Information processing system, its control method, and program

Abstract

The goal is to allow users to send image data to multiple tenants of external services. [Solution] Multiple authentication credentials are managed in association with the user identification information for logging into the information processing system, for accessing each of the multiple tenants managed by a single external service. In accordance with the execution instructions for a job in which one of the multiple tenants is set as the destination, image data is transmitted to the said tenant using the authentication credentials for accessing that tenant, which are managed in association with the user identification information of the user logged into the information processing system.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for transmitting image data to an external service. [Background Art]

[0002] In recent years, document management systems that scan forms such as invoices and transmit the scanned data to an external service are widely known. In such a document management system, devices to be used, users, destination external services, scan settings used on the device, and the like are associated with each other and managed. This enables, for example, a user to transmit a document to any external service with any scan settings using any device. Information processing systems including such document management systems and external services are often divided in contract units called "tenants". One tenant is configured such that users belonging to one organization can log in and access resources within the tenant. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a document management system that transfers a scanned document to an external service. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-54267 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] However, conventionally, information processing systems and external services have been assumed to be used by users belonging to the same organization. Therefore, a user logging into the information processing system can only register authentication information for one tenant for one external service, and cannot transmit image data to each of a plurality of tenants in one external service. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] To achieve the above objective, the information processing system of the present invention includes: a management means for managing multiple authentication information for accessing each of multiple tenants managed in a single external service, associated with the identification information of a user who logs into the information processing system; and a transmission means for transmitting image data to one of the multiple tenants, according to an execution instruction for a job set as the destination of that tenant, using authentication information for accessing that tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of a user who is logged into the information processing system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the information processing system of the present invention, a user who logs into the information processing system can send image data to multiple tenants of external services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the software configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 4] This is an overview diagram illustrating the tenant system. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example screen for registering multiple tenant settings for each external service. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example screen for registering multiple tenant settings for each external service. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the process for registering tenant settings. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example screen for registering scan settings, including tenant settings. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the prerequisites for explaining scan setting registration. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for registering scan settings including tenant settings. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for registering scan settings. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for performing user authentication. [Figure 13] It is a flowchart showing the flow of user authentication processing. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for using registered scan settings. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for using registered scan settings. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for using registered scan settings. [Figure 17] It is a flowchart showing the flow of using registered scan settings. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing an example of a screen for using registered scan settings. [Figure 19] It is a flowchart showing the flow of using registered scan settings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention.

[0009] <First Embodiment> <System Configuration> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. The information processing system includes an MFP, a client terminal, a document management server, and an external service, which are communicably connected via a network such as the Internet or an intranet.

[0010] The MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) 102 is an image processing apparatus having a plurality of functions such as a scanner and a printer, and is used by a user to scan a document such as a form and convert it into image data. In the following description, image data obtained by scanning a processing target document such as an invoice is referred to as a "scanned document". It should be noted that not only the MFP 102 but also any apparatus that generates image data including an MFP is applicable.

[0011] The client terminal 103 is an information processing apparatus used by each user, such as a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, and a smartphone.

[0012] The document management server 104 is a server that performs form processing and transfer processing, such as storing scanned documents from the MFP 102, analyzing extracted character strings and registering the analyzed character strings in an external service described later. It should be noted that not only the document management server 104 but also any apparatus that transmits image data to an external service is applicable.

[0013] The external service 105 refers to a service that stores a scanned document or information extracted from a scanned document. Hereinafter, the description is based on the premise of cloud storage, but the external service may be an accounting system, a mail system, or any other arbitrary service. In addition, data to be stored is not limited to scanned documents. Any service that stores image data or information extracted from image data is acceptable.

[0014] The configuration of the information processing system shown in Fig. 1 is an example and is not limited thereto. For example, the MFP 102 may also have the functions of the client terminal 103, and the client terminal 103 may be omitted. In this case, the processing performed by the client terminal 103 described below is performed by the MFP 102. Alternatively, the MFP 102 may also have the functions of the client terminal 103 and the document management server 104. In this case, the processing performed by the client terminal 103 and the document management server 104 described below is performed by the MFP 102.

[0015] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device, which includes the MFP 102, client terminal 103, document management server 104, billing record server 105, number management server 106, and external service 105. The CPU 202 is the arithmetic unit that controls the entire device and executes programs read from RAM 203, ROM 204, secondary storage device 205, etc. RAM 203 temporarily stores various data and also functions as the work memory for the CPU 202. ROM 204 records pre-installed programs and various data. The secondary storage device 205 is a large-capacity storage device such as an HDD or flash memory. The network interface 206 connects to the network 101 and communicates with other information processing devices and network devices not shown. The communication method can be either wired or wireless. The user interface (UI) 207 is implemented by operating devices 208 such as a display, keyboard, mouse, buttons, and touch panel, and performs input and output of information and signals. Computers lacking this hardware can be connected to and operated from other computers via remote desktop or remote shell. The scanner I / F 209 and printer I / F 211 are interfaces of the MFP 102, controlling input and output between the scanner 210 and printer 212, respectively. Each of these components is interconnected via the input / output interface 201.

[0016] <Software Configuration> Figure 3 shows an example of the software configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The respective CPUs 208 execute the software installed on the MFP 102, client terminal 103, document management server 104, and external service 105, thereby realizing the predetermined functions.

[0017] ≪MFP Software Configuration≫ The basic function unit 3210 consists of functions that are standard on the MFP 102. The MFP application 3220 is a Java®-based application that allows for easy addition of functions to the MFP terminal 102 while utilizing the functions of the basic function unit.

[0018] The scan execution unit 3211 performs a scan according to the instructed scan settings.

[0019] The image data processing unit 3212 generates document files in predetermined formats such as JPEG and PDF from the scanned image data.

[0020] The display control unit 3213 is the user interface and expresses various settings to be applied to the scanned image, as well as instructions to execute the scan.

[0021] The external system communication unit 3214 performs tasks such as sending approval requests and analyzing responses for connecting to the document management server 104 and external services 105.

[0022] The document processing application 3221 displays a scan screen and performs a scan according to the scan settings specified by the user. The scanned image, scan settings, and user information obtained from the operation of the login application 3222 (described later) are linked and sent to the document management server 104.

[0023] The login application 3222 links authentication information from both the MFP 102 and the document management server 104, and performs login using any method such as ID, username, password, PIN code, or card touch. Upon successful login, it becomes possible to use the functions of the MFP 102 and retrieve user information, tenant settings, scan settings, and other information managed by the document management server 104.

[0024] ≪Software configuration of client terminals≫ The client application 3310 runs the web application of the document management application 3410, which will be described later. One way in which the client application 3310 is provided is to run the web application as follows: It displays a Web UI in a browser. Then, it sends and receives necessary data with the API (Application Programming Interface) provided by the document management server.

[0025] ≪Software configuration of the document management server≫ In this embodiment, the document management application 3410 is described as a web application, but it may be implemented in other application forms. The document management application 3410 consists of a form processing unit 3411, a data processing unit 3412, a setting update unit 3413, and an external system communication unit 3414.

[0026] The document processing unit 3411 controls jobs managed by the data store 3420 (described later) and performs image processing (document processing) on ​​scanned images. Here, document processing includes optical character recognition (OCR) and conversion processing for file output on scanned images acquired from the scanned document management unit 3422, as well as pattern recognition, similar document discrimination using machine learning, and named entity recognition.

[0027] The data processing unit 3412 acquires user information, tenant information, and scan settings from the user information management unit 3423, tenant information management unit 3424, and scan setting management unit 3425, respectively, as described later. It then performs various processes in the document management server 104, including displaying operations and controlling execution to associate these settings. The setting update unit 3413 performs updates such as registering, editing, and deleting settings for the user information management unit 3423, tenant information management unit 3424, and scan setting management unit 3425. The external system communication unit 3414 performs processes related to sending and receiving, such as processing various requests and responses sent or received from the MFP terminal 102 and external services 105.

[0028] Datastore 3420 is a storage area used by the entire document management server 104. Datastore 3420 consists of a job information management unit 3421, a scanned document management unit 3422, a user information management unit 3423, a tenant information management unit 3424, and a scan settings management unit 3425.

[0029] The job information management unit 3421 saves scan settings and user information received from the MFP 102 on an execution basis. The scanned document management unit 3422 saves scanned images before and after processing by the document processing unit 3411.

[0030] The user information management unit 3423 manages the user information registered in the document management server 104. Here, the user information includes identification information (ID) and password for accessing the document management server 104, i.e., logging in. Furthermore, the user information includes authentication information for the user to access the external service 105. Specifically, the authentication information is the identification information (ID) and password for accessing the external service 105.

[0031] The authentication information for accessing the external service 105 differs for each tenant managed by the external service 105. Therefore, if multiple tenant information for a single external service 105 is managed by the tenant information management unit 3424 (described later), the authentication information for accessing each of the multiple tenant information entries may be managed by the user information management unit 3423. The authentication information for accessing the tenants of the external service 105 is managed in association with the identification information used to log in to the document management server 104.

[0032] Furthermore, the user information managed by the user information management unit 3423 may include not only individual user information but also group information used to link and manage users together, such as the department they belong to.

[0033] The tenant information management unit 3424 manages the tenant information of the external cloud server 105 used by the document management server 104 as a destination. Based on the tenant information registered here, users can perform user authentication on the external service 105 on a user-by-user basis. When a user selects a tenant and performs user authentication, the authentication information for accessing that tenant is stored in the user information management unit 3423, associated with the identification information of the user currently logged into the document management server 104.

[0034] The scan settings management unit 3425 holds the scan settings displayed in the document processing application 3221. These scan settings include not only the overall scan settings but also scan settings that the user has pre-registered for display in the document processing application 3221. Icons containing information corresponding to the registered scan settings are displayed on the screen shown in the document processing application 3221. The user can select an icon to reuse the pre-registered scan settings.

[0035] API3431 is an application programming interface provided by the display control unit 3430. WebUI3432 is a user interface provided by the display control unit 3430 for configuring various settings of applications and the document management server 104 from a web browser.

[0036] ≪Software configuration of external services≫ In this embodiment, the external application 3510 is described as an arbitrary web application, but it may be any other application implementation. The external service 105 is described assuming cloud storage, but it may be any service that stores image data or information extracted from image data, such as an accounting system, email system, or any other service.

[0037] The external application 3510 consists of a data processing unit 3511 and an external system communication unit 3512, and the data store 3520 consists of a data management unit 3721 that manages data used by the external service.

[0038] The data processing unit 3511 executes processing based on the incoming requests and retrieves or stores data from the data management unit 3521. The external system communication unit 3512 then performs processes related to transmission and reception, such as receiving various information requests, sending data processing requests, and analyzing the responses.

[0039] The above describes the software configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, each configuration is described using an application and data store that aggregate functions and management information, but these may be provided separately in multiple components.

[0040] <Diagram explaining the tenant system> Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the overview of tenants in the present invention. Cloud services manage resources separately for each contract unit, such as an organization like a company; this unit is called a tenant. Even for the same service, each tenant is managed independently. For example, a user using tenant 1 of the document management server 104 cannot access resources in tenant 2. When the document management server 104 cooperates with an external service 105, the document management server 104 can access resources managed by the external service 105 by specifying its tenant information.

[0041] Some organizations using the document management server 104 may use multiple tenants for a single external service due to corporate mergers or other reasons. This invention makes it possible for such organizations to add tenant settings for multiple external services and to enable users belonging to the organization to maintain authentication information for each tenant. Furthermore, this invention proposes a method for easily switching storage locations even when using different tenants by switching the tenant and authentication information when registering scan settings such as destinations set up and used by the organization.

[0042] <Tenant settings by the administrator> Figure 5 shows an example of a settings screen displayed by the client application 3310 via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104. The settings screen 501 is displayed to a user logged into the document management server 104 as an administrator. The settings screen 501 consists of a settings selection pane 511 that shows a list of settings and groups settings by type, and a settings display pane 521 that displays the selected settings. In the settings selection pane 511, the settings tab for performing tenant settings is selected, and the UI for performing tenant settings is displayed in the settings display pane 521. 531 is an area that displays tenant information registered in the document management server 104. When a user presses the add button 533 and performs the following four settings, the added tenant information is displayed in area 531. The first of the four settings is the "connection name," which can be arbitrarily set by the administrator to identify the registered tenant information. The second is the "destination" setting, which indicates the external service to be linked with. The third is the "URL" setting, which identifies the tenant of the external service. The fourth setting is the "default" setting, which determines which tenant information to use as the default when multiple tenant settings are registered for the same external service. Various settings will be explained later. 532 shows an example of registered tenant settings. Registered tenant information can be selected, and when selected, the settings can be edited using the edit button 534, and the registered tenant settings can be deleted using the disconnect button 535.

[0043] Figure 6 shows examples of the display and settings when the Add button 533 is pressed, when the Edit button 534 is pressed after selecting a registered tenant setting, and when the Disconnect button 535 is pressed after selecting a registered tenant setting. 601 is the setting addition dialog that is displayed when the Add button 533 is pressed. 611 is a setting for selecting the external service to which the data will be sent. A pull-down menu displays a list of external services that require tenant information input on the document management server 104.

[0044] Field 612 is a text field for determining the connection name. In this invention, multiple tenant information entries are registered for a single external service. Therefore, to distinguish them, the administrator can register these tenant information entries with arbitrary names.

[0045] 613 is a check button that indicates which tenant information to set as the default. In this invention, multiple tenant information entries are registered for a single external service. Therefore, when multiple entries are registered, it is possible to set which tenant information to use as the default.

[0046] Field 614 is for entering the URL necessary to identify the tenant.

[0047] Fields 615 and 616 are text fields for entering the ID and secret, respectively. Thus, in addition to URLs of external services managed by the tenant, there are cases where you need to enter the ID and secret, which are credentials to identify the application. This is because some external services issue applications that interact with the document management server 104 in order to restrict the range of resources and users that can access them.

[0048] As mentioned earlier with the application ID and secret, the required input fields may differ depending on the external service. Diagram 602 shows that the display changes by switching the external service setting 611.

[0049] We have explained the tenant information settings so far, but you may omit or add settings depending on the external service. For example, in the management tenant, you may display common settings that restrict or allow actions for all users alongside these settings.

[0050] Next, 621 is a diagram showing the display switching of the settings display pane 521 when the edit button 534 is pressed while arbitrary tenant information is selected. Registered tenant information is displayed in area 631, and by selecting arbitrary tenant information, the registered settings information is displayed in area 632. In this embodiment, the connection name of the registered tenant is displayed in area 631. The administrator can edit settings by selecting and entering information as desired on 632 and apply the changes by pressing the save button 633. The settings are the same as those explained in the add dialog 601, so they are omitted here. However, in some cases, the display may differ from that of the add dialog, for example, by deactivating input items that change the connection information of the registered tenant itself, such as the type of external service, URL, and application ID, when editing.

[0051] 641 indicates the disconnection dialog that appears when the disconnection button 535 is pressed while arbitrary tenant information is selected. It displays a message asking the administrator to confirm whether it is OK to disconnect the tenant information, and the user decides whether to disconnect using the disconnection button 642 or the cancel button 643.

[0052] <Tenant information registration control> Figure 7 is a flowchart focusing on the display control of the UI screen of the client application in the information processing system according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The flowchart illustrates the series of processes performed by the client application 3310 when an administrator registers tenant information.

[0053] When the client application 3310 detects an operation by the administrator, it displays a settings screen for registering tenant information via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104 (S701). At this time, the registered tenant information displayed on the settings screen and a list of tenant settings associated with various external services to be configured in subsequent operations are obtained from the tenant information management unit 3424 by the data processing unit 3412. The obtained list of registered tenant information is displayed in the display area 531. The state shown in Figure 5 is reached at this point.

[0054] Next, the administrator presses the add button 533. The client application 3310 detects the press of the add button 533 (S702) and displays the add dialog 601 (S703). Depending on the external service to which the destination is to be sent, the client application 3310 displays a list of tenant settings obtained in S701 (S704), and then determines in 611 of the add dialog 601 whether a user operation to change the external service has been performed (S705). If a user operation to change the external service is detected in 611, it returns to S704 and displays the list of tenant settings again. Subsequently, the client application 3310 detects the press of the add button 617. Upon detecting the press of the add button 617, the client application 3310 registers the setting information entered by the administrator (S707). Specifically, the setting information entered by the setting update unit 3413 of the document management server 104 is registered in the tenant information management unit 3424. Furthermore, if it is detected that the Add button 617 has been pressed without all setting items being entered, an error may be displayed. The administrator repeats the registration process up to this point for each required tenant setting (S708).

[0055] As a result of the above, tenant information is registered in the document management server 104, enabling the registration of scan settings based on tenant information and authentication to external services for each user to access tenant resources.

[0056] <Administrator scan settings> Figure 8 illustrates how an administrator can configure scan settings. Similar to Figure 5, the client application 3310 displays the settings screen 501 via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104. The administrator then selects the settings tab related to scan settings from the settings selection pane 511, which displays the screen for configuring scan settings in the settings display pane 521.

[0057] Area 801 displays a list of scan settings. Administrators can assign names to each scan setting to distinguish them, and this area displays a list of these names. Area 802 is the scan setting editing area. Scan settings displayed in 801 can be selected, and the contents of the selected scan setting are displayed in the 802 area, allowing for editing.

[0058] Button 803 is the Add Scan Setting button; pressing this button displays a screen for adding scan settings to the settings display pane 521. Button 804 is the Delete Scan Setting button; pressing this button deletes the selected scan setting. The Add Scan Setting screen, which is accessed by pressing the Add Scan Setting button 803, and an overview of scan settings will be explained below.

[0059] Pressing the Add Scan Setting button 803 displays a template button 811 in the settings display pane 521 for registering scan settings. The template button 811 displays a template containing the necessary settings for easily configuring scan settings or for each function. Examples of templates include templates for outputting in a specific file format or templates for splitting documents. Alternatively, there are templates that allow you to complete the configuration simply by adding these settings, which are internally set to fixed values. These are displayed separately according to the sending service. Pressing any template button displays a dialog box 821 for configuring scan settings. The scan settings dialog box 821 displays a list of scan settings that can be configured with that template. 822 is a text field for setting the scan setting name. This can be set arbitrarily by the administrator to identify the created scan setting. Taking 801 as an example, although it was created based on the same template, text such as "for A" and "for B" has been added to distinguish it from Company A and Company B. Scan settings are grouped by function unit as shown in 823, and the settings are displayed individually below as shown in 824. Examples of grouping and setting items include workflow-related settings such as the destination folder path and output-related settings such as the file name. The scan settings are registered by configuring each displayed setting item and clicking the save button (825).

[0060] Although only the necessary settings are shown in this invention, other settings may be added. For example, in the workflow settings group, in addition to the folder path setting, you may add settings such as whether to create a folder or whether to select a folder on the device, and in the output settings group, in addition to the file name, you may add settings such as the file format and whether or not to perform OCR processing. Alternatively, you may add any group such as resolution and whether or not to perform double-sided scanning in the document group.

[0061] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the premise for creating scan settings when registering multiple tenant information in the present invention. Organization "A", which uses the document management server 104, uses "Service X" as an external service. In this case, due to a corporate merger, work has been required not only for the tenant resource "Tenant A" that was originally used, but also for a different tenant resource "Tenant B" of organization "B". Using the tenant setting addition means shown in Figures 5 to 7 of the present invention, tenant settings with connection names "Service XA" and "Service XB" were added as tenant information for Tenant A and Tenant B, respectively, as shown in 902.

[0062] Based on the overview of the premise in Figure 9, the scan settings in the present invention and additional examples will be explained using Figure 10. As mentioned above, the administrator selects any template button to open the setting addition dialog 821 and adds scan settings. In order to create scan settings in accordance with the tenant information in the present invention, the administrator needs to perform settings 1001, 1011, and 1021 as related settings. These settings will be explained. 1001 is a setting item for setting the destination tenant. The destination tenant is the tenant of the external service to which the image data obtained by scanning using the scan settings is sent. The tenant information management unit 3424 of the document management server 104 displays a list of connection names of registered tenant settings linked to external services in a pull-down format in the area 1002, and the tenant setting to be applied is determined by selecting from this list.

[0063] 1011 is a setting item for configuring the destination folder path. When you press Set, information including the folder structure is retrieved from the external service as shown in 1012 and displayed in a tree format. In this invention, the tenant information set in 1001 above is used for this destination. Tenant information such as the URL and application information associated with the connection name selected in 1001 is retrieved from the tenant information management unit 3424, and this information is used to access the relevant resource. If the pre-authentication procedure described in Figure 12 below has not been performed, the user will be redirected to the authentication page of the external service before opening the folder path setting 1011. The user will then be asked to authenticate and confirm whether to allow specific operations to the document management server 104. Once these are completed, the folder tree screen 1012 will be displayed. The display differs depending on the external service, so it is not shown. 1013 displays the folder structure retrieved from the tenant resource. 1013 is selectable, and the selected folder is displayed in 1014. For simplicity, the diagram shows only one level of hierarchy, but if a folder is selected and other folders exist within that folder, they will be displayed in a tree structure and can be selected in the same way. Once folder selection is complete and the save button 1015 is pressed, the selected folder path will be set as the destination.

[0064] As mentioned above, the folder structure displayed in 1013 differs depending on the tenant information. 1013 shows the folder structure when the destination tenant is set to the connection name "Service XA," and 1016 shows the folder structure when the destination tenant is set to the connection name "Service XB," indicating that the display changes depending on the configured tenant settings.

[0065] Finally, the administrator determines which users will see the created scan settings using access control 1021. When the administrator enters arbitrary text in the text field of access control 1022, the administrator retrieves information on all users and groups registered in the document management server 104 from the user information management unit 3423 of the document management server 104 and performs a search. Any information can be used as the search target, as long as it is a setting associated with user or group information. Although the diagram shows the user or group name as the target, any information such as email addresses, affiliations, positions, or roles associated with user or group can also be targeted. Furthermore, any specific search method such as prefix matching or partial matching can be used. If there are users or groups that match the entered text, the users or groups that match the search will be displayed in the display area of ​​1023. The displayed users or groups can be selected, and once selected, the administrator can set whether or not to allow the use of this scan setting for the selected users or groups using the allow button 1024 or the deny button 1025. 1026 is a diagram showing the setting state in which the scan setting is made available to users belonging to organization "A". Figure 1027 shows the configuration state where scan settings are made available to users belonging to organizations "A" and "B". Note that groups can be created manually by the administrator or configured to be created automatically. For example, an administrator can create a group of users belonging to organization "A" by specifying the user ID. Alternatively, a group consisting of users who have already authenticated to the external service tenant of organization "A" can be created automatically.

[0066] Although not shown in the diagram, in this embodiment, if no permission settings are configured, the settings are made available to all users. If there are permitted users, only those permitted users can use the scan settings. Therefore, the denial setting is used, for example, when permission is granted to the entire group, but specific users within that group are not allowed to use it. This is merely an example, and permission / denial settings may also be configured for individual users.

[0067] <Scan setting registration control> Figure 11 is a flowchart focusing on the display control of the UI screen of the client application in the information processing system according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 to 10. The flowchart illustrates the series of processes performed by the client application 3310 when an administrator registers scan settings.

[0068] When the client application 3310 detects an operation by the administrator, it displays a settings screen for adding and editing scan settings via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104 (S1101). At this time, the data processing unit 3412 obtains scan setting information, such as registered scan settings displayed on the settings screen and templates for various scan settings to be set in subsequent additional operations, from the scan setting management unit 3425.

[0069] Next, the administrator presses the add button 803 to register a new setting. The client application 3310 detects that the add button 803 has been pressed (S1102). The client application 3310 displays the list of acquired templates in the display area 521 and switches to a screen for registering a new scan setting (S1103). When the administrator selects a template, the client application 3310 detects that the selected template has been pressed (S1104). The client application 3310 displays a dialog box showing a list of settings for the selected template from the list of templates acquired from the scan setting management unit 3425 (S1105). The administrator sets each setting item according to the settings of the displayed template.

[0070] Here, the scan setting operation in the present invention will be explained by separating the selection of tenant information, setting of the transmission destination, and setting of access control. When the administrator selects tenant setting 1001, the data processing unit 3412 obtains the registered tenant information from the tenant information management unit 3424 (S1106). The client application 3310 displays the obtained list of registered tenants in the display area 1002 (S1107). The administrator selects any tenant information, and the client application 3310 reflects it in tenant setting 1001 (S1108).

[0071] Next, the destination is configured. When the administrator selects destination setting 1011, the document management server 104 uses the data processing unit 3412 to retrieve the administrator's authentication information stored in the user information management unit 3423 and the tenant information selected in S1106 from the tenant setting management unit 3424 (S1109). A request is made to the external service 105 via the external system communication unit 3414 to retrieve resources of a specific tenant, such as the folder structure (S1110). The document management server 104 receives the response to the request via the external system communication unit 3414, and the client application 3310 displays the obtained folder structure information in destination setting 1011 (S1111, S1112). The administrator selects an arbitrary destination folder, and the client application 3310 reflects this in destination setting 1001 (S1113).

[0072] One case where the folder structure cannot be obtained in S1111 is when no tenant settings for the external service 105 associated with the selected template are registered on the tenant information management unit 3424 of the document management server 104. Therefore, a determination is made as to whether no tenant settings are registered (S1114). In this embodiment, destination folders and scan settings related to the external service 105 can be set by setting tenant information in advance, but there are cases where scan settings are created first and such settings are postponed. In another case, the tenant settings have been registered and reflected in the settings, but the administrator has not completed user authentication. Therefore, a determination is made as to whether user authentication has not been performed (S1115). If user authentication has not been performed, the client application 3310 transitions to the authentication page of the external service 105 and has the administrator perform user authentication (S1116). After authentication, the client application 3310 returns to the operation of S1110. If it is difficult to continue the folder settings operation, such as when the tenant is not registered in S1114, or when user authentication is performed in S1115 but cannot be obtained, the folder settings may be edited later and other subsequent settings may be performed. The client application 3310 displays a dialog box with a message describing the reason for the connection failure and terminates the destination setting process (S1117).

[0073] Finally, access control is performed. The administrator uses the search field 1022 and the allow button 1024 and deny button 1025 of the access control setting 1021 to set which users and groups can use or cannot use this scan setting. The client application 3310 retrieves user and group information from the user information management unit 3423 in response to the administrator's input and registers the user and group settings (S1118).

[0074] Finally, once the administrator has completed all settings not shown in the flowchart so far, such as file names, file formats, resolution, and whether or not to enable double-sided scanning (which are not illustrated in the diagram), the administrator presses the add button 825. When the client application 3310 detects the press, the scan setting update unit 3413 registers the scan settings (S1119).

[0075] Finally, as mentioned in S1114, there are cases where no tenant settings are registered for the external service 105 corresponding to the tenant information management unit 3424. Therefore, it is determined whether no tenant settings are registered (S1120). That is, it is determined whether the tenant setting item 1001 of the scan settings is empty. If no tenant settings are registered, a dialog box is displayed (S1121). That is, if the tenant setting item 1001 of the scan settings is registered as empty, a dialog box is displayed. The dialog box displayed indicates that this scan setting cannot be used until the tenant settings are completed. This warning is also displayed in the setting details display area 802 that is shown when this scan setting is selected in the scan setting list display area 801.

[0076] <User pre-authentication> When multiple tenants are registered, the user count information under each tenant resource will also differ because they are all different tenant resources. Therefore, user authentication is required for each tenant to enable operations on either tenant resource.

[0077] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the user authentication operation for a user utilizing scan settings. Similar to Figure 5, the client application 3310 displays the settings screen 501 via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104. The user then selects a tab from the settings selection pane 511 that displays the authentication information notification and content, which displays the screen for setting user authentication in the settings display pane 521.

[0078] Area 1201 is an area that displays notifications to the user. When a tenant setting is added, a control 1211 for user authentication is displayed in this area as a connectable destination. This control consists of an area 1212 that displays the connection name of the tenant setting registered in the tenant information management unit 3424 of the document management server 104, as explained in Figure 5, and a connect button 1213 to start the connection operation. When the connect button is pressed, the user is redirected to the authentication page of the corresponding external service, where they are asked to authenticate with an ID and password and to confirm whether to allow specific operations on the document management server 104. The connection is completed when these are completed. The display differs depending on the external service, so it is not shown.

[0079] 1202 displays the entire user information. This includes the username and the PIN required to log in to the device used for device operations described later. The connected authentication information in this invention is also displayed here. 1221 is an example of how authentication information is displayed after connection, showing the connection name in the tenant settings and an indication that the user is authenticated.

[0080] <User Authentication Information Registration Control> Figure 13 is a flowchart focusing on the display control of the UI screen of the client application in the information processing system according to this embodiment shown in Figure 12. The flowchart illustrates a series of processes performed by the client application 3310 when a user registers user authentication for multiple tenants.

[0081] The client application 3310 displays a settings screen for user authentication via the WebUI 3432 of the document management server 104 in response to user operations (S1301). At this time, the tenant information for the tenant settings requiring user authentication displayed on the settings screen is obtained from the tenant information management unit 3424 by the data processing unit 3412, and an authentication control is created for each tenant setting. The state shown in Figure 12(a) is reached at this point.

[0082] Next, the user presses the connect button 1213 to begin user authentication (S1302). The client application 3310 displays the authentication page for the external service, prompting the user to enter and confirm their ID, password, and other access permissions to complete the authentication (S1303). This authentication operation is performed via the external system communication units of the document management server 104 and the external service 105.

[0083] Once authentication is complete, the client application 3310 displays an indication on the settings screen, such as 1221, that authentication is complete (S1304). At this point, the connection notification, indicating that user authentication is complete and a connection has been established, may be removed from the notification area 1201. The state shown in Figure 12(b) is reached. The user repeats the user authentication operation up to this point for the number of tenant settings required (S1305).

[0084] As a result of the above, the user authentication settings for each tenant of the external service 105 are registered in the document management server 104, making it possible to use scan settings for different tenants.

[0085] <User access to scan settings> Figure 14 illustrates an example of how a user can use scan settings created by an administrator on the MFP terminal 102. Figure 14(a) illustrates the login screen presented to the user by the login application 3222.

[0086] 1401 is the screen displayed when the login application 3222 is launched. 1402 are the controls necessary for login presented to the user. The login application 3222 verifies the user's input and operations and executes the login. Figure 14(a) shows an example of logging in using a PIN code, a personal identification number issued to each user using the document management server 104. Although a login form using a PIN code is shown, the login form displayed in 1402 may be provided by any means, such as a username, password, email address, or a control prompting card touch.

[0087] Figure 14(b) shows the screen after login, where the logged-in user is displayed at 1411. 1411 is also the control for logging out; when logged out, the login session ends and the display returns to that of Figure 4(a). Upon successful login, a list of applications is displayed. 1421 displays the control for launching the document processing application 3221 according to the present invention.

[0088] Figure 15 illustrates an example of how a user can use scan settings created by an administrator on the MFP terminal 102. Figure 15(a) illustrates the UI of the document processing application 3221, which is launched by executing the aforementioned control 1421. When the document processing application 3221 is launched, the scan settings created by the administrator following the flow described in Figures 8 to 11 are displayed as shown in 1501. 1511, 1512, and 1513 are display items corresponding to registered scan settings. When a user selects one of these display items, the screen shown in Figure 16 is displayed. As an example, the scan settings were created based on the assumptions explained in Figure 9. 1511 and 1513 are scan settings that send to resources in tenant A, and are used only by users belonging to organization "A". 1512 is a scan setting that sends to resources in tenant B, and is used by users of both organizations "A" and "B".

[0089] Figure 15(b) is a diagram illustrating the settings when applying access control 1021 to each scan setting under the conditions described above. 1511 and 1513 are used only by users of organization "A". Therefore, access control setting 1521 for 1511 and 1513 is set to allow only users belonging to organization "A". 1512 is used by users of both organizations "A" and "B". Therefore, access control setting 1522 for 1512 is set to allow users of both organizations "A" and "B".

[0090] Figure 15(c) shows a list of scan settings displayed when a user from organization "A" logs into document processing application 3221.

[0091] Figure 15(d) shows a list of scan settings displayed when a user from organization "B" logs into document processing application 3221.

[0092] As shown in the example above, users will only be able to use scan settings that they intend to save to the tenant resources they are associated with.

[0093] Figure 16 illustrates an example of operation when a user uses the MFP terminal 102 after selecting scan settings. 1601 is an overview of the entire screen when the document processing application 3221 selects the relevant scan settings. 1611 is the display area for checking scanned documents. 1612 is the display area for scan settings, where the selected scan settings are reflected and can be checked and edited depending on the settings. 1613 is the scan execution button, which starts scanning the document placed on the document glass. 1614 is the send button, which sends the scanned document to the document processing server 104, and then the document management server 104 saves it to the external service 105. 1621 is an example of the display when an error occurs.

[0094] <Controlling the use of scan settings> Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the series of steps a user takes to utilize scan settings in the information processing system according to this embodiment, focusing on the display control of the UI screen on the MFP terminal 102, as shown in Figures 14 and 15.

[0095] First, the MFP terminal 102 starts the login application 3222 and waits, presenting the user with the screens necessary for login (S1701). At this point, the system is in the state shown in Figure 14(a).

[0096] Next, the user enters their login information and performs the login. Based on this login information, the login application 3222 sends a login request to the document management server 104 via the external system communication unit 3414 using the external system communication unit 3214 (S1702). The document processing server 104 compares the received login information with the user information in the user information management unit 3423 and determines whether the user can log in (S1703). If the login is successful, the login application 3222 notifies the basic function unit 3210 and displays the home screen after login (S1704).

[0097] The document processing application 3221 is launched by the user's selection operation on the home screen (S1705). When the document processing application 3221 is launched, it requests a list of registered scan settings from the document management server 104. The document management server 104 returns the registered scan settings stored in the scan setting registration unit 3425 as the result. The MFP terminal 102 retrieves the registered scan settings from the document management server 104 (S1706). The document processing application 3221 compares the access control information of each retrieved scan setting with the currently logged-in user information and displays only the scan settings available to the user (S1707). At this point, the display will look like Figures 15(c) and (d), for example, and it will be possible to use scan settings according to the user.

[0098] When the document processing application 3221 receives a selection of arbitrary scan settings from the user (S1708), it checks the authentication information for the external service with the document management server 104. Specifically, it checks the authentication information for the corresponding external service of the logged-in user stored in the user information management unit 3423. It also checks the tenant information of the external service stored in the tenant information management unit 3423. Then, it checks whether authentication to the specific tenant of the external service 105 can be performed from the tenant setting registered in the tenant setting item of the acquired scan setting (S1709). If successful, the scan screen 1601 is displayed. If it fails, the document processing application 3221 displays an error like 1602 and terminates the process (S1710, S1711). At this point, the state is as shown in Figure 16.

[0099] Finally, the user performs the scan and sends it (S1712). The document processing application 3221 generates the scanned image to be sent to the document management server 104 using the scan execution unit 3211 and the image data processing unit 3212. Then, if any selected scan settings or edits have been made on the scan screen, these settings information is sent to the document management server 104 via the external system communication unit 3214. The request and scanned image sent to the document management server 104 are stored in the job information management unit 3421 and the scanned document management unit 3422 along with the received scan settings. After processing of the scanned image is completed by the form processing unit 3411, it is sent to the external service 105.

[0100] Sending to external service 105 is also performed based on the following information: First, the authentication information for the logged-in user to the relevant external service, stored in the user information management unit 3423. Second, the tenant information for the external service, stored in the tenant information management unit 3423. And finally, the tenant setting information in the scan settings of the request received from MFP application 3220.

[0101] As described above, users can utilize the scan settings created by the administrator and execute them until they are sent to specific tenant resources.

[0102] <Second Embodiment> As shown in Figure 15, when administrators configure access control according to user behavior, it is time-consuming and there is a risk of omissions.

[0103] In the first embodiment, it is not possible to distinguish between a user who has not completed user authentication and a user who does not need to be authenticated for that tenant. Therefore, the display is switched by access control. In the second embodiment, the implementation of applying different display formats is illustrated, based on the premise that scan settings for a specific tenant are always used by users who have already been authenticated.

[0104] Figure 18 also illustrates the UI of the document processing application 3221 launched by executing the aforementioned control 1421. The scan settings displayed in Figure 18 do not have access control, and show scan settings 1511 and 1513, which are not used by users of organization "B". Figures 1811 and 1822 are diagrams that combine the different display forms described above, and it is also acceptable to adopt only a part of the display method that will be described below. Figure 1811 is an example of displaying an icon indicating that the logged-in user has authenticated the profile for which they have authentication information. In addition, displaying scan setting 1512, which is available to the logged-in user, at the top improves the visibility of available scan settings. Next, Figure 1822 is an example of displaying an icon indicating that the logged-in user is not connected to scan settings for which they do not have authentication information. Furthermore, by deactivating the scan settings that cannot be used, it is possible to prevent accidental operation by the logged-in user.

[0105] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing a series of user-accessible scan settings, focusing on display control of the UI screen on the MFP terminal 102 in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. The only change from Figure 17 is to S1707, so it is described here as well.

[0106] The document processing application 3221 retrieves registered scan profile settings from the document management server 104. Then, it compares the access control information of each retrieved scan setting with the currently logged-in user information to identify the scan settings that the user can access (S1901).

[0107] Next, the document processing application 3221 performs verification based on the tenant settings registered in the tenant settings item of the scan settings obtained here. Specifically, it verifies whether the logged-in user has authentication information for that tenant by obtaining the login user's authentication information stored in the user information management unit 3423. In this way, it classifies the scan settings as available or unavailable based on the login user's authentication settings (S1902).

[0108] The document processing application 3221 then switches the display of available authenticated profiles so that the user can visually see whether a profile is available (S1903). Specifically, it performs actions such as changing the display to a higher position, adding an icon, or switching to an activated state.

[0109] Then, the process transitions to the flow of selecting scan settings, performing the scan, and sending the data, which follows from S1708 onwards.

[0110] <Other Embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of each of the embodiments described above to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC or FPGA) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0111] 102 MFP 103 Client terminals 104 Document Management Server 105 External Services

Claims

1. An information processing system, A management means for managing multiple authentication credentials, associated with the user identification information for logging into the aforementioned information processing system, for accessing each of the multiple tenants managed in a single external service, A transmission means that transmits image data to one of the aforementioned tenants, in accordance with the execution instructions for a job set as the destination of one of the aforementioned tenants, using authentication information for accessing that tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of the user logged into the information processing system. An information processing system having

2. The aforementioned transmission means is In accordance with the execution instructions for a job set as the destination for the first tenant among the multiple tenants, the image data is transmitted to the first tenant using authentication information for accessing the first tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of the user logged into the information processing system. In accordance with the execution instructions for a job set as the destination for the second tenant among the aforementioned multiple tenants, the image data is sent to the second tenant using authentication information for accessing the second tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of the user logged into the information processing system. The information processing system according to feature 1.

3. The system further includes a first display control means that controls the display of a settings screen for setting up the aforementioned job, The folder information managed by one of the tenants designated as the destination among the multiple tenants is displayed on the settings screen as an item for setting the storage location of the image data. The information processing system according to feature 1.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a second display control means for controlling the display of items for executing the aforementioned job.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, further comprising a setting means for accepting a setting to display the item only on the screens of some of the users managed by the management means.

6. The aforementioned image data is image data obtained by scanning with a scanner. The information processing system according to feature 1.

7. A method for controlling an information processing system, A management process for managing multiple authentication credentials, associated with the user identification information for logging into the aforementioned information processing system, for accessing each of the multiple tenants managed in a single external service, A transmission step in which, in accordance with the execution instructions for a job set as the destination of one of the multiple tenants, image data is transmitted to the said tenant using authentication information for accessing that said tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of the user logged into the information processing system. A control method having

8. Computers, A management means for managing multiple authentication credentials, associated with the user identification information for logging into the aforementioned information processing system, for accessing each of the multiple tenants managed in a single external service, A transmission means that transmits image data to one of the aforementioned tenants, in accordance with the execution instructions for a job set as the destination of one of the aforementioned tenants, using authentication information for accessing that tenant, which is managed in association with the identification information of a user logged into the information processing system. A program designed to function as such.

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