Information processing device, information processing system, control method, and program

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing device, an information processing system, a control method, and a program that enable the display of the application screen quickly when the application is temporarily stopped or uninstalled, and then resumed. [Solution] When an application installed on the image forming apparatus is temporarily paused, if the application's screen is registered as the "screen setting to display when starting up / resuming" in the image forming apparatus's device settings information, a device settings change confirmation screen will be displayed to receive instructions from the user to change the "screen setting to display when starting up / resuming".

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a control method, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a control method, and a program for controlling an image forming apparatus to which an external application is additionally installed.

Background Art

[0002] In an image forming apparatus (multifunction peripheral) having a plurality of functions such as printing, scanning, and fax, there are various display screens. For this reason, a menu for setting to display a screen of a frequently used function of a user at the time of startup (when power is turned on) or when returning from a power saving state is known. Hereinafter, this setting is referred to as "screen setting to be displayed at startup / return".

[0003] On the other hand, it is known that various functions can be added to an image forming apparatus by additionally installing an external application (hereinafter referred to as an app) having related functions. The additionally installed app can be started by selecting a button or an icon on the screen added at the time of installation, and the screen of the selected app can be switched to. Further, the app may be started at the time of turning on the power of the image forming apparatus, or may have a setting as to whether to start the app at the time of turning on the power. Such a setting and a technique for changing the setting at the time of uninstalling the app have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] An image forming apparatus capable of setting the screen of the additionally installed app in the "screen setting to be displayed at startup / return" is also known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, there are times when you might want to temporarily disable or uninstall an additionally installed app. For example, this might happen if the device used for authentication by a user authentication app (such as an IC card reader or vein authentication device) malfunctions, or if the app's license expires.

[0007] In such cases, it is possible to temporarily suspend the app, but if the suspended app's screen has been registered as the "screen setting to display on startup / resume," the user must remember this and change the setting. If the setting is not changed, the user may experience inconveniences such as being shown an unwanted screen when starting or resuming the app, or the screen taking a long time to display. Similar inconveniences can occur when uninstalling the app.

[0008] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. Specifically, the present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, a control method, and a program that can quickly display the screen when an application is temporarily stopped or uninstalled, and when the application is started up again. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the information processing device according to claim 1 of the present invention is an information processing device for controlling an image forming apparatus to which additional functions have been added by installing an external application, and is characterized by comprising: a first UI means for displaying information of the external application and receiving a stop instruction from a user of the external application when the external application is in a started state; a stop means for causing the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application when the first UI means has received the stop instruction; a second UI means for receiving an instruction from a user to change the screen setting to be displayed when the image forming apparatus starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state, when the first UI means has received the stop instruction and the screen of the external application is set in the device setting information of the image forming apparatus to be displayed when it starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state; and a change means for causing the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed when it starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction when the second UI means has received the change instruction.

[0010] To solve the above problems, the information processing system according to claim 14 of the present invention is an information processing system that connects an image forming apparatus, to which additional functions are added by installing an external application, and an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus in a communicative manner, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises a first management means for managing information of the external application, and a second management means for managing device setting information including screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state, and the screen of the external application can also be set, and the information processing device acquires and displays the information of the external application managed by the first management means from the image forming apparatus, and when the external application is in a started state, it accepts a stop instruction from the user for the external application. The system is characterized by comprising: a first UI means; a stop means that, when the first UI means receives the stop instruction, causes the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application; a second UI means that, when the first UI means receives the stop instruction, acquires device setting information from the image forming apparatus, and if the acquired device setting information includes the screen of the external application as the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state, receives an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state; and a change means that, when the second UI means receives the change instruction, causes the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state according to the change instruction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this embodiment, when an application is temporarily stopped or uninstalled, the screen display upon startup / resumption can be performed quickly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This figure shows the network configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing a control processing sequence when the pause button of an application is pressed in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of application management information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of an application management screen displayed on the display unit of the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of a device setting change confirmation screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of a "screen setting to be displayed at startup / resume" screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of device setting information in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing a sequence of control processing when the pause button of an application is pressed and when the start button of the application is pressed in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of a device setting change confirmation screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen of "screen to be displayed after startup / resume" according to the first embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention.

[0014] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the network configuration of the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0016] The information processing system 1 is configured such that an image forming apparatus 100 and an information processing apparatus 200 are connected via a communication network 300 such as the Internet.

[0017] The image forming apparatus 100 records various setting information in a storage 114 of the image forming apparatus 100, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, and controls the image forming apparatus 100 according to the recorded various setting information.

[0018] The information processing apparatus 200 requests the image forming apparatus 100 to transmit usage status information and various setting information of the image forming apparatus 100 and receives them. Then, each piece of information received from the image forming apparatus 100 in response to this request can be displayed on a display unit 20 August 20, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, and the user can also change the settings using an operation unit 206.

[0019] The communication network 300 may have any network configuration that enables transmission and reception of various types of information including image data in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the communication network 300 is configured by wire, but for example, it may also be configured to be wirelessly connected to an access point (not shown).

[0020] Communication between the image forming apparatus 100 and the information processing apparatus 200 uses a communication protocol such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (hereinafter referred to as HTTP). Since the control method is well-known, details thereof are omitted.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0022] In FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 110, an operation unit 116, a reading unit 118, and a printing unit 120.

[0023] The control unit 110 controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 110 includes a CPU 111, ROM 112, RAM 113, storage 114, operation unit I / F 115, reading unit I / F 117, printing unit I / F 119, and communication unit I / F 123, which are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0024] The CPU 111 reads control programs stored in the ROM 112 or storage 114 and performs various controls such as read control and print control.

[0025] ROM112 stores control programs that can be executed by CPU111. ROM112 also stores boot programs, font data, and other related information.

[0026] RAM113 is the main memory of the CPU111 and is used as a temporary storage area for deploying various control programs stored in the work area, ROM112, and storage114.

[0027] Storage 114 stores image data, print data, address books, various programs, and various setting information. In this embodiment, flash memory is assumed as storage 114, but auxiliary storage devices such as SSDs, HDDs, and eMMCs may also be used.

[0028] In this example, the image forming apparatus 100 uses one CPU 111 and one memory (RAM 113) to perform the processes shown in the flowchart described later, but other configurations are also acceptable.

[0029] For example, multiple CPUs, RAM, ROM, and storage can work together to execute each process shown in the sequence diagram described later. Alternatively, some processes may be executed using hardware circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs.

[0030] The control interface 115 connects the control unit 116 and the control unit 110. The control unit 116 displays information to the user and detects user input.

[0031] The reading unit interface 117 connects the reading unit 118 and the control unit 110. The reading unit 118 reads an image on the document and converts it into image data such as binary data. Furthermore, the CPU 111 performs encryption and image processing on the image data generated by the reading unit 118 according to the settings at the time of reading. The image data generated after these various processes is then transmitted to the information processing device 200, stored in the external storage device 122 connected to the external storage interface 121 and the image forming apparatus 100 from outside, or printed on recording paper by the printing unit 120. In addition, status information regarding the reading unit 118, including the reading operation status and error information, is stored in the RAM 113 and notified to the CPU 111.

[0032] The printing interface 119 connects the printing unit 120 and the control unit 110. The CPU 111 transmits the image data to be printed (image data to be printed) to the printing unit 120 via the printing interface 119. The printing unit 120 prints the image onto the recording paper fed from the paper cassette (not shown). It also stores status information about the printing unit 120, including the printing operation status and error information, in the RAM 113 and notifies the CPU 111.

[0033] The external storage interface 121 connects the external storage device 122 and the control unit 110. The CPU 111 saves image data to the external storage device 122 via the external storage interface 121.

[0034] In this embodiment, a USB interface is assumed as the external storage I / F 121 and a USB memory device as the external storage device 122. However, the embodiment is not limited to these, as long as image data can be saved via the external storage I / F 121 to an external storage device that can be connected from outside the image forming apparatus 100. For example, an SD card or the like may be used as the external storage device 122.

[0035] The control unit 110 is connected to the communication network 300 via the communication unit I / F 123. The communication unit I / F 123 can transmit various information from within the image forming apparatus 100 to the information processing device 200. Here, the various information from within the image forming apparatus 100 refers to various setting information related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 100, usage information including the number of prints made by the image forming apparatus 100 and error information.

[0036] Furthermore, the communication interface 123 receives requests from the information processing device 200 to access various information inside the image forming apparatus 100 and to change setting information, and reads various information from the storage 114 or changes setting information.

[0037] Furthermore, the transmission of various types of information to the information processing device 200 via the communication interface I / F123, and the reception of requests for changes to contract information and configuration information from the information processing device 200, are handled by a web server application that processes HTTP.

[0038] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 200.

[0039] The information processing device 200 is equipped with various hardware components, including a CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, storage 204, operation interface 205, display interface 207, and communication interface 209, which are connected to each other via a bus for communication. An operation interface 206 and a display interface 208 are also externally connected to the information processing device 200.

[0040] The CPU 201 controls the various hardware components of the information processing device 200, thereby realizing the functions of the information processing device 200. The CPU 201 also controls the operation of the information processing device 200 according to the control program stored in the ROM 202. More specifically, the CPU 201 executes the OS and other operating systems that control the information processing device 200. External applications (hereinafter referred to as "apps"), which are installed on the OS to add functionality to the image forming apparatus 100, interact with each other to perform the operation and control of the functions desired by the user.

[0041] These operating systems and various programs are stored in ROM202 and executed by being read from RAM203.

[0042] ROM202 is memory used to store programs and various data used by CPU201.

[0043] RAM203 is work memory for temporarily storing programs and data used by CPU201 for calculations.

[0044] Storage 204 is a storage device that stores various data and programs. In this embodiment, storage 204 is assumed to be a hard disk, but it may be other non-volatile storage devices such as SSDs.

[0045] The control unit interface 205 is an interface for connecting the control unit 206, such as a keyboard or mouse, to the information processing device 200.

[0046] The display interface 207 is an interface for connecting the display unit 208, such as a liquid crystal display, to the information processing device 200.

[0047] The communication interface 209 is, for example, a network interface for wired LAN communication. However, the communication interface 209 is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment as long as it is an interface that can communicate with the image forming apparatus 100 via an internet connection. For example, it may be a network interface for wireless LAN communication, or a USB interface, etc.

[0048] In this embodiment, the information processing device 200 is assumed to be a personal computer, and therefore the operation unit 206 and display unit 208 are described as not being included in the information processing device 200, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, if the information processing device 200 is a smartphone or the like, the operation unit 206 and display unit 208 will be included in the information processing device 200, but the present invention is still applicable in such cases.

[0049] Figure 4 shows the sequence of control processing when the pause button of the application is pressed in this embodiment.

[0050] Figure 4 illustrates the case where an application paused by the user has its screen pre-registered as a "screen setting to display on startup / resumption." The "screen setting to display on startup / resumption" refers to the setting that displays the screens of frequently used functions at startup (power-on) or when resuming from a power-saving state. In this case, this sequence displays a screen prompting the user to change the "screen setting to display on startup / resumption" and accepts the user's change. In this embodiment, the user uses the information processing device 200 to access a portal site where they can view and change device settings and installed application information for the image forming apparatus 100, thereby pausing the application.

[0051] The following are examples of use cases in which a user might want to stop an application. The first use case is when an application that performs authentication using an IC card is installed on the image forming apparatus 100, and a failure occurs in the IC card reader (not shown in Figure 2) connected to the image forming apparatus 100. The second use case is when an application that performs authentication using finger veins is installed on the image forming apparatus 100, and a failure occurs in the vein authentication device (not shown in Figure 2) connected to the image forming apparatus 100. The third use case is when a security vulnerability in the application is discovered. The fourth use case is when an application that manages subscriptions is installed on the image forming apparatus 100, and the subscription managed by the application expires.

[0052] First, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 waits for the user to access the portal site of the image forming apparatus 100 using the display unit 208 and press the display request button (not shown) for the application management screen 600 (described later) (step S401). After that, when the CPU 201 detects that the display request button for the application management screen 600 has been pressed, it proceeds to step S402. In this embodiment, the user accesses the portal site of the image forming apparatus 100 themselves and requests the display of the application management screen 600 (described later) when they want to stop the application, but it is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 may be configured to detect the occurrence or discovery of any of the use cases in which the user wants to stop the application. In this case, when the occurrence or discovery of any of the use cases is detected, a warning screen (inquiry means) including a message indicating the content of the detection and a display request button that asks the user whether or not to display the application management screen 600 may be displayed on the display unit 208.

[0053] In step S402, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200, upon receiving the user's button press detected in step S401, sends an application management information acquisition request to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0054] When the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives a request to acquire application management information from the information processing device 200, it proceeds to step S403 and collects the application management information 500 (Figure 5) stored in the storage 114 (first management means).

[0055] Figure 5 shows an example of application management information 500 in this embodiment.

[0056] The application management information 500 consists of the application number 501, application name 502, application last update date and time 503, application version 504, application status 505, license 506, application settings table 507, and log storage area 508.

[0057] App number 501 is the ID used to manage the app. App name 502 is the name of the app. In this embodiment, a predetermined name is used as the app name, but the user may be allowed to change the app name from the app management screen 600.

[0058] The app's last update date and time (503) is the date and time the app was last updated. It records the date and time the app was last updated (version upgraded). If the app has not been updated since being installed on the image forming apparatus 100, the installation date and time are recorded.

[0059] App version 504 is the app's version information, and when the app is updated, the app version 504 is also updated. For example, app number 0001 has an app version of 1.00, which means it has never been updated since installation.

[0060] App status 505 indicates the current state of the app and has states such as "Installed," "Started," and "Stopped." In this embodiment, management information for uninstalled apps is deleted and not retained. Therefore, there is no "Uninstalled" state, however, if the entire history of installed apps is to be managed, an "Uninstalled" state may be included. License 506 contains information about the license for using the app. In this embodiment, the information stored in license 506 is one of the following: "Not required," "XXXX / YY / ZZ," "Expired," or "Always valid." "Not required" indicates that the app can be used without a license. If the license has an expiration date and is still usable, the expiration date and time are stored as "XXXX / YY / ZZ," and if it has expired, it is stored as "Expired." If the license does not have an expiration date and can be used permanently after a one-time purchase, it is stored as "Always valid."

[0061] In this embodiment, the application settings table 507 stores address information of a management table (not shown) that stores application settings information. When an application management information acquisition request is received in step S403, the CPU 111 also collects information from the application settings information management table (not shown) at the address stored in the application settings table 507. Examples of application settings information include settings indicating whether the application is launched when the image forming apparatus 100 is started, and, in the case of an application for copying, various settings information set by the user for copy execution.

[0062] In this embodiment, the log storage area 508 stores address information where the application's operation logs are stored. When the application management information acquisition request is received in step S403, the CPU 111 also collects the application's operation log information at the address stored in the log storage area 508. However, since the operation log information is large in size, it may not be acquired when the application management information acquisition request is received in step S403, and a separate log information acquisition request may be sent from the application management screen 600.

[0063] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, once the CPU 111 has finished collecting the application management information 500, it proceeds to step S404 and transmits the application management information 500 to the information processing device 200. When the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives the application management information 500 from the image forming apparatus 100, it proceeds to step S405 and displays the application management screen 600 on the display unit 208.

[0064] Figure 6 shows an example of the application management screen 600 displayed on the display unit 208.

[0065] As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the application management screen 600 (first UI means) has icons 601 to 605 and an information display area 606.

[0066] Icons 601-605 are used to display the application management screen, application installation screen, license management screen, application configuration information management screen, and application log management screen, respectively. Each icon from 601 to 605 displays the name of the screen it corresponds to. When a user selects one of the icons from 601 to 605, the screen corresponding to the selected icon is displayed in the information display area 606. Figures 6(a) and (b) show an example where the user selects icon 601 and the application management screen is displayed in the information display area 606.

[0067] The application management screen includes the application name (610), update date and time (611), version (612), status (613), license (614), status change button (620), and uninstall button (621). The status change button (620) and uninstall button (621) are general terms for buttons whose display changes depending on the application's status, and below, different letters will be appended to the end of each button's name according to its display.

[0068] Application name 610 displays the app name 502 (Figure 5). Update date 611 displays the app's last update date 503 (Figure 5). Version 612 displays the app version 504 (Figure 5). Status 613 displays the app status 505 (Figure 5). License 614 displays the license 506 (Figure 5).

[0069] The state change buttons 620a and 620b (stop and start means) are buttons for the user to instruct the user to change the state of applications 1 and 2, respectively. In the example in Figure 6(a), application 1 (the first application) is in the start state, so the state change button 620a displays "Stop". Therefore, when the user presses the state change button 620a, the CPU 201 receives the user's intention to stop application 1 (stop instruction). Similarly, application 2 (the second application) is in the stop state, so the state change button 620b displays "Start". Therefore, when the user presses the state change button 620b, the CPU 201 receives the user's intention to start application 2 (start instruction).

[0070] The uninstall buttons 621a and 621b are buttons that the user can use to instruct the uninstallation of applications 1 and 2, respectively. For example, when the user presses the uninstall button 621a, the CPU 201 receives the user's intention (stop command) to uninstall application 1.

[0071] Furthermore, when the user selects icon 602, the application installation screen is displayed in the information display area 606. This allows the user to instruct the image forming apparatus 100 to install a desired application from the list of applications that can be installed on the image forming apparatus 100, which is included in the application installation screen.

[0072] Furthermore, when the user selects icon 603, the license management screen is displayed in the information display area 606. This allows the user to check the license purchase status and expiration date included in the license management screen, and to purchase additional licenses by clicking the additional license purchase button on the same screen.

[0073] Furthermore, when the user selects icon 604, the application settings management screen is displayed in the information display area 606. This allows the user to instruct the user to change the settings of the desired application from the list of application settings included in the application settings management screen.

[0074] Furthermore, when the user selects icon 605, the application log management screen is displayed in the information display area 606. This allows the user to check the application logs by selecting the desired log information from the list of log information associated with each application installed on the image forming apparatus 100, which is included in the application log management screen.

[0075] Please note that detailed explanations of the screens displayed by user selections of icons 602-605 will be omitted, along with example screenshots.

[0076] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4, in step S406, when the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 detects that the user has operated the operation unit 206 and pressed the status change button 620a on the application management screen 600, the process proceeds to step S407. Here, we explain the case where the user presses the status change button 620a of application 1 and instructs a change in the status of application 1, but it may also be a user instruction to change the status of another application. For example, it may be the case that the status change button 620b of application 2 is pressed. Although not shown in Figure 6, the same process is executed even if the target detected by the CPU 201 in step S406 is the uninstall button 621a (or uninstall button 621b).

[0077] In step S407, when the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 detects that the user has pressed the status change button 620 of application 1, it sends a request to the image forming apparatus 100 to acquire device setting information.

[0078] In step S408, when the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives a request to acquire device setting information from the information processing device 200, it collects the device setting information 900 stored in the storage 114 (second management means). In this embodiment, the device setting information 900 to be acquired is limited to "screen settings to be displayed at startup / recovery," but other device setting information 900 may also be acquired together.

[0079] Figure 9 shows an example of device configuration information 900 according to the present invention. Note that Figures 9(a) and (b) show device configuration information for this embodiment, but Figure 9(c) is device configuration information for the second embodiment, and therefore will be described in the second embodiment.

[0080] As shown in Figure 9(a), the device setting information 900 consists of a management ID 901, a setting name 902, and a setting value 903. In the example in Figure 9(a), the setting name 902 on the first line is set to "Screen setting to display on startup / recovery", and its setting value 911 is set to "Application 1". In Figure 9(a), the setting name 902 on the second line is set to "Screen setting to display on startup / recovery (temporary backup)", but since the case where an application has this setting will be explained in the second embodiment, in this embodiment the setting value 911 is set to "none". Also, although not shown in Figures 9(a), (b), and (c), it goes without saying that there are other device settings that can be set as setting name 902 besides "Screen setting to display on startup / recovery" and "Screen setting to display on startup / recovery (temporary backup)".

[0081] Returning to Figure 4, in step S409, once the CPU 111 has finished collecting the device configuration information 900 in step S408, it transmits the device configuration information 900 to the information processing device 200.

[0082] When the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives device setting information 900 from the image forming apparatus 100, it proceeds to step S410 and determines whether it is necessary to display the device setting change confirmation screen 700 (Figure 7). Specifically, it checks whether the screen of the application (application 1) that the user instructed to stop by pressing the status change button 620a is set as "screen setting to display at startup / resumption". For example, as shown in Figure 9(a), if the setting value 911 of application 1 is set to "screen setting to display at startup / resumption", the CPU 201 determines that it is necessary to display the device setting change confirmation screen 700. The following describes the case where it is determined in step S410 that it is necessary to display the device setting change confirmation screen 700 and proceeds to step S411.

[0083] As mentioned above, the CPU 201 may also detect in step S406 that the user has instructed uninstallation by pressing the uninstall button 621a (or uninstall button 621b). In this case, step S410 checks whether the screen of the application that the user instructed to uninstall is set as the "screen setting to display at startup / recovery". For example, if the application that the user instructed to uninstall is Application 2, Application 2 is not registered in the device setting information 900 in Figure 9(a), and Application 2 is not set as the "screen setting to display at startup / recovery". In this case, the CPU 201 proceeds to step S413. Similarly, if there is no need to display the device setting change confirmation screen 700 in step S410, that is, if the setting value 911 of the application that was instructed to stop is not set as the "screen setting to display at startup / recovery", the CPU 201 also proceeds to step S413.

[0084] In step S411, the CPU 201 displays the device setting change confirmation screen 700 on the display unit 208.

[0085] Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show examples of the device setting change confirmation screen 700 according to this embodiment.

[0086] The device settings change confirmation screen 700 (second UI means) consists of a message display area 701, an "OK" button 702, a "Set other screens" button 703, and a "Do not change settings" button 704.

[0087] The message display area 701 is an area for displaying messages to the user. In this embodiment, it was confirmed in step S410 that the screen of the application (application 1) that the user instructed to stop using the status change button 620a was set as the "screen setting to display when starting up / resuming". Therefore, as shown in Figure 7(a), the message display area 701 displays a message to alert the user and prompt them to change the setting. If the setting is not changed here, and this would cause problems such as slower screen display at the next startup, the message display area 701 may also display this information, as shown in Figure 7(b).

[0088] The "OK" button 702 is a button that accepts the user's intention to agree to the message in the message display area 701 (change instruction: first instruction). In this embodiment, when the user presses the "OK" button 702, the CPU 201 determines that the user has selected the Home screen (default screen) as the "screen setting to display at startup / resumption".

[0089] The "Do not change settings" button 704 is a button that accepts the user's intention not to agree to the message in the message display area 701. In this embodiment, when the user presses the "Do not change settings" button 704, the CPU 201 determines that the user has chosen to leave the "screen settings to display at startup / resumption" as they are.

[0090] The "Set Other Screen" button 703 is a button that accepts the user's intention (change instruction: second instruction) to set a screen other than the Home screen (other than the default screen). In this embodiment, when the user presses the "Set Other Screen" button 703, the CPU 201 displays the "Screen Settings to Display at Startup / Resume" screen 800, which will be described later. Using this "Screen Settings to Display at Startup / Resume" screen 800, the user can select and configure the "Screen Settings to Display at Startup / Resume".

[0091] Figure 8 shows an example of the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery" screen 800 according to this embodiment.

[0092] The "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" screen 800 (third UI means) consists of a title display area 801, a group of checkboxes 802, a settings display area 803, an "OK" button 804, and a "Cancel" button 805.

[0093] The title display area 801 is the area that displays the title of the "Screen settings to display when starting up / resumeing" screen 800, and in this embodiment, it displays "Screen settings to display when starting up / resumeing".

[0094] The checkbox group 802 is a group of checkboxes that accept the user's intention to select from among multiple setting values ​​displayed in the setting display area 803. In this embodiment, the checkbox 802a corresponding to the copy screen among the checkbox group 802 is selected by the user through a click operation. The CPU 201 changes the display of checkbox 802a to black to indicate that it has accepted the user's intention to select the copy screen. However, the display change of checkbox 802a is not limited to this, as long as it conveys that the user's intention to select has been accepted. For example, the display change of checkbox 802a may be such that a checkmark appears inside the checkbox.

[0095] The settings display area 803 displays multiple setting values ​​indicating the screens that can be set as "screen settings to display at startup / resumption". In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(a), Application 2, which is one of the multiple setting values, is in a "stopped" state at the time of selection, so although it is displayed in the settings display area 803, it is grayed out. In addition, the checkbox 802b corresponding to Application 2 is displayed in a way that prevents the user from selecting it.

[0096] The "OK" button 804 is a button that accepts the user's intention to agree to change the setting to the setting selected from the group of checkboxes 802. In this embodiment, when the user presses the "OK" button 804, the CPU 201 determines that the user has selected the copy screen as the "Screen setting to display at startup / resumption" and closes the "Screen setting to display at startup / resumption" screen 800. Note that the "OK" button 804 is grayed out and cannot be pressed by the user if one of the user-selectable checkboxes in the group of checkboxes 802 is not selected by the user.

[0097] The "Cancel" button 805 is a button that accepts the user's intention not to make a setting change. In this embodiment, when the user presses the "Cancel" button 805, the CPU 201 leaves the screen settings displayed at startup / resumption as they are and closes the "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" screen 800.

[0098] When the "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" screen 800 is closed, CPU201 returns to displaying the device settings change confirmation screen 700.

[0099] In step S410, the device settings change confirmation screen 700 was displayed when the "screen setting to display at startup / resumption" was the screen of the application that had been stopped, but this is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 201 may perform an automatic change process to automatically change the screen to display at startup / resumption to the default screen (HOME screen) without displaying the device settings change confirmation screen 700. In this automatic change process, the same actions and setting change processes are performed as when the user presses the "OK" button 702 on the device settings change confirmation screen 700.

[0100] Note that if an app is stopped or uninstalled, its functions will be disabled. For this reason, a separate "Screen to display on startup / reopen" detailed settings screen 1200 (Figure 12) may be provided, and the above automatic change process may be performed in step S410 according to the settings that have been set in advance on this screen.

[0101] Here, the detailed settings screen 1200 (fourth UI means) for the "screen to display at startup / recovery" in Figure 12 consists of settings 1201 and 1202 that the user can switch ON / OFF.

[0102] Setting 1201 (First Automatic Change Instruction) is a setting that allows the user to toggle on or off the setting that "automatically reverts to the default screen when the function corresponding to the set screen becomes disabled."

[0103] Setting 1202 (Second Automatic Change Instruction) is a setting that "automatically sets another screen if the function corresponding to the set screen becomes disabled."

[0104] Therefore, if setting 1201 is ON and setting 1202 is OFF at the time of processing in step S410, the CPU 201 performs the automatic change process described above.

[0105] On the other hand, if setting 1201 is OFF and setting 1202 is ON at the time of processing in step S410, the above automatic change process will not be performed, but the CPU 201 will display the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery" screen 800 (fifth UI means) and prompt the user to make a selection.

[0106] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 4. In step S412, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 detects what device setting selection the user has made using the device setting change confirmation screen 700 or the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery" screen 800. Here, device setting selection means how the user has chosen to set the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery". After this detection, the process proceeds to step S413. In this embodiment, we will explain an example where, in step S412, the CPU 201 detects that the user has chosen to set the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery" to the "Copy" screen. That is, in this embodiment, first, the user presses the "Set other screen" button 703 on the device setting change confirmation screen 700. Next, on the "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery" screen 800 displayed by this operation, the user selects checkbox 802a as shown in Figure 8, and then the "OK" button 804 is pressed.

[0107] Returning to Figure 4, in step S413, the CPU 201 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 of a request to update the application management information of application 1. Here, if the user selects to change the settings in step S412 (if the user selects either the "OK" button 702 or 804), the CPU 201 (change means) also notifies of a request to update the "screen settings to display at startup / resumption".

[0108] When the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives an update request from the information processing apparatus 200 in step S413, it proceeds to step S414 and updates the information stored in the storage 114. Specifically, it changes the application status 505 of application 1 in the application management information 500 from "started" to "stopped" and stops the operation of application 1. Also, if the update request in step S413 includes an update request for "screen settings to display at startup / reopening", it updates the setting value 911 (Figure 9) of "screen settings to display at startup / reopening". In this embodiment, the setting value 911 of "screen settings to display at startup / reopening" is updated from "Application 1" shown in Figure 9(a) to "Copy" shown in Figure 9(b).

[0109] Returning to Figure 4, once the CPU 111 completes the update in step S414, it proceeds to step S415 and notifies the information processing device 200 of the completion of the update.

[0110] When the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives the update completion notification from the image forming apparatus 100 in step S415, it proceeds to step S416 and updates the application management screen 600. Specifically, in this embodiment, the status 613 of application 1 is updated from "Started" as shown in Figure 6(a) to "Stopped" as shown in Figure 6(b), and the status change button 620a is updated and displayed from "Stopped" as shown in Figure 6(a) to "Started" as shown in Figure 6(b). An example of the application management screen 600 at this time is shown in Figure 6(b). After that, this sequence is terminated.

[0111] As described above, when a user instructs the information processing device 200 to pause or uninstall an application using the application management screen 600, the CPU 201 checks whether the application's screen is registered as a "screen setting to display at startup / resumption." If it is registered, the CPU 201 displays a screen (Figures 7 and 8) prompting the user to change the "screen setting to display at startup / resumption." This allows for quick display of the startup / resumption screen without showing the user any unwanted screens (i.e., the screen of the application that the user instructed to pause or uninstall).

[0112] In this embodiment, the case when the application is stopped was used as an example, but the present invention is also applicable when other functions of the image forming apparatus 100 are disabled and the screen of the disabled function is registered as a "screen setting to display at startup / resumption". For example, suppose that the user can disable each of the independent functions of the image forming apparatus 100, such as copy, scan, and fax, and that the copy screen is set as a "screen setting to display at startup / resumption". In this case, the present invention is also applicable when the user instructs the image forming apparatus 100 to disable the copy function.

[0113] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes an example in which the information processing device 200 receives a user instruction to stop the application, it is also possible to implement the present invention using only the image forming apparatus 100. In that case, an application management screen similar to that in Figure 6 can be displayed on the operation unit 116 on the image forming apparatus 100, and when an application stop instruction is given, a screen similar to those in Figures 7 and 8 can be displayed on the operation unit 116, allowing the user to select and change settings.

[0114] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a case where application management information and device setting information are managed by the image forming apparatus 100, this information may also be managed by the information processing device 200 or an external cloud server.

[0115] <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, when an application installed on the image forming apparatus 100 is paused by user operation, an example was described in which the setting of the application's screen, which was registered as the "screen setting to display when starting / resumeing," is changed. However, when the paused application is resumed, it is desirable to return the application's screen to the "screen setting to display when starting / resumeing." Therefore, in this embodiment, when an application is paused, the "screen setting to display when starting / resumeing" is temporarily retained, and the retained setting can be restored when the application is resumed. The following description of this embodiment will focus on the differences from the first embodiment using Figure 10. Note that the same hardware and software configurations as in the first embodiment will be numbered the same way, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0116] Figure 10 shows the sequence of control processing when the pause button and start button of the application are pressed in this embodiment.

[0117] The processes from steps S1001 to S1010 are the same as those from steps S401 to S410 in Figure 4, so their explanation will be omitted. In this embodiment as well, in step S1006, we will describe the case where the user presses the application 1 status change button 620a, similar to step S406. Also in this embodiment as well, in step S1008, the setting value 911 for "Screen setting to display at startup / recovery" is in the state shown in Figure 9(a) at this point, similar to step S408. That is, similar to the first embodiment, the setting value 911 is "Application 1".

[0118] In step S1010, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 determines whether it is necessary to display the device setting change confirmation screen 1100 (Figure 11). Although redundant explanations are omitted, similar to step S410 in the first embodiment, the CPU 201 proceeds to step S1011 and displays the device setting change confirmation screen 1100 (Figure 11) on the display unit 208. If it is determined in step S1010 that it is not necessary to display the device setting change confirmation screen, that is, if the setting value 911 of "Screen setting to display at startup / resumption" does not match the application that has been stopped, the process proceeds to step S1013.

[0119] Figure 11 shows an example of the device setting change confirmation screen 1100 according to this embodiment.

[0120] The device settings change confirmation screen 1100 consists of a message display area 1101, an "OK" button 1102, a "Set other screens" button 1103, and a "Use the same settings when the app resumes" button 1104.

[0121] In addition to the messages displayed in the message display area 701 in Figure 7(a), the message display area 1101 also displays an explanation of the "Use the same settings when restarting the app" button 1104 as a message. Furthermore, the message display area 1101 may also display a message about potential drawbacks, similar to the message display area 701 shown in Figure 7(b) of the first embodiment.

[0122] The "OK" button 1102 and the "Set Other Screens" button 1103 are the same as the "OK" button 702 and the "Set Other Screens" button 703 in Figure 7(a), so their explanation is omitted. Similarly, the "Screen Settings to Display at Startup / Resume" screen 800, which is displayed when the "Set Other Screens" button 1103 is pressed, is the same as described in Figure 8 of the first embodiment, so its explanation is omitted.

[0123] The "Restore same settings when app resumes" button 1104 is a button that accepts the user's intention to temporarily set the app to the Home screen while the app is stopped and to revert to the current settings when the app resumes (change instruction: third instruction). In this embodiment, we will describe the case when the user presses the "Restore same settings when app resumes" button 1104. In this case, the CPU 201 determines that the user has selected "Home" as the "Screen setting to display when the app starts / resumes" and "Application 1" as the "Screen setting to display when the app starts / resumes (temporarily saved)".

[0124] In this embodiment, if the user presses the "Other screen settings" button 1103, selects the settings shown in Figure 8, and then presses the "Use the same settings when the application is resumed" button 1104, the settings shown in Figure 8 will not be reflected, but this may be changed so that they are reflected. In other words, in this case, the CPU 201 may determine that the user has selected "Copy" as the "Screen settings to display at startup / resume" and "Application 1" as the "Screen settings to display at startup / resume (temporarily saved)".

[0125] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 10. In step S1012, the CPU 201 detects what device setting selection the user made using the device setting change confirmation screen 1100 or the "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" screen 800. Here, device setting selection means how the user chose to set the "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" or the "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption (temporarily hidden)". After this detection, the process proceeds to step S1013. In this embodiment, as described above, in step S1012, the CPU 201 will explain using the case where the user presses the "Use the same settings when resuming the application" button 1104 as an example.

[0126] Returning to Figure 10, in step S1013, the CPU 201 notifies the image forming apparatus 100 of a request to update the application management information for application 1. In this embodiment, since the setting change of "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" is always selected on the device setting change confirmation screen 1100, the request to update "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption" is also notified. In addition, there are cases where a setting change of "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption (temporarily saved)" is required, i.e., the "button to use the same settings when resuming the application" 1104 is selected in step S1012. In this case, the CPU 201 (first control means) also notifies the request to update "Screen settings to display at startup / resumption (temporarily saved)".

[0127] When the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives an update request from the information processing device 200 in step S1013, it proceeds to step S1014 and updates the information stored in the storage 114. Specifically, it changes the application status 505 of application 1 in the application management information 500 from "started" to "stopped" and stops the operation of application 1. In addition, since the update request in step S1013 always includes an update request for "screen settings to display at startup / recovery", it updates the setting value 911 (Figure 9) of "screen settings to display at startup / recovery". In this embodiment, the setting value 911 of "screen settings to display at startup / recovery" is updated from "Application 1" shown in Figure 9(a) to "Home" shown in Figure 9(c). Furthermore, if an update request for "screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporarily saved)" is received, it updates the setting value 912 of "screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporarily saved)". In this embodiment, the setting value 912 of "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporary save)" is updated to "Application 1" as shown in Figure 9(c).

[0128] Returning to Figure 10, once the CPU 111 completes the update in step S1013, it proceeds to step S1015 and notifies the information processing device 200 of the completion of the update.

[0129] When the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives the update completion notification from the image forming apparatus 100 in step S1015, it proceeds to step S1016 and updates the application management screen 600. Specifically, in this embodiment, the status 613 of application 1 is updated from "Started" as shown in Figure 6(a) to "Stopped" as shown in Figure 6(b), and the status change button 620a is updated and displayed from "Stopped" as shown in Figure 6(a) to "Started" as shown in Figure 6(b). An example of the application management screen 600 at this time is shown in Figure 6(b).

[0130] Subsequently, in step S1017, when the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 detects that the user has operated the operation unit 206 and pressed the status change button 620c for application 1 on the application management screen 600 shown in Figure 6(b), the process proceeds to step S1018. As shown in Figure 6(b), the status change button 620c is labeled "Start," so the CPU 201 determines from this detection that there has been a request from the user to start application 1.

[0131] In step S1018, the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives a request from the user to start application 1, which was determined by the detection in step S1017, and sends an application management information update request to the image forming apparatus 100.

[0132] When the CPU 111 of the image forming apparatus 100 receives an update request from the information processing device 200 in step S1018, it proceeds to step S1019 and updates the information stored in the storage 114. Specifically, it updates the application status 505 of application 1 in the application management information 500 from "stopped" to "started" as updated in step S1016, and starts (resumes) the operation of application 1 in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0133] Next, the process proceeds to step S1020, where the CPU 111 checks the setting value 912 of "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporarily saved)" (temporarily saved information) and verifies if it matches the application that the user requested to start in step S1017. In this embodiment, the application that the user requested to start in step S1017 is "Application 1," which matches the setting value 912 of "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporarily saved)" shown in Figure 9(c). When the application that the user requested to start matches the setting value 912 in this way, the CPU 111 (second control means) determines that the setting value was temporarily saved when "Application 1" was stopped, and proceeds to step S1021 to update the related device setting information 900. Specifically, in this embodiment, "Home," which is the setting value 911 of "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery," is updated (reconfigured) to "Application 1," which is the setting value 912 of "Screen settings to display at startup / recovery (temporarily saved)." Furthermore, after this update, and after updating the setting value 911 of "Screen settings to display on startup / resumption," the setting value 912 of "Screen settings to display on startup / resumption (temporarily saved)," which is "Application 1," is updated to "None." In this way, the setting value (i.e., "Application 1") that was temporarily saved to "Screen settings to display on startup / resumption (temporarily saved)" in the process of steps S1012 to S1014 when the application is stopped is written back to "Screen settings to display on startup / resumption" when the application is resumed. This makes it possible to return from the state in Figure 9(c) to the state in Figure 9(a).

[0134] In this embodiment, the "screen settings to display at startup / resumption (temporary storage)" is described as being able to hold information for only one application, but it may be possible to save and manage settings for multiple installable applications.

[0135] On the other hand, if the verification in step S1020 reveals that the application that made the start request does not match the setting value 912 (although this differs from the example of this embodiment), the CPU 111 does nothing in step S1021 and proceeds directly to S1022.

[0136] Once the CPU 111 has completed the verification process in step S1019 and the update process in step S1021 (including cases where nothing is updated), it proceeds to step S1022 and notifies the information processing device 200 that the update is complete.

[0137] When the CPU 201 of the information processing device 200 receives the update completion notification from the image forming apparatus 100 in step S1022, it proceeds to step S1023.

[0138] In step S1023, CPU201 updates the application management screen 600, changes the status 613 of application 1 to "Started", and changes the status change button 620a to "Stopped" and displays it. The application management screen at this time will be the same as the screen shown in Figure 6(a) in S1005. After that, this sequence is terminated.

[0139] By doing so, when a user pauses an application using the application management screen 600 on the information processing device 200, the "screen settings to display when starting / resumeing" are retained, and the application is restored to those retained screen settings when it is resumed.

[0140] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of this embodiment to a system or device via a network or recording medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and operate the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0141] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

[0142] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist.

[0143] This embodiment includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Configuration 1) An information processing device for controlling an image forming apparatus to which additional functions are added by installing an external application, comprising: a first UI means for displaying information of the external application and receiving a stop instruction from a user for the external application when the external application is in a started state; a stop means for causing the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application when the first UI means receives the stop instruction; a second UI means for receiving a change instruction from a user for the screen setting to be displayed when the image forming apparatus starts up or returns from a power-saving state, when the first UI means receives the stop instruction and the screen of the external application is set in the device setting information of the image forming apparatus to be displayed when it starts up or returns from a power-saving state; and a change means for causing the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed when it starts up or returns from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction when the second UI means receives the change instruction. (Configuration 2) The information processing device according to Configuration 1, characterized in that the change instruction is a first instruction that changes the screen setting displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state from the screen of the external application to the default screen. (Configuration 3) The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 1, wherein the change instruction is a second instruction that causes the screen setting to be displayed when the system starts up or returns from a power-saving state to be changed from the screen of the external application to another screen other than the default screen, and further comprises a third UI means that, when the second instruction is given, displays a plurality of settings that can be set as the screen setting to be displayed when the system starts up or returns from a power-saving state, and accepts the user's selection of one of the plurality of settings. (Configuration 4) The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 3, characterized in that the third UI means displays the setting that shows the screen of the external application for which the stop command was issued, among the plurality of settings, in such a way that the user cannot select it. (Configuration 5) When the screen of a disabled function is set as the screen setting to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state, if the screen setting to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state is to be automatically changed, and the screen of the external application is set as the screen setting to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state, the first UI means receives the stop instruction, and the second UI means does not receive the change instruction, and the automatic change means changes the screen setting to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state, as described in Configuration 1. (Configuration 6) The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 5, further comprising a fourth UI means for receiving in advance screen settings from a user that are to be automatically changed by the automatic change means. (Configuration 7) The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 6, wherein the fourth UI means receives a first automatic change instruction from the user to set the automatically changed screen settings to the default screen. (Configuration 8) The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 6, further comprising a fourth UI means which receives a second automatic change instruction from the user to set the automatically changed screen setting to a screen other than the default screen, and when the second automatic change instruction is received, displays a plurality of settings that can be set as the screen setting to be displayed when the system starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state, and accepts the user's selection of one of the plurality of settings. (Configuration 9) When the image forming apparatus has been equipped with a function to perform authentication processing using an IC card by installing the external application, and a malfunction of the IC card reader connected to the image forming apparatus is detected, the information processing apparatus further comprises an inquiry means for notifying the user of the detection and asking the user whether or not it is necessary to display the first UI means. (Configuration 10) When the image forming apparatus has been equipped with a function to perform authentication processing using finger veins by installing the external application, the information processing apparatus further comprises an inquiry means for notifying the user of the detection and asking the user whether or not it is necessary to display the first UI means, in the event that a failure of a vein authentication device connected to the image forming apparatus is detected. (Configuration 11) The information processing device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 8, further comprising an inquiry means for notifying the user of the details of the detection when a security vulnerability in the external application is detected and for inquiring with the user whether or not it is necessary to display the first UI means. (Configuration 12) When the image forming apparatus is provided with a function to manage subscriptions by installing the external application, the information processing apparatus further comprises an inquiry means that, when it detects that the subscription managed by the function has expired, notifies the user of the detection and asks the user whether it is necessary to display the first UI means. (Configuration 13) The first UI means further receives a start command for the external application from the user when the external application is stopped, and the image forming apparatus has a first application and a second application installed as the external application, and the change command is a third command which instructs to change the screen setting displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state from the screen of the first application to the default screen, and to reset the current setting of the screen setting displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state when the first application that was stopped by the stop means is restarted, and the first UI means The information processing apparatus according to Configuration 1, further comprising: a start means for the user to start the first application when the start instruction is received for the application; a first control means that, in response to the third instruction received by the second UI means, sets the current setting of the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state as a temporary setting, and sets the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state as the default screen; and a second control means that, if the screen of the first application started by the start means is set as a temporary setting saved by the first control means, resets the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state to the temporary setting. (Configuration 14) An information processing system that connects an image forming apparatus, which has additional functionality added by installing an external application, and an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus in a communicative manner, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises a first management means for managing information of the external application, and a second management means for managing device setting information including screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state, and the screen of the external application can also be set, and the information processing device acquires and displays the information of the external application managed by the first management means from the image forming apparatus, and when the external application is in a started state, a first UI means for receiving a stop command for the external application from the user, and the first UI means An information processing system characterized by comprising: a stop means that, when the stop instruction is received at a certain stage, causes the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application; a second UI means that, when the stop instruction is received at the first UI means, acquires device setting information from the image forming apparatus, and if the screen of the external application is set in the acquired device setting information as the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state, receives an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state; and a change means that, when the change instruction is received at the second UI means, causes the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction. (Method 1) A control method for an information processing device that controls an image forming apparatus to which additional functions have been added by installing an external application, comprising: a first UI step of displaying information of the external application and receiving a stop instruction from a user of the external application when the external application is in a started state; a stop step of causing the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application when the stop instruction has been received in the first UI step; a second UI step of receiving an instruction from a user to change the screen setting to be displayed when the image forming apparatus is started or when it returns from a power-saving state, when the stop instruction has been received in the first UI step and the screen of the external application is set in the device setting information of the image forming apparatus as a screen setting to be displayed when it starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state; and a change step of causing the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed when it starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction when the change instruction has been received in the second UI step. (Method 2) A control method for an information processing system that connects an image forming apparatus, to which additional functions are added by installing an external application, and an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus in a communicative manner, comprising: a first management step in which the image forming apparatus manages information of the external application; a second management step in which the image forming apparatus manages device setting information including screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state, and the screen of the external application can also be set; a first UI step in which the information processing device acquires and displays the information of the external application managed in the first management step from the image forming apparatus, and accepts a stop instruction from the user of the external application when the external application is in a started state; and the information processing device A control method characterized by comprising: a stop step in which, when the stop instruction is received in step I, the image forming apparatus stops the operation of the external application; a second UI step in which, when the information processing device receives the stop instruction in step I, it acquires the device setting information from the image forming apparatus, and if the acquired device setting information includes the screen of the external application as the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state, it receives an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state; and a change step in which, when the information processing device receives the change instruction in step second, it causes the image forming apparatus to change the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state according to the change instruction. (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of an information processing device described in any one of Configurations 1 to 13. (Program 2) A program to cause the computer to function as one of the means of the information processing system described in Configuration 14. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0144] 1. Information Processing System 100 Image forming apparatus 110 Control Unit 111,201 CPU 112,202 ROM 113,203 RAM 114,204 storage 115,205 Operation unit I / F 116,206 Operation section 117 Reader I / F 118 Reading Unit 119 Printing Department I / F 120 Printing Department 121 External storage I / F 122 External storage device 123,209 Communications I / F 200 Information Processing Devices 207 Display I / F 208 Display section 300 Communication Networks

Claims

1. In an information processing device that controls an image forming apparatus to which additional functions have been added by installing an external application, A first UI means that displays information about the external application and, when the external application is in a running state, receives a command from the user to stop the external application, When the first UI means receives the stop instruction, the image forming apparatus is stopped from operating the external application, If the first UI means receives the stop instruction, and the device setting information of the image forming apparatus has the screen of the external application set as the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or when recovering from a power-saving state, the second UI means receives an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or recovering from a power-saving state, When the second UI means receives the change instruction, the change means causes the image forming apparatus to change the screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction. An information processing device characterized by comprising:

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the change instruction is a first instruction that changes the screen setting displayed at startup or recovery from a power-saving state from the screen of the external application to the default screen.

3. The aforementioned change instruction is a second instruction that changes the screen setting displayed during startup or recovery from a power-saving state from the screen of the external application to another screen other than the default screen. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third UI means for displaying a plurality of settings that can be set as screen settings to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state, and for accepting a selection of one of the plurality of settings from the user.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the third UI means controls the display so that the user cannot select the setting that shows the screen of the external application for which the stop command was issued, among the plurality of settings.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the screen setting for a disabled function is set as the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state, and the screen setting for a disabled function is set as the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state, and the first UI means receives the stop instruction, the second UI means changes the screen setting for a screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state without receiving the change instruction.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a fourth UI means for receiving the screen settings to be automatically changed in advance from the user.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the fourth UI means receives a first automatic change instruction from the user to set the automatically changed screen settings to the default screen.

8. The fourth UI means receives a second automatic change instruction from the user to set the automatically changing screen setting to a screen other than the default screen, The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a fifth UI means for displaying a plurality of settings that can be set as screen settings to be displayed when the device is started up or when it returns from a power-saving state, and for accepting a selection of one of the plurality of settings from the user, when the second automatic change instruction is given.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inquiry means for notifying the user of the detection and asking the user whether or not to display the first UI means when the image forming apparatus is equipped with a function to perform authentication processing using an IC card by installing the external application, and the image forming apparatus is equipped with a function to perform authentication processing using an IC card, and the malfunction of the IC card reader connected to the image forming apparatus is detected.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inquiry means for notifying the user of the detection and asking the user whether or not to display the first UI means when a malfunction of a vein authentication device connected to the image forming apparatus is detected in the image forming apparatus after the installation of the external application, thereby adding a function to perform authentication processing using finger veins to the image forming apparatus by the installation of the external application.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a query means for notifying the user of the discovery of a security vulnerability in the external application and inquiring whether or not it is necessary to display the first UI means.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inquiry means for notifying the user of the detection when the expiration date of a subscription managed by the function is detected in the image forming apparatus by the installation of the external application, and for inquiring whether or not the display of the first UI means is required.

13. The first UI means, when the external application is in a stopped state, further receives a start command for the external application from the user. The image forming apparatus has a first application and a second application installed as external applications, and the change instruction is a third instruction that instructs the screen setting displayed at startup or recovery from power saving state to be changed from the screen of the first application to the default screen, and to reset the current setting of the screen setting displayed at startup or recovery from power saving state when the first application, which was stopped by the stop means, is restarted. When the first UI means receives the start instruction for the first application, the start means allows the user to start the first application, A first control means that, in response to the third instruction received by the second UI means, sets the current setting of the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state as a temporary setting, and sets the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state as the default screen, If the screen of the first application started by the start means is set as a temporary setting saved by the first control means, the second control means resets the screen setting to be displayed at startup or when returning from a power-saving state to the temporary setting. The information processing device according to claim 1, further characterized by comprising the following:

14. An information processing system that connects an image forming apparatus, to which additional functions are added by installing an external application, and an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus, in a manner that enables communication between them, The image forming apparatus is A first management means for managing information of the aforementioned external application, A second management means for managing device configuration information, including screen settings to be displayed when the device starts up or resumes from a power-saving state, which can also configure the screen of the aforementioned external application. Equipped with, The aforementioned information processing device is A first UI means that acquires and displays information of the external application managed by the first management means from the image forming apparatus, and accepts a stop command for the external application from the user when the external application is in a started state, When the first UI means receives the stop instruction, the image forming apparatus is stopped from operating the external application, When the first UI means receives the stop instruction, it acquires the device setting information from the image forming apparatus, and if the acquired device setting information includes the screen of the external application as the screen setting to be displayed when the system starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state, it provides a second UI means to receive an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed when the system starts up or when it returns from a power-saving state. When the second UI means receives the change instruction, the change means causes the image forming apparatus to change the screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction. An information processing system characterized by comprising the following features.

15. A control method for an information processing device that controls an image forming apparatus to which additional functions have been added by installing an external application, A first UI step that displays information about the external application and, if the external application is in a started state, receives a command from the user to stop the external application. If the stop instruction is received in the first UI step, a stop step is performed to stop the operation of the external application in the image forming apparatus, If the stop instruction is received in the first UI step, and the external application screen is set in the device setting information of the image forming apparatus as the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or when recovering from a power-saving state, a second UI step is performed to receive an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or recovering from a power-saving state, If the change instruction is received in the second UI step, the change step involves changing the screen settings to be displayed when the device starts up or recovers from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction. A control method characterized by having the following features.

16. A control method for an information processing system that connects an image forming apparatus, to which additional functions are added by installing an external application, and an information processing device that controls the image forming apparatus, in a manner that enables communication between them, The image forming apparatus performs a first management step of managing information of the external application, The image forming apparatus includes a second management step for managing device configuration information, including screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state, which also allows for the configuration of the screen of the external application; The information processing device acquires and displays information about the external application managed in the first management step from the image forming apparatus, and if the external application is in a started state, a first UI step accepts a stop command for the external application from the user. If the information processing device receives the stop instruction in the first UI step, it performs a stop step that causes the image forming apparatus to stop the operation of the external application, If the information processing device receives the stop instruction in the first UI step, it obtains the device setting information from the image forming apparatus, and if the screen of the external application is set in the obtained device setting information as the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or returning from a power-saving state, it receives an instruction from the user to change the screen setting to be displayed when starting up or returning from a power-saving state in a second UI step. If the information processing device receives the change instruction in the second UI step, it performs a change step in which it changes the screen settings to be displayed at startup or when recovering from a power-saving state in accordance with the change instruction to the image forming apparatus. A control method characterized by having the following features.

17. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the information processing apparatus described in claim 1.

18. A program for causing a computer to function as one of the means of the information processing system described in claim 14.

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