JP6171564B2 - Application registration system, computer, application providing server, application registration method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for providing an application from a server to a client via a network.

  In recent years, a method of installing (registering) an application in an apparatus via a communication line by a server has become widespread.

  The application can be used in a device having a predetermined condition. As an example of the predetermined condition, an operating system of a predetermined version or later is installed, a web browser of a predetermined version or later is installed, a memory of a predetermined level or higher, and a resolution of a predetermined level or higher are installed. There are various conditions such as having a display.

  However, there are differences in hardware specifications and various setting contents for each apparatus. Therefore, even if the device satisfies a predetermined condition, the application screen may not be displayed as intended by the developer.

  In view of this, it has been proposed that the installation destination device (for example, MFP (Multi Function Peripherals)) rewrites the contents of the screen information provided from the server (Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-39356 A

  However, in some cases, it is desirable to perform rewriting on the application provider side rather than rewriting on the application installation destination apparatus, that is, the provider. This is because the application provider is knowledgeable and more accustomed to the rewriting operation than the user. There is little risk of incorrect operation.

  Therefore, it is required that rewriting can be performed on the application provider side with as little effort as possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a provider to rewrite an application with less labor than before.

An application registration system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a server and a client, and the server is provided with installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing an application to the client. The client includes an installation data receiving means for receiving the installation data , an operation restriction means for restricting an input operation by a user after the installation data is received, and the installation data. after installing the application, a starting means for starting the application, after starting the application, and capture means for capturing a screen of the application, after the screen has been captured, release the restriction That, a restriction removing means transmits the captured image data of the screen was to the server, the image data transmission unit, are mounted on the said server further includes an image data receiving means for receiving the image data A screen output unit that outputs the screen based on the image data, a defect detection unit that detects a defect from the screen , and an application correction unit that corrects the application so that the detected defect is eliminated; The installation data transmission means further transmits the installation data of the modified application.

A computer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an installation data receiving unit that receives installation data for installing an application from a server, and a restriction on an input operation by a user after the installation data is received. Performing operation restriction means, starting means for starting the application after installing the application with the installation data, capture means for capturing the screen of the application after starting the application, and capturing the screen And a restriction releasing unit that releases the restriction and an image data transmission unit that transmits the captured image data of the screen to the server.

  Alternatively, the capture unit captures a plurality of designated screens as the screen.

  Alternatively, the image data transmitting means collectively transmits the image data of each of the designated plurality of screens to the server.

An application providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing an application to a client; and image data of the application screen captured by the client from the client. Image data acquisition means, screen output means for outputting the screen based on the image data, defect detection means for detecting a defect from the screen, and the defect so as to eliminate the detected defect Application modification means for modifying an application, and the installation data transmission means further transmits the installation data of the modified application.

Preferably, after the client is notified that the application has been installed, the image data acquisition means performs remote access to the client, and starts processing of the application and processing of capturing the screen to the client. By performing this, the image data is acquired.

  According to the present invention, rewriting of an application can be performed with less trouble on the provider side than in the past.

It is a figure which shows the example of the whole structure of a network. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the hardware constitutions of the computer for development. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of the computer for development. It is a figure which shows the example of a window. It is a flowchart explaining the example of the flow of a registration process. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen of an application. It is a figure which shows the example of a capture screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a capture screen. It is a sequence diagram explaining the example of the flow of the whole process of the development computer and image forming apparatus in 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of the computer for development in 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional structure of the image forming apparatus in 2nd embodiment. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the overall processing flow of the development computer 2 and the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a window. It is a figure which shows the example of a window. It is a figure which shows the example of the transition of the display state of the window in the case of the process of a capture.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the network 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 3. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the development computer 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the development computer 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the window 21W.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the network 1 includes a development computer 2, one or a plurality of image forming apparatuses 3, a communication line 4, and the like.

  The image forming apparatus 3 is an apparatus generally called “multifunction machine” or “MFP (Multi Function Peripherals)”, and is an apparatus in which functions such as copying, faxing, scanning, network printing, and a file server are integrated. Hereinafter, each image forming apparatus 3 may be described separately as “image forming apparatus 3A”, “image forming apparatus 3B”,.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 30a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 30b, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 30c, a mass storage device 30d, an operation panel 30e, and a touch panel display 30f. , NIC (Network Interface Card) 30g, modem 30h, scan unit 30i, image processing circuit 30j, print unit 30k, and the like.

  The operation panel 30e includes a numeric keypad, a start key, a stop key, a reset key, and the like, and is used by a user to input processing conditions and commands.

  The touch panel display 30f displays a screen showing a message to the user, a screen showing a processing result, a screen for the user to input a command, and the like. In addition, the application screen acquired from the development computer 2 is also displayed.

  Further, the touch panel display 30f detects the touched position and notifies the CPU 30a of the position. The touch panel display 30f is also used by the user to input processing conditions and commands.

  The NIC 30g is connected to the development computer 2 via the communication line 4, and performs communication using a protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

  The modem 30h is connected to a fax terminal via a fixed telephone network and performs communication using a protocol such as G3.

  The scan unit 30i reads an image such as a character, a photograph, an illustration, or a chart written on a sheet set on a document table and generates image data.

  The image processing circuit 30j performs image processing such as edge enhancement, rotation, or dirt removal on an image read by the scan unit 30i or an image received from another device.

  The print unit 30k prints an image received from another device or read by the scan unit 30i on a sheet of white paper. The image may be printed after being processed by the image processing circuit 30j.

  The ROM 30c or the mass storage device 30d includes a registration request reception unit 301, a device lock processing unit 302, an application registration processing unit 303, a screen capture unit 304, a device lock release processing unit 305, and a registration result notification unit 306 shown in FIG. Software for realizing such functions is stored in advance. In addition, an operating system, firmware, a web browser, and the like are stored in advance.

  Each module and data constituting these software are loaded into the RAM 30b as necessary, and processing based on the module is executed by the CPU 30a.

  Further, the application 38 is installed in the mass storage device 30d. This will be described later.

  A hard disk, SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like is used as the mass storage device 30d.

  The development computer 2 is used for developing (creating) an application that operates on the image forming apparatus 3. Further, it is used for installing an application on the image forming apparatus 3 and correcting the application. That is, it can be said that the development computer 2 is an application server.

  Hereinafter, a case where the application 38 that displays a screen customized for the user of the image forming apparatus 3 is handled will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the development computer 2 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20b, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20c, a mass storage device 20d, a liquid crystal display 20e, a keyboard 20f, It is configured by a pointing device 20g, a NIC (Network Interface Card) 20h, and the like. For example, a personal computer or a workstation is used as the development computer 2.

  Software such as the application development tool 21, registration software 23, and correction software 25 shown in FIG. 5 is installed in the ROM 20c or the mass storage device 20d.

  The application development tool 21 is an SDK (Software Development Kit) for a developer to develop an application for an image forming apparatus. The application 38 is also created by the application development tool 21. According to the application development tool 21, the developer designs various screen layouts to be displayed on the image forming apparatus 3 by using a window 21W as shown in FIG. 6, or is executed when an object in the screen is selected. Process to be defined.

  The registration software 23 is software for registering an application created by the application development tool 21 in the image forming apparatus 3. Further, it is also used for registering the application corrected by the correction software 25 in the image forming apparatus 3. According to the registration software 23, functions such as an application storage unit 231, an application registration request unit 232, a registration result reception unit 233, and a registration result display processing unit 234 are realized.

  The correction software 25 is software for correcting an application created by the application development tool 21 in accordance with the registration (installation) destination image forming apparatus 3. According to the correction software 25, functions such as a defect detection unit 251, an application correction processing unit 252, and a defect display processing unit 253 are realized.

  Each module and data constituting the software are loaded into the RAM 20b as necessary, and the processing based on the module is executed by the CPU 20a. A hard disk or SSD is used as the mass storage device 20d.

  A screen of the application development tool 21 and the correction software 25 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 20e.

  The keyboard 20f and the pointing device 20g are used for inputting data and commands when creating or modifying an application.

  The NIC 20h is connected to the image forming apparatus 3 via the communication line 4 and performs communication using a protocol such as TCP / IP.

  Next, the processing of each part of the development computer 2 shown in FIG. 5 and each part of the image forming apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 3 is roughly divided into processing for newly registering the application 38 and processing for correcting the application 38. explain.

[Process when registering a new application]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of registration processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the screen of the application 38.

  In the application storage unit 231 shown in FIG. 5, when the application 38 is created by the application development tool 21, in addition to various application files 3KF (program files, image files, setting files, and the like) constituting the application 38 A file 3RF and a registration information file 3TF are stored.

  The login file 3RF indicates information for logging in to the image forming apparatus 3, for example, a password.

  The registration information file 3TF is a file used for registration processing of the application 38 to the image forming apparatus 3 and is arranged on the name (application name) of the application 38 and a standard screen (for example, the top screen). The icon of the application 38 or the storage location of each application file 3KF in the image forming apparatus 3 is shown.

  When the application is stored in the application storage unit 231, an operator (for example, CE (Customer Engineer)) specifies an application to be registered and a registration destination thereof. In this example, an application 38 is specified as an application to be registered. Hereinafter, a case where the image forming apparatus 3A is designated as a registration destination will be described as an example.

  The application registration request unit 232 requests the specified registration destination, that is, the image forming apparatus 3A to register (install) the specified application, that is, the application 38.

  The registration request receiving unit 301 (see FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 3A performs a process of receiving a request from the development computer 2.

  Here, specific processing of the application registration request unit 232 and the registration request reception unit 301 will be described.

  The application registration request unit 232 connects to the image forming apparatus 3A, and transmits the password indicated in the login file 3RF to the image forming apparatus 3A according to a predetermined rule.

  When receiving the password from the development computer 2, the registration request reception unit 301 determines that the development computer 2 is a legitimate computer if this password is a correct password, and permits login to the image forming apparatus 3 </ b> A. If the password is not correct, it is determined that the computer is not a legitimate computer, and the session with the development computer 2 is terminated.

  When the application registration request unit 232 successfully logs in the image forming apparatus 3A, the application registration request unit 232 requests the image forming apparatus 3A to register the application 38. At this time, the application file 3KF and registration information file 3TF of the application 38 are transmitted to the image forming apparatus 3A.

  Then, the registration request receiving unit 301 receives a request for registration of the application 38 from the image forming apparatus 3A together with the application file 3KF and the registration information file 3TF.

  The device lock processing unit 302 to the registration result notification unit 306 perform processing for registering the application 38 and notifying the development computer 2 of the result. Hereinafter, processing of each unit will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the registration request accepting unit 301 accepts the application registration request (Yes in # 601 in FIG. 7), the device lock processing unit 302 displays an operation panel on the operating system so that the image forming apparatus 3A cannot be operated. The acceptance of input from 30e and the touch panel display 30f is stopped (# 602). That is, so-called device lock is performed. In the device lock, matters related to other than input may be further restricted.

  The application registration processing unit 303 performs registration processing of the application 38 based on the registration information file 3TF (# 603). This process is performed as follows, for example.

  The application registration processing unit 303 stores the application file 3KF in the storage location indicated by the registration information file 3TF in the large-capacity storage device 30d. Further, the standard screen data is updated so that the icons and application names shown in the registration information file 3TF are arranged on the standard screen.

  When the registration of the application 38 is successful (Yes in # 604), the screen capture unit 304 captures the screen of the application 38 as shown in FIG. 8 as follows.

  The screen capture unit 304 activates the application 38 (# 605), and displays the screen of the application 38 on the touch panel display 30f (# 606). For example, the main program file in the application file 3KF is activated. Alternatively, when the application 38 is configured by an HTML file, the web browser is started and the HTML file on the top screen of the application file 3KF is opened. Alternatively, when the application 38 is a web script file (so-called web application), the application 38 is executed on the web browser.

  Then, the screen capture unit 304 captures the screen displayed on the touch panel display 30f, generates screen image data 3GD, and temporarily stores it in the RAM 30b (# 607). Hereinafter, this screen is referred to as “capture screen 3CS”. The format of the image data 3GD may be bitmap data, but a compression format such as GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is preferable.

  When the image data 3GD is acquired, the device lock release processing unit 305 and the registration result notification unit 306 perform the following processing.

  The device unlock processing unit 305 causes the operating system to resume accepting inputs from the operation panel 30e and the touch panel display 30f (# 608). That is, the device lock is released. The application 38 may be terminated after the device lock is released.

  In addition to the image data 3GD generated by the screen capture unit 304, the registration result notifying unit 306 transmits result data 3SD indicating a message indicating that registration of the application 38 is successful to the development computer 2 (# 609). The image data 3GD may be attached to the result data 3SD and transmitted.

  On the other hand, if registration of the application 38 fails (No in # 604), the device lock release processing unit 305 releases the device lock (# 610), and the registration result notification unit 306 displays a message indicating that registration has failed. The indicated result data 3FD is transmitted to the development computer 2 (# 611).

  In the development computer 2, the registration result receiving unit 233 (see FIG. 5) receives the image data 3GD and the result data 3SD from the image forming apparatus 3A. Alternatively, the result data 3FD may be received. In this case, the processing after the registration result display processing unit 234 is stopped.

  The registration result display processing unit 234 displays the capture screen 3CS on the liquid crystal display 20e based on the image data 3GD. The operator can determine whether or not the screen of the application 38 is accurately displayed on the image forming apparatus 3A by looking at the capture screen 3CS.

[Process when modifying an application]
9 and 10 are diagrams showing examples of the capture screen 3CS.

  If the screen of the application 38 is not accurately displayed on the image forming apparatus 3A, there is a problem with the capture screen 3CS. The operator reports the status of the capture screen 3CS to the developer, and the developer can modify the application 38 so as to be displayed accurately.

  Further, according to the correction software 25 of the development computer 2, the application 38 can be automatically corrected as follows.

  The defect detection unit 251 detects a defect in the capture screen 3CS. There are several types of defects. The defect detection unit 251 detects each type of defect as follows.

(1) Appearance of scrolling object The defect detection unit 251 attempts to detect a scrolling object from the capture screen 3CS as follows, for example.

  The defect detection unit 251 tries to detect the scroll button 3CSa and the scroll bar 3CSb from the right end and the lower end of the capture screen 3CS. If the capture screen 3CS is in the state as shown in FIG. 8, neither the scroll button 3CSa nor the scroll bar 3CSb object is detected. However, if the state is as shown in FIG. 9, both the scroll button 3CSa and the scroll bar 3CSb are detected.

  It can be considered that the scroll object such as the scroll button 3CSa and the scroll bar 3CSb appears on the capture screen 3CS because the screen size of the application 38 is larger than the size of the touch panel display 30f of the image forming apparatus 3A.

(2) Form collapse The defect detection unit 251 attempts to detect (form) collapse from the capture screen 3CS as follows, for example.

  Data of a screen (hereinafter referred to as an “ideal screen”) of the application 38 in which the form is not collapsed is prepared in advance. Then, the defect detection unit 251 detects the collapse of the form from the capture screen 3CS by comparing the capture screen 3CS with the ideal screen. That is, as a result of comparison, if it is found that the form of the capture screen 3CS is the same as the form of the ideal screen, the collapse is not detected. On the other hand, if they are different, the collapse is detected. When the ideal screen is in the state shown in FIG. 8 and the capture screen 3CS is in the state shown in FIG. 10, the collapse of the form is detected.

  Although the screen size of the application 38 is larger than the size of the touch panel display 30f of the image forming apparatus 3A, the form may be collapsed when the scroll object is set to non-display. Or, when the environment recommended by the developer (for example, the recommended web browser) is not provided in the image forming apparatus 3A, the form may be collapsed.

(3) Inappropriate brightness of screen The defect detection unit 251 measures the overall brightness of the capture screen 3CS by calculating the average value of the brightness of each pixel. If the measured overall brightness is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference, it is detected that the brightness of the capture screen 3CS is inappropriate.

(4) Appearance of Garbled Text data of a character string that is not garbled and arranged on the screen of the application 38 is prepared in advance. The defect detection unit 251 detects a character string from the capture screen 3CS and converts it into text data by OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Then, the text data are compared, and if they do not match, the character string in the capture screen 3CS is detected as a garbled character string. Note that the accuracy of OCR is not necessarily 100%. Therefore, when the number of mismatched characters is a predetermined ratio (for example, 90%) or more, the character string in the capture screen 3CS may be detected as a garbled character string.

  The application correction processing unit 252 performs a process of correcting the application 38 in order to correct a defect detected by the defect detection unit 251 from the capture screen 3CS. The application 38 is corrected as follows, for example, depending on the status of the defect or the cause of the occurrence.

  When the scroll object is detected, the application correction processing unit 252 corrects the application 38 so that the screen size is reduced. For example, the application file 3KF for the screen in the application 38 is updated so that the size of the font, text box, button, or the like used for the screen is reduced or the size of the outer frame of the screen is reduced. .

  When the collapse of the form is detected, the application correction processing unit 252 corrects the application 38 so that the size of the screen is reduced as in the case where the scroll object is detected. Alternatively, the application 38 is modified according to the specifications of the web browser of the image forming apparatus 3A.

  When it is detected that the brightness is inappropriate, the application correction processing unit 252 corrects the application 38 so that the brightness of the entire screen is increased. For example, the brightness of a background portion in an object such as a text box and a button is increased, or the brightness of a portion (margin) where no object is arranged is increased.

  The application file 3KF of the application 38 corrected by the application correction processing unit 252 is stored in the application storage unit 231. The application 38 before correction is deleted from the application storage unit 231. In other words, it is overwritten. Or, it is backed up to another storage location. Note that only the updated files of the application 38 files may be overwritten.

  In some cases, the capture screen 3CS includes a defect that cannot be automatically corrected by the application correction processing unit 252.

  Therefore, the defect display processing unit 253 displays the defect detected by the defect detection unit 251 on the liquid crystal display 20e. The developer can correct the application 38 with reference to the displayed defect.

  The application 38 corrected by the application correction processing unit 252 or corrected by the developer is registered in the image forming apparatus 3A. The registration process is performed by the application registration request unit 232 to the registration result display processing unit 234 of the development computer 2 and the registration request reception unit 301 to the registration result notification unit 306 of the image forming apparatus 3A as described above. However, the application 38 before correction is deleted from the mass storage device 30d. That is, it is overwritten by the new application 38. Or you may back up to another preservation | save location.

  FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the overall processing flow of the development computer 2 and the image forming apparatus 3 in the first embodiment.

Next, with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 11, the overall processing flow of application registration and modification is described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. A case where 38 is registered will be described as an example.

  When the developer creates the application 38, the development computer 2 stores it in the application storage unit 231 (# 701 in FIG. 11).

  When the developer commands registration and designates the image forming apparatus 3A and the application 38, the development computer 2 connects to the image forming apparatus 3A, and the application file 3KF and registration information file 3TF of the application 38 are connected to the image forming apparatus 3A. (# 702). At this time, the image forming apparatus 3A is logged in with the password indicated in the login file 3RF. These processes may be performed in accordance with existing protocols such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol).

  When the image forming apparatus 3A authenticates the development computer 2 based on the password from the development computer 2 and determines that the computer is a legitimate computer, the application forming application 3KF and the registration information file of the application 38 together with a registration request. 3TF is accepted (# 721).

  The image forming apparatus 3A performs device lock (# 722), stores the application file 3KF in a predetermined location of the large-capacity storage device 30d, and sets the top screen (# 723). Thereby, registration of the application 38 is completed.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 3A activates the application 38 (# 724), causes the screen to be displayed on the touch panel display 30f (# 725), and captures the screen (# 726). Then, the device lock is released (# 727), and the image data 3GD and the result data 3SD are transmitted to the development computer 2 (# 728). As a result, the captured screen (capture screen 3CS) and the registration result are notified to the development computer 2. The notification process from the image forming apparatus 3A to the development computer 2 may be performed in accordance with an existing protocol such as HTTP and SOAP.

  When receiving the image data 3GD and the result data 3SD (# 703), the development computer 2 displays the capture screen 3CS based on the image data 3GD (# 704).

  Further, the development computer 2 detects a defect from the capture screen 3CS (# 705), displays the defect (# 706), and corrects the application 38 to eliminate the defect (# 707). The developer may correct all or part of the defect.

  Then, the development computer 2 stores the corrected application 38 in the application storage unit 231 (# 708), and performs a process of registering in the image forming apparatus 3A. The registration process is basically the same as steps # 702 to # 704 and steps # 721 to # 728. However, the image forming apparatus 3A deletes the previously registered application 38 and registers the corrected application 38.

  According to the first embodiment, the application provider can check the state of the application screen displayed on the image forming apparatus 3 without directly operating the image forming apparatus 3. Therefore, rewriting of applications can be performed with less trouble than before.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the development computer 2 in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 3 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the overall processing flow of the development computer 2 and the image forming apparatus 3 in the first embodiment. 15 and 16 are diagrams illustrating examples of the window 2WN.

  In the first embodiment, a mechanism for capturing the screen of the application 38 is newly provided in the image forming apparatus 3. In the second embodiment, the development computer 2 is provided with a capture mechanism using a remote access mechanism.

  The overall configuration of the network 1 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the development computer 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. The hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.

  However, in the ROM 20c or the large-capacity storage device 20d of the development computer 2, registration as shown in FIG. 12 is performed as registration software for the application to the image forming apparatus 3 instead of the registration software 23 (see FIG. 5). Software 26 is stored. Further, correction software 27 is stored in place of the correction software 25 as application correction software.

  According to the registration software 26, functions such as an application storage unit 261, an application registration request unit 262, a registration result reception unit 263, a remote control unit 264, and a screen capture unit 265 are realized.

  According to the correction software 27, functions such as a defect detection unit 271, an application correction processing unit 272, and a defect display processing unit 273 are realized.

  The ROM 30c or the large-capacity storage device 30d of the image forming apparatus 3 stores software for realizing functions such as a registration request receiving unit 321, an application registration processing unit 322, and a registration result notification unit 323 shown in FIG. Yes.

  Hereinafter, processing of each unit of the development computer 2 illustrated in FIG. 12 and each unit of the image forming apparatus 3 illustrated in FIG. 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 14 as an example in which the application 38 is registered in the image forming apparatus 3A. . In addition, the description which overlaps with 1st embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

  The application storage unit 261 of the development computer 2 stores the application file 3KF, the login file 3RF, and the registration information file 3TF of the application 38, as with the application storage unit 231 (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. (# 751 in FIG. 14).

  The application registration request unit 262 requests the specified image forming apparatus 3 to register the specified application, like the application registration request unit 232 of the first embodiment (# 752). In this example, registration of the application 38 is requested to the image forming apparatus 3A.

  Similar to the registration request receiving unit 301 (see FIG. 3) of the first embodiment, the registration request receiving unit 321 (see FIG. 13) of the image forming apparatus 3A performs a process of receiving a request from the development computer 2 (#). 771).

  The application registration processing unit 322 performs processing for registering the application 38 as in the application registration processing unit 303 of the first embodiment (# 772). In the second embodiment, device locking may not be performed.

  Similar to the registration result notification unit 306 of the first embodiment, the registration result notification unit 323 transmits message data (result data 3SD) to the development computer 2 when the registration of the application 38 is successful. If it fails, the message data (result data 3FD) to that effect is transmitted to the development computer 2 (# 773). However, unlike the first embodiment, the image data (image data 3GD) of the capture screen 3CS is not transmitted.

  The registration result reception unit 263 (see FIG. 12) of the development computer 2 receives the result data 3SD or the result data 3FD from the image forming apparatus 3A (# 753).

  When the result data 3SD is received by the registration result reception unit 263, the remote control unit 264 remotely accesses the image forming apparatus 3A (# 754). Then, the data of the top screen (hereinafter referred to as “top screen 3TS”) of the image forming apparatus 3A is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 3A to the development computer 2 (# 774, # 755), and FIG. As described above, the window 2WN in which the top screen 3TS is arranged is displayed on the liquid crystal display 20e (# 756). Remote access may be performed by commercially available software.

  The screen capture unit 265 captures the screen of the application 38 as follows. When the remote access is completed, the application 38 is activated in the image forming apparatus 3A (# 757, # 775, # 776). When the application 38 is activated in the image forming apparatus 3A, data of the screen of the application 38 (hereinafter referred to as “application screen 3AS”) as shown in FIG. 16 is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 3A to the development computer 2. (# 777, # 758). Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the window 2WN is changed to a state where the application screen 3AS is arranged (# 759).

  Then, the screen capture unit 265 captures the application screen 3AS displayed on the liquid crystal display 20e (# 760). Thereby, image data 3HD equivalent to the image data (image data 3GD) of the capture screen 3CS in the first embodiment is obtained.

  The defect detection unit 271 detects a defect from the captured application screen 3AS based on the image data 3HD (# 761). The detection method is the same as in the first embodiment.

  The defect display processing unit 273 displays the defect detected by the defect detection unit 271 on the liquid crystal display 20e (# 762). The developer can modify the application 38 while referring to the same as in the first embodiment.

  The application correction processing unit 272 corrects the application 38 so that the defect detected by the defect detection unit 271 is resolved (# 763). The correction method is the same as in the first embodiment.

  The handling of the modified application 38 is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the corrected application 38 is stored in the large capacity storage device 20d (# 764). Furthermore, it is also registered in the image forming apparatus 3A. The registration procedure is basically the same as steps # 752 to # 753 and steps # 771 to # 773.

  According to the second embodiment, the application screen data displayed on the image forming apparatus 3 can be transmitted to the development computer 2 without adding a mechanism for capturing the application to the image forming apparatus 3. .

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of transition of the display state of the window 2WN during the capture process.

  In 1st embodiment and 2nd embodiment, although the malfunction was detected from one screen, you may detect from each of several screens. In this case, the image forming apparatus 3 or the development computer 2 may perform processing for tracing each screen in order and capturing each screen.

  Usually, the screen is often provided with an object (for example, a button) for moving to another screen. Therefore, after the application is started, the image forming apparatus 3 or the development computer 2 captures the top screen 50 of the application as shown in FIG. Based on the moving object 50a provided on the top screen 50, the screen moves to another screen (for example, the copy screen 501), and the other screen is captured. Thereafter, similarly, the movement and capture to the remaining screen (screen 502 and the like) are repeated based on the moving object.

  Alternatively, the development computer 2 or the image forming apparatus 3 may capture only a screen designated in advance by a developer or the like. The screen may be specified by a screen identifier, for example, a URL. Alternatively, a route from the top screen may be specified. The development computer 2 or the image forming apparatus 3 identifies and captures the screen based on the identifier or the route.

  In the first embodiment, when a plurality of screens are captured, the image forming apparatus 3 may combine the image data of these screens into one file and transmit this file to the development computer 2.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the development computer 2 detects the defect from the captured screen, but may detect the defect based on other information.

  For example, the development computer 2 receives from the image forming apparatus 3 option information of the registered (installed) application, firmware information of the image forming apparatus 3, web browser information (such as product name and version), or user setting information. (User profile) may be acquired, and a defect may be detected as follows based on such information.

  According to any of these pieces of information, the size (font size) of characters displayed by the application may be specified. Therefore, the development computer 2 calculates the size of the screen when characters are displayed in the specified font size, and determines whether or not the screen of this size fits on the touch panel display 30f. If it does not fit, the appearance of a scrolling object or form collapse is detected as a problem.

  Alternatively, according to these pieces of information, it is possible to specify whether or not the application includes a code (particularly a code related to display) that is not compatible with the web browser of the image forming apparatus 3. Therefore, when such a code is included, the development computer 2 determines that a problem occurs.

  Alternatively, according to these pieces of information, it may be possible to specify the character code (Unicode) standard used by the operating system of the image forming apparatus 3 or the web browser. Therefore, the development computer 2 compares the specified standard with the standard of the character code used on the application screen, and if they are different, detects a garbled character as a malfunction.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the development computer 2 displays the captured screen on the liquid crystal display 20e. However, the development computer 2 may print on a sheet with a printer.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the case where an application is installed in the image forming apparatus has been described as an example. However, when the application is installed in another apparatus such as a personal computer, a tablet computer, and a smartphone, The present invention can be applied.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, application development, provision to the image forming apparatus 3, and correction are performed by one development computer 2, but are distributed to a plurality of computers. May be. For example, development, provision, and correction may be performed separately on three computers.

  In addition, the configuration of the entire network 1, the development computer 2, and the image forming apparatus 3 or each unit, the processing content, the processing order, the configuration of the application, the configuration of the screen, and the like can be appropriately changed in accordance with the spirit of the present invention. .

1 Network (application registration system)
2 Development computer (server)
232 Application registration request part (data transmission means for installation)
233 Registration result receiving unit (image data receiving means)
234 Registration Result Display Processing Unit (Screen Output Unit)
3, 3A, 3B Image forming device (client)
301 Registration Request Reception Unit (Installation Data Receiving Unit)
302 Device lock processing unit (operation restriction means)
304 Screen capture unit (startup means, capture means)
305 Device lock release processing unit (restriction release means)
306 Registration result notification unit (image data transmission means)
3CS capture screen 3GD image data 3KF application file (installation data)
3TF registration information file (installation data)

Claims (13)

A server and a client,
The server includes
Installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing an application to the client;
Is provided,
The client includes
Installation data receiving means for receiving the installation data;
An operation restriction means for restricting an input operation by the user after the installation data is received;
Starting means for starting the application after installing the application with the installation data;
Capture means for capturing a screen of the application after starting the application;
After the screen is captured, a restriction releasing unit that releases the restriction;
Image data transmission means for transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server;
Is provided,
The server further includes:
Image data receiving means for receiving the image data;
Screen output means for outputting the screen based on the image data;
Is provided,
An application registration system characterized by that. A server and a client,
The server includes
Installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing an application to the client;
Is provided,
The client includes
Installation data receiving means for receiving the installation data;
Starting means for starting the application after installing the application with the installation data;
Capture means for capturing a screen of the application after starting the application;
Image data transmission means for transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server;
Is provided,
The server further includes:
Image data receiving means for receiving the image data;
Screen output means for outputting the screen based on the image data;
A defect detection means for detecting a defect from the screen;
Application correcting means for correcting the application so that the detected defect is eliminated;
Is provided,
The installation data transmission means further transmits the installation data of the modified application.
An application registration system characterized by that. A server and a client,
The server includes
Installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing an application to the client;
Is provided,
The client includes
Installation data receiving means for receiving the installation data;
An operation restriction means for restricting an input operation by the user after the installation data is received;
Starting means for starting the application after installing the application with the installation data;
Capture means for capturing a screen of the application after starting the application;
After the screen is captured, a restriction releasing unit that releases the restriction;
Image data transmission means for transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server;
Is provided,
The server further includes:
Image data receiving means for receiving the image data;
Screen output means for outputting the screen based on the image data;
A defect detection means for detecting a defect from the screen;
Application correcting means for correcting the application so that the detected defect is eliminated;
Is provided,
The installation data transmission means further transmits the installation data of the modified application.
An application registration system characterized by that. Installation data receiving means for receiving installation data for installing the application from the server;
An operation restriction means for restricting an input operation by the user after the installation data is received;
Starting means for starting the application after installing the application with the installation data;
Capture means for capturing a screen of the application after starting the application;
After the screen is captured, a restriction releasing unit that releases the restriction;
Image data transmission means for transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server;
A computer comprising: The capture means captures a plurality of designated screens as the screen;
The computer according to claim 4 . The image data transmitting means collectively transmits the image data of each of the designated plurality of screens to the server;
The computer according to claim 5 . Installation data transmission means for transmitting installation data for installing the application to the client;
Image data acquisition means for acquiring image data of the screen of the application captured by the client from the client;
Screen output means for outputting the screen based on the image data;
A defect detection means for detecting a defect from the screen;
Application correcting means for correcting the application so that the detected defect is eliminated;
Have
The installation data transmission means further transmits the installation data of the modified application.
An application providing server characterized by that. The image data acquisition means, after being notified from the client that the application has been installed, remotely accesses the client and causes the client to perform processing for starting the application and processing for capturing the screen. To obtain the image data,
The application providing server according to claim 7 . On the server,
Execute the process of sending the installation data for installing the application to the client,
To the client,
Causing the installation data to be received;
After the installation data is received, a process for restricting the input operation by the user is executed,
Causing the installation data to be installed according to the installation data;
Execute the process of starting the application,
After the application is started, the process of capturing the screen of the application is executed,
After the screen is captured, the processing to release the restriction is executed,
The process of transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server is executed,
To the server,
A process of receiving the image data;
Executing a process of outputting the screen based on the image data;
An application registration method characterized by the above. On the server,
Execute the process of sending the installation data for installing the application to the client,
To the client,
Causing the installation data to be received;
Causing the installation data to be installed according to the installation data;
Execute the process of starting the application,
After the application is started, the process of capturing the screen of the application is executed,
The process of transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server is executed,
To the server,
A process of receiving the image data;
A process for outputting the screen based on the image data;
Execute the process of detecting a defect from the screen,
Causing the application to be corrected so that the detected defect is resolved;
Executing a process of further transmitting the installation data of the modified application;
An application registration method characterized by the above. On the server,
Execute the process of sending the installation data for installing the application to the client,
To the client,
Causing the installation data to be received;
After the installation data is received, a process for restricting the input operation by the user is executed,
Causing the installation data to be installed according to the installation data;
Execute the process of starting the application,
After the application is started, the process of capturing the screen of the application is executed,
After the screen is captured, the processing to release the restriction is executed,
The process of transmitting the captured image data of the screen to the server is executed,
To the server,
A process of receiving the image data;
A process for outputting the screen based on the image data;
Execute the process of detecting a defect from the screen,
Causing the application to be corrected so that the detected defect is resolved;
Executing a process of further transmitting the installation data of the modified application;
An application registration method characterized by the above. A computer program used in a computer using an application provided from a server,
A process of receiving installation data for installing the application from the server;
After the installation data is received, a process for restricting the input operation by the user is executed,
After installing the application with the installation data, causing the application to start processing,
After starting the application, let the application to capture the screen of the application,
After the screen is captured, the processing to release the restriction is executed,
Causing the captured image data of the screen to be transmitted to the server;
A computer program characterized by the above. A computer program used in a computer that provides an application to a client,
A process of transmitting installation data for installing the application to the client;
From the client, execute processing for acquiring image data of the screen of the application captured by the client,
A process for outputting the screen based on the image data;
Execute the process of detecting a defect from the screen,
Causing the application to be corrected so that the detected defect is resolved;
Executing a process of further transmitting the installation data of the modified application;
A computer program characterized by the above.

Images