Image processing device, server, system, and control method and program thereof

Abstract

To provide an image processing device that displays a content according to a user using the device in an environment where one device is used by a plurality of users.SOLUTION: An image processing device requests a content from a content server (HTTP request transmission) (S402 and S403) at specific timings such as login, logout, auto clear, and print start (S401), receives the content provided from the content server in response to the request, and displays the content on an operation unit (S404 to S406). When a user who is operating the image processing device is specified by user authentication, the user information is included in the request (HTTP request header) (S402), and the content customized by the content server is received from the content server and displayed according to the user information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, "digital signage," which transmits information using network-connected displays, has become increasingly common in a variety of locations, including outdoors, in stores, public spaces, and on public transport. The use of digital signage is also attracting attention in corporate offices, for purposes such as supporting information sharing among employees and controlling corporate information.

[0003] While street signage is intended to display promotional advertisements to an unspecified number of users, image processing devices used in offices and other places are expected to display content tailored to the user.

[0004] Patent Document 1 proposes a technology that enables a content server to provide content tailored to a user by creating response data for a client based on the sender address of an HTTP request and the description in the HTTP header. In Patent Document 1, the location of the user is identified by the sender address, and the user's characteristics (for example, the language in which they can communicate) are identified by the description in the HTTP header (the "Accept-Language" description), and content is returned tailored to the user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-542796 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in an environment where multiple users use one device, such as an image processing device, the sender address and HTTP header information are the same, and it is not possible to identify individual users from this information. Therefore, conventional technologies such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 have a problem in that they cannot provide content tailored to each user in an environment where multiple users use one device, such as an image processing device.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a mechanism that can display content appropriate for the user using the device in an environment where multiple users use one device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides an image processing device capable of communicating with a server capable of providing content, the image processing device comprising: a control means for requesting content from the server at a specific timing, receiving the content provided from the server in response to the request, and displaying the content on an operation unit; and an identification means for identifying a user operating the image processing device, wherein the control means: When the specifying means specifies the first user, the server receives the first content without receiving the second content from the server, the first content corresponding to the first user and the second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, and when the specifying means specifies the second user, the server receives the second content without receiving the first content. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in an environment where a single device is used by multiple users, it is possible to display content appropriate for the user using the device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of the entire system including the image processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4A] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process in the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process in the first embodiment. [Figure 4C] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content setting screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content setting screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5C] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content setting screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5D] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content setting screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5E] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a content setting screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a content setting management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a setting screen related to user authentication in the embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a setting screen related to user authentication in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating screens when content is displayed on an operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9A] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of transition of screens displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9B] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of transition of screens displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9C] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of transition of screens displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9D] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of transition of screens displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9E] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of transition of screens displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an error screen displayed on the operation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a content error management table according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of an HTTP request that an image processing device transmits to a content server in this embodiment. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating examples of HTTP responses sent by a content server to an image processing device in the present embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen when content according to a user is displayed in this embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a content management table managed by a content server according to the embodiment. [Figure 16A] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16B] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17A] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 17B] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a content management table managed by a content server according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating examples of HTTP responses sent by a content server to an image processing device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 20A] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 20B] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a content display process according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a content management table managed by the image processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] 1, an image processing device 100 is connected to the Internet 110 via a LAN 101. A client PC 102 can be connected to the image processing device 100 via the LAN 101. A content server 120 stores various contents, is connected to the Internet 110 via a LAN 121, and can provide the contents to the image processing device 100 and the like.

[0013] The image processing device 100 can communicate with a content server 120 via the Internet 110, and can request and acquire content (described below) from the content server 120. Note that, although the description here is based on an example in which there is one image processing device 100, one client PC 102, and one content server 120, there may be multiple of these devices. Also, instead of the content server 120, the image processing device 100 may store content, and acquire and display the content internally.

[0014] The content server 120 may be realized by one computer or by multiple computers. For example, the content server 120 may be configured to be realized by using a cloud service or the like.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image processing device 100. As shown in FIG. A control unit 200 including a CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the image processing device 100. The CPU 201 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 202 to perform various controls such as print control, read control, transmission control, and content display control (described later). The ROM 202 is a boot ROM in which a system boot program is stored. The RAM 203 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory or work area of ​​the CPU 201. The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 204 stores image data, various programs, or various information tables. The HDD 204 can also store content (described later). Note that a configuration may be adopted in which another storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) is provided instead of or in combination with the HDD 204.

[0016] The operation unit I / F 205 is an interface for connecting the operation unit 209 and the control unit 200. The operation unit 209 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

[0017] The printer I / F 206 is an interface for connecting the printer 210 and the control unit 200. Image data to be printed by the printer 210 is transferred from the control unit 200 via the printer I / F 206 and printed on a recording medium (such as paper) by the printer 210.

[0018] The scanner I / F 207 is an interface for connecting the scanner 211 and the control unit 200. The scanner 211 reads an image on a document to generate image data, and inputs the generated image data to the control unit 200 via the scanner I / F 207.

[0019] The network I / F 208 is an interface for connecting the control unit 200 to the LAN 101. The network I / F 208 transmits and receives information to and from external devices connected to the Internet 110 via the LAN 101.

[0020] Representative functions (applications) of the image processing device 100 include copy, print, scan and send, scan and save, use of saved files, browser, etc. These representative functions will be described below.

[0021] The "copy" function is a function for reading an image on an original document using a scanner 211 and printing the generated image data using a printer 210. The "print" function is a function for printing image data on the printer 210 based on a print job input from an external device such as the client PC 102. The “scan and send” function is a function for reading an image on a document using the scanner 211 and transmitting the generated image data to an external device via the network I / F 208 . The “scan and save” function is a function for saving image data generated by reading an image on a document using the scanner 211 in the HDD 204 . The "use of saved file" function is a function for printing image data saved in the HDD 204 by the printer 210 or transmitting the image data to the outside via the network I / F 208. The "Browser" function allows you to view, print, and save data on a web server via a web browser.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the entire system including the image processing device 100. Each unit shown in Fig. 3 is realized by the CPU 201 in the image processing device 100 reading and executing a control program stored in the ROM 202 or the HDD 204. The image processing apparatus 100 has, as its software configuration, an application 311, a screen control unit 303, an authentication processing unit 308, an auto-clear processing unit 309, and a print management unit 310.

[0023] The applications 311 include a signage application 300, a copy application 312, a fax application 313, and a print application 314. The applications 311 may also include other applications not shown.

[0024] Signage application 300 is an embedded software program installed in image processing device 100. Signage application 300 includes an external communication unit 301, a Web content display unit 302, a content setting unit 304, a content management unit 305, a content setting management table 306, an event receiving unit 307, and the like.

[0025] The external communication unit 301 communicates with the content server 120 and acquires content and content setting management tables managed by the content server 120. Communication protocols for communication between the external communication unit 301 and the content server 120 include, for example, SMB, WebDAV, and HTTP. SMB stands for Server Message Block. WebDAV stands for Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning. HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Note that other communication protocols, such as email or File Transfer Protocol (FTP), may also be used for communication between the external communication unit 301 and the content server 120. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.

[0026] Web content display unit 302 reads content stored in content server 120 or HDD 204 into RAM 203 and outputs it to operation unit 209. Content refers to data that can be viewed with a Web browser, such as text data, HTML, image files (JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, etc.), and video files.

[0027] The content setting unit 304 sets the content to be displayed on the operation unit 209 when a specific event occurs. In this embodiment, the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs can be specified from the client PC 102. The content setting unit 304 sets the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs in the content setting management table 306 via the content management unit 305 based on the specification from the client PC 102. Here, a method for specifying the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs from the client PC 102 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5G.

[0028] 5A to 5G are diagrams showing examples of an authentication screen and a screen for setting content to be displayed on operation unit 209 when a specific event occurs. Hereinafter, FIGS. 5A to 5G will be simply referred to as "FIG. 5." When the client PC 102 accesses the web server (not shown) of the image processing device 100 using a web browser installed in the client PC 102, an authentication screen such as that shown in Fig. 5(a) is displayed on the web browser of the client PC 102. The authentication screen is also called a "login screen."

[0029] FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of an authentication screen for inputting authentication information. When a user inputs a username and password via the authentication screen of FIG. 5(a) and presses the login button, a login request including the username and password is sent to the image processing device 100, and the authentication processing unit 308 performs user authentication and login processing. Note that user authentication may be performed by an external authentication server or the like. Alternatively, the image processing device 100 may be provided with a near field wireless communication unit (NFC communication unit) or an IC card reader, and information for user authentication (username and password in the example of FIG. 5(a)) may be input by reading an IC card or the NFC of a smartphone. In this case, the authentication screen displays a message, such as "Please touch your IC card to log in," prompting user authentication using an IC card. Note that NFC stands for "Near Field Communication."

[0030] If a user with administrator privileges successfully logs in, the screen shown in FIG. 5B will be displayed on the web browser of the client PC 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "client PC 102"). On the other hand, in FIG. 5(a), when a user without administrator privileges logs in, the screen in FIG. 5(d) is displayed on the client PC 102.

[0031] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of a screen for allowing a user with administrator authority to make various settings related to the image processing device 100. As shown in FIG. When a setting item is selected from the menu on the left side of the screen, the corresponding detailed setting items are displayed on the right side of the screen. For example, if the user selects the setting item "License / Other" 501 from the menu on the left side of the screen, the screen shown in Figure 5(c) is displayed on the right side of the screen.

[0032] FIG. 5C is a diagram showing an example of a screen for making detailed settings regarding licenses and other matters. Each setting item, including setting item 502, is a hyperlink, and when selected, a web page corresponding to that setting item is displayed. When the user selects setting item "Signage" 502, a setting screen for signage application 300, such as those shown in Figures 5(e) to 5(g), is displayed on client PC 102.

[0033] FIG. 5D is a diagram showing an example of a screen for allowing a user without administrator authority to make various settings related to the image processing device 100. This screen does not display items that can only be set by users with administrator privileges, such as the setting item "License / Other" 501 that was displayed on the screen in Fig. 5(b). Therefore, users without administrator privileges cannot display the setting screen of signage application 300, as shown in Figs. 5(e) to 5(g). In this way, by only allowing users with administrator privileges to display the setting screen of signage application 300, it is possible to limit users who can set the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs to administrators.

[0034] In this embodiment, users who can set the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs are limited to users who have administrator authority for the entire image processing device 100, but general users who do not have administrator authority may also be allowed to set the content. Also, separate from the administrator authority for the entire image processing device 100, administrator authority unique to signage application 300 may be provided, and only users with that authority may set the content.

[0035] Figures 5(e) to 5(g) are diagrams showing examples of setting screens of signage application 300. The setting screens of signage application 300 include screens for setting display setting items as shown in Figures 5(e) and 5(f), and a screen for setting security items as shown in Figure 5(g).

[0036] In the screens exemplified in Figures 5(e) and 5(f), check box 503 is a setting item for displaying content when the image processing device 100 is logged out or auto-cleared. If check box 503 is checked, content is displayed when logout or an auto-clear event, which will be described later, occurs. If check box 503 is not checked, setting items 504 to 512, which will be described later, are displayed in a shaded state and cannot be entered. If check box 503 is checked, settable items are displayed in an unshaded state (inputtable state), as shown in Figures 5(e) and 5(f).

[0037] Radio button 504 is a button for selecting the communication protocol between external communication unit 301 and content server 120. When radio button 504 is selected for SMB, the setting items related to SMB are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(e), and each setting item can be input. When radio button 504 is selected for HTTP / WebDAV, the setting items related to HTTP / WebDAV are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(f), and each setting item can be input.

[0038] Text box 505 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. The path is a character string that indicates the storage location of the content, and in the case of SMB, it is a computer name, folder name, file name, etc., separated by a "\" (yen sign) or a "\" (backslash). As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0039] A text box 506 is an input field for inputting a user name to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. A text box 507 is an input field for inputting a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB.

[0040] Text box 508 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. In the case of HTTP / WebDAV, the path is a computer name, folder name, file name, etc. that indicates the storage location of the content, separated by a " / " (slash). As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0041] A text box 509 is an input field for inputting a user name to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. A text box 510 is an input field for inputting a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. Check boxes 511 and 512 are setting items for inputting settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV.

[0042] Check box 513 is a setting item for displaying content when a login operation is performed on the image processing device 100. If check box 513 is checked, content is displayed when a login event occurs. If check box 513 is not checked, setting items 514 to 522 (described below) are displayed in a shaded state and cannot be entered. If check box 513 is checked, configurable items are displayed in a non-shaded state, as shown in Figures 5(e) and 5(f).

[0043] Radio button 514 is a button for selecting the communication protocol between external communication unit 301 and content server 120. When radio button 514 is selected as SMB, the setting items related to SMB are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(e), and each setting item can be input. When radio button 514 is selected as HTTP / WebDAV, the setting items related to HTTP / WebDAV are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(f), and each setting item can be input.

[0044] Text box 515 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. The path is a character string that indicates the storage location of the content, and in the case of SMB, it is a computer name, folder name, file name, etc., separated by "\" or "\". As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0045] A text box 516 is an input field for inputting a username to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. A text box 517 is an input field for inputting a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB.

[0046] Text box 518 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. In the case of HTTP / WebDAV, the path is a computer name, folder name, file name, etc. that indicates the storage location of the content, separated by " / ". As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0047] The text box 519 is an input field for entering a user name to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. The text box 520 is an input field for entering a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. Check boxes 521 and 522 are setting items for inputting settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV.

[0048] Check box 523 is a setting item for displaying content while printing is being executed by the image processing device 100. If check box 523 is checked, the content is displayed when a print start event occurs. If check box 523 is not checked, setting items 524 to 532 (described below) are displayed in a shaded state and cannot be entered. If check box 523 is checked, configurable items are displayed in a non-shaded state, as shown in Figures 5(e) and 5(f).

[0049] Radio button 524 is a button for selecting the communication protocol between external communication unit 301 and content server 120. When radio button 524 is selected as SMB, the setting items related to SMB are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(e), and each setting item can be input. When radio button 524 is selected as HTTP / WebDAV, the setting items related to HTTP / WebDAV are unshaded, as shown in Fig. 5(f), and each setting item can be input.

[0050] Text box 525 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. The path is a character string that indicates the storage location of the content, and in the case of SMB, it is a computer name, folder name, file name, etc., separated by "\" or "\". As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0051] The text box 526 is an input field for entering a username to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. The text box 527 is an input field for entering a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB.

[0052] Text box 528 is an input field for entering the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. In the case of HTTP / WebDAV, the path is the computer name, folder name, file name, etc. that indicates the storage location of the content, separated by " / ". As the content, a file stored in HDD 204 or a file stored in content server 120 may be specified.

[0053] The text box 529 is an input field for entering a user name to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. The text box 530 is an input field for entering a password to be used when accessing the content path displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. Check boxes 531 and 532 are setting items for inputting settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV.

[0054] Radio button 533 is a setting item for switching ON / OFF the display of an error screen (such as the error screen shown in FIG. 10) that is displayed when an error is detected when displaying content. If "Display an error message, but do not display content" is selected with radio button 533, an error screen is displayed on operation unit 209 when an error is detected when displaying content. On the other hand, if "Do not display an error message or content" is selected with radio button 533, an error screen is not displayed on operation unit 209 when an error is detected when displaying content.

[0055] The OK button 534 is a button for storing the items set in the above-mentioned 503 to 533 in the content setting management table 306, which will be described later. When the OK button 534 is pressed, the content setting unit 304 stores the above-mentioned settings of 503 to 533 in the content setting management table 306 via the content management unit 305, and the screen of the client PC returns to that shown in Fig. 5(c). A cancel button 535 is a button for returning to the screen of FIG. 5(c) without storing the items set in the above-mentioned 503 to 533 in the content setting management table 306.

[0056] It should be noted that multiple selections (multiple checks) are possible for checkboxes 503, 513, and 523. In other words, multiple timings for displaying signage application 300 can be set according to the purpose.

[0057] Security setting button 536 is a button for displaying a screen for setting security setting items on the setting screen of signage application 300. When security setting button 536 is selected, a screen for setting security items such as that shown in FIG. 5(g) is displayed on client PC 102.

[0058] In the screen illustrated in FIG. 5(g), check box 537 is a setting item for setting whether to restrict user information notification. If check box 537 is checked, a server address for which notification is permitted can be set in text box 538. In this case, image processing device 100 compares the address set in text box 538 with the address of content server 120. If these addresses match and the content displayed by signage application 300 is HTML, image processing device 100 adds authentication information obtained during authentication to the header of the HTML content and notifies content server 120. Details will be described later. On the other hand, if the address set in text box 538 does not match the address of content server 120, signage application 300 does not notify content server 120 of the authentication information obtained during authentication. If check box 537 is not checked, image processing device 100 adds authentication information obtained during authentication to the header of HTML content and notifies content server 120. The control of restricting notification of user information by the security setting shown in FIG. 5(g) will be described in detail in the second embodiment.

[0059] The OK button 539 is a button for storing the items set in the above-mentioned 537 to 538 in the content setting management table 306, which will be described later. When the OK button 539 is pressed, the content setting unit 304 stores the above-mentioned settings of 537 to 538 in the content setting management table 306 via the content management unit 305, and the screen of the client PC returns to that shown in Fig. 5(c). The cancel button 540 is a button for returning to the screen of FIG. 5(c) without storing the items set in the above-mentioned 537 and 538 in the content setting management table 306.

[0060] Display setting button 541 is a button for displaying a screen for setting display setting items of the setting screen of signage application 300. When display setting button 541 is selected, screens such as those shown in Figures 5(e) and 5(f) are displayed on the client PC.

[0061] 5, the user can set and register specific information for specifying content to be displayed on signage application 300. Note that although an example in which content is set from client PC 102 has been shown here, content may also be set using operation unit 209 of image processing device 100.

[0062] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3 below. The content management unit 305 stores the content path and the like in the content setting management table 306 based on the settings made by the content setting unit 304. The content management unit 305 also acquires the stored settings from the content setting management table 306 and notifies the Web content display unit 302 of the settings.

[0063] Content setting management table 306 is a management table for managing the setting values ​​of signage application 300 set by content setting unit 304. Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to FIG.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the content setting management table 306. As shown in FIG. Here, the content setting management table 306 is shown as being generated and updated based on the details entered via the setting screens such as those shown in Figures 5(e), 5(f), and 5(g). The content setting management table 306 may be stored in the HDD 204 of the image processing device 100, or may be stored in the content server 120.

[0065] Reference numeral 601 denotes a key corresponding to each setting item of signage application 300. Reference numeral 602 denotes a value corresponding to the key of each setting item of signage application 300.

[0066] Reference numeral 603 indicates the setting of an item that indicates whether the screen display of signage application 300 is turned on or off when a logout operation or auto-clear is performed on the image processing device, where "0" indicates OFF and "1" indicates ON. This value is updated when the setting of checkbox 503 in FIG. 5 is updated.

[0067] Reference numeral 604 denotes the setting of an item indicating the communication protocol between the external communication unit 301 and the content server 120, where "0" indicates SMB and "1" indicates HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting of the radio button 504 in Fig. 5 is updated.

[0068] An item 605 indicates the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. When the setting in the text box 505 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0069] Reference numeral 606 denotes the setting of an item indicating the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. When the setting in the text box 506 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated. Reference numeral 607 denotes the setting of an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 507 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0070] Reference numeral 608 denotes the setting of an item indicating the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the setting of the text box 508 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0071] Reference numeral 609 denotes the setting of an item indicating the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the setting in the text box 509 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated. Reference numeral 610 denotes the setting of an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 510 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0072] 611 and 612 are settings for items indicating settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the settings of the check boxes 511 and 512 in Fig. 5 are updated, these values ​​are updated.

[0073] Reference numeral 613 denotes the setting of an item that indicates whether the screen display of signage application 300 is ON or OFF when a login operation is performed on the image processing device, where "0" indicates OFF and "1" indicates ON. This value is updated when the setting of checkbox 513 in FIG. 5 is updated.

[0074] Reference numeral 614 denotes the setting of an item indicating the communication protocol between the external communication unit 301 and the content server 120, where "0" indicates SMB and "1" indicates HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting of the radio button 514 in Fig. 5 is updated.

[0075] Reference numeral 615 denotes the setting of an item that indicates the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. When the setting in the text box 515 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0076] Reference numeral 616 denotes the setting of an item indicating the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. When the setting in the text box 516 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated. Reference numeral 617 denotes the setting of an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 517 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0077] Reference numeral 618 denotes the setting of an item indicating the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the setting of the text box 518 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0078] Reference numeral 619 denotes the setting of an item indicating the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 519 in Figure 5 is updated. Reference numeral 620 denotes the setting of an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting in text box 520 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0079] Items 621 and 622 indicate settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the settings of the check boxes 521 and 522 in Fig. 5 are updated, these values ​​are updated.

[0080] Reference numeral 623 indicates the setting of an item that indicates whether the screen display of signage application 300 is ON or OFF when printing is executed on the image processing device, where "0" indicates OFF and "1" indicates ON. This value is updated when the setting of checkbox 523 in FIG. 5 is updated.

[0081] Reference numeral 624 denotes the setting of an item indicating the communication protocol between the external communication unit 301 and the content server 120, where "0" indicates SMB and "1" indicates HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting of the radio button 524 in Fig. 5 is updated.

[0082] 625 is a setting for an item that indicates the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. When the setting in the text box 525 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0083] A setting for an item 626 indicates the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 526 in Figure 5 is updated. 627 is a setting for an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to SMB. This value is updated when the setting in the text box 527 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0084] Reference numeral 628 denotes the setting of an item indicating the path of the content that is displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the setting of the text box 528 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0085] Reference numeral 629 denotes the setting of an item indicating the user name to be used when accessing the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the setting in the text box 529 in Fig. 5 is updated, this value is updated. Reference numeral 630 denotes the setting of an item indicating the password used to access the path of the content displayed when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. This value is updated when the setting in text box 530 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0086] 631 and 632 are settings for items indicating settings for performing encrypted communication when the communication protocol is set to HTTP / WebDAV. When the settings of the check boxes 531 and 532 in Fig. 5 are updated, these values ​​are updated.

[0087] 633 is a setting for an item that indicates whether or not to display an error screen when an error is detected, with "0" indicating "display an error message but not display the content" and "1" indicating "do not display an error message or content." This value is updated when the setting of radio button 533 in Figure 5 is updated.

[0088] Reference numeral 634 denotes a setting for an item for restricting notification of user attributes obtained at the time of authentication of the image processing device to the content server 120, where "0" indicates that notification is restricted and "1" indicates that notification is not restricted. This value is updated when the setting of check box 537 in Fig. 5 is updated. 635 is a setting for an item for setting the server address for which notification is permitted when the value of 634 is set to "0." When the setting of text box 538 in FIG. 5 is updated, this value is updated.

[0089] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3 below. Content management unit 305 references content setting management table 306 based on key 601 to obtain setting value 602 for each setting item and notifies Web content display unit 302. Based on the information notified from content management unit 305, Web content display unit 302 obtains content stored in content server 120 or HDD 204 and displays it on operation unit 209.

[0090] The copy application 312 uses a high-resolution scanner and a printer capable of high-speed printing, enabling high-speed, high-quality copying. The copy application 312 also enables copying of large volumes of documents by continuous scanning using the HDD 204, etc. Furthermore, the copy application 312 also enables multiple copies by transmitting scanned image data to multiple image processing devices via a network.

[0091] The fax application 313 is not only capable of sending and receiving G3 and G4 faxes, but also capable of converting received fax data into protocols such as e-mail and forwarding it by using a forwarding function.The fax application 313 also enables Internet faxing, which sends and receives faxes over the Internet rather than using conventional telephone lines.

[0092] The print application 314 is a function that can receive print data sent from a host computer in a PDL language such as PostScript or LIPS and print it on paper at high speed. LIPS stands for LBP Image Processing. PDL stands for Page Description Language. The print application 314 can also receive BMLinks, a format common to various printers, from an external device and print it on paper. Furthermore, the print application 314 can also directly receive application data such as PDF from an external device without going through a printer driver and print it on paper. PDF stands for Portable Document Format.

[0093] The event receiving unit 307 receives various events notified from the authentication processing unit 308, the auto-clear processing unit 309, and the print management unit 310. The event receiving unit 307 can also receive various events notified from other modules (not shown).

[0094] The authentication processing unit 308 displays an authentication screen on the operation unit 209 or the client PC 102 and performs user authentication using authentication information such as a user ID and password entered by the user. If the user authentication is successful, the authentication processing unit 308 performs login processing to log the user into the image processing apparatus 100. When a logout instruction is issued, the authentication processing unit 308 performs logout processing to log the logged-in user out of the image processing apparatus. The logout instruction is issued when the user presses a logout button displayed on the operation unit 209 or when an auto-clear process (described later) is executed. When a login process or a logout process is performed, the authentication processing unit 308 transmits an event (login event, logout event) indicating the completion of the process to the event receiving unit 307. Furthermore, the authentication processing unit 308 controls the display timing of the authentication screen based on a display setting of the authentication screen, as described later.

[0095] The auto-clear processing unit 309 executes auto-clear processing when no operation is performed on the operation unit 209 for a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the "auto-clear transition time"). The auto-clear processing is a process in which the setting values / setting states on the screen displayed on the operation unit are cleared and returned to their initial values ​​when no operation is performed on the operation unit for the predetermined time. For example, if a user leaves the image processing device 100 while configuring various copy-related settings via a copy screen and the auto-clear transition time elapses, the setting values ​​that were configured up to that point are cleared and returned to the default setting values. The auto-clear function prevents the next user from unintentionally inheriting the setting states of the previous user and executing a copy or the like with unexpected settings. It also prevents the next user from viewing settings that should not be disclosed.

[0096] When the auto-clear process is performed, the auto-clear process unit 309 transmits an auto-clear event to the event receiving unit 307. When the auto-clear process is performed, the authentication process unit 308 executes logout process to log out the logged-in user. The auto-clear transition time can be arbitrarily set by the user from the operation unit 209, a client PC, or the like.

[0097] Furthermore, the user can set the screen to which the image processing device 100 transitions during auto-clear processing from the operation unit 209 or a client PC, etc. If an initial screen has been set as the screen to which the image processing device 100 transitions during auto-clear processing, the screen of the operation unit 209 switches from the screen that was displayed up until then to the initial screen during auto-clear processing. The initial screen is a screen that has been set in advance by the user as the screen to be displayed at startup. For example, the initial screen can be a main menu screen for selecting a function to be used from a plurality of functions (applications, functions) that the image processing device 100 has, or an application screen corresponding to each function. In the following explanation, an example will be explained in which the initial screen is set as the screen to which the image processing device 100 transitions during auto-clear processing, and the main menu screen is set as the initial screen.

[0098] The screen control unit 303 switches between screens managed for each application and outputs the screens to the operation unit 209 . The print management unit 310 starts the print job and notifies the event receiving unit 307 of the start of the print job.

[0099] The authentication processing unit 308, auto-clear processing unit 309, screen control unit 303, and print management unit 310 are common processing units and management units for each application included in the application 311, and may be related to each other. These may also be related to other common management units and processing units (not shown).

[0100] 7A and 7B are diagrams showing examples of screens for configuring settings related to user authentication. The screens shown in Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B can only be displayed when a user with administrator privileges logs in. Hereinafter, Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B will be simply referred to as "Fig. 7."

[0101] FIG. 7(a) is a screen for setting whether or not to use user authentication. Button 701 is a button for enabling user authentication. When this button is selected, an authentication screen like that shown in FIG. 5(a) is displayed, and user authentication is required to use each function of the image processing device 100. A button 702 is a button for disabling user authentication. When this button is selected, the authentication screen is not displayed, and each function of the image processing device 100 can be used without user authentication. Buttons 701 and 702 are buttons that are exclusively selected, and when one is selected, the other is deselected.

[0102] On the screen of FIG. 7(a), the OK button is a button for applying the setting operation on the screen of FIG. 7(a). When the OK button is pressed, CPU 201 stores the setting values ​​corresponding to the setting operation on the screen of FIG. 7(a) in HDD 204 or the like. At that time, if button 701 is selected, the screen transitions to screens such as those of FIG. 7(b) to FIG. 7(c), and if button 702 is selected, the screen of FIG. 7(a) is closed. The cancel button is a button for canceling the setting operation on the screen of FIG. 7(a). When the cancel button is pressed, CPU 201 discards the settings on the screen of FIG. 7(a) and closes the screen of FIG. 7(a).

[0103] 7(b) and 7(c) are screens for switching the display settings of the authentication screen, and the timing at which user authentication is performed is determined according to the settings made through these screens. FIG. 7(b) shows the screen when button 703 is selected. FIG. 7(c) shows the screen when button 704 is selected. Buttons 703 and 704 are buttons that can be exclusively selected, and when one is selected, the other is deselected.

[0104] A button 703 is a button for setting the display of an authentication screen when starting operation of the image processing device 100. If this button is selected, the authentication screen is displayed when the user starts operation, and user authentication is required. In other words, if the setting is set to display the authentication screen when starting operation, user authentication is required first no matter which function is used.

[0105] Button 704 is a button for setting to display an authentication screen when each function is selected. When button 704 is pressed, a screen 705 for selecting functions that require user authentication is displayed as a pop-up, as shown in Fig. 7(c). When button 706 is selected here, the screen switches to the screen shown in Fig. 7(d).

[0106] Fig. 7(d) is a screen for selecting a function that requires user authentication from among the multiple functions of the image processing device 100. For a function selected as a function that requires user authentication via the screen of Fig. 7(d), an authentication screen is displayed when the function is used. On the other hand, for a function that is not selected as a function that requires user authentication, the function can be used without user authentication.

[0107] In Figure 7(d), the functions "Copy," "Use saved file," and "Print" are selected as functions that require user authentication, while the functions "Scan and save," "Scan and send," and "Browser" are selected as functions that do not require user authentication. In this way, when button 704 is selected, the authentication screen is not displayed when the image processing device 100 starts to be operated, but when the user uses each function, depending on the selected function, an authentication screen is displayed and user authentication is required.

[0108] In the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d), the OK button is a button for applying the setting operations on the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d). When the OK button is pressed, the CPU 201 stores the setting values ​​according to the setting operations on the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d) in the HDD 204 or the like, and closes the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d). The cancel button is a button for canceling the setting operations on the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d). When the cancel button is pressed, the CPU 201 discards the settings on the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d), and closes the screens of FIGS. 7(b) to 7(d).

[0109] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when pre-registered Web content is displayed by signage application 300. As shown in FIG. Web content 801 is the display of Web content that signage application 300 has acquired from content server 120. Here, the HTML file indicated by "https: / / guest_webdav / signage.html" according to content setting management table 306 in FIG. 6 is displayed.

[0110] When the user presses the close button 802, the web content 801 is hidden. In the example of Fig. 8, content related to "disaster prevention training notice" is displayed. In this way, by registering notices to employees as web content and displaying them on the image processing device 100 using the signage application 300, it is possible to utilize the web content to support information sharing among employees, control information within the company, and the like.

[0111] Next, the timing of displaying web content will be described. As described above, the flow of the displayed screen differs depending on the settings related to user authentication via the screen shown in Fig. 7. In this embodiment, in order to effectively utilize the image processing device 100 as signage, the difference in the screen flow is taken into consideration and web content is displayed at an appropriate timing according to the settings related to user authentication.

[0112] 9A to 9E are diagrams showing transitions of screens displayed on operation unit 209 when the display of signage application 300 is set to ON. 9A, 9B, and 9C show the screen flow when button 701 is selected on the screen of Fig. 7(a), that is, when the user authentication function is set to ON. This will be explained in detail below.

[0113] Fig. 9A shows the screen flow when button 703 is selected on the screen of Fig. 7(b) and check box 513 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5. In other words, it shows the screen flow when the authentication screen is set to be displayed at the start of operation and the content is set to be displayed after login.

[0114] In this case, when user authentication is successful based on the authentication information entered by the user via authentication screen 901 and login processing is completed, Web content display unit 302 displays screen 801 of signage application 300 on operation unit 209. This screen 801 is the same as the screen shown in Fig. 8. Here, when close button 802 is pressed, screen 801 is hidden and main menu screen 902 is displayed.

[0115] In this way, if the setting is such that the authentication screen is displayed when operation starts and the setting is such that web content is displayed after login, the web content is displayed by signage application 300 at the timing when the user completes login. Therefore, the web content is displayed when the user starts using image processing device 100, which can attract the user's attention and make it possible to effectively inform the user of internal company notices and the like.

[0116] Fig. 9B shows the screen flow when button 703 is selected on the screen of Fig. 7(b) and check box 503 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5. In other words, it shows the screen flow when the authentication screen is set to be displayed when operation starts and the content is set to be displayed after logout / auto-clear. Note that in this example, check box 513 is not selected on the screen of Fig. 5, that is, the content is not set to be displayed after login.

[0117] When the auto-clear transition time elapses without the user operating operation unit 209 and the auto-clear process is performed, Web content display unit 302 displays screen 801 of signage application 300 on operation unit 209. When close button 802 is pressed, screen 801 is hidden and authentication screen 901 is displayed. Note that screen 801 is the same as the screen shown in Fig. 8. When user authentication is successful based on the authentication information entered by the user via authentication screen 901 and the login process is completed, main menu screen 902 is displayed.

[0118] In this way, if the setting is such that the authentication screen is displayed at the start of operation and the setting is such that the web content is displayed after auto-clear is performed, the web content is displayed by signage application 300 at the timing when auto-clear is performed. Therefore, since the web content is displayed before the user operates image processing device 100, the web content is more likely to catch the eye of users who are simply passing by without intending to operate image processing device 100, and a high level of effectiveness as advertising can be expected.

[0119] Figure 9C shows the screen flow when button 704 is selected on the screen of Figure 7(c) and check box 503 is selected on the screen of Figure 5. In other words, it shows the screen flow when the authentication screen is set to be displayed when a function is selected and the content is set to be displayed after logout / auto-clear. Note that in this case, it is assumed that the "Copy," "Use saved files," and "Print" functions are selected as functions requiring authentication, as shown in Figure 7(d).

[0120] In this case, even if user authentication and login processing are completed based on the information entered via authentication screen 901, the screen of signage application 300 is not displayed. Instead, if the auto-clear transition time elapses without the user operating operation unit 209 and the auto-clear processing is performed, screen 801 of signage application 300 is displayed. Then, when close button 802 is pressed, screen 801 is hidden and main menu screen 902 is displayed.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 7B, if the authentication screen is set to be displayed when a function is selected, the web content is not displayed when the user logs in, but is displayed when auto-clear occurs. Here, even if the authentication screen is set to be displayed when a function is selected, let us assume that the web content is displayed when the user logs in, just as it would be when the authentication screen is set to be displayed when operation starts. In this case, if a function requiring user authentication is selected by the user, the web content is displayed. On the other hand, if a function not requiring user authentication is selected, login is not performed, and the web content is not displayed. For example, consider a user who frequently uses the "scan and save" function, which does not require user authentication, but rarely uses the "copy" function, which does require user authentication. If the setting to display web content when auto-clear occurs is not configured, such a user would rarely have the opportunity to view the web content. However, if the setting to display web content when auto-clear occurs is configured, even such a user would view the web content the first time they operate the operation unit 209 after auto-clear. Therefore, regardless of the function being used, the image processing device 100 can be used as a promotional terminal while it is in standby mode, and notifications and the like can be effectively communicated to users.

[0122] Fig. 9D shows the screen flow when button 702 is selected on the screen of Fig. 7(a) and check box 503 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5. In other words, it shows the screen flow when the user authentication function is set to OFF and the content is set to be displayed after logout / auto-clear.

[0123] In this case, as in the case of FIG. 9C, screen 801 of signage application 300 is displayed at the timing when auto-clear occurs. In this way, even if the user authentication function is set not to be used, the image processing device 100 can be effectively used as signage by setting it to display web content when auto-clear occurs.

[0124] Fig. 9E shows the screen flow when check box 523 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5. In other words, it shows the screen flow when the content is set to be displayed when printing starts.

[0125] When the user selects the "Print" function on main menu screen 902, print screen 905 is displayed. When the user performs a print start operation in this state, if check box 523 is checked on the screen in Fig. 5, Web content display unit 302 displays screen 801 of signage application 300 on operation unit 209. Then, when close button 802 is pressed, screen 801 is hidden and print screen 905 is displayed.

[0126] On the other hand, when the user performs a print start operation while print screen 905 is displayed, if check box 523 on the screen of Figure 5 is not checked, screen 801 of signage application 300 will not be displayed. Furthermore, when the start of a print job is accepted while print screen 905 is not displayed, screen 801 of signage application 300 is not displayed.

[0127] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an error screen 1001 displayed on operation unit 209 when signage application 300 detects an error at the timing of displaying Web content. The details of the detected error are displayed in error message display area 1002 of error screen 1001. In the example of Fig. 10, when a communication error is detected, an error message is displayed to notify the user of a "communication error." The error types for which signage application 300 displays an error screen are not limited to this, and error messages corresponding to multiple error types, as described in Fig. 11, for example, are displayed in error message display area 1002.

[0128] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an error management table 1100 for managing errors that occur when displaying Web content. The error management table 1100 may be stored in the HDD 204 of the image processing device 100, or may be stored in the content server 120.

[0129] 1101 indicates an error code for determining the detected error, and 1102 indicates the error type corresponding to the error code. 1103 corresponds to a "file not found error" that occurs when, for example, when retrieving web content according to the file path entered in text box 505 in FIG. 5, retrieval of the web content fails for reasons such as the web content not existing.

[0130] 1104 corresponds to an "authentication error" that occurs when, for example, authentication is applied to the file path entered in text box 505, authentication is performed according to the input in text box 506 and text box 507, and authentication fails.

[0131] 1105 corresponds to a "communication error" that occurs when a network failure or the like occurs during acquisition of Web content from the content server 120 and the acquisition of Web content fails. 1106 corresponds to an error other than 1103 to 1105 or 1107 to 1109, and corresponds to a "system error" that occurs in a case not anticipated by signage application 300 due to a malfunction of image processing device 100 or the like.

[0132] 1107 corresponds to a "data size over error" that occurs when the data size of a predetermined content exceeds the upper limit value that can be acquired when acquiring Web content. 1108 corresponds to a “format mismatch error” that occurs when the acquired Web content is not in a format that can be displayed on the Web content display unit 302 . 1109 corresponds to an "auto-clear time error" in which an auto-clear transition time (not shown) is set to a certain time or less, and an error occurs in which web content cannot be displayed when an auto-clear event is detected.

[0133] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating HTTP request 1200 sent from image processing device 100 to content server 120 when the type of content displayed by signage application 300 is set to HTML and a signage display trigger occurs.

[0134] In the HTTP request 1200, a request line 1201 is made up of a method 1202, a request target 1203, and an HTTP version 1204. In the request target 1203, one of the content paths 608, 618, and 628 is set. Detailed information about the request is described in the header 1205, and the contents can be changed depending on the request. In this embodiment, information about a user name 1206 and a domain name 1207 is added.

[0135] In the user name 1206, the user name obtained when authentication by the authentication processing unit 308 of the image processing device 100 is successful is entered. In the domain name 1207, the domain name obtained when authentication by the authentication processing unit 308 of the image processing device 100 is successful is entered. The user name 1206 and domain name 1207 enable the content server 120 to acquire user attributes from the image processing device 100 .

[0136] When the content server 120 receives an HTTP request 1200 from the image processing device 100, it analyzes the contents of the request and registers the analysis results in a content management table 1500 such as that shown in FIG.

[0137] 15 is a diagram showing an example of a content management table 1500 that manages information acquired by the content server 120 from an HTTP request received from the image processing device 100. The content management table 1500 is stored in a storage device such as an HDD of the content server.

[0138] In the content management table 1500, the date and time 1501 registers the date and time when the request was received. The content path 1502 registers the request target 1203 of the HTTP request 1200. The user name 1503 registers the user name 1206 of the HTTP request 1200. The domain name 1504 registers the domain name 1207 of the HTTP request 1200. Note that if the information of the user name 1206 and domain name 1207 of the HTTP request 1200 is not added, as shown in No. 3 in Fig. 15 , no registration is made to the user name 1503 and domain name 1504 in the content management table 1500.

[0139] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an HTTP response 1300 sent from the content server 120 to the image processing device 100 in response to the HTTP request 1200 shown in FIG. In the HTTP response 1300 , a status line 1301 is made up of an HTTP version 1302 and a status 1303 . The header 1304 is detailed information about the response and can be changed.

[0140] Body 1305 contains information such as HTML and images. In this embodiment, content server 120 references content management table 1500, acquires domain name 1504 of the corresponding data, and changes body 1305 of HTTP response 1300 according to the user attributes. For example, the contents of body 1305 of HTTP response 1300 and body 1307 of HTTP response 1306 are changed according to the user attributes. Specifically, body 1305 of HTTP response 1300 contains "Today's schedule for person 15011," and body 1307 of HTTP response 1306 contains "Today's schedule for person 32090." The configuration for changing the contents of the body according to the user attributes will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4, which will be described later.

[0141] FIG. 14 shows an example of a screen when signage application 300 displays content that varies depending on user attributes. The content screen 1400 is a screen that is displayed when the image processing device 100 receives the HTTP response 1300, and displays the contents of the body 1305 of the HTTP response 1300. A content screen 1401 is a screen that is displayed when the image processing apparatus 100 receives the HTTP response 1306, and displays the contents of the body 1307 of the HTTP response 1306.

[0142] Signage application 300 in image processing device 100 can display different content for each user by receiving a response that content server 120 has modified according to the user attributes.

[0143] 4A to 4C are flowcharts showing an example of processing in which image processing device 100 receives content according to user attributes from content server 120 and a signage application displays the content in the first embodiment. In the flowcharts of each figure, the processing of image processing device 100 is realized by CPU 201 in image processing device 100 reading and executing a control program stored in ROM 202 or HDD 204. The processing of content server 120 is realized by a CPU of a computer (not shown) constituting content server 120 reading and executing a control program stored in a storage device such as an HDD. Hereinafter, FIGS. 4A to 4C will be simply referred to as "FIG. 4."

[0144] FIG. 4(a) shows the overall process of providing content according to user attributes between image processing device 100 and content server 120, and having a signage application display the content. In S401, the CPU 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 performs a Web content display trigger issuing process. The process of S401 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0145] FIG. 4(b) shows the process of receiving a Web content display event and determining whether to issue a Web content display trigger in accordance with the values ​​set in 503 to 532 in FIG. In S421, the CPU 201 determines whether the event receiving unit 307 has received a login event or a logout event from the authentication processing unit 308, an auto-clear event from the auto-clear processing unit 309, or a print job start event from the print management unit 310. If none of the events has been received (No in S421), the CPU 201 returns the process to S421 and continues monitoring for event reception. On the other hand, if any of the events has been received (Yes in S421), the CPU 201 advances the process to S422.

[0146] In S422, the CPU 201 determines whether the event received in S421 is a login event. If it is a login event (Yes in S422), the CPU 201 proceeds to S423.

[0147] In S423, CPU 201 obtains the setting value corresponding to key 613 from content setting management table 306 using content management unit 305, and determines whether the setting for displaying web content after login is ON. If the setting for displaying web content after login is not ON (No in S423), CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. 4(b). On the other hand, if the setting to display Web content after login is ON (Yes in S423), CPU 201 advances the process to S424.

[0148] In S424, the CPU 201 determines whether the display setting of the authentication screen is set to display the authentication screen when an operation starts, using the authentication processing unit 308. If the setting is not to display the authentication screen when an operation starts (No in S424), that is, if the setting is to display the authentication screen when a function is selected, the CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. On the other hand, if the setting is such that the authentication screen is displayed when the operation is started (Yes in S424), CPU 201 advances the process to S434. Note that the process from S434 onwards will be described later.

[0149] Furthermore, in S422 above, if the CPU 201 determines that the event received in S421 above is not a login event (No in S422), the process proceeds to S425. In S425, the CPU 201 determines whether the event received in S421 is a logout event. If the event received in S421 is a logout event (Yes in S425), the CPU 201 proceeds to S426.

[0150] In S426, CPU 201 obtains the setting value corresponding to key 603 from content setting management table 306 using content management unit 305, and determines whether the setting to display Web content after logout / auto-clear is ON. If the setting to display Web content after logout / auto-clear is not ON (No in S426), CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. 4(b). On the other hand, if the setting to display the Web content after logout / auto-clear is ON (Yes in S426), the CPU 201 proceeds to S427.

[0151] In S427, the CPU 201 determines whether the display setting of the authentication screen is set to display the authentication screen when an operation starts, using the authentication processing unit 308. If the setting is not to display the authentication screen when an operation starts (No in S427), that is, if the setting is to display the authentication screen when a function is selected, the CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. On the other hand, if the setting is such that the authentication screen is displayed when the operation is started (Yes in S427), CPU 201 advances the process to S434.

[0152] Furthermore, in S425 above, if the CPU 201 determines that the event received in S421 above is not a logout event (No in S425), the process proceeds to S428. In S428, the CPU 201 determines whether the event received in S421 is an auto-clear event. If it is an auto-clear event (Yes in S428), the CPU 201 proceeds to S429.

[0153] In S429, CPU 201, via content management unit 305, obtains a setting value corresponding to key 603 from content setting management table 306, and determines whether the setting to display Web content after logout / auto-clear is ON. If the setting to display Web content after logout / auto-clear is not ON (No in S429), CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. 4(b). On the other hand, if the setting to display the Web content after logout / auto-clear is ON (Yes in S429), the CPU 201 proceeds to S430.

[0154] In S430, the CPU 201 determines, via the authentication processing unit 308, whether the display setting for the authentication screen is such that the authentication screen is displayed when a function is selected, or whether user authentication is disabled. If the setting is neither such that the authentication screen is displayed when a function is selected, nor such that user authentication is disabled, that is, if the setting is such that the authentication screen is displayed when an operation is started (No in S430), the CPU 201 ends the processing of Fig. 4(b). Note that, although not shown in Fig. 4(b), even if the setting is No in S430, if the check box 513 on the screen of Fig. 5 is not selected, that is, if the setting is not such that content is displayed after login, the processing exceptionally proceeds to S434. On the other hand, if the setting is such that an authentication screen is displayed when a function is selected, or if the setting is such that user authentication is disabled (Yes in S430), the CPU 201 proceeds to S434.

[0155] Furthermore, in S428 above, if the CPU 201 determines that the event received in S421 above is not an auto-clear event (No in S428), the CPU 201 advances the process to S431.

[0156] In S431, the CPU 201 determines whether the event received in S421 is a print start event. If the event received in S421 is not a print start event (No in S431), the CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. 4(b). On the other hand, if the event received in S421 is a print start event (Yes in S431), the CPU 201 advances the process to S432.

[0157] In S432, the CPU 201 determines whether the display at the start of printing is ON by obtaining the setting value corresponding to the key 623 from the content setting management table 306 using the content management unit 305. If the display at the start of printing is OFF (No in S432), the CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. On the other hand, if the display at the start of printing is ON (Yes in S432), the CPU 201 advances the process to S433.

[0158] In S433, the CPU 201 determines whether the print screen 905 is displayed on the operation unit 209 by the screen control unit 303. If the print screen 905 is not displayed (No in S433), the CPU 201 ends the processing in FIG. On the other hand, if the print screen 905 is displayed (Yes in S433), the CPU 201 advances the process to S434.

[0159] In S434, CPU 201 issues a signage display trigger and ends the processing of FIG. 4(b). When the process in FIG. 4B is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S402 in FIG.

[0160] In S402, the CPU 201 creates a request when the setting values ​​of the keys 604, 614, and 624 in the content setting management table 306 are set to HTTP / WebDAV and HTML is set to the keys 608, 618, and 628. The creation of an HTTP request will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4(c).

[0161] In FIG. 4(c), first, in a step not shown, CPU 201 generates information for HTTP request 1200 as shown in FIG. 12 (information other than 1206 and 1207), and proceeds to S411. Note that in request target 1203, content path 618 is set if the signage display trigger is generated by login, content path 608 if the signage display trigger is generated by logout or auto-clear, and content path 628 if the signage display trigger is generated by print start. Note that the information for HTTP request 1200 (information other than 1206 and 1207) may be created in advance, and in this case, the content path corresponding to the event that generated the signage display trigger is acquired as set in request target 1203.

[0162] In S411, the CPU 201 determines whether authentication has been performed by the authentication processing unit 308 of the image processing device 100. If authentication has not been performed (No in S411), the CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. On the other hand, if authentication has been performed (Yes in S411), the CPU 201 advances the process to S412.

[0163] In step S412, the CPU 201 acquires the user name and domain name of the user who has been successfully authenticated from the authentication processing unit 308 as user attributes. Next, in step S413, the CPU 201 assigns (sets) the user attributes acquired in step S412 to the user name 1206 and domain name 1207 of the HTTP request 1200, and ends the processing of FIG. 4(c). When the process of FIG. 4C is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S403 of FIG.

[0164] In S403, the CPU 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 transmits the HTTP request 1200 created in S402 to the content server 120. When the content server 120 receives the HTTP request 1200 transmitted from the image processing device 100 (S407), the process proceeds to S408.

[0165] In S408, the content server 120 analyzes the HTTP request 1200 received in S407. The analysis of the HTTP request will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0166] In S414 of FIG. 4(d), the content server 120 acquires the user name 1206 and domain name 1207 from the header 1205 of the HTTP request 1200, and the content path (request target 1203) from the request target 1203. Next, in S415, the content server 120 stores the user attributes and content path acquired in S414 in the content management table 1500, and ends the processing of FIG. 4(d). When the process of FIG. 4(d) is completed, the content server 120 advances the process to S409 of FIG. 4(a).

[0167] In S409, the content server 120 creates an HTTP response such as 1300 or 1306 in Fig. 13. The creation of an HTTP response will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 4(e).

[0168] In S416, the content server 120 acquires the content corresponding to the content path 1502 in the content management table 1500 whose information was saved in S408 above, and uses this to create an HTTP response such as 1300 or 1306 in Fig. 13. However, at this point, it is assumed that the content according to the user attributes is not included.

[0169] Next, in S417, the content server 120 determines whether user attributes are stored in the user name 1503 and domain name 1504 of the content management table 1500 whose information was stored in S408 above. If user attributes are not stored in the user name 1503 and domain name 1504 of the content management table 1500 (No in S417), the content server 120 ends the processing of FIG. 4(e).

[0170] On the other hand, if the user attributes are stored in the user name 1503 and domain name 1504 of the content management table 1500 (Yes in S417), the content server 120 advances the process to S418.

[0171] In S418, the content server 120 acquires content suitable for the user according to the user attributes. In the example of Fig. 13, schedule data corresponding to the user attributes is pre-registered in the content server 120, and in S418, the schedule data corresponding to the user attributes is acquired from the pre-registered information. Note that a content acquisition destination according to the user attributes may be set in advance in the content server 120, and the content corresponding to the user attributes may be acquired from the acquisition destination. For example, a table linking user attributes with content (paths) corresponding to the user attributes may be registered in the content server 120, and the actual content corresponding to the user attributes in the table may be stored in another server (e.g., a DB server, etc.).

[0172] Next, in S419, the content server 120 reflects the content acquired in S418 above in the body of the HTTP response (bodies 1305 and 1307 in the example of FIG. 13), modifies the HTTP response, and ends the processing of FIG. 4(e). When the process of FIG. 4(e) is completed, the content server 120 advances the process to S410 of FIG. 4(a).

[0173] In S410, the content server 120 transmits the HTTP response generated in S419, such as 1300 and 1306 in FIG. When the CPU 201 of the image processing device 100 receives the HTTP response from the content server 120 (S404), the process proceeds to S405.

[0174] In S405, CPU 201 analyzes the HTTP response received in S404 above using signage application 300. Analysis of the HTTP response will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0175] In S420 of Fig. 4(f), CPU 201 analyzes the HTTP response status (1301 in the example of Fig. 13), header (1304 in the example of Fig. 13), and body (1305 and 1307 in the example of Fig. 13) and confirms the content to be displayed. After S420, CPU 201 ends the processing of Fig. 4(f). When the process of FIG. 4(f) is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S406 of FIG. 4(a).

[0176] In S406, CPU 201 causes signage application 300 to display content corresponding to the HTTP response on operation unit 209, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0177] Next, a specific example will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. As specific example 1 and specific example 2, content display when signage application 300 is set to display content at login will be described.

[0178] As specific example 1, we will explain the case where a user with the user name "15011" and domain name "domain111" logs in to the image processing device 100 with check box 513 checked and radio button 514 selected for HTTP / WebDAV.

[0179] A user with username "15011" and domain name "domain111" logs in to image processing device 100. If authentication processing unit 308 of image processing device 100 is successful in authentication, signage application 300 adds username 1206 "15011" and domain name 1207 "domain111" to HTTP request 1200 and transmits it to content server 120.

[0180] The content server 120 analyzes the received HTTP request, acquires the attributes of the user name “15011” and the domain name “domain111” from the HTTP request, and stores them in “No. 1” of the content management table 1500 . The content server 120 references the information in the saved content management table and acquires the username 1503, domain name 1504, and content path 1502 of "No. 1." Furthermore, the content server 120 acquires content according to the user attributes of the username 1503 "15011" and the domain name 1504 "domain111." The content server 120 then reflects the acquired content in the body 1305 of the HTTP response 1300. As an example, the body 1305 describes content related to "Today's schedule for username 15011."

[0181] Furthermore, the content server 120 transmits the created HTTP response to the image processing device 100. Signage application 300 of image processing device 100 analyzes the HTTP response received from content server 120 and displays content screen 1400 on operation unit 209.

[0182] As specific example 2, we will explain the case where a user with the username "32090" and domain name "domain111" logs in to the image processing device 100 with check box 513 in Figure 5 checked and radio button 514 selected for HTTP / WebDAV.

[0183] A user with the user name "32090" and the domain name "domain111" logs in to image processing device 100. If authentication is successful in authentication processing unit 308 of image processing device 100, signage application 300 adds user name 1206 "32090" and domain name 1207 "domain111" to HTTP request 1200 and sends it to content server 120. The content server 120 analyzes the received HTTP request, acquires the attributes of the user name “32090” and the domain name “domain111” from the HTTP request, and stores them in “No. 2” of the content management table 1500 .

[0184] The content server 120 references the information in the saved content management table and acquires the username 1503 and domain name 1504 of "No. 2." Furthermore, the content server 120 acquires content according to the user attributes of the username 1503 "32090" and the domain name "domain111." The content server 120 then reflects the acquired content in the body 1307 of the HTTP response 1306. As an example, the body 1307 describes content related to "Today's schedule for username 32090."

[0185] Furthermore, the content server 120 transmits the created HTTP response to the image processing device 100. Signage application 300 of image processing device 100 analyzes the HTTP response received from content server 120 and displays content screen 1401 on operation unit 209 .

[0186] In the above-described specific examples 1 and 2, when HTML content is displayed by signage application 300 at login, the content can be changed depending on the user.

[0187] Next, as a specific example 3, content display when signage application 300 is set to display content upon logout will be described. 5, a case will be described in which a user with user name "15011" and domain name "domain111" performs a logout operation on image processing device 100 with check box 503 checked and radio button 504 selected for HTTP / WebDAV. In this case, authentication processing unit 308 of image processing device 100 fails to acquire user attributes. Therefore, signage application 300 transmits HTTP request 1200 to content server 120 without adding user attributes to user name 1206 and domain name 1207.

[0188] The content server 120 analyzes the received HTTP request and stores the attributes of the HTTP request other than the user name and domain name in “No. 3” of the content management table 1500 .

[0189] The content server 120 references the information in the stored management table and acquires the user name 1503 and domain name 1504 of "No. 3." In this case, since the user attributes (user name 1503, domain name 1504) are empty, the content server 120 does not change the header of the HTTP response and sends the created HTTP response to the image processing device 100. Furthermore, the content server 120 transmits the created HTTP response to the image processing device 100.

[0190] Signage application 300 of image processing device 100 analyzes the HTTP response received from content server 120 and displays the content screen on operation unit 209. If there is no change in the HTTP response, the content screen set in 608 in content setting management table 306 is displayed on operation unit 209.

[0191] In the third specific example, when user attributes cannot be acquired by authentication depending on the timing when signage application 300 displays content, the example has been described in which content that has been set in advance in the content setting management table by the content manager is displayed.

[0192] As described above, in the first embodiment, when the user operating image processing device 100 is identified, image processing device 100 requests content from content server 120, and includes information about the user in the request, and content customized by content server 120 according to the user information is received from content server 120 and displayed. This enables signage application 300 to appropriately change and display the content according to the timing at which the content is displayed and the user attributes.

[0193] Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, content display by signage application 300 when check box 537 in FIG. 5 is checked and a restriction on notification of user information from image processing device 100 to content server 120 is set will be described.

[0194] The content screen 1401 shown in FIG. 14 of the first embodiment is a screen displayed when the image processing device 100 receives the HTTP response 1306, and displays the contents of the body 1305 of the HTTP response 1300. As described in the first embodiment, the signage application 300 of the image processing device 100 transmits a request including user attributes to the content server 120 and receives a response from the content server 120 that has been modified according to the user attributes. This makes it possible to display different content for each user. Note that if the check box 537 in FIG. 5 is checked, the signage application 300 of the image processing device 100 transmits a request that does not include user attributes to the content server 120. In this case, the signage application 300 receives a response from the content server 120 to which the user attributes have not been applied, and displays content that is not specific to the user. This process will be described in the second embodiment.

[0195] 16A and 16B are flowcharts showing an example of processing in the second embodiment in which image processing device 100 receives content from content server 120 and a signage application displays the content. In the flowcharts of each figure, the processing of image processing device 100 is realized by CPU 201 in image processing device 100 reading and executing a control program stored in ROM 202 or HDD 204. The processing of content server 120 is realized by a CPU of a computer (not shown) constituting content server 120 reading and executing a control program stored in a storage device such as an HDD. Hereinafter, FIGS. 16A and 16B will be simply referred to as "FIG. 16."

[0196] FIG. 16(a) shows the overall process of providing content between image processing device 100 and content server 120, and displaying the content by a signage application. In S1601, the CPU 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 performs a Web content display trigger issuing process. The process of S1601 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4B, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0197] Next, in S402, the CPU 201 creates a request if the setting values ​​of the keys 604, 614, and 624 in the content setting management table 306 are set to HTTP / WebDAV and HTML is set to the keys 608, 618, and 628. The creation of an HTTP request will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 16(c).

[0198] In FIG. 16C, first, in a step not shown, the CPU 201 generates information of the HTTP request 1200 (information other than 1206 and 1207) as shown in FIG. 12, and proceeds to S1611. In S1611, CPU 201 determines whether the setting for restricting user information notification set in key 634 in content setting management table 306 is set to ON. If the setting for restricting user information notification is set to ON (Yes in S1611), CPU 201 proceeds to S1612.

[0199] In S1612, CPU 201 determines whether the server address for which information notification is permitted, set in key 635 in content setting management table 306, matches the set content path. The set content path here is content path 618 if the signage display trigger is generated by login, content path 608 if the signage display trigger is generated by logout or auto-clear, and content path 628 if the signage display trigger is generated by the start of printing. If the server address and the content path do not match (No in S1612), CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. 16(c).

[0200] On the other hand, if the setting for restricting user information notification is set to OFF (No in step S1611), the CPU 201 advances the process to step S1613.

[0201] Note that S1613 to S1615 are the same processes as S411 to S413 in FIG. 4(c) of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. When the process of FIG. 16C is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S1603 of FIG. 16A. Moreover, the processing of S1603 to S1610 is the same as the processing of S403 to S410 in FIG. 4(a) of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0202] As described above, in the second embodiment, it is possible to further restrict the servers to which user information is notified, thereby strengthening security.

[0203] Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, content server 120 can determine the viewing state of requested content and respond with the determination result, and content that has been viewed once will not be redisplayed by signage application 300.

[0204] In the third embodiment, content server 120 refers to content management table 1500, and if data matching content path 1502, user name 1503, and domain name 1504 has already been registered, content server 120 adds viewing information to the response and transmits it to image processing device 100. The viewing information is information indicating that the content has been viewed by image processing device 100. Image processing device 100 refers to the viewing information in the received response, and if it determines that the content has been viewed, it does not re-display the content on signage application 300. This process will be described below.

[0205] 17A and 17B are flowcharts showing an example of processing in the third embodiment in which image processing device 100 receives content from content server 120 and a signage application controls content display. In the flowcharts of each figure, the processing of image processing device 100 is realized by CPU 201 in image processing device 100 reading and executing a control program stored in ROM 202 or HDD 204. The processing of content server 120 is realized by a CPU of a computer (not shown) constituting content server 120 reading and executing a control program stored in a storage device such as an HDD. Hereinafter, FIGS. 17A and 17B will be simply referred to as "FIG. 17."

[0206] FIG. 17(a) shows the overall process of providing content between image processing device 100 and content server 120, and controlling the display of the content by a signage application. First, the processes of S1701 to S1703 and S1708 to S1709 are the same as the processes of S401 to S403 and S407 to S408 in FIG. 4(a) of the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0207] In S1710, the content server 120 creates an HTTP response. The creation of the HTTP response will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

[0208] In S1717 of Fig. 17(e), the content server 120 acquires the content corresponding to the content path 1502 in the content management table 1500 whose information was saved in S1709, and uses this to create an HTTP response such as 1900 of Fig. 19. However, at this point, it is assumed that the content according to the user attributes is not included.

[0209] Next, in S1718, the content server 120 refers to the content management table 1500 to determine whether the requested content information has already been registered. An example of the content management table 1500 is shown in Fig. 18. Here, in S1709 of Fig. 17(a), it is assumed that the information of the HTTP request received in S1708 is registered in "No. 4" in the content management table 1500, as shown in Fig. 18.

[0210] In S1718, it is determined whether data matching the content path 1502, user name 1503, and domain name 1504 of "No. 4" has been registered before the date and time 1501 of "No. 4" in the content management table 1500 shown in Fig. 18. In the content management table 1500 of Fig. 18, "No. 1" corresponds to the data matching "No. 4," and it can be determined that this request has already been registered.

[0211] If the requested content information has already been registered in the content management table 1500 (Yes in S1718), the content server 120 proceeds to S1719.

[0212] In S1719, the content server 120 sets the browsing information in the header of the HTTP response to "true." This HTTP response will be described with reference to FIG. 19, a Disp-Flag 1902 indicating viewing information is set in a header 1901. In S1719, the content server 120 sets "true" to the Disp-Flag 1902 ("Disp-Flag: true"), and proceeds to S1721.

[0213] If the requested content information has not yet been registered in the content management table 1500 (No in S1718), the content server 120 proceeds to S1720. In S1720, the content server 120 sets the browsing information in the header section of the HTTP response to "false" or blank ("Disp-Flag: false" or "Disp-Flag: "), and proceeds to S1721.

[0214] Note that S1721 to S1723 are the same processes as S417 to S419 in FIG. 4(e) of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. When the process of FIG. 17(e) is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S1711 of FIG. 17(a). Furthermore, the processes of S1711 and S1704 are the same as the processes of S410 and S404 in FIG. 4(a) of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0215] Next, in step S1705, the CPU 201 analyzes the HTTP response. The analysis of the HTTP response will be described with reference to FIG. In step S1724 of FIG. 17(f), the CPU 201 analyzes the status, header (1901 in the example of FIG. 19), and body (1903 in the example of FIG. 13) of the HTTP response. Next, in step S1725, the CPU 201 acquires the Disp-Flag 1902 from the header 1901, and ends the processing of FIG. 17(f). When the process of FIG. 17(f) ends, the CPU 201 advances the process to S1706 of FIG. 17(a).

[0216] In S1706, the CPU 201 determines whether the Disp-Flag 1902 acquired in S1705 above is set to "true" ("Disp-Flag: true"). If the Disp-Flag 1902 is set to "true" (Yes in S1706), the CPU 201 does not display the content and ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if the Disp-Flag 1902 is not set to "true" ("Disp-Flag: false" or "Disp-Flag:") (No in S1706), the CPU 201 advances the process to S1707. In S1707, CPU 201 causes signage application 300 to display content corresponding to the HTTP response on operation unit 209, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0217] As described above, in the third embodiment, content viewing information is determined by content server 120 and transmitted to the image processing device, allowing the image processing device to determine whether or not to display the content. This makes it possible to handle cases where, for example, signage application 300 does not want to redisplay content that has already been viewed.

[0218] Note that Disp-Flag 1902 may be set to "true" when a specific condition is met, regardless of whether data is registered or not. For example, this may be the case when the number of registrations exceeds a certain number.

[0219] If a certain period of time has passed since Disp-Flag 1902 in the response to a certain request was set to "true," Disp-Flag 1902 may be set to "false" in the response to a request that matches that request. This will be explained using the example of content management table 1500 shown in Figure 18. If a certain period of time has passed since receiving "No. 4," and a request whose content path, user name, and domain name match those of "No. 1" is received again, Disp-Flag 1902 may be set to "false" in the response to that request. Note that Disp-Flag 1902 may be set to "false" under other specific conditions.

[0220] [Fourth embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, a configuration will be described in which image processing device 100 determines the viewing state of content, and once viewed content is not displayed again by signage application 300.

[0221] When image processing device 100 receives an HTTP response from content server 120 and the status is successful, it saves the content information and viewing information (viewed "true") in a content management table managed by image processing device 100. Next, when a signage display trigger is issued in image processing device 100, it determines whether the path acquired from content setting management table 306 matches the content information managed in the content management table of the image processing device. If they match and the viewing information is set to "true," the signage application 300 does not redisplay the content. This is described in detail below using a flowchart.

[0222] 20A and 20B are flowcharts showing an example of processing in the fourth embodiment in which image processing device 100 receives content from content server 120 and a signage application controls content display. In the flowcharts of each figure, the processing of image processing device 100 is realized by CPU 201 in image processing device 100 reading and executing a control program stored in ROM 202 or HDD 204. The processing of content server 120 is realized by a CPU of a computer (not shown) constituting content server 120 reading and executing a control program stored in a storage device such as an HDD. Hereinafter, FIGS. 20A and 20B will be simply referred to as "FIG. 20."

[0223] FIG. 20(a) shows the overall process of providing content between image processing device 100 and content server 120, and controlling the display of the content by a signage application. In S2001, the CPU 201 of the image processing apparatus 100 performs a Web content display trigger issuing process. The process of S2001 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4B in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0224] Next, in S2002, CPU 201 acquires content path 608, 618, or 628 corresponding to the signage display trigger from content setting management table 306. If the signage display trigger is caused by login, content path 618 is acquired; if the signage display trigger is caused by logout or auto-clear, content path 608 is acquired; and if the signage display trigger is caused by the start of printing, content path 628 is acquired.

[0225] Next, in step S2003, the CPU 201 refers to the content management table 2100 managed by the image processing apparatus 100 and acquires information. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a content management table 2100 managed by the image processing apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment.

[0226] The content management table 2100 is a table for saving content information and viewing status when the status of the HTTP response received from the content server 120 (1303 in the example of FIG. 13) is successful (OK).

[0227] In the content management table 2100, the date and time 2101 is an item for storing the date and time when the response status became successful (OK). The content path 2102 is an item for storing the path of the content displayed by the signage application 300. The content path 2102 stores a path that matches the content path 608, 618, or 628 in the content setting management table 306. The user name 2103 and the domain name 2104 are items for storing the user name and domain name of a user who has been successfully authenticated by the image processing device 100. The viewing information 2105 is an item for setting whether or not the content has been viewed if the status is successful (OK) when an HTTP response is received from the content server 120. If the content has been viewed, "true" is set. However, the setting of whether or not the content has been viewed is not limited to when the status is successful (OK), and other conditions may also be used. For example, the viewing information 2105 may be set to "true" if the status has been successful a certain number of times or if a certain period of time has passed.

[0228] Next, in S2004, CPU 201 determines whether a path matching the content path acquired in S2002 exists in content path 2102 of content management table 2100 acquired in S2003. If a matching path does not exist (No in S2004), CPU 201 proceeds to S2006.

[0229] On the other hand, if a path matching the content path acquired in S2002 exists in the content path 2102 of the content management table 2100 acquired in S2003 (No in S2004), the CPU 201 advances the process to S2005.

[0230] In S2005, the CPU 201 determines whether the value of the browsing information 2105 of the record determined in S2004 to have a matching content path is set to "true." For example, in the case of "No. 1" in the content management table 2100, the browsing information 2105 is set to "true," so the determination is "Yes." In the case of "No. 2" in the content management table 2100, the browsing information 2105 is not set, so the determination is "No."

[0231] If the value of viewing information 2105 is set to "true" (Yes in S2005), CPU 201 does not display the content in signage application 300, and ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if the value of the viewing information 2105 is not set to "true" (No in S2005), the CPU 201 advances the process to S2006.

[0232] The processes of S2006 to S2007, S2008 to S2011, and S2012 are the same as the processes of S402 to S403, S407 to S410, and S405 in FIG. 4(a) of the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0233] Next, in S2013, CPU 201 analyzes the HTTP response in signage application 300. Analysis of the HTTP response will be described with reference to FIG.

[0234] In S2024 of FIG. 20(f), the CPU 201 analyzes the contents of the HTTP response status (1301 in the example of FIG. 13), header (1304 in the example of FIG. 13), and body (1305 and 1307 in the example of FIG. 13) and confirms the content to be displayed.

[0235] Next, in S2025, the CPU 201 checks whether the status of the HTTP response (1303 in the example of FIG. 13) is "OK." If the status is not "OK" (No in S2025), the CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. 20(f). On the other hand, if the status is "OK" (No in S2025), the CPU 201 advances the process to S2026.

[0236] In S2026, the CPU 201 saves content information and viewing information in the content management table 2100 of the image processing device 100. For example, the CPU 201 writes and saves the date and time 2101, content path 2102, user name 2103, domain name 2104, and viewing information 2105 in "No. 1" of the content management table 2100. Note that the viewing information 2105 is set to "true" indicating that the content has been viewed. After S2026, the CPU 201 ends the processing of FIG. 20(f). When the process of FIG. 20(f) is completed, the CPU 201 advances the process to S2014 of FIG. 4(a).

[0237] In S2014, CPU 201 causes signage application 300 to display content corresponding to the HTTP response on operation unit 209, and ends the processing of this flowchart.

[0238] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the image processing device 100 can determine the content viewing information and determine whether or not to display the content. This makes it possible to deal with cases where, for example, the signage application 300 does not want to redisplay content that has already been viewed.

[0239] Although the fourth embodiment describes processing when the content type is HTML, when the image processing device 100 determines the viewing information, the content type may be other than HTML. In this case, for example, the processing of S2025 in FIG. 20(f) may be configured to determine whether display was successful using another method rather than determining the HTTP response status. For example, consider a case where the setting values ​​of keys 604, 614, and 624 in the content setting management table 306 are set to SMB, and content paths such as jpg are set in 605, 615, and 625. In this case, if the image processing device 100 is able to acquire content from the content paths set in 605, 615, 625, etc., it may also store "true" in the viewing information 2105 of the content management table 2100 of the image processing device 100. With this configuration, the viewing status can be managed for all content without any restrictions on the content type, and the signage application 300 can determine whether the content is displayed.

[0240] In the above embodiments, the content is displayed on the operation unit 209. However, when a user uses a remote desktop function to log in to the image processing device 100 from the client PC 102, the content is displayed on the operation screen of the remote desktop.

[0241] In addition, although the image processing device 100 having multiple functions such as a copy function and a scanner function has been described as an example in each of the above embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to image processing devices having only some of these functions (scanner devices, facsimile devices, printer devices, etc.).The present invention can also be applied to other information processing devices such as personal computers, PDAs, mobile phones, cameras, video cameras, other image viewers, and various network home appliances.

[0242] As described above, according to each embodiment, it is possible to identify a user who uses the image processing device 100, etc., obtain optimal content for the user from the content server 120, etc., and display the content on the image processing device 100, etc. In other words, even in an environment where multiple users use one device, such as an image processing device, it is possible to realize a signage function that provides optimal content for the user.

[0243] It goes without saying that the configurations and contents of the various data described above are not limited to those described above, and that the data may be configured in various configurations and contents depending on the application and purpose. Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus made up of a single device. Furthermore, the present invention also includes any combination of the above embodiments.

[0244] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the 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 realizes one or more functions. Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of multiple devices, or to an apparatus made up of a single device. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. In other words, all configurations that combine the above-described embodiments and their modifications are included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0245] 100 Image processing device 120 Content Server 201 CPU 300 Signage Applications

Claims

1. An image processing device capable of communicating with a server capable of providing content, a control means for requesting content from the server at a specific timing, receiving content provided by the server in response to the request, and displaying the content on an operation unit; an identification unit for identifying a user who is operating the image processing device, The control means receives, from the server storing first content corresponding to a first user and second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, the first content without receiving the second content when the identification means identifies the first user, and receives the second content without receiving the first content when the identification means identifies the second user.

1. An image processing device comprising:

2. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first content includes information relating to a schedule of the first user, and the second content includes information relating to a schedule of the second user.

3. a first setting means for setting the content that can be provided by the server as the content to be displayed at the specific timing; 3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means requests the server for the content set by the first setting means.

4. a second setting means for setting a restriction on notification of information to the server; The image processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the second setting means has set a setting to restrict the notification of the information, the control means does not include information about the user in the request even if the user operating the image processing device is identified.

5. the second setting means is capable of setting an address to which notification of information is permitted; The image processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that the control means includes information about the user operating the image processing device in the request if the address specifying the content requested from the server corresponds to an address that allows notification of the information, even if the setting is to restrict notification of the information, and if the user operating the image processing device is identified.

6. a management unit that manages information about the content displayed on the operation unit under the control of the control unit; The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the control means does not request the content to be displayed when a specific event occurs from the server if the content satisfies predetermined conditions based on management by the management means.

7. 7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the content satisfies the predetermined condition when information displaying the content is managed by the management means.

8. the server manages information on content viewed by the image processing device, and when the server manages information on the requested content viewed by the image processing device, the server is capable of responding to the image processing device with information indicating that the information is managed; The image processing device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control means does not display the content when the server responds in response to the request with information indicating that the requested content is managed by the server and that information on the content viewed by the image processing device is managed by the server.

9. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the specific timing includes at least one of the timing when a user logs in to the image processing device, the timing when a user logs out of the image processing device, the timing when a process is performed to reset the setting values ​​on the screen displayed on the operation unit to their initial values ​​due to no operation being performed on the operation unit for a predetermined period of time, and the timing when printing is started based on a print job accepted while a print screen is displayed on the operation unit.

10. the request is an HTTP request, 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means includes the user information in a header portion of the HTTP request.

11. A server capable of providing content to an image processing device in response to a request from the image processing device, A server characterized by having a providing means for, when the request includes information of a user identified as the user operating the image processing device, providing first content corresponding to the first user without providing second content if the user is identified as a first user, and providing second content corresponding to the second user without providing the first content if the user is identified as a second user different from the first user.

12. The server according to claim 11, characterized in that the providing means uses the user information to obtain content that has been modified in accordance with the user information from the server or another device, and provides the obtained content.

13. a management unit for managing information on content viewed by the image processing device; The server according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the providing means responds to the image processing device with information indicating that the requested content is managed when the server manages information on the content that the image processing device has viewed.

14. A system in which an image processing device and a server capable of providing content to the image processing device can communicate with each other, The image processing device includes: a control means for requesting content from the server at a specific timing, receiving content provided by the server in response to the request, and displaying the content on an operation unit; an identification unit for identifying a user who is operating the image processing device, The server providing means for, when the request includes information of a user identified as the user operating the image processing device, providing first content corresponding to the first user without providing second content if the first user is identified, and providing second content corresponding to the second user without providing the first content if the second user different from the first user is identified, The control means receives the first content from the server, which stores first content corresponding to a first user and second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, without receiving the second content when the identification means identifies the first user, and receives the second content without receiving the first content when the identification means identifies the second user.

15. A control method for an image processing device capable of communicating with a server capable of providing content, comprising: a display control step of requesting content from the server at a specific timing, receiving content provided by the server in response to the request, and displaying the content on an operation unit; The display control step is characterized in that, when the user operating the image processing device is identified as the first user, the server receives the first content from the server, the first content corresponding to a first user and the second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, without receiving the second content, and when the user operating the image processing device is identified as the second user, the server receives the second content from the server, the first content corresponding to a first user and the second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, without receiving the first content.

16. A method for controlling a server capable of providing content to an image processing device in response to a request from the image processing device, comprising: A server control method characterized by having a providing step of, when a request for obtaining content from the image processing device includes information of a user identified as the user operating the image processing device, providing first content corresponding to the first user without providing second content if the first user is identified, and providing second content corresponding to the second user to the image processing device without providing the first content if a second user different from the first user is identified.

17. A control method for a system in which an image processing device and a server capable of providing content to the image processing device can communicate with each other, comprising: The image processing device executes a display control step of requesting content from the server at a specific timing, receiving content provided by the server in response to the request, and displaying the content on an operation unit; The server executes: a providing step of, when the request includes information of a user identified as the user operating the image processing device, providing first content corresponding to the first user without providing second content if the user is identified as a first user, and providing second content corresponding to the second user without providing the first content if the user is identified as a second user different from the first user, A system control method characterized in that, in the display control step, if the user operating the image processing device is identified as the first user, the first content is received from the server that stores first content corresponding to a first user and second content corresponding to a second user different from the first user, without receiving the second content, and if the user operating the image processing device is identified as the second user, the second content is received without receiving the first content.

18. A program for causing a computer of an image processing device to function as each of the means according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

19. A program for causing a server to function as each of the means according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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