Image forming apparatus, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To enable any of a plurality of functions to be selected for execution when there is an application for alternatively executing the plurality of functions.SOLUTION: An image formation apparatus that has a plurality of functions and can execute an application, registers setting information including setting that uses at least two of a plurality of functions as setting information of a display button corresponding to the application, creates the display button corresponding to the application on the basis of the registered setting information and corresponding to each function included in the setting information, displays the created display button on a screen, and performs control so as to execute the application corresponding to the selected display button on the basis of the setting information corresponding to the display button when the display button is selected via the screen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for displaying display items related to an application under appropriate conditions even in a resource-limited environment in an information processing device in which an extension application can be installed to extend its functions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-25909 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] These applications display one icon, or one icon for each piece of setting information registered in the application. This is not inconvenient when the information processing device can execute one function of the application. However, in the case of an application that selectively executes multiple functions, it is necessary to be able to select which of the multiple functions to execute. For example, in the case of an application that can be linked with a cloud storage service, there can be a case where data is uploaded to cloud storage, and a case where data stored in cloud storage is downloaded and, for example, printed. In this case, it is desirable that the user can easily select which case to execute after once registering setting information for selecting one of these use cases in the application.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to solve at least one of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional techniques.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that allows a user to easily select a function that he or she wishes to execute in an application that allows the user to selectively select and execute a plurality of functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: Multiple Features Corresponding to An image forming apparatus capable of executing an application, The plurality of functions are set as setting information for a display button corresponding to the application. in use Will be Configuration information a setting screen for registering the setting information, the setting screen being displayed on the external device; A registration means for registering the A display button corresponding to the application based on the setting information registered by the registration means, The plurality of function Each of Corresponding to Multiple A creation means for creating a display button; The said created by the said creating means Multiple A display means for displaying a display button on a screen; via the screen Multiple Display button Either When a button is selected, the application corresponding to the selected button is displayed. The selected A control means for controlling the display button to be executed based on the setting information corresponding to the display button. When it is determined that the image forming apparatus cannot execute a specific function among the plurality of functions, an input field for inputting setting information for the specific function is not displayed on the setting screen. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, in an application in which a user can selectively select and execute a plurality of functions, the user can easily select a function that the user wishes to execute.

[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components throughout the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining software modules of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed by a cloud-linked print and scan application installed in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of an editing screen for button setting information by an application (cloud linked print & scan) according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a home screen displayed on an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 6 is a flowchart for explaining a process in which an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment executes a cloud-linked print & scan application and creates a display button to be displayed on a home screen. [Figure 8] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a table that stores setting information of icons corresponding to cloud services and scan functions and print functions of an image forming device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by pressing a button after the home screen is displayed in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of setting information for buttons of a cloud-linked print & scan application displayed on a home screen of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment, and IDs of the buttons displayed on the home screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 1000 is realized as a so-called MFP (multi-function processor) in which multiple functions, such as a scanning function and a printing function, are integrated.

[0013] The image forming apparatus 1000 includes a controller unit (controller) 100 that controls the entire apparatus, an operation unit 106, a scanner 112, and a printer 114. The operation unit 106 includes a numeric keypad and various hard keys for receiving input of instructions such as job execution from a user, and also provides the user with information about the apparatus, job progress, and the like, or information about the image forming apparatus 100. 0 The printer 114 includes a display panel that displays a setting screen for functions that can be executed by the scanner 112. The scanner 112 optically reads an image on a set document and outputs it as digital image data. The printer 114 prints an image on a recording medium (sheet) such as printing paper based on the image data.

[0014] The operation unit 106 is connected to an operation unit interface (I / F) 105 included in the controller unit 100. The scanner 112 and the printer 114 are connected to a scanner processing unit 111 and a printer processing unit 113, respectively, included in the controller unit 100. With this configuration, the operation unit 106, the scanner 112, and the printer 114 each operate under the control of the controller unit 100.

[0015] If necessary, an external storage device 116 such as a USB memory medium can be connected to the image forming apparatus 1000. At this time, the external storage device 116 is connected via an external storage I / F 115, and performs data read and write operations under the control of the controller unit 100.

[0016] The controller unit 100 includes a CPU 101 that performs overall control of each block of the controller unit 100. The CPU 101 is connected to a RAM 102, a ROM 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, an operation unit I / F 105, a network I / F 107, an image processing unit 109, a device I / F 110, and an external storage I / F 115 via a system bus 117. The RAM 102 is a general-purpose RAM, and is a memory for providing a working area for the CPU 101. The RAM 102 also serves as a memory for temporarily storing parameters, setting values, etc., and for storing image data in pages, etc. of It is also used as an image memory for storing data in predetermined units. The ROM 103 is a general-purpose ROM, and stores, for example, a system boot program as a boot ROM. The HDD 104 stores system software programs, history data, tables, etc. The functions of the image forming apparatus 1000 are realized, for example, by the CPU 101 expanding a program stored in the ROM 103 or HDD 104 into the RAM 102 and executing it. The operation unit I / F 105 is a controller unit The operation unit I / F 105 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the CPU 101 and the operation unit 106. The operation unit I / F 105 outputs display data to the operation unit 106 in response to an instruction from the CPU 101, and also transmits information input by the user via the operation unit 106 to the CPU 101.

[0017] Network I / F 107 is connected to LAN 108, which is a wired or wireless medium, and enables input and output of information between image forming apparatus 1000 and devices on LAN 108. Network I / F 107 has a configuration compatible with LAN 108, and may have a configuration compatible with near field communication, for example, with a wireless distance of about several tens of centimeters. In that case, mutual communication with a portable wireless terminal can be performed.

[0018] The image processing unit 109 executes general-purpose image processing. For example, it executes processes such as enlargement / reduction, rotation, and conversion on image data acquired from the outside via the LAN 108. The image processing unit 109 also executes a process of converting PDL data received via the LAN 108 into bitmap image data. When printing with the printer 114 via the printer processing unit 113, the image processing unit 109 also executes a process of converting image data compressed and encoded and stored in the RAM 102 into a format processable by the printer processing unit 113.

[0019] The device I / F 110 is connected to the scanner 112 and printer 114 via the scanner processing unit 113 and printer processing unit 113, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data and transmits setting values, adjustment values, etc. The device I / F 110 also transmits status information of the scanner 112 and printer 114 to the CPU 101. The status information includes, for example, error information such as a jam that has occurred in the scanner 112 or printer 114.

[0020] The scanner processing unit 111 performs various processes corresponding to the scanning function, such as correction, processing, image area separation, magnification, binarization, etc., on the read data read and input by the scanner 112. The scanner 112 includes an automatic continuous document feeder and a pressure plate reader (not shown), and can read a document placed on a document glass table and read both sides of multiple documents. The scanner 112 is also provided with sensors that detect the opening and closing of a feeder cover (not shown), the opening and closing of a document cover (not shown), the presence or absence of a document, the document size, etc. Detection signals of these sensors and status information of the scanner 112 are transmitted to the CPU 101 via the scanner processing unit 113 and the device I / F 110, and the CPU 101 recognizes the status of the scanner 112, such as the occurrence of an error and the cancellation of the error.

[0021] The printer processing unit 113 performs processing corresponding to the print function, such as output correction, resolution conversion, and adjustment of the print position of the image corresponding to the output characteristics of the printer 114, on the image data to be printed. The printer 114 includes one or more paper feed cassettes (not shown) for storing print paper, one or more toner trays (not shown) for storing toner, and a paper feed unit (not shown) capable of sequentially feeding paper one sheet at a time from the paper feed cassette. The printer 114 further includes a marking unit (not shown) for printing on the fed paper with toner, and a fixing unit (not shown) for fixing the toner image printed by the marking unit with heat and pressure. The printer 114 is provided with sensors that detect the open / closed status of each paper feed cassette, the remaining amount of paper, the open / closed status of the toner tray, the open / closed status of the paper feed unit cover (not shown), the presence or absence of toner, the position of the paper during feeding, and the like. Detection signals from these sensors and status information of the printer 114 are sent to the CPU 101 via the printer processing unit 113 and the device I / F 110, and the CPU 101 recognizes the status of the printer 114, such as the occurrence of an error and the release of the error.

[0022] When an external storage device 116 is connected, the external storage I / F 115 reads data stored in the external storage device 116 and writes data to the external storage device 116 in response to an instruction from the CPU 101 .

[0023] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating software modules of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment. Each module shown in Fig. 2 is realized by the CPU 101 executing a program loaded in the RAM 102 described above.

[0024] The UI processing unit 201 performs processing related to the operation unit I / F 105 and operation unit 106. The UI processing unit 201 notifies other modules of operations performed by the user on the operation unit 106 as necessary, and displays a screen on the display unit of the operation unit 106 in response to instructions from the other modules. The UI processing unit 201 also performs editing of drawing data for displaying an image on the display unit of the operation unit 106.

[0025] The network processor 202 performs communication processing with devices on the LAN 108 via the network I / F 107. When the network processor 202 receives a control command or data from a device on the LAN 108, it notifies the other modules of the information. In addition, the network processor 202 transmits a control command or data to the device on the LAN 108 in response to an instruction from the other modules.

[0026] The job control unit 203 controls the other modules and centrally controls the execution of each job generated in the image forming apparatus 1000, such as copy, print, and fax. When a job is input from the UI processing unit 201 or the network processing unit 202, the job control unit 203 determines the type of the job and instructs an input processing unit suitable for the type to execute a process to generate an image for printing, for example. For example, when a copy job is input, an execution instruction is issued to the scan input processing unit 206, and when PDL data is input, an execution instruction is issued to the PDL input processing unit 207. The scan input processing unit 206 and the PDL input processing unit 207 notify the job control unit 203 that they generate image data for each page and store it in the storage unit 205. When the job control unit 203 receives the notification, it instructs the output processing unit 209 to execute a process to print the image data on a recording medium (sheet). This series of controls is repeated the number of times corresponding to the number of pages of the job to print the image.

[0027] The image processing unit 204 performs processing related to the image processing unit 109 in Fig. 1. The image processing unit 204 performs image processing by software or image processing by hardware using the image processing unit 109 in response to instructions from the input processing units 206 and 207 and the output processing unit 209.

[0028] A storage unit 205 reads data from and writes data to the RAM 102 and the HDD 104. The storage unit 205 stores job settings and image data in response to instructions from other modules.

[0029] The scan input processing unit 206 controls the scanner processing unit 111 and the scanner 112 in response to an instruction from the job control unit 203, and causes the scanner 112 to execute a reading process of a document placed on the scanner 112. The scan input processing unit 206 controls the scanner processing unit 111 to execute image processing on image data obtained by reading the document. The scan input processing unit 206 also acquires status information of the scanner processing unit 111 and the scanner 112, and notifies the job control unit 203. Furthermore, when the scan input processing unit 206 receives an interrupt instruction from the job control unit 203, which will be described later, it can interrupt the reading process of the document and the generation process of image data.

[0030] The PDL input processor 207 analyzes the PDL data received via the network processor 202 in response to an instruction from the job controller 203, and performs processing to convert the data into bitmap image data for each page. The bitmap image data thus obtained is stored in a storage area such as the HDD 104 or the RAM 102 by the storage unit 205. Furthermore, when the PDL input processor 207 receives an interrupt instruction from the job controller 203 (to be described later), it can interrupt the PDL data analysis processing and image data generation processing.

[0031] A fax input processor 208 converts data received via the network processor 202 into binary image data for each page in response to an instruction from the job controller 203. The binary image data thus obtained is stored by a memory unit 205 in a memory area such as the HDD 104 or the RAM 102.

[0032] The output processing unit 209 controls the image processing unit 204, printer processing unit 113, and printer 114 according to instructions from the job control unit 203, performs appropriate image processing on image data generated by each input processing unit, and prints the image data on a recording medium. The output processing unit 209 also acquires status information of the printer processing unit 113 and the printer 114 and notifies the job control unit 203. The output processing unit 209 does not perform print processing of other jobs while it is performing print processing of a certain job, but may interrupt processing of the job being printed and start processing of another job only when it receives a priority update notification from the job control unit 203, which will be described later.

[0033] A transmission processing unit 210 controls the image processing unit 204 and the network processing unit 202 in response to an instruction from the job control unit 203 to transmit image data to a device on the LAN 108 .

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to the embodiment.

[0035] Here, a file server 301 and a cloud service 304 are illustrated as examples of communication destinations of the image forming apparatus 1000. The image forming apparatus 1000, the file server 301, and a PC 302 are connected to a network 300 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network 300 is also connected to the Internet 303, and the image forming apparatus 1000 and the cloud service 304 are able to communicate with each other via these networks.

[0036] In the following, an application "Cloud-linked print and scan" that communicates with the cloud service 304 will be described as an example.

[0037] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed by a cloud-linked print and scan application installed in the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment. This screen is displayed on the PC 302 by accessing the image forming apparatus 1000 from a browser of the PC 302 or the like.

[0038] An application name 401 is an area that displays the application name, and here, the name "Cloud Linked Print & Scan" is displayed. Cloud Linked Print & Scan is an application that transmits image data obtained by scanning to the cloud, or prints data stored in the cloud, based on predetermined settings. Multiple settings (also called button settings) can be registered, and the destination cloud settings, scan settings, and print settings can be switched for each setting.

[0039] Version information 402 is an area that displays the version of this application. Size information 403 is an area that displays the size of the storage area that this application is using. A "Register new button" button 404 is a button for registering setting information of a new display button corresponding to the cloud-linked print and scan application. When this button 404 is pressed, the screen transitions to a button setting edit screen, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5. A button setting list 405 is an area that displays a list of setting information of registered buttons. Here, one piece of setting information is displayed in two lines, and the representative button name, the scan button name and display setting (display / hide), and the print button name and display setting (display / hide) can be confirmed. In addition, a delete button 406 for deleting setting information of unnecessary buttons is also displayed for each button setting. In this screen, it is assumed that three button settings, "Button 1", "Button 2", and "Button 3", are registered as representative button names, and the following explanation will be based on this assumption.

[0040] 5 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen for button setting information by the application (cloud collaborative print & scan) according to the embodiment. This screen is displayed when the “Register new button” button 404 in FIG.

[0041] The button name input field 501 is an area for inputting an arbitrary button name. The button name input here is used as the button name of the button setting list 405 described above. The scan button name input field 507 is an area for inputting an arbitrary scan button name for instructing scanning. It is used as the name of the scan button described later. The print button name input field 508 is an area for inputting an arbitrary print button name for instructing printing. It is used as the name of the print button described later. In this case, in order to display a total of two display buttons, a scan button for executing scanning and a print button for executing printing, on the home screen of FIG. 6 described later, each button name can be set so as to be distinguished from the others. The linked service selection field 502 is an area for selecting a cloud service to be a communication destination. In this embodiment, cloud service 1 to cloud service 3 are displayed as an example, but the selectable services may be changed depending on the embodiment. In the screen of FIG. 5, "cloud service 1" is selected as the linked destination.

[0042] The scan setting field 503 is an area for setting scan settings. In the embodiment, the reading size and color mode are displayed as an example, but the setting items may be changed depending on the embodiment. The print setting field 504 is an area for setting print settings. In the embodiment, the paper feed unit and paper size are displayed as an example, but the setting items may be changed depending on the embodiment. The register button 505 is a button for registering the setting information of the button with the input setting. When the register button 505 is pressed, the setting information of the button input on this screen is saved in the storage area of ​​this cloud-linked print & scan application (cloud-linked application). Then, based on this setting information, two buttons (a button for scanning and a button for printing) corresponding to the home screen of the image forming apparatus 1000 described later are displayed.

[0043] Depending on the selected cloud service, user authentication may be required. For this reason, after the registration button 505 is pressed, the screen may transition to an authentication screen provided by the selected cloud service. However, in the embodiment, a description of the authentication screen and authentication method will be omitted. The cancel button 506 is a button for canceling the registration of button setting information on this screen. When the cancel button 506 is pressed, the settings entered on this screen are not saved, and this screen is closed.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen displayed on the operation unit 106 of the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment.

[0045] The screen name 601 is an area that displays the name of the currently displayed screen. Here, "Home" is displayed, which indicates the home screen. The button display area 602 is an area for displaying display buttons that serve as triggers for executing functions of the image forming apparatus 1000. Each displayed button is associated with a specific function (e.g., copy, FAX, etc.) of the image forming apparatus 1000. The user can execute a desired function corresponding to one of these display buttons by pressing the corresponding button. The cloud-linked print & scan button 603 is a scan button that corresponds to "Button 1" in FIG. 4. When this button 603 is pressed, a scan is performed according to the scan settings of "Button 1", and the scan data is sent to the cloud service set in "Button 1". The cloud-linked print & scan button 604 is a print button that corresponds to "Button 1" in FIG. 4. When this button 604 is pressed, data stored in the cloud service set in "Button 1" is downloaded, and the data is printed according to the print settings of "Button 1". That is, these display buttons 603 and 604 correspond to the case where "Button Name 1" is entered in the button name input field 501, "Scan" is entered in the scan button name input field 507, and "Print" is entered in the print button name input field 508 on the screen of Fig. 5. The other display buttons displayed in Fig. 6 also correspond to "Button 2" and "Button 3" in Fig. 4.

[0046] The display buttons generated by the application (cloud linked print & scan) according to the embodiment are generated with the names input in the button name input field 501, scan button name input field 507, and print button name input field 508 in Fig. 5. However, in addition to that, the icon designs of the scan button and the print button may be changed to make them easier to distinguish. For example, an icon (not shown) indicating the cloud service that has been set may be displayed. In that case, an icon table for each cloud service type and function as shown in Fig. 8 may be prepared, and the icon to be read out may be switched depending on the settings.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a cloud service according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus. Place FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a table that stores setting information of icons corresponding to 1000 scan functions and print functions.

[0048] In the example of FIG. 8, icons for scanning and printing are specified for each of the linked services "Cloud Service 1" to "Cloud Service 3" on the screen of FIG.

[0049] 7 is a flowchart for explaining a process in which the image forming apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment executes a cloud-linked print and scan application and creates a display button to be displayed on the home screen. The process shown in this flowchart is realized, for example, by the CPU 101 executing a program deployed in the RAM 102 described above.

[0050] First, in S701, CPU 101 determines whether access has been accepted from the browser of PC 302 via network I / F 107, and if so, proceeds to S702. This is because, as described above, a browser must be used to display the management screen of cloud linked print & scan in FIG. 4. Next, the process proceeds to S702, and CPU 101 returns HTML data (screen information) for displaying, for example, the management screen of cloud linked print & scan in FIG. 4 to PC 302. Strictly speaking, the HTML data of the management screen is returned to PC 302 via network I / F 107. As a result, the browser of PC 302 interprets the HTML and displays it on the display unit of PC 302.

[0051] Next, the process proceeds to S703, where CPU 101 waits for the user of PC 302 to press "Register new button" button 404 on the screen of FIG. 4, and then proceeds to S704. In S704, CPU 101 determines whether or not the scan function is available based on the configuration of image forming apparatus 1000. Here, it is assumed that image forming apparatus 1000 always has a print function. Since some image forming apparatuses are configured without a scanner, it is necessary to switch the display depending on the configuration of the model (for example, to hide all items related to the copy function). The presence or absence of the scan function can be determined by whether or not a scanner is installed, and this can be determined by referring to a setting value stored in advance in RAM 102. If the scanner function cannot be used here, the process proceeds to S705, and if the scan function is available, the process proceeds to S706.

[0052] In S705, CPU 101 transmits HTML data for displaying the button settings edit screen for cloud linked print & scan described with reference to Fig. 5 to PC 302, displays it on the display unit of PC 302, and proceeds to S707. However, since there is no scan function here, scan button name input field 507 and scan settings field 503 are not displayed. Meanwhile, in S706, CPU 101 transmits HTML data for displaying the button settings edit screen for cloud linked print & scan shown in Fig. 5 to PC 302, displays it, and proceeds to S707. That is, in S706, the screen of Fig. 5 is displayed, which includes the scan button name input field 507 and scan settings field 503 in addition to the print button and print settings.

[0053] In S707, the CPU 101 proceeds to S708, waiting for the user to press the registration button 505 on the screen displayed on the PC 302. Note that in S707, it is assumed that input of various setting items has already been completed.

[0054] In S708, CPU 101 determines whether the number of registered buttons has reached the upper limit. If it is determined that the upper limit has been reached, the process proceeds to S710, and if it is determined that the upper limit has not been reached, the process proceeds to S709. In S709, CPU 101 determines whether there is a button with the same name. If there is a button with the same name, the process proceeds to S710, but if there is no button with the same name, the process proceeds to S711. In S710, CPU 101 transmits HTML data for displaying a button setting registration failure screen (not shown) to PC 302 and has it displayed, and ends this process. Note that this registration failure screen displays the cause of the error according to the transition source.

[0055] In S711, CPU 101 saves the button setting information inputted through the screen in HDD 104. At this time, a unique ID (identification information) is assigned to each button setting before saving. Next, the process proceeds to S712, where CPU 101 determines whether image forming apparatus 1000 is equipped with a scanner function in the same manner as in S704 (same process as S704). If it is determined in S712 that the image forming apparatus 1000 has a scanner function, the process proceeds to S713, but if it is determined that the image forming apparatus 1000 does not have a scanner function, the process skips S713 and proceeds to S714. In S713, CPU 101 creates display data for a scan button corresponding to the button setting information saved in S711, places it on the home screen, and proceeds to S714. At this time, an internally unique ID (identification information) is set for the display data for the scan button to be generated. In the embodiment, the unique ID for each button setting described above is multiplied by 10 and then "1" is added to the multiplied value, but the present invention is not limited to this. In S714, CPU 101 creates display data for a print button corresponding to the button setting information saved in S711, and places the data on the home screen of, for example, Fig. 6. Here, as with the scan button described above, an internally unique ID is set for the button to be created. In the embodiment, the unique ID for each button setting information described above is multiplied by 10 and then "2" is added to the result, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0056] The process then proceeds to step S715, where CPU 101 performs authentication for the set linked cloud service. If authentication is successful, this process ends, and if authentication is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S716. In step S716, CPU 101 transmits HTML data for displaying an authentication failure screen to PC 302, causes the screen to be displayed, and ends this process.

[0057] 9 is a flowchart for explaining a process executed by pressing a button after displaying a home screen in image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment. The process shown in this flowchart is realized, for example, by CPU 101 executing a program loaded in RAM 102 described above.

[0058] First, in S901, the CPU 101 displays, for example, a home screen shown in Fig. 6 on the display unit of the operation unit 106. Then, the process proceeds to S902, and the CPU 101 accepts a press of a display button from the user via the home screen. In this embodiment, the cloud-linked print &vinegar The following description will be given on the assumption that the cancel button 603 has been pressed. Then, the process proceeds to step S903, where the CPU 101 identifies the setting ID of the pressed button.

[0059] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of setting information for buttons of a cloud collaborative print & scan application displayed on a home screen of an image forming apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment, and IDs of the buttons displayed on the home screen.

[0060] In reality, this table is not stored as is inside the image forming apparatus 1000, but only the button setting names and button setting IDs are stored. As described above in S713 and S714, in this embodiment, the scan button ID and print button ID are generated from the button setting ID and linked to the displayed button. Therefore, the integer part of the quotient obtained by dividing the scan button ID or print button ID by 10 becomes the button setting ID.

[0061] 6 is the scan button 1, so this time the button with the scan button ID of "11" was pressed. Therefore, the button setting ID is "1." If the method of generating the scan button ID and print button ID in S713 and S714 is different, the method of identifying the button setting ID in this step will also change.

[0062] Next, the process proceeds to S904, where the CPU 101 reads the button setting information set for the button based on the button setting ID identified in S903. The process proceeds to S905, where the CPU 101 determines whether to execute scanning or printing. In S905, the CPU 101 divides the button ID identified in S903 by "10" to obtain the remainder. If the remainder is "1", the process proceeds to S906 since the button ID is to be scanned. On the other hand, if the remainder is "2", the process proceeds to S907 since the button ID is to be printed. Note that if the method of generating the scan button ID and the print button ID in S713 and S714 is different, the determination method in this step also changes. In S906, the CPU 101 executes cloud-linked scanning based on the button setting read in S904. Note that this process is not the gist of the present invention, so a detailed description will be omitted. On the other hand, in S907, the CPU 101 executes cloud-linked printing based on the button setting read in S904. Incidentally, this process is also outside the scope of the present invention, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] As described above, according to the embodiment, in an application that can execute the functions of the image forming apparatus, buttons for the number of executable functions can be displayed on the home screen for one registered button setting. Then, a user can selectively execute a desired function by simply pressing a desired button from among the displayed buttons.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the cloud linked print & scan is used as an application capable of executing two functions, scanning and printing, but the same concept can be applied to an application capable of executing three or more functions.

[0065] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 100: controller unit, 101: CPU, 102: RAM, 103: ROM, 104: HDD (hard disk drive), 106: operation unit, 112: scanner, 114: external storage device, 201: UI processing unit, 202: network processing unit, 203: job control unit, 205: storage unit

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus capable of executing applications corresponding to a plurality of functions, a registration means for transmitting screen information for displaying a setting screen for registering setting information used in the plurality of functions as setting information for a display button corresponding to the application to an external device, and registering the setting information input via the setting screen displayed on the external device; a generating means for generating a plurality of display buttons corresponding to the application, the plurality of display buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of functions, based on the setting information registered by the registration means; a display means for displaying the plurality of display buttons created by the creation means on a screen; a control means for controlling, when any one of the plurality of display buttons is selected via the screen, the application corresponding to the selected display button to be executed based on the setting information corresponding to the selected display button; When it is determined that the image forming apparatus cannot execute a specific function among the plurality of functions, an input field for inputting setting information for the specific function is not displayed on the setting screen.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the setting information includes information for setting whether to display or not display the plurality of display buttons.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creating unit does not create a display button corresponding to the specific function.

4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control means identifies a function corresponding to the selected display button based on a button setting ID of the selected display button via the screen, and controls the application to be executed based on the setting information.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions include at least one of printing and scanning.

6. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the display button on a home screen.

7. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application is an application that performs processing in cooperation with the external device.

8. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the application is a cloud-linked application that performs processing in cooperation with a cloud.

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when the cloud requires authentication, the display unit displays the display button on the screen if the authentication is successful.

10. A control method for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of executing applications corresponding to a plurality of functions, comprising: a registration step of transmitting screen information for displaying a setting screen for registering setting information used in the plurality of functions as setting information for a display button corresponding to the application to an external device, and registering the setting information input via the setting screen displayed on the external device; a creation step of creating a plurality of display buttons corresponding to the application, the display buttons corresponding to each of the plurality of functions, based on the setting information registered in the registration step; a display step of displaying the plurality of display buttons created in the creation step on a screen; a control step of, when any one of the plurality of display buttons is selected via the screen, controlling the application corresponding to the selected display button so as to be executed based on the setting information corresponding to the selected display button; A control method characterized in that, when it is determined that the image forming apparatus cannot execute a specific function among the plurality of functions, an input field for inputting setting information for the specific function is not displayed on the setting screen.

11. A program for causing a computer to execute all of the steps of the control method according to claim 10.

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