Information processing device, method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, method and program enabling a presentation of a function added accompanying the update.SOLUTION: In a system in which an image forming device 110 and a server 120 are connected to each other via a network, such as the Internet or a LAN, the image forming device 110 is an information processing device in which software is installed, and includes: a data obtaining unit 312 that obtains software update data which contains function information representing a function of the software, and configuration requirement information representing configuration requirements of the information processing device necessary to execute the function; and a display control unit 324 that displays a screen presenting a function based on the function information in accordance with the structure of the information processing device and the configuration requirements contained in the update data obtained by the data obtaining unit 312.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, method, and program for presenting functions added with software updates.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for automatically updating various software such as firmware and applications (hereinafter simply referred to as "software") installed in an information processing apparatus connected to a network.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-138297 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for automatically updating firmware. According to Patent Document 1, it is possible to register a package including a plurality of firmware of an image forming apparatus and control automatic update of specific firmware based on information indicating whether to permit update of the specific firmware, thereby performing updates efficiently and suppressing costs.

[0004] By the way, software updates may include significant changes such as not only bug fixes and minor specification changes but also adding newly developed functions. In such a case, if the information processing apparatus does not meet specific configuration requirements, the new functions may not be available. In such a case, it is difficult for the user to grasp what functions will be available by the update.

[0005] Regarding this point, in the prior art including Patent Document 1, although software can be automatically updated, the user still cannot grasp whether the newly added functions can be used. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technique to further improve user convenience.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide an information processing device, method, and program that can present functions added in conjunction with updates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In other words, according to the present invention, An information processing device on which software is installed, An acquisition means for acquiring update data for the software, which includes function information indicating the functions of the software and configuration requirements information indicating the configuration requirements of an information processing device necessary to perform the functions; A display means that displays a screen presenting the function based on the function information, in accordance with the configuration of the information processing device and the configuration requirements included in the update data acquired by the acquisition means. An information processing device is provided, which includes [the following]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, an information processing device, method, and program can be provided that enable the presentation of functions added in conjunction with updates. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the schematic configuration of the overall system hardware in this embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing the hardware configuration included in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. [Figure 3] A software block diagram included in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing examples of data stored in the various storage units of this embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the processes performed by the image forming apparatus in this embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of the screen displayed on the display of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described later. In the figures referenced below, the same reference numerals will be used for common elements, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, in the following embodiments, an image forming apparatus will be shown as an example of an information processing apparatus, but the embodiments are not particularly limited. Therefore, an information processing apparatus other than an image forming apparatus may also be used.

[0011] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the schematic hardware configuration of the entire system 100 in this embodiment. As an example, Figure 1 shows an environment in which an image forming apparatus 110 and a server 120 are connected via a network 130 such as the Internet or a LAN. Note that the number of image forming apparatuses 110 and servers 120 is not limited to those shown in Figure 1, and there is no limit to the number of units included in the system 100. Also, the method of connecting the image forming apparatus 110 and server 120 to the network 130 may be either wired or wireless.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 110 is an information processing device that executes print jobs transmitted from other information processing devices. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 110 has various software installed and can download update programs provided from the server 120 via the network 130 as appropriate.

[0013] Server 120 is an information processing device that provides various services to the image forming apparatus 110. In this embodiment, Server 120 can provide software and update programs to the image forming apparatus 110, manage user accounts for the image forming apparatus 110, perform authentication, and manage contract details. In this embodiment, Server 120 may provide the above-mentioned services using one information processing device or multiple information processing devices.

[0014] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 110 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration included in the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 110 consists of a controller 111, an operating unit 112, a printer device 113, and a scanner device 114.

[0015] The controller 111 of this embodiment is composed of a CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, storage device 204, communication interface 205, operation interface 206, and engine interface 207.

[0016] The CPU 201 is a device that executes a program to control the operation of the image forming apparatus 110 and performs predetermined processing. The RAM 202 is a volatile memory device that provides the execution space for the program executed by the CPU 201 and is used for storing and retrieving programs and data. The ROM 203 is a non-volatile memory device that stores programs and software executed by the CPU 201.

[0017] The storage device 204 is a read / write non-volatile storage device that stores the OS, various software, configuration information, and various data necessary for the operation of the image forming apparatus 110. Examples of storage devices 204 include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and SSDs (Solid State Drives).

[0018] The communication interface 205 connects the image forming apparatus 110 to the network 130, enabling communication with other information processing devices via the network 130. Communication via the network 130 may be either wired or wireless, and various types of data can be sent and received using a predetermined communication protocol such as TCP / IP.

[0019] The control unit I / F 206 is an interface for sending and receiving control signals and other information with the control unit 112. The engine I / F 207 is an interface for sending and receiving control signals and other information with the printer device 113 and the scanner device 114.

[0020] The operation unit 112 of this embodiment is configured to include a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a storage device 204, a controller I / F 208, a display 209, and an input device 210. Note that the CPU 201, RAM 202, ROM 203, and storage device 204 included in the operation unit 112 are the same as those included in the controller 111, so detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0021] The controller I / F 208 is an interface that transmits and receives control signals and the like to and from the controller 111.

[0022] The display 209 is a device that displays various data and the status of the image forming apparatus 110 to the user. Examples include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The input device 210 is a device for the user to operate the image forming apparatus 110. Examples include buttons. Note that the display 209 and the input device 210 may be separate devices, or may be a device having both functions such as a touch panel display.

[0023] The printer device 113 is a device configured to form an image on paper by a laser method, an inkjet method, or the like. The scanner device 114 is a device configured to read an image of a printed matter and convert it into data. Further, for example, the image forming apparatus 110 can copy a printed matter by the cooperation of the scanner device 114 and the printer device 113.

[0024] The hardware configuration included in the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment has been described above. Note that the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example and does not limit the embodiment. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 110 may be configured to include hardware other than that shown in FIG. 2. Also, in FIG. 2, the controller 111 and the operation unit 112 are configured as separate hardware, but they may be configured as one hardware.

[0025] Next, the functional means performed by each hardware in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a software block diagram included in the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment.

[0026] The controller 111 of this embodiment includes a controller power control unit 311, a data acquisition unit 312, a device information management unit 313, and a device information storage unit 314. The operation unit 112 of this embodiment also includes an operation unit power control unit 321, a software information storage unit 322, a determination unit 323, and a display control unit 324. The details of each function are described below.

[0027] The controller power control unit 311 is a means for controlling the power supplied to the hardware included in the controller 111. In this embodiment, the controller power control unit 311 supplies power to the hardware when the main power of the image forming apparatus 110 is turned on. Furthermore, when the main power of the image forming apparatus 110 is turned on, the controller power control unit 311 can request the operation unit power control unit 321 to start the operation unit 112.

[0028] The data acquisition unit 312 controls the operation of the communication interface 205 and is a means for acquiring software update programs installed on the image forming apparatus 110 from the server 120. The update programs acquired by the data acquisition unit 312 may include, in addition to software update data, information indicating the functions of the software, information indicating the configuration requirements of the image forming apparatus 110 necessary to perform those functions, and software version information. Furthermore, the information indicating the functions of the software may also include information indicating functions newly added by the software update.

[0029] The device information management unit 313 is a means for managing the configuration information of the image forming apparatus 110. In this embodiment, the device information management unit 313 can store information such as the presence or absence and specifications of the hardware of the image forming apparatus 110, and the version information of the installed software, in the device information storage unit 314. In addition, the device information management unit 313 can, in response to a request from the determination unit 323, refer to the device information storage unit 314, retrieve data from the device information storage unit 314, and notify the determination unit 323.

[0030] The device information storage unit 314 controls the operation of the storage device 204 of the controller 111 and is a means for reading and writing various data related to device information. Here, an example of data stored in the device information storage unit 314 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram showing examples of data stored in various storage units of this embodiment, and Figure 4(a) shows an example of data in the device information storage unit 314. Note that the data examples shown in Figure 4 do not particularly limit the embodiment.

[0031] The device information storage unit 314 of this embodiment stores the data shown in Figure 4(a) as device information for the image forming apparatus 110. That is, the image forming apparatus 110 of the embodiment described above includes a 2GB HDD, a touch panel, and a finisher device, as shown in Figure 4(a), but does not include a card reader. Furthermore, although version 2.1 software is installed on the image forming apparatus 110, it is not activated, and version 2.0 software is activated.

[0032] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 3. The operation unit power control unit 321 is a means for controlling the power supplied to the hardware included in the operation unit 112 in response to a request from the controller power control unit 311.

[0033] The software information storage unit 322 controls the operation of the storage device 204 of the operation unit 112 and is a means for storing information about the installed software. Here, an example of the data stored in the software information storage unit 322 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4(b).

[0034] The software information storage unit 322 of this embodiment stores the data shown in Figure 4(b) as information about the software installed in the image forming apparatus 110. In the example shown in Figure 4(b), the software information storage unit 322 stores the updated software version information, the name of the function added by the update, the configuration requirements necessary to execute the added function, and a description of the function, all associated with each other. In this embodiment, the software installed in the image forming apparatus 110 has version 2.1, and the update has added a copy storage function, a history retrieval function, a staple processing function, and an IC card authentication function. In the example shown in Figure 4(b), the copy storage function requires an HDD of 1GB or more, the history retrieval function requires an HDD of 500MB or more, the staple processing function requires a finisher device, and the IC card authentication function requires a card reader.

[0035] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 3. The determination unit 323 is a means for determining the functions that will become available in the image forming apparatus 110 through a software update, by referring to the device information in the device information storage unit 314 and the software information in the software information storage unit 322. The determination unit 323 notifies the display control unit 324 of the determination result, that is, the functions that will become available.

[0036] The display control unit 324 controls the operation of the display 209 and, based on the determination result from the determination unit 323, displays a screen listing the functions that the image forming apparatus 110 can use.

[0037] The software blocks described above correspond to functional means realized when the CPU 201 executes the program of this embodiment, thereby enabling each piece of hardware to function. Furthermore, the functional means shown in each embodiment may be entirely implemented in software, or some or all of them may be implemented as hardware that provides equivalent functionality.

[0038] Furthermore, the functional means described above do not necessarily have to be included in the configuration shown in Figure 3. For example, in another preferred embodiment, each functional means may be realized through the cooperation of the controller 111 and the operating unit 112.

[0039] Up to this point, the functional means included in the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment have been described. Next, the processes performed by each of the above-described functional means will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processes performed by the image forming apparatus 110 in this embodiment. In the following description of Figure 5, the image forming apparatus 110 that stores various data shown in Figure 4 will be used as an example. Therefore, in the description of Figure 5, Figure 4 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0040] In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 110 starts processing from step S1000. In step S1001, the data acquisition unit 312 obtains the update program from the server 120 and installs it in the image forming apparatus 110. At step S1001, although the update program is installed, it is not activated, and therefore, the functions added by the update are not available at this stage.

[0041] Next, in step S1002, information about the installed software is stored in the device information storage unit 314 and the software information storage unit 322. For example, in step S1002, the device information storage unit 314 stores the version of the installed software in the "Not Activated" item. The software information storage unit 322 also stores updated version information, the names of the functions included in the update program, configuration requirements, and descriptions of the functions.

[0042] Subsequently, in step S1003, the process branches depending on whether the software has been started or not. If the software has not been started (NO), the process returns to step S1003 and is repeated, waiting for the software to start. If the software has been started (YES), the process proceeds to step S1004. In the example in Figure 5, the process branches based on the start of the software, but this does not particularly limit the embodiment. For example, in another embodiment, the process in step S1003 may be triggered when the main power supply of the image forming apparatus 110 is turned on and the controller power control unit 311 and the operation unit power control unit 321 start supplying power.

[0043] Next, in step S1004, the determination unit 323 acquires device information and software information. In step S1004, the determination unit 323 refers to the device information storage unit 314 via the device information management unit 313 and acquires the configuration information of the image forming apparatus 110 and the software version information. The determination unit 323 also refers to the software information storage unit 322 and acquires the function name, configuration requirements, and function description added by the unactivated version of the software. In this embodiment, the determination unit 323 compares the version information stored in the software information storage unit 322 with the activated version information, and if the version information stored in the software information storage unit 322 is larger, it can determine that the version of the software is subject to activation.

[0044] After acquiring device information and software information in step S1004, in step S1005, the determination unit 323 refers to the acquired information and determines whether or not there are functions that can be used in the image forming apparatus 110 by activating them. Here, the determination process in step S1005 will be explained with reference to the example in Figure 4.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment has updated software version 2.1 installed, but since this version is not activated, version 2.0 is activated. Version 2.1 of the software newly adds a copy storage function, a history retrieval function, a staple processing function, and an IC card authentication function. Therefore, if the image forming apparatus 110 meets the requirements to perform these functions, each function becomes available after activation.

[0046] Here, the copy storage function requires an HDD of 1GB or more (see Figure 4(b)), and the image forming apparatus 110 in this embodiment is equipped with a 2GB HDD (see Figure 4(a)). Therefore, when version 2.1 software is activated, the image forming apparatus 110 can utilize the copy storage function. Accordingly, the determination unit 323 determines that the copy storage function is available (see step S1005).

[0047] Similarly, the history recall function requires an HDD of 500 MB or more (see Figure 4(b)), and the image forming apparatus 110 in this embodiment is equipped with a 2 GB HDD (see Figure 4(a)). Therefore, when version 2.1 software is activated, the image forming apparatus 110 can utilize the history recall function. Accordingly, the determination unit 323 determines that the history recall function is available (see step S1005).

[0048] Furthermore, the stapling function requires the presence of a finisher device (see Figure 4(b)), and the image forming apparatus 110 in this embodiment is equipped with a finisher device (see Figure 4(a)). Therefore, when version 2.1 of the software is activated, the image forming apparatus 110 can utilize the stapling function. Accordingly, the determination unit 323 determines that the stapling function is available (see step S1005).

[0049] On the other hand, the IC card authentication function requires the presence of a card reader (see Figure 4(b)), but the image forming apparatus 110 in this embodiment does not have a card reader (see Figure 4(a)). Therefore, even when version 2.1 software is activated, the image forming apparatus 110 cannot use the IC card authentication processing function. Consequently, the determination unit 323 determines that the IC card authentication function is unavailable (see step S1005).

[0050] As explained above, by activating version 2.1 software, the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment enables the use of the copy storage function, history retrieval function, and staple processing function, but the IC card authentication function is unavailable. At this point, the image forming apparatus 110 of this embodiment performs the process in step S1006 so that the user can understand which functions are available.

[0051] Return to the explanation in Figure 5. In step S1005, if there are no functions that become available in the image forming apparatus 110 by activating them (NO), proceed to step S1007 and terminate the process. On the other hand, if there are functions that become available in the image forming apparatus 110 by activating them (YES), proceed to step S1006.

[0052] In step S1006, the display control unit 324 controls the display 209 to display functions that have been added by updating the software and are available in the image forming apparatus 110 after activation. The screen displayed in step S1006 will now be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed on the display 209 in this embodiment.

[0053] The display 209 of this embodiment displays a screen illustrated in Figure 6. In the example of the embodiment described, as shown in Figure 6, a list of functions that become available upon activation is displayed, including the functions of copy storage, history retrieval, and stapling, along with their descriptions. On the other hand, the IC card authentication function is not displayed in the list because the image forming apparatus 110 does not meet the configuration requirements. In this way, by displaying functions that are added by updating the software and become available in the image forming apparatus 110 after activation, the user can find out what functions are available and is encouraged to use the new functions.

[0054] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6, the screen displaying the list of added features may also include buttons to transition to the screen for activating the new version of the software. This allows users to understand the newly added features before activating them.

[0055] Let's return to Figure 5 for the explanation. In step S1006, after displaying a screen as shown in Figure 6, the process proceeds to step S1007. In step S1007, the image forming apparatus 110 terminates the process.

[0056] As shown in Figure 5, the image forming apparatus 110 can display functions that are added by updating the software and become available in the image forming apparatus 110 after activation. This allows the user to know what functions are available and encourages the use of new functions.

[0057] According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide an information processing device, method, and program that can present functions added in conjunction with updates.

[0058] Each of the embodiments of the present invention described above can be implemented by a device-executable program written in C, C++, C#, Java®, etc. The program of this embodiment can be stored and distributed on a device-readable recording medium such as a hard disk drive, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, flexible disk, EEPROM®, EPROM, etc., and can also be transmitted over a network in a format that can be used by other devices.

[0059] Each of the embodiments described above can be implemented by one or more processing circuits. Hereinafter, "processing circuit" as used herein includes processors programmed to execute each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, as well as devices such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (digital signal processors), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It is included within the scope of the present invention as long as it achieves the effects and advantages of the present invention within the range of embodiments that a person skilled in the art could deduce. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 100...System, 110...Image forming apparatus, 111...Controller, 112...Operation unit, 113...Printer device, 114...Scanner device, 120...Server, 130...Network, 201...CPU, 202...RAM, 203...ROM, 204...Storage device, 205...Communication I / F, 206...Operation unit I / F, 207...Engine I / F, 208...Controller I / F, 209...Display, 210...Input device, 240...Storage device, 311...Controller power supply control unit, 312...Data acquisition unit, 313...Device information management unit, 314...Device information storage unit, 321...Operation unit power supply control unit, 322...Software information storage unit, 323...Determination unit, 324...Display control unit [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0062] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-138297

Claims

1. An information processing device on which software is installed, An acquisition means for acquiring update data for the software, which includes function information indicating a plurality of functions to be added to the software, and configuration requirements information indicating the configuration requirements of an information processing device necessary to perform each of the functions, A determination means for determining whether the configuration of the information processing device satisfies the requirements for performing each of the functions based on the updated data, A display means that displays a screen showing one or more of the above-mentioned functions that the determination means has determined to satisfy the above requirements. Information processing device, including

2. The determination means is, The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device compares a first version information of software that is enabled with a second version information of software related to an update acquired by the acquisition means, and determines that the software having the second version information is subject to activation if the second version information is newer.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the function information includes information indicating functions to be added by the software update.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the screen includes a display that transitions to a screen for setting the function to be enabled.

5. A method executed by an information processing device on which software is installed, A step of acquiring update data for the software, which includes function information indicating a plurality of functions to be added to the software, and configuration requirements information indicating the configuration requirements of an information processing device necessary to perform each of the functions. The steps include determining whether the configuration of the information processing device satisfies the requirements for performing each of the functions based on the updated data, A step of displaying a screen that shows one or more of the above-mentioned functions that were determined to satisfy the requirements in the determination step, among the above-mentioned multiple functions. Methods that include...

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