Image processing apparatus and computer program for image processing apparatus

Abstract

To disclose a technique to reduce a processing load on a server that can transmit a job to an image processing apparatus.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus may comprise: a second state transition unit that, in a situation where a service state is a valid state, when an invalidation instruction to cause the service state to transition to an invalid state is acquired, causes the service state to transition from the valid state to the invalid state; and a first reception stop instruction transmission unit that, in a situation where the service state is the valid state, when the invalidation instruction is acquired, transmits a reception stop instruction to the server. The reception stop instruction is an instruction to cause the server to stop reception of a job transmission request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to an image processing apparatus that receives jobs from a server.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cloud printing system including a printer and a server. When a print job is added to the server, the printer receives the print job from the server and executes printing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] This specification discloses a technology for reducing the processing load of a server capable of transmitting jobs to an image processing apparatus.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The image processing apparatus disclosed by this specification includes: a first state transition unit that, when an activation instruction for transitioning the service state from an invalid state to a valid state is acquired in a situation where the service state for receiving a job providing service from a server is in the invalid state, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state, where the invalid state is a state in which it is impossible to receive a job that is an execution instruction for image processing from the server, and the valid state is a state in which it is possible to receive the job from the server; a reception instruction transmission unit that, when the activation instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the invalid state, transmits a reception instruction to the server, where the reception instruction is an instruction for causing the server to execute reception of a job transmission request for transmitting the job to the image processing apparatus via the server; an engine control unit that, when the job is received from the server in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, causes the image processing engine to execute image processing according to the job; a second state transition unit that, when an inactivation instruction for transitioning the service state from the valid state to the invalid state is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, transitions the service state from the valid state to the invalid state; and a first reception stop instruction transmission unit that, when the inactivation instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, transmits a reception stop instruction to the server, where the reception stop instruction is an instruction for causing the server to stop reception of the job transmission request.

[0006] According to the above configuration, when the image processing apparatus acquires an inactivation instruction, it transmits a reception stop instruction to the server. As a result, the server stops receiving job transmission requests. Therefore, the server does not need to execute the process of generating a job in response to a job transmission request. Thus, the processing load on the server can be reduced.

[0007] A computer program for the above-described image processing apparatus, a computer-readable recording medium storing the computer program, and a method executed by the image processing apparatus are also novel and useful. Further, a system including the above-described image processing apparatus and a server is also novel and useful.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] (First Embodiment) (Configuration of Communication System; FIG. 1) As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 2 includes a printer 10, a terminal 50, and a print mediation server 100. Each device 10, 50, 100 is connected to the Internet 6 and can communicate with each other via the Internet 6.

[0010] (Configuration of Printer 10) The printer 10 is a peripheral device capable of executing a printing function (for example, a peripheral device of the terminal 50). A printer ID "P1" for identifying the printer 10 is assigned to the printer 10. The printer 10 includes an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a communication interface 16, a printing engine 18, and a control unit 30. Each of the units 12 to 30 is connected to a bus line (reference numerals omitted). Hereinafter, the interface will be referred to as "I / F".

[0011] The operation unit 12 includes a plurality of keys. The user can input various instructions to the printer 10 by operating the operation unit 12. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying various information. The display unit 14 also functions as a touch panel (i.e., an operation unit) for receiving instructions from the user. The communication I / F 16 is connected to the Internet 6. The printing engine 18 includes a printing mechanism such as an inkjet method or a laser method.

[0012] The control unit 30 includes a CPU 32 and a memory 34. The CPU 32 executes various processes according to a program 36 stored in the memory 34. The memory 34 is composed of a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, etc. The memory 34 further stores a service state for receiving a job providing service (in other words, a cloud printing service) from the server 100 according to IPP (abbreviation of Internet Printing Protocol).

[0013] The service state indicates either "valid", which indicates that the printer 10 can receive a job from the server 100, or "invalid", which indicates that the printer 10 cannot receive a job from the server 100. Hereinafter, the state where the service state in the memory 34 indicates "valid" and the state where the service state in the memory 34 indicates "invalid" may be expressed as "the service state of the printer 10 is in a valid state" and "the service state of the printer 10 is in an invalid state", respectively.

[0014] (Configuration of the terminal 50) The terminal 50 is a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a notebook PC, a tablet PC, etc. In a modification example, the terminal 50 may be a stationary terminal device such as a desktop PC.

[0015] (Configuration of the Printing Intermediary Server 100) Hereinafter, the printing intermediary server 100 will be abbreviated as the "server 100" for description. The server 100 is a server that provides a cloud printing service. The server 100 is a server installed on the Internet 6 by an operator different from the vendor of the printer 10 (for example, an operator that provides a cloud printing service). In a modification example, the server 100 may be installed by the vendor of the printer 10. When the server 100 receives image data from the terminal 50, for example, it generates a job and transmits the job to the printer 10. The job includes print data generated by converting the image data into a data format interpretable by the printer 10.

[0016] The server 100 includes a communication I / F 116 and a control unit 130. Each of the units 116 to 130 is connected to a bus line (not shown). The communication I / F 116 is connected to the Internet 6.

[0017] The control unit 130 includes a CPU 132 and a memory 134. The CPU 132 executes various processes according to a program 136 stored in the memory 134. The memory 134 is composed of a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, etc. The memory 134 further stores a printer table 138.

[0018] The printer table 138 is a table that stores by associating a printer ID, an access token, accepting-jobs, and a status. The access token is information used by the server 100 to authenticate the printer when a request conforming to IPP is communicated between the printer and the server 100. Also, the access token is used to establish a constant connection between the printer and the server 100. In this embodiment, the printer 10 uses a persistent connection conforming to HTTP (abbreviation of Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to realize behavior like a constant connection. In a modified example, the constant connection may be a connection conforming to XMPP (abbreviation of Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol). Accepting-jobs is information indicating printer attributes conforming to IPP, and specifically, it is information indicating whether or not the server 100 accepts a print request. Accepting-jobs indicates either yes, which indicates accepting a print request, or no, which indicates not accepting a print request. Here, "accepting a print request" means generating a job in response to the server 100 receiving a print request. "Not accepting a print request" means not generating a job even if the server 100 receives a print request. The status indicates the current status of the printer (e.g., Idle, Error, etc.).

[0019] (Registration process; Figure 2) Referring to Figure 2, a process for registering information regarding the printer 10 with the server 100 in order to receive the cloud printing service from the server 100 will be described. In the following, for ease of understanding, the operations executed by the CPU (e.g., CPU 32, etc.) of each device are described mainly with each device (e.g., printer 10) as the subject without describing the CPU as the main subject. Also, all communications executed by each device 10, 100 are executed via the communication I / Fs 16, 116. For this reason, in the following, the description "via the communication I / F 16 (or 116)" is omitted.

[0020] Upon receiving an operation from the user, the terminal 50 accesses the web server in the printer 10. Then, when the terminal 50 receives an operation from the user for receiving a cloud printing service, in T10, it sends a registration instruction to the printer 10.

[0021] When the printer 10 receives a registration instruction from the terminal 50 in T10, in T12, it sends a registration request including the printer ID "P1" to the server 100.

[0022] When the server 100 receives a registration request from the printer 10 in T12, in T14, it generates a PIN code "C". In a modified example, the server 100 may generate a password (i.e., a character string) in T14. Then, the server 100 associates the printer ID "P1" included in the registration request with the generated PIN code "C" and stores them in the memory 134. Next, in T20, the server 100 sends the PIN code "C" and a login URL (abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator) to the printer 10. The login URL is information indicating the position of the authentication screen data described later in the server 100.

[0023] When the printer 10 receives the PIN code "C" and the URL from the server 100 in T20, in T22, it sends them to the terminal 50.

[0024] When the terminal 50 receives the PIN code "C" and the URL from the printer 10 in T22, in T30, it displays them. Then, when the terminal 50 receives an operation of selecting the URL from the user in T32, in T40, it sends an authentication request including the URL to the server 100.

[0025] When the server 100 receives an authentication request from the terminal 50 in T40, in T42, it sends the authentication screen data specified by the URL included in the authentication request to the terminal 50. The authentication screen data is data representing an authentication screen for inputting a PIN code.

[0026] When the terminal 50 receives the authentication screen data from the server 100 at T42, it displays the authentication screen at T44. Next, at T46, the terminal 50 accepts the input of the PIN code "C" displayed at T30 from the user. In this case, at T50, the terminal 50 transmits the entered PIN code "C" to the server 100.

[0027] When the server 100 receives the PIN code "C" from the terminal 50 at T50, it executes the authentication of the received PIN code "C" at T52. Specifically, the server 100 determines whether the received PIN code "C" is already stored. When the server 100 determines that the received PIN code "C" is already stored, that is, when the authentication is successful, at T54, it generates an access token AT1 which is a unique string. Then, at T56, the server 100 stores the generated access token AT1 in the printer table 138 in association with the printer ID "P1" stored at T14. After that, at T60, the server 100 transmits an authentication notification including the generated access token AT1 to the printer 10.

[0028] When the printer 10 receives the authentication notification from the server 100 at T60, it stores the access token AT1 included in the authentication notification in the memory 34 at T62.

[0029] (Specific case; Figure 3) Figure 3 is a continuation case of Figure 2. Specifically, it is a case of transitioning the service state of the printer 10 from the invalid state to the valid state.

[0030] In response to receiving an operation from the user, the terminal 50 accesses the web server in the printer 10. Then, when the terminal 50 receives a setting change operation from the user at T100, it transmits a setting change screen request to the printer 10 at T102.

[0031] When the printer 10 receives a setting change screen request from the terminal 50 in T102, it transmits setting change screen data representing the setting change screen SC1 to the terminal 50.

[0032] When the terminal 50 receives the setting change screen data from the printer 10 in T104, it displays the setting change screen SC1 in T106. The setting change screen SC1 is a screen for changing the service state of the printer, and includes the printer ID "P1", a check box for setting the service state to be valid, a check box for setting the service state to be invalid, and an OK button. Since the service state of the printer 10 is currently in an invalid state, in the setting change screen SC1, the invalid check box is checked.

[0033] After the terminal 50 receives an operation of checking the valid check box in the setting change screen SC1 from the user in T110, it receives a selection of the OK button. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits an activation instruction to the printer 10 in T112.

[0034] When the printer 10 receives the activation instruction from the terminal 50 in T112, it changes the service state from the invalid state to the valid state in T114. Specifically, the printer 10 changes the service state in the memory 34 from invalid to valid. Then, the printer 10 transmits completion screen data representing the completion screen SC2 to the terminal 50 in T116.

[0035] When the terminal 50 receives the completion screen data from the printer 10 in T116, it displays the completion screen SC2 in T118. The completion screen SC2 includes a message indicating that the service state of the printer 10 has been changed. Therefore, the user can confirm that the change of the service state of the printer 10 has been completed by viewing the completion screen SC2.

[0036] When the printer 10 transitions to the active state at T114, at T120, it establishes a persistent connection with the server 100 using the stored access token AT1 (see T62 in FIG. 2). If the server 100 uses the persistent connection, it can send a signal to the printer 10 across the firewall of the LAN to which the printer 10 belongs without receiving a request from the printer 10. That is, the persistent connection is a connection capable of executing server push-type communication. The persistent connection is maintained until the service state of the printer 10 transitions to the inactive state.

[0037] Next, at T122, the printer 10 sends a command including the printer ID "P1" to the server 100. This command is for registering "yes" as accepting-jobs with the server 100. Further, at T124, the printer 10 sends status information indicating the current status of the printer 10 to the server 100. The status information includes the printer ID "P1" and information indicating that an error has occurred in the printer 10 (i.e., Error).

[0038] The server 100 receives a command from the printer 10 at T122 and receives status information at T124. In this case, at T126, the server 100 updates the printer table 138. Specifically, the server 100 stores yes as accepting-jobs in association with the printer ID "P1" included in the command at T122. Further, the server 100 stores the status "Error" in association with the printer ID "P1".

[0039] After that, when the error of the printer 10 is resolved at T130, at T132, the printer 10 sends status information indicating that the printer 10 is in the standby state (i.e., Idle) to the server 100. The process at T134 is the same as the process at T126 except that "Idle" is stored instead of "Error".

[0040] After that, in response to receiving an instruction including the specification of the printer (printer 10 in this case) to execute printing and the specification of the image to be printed from the user, the terminal 50 transmits a print request to the server 100 in T140. The print request includes a printer ID "P1" that identifies the printer 10 specified by the user and image data representing the image to be printed.

[0041] When the server 100 receives a print request from the terminal 50 in T140, first, it identifies the printer ID "P1" included in the request from the printer table 138. Then, the printer 10 determines whether accepting - jobs associated with the printer ID "P1" in the printer table 138 indicates yes or no. In this case, since accepting - jobs associated with the printer ID "P1" indicates yes, the server 100 accepts the print request. That is, the server 100 generates a job identified by the job ID "Job1" in T142. Specifically, the server 100 first converts the image data already received from the terminal 50 to generate print data having a data format interpretable by the printer 10. Then, the server 100 associates the printer ID "P1", the job ID "Job1", and the print data and stores them in the memory 134. After that, the server 100 transmits a job notification indicating that the job has been generated to the printer 10 using the always - on connection in T144. The job notification includes the job ID "Job1" of the job generated in T142.

[0042] When the printer 10 receives the job notification from the server 100 in T144, it transmits a job request including the job ID "Job1" to the server 100 in T146.

[0043] When the server 100 receives a job request from the printer 10 at T146, it identifies the print data stored in association with the job ID "Job1" included in the job request. Then, at T148, the server 100 transmits the job including the print data to the printer 10.

[0044] When the printer 10 receives a job including print data from the server 100 at T148, at T150, it executes printing of the image represented by the print data. In this way, in a situation where the service state of the printer 10 is the active state, the printer 10 can execute printing of an image using the cloud printing service.

[0045] (Continuation of FIG. 3; FIG. 4) FIG. 4 shows a case that is a continuation of FIG. 3, specifically, a case where the service state of the printer 10 is shifted from the active state to the inactive state. The processes from T200 to T206 in FIG. 4 are the same as the processes from T100 to T106 in FIG. 3. Although not shown, since the service state of the printer 10 is the active state (see T114 in FIG. 3), in the setting change screen SC1 displayed at T206, the check box for "active" is checked.

[0046] After receiving an operation from the user to check the "inactive" check box in the setting change screen SC1 at T210, the terminal 50 receives a selection of the OK button. In this case, at T212, the terminal 50 transmits an inactivation instruction to the printer 10.

[0047] When the printer 10 receives an inactivation instruction from the terminal 50 at T212, it shifts the service state from the active state to the inactive state at T214. Specifically, the printer 10 changes the service state in the memory 34 from active to inactive. The processes of T216 and T218 are the same as the processes of T116 and T118 in FIG. 3. Further, when the printer 10 shifts to the inactive state at T214, it disconnects the always-on connection with the server 100 (see T120 in FIG. 3) at T220. For this reason, it is not necessary to execute various communications for maintaining the always-on connection between the printer 10 and the server 100. As a result, the communication load between the printer 10 and the server 100 is reduced.

[0048] Next, the printer 10 transmits a command including the printer ID "P1" to the server 100 at T222. The command is for registering "no" as accepting-jobs in the server 100.

[0049] When the server 100 receives a command from the printer 10 at T222, it updates the printer table 138 at T224. Specifically, the server 100 stores "no" instead of "yes" as accepting-jobs in association with the printer ID "P1" included in the command of T222. As a result, the server 100 stops accepting print requests for causing the printer 10 to execute printing.

[0050] The process of T230 is the same as the process of T140 in FIG. 3. Since the server 100 has stopped accepting print requests, it does not generate a job even when it receives a print request from the terminal 50. Then, the server 100 transmits error screen data representing the error screen SC3 to the terminal 50 at T232.

[0051] When the terminal 50 receives error screen data from the server 100 at T232, it displays the error screen SC3 at T234. The error screen SC3 includes the printer ID "P1" and a message indicating that the acceptance of print requests has been stopped. Therefore, by looking at the error screen SC3, the user can know that the printer 10 cannot use the cloud printing service.

[0052] According to the above configuration, when the printer 10 obtains an inactivation instruction from the terminal 50 (T212 in FIG. 4), it registers "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100 (T222). As a result, the server 100 stops accepting print requests. Therefore, even though the service state of the printer 10 shifts to the invalid state and the constant connection between the printer 10 and the server 100 is disconnected (that is, even though the server 100 cannot send job notifications to the printer 10), it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an event in which the server 100 accepts a print request and generates a job. Since the server 100 does not need to accept a print request and generate a job, the processing load on the server 100 can be reduced.

[0053] (Corresponding relationship) The printer 10 and the print mediation server 100 are examples of an "image processing apparatus" and a "server" respectively. The print engine 18 is an example of an "image processing engine". The command transmitted at T122 in FIG. 3 and the command transmitted at T222 in FIG. 4 are examples of an "acceptance instruction" and an "acceptance stop instruction" respectively. The print request transmitted at T140 in FIG. 3 (and the print request transmitted at T230 in FIG. 4) is an example of a "job transmission request". The status information transmitted at T124 in FIG. 3 and the status information transmitted at T132 in FIG. 3 are examples of a "first status information" and a "second status information" respectively. The printing executed at T150 in FIG. 3 is an example of an "image processing".

[0054] The processing of T114, T122, T124, T132, and T150 in FIG. 3 are examples of processing executed by the "first state transition unit", "reception instruction transmission unit", "first status information transmission unit", "second status information transmission unit", and "engine control unit", respectively. The processing of T214 and T222 in FIG. 4 are examples of processing executed by the "second state transition unit" and "first reception stop instruction transmission unit", respectively.

[0055] (Second Embodiment; FIG. 5) Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, it is different from the first embodiment in that the inquiry screen data is transmitted to the terminal 50 in response to the printer 10 acquiring an invalidation instruction. FIG. 5 is a continuation case of FIG. 3. In FIG. 5, first, the same processing as T200 to T210 in FIG. 4 is executed. As a result, the terminal 50 transmits an invalidation instruction to the printer 10 at T312.

[0056] When the printer 10 receives an invalidation instruction from the terminal 50 at T312, it transitions the service state from the valid state to the invalid state at T314. Further, when the printer 10 transitions to the invalid state at T314, it disconnects the always-on connection with the server 100 (see T120 in FIG. 3) at T316. Next, the printer 10 transmits inquiry screen data representing the inquiry screen SC4 to the terminal 50 at T320.

[0057] When the terminal 50 receives the inquiry screen data from the printer 10 at T320, it causes the inquiry screen SC4 to be displayed on the display unit of the terminal 50 at T322. The inquiry screen SC4 includes a message for inquiring whether to stop accepting print requests, a YES button, and a NO button.

[0058] (Second Embodiment Case A) In Case A, the terminal 50 accepts the selection of the YES button within the inquiry screen SC4 at T330. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits YES selection information indicating that the YES button has been selected to the printer 10 at T332.

[0059] When the printer 10 receives the YES selection information from the terminal 50 at T332, at T334, it transmits a command for registering "no" as accepting - jobs to the server 100. As a result, in the server 100, the printer table 138 is updated (that is, "no" is registered as accepting - jobs) (T336), and the acceptance of print requests is stopped.

[0060] (Second Embodiment, Case B) On the other hand, in Case B, the terminal 50 receives the selection of the NO button in the inquiry screen SC4 at T340. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits NO selection information indicating that the NO button in the inquiry screen SC4 has been selected to the printer 10 at T342.

[0061] When the printer 10 receives the NO selection information from the terminal 50 at T342, it does not transmit a command for registering "no" as accepting - jobs to the server 100. As a result, the service state of the printer 10 is changed to the invalid state, but the server 100 continues to execute the acceptance of print requests.

[0062] In this way, when the printer 10 acquires an invalidation instruction (T312 in FIG. 5), it transmits the inquiry screen data to the terminal 50 (T320). As a result, the terminal 50 displays the inquiry screen SC4 (T322). Therefore, the user can select whether to stop the acceptance of print requests on the inquiry screen SC4.

[0063] For example, the user can select whether to stop accepting print requests according to whether the time for maintaining the service state of the printer 10 in the invalid state is relatively short or relatively long. When the time for maintaining the service state of the printer 10 in the invalid state is relatively short (for example, in the case of maintenance of the printer 10), the user can select the NO button in the inquiry screen SC4 to maintain the acceptance of print requests. Thereby, after the service state of the printer 10 shifts back to the valid state again, the printer 10 can execute printing according to the print requests received by the server 100 while the service state is in the invalid state. Also, when the time for maintaining the service state of the printer 10 in the invalid state is relatively long (for example, in the case of a long vacation in the office where the printer 10 is installed), the user can select the YES button in the inquiry screen SC4 to stop accepting print requests. Thereby, the processing load on the server 100 can be reduced.

[0064] (Corresponding relationship) The inquiry screen SC4 is an example of the "first inquiry screen". The display unit of the terminal 50 is an example of the "display unit". The processing of T320 in FIG. 5 is an example of the processing executed by the "first display control unit".

[0065] (Third Embodiment; FIG. 6) Subsequently, referring to FIG. 6, the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, it is different from the first embodiment in that the setting change screen includes an inquiry. FIG. 6 is a continuation case of FIG. 3. The processing of T400 and T402 in FIG. 6 is the same as the processing of T100 and T102 in FIG. 3.

[0066] At T404, the printer 10 transmits setting change screen data representing the setting change screen SC5 to the terminal 50. That is, the setting change screen data transmitted at T404 is different from the setting change screen data transmitted at T104 in FIG. 3.

[0067] When the terminal 50 receives the setting change screen data from the printer 10 at T404, it displays the setting change screen SC5 at T406. The setting change screen SC5 includes a selection field for selecting whether to stop accepting print requests in addition to each item included in the setting change screen SC1 (see T106 in FIG. 3).

[0068] (Case C of the Third Embodiment) In case C, after the terminal 50 receives from the user an operation of checking the invalid check box in the setting change screen SC5 and an operation of checking the selection field at T410, it receives the selection of the OK button. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits a first type of invalidation instruction to the printer 10 at T412. The first type of invalidation instruction includes an instruction to shift the service state of the printer 10 to the invalid state and an instruction to request the printer 10 to register "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100. The processing of T414 to T424 is the same as the processing of T214 to T224 in FIG. 4.

[0069] (Case D of the Third Embodiment) On the other hand, in case D, after the terminal 50 receives from the user an operation of checking the invalid check box in the setting change screen SC5 at T430, it receives the selection of the OK button without receiving an operation of checking the selection field. In this case, the terminal 50 transmits a second type of invalidation instruction to the printer 10 at T432. The second type of invalidation instruction includes an instruction to shift the service state of the printer 10 to the invalid state and does not include an instruction to request the printer 10 to register "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100. The processing of T434 to T440 is the same as the processing of T214 to T220 in FIG. 4. The printer 10 does not register "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100. As a result, the service state of the printer 10 is changed to the invalid state, but the accepting - jobs in the printer table 138 are maintained as yes.

[0070] In this way, before obtaining the invalidation instruction, the printer 10 transmits the setting change screen data to the terminal 50 (T404 in FIG. 6). As a result, the terminal 50 displays a setting change screen SC5 including a selection field for selecting whether to stop accepting print requests (T406). Therefore, the user can select whether to stop accepting print requests on the setting change screen SC5.

[0071] (Corresponding relationship) The setting change screen SC5 is an example of the "second inquiry screen". The process of T404 in FIG. 6 is an example of the process executed by the "second display control unit". Checking the selection field in the setting change screen SC5 is an example of "the first type of invalidation instruction being selected on the second inquiry screen". Not checking the selection field in the setting change screen SC5 is an example of "the second type of invalidation instruction being selected on the second inquiry screen".

[0072] (Fourth Embodiment; FIG. 7) Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the timing at which the printer 10 transmits a command for registering "no" as accepting - jobs to the server 100 is different from that in the first embodiment. FIG. 7 shows a continuation case of FIG. 3. The processes of T500 to T520 in FIG. 7 are the same as the processes of T200 to T220 in FIG. 4.

[0073] Immediately after disconnecting the always-on connection, the printer 10 does not register "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100. Thereafter, the printer 10 monitors the passage of one hour without obtaining an activation instruction. When one hour has passed, at T530, the printer 10 registers "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100. The processes of T530 and T532 are the same as the processes of T222 and T224 in FIG. 4. Note that the "one hour" in this embodiment is an example, and it may be less than one hour or more than one hour. Also, the user may be able to set the time for monitoring whether the printer 10 obtains an activation instruction. For example, the user may be able to set the time for monitoring whether the printer 10 obtains an activation instruction via the setting change screen SC1.

[0074] In this way, when the printer 10 does not obtain an activation instruction for one hour after transitioning the service state of the printer 10 to the invalid state, it registers "no" as accepting - jobs with the server 100 (T530 in FIG. 7). For this reason, the server 100 can stop accepting print requests only when the time for maintaining the service state of the printer 10 in the invalid state is relatively long. One hour is an example of the "predetermined time".

[0075] (Example 5; FIG. 8) Subsequently, referring to FIG. 8, Example 5 will be described. In Example 5, it is different from Example 1 in that even if the service state of the printer 10 does not transition to the invalid state, "no" is registered as accepting - jobs with the server 100. FIG. 8 is a continuation case of FIG. 2. In FIG. 8, first, the same processes as T100 - T134 in FIG. 3 are executed. Also, the processes of T640 - T644 are the same as the processes of T140 - T144 in FIG. 3.

[0076] When the printer 10 receives a job notification from the server 100 in T644, it determines whether there is enough toner to execute the printing. Specifically, first, the printer 10 estimates the amount of toner required to execute the printing according to one job. For example, the printer 10 estimates the amount of toner required to execute the printing according to one job by calculating the average value of the amount of toner used to execute the printing according to a plurality of jobs that have been printed in the past. In a variant, the printer 10 may store in advance an estimated value of the amount of toner required to execute the printing according to one job. Then, the printer 10 determines whether the estimated amount of toner is less than or equal to the remaining toner amount in the toner cartridge installed in the printer 10. Hereinafter, a case where the remaining toner amount of the toner cartridge of the printer 10 is 2% and the amount of toner required to execute the printing per one job is 5% will be described. In this case, since (required toner amount 5 (%)) > (remaining toner amount 2 (%)) is satisfied, the printer 10 determines in T646 that there is insufficient toner to execute the printing.

[0077] When the printer 10 determines in T646 that there is insufficient toner to execute the printing, in T650, it transmits a command to register "no" as accepting - jobs to the server 100. The processes of T650 and T652 are the same as the processes of T222 and T224 in FIG. 4. Also, the processes of T654 to T660 are the same as the processes of T146 to T150 in FIG. 3.

[0078] In T662, printer 10 interrupts the printing of a job due to toner shortage. Subsequently, in T664, the toner cartridge installed in printer 10 is replaced with a new toner cartridge. In this case, printer 10 sends a command to server 100 to register "yes" as accepting - jobs. The process of T670 is the same as the process of T122 in FIG. 3. Also, the process of T672 is the same as the process of T126 in FIG. 3 except that status information is not stored. Also, since the toner cartridge is replaced with a new toner cartridge (see T664), in T674, the printing interrupted at T662 is resumed.

[0079] If the command of T650 is not sent even when it is determined that the toner is insufficient, server 100 will continue to accept print requests and generate jobs thereafter. That is, server 100 will generate jobs for which printer 10 is highly likely not to be able to execute printing. In this embodiment, when printer 10 determines that the toner is insufficient (T646 in FIG. 8), it sends the command of T650 to server 100. For this reason, server 100 does not have to generate jobs for which printer 10 is highly likely not to be able to execute printing. Therefore, the processing load on server 100 is reduced.

[0080] (Corresponding relationship) Toner is an example of "predetermined resources". The determination of toner shortage at T646 is an example of the satisfaction of "predetermined conditions". The process of T650 in FIG. 8 is an example of the process executed by the "second acceptance stop instruction sending unit".

[0081] As described above, specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications of the above embodiments are listed below.

[0082] (Modification Example 1) In each of the above embodiments, when the service state of the printer 10 transitions to the active state, a connection is always established between the printer 10 and the server 100 (see, for example, T120 in FIG. 3). Then, the server 100 uses the always-on connection to send job notifications to the printer 10 (see, for example, T144). Instead of this, the printer 10 may transition to a state where it periodically sends polling to the server 100 instead of establishing an always-on connection. In this case, when the server 100 receives polling from the printer 10, it may send a job to the printer 10 as a response. In this modification example, the state of sending polling and the state of not sending polling are examples of the "active state" and the "inactive state", respectively.

[0083] (Modification Example 2) The printer 10 may be a multifunction device capable of executing a scan function, a FAX function, etc. Also, in each of the above embodiments, a job providing service for causing the printer 10 to execute printing has been described. However, in the modification example, the job providing service may be a job providing service for causing the multifunction device to execute FAX transmission. In this modification example, FAX transmission is an example of "image processing", and an engine for executing FAX transmission is an example of an "image processing engine". Also, in another modification example, the job providing service may be a job providing service for instructing the multifunction device to execute scanning. In this modification example, execution of scanning is an example of "image processing", and an engine for executing scanning is an example of an "image processing engine".

[0084] (Modification Example 3) Instead of the processing of T320 in FIG. 5, the printer 10 may display the inquiry screen SC4 on the display unit 14 of the printer 10. In this modification example, the processing of T322 can be omitted. In this modification example, the display of the inquiry screen SC4 is an example of the processing executed by the "first display control unit", and the display unit 14 of the printer 10 is an example of the "display unit". Also, instead of the processing of T404 in FIG. 6, the printer 10 may display the setting change screen SC5 on the display unit 14 of the printer 10. In this modification example, the processing of T406 can be omitted. In this modification example, the display of the setting change screen SC5 is an example of the processing executed by the "second display control unit", and the display unit 14 of the printer 10 is an example of the "display unit".

[0085] (Modification Example 4) The printer 10 may not transmit the status information of the printer 10 to the server 100. In this modification example, the processing of T124 and T132 in FIG. 3 can be omitted. Generally speaking, the "first status information transmission unit" and the "second status information transmission unit" can be omitted.

[0086] (Modification Example 5) Instead of the processing of T646, the printer 10 may determine whether the capacity of the memory 34 of the printer 10 for storing print data is sufficient. In this modification example, the memory of the printer is an example of the "predetermined resource", and the determination that the capacity of the memory 34 of the printer 10 is insufficient is an example of the satisfaction of the "predetermined condition". Also, in another modification example, instead of the processing of T646, the printer 10 may determine whether the printing medium for which printing is to be executed (that is, the number of sheets of paper installed in the printer 10) is sufficient. In this modification example, the printing medium installed in the printer 10 is an example of the "predetermined resource", and the determination that the printing medium for which printing is to be executed is insufficient is an example of the satisfaction of the "predetermined condition". Also, in another modification example, instead of the processing of T646, the printer 10 may determine whether the status of the printer 10 is Error. In this modification example, the determination that the status of the printer 10 is Error is an example of the satisfaction of the "predetermined condition".

[0087] (Modification Example 6) In each of the above embodiments, the processes of FIGS. 2 to 8 are executed by software (for example, programs 36 and 136), but at least one of these processes may be implemented by hardware such as a logic circuit.

[0088] The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Also, the technologies exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple purposes simultaneously, and achieving any one of those purposes itself has technical utility. The following items are elements described in the claims at the time of filing. (Item 1) An image processing apparatus, an image processing engine, and a first state transition unit that, when an activation instruction for transitioning the service state from an invalid state to a valid state is acquired in a situation where the service state for receiving a job providing service from a server is in the invalid state, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state, wherein the invalid state is a state in which it is impossible to receive a job that is an execution instruction for image processing from the server, and the valid state is a state in which it is possible to receive the job from the server, the first state transition unit; a reception instruction transmission unit that, when the activation instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the invalid state, transmits a reception instruction to the server, the reception instruction being an instruction for causing the server to execute reception of a job transmission request for transmitting the job to the image processing apparatus via the server, the reception instruction transmission unit; an engine control unit that, when the job is received from the server in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, causes the image processing engine to execute image processing according to the job; a second state transition unit that, when an inactivation instruction for transitioning the service state from the valid state to the invalid state is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, transitions the service state from the valid state to the invalid state; a first reception stop instruction transmission unit that, when the inactivation instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, transmits a reception stop instruction to the server, the reception stop instruction being an instruction for causing the server to stop reception of the job transmission request, the first reception stop instruction transmission unit; An image processing apparatus comprising the above. (Item 2) The image processing apparatus further comprises a first display control unit that, when the inactivation instruction is acquired in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, causes a first inquiry screen to be displayed on a display unit, the first inquiry screen being a screen for inquiring whether or not the server should stop receiving the job transmission request, the first display control unit. When it is selected on the first inquiry screen that the acceptance of the job transmission request should be stopped, the first acceptance stop instruction transmission unit transmits the acceptance stop instruction to the server, When it is selected on the first inquiry screen that the acceptance of the job transmission request should not be stopped, the acceptance stop instruction is not transmitted to the server. The image processing apparatus according to item 1. (Item 3) The image processing apparatus further includes a second display control unit that causes a second inquiry screen to be displayed on a display unit in a situation where the service state is the valid state and before the invalidation instruction is acquired. The second inquiry screen is a screen for inquiring which of the first type of the invalidation instruction and the second type of the invalidation instruction is to be selected. The image processing apparatus includes the second display control unit, When the first type of invalidation instruction is selected on the second inquiry screen and the first type of invalidation instruction is acquired, the first acceptance stop instruction transmission unit transmits the acceptance stop instruction to the server, When the second type of invalidation instruction is selected on the second inquiry screen and the second type of invalidation instruction is acquired, the acceptance stop instruction is not transmitted to the server. The image processing apparatus according to item 1. (Item 4) When the service state is changed from the valid state to the invalid state in response to the acquisition of the invalidation instruction, and the activation instruction is not acquired for a predetermined time, the first acceptance stop instruction transmission unit transmits the acceptance stop instruction to the server. The image processing apparatus according to item 1. (Item 5) The image processing apparatus further includes a first status information transmission unit that transmits first status information indicating the current status of the image processing apparatus to the server when the service state is changed from the invalid state to the valid state, a second status information transmission unit that transmits second status information indicating the status of the image processing apparatus after the change to the server every time the status of the image processing apparatus is changed in a situation where the service state is the valid state, The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4, comprising (Item 6) The image processing apparatus further includes In a situation where the service state is the valid state, even if the deactivation instruction is not acquired, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a second reception stop instruction transmission unit that transmits the reception stop instruction to the server is provided. The image processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 5. (Item 7) The image processing apparatus according to Item 6, wherein the predetermined condition is satisfied when a predetermined resource of the image processing apparatus becomes equal to or less than a threshold value. (Item 8) A computer program for an image processing apparatus, wherein the image processing apparatus includes an image processing engine, a computer, and is provided with The computer program causes the computer to perform the following respective units, that is, a first state transition unit that, in a situation where a service state for receiving a job providing service from a server is in an invalid state, when an activation instruction for transitioning the service state to a valid state is acquired, transitions the service state from the invalid state to the valid state. The invalid state is a state in which it is impossible to receive a job that is an execution instruction for image processing from the server, and the valid state is a state in which the job can be received from the server. The first state transition unit; a reception instruction transmission unit that, in a situation where the service state is in the invalid state, when the activation instruction is acquired, transmits a reception instruction to the server. The reception instruction is an instruction for causing the server to execute reception of a job transmission request for transmitting the job to the image processing apparatus via the server. The reception instruction transmission unit; an engine control unit that, in a situation where the service state is in the valid state and the job is received from the server, causes the image processing engine to execute image processing according to the job; a second state transition unit that, in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, when a deactivation instruction for transitioning the service state to the invalid state is acquired, transitions the service state from the valid state to the invalid state; a first reception stop instruction transmission unit that, in a situation where the service state is in the valid state, when the deactivation instruction is acquired, transmits a reception stop instruction to the server. The reception stop instruction is an instruction for causing the server to stop reception of the job transmission request. The first reception stop instruction transmission unit; A computer program that functions as.

Explanation of Symbols

[0089] 2: Communication system, 6: Internet, 10: Printer, 12: Operation unit, 14: Display unit, 16, 116: Communication I / F, 18: Printing engine, 30, 130: Control unit, 32, 132: CPU, 34, 134: Memory, 36, 136: Program, 50: Terminal, 138: Printer table

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an image processing engine; an establishment unit that establishes a server push-type connection with a server; a reception instruction transmission unit that, when the server push-type connection is established, transmits a reception instruction to the server, wherein the reception instruction is an instruction for causing the server to execute reception of a job transmission request for transmitting a job to the image processing apparatus via the server; a disconnection unit that disconnects the server push-type connection after the reception instruction is transmitted to the server, wherein when the server push-type connection is disconnected, a reception stop instruction is not transmitted to the server, the reception stop instruction is an instruction for causing the server to stop reception of the job transmission request, and in a situation where the server push-type connection has not been re-established after the server push-type connection is disconnected, when a specific print request is received by the server, a specific job corresponding to the specific print request is not transmitted to the image processing apparatus; a reception unit that, when the server push-type connection is re-established after the server push-type connection is disconnected, receives, from the server via the re-established server push-type connection, the specific job corresponding to the specific print request received by the server in a situation where the server push-type connection has not been established; an engine control unit that, when the specific job is received from the server, causes the image processing engine to execute image processing according to the specific job; An image processing apparatus.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception stop instruction transmission unit that transmits the reception stop instruction to the server when a predetermined time has elapsed after the server push-type connection is disconnected.

3. An image processing apparatus, comprising: an image processing engine; a first state transition unit that transitions the state of the image processing apparatus from an invalid state to a valid state, wherein the invalid state is a state in which polling is not repeatedly transmitted, and the valid state is a state in which polling is repeatedly transmitted; A reception instruction transmission unit that transmits a reception instruction to a server when the state of the image processing apparatus transitions to the valid state, where the reception instruction is an instruction for causing the server to execute reception of a job transmission request for transmitting a job to the image processing apparatus via the server, the reception instruction transmission unit; A second state transition unit that transitions the state of the image processing apparatus from the valid state to the invalid state after the reception instruction is transmitted to the server, where when the state of the image processing apparatus transitions from the valid state to the invalid state, a reception stop instruction is not transmitted to the server, the reception stop instruction is an instruction for causing the server to stop reception of the job transmission request, and in a situation where the state of the image processing apparatus is the invalid state after the state of the image processing apparatus has transitioned from the valid state to the invalid state, when a specific print request is received by the server, a specific job corresponding to the specific print request is not transmitted to the image processing apparatus, the second state transition unit; A reception unit that receives, from the server, the specific job corresponding to the specific print request received by the server in a situation where the state of the image processing apparatus is the invalid state after the state of the image processing apparatus has transitioned from the valid state to the invalid state and then the state of the image processing apparatus re-transitions from the invalid state to the valid state; An engine control unit that causes the image processing engine to execute image processing according to the specific job when the specific job is received from the server; An image processing apparatus comprising the above.

4. The image processing apparatus further comprises A reception stop instruction transmission unit that transmits the reception stop instruction to the server when a predetermined time has elapsed after the state of the image processing apparatus has transitioned from the valid state to the invalid state, the image processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The image processing apparatus is a printer, the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The image processing apparatus further comprises A first status information transmission unit that transmits first status information indicating the current status of the image processing apparatus to the server; A second status information transmission unit that transmits, to the server, second status information indicating a status after the change of the image processing apparatus every time the status of the image processing apparatus is changed; The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising the above.

Images