JP7681982B2 - Information processing device, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method thereof, and a program, and in particular to an application platform for embedded applications executed on an image forming device connected to a network, for example.

Application platforms are used to execute applications configured to run on image forming devices connected to a network on such image forming devices. Conventionally, in such application platforms, applications have generally been able to communicate only with a local network to which a network interface provided on the image forming device is connected. Alternatively, a proxy server may be installed in the local network, allowing a connection to a wide area network through the proxy server. Alternatively, if a network interface is directly connected to a wide area network, an application may also be able to connect to the wide area network. If a network interface is connected to a virtual private network (VPN) router that mediates VPN connections, it is also possible to connect to a VPN, such as an internal network of an organization at another location, through a VPN connection provided by an organization such as a company.

In addition, conventionally, there are cases where an image forming device has two or more network interfaces. In such cases, a technology has been proposed that provides settings for each user that determine which network interface an application will use to communicate based on the settings (see Patent Document 1).

In addition, a technology has been proposed in which a VPN agent and a VPN client are resident on various user devices, not limited to image forming devices, and associated with a user application. In this technology, the VPN agent intercepts the communication traffic of the associated user application, and the VPN client is used to establish a communication channel with the corporate network through a VPN tunnel (see Patent Document 2).

Patent No. 5550297 Patent No. 5620400

On the other hand, in recent years, there are cases where an image forming device placed in a shared office space is shared by multiple users belonging to different organizations. In such situations, it is common for applications installed on the image forming device to only be provided with access to the Internet via a local network within the office or a proxy server. However, some users may wish to use specific applications by connecting to the organization's network using a VPN provided by the organization to which the user belongs.

For example, consider the case of sending a scanned document by email. In this case, using a mail server within the local network of a shared office space may not be permitted due to the risk that the contents of the document may be read by the mail server administrator. Therefore, a user may want to connect to the network of their own organization in a remote location and send email using a mail server located within that network. In this way, it is conceivable that each user will have different requirements regarding which applications to connect to which VPNs.

In this case, a first user using the shared office space may want to connect a first application to the VPN of his/her own organization, while wanting to use a second application on a local network. Furthermore, a second user using the same shared office space may want to connect the first application to the VPN of his/her own organization, which is a different organization from the first user. In the above example of the mail server, the mail server that the first user wants to connect to and the mail server that the second user wants to connect to are on different organization networks, and different VPN settings are required to connect them.

In this way, it is conceivable that for each application, which network to connect to, whether a VPN needs to be used, and which VPN to connect to will differ depending on each user. There are situations in which the network to connect to differs for each user and each application. However, there is an issue in that application platforms that run on conventional image forming devices cannot handle such situations.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and aims to provide an image forming device and a control method and program thereof that enable connection to a desired network for each user and each application.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device capable of executing a plurality of applications, comprising:
a communication means for providing a communication function to each of the plurality of applications;
a setting means for setting, for each user, a connection means for connecting each of the plurality of applications to a respective connection destination via the communication means;
There is provided an information processing apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of applications performs communication using the connection means set for a logged-in user.

According to the present invention, the image forming device can connect to a desired network for each user and each application.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 illustrates an operation of a login processing module according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration related to a class loader according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 illustrates an operation of a logout processing module according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a login processing module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a logout processing module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus, focusing on a controller unit.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

Hardware Fig. 7 shows the hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus of this embodiment, for example, a multi-function copier (MFP) 101. In Fig. 7, a control unit 102 including a CPU 1012 controls the operation of the entire printing apparatus 101. The CPU 1012 reads out a control program stored in a ROM 1014 and performs various controls such as communication control. A RAM 1013 is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of the CPU 1012. A HDD 1023 stores data, various programs, or various information tables.

The printer I/F 1016 serves as an interface for outputting an image signal to a printer 1017 (printer engine) that forms an image. The scanner I/F 1018 serves as an interface for inputting a read image signal from a scanner 1019 (scanner engine) that reads an image. The CPU 1012 processes the image signal input from the scanner I/F 1018 and outputs it to the printer I/F 1016 as a recording image signal.

The operation panel I/F 1020 connects the operation panel 1021 to the control unit 1011. The operation panel 1021 is equipped with a liquid crystal display unit with a touch panel function, a keyboard, and the like.

The network I/F 1022 is connected to a network such as a LAN, and transmits information to external terminals such as client devices and cloud print registration services, or receives various information from these external devices. The network I/F 1022 provides the image forming device with a communication function via software such as the socket API (socket application program interface) shown in FIG. 1. Each block in the control unit 1011 is connected via a system bus 1015.

This image forming device can also be called an information processing device, focusing on its communication and information processing functions.

System Configuration Fig. 1 shows the overall system configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. Network 100 is a network within a shared office space. In general, a shared office space provides infrastructure such as desks and networks, and multiple users who have signed individual contracts carry out their work within that environment. At this time, it is assumed that these users include people who belong to different organizations and people who work as freelancers, and that they use the same image forming apparatus, etc.

The image forming device 101 is the image forming device shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, an example of an image forming device is a device called a multifunction device that includes units such as a printer, scanner, and facsimile. The image forming device 101 installed in a shared office space is connected to a network 100 in the shared office space, and is shared by users for purposes such as copying, scanning, printing, and sending and receiving facsimiles.

The controller 102 is a unit equipped with an information processing function for controlling the various units of the image forming apparatus 101 in an integrated manner. The controller 102 has a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU), random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM), read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM), storage, etc. The controller 102 is the same as the control unit 102 in FIG. 7. A hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) or a solid state drive (hereinafter referred to as SSD) is used as the storage. The procedure shown in the flowchart below is stored in the memory unit of the RAM, ROM, or storage of the controller 102 and is executed by the CPU.

The application platform 103 runs on the controller 102. The application platform 103 provides an application execution environment and application management functions for running one or more of the applications 104, 105, and 106. The applications 104, 105, and 106 are application programs that run on the application platform 103, and are referred to as applications here. Note that although three applications are shown as an example here, there may be fewer or more applications.

When an application runs, it uses an application standard API 107, which is a standard API provided by the application platform 103. Note that here, the platform standard API 107 refers to one that does not include the standard socket API package 108. The standard socket API package 108 is usually treated as part of the platform standard API 107, but in this embodiment, it is treated as a socket API package with a special position among multiple socket API packages.

The customized socket API package 109 is a customized socket API package designed to provide an API compatible with the standard socket API package 108. The customized socket API package 109 is not necessarily limited to being deployed as a single package, and multiple packages can be deployed. For example, the first customized socket API package 109 implements a protocol capable of executing communication with a first VPN implementation. In this case, the second customized socket API package 109-2 can implement a protocol capable of executing communication with a second VPN implementation different from the first VPN implementation. Alternatively, the multiple customized socket API packages 109 may have the same VPN implementation. The customized socket API package 109 may also include connection destination information and authentication information, and may be connectable only to a specific deployed VPN infrastructure. In this case, even if the VPN infrastructure is the same implementation, if authentication information corresponding to each connection destination is required, it may be necessary to prepare a separate customized socket API package 109 for each connection destination.

In this way, a socket API package management module 111 is provided to place and manage the standard socket API package 108 and one or more customized socket API packages 109. The socket API package management module 111 has a function that makes the standard socket API package 108 available. Furthermore, the socket API package management module 111 has a function that enables installation in order to place and make the customized socket API package 109 available. The socket API package management module 111 also has a function that enables uninstallation in order to remove a customized socket API package 109 that is no longer necessary from the application platform 103. Furthermore, the socket API package management module 111 has a function that enables use of a currently installed customized socket API package 109.

The user management module 112 registers users who will use the applications 104, 105, and 106 on the application platform 103, and also manages their authority. In this embodiment, it also manages the user groups to which the users belong.

Socket API Association Settings The socket API association settings management module 113 is a module for associating socket APIs. The socket API association settings managed by the socket API association settings management module 113 will be described with examples.

As a first example, consider a situation where there are multiple users, for example three users, registered by the user management module 112. Here, these users are User 1, User 2, and User 3. Also assume that three applications 104, 105, and 106 are installed on the application platform 103 of the image forming device 101 in this example. Furthermore, assume that three customized socket API packages 109 are installed on the application platform 103 of the image forming device 101 in this example in addition to the standard socket API package 108. These packages are represented as customized socket API packages 109-1, 109-2, and 109-3. The socket API package management module 111 manages the registration, deletion, and change of registered contents of such multiple customized socket API packages 109.

The following Table 1 is a socket API management table for managing socket API association settings in this example when settings are stored for each user. This is also called a socket API association setting. This table is stored, for example, in storage of the controller 102.

In Table 1, the settings shown as "default" are those that the socket API association setting management module 113 holds as the association between the application and the socket API package when the user is not logged in. Furthermore, when a new user is registered, the socket API association setting management module 113 copies the default settings and uses them as the initial values. The socket API association setting management module 113 manages the addition, deletion, modification, etc. of such settings.

The settings shown as "User 1" in Table 1 are for user 1. This shows that while user 1 is logged in, application 104 is set to use customized socket API package 109-1 as the socket API package. Furthermore, application 105 and application 106 are set to use standard socket API package 108.

Similarly, the remaining parts of Table 1 are the settings for User 2 and User 3, respectively. The socket API association setting management module 113 has the functionality to manage settings by creating, modifying, and deleting settings as described here.

As a second example, a case will be shown in which the user management module 112 has user group settings. In this example, six users, User 1 to User 6, are registered as a user group. The applications and socket API packages are assumed to be the same as in the first example. In the second example, user groups exist, and it is assumed here that User Group 1, User Group 2, and User Group 3 are registered. Table 2 below is a user group settings table. This table is stored, for example, in storage possessed by the controller 102.

This is a table for managing which user group each user belongs to. In this example, the user management module 112 manages user group settings that hold information about users, user groups, and the user groups to which users belong. In Table 2, it is shown that User 1 belongs to User Group 1. Similarly, it is shown that User 2 and User 4 belong to User Group 1. Furthermore, it is shown that User 5 belongs to User Group 2, and User 3 and User 6 belong to User Group 3.

The user management module 112 manages the registration, deletion, and modification of registered contents of individual users. In addition, if the application platform 103 has a user group setting such as that shown in Table 2, the user management module 112 also manages it.

The following Table 3 is a socket API management table that holds settings that specify which application is to be combined with which socket API package for each user group when managing settings using users and user groups. This is also called a socket API association setting. This table is stored, for example, in storage of the controller 102.

"Default" indicates the association settings between the application and the socket API package when the user is not logged in. When a new user group is registered by the user management module 112, the socket API association setting management module 113 copies and uses this default setting entry as the initial setting for the new user group.

"User Group 1" shows the settings for user group 1. While a user belonging to user group 1 is logged in, application 104 is set to use customized socket API package 109-1. In other words, this setting is valid for users 1, 2, and 4. Similarly, while these users are logged in, application 105 and application 106 are set to use standard socket API package 108.

Continuing on from Table 3, similarly, are the settings for user group 2 and user group 3. Here, it is assumed that user 1, user 2, and user 4 belong to the same organization, and this is reflected in the user group settings (Table 2). Here, it is assumed that users belonging to the same organization have the same combination of applications 104, 105, and 106 and socket API packages, and that they also use the image forming device 101 in the same way.

Only user 5 belongs to user group 2, but an implementation that allows a situation in which only one user belongs to one user group may be considered. Also, for users who are not explicitly assigned to a user group, an implementation that automatically generates and applies a virtual user group may be considered.
Also, as such a user group, a default user group may be prepared in advance, and default settings may be applied.

The login processing module 114 executes login processing when a user belonging to a user group registered and managed by the user management module 112 performs a login operation on the image forming device 101. The logout processing module 115 executes logout processing when a user belonging to a user group registered and managed by the user management module 112 performs a logout operation on the image forming device 101.

The operating system 116 provides a software foundation necessary for the application platform 103 to operate on the controller 102. The network interface 117 is a network interface for the application platform 103 to communicate with other network nodes in the network 100 within the shared office space. The local network 118 is a local network installed in the network 100 within the shared office space. The proxy server 119 is used when a network device connected to the local network 118, including the image forming device 101, connects to an external network from the network 100 within the shared office space. The wide area network 120 is a wide area network to which the network 100 within the shared office space is connected via the proxy server 119. The intra-organization network 121 is a network of an organization to which one of the users belongs. The VPN gateway 122 is configured so that the intra-organization network 121 is open to the wide area network 120 and can be connected from the wide area network 120 side using a VPN client. The local network 123 within the organization is a local network within the organization network 121 that is mutually connected to the wide area network 120 via the VPN gateway 122.

Management process of API association settings The management process of the socket API association settings shown in Tables 1 and 3 will now be described. The socket API association settings can also be considered as settings of the connection destination of the application used by each user. This management may be performed, for example, by the socket API association setting module 113 displaying a management screen as a user interface for management in response to the operation of the operation panel 1021, and in response to a setting instruction input by the user via the management screen. In this case, for example, an administrator may log in with administrator privileges and register, delete, or change the socket API associations with the administrator privileges. User groups, which will be described later, may also be managed in a similar manner.

On the management screen, for example, when a user's identification information is entered, the identification information of the socket API package for each application set for that user is displayed. If no association has been made, a message to that effect is displayed. Then, for example, when a change is instructed for a selected application, a list of configurable socket API packages is displayed, and one selected from that list is associated with the newly selected application and saved. When a deletion is instructed, the identification information of the socket API package associated with the selected application may be deleted. When association is made for each user group, a socket API package may be associated with each application for each user group instead of for each user.

You can also set default settings that are not tied to any user. You can add, change, or delete default socket API packages for default settings in the same way as for user settings.

The user group table in Table 2 may be maintained, for example, by the user management module 112. As with the API association settings, user groups are added or deleted via the user interface, and users belonging to the user groups are added or deleted and saved.

In addition, the association of socket APIs with each application may not be exclusively associated with either a user or a user group, but may allow both to coexist. For example, for a user who belongs to a user group, the settings for that user group may be used, and for a user who does not belong to a user group, the settings for that user may be used.

Login Processing FIG. 2 shows the processing executed by the login processing module 114 when the user performs a login operation. When the user executes login, the login processing module 114 starts processing from step S201. Here, the case where user 1 logs in will be described as an example. The processing in FIG. 2 is realized by executing a program loaded in a memory such as the RAM 1013 by a processor, particularly the CPU 1012, of the controller 102. In the figure, an application is described as an app, and a socket API package is described as a socket API. This is the same in FIGS. 4 to 6. In addition, when a user is not logged in, the socket API package of each application is the default setting, which is the initial state of the procedure in FIG. 2. In the login processing, the default socket API package loaded for each application is changed to the socket API package set for the login user or its user group. Note that only the socket API of the application will be described here, and other processing performed at the time of login will be omitted.

In step S202, the socket API association settings of the logged-in user (Table 1) or the socket API association settings of the user group to which the user belongs (Table 3) are obtained. Which one is obtained may depend on the settings or configuration. If the settings or configuration are such that the networks to which applications are connected are managed for each user, the socket API association settings in Table 1 are obtained. On the other hand, if the settings or configuration are such that the networks to which applications are connected are managed for each user group, the socket API association settings in Table 3 are obtained. In this case, the user group settings table in Table 2 is also obtained.

In the next step S203, the first of applications 104, 105, and 106, for example application 104, is focused on. The application focused on here may be one that corresponds to the authority of the logged-in user, but in this example, it is assumed that the logged-in user has the authority to use applications 104, 105, and 106.

Proceed to step S204, and refer to the obtained socket API management table to determine whether the socket API package associated with the target application 104 for the logged-in user is associated by default settings. If they are different, proceed to step S205. If they are the same, proceed to step S213. For example, assume that application 104 is set to customized socket API package 109-1 as indicated by user 1's settings, rather than the default standard socket API package 108. In that case, proceed to step S205. Note that in this example, the next time the processing of this step is executed, a determination is made about application 105. Since the standard socket API package 108 is associated in both the default and user 1's settings, in this case processing proceeds to step S213.

In step S205, the login processing module 114 closes all network connections that are open by the application in the first socket API package that is associated by default with the target application. In the configuration given as an example, the application 104 is associated with the standard socket API package 108 as the first socket API package in the default settings. At this time, the login processing module 114 operates to close all connections that are open by the application 104 among the network connections held by the standard socket API package 108.

In the following step S206, the login processing module 114 determines whether the first, i.e., default, socket API is the standard socket API package 108. If not, processing proceeds to step S207; if so, processing proceeds to step S211. In the example configuration, the first socket API package associated by default with the application 104 for user 1 is the standard socket API package 108, so processing proceeds to step S211.

In step S207, the process proceeds to the case where the first socket API package is not the standard socket API package 108. In that case, the dedicated class loader of the target application holds the contents of the first socket API package that have been read, so it unloads them.

Figure 3 shows the relationship between the applications 104, 105, 106, the standard socket API package 108, the customized socket API package 109, and the class loader. A class loader is a module that loads each module that runs on the application platform 103 from RAM, ROM, or storage for its execution. There are a system class loader 301 and an application-specific class loader 302 that is generated for each application 104, 105, 106. The application platform 103 uses the system class loader 301 to load modules that are commonly used by the applications 104, 105, 106, such as the platform standard API 107 and the standard socket API package 108. On the other hand, the application platform 103 uses the application-specific class loader 302 to execute the execution code of the applications 104, 105, 106. The application platform 103 also uses the application-specific class loader 302 when loading the customized socket API package 109 for use in connection with applications 104, 105, and 106.

In the next step S208, it is determined whether the second socket API package associated with the target application in the settings of the logged-in user is the standard socket API package 108. If so, the process proceeds to step S210. If not, the process proceeds to step S209. In step S209, a class loader dedicated to the target application loads the class of the second socket API package associated with the target application in the settings of the logged-in user. The process then proceeds to step S213.

If the process proceeds to step S210, the system is set to search for a socket API package loaded by the dedicated class loader of the target application as the priority when loading a class of the socket API package. In step S210, the priority is changed from this setting to load classes from the standard socket API package. Once the change is complete, the process proceeds to step S213.

If it is determined in step S206 that the default socket API of the target application is the standard socket API, the process branches to step S211. In this case, the currently connected socket API of the target application is the standard socket API, and is changed to another socket API. Therefore, in step S211, the dedicated class loader of the target application loads a second socket API package associated with the target application in the settings of the logged-in user. In this example, the class loader of application 104 loads customized socket API package 109-1.

Then, in the following step S212, if a request is made to create a new socket API object in the application of interest, the priority is changed so that the object is created using a class loaded by the dedicated class loader of the application of interest. In this example, if the application of interest 104 calls the socket API after step S212, the priority is changed so that the customized socket API package 109-1 held by the class loader of application 104 is used. Once the priority change is complete, processing proceeds to step S213.

In step S213, it is determined whether the focused application is the last application for which the logged-in user has authority. If it is the last application, the process proceeds to step S215. If not, the process proceeds to step S214. In this example, if the focus is on application 104, the process proceeds to step S214 since there is a next application 105.

In step S214, the next application out of applications 104, 105, and 106 is selected, and processing continues by returning to step S204. When processing of application 104 is completed, processing returns to step S204, with focus on application 105. When processing proceeds to this point again, processing of application 105 is completed and focus is placed on application 106.

In step S215, the process is completed. In this example, when the process for application 106 is completed for the third time, the process proceeds to step S215 and the process is completed.

The above steps disconnect each application from the default socket API, and configure the socket API to connect each application to the socket API set for each user or user group. This allows the socket API to be changed to one that corresponds to the user's settings, allowing connections to be made to the destinations desired by the user.

Logout Processing FIG. 4 shows the processing performed by the logout processing module 115 when the user performs a logout operation. When the user performs a logout operation, the logout processing module 115 starts processing from step S401. Here, the case where user 1 logs out will be described as an example. At the time of logout, the socket API package loaded for each application for each user or user group is changed to a default socket API package. Note that this processing is realized by executing a program loaded in a memory such as the RAM 1013 by a processor such as the CPU 1012 of the controller 102 in particular in response to the user's logout operation. In the logout processing, the socket API package set for the login user or the user group loaded for each application is changed to a default socket API package. Note that only the socket API of the application will be described here, and other processing performed at the time of logout will be omitted.

In step S402, the default socket API association settings (Table 1) or the default user group socket API association settings (Table 3) are obtained. Which is obtained may depend on the settings or configuration. This is similar to the login process.

In the next step S403, the first of applications 104, 105, and 106 belonging to application group 202, for example application 104, is focused on.

In step S404, it is determined whether the socket API package associated with the target application 104 according to the settings of the user attempting to log out is set as the default. If they are different, the process proceeds to step S405. If they are the same, the process proceeds to step S413. For example, for user 1, application 104 is associated with customized socket API package 109-1, so the process proceeds to step S405. The next time the process of this step is executed, the determination is made for application 105 in this example, so the standard software API package 108 is associated both by default and in user 1's settings, so the process proceeds directly to step S413.

In step S405, the login processing module 114 closes all network connections that are open by applications in the first socket API package that is currently connected to the target application. In the example configuration, the target application 104 is associated with the customized socket API package 109-1 as the first socket API package in the settings for user 1. At this time, the logout processing module 115 operates to close all network connections held by the customized socket API package 109-1 that are open by the application 104.

In the following step S406, the login processing module 114 determines whether the first socket API is the standard socket API package 108. If not, the process proceeds to step S407, and if so, the process proceeds to step S411. In the configuration given as an example, the first socket API package currently connected to the application 104 is not the standard socket API package 108, so the process proceeds to step S407. The currently connected socket API is the socket API set for the application of interest for the currently logged out user.

In step S407, processing continues if the first socket API package is not the standard socket API package 108. In this case, the dedicated class loader of the target application holds the contents of the first socket API package that have been read, so they are unloaded.

In the next step S408, it is determined whether the default socket API package associated with the target application in the user's settings is the standard socket API package 108. If so, the process proceeds to step S410. If not, the process proceeds to step S409.

In step S409, the class loader dedicated to the target application loads the class of the default socket API package. Processing then proceeds to step S413.

If the process proceeds to step S410, the system is set to search for a socket API package loaded by the dedicated class loader of the target application as the priority when loading a class of the socket API package. Here, the priority is changed so that the standard socket API package is loaded first. Once the change is complete, the process proceeds to step S413.

If it is determined in step S406 that the current socket API of the target application is the standard socket API, the process branches to step S411. In this case, the currently connected socket API of the target application is the standard socket API, and is changed to another socket API. Therefore, in step S411, the dedicated class loader of the target application loads a second socket API package associated with the target application in the settings of the logged-out user. In this example, the class loader of application 104 loads customized socket API package 109-1.

Then, in the following step S412, if a request is made to create a new socket API object in the target application, the priority is changed so that the object is created using a class loaded by the target application's dedicated class loader. Once the priority change is complete, processing proceeds to step S413.

In step S413, it is determined whether the application being focused on is the last one. If it is the last one, the process proceeds to step S415. If not, the process proceeds to step S414. In this example, if the focus is on application 104, the process proceeds to step S414 since there is a next application 105.

In step S414, the next application out of applications 104, 105, and 106 is selected, and processing continues by returning to step S404. Here, when processing of application 104 ends, processing returns to step S404, with focus on application 105. If processing proceeds here next, processing of application 105 ends and attention is shifted to application 106.

If the application being considered in step S414 is the last application, the process proceeds to step S415. In step S415, the process is completed. For example, when the process for application 106 is completed, the process proceeds to step S415 and the process is completed.

By following the above steps, the socket API is configured to disconnect the application from the socket API set for each user or user group for each application when logging out, and connect the default socket API to the application. This makes it possible to change the socket API from the one set according to the user settings to the default setting, preventing connections by unauthorized users.

As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the application platform 103 has a function for managing the customized socket API package 109. The application platform 103 also has a function for managing the association between the applications 104, 105, and 106 and the socket API packages 108 and 109 for users registered and managed in the application platform 103 or for user groups to which the users belong. In addition, the application platform 103 reconnects each application 104, 105, and 106 to the associated socket API packages 108 and 109 every time the user logs in and out. As a result, while the user is logged in, each application 104, 105, and 106 performs network communication using the socket API packages 108 and 109 associated with the user's settings. Then, when the user logs out, each application 104, 105, and 106 returns to a state in which it performs network communication using the socket API packages 108 and 109 associated with the default settings.

As a result, while the user is logged in to use the image forming device 101, for example, application 104 will use customized socket API package 109-1 to communicate with, for example, the VPN gateway 122 of the organization to which the user belongs. Meanwhile, during this time, application 105 and application 106 can still use standard socket API package 108 to communicate with the local network 118 of the shared office space in which the image forming device 101 is installed.

This is achieved by the application platform 103 managing and configuring the socket API package, so there is no need to make any special changes to the applications 104, 105, and 106.

When users belonging to different organizations use the image forming device 101 installed in the network 100 in the shared office space, the applications 104, 105, and 106 can be connected to the network 121 in the organization to which they belong via a VPN. In this case, the contents of communication can be kept secret from the local network 118 of the shared office space by connecting to the VPN gateway 122 using a customized socket API package 109 that provides a VPN connection. This reduces the risk that other users belonging to different organizations will be able to intercept data exchanged with their own local network 123 in the organization.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the overall system configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7. In this embodiment, the table for managing the socket API association settings when the settings are held for each user is the same as that shown in Table 1. In this embodiment, the table for managing which user group the user belongs to when the user management module 112 manages users and user groups is the same as that shown in Table 2. In this embodiment, the table for storing the settings that specify which application and which socket API package are to be combined for each user group when the settings are managed using users and user groups is the same as that shown in Table 3. In this embodiment, the relationships between the applications 104, 105, 106, the standard socket API package 108, the customized socket API package 109, and the class loaders are the same as those shown in FIG. 3.

Login Processing FIG. 5 shows the processing executed by the login processing module 114 in this embodiment when the user performs a login operation. This processing is realized by executing a program loaded in a memory such as the RAM 1013 by a processor, particularly the CPU 1012, of the controller 102. When a user is not logged in, the socket API package of each application is set to the default setting, which is the initial state of the procedure in FIG. 5. In the login processing, the default socket API package loaded for each application is changed to the socket API package set for the logged-in user or its user group. At this time, the execution of the target application is temporarily stopped. Note that only the socket API of the application will be explained here, and other processing performed at the time of login will be omitted.

When a user logs in, the login processing module 114 starts processing from step S501. In step S502, the socket API association settings of the logged-in user are obtained. In the following step S503, the first of the applications 104, 105, and 106 is focused on. Note that even if multiple reference symbols are referenced, the focused application is one of them.

In step S504, it is determined whether the socket API packages 108, 109 associated with the target applications 104, 105, 106 in the settings of the logged-in user are different from the first socket API packages 108, 109 associated with them in the default settings. If they are different, processing proceeds to step S505. If they are the same, processing proceeds to step S514.

In step S505, the application platform 103 is requested to stop the target applications 104, 105, and 106, and the application platform 103 executes the request. The login processing module 114 waits until the application stop processing is completed, and then proceeds to the next step S506. In the following step S506, the dedicated class loaders 302 of the target applications 104, 105, and 106 are unloaded.

In step S507, it is determined whether the first, i.e., default, socket API package 108, 109 of the target application 104, 105, 106 is the standard socket API package 108. If so, processing proceeds to step S511. If not, processing proceeds to step S508.

In step S508, it is determined whether the second socket API package associated with the target application in the settings of the logged-in user is the standard socket API package 108. If so, processing proceeds to step S510. If not, processing proceeds to step S509.

In step S509, the settings are changed so that the second socket API package is loaded into the dedicated class loader 302 of the target application. In this case, the first socket API package is also the customized socket API package 109, and there is no need to change the priority order between the class loaders 301 and 302 when using the socket API package. After this, when the target applications 104, 105, and 106 use the socket API, objects are generated using the customized socket API package 109. Once the setting change is complete, processing proceeds to step S512.

When processing proceeds to step S510, the login processing module 114 causes the system class loader 301 to generate an object when the target application 104, 105, or 106 uses a socket API. This is because the second socket API package is a standard socket API package. For this reason, the priority order between the class loaders 301 and 302 is changed. When the priority order change is complete, processing proceeds to step S512.

When processing proceeds to step S511, the class loader 302 dedicated to the application of interest loads the second socket API package associated with the application of interest. Then, when the application of interest uses the socket API, the priority between the class loaders 301 and 302 is changed so that the second socket API package, the customized socket API package 109, is used. When the priority setting change is complete, processing proceeds to step S512.

In step S512, a new class loader 302 dedicated to the target application is loaded. In the following step S513, a start process for the target application 104, 105, or 106 is requested of the application platform 103, and the application platform 103 executes the start process. The login processing module 114 waits until the application start process is completed, and once the application has started, the process proceeds to step S514.

In step S514, it is determined whether the application 104, 105, 106 under focus is the last application registered in the application platform 103. If so, the process proceeds to step S516. If not, the process proceeds to step S515. In step S515, the process focuses on the next application 104, 105, 106, and the process returns to step S504 and is executed. When step S516 is reached, the process is completed.

By following the above steps, the class loader priority and the socket API package to be loaded can be changed while the target application is stopped. This makes it easier and safer to establish a connection between the application and the socket API package.

Logout Processing FIG. 6 shows the processing executed by the logout processing module 115 in this embodiment when the user performs a logout operation. The processing is realized by executing a program loaded in a memory such as the RAM 1013 by a processor, particularly the CPU 1012, of the controller 102. When the user is logged in, the socket API package of each application corresponds to the settings of the user or user group, which is the initial state of the procedure in FIG. 5. In the logout processing, the socket API package loaded for each application and set for the logged-in user or its user group is changed to the socket API package of the default setting. At this time, the execution of the target application is temporarily stopped. Note that only the socket API of the application will be described here, and other processing performed at the time of logout will be omitted.

When a user executes logout, the logout processing module 115 starts processing from step S601. In step S602, the socket API association settings of the logged out user are obtained. In the following step S603, the first of the applications 104, 105, and 106 is focused on.

In step S604, it is determined whether the socket API package associated with the target application 104, 105, 106 by default setting is different from the first socket API package 108, 109 associated by the user setting to log out. If they are different, the process proceeds to step S605. If they are the same, the process proceeds to step S614.

In step S605, the application platform 103 is requested to stop the target applications 104, 105, and 106, and the application platform 103 executes the request. The logout processing module 115 waits until the application stop processing is completed, and then proceeds to the next step S606. In the following step S606, the dedicated class loaders 302 of the applications 104, 105, and 106 are unloaded.

In step S607, it is determined whether the first, i.e., user-defined, socket API package of the target application 104, 105, 106 is the standard socket API package 108. If so, processing proceeds to step S611. If not, processing proceeds to step S608.

In step S608, it is determined whether the second socket API package associated with the target application by default is the standard socket API package 108. If so, processing proceeds to step S610. If not, processing proceeds to step S609.

In step S609, the settings are changed so that the second socket API package is loaded into the dedicated class loader 302 of the target application. In this case, the first socket API package is also the customized socket API package 109, and there is no need to change the priority order between the class loaders 301 and 302 when using the socket API package. After this, when the target applications 104, 105, and 106 use the socket API, objects are generated using the customized socket API package 109. Once the setting change is complete, processing proceeds to step S612.

When processing proceeds to step S610, the logout processing module 115 causes the system class loader 301 to generate an object when the target application 104, 105, or 106 uses a socket API. This is because the second socket API package is a standard socket API package. For this reason, the priority between the class loaders 301 and 302 is changed. When the priority change is complete, processing proceeds to step S612.

When processing proceeds to step S611, the class loader 302 dedicated to the target application loads the second socket API package with the default settings. Then, when the target application uses the socket API, the priority between the class loaders 301 and 302 is changed so that the second socket API package, the customized socket API package 109, is used. When the priority setting change is complete, processing proceeds to step S612.

In step S612, a new class loader 302 dedicated to the target application is loaded. In the following step S613, a start process for the target application 104, 105, or 106 is requested of the application platform 103, and the application platform 103 executes the start process. The logout processing module 115 waits until the application start process is completed, and once the application has started, the process proceeds to step S614.

In step S614, it is determined whether the application 104, 105, 106 under focus is the last application registered in the application platform 103. If so, the process proceeds to step S616. If not, the process proceeds to step S615. In step S615, the process focuses on the next application 104, 105, 106, and the process returns to step S604 and is executed. When step S616 is reached, the process is completed.

As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the applications 104, 105, and 106 are stopped and started when reconnecting to the associated socket API packages 108 and 109 at the time of user login and logout. The application platform 103 has a function for stopping and starting the applications 104, 105, and 106, and it is expected that the applications 104, 105, and 106 are also designed in advance to be safely stopped and started. In the second embodiment of the present invention, the priority of the class loaders 301 and 302 and the customized socket API package 109 loaded by the application-specific class loader 302 are changed while the applications 104, 105, and 106 are stopped. This makes it possible to more easily and safely realize reconnection between the applications 104, 105, and 106 and the socket API packages 108 and 109.

As described above, in both the first and second embodiments, the socket API is reconfigured for each application according to the settings for each logged-in user. Therefore, the logged-in user can connect to the connection destination set in the socket API. For example, if a gateway for a specific virtual private network (VPN) is set as the connection destination, the user can access the VPN and use the resources provided by the network. This is not limited to VPNs, and since it can be set for each user, even when multiple users share one image forming device, the network available to each user can be switched.

The above settings can also be made for each user group. Furthermore, if there is no logged-in user, the socket API for each application is reconfigured to use a specified default socket API. This also makes it possible to limit the connection destinations allowed for guest users.

[Other Examples]
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

103 Application platform, 108 Standard socket API package, 109 Customized socket API package, 111 Socket API package management module, 114 Login processing module, 115 Logout processing module

Claims (13)

An information processing device capable of executing a plurality of applications,
a communication means for providing a communication function to each of the plurality of applications;
a setting means for setting, for each user, a connection means for connecting each of the plurality of applications to a respective connection destination via the communication means;
The information processing apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of applications performs communication using the connection means set for a logged-in user. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,
the setting means further sets, for each of the plurality of applications, a connection means for connecting each of the plurality of applications to a respective connection destination via the communication means as a default setting;
The information processing apparatus, wherein each of the plurality of applications performs communication using the connection means set as the default setting when there is no logged-in user. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2,
11. An information processing apparatus comprising: a configuration means for configuring a connection means to connect the connection means set for each of the plurality of applications for the logged-in user to each of the plurality of applications in response to a user's login. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3,
The information processing device is characterized in that the configuration means configures the connection means to connect each of the plurality of applications to the connection means set for each of the plurality of applications as the default setting in response to a user logging out. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3,
The information processing device is characterized in that the configuration means does not configure the application to connect to the connection means for an application in which the connection means set for each of the plurality of applications for the logged-in user is the same as the connection means set for each of the plurality of applications as the default setting. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5,
The information processing apparatus, wherein the configuration means temporarily suspends execution of the application when configuring the connection means so as to connect the application and the connection means. 7. The information processing device according to claim 1,
The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the users include a user group having a plurality of users. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1,
Further comprising a user interface;
The information processing device is characterized in that the setting means sets a connection means for each of the plurality of applications to connect to each of the plurality of application destinations via the communication means for each user in response to an instruction via the user interface. 9. The information processing device according to claim 1,
The information processing device, wherein the connection means is a socket application program interface (API). The information processing device according to claim 9,
The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the socket API includes connection destination information, and the connection means connects to a connection destination corresponding to the connection destination information. 11. The information processing device according to claim 1 ,
The information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus further comprising an image forming means and an image reading means. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An information processing apparatus capable of executing a plurality of applications and having a communication means for providing a communication function for each of the plurality of applications,
setting, for each user, a connection means for connecting each of the plurality of applications to a respective connection destination via the communication means;
2. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of applications for performing communication using the connection means set for a logged-in user;

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