electronic machines

Abstract

To more appropriately perform processing requiring a user's permission.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus has: storage means that stores a permission state indicating whether the electronic apparatus receives an operation indicating a user's consent; acquisition means that acquires, from an external apparatus, first information for determining whether the details of permission to obtain consent is updated; and control means that, when the first information acquired by the acquisition means is not information corresponding to the update of the details, on the basis of the occurrence of a specific event in which information is to be transmitted to a transmission destination, performs control to transmit the information to the transmission destination even if there is no user operation after the specific event, and when the first information acquired by the acquisition means is the information corresponding to the update of the details, on the basis of the occurrence of the specific event, performs control to display a receiving screen for receiving the user's consent to the updated details of permission before transmitting the information to the transmission destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, a program, and a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a system is known in which, with the consent of a user, status information of an electronic device is transmitted to a server, and the server analyzes the status information to provide services tailored to the state of the electronic device.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a system in which consent to information transmission is obtained from the user of the multifunction peripheral, and status information is transmitted to a server for use in a service.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a system in which, when updating software, permission for information transmission is obtained from the user again due to the influence of additional functions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7134772 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-162063 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The handling of user information, such as the status information of electronic devices, may change. For example, there are cases where the collection of user information is restricted due to changes in national laws. In order to avoid violating the law, it is necessary to update the permission statement for collecting user information and ask users for their permission again.

[0007] However, in Patent Document 1, even if only the permission text is updated, it is not possible to request the user to give permission again, which may result in the system not being able to operate legally. Also, in a system in which permission is obtained again when updating software, as in Patent Document 2, there is a possibility that the system may not be able to operate legally if the software update is not performed.

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that enables processes that require user permission to be performed more appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Electronic devices ,before A permission status indicating whether or not an operation indicating consent from the user to the permission content that the user gives permission to transmit information from the electronic device to the destination has been accepted. is stored in the storage means. memory Processing to be processed Means and According to the region of the electronic device , there have been updates to the consent that you are required to agree to. Regarding An acquisition unit that acquires first information from an external device, and when the permission state indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted, the acquisition unit of acquisition The situation is, Responding to updates situation If not, After acquiring the first information, the user is not prompted to enter consent to the permission. The information is transmitted to the destination, and when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received, the obtaining means of acquisition situation However, there is an update situation If After the first information is acquired, Before transmitting the information to the destination, the updated The aforementioned and a control means for controlling the display of a reception screen for receiving consent from the user for the permission contents. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, processing that requires user permission can be performed more appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Figure 2] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of permission statements and version control. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an image processing device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for the image processing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the image processing apparatus. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing permission acceptance screen processing. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the transition of a display screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the present embodiment are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these components.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system 100 according to this embodiment. The system 100 includes a service providing server group 101 for providing services, a server 102, a server 103, a web server 104, an image processing device 105, and a mobile terminal 106, which are connected to each other via a communication network 107 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0014] The image processing device 105 is a type of electronic device, and is a printer capable of printing print data on a print medium such as printing paper. From the image processing device 105, various cloud services (Web services) provided by the service providing server group 101 can be used via a communication network 107.

[0015] For example, print data (photos, documents, games such as Sudoku, standard documents such as musical scores and graph paper, paper crafts, calendars, etc.) stored on the cloud (i.e., the service providing server group 101) can be acquired and printed by the image processing device 105. Also, for example, scanned data read by a scanner included in the image processing device 105 can be stored on the cloud or sent by email.

[0016] In order for the image processing device 105 to use a service provided by the service providing server group 101, it is necessary to obtain the user's consent for the transmission of information relating to the use of the service. Therefore, when the image processing device 105 uses a service provided by the service providing server group 101 for the first time (first use), a screen is displayed that allows the user to select whether to agree or disagree (non-agree) with the service consent statement. Then, by accepting the selection of an option corresponding to consent, control is performed so that the user's consent to the service consent statement is obtained.

[0017] An example of the service consent statement is shown in FIG. 2(a). When an operation indicating consent to the service consent statement is performed, it is assumed that the user's consent to the transmission of information related to the use of the service has been obtained. Furthermore, the service consent statement for which consent must be obtained may be updated by an administrator in response to various changes in circumstances, such as the addition of functions to the service or the image processing device 105, or legal amendments. Therefore, the image processing device 105 of this embodiment controls so that consent is obtained again from the user if the service consent statement is updated not only at the first use but also when using a service provided by the service providing server group 101 from the image processing device 105.

[0018] Furthermore, the image processing device 105 transmits information about the usage of the image processing device 105 to a server at a specific timing for use by the service provider in user analysis. The specific timing is, for example, once a month at a specific time on a specific date (regular once a month). It is also necessary to obtain permission from the user for this transmission of information about the usage of the image processing device 105. Therefore, before transmitting the information about the usage from the image processing device 105, a screen is displayed that allows the user to select whether to agree or disagree (non-agree) with the analysis permission statement. Then, by accepting the selection of an option corresponding to agreement, control is exercised so as to obtain the user's consent to the analysis permission statement.

[0019] In this embodiment, control is performed so that the user's consent to the service consent statement and the user's consent to the analysis consent statement are obtained separately. An example of the analysis consent statement is shown in FIG. 2B. When an operation indicating consent to the analysis consent statement is performed, the user's consent to the transmission of information related to the usage status is obtained. Furthermore, the analysis consent statement for which consent is required may be updated by an administrator in response to various changes in circumstances, such as the addition of services or functions to the image processing device 105, or legal amendments. Therefore, the image processing device 105 of this embodiment controls so that consent from the user is obtained again if the analysis consent statement is updated not only at the time of the initial transmission, but also when transmitting information related to the usage status from the image processing device 105 to the server.

[0020] Each time a service license statement and an analysis license statement are updated, a new version number is assigned and managed. Also, as shown in Figure 2(c), a license set version is assigned and managed for each combination of the service license statement and the analysis license statement.

[0021] For example, as shown in the figure, version 1 of the permission set is a combination of version 1 of the service permission wording and version 1 of the analysis permission wording. Version 2 of the permission set is a combination of version 2 of the service permission wording and version 1 of the analysis permission wording. The version of the analysis permission wording is the same (version 1) for versions 1 and 2 of the permission set, but because the service permission versions are different, the version of the permission set is 2, not 1. It is assumed that such version information is recorded in server 102 and server 103.

[0022] The server 103 records and manages the latest versions of permission sets for each region (each country). An example of information recorded on the server 103 is shown in FIG. 2(d). According to FIG. 2(d), for example, the latest permission set for Japan is version 1. Therefore, by comparing this with FIG. 2(c), it can be determined that the service permission language for which consent should currently be obtained in Japan is version 1, and the analysis permission language for which consent should currently be obtained is version 1.

[0023] Also, according to Figure 2(d), for example, the latest permission set in the United States is version 2. Therefore, by comparing it with Figure 2(c), it can be determined that the service permission set version that should currently be agreed to in the United States is version 2, and the analysis permission set version that should currently be agreed to is version 1.

[0024] In this way, by managing different versions of the license language for which consent must be obtained for each region (country) of the world, it is possible to control the system so that consent is obtained for the service license language and the analysis license language that correspond to the server 103 in the region (country) where the image processing device 105 is installed.

[0025] The Web server 104 stores the latest license terms for each region (country) (the service license terms and analysis license terms as shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b)).

[0026] In this embodiment, the server 102 and the server 103 are described as separate servers, but they may be combined into one server.

[0027] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an image processing device 105 according to this embodiment. The image processing device 105 is a type of electronic device, and is a printer capable of executing print processing using a print engine 308, or a print control device that transmits print data to a printer. A CPU 301, program memory 302, data memory 303, communication control unit 304, input interface 305, output interface 306, display unit 307, print engine 308, non-volatile memory 309, and RAM 310 are connected via a bus 311.

[0028] The CPU 301 is a system control unit including at least one processor, and controls the entire image processing device 105. The program memory 302 is a non-volatile storage medium that stores the control program executed by the CPU 301, the embedded operating system program, etc. The data memory 303 stores program control variables, etc., and is provided with various work buffer areas used during processing by the print engine 308.

[0029] The communication control unit 304 controls data transmission and reception with the outside via the communication line 312. The communication control unit 304 is a communication interface such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN. The communication control unit 304 is capable of communicating with the service providing server group 101, the server 102, and the server 103 via the communication line 312 and the communication network 107.

[0030] The input interface 305 is an interface for receiving data input and operational instructions from the user, and is composed of operation members such as a physical keyboard, buttons, a touch panel, etc. Note that the output interface 306 and the input interface 305, which will be described later, may be integrated into a single component, so that the screen output and the reception of operations from the user are performed by the same integrated component. The output interface 306 is an interface that controls the display unit 307 to display data and notify the status of the image processing device 105.

[0031] The display unit 307 is configured with an LED (light emitting diode) or an LCD (liquid crystal display), and is a display that displays data and notifies the status of the image processing device 105. Note that soft keys such as numeric input keys, mode setting keys, a decision key, a cancel key, and a power key may be displayed on the display unit 307, thereby accepting input from the user via the display unit 307.

[0032] The print engine 308 forms (prints) an image on a recording medium such as paper using a recording material such as ink, based on the information stored in the data memory 303 and the received print job, and outputs the print result.

[0033] The non-volatile memory 309 is composed of devices such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. The non-volatile memory 309 is mainly used for the purpose of saving data such as setting values ​​of the image processing device 105 that needs to be retained even when power is not supplied to the image processing device 105.

[0034] The RAM 310 is configured with a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) that requires a backup power supply, etc. The RAM 310 is also used as the main memory and work memory of the CPU 301, and stores various types of information, as well as a reception buffer for temporarily storing print information received from the mobile terminal 106, etc.

[0035] 4(a) to 4(d) show examples of management information on the consent status (permission status) of the permission statement in the image processing device 105, which is saved in the nonvolatile memory 309. The nonvolatile memory 309 is a type of storage unit, and stores management information on the permission status indicating whether an operation indicating the user's consent to the permission content, which indicates that the user is consenting to the transmission of information from the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group (destination) 101, has been accepted.

[0036] The permission status management information stored in the nonvolatile memory 309 includes information indicating whether an operation indicating user permission to transmit information about the image processing device 105 from the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group 101 via the communication network 107 has been accepted. The communication network 107 is, for example, the Internet.

[0037] The recorded state 401 is an example of the initial value of the license status management information when the image processing device 105 is shipped from the factory. Values ​​corresponding to unlicensed status are recorded for both the service license statement and the analysis license statement. Unlicensed status refers to a state in which the user has neither agreed nor disagreed to each license statement. In addition, an initial value indicating that the license statement version does not correspond to any version is recorded. Note that, as information indicating the license status of the service license statement and the analysis license statement, values ​​corresponding to one of three states are recorded, including unlicensed status shown in the recorded state 401, as well as two states corresponding to agreed (licensed) and disagreed (unlicensed).

[0038] Recorded state 402 is a recorded state indicating that the user has agreed to version 1 of the service license language corresponding to license set 1 and has also agreed to version 1 of the analysis license language corresponding to license set 1. For example, this is a recorded state that is recorded when, from the initial state of recorded state 401, at a certain date and time A, the user registers with the cloud service in an attempt to use the service for the first time and performs an operation to agree to both the service license language and the analysis license language. Agree (Agreement) indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted.

[0039] The management information of the permission status of the service permission statement is information indicating whether or not an operation indicating the user's permission to send information regarding the use of the service from the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group 101 via the communication network 107 has been accepted.

[0040] The management information of the permission status of the analysis permission statement is information indicating whether an operation indicating the user's permission to send information regarding the usage status of the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group 101 via the communication network 107 from the image processing device 105 has been accepted.

[0041] The consent statement version is stored as information that can identify the version of the consent statement (consent content) when the consent status of the service consent statement or analysis consent statement is a consent status that indicates that an operation indicating the user's consent has been accepted.

[0042] Recorded state 403 is a recorded state indicating that the user has consented to version 2 of the service permission language corresponding to permission set 2 and has consented to version 1 of the analysis permission language corresponding to permission set 2. For example, from the state of recorded state 402 in which the user has already registered and used the cloud service, the user attempts to use the service again at date and time B, which is later than date and time A. In this case, the permission language is updated, a process is performed to request consent again for each permission language, and the recorded state is recorded when an operation to consent to each permission language is performed.

[0043] When an initialization operation is performed on the main body of the image processing device 105 from the recording state 402 or 403, the image processing device 105 is initialized to the recording state 401. Note that the recording state 404 is a recording state indicating a state without the user's consent (non-permission).

[0044] 5 is a flowchart showing a control method for the image processing device 105 according to this embodiment. The process flow from when the user turns on the image processing device 105 until when the user turns it off is described. Each process in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 301 loading a program stored in the program memory 302 into the RAM 310 and executing it.

[0045] In step S501, the CPU 301 performs control to display an initial screen on the display unit 307. An example of the initial screen display is shown in Fig. 6(a). Fig. 6(a) is an example of the initial screen (home screen) that is displayed first after the image processing device 105 is started up, and displays buttons 601 to 603 as options corresponding to functions that can be executed by the image processing device 105, such as copy, scan, and print.

[0046] In step S502, CPU 301 determines whether or not a cloud service has been selected by the user. If a cloud service has been selected, the process proceeds to step S503; if not, the process proceeds to step S520. A cloud service can be selected by selecting the "Print" button 603 in FIG. 6(a) to transition to the print screen shown in FIG. 6(b) and selecting "Print from Cloud" 612. On the print screen in FIG. 6(b), "Print from Memory Card" 611, "Print from Cloud" 612, "Print Pattern Paper" 613, and "Print Fixed Form" 614 can be selected.

[0047] In step S503, the CPU 301 determines whether the image processing device 105 has been registered with the cloud service. If it has been registered with the cloud service, the process proceeds to step S504; if it has not, the process proceeds to step S515. If the service license statement has not been agreed to, registration with the cloud service is not possible. Therefore, if it has been decided in step S503 that the image processing device 105 has been registered with the cloud service, a value indicating agreement (agreement) with the service license statement is recorded in the license status management information.

[0048] In step S504, the CPU 301 controls the display unit 307 to display a list screen of cloud services. An example of the display of the list screen of cloud services is shown in Fig. 6(c). If the image processing device 105 has already been registered with a cloud service, by selecting "Print from Cloud" 612 on the print screen in Fig. 6(b), a list of registered cloud services is displayed as options 621 to 624, as shown in Fig. 6(c).

[0049] In step S505, CPU 301 determines whether the user has instructed execution of the cloud service displayed in step S504. If execution of the cloud service has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S506; if not, the process proceeds to step S514. If one of options 621 to 624 is selected from the list of registered cloud services displayed in FIG. 6(c) and an operation to instruct execution is performed, it is determined that execution of the cloud service has been instructed by the user. This operation to instruct execution is an example of the occurrence of a specific event that requires the processing of steps S511 and S512 to be performed.

[0050] In step S514, the CPU 301 performs other processing in response to a user operation, which is different from the execution of the cloud service in step S505, and then the process returns to step S501.

[0051] In step S506, the CPU 301 acquires from the server 103, as information relating to the update of the service license statement, information that can identify the latest version of the service license statement for which consent is required in the installation region (installation country) of the image processing device 105. Here, the CPU 301 functions as an acquisition unit. The latest version of the service license statement is the version for which consent is currently required, and is the version of the service license statement for which consent is to be sought. The server 103 is a type of external device.

[0052] More specifically, the CPU 301 transmits information capable of identifying the region (country) where the image processing device 105 is installed (either or both of the IP address and the destination information stored in the non-volatile memory 309, i.e., at least one) to the server 103. The server 103 transmits to the image processing device 105 the latest version of the permission set for the region corresponding to the information capable of identifying the region received from the image processing device 105, from the latest versions by region shown in FIG. 2(d). In other words, the image processing device 105 acquires from the server 103 the version of the permission set indicating the permission language for which consent must be obtained in the region where the image processing device 105 is installed.

[0053] In step S507, the CPU 301 compares the version of the permission set indicating the permission statements for which consent is required in the installation area of ​​the image processing device 105, acquired in step S506, with the permission status management information for the image processing device 105, stored in the non-volatile memory 309. Here, the permission status management information is the permission statement version shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(d). The CPU 301 determines whether the permission statement (permission content) for which consent is required has been updated from the permission statement already agreed to in the image processing device 105. In other words, it determines whether consent to the permission statement needs to be obtained again. If it has been updated (consent needs to be obtained again), the process proceeds to step S508. If not (consent does not need to be obtained again), the process proceeds to step S511 without performing the processes of steps S508 to S510, that is, without any further user operation.

[0054] More specifically, the CPU 301 compares the version of the permission set indicating the permission language for which consent must be obtained in the installation area of ​​the image processing device 105 acquired in S506 (the consent-required version) with the version of the permission set of the permission language version in the permission status management information stored in the non-volatile memory 309 (the agreed-upon version). If the consent-required version and the agreed-upon version are the same, the CPU 301 determines that consent does not need to be obtained again, and if the consent-required version and the agreed-upon version are different, the CPU 301 determines that consent needs to be obtained again. If the consent-required version is greater than the agreed-upon version, the CPU 301 determines that consent needs to be obtained again.

[0055] In step S508, the CPU 301 acquires from the server 102 information indicating the latest version of the permission statements (the latest version of the permission set) in the installation area of ​​the image processing device 105 acquired in S506. In the processing of the subsequent step S509, when the user agrees to each permission statement, the agreed-upon version stored in the non-volatile memory 309 is recorded with the latest version of the permission set acquired in this step S508. Note that step S508 may be skipped, and the latest version of the permission set in the installation area acquired in step S506 may be recorded as the agreed-upon version stored in the non-volatile memory 309 when the user agrees to each permission statement in step S509.

[0056] In step S509, CPU 301 performs a permission acceptance screen process to accept from the user whether or not the user has consented (given consent) to the latest permission statements in the installation area. Specifically, CPU 301 controls to display a permission acceptance screen for accepting consent from the user to the updated permission statements. The permission acceptance screen process will be described later with reference to FIG. 7. In this way, even for an already registered cloud service, each time an attempt is made to execute a function of that cloud service, it is determined whether or not consent to the permission statements needs to be obtained again, and if consent to the permission statements needs to be obtained again, consent is obtained again before the service is executed. This can prevent a situation from occurring where a service is executed without obtaining consent again when consent to the permission statements needs to be obtained again.

[0057] In the process of S509, the screen shown in FIG. 6(d) is displayed before the process of S701 in FIG. 7 is performed. This screen displays a message saying, "The license terms have been updated, so please confirm your consent again." This message indicates that the reason for the need to obtain consent again is that the license terms (license wording) have been updated, and that the next screen will be a confirmation of consent. This allows a user who has previously agreed to the license wording to understand why they are being asked to agree to the license wording again, and allows them to perform the consent operation again without mistaking or becoming confused that it is a malfunction. When the Next button on the screen shown in FIG. 6(d) is pressed, the process of S701 in FIG. 7, which will be described later, begins. Similarly, in the process of S525 (processing to accept re-permission), which will be described later, the display shown in FIG. 6(d) is displayed before the process of S701 in FIG. 7 is performed. On the other hand, in S517, which is a process to accept consent for the first time, not a process to accept re-permission, the process of S701 in FIG. 7 is performed without displaying the display shown in FIG. 6(d).

[0058] In step S510, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the user's consent to the latest service license statement was obtained in step S509. Specifically, the CPU 301 references the management information (FIGS. 4(a) to (d)) of the license status in the image processing device 105 stored in the nonvolatile memory 309, and determines whether or not a value corresponding to "Agreement (Agreement)" is recorded as a value indicating the consent status of the service license statement. If a value corresponding to "Agreement (Agreement)" is recorded, the process proceeds to step S511; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S513.

[0059] In step S511, the CPU 301 accesses the service providing server group 101 and controls the transmission of information required to use the service instructed to be executed in step S505 to the service providing server group (destination) 101. For example, the CPU 301 transmits the ID (device identification information of the image processing device 105) and password stored in the non-volatile memory 309 as account information (registration information for the image processing device 105 with the cloud service) to open the user's service page. According to this embodiment, this processing is controlled to be performed in a state where the user has agreed to the latest service license statement, and therefore is a lawful operation (processing).

[0060] In step S512, CPU 301 performs processing to execute the cloud service instructed to be executed in step S505 based on the account information transmitted in step S511. For example, in the case of cloud photo storage, a list of images stored in the cloud is displayed, and processing according to subsequent user operations is performed. When the processing to execute the cloud service is completed (when use of the cloud service is completed), the process proceeds to step S501.

[0061] In step S513, since the CPU 301 has not obtained user consent to the latest service consent statement and has determined that the consent has been denied, it deletes the ID (device identification information) and password of the image processing device 105 related to the cloud service from the non-volatile memory 309. That is, the CPU 301 deletes the registration information of the image processing device 105 with the cloud service. The CPU 301 also transmits a request to the service providing server group 101 to delete the ID (device identification information) and password of the image processing device 105, that is, the registration information of the image processing device 105 with the cloud service. At this point, the display unit 307 may also display information indicating that the registration with the cloud service has been deleted. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S501.

[0062] In step S515, the CPU 301 determines whether the user has performed a cloud service registration operation. If the user has performed a cloud service registration operation, the process proceeds to step S516; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S501. If the user of the image processing device 105 has not registered with any cloud services, the cloud service list in FIG. 6(c) displays each cloud service in a manner that makes it identifiable that the user has not yet registered. An operation icon (not shown) that accepts registration with the cloud service is then displayed. If this operation icon is operated, the CPU 301 determines that a registration operation has been performed. Note that the CPU 301 also performs the processes of steps S516 and S517 when a registration operation is performed on a cloud service registration screen included in a settings menu screen that is displayed by operating the gear icon 604 displayed on the initial screen in FIG. 6(a).

[0063] In step S516, similar to step S508 described above, CPU 301 acquires information on the latest license version in the installation area (information that can identify the latest version of the license wording) from server 102. Note that this processing may be similar to step S506, with information acquired from server 103.

[0064] In step S517, the CPU 301 accepts consent to the latest consent statement from the user through consent acceptance screen processing, similar to step S509 described above.

[0065] In step S518, CPU 301 determines whether or not the user agreed to the latest service license statement in step S517. If the user agreed to the latest service license statement, the process proceeds to step S519; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S501 without performing the cloud service registration process in step S519.

[0066] In step S519, the CPU 301 accesses the service providing server group 101 and performs registration processing for the cloud service. The image processing device 105 transmits a registration request to the service providing server group 101 along with information about the image processing device 105 for registration with the cloud service. Thereafter, the CPU 301 receives the ID (device identification information) and password of the image processing device 105 created by the service providing server group 101 in response to the registration request, and stores them in the non-volatile memory 309. When the registration for the cloud service is complete, the process proceeds to step S504, where the CPU 301 controls to display a list of cloud services.

[0067] In step S520, the CPU 301 determines whether the user agrees to the analysis permission statement. Specifically, the CPU 301 references the management information (FIGS. 4(a) to (d)) of the permission status in the image processing device 105 stored in the nonvolatile memory 309, and determines whether a value corresponding to "Agree (Permission)" is recorded as a value indicating the consent status of the analysis permission statement. If a value corresponding to "Agree (Permission)" is recorded, the process proceeds to step S521; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S528.

[0068] In this embodiment, the analysis report is transmitted in step S527, which will be described later, only if the user has agreed to the service consent statement (if the user has registered for the cloud service). Furthermore, as will be described later, consent / non-consent to the analysis consent statement is accepted only if consent to the service consent statement has been obtained. Therefore, if a value corresponding to "unauthorized (default value)" is recorded in the analysis consent statement in the consent status management information, consent to the service consent statement has not been obtained, and therefore the analysis report is not transmitted in step S527, which will be described later. Therefore, if a value corresponding to "non-consent (unauthorized)" is recorded in the consent status of the analysis consent statement, or if a value corresponding to "unauthorized (default value)" is recorded, the CPU 301 determines "false" in step S520 and proceeds to step S528.

[0069] It should be noted that the analysis report transmission in step S527, which will be described later, can be performed regardless of the consent status to the service consent statement. In this case, the determination in step S520 may be a determination of whether a value corresponding to "Agree (Agreement)" or "Not Agree (Default)" is recorded as the value indicating the consent status to the analysis consent statement. In this case, if the consent status to the analysis consent statement is "Agree (Agreement)" or "Not Agree (Default)", the process proceeds to step S521, and if it is "Not Agree (Not Agreement)", the process proceeds to step S528.

[0070] In step S521, the CPU 301 determines whether a trigger event has occurred that causes the image processing device 105 to send an analysis report to the server for user analysis. The trigger event may be, for example, at least one of an event resulting from a change in the state of the image processing device 105 or a periodic event (for example, an event that occurs at a specific time on a specific date each month). If a trigger event for report transmission has occurred, the process proceeds to step S522; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S528. This trigger event is an example of the occurrence of a specific event that warrants the processing of step S527.

[0071] In step S522, the CPU 301 acquires from the server 103, as information relating to the update of the analysis permission statement, information capable of identifying the latest version of the analysis permission statement for which consent must be obtained in the installation region (installation country) of the image processing device 105. Here, the latest version of the analysis permission statement is the version for which consent must be obtained at the present time, and is the version of the analysis permission statement for which consent should be sought. Specifically, as in step S506, the CPU 301 acquires from the server 103 the version of the permission set indicating the permission statement for which consent must be obtained in the installation country of the image processing device 105.

[0072] In step S523, similarly to step S507, the CPU 301 determines whether the permission statement for which consent is required has been updated from the permission statement already agreed to by the image processing device 105. If it has been updated (consent must be obtained again), the process proceeds to step S524. If not (consent does not need to be obtained again), the process proceeds to step S527 without performing the processes of steps S524 to S526, that is, without any further user operation.

[0073] In step S524, similarly to step S508, the CPU 301 acquires information indicating the latest version of the permission statements in the installation area (the latest version of the permission set) from the server 102. When the user agrees to each permission statement in the processing of the following step S525, the version of the latest permission set acquired in this step S524 is recorded as the agreed version stored in the non-volatile memory 309.

[0074] It is also possible to skip step S524 and record the latest version of the permission set obtained in step S522 as the agreed version stored in non-volatile memory 309 when the user agrees to each permission statement in step S525.

[0075] In step S525, the CPU 301 performs permission acceptance screen processing in the same manner as in step S509.

[0076] In step S526, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the user agreed to the latest analysis permission statement in step S525. If the user agreed to the latest analysis permission statement, the process proceeds to step S527; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S501.

[0077] In step S527, the CPU 301 controls the service providing server group 101 to transmit information related to user analysis (information related to usage status), such as user settings of the image processing device 105 and the number of times each function is used, as an analysis report. According to this embodiment, this processing is performed in a state where consent to the latest analysis permission statement has been obtained from the user, and therefore is a lawful operation (processing). Then, the process proceeds to step S501.

[0078] In step S528, CPU 301 determines whether or not another event has occurred. If another event has occurred, the process proceeds to step S529; if not, the process proceeds to step S530.

[0079] In step S529, CPU 301 performs processing according to the event determined to have occurred in step S530. For example, CPU 301 performs copy processing in response to a copy instruction, scan processing in response to a scan instruction, setting processing in response to various setting operations, etc. Then, the process proceeds to step S530.

[0080] In step S530, the CPU 301 determines whether or not there has been an event that turns off the power to the image processing device 105. If there has been an event that turns off the power, the flow chart of Fig. 5 ends, and if not, the process proceeds to step S502.

[0081] 5, an example has been described in which, in response to the occurrence of an event requiring the transmission of information (the processing of S511 or S527) to the service providing server group 101 (Yes in S505 or Yes in S521), information for determining whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is sought in the installation area (the latest version of the permission set in the installation area) is acquired from the server 103 in S506 or S522. However, this is not limiting, and the timing for determining whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is sought in the installation area may be before the occurrence of an event requiring the transmission of information to the service providing server group 101. For example, the information may be acquired in advance by a push notification from the server 103 at the time of the update. Alternatively, each time the image processing device 105 is turned on and starts communication with the communication network 107 via wireless or wired communication (i.e., whenever communication with the network is established, regardless of whether an event that requires information to be sent to the service providing server group 101 has occurred or not), information for determining whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is sought in the installation area (the latest version of the permission set in the installation area) may be obtained from the server 103 as described in S506 or S522.

[0082] Fig. 7 is a detailed flowchart of the permission acceptance screen processing in steps S509, S517, and S525 in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 shows various display examples that are displayed on the display unit 307 during the permission acceptance screen processing. Each process in the flowchart in Fig. 7 is realized by the CPU 301 loading a program stored in the program memory 302 into the RAM 310 and executing it.

[0083] In step S701, the CPU 301 determines whether re-licensing of the image processing device service license is necessary. Specifically, the CPU 301 compares the version of the service license statement already licensed by the user with the latest version of the service license statement for which consent is to be obtained. The version of the service license statement already licensed by the user is identified from the license statement version recorded in the license status management information (FIGS. 4(a) to (d)) for the image processing device 105 stored in the non-volatile memory 309. The latest version of the service license statement for which consent is to be obtained is identified from the version of the latest license set for the region (country) in which the image processing device 105 is installed, which is acquired from the server 102 or 103. If the version of the service license statement already licensed by the user is smaller than the latest version of the service license statement for which consent is to be obtained, it is determined that re-licensing (re-consent) of the service license statement is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S702; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S714. If the management information on the permission status of the image processing device 105 stored in the nonvolatile memory 309 has "unlicensed (initial value)" recorded for the service permission statement, it is also determined to be false and the process proceeds to step S702.

[0084] Note that the process may skip step S701 and proceed to step S702, and control may be exercised so that consent to the service license statement is obtained again whenever the license version has been updated. In this case, consent will be obtained again even if the version of the service license statement itself has not been updated since the one that was previously agreed upon. Furthermore, if the determination in S507 is Yes, the process proceeds to S509 to perform the process in FIG. 7, the process may be skipped and the process may proceed to S702.

[0085] In step S702, the CPU 301 displays a fixed service license message 801 on a fixed service license message screen 800 of Fig. 8. The fixed service license message 801 is similar to the service license message of Fig. 2(a), but at least a portion of the displayed message is different from that of version 2 or later of the service license message. More specifically, a message requesting the user's permission to transmit information related to service usage is displayed, but the displayed message has common content regardless of the region (country) where the image processing device 105 is installed or the version of the service license message. The fixed service license message 801 may be the same as the message of version 1 of the service license message.

[0086] In step S703, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the Details button 802 has been touched (a selection operation, also referred to as "pressing" hereinafter) on the service permission fixed message screen 800. If the Details button 802 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S704.

[0087] In step S704, the CPU 301 acquires destination information stored in the nonvolatile memory 309 and display language information that the user has set in advance to be displayed on the UI of the image processing device 105.

[0088] The destination information is information that is pre-recorded in the non-volatile memory 309 when the image processing device 105 is shipped, and basically cannot be changed by the user. The destination information recorded may be, for example, information indicating one of Japan (JPN), Korea (KOR), the United States (USA), Europe (EOR), Australia (AUS), Southeast Asia (ASA), China (CHN), Taiwan (TWN), Brazil (BRA), etc.

[0089] The display language information is a setting item set by the user, and is set from a display language setting item included in the setting menu screen that is displayed by operating the gear icon 604 displayed on the initial screen of Fig. 6(a). The display language information can be set to any of Japanese, English, Chinese, French, German, etc.

[0090] In step S705, CPU 301 controls display unit 307 to display screen 810 including character string 811 obtained by adding the destination information and display language information acquired in S704 as query parameters to a URL for accessing Web server 104. Here, the query parameters are URL parameters. For example, CPU 301 displays "https: / / www.sample.co.jp / service?destination_code=01&language_code=01" as character string 811. The part after "?" is a URL parameter, and of these, "destination_code=01" is the destination information. "01" is a value indicating Japan. Furthermore, "language_code=01" is the display language information. "01" is a value indicating Japanese.

[0091] In step S706, CPU 301 determines whether or not QR code (registered trademark) button 812 has been pressed on screen 810 in Fig. 8. If QR code button 812 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S707.

[0092] In step S707, CPU 301 performs control to display screen 820 including QR code 821, which is a QR code obtained by encoding character string 811 displayed on screen 810 in Fig. 8 and which can be photographed and read by the camera of mobile terminal 106. QR code 821 is a two-dimensional code, and when read and decoded by mobile terminal 106, character string 811 can be obtained. In other words, QR code 821 is a code image including information on character string 811. Note that the format does not have to be QR code 821, and other types of two-dimensional codes or one-dimensional codes (such as barcodes), or other code images (such as color codes) may be used instead of QR code 821 as long as they are in a format readable by the camera of mobile terminal 106.

[0093] In steps S705 and S707, the CPU 301 functions as a display control unit and controls the display unit 307 to display information indicating a URL to which additional information capable of identifying the region in which the image processing device 105 is installed, which is stored in the non-volatile memory 309. The above URL is a URL for displaying the service license content stored in the Web server 104. The above URL is also a URL to which additional information indicating the display language setting is further added. The information indicating the URL is, for example, a character string 811 or a QR code 821. The additional information is, for example, a URL parameter. The additional information capable of identifying the region is, for example, information based on destination information stored in the non-volatile memory 309 since the image processing device 105 was shipped from the factory.

[0094] The above URL may be a URL to which information indicating at least a part of an IP address dynamically assigned to the image processing device 105 is added as additional information that can identify the above region.

[0095] The CPU 301 may perform control so that information indicating the URL is not displayed if the service license wording of Figure 2(a) that is stored in the Web server 104 and requires consent from the user is identical to the service license fixed wording 801 stored in the non-volatile memory 309.

[0096] The above URL may also be a URL to which additional information indicating the version of the service license statement acquired in step S506 has been added.

[0097] When character string 811 displayed on screen 810 in Fig. 8 is entered into the address bar of a web browser running on mobile terminal 106 and the address indicated by character string 811 is accessed, the following processing is performed. Also, when QR code 821 displayed on screen 820 in Fig. 8 is photographed with the camera unit of mobile terminal 106, decoded, and the address indicated by the obtained character string 811 is accessed, the following processing is performed.

[0098] Mobile terminal 106 accesses the address indicated by character string 811. The destination to be accessed is assumed to be web server 104. When mobile terminal 106 accesses the address indicated by character string 811, it sends information about the URL parameters included in character string 811 to the destination, and makes a request to web server 104 for a web page corresponding to the URL parameters.

[0099] When accessed by the mobile terminal 106, the Web server 104 receives the information of the URL parameter included in the character string 811. Then, it acquires (extracts) the destination information and display language information of the image processing device 105 from the URL parameters included in the character string 811. The Web server 104 then transmits to the mobile terminal 106 a Web page displaying a service permission statement corresponding to the acquired destination information and display language information. For example, the Web server 104 transmits to the mobile terminal 106 an HTML file corresponding to the acquired destination information and display language information.

[0100] By displaying the web page transmitted in this manner on the web browser of the mobile terminal 106, the latest service license statement corresponding to the destination information and display language information of the image processing device 105 can be displayed on the mobile terminal 106. The displayed service license statement is, for example, the statement shown in FIG. 2(a). When the information indicating the displayed URL is accessed using the mobile terminal 106, the service license content corresponding to the region of the destination information is automatically displayed. The mobile terminal 106 is a type of other device. After viewing the web page displayed on the mobile terminal 106, the user operates the image processing device 105 to choose whether to agree or disagree to the service license statement.

[0101] In step S708, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the back button 822 has been pressed on the QR code display screen 820. If the back button 822 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S705.

[0102] In step S709, CPU 301 determines whether or not end button 813 or back button 814 has been pressed on URL character string display screen 810. If end button 813 or back button 814 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S702; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S706.

[0103] In step S710, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the Next button 803 has been pressed on the service permission fixed message screen 800. If the Next button 803 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S711.

[0104] In step S711, the CPU 301 performs control to display a consent acceptance screen 830 for the service license statement. An "Agree" button 831 and a "Disagree" button 832 are displayed on the consent acceptance screen 830 for the service license statement.

[0105] In step S712, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the "Agree" button 831 has been pressed on the consent acceptance screen 830 for the service consent statement. The CPU 301 functions as a reception unit and accepts an operation indicating the user's consent to the service consent content, which is consent to the user's consent to the transmission of information from the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group (destination) 101. If the "Agree" button 831 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S714; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S713.

[0106] Here, the process proceeds to S726 or S728 (described later) only if consent to the service license statement is selected, and therefore, when the determination in S712 is Yes, consent to the service license statement is not recorded in the license status management information, but is recorded in S726 or S728. However, when the determination in step S712 is Yes, the CPU 301 may record consent to the service license statement in the license status management information.

[0107] In step S713, CPU 301 determines whether or not the "Do not agree" button 832 has been pressed on service license consent acceptance screen 830. If the "Do not agree" button 832 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S730; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S734.

[0108] In step S714, the CPU 301 performs control to display an analysis permission fixed statement 841 on the analysis permission fixed statement screen 840. The analysis permission fixed statement 841 is similar to the analysis permission statement in FIG. 2(b), but at least some of the displayed statement is different from that of version 2 or later of the analysis permission statement. More specifically, a statement requesting the user's permission to send information (analysis report) related to the usage status of the image processing device 105 is displayed, but the displayed statement has common content regardless of the region (country) where the image processing device 105 is installed or the version of the analysis permission statement. The analysis permission fixed statement 841 may be the same as the statement of version 1 of the analysis permission statement.

[0109] In step S715, CPU 301 determines whether or not the details button 842 has been pressed on analysis permission fixed message screen 840. If the details button 842 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S716.

[0110] In step S716, the CPU 301 acquires destination information stored in the nonvolatile memory 309 and display language information set by the user, similar to step S704.

[0111] In step S717, CPU 301 controls display unit 307 to display screen 850 including character string 851 obtained by adding the destination information and display language information acquired in step S716 as query parameters to a URL for accessing Web server 104. For example, CPU 301 displays "https: / / www.sample.co.jp / analysis?destination_code=01&language_code=01" as character string 851. The portion after "?" is a URL parameter, and of these, "destination_code=01" is the destination information. "01" is a value indicating Japan. Furthermore, "language_code=01" is the display language information. "01" is a value indicating Japanese.

[0112] In step S718, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the QR code button 852 has been pressed on the screen 850. If the QR code button 852 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S719.

[0113] In step S719, CPU 301 performs control to display screen 860 including QR code 861 that can be read by mobile terminal 106. QR code 861 on screen 860 is a QR code obtained by encoding character string 851 displayed on screen 850 in FIG. 8, and is a QR code that can be read by capturing an image with the camera of mobile terminal 106. QR code 861 is a two-dimensional code, and when it is read and decoded by mobile terminal 106, character string 851 can be acquired. In other words, QR code 861 is a code image that includes information on character string 851. Note that the format does not have to be QR code 861 as long as it is readable by the camera of mobile terminal 106; instead of QR code 861, other types of two-dimensional codes or one-dimensional codes (such as barcodes), or other code images (such as color codes) may be used.

[0114] In steps S717 and S719, the CPU 301 controls the display unit 307 to display information indicating a URL to which additional information capable of identifying the region in which the image processing device 105 is installed, which is stored in the non-volatile memory 309. The above URL is a URL for displaying the analysis permission content stored in the Web server 104. The above URL is also a URL to which additional information indicating the display language setting is further added. The information indicating the URL is, for example, a character string 851 or a QR code 861. The additional information is, for example, a URL parameter. The additional information capable of identifying the region is, for example, information based on destination information stored in the non-volatile memory 309 since the image processing device 105 was shipped from the factory.

[0115] The above URL may be a URL to which information indicating at least a part of an IP address dynamically assigned to the image processing device 105 is added as additional information that can identify the above region.

[0116] The CPU 301 may control the display of information indicating the URL when the analysis permission text of Figure 2(b) that is stored in the Web server 104 and requires consent from the user is identical to the analysis permission fixed text 841 stored in the non-volatile memory 309.

[0117] The above URL may also be a URL to which additional information indicating the version of the analysis permission statement acquired in step S522 has been added.

[0118] The character string 851 displayed on screen 850 in Fig. 8 is entered into the address bar of the web browser running on the mobile terminal 106, and the address indicated by the character string 851 is accessed. Then, by a process similar to that for displaying the service consent statement described above, the latest analysis consent statement (the statement exemplified in Fig. 2(b)) corresponding to the destination information and display language information of the URL parameters included in the character string 851 is displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal 106. After viewing the web page displayed on the mobile terminal 106, the user operates the image processing device 105 to select whether to agree or disagree to the analysis consent statement.

[0119] In step S720, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the back button 862 has been pressed on the QR code display screen 860. If the back button 862 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S717.

[0120] In step S721, CPU 301 determines whether or not end button 853 or back button 854 has been pressed on URL character string display screen 850. If end button 853 or back button 854 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S714; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S718.

[0121] In step S722, CPU 301 determines whether or not Next button 843 has been pressed on analysis permission fixed message screen 840. If Next button 843 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S724; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S723.

[0122] In step S723, CPU 301 determines whether or not back button 844 has been pressed on analysis permission fixed message screen 840. If back button 844 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S712; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S715.

[0123] In step S724, the CPU 301 performs control so as to display an agreement acceptance screen 870 for the analysis permission statement.

[0124] In step S725, the CPU 301 determines whether or not the "Agree" button 871 has been pressed on the consent acceptance screen 870 for the analysis consent statement. The CPU 301 accepts an operation indicating the user's consent to the analysis consent content, which is consent given by the user to the transmission of information from the image processing device 105 to the service providing server group (destination) 101. If the "Agree" button 871 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S726; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S727.

[0125] In step S726, the CPU 301 saves the information indicating the agreement to the service license statement and the agreement to the analysis license statement, and information indicating the version of the license set acquired from the server 102 or 103, in the license status management information in the nonvolatile memory 309, and ends the license acceptance screen process. That is, the information indicating the agreement to the service license statement and the agreement to the analysis license statement is saved in association with information indicating the latest version of the license set for the updated installation area.

[0126] In step S727, CPU 301 determines whether or not the "Do not agree" button 872 has been pressed on consent acceptance screen 870 for the analysis permission statement. If the "Do not agree" button 872 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S728; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S729.

[0127] In step S728, the CPU 301 stores, in the license status management information in the nonvolatile memory 309, information indicating agreement with the service license statement and disagreement (non-agreement) with the analysis license statement, as well as information indicating the version of the license set acquired from the server 102 or 103. Thereafter, the license acceptance screen process ends.

[0128] In step S729, CPU 301 determines whether or not back button 873 has been pressed on analysis permission acceptance screen 870. If back button 873 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S714; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S725.

[0129] In step S734, CPU 301 determines whether or not back button 833 has been pressed on service license agreement acceptance screen 830. If back button 833 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S702; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S712.

[0130] In step S730, the CPU 301 performs control so that the service license non-agreement confirmation screen 880 is displayed.

[0131] In step S731, CPU 301 determines whether or not the Yes button 881 has been pressed on the service license non-consent confirmation screen 880. If the Yes button 881 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S732; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S733.

[0132] In step S732, the CPU 301 saves, in the license status management information in the non-volatile memory 309, information indicating non-agreement (non-license) for the service license statement and non-agreement (non-license) for the analysis license statement, as well as information indicating the version of the license set acquired from the server 102 or 103. Thereafter, the license acceptance screen process ends.

[0133] In step S733, CPU 301 determines whether or not the No button 882 or the Back button 883 has been pressed on service license non-consent confirmation screen 880. If the No button 882 or the Back button 883 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step S711; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S731.

[0134] Note that it may be possible to prevent the display of any screens other than the screen relating to the permission guide shown in FIG. 8 from the start of the permission acceptance screen process in FIG. 7 at step S701 until it ends at step S726, S728, or S732.

[0135] Furthermore, if the content of the permission is sufficient with the fixed permission wording stored in the image processing device 105, it may be possible to make it impossible to display the access URL to the Web server 104. Specifically, the details buttons 802 and 842 are deleted from the service permission fixed wording screen 800 and the analysis permission fixed wording screen 840, and screen transitions to screens 810 and 850 that display the access URL to the Web server 104 are made impossible.

[0136] Furthermore, although destination information and display language information are added as query parameters to the URL for accessing the Web server 104 in steps S705 and S717, other information that enables the Web server 104 to select appropriate license wording may be added. Specific examples include transmittable license versions for the service license and analysis license, and region information indicating the country's service providing server group 101 to which the image processing device 105 is connected. Furthermore, to avoid requesting consent to license terms that are unnecessary for the user, information that enables the Web server 104 to ascertain available services for the image processing device 105 may be added as a query parameter. Specific examples include information about functions installed in the image processing device 105.

[0137] When displaying the permission statement on the display unit 307, due to display constraints on the display unit 307 (such as size, resolution, and limitations on the number of characters that can be displayed at one time due to UI design of the embedded device), long character strings may not be displayed correctly or with good visibility. In contrast, according to this embodiment, the permission statement can be displayed on the display unit (display) of the mobile terminal 106, which is expected to have fewer constraints (higher performance) than the display unit 307 of the image processing device 105, and the user can confirm the permission statement. Therefore, the user can confirm the correct character string of the permission statement even if it is long, without being restricted by limitations such as the number of characters. Furthermore, the user can confirm the character string of the permission statement with good visibility. Therefore, the user can accurately understand the permission statement and choose whether or not to agree. Furthermore, the permission statement is automatically displayed on the mobile terminal 106 based on the installation region and display language of the image processing device 105. Therefore, the user can confirm the permission statement in accordance with the laws of the installation region of the image processing device 105 without having to select the installation region of the image processing device 105 or the display language.

[0138] The various controls described above as being performed by the image processing device 105 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire image processing device 105 may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0139] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely represents one embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0140] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to an image processing device, but this is not limited to this example and the present invention can be applied to any electronic device that transmits user information to a server. That is, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, PDAs, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printers with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, and the like.

[0141] The present invention can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, a program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or various recording media, and at least one computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program code. In this case, the program and the computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded constitute the present invention.

[0142] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration, method, program, and recording medium. (Configuration 1) An electronic device, a storage means for storing a permission status indicating whether or not an operation indicating consent from a user to a permission content that the user gives permission to transmit information from the electronic device to a destination has been accepted; an acquisition means for acquiring, from an external device, first information for determining whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is sought; When the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the first information acquired by the acquisition means is not information corresponding to an update, control is performed so that information is transmitted to the destination based on the occurrence of a specific event that should cause information to be transmitted to the destination, even if there is no user operation after the specific event; a control means for controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the first information acquired by the acquisition means is information corresponding to an update, to display a reception screen for receiving consent from a user to the updated permission content before transmitting information to the destination based on the occurrence of the specific event; An electronic device comprising: (Configuration 2) the acquiring means acquires the first information when a connection to a network to which the external device can be connected is established, regardless of whether the specific event has occurred; 2. The electronic device according to configuration 1, wherein when the specific event occurs, the acquiring means performs control based on the first information acquired before the specific event occurs. (Configuration 3) the acquisition means acquires the first information from the external device in response to an occurrence of the specific event when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted; 2. The electronic device according to configuration 1, wherein the control means performs control based on the first information acquired in response to the occurrence of the specific event. (Configuration 4) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted and the first information acquired by the acquisition means is information corresponding to an update, when the reception screen is displayed based on the occurrence of the specific event, the control means controls the display to indicate at least one of that the update has been accepted and that the reception screen is accepting a second permission. (Configuration 5) The electronic device described in configuration 1 is characterized in that, when the control means accepts an operation indicating consent on the reception screen, it then controls the transmission of information to the destination corresponding to the specific event. (Configuration 6) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the acquisition means transmits information on the destination of the electronic device to the external device and acquires the first information corresponding to the destination from the external device. (Configuration 7) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that the permission status stored in the storage means includes information indicating whether an operation indicating user permission to send information about the electronic device from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted. (Configuration 8) The electronic device described in configuration 7, characterized in that the permission status stored in the storage means includes information indicating whether an operation indicating user permission to send information regarding service usage from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted, and information indicating whether an operation indicating user permission to send information regarding the usage status of the electronic device from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted. (Configuration 9) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 8, characterized in that when the storage means accepts an operation indicating consent on the reception screen, it stores consent information indicating that the operation indicating the user's consent has been accepted in correspondence with the updated consent content. (Configuration 10) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 9, characterized in that the storage means stores information that can identify the version of the permission content when the permission status is a permission status that indicates that an operation indicating the user's consent has been accepted. (Configuration 11) The electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that when the first information is information corresponding to an update, the control means obtains information indicating the latest version of the license content from an external device. (Configuration 12) the first information is information that can identify the latest version of the license content, The electronic device described in configuration 10 is characterized in that, if the first information is different from information that can identify the version of the stored permission content, the control means determines that the first information is information corresponding to an update. (Configuration 13) 13. The electronic device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, wherein the permission content is a permission statement. (Configuration 14) 14. The electronic device according to configuration 13, wherein the permission statement is stored in a server and is updated in response to new functions or changes in law. (Configuration 15) The electronic device according to any one of configurations 1 to 14, wherein the electronic device is a printer capable of executing a printing process. (Method 1) A control method for an electronic device having a storage means for storing a permission status indicating whether or not an operation indicating consent from a user to permission content that the user gives permission to transmit information from the electronic device to a destination has been accepted, the method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring, from an external device, first information for determining whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is required; a first control step of controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the first information acquired in the acquisition step is not information corresponding to an update, transmitting information to the destination based on the occurrence of a specific event that should cause information to be transmitted to the destination, even if there is no user operation after the specific event; a second control step of controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the first information acquired in the acquisition step is information corresponding to an update, to display a reception screen for receiving consent from the user for the updated permission content before transmitting information to the destination based on the occurrence of the specific event; 1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: (Program 1) A program for causing at least one computer to function as each means of the electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 15. (Recording Medium 1) 16. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device described in any one of configurations 1 to 15. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 301 CPU, 302 program memory, 303 data memory, 304 communication control unit, 305 input interface, 306 output interface, 307 display unit, 308 print engine, 309 non-volatile memory, 310 RAM, 311 bus

Claims

1. An electronic device, a processing means for processing to store in a storage means a permission status indicating whether or not an operation indicating consent from the user to a permission content that the user gives permission to transmit information from the electronic device to a destination has been accepted; an acquisition means for acquiring, from an external device, first information regarding whether there has been an update to the permission content for which consent is required, according to the region of the electronic device; If the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted, and if the acquisition status by the acquisition means does not correspond to an update, control is performed so that after acquiring the first information, information is transmitted to the destination without displaying a reception screen for accepting consent from the user to the permission content; a control means for controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the acquisition status of the acquisition means indicates that an update has occurred, to display a reception screen for receiving consent from a user to the updated permission content after acquiring the first information and before transmitting the information to the destination; An electronic device comprising:

2. the acquiring means acquires the first information when a connection to a network to which the external device can be connected is established, regardless of whether a specific event that requires information transmission to the destination has occurred; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when the specific event occurs, the control unit performs control based on the first information acquired before the specific event occurs.

3. the acquisition means acquires the first information from the external device in response to an occurrence of a specific event that requires information to be transmitted to the destination when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control based on the first information acquired in response to the occurrence of the specific event.

4. The electronic device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted and the first information acquired by the acquisition means is information corresponding to an update, the control means controls the reception screen to display at least one of the fact that the update has been accepted and the fact that the reception screen is accepting a second permission.

5. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the electronic device so that, when the control means receives an operation indicating consent on the reception screen, the information is transmitted to the destination.

6. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit transmits information on the destination of the electronic device to the external device, and acquires the first information corresponding to the destination from the external device.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the permission status stored in the storage means includes information indicating whether an operation indicating the user's permission to send information about the electronic device from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted.

8. The electronic device described in claim 7, characterized in that the permission status stored in the memory means includes information indicating whether an operation indicating the user's permission to send information regarding the use of the service from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted, and information indicating whether an operation indicating the user's permission to send information regarding the usage status of the electronic device from the electronic device to the destination via the Internet has been accepted.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the processing means accepts an operation indicating consent on the reception screen, the processing means processes the electronic device so that consent information indicating that the operation indicating the user's consent has been accepted is stored in correspondence with the updated consent content.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means processes the electronic device so that, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating the user's consent has been accepted, information capable of identifying a version of the permission content is stored.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first information corresponds to an update, the control means acquires information indicating the latest version of the license content from an external device.

12. the first information is information that can identify the latest version of the license content, 11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the control means determines that the first information is information corresponding to an update when the first information is different from information that can identify the version of the stored permission content.

13. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the permission content is a permission statement.

14. 14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the permission statement is stored in a server and is updated in response to addition of functions or amendment of laws.

15. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a printer capable of executing a printing process.

16. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: a processing step of processing to store a permission status indicating whether an operation indicating consent from the user to a permission content that the user gives permission to transmit information from the electronic device to a destination has been accepted; an acquisition step of acquiring, from an external device, first information regarding whether or not there has been an update to the permission content for which consent should be sought, according to the region of the electronic device; a first control step of controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been received and the acquisition status in the acquisition step does not indicate that an update has occurred, to transmit information to the destination after acquiring the first information without displaying a reception screen for receiving consent from a user to the permission content; a second control step of controlling, when the permission status indicates that an operation indicating consent has been accepted and the acquisition status in the acquisition step indicates that an update has occurred, to display a reception screen for accepting consent from a user to the updated permission content after acquiring the first information and before transmitting the information to the destination; 1. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising:

17. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

18. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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