Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing program that facilitate searching for a desired operator compared with a case where the desired operator is searched for from all operators.SOLUTION: When a user approaches an image forming apparatus 12, the user starts up a smartphone application and selects in advance a service from copying, faxing, scanning, and printing, and a selection receiving unit 50 receives a result of selection. A transmission unit 52 transmits a result of reception from the selection receiving unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12. Consequently, in the image forming apparatus 12, an acquisition unit 58 acquires a result of selection of the service used by the user, an extraction unit 60 filters an operator list corresponding to the service used by the user, and a transmission unit 62 transmits the filtered operator list to a portable terminal device 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and an information processing program.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, setting information defining settings of processing to be executed by an image forming apparatus is stored in association with user information, a portable storage medium is detected, user information is acquired by detecting the portable storage medium, setting information of processing to be executed by the image forming apparatus is acquired, and the acquired setting information is stored in association with the acquired user information. An image forming apparatus has been proposed.

[0003] In Patent Document 2, a registration unit that registers a user ID representing an owner of an external terminal, a user ID reception unit that receives a user ID by short-range communication from the external terminal, and a search unit that searches for a user ID that matches the user ID received by the user ID reception unit from the user ID registered in the registration unit, and when there is a matching user ID in the search unit, an image forming apparatus including a user authentication unit that establishes user authentication with the external terminal has been proposed.

[0004] In Patent Document 3, in response to a setting item request that requests a setting item related to information processing in an information processing apparatus, a setting item is received from the information processing apparatus by a short-range communication unit, and a setting screen that displays the value of the received setting item in a selectable manner is displayed, whereby a portable terminal device that performs presentation and setting of setting items available in a wireless communication-connected information processing apparatus has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

[0006] There is a function that displays the operators associated with the settings of an executed job, and allows for quick re-execution of the job by applying the previously executed settings through the operation of the operators. However, as the number of functions used or the number of users increases, the number of operators inevitably increases as well, making it difficult to find the desired operator.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing program that make it easier to search for a desired operator than when searching for a desired operator from all operators. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the information processing device according to the first embodiment includes a processor, which acquires pre-configured information and performs a process of extracting and outputting an operator corresponding to the information from among a plurality of operators associated with the settings of the executed job.

[0009] Furthermore, in the information processing device according to the second embodiment, the processor acquires user information and the type of job used by the user as the preset information, and extracts and outputs the operator corresponding to the at least one of the above.

[0010] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the information processing device, in the first or second embodiment, further performs a process in which the processor acquires the pre-set information from a terminal device that has established short-range wireless communication, and grants priority to the terminal device that has acquired the pre-set information.

[0011] Furthermore, in the information processing device according to the fourth embodiment, in the information processing device according to any one of the first to third embodiments, the processor extracts the operators while excluding the operators that cannot be used.

[0012] Furthermore, in the information processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment, the unusable operator is an operator corresponding to at least one of failure and access restriction.

[0013] Furthermore, in the information processing device according to the sixth embodiment, in the information processing device according to the first or second embodiment, the processor acquires a plurality of operators registered in the execution device that executes the job and extracts the operators corresponding to the information.

[0014] Furthermore, in the information processing device according to the seventh embodiment, in the information processing device according to the sixth embodiment, the processor, when the execution device is in a power-saving state, instructs the power saving to be canceled and then acquires the plurality of operators registered in the execution device.

[0015] Furthermore, the information processing system according to the eighth embodiment includes an information processing device according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, and a portable terminal device that transmits the information to the information processing device and displays the operator output from the information processing device.

[0016] Furthermore, the information processing system according to the ninth embodiment includes an information processing device according to the sixth or seventh embodiment, and an execution device that transmits a plurality of pre-registered operators to the information processing device.

[0017] Furthermore, the information processing program according to the tenth embodiment causes the computer to perform a process of acquiring pre-configured information and extracting and outputting an operator corresponding to the information from among a plurality of operators associated with the settings of the executed job. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus in which it is easier to search for a desired operator than when searching for a desired operator from all operators.

[0019] According to the second aspect, it becomes possible to narrow down the options when selecting a desired operator.

[0020] According to the third aspect, it becomes possible to suppress interrupt jobs.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect, it becomes possible to prevent the execution of a job using an unusable operator.

[0022] According to the fifth aspect, it becomes possible to prevent the execution of a job using an operator that is unusable due to a failure or access restriction.

[0023] According to the sixth aspect, it becomes possible to extract the operators registered in the execution device.

[0024] According to the seventh aspect, even when the execution device is in a power-saving state, it becomes possible to cancel the power-saving and extract the operator.

[0025] According to the eighth aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing system in which it is easier to search for a desired operator than when searching for a desired operator from all operators

[0026] According to the ninth aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing system in which it is easier to search for a desired operator than when searching for a desired operator from all operators.

[0027] According to the tenth aspect, it is possible to provide an information processing program in which it is easier to search for a desired operator than when searching for a desired operator from all operators.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0028] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a block diagram showing the main components of the electrical system of the image forming apparatus in the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows the main electrical components of a mobile terminal device in the information processing system according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit for the mobile terminal device and the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This diagram shows how the user's selection of the type of service to be used is transmitted from a mobile terminal device to an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] This diagram shows how a mobile terminal device receives and displays a list of operators from an image forming apparatus. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of displaying a list that includes the history of multiple operators and jobs. [Figure 8] Figure 7 shows an example of filtering the copy service from the list of operators. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by a mobile terminal device when selecting an operator and executing a job in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the image forming apparatus when a service selection result is transmitted from a mobile terminal device in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by a mobile terminal device when selecting an operator and executing a job in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the image forming apparatus when user information is transmitted from a mobile terminal device in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by a mobile terminal device when selecting an operator and executing a job in the information processing system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14]This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the image forming apparatus when the service selection result and user information are transmitted from a mobile terminal device in the information processing system according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0029] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment.

[0030] The information processing system 10 according to this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 12 as an example of an information processing apparatus and a mobile terminal device 14.

[0031] The mobile terminal device 14 is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication, and the image forming apparatus 12 can be operated from the mobile terminal device 14. For example, the mobile terminal device 14 could be a tablet or a smartphone. For example, the short-range wireless communication could be Wi-Fi® or Bluetooth®.

[0032] The image forming apparatus 12 is, as an example, an image forming apparatus having multiple functions such as a facsimile function, an image reading function, an image forming function, a copying function, a storage function for storing image information, and a transmission function for transmitting image information. In addition, although Figure 1 shows one image forming apparatus 12, it is not limited to one unit, and there may be two or more units. Similarly, although Figure 1 shows one portable terminal device 14, it is not limited to one unit, and there may be two or more units, and each user may possess their own. In the following, the facsimile function may be referred to as fax, the image reading function as scan, the image forming function as print, and the copying function as copy.

[0033] Furthermore, although the communication between the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming apparatus 12 is described as short-range wireless communication, it may also be carried out via a communication line 16 of a wireless base station such as a mobile phone network or various other networks (for example, LAN, WAN, Ethernet®, etc.), as shown by the dotted line in Figure 1.

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical components of the image forming apparatus 12 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 20 which includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C, as an example of a processor. The CPU 20A controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 12. The RAM 20C is used as a work area, etc., when various programs are executed by the CPU 20A. The ROM 20B stores various control programs and various parameters in advance. The various parts of the control unit 20 of the image forming apparatus 12 are electrically connected by a system bus 42.

[0036] On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes an HDD (hard disk drive) 26 for storing various data and application programs. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a display control unit 28 connected to a user interface 22, which controls the display of various operation screens on the user interface 22's display. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes an operation input detection unit 30 connected to the user interface 22, which detects operation instructions input via the user interface 22. In the image forming apparatus 12, the HDD 26, the display control unit 28, and the operation input detection unit 30 are electrically connected to a system bus 42. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 12 uses an HDD 26 as the storage unit, but is not limited to this, and a non-volatile storage unit such as flash memory may be used.

[0037] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes a reading control unit 32 that controls the optical image reading operation by the document reading unit 44 and the document feeding operation by the document transport unit, and an image forming control unit 34 that controls the image forming processing by the image forming unit 24 and the transport of paper to the image forming unit 24 by the transport unit 25. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a communication line I / F (interface) unit 36 ​​that transmits and receives communication data with other external devices connected to a communication line 16 of various networks, and transmits and receives communication data with a mobile terminal device 14 via short-range wireless communication. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a facsimile I / F (interface) unit 38 that is connected to a telephone line (not shown) and transmits and receives facsimile data with a facsimile device connected to the telephone line. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a transmit / receive control unit 40 that controls the transmit and receive of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38. In the image forming apparatus 12, the transmission / reception control unit 40, the reading control unit 32, the image forming control unit 34, the communication line I / F unit 36, and the facsimile I / F unit 38 are electrically connected to the system bus 42.

[0038] With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 20A to access the RAM 20C, ROM 20B, and HDD 26, respectively. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the display of information such as operation screens and various messages on the display 22A of the user interface 22 via the display control unit 28. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the document reading unit 44 and the document transport unit via the reading control unit 32. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the image forming unit 24 and the transport unit 25 via the image forming control unit 34, and to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 36, respectively. In addition, the image forming apparatus 12 uses the CPU 20A to control the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38 by the transmission and reception control unit 40. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 uses the CPU 20A to understand the operation content in the user interface 22 based on the operation input detection unit 30, and performs various controls based on this operation content.

[0039] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment has a function that, when executing functions such as copying, faxing, emailing, scanning, or a combination of these functions, changes the settings from the default and executes the function, assigns an operator to perform a so-called pinning and re-execution. The operator corresponds to a pinning pin and is associated with the setting information.

[0040] Next, the main components of the electrical system of the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main components of the electrical system of the mobile terminal device 14 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3, the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 14A, ROM 14B, RAM 14C, storage 14D, operation unit 14E, display unit 14F, communication line interface unit 14G, and image capture unit 14H. The CPU 14A controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal device 14. The ROM 14B stores various control programs and parameters in advance. The RAM 14C is used as a work area when the CPU 14A executes various programs. The storage 14D stores various data and application programs. The operation unit 14E is used to input various information. The display unit 14F is used to display various information. The image capture unit 14H outputs image information obtained by capturing. The communication line interface unit 14G transmits and receives various data with other devices connected to communication lines such as various networks. The communication line interface unit 14G also transmits and receives various data with the mobile terminal device 14 using wireless communication such as various well-known short-range wireless communication methods. The various parts of the mobile terminal device 14 described above are electrically interconnected by a system bus 14I. In this embodiment of the mobile terminal device 14, storage 14D is used as the storage unit, but storage 14D can be any type of non-volatile storage unit, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory.

[0042] With the above configuration, the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 14A to access the ROM 14B, RAM 14C, and storage 14D, acquire various data via the operation unit 14E, take images using the shooting unit 14H, and display various information on the display unit 14F. In addition, the mobile terminal device 14 uses the CPU 14A to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 14G.

[0043] Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming apparatus 12 will be described. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment.

[0044] The mobile terminal device 14 has the functions of a selection reception unit 50, a transmission unit 52, a reception unit 56, and an output unit 54, which are performed by the CPU 14A executing a program stored in the ROM 14B.

[0045] The selection reception unit 50 accepts the user's selection of the type of service to be used from among multiple functions of the image forming apparatus 12, such as copying, faxing, scanning, and printing. For example, as shown in Figure 5, it displays a selection screen for the service to be used on the display unit 14F and accepts the selection result.

[0046] The transmitting unit 52 transmits the selection result received by the selection receiving unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the selection result received by the selection receiving unit 50 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication. The example in Figure 5 shows the process of selecting and transmitting a copy.

[0047] The receiving unit 56 receives the operator list extracted by the image forming apparatus 12 and transmitted from the transmitting unit 62. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the operator list is received by short-range wireless communication.

[0048] The output unit 54 outputs the operator list by displaying the operator list received by the receiving unit 56 on the display unit 14F. For example, the operator list is displayed as shown in Figure 6. The example in Figure 6 shows an example where two operators are displayed as an operator list.

[0049] On the other hand, the control unit 20 has the functions of an acquisition unit 58, an extraction unit 60, and a transmission unit 62, as the CPU 20A executes a program stored in the ROM 20B.

[0050] The acquisition unit 58 acquires the user's service selection result, transmitted from the transmission unit 52 of the mobile terminal device 14, as pre-configured information. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the user's service selection result is acquired by receiving information transmitted from the transmission unit 52 via short-range wireless communication.

[0051] The extraction unit 60 extracts an operator list corresponding to the service used by the user from the operator list pre-stored in the HDD 26. The operator list is a list of operators associated with the configuration information of the executed job. The HDD 26 stores the executed job, including its configuration information, as an operator list by assigning operators to the executed job. Here, a job refers to a process or a set of processes that the image forming apparatus 12 executes to realize a predetermined function.

[0052] The transmitting unit 62 transmits the operator list extracted by the extraction unit 60 to the portable terminal device 14. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the operator list is transmitted by short-range wireless communication.

[0053] In other words, in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment, when a user approaches the image forming apparatus 12, the user launches a smartphone app and selects in advance the service to be used from copy, fax, scan, print, etc., and the selection reception unit 50 receives the selection result. Then, the transmission unit 52 transmits the reception result from the selection reception unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12.

[0054] As a result, the image forming apparatus 12 acquires the user's service selection result via the acquisition unit 58, filters the list of operators corresponding to the user's service via the extraction unit 60, and transmits the filtered list of operators via the transmission unit 62 to the mobile terminal device 14. This allows the user to select the desired operators and send an execution instruction to the image forming apparatus 12 to execute the job. Therefore, when selecting the desired operators, as shown in Figure 8, selecting from an operator list containing only the services being used results in a selection from fewer operators compared to selecting from an operator list containing operators for multiple services, as shown in Figure 7. The example in Figure 8 shows a case where the copy service is filtered from the operator list in Figure 7.

[0055] Next, we will describe the specific processes performed in each part of the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment, which is configured as described above.

[0056] First, we will explain the specific processing performed by the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 9 starts when the application is launched.

[0057] In step 100, the CPU 14A displays a predetermined service selection screen on the display unit 14F and proceeds to step 102. For example, as shown in Figure 5, a screen for selecting the service to be used is displayed.

[0058] In step 102, the CPU 14A determines whether a service has been selected. This determination is made by the selection reception unit 50 determining whether the selection of a service to be used by the user has been accepted. The system waits until this determination is affirmative and then proceeds to step 104. If a cancellation operation or other action is performed during the waiting period, the process terminates and other instructed processes are executed.

[0059] In step 104, the CPU 14A transmits the selection result to the image forming apparatus 12 and proceeds to step 106. That is, the transmitting unit 52 transmits the selection result received by the selection receiving unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication. If the image forming apparatus 12 is in power-saving mode, it is restored from power-saving mode by sending a power-off command or other power-off instruction before transmitting the selection result.

[0060] In step 106, the CPU 14A determines whether or not it has received the operator list from the image forming apparatus 12. This determination is made by the receiving unit 56 determining whether or not it has received the operator list extracted by the image forming apparatus 12 and transmitted by the transmitting unit 62. The system waits until this determination is affirmative and then proceeds to step 108. If a cancellation operation or the like is performed during the waiting period, the process is terminated and other instructed processes are executed.

[0061] In step 108, the CPU 14A displays the operator list received from the image forming apparatus 12 on the display unit 14F and completes the series of processes. That is, the output unit 54 outputs the operator list by displaying the operator list received by the receiving unit 56 on the display unit 14F.

[0062] Next, we will describe the processing performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when the service selection result is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14. Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when the service selection result is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 10 starts when short-range wireless communication is established with the mobile terminal device 14 and the service selection result is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14.

[0063] In step 200, the CPU 20A acquires the service selection result and proceeds to step 202. That is, the acquisition unit 58 acquires the service selection result to be used by the user, which is transmitted from the transmission unit 62 of the image forming apparatus 12.

[0064] In step 202, the CPU 20A grants priority to the mobile terminal device 14 with which short-range wireless communication has been established, and proceeds to step 204. For example, to prevent other users from using the image forming apparatus 12, the screen of the user interface 22 is locked. Note that step 202 may be omitted.

[0065] In step 204, the CPU 20A extracts a list of operators corresponding to the selected service and proceeds to step 206. That is, the extraction unit 60 extracts a list of operators corresponding to the service used by the user from the list of operators pre-stored in the HDD 26.

[0066] In step 206, the CPU 20A removes unusable operators from the extracted operator list and proceeds to step 208. For example, the extraction unit 60 removes operators that are unusable due to at least one of the following reasons: differences in the settings of the image forming apparatus 12, malfunctions, or access restrictions. As a result, only usable operators are extracted. Step 206 may be omitted.

[0067] In step 208, the CPU 20A sends the extracted operator list to the mobile terminal device 14, completing the series of processes. That is, the transmission unit 62 sends the operator list extracted by the extraction unit 60 to the mobile terminal device 14. As a result, the mobile terminal device 14 displays an operator list containing only the operators for the service being used. Furthermore, because the operators are extracted and transmitted, the total amount of data received is reduced, resulting in faster display and startup. In addition, the job is executed without touching the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12, which is touched by an unspecified number of people, making it more hygienic.

[0068] (Second Embodiment) Next, the information processing system according to the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, when extracting the operator list, the operator list corresponding to the service used by the user was extracted, but in this embodiment, the extraction unit 60 extracts the service used by the user, which is the difference. In other words, the basic configuration is the same as in the first embodiment, so the description of the configuration will be omitted.

[0069] In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 58 acquires user information as pre-configured information, and the extraction unit 60 extracts the operators corresponding to the user information. This makes it easier to find the desired operator because the search is performed using only the operator list registered by the user, rather than searching through a list of operators registered by all users.

[0070] Here, we will describe the specific processing performed by the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 11 starts when the application is launched. Also, the same processing as in Figure 9 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0071] In step 101, the CPU 14A transmits user information and proceeds to step 106. For example, the transmission unit 52 transmits user identification information, such as a user ID, that has been pre-registered in the application.

[0072] In step 106, the CPU 14A determines whether or not it has received the operator list from the image forming apparatus 12. This determination is made by the receiving unit 56 determining whether or not it has received the operator list extracted by the image forming apparatus 12 and transmitted by the transmitting unit 62. The system waits until this determination is affirmative and then proceeds to step 108. If a cancellation operation or the like is performed during the waiting period, the process is terminated and other instructed processes are executed.

[0073] In step 108, the CPU 14A displays the operator list received from the image forming apparatus 12 on the display unit 14F and completes the series of processes. That is, the output unit 54 outputs the operator list by displaying the operator list received by the receiving unit 56 on the display unit 14F.

[0074] Next, we will describe the processing performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when user information is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when user information is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 12 starts when short-range wireless communication is established with the mobile terminal device 14 and user information is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14. Also, the same processing as in Figure 10 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0075] In step 201, the CPU 20A acquires user information and proceeds to step 202. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 58 acquires user information transmitted from the transmission unit 62 of the image forming apparatus 12.

[0076] In step 202, the CPU 20A grants priority to the mobile terminal device 14 with which short-range wireless communication has been established, and proceeds to step 203. For example, to prevent other users from using the image forming apparatus 12, the screen of the user interface 22 is locked. Note that step 202 may be omitted.

[0077] In step 203, the CPU 20A extracts the list of operators corresponding to the user information and proceeds to step 206. That is, the extraction unit 60 extracts the list of operators corresponding to the user information from the list of operators pre-stored in the HDD 26. This extracts an operation list containing only the operators registered by the user corresponding to the user information.

[0078] In step 206, the CPU 20A removes unusable operators from the extracted operator list and proceeds to step 208. For example, the extraction unit 60 removes operators that cannot be used due to differences in the settings of the image forming apparatus 12, malfunctions, or changes in access restrictions. As a result, only usable operators are extracted. Step 206 may be omitted.

[0079] In step 208, the CPU 20A sends the extracted operator list to the mobile terminal device 14, completing the series of processes. That is, the transmission unit 62 sends the operator list extracted by the extraction unit 60 to the mobile terminal device 14. As a result, the mobile terminal device 14 displays an operator list containing only the operators for the service being used. Furthermore, because the operators are extracted and transmitted, the total amount of data received is reduced, resulting in faster display and startup. In addition, the job is executed without touching the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12, which is touched by an unspecified number of people, making it more hygienic.

[0080] (Third embodiment) Next, an information processing system according to the third embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a combination of the first and second embodiments. Therefore, the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description of the configuration will be omitted.

[0081] In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 58 acquires user information as pre-configured information along with the user's selection of services. Then, when the extraction unit 60 extracts the operator list, it extracts the operator list that corresponds to the services used by the user and the user information.

[0082] Here, we will describe the specific processing performed in the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed in the mobile terminal device 14 when an operator is selected and a job is executed in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 13 starts when the application is launched. Also, the same processing as in Figure 9 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0083] In step 100, the CPU 14A displays a predetermined service selection screen on the display unit 14F and proceeds to step 102. For example, as shown in Figure 5, a screen for selecting the service to be used is displayed.

[0084] In step 102, the CPU 14A determines whether a service has been selected. This determination is made by the selection reception unit 50 determining whether the selection of a service to be used by the user has been accepted. The system waits until this determination is affirmative and then proceeds to step 103. If a cancellation operation or other action is performed during the waiting period, the process terminates and other instructed processes are executed.

[0085] In step 103, the CPU 14A transmits the selection result and user information to the image forming apparatus 12 and proceeds to step 106. That is, the transmission unit 52 transmits the user information along with the selection result received by the selection reception unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication. If the image forming apparatus 12 is in power-saving mode, it is restored from power-saving mode by sending a power-off command or other power-off instruction before transmitting the selection result and user information.

[0086] In step 106, the CPU 14A determines whether or not it has received the operator list from the image forming apparatus 12. This determination is made by the receiving unit 56 determining whether or not it has received the operator list extracted by the image forming apparatus 12 and transmitted by the transmitting unit 62. The system waits until this determination is affirmative and then proceeds to step 108. If a cancellation operation or the like is performed during the waiting period, the process is terminated and other instructed processes are executed.

[0087] In step 108, the CPU 14A displays the operator list received from the image forming apparatus 12 on the display unit 14F and completes the series of processes. That is, the output unit 54 outputs the operator list by displaying the operator list received by the receiving unit 56 on the display unit 14F.

[0088] Next, we will describe the processing performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when the service selection result and user information are transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed in the image forming apparatus 12 when the service selection result and user information are transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14 in the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the processing in Figure 14 starts when short-range wireless communication is established with the mobile terminal device 14 and the service selection result and user information are transmitted from the mobile terminal device 14. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to describe the same processing as in Figure 10.

[0089] In step 199, the CPU 20A acquires the service selection result and user information and proceeds to step 202. Specifically, the acquisition unit 58 acquires the service selection result and user information used by the user, which are transmitted from the transmission unit 62 of the image forming apparatus 12.

[0090] In step 202, the CPU 20A grants priority to the mobile terminal device 14 with which short-range wireless communication has been established, and proceeds to step 205. For example, to prevent other users from using the image forming apparatus 12, the screen of the user interface 22 is locked. Note that step 202 may be omitted.

[0091] In step 205, the CPU 20A extracts an operator list corresponding to the selected service and user information and proceeds to step 206. That is, the extraction unit 60 extracts an operator list from the operator list pre-stored in the HDD 26 that is for a service used by the user and corresponds to the user information.

[0092] In step 206, the CPU 20A removes unusable operators from the extracted operator list and proceeds to step 208. For example, the extraction unit 60 removes operators that cannot be used due to differences in the settings of the image forming apparatus 12, malfunctions, or changes in access restrictions. As a result, only usable operators are extracted. Step 206 may be omitted.

[0093] In step 208, the CPU 20A sends the extracted operator list to the mobile terminal device 14, completing the series of processes. That is, the transmission unit 62 sends the operator list extracted by the extraction unit 60 to the mobile terminal device 14. As a result, the mobile terminal device 14 displays an operator list containing only the operators for the service being used. Furthermore, because the operators are extracted and transmitted, the total amount of data received is reduced, resulting in faster display and startup. In addition, the job is executed without touching the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12, which is touched by an unspecified number of people, making it more hygienic.

[0094] In the embodiments described above, examples were given in which the extraction unit 60 is located on the image forming apparatus 12 side, but this is not the only example. For example, the mobile terminal device 14 may be equipped with the functions of the acquisition unit 58 and the extraction unit 60, and the image forming apparatus 12 may transmit the entire list of operators to the mobile terminal device 14, where the mobile terminal device 14 will perform the extraction of the operators. In this case, the mobile terminal device 14 functions as an information processing device, and the image forming apparatus 12 functions as an execution device.

[0095] Furthermore, although the above embodiments have described the case in which a job is executed by remotely controlling the image forming apparatus 12 from a mobile terminal device 14, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the extraction of operators may be performed when a job is executed by operating the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12.

[0096] Furthermore, although the CPU was described as an example of a processor in the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a broader term that includes general-purpose processors (such as CPUs) and specialized processors (such as GPUs: Graphics Processing Units, ASICs: Application Specific Integrated Circuits, FPGAs: Field Programmable Gate Arrays, and programmable logic devices).

[0097] Furthermore, the operation of the processor in the above embodiments may not be performed by a single processor, but may be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. Also, the order of the processor operations is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, but may be changed as appropriate.

[0098] Furthermore, the processing performed in each part of the information processing system 10 according to the above embodiment may be software-based processing, hardware-based processing, or a combination of both. Additionally, the processing performed in each part of the information processing system 10 may be stored as a program on a storage medium and distributed.

[0099] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it is of course possible to implement it in various modified forms without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0100] 10 Information Processing Systems 12 Image forming apparatus 14 Mobile terminal devices 14A CPU 20A CPU 50 Selection Reception Section 54 Output section 56 Receiving Unit 58 Acquisition Department 60 Extraction part 62 Transmitter

Claims

1. The processor comprises, The user selects the type of service to be used, and obtains information regarding the selected type. An information processing device that extracts and outputs operators from among multiple operators associated with the settings of an executed job that correspond to the selection result of the service type, and does not output operators that do not correspond to the selection result of the service type.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor further acquires user identification information, and in the extraction and output process, extracts and outputs the operator corresponding to both the selection result of the type of service and the user identification information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor further performs a process of obtaining information of the selected type from a terminal device that has established short-range wireless communication, and granting priority to the terminal device that has obtained the information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor extracts the operators while excluding any operators that are unavailable.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the unusable operator is an operator corresponding to at least one of failure and access restriction.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor obtains a plurality of operators registered in the execution device that executes the job and extracts the operator corresponding to the selection result of the type of service.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor, when the execution device is in a power-saving state, instructs the execution device to release the power saving function and then acquires a plurality of operators registered in the execution device.

8. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A portable terminal device that transmits information regarding the selected type to the information processing device and displays the operator output from the information processing device, An information processing system that includes this.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6 or claim 7, An execution device that transmits a plurality of pre-registered operators to the information processing device, An information processing system that includes this.

10. On the computer, The user selects the type of service to be used, and obtains information regarding the selected type. An information processing program for performing a process that extracts and outputs the operators corresponding to the selection result of the service type from among multiple operators associated with the settings of the executed job, and does not output operators that do not correspond to the selection result of the service type.

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