Information processing device, remote control system, and program

Abstract

To prevent information to be concealed included in an operation screen to be displayed in performing specific processing from being discriminated by a remote operation terminal side in the case of remotely operating an operation screen of an information processing device that is remotely operated while being shared and displayed by a display device of a remote operation terminal that remotely operates the information processing device.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10 includes display means 204 for displaying an operation screen, transmission means 221 for transmitting an image of the operation screen displayed in the display means 204 to a remote operation terminal 40 in receiving remote operation of the external remote operation terminal, and display control means 222 for performing display control of the image of the operation screen so as to prevent information to be concealed included in the operation screen from being displayed in the remote operation terminal 40 in the case of executing operation for making the display means 204 display the operation screen including the information to be concealed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a screen sharing method in which, when multiple devices share the same screen, if unsendable information is recognized among the information displayed on the screen, the application related to that information is terminated, the application is iconized, or different image information is drawn on the icon so as not to transmit that information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-060000 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention aims to prevent information to be concealed contained in the operation screen displayed when performing a specific process from being identified on the remote control terminal side when remotely operating an information processing device while the operation screen of the remotely operated information processing device is shared and displayed on a display device of the remote control terminal that remotely operates the information processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing device according to the first aspect includes: a transmission means for transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the display means to an external remote control terminal when remote control is accepted from the external remote control terminal; The device further includes a display control means for controlling the display of an image of the operation screen so that, when an operation is executed to display an operation screen including information to be concealed on the display means, the information to be concealed included on the operation screen is not displayed on the remote control terminal.

[0006] In the information processing device of the second aspect, in the information processing device of the first aspect, the display control means performs display control so that information to be concealed that is not displayed on the remote control terminal becomes undistinguishable on the operation screen by being displayed in a different display state from an initial display state on the operation screen.

[0007] In the information processing device of the third aspect, in the information processing device of the first aspect, when an operation is executed to cause the display means to display an operation screen including information to be concealed, the display control means controls the display of an image of the operation screen so that display information other than the information to be concealed included in the operation screen is displayed on the remote control terminal.

[0008] An information processing device according to a fourth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the display control means performs the display control when an operation to input information to be concealed is to be executed as an operation to cause the display means to display an operation screen including the information to be concealed.

[0009] An information processing device according to a fifth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a receiving means for receiving an unconcealment instruction to display the concealment target information included in the operation screen when the concealment target information is not displayed on the remote control terminal, and when the receiving means receives an unconcealment instruction for the concealment target information that is not displayed on the remote control terminal, the transmitting means transmits an instruction to unconceal the concealment of the concealment target information, thereby making the concealment target information displayable.

[0010] An information processing device according to a sixth aspect is an information processing device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the display control means generates concealment instruction information for concealing the information to be concealed and makes it possible to transmit the information together with an image of the operation screen, and when the receiving means receives an unconcealment instruction for the information to be concealed, the display control means generates unconcealment information for unconcealing the information to be concealed, and the transmitting means transmits the unconcealment information to the remote operation terminal, making the information to be concealed possible to be displayed.

[0011] In an information processing device according to a seventh aspect, in the information processing device according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the display control means changes the display state of the information to be concealed from an initial display state depending on a degree of concealment that is preset for each piece of information to be concealed.

[0012] An information processing device according to an eighth aspect includes: a remote control terminal having a first display means for displaying an image of the received operation screen and an input operation means; a transmission means for transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on a second display means to the remote control terminal when the remote control terminal accepts remote control; The present invention provides a remote control system comprising: an information processing device having a display control means that, when an operation is performed to display an operation screen including information to be concealed on the second display means, controls the display of an image of the operation screen so that the information to be concealed included on the operation screen is not displayed on the second display means.

[0013] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect includes: A computer constituting an information processing device includes: transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the display means to an external remote control terminal when the external remote control terminal receives a remote control; When an operation is performed to display an operation screen including information to be concealed on the display means, the program executes a step of controlling the display of an image of the operation screen so that the information to be concealed included in the operation screen is not displayed on the remote control terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the first aspect, when remotely operating an information processing device while sharing and displaying an operation screen of the information processing device on a display device of a remote control terminal that remotely controls the information processing device, it is possible to provide an information processing device that prevents information to be concealed that is included in the operation screen displayed when performing a specific process from being identified on the remote control terminal side.

[0015] According to the second aspect, it is possible to prevent information to be concealed that is included in the operation screen from being identified on the remote control terminal side.

[0016] According to the third aspect, it is possible to prevent information to be concealed that is included in the operation screen from being identified on the remote control terminal side.

[0017] According to the fourth aspect, when an operation for inputting information to be concealed is about to be performed, the information to be concealed included in the operation screen can be prevented from being identified on the remote control terminal side.

[0018] According to the fifth aspect, when a concealment removal instruction is input on either the information processing device side or the remote control terminal side, it is possible to make it possible to determine the concealment target information for which the concealment removal instruction has been given on the remote control terminal side.

[0019] According to the sixth aspect, when a concealment removal instruction is input, the information to be concealed can be identified on the remote control terminal side by simply transmitting the concealment removal instruction without transmitting any information related to the information to be concealed.

[0020] According to the seventh aspect, it becomes possible to determine the degree of concealment of each piece of information on the information processing device side and on the remote control terminal side.

[0021] According to the eighth aspect, when remotely operating an information processing device while sharing and displaying an operation screen of the information processing device to be remotely operated on a display device of a remote control terminal that remotely operates the information processing device, it is possible to provide a remote control system that prevents information to be concealed that is included in the operation screen displayed when performing a specific process from being identified on the remote control terminal side.

[0022] According to a ninth aspect, when remotely operating an information processing device while sharing and displaying an operation screen of the information processing device on a display device of a remote control terminal that remotely controls the information processing device, it is possible to provide a program that operates a computer of the information processing device so as to prevent information to be concealed, which is included in the operation screen displayed when performing a specific process, from being identified on the remote control terminal side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a remote control system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an image forming apparatus 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a remote control terminal 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a remote control terminal 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of the image forming apparatus 20 when the image forming apparatus 20 is remotely controlled by the remote control terminal 40 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen 700 displayed on the display device 204 during normal operation of the image forming apparatus 20 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a remote operation request screen 800 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] In one embodiment of the present invention, a figure showing an example of a screen 900 (FIG. 9(A)) displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 and an example of an operation screen 950 (FIG. 9(B)) displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40 when remote control by the remote control terminal 40 is an operation that satisfies a preset condition. [Figure 10] In one embodiment of the present invention, a figure showing an example of a screen 1000 (FIG. 10(A)) displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 and an example of an operation screen 1050 (FIG. 10(B)) displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40 when the remote operation by the remote control terminal 40 does not satisfy the preset conditions. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a remote control terminal 40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of an image forming apparatus 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the image forming apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, continuing on from parts "B" and "D" in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 14 is an example of a destination selection screen 1400 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. [Figure 15] 15 is an example of a detailed information display screen 1500 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. [Figure 16] 16 is an example of a detailed information display screen 1600 after concealment processing, which is displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. [Figure 17] 17 is an example of a masked detailed information display screen 1700 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. [Figure 18] 18 is an example of a permission confirmation screen 1800 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. [Figure 19]10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the remote control terminal 40 in the second embodiment. [Figure 20] 21 is an example of a concealment release non-permission screen 2100 displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40 in the second embodiment. [Figure 21] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the image forming apparatus 20 in the third embodiment. [Figure 22] 22 shows an example of a concealment release confirmation screen 2200 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 in the third embodiment. [Diagram 23] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the remote control terminal 40 in the third embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a prior confirmation screen 2400 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] [First embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a remote control system 10 of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the remote control system 10 includes an image forming device 20 and a remote operation terminal 40 connected to the image forming device 20 via a network 30.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 20 is installed, for example, in a customer's office 50, and is used by a user 60 who usually works in the office 50. On the other hand, the remote control terminal 40 is installed, for example, in a service center 70 operated by a management company of the image forming apparatus 20, and is operated by an operator / service engineer (remote operator 80). When some kind of trouble occurs or when the user 60 wants to request a desired operation, the user 60 contacts the service center by operating an operation panel (described later) of the image forming apparatus 20 or by making a phone call, and the operator / service engineer remotely operates the image forming apparatus 20 from the remote control terminal 40 and performs the required operation.

[0026] 2 shows a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 20. The image forming apparatus 20 includes a control microprocessor 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, a display device 204, an input device 205, a communication interface 206, and an image forming unit 207, and is connected to a system bus 208.

[0027] The control microprocessor 201 executes a control program stored in the storage device 203 to control the operation of each part of the image forming apparatus 20 .

[0028] The memory 202 temporarily stores print image data printed by the image forming unit 207 of the image forming device 20, remote control information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40, image data of the operation screen to be transmitted to the remote operation terminal 40, etc.

[0029] The storage device 203 is composed of a hard disk (HDD) or a solid state drive (SDD), and stores a control program for controlling each part of the image forming device 20, image data of the operation screen displayed on the display device 204, operation authority information, and various setting values, such as information on print density and paper settings.

[0030] The display device 204 displays an image on the operation screen of the image forming device 20, and is configured with a liquid crystal display.

[0031] The input device 205 is composed of a touch panel arranged on the display device 204, and the user 60 can select an operation to be performed or input necessary information by touching the screen while viewing the operation screen displayed on the display device 204. The display device 204 and the input device 205 constitute the operation panel of the image forming device 20 of this embodiment, and may be arranged in the same place, such as a liquid crystal display and a touch panel provided on its upper surface, as described above, or may be arranged in separate places, such as a liquid crystal display and keys and buttons arranged adjacent to it.

[0032] The communication interface 206 performs communication control for connecting and communicating between the image forming apparatus 20 and the remote control terminal 40 via the network 30 .

[0033] The image forming unit 207 includes an image reading device and a printing device (neither shown). The image reading device is a scanner for reading an image on a medium such as paper. The printing device prints an image read by the image reading device onto another medium such as paper, but detailed description of the configuration of these devices will be omitted.

[0034] Next, the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 20 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20 of this embodiment. By executing a control program stored in the storage device 203 of the image forming apparatus 20 in the control microprocessor 201, the image forming apparatus 20 functions as a communication control unit 221, a display control unit 222, a remote operation acceptance unit 223, an operation authority monitoring unit 224, and a various operation execution unit 225, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0035] The communication control unit 221 receives remote control information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40, and temporarily stores the information in the memory 202. When accepting a remote operation by the remote operation terminal 40, the communication control unit 221 also transmits to the remote operation terminal 40 image data of an operation screen displayed on the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20, or image data of an operation screen generated by a display control unit 222 (to be described later) in response to the remote operation of the remote operation terminal 40.

[0036] When the user 60 operates the input device 205, the display control unit 222 generates an operation screen in response to the operation and displays it on the display device 204. When the image forming apparatus 20 is remotely operated by the remote operation terminal 40, the display control unit 222 generates image data of the operation screen to be displayed on the display device 204 in response to remote control information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40. Alternatively, when the input device 205 is operated by a remote operation acceptance unit 223 described later, the display control unit 222 generates image data of the operation screen to be displayed on the display device 204 in response to the operation.

[0037] Furthermore, when this remote operation is being executed, the display control unit 222 judges whether the remote operation satisfies a preset condition, and when a remote operation that satisfies the preset condition is executed, the display control unit 222 transmits an image of the generated operation screen to the remote operation terminal 40 via the communication control unit 221, while controlling the display device 204 not to display the image of the operation screen generated in response to the remote operation.

[0038] Specifically, when a remote operation that satisfies a preset condition is executed, the display control unit 222 performs control to display an image different from the image of the operation screen on the display device 204. For example, the display control unit 222 acquires image data of an alternative screen stored in the storage device 203 and displays it on the display device 204. Alternatively, the display control unit 222 may perform control to display, on the display device 204, an image in which the contents of the operation screen transmitted to the remote operation terminal 40 are made invisible, when a remote operation that satisfies a preset condition is executed.

[0039] The remote operation that satisfies the preset condition means a case where a remote operation that is permitted only to a person having administrator authority is executed. For example, this includes a process from when a person having administrator authority logs in to the administrator authority mode of the image forming apparatus 20 until he / she logs out. In this case, the display control unit 222 controls the display device 204 to display a screen different from the image of the operation screen transmitted to the remote operation terminal 40, or controls the display device 204 to display an image in which the contents of the operation screen transmitted to the remote operation terminal 40 are made invisible. These controls are executed from the start to the end of the operation mode that is permitted only to a person having administrator authority.

[0040] When the user 60 operates the input device 205 and selects an operation to request remote operation, the remote operation accepting unit 223 transmits a remote operation request to the remote operation terminal 40 via the communication control unit 221. Then, it receives login information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40, and if the login information is correct, it makes the remote operation of its own device by the remote operation terminal 40 available for acceptance. Furthermore, when accepting remote operation, the remote operation accepting unit 223 interprets the remote control information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40, and operates the input device 205 according to that information.

[0041] The operation authority monitoring unit 224 monitors the operation of the input device 205 by the user 60 or the operation of the input device 205 performed by the remote operation receiving unit 223, and judges whether the operation is permitted only to a person having administrator authority. If the operation authority monitoring unit 224 judges that the operation is permitted only to the user 60 who requires administrator authority, it notifies the display control unit 222 to display an authentication request screen. It also authenticates authentication information input directly or remotely via the input device 205 by the user 60 or the remote operator 80 who operates the remote operation terminal 40, and if the authentication information is correct, it shifts the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 20 to the administrator authority mode and notifies the display control unit 222 that the operation mode has been shifted to the administrator authority mode. If the operation is performed by the user 60 or the remote operator 80 to exit the administrator authority mode, the operation authority monitoring unit 224 shifts the operation mode of the image forming apparatus 20 from the administrator authority mode to the normal mode, and notifies the display control unit 222 that the administrator authority mode has been terminated and the operation mode has been shifted to the normal mode. The operation authority monitor 224 may be configured to regard the mode as having been changed to the administrator authority mode from the point at which the authentication request screen is displayed.

[0042] When the input device 205 is operated directly by the user 60 or indirectly by remote operation by the remote operator 80, the various operation execution unit 225 executes various functions according to the operation. These functions include, for example, scanning an image, copying an image, changing various setting values ​​of the image forming device 20 (e.g., print density, paper settings, etc.), updating firmware of the image forming device, adding a menu, adding an application program, etc.

[0043] Next, the remote control terminal 40 constituting the remote control system 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the remote control terminal 40. As shown in Fig. 4, the remote control terminal 40 includes a CPU 401, a memory 402, a storage device 403, a communication interface 404, a display device 405, and an input device 406, each of which is connected to a system bus 407.

[0044] The CPU 401 controls the operation of each part of the remote control terminal 40 based on a control program stored in the storage device 403 .

[0045] The memory 402 temporarily stores image data of the operation screen of the image forming apparatus 20 and information on a remote operation request received by the remote operation terminal 40. The memory 402 also temporarily stores remote control information generated by a remote control unit, which will be described later.

[0046] The storage device 403 is composed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SDD), and stores a control program for controlling each part of the remote control terminal 40 and an application program for remotely controlling the image forming apparatus 20.

[0047] The communication interface 404 performs communication control for connecting the remote control terminal 40 and the image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30 to perform communication.

[0048] Display device 405 is a liquid crystal monitor, and displays a screen for a remote operation request sent from image forming device 20, a connection setting screen for starting remote operation, and image data of an operation screen generated in image forming device 20 when image forming device 20 is being remotely operated from this remote operation terminal 40.

[0049] The input device 406 is a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch pad, and the remote operator 80 operates these input devices 406 while viewing the image displayed on the display device 405, thereby connecting the remote operation terminal 40 to the image forming apparatus 20 and remotely operating the image forming apparatus 20.

[0050] Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of the remote control terminal 40. As shown in Fig. 5, the remote control terminal 40 functions as a login unit 421 and a remote control unit 422 by executing a control program stored in the storage device 403 in a CPU 401.

[0051] When the login unit 421 receives a remote operation request transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20, it displays a login screen on the display device 405 of the user interface and requests the remote operator 80 to input login information. When the login information is input by the input device 406, the login unit 421 transmits the login information to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0052] The remote control unit 422 remotely controls the image forming apparatus 20 using the input device 406, and generates remote control information such as which location on the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20 was selected or what characters were input in response to the operation of the input device, and transmits the information to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30.

[0053] Next, the flow of operations in the image forming apparatus 20 of the remote control system 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations in the image forming apparatus 20 when remotely controlled by the remote control terminal 40.

[0054] In step S601, the image forming apparatus 20 accepts a normal operation by the user 60. This normal operation includes, for example, when the user 60 operates the input device 205 while visually checking the operation screen displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, the display control unit 222 generates an image of an operation screen corresponding to the operation and displays it on the display device 204, and the various operation execution unit 225 executes various operations corresponding to the operation. In addition, the normal operation includes, for example, scanning an image, copying an image, and changing various setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 20 (for example, print density, paper setting, etc.).

[0055] 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen 700 displayed on the display device 204 during normal operation of the image forming device 20. The operation screen 700 displays a plurality of menus, such as icons 710 for "image scanning," "copying," and "settings." When the user 60 of the image forming device 20 selects the icon 710 for a desired menu while visually checking the operation screen 700 displayed on the display device 204, the various operation execution unit 225 executes a function corresponding to the selected menu, that is, scanning an image, copying an image, changing various setting values ​​of the image forming device 20 (for example, print density, paper settings, etc.). The operation screen 700 also displays a menu icon 720 for "remote operation request," which will be described later.

[0056] In step S602, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges whether or not the user 60 has operated the input device 205 to make a remote operation request to the remote operation terminal 40. If it is judged that a remote operation request has not been made, the process returns to step S601, where normal operations are continued to be accepted, and the corresponding processing is continued. On the other hand, if it is judged in step S602 that a remote operation request has been made, the process proceeds to step S603.

[0057] Here, Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a remote operation request screen 800 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. This remote operation request screen 800 may be generated and displayed by the instruction and display control unit 222 of the remote operation acceptance unit 223 when the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 selects the menu icon 720 of "remote operation request" from the menu of Fig. 7, or may be automatically displayed on the operation screen when an error or the like occurs during normal operation by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20, or may be displayed on the display device 204 when an icon of "remote operation request" is displayed on the operation screen when an error occurs and the user 60 selects it.

[0058] 8, a remote operation request screen 800 displays a confirmation message 810 such as "Connect to the service center and request remote operation. Are you sure?", an "Agree" icon 820, and a "Cancel" icon 830. If the user 60 selects the "Agree" icon 820, the process proceeds to step S603 in FIG. 6. If the user 60 selects the "Cancel" icon 830, the process returns to step S601 in FIG. 6.

[0059] In step S603, the remote operation accepting unit 223 transmits a remote operation request to the remote operation terminal 40 via the communication control unit 221. When the remote operation terminal 40 receives this remote operation request, the login unit 421 of the remote operation terminal 40 displays a login screen on the display device 405 of the user interface and requests the remote operator 80 to input login information. When the remote operator 80 inputs the login information by operating the input device 406, the login information is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0060] In step S604, the remote operation accepting unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 20 authenticates the login information received from the remote operation terminal 40, and makes the image forming apparatus 20 ready to accept remote operation from the remote operation terminal 40 if the login information is correct.

[0061] In step S605, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges whether or not to end the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40. Specifically, when a logout process request transmitted from the login unit 421 of the remote operation terminal 40 is received, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges to end the remote operation. When the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges to end the remote operation, the process proceeds to step S606. In step S606, the remote operation accepting unit 223 makes the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote control unit 422 of the remote operation terminal 40 unacceptable, returns to step S601, and accepts normal operation by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20. When the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges that the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40 is not ended in step S605, the process proceeds to step S607.

[0062] In step S607, the display control unit 222 of the image forming apparatus 20 generates an image of an operation screen. The generated image of the operation screen is an image of an operation screen corresponding to an operation performed when the remote operation acceptance unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 20 operates the input device 205 in response to remote control information transmitted from the remote control unit 422 of the remote operation terminal 40.

[0063] In step S608, the communication control unit 221 transmits image data of the operation screen generated by the display control unit 222 to the remote operation terminal 40. When the image data of the operation screen is received by the remote operation terminal 40, the remote control unit 422 displays the received image data of the operation screen on the display device 405.

[0064] In step S609, the remote operator 80 operating the remote control terminal 40 operates the input device 406 while viewing the image displayed on the display device 405, thereby remotely operating the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0065] In step S610, the display control unit 222 judges whether or not the remote operation of the input device 205 by the remote operation terminal 40 satisfies a preset condition. It is assumed that the preset condition is stored in the storage device 203 of the image forming apparatus 20. The remote operation that satisfies the preset condition includes, for example, an operation permitted only to a person having administrator authority, specifically, a process from logging in to the administrator authority mode of the image forming apparatus 20 to logging out. At this time, the operation authority monitoring unit 224 of the image forming apparatus 20 monitors the remote operation to the input device 205 and judges whether or not the operation is an operation permitted only to a person having administrator authority (a processing operation during login). If the operation satisfies the preset condition, the process proceeds to step S611, and if the operation does not satisfy the preset condition, the process proceeds to step S612.

[0066] In step S611 (that is, when the remote operation satisfies a predetermined condition), the display control unit 222 prevents the image data of the generated operation screen from being displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. Instead, the display control unit 222 acquires image data of the substitute image stored in the storage device 203, and displays it on the display device 204. Therefore, at this time, the screen displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 and the screen displayed on the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40 are different. Alternatively, the image data may be subjected to image processing to make the operation screen unrecognizable, and the image data of the operation screen processed to be unrecognizable may be displayed on the display device 204. Specifically, the operation screen is processed into an unrecognizable image by performing mosaic processing or blurring processing. Thereafter, the process returns to step S605, and the process of steps S605 to S611 or steps S605 to S612 is performed until the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40 is completed.

[0067] 9A and 9B are diagrams showing an example of a screen 900 (FIG. 9A) displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 when the display control unit 222 judges that the remote operation performed by the remote operation terminal 40 is an operation that satisfies a preset condition, and an example of an operation screen 950 (FIG. 9B) displayed on the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40. As shown in FIG. 9A, the screen 900 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 displays a message 910 saying "Currently being remotely operated by an operator at the service center.", and the user 60 who has directly operated the image forming apparatus 20 cannot visually recognize through the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 what specific operation is being performed on the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9(B), an operation screen 950 that is not displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 is displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40, and the remote operator 80 operating the remote control terminal 40 can view this operation screen 950 and perform operations that are permitted only to persons with administrator authority, such as updating firmware, adding menus, and adding new applications.

[0068] If the display control unit 222 determines in step S610 that the remote operation by the remote operation terminal 40 does not satisfy the preset condition, the process proceeds to step S612, where the display control unit 222 displays image data of the generated operation screen on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. At this time, the operation screen displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 and the operation screen displayed on the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40 become the same. Thereafter, the process returns to step S605, and the processes of steps S605 to S611 or steps S605 to S612 are performed until the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40 is completed.

[0069] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a screen 1000 (FIG. 10A) displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 when the display control unit 222 determines that the remote operation performed by the remote operation terminal 40 does not satisfy a preset condition, and an example of an operation screen 1050 (FIG. 10B) displayed on the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40. As shown in FIG. 10A, the screen 1000 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 displays, for example, settings regarding paper feed and ejection and settings regarding print quality.

[0070] Also, as shown in FIG. 10(B), the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40 displays an operation screen 1050 similar to that displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, and the remote operator 80 operating the remote control terminal 40 can view the operation screen 1050 and perform operations that are permitted to persons other than those with administrator authority, such as changing various setting values ​​such as print density and paper settings.

[0071] In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus has been described as an example of an information processing apparatus remotely operated by a remote control terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can also be applied to other information processing apparatuses equipped with a display device and an input device, such as personal computers and other industrial machines.

[0072] In these information processing devices, as described in the above embodiment, when the information processing device is remotely operated by a remote control terminal, the actual operation screen is not visible on the display device of the information processing device while an operation that satisfies predetermined conditions, such as an administrator authority mode that is permitted only to persons with administrator authority, is being performed.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the preset conditions are described as being stored in the storage device 203 of the image forming apparatus 20. However, the conditions may be set and stored in the remote control terminal 40, and the image forming apparatus 20 may be notified when an operation that satisfies the conditions is performed.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the process from logging in to the administrator authority mode of the image forming apparatus 20 to logging out has been described as a preset condition. However, the above preset condition may also include a process in which a login screen is displayed to allow a remote operator to enter an administrator ID, password, etc. when attempting to log in.

[0075] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 21. Note that, when compared with the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment, the remote control system 10 of the second embodiment has the same configuration except for the function of the remote operation terminal 40, so the same components are described using the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the components is omitted.

[0076] Fig. 11 is a functional block diagram of remote control terminal 40 in the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 11, remote control terminal 40 functions as login unit 421A, remote control unit 422A, display control unit 423A, and hidden information determination unit 424A by executing a control program stored in storage device 403 in CPU 401.

[0077] When login unit 421A receives a remote operation request transmitted from image forming apparatus 20, it displays a login screen on display device 405 of the user interface and requests remote operator 80 to input login information. When login information is input by input device 406, login unit 421A transmits the login information to image forming apparatus 20.

[0078] Remote control unit 422A remotely controls image forming apparatus 20 using input device 406, and generates remote control information such as which location on input device 205 of image forming apparatus 20 was selected or what characters were input in response to the operation of the input device, and transmits the information to image forming apparatus 20 via network 30.

[0079] The display control unit 423A performs image control to display the image of the operation screen transmitted from the image forming apparatus 20 on the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40. Furthermore, when the display control unit 423A receives mask information from the image forming apparatus 20, as described below, the display control unit 423A composites a mask image with the image of the operation screen in accordance with the mask information and displays it on the display device 405. Furthermore, when an instruction to release the concealment is given, the display control unit 423A performs image control to remove the mask image.

[0080] The concealed information determination unit 424A determines whether or not the image of the operation screen received from the image forming apparatus 20 includes concealed information, or determines the concealment level set for the information to be concealed. Also, the unit 424A determines whether or not the display portion of the information to be concealed that has been concealed has been selected by the remote operator 80.

[0081] 12 and 13 are flow charts showing the flow of the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a part following the parts "B" and "D" in FIG. 12. In step S1201, the image forming apparatus 20 accepts a normal operation by the user 60. This normal operation includes, for example, when the user 60 operates the input device 205 while visually checking an operation screen (for example, the operation screen 700 as shown in FIG. 7 described in the first embodiment) displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, the display control unit 222 generates an image of an operation screen according to the operation and displays it on the display device 204, and the various operation execution unit 225 executes various operations according to the operation. In addition, the normal operation includes, for example, scanning an image, copying an image, and changing various setting values ​​of the image forming apparatus 20 (for example, print density, paper setting, etc.).

[0082] In step S1202, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges whether or not the user 60 has operated the input device 205 to make a remote operation request to the remote operation terminal 40. If it is judged that a remote operation request has not been made, the process returns to step S1201, where normal operations are continued to be accepted, and the corresponding processing is continued. On the other hand, if it is judged in step S1202 that a remote operation request has been made, the process proceeds to step S1203.

[0083] Here, the remote operation request screen displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 is generated and displayed by the instruction and display control unit 222 of the remote operation acceptance unit when the menu icon 720 of "remote operation request" is selected from the menu of Fig. 7 described in the first embodiment above, and is similar to that shown in Fig. 8, so detailed description will be omitted. When the user 60 selects the "agree" icon 820 on the remote operation request screen 800 of Fig. 8, the process proceeds to step S1203, where the remote operation acceptance unit 223 transmits a remote operation request to the remote operation terminal 40 via the communication control unit 221.

[0084] In step S1204, the remote operation accepting unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 20 authenticates the login information received from the remote operation terminal 40, and makes the image forming apparatus 20 ready to accept remote operation from the remote operation terminal 40 if the login information is correct.

[0085] In step S1205, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges whether or not to end the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40. Specifically, when a logout process request transmitted from the login unit 421 of the remote operation terminal 40 is received, the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges to end the remote operation. When the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges to end the remote operation, the process proceeds to step S1206. In step S1206, the remote operation accepting unit 223 makes the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote control unit 422A of the remote operation terminal 40 unacceptable, and returns to step S1201 ((A) of FIG. 12) to accept normal operation by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20. In step S1205, when the remote operation accepting unit 223 judges that the remote operation of the image forming apparatus 20 by the remote operation terminal 40 is not ended, the process proceeds to step S1207.

[0086] In step S1207, the display control unit 222 of the image forming apparatus 20 generates an image of an operation screen. The generated image of the operation screen is an image of an operation screen according to an operation when the remote operation acceptance unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 20 operates the input device 205 in response to remote control information transmitted from the remote control unit 422 of the remote operation terminal 40. For example, a destination selection screen 1400 as shown in Fig. 14 is generated. Fig. 14 shows an example of the destination selection screen 1400 displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 when the user 60 operates the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20 and selects, for example, the "image scan" icon 710 and icons such as "email transmission" and "destination selection" (not shown) as shown in Fig. 7.

[0087] The destination selection screen 1400 is composed of a confirmation message 1410 saying "Please select an email destination," and a destination list display field 1420. The destination list display field 1420 is composed of a plurality of destination display sections 1420A, 1420B, etc., each of which displays a plurality of destinations stored in the storage device 203 of the image forming apparatus 20. Each destination includes a registration number such as "0001" or "0002," and a destination name such as "XX Corporation" or "△△ Trading." In addition, each of the destination display sections 1420A and 1420B includes a detailed display icon 1430A, 1430B, etc. (hereinafter, collectively referred to as 1430).

[0088] In step S1208, the display control unit 222 extracts display elements included in the operation screen generated in step S1207. Here, the display elements refer to the respective elements constituting the operation screen, and for example, in the case of the destination selection screen 1400 in Fig. 14, the display elements are the confirmation message 1410, the destination list display field 1420, the detail display icon 1430, and the like.

[0089] In step S1209, the display control unit 222 judges whether the extracted display elements include information to be hidden. It is assumed that which display elements correspond to the information to be hidden is set in advance by the user 60 or the administrator of the image forming device 20 and stored in the storage device 203. The display control unit 222 extracts the name of the extracted display element and judges whether the name corresponds to the previously set display element. For example, in the second embodiment, it is assumed that the information of the telephone number itself is set as the information to be hidden. In the case of the destination selection screen 1400 shown in FIG. 14, since the display element of the telephone number is not included, it is judged that the information to be hidden is not included, and the process proceeds to step S1210.

[0090] In step S1210, the display control unit 222 displays an image of the operation screen generated in step S1207 (here, an image of the destination selection screen 1400) on the display device 204 of the image forming device 20, and the communication control unit 221 transmits the image of the operation screen to the remote control terminal 40, and the process proceeds to step S1217.

[0091] If it is determined in step S1209 above that the extracted display elements include information to be hidden, the process proceeds to step S1211. For example, when the detailed display icon is selected in FIG. 14 above, a detailed information display screen 1500 as shown in FIG. 15 is generated. The detailed information display screen 1500 is composed of a destination name display field 1510, an email address display field 1520, a telephone number display field 1530, and an affiliation display field 1540. Since the display elements of this detailed information display screen 1500 include a telephone number, it is determined in step S1209 that the detailed information display screen 1500 includes information to be hidden. At this point in time, the image of the detailed information display screen 1500 is not displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0092] In step S1211, the display control unit 222 judges the concealment level set for the information to be concealed included in the operation screen. Here, the concealment level is set by the administrator or user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 for personal information such as email addresses, telephone numbers, addresses, and passwords, and confidential information such as the host name, IP address, user information related to authentication, and job memory of the host computer to which the image forming apparatus 20 is connected, and is a level that indicates the degree to which the information should be concealed from the remote operation terminal 40. For example, in the second embodiment, the concealment level has three levels: "always concealed", "check each time", and "not concealed". For example, in the second embodiment, the information on the telephone number is set to one of the concealment levels "always concealed" and "check each time". Note that the concealment level "not concealed" is executed as a process in the case where the information to be concealed is not included in the above step S1209, so in the following description, the process in the case where the concealment level is "always concealed" and "check each time" will be described.

[0093] If it is determined in step S1211 that the concealment level of the information to be concealed is "always concealed", the process proceeds to step S1212, where the display control unit 222 generates a concealed detailed information display screen 1600 in which image processing has been performed so that the information to be concealed is not displayed, as shown in FIG. 16. As shown in FIG. 16, the concealed detailed information display screen 1600 includes a concealed portion 1610 in which the portion of the telephone number information whose concealment level is set to "always concealed" is in a different display state from the initial display state in the detailed information display screen 1600, making it impossible to distinguish. The concealed portion 1610 is a processing process such as a shading process, a filling process, a mosaic process, or a blurring process performed on the portion of the information to be concealed on the initial operation screen. Alternatively, the concealed portion 1610 may be replaced with other information, for example, a display of another message such as "concealed".

[0094] In the following step S1213, an image of the operation screen including the concealment processing portion generated in step S1212 above is displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, and the communication control unit 221 transmits the image of the operation screen to the remote control terminal 40, and the process proceeds to step S1217.

[0095] If it is determined in step S1211 that the concealment level set for the concealment target information included in the operation screen is "check each time", the process proceeds to step S1214. In step S1214, the display control unit 222 generates mask information corresponding to the position on the operation screen where the concealment target information with the concealment level set to "check each time", which in this second embodiment is a phone number, is displayed. This mask information includes a name representing the information to be concealed (e.g., a phone number) and coordinate information (x1, y1, x2, y2) of a mask image generated to conceal the concealment information.

[0096] In step S1215, the display control unit 222 displays (hereinafter referred to as mask processing) on ​​the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 a mask image generated based on the mask information generated in step S1214, superimposed on the image of the operation screen generated in step S1207. Fig. 17 shows an example of a masked detailed information display screen 1700. In the masked detailed information display screen 1700, the masked portion 1710 is displayed in a different display state compared to the other portions, for example, the masked portion is displayed filled with a mask image of a different color from the surrounding portions.

[0097] In addition, when a user 60 of the image forming device 20 touches a mask image portion of the operation screen displayed on the display device 204 with a finger or the like, the mask image disappears and the hidden information that was hidden by the mask image, i.e., the telephone number, is displayed and can be viewed by the user 60. (Note that this process is an operation of the image forming device 20 only, and the mask image is not erased on the remote control terminal 40 to make the hidden information visible.)

[0098] In step S1216, the communication control unit 221 transmits the image of the operation screen generated in step S1207 and the mask information generated in step S1214 to the remote control terminal 40, and proceeds to step S1217.

[0099] In step S1217, the remote operator 80 operating the remote operation terminal 40 operates the input device 406 while viewing the image displayed on the display device 405, thereby remotely operating the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20. Then, the remote operation accepting unit 223 of the image forming apparatus 20 operates the input device 205 of the image forming apparatus 20 on behalf of the user 60 in response to the remote operation information transmitted from the remote operation terminal 40, and the various operation executing unit 225 executes various functions in response to the operation of the input device 205.

[0100] In step S1218, the operation authority monitoring unit 224 determines whether or not a concealment removal request has been received from the remote operation terminal 40. The concealment removal request includes at least the name of the specific information to be concealed. If a concealment removal request has not been received, the process returns to step S1205, and a determination is made as to whether or not to end acceptance of remote operations. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1218 that a concealment removal request has been received, the process proceeds to step S1219.

[0101] In step S1219, the display control unit 222 generates a permission confirmation screen 1800 as shown in Fig. 18, displays it on the display device 204, and determines whether the unconcealment request is permitted or not permitted by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20. Note that in the permission confirmation screen 1800 in Fig. 18, a confirmation message 1810 such as "There is a request to unconceal. Do you want to permit it?" and selection icons 1820 such as "Permit" and "Do not permit" are displayed in the portion of the concealment target information for which the unconcealment request is made, and a selection by the user 60 is awaited.

[0102] In step S1219, if it is determined that the user 60 has permitted the request to remove concealment, that is, if the user 60 has selected the "permit" icon from among the selection icons 1820 on the permission confirmation screen 1800, the process proceeds to step S1220. In step S1220, the communication control unit 221 transmits an instruction to remove concealment to the remote operation terminal 40. This instruction to remove concealment includes the name of the concealment target information to be removed. At the same time, the display control unit 222 erases the mask image of the part of the concealment target information, thereby displaying the hidden information, so that it can be visually recognized by the user 60. Note that the instruction to remove concealment may include coordinate information (x1, y1, x2, y2) of the mask image in addition to the name of the concealment target information to be removed. Alternatively, it may include only the coordinate information of the mask image. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1205.

[0103] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1219 that the user 60 does not permit the concealment removal request, that is, if the user 60 selects the "Do not permit" icon among the selection icons 1820 on the permission confirmation screen 1800, the display control unit 222 erases the confirmation message 1810 and the selection icons 1820 displayed on the permission confirmation screen 1800, returns to displaying the masked image of the detailed information display screen 1700 in Fig. 17, and proceeds to step S1221. In step S1221, the communication control unit 221 transmits a concealment removal non-permission instruction to the remote operation terminal 40, and returns to the processing of step S1205.

[0104] 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the remote control terminal 40 in the second embodiment. In step S1901, the remote control terminal 40 receives an image of an operation screen from the image forming apparatus 20 via the communication interface 404, and temporarily stores the image in the memory 402. At the same time, when mask information is received from the image forming apparatus 20 together with the image of the operation screen, the mask information is also temporarily stored in the memory 402.

[0105] In step S1902, the concealment information determination unit 424A determines whether or not mask information has been received together with the image of the operation screen. If it is determined that the received information does not include mask information, the process proceeds to step S1903, where the display control unit 423A displays the image of the operation screen received from the image forming apparatus 20 on the display device 405, and the process proceeds to step S1906. Here, if an image of the operation screen not including concealment information has been received, the image displayed on the display device 405 will be the same as the destination selection screen 1400 as shown in FIG. 14. On the other hand, if an image of the operation screen including concealment information has been received, the image displayed on the display device 405 will be the same as the detailed information display screen 1600 after concealment processing as shown in FIG. 16.

[0106] When the operation screen contains concealment information, the image received by the remote control terminal 40 has already been subjected to concealment processing, so that the remote control terminal 40 simply displays the received image as is.

[0107] On the other hand, if the concealment information determination unit 424A determines in step S1902 that mask information has been received together with the image of the operation screen, the process proceeds to step S1904. In step S1904, the display control unit 423A synthesizes a mask image generated based on the mask information with the image of the operation screen received from the image forming apparatus 20, and in the following step S1905, displays an image of the masked operation screen in which the operation screen and the mask image have been synthesized on the display device 405. For example, a masked detailed information display screen 1700 as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed on the display device 405. In the detailed information display screen 1700 in FIG. 17, a mask image 1710 is synthesized and displayed in a portion corresponding to the telephone number display field 1530 of the detailed information display screen 1500 in FIG. 15, and the telephone number is not visible.

[0108] In the next step S1906, the remote control unit 422A generates remote control information in response to the operation of the input device 406 by the remote operator 80 of the remote operation terminal 40, and transmits the remote control information to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30.

[0109] In step S1907, concealed information determination unit 424A determines whether or not a location where masking has been performed by remote operator 80 operating input device 406, that is, any location within a rectangular range represented by coordinates (x1, y1, x2, y2) of the mask image, has been selected. If it is determined that a location where masking has been performed has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S1908, where remote control unit 422A determines whether or not to end remote operation of image forming apparatus 20 by remote operation terminal 40.

[0110] If it is determined in step S1908 that the remote operation is to be ended, login unit 421A executes a logout process to disconnect remote operation terminal 40 from image forming apparatus 20 and end the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the remote operation is not to be ended, the process returns to step S1901 and remote operation of image forming apparatus 20 is continued.

[0111] On the other hand, if in step S1907 the concealed information determination unit 424A determines that the portion that has been masked has been selected by the remote operator 80 operating the input device 406, the process proceeds to step S1909, where the remote control unit 422A extracts the name of the information to be concealed from the portion that has been masked, and transmits an unconcealment request to the image forming apparatus 20 to request unconcealment of the information to be concealed. This unconcealment request includes at least the name of the information to be concealed.

[0112] At this time, the display control unit 423A may display the name of the information to be concealed on the display device 405, and may also generate a confirmation screen (not shown) for confirming whether or not to request the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 to unconceal the information to be concealed, and display the confirmation screen on the display device 405. Then, when the remote operator 80 of the remote operation terminal 40 selects an icon such as "Request" on the confirmation screen, the remote control unit 422A may transmit the above-mentioned unconcealment request to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0113] As already explained in steps S1218 and S1219 above, when the image forming apparatus 20 receives this request to remove concealment, the image forming apparatus 20 displays a permission confirmation screen 1800 as shown in FIG. 18 on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, and requests permission for the request to remove concealment from the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0114] In step S1910, the concealment information determination unit 424A of the remote control terminal 40 determines whether an unconcealment instruction or an unconcealment non-permission instruction has been received in response to the unconcealment request from the image forming apparatus 20. If an unconcealment instruction has been received, the process proceeds to step S1911. In step S1911, the display control unit 423A of the remote control terminal 40 performs processing to erase the mask image from the masked image and display it on the display device 405, thereby unconcealing the image.

[0115] The unconcealment instruction includes the name of the concealment target information to be unconcealed. Alternatively, it may include mask information superimposed on the concealment target information to be unconcealed, for example, coordinate information (x1, y1, x2, y2) of the mask image. Since the image of the operation screen after unconcealment has already been stored in memory 402 of remote control terminal 40, it is sufficient to simply erase the mask image. At this time, the image displayed on display device 405 becomes the same as detailed information display screen 1500 displayed in FIG. 17, and telephone number display field 1730 displays telephone number information that was previously concealed by the mask image. The process returns to step S1908, and it is determined whether or not the remote control is to be terminated.

[0116] In step S1910, if the concealment information determination unit 424A determines that a concealment removal disallowance instruction has been received from the image forming apparatus 20, the process proceeds to step S1912, where the display control unit 423A generates a message indicating that the display of the information of the masked portion has not been permitted by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20, and displays the message on the display device 405. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a concealment removal disallowance screen 2100 displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40. In the concealment removal disallowance screen 2000, the masked portion 2010 remains as it is, and further, a concealment removal disallowance message dialog 2020 such as "Concealment removal has not been permitted" is displayed. Next, the process returns to step S1908, where it is determined whether or not the remote control is to be terminated.

[0117] In the above-described second embodiment, the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 instructs whether or not to remove the concealment at the time when the request to remove concealment is received from the remote control terminal 40. Therefore, even if the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 selects a masked portion on the display screen when the request to remove concealment is not received, the information that was concealed there is simply displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, but is not displayed on the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40. On the other hand, in the below-described third embodiment, when the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 selects a masked portion on the display screen, the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 can select whether or not to make the masked portion visible on the remote control terminal 40 side.

[0118] [Third embodiment] Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the image forming apparatus 20 in the third embodiment. The image forming apparatus 20 and the remote control terminal 40 in the third embodiment are the same as those in the second embodiment, so detailed explanations of the configuration and functions of each unit will be omitted. In addition, the operations of the image forming apparatus 20 are the same as the processes in steps S1201 to S1217 in Fig. 12 described in the second embodiment, so explanations of this part of the processes will be omitted and only the processes in steps S2101 and after in Fig. 21 will be explained.

[0119] First, it is assumed that a masked detailed information display screen 1700 as described in Fig. 17 of the second embodiment is displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. In step S2101, the various operation execution unit 225 of the image forming apparatus 20 judges whether or not the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 has selected a masked portion 1710 of the detailed information display screen 1700. If it is judged that the user 60 has not selected a masked portion, the process in the third embodiment is terminated, and the process from step 1217 in Fig. 13 in the second embodiment described above is executed, that is, the operation in response to the acceptance of remote operation by the remote operation terminal 40.

[0120] If it is determined in step S2101 that the masked portion has been selected by the user 60, in step S2102 the display control unit 222 generates an unconcealment confirmation screen 2200 as shown in Fig. 22 and displays it on the display device 204. In the unconcealment confirmation screen 2200, a confirmation message 2210 such as "Do you want to unconceal?" and selection icons 2220 such as "Allow" and "Cancel" are displayed on the masked portion selected by the user 60, and the screen is waiting for a selection by the user 60.

[0121] In step S2103, if the operation authority monitoring unit 224 determines that permission to remove concealment has been selected, that is, if the user 60 selects the "permit" icon among the selection icons 2220 on the concealment removal confirmation screen 2200, the process proceeds to step S2104. In step S2104, the communication control unit 221 transmits an instruction to remove concealment to the remote control terminal 40, and the display control unit 222 erases the mask image of the information to be concealed, thereby displaying the hidden information that was previously hidden, so that it can be viewed by the user 60. Next, the process in the third embodiment is terminated, and the process in step 1217 and subsequent steps in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment described above, that is, the operation in response to the acceptance of remote control by the remote control terminal 40, is executed.

[0122] On the other hand, in step S2103, if the user 60 does not unconceal, that is, if the user 60 selects the “Cancel” icon among the selection icons 2220 on the unconcealment confirmation screen 2200, the display control unit 222 erases the confirmation message 2210 and the selection icon 2220 displayed on the unconcealment confirmation screen 2200, returns to displaying the image of the masked detailed information display screen 1700 in FIG. 17, terminates the processing in the third embodiment, and executes the processing from step 1217 in FIG. 13 in the second embodiment described above, that is, the operation of accepting remote operation by the remote operation terminal 40.

[0123] Next, the flow of operations in remote control terminal 40 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 23. In step S2301, remote control terminal 40 receives an image of an operation screen from image forming apparatus 20 via communication interface 404, and temporarily stores the image in memory 402. At the same time, if mask information is received from image forming apparatus 20 together with the image of the operation screen, the mask information is also temporarily stored in memory 402.

[0124] In step S2302, concealment information determination unit 424A determines whether or not mask information has been received together with the image of the operation screen. If it is determined that the received information does not include mask information, the process proceeds to step S2303, where display control unit 423A displays the image of the operation screen received from image forming apparatus 20 on display device 405, and the process proceeds to step S2306. Here, if an image of the operation screen not including concealment information has been received, the image displayed on display device 405 will be the same as destination selection screen 1400 as shown in FIG.

[0125] On the other hand, if the concealment information determination unit 424A determines in step S2302 that mask information has been received together with the image of the operation screen, the process proceeds to step S2304. In step S2304, the display control unit 423A composites a mask image generated based on the mask information with the image of the operation screen received from the image forming apparatus 20, and in the subsequent step S2305, displays an image of the masked operation screen, in which the operation screen and the mask image have been composited, on the display device 405. For example, a masked detailed information display screen 1700 as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed on the display device 405.

[0126] In step S2306, the remote control unit 422A generates remote control information in response to the operation of the input device 406 by the remote operator 80 of the remote operation terminal 40, and transmits the remote control information to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network 30.

[0127] In step S2307, the concealment information determination unit 424A determines whether or not an instruction to unconceal a mask image has been received from the image forming apparatus 20. If it is determined that an instruction to unconceal has not been received, the process proceeds to step S2309. If it is determined that an instruction to unconceal has been received, the process proceeds to step S2308, where the display control unit 423A of the remote control terminal 40 performs a process of erasing the mask image for which the instruction to unconceal has been received from the image that has already been masked, and displays the image on the display device 405, thereby unconcealing the image. Note that at this time, the image displayed on the display device 405 becomes the same as the detailed information display screen 1500 displayed in FIG. 15, and the telephone number display field 1530 displays the telephone number information that was previously hidden by the mask image.

[0128] In step S2309, remote control unit 422A determines whether or not to end the remote operation of image forming apparatus 20 by remote operation terminal 40. If it is determined that the remote operation is to be ended, login unit 421A executes a logout process to cut the connection between remote operation terminal 40 and image forming apparatus 20, and ends the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the remote operation is not to be ended, the process returns to step S2301, and remote operation of image forming apparatus 20 is continued.

[0129] [Fourth embodiment] In the above-described second embodiment, an example has been described in which confirmation as to whether or not to perform the unconcealment process on the masked portion is made to the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 at the time when the remote control terminal 40 makes a request for unconcealment to the image forming apparatus 20. Also, in the above-described third embodiment, confirmation is made with the user 60 as to whether or not to perform the unconcealment process on the masked portion at the time when the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 selects the masked portion. However, the user 60 may be inquired in advance as to whether or not to perform the unconcealment process on the concealment target information for which the concealment level is set to "confirm each time".

[0130] In this case, it is assumed that a destination selection screen 1400 as shown in Fig. 14 is displayed on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20. At this time, when the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 or the remote operator 80 of the remote operation terminal 40 selects the details display icon 1430, a detailed information display screen 1500 as shown in Fig. 15 is subsequently displayed in the above-mentioned second and third embodiments, but in this fourth embodiment, before displaying the detailed information display screen 1500, the display control unit 222 of the image forming apparatus 20 displays a prior confirmation screen 2400 as shown in Fig. 24.

[0131] The advance confirmation screen 2400 includes a confirmation message 2410 asking whether to skip the confirmation of whether to permit the display of masked hidden information on the detailed display screen to be displayed later, and selection icons 2420 such as "Omit" and "Do not omit." If the user 60 selects the "Omit" selection icon 2420, the following operations are executed in the subsequent processing.

[0132] For example, when the remote operator 80 of the remote control terminal 40 selects a portion of the masked hidden information as in the second embodiment, the unmasking disallowance screen 2000 as described in Fig. 20 is not displayed to ask the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 whether or not to unmask. Instead, the display control unit 222 erases the mask image, displays an image of the detailed information display screen 1500 as shown in Fig. 15 on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, and also causes the display device 405 of the remote control terminal 40 to display a similar screen.

[0133] Similarly, when the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 selects a portion of the masked hidden information as in the third embodiment, the unmasking confirmation screen 2200 as explained in Fig. 22 is not displayed to ask the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 whether or not to unmask. Instead, the display control unit 222 erases the mask image, and displays an image of the detailed information display screen 1500 as shown in Fig. 15 on the display device 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, and also causes the display device 405 of the remote operation terminal 40 to display a similar screen.

[0134] In the fourth embodiment, when an operation to display the detailed display screen (i.e., an operation to select the "detailed display" icon 1630 in FIG. 16) is performed, the concealment release confirmation screen 2200 is displayed. The present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, when the login button is selected, a screen for inputting a user name and password and a soft keyboard are subsequently displayed, and the above information is input using the displayed soft keyboard. However, before the screen is displayed, a screen for making a confirmation similar to the above-mentioned preliminary confirmation screen may be displayed. Alternatively, the confirmation screen may be a selection screen for allowing or concealing the display of the subsequent operations. When concealment is selected on the confirmation screen, the name of the information to be concealed and information on the mask image are transmitted to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0135] In the above-described second to fourth embodiments, an example has been described in which the remote operator 80 of the remote control terminal 40 remotely controls the remote control and can select the "display details" icon 1430 on the destination selection screen 1400 in Fig. 14. However, when a certain icon is selected and the information to be displayed next includes information to be concealed, the icon may be made unselectable on the remote control terminal 40. In this case, the operator 80 of the remote control terminal 40 must verbally or otherwise request the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 by telephone or the like to proceed to the display of the next detailed display screen by selecting the icon on the image forming apparatus 20 side.

[0136] In the above-mentioned second to fourth embodiments, a case has been described in which one piece of information to be hidden, such as a telephone number, is included in the screen, and either one of the hiding levels, "always hidden" or "check each time," is set for the information to be hidden. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and a plurality of pieces of information to be hidden, such as an email address, a business name, a department name, etc., in addition to a telephone number, may be included in the screen, and either one of the hiding levels, "always hidden" or "check each time," may be set for each piece of information to be hidden.

[0137] Furthermore, in the above-described second to fourth embodiments, an example was described in which information defined by the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 (for example, personal information such as an email address, a telephone number, an address, and a password, and confidential information such as the host name, IP address, and user information related to authentication of the host computer to which the image forming apparatus 20 is connected, and a job memory) was set as information to be concealed out of information stored in the image forming apparatus 20. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the operation itself for displaying the confidential information may be set as information to be concealed out, and icons, item names, and operations for displaying or executing the information may also be concealed so as not to be displayed.

[0138] Furthermore, connection operations for connecting the image forming apparatus 20 to other equipment or devices, such as a matching operation with an external authentication server, a connection operation to an external storage (including a USB memory), and a connection operation to another computer connected via a network, such as a ScanToPC or SMB (Server Message Block) connection operation, may be set as information to be concealed, and icons, item names, and the operations themselves for displaying or executing such information may also be concealed so that they are not displayed.

[0139] Also, information stored in the image forming apparatus 20 after the image forming apparatus 20 is shipped from the factory, for example, the document name of a print job, may be set as information to be concealed. Also, in the above-mentioned second to fourth embodiments, the concealment level has been set in advance, but the operation authority monitoring unit 224 may enable the user 60 of the image forming apparatus 20 to set it at any time. Also, since there are usually multiple users of the image forming apparatus 20, it may be possible to set the concealment level for each piece of information to be concealed according to each user. In that case, each piece of information to be concealed is displayed / concealed at the concealment level set for the user 60 who is using the image forming apparatus 20 when remote operation is being performed.

[0140] In the above example, the display method of the hidden part is different depending on whether the hiding level is "always hidden" or "check each time", but the present invention is not limited to the above example. Even if the hiding level is different, the information to be hidden may be hidden using the same display method different from that used for other places that are not hidden, or in addition to the same image processing, messages such as "hidden" or "user's permission required" may be superimposed to allow the user 60 or the remote operator 80 to recognize that the hiding level is different.

[0141] In the above example, the image forming apparatus 20 processes the part to be hidden when the hiding level is "always hidden", and the remote control terminal 40 receives and displays the image of the operation screen that has already been hidden. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example. As with the case of the "check each time" hiding level, the image forming apparatus 20 may form a mask image for hiding the part to be hidden when the hiding level is "always hidden", transmit the image of the operation screen and information on the mask image to the remote control terminal 40, and synthesize the mask image with the operation screen on the remote control terminal 40 side, so that the part to be hidden is hidden. In this case, the remote control terminal 40 needs to determine whether the hiding level set for each display element is "always hidden", "hidden each time", or "not hidden". [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 10 Remote Control System 20 Image forming device 30 Network 40 Remote control terminal 50 Office 60 users 70 Service Center 80 Remote Operator 201 Microprocessor 202 Memory 203 Storage device 204 Display device 205 Input Device 206 Communication Interface 207 Image forming section 208 System Bus 221 Communication Control Unit 222 Display control unit 223 Remote Control Reception Department 224 Operational Authority Monitoring Unit 225 Various operation execution unit 401 CPU 402 Memory 403 Storage device 404 Communication Interface 405 Display device 406 Input Device 407 System Bus 421, 421A Login Section 422, 422A Remote control unit 423A Display control unit 424A Concealed Information Judgment Unit

Claims

1. A display means, a transmitting means for transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the display means to an external remote control terminal when the remote control terminal receives remote control; An information processing device comprising: a display control means for controlling the display of an image of an operation screen so that the information to be concealed included in the operation screen is not displayed on the remote control terminal when an operation of inputting the information to be concealed is to be executed as an operation to display an operation screen including the information to be concealed on the display means.

2. A display means, a transmitting means for transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the display means to an external remote control terminal when the remote control terminal receives remote control; a display control means for controlling a display of an image of the operation screen such that the information to be concealed included in the operation screen is not displayed on the remote control terminal when an operation for displaying an operation screen including information to be concealed on the display means is executed; a receiving means for receiving a concealment release instruction for displaying the concealment target information included in the operation screen when the concealment target information is not being displayed on the remote control terminal, When the receiving means receives an instruction to remove concealment for information to be concealed that is not displayed on the remote control terminal, the transmitting means transmits an instruction to remove the concealment of the information to be concealed, thereby making the information to be concealed displayable.

3. 3. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control means performs display control so that information to be concealed that is not displayed on the remote control terminal becomes indistinguishable on the operation screen by being displayed in a different display state from its initial display state on the operation screen.

4. 3. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein when an operation is performed to display an operation screen including information to be concealed on the display means, the display control means controls the display of the image of the operation screen so that display information other than the information to be concealed included on the operation screen is displayed on the remote control terminal.

5. the display control means generates concealment instruction information for concealing the information to be concealed, and makes the information transmittable together with the image of the operation screen; when the receiving means receives an unconcealment instruction for the concealment target information, the display control means generates unconcealment information for unconcealing the concealment target information, 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said transmitting means transmits the concealment removal information to said remote control terminal, thereby making the concealed information displayable.

6. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control means changes the display state of the information to be hidden from an initial display state according to a degree of hiding preset for each piece of information to be hidden.

7. a remote control terminal having a first display means for displaying an image of the received operation screen and an input operation means; a transmitting means for transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the second display means to the remote control terminal when the remote control terminal accepts remote control; A remote control system comprising: an information processing device having: a display control means for controlling the display of an image of an operation screen so that the information to be concealed included in the operation screen is not displayed on the second display means when an operation of inputting the information to be concealed is to be executed as an operation to display an operation screen including the information to be concealed on the second display means.

8. A computer constituting an information processing device having a display means, transmitting an image of an operation screen to be displayed on the display means to an external remote control terminal when the external remote control terminal receives remote control; When an operation of inputting information to be concealed is to be executed as an operation to display an operation screen including the information to be concealed on the display means, a program for executing the step of controlling the display of an image of the operation screen so that the information to be concealed included on the operation screen is not displayed on the remote control terminal.

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