Information processing device, display control method, and program

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing device, display control method, and program that make the polling settings for a push scan service easy to understand, allowing users to easily change the polling settings. [Solution] In an information processing device (information terminal) that can communicate with a reading device (image forming apparatus including a scanning function), the method is to periodically perform an acquisition process S404 to acquire first information from the reading device indicating whether an operation has been made to instruct the reading device to perform a scan, and based on the operation made to the reading device to instruct it to perform a scan, the information processing device acquires the scan result obtained by performing a scan from the reading device S407, set S408 whether to enable a specific function, and control to display at least one of a first guide regarding the periodic acquisition process by the processing means and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function to be disabled S411.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, a display control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There is a system in which a device such as a personal computer or a smartphone (also referred to as an "information terminal") acquires and stores an image of a document scanned by a scanner or the like (also referred to as a "reading device"). In such a system, the information terminal communicates with and controls the reading device to acquire a scanned image.

[0003] In addition, as a method for the information terminal to communicate with and control the reading device, there is a method in which the information terminal performs polling on the reading device. That is, it is a method in which the information terminal periodically transmits an inquiry request packet to the reading device to communicate with and control the reading device.

[0004] One function realized by the information terminal polling the reader is the push scan service. In this push scan service, the following occurs: The reader issues a scan command through its operation, and the information terminal, upon detecting the reader's scan command through polling, issues a scan start command to the reader. The reader then scans the document. The information terminal acquires the scanned data obtained from the reader. When the information terminal communicates with the reader over a network, the information terminal uses an IP address (Internet Protocol Address) as the communication destination. If the information terminal cannot communicate with the reader, the reader's IP address may have changed, so the information terminal may use broadcast or multicast to search for the reader. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology to prevent the information terminal from continuing polling even when there is no reader to be polled in its communication environment, thereby preventing the generation of unnecessary network traffic and unnecessary processing by the information terminal. This technology has a configuration that determines the communication environment of an information terminal and, if it is in a communication environment different from the one used for polling the reader, stops polling the reader, thereby suppressing unnecessary polling processes. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-82767 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines the communication environment of an information terminal and stops polling the reader device if it is in a different communication environment than the one used for polling the reader device. However, if the communication environment is the same as the one used for polling the reader device, polling will be performed. Also, if the information terminal cannot communicate with the reader device, it may use broadcast or multicast to search for the reader device, which may result in sending packets to multiple devices in the information terminal's communication environment. Depending on the device and protocol, if the device receives a packet it did not expect, it may output a warning or error log. For example, when a switch or server receives an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) packet sent by broadcast from an information terminal, the following may occur. In other words, depending on the tools of the switch or server, if the received packet is an SNMP packet with an unauthorized community name, it may output a warning log. Also, users may not be aware that the information terminal is polling and communicating for the push scan service. Therefore, although warning logs are periodically output by the switch or server, there was a problem in that the user did not know what was causing them.

[0007] In light of the above, this disclosure aims to make the polling settings for the push scan service easier to understand, so that users can easily change the polling settings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing device that can communicate with a reader, comprising: processing means that periodically performs an acquisition process to acquire first information from the reader indicating whether an operation has been made to instruct the reader to perform a scan; setting means that sets whether to enable a specific function based on an operation performed on the reader to instruct the reader to perform a scan, the specific function which allows the information processing device to acquire scan results obtained by the reader from the reader; and display control means that controls the display to show at least one of a first guide regarding the periodic performance of the acquisition process by the processing means when the specific function is enabled by the setting means, and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function to be disabled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, the polling settings for the push scan service will be made easier to understand, allowing users to easily change the polling settings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of a system configuration including an information terminal, a reader, and a server. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information terminal. [Figure 3] Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the reader device. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating an example of push scan processing on an information terminal. [Figure 5] A schematic diagram showing an example of a user interface for an information terminal. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating an example of the push scan process of a reader device. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing an example of a user interface for a reading device. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram showing another example of a user interface for an information terminal. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the disclosures relating to the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the disclosure, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0012] <First Embodiment> <<System Configuration>> Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration in this embodiment, including an information terminal 101, a reader 201, and a server 301.

[0013] The information terminal 101, the reader 201, and the server 301 are connected via the router 100 and can communicate with other devices on the same network.

[0014] The information terminal 101 is, for example, a personal computer or a smartphone, and can connect to the router 100 to communicate with devices on the same network and the internet. The connection between the information terminal 101 and the router 100 may be wireless LAN or wired LAN.

[0015] The reading device 201 is, for example, an image forming apparatus that includes a scanning function, and optically reads an image of a document placed on a document glass and an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) (not shown) to generate scanned image data. The reading device 201 can also connect to the router 100 and communicate with devices on the same network and the Internet. The connection between the reading device 201 and the router 100 may be wireless LAN or wired LAN. The information terminal 101 and the reading device 201 may communicate without going through the router 100, and may communicate using a USB connection (Universal Serial Bus), for example.

[0016] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information terminal 101 in the present embodiment.

[0017] The information terminal 101 is an example of the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment, and includes an input interface 110, a processor 111 such as a CPU, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, a storage device 114, an output interface 115, and a communication interface 116. The ROM 112 is a type of computer-readable storage medium. An input device 117 is connected to the input interface 110, and a display device 118 is connected to the output interface 115. An initialization program is stored in the ROM 112, and an application program group, an operating system (also referred to as "OS"), and various other data are stored in the storage device 114. The RAM 113 is used as a work memory or the like when executing various programs stored in the storage device 114. The communication interface 116 communicates with the reading device 201 and the server 301 via a network. The communication interface 116 transmits and receives data to and from devices on the same network and the Internet via a protocol such as TCP / IP via a wireless LAN or a wired LAN. The display device 118 includes a liquid crystal display and a graphic controller, and displays objects such as images and icons and GUIs to the user. The input device 117 is a device such as a mouse or a keyboard for receiving various instruction operations from the user to the information terminal 101. The input device 207 may be configured as a touch panel integrated with the display device 118.

[0018] The information terminal 101 receives a scan instruction from the reading device 201 via the communication interface 116. Then, it transmits a scan start instruction to the reading device 201 to cause the reading device 201 to scan the document, and receives scan data from the reading device 201.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the reading device 201 in the present embodiment.

[0020] The reading device 201 is an example of a peripheral device. The reading device 201 includes a print engine 210, a scanner engine 211, a ROM 212, a RAM 213, a processor 214 such as a CPU, a storage device 215, an input / output interface 216, a communication interface 217, a display unit 218, and an operation unit 219. The ROM 212 is a type of computer-readable storage medium. It is also possible to connect an expansion option for expanding the functions of the reading device 201 to the input / output interface 216. The RAM 213 is used as the main memory and work memory of the processor 214, and stores a buffer for temporarily storing print jobs and scan jobs, as well as various types of data. The print engine 210 performs printing based on the data stored in the RAM 213. The scanner engine performs scanning based on the data stored in the RAM 213. The ROM 212 contains various control programs and data used by each control program, and the processor 214 controls each part of the reading device 201 according to these control programs. The communication interface 217 communicates with the information terminal 101 and the server 301 via a network. Note that the communication interface 217 transmits and receives data to and from devices on the same network and the Internet via a wireless LAN or a wired LAN according to a protocol such as TCP / IP. The display unit 218 includes a liquid crystal display and a graphic controller, and displays images and various types of information to the user. The operation unit 219 is a device such as a button for receiving various instruction operations from the user to the reading device 201. Note that the operation unit 219 may be configured as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 218.

[0021] The scanner 201 is equipped with an optical sensor for optically reading images of documents placed on a document glass or ADF (not shown), and stores the scanned image data generated by the optical sensor in the RAM 213. The scanner 201 also transmits a scan command to the information terminal 101 via the communication interface 217. Subsequently, it receives a scan start command from the information terminal 101, scans the document, and transmits the scanned data to the information terminal 101.

[0022] <<Push scan processing>> <Information terminal processing> Next, with reference to Figures 4 and 5, the flow of the push scan process of the information terminal 101 in this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of the push scan process of the information terminal 101. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the user interface of the information terminal 101.

[0023] Each process in this flowchart is realized by the processor 111 loading the scan application program stored in the ROM 113 into the RAM 113 and executing it. The scan application is application software for controlling the reader 201 and is a type of scanner driver (driver software). The process in Figure 4 is executed as a function of the scan application, which is a single application software.

[0024] First, in S401, the processor 111 starts the scan application. For example, the OS on which the information terminal 101 is started has registered a scan application to start when the OS starts, and starts the registered scan application when the OS starts. If the scan application is temporarily interrupted due to OS user logoff or sleep, the OS detects that the input device 117 has been operated by the user and resumes operation upon user login or wake-up from sleep. The resumed OS then restarts the scan application. Alternatively, the OS may also start the scan application upon detecting that the input device 117 has been operated by the user. When the information terminal 101 starts the scan application when the OS starts, it does not display the UI (User Interface) and runs it in the background.

[0025] Next, in S402, the processor 111 determines whether to terminate the scan application. For example, the OS on which the information terminal 101 was started terminates the scan application when it shuts down. Also, if the user operates the input device 117 and it is detected that an instruction to terminate the scan application has been given, the processor 111 determines to terminate the scan application. Note that the process in S402 is the first process in which subsequent processes are repeatedly executed. The processor 111 of the information terminal 101 may start the next repeating process after a certain period of time has elapsed since the process in S402. If the information terminal 101 determines NO in S402, it proceeds to S403. If the information terminal 101 determines YES in S402, it terminates the process shown in this flowchart.

[0026] Next, if the result in S402 is NO, the processor 111 determines in S403 whether it has detected a command to display the UI screen. For example, if a scanning application is resident in the task tray, which is a function of the OS such as Windows, and the processor detects that the user has arbitrarily selected the task tray icon, it is determined that a command to display the UI screen has been issued. Note that if the UI is already displayed, the process in S403 does not need to be performed. If the processor 111 determines NO in S403, it proceeds to S404. If the information terminal 101 determines YES in S403, it proceeds to S411.

[0027] Next, if the result in S403 is NO, the processor 111 determines in S404 whether push scan monitoring is ON. For example, the processor 111 maintains a setting value that indicates whether or not to perform push scan monitoring processing based on the scan application. Here, push scan monitoring processing is the process of receiving information from the reader 201 via polling that a scan command has been issued by the reader 201. If the setting value is set to perform push scan monitoring processing, the processor determines that push scan monitoring is ON. If the processor 111 determines YES in S404, it proceeds to S405. If the processor 111 determines NO in S404, it proceeds to S402.

[0028] Next, if the result in S404 is YES, in S405, the processor 111 determines whether it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 using SNMP unicast. For example, the information terminal 101 has stored the IP address of the reader 201 from when it previously communicated with the reader 201 using a scan application. The processor 111 sends an SNMP packet specifying that IP address and determines whether it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 by checking whether it receives a reply from the reader 201. The information terminal 101 also has information that identifies the target reader 201, and may determine that it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 if it matches the identification information obtained from the reply packet. This identification information may include, for example, the MAC address (Media Access Control Address) and serial number, or other information that can identify the reader 201. Although SNMP packets are used as an example here, packets of other protocols may also be used. If the processor 111 determines NO in S405, it proceeds to S406. If processor 111 determines that S405 is YES, it proceeds to S407.

[0029] Next, if the result in S405 is NO, in S406, the processor 111 determines whether it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 via SNMP broadcast. For example, if the information terminal 101 and the reader 201 cannot communicate via unicast, it is possible that the IP address of the reader 201 has changed from the IP address of the reader 201 that the information terminal 101 had. Therefore, the information terminal 101 sends an SNMP broadcast and determines whether it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 by checking whether it receives a reply from the reader 201. Alternatively, the information terminal 101 may also determine that it is possible to communicate with the reader 201 if it has information that identifies the target reader 201 and compares it with the identification information obtained from the reply packet and they match. Then, it determines that the IP address of the reply source is the new IP address that has been changed and overwrites the IP address it has been holding. Furthermore, the information terminal 101 may set an identifier in the SNMP community name and send it, and the target reader device 201 may return an SNMP packet if it authenticates the SNMP community name using its authentication function. Note that there may be multiple target reader devices 201. Also, although SNMP broadcast is used as an example here, multicast or packets of other protocols may be used. For example, protocols for name resolution and service discovery such as the following may be used: that is, mDNS (multicast Domein Name System) or LLMNR (Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution). Also, SLP (Service Location Protocol) may be used. In this way, when the processor 111 implements a method of searching for reader devices 201 using broadcast or multicast, it will also send packets to devices other than the target reader device 201. In other words, in such cases, the processor 111 will also send packets to the server 301 and switches on the same network. The server 301 and switches may output logs such as errors and warnings when they receive packets that they do not need to receive.For example, if the SNMP community name is not authenticated by the authentication function, server 301 outputs a warning log. If processor 111 determines that S406 is YES, it proceeds to S407. If processor 111 determines that S406 is NO, it proceeds to S402.

[0030] Next, if the result is YES in S405 and YES in S406, in S407 the processor 111 obtains push scan instruction information from the reader 201. The push scan instruction information includes information on whether the user has issued a scan instruction by operating the reader 201. For example, it is obtained via unicast communication that includes the push scan instruction information in the payload portion of HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). Here, the information terminal 101 and the reader 201 are in a state where they can communicate via unicast because the result is YES in S405 or S406 and the current IP address of the reader 201 (also called "connection information") is held. The information terminal 101 also transmits identification information to the reader 201, such as the username and the name of the information terminal 101, to select the information terminal 101 to which the user will send the push scan instruction information. The reader 201 displays the received username and identification information such as the name of the information terminal 101 on its panel. When the user specifies the identification information on the panel, the reader 201 determines the target information terminal 101 and sends push scan instruction information to the specified information terminal 101. The information terminal 101 may include the username and identification information such as the name of the information terminal 101 in the request to acquire the push scan instruction information, or it may send them separately. Furthermore, while HTTP and HTTPS unicast are used here as an example, broadcast and multicast may also be used, or packets from other protocols may be used.

[0031] Next, in S408, the processor 111 determines whether a push scan instruction has been issued. For example, the information terminal 101 determines that a push scan instruction has been issued because the information acquired in S407 includes information that the user has issued a scan instruction by operating the reader 201. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on whether the information acquired in S407 includes the setting value for scan execution. S407 and S408 constitute the acquisition process. If the processor 111 determines YES in S408, it proceeds to S409. If the processor 111 determines NO in S408, it proceeds to S402.

[0032] Next, if the result in S408 is YES, in S409 the processor 111 sends a scan execution instruction to the reader 201. For example, the processor 111 obtains the scan setting value set by the user through operation of the reader 201, generates a scan job based on that scan setting value, and sends it to the reader 201. Alternatively, the information terminal 101 may generate a scan job using the scan setting value set on the information terminal 101 side. Or, the reader 201 may retain the scan setting value set by the user through operation of the reader 201, and the information terminal 101 may only send information that constitutes a scan execution instruction.

[0033] Next, in S410, the processor 111 receives the scanned image from the reader 201. For example, the reader 201 performs a scan according to the settings of the scan job received in S409. The information terminal 101 then requests the scanned image data from the reader 201 and receives the scanned image data from the reader 201. The information terminal 101 then saves the received scanned image data as a scan file and displays the saved location on the display device 118. The information terminal 101 holds settings such as the file name, save location, and data format, and saves the scan file according to these settings. The information terminal 101 displays the saved location by launching a file display program such as the OS file viewer. Alternatively, the scan application may display the saved location string on the UI along with a message indicating that the scan file has been saved. Then, the processor 111 proceeds to S402.

[0034] If the result in S403 is YES, in S411 the processor 111 displays the push scan monitoring settings and a description of the push scan monitoring settings function. For example, the processor 111 displays the push scan settings screen 501 shown in Figure 5(a) on the display device 118.

[0035] The push scan monitoring setting checkbox 502 is displayed as checked if the push scan monitoring processing setting held by the scan application is ON, and as unchecked if it is OFF. Furthermore, upon detecting that the user has pressed the push scan monitoring setting checkbox 502, the display is switched from ON to OFF, and the push scan monitoring processing setting is changed to OFF. Similarly, if the display is unchecked, it is switched back to ON, and the push scan monitoring processing setting is changed to ON. The push scan monitoring function explanation message 503 is an explanation of the push scan monitoring function. Explanation message 503 includes information (also referred to as "First Guide") stating that when the push scan monitoring setting is ON, packets are periodically sent via polling to periodically check whether communication with the target scanner is possible. Explanation message 503 also includes information (also referred to as "Second Guide") prompting the user to turn OFF the push scan monitoring setting if they do not use the push scan service. The information terminal 101 detects that the OK button 504 has been pressed and hides the push scan setting screen 501.

[0036] Next, in S412, the processor 111 determines whether there is an instruction to change the push scan monitoring settings. For example, if the processor 111 detects that the user has pressed the push scan monitoring settings checkbox 502, it determines that there is an instruction to change the settings. If the processor 111 determines YES in S412, it proceeds to S413. If the processor 111 determines NO in S412, it proceeds to S404.

[0037] Next, if the result in S412 is YES, in S413, the processor 111 changes the push scan monitoring setting. Specifically, the processor 111 switches the push scan monitoring setting checkbox 502 from ON to OFF and changes the setting value for push scan monitoring to OFF. Conversely, the processor 111 switches the checkbox from OFF to ON and changes the setting value for push scan monitoring to ON. Then, the processor 111 proceeds to S404.

[0038] Furthermore, the processes S411 to S413 may run in parallel with the processes S402 to S410. In other words, the processes S411 to S413 may be removed from the process shown in Figure 4, and a process that repeatedly executes S411 to S413 may be added, and the processor 111 may execute these processes simultaneously using the OS's multitasking or multithreading functions.

[0039] <Reading device processing> Next, with reference to Figures 6-7, the flow of the push scan process performed by the processor 214 of the reader 201 in this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the push scan process performed by the processor 214 of the reader 201. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the user interface of the reader 201.

[0040] Each process shown in this flowchart is achieved by the processor 214 loading the program stored in the ROM 212 into the RAM 213 and executing it.

[0041] Processor 214 detects that the power button has been pressed and initiates this flowchart.

[0042] First, in S601, the processor 214 displays the home screen 700 shown in Figure 9 on the display unit 218. In this embodiment, the operation unit 219 is configured as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 218.

[0043] Next, in S602, the processor 214 determines whether it has detected a scan screen display instruction. The processor 214 detects that the scan button 701 on the home screen 700 has been pressed and determines that it has detected a scan screen display instruction. If the processor 214 determines NO in S602, it proceeds to S603. If the processor 214 determines YES in S602, it proceeds to S606.

[0044] Next, if S602 determines NO, S603 is when the processor 214 determines whether it has detected any other operations. It determines that it has detected any other operations if it detects that a button other than the scan button 701 on the home screen 700 has been pressed. Buttons other than the scan button 701 on the home screen 700 include, for example, the copy button, print button, device settings button, and device information display button. If S603 is determined YES, the processor 214 proceeds to S604. If S603 is determined NO, the processor 214 proceeds to S605.

[0045] Next, if S603 determines YES, in S604 the processor 214 performs other processing. Other processing includes, for example, copy processing, print processing, device setting processing, and device information display processing. For example, if the copy button is pressed in S603, the processor 214 displays the copy screen, allows the user to set up the copy, and then performs the copy. After that, the processor 214 proceeds to S605.

[0046] Next, at S605, the processor 214 determines whether to terminate the process shown in this flowchart. For example, the processor 214 detects that the power button has been pressed and determines to terminate this flowchart. If the processor 214 determines NO at S605, it proceeds to S601. If the processor 214 determines YES at S605, it terminates this flowchart.

[0047] If the result in S602 is YES, in S606 the processor 214 displays the user selection screen 710. Here, in S407, the information terminal 101 receives identification information from the information terminal 101, including the user name and the name of the information terminal 101, which is used by the reader 201 to select the information terminal 101 to which the user will send push-scan instruction information. The user selection screen 710 displays the received identification information as identification information 711.

[0048] Next, in S607, the processor 214 determines whether a user has been selected. For example, the processor 214 detects that the user has pressed the identification information 711 displayed in S606 and determines the target information terminal 101, thereby determining that a user has been selected. If the processor 214 determines YES in S607, it proceeds to S608. If the processor 214 determines NO in S607, it executes S607 again.

[0049] Next, if S607 determines YES, S608 displays the scan settings screen 720 on the processor 214. The scan settings screen 720 displays setting items 721 such as the type of document (document, photograph, etc.), document size, document orientation, scanning resolution, and data format of the scanned image file. Each setting item can be changed. For the data format, file formats such as JPEG, PNG, and PDF can be selected. It is also possible to configure the system to allow settings for compression ratios of JPEG and PDF (not shown), or to allow settings for other items.

[0050] Next, in S609, the processor 214 determines whether the scan start button 722 has been pressed. For example, the processor 214 detects that the user has pressed the scan start button 722 displayed in S608 and determines that the scan start button 722 has been pressed. If the processor 214 determines YES in S609, it proceeds to S610. If the processor 214 determines NO in S609, it executes S609 again.

[0051] Next, if the result in S609 is YES, then in S610, the processor 214 determines whether it has received a request to acquire push scan instruction information from the information terminal 101. In S407, the processor 214 determines YES if it has received a request to acquire push scan instruction information from the information terminal 101. If the processor 214 determines YES in S610, it proceeds to S611. If the processor 214 determines NO in S610, it executes S610 again.

[0052] Next, if S610 determines YES, S611 the processor 214 sends push scan instruction information to the information terminal 101. The processor 214 may also send scan setting values ​​along with the push scan instruction information. Scan setting values ​​are values ​​set on the scan setting screen 720, and include, for example, the type of document (such as a document or photograph), document size, document orientation, scanning resolution, and data format of the scanned image file.

[0053] Next, in S612, the processor 214 determines whether it has received scan execution instruction information from the information terminal 101. For example, in S409, the processor 214 determines YES if it has received a scan job from the information terminal 101. If the processor 214 determines YES in S612, it proceeds to S613. If the processor 214 determines NO in S612, it executes S612 again.

[0054] Next, if the result in S612 is YES, then in S613, the processor 214 executes a scan. For example, the processor 214 executes a scan according to the settings of the scan job received in S612.

[0055] Next, in S614, the processor 214 sends the scanned image to the information terminal 101. The processor 214 sends the scanned image data as requested from the information terminal 101. After sending the scanned image data, for example, the processor 214 displays the scan completion screen 730. The scan completion screen 730 displays a confirmation message asking whether to scan the next document. The processor 214 detects that the user has pressed the scan button 731 on the scan completion screen 730 to scan the next document, and then executes the scan of the next document. The processor 214 then detects that the user has pressed the finish button 732, determines that the user has finished scanning all documents, and sends a message to the information terminal 101 indicating that all documents have been scanned. The processor 214 then proceeds to S601. Here, as an example, the process proceeds to S601 after the scan is complete and the home screen 700 is displayed, but other screens may be displayed. For example, the process may proceed to S606 to display the user selection screen 710, or the process may proceed to S608 to display the scan settings screen 720.

[0056] The processor 111 may display the push scan settings screen 511 shown in Figure 5(b) or the push scan settings screen 521 shown in Figure 5(c) instead of the push scan settings screen 501 shown in Figure 5(a). Message 513 displayed on the push scan settings screen 511 is a partial omission of message 503 displayed on the push scan settings screen 501. Message 523 displayed on the push scan settings screen 521 is a partial omission of other parts of message 503 displayed on the push scan settings screen 501. Specifically, message 503 includes "Enables scanning from the scanning panel." Also, message 503 includes "If enabled, packets will be sent periodically to check whether communication with your scanner on the network is possible." (First Guide). Furthermore, message 503 includes "Turn off if you do not use scanning from the operation panel." (Second Guide). Message 513 omits the second guide compared to message 503. Message 523 omits the first guide compared to message 503. Thus, the processor 111 only needs to perform display control to display either the first guide or the second guide, or both, on the push scan setting screen.

[0057] As shown in Figure 8, multiple readers may be supported. In the example in Figure 8, two readers are supported. By unchecking checkbox 801, polling for both readers is disabled together. By checking checkboxes 801, 802, and 803, polling for both readers is enabled. Furthermore, by checking checkboxes 801 and 802 and uncheck checkbox 803, polling for only the first reader is enabled. Furthermore, by checking checkboxes 801 and 803 and uncheck checkbox 802, polling for only the second reader is enabled. In other words, when checkbox 801 is checked, checkboxes 802 and 803 can be used to individually set the on / off status of polling for the two readers.

[0058] According to this disclosure, the polling settings for the push scan service will be easier to understand, and when set to OFF, warning logs will no longer be output on the switch or server.

[0059] Furthermore, the various controls for the processes shown in Figure 4, which are described as being performed by processor 111, may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors or circuits) may share the processing to control the entire device. Similarly, the various controls for the processes shown in Figure 6, which are described as being performed by processor 214, may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or multiple pieces of hardware (for example, multiple processors or circuits) may share the processing to control the entire device.

[0060] Furthermore, while this disclosure has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments, this disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms are also included within this disclosure without departing from the gist of this disclosure. Moreover, each of the embodiments described above is merely one example of this disclosure, and it is possible to combine each embodiment as appropriate.

[0061] Furthermore, although the embodiments described above used the application of this disclosure to a reader as an example, this is not limited to this example, and it can be applied to any device that is polled by an information processing device for pseudo-push communication from the device. In other words, this disclosure can be applied to personal computers and PDAs, mobile phone terminals and portable image viewers, printer devices equipped with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, and the like.

[0062] <Other Embodiments> Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by a computer in a system or device that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing one or more functions of the embodiments described above, which are recorded on a storage medium (which may be more entirely referred to as a “non-temporary computer-readable storage medium”), and / or for performing one or more functions of the embodiments described above, and or by being implemented by a computer in a system or device that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing one or more functions of the embodiments described above, which are recorded on a storage medium. The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include separate computers or a network of separate processors for reading and executing computer-executable instructions. Computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer from, for example, a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of the following: hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), storage for distributed computing systems, optical discs (Compact Discs (CDs), Digital Multipurpose Discs (DVDs), or Blu-ray Discs (BDs) (registered trademarks)), flash memory devices, and memory cards.

[0063] <Technical Features of This Disclosure> This disclosure includes the following configurations, methods, programs, and recording media.

[0064] [Configuration 1] An information processing device capable of communicating with a reading device, Processing means that periodically performs an acquisition process to acquire first information from a reading device, which indicates whether an operation has been made to instruct the reading device to perform a scan. A setting means for setting whether to enable a specific function based on an operation performed on the reading device to instruct it to perform a scan, wherein the information processing device acquires the scan results obtained by performing a scan on the reading device from the reading device, A display control means controls the display to show at least one of the following: a first guide regarding the periodic acquisition process performed by the processing means when the specific function is enabled by the setting means; and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function. An information processing device characterized by comprising:

[0065] [Configuration 2] The information processing device according to Configuration 1, characterized in that the second guide prompts the user to disable the specific function if it is not being used.

[0066] [Configuration 3] The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display to show the first guide.

[0067] [Structure 4] The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display to show the second guide.

[0068] [Composition 5] The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display of the first guide and the second guide.

[0069] [Composition 6] An information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that when the setting means enables the specific function, the processing means periodically performs the acquisition process, and when the setting means disables the specific function, the processing means does not perform the acquisition process.

[0070] [Composition 7] An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that it has the processing means, the setting means, and the display control means as functions of a specific application software.

[0071] [Structure 8] The information processing device according to configuration 7, characterized in that the application software is a single application software.

[0072] [Composition 9] The information processing apparatus according to configuration 7 or 8, characterized in that the application software is software for controlling the reading device.

[0073] [Configuration 10] The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, characterized in that the display control means displays either one or both of the first guide and the second guide on a screen for setting whether or not to enable the specific function.

[0074] [Composition 11] The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the setting means sets whether or not to enable the specific function for a plurality of the reading devices.

[0075] [Composition 12] An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 11, further comprising means for searching for the reader using broadcast or multicast, and for obtaining the first information from the reader using connection information obtained by the search, if the processing means determines that it is not possible to communicate with the reader by unicast before acquiring the first information.

[0076] [Composition 13] The processing means is characterized by acquiring the first information using a protocol with an authentication function, as described in any one of configurations 1 to 12.

[0077] [Composition 14] The processing means is an information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that it acquires the first information via SNMP.

[0078] [Composition 15] The processing means is an information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, wherein the processing means sets an SNMP community name and obtains the first information.

[0079] [Composition 16] The processing means is an information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 13, characterized in that it acquires the first information via a USB connection.

[0080] [Composition 17] The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 16, characterized in that the setting means sets whether or not to enable the specific function for a plurality of reading devices individually or collectively.

[0081] [method] A display control method performed on an information processing device that can communicate with a reading device, A processing step which periodically performs an acquisition process to acquire first information from the reading device indicating whether an operation has been made to instruct the reading device to perform a scan, A setting step to set whether to enable a specific function based on an operation performed on the reading device to instruct it to perform a scan, wherein the information processing device acquires the scan results obtained by the reading device from the reading device, A display control step that controls the display to show at least one of the following: a first guide regarding the periodic acquisition process performed by the processing step when the specific function is enabled in the setting step, and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function. A display control method characterized by having the following features.

[0082] [program] A program for causing a computer to function as one of the information processing devices described in any one of configurations 1 to 17.

[0083] [Recording media] A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for causing a computer to function as one of the information processing devices described in any one of configurations 1 to 17. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 101 Information Terminal 201 Reader

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with a reading device, Processing means that periodically performs an acquisition process to acquire first information from a reading device, which indicates whether an operation has been made to instruct the reading device to perform a scan. A setting means for setting whether to enable a specific function based on an operation performed on the reading device to instruct it to perform a scan, wherein the information processing device acquires the scan results obtained by performing a scan on the reading device from the reading device, A display control means controls the display to show at least one of the following: a first guide regarding the periodic acquisition process performed by the processing means when the specific function is enabled by the setting means; and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function. An information processing device characterized by comprising:

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second guide contains instructions to disable the specific function when it is not being used.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display to show the first guide.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display to show the second guide.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display of the first guide and the second guide.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that when the setting means enables the specific function, the processing means periodically performs the acquisition process, and when the setting means disables the specific function, the processing means does not perform the acquisition process.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the processing means, the setting means, and the display control means as functions of a specific application software.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the application software is a single application software.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the application software is software for controlling the reading device.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means displays either the first guide or the second guide, or both, on a screen for setting whether or not to enable the specific function.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting means sets whether or not to enable the specific function for a plurality of the reading devices.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for searching for the reader using broadcast or multicast, and for obtaining the first information from the reader using connection information obtained by the search, if the processing means determines that it is not possible to communicate with the reader by unicast before acquiring the first information.

13. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means acquires the first information using a protocol with an authentication function.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means acquires the first information using SNMP.

15. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means sets an SNMP community name and obtains the first information.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means acquires the first information via a USB connection.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the setting means sets whether or not to enable the specific function for a plurality of reading devices individually or collectively.

18. A display control method performed on an information processing device that can communicate with a reading device, A processing step that periodically performs an acquisition process to acquire first information from the reading device, which indicates whether an operation has been made to instruct the reading device to perform a scan. A setting step to set whether to enable a specific function based on an operation performed on the reading device to instruct it to perform a scan, wherein the information processing device acquires the scan results obtained by performing a scan on the reading device from the reading device, A display control step that controls the display to show at least one of the following: a first guide regarding the periodic acquisition process performed by the processing step when the specific function is enabled in the setting step, and a second guide regarding the setting of the specific function. A display control method characterized by having the following features.

19. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of an information processing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of an information processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

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