Image forming apparatus, display control method and program

Abstract

To reduce complexity due to unnecessary notification to a user, even when notification of activate information is extended.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes: an acquisition part for acquiring activate information on activation of firm ware or an application from a management server connected to a network; a storage part for storing device management setting for whether or not to manage the image formation device; a display part capable of displaying the activate information; and a display control part for determining whether or not to extend display of the activate information on the basis of the device management setting, when extension of the notification of the activate information is set in the activate information, and controlling the display of the activate information on the display part on the basis of the determination result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for automatically updating firmware and applications for image forming devices such as multifunction peripherals have been known. The latest firmware and applications may include not only bug fixes and minor specification changes, but also major feature additions and changes for the image forming device. Bug fixes and minor specification changes are reflected when the latest firmware and applications are installed on the image forming device. On the other hand, in order to apply major feature additions and changes to the image forming device, the user of the image forming device must activate the device.

[0003] To promote the activation of firmware and applications, there is a technology that notifies users who have device management authority, such as authority to execute activation, of activation information regarding the activation. The notification period may be extended depending on the activation rate, etc. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in this conventional technology, if the image forming apparatus is set to not perform device management, the notification period is extended for all users, which causes the notification to continue to be displayed to users who are not actually performing device management, resulting in a problem of cumbersome display for users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an image forming apparatus, a display control method, and a program that can reduce the inconvenience caused to users by unnecessary notifications even when notification of activation information is extended. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an image forming device comprising an acquisition unit that acquires activation information regarding the activation of firmware or applications from a management server connected to a network, a memory unit that stores device management settings indicating whether or not to manage the image forming device, a display unit that can display the activation information, and a display control unit that, when the activation information is set to extend notification of the activation information, determines whether or not to extend the display of the activation information based on the device management settings, and controls the display of the activation information on the display unit based on the determination result. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, even if the notification of activation information is extended, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience caused to the user by unnecessary notifications. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the firmware management server and the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the flow of control processing by the multifunction peripheral and the firmware management server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for displaying activation information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for displaying activation information according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a display control method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system according to the first embodiment. In the image forming system 1 of this embodiment, a multifunction peripheral 300 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "MFP 300") serving as an image forming apparatus is connected to the cloud via a network N, as shown in FIG.

[0011] The multifunction peripheral 300 of this embodiment is an apparatus that has a printing function and performs image formation, and is a target for installing applications and firmware onto the multifunction peripheral 300 of this embodiment.

[0012] In the cloud, an application market server 20, a contract management server 30, a common management server 40, an application management server 50, and a firmware management server 60 are connected to a network N.

[0013] The application market server 20 is a server that provides information about multiple applications and firmware that can be installed on the multifunction peripheral 300 as a cloud service via an application market site. The contract management server 30 is a server that manages information such as the names, contents, and prices of applications and firmware. The common management server 40 is a server that manages customer tenants, manages accounts, and performs authentication processing.

[0014] The application management server 50 is a server that stores the entity files of applications that can be installed on the multifunction peripheral 300 and distributes applications in response to requests from the multifunction peripheral 300 .

[0015] The firmware management server 60 is a server that stores actual files of firmware that can be installed in the multifunction peripheral 300 and distributes firmware in response to a request from the multifunction peripheral 300.

[0016] Here, the application management server 50 and the application management server 50 correspond to a management server. The application management server 50 and the application management server 50 may be configured as a single server.

[0017] Next, a description will be given of the multifunction peripheral 300 of this embodiment. First, the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 300 of this embodiment will be described.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral 300 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction peripheral 300 according to this embodiment includes a main body 310, an operation unit 320, and an engine 531.

[0019] The engine 531 is an engine related to image formation such as a print engine, a scanner engine, etc. The main body 310 and the operation unit 320 are connected by an operation unit I / F 516 and a controller I / F 523, which will be described later.

[0020] The main unit 310 serves as a main control unit and manages the device status and controls jobs. The main unit 310 is also referred to as a controller. As shown in FIG. 2 , the main unit 310 includes a CPU 511, a program ROM 512, a network I / F 513, a RAM 514, a nonvolatile memory 515, an operation unit I / F 516, and an engine I / F 517.

[0021] The CPU 511 controls the entire main body 31. The program ROM 512 stores programs related to power management and job control. The network I / F 513 communicates via an external network N. The RAM 514 is a program execution area and is used for developing print images, etc. The non-volatile memory 515 stores accumulated document data and data required for developing images.

[0022] The operation unit I / F 516 is an interface for communicating with the operation unit 320. The engine I / F 517 is an interface for communicating with the engine 531.

[0023] The operation unit 320 has a CPU and a storage area independent of the main body 310, and receives operations from the user and controls screen display. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 320 includes a CPU 521, a program ROM 522, a controller I / F 523, a RAM 524, a nonvolatile memory 525, and a display unit 526.

[0024] The CPU 521 controls the screen display of the operation unit 320. The program ROM 522 stores a display control program. The controller I / F 523 is an interface for communicating with the main body 310. The RAM 524 is a program execution area. The non-volatile memory 525 stores initial values ​​at startup and configurable items. The display unit 526 is a panel that displays the screen and can be operated by the user.

[0025] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the firmware management server 60 and the multifunction peripheral 300 according to this embodiment. Note that in this embodiment, the firmware management server 60 is used as a management server to update and activate the firmware of the multifunction peripheral 300, but when updating and activating an application of the multifunction peripheral 300, the application management server 50 is used as the management server.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the firmware management server 60 and the multifunction peripheral 300 according to this embodiment.

[0027] The firmware management server 60 includes an activation information distribution unit 621 , an activation information distribution setting input unit 622 , an activation information distribution setting control unit 623 , and an activation information distribution setting storage unit 624 .

[0028] The activation information distribution setting input unit 622 accepts activation information input from the user. Here, activation refers to the process of validating functions that have been added or changed in an application installed by updating firmware (or an application).

[0029] Typically, firmware updates include not only adding or changing application functions, but also bug fixes and modifications to non-functional requirements such as security enhancements. For devices used by many users, such as multifunction printers, there is a desire to maintain the same operating experience as before by not adding or changing functions, and in such cases it is desirable to only reflect bug fixes and non-functional requirement modifications to the applications included in the firmware. If you want to add or change functions in the application after updating the firmware, you can activate it, but if not, you can achieve this by not activating it.

[0030] The activation information is information related to activation. In this embodiment, the activation information includes the activatable version, an overview of the application or function that will be added or changed when activated and that will be displayed in the system or application, and an extension flag for the notification period of the activation information. Note that the activation information may also include information other than these.

[0031] The activation information notification period extension flag is a flag that indicates whether or not the activation information notification period is extended. When the activation information notification period extension flag is on, it indicates that the activation notification period is to be extended, and when the activation information notification period extension flag is off, it indicates that the activation notification period is not to be extended.

[0032] The activation information distribution setting storage unit 624 is a storage medium that stores activation information. The activation information distribution setting control unit 623 stores activation information in the activation information distribution setting storage unit 624 and reads out activation information saved in the activation information distribution setting storage unit 624. The activation information distribution unit 621 distributes the activation information to the multifunction peripheral 300 .

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 310 of the multifunction device 300 includes a main body power control unit 311, an activation information acquisition unit 312, a device management setting acquisition unit 313, a device management setting storage unit 314, a login information acquisition unit 315, a login information control unit 316, and a login information storage unit 317.

[0034] The main body power supply control unit 311 controls the power supply of the main body 310 . In the case of a firmware update, the activation information acquisition unit 312 acquires firmware activation information from the firmware management server 60. In the case of an application update, the activation information acquisition unit 312 acquires application activation information from the application management server 50.

[0035] The device management setting storage unit 314 is a storage medium that stores the device management settings and activated versions of the multifunction device 300. The device management setting acquisition unit 313 reads out the device management settings from the device management setting storage unit 314. Here, the device management setting is setting information that determines whether or not device management of the multifunction device 300 is performed, and is set to ON or OFF. When the device management setting is ON, this indicates that device management of the multifunction device 300 is to be performed. When the device management setting is OFF, this indicates that device management of the multifunction device 300 is not to be performed.

[0036] The login information storage unit 317 is a storage medium that stores login information for each user. Here, the login information corresponds to authentication information such as a user's login name and password, and whether or not the user has device management authority.

[0037] The login information acquisition unit 315 reads out the user's login information from the login information storage unit 317. The login information control unit 316 writes the user's login information into the login information storage unit 317 and updates it.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 320 of the multifunction device 300 includes a system banner display unit 321, a system banner display control unit 322, a notification app display unit 323, a notification app display control unit 324, an activation information display request unit 325, an activation information display request determination unit 326, an operation unit power control unit 327, and a login input unit 328.

[0039] The system banner display unit 321 can display system messages and the like, and in this embodiment, can also display activation information, specifically, an outline of the applications and functions that will be added or changed when the activation information is activated. The system banner display control unit 322 controls the display of system messages and the like and activation information on the system banner display unit 321.

[0040] The notification app display unit 323 can display various messages of the notification app as a notification application, and in this embodiment, can also display activation information, specifically, an outline of the application or function that will be added or changed when activated in the activation information. The notification app display control unit 324 controls the display of various messages and activation information of the notification app on the notification app display unit 323.

[0041] If the activation information notification period extension flag is on (i.e., extended), the activation information display request determination unit 326 determines whether to extend the notification of the activation information depending on the contents of the device management settings, and based on the determination result, decides to display the notification of the activation information on the system banner display unit 321 and the notification app display unit 323.

[0042] More specifically, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on and the device management setting is off (i.e., device management is not performed), the activation information display request determination unit 326 extends the display of the activation information notification on all display units, namely the system banner display unit 321 and the notification app display unit 323, without immediately displaying it.

[0043] On the other hand, when the extension flag for the notification period of the activation information is off (i.e., not extended) or the device management setting is on (i.e., device management is performed), activation information display request determination unit 326 decides to immediately display a notification of the activation information on system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323. In this case, activation information display request determination unit 326 notifies activation information display request unit 325 of the decision to immediately display a notification of the activation information on system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323.

[0044] Upon receiving the notification from activation information display request determination unit 326, activation information display request unit 325 requests system banner display control unit 322 and notification application display control unit 324 to display the activation information.

[0045] An operation unit power supply control unit 327 controls the power supply of the operation unit 310. A login input unit 328 accepts login input from the user.

[0046] Here, activation information display request unit 325, activation information display request determination unit 326, system banner display control unit 322, and notification app display control unit 324 correspond to a display control unit. Also, system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323 correspond to a display unit.

[0047] Next, a control process performed by the multifunction peripheral 300 and firmware management server 60 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of control process performed by the multifunction peripheral 300 and firmware management server 60 according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 4, the multifunction peripheral 300 is shown separated into a main body 310 and an operation unit 320.

[0048] In the firmware management server 60, when an activation information distribution setting manager inputs activation information, the input is accepted by the activation information distribution setting input unit 622 (S101). The activation information distribution setting control unit 623 writes the input activation information into the activation information distribution setting storage unit 624 (S103).

[0049] When the user turns on the power of the main body 310 of the multifunction peripheral 300, the main body power control unit 311 starts up each unit of the main body 310 (S105), and then sends a start-up instruction to the operation unit 320 (S107).

[0050] In the operation unit 320, the operation unit power supply control unit 327 receives a start-up instruction from the main body 310 and starts up each unit of the operation unit 310 (S109).

[0051] In the main body 310, when each unit is started up, the activation information acquisition unit 312 requests activation information from the firmware management server 60 (S111).

[0052] In the firmware management server 60, when the activation information distribution unit 621 receives the activation information, it reads the activation information from the activation information distribution setting storage unit 624 (S113). Then, the activation information distribution unit 621 transmits the read activation information to the requesting multifunction peripheral 300 (S115).

[0053] In the main body 310 of the multifunction peripheral 300, the activation information acquisition unit 312 receives the activation information from the firmware management server 60. Then, the activation information acquisition unit 312 sends the received activation information to the activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 (S117).

[0054] When the activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 receives the activation information from the activation information acquisition unit 312, it requests the device management setting acquisition unit 313 of the main unit 310 for the device management setting and the activated version (S119).

[0055] In the main body 310 of the multifunction peripheral 300, the device management setting acquisition unit 313 receives the request for the device management settings and the activated version and reads out the device management settings and the activated version from the device management setting storage unit 314 (S121).The device management setting acquisition unit 313 then sends the read-out device management settings and the activated version to the activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 (S123).

[0056] Here, when a user logs in from the operation unit 310 of the multifunction device 300, the login input unit 328 of the operation unit 320 accepts the login (S125) and requests the login information of the logged-in user from the login information control unit 316 of the main body 310 (S127).

[0057] In the main body 310 of the multifunction peripheral 300, the login information control unit 316 reads out the requested user's login information from the login information storage unit 317 (S129). Then, the login information control unit 316 sends the read-out login information to the login input unit 328 of the operation unit 320 (S131). Then, the operation unit 320 executes a display process of the activation information (S133).

[0058] Next, the activation information display process of S133 will be described in detail below with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0059] The activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 compares the activatable version in the activation information acquired by the activation information acquisition unit 312 with the activated version acquired from the device management setting acquisition unit 313. Then, the activation information display request determination unit 326 determines whether the activatable version is greater than the activated version (S501).

[0060] If the activatable version is equal to or lower than the activated version (S501: No), the process ends.

[0061] On the other hand, if the activatable version is greater than the activated version (S501: Yes), the activation information display request determination unit 326 determines whether the device management setting is off and the activation information notification period extension flag is on (S503).

[0062] If the device management setting is OFF and the activation information notification period extension flag is ON (S503: Yes), the activation information display request determination unit 326 determines to extend the display of the activation information notification (S511) and ends the process. Therefore, in this case, the new activation information notification is not displayed immediately.

[0063] On the other hand, in S503, if the device management setting is on or the activation information notification period extension flag is off (S503: No), the activation information display request determination unit 326 decides not to extend the display of the activation information notification, and refers to the login information of the logged-in user to determine whether the user has device management authority (S505).

[0064] If the logged-in user does not have device management authority (S505: No), the process ends, and the notification of new activation information is not displayed.

[0065] On the other hand, in S505, if the logged-in user has device management authority (S505: Yes), activation information display request determination unit 326 notifies activation information display request unit 325 of a decision to immediately display a notification of activation information on system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323. Then, activation information display request unit 325 requests system banner display control unit 322 and notification app display control unit 324 to display a notification of new activation information. As a result, system banner display control unit 322 displays a notification of new activation information on system banner display unit 321, and notification app display control unit 324 displays a notification of new activation information (specifically, an outline of an application or function that will be added or changed when activated in the activation information) on notification app display unit 323 (S507). Then, the processing ends.

[0066] As described above, in this embodiment, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on, activation information display request determination unit 326 of operation unit 320 of multifunction peripheral 300 determines whether to extend the notification of the activation information in accordance with the contents of the device management settings, and based on the determination result, decides to display the notification of the activation information on system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323. In other words, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on and the device management settings are off, activation information display request determination unit 326 extends the display of the notification of the activation information on all display units, that is, system banner display unit 321 and notification app display unit 323, without immediately displaying it.

[0067] Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if the notification of activation information is extended, the notification is not sent to users who are not actually managing devices, thereby reducing the inconvenience of unnecessary notifications to users.

[0068] In this embodiment, the main body 310 requests activation information upon startup of the multifunction device 300, and executes the process of controlling the display of the activation information, but this is not limiting. For example, the main body 310 of the multifunction device 300 may be configured to request activation information upon a timer based on the time on the main body 310, and execute the process of controlling the display of the activation information.

[0069] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on and the device management setting is off, the activation information display request determination unit 326 extends the activation information notification period without immediately displaying it on all display units. The multifunction peripheral 300 according to the second embodiment extends the display of the activation information on some display units and displays the activation information on other display units.

[0070] The configuration of the image forming system 1, the configuration of the multifunction peripheral 300, and the configuration of the firmware management server 60 in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0071] In the second embodiment, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on and the device management setting is off, the activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 of the multifunction device 300 determines to extend the display of the new activation information notification on the system banner display unit 321 and to immediately display the new activation information notification on the notification app display unit 323.

[0072] The flow of control processing by the multifunction peripheral 300 and firmware management server 60 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

[0073] Next, the details of the activation information display process according to the second embodiment will be described below. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the activation information display process according to the second embodiment.

[0074] The processes from S501 to S503 are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In S503, if the device management setting is off and the activation information notification period extension flag is on (S503: Yes), the activation information display request determination unit 326 extends the display of the activation information notification in the system banner display unit, and determines to display the activation information notification in the notification app display unit 323 (S701).

[0075] Then, the activation information display request determination unit 326 refers to the login information of the logged-in user and determines whether or not the logged-in user has device management authority (S702).

[0076] If the logged-in user does not have device management authority (S702: No), the process ends, and the notification of new activation information is not displayed.

[0077] On the other hand, in S702, if the logged-in user has device management authority (S702: Yes), activation information display request determination unit 326 notifies activation information display request unit 325 of a decision to immediately display a notification of activation information on notification app display unit 323. Then, activation information display request unit 325 requests notification app display control unit 324 to display a notification of new activation information. As a result, notification app display control unit 324 displays a notification of new activation information (specifically, an outline of the application or function that will be added or changed when activated in the activation information) on notification app display unit 323 (S703). Then, the processing ends.

[0078] Returning to S503, if the device management setting is on or the activation information notification period extension flag is off (S503: No), the processes of S505 and S507 are executed, as in the first embodiment, and the process ends.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the activation information notification period extension flag is on and the device management setting is off, the activation information display request determination unit 326 of the operation unit 320 of the multifunction device 300 determines to extend the display of the new activation information notification on the system banner display unit 321 and to immediately display the new activation information notification on the notification app display unit 323.

[0080] For this reason, according to this embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the following effect is also achieved. That is, in system banner display unit 321, the notification app is always displayed in a banner display area in which the user cannot set whether or not to display it. On the other hand, a notification app is an application on the home screen, and the user can freely select whether or not to display it in notification app display unit 323. For this reason, according to this embodiment, by adjusting the display location so that a notification of new activation information is not displayed in system banner display unit 321 but is displayed only in notification app display unit 323, it is possible to encourage the user to activate the information while reducing the clutter caused by the display.

[0081] In this embodiment, the notification of new activation information is not displayed in the system banner display unit 321, but is displayed only in the notification app display unit 323, but the locations where it is not displayed and where it is displayed are not limited to this. The operation unit 320 can also be configured to display it in the second display location, but not in the other first display location.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the activation of firmware updates has been described, but the above embodiment can also be applied to the activation of application updates.

[0083] The display control program executed by the multifunction peripheral 300 of the above embodiment is provided in advance in the program ROMs 512, 522, etc.

[0084] The display control program executed by the multifunction device 300 of the above embodiment may be configured to be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0085] Furthermore, the display control program executed by the multifunction peripheral 300 of the above embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the display control program executed by the multifunction peripheral 300 of the above embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0086] The display control program executed by the multifunction peripheral 300 of the above embodiment has a modular configuration including the above-mentioned units (main body power control unit 311, activation information acquisition unit 312, device management setting acquisition unit 313, login information acquisition unit 315, login information control unit 316, system banner display unit 321, system banner display control unit 322, notification app display unit 323, notification app display control unit 324, activation information display request unit 325, activation information display request determination unit 326, operation unit power control unit 327, and login input unit 328), and the actual hardware is a CPU (processor ) reads out and executes the display control program from the program ROM, whereby the above-mentioned units are loaded onto the main memory, and a main body power control unit 311, activation information acquisition unit 312, device management setting acquisition unit 313, login information acquisition unit 315, login information control unit 316, system banner display unit 321, system banner display control unit 322, notification app display unit 323, notification app display control unit 324, activation information display request unit 325, activation information display request determination unit 326, operation unit power control unit 327, and login input unit 328 are generated on the main memory.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is described as being applied to a multifunction peripheral having at least two of the functions of a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function, but the present invention can be applied to any image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer, scanner device, or facsimile device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 50 Application Management Server 60 Firmware Management Server 300 multifunction device 310 Main Unit 320 Control unit 321 System banner display section 322 System banner display control unit 323 Notification app display section 324 Notification app display control unit 325 Activation information display request part 326 Activation information display request determination unit [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0089] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-138297

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires activation information related to activation of firmware or an application from a management server connected to a network; a storage unit that stores a device management setting indicating whether or not the image forming device is to be managed; a display unit capable of displaying the activation information; a display control unit that, when the activation information is set to extend notification of the activation information, determines whether to extend display of the activation information based on the device management setting, and controls display of the activation information on the display unit based on the determination result; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. the display control unit extends the display of the activation information on the display unit when the activation information is set to extend notification of the activation information and the device management setting is set to not manage the image forming device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the display unit has a plurality of display units, the display control unit extends the display of the activation information on all the display units when the activation information is set to extend the notification of the activation information and the device management setting is set to not manage the image forming device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The display unit has a banner display unit that displays a system message and an application display unit that displays a message of a notification application. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. the display unit has a plurality of display units, the display control unit, when the activation information is set to extend notification of the activation information and the device management setting is set to not manage the image forming device, extends display of the activation information on some of the display units and displays the activation information on other of the display units. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 .

6. the display unit has a banner display unit that displays a system message and an application display unit that displays a message of a notification application; the display control unit extends the display of the activation information on the banner display unit and displays the activation information on the application display unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 .

7. the display control unit displays the activation information on the application display unit when the logged-in user has device management authority. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 .

8. A display control method executed in an image forming apparatus, comprising: the image forming apparatus, a storage unit that stores a device management setting indicating whether or not the image forming device is to be managed; a display unit capable of displaying activation information related to activation of firmware or an application; acquiring the activation information from a management server connected to a network; a step of determining whether to extend the display of the activation information based on the device management setting when the activation information is set to extend the notification of the activation information; controlling the display of the activation information on the display unit based on the determination result; A display control method including:

9. A program to be executed by a computer of an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus, a storage unit that stores a device management setting indicating whether or not the image forming device is to be managed; a display unit capable of displaying activation information related to activation of firmware or an application; acquiring the activation information from a management server connected to a network; a step of determining whether to extend the display of the activation information based on the device management setting when the activation information is set to extend the notification of the activation information; controlling the display of the activation information on the display unit based on the determination result; A program for causing the computer to execute the above.

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