Information processing device, control method, and program

Abstract

To solve a problem in which a technology using Cookie is disclosed for enhancing user convenience in display processing of a Web page, but a user does not permit use of the Cookie on Web browser by the user's operation, and invalidates a function using the Cookie.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: acquisition means which acquires product identification information from a reference source Web page; and setting means which sets a URL based on the acquired product identification information as a hyperlink of a product common page commonly used for a plurality of products, when the product identification information can be acquired. When the hyperlink is set, the Web page about the product corresponding to the product identification information is displayed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for improving the user convenience of a Web (World Wide Web) page. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for displaying a Web page using content according to a cookie name when transitioning from a common product page to a product-specific page. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4669000 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, users may operate their web browsers to not allow cookies and to disable functions that use cookies. In other words, in the conventional technology, not all users who use web browsers are necessarily in a state where they can use cookies, which may reduce the possibility of providing a highly convenient web page display technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention causes a computer to function as an acquisition means for acquiring product identification information from a referrer Web page, and as a setting means for, when the product identification information is acquired, setting a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) based on the acquired product identification information as a hyperlink to a product common page used in common to a plurality of products, and when the hyperlink is set, a Web page related to the product corresponding to the product identification information is displayed. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly convenient Web page display technique. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a Web page display system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a Web page flow. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a Web page flow. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a Web page flow. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a Web page flow. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention.

[0009] <Embodiment 1> In the first embodiment of the present invention, the hyperlink setting program 109, which will be described later, acquires product identification information from the first product page. Then, depending on whether the product identification information can be acquired, the hyperlink setting program 109 determines whether to directly access the second product page or to access the second product page via the product selection page.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a Web page display system according to the present invention. An information processing device 101 is capable of communicating with the Internet 106. The information processing device 101 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet, or the like. The information processing device 101 also includes a Web browser 102.

[0011] The Web browser is an application program having a URL input unit 103 and a Web content display area 104. The Web browser 102 acquires an HTML file 108 corresponding to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicated in the URL input unit 103 from a Web server 407 via the Internet 106. Then, the Web browser 102 displays the HTML content included in the HTML file 108 in the Web content display area 104.

[0012] The HTML content displayed in Web content display area 104 has hyperlink 105, and the URL of another Web page is set in hyperlink 105. When a user clicks hyperlink 105, Web browser 102 obtains HTML content corresponding to the URL set in hyperlink 105 from Web server 107 via Internet 106. The HTML content is then displayed in Web content display area 104.

[0013] The hyperlink setting program 109 is a program that acquires product identification information held by the first product-specific page, and updates the URL of the hyperlink to the second product-specific page included in the model-wide page according to the acquired information.

[0014] The hyperlink setting program 109 is composed of a script file such as JavaScript, and is transmitted to the Web browser 102 via the Internet 106 together with the HTML file 108. The hyperlink setting program 109 is executed by the Web browser 102 when the HTML file 108 is to be displayed.

[0015] 8 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the information processing device 101. In this diagram, the information processing device 101 has an input interface 810, a CPU 811, a ROM 812, a RAM 813, an external storage device 814, an output interface 815, and an input / output interface 816. In addition, input devices such as a keyboard 818 and a pointing device 817 are connected to the input interface 810, and a display device such as a display unit 819 is connected to the output interface 815.

[0016] An initialization program is stored in the ROM 812, and application programs, an operating system (OS), a Web browser application, etc. are stored in the external storage device 814. The RAM 813 is used as a work memory, etc. when various programs stored in the external storage device 814 are executed.

[0017] In this embodiment, the CPU 811 executes processes according to the procedures of a program stored in the external storage device 814, thereby executing functions described below and processes related to flowcharts described below in the information processing device 101. The CPU 811 executes display control processes using a Web browser application, and operates so as to be able to display the following Web pages.

[0018] The printing device 820 may be connected to the information processing device 101 via the input / output interface 816. Note that, although the printing device will be described as an inkjet printer that prints by ejecting ink onto a paper surface, printing may be performed by other methods (for example, electrophotography). Also, the information processing device 101 may be a desktop personal computer, a smartphone, or a notebook computer.

[0019] One way to use the Internet is for users to view information about a particular product. Users can access a web page on a website about a product and view information about the product they want to view.

[0020] Furthermore, when a user browses a web page related to product information, the user can also use a web page for product selection (hereinafter referred to as a product selection page). The user clicks on a hyperlink listed on the product selection page that describes information such as the product name or product model number used to identify each product (hereinafter referred to as product identification information). This operation causes a web page related to the selected product identification information to be displayed in the web browser. By using the product selection page, the user can access a web page that is composed of different content for each product (hereinafter referred to as a product-specific page) from a web page that is commonly used by multiple products (hereinafter referred to as a product-common page). In other words, the product-common page is a web page that is composed of content that is independent of the product.

[0021] By using this product selection page, the product-specific web page accessed after the product to be displayed has been determined may not be a single page, but may be composed of multiple pages. The multiple pages may include pages with different descriptions for each product, and pages with the same descriptions for multiple products. To streamline production, it is common to share pages with the same descriptions for multiple products.

[0022] In this case, when a user transitions from a product page (first product page) to a common product page and then accesses a subsequent product page (second product page), the product identification information may be lost in the common product page. In this case, the user must select the product to be displayed again before accessing the second product page.

[0023] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a web page flow in which a first product-specific page transitions to a product common page, and then transitions to a second product-specific page via a product selection page. The first product-specific page 201 is a product-specific page corresponding to product identification information "ABC1220", and has a hyperlink 202 for accessing a product common page 204. The URL 203 is a URL corresponding to the first product-specific page 201, and contains the product identification name "ABC1220". The first product-specific page is sometimes called a referring web page.

[0024] The product common page 204 is a product common page referenced from the hyperlink 202, and is a Web page accessed from a product-specific page corresponding to multiple product identification information. The product common page 204 also has a hyperlink 205 for accessing a product selection page 207. The URL 206 is the URL of the product common page 204. Since the product common page 204 is a page used in common by multiple products, the URL 206 does not include product identification information such as the product name "ABC1220".

[0025] Product selection page 207 is a product selection page referenced from hyperlink 205, and has as many hyperlinks for accessing second product-specific pages 208 as the number of target product identification information. Second product-specific page 208 is a product-specific page referenced from product common page 204 via product selection page 207. URL 209 is a URL corresponding to second product-specific page 208, and like URL 203, the URL contains the product identification name "ABC1220".

[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a Web page flow in the case where product identification information of the first product page can be acquired. When a user clicks a hyperlink 202 written on a first product page 201, the Web browser 102 executes a hyperlink setting program 109, and when the processing of the hyperlink setting program 109 is completed, a product common page 204 is displayed. The first product page 201 is a page corresponding to a printing device connected to an information processing device 801. For example, the information processing device 801 receives the identification information of the printing device from a printing device connected to an input / output interface 816. Then, the Web browser 102 accesses the Web server 107 to display the product information. At this time, when the Web browser 102 accesses using the identification information of the printing device acquired via the input / output interface 816, the first product page 201 corresponding to the printing device connected to the information processing device 801 is displayed.

[0027] When the Web browser 102 executes the hyperlink setting program 109, the product identification information held by the first product-specific page 201 is obtained from the URL or URL query parameter. The URL query parameter is additional information of the URL sent to the Web server, and is described at the end of the URL. In FIG. 3, the Web page creator sets a URL query parameter with the product identification information added to the hyperlink 202 as the URL of the product common page 204. Then, the hyperlink setting program 109 obtains the URL query parameter as the product identification information of the first product-specific page 201. URL 301 is the URL of the product common page 204 in FIG. 3, and the product identification information "ABC1220" obtained by the hyperlink setting program 109 is set in the query parameter "model".

[0028] The hyperlink setting program 109 sets a URL 209 incorporating the acquired product identification information ("ABC1220" in the example of FIG. 3) into the URL of the hyperlink 205. The Web browser 102 displays the product common page 204 in the Web content display area 104. When the user clicks the hyperlink 205, unlike FIG. 2, the Web browser 102 accesses a second product-specific page 208 without accessing the product selection page 207.

[0029] In FIG. 3, the hyperlink setting program 109 acquires the product identification information from the URL query parameter of the URL of the hyperlink 202 , but it may acquire the product identification information from the URL 203 of the first product page 201 .

[0030] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a web page flow in the case where product identification information of the first product-specific page cannot be obtained. In Fig. 4, as an example in which product identification information of the first product-specific page cannot be obtained, a product common page that does not include product identification information in the URL or URL query parameters is arranged in place of the first product-specific page 201. The first product common page 401 is a product common page that has a hyperlink 402 for accessing the product common page 204. URL 403 is the URL of the first product common page 401. Like URL 203, URL 403 does not include product identification information in the URL.

[0031] Fig. 4 shows a web page flow in the case where a first product common page 401 is arranged in place of the first product specific page 201. Note that the web page flow in Fig. 4 can also be applied when the hyperlink setting program 109 cannot normally acquire the product identification information of the first product specific page 201. For example, there is a case where part or all of the acquired URL or URL query parameter information is missing (not shown).

[0032] 4 does not include product identification information, the hyperlink setting program 109 cannot acquire product identification information from the first product common page 401. Therefore, in FIG. 4, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL of the product selection page 207 in the hyperlink 205. The user accesses the second product-specific page 208 via the product selection page 207.

[0033] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the first embodiment. When the user clicks the hyperlink 202 or 402 included in the first product-specific page 201 or the first product-common page 401, the Web browser 102 executes the hyperlink setting program 109 to start the flow of Fig. 5. When the flow of Fig. 5 ends, the Web browser 102 displays the HTML content of the product-common page 204 in the Web content display area 104 of the Web browser 102.

[0034] The user clicks the hyperlink 202 included in the first product-specific page 201 or the hyperlink 402 included in the first product common page 401. In this case, the Web browser 102 executes an access process using the URL of the product common page 204 set in the hyperlink (S501). In S501, when the Web browser 102 accesses the URL of the product common page 204, the product common page 204 and the hyperlink setting program 109 are transmitted from the Web server 107 to the Web browser 102.

[0035] The hyperlink setting program 109 acquires a URL or a URL query parameter as access information from the first product page or the first product common page (S502). For example, the URL 203 in Fig. 3 or the URL 301 set in the hyperlink 202 in Fig. 3 is acquired. Alternatively, the URL 403 in Fig. 4 or the URL 206 set in the hyperlink 402 in Fig. 4 is acquired.

[0036] The hyperlink setting program 109 checks whether the product identification information can be obtained from the acquired access information (S503). S503 will be specifically described. First, the hyperlink setting program 109 judges whether the acquired access information includes a URL query parameter. If it is judged that the URL query parameter is included, the hyperlink setting program 109 judges Yes in S503. For example, if the URL 301 is acquired as the access information, the hyperlink setting program 109 can acquire the URL query parameter (i.e., "?model=ABC1220"), and therefore judges Yes in S503. If it is judged that the URL query parameter is not included in the access information, the hyperlink setting program 109 performs the following process. That is, if the URL 203 as shown in FIG. 3 is acquired in S502, the hyperlink setting program 109 divides the URL and acquires a character string at a predetermined position. For example, in this embodiment, the character string at the second last position (i.e., "ABC1220") is acquired. Then, the hyperlink setting program 109 compares the acquired character string with a product identification information list included in the hyperlink setting program itself. If the acquired character string is included in the product identification information list, the hyperlink setting program 109 judges Yes in S503. Note that in the judgment process using the URL query parameter, there is no URL division process or comparison process using the product identification information list, so efficient processing can be achieved by performing the process of S503 in this order. If the hyperlink setting program 109 can acquire the product identification information, it sets the URL of the second product-specific page 208 as the URL of the hyperlink 205 included in the product common page 204 (S504).

[0037] On the other hand, if the hyperlink setting program 109 cannot acquire the product identification information, it sets the URL of the product selection page 207 as the URL of the hyperlink 205 included in the product common page 204 (S505).

[0038] Here, S504 and S505 will be specifically described. The hyperlink setting program 109 has a URL including variable information and a URL of a product selection page as the URL of the hyperlink 205. If the result of the determination in S503 is Yes, the hyperlink setting program 109 selects the URL including the variable information and replaces the variable information with the product identification information acquired in S503. This process generates, for example, the URL 209 in FIG. 3. Then, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets this URL 209 as the hyperlink 205 of the product common page 204 in FIG. 3.

[0039] On the other hand, if the result of S503 is No, the hyperlink setting program 109 selects the product selection page URL and sets it as the hyperlink 205 of the product common page 204 in FIG.

[0040] The Web browser 102 displays the product common page 204 generated by the setting process in S504 or S505.

[0041] As described above, in the first embodiment, if the hyperlink setting program 109 is able to acquire product identification information, the Web browser 102 can display the second product-specific page 208 without displaying the product selection page 207. On the other hand, if the hyperlink setting program 109 is unable to acquire product identification information, the Web browser 102 displays the product selection page 207 and allows the user to select product identification information.

[0042] This allows the Web browser 102 to display the product selection page 207 when it is necessary to select product identification information according to the user's Web page browsing status, thereby improving user operability compared to conventional Web page flows. Also, by using a URL or URL query parameters instead of a Cookie, the user can stably execute the flow of Fig. 5 without being affected by Cookie usage restrictions.

[0043] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the hyperlink setting program 109 transmitted from the Web server 107 is executed on the Web browser 102, but it is also possible to configure the hyperlink setting program 109 to be executed on the Web server 107. In this case, the hyperlink setting program 109 performs a process of acquiring product identification information and a process of setting the URL of the hyperlink 205 for the HTML file 108 on the Web server 107. The Web browser 102 then executes a display process based on the HTML file 108 that has been subjected to these processes.

[0044] <Embodiment 2> In the second embodiment, an example is described in which product identification information is acquired from a first product page, and further a process is added to determine whether the product identification information is a corresponding product on a second product page. Note that a detailed description of the process that overlaps with the first embodiment is omitted.

[0045] FIG. 6(a) shows an example in which a product non-support information page is accessed instead of the second product-specific page when the product identification information obtained from the first product-specific page is not included in the target products of the second product-specific page.

[0046] After the user clicks the hyperlink 202 on the product-specific page 201, the Web browser 102 displays the product common page 204 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. If the hyperlink setting program 109 can obtain the product identification information of the first product-specific page 201, it then determines whether the target product of the second product-specific page 208 includes the product identification information. If the target product of the second product-specific page 208 includes the product identification information, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL of the second product-specific page 208 to the URL of the hyperlink 205 in the product common page 204 (not shown). If the corresponding product of the second product-specific page 208 does not include the product identification information, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL of the product non-support information page 601 to the URL of the hyperlink 205, and the Web browser 102 displays the product common page 204.

[0047] The product unsupported information page 601 is a web page that displays a message to the effect that the product identification information acquired by the hyperlink setting program 109 is not a compatible product of the second product-specific page 208. The product unsupported information page 601 may be configured as a common web page for all products that displays a fixed message, or may be configured to change the content of the page depending on the product identification information acquired from the product-specific page 201.

[0048] Fig. 6(b) shows an example in which the hyperlink 205 for accessing the second product page 208 from the product common page 204 is deleted or hidden when the product identification information acquired from the first product page 201 is not included in the target products of the second product page 208. Although the product common page 204 in Fig. 6(b) includes "(hyperlink deleted, hidden)", in reality, the Web browser 102 does not display this description together with the hyperlink 205, and prevents the user from clicking the hyperlink 205.

[0049] 3, when the hyperlink setting program 109 is able to acquire product identification information from the first product-specific page 201, it then determines whether or not the product identification information is included in the target product of the second product-specific page 208. If the acquired product identification information is included in the target product of the second product-specific page 208, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL of the second product-specific page 208 as the URL of the hyperlink 205 in the product common page 204 (not shown). If the acquired product identification information is not included in the target product of the second product-specific page 208, the hyperlink setting program 109 deletes the hyperlink 205 from the product common page 204, or makes it invisible.

[0050] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of Fig. 6(a). The processing procedure of Fig. 6(b) also has the same flow as Fig. 7 except for the processing of S707 (described later). Fig. 7, like Fig. 5, describes the process from the point where the user first clicks the hyperlink 202 included in the first product-specific page 201 or the hyperlink 402 included in the first product-common page 401 to access the product-common page 204.

[0051] The processes of S701, S702, S703, and S705 in Fig. 7 are the same as the processes of S501, S502, S503, and S505 in Fig. 5. Therefore, the description of each of the processes of S701, S702, S703, and S705 will be omitted here.

[0052] When the hyperlink setting program 109 has acquired the product identification information (S703), the hyperlink setting program 109 judges whether the acquired product identification information is included in the corresponding product of the second product page 208 (S704). S704 will be described in detail. The hyperlink setting program 109 acquires the corresponding product information of the second product page 208 from the Web server 107. Then, the hyperlink setting program 109 judges whether the product identification information acquired in S703 is included in the corresponding product information of the second product page 208.

[0053] If the acquired product identification information is included in the product corresponding to the second product page 208, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL 209 of the second product page 208 to the URL of the hyperlink 205 included in the product common page 204 (S706). Note that the process of S706 is similar to S506, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] If the acquired product identification information is not included in the corresponding product of the second product-specific page 208, the hyperlink setting program 109 sets the URL of the product non-support information page 601 as the URL of the hyperlink 205 included in the product common page 204 (S707). The hyperlink setting program 109 further includes the URL of the product non-support information page 601 as the URL of the hyperlink 205 in addition to the URL of the first embodiment. If the result of S704 is No, the hyperlink setting program 109 selects the URL of the product non-support information page 601 and sets it as the hyperlink 205 of the product common page 204.

[0055] The flow in Fig. 7 can also be applied to the processing procedure in Fig. 6(b). Among the processes in the flowchart in Fig. 7, the process of S707 differs between Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b). In the page flow in Fig. 6(a), the URL of the product unsupported information page 601 is set as the URL of the hyperlink 205 in S707, but in the Web page flow in Fig. 6(b), the hyperlink 205 is deleted or hidden in S707 (not shown).

[0056] As described above, in the second embodiment, the product non-support information page is displayed, which improves the user's operability. In addition, the user's convenience can be improved by displaying the Web page in such a way that the user cannot operate the hyperlink as shown in FIG. 6(b).

[0057] Also in the second embodiment, like the first embodiment, the hyperlink setting program 109 can be configured to be executed on the Web server 107.

[0058] <Other embodiments> The processing according to the above-mentioned embodiments may be realized by supplying a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The processing according to the above-mentioned embodiments may also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 109 Hyperlink Setting Program

Claims

1. Computer, An acquisition means for acquiring product identification information from a referral source web page; when the product identification information is acquired, the setting unit functions as a setting unit for setting a uniform resource locator (URL) based on the acquired product identification information as a hyperlink to a product common page used in common for a plurality of products; When the hyperlink is set, a web page relating to a product corresponding to the product identification information is displayed.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein, if the product identification information cannot be acquired from the referring Web page, the setting means sets a URL of a product selection page in the hyperlink of the product common page.

3. 3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring means acquires the product identification information from a URL or a URL query parameter of the referring Web page.

4. 4. The program according to claim 3, wherein the acquiring means acquires the product identification information from information at a predetermined position of a character string indicating a URL of the referrer Web page.

5. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the acquisition means determines whether or not a URL query parameter of the referrer web page has been acquired, and if not, executes an acquisition process of the product identification information from the URL of the referrer web page.

6. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a display control means for displaying the referrer web page based on the identification information when identification information of the printing device is obtained from a printing device capable of communicating with the computer.

7. An information processing device capable of displaying a product common page used in common for a plurality of products, An acquisition means for acquiring product identification information from a referral source web page; a setting means for setting a URL based on the acquired product identification information as a hyperlink of the product common page when the product identification information is acquired; When the hyperlink is set, a web page relating to a product corresponding to the product identification information is displayed.

8. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when the product identification information cannot be acquired from the referring Web page, the setting means sets a URL of a product selection page in the hyperlink of the product common page.

9. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the acquiring means acquires the product identification information from a URL or a URL query parameter of the referring Web page.

10. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the acquiring means divides the URL of the referring Web page, and acquires the product identification information from information contained in a predetermined position.

11. 11. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the acquisition means determines whether or not a URL query parameter of the referrer web page has been acquired, and if not, executes an acquisition process of the product identification information from the URL of the referrer web page.

12. A method for controlling an information processing device capable of displaying a product common page used in common for a plurality of products, comprising: An acquisition step of acquiring product identification information from a referring web page; a setting step of setting a URL based on the acquired product identification information as a hyperlink of the product common page when the product identification information is acquired; A control method comprising the steps of: when the hyperlink is set, a web page relating to a product corresponding to the product identification information is displayed.

Images