases that have previously addressed the job color adjustment problem. The search unit 923 then transmits search results, including the candidate solutions obtained from the learning model, to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921. The search unit 923 may output all or some of the solutions obtained by the search. The learning model may also refer to the database 93 to infer candidate solutions. The search unit 923 is realized by, for example, the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0116] In addition, the search unit 923 is not limited to receiving job information, support history, and image analysis information along with a search request from the color adjustment assistance system 40, but may also refer to information stored in the database 93 from the color adjustment assistance system 40 and obtain the job information, support history, and image analysis information.

[0117] The storage unit 924 is a functional unit that stores the learning model and the like learned by the learning unit 922. The storage unit 924 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 805 shown in FIG.

[0118] At least a part of the functional units of the similar job search system 92 shown in FIG. 4 that are realized by software (programs) may be realized by hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs.

[0119] Furthermore, the functional units of the similar job search system 92 shown in Figure 4 are conceptual representations of functions, and are not limited to this configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the similar job search system 92 shown in Figure 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the similar job search system 92 shown in Figure 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the similar job search system 92 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in Figure 4, and it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program in the similar job search system 92.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 4, the service provider terminal 60 includes a communication unit 601, an input unit 602, and a display control unit 603.

[0121] The communication unit 601 is a functional unit that performs data communication with the color adjustment assistance system 40. The communication unit 601 is realized by the network I / F 809 and the CPU 801 shown in FIG.

[0122] The input unit 602 is a functional unit through which the service provider inputs a response to a request for assistance, etc., on a device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 (described later) shown in Fig. 14. The input unit 602 is realized by the keyboard 811 and mouse 812 shown in Fig. 3.

[0123] The display control unit 603 is a functional unit that controls the display of various screens (such as a device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 described later) and information on the display 808 of the service provider terminal 60. The display control unit 603 is realized, for example, by the CPU 801 shown in FIG. 3 executing a program.

[0124] At least a part of the functional units of the service provider terminal 60 shown in FIG. 4 that are implemented by software (programs) may be implemented by hardware circuits such as FPGAs or ASICs.

[0125] Furthermore, the functional units of the service provider terminal 60 shown in Fig. 4 are conceptual representations of functions, and are not limited to such configurations. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the service provider terminal 60 shown in Fig. 4 may be configured as a single functional unit. On the other hand, the function of a single functional unit in the service provider terminal 60 shown in Fig. 4 may be divided into multiple units and configured as multiple functional units. Furthermore, the functional units of the service provider terminal 60 do not need to be configured as distinct software modules as shown in Fig. 4, and it is sufficient that the functions of the functional units as a whole are realized by executing a program on the service provider terminal 60.

[0126] Furthermore, in FIG. 4, the functional units included in the image forming device 10, color adjustment system 20, color adjustment assistance system 40, device management system 50, image analysis system 91, similar case search system 92, and service provider terminal 60 are not limited to being included in these devices, but may be included in other devices.

[0127] (About the screen displayed at the printing company) Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment result screen displayed on the printing company side. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment result screen displayed on the printing company side. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an assistance request screen displayed on the printing company side. Screens displayed on the printing company side (color adjustment system 20) in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 11 to 13.

[0128] 11 via the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20, the printing service provider, as the user, performs a display operation for the device color adjustment result screen 1000 as shown in FIG. 11 , and the display control unit 209 then transmits a display request for the device color adjustment result screen 1000 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information for the device color adjustment result screen 1000 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the device color adjustment result screen 1000 to the color adjustment system 20, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 209 then causes the device color adjustment result screen 1000 to be displayed on the display 808.

[0129] The device color adjustment result screen 1000 is a screen that displays the history of the judgment results of device color adjustment performed by the color adjustment system 20. As shown in FIG. 11 , the device color adjustment result screen 1000 includes a color adjustment result display area 1001, a details display area 1002, an OK button 1011, an assistance request button 1012, and a load button 1021.

[0130] The color adjustment result display area 1001 is an area that displays the device color adjustment judgment results for each target device (image forming apparatus 10). In the example shown in FIG. 11, the color adjustment result display area 1001 displays the target device (image forming apparatus 10), paper name, judgment result, average ΔE, maximum ΔE, and status in association with each other. Furthermore, a details button 1001a is arranged for each target device in the details column of the color adjustment result display area 1001. When the details button 1001a is pressed, the display control unit 209 selects the row of the corresponding target device and displays details of the judgment result in the details display area 1002. Examples of the status include "Preparing" when a comment such as a question to the service provider regarding the NG result of the device color adjustment judgment is being prepared; "Requesting" when a request for assistance has been made via the assistance request screen 1200 described below; and "Confirming Response" when a response to the assistance request has been received from the service provider and the response can be confirmed.

[0131] As described above, the details display area 1002 is an area for displaying details of the determination results of device color adjustment for the target device for which the details button 1001a has been pressed.

[0132] The OK button 1011 is a button for closing the device color adjustment result screen 1000. The assistance request button 1012 is a button for displaying an assistance request screen 1200 shown in Fig. 13 for requesting assistance for a target device that has been judged NG among the judgment results of each target device displayed in the color adjustment result display area 1001.

[0133] The read button 1021 is a button for causing the image reading device 30 to reread, for example, the color chart corresponding to the target device that is in a selected state in the color adjustment result display area 1001 .

[0134] 12 via the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20, the printing service provider, as the user, performs a display operation for a job color adjustment result screen 1100 as shown in FIG. 12 , and the display control unit 209 then transmits a display request for the job color adjustment result screen 1100 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information for the job color adjustment result screen 1100 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the job color adjustment result screen 1100 to the color adjustment system 20, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 209 then causes the display 808 to display the job color adjustment result screen 1100.

[0135] The job color adjustment result screen 1100 is a screen that displays the history of judgment results in job color adjustment performed by the color adjustment system 20. As shown in FIG. 12 , the job color adjustment result screen 1100 includes a color adjustment result display area 1101, a details display area 1102, an OK button 1111, an assistance request button 1112, and a load button 1121.

[0136] The color adjustment result display area 1101 is an area that displays the judgment result of job color adjustment for each target job (job of original data). In the example shown in FIG. 12, the color adjustment result display area 1101 displays the target job (job of original data), paper name, judgment result, pre-adjustment ΔE, post-adjustment ΔE, and status in association with each other. Furthermore, a details button 1101a is arranged for each target job in the details column of the color adjustment result display area 1101. When the details button 1101a is pressed, the display control unit 209 selects the row of the corresponding target job and displays details of the judgment result in the details display area 1102. The status may be, for example, "Preparing" when a comment such as a question to the service provider regarding the NG result of the job color adjustment judgment is being prepared; "Requesting" when a request for assistance has been made via an assistance request screen 1200 (described later); or "Confirming Response" when a response to the assistance request has been received from the service provider and the response can be confirmed.

[0137] As described above, the details display area 1102 is an area for displaying details of the determination results of job color adjustment for the target job for which the details button 1101a has been pressed.

[0138] The OK button 1111 is a button for closing the job color adjustment result screen 1100. The assistance request button 1112 is a button for displaying an assistance request screen 1200 shown in Fig. 13 for requesting assistance for a target job that has been judged NG among the judgment results of each target job displayed in the color adjustment result display area 1101.

[0139] The read button 1121 is a button for causing the image reading device 30 to reread, for example, a print sample or a reproduced image printout corresponding to the target job that is selected in the color adjustment result display area 1101 .

[0140] When the printing service provider, who is the user, presses the assistance request button 1012 on the device color adjustment result screen 1000 or the assistance request button 1112 on the job color adjustment result screen 1100 via the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20, the display control unit 209 sends a display request for an assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 sends screen information for the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. Furthermore, the information sending unit 404 sends adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20, along with the screen information sent by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 209 then causes the assistance request screen 1200 to be displayed on the display 808.

[0141] The assistance request screen 1200 is a screen for requesting assistance from the color adjustment assistance system 40 for a target device and target job that have been judged NG in device color adjustment and job color adjustment. As shown in FIG. 13 , the assistance request screen 1200 includes a job color adjustment result display area 1201, a device color adjustment result display area 1202, a comment input area 1211, a file attachment button 1212, an attachment file display area 1213, a history display area 1221, and a send button 1231.

[0142] The job color adjustment result display area 1201 is an area that displays the result of the job color adjustment judgment NG for each target job (job of original data). In the example shown in Fig. 13, the job color adjustment result display area 1201 displays the target job (job of original data), paper name, judgment result, before-adjustment ΔE, after-adjustment ΔE, and status in association with each other. In the job color adjustment result display area 1201, the desired target job can be selected.

[0143] The device color adjustment result display area 1202 is an area that displays the result of the device color adjustment judgment for each target device (image forming apparatus 10). In the example shown in Fig. 13, the device color adjustment result display area 1202 displays the target device (image forming apparatus 10), paper name, judgment result, average ΔE, maximum ΔE, and status in association with each other. In the device color adjustment result display area 1202, the desired target device can be selected.

[0144] In this way, by checking the display contents of the job color adjustment result display area 1201 and the device color adjustment result display area 1202, it is possible to grasp a list of target jobs and target devices that have been judged as NG for color adjustment, and furthermore, it is possible to check the progress of two-way communication with the service provider regarding each NG judgment as a status.

[0145] The comment input area 1211 is an area for inputting comments such as questions to be conveyed to the service provider by the user when requesting assistance from the color adjustment assistance system 40 for the target job or target device selected in the job color adjustment result display area 1201 or the device color adjustment result display area 1202. For example, when a comment is input in the comment input area 1211, the status of the selected target job or target device may be switched to "under creation."

[0146] The file attachment button 1212 is a button for selecting an attachment file to be sent when requesting assistance from the color adjustment assistance system 40 for the target job or target device selected in the job color adjustment result display area 1201 or the device color adjustment result display area 1202. Examples of attachment files include profile data generated by the color adjustment system 20, original data to be subjected to job color adjustment, or data on a color chart used in device color adjustment or scanned data thereof.

[0147] The attachment file display area 1213 is an area for displaying the file name of the attachment file selected by operating the file attachment button 1212 .

[0148] History display area 1221 is an area that displays the user's comments that were entered in comment input area 1211 and sent as assistance requests to color adjustment assistance system 40, as well as the history (i.e., support history) of responses (guidance, comments, etc.) to the assistance requests that were received from the service provider via color adjustment assistance system 40. By checking the history displayed in history display area 1221, the user can understand the history of two-way communication with the service provider to date, and can easily solve color adjustment problems.

[0149] The send button 1231 is a button for sending the comment entered in the comment input area 1211 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 1212, along with a request for assistance, to the color adjustment assistance system 40. When the send button 1231 is pressed, the color adjustment information sending unit 207 sends the comment entered in the comment input area 1211 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 1212, along with the request for assistance, as adjustment-related information to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. In other words, the above-mentioned two-way communication not only allows for the sending of comments but also the sending of attached files prepared by the user (such as a profile, manuscript data, and scanned data of a color chart), making it easier to solve color adjustment problems. In addition, the color adjustment information sending unit 207 may also send to the color adjustment assistance system 40, along with this information, information about the image forming device 10 that is the target of the color adjustment (target device information) and the history of color adjustment by the color adjustment system 20 for the image forming device 10 as adjustment-related information.

[0150] (About the screen displayed by the service provider) FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (adjustment result tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (analysis tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (log tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a device color adjustment assistance screen (assist tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment assistance screen (adjustment result tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example when the assist tab is pressed on the job color adjustment assistance screen displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a job color adjustment assistance screen (assist tab) displayed on the service provider side. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of an assistance request screen when a response is received from the service provider side. Screens displayed on the service provider side (service provider terminal 60) in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 20. Also, with reference to FIG. 21, the operation of displaying the reply given at the service provider terminal 60 on the screen of the printing company will be described.

[0151] 14 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 transmits a display request for the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 601. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information for the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 to the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 to the service provider terminal 60, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 603 then causes the display 808 to display the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 reflecting the adjustment information and device-related information. This allows the service provider to immediately use the information as reference when receiving a request for assistance to solve color adjustment problems.

[0152] The device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 displays the history of judgment results of device color adjustment performed by the color adjustment system 20, the operating status of the target device, and comments related to assistance requests from the color adjustment system 20, and is a screen for the service provider to input a response that they deem appropriate in response to the assistance request. In other words, the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 displays information for assisting in solving problems related to device color adjustment. As shown in FIG. 14 , the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 includes a device selection area 2001, a color chart selection area 2011, a color adjustment history display area 2012, an operation history display area 2013, an adjustment result tab 2020, an analysis tab 2030, a log tab 2040, and an assist tab 2050. The device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in FIG. 14 shows a state in which the adjustment result tab 2020 is selected.

[0153] The device selection area 2001 displays a list of target devices and is an area for selecting a target device for displaying information based on adjustment-related information and device-related information in the color adjustment history display area 2012, operation history display area 2013, adjustment result tab 2020, analysis tab 2030, log tab 2040, and assist tab 2050.

[0154] The color chart selection area 2011 is an area for selecting a color chart corresponding to the history of device color adjustment to be displayed in the color adjustment history display area 2012. The color adjustment history display area 2012 is an area for displaying the history of device color adjustment included in the adjustment-related information transmitted by the information transmission unit 404, and corresponding to the color chart selected in the color chart selection area 2011. In the color adjustment history display area 2012 shown in Fig. 14, a time-series graph of the color difference ΔE (average ΔE or maximum ΔE) is displayed as the history of device color adjustment. In addition, the desired color difference ΔE can be selected from the graph displayed in the color adjustment history display area 2012, and the selected color difference ΔE is displayed as a selected object 2012a.

[0155] The operation history display area 2013 is an area that displays the operation status ("device operation history") that is included in the device-related information transmitted by the information transmission unit 404 and corresponds to the target device selected in the device selection area 2001.

[0156] The adjustment result tab 2020 is a tab for displaying details of the device color adjustment results corresponding to the color difference ΔE selected by the selected object 2012a. The screen area displayed by selecting the adjustment result tab 2020 includes a color adjustment result display area 2021 and a print setting display area 2022. The color adjustment result display area 2021 includes a color chart display area 2021a, a file button 2021b, and a detailed data button 2021c.

[0157] The color chart display area 2021a is an area that displays an image of the scanned data of the color chart used for device color adjustment. The file button 2021b is a button for opening the output profile generated by device color adjustment. The detailed data button 2021c is a button for displaying detailed data related to device color adjustment.

[0158] The print setting display area 2022 is an area that displays print setting information when printing the color chart used in the device color adjustment corresponding to the color difference ΔE selected by the selected object 2012a.

[0159] The analysis tab 2030 is a tab for displaying analysis results and the like for device color adjustment for the target device selected in the device selection area 2001. The log tab 2040 is a tab for displaying various logs for the target device selected in the device selection area 2001. The assist tab 2050 is a tab for displaying an area in which a service provider can input a response to a request for assistance for the target device selected in the device selection area 2001.

[0160] When the service provider selects the analysis tab 2030 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 causes the display 808 to display a device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 15. That is, the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 15 shows a state in which the analysis tab 2030 is selected.

[0161] The screen area displayed by selecting the analysis tab 2030 includes a start date input area 2031, an end date input area 2032, an execute button 2033, an analysis result display area 2034, a proposed answer display area 2035, and a create answer button 2036.

[0162] The start date input area 2031 is an area for inputting the start date of a period to be analyzed by the analysis unit 405 in the device color adjustment graph displayed in the color adjustment history display area 2012. The end date input area 2032 is an area for inputting the end date of a period to be analyzed by the analysis unit 405 in the device color adjustment graph displayed in the color adjustment history display area 2012. Note that the period to be analyzed by the analysis unit 405 is specified by inputting dates in the start date input area 2031 and the end date input area 2032. However, as shown in FIG. 15 , the period to be analyzed can also be specified by selecting a selection area 2012b in the graph displayed in the color adjustment history display area 2012 by dragging the selection area 2012b using the input unit 602. The display control unit 603 may also generate a bitmapped image file of the graph in the color adjustment result display area 2021 specified in the selection area 2012b and store the file in the service provider terminal 60 or the color adjustment assistance system 40 (storage unit 408).

[0163] The execute button 2033 is a button for requesting an analysis from the color adjustment assistance system 40 using the history information of device color adjustment corresponding to the period specified in the start date input area 2031 and the end date input area 2032 (or the period specified in the selection area 2012b). When the execute button 2033 is pressed and the history information for that period is sent to the color adjustment assistance system 40 along with the analysis request, the analysis unit 405 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 analyzes problems with the device color adjustment using the history information, automatically generates comments indicating the analysis results, and displays them in the analysis result display area 2034. The analysis unit 405 also automatically generates comments indicating proposed answers to the user (printing service provider), and displays them in the proposed answer display area 2035.

[0164] The answer creation button 2036 is a button for transcribing a comment indicating the proposed answer displayed in the proposed answer display area 2035 to a comment input area 2051 of the assist tab 2050 shown in Fig. 17, which will be described later. This allows the service provider to easily create a comment by editing the transcribed comment in the comment input area 2051, which will be displayed by selecting the assist tab 2050 and will be described later, without having to create a comment for the answer from scratch.

[0165] When the service provider selects the log tab 2040 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 causes the display 808 to display a device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 16. That is, the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 16 shows a state in which the log tab 2040 is selected.

[0166] The screen area displayed by selecting the log tab 2040 includes a write button 2041 , a log display area 2042 , and a detailed log button 2043 .

[0167] The write button 2041 is a button for writing to a file the log of the target device displayed in the log display area 2042. The log display area 2042 is an area for displaying a log based on device-related information (operating status, error history) and adjustment-related information (device color adjustment history, operation history) transmitted by the information transmission unit 404. The detailed log button 2043 is a button for displaying details of the log.

[0168] When the service provider selects the assist tab 2050 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 causes the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 17 to be displayed on the display 808. That is, the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 shown in Fig. 17 shows a state in which the assist tab 2050 is selected.

[0169] The screen area displayed by selecting the assist tab 2050 includes a comment input area 2051 , a file attachment button 2052 , an attachment file display area 2053 , a history display area 2054 , and a send button 2055 .

[0170] The comment input area 2051 is an area where the service provider inputs a comment indicating a solution to a NG judgment of device color adjustment for the target device selected in the device selection area 2001, as well as guidance, through operation input by the service provider using the input unit 602, as a response to a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20. For example, the comment may be a comment encouraging device color adjustment if there is a problem with the maintenance status of the image forming apparatus 10, or a comment indicating how to create a profile if there is a problem with the profile. Also, as described above, by pressing the answer creation button 2036, the comment indicating the proposed answer displayed in the proposed answer display area 2035 is transcribed into the comment input area 2051. In this case, the service provider can also modify or add to the comment in the comment input area 2051 through operation input by the input unit 602.

[0171] The file attachment button 2052 is a button for selecting an attachment such as a profile created by a service provider as a response to a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20. In other words, if there is a problem with the profile, the service provider can create an appropriate profile or the like and respond as an attachment. Note that a bitmap file generated by selection in the above-described selection area 2012b may also be selected as an attachment by operating the file attachment button 2052. This allows the service provider to use the bitmap file to specifically indicate to the user information that is the cause of the color adjustment problem, making it easier to resolve the color adjustment problem.

[0172] The attachment file display area 2053 is an area for displaying the file name of the attachment file selected by operating the file attachment button 2052 .

[0173] The history display area 2054 is an area that displays the history of comments from the service provider that were entered in the comment input area 2051 and sent to the color adjustment system 20 as a response to the assistance request, and the history of comments (questions, etc.) received from the printing company as part of the assistance request via the color adjustment system 20. By checking the history displayed in the history display area 2054, the service provider can understand the history of two-way communication with the printing company to date, and can easily provide an appropriate response to resolve color adjustment problems.

[0174] The send button 2055 is a button for transmitting the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2051 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 2052 as a response to the assistance request to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the color adjustment assistance system 40. When the send button 2055 is pressed, the communication unit 601 transmits the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2051 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 2052 as a response to the assistance request to the color adjustment assistance system 40, and the response acquisition unit 406 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires the comment and attached file. In other words, the above-mentioned two-way communication not only allows for the transmission of comments but also the transmission of attached files (profiles, manuscript data, etc.) prepared and adjusted on the service provider side, making it easier to resolve color adjustment problems. Then, the information notification unit 407 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the answer acquired by the answer acquisition unit 406 via the communication unit 401 .

[0175] 18 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 transmits a display request for the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 601. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information for the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 603 then causes the display 808 to display the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 reflecting the adjustment information and device-related information. This allows the service provider to immediately use the information as reference when receiving a request for assistance to solve color adjustment problems.

[0176] The job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 displays a history of judgment results of job color adjustment performed by the color adjustment system 20, comments related to assistance requests from the color adjustment system 20, and the like, and is a screen for the service provider to input a response that they deem appropriate in response to the assistance request. In other words, the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 is a screen that displays information for assisting in solving problems related to job color adjustment. As shown in FIG. 18 , the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 includes a job selection area 2101, an original data display area 2111, a print sample display area 2112, a reproduction screen display area 2113, a pre-color-matching average color difference display area 2113b, a post-color-matching reproduction image display area 2114, an adjustment result tab 2120, an analysis tab 2130, a log tab 2140, and an assist tab 2150. The job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 shown in FIG. 18 shows a state in which the adjustment result tab 2120 is selected.

[0177] The job selection area 2101 displays a list of target jobs and is an area for selecting a target job for which information based on adjustment-related information and device-related information is to be displayed in the manuscript data display area 2111, print sample display area 2112, reproduction screen display area 2113, average color difference before color matching display area 2113b, reproduction image display area after color matching 2114, adjustment result tab 2120, analysis tab 2130, log tab 2140, and assist tab 2150.

[0178] The manuscript data display area 2111 is an area for displaying an image of the manuscript data of the target job selected in the job selection area 2101, and includes an open button 2111a. The open button 2111a is a button for opening the manuscript data.

[0179] The print sample display area 2112 is an area that displays an image of a print sample based on the scanned data of the print sample corresponding to the target job selected in the job selection area 2101, and includes an open button 2112a. The open button 2112a is a button for opening the scanned data of the print sample.

[0180] The reproduction screen display area 2113 is an area that displays a reproduction image based on the scanned data of a reproduction image printout corresponding to the target job selected in the job selection area 2101, and includes an open button 2113a. The open button 2113a is a button for opening the scanned data of the reproduction image printout.

[0181] The pre-color-matching average color difference display area 2113 b is an area that displays the pre-adjustment ΔE for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101 .

[0182] The post-color-matching reproduction image display area 2114 is an area that displays an image (post-color-matching reproduction image) after color matching has been performed on the reproduction image displayed in the reproduction screen display area 2113 for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101, and includes a post-color-matching average color difference display area 2114a. The post-color-matching average color difference display area 2114a is an area that displays the adjusted ΔE for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101.

[0183] The adjustment result tab 2120 is a tab for displaying details of the results of job color adjustment corresponding to the target job selected in the job selection area 2101. The screen area displayed by selecting the adjustment result tab 2120 includes a color adjustment result display area 2121 and a print setting display area 2122. The color adjustment result display area 2121 includes a color difference map button 2121a, a detailed data button 2121b, and a file button 2121c.

[0184] The color difference map button 2121a is a button for displaying a color difference map generated by job color adjustment corresponding to the target job selected in the job selection area 2101. The detailed data button 2121b is a button for displaying detailed data related to the job color adjustment. The file button 2121c is a button for opening an input profile generated by the job color adjustment.

[0185] The print setting display area 2122 is an area for displaying print setting information when the document data of the target job selected in the job selection area 2101 is printed.

[0186] The analysis tab 2130 is a tab for displaying analysis results and the like for job color adjustment for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101. The log tab 2140 is a tab for displaying various logs for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101. The assist tab 2150 is a tab for displaying an area where a service provider can input a response to a request for assistance for the target job selected in the job selection area 2101.

[0187] When the service provider selects and operates the assist tab 2150 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 causes the display 808 to display a job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 shown in Fig. 19. That is, the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 shown in Fig. 19 shows a state in which the assist tab 2150 is selected. Furthermore, when the assist tab 2150 is selected, the display control unit 603 automatically displays a solution candidate dialog box 2160 on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, as shown in Fig. 19.

[0188] The solution candidate dialog box 2160 is a screen that displays candidate solutions to problems related to job color adjustment of the target job selected in the job selection area 2101. As shown in Fig. 19 , the solution candidate dialog box 2160 includes a solution candidate display area 2161, an OK button 2162, and a cancel button 2163.

[0189] As described above, the solution candidate display area 2161 is an area that displays solution candidate options searched for by the learning model of the similar job search system 92 in response to a search request from the search request unit 411 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 to the similar job search system 92. The solution candidate display area 216 displays the solution candidate options in association with the date, the cause of the job color adjustment problem in the similar job, and the response results. By pressing a solution candidate option displayed in the solution candidate display area 2161, one or more solution candidate options can be selected.

[0190] The OK button 2162 is a button for displaying a comment indicating the solution corresponding to the solution candidate selected in the solution candidate display area 2161. When the OK button 2162 is pressed, the analysis unit 405 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 automatically generates a comment indicating the solution corresponding to the solution candidate selected in the solution candidate display area 2161, and the display control unit 603 displays the comment in a comment input area 2151, which will be described later. In this case, the display control unit 603 hides the solution candidate dialog box 2160.

[0191] The cancel button 2163 is a button for hiding the solution candidate dialog box 2160 without causing the analysis unit 405 to automatically generate a comment.

[0192] The job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 shown in Fig. 20 shows the state after the OK button 2162 is pressed in the solution candidate dialog box 2160 shown in Fig. 19. The screen area displayed by selecting the assist tab 2150 includes a comment input area 2151, a file attachment button 2152, an attachment file display area 2153, a history display area 2154, a send button 2155, and a similar case display button 2156.

[0193] The comment input area 2151 is an area where the service provider inputs a comment indicating a solution and guidance for the job color adjustment judgment NG of the target job selected in the job selection area 2101 through operation input by the input unit 602 as a response to a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20. For example, the comment may be a comment indicating how to create a profile if there is a problem, or a comment providing guidance on how to adjust the manuscript data or print settings if there is a problem with the manuscript data. As described above, the comment input area 2151 automatically displays a comment indicating the solution corresponding to the solution candidate selected in the solution candidate dialog box 2160. In this case, the service provider can also modify or add to the comment in the comment input area 2151 through operation input by the input unit 602.

[0194] The file attachment button 2152 is a button for selecting an attachment file such as a profile created by a service provider or manuscript data adjusted by the service provider as a response to a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20. In other words, if there is a problem with the profile or manuscript data, the service provider can create an appropriate profile or adjust the manuscript data and respond as an attachment file.

[0195] The attached file display area 2153 is an area for displaying the file name of the attached file selected by operating the file attachment button 2152 .

[0196] The history display area 2154 is an area that displays the history of comments from the service provider that were entered in the comment input area 2151 and sent to the color adjustment system 20 as a response to the assistance request, and the history of comments (questions, etc.) received from the printing company as part of the assistance request via the color adjustment system 20. By checking the history displayed in the history display area 2154, the service provider can understand the history of two-way communication with the printing company to date, and can easily provide an appropriate response to resolve color adjustment problems.

[0197] The similar case display button 2156 is a button for displaying the solution candidate dialog box 2160 shown in Fig. 19. When the similar case display button 2156 is pressed, the display control unit 603 displays the solution candidate dialog box 2160.

[0198] The send button 2155 is a button for transmitting the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2151 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 2152 as a response to the assistance request to the color adjustment system 20 via the color adjustment assistance system 40. When the send button 2155 is pressed, the communication unit 601 transmits the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2151 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 2152 as a response to the assistance request to the color adjustment assistance system 40, and the response acquisition unit 406 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires the comment and the attached file. The information notification unit 407 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 then notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the response acquired by the response acquisition unit 406 via the communication unit 401. 21 , the response content notified by the information notification unit 407 is displayed as a history on an assistance request screen 1200 displayed on the color adjustment system 20. Furthermore, the information notification unit 407 stores the solution indicated by the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2151 acquired by the response acquisition unit 406 in association with the job corresponding to the solution in the database 93. Note that the solution indicated by the service provider's comment displayed in the comment input area 2151 may be a candidate solution selected in the solution candidate display area 2161.

[0199] 21 shows an example of an assistance request screen 1200 in which a response to a request for assistance regarding the target job "BookCover-102" has been notified from the color adjustment assistance system 40. As a result, the status corresponding to the target job "BookCover-102" in the job color adjustment result display area 1201 is updated to "Response being confirmed," and an attachment display area 1222, a download button 1223, an additional question button 1232, a complete button 1233, and a withdraw button 1234 are displayed on the assistance request screen 1200.

[0200] Specifically, the display control unit 209 adds the comment of the service provider included in the response notified by the information notification unit 407 to the history in the history display area 1221. The display control unit 209 also displays the file name of the attachment file of the service provider included in the response notified by the information notification unit 407 in the attachment display area 1222. The user (printing company) can also download the attachment file with the file name displayed in the attachment display area 1222 by pressing the download button 1223.

[0201] Additional question button 1232 is a button for sending to color adjustment assistance system 40 an additional question, along with a comment entered by the user in comment input area 1211 in response to the answer notified from information notification unit 407, and an attachment file attached by operating file attachment button 1212. This enables the user to send a further response to the answer from the service provider, realizing repeated two-way communication between the user and the service provider and making it easier to solve problems related to color adjustment.

[0202] The Complete button 1233 is a button to be pressed when the user (printing company) determines that the problem regarding color adjustment has been resolved based on the response from the service provider notified by the information notification unit 407. When the Complete button 1233 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target job or target device to "Complete."

[0203] The Withdraw button 1234 is a button to be pressed when the user (printing company) determines that the problem regarding color adjustment cannot be resolved based on the response from the service provider notified by the information notification unit 407. When the Withdraw button 1234 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target job or target device to "Withdrawn" (unresolved).

[0204] In addition, when the analysis tab 2130 and the log tab 2140 are selected on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 described above, the same information as when the analysis tab 2030 and the log tab 2040 on the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 described above are selected is displayed.

[0205] (Overall operation flow of the information processing system) Fig. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall operation flow of the information processing system according to the embodiment. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of assist processing of the information processing system according to the embodiment. The overall operation flow of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 22 and 23.

[0206] <Step S11> A user (printing company) performs device color adjustment or job color adjustment via the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20.

[0207] <Step S12> The color information acquisition unit 203 of the color adjustment system 20 acquires, via the communication unit 201, read data consisting of colorimetric values ​​(such as Lab values) obtained by a reading process by the image reading device 30 for the reproduced image printout and color chart CC printed out by the image forming device 10 in device color adjustment, or for the print sample in job color adjustment, from the image reading device 30. In job color adjustment, the calculation unit 204 of the color adjustment system 20 calculates the color difference between the image of the print sample and the reproduced image before and after color matching. For example, the calculation unit 204 calculates the color difference for each pixel value of a pixel in the printed image relative to the pixel values ​​of corresponding pixels in the reproduced image before and after color matching. The calculation unit 204 also calculates the average value of these color differences (the value corresponding to before color matching may be referred to as pre-adjustment ΔE, and the value corresponding to after color matching may be referred to as post-adjustment ΔE). In device color adjustment, the calculation unit 204 calculates the average color difference (average ΔE) and maximum color difference (maximum ΔE) between patches from the scanned data of the color chart CC. The determination results for these color differences are then stored in the storage unit 210 as a color adjustment history. In job color adjustment, the color adjustment unit 205 of the color adjustment system 20 generates an input profile by adjusting the color of the reproduced image to match the color of the print sample image. In device color adjustment, the color values ​​of each patch of the color chart CC are known, so the color adjustment unit 205 creates an output profile by performing color adjustment processing using a known technique such that the colorimetric values ​​of each patch corresponding to the color adjustment patch CP reproduce those color values.

[0208] <Step S13> The profile transmission unit 206 of the color adjustment system 20 transmits the profile generated by the color adjustment unit 205 to the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 201 .

[0209] <Step S14> The print control unit 103 of the image forming apparatus 10 applies the profile transmitted by the profile transmission unit 206 .

[0210] <Step S15> The device information transmission unit 105 of the image forming apparatus 10 periodically collects device-related information about the image forming apparatus 10 and transmits the information to the device management system 50 via the communication unit 101. Then, the information collection unit 502 of the device management system 50 collects (acquires) the device-related information from the image forming apparatus 10 via the communication unit 501. The information collection unit 502 stores the collected device-related information in the storage unit 504.

[0211] <Step S16> The color adjustment information sending unit 207 of the color adjustment system 20 collects adjustment-related information related to job color adjustment and device color adjustment for the image forming apparatus 10 and sends it to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. The information acquiring unit 403 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires the adjustment-related information from the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. The information acquiring unit 403 stores the acquired adjustment-related information in the storage unit 408.

[0212] <Step S17> The printing company, which is the user, performs a display operation on the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000) via the input unit 208 of the color adjustment system 20.

[0213] <Step S18> The display control unit 209 of the color adjustment system 20 transmits a display request (color adjustment result screen request) for the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000) to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201.

[0214] <Step S19> In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information of the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000) to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. In addition, together with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000) to the color adjustment system 20.

[0215] <Step S20> Then, the display control unit 209 causes the display 808 to display the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000).

[0216] <Step S21> If the user requests assistance regarding the color adjustment results that are displayed on the job color adjustment result screen 1100 (or the device color adjustment result screen 1000) and have been judged as NG, the user presses the assistance request button 1112 (or the assistance request button 1012).

[0217] <Step S22> Then, the display control unit 209 transmits a display request for the assistance request screen 1200 (assistance request screen request) to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201.

[0218] <Step S23> In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information of the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402.

[0219] <Step S24> Then, the display control unit 209 causes the display 808 to display the assistance request screen 1200 .

[0220] <Step S25> The user selects a target job or target device for which assistance is requested in the job color adjustment result display area 1201 or device color adjustment result display area 1202 of the assistance request screen 1200. Then, the user inputs a comment, such as a question or request for resolving the color adjustment problem that was judged NG for the selected target job or target device, into the comment input area 1211. If necessary, the user selects an attachment file by operating the file attachment button 1212. Then, the user presses the send button 1231.

[0221] <Step S26> When the user presses the send button 1231, the color adjustment information sending unit 207 sends the comment entered in the comment input area 1211 and the file attached by operating the file attachment button 1212, along with the request for assistance, as adjustment-related information to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. Note that the color adjustment information sending unit 207 may also send, together with this information, information about the image forming apparatus 10 that is the target of the color adjustment (target device information) and the history of color adjustment by the color adjustment system 20 for the image forming apparatus 10, as adjustment-related information to the color adjustment assistance system 40.

[0222] <Step S27> When the communication unit 401 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 receives a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20, the search information acquisition unit 409 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires job information and support history from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. The search information acquisition unit 409 also acquires manuscript data and read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP from the adjustment-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403.

[0223] <Step S28> The image analysis request unit 410 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits an image analysis request to the image analysis system 91 together with the manuscript data acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, and the read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP.

[0224] <Step S29> When the image analysis unit 912 of the image analysis system 91 receives an image analysis request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911, it performs image analysis on the original data received along with the image analysis request, as well as the read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP.

[0225] <Step S30> The image analysis unit 912 transmits image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911.

[0226] <Steps S31 and S32> Then, the image analysis request unit 410 receives image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis from the image analysis system 91. Furthermore, the image analysis request unit 410 stores the job information, support history, manuscript data, read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, and the image analysis information received from the image analysis system 91 in the database 93 in association with each job, as shown in FIG.

[0227] <Step S33> The search request unit 411 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 sends a search request for similar cases with respect to the job color adjustment problem to the similar case search system 92, together with the job information and support history acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, and the image analysis information received by the image analysis request unit 410.

[0228] <Steps S34 and S35> When the search unit 923 of the similar job search system 92 receives a search request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921, it uses the job information, support history, and image analysis information received along with the search request to search for jobs similar to the job color adjustment problem using a learning model stored in the storage unit 924. Specifically, the search unit 923 extracts phenomena from the received support history, inputs the received job information and image analysis information, as well as the extracted phenomena, into the learning model as input data, and obtains candidate solutions to the job color adjustment problem output from the learning model. Note that the search unit 923 is not limited to receiving the job information, support history, and image analysis information along with the search request from the color adjustment assistance system 40. It may also refer to information stored in the database 93 from the color adjustment assistance system 40 to acquire the job information, support history, and image analysis information.

[0229] <Step S36> Then, the search unit 923 transmits the search results, including the candidate solutions obtained from the learning model, to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921.

[0230] <Step S37> The communication unit 401 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 notifies the service provider terminal 60 of the request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20. In this case, the communication unit 401 may notify the service provider terminal 60 or an information terminal or the like owned by the service provider by email.

[0231] <Step S38> The service provider performs a display operation on either the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 or the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, depending on whether the assistance request notified to the service provider terminal 60 is for device color adjustment or job color adjustment. Here, the description will be given assuming that the assistance request is for job color adjustment. When the service provider performs a display operation on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 as shown in FIG. 18 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 transmits a display request for the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 601.

[0232] <Step S39> In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information of the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. Furthermore, the information transmission unit 404 transmits the search results, including candidate solutions, received by the communication unit 401 from the similar job search system 92 to the service provider terminal 60. Then, the display control unit 603 causes the display 808 to display the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100.

[0233] <Step S40> The service provider checks information related to adjustment-related information and device-related information by selecting at least one of the adjustment result tab 2120, analysis tab 2130, log tab 2140, and assist tab 2150 on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100. For example, when the service provider selects the assist tab 2150, the display control unit 603 displays the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 on the display 808 and automatically displays a solution candidate dialog box 2160 on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, as shown in FIG. 19 . The display of this solution candidate dialog box 2160 presents solution candidate options searched for by the similar job search system 92. The service provider selects one or more solution candidate options by pressing one of the solution candidate options displayed in the solution candidate display area 2161. When the service provider presses the OK button 2162, the analysis unit 405 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 automatically generates a comment indicating the solution corresponding to the candidate solution selected in the solution candidate display area 2161, and the display control unit 603 displays (transcribes) the comment in the comment input area 2151. The display control unit 603 then hides the solution candidate dialog box 2160. In this case, the service provider can modify or add to the comment in the comment input area 2151 by operating the input unit 602. Furthermore, the service provider can operate the file attachment button 2152, as necessary, to select an attachment file such as a profile created by the service provider as a response to the assistance request.

[0234] <Step S41> Then, when the service provider presses send button 2155, communication unit 601 transmits, as a response to the assistance request, the service provider's comment displayed in comment input area 2151 (i.e., the service provider's response to the assistance request based on the solution candidates displayed in solution candidate display area 2161) and the attached file attached by operating file attachment button 2152 to color adjustment assistance system 40. Then, response acquisition unit 406 of color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires the comment and attached file.

[0235] <Step S42> Then, the information notification unit 407 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the answer (comment and attached file) acquired by the answer acquisition unit 406 via the communication unit 401.

[0236] <Step S43> In addition, the response acquisition unit 406 stores the support history acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409 in association with the corresponding job in the database 93, including the comments (solutions) acquired as responses to the assistance request.

[0237] <Step S44> The information notification unit 407 may also notify the user by email to an information terminal or the like owned by the user.

[0238] <Step S45> The user confirms that the status of the color adjustment results that have been judged as NG and are displayed on the job color adjustment result screen 1100 has changed to “answer confirmation in progress” due to the notification, and presses the assistance request button 1112.

[0239] <Step S46> Then, the display control unit 209 transmits a display request for the assistance request screen 1200 (assistance request screen request) to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201.

[0240] <Step S47> In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 transmits screen information of the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20, together with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402.

[0241] <Step S48> The display control unit 209 then displays an assistance request screen 1200 on the display 808. In this case, the display control unit 209 reflects the answer comment notified by the information notification unit 407 in the history display area 1221 and reflects the answer attachment in the attachment display area 1222. The user (printing company) can download the attachment with the file name displayed in the attachment display area 1222 by pressing a download button 1223. This allows the user (printing company) to check the comment on the solution displayed in the history display area 1221 and address the problem related to job color adjustment in accordance with the solution. The user can also enter an additional question in the comment input area 1211 or attach a new attachment by operating the file attachment button 1212, as necessary, and then send the comment and attachment along with the additional question to the color adjustment assistance system 40 by pressing the additional question button 1232.

[0242] <Step S49> If the user (printing company) determines that the color adjustment problem has been resolved based on the service provider's response notified by the information notification unit 407, the user presses the Complete button 1233. When the Complete button 1233 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target device to "Complete." On the other hand, if the user (printing company) determines that the color adjustment problem has not been resolved based on the service provider's response notified by the information notification unit 407, the user presses the Withdraw button 1234. When the Withdraw button 1234 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target job or target device to "Withdrawn" (unresolved).

[0243] <Step S50> As a result, the display control unit 209 transmits a completion notification (problem solved or problem unsolved) to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201.

[0244] <Step S51> The communication unit 401 stores the response result (problem solved or problem unsolved) indicated in the received completion notification in association with the corresponding job in the database 93. The information stored in the database 93 is used for re-learning the learning model by the learning unit 922. This makes it possible to realize highly accurate inference of candidate countermeasures using the learning model.

[0245] <Step S52> The communication unit 401 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transfers the completion notification to the service provider terminal 60.

[0246] The overall operation of the information processing system 1 is performed according to an example of the flow indicated by the above steps S11 to S52. Details of the operation (assist processing) from steps S26 to S52 will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0247] <Step S101> When the user presses the send button 1231 on the assistance request screen 1200, the color adjustment information sending unit 207 of the color adjustment system 20 sends the assistance request, along with the comment (inquiry) entered in the comment input area 1211 and the file attached by operating the file attachment button 1212, as adjustment-related information, to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. Then, the process proceeds to step S102.

[0248] <Step S102> When the communication unit 401 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 receives a request for assistance from the color adjustment system 20, the search information acquisition unit 409 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 acquires job information and support history from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. The search information acquisition unit 409 also acquires manuscript data and read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image printout RIP from the adjustment-related information acquired by the information acquisition unit 403. Then, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0249] <Step S103> The image analysis request unit 410 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits an image analysis request to the image analysis system 91, along with the manuscript data acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, and the read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image print RIP. Upon receiving the image analysis request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911, the image analysis unit 912 of the image analysis system 91 performs image analysis on the manuscript data received together with the image analysis request, and the read data of the print sample PS and the reproduced image print RIP. The image analysis unit 912 transmits image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 911. The image analysis request unit 410 then receives the image analysis information indicating the results of the image analysis from the image analysis system 91. Furthermore, the image analysis request unit 410 associates the job information, support history, manuscript data, scanned data of the print sample PS and reproduced image printout RIP acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409, and the image analysis information received from the image analysis system 91 with each job and stores them in the database 93. Then, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0250] <Step S104> The search request unit 411 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits a search request for jobs similar to the job color adjustment problem to the similar job search system 92, along with the job information and support history acquired by the search information acquisition unit 409 and the image analysis information received by the image analysis request unit 410. When the search unit 923 of the similar job search system 92 receives a search request from the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921, it uses the job information, support history, and image analysis information received along with the search request to search for jobs similar to the job color adjustment problem using a learning model stored in the storage unit 924. Specifically, the search unit 923 extracts phenomena from the received support history, inputs the received job information and image analysis information, as well as the extracted phenomena, into the learning model as input data, and obtains candidate solutions to the job color adjustment problem output from the learning model. Then, the process proceeds to step S105.

[0251] <Step S105> If a similar case to the job color adjustment problem is found, that is, if a candidate solution is found (step S105: Yes), the process proceeds to step S106, and if no candidate solution is found (step S105: No), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0252] <Step S106> The search unit 923 transmits search results, including candidate solutions obtained from the learning model, to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 921. The communication unit 401 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 notifies the service provider terminal 60 of the assistance request from the color adjustment system 20. The service provider performs a display operation on either the device color adjustment assistance screen 2000 or the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, depending on whether the assistance request notified to the service provider terminal 60 is for device color adjustment or job color adjustment. Here, the description will be given assuming that the assistance request is for job color adjustment. When the service provider performs a display operation on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 as shown in FIG. 18 via the input unit 602 of the service provider terminal 60, the display control unit 603 transmits a display request for the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 601. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 transmits screen information of the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60 via the communication unit 401. In addition, the information transmission unit 404 transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 to the service provider terminal 60, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. Furthermore, the information transmission unit 404 transmits the search results, including candidate solutions, received by the communication unit 401 from the similar job search system 92 to the service provider terminal 60. Then, the display control unit 603 causes the display 808 to display the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100. When the service provider selects the assist tab 2150 on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, the display control unit 603 displays the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 on the display 808, and also automatically displays a solution candidate dialog box 2160 on the job color adjustment assistance screen 2100, as shown in Fig. 19. The display of this solution candidate dialog box 2160 presents solution candidate options searched for by the similar job search system 92. Then, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0253] <Step S107> If the service provider selects a candidate solution from the candidate solution display area 2161 of the candidate solution dialog box 2160 (if the comment is to be automatically transcribed from the selected candidate solution) (step S107: Yes), the process proceeds to step S108. On the other hand, if the service provider does not select a candidate solution from the candidate solution display area 2161 of the candidate solution dialog box 2160 (step S107: No), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0254] <Step S108> The service provider selects one or more candidate solutions by pressing one of the candidate solutions displayed in the candidate solution display area 2161. When the service provider presses the OK button 2162, the analysis unit 405 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 automatically generates a comment indicating the candidate solution corresponding to the candidate solution selected in the candidate solution display area 2161, and the display control unit 603 displays (transcribes) the comment in the comment input area 2151. The display control unit 603 then hides the candidate solution dialog box 2160. The process then proceeds to step S110.

[0255] <Step S109> The service provider manually inputs a comment indicating a method of dealing with the problem into the comment input area 2151 by operating the input unit 602. Then, the process proceeds to step S110.

[0256] <Step S110> When the service provider presses the send button 2155, the communication unit 601 transmits the comment from the service provider displayed in the comment input area 2151 and the attached file attached by operating the file attachment button 2152 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 as a response to the assistance request. The response acquisition unit 406 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 then acquires the comment and attached file. The information notification unit 407 of the color adjustment assistance system 40 then notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the response (comment and attached file) acquired by the response acquisition unit 406 via the communication unit 401. The process then proceeds to step S111.

[0257] <Step S111> The user confirms that the status of the color adjustment results that are displayed on the job color adjustment result screen 1100 and are judged NG has changed to "answer confirmation in progress" due to the notification, and presses the assistance request button 1112. The display control unit 209 then transmits a display request (assistance request screen request) for the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. In response to the display request, the UI unit 402 transmits screen information for the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20 via the communication unit 401. The information transmission unit 404 also transmits adjustment-related information and device-related information used in displaying the assistance request screen 1200 to the color adjustment system 20, along with the transmission of the screen information by the UI unit 402. The display control unit 209 then causes the display 808 to display the assistance request screen 1200. In this case, the display control unit 209 reflects the comment on the answer notified by the information notification unit 407 in the history display area 1221, and reflects the attached file of the answer in the attachment file display area 1222. This allows the user (printing company) to check the comment on the solution displayed in the history display area 1221, and to deal with the problem regarding job color adjustment in accordance with the solution. Then, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0258] <Step S112> If the user (printing company) determines that the color adjustment problem has been solved based on the service provider's response notified by the information notification unit 407, the user presses the Complete button 1233. When the Complete button 1233 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target device to "Complete." On the other hand, if the user (printing company) determines that the color adjustment problem has not been solved based on the service provider's response notified by the information notification unit 407, the user presses the Withdraw button 1234. When the Withdraw button 1234 is pressed, the display control unit 209 updates the status of the corresponding target job or target device to "Withdrawn" (unsolved). As a result, the display control unit 209 transmits a completion notification (problem solved or problem unsolved) to the color adjustment assistance system 40 via the communication unit 201. Then, the process proceeds to step S113.

[0259] <Step S113> If the problem regarding the job color adjustment is resolved (step S113: Yes), the process proceeds to step S114, and if the problem regarding the job color adjustment is not resolved (step S113: No), the process returns to step S101.

[0260] <Step S114> The communication unit 401 stores the response result (problem solved or problem unsolved) indicated in the received completion notification in association with the corresponding job in the database 93. The learning unit 922 then uses the response result stored in association with the job in the database 93 to re-learn the learning model. This makes it possible to realize highly accurate inference of candidate countermeasures using the learning model. Then, the assist process ends.

[0261] As described above, in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 403 acquires job information related to the image forming apparatus 10 and a support history of interactions between the user of the image forming apparatus 10 and the service provider of the service, the color adjustment information transmission unit 207 transmits a request for assistance with a problem related to color adjustment to the color adjustment assistance system 40 in accordance with an operation by the user on the input unit (keyboard 811, mouse 812) of the color adjustment system 20, and the search unit 923 infers candidate methods of dealing with the problem related to color adjustment using at least the job information and the support history. To achieve this, a learning model generated by machine learning is used to obtain candidate solutions to problems related to color adjustment that correspond to the assistance request, and the UI unit 402 displays the candidate solutions obtained by the search unit 923 on a job color adjustment assistance screen 2100 that displays information to assist in solving problems related to color adjustment on a display device (display 808) used by the service provider of the service, and the information notification unit 407 notifies the color adjustment system 20 of the service provider's response to the request based on the candidate solutions displayed by the UI unit 402. This allows even an operator with low expertise to receive a solution to a problem related to color adjustment and quickly solve it.

[0262] In the above embodiment, assistance processing related to color adjustment (job color adjustment and device color adjustment) has been described, but the present invention can also be applied to general image quality adjustment, including color adjustment and adjustment of shading unevenness, etc. In this case, the above-mentioned color adjustment system 20 is an example of the "image quality adjustment system" of the present invention, and the color adjustment assistance system 40 is an example of the "image quality adjustment assistance system" of the present invention.

[0263] In the above-described embodiments, when at least one of the functional units of the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar job search system 92 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like. Also, in the above-described embodiments, the programs executed by the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar job search system 92 may be provided by being recorded in the form of an installable or executable file on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). In the above-described embodiments, the programs executed by the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar job search system 92 may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. In the above-described embodiments, the programs executed by the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar job search system 92 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the programs executed by the image forming apparatus 10, the color adjustment system 20, the color adjustment assistance system 40, the device management system 50, the service provider terminal 60, the image analysis system 91, and the similar case search system 92 are modularly configured to include at least one of the above-described functional units, and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU 701 (CPU 801) reads and executes the programs from the above-described storage devices (e.g., the system memory 702, the auxiliary storage device 708, the auxiliary storage device 805, etc.), thereby loading and generating the above-described functional units onto the main storage device.

[0264] The aspects of the present invention are as follows. <1> An information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a transmission unit that transmits a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system in accordance with an operation on the input unit by the user; a search unit that uses at least the job information and the history information to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request, using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control unit that displays the candidate solutions obtained by the search unit on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the candidate solutions displayed by the display control unit, as a response to the request; It is an information processing system having the above. <2> an analysis unit that automatically generates a comment indicating a solution corresponding to the solution candidate selected by the service provider from the solution candidate displayed by the display control unit, The display control unit displays the comment generated by the analysis unit on the assistance screen. <1> The information processing system is described in <3> The method further includes a database that stores the job information and history information acquired by the acquisition unit in association with each job. <1> or <2> The information processing system is described in <4> The database stores the solution selected by the service provider from the solution candidate displayed by the display control unit in association with the job. <3> The information processing system is described in <5> the database stores a response result indicating whether the problem related to the image quality adjustment has been solved on the user side by the response, in association with the job; The information stored in the database is used to retrain the learning model. <4> The information processing system is described in <6> the acquiring unit acquires image-related data relating to the image quality adjustment for the image forming device, further comprising an image analysis unit that performs image analysis related to image quality adjustment based on the image-related data acquired by the acquisition unit; The search unit obtains candidates for the countermeasures using the learning model by using the job information, the history information, and the image analysis result by the image analysis unit. <3> ~ <5> 1 is an information processing system according to any one of the preceding claims. <7> The database stores the result of the image analysis by the image analysis unit in association with the job. <6> The information processing system is described in <8> a detection unit that detects that a problem has occurred with the image quality adjustment when a predetermined condition is satisfied, The transmitting unit further transmits the request for assistance to the image quality adjustment assistance system when the detecting unit detects that a problem related to the image quality adjustment has occurred. <1> ~ <7> 1 is an information processing system according to any one of the preceding claims. <9> An information processing device that communicates with an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices and provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a receiving unit that receives a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment from the image quality adjustment system in accordance with an operation on the input unit by the user; a search request unit that uses at least the job information and the history information to make a search request to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment that corresponds to the request, using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control unit that displays the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; The information processing device is provided with: <10> An information processing method for an information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, the method comprising: an acquiring step of acquiring job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a transmission step of transmitting a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system in accordance with an operation on an input unit by the user; a search step of obtaining candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment using at least the job information and the history information; a display control step of displaying the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification step of notifying the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; The information processing method has the following features. <11> An information processing system includes an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming apparatuses, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides services to solve problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquiring step of acquiring job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a receiving step of receiving a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment from the image quality adjustment system in accordance with an operation on an input unit by the user; a search request step of issuing a search request to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request, using at least the job information and the history information, by a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control step of displaying the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification step of notifying the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; This is a program for executing the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0265] 1. Information Processing Systems 10 Image forming device 20 Information processing equipment 30 Image reader 40 Color Adjustment Assistance System 50 Device Management Systems 60 Service provider terminal 91 Image Analysis System 92 Similar Case Search System 93 databases 101 Communications Department 102 Job Acquisition Unit 103 Printing control unit 104 Profile Acquisition Unit 105 Device information transmission unit 106 Storage section 201 Communications Department 202 Job sending unit 203 Color information acquisition section 204 Calculation Unit 205 Color adjustment section 206 Profile Transmission Unit 207 Color adjustment information transmission unit 208 Input section 209 Display control unit 210 Storage section 211 Detection unit 401 Communications Department 402 UI section 403 Information Acquisition Department 404 Information Transmission Department 405 Analysis Department 406 Answer acquisition part 407 Information Notification Department 408 Storage section 409 Search information acquisition unit 410 Image analysis request section 411 Search request section 501 Communications Department 502 Information Gathering Department 503 Information Provision Department 504 Storage section 601 Communications Department 602 Input section 603 Display control unit 700 Controller 701 CPU 702 System Memory (MEM-P) 703 Northbridge (NB) 704a South Bridge (SB) 704b Network I / F 704c USB I / F 704d Centronics I / F 705 AGP 706 ASIC 707 Local Memory (MEM-C) 708 Auxiliary storage 710 Operation display section 720 FCU 731 Plotter 732 Scanner 801 CPU 802 ROM 803 RAM 805 Auxiliary storage 806 Recording Media 807 Media Drive 808 Display 809 Network I / F 810 Bus 811 keyboard 812 Mouse 813 DVD 814 DVD drive 911 Communications Department 912 Image Analysis Unit 921 Communications Department 922 Learning Department 923 Search Department 924 Storage section 1000 Device Color Adjustment Results Screen 1001 Color adjustment result display area 1001a Details button 1002 Detail display area 1011 OK button 1012 Assistance Request Button 1021 Load button 1100 Job color adjustment result screen 1101 Color adjustment result display area 1101a Details button 1102 Detail display area 1111 OK button 1112 Assistance Request Button 1121 Load button 1200 Assistance Request Screen 1201 Job color adjustment result display area 1202 Device color adjustment result display area 1211 Comment input area 1212 File Attachment Button 1213 Attachment display area 1221 History display area 1222 Attachment display area 1223 Download button 1231 Send button 1232 Add Question Button 1233 Complete button 1234 Withdraw button 2000 Device Color Calibration Assistance Screen 2001 Device Selection Area 2011 Color Chart Selection Area 2012 Color adjustment history display area 2012a Selected object 2012b Selected Area 2013 Operation history display area 2020 Adjustment Results Tab 2021 Color adjustment result display area 2021a Color Chart Display Area 2021b File Button 2021c Detailed Data Button 2022 Print settings display area 2030 Analysis Tab 2031 Start date input field 2032 End date input field 2033 Run button 2034 Analysis result display area 2035 Answer suggestion display area 2036 Answer creation button 2040 Log Tab 2041 Export button 2042 Log display area 2043 Detailed log button 2050 Assist Tab 2051 Comment input area 2052 File Attachment Button 2053 Attachment display area 2054 History display area 2055 Send button 2100 Job Color Adjustment Assistance Screen 2101 Job Selection Area 2111 Manuscript data display area 2111a Open button 2112 Print sample display area 2112a Open button 2113 Reproduced image display area 2113a Open button 2113b Average color difference display area before color matching 2114 Reproduced image display area after color matching 2114a Average color difference display area after color matching 2120 Adjustment Results Tab 2121 Color adjustment result display area 2121a Color Difference Map Button 2121b Detailed data button 2121c File button 2122 Print settings display area 2130 Analysis tab 2140 Log Tab 2150 Assist Tab 2151 Comment input area 2152 File Attachment Button 2153 Attachment display area 2154 History display area 2155 Send button 2156 Similar Items Display Button 2160 Solution suggestion dialog box 2161 Solution candidate display area 2162 OK button 2163 Cancel button CC Color Chart N Network PS print sample RIP Reproduced image print [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0266] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-097315

Claims

1. An information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a transmission unit that transmits a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system in accordance with an operation on the input unit by the user; a search unit that uses at least the job information and the history information to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request, using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control unit that displays the candidate solutions obtained by the search unit on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the candidate solutions displayed by the display control unit, as a response to the request; An information processing system having the above.

2. an analysis unit that automatically generates a comment indicating a solution corresponding to the solution candidate selected by the service provider from the solution candidate displayed by the display control unit, The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the comment generated by the analysis unit to be displayed on the assistance screen.

3. 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a database that stores the job information and history information acquired by the acquisition unit in association with each job.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3 , wherein the database stores the solution selected by the service provider from the solution candidate displayed by the display control unit in association with the job.

5. the database stores a response result indicating whether the problem related to the image quality adjustment has been solved on the user side by the response, in association with the job; 5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the information stored in the database is used for retraining the learning model.

6. the acquiring unit acquires image-related data relating to the image quality adjustment for the image forming device, further comprising an image analysis unit that performs image analysis related to image quality adjustment based on the image-related data acquired by the acquisition unit; The information processing system according to claim 3 , wherein the search unit obtains the candidate countermeasures by the learning model using the job information, the history information, and the image analysis result by the image analysis unit.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6 , wherein the database stores the results of the image analysis by the image analysis unit in association with the job.

8. a detection unit that detects that a problem has occurred with the image quality adjustment when a predetermined condition is satisfied, The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transmission unit further transmits the request for assistance to the image quality adjustment assistance system when the detection unit detects that a problem has occurred regarding the image quality adjustment.

9. An information processing device that communicates with an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices and provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquisition unit that acquires job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a receiving unit that receives a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment from the image quality adjustment system in accordance with an operation on the input unit by the user; a search request unit that uses at least the job information and the history information to make a search request to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment that corresponds to the request, using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control unit that displays the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification unit that notifies the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; An information processing device comprising:

10. An information processing method for an information processing system including an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming devices, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides a service for solving problems related to the image quality adjustment, the method comprising: an acquiring step of acquiring job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a transmission step of transmitting a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment to the image quality adjustment assistance system in accordance with an operation on an input unit by the user; a search step of obtaining candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request using a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment using at least the job information and the history information; a display control step of displaying the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification step of notifying the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; An information processing method comprising:

11. An information processing system includes an image quality adjustment system that performs image quality adjustment on one or more image forming apparatuses, and an image quality adjustment assistance system that provides services to solve problems related to the image quality adjustment, an acquiring step of acquiring job information related to the image forming apparatus and history information of interactions between a user of the image forming apparatus and a service provider of the service; a receiving step of receiving a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment from the image quality adjustment system in accordance with an operation on an input unit by the user; a search request step of issuing a search request to obtain candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment corresponding to the request, using at least the job information and the history information, by a learning model generated by machine learning to infer candidate solutions to the problem related to the image quality adjustment; a display control step of displaying the candidate solutions on an assistance screen that displays information for assisting in solving the problem related to the image quality adjustment on a display device used by a service provider of the service; a notification step of notifying the image quality adjustment system of a response from the service provider to a request for assistance regarding the problem related to the image quality adjustment, based on the displayed candidate solutions; A program to execute.

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