Print system, printing device and information processing device constituting the print system, and their control method and program

Abstract

To solve the problem in which it is necessary for a cloud-based print service that a user register a printer in a cloud beforehand and this requires operation in the printer and operation in the cloud, causing a time and effort.SOLUTION: A print system that includes an information processor, a printer, and a service providing device that provides a print service is provided. Here, the information processor obtains device information from one or each of a plurality of printers to be registered and transmits the obtained device information to the service providing device for registration. The information processor receives registration information for the registered printer to access the service providing device, from the service providing device; and transmits the received registration information to the printer for storage. The printer which is registered in the service providing device obtains a print job held in the service providing device by using the registration information and executes it.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a print system, a printing device and an information processing device that constitute the print system, and a control method and program for them, and in particular to a method for collectively registering printing devices to be used in a cloud-based print service in a cloud. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cloud print services that utilize cloud services provided on the Internet have been proposed. Patent Document 1 describes an example of such a service.

[0003] According to Patent Document 1, the print service communicates with the printer that executes printing via a network, and provides a web service to the client's web browser. This print service receives a printer registration request from the client's web browser and transmits a registration screen to the client. When the print service receives an instruction from the client by the user operating a registration instruction section displayed on the registration screen, the print service searches for the printer and transmits a printer search script that responds with the search results to the client.

[0004] The Web browser executes the printer search script to search for a printer, and when a printer is found, it sends the search results to the print service. When the print service receives the results, it instructs the client to display the search results, and the client displays the search results.

[0005] When the user selects a printer to register based on the search results, the instruction is sent to the print service. The print service sends the client a printer authentication ticket for each printer, as well as a script that instructs the client to access the access ticket acquisition URL.

[0006] The client that receives them executes the received script, distributes a printer authentication ticket to the printer to be registered, and instructs the printer to access the access ticket acquisition URL.

[0007] The printer that receives them uses the printer authentication ticket to access the access ticket acquisition URL and obtains an access ticket. After obtaining the access ticket, the printer can then use the access ticket to access the print service.

[0008] In this way, according to Patent Document 1, multiple printers can be registered in a printing service all at once. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-250915 A (Fig. 10, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, according to the technology of Patent Document 1, each printer to be registered exchanges messages with the print service in response to an instruction from a client and registers itself. This requires the printer to have a program with a complicated procedure for registering itself with the print service. Also, the print service needs to provide a script executed by the Web browser. Furthermore, the printer and the print service need to be able to communicate at the time of registering the printer, and registration cannot be performed in advance by a client locally connected to the printer.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and aims to reduce the burden on the image forming device and the user when registering the image forming device to cloud print, and to provide an environment in which a printer can be registered even when the printer is not connected to cloud print. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print system including an information processing device, a printing device, and a service providing device that provides a print service, The information processing device, for each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, Device information is transmitted to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device. , and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; before The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A printing system is provided.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a printing device and a service providing device and an information processing device. Configuring the printing system The above An information processing device, For each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, Device information is transmitted to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device. , and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; before The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. The present invention provides an information processing apparatus comprising:

[0014] According to a third aspect of the present invention, an information processing device and a service providing device that provides a print service are provided. and a printing device. Configuring the printing system The above 1. A printing device, comprising: An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, In response to a request from the information processing device To the information processing device Device information but send Be , The printing device is registered in the service providing device based on the device information. Receives and stores registration information from the information processing device Being , before The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A printing device is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, when registering an image forming apparatus to cloud print, the load on the image forming apparatus and the load on the user can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to provide an environment in which a printer can be registered even when the printer is not connected to cloud print. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing the software configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Network configuration diagram in embodiment 1 [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a UI diagram for setting the registration utility in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cloud print setting UI for a printing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram of a registration utility, a printing device, and a cloud service according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing a process of executing registration using the registration utility according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing a case where a cloud print automatic registration function of the cloud print setting is enabled on a printing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing a case where a cloud print automatic registration function of the cloud print setting is enabled on a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a Web service of a printing device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a UI diagram for setting the registration utility in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing a process of executing registration using the registration utility according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0018] Hardware configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a printing device 100 according to this embodiment. The printing device 100 is also called an image forming device. In FIG. 1, a control unit 101 including a CPU 102 controls the operation of the entire printing device 100. The CPU 102 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 104 and performs various controls such as communication control. The RAM 103 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 102. The HDD 114 stores data, various programs, or various information tables.

[0019] The printer I / F 106 serves as an interface for outputting an image signal to a printer 107 (printer engine). The scanner I / F 108 serves as an interface for inputting a read image signal from a scanner 109 (scanner engine). The CPU 102 processes the image signal input from the scanner I / F 108 and outputs it to the printer I / F 106 as a recording image signal.

[0020] The operation panel I / F 110 connects an operation panel 111 to the control unit 101. The operation panel 111 includes a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

[0021] The network I / F 112 transmits information to external terminals such as a client device or a cloud print registration service, or receives various information from these external devices.

[0022] ● Software configuration Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the software configuration of the printing device 100. Each functional unit shown in Fig. 2 is realized by the CPU 102 of the printing device 100 executing a control program.

[0023] The operation control unit 200 controls the operation panel 111. It displays an operation menu on the operation panel 111, waits for an instruction input from a user, notifies other functional units of the received instruction, and displays the result of the instruction on the operation panel 111.

[0024] A cloud print registration control unit 201 controls cloud print registration processing. A cloud print print control unit 202 controls processing for transferring print data received from a cloud print print service 430 (see FIG. 4) to an image processing unit 206 together with a print instruction.

[0025] The WebUI control unit 203 controls the WebUI through which a user operates the device settings using HTTP from a Web browser of an information processing device such as a PC.

[0026] The cloud print registration service control unit 204 communicates with a registration utility (described later) and controls the cloud print automatic registration process. In this embodiment, the registration utility is software, and is executed by an information processing device such as a computer to fulfill its functions.

[0027] The storage unit 205 stores designated data in the ROM 104 or the HDD 114, or reads out stored data, in response to instructions from other functional units. An example of data managed by the storage unit 205 is registered cloud printer information.

[0028] The image processing unit 206 performs a process of rendering the print job into image data for printing. It may also perform other necessary image processing. The print processing unit 207 performs a process of transmitting the image data rendered by the image processing unit 206 to the printer 107 via the printer I / F 106 as an image signal and printing it.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation panel 111 of the printing device 100. The display panel 305 is a touch panel that uses an LCD or the like and a touch sensor. The copy button 301 is a button that is touched when making a copy using the printing device 100, and touching this button displays a copy operation screen on the display panel 305. The facsimile button 302 is a button that is touched when making a facsimile transmission using the printing device 100, and touching this button displays a facsimile operation screen on the display panel 305. The scan button 303 is a button that is touched when making a scan using the printing device 100, and touching this button displays a scan operation screen on the display panel 305. The numeric keypad 308 is used to input numbers and the like. The OK key 307 is used when deciding the display contents of the display panel 305, etc. The direction key 306 is used when selecting a menu displayed on the display panel 305, etc. The black and white copy button 309 and the color copy button 310 are used when making a black and white copy and a color copy, respectively. The stop key 311 is used when stopping the process. The menu key 312 is used to display a menu screen for configuring the printing device 100. The status check / cancel key 313 is used to check the status of the printing device 100, such as a list of print jobs being received by the printing device 100. It is also used to interrupt an operation.

[0030] Network Configuration FIG. 4 is a network configuration diagram in the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, a LAN (Local Area Network) 402 connects the printing apparatuses 100, 411, 412, and a client computer 410, and these devices communicate via the LAN 402. The client computer is also called a client terminal or client device. The registration utility 401 is application software that runs on the client computer 410 such as a PC (Personal Computer). The client computer 410 is an information processing device that functions as a client terminal of servers such as a cloud print registration service 420 and a cloud print print service 430. It can also execute other functions such as generating a print job.

[0031] The cloud print registration service 420 and the cloud print print service 430 exist on the Internet 404. The figure is drawn diagrammatically, and each service (i.e., a server or a service providing device that executes it) may be placed on a LAN connected to the Internet 404 via an access line. The LAN 402 and the Internet 404 are connected via a firewall 403. The registration utility 401 communicates with the cloud print registration service 420 and the cloud print print service 430 via the firewall 403.

[0032] The operation of the printing device 100 and the registration utility when registering for cloud print using the printing device 100 having the above configuration will be described using three embodiments. The configuration of the computer that executes the registration utility and various services is a configuration in which a user interface device is added to the control unit 401 of the configuration shown in FIG. 1. However, the printer I / F and the scanner I / F may be a general-purpose interface such as a universal serial bus (USB). The added user interface device may be, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, and a display, or a touch panel instead of them. In the following description, the registration utility and services are regarded as objects, and reference to the client computer and the server computer that realize them is omitted.

[0033] (Embodiment 1) In the first embodiment, the registration utility and the printing device 100 work together to enable automatic registration of the printing device in the cloud print service. As described above, the registration utility is executed by a computer. Therefore, in the following description, the registration utility is described as an object executed by a computer, and the registration utility in the following description may be read as the computer that executes it. Note that the cloud print service refers to a service that provides a cloud print function, including the cloud print registration service 420 and the cloud print print service 430. The cloud print service may be a concept that includes the above two services, or may be a service that integrates the above two services.

[0034] ● Registration utility screen 5 is a UI diagram for setting the registration utility in the first embodiment. A top screen 500 is the initial screen when the registration utility is executed. Pressing a cloud setting button 501 transitions the screen to a cloud setting screen 510. Pressing a registered printer setting button 503 transitions the screen to a registered printer setting screen 520. Pressing a batch registration execution button 502 executes cloud printer registration according to the settings. Note that in a user interface that employs a touch panel, pressing may be synonymous with touching.

[0035] The cloud setting screen 510 is used to set a cloud account for cloud printer registration. Specifically, a cloud account ID 511 and a cloud account password 512 are set. Also, a registration service endpoint 513, which is the endpoint of the cloud print registration service when performing cloud print registration, is set. These values ​​may be values ​​obtained from the cloud registration service when the account is registered.

[0036] In the registered printer setting screen 520, the IP address of the printer to be registered as a cloud printer is set. By setting multiple printers here, cloud printer registration can be performed collectively. The IP address may be obtained separately and set, or, for example, the IP address may be requested and obtained by multicast transmission to a printer connected to the network as the destination. The registration procedure will be described later with reference to FIG. 7 etc.

[0037] ●Printing device screen FIG. 6 is a UI diagram for performing cloud printer settings of the printing device 100 in the first embodiment. A cloud print setting screen 601 in FIG. 6 is a screen for performing cloud print settings and registration of the printing device 100 in the first embodiment. A cloud print function 602 indicates a setting for enabling or disabling the cloud print function. A printer name 603 indicates the name of the printer registered as cloud print. An endpoint 604 indicates the endpoint of the cloud print registration service 420. An automatic registration function 608 indicates whether the cloud print automatic registration function is enabled or disabled. The cloud print automatic registration function is a function for registering the printing device 100 to the cloud print service by a registration utility without performing operations from the printing device 100. When this cloud print automatic registration function is enabled, the processing of FIG. 9 described later is executed by the printing device 100, and registration to the cloud print service is possible.

[0038] Pressing the edit button 605 transitions to a cloud print setting change screen 611. The setting change screen 611 allows the user to edit the various settings described above. Pressing the cancel registration button 606 starts cloud print registration. Registration status 607 indicates whether the printing device 100 is registered with the cloud print service. If not registered, it will show "Not registered," and if registered, it will show "Registered."

[0039] The setting change screen 611 is a screen for changing the cloud print settings of the printing device 100 in embodiment 1. The enable / disable state of cloud print can be changed in the cloud print function setting 612. By switching the cloud print function setting 612 on / off, the cloud print is switched between an enabled state (on) and an disabled state (off).

[0040] In the printer name setting 613, the name of the printer registered as a cloud print can be changed.

[0041] An endpoint setting 614 can change the endpoint of the cloud print registration service 420. An automatic registration function setting 615 can change the setting to enable or disable the cloud print automatic registration function. As will be described later, by enabling this function, the printing device 100 and the registration utility 401 work together to register the cloud printer.

[0042] ● Registration sequence using the automatic registration function 7 is a sequence diagram between the registration utility, the printing device, and the cloud service in embodiment 1. Here, the cloud print automatic registration function of the printing device is set to be enabled.

[0043] The registration utility 401 transmits a printer information acquisition request 701 to the printing device 100. This transmission may be triggered, for example, by touching the batch registration button 502 in Fig. 5. The IP address of the destination printing device 100 may be selected in a predetermined order from the IP addresses set on the registered printer setting screen 520.

[0044] The printing device 100 sends a printer information acquisition response 702 including the printer information to the registration utility 401. An example of a specific communication method at this time is Get-Printer-Attributes of IPP (Internet Printing Protocol). The acquired printer information includes a device ID 135, which is identification information of the printing device. Therefore, the printer information is sometimes called device information.

[0045] The registration utility 401 sends a CSR data acquisition request 703 to the printing device 100. The printing device 100 generates a key pair of a private key and a public key used for communication with the cloud print service. The printing device 100 also generates CSR (Certificate Signing Request) data including the generated public key, information identifying the applicant, and signature data. The CSR data is data conforming to the message format of a certificate signing request sent from an applicant to a certificate authority to apply for a public key certificate. The information identifying the applicant included in the CSR is a common name, organization name, department name, address, and country code. The printing device 100 uses the printer name "MFP-A" as the common name. The organization name, department name, address, and country code use default values ​​stored in the printing device 101 at the time of shipment from the factory. The signature data is data obtained by signing the hash value of the public key and identifier information constituting the CSR data with a private key. For example, a format such as PKCS #10 can be adopted as the format of the CSR data. For example, the printing device 100 uses the generated private key to sign information used in the access token acquisition process, thereby preventing information from being tampered with on the communication path.

[0046] The printing device 100 sends a get CSR data response 704 to the registration utility 401. The get CSR data response 704 includes the CSR data 138 generated by the printing device 100.

[0047] The registration utility 401 transmits a cloud print registration request 705 to the cloud print registration service 420. The transmission destination may be the registration service endpoint set on the cloud setting screen 510. The cloud print registration request 705 includes the device ID 135 for the cloud print registration service 420 to identify the printing device 100, and the CSR data 138. Hereinafter, the CSR data is also simply referred to as the CSR 138. The device ID 135 is acquired by the registration utility 401 from the printing device 100 by the printer information acquisition response 702. As described above, the CSR 138 includes the public key of the printing device 100. The CSR 138 is a message requesting the cloud print registration service 420, which is a certification authority, to issue a signed certificate. By attaching the signed certificate to the signed print data, it is possible to guarantee the validity of the public key used to decrypt the electronic signature using the private key held by the printing device 100, that is, that the public key is genuine and corresponds to the private key used by the printing device 100. Furthermore, by having the printing apparatus 100 hold the signed certificate and using it as a token, it is possible to simplify authentication when accessing, for example, the cloud print service 430. The signed certificate is a so-called client certificate.

[0048] When the cloud print registration service 420 receives the cloud print registration request 705, it sends a cloud print registration response 706 including the confirmation URL 130 and the user code 136 for cloud print registration to the registration utility 401.

[0049] The registration utility 401 accesses the received confirmation URL 130 and performs login 707 with the cloud account 131 (including the account ID and password). At this time, the registration utility 401 displays the cloud setting screen 510 of FIG. 5 and transmits the entered cloud account ID and cloud account password ID as the cloud account 131.

[0050] Next, the registration utility 401 sends a cloud print registration approval request 708 including the user code 136 to the cloud print registration service 420. The user code 136 was received via a cloud print registration response 706. When the cloud print registration service 420 receives the cloud print registration approval request 708, if it is acceptable, it sends a cloud print registration approval response 709 to the registration utility 401. For example, if the received user code is different from the sent user code, approval does not have to be granted.

[0051] The registration utility 401 that has received the cloud print registration approval response 709 transmits a cloud print registration confirmation request 710 to the cloud print registration service 420. When the cloud print registration service 420 receives the cloud print registration confirmation request 710, it transmits a cloud print registration confirmation response 711 to the registration utility 401. The cloud print registration confirmation response 711 includes the cloud device ID 132 assigned to the registered printing device 100, the cloud print print service URL 137 that is the address of the access destination when obtaining print data, and the signed certificate 139. The signed certificate 139 may be for the CSR 138. This information is also called cloud print registration information (or simply registration information), and is information necessary for the printing device 100 to access the cloud print print service 430. The acquired signed certificate 139 is used by the printing device 100 to generate an access token. The access token is then used when the printing device 100 communicates with the cloud print print service 430. Specifically, the access token is used by being set as authentication information in the header of the HTTP request sent by the printing device 100. The cloud print service 430 that receives this access token can receive and process, for example, a message including the access token as a message from an authenticated sender.

[0052] The registration utility 401, which has received the cloud print registration confirmation response 711, transmits cloud print registration information 712 to the printing device 100. The cloud print registration information 712 includes the cloud device ID 132, cloud print print service URL 137, and signed certificate 139 received in the cloud print registration confirmation response 711. The printing device 100, which has received this, stores the cloud device ID 132, cloud print print service URL 137, and signed certificate 139 in their respective prescribed storage areas, and transmits a cloud print registration information reception completion 713 to the registration utility 401. This information is used by the printing device 100 to access the cloud print print service 430 and obtain print data.

[0053] This completes the cloud print registration of the printing device 100. The registration utility 401 also sequentially performs processes from sending a printer information acquisition request 701 to sending cloud print registration information 712 for each of the printing devices 411 and 412 set as registered printers.

[0054] Printing procedure Here, we will briefly explain the procedure for cloud printing by the registered printing device 100. First, a print job of document data or the like created by a client device or the like is registered in the cloud print service 430. At the time of registration, the cloud device ID of the printing device that executes printing may also be transmitted to the cloud print service 430 and stored in association with the print job.

[0055] Thereafter, in response to an operation by the operator, a print job request including print data is sent from the printing device 100 to the cloud print service 430 together with the cloud device ID. Here, the operator has the authority to send a print job request to the cloud print service 430. This authority may be the same as the authority required for bulk registration of cloud printers, for example.

[0056] In response to a print job request, the cloud print service 430 transmits, for example, a list of print jobs associated with the cloud device ID of the print job to the printing device 100. The printing device 100 transmits a request for a print job selected by an operator or the like from the list to the cloud print service 430. In response to the request, the printing device 100 executes the print job transmitted from the cloud print service 430 to the printing device 100, and prints out the received print data.

[0057] Of course, this is just one example, and for example, in response to a print job request, the transmission of the list of print jobs may be omitted, and all applicable print jobs may be transmitted to the printing device 100. Also, a procedure for authenticating the operator before operating the printing device 100 may be added.

[0058] ● Registration procedure using registration utility 401 8 is a flowchart when registration is executed by the registration utility 401 in the first embodiment. This flow is realized by, for example, a CPU or processor of a general-purpose computer executing a program corresponding to the flow. Note that the processing of sending and receiving data is realized by the CPU or processor working in cooperation with a communication interface provided in the general-purpose computer.

[0059] In S800, the registration utility 401 acquires a registered printer list. The registered printer list is a printer list set in the registered printer setting 520, which is an operation screen of the registration utility 401. The registration utility 401 executes the processes from S801 to S809 for each acquired printer. S801 and S809 respectively represent the start and end of a loop, and their contents indicate the execution conditions of the loop.

[0060] In step S 802 , the registration utility 401 sends a printer information acquisition request 701 to the printing device 100 .

[0061] In step S803, the registration utility 401 determines whether the printer information acquisition has been successful. If the printer information acquisition has failed, the process returns to step S801 and the process is performed for the next printer.

[0062] If successful, the registration utility 401 sends a CSR data acquisition request 703 to the printing device 100 in step S804.

[0063] In S805, the registration utility 401 determines whether or not the CSR data has been successfully acquired. If it has failed, the process returns to S801 and the process is performed for the next printer.

[0064] If successful, in step S806, the registration utility 401 registers the printer in the cloud print registration service 420. Specifically, printer registration here refers to the process from sending a cloud print registration request 705 to receiving a cloud print registration confirmation response 711 in sequence diagram 7.

[0065] In S807, the registration utility 401 determines whether the printer registration was successful. If it was unsuccessful, the process returns to S801 and processes the next printer. A registration failure may mean that a response indicating failure has been received in response to any of the messages sent to the cloud print registration service 420. In that case, the failed message may be resent a predetermined number of times, and if the resend is still unsuccessful, the process may end as an error and notify the operator of that fact.

[0066] If the printer registration is successful, that is, if a cloud print registration confirmation response 711 is received, in S808, the registration utility 401 transmits registration information 712 to the printing device 100. The registration of one printer is completed in one process from S802 to S808.

[0067] The registration utility 401 then determines whether the registration process for all printers in the obtained printer list has been completed. If there are unregistered printers remaining in the printer list, the process returns to S801 and repeats the process from S802 for the next printer. If the registration process for all printers included in the obtained printer list has been completed, the process ends.

[0068] ● Processing by the printing device when the Cloud Print automatic registration function is enabled 9 is a flowchart when the cloud print automatic registration function (also called the Web automatic registration function) of the cloud print settings is enabled in the printing device 100 in the first embodiment. This process is executed by, for example, the CPU 402 of the printing device 100. Note that the CPU 402 and the network I / F 112 cooperate to realize processes such as sending and receiving data. Note that when registering one printing device with multiple cloud print services, for example, a setting of the automatic registration function may be provided for each service, and the process of FIG. 9 may be executed when the setting is enabled.

[0069] In S900, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 generates a key pair consisting of a private key and a public key, and generates CSR data 138 including the generated public key, applicant information, and signature data. Note that the key pair may be provided by, for example, an authentication server.

[0070] In step S901, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 starts a Web service for automatic registration (hereinafter referred to as a Web service). This Web service is a service that allows the printing device 100 to accept a printer information acquisition request 701, a CSR data acquisition request 703, and cloud print registration information 712.

[0071] In S902, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 receives the request. In S903, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 determines the type of the received request.

[0072] If the received request is a printer information acquisition request 701, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 returns a printer information acquisition response 702 including the printer information in S904, and returns to the request reception waiting step S902.

[0073] If the received request is a CSR data acquisition request 703, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 returns a CSR data acquisition response 704 including the CSR data 138 in S905, and returns to the request reception waiting step S902.

[0074] If the received request is the cloud print registration information 712, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 stores the received registration information in S906 in the storage unit 205. The stored registration information includes the cloud device ID, the cloud print service URL, and the signed certificate.

[0075] In S907, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 responds with a cloud print registration information reception completion 713.

[0076] In S908, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 ends the automatic registration Web service.

[0077] By executing the registration utility 401 according to the above procedure, multiple printing devices can be registered with the cloud print registration service. In this case, if the printing device to be registered has a function corresponding to the registration utility, the printing device can be registered with the cloud print service simply by setting the use of cloud print in advance. In addition, the registration work can also be performed by registering multiple printing devices at once without logging in to the cloud print registration service each time for each individual printing device. Furthermore, during registration, the printing device does not communicate with the cloud print registration service or the cloud print print service, and can be registered as long as it is connected to the computer running the registration utility. After registration, each printing device can obtain and execute print jobs provided by the cloud print print service.

[0078] In this embodiment, the printer information and the CSR data are acquired separately, but this is not limited to this. For example, the printer information and the CSR data may be acquired together. In addition, the cloud print registration service 420 and the cloud print printing service 430 may be executed by the same server.

[0079] (Embodiment 2) The registration utility 401 can use IPP (Internet Print Protocol) to obtain printer information of the printing device 100 by a printer information obtainment request 701. IPP is a protocol that has been widely supported in printing devices. The second embodiment makes it possible to obtain printer information of the printing device 100 using IPP in a printing device 100 that supports IPP.

[0080] ● Processing by the printing device when registering cloud print (IPP support) FIG. 10 is a flowchart when the cloud print automatic registration function of the cloud print setting is enabled in the printing device 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0081] In S1000, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 generates a key pair consisting of a private key and a public key, and generates CSR data including the generated public key, applicant information, and signature data. In S1001, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 starts a Web service for automatic registration.

[0082] In S1010, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 acquires the IPP server operation setting from the storage unit 205. In S1011, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 determines whether the setting is ON from the IPP server operation setting acquired in S1010. If it is not ON, i.e., if the setting is to not operate the IPP server, the IPP server is not running, so in S1012 the IPP server is started. On the other hand, if it is ON, i.e., if the setting is to operate the IPP server, the IPP server is running, so the process proceeds directly to S1002.

[0083] In S1002, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 receives the request. Depending on the type of the request, it may be processed by the IPP server.

[0084] In S1003, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 determines the type of the received request. If the received request is the printer information acquisition request 701, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 responds with a printer information acquisition response 702 in S904, and returns to the request reception waiting step S1002.

[0085] If the received request is a CSR data acquisition request 703, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 returns a CSR data acquisition response 704 including the CSR data 138 in S1005, and returns to the request reception waiting step S1002.

[0086] If the received request is the cloud print registration information 712, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 stores the registration information in the storage unit 205 in S1006.

[0087] In S1007, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 responds with a cloud print registration information reception completion 713.

[0088] In S1008, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 ends the automatic registration Web service.

[0089] In step S1013 , the cloud print registration service control unit 204 acquires the IPP server operation settings from the storage unit 205 .

[0090] In S1014, the cloud print registration service control unit 204 determines whether the setting is ON from the IPP server operation setting acquired in S1013. If the setting is not ON, the IPP server was not originally operating, so the IPP server is terminated in S1015. If the setting acquired in S1013 is ON, the IPP server was originally operating, so the process ends without terminating the IPP server. In other words, after the automatic registration Web service is terminated, the state of the IPP server is returned to the state before the automatic registration Web service was started.

[0091] In this manner, at least a part of the registration procedure can be performed using the IPP server.

[0092] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a Web service of the printing device 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0093] Services realized by the automatic registration Web service include a CSR data providing service that provides CSR data to an external device, and a registration information receiving service that receives cloud print registration information from an external terminal. The registration utility 401 sends a request to the CSR data providing service using the HTTP GET method, and obtains the CSR 138 as a response to the request. The registration utility 401 also sends cloud print registration information including the cloud device ID 132, the service URL 137, and the signed certificate 139 to the receiving service of the printing device 100 using the HTTP POST method. The receiving service that receives the information stores the received registration information in the storage unit 205. The URIs of the respective services are, for example, https: / / [IP address] / cloudprint / csr_data and https: / / [IP address] / cloudprint / regist-info.

[0094] Furthermore, a printer information providing service that provides printer information is one service that is realized by the IPP service. The protocol is IPP, and the operation used is the get-printer-attributes operation. In this case, the URI is, for example, ipp: / / [IP address] / ipp / print. The registration utility 401 requests printer information from the printer information providing service of the printing device 100 using the IPP get-printer-attributes request operation. In response to the request, the providing service responds with printer information including a device ID. In this example, since the printer information acquisition is processed by the IPP server, the printer information acquisition request may be excluded from the request type determined in S1003. This is because the printer information acquisition request is processed by IPP, not by the procedure of the automatic registration Web service in FIG. 10.

[0095] By following the above procedure, the IPP server function can be used when registering a printing device to the cloud print service.

[0096] (Embodiment 3) In the third embodiment, when a printer is registered using the registration utility 401, it is possible to simultaneously set the sharing settings, printer name, and members.

[0097] ● Automatic registration of shared printers Fig. 12 is a UI diagram for setting the registration utility 401 in the third embodiment. A top screen 1200 is the top screen that is displayed when the registration utility is started. Pressing a cloud setting button 1201 transitions the screen to a cloud setting screen 1210. Pressing a registered printer setting button 1203 transitions the screen to a registered printer setting screen 1220. Pressing a batch registration execution button 1202 executes cloud printer registration according to the settings. That is, the registration utility executes the process shown in Fig. 13.

[0098] A cloud account for registering a cloud printer is set on a cloud setting screen 1210. Specifically, a cloud account ID 1211 and a cloud account password 1212 are set. Also, a registration service endpoint 1213, which is an endpoint of the cloud print registration service when performing cloud print registration, is set.

[0099] The registered printer setting screen 1220 allows the user to set the IP address, sharing settings, printer name, and members of the printer to be registered as a cloud printer. The members indicate the members of a group that can use the printer, and are specified, for example, by the group name of the group that includes the users, rather than by individual user names. For example, in the first embodiment, the user who can use the cloud print service specifying the cloud device ID of a certain printing device is the user who registered the printing device.

[0100] In contrast, in this embodiment, when a printing device with a shared setting is registered in the cloud print service, it may be permitted to be used not only by the user who registered it, but also by users who are members of a group associated with the printing device. Each member is a user who has a cloud account. For example, an association between a group name and a user ID is registered in advance in the cloud print print service 430. A user can upload a print job to the cloud print print service 430 by designating a printing device registered by the user as a printing device that downloads and prints a print job. In addition, a user can upload a print job to the cloud print print service 430 by designating a printing device that has a shared setting indicating whether sharing is possible (i.e., sharing is possible) and is associated with a group of which the user is a member. When the member setting is performed by designating an individual user rather than a group, the user who uses the cloud print print service can use the printing device as long as it is set as a member. In this case, it is not necessary to separately register the association between the group and the user.

[0101] In this way, multiple printers can be registered as cloud printers collectively by configuring them including sharing settings and member settings.

[0102] Furthermore, a printer name for the printer to be registered can also be registered. The sharing utility 401 can update the existing printer name with the registered printer name. If the printer name is managed by the sharing utility 401, it is updated. Also, if the printer name is registered in the cloud print registration service 420, the printer name may be sent to the cloud print registration service 420 to update the printer name.

[0103] 13 is a flowchart when registration is executed by the registration utility 401 in the third embodiment. S1300-S1307 and S1311-S1312 are similar to S801-S809 in FIG.

[0104] In step S1300, the registration utility 401 acquires a registered printer list. The registered printer list is a printer list set in the registered printer setting 1220 on the operation screen of the registration utility 401.

[0105] The registration utility 401 executes the processes from S1301 to S1312 for the acquired printers.

[0106] In step S1302, the registration utility 401 transmits a printer information acquisition request 701 to the printing device 100. In this embodiment, the printer information to be acquired includes the printer name in addition to the device ID. It may further include the model name.

[0107] In step S1303, the registration utility 401 determines whether the printer information acquisition has been successful. If the printer information acquisition has failed, the process returns to step S1301 and the process is performed for the next printer.

[0108] If successful, the registration utility 401 sends a CSR data acquisition request 703 to the printing device 100 in step S1304.

[0109] In step S1305, the registration utility 401 determines whether or not the CSR data has been successfully acquired. If the CSR data has not been successfully acquired, the process returns to step S1301 and the process is performed for the next printer.

[0110] If successful, in step S1306, the registration utility 401 registers the printer in the cloud print registration service 420. Printer registration here specifically refers to the processes from 705 to 711 in the sequence diagram of FIG.

[0111] In step S1307, the registration utility 401 determines whether the printer registration has been successful. If the printer registration has failed, the process returns to step S1301 and the process is performed for the next printer.

[0112] If successful, the process branches to S1308. Steps S1308-S1310 are steps specific to this embodiment. In S1308, the registration utility 401 transmits the printer sharing settings of the printer being registered to the cloud print registration service 420. At this time, in order to associate the transmitted settings with the target printer, the associated cloud device ID or IP address is also transmitted. The cloud print registration service 420 that receives this registers the received printer sharing settings by associating them with, for example, the cloud device ID or IP address.

[0113] In S1309, the registration utility 401 transmits the printer name of the printer being registered to the cloud print registration service 420. At this time, the associated cloud device ID or IP address is also transmitted. The cloud print registration service 420 that receives this updates the printer name registered in association with the received cloud device ID or IP address, for example, with the received printer name.

[0114] In S1310, the registration utility 401 transmits the members of the printer being registered to the cloud print registration service 420. At this time, the associated cloud device ID or IP address is also transmitted. The cloud print registration service 420 that receives this registers the received members by associating them with, for example, the cloud device ID or IP address. The information transmitted in S1308-S1310 may be transmitted together in one process.

[0115] In step S 1311 , the registration utility 401 transmits the registration information 712 to the printing device 100 .

[0116] In S1312, the registration utility 401 determines whether the process for the acquired printer list has been completed, and if not, returns to S1301 to repeat the process for the next printer. If the process for the acquired printer list has been completed, the process ends.

[0117] According to the above procedure, in this embodiment, multiple printing devices can be registered as cloud devices at the same time, and the shared settings of the printing devices and the members who will share the devices can be registered. Furthermore, the printer name referenced in the cloud print system can be updated with the specified name. As in the first embodiment, as long as the printing device has a web service for automatic registration, multiple printing devices can be registered at the same time by operating the client terminal, and the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0118] [Other Examples] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0119] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0120] 100 printing device, 401 registration utility, 410 client computer, 420 cloud print registration service, 430 cloud print print service

Claims

1. A print system including an information processing device, a printing device, and a service providing device that provides a print service, The information processing device, for each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A printing system comprising:

2. 2. The printing system of claim 1, The device information includes a device ID of the printing device and a certificate signing request for verifying the validity of a public key corresponding to a private key used by the printing device. A printing system comprising:

3. 3. The printing system according to claim 2, The registration information includes a cloud device ID assigned to the printing device by the service providing device, an address for accessing the service providing device, and a signed certificate corresponding to the certificate signing request. A printing system comprising:

4. 4. A printing system according to claim 1, The printing device executes the registration service, transmits the device information to the information processing device by the registration service, and terminates the registration service when the registration information is received and stored. A printing system comprising:

5. 5. A printing system according to claim 1, If the printing device supports the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), when the registration service is started, if an IPP server is not running, the printing device starts the IPP server, causes the IPP server to transmit the device information, and after the registration service is completed, returns the state of the IPP server to the state before the registration service was started. A printing system comprising:

6. 6. A printing system according to claim 1, the information processing device further comprises means for inputting a sharing setting for sharing the printing device among a plurality of users; the information processing device further transmits the sharing setting to the service providing device for each of the one or more printing devices to be registered, and causes the sharing setting to be registered in association with the printing device; The service providing device holds print jobs of the plurality of users set by the sharing setting, and allows acquisition by the printing device associated with the print jobs. A printing system comprising:

7. 7. The printing system according to claim 6, The sharing settings include whether sharing is possible and the members who will share. A printing system comprising:

8. A printing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the information processing device further comprises means for inputting a name of the printing device; The information processing device further transmits the name of each of the one or more printing devices to be registered to the service providing device, and causes the name to be registered as a new name of the printing device. A printing system comprising:

9. The information processing device constituting a print system including a printing device, a service providing device, and an information processing device, For each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

10. The information processing device according to claim 9, The device information includes a device ID of the printing device and a certificate signing request for verifying the validity of a public key corresponding to a private key used by the printing device.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

11. The information processing device according to claim 10, The registration information includes a cloud device ID assigned to the printing device by the service providing device, an address for accessing the service providing device, and a signed certificate corresponding to the certificate signing request.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

12. 12. The information processing device according to claim 9, The printing device further includes a means for inputting a sharing setting for sharing the printing device among a plurality of users, transmitting the sharing setting to the service providing device for each of the one or more printing devices to be registered, and registering the sharing setting in association with the printing device; The service providing device holds print jobs of the plurality of users set by the sharing setting, and allows acquisition by the printing device associated with the print jobs.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, The sharing settings include whether sharing is possible and the members who will share.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

14. 14. The information processing device according to claim 9, means for inputting a name of the printing device; Further, for each of the one or more printing devices to be registered, the name is transmitted to the service providing device, and the name is registered as a new name of the printing device.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

15. The printing device is included in a print system including an information processing device, a service providing device that provides a print service, and a printing device, An execution means for executing a registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A printing device comprising:

16. 16. The printing device of claim 15, The device information includes a device ID of the printing device and a certificate signing request for verifying the validity of a public key corresponding to a private key used by the printing device. A printing device comprising:

17. 17. The printing device of claim 16, The registration information includes a cloud device ID assigned to the printing device by the service providing device, an address for accessing the service providing device, and a signed certificate corresponding to the certificate signing request. A printing device comprising:

18. A printing device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, The registration service is executed, the device information is transmitted to the information processing device by the registration service, and the registration information is received and stored, and then the registration service is terminated. A printing device comprising:

19. 19. A printing device according to any one of claims 15 to 18, If the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) is supported, when the registration service is started, if an IPP server is not running, it is started, and the IPP server is made to transmit the device information, and after the registration service is completed, the state of the IPP server is returned to the state before the registration service was started. A printing device comprising:

20. A control method for a print system including an information processing device, a printing device, and a service providing device that provides a print service, comprising: The information processing device, for each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: Run the registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A method for controlling a print system comprising:

21. A method for controlling an information processing device constituting a print system including a printing device, a service providing device, and an information processing device, comprising: The information processing device, for each of one or more printing devices to be registered, Obtaining device information from the printing device; Transmitting the acquired device information to the service providing device to register the device; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; Transmitting the received registration information to the printing device for storage; The printing device includes: Run the registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information.

23. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising:

22. A method for controlling a printing device constituting a print system including an information processing device, a service providing device that provides a print service, and a printing device, comprising: The printing device includes: Run the registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A method for controlling a printing device.

23. A program executed by an information processing device constituting a print system including a printing device, a service providing device, and an information processing device, The information processing device performs the following for each of the one or more printing devices to be registered: Acquiring device information from the printing device; The acquired device information is transmitted to the service providing device and registered therein; receiving registration information from the service providing device for the registered printing device to access the service providing device; The received registration information is transmitted to the printing device and stored therein. A program for: The printing device includes: Run the registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. A program characterized by:

24. A program executed by a printing device constituting a print system including an information processing device, a service providing device that provides a print service, and a printing device, the program comprising: The printing device Run the registration service, With the registration service executed, transmitting device information to the information processing device in response to a request from the information processing device; and receiving and storing registration information from the information processing device that has registered the printing device in the service providing device based on the device information; The printing device acquires and executes a print job stored in the service providing device using the registration information. Program for.

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