JP7746809B2 - Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and an information processing method that provide users with information about available services.

Devices connected to a network are usually shared and used by an unspecified number of people. They are rarely used in combination with other devices, and are almost always used individually.

The reason for this is that without a thorough understanding of the specifications of each device, it is difficult to know what services can be realized when they are combined. Another reason is that, due to differences between models and manufacturers, it is unclear whether the intended service can be realized, and since the means of realizing functions may differ depending on the manufacturer, it is difficult for manufacturers to provide instructions on how to use the combined devices.

In order to suggest to users services that can be realized when multiple devices are combined, a technology has been proposed that takes photos of multiple devices with a camera, identifies the models using AR (Augmented Reality) technology, and presents functions that can be realized by linking those devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

With conventional technology, it is not known what devices are available or what services can be provided when these devices are combined, so it is necessary to either ask users to take photos or for manufacturers to obtain permission and visit the site to take photos. However, in this situation, it is not easy to request or obtain permission to take photos, and there is the problem that it is difficult to obtain information about multiple devices.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing an apparatus, system, and method that can acquire information about multiple devices and provide users with information about available services.

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing device that provides information on available services to a user, the information processing device comprising:
an acquisition means for acquiring information about each of the plurality of devices from each of the devices;
a service specifying means for specifying a service realized by a combination of two or more devices based on the acquired information about each device;
and a transmitting means for transmitting information relating to the identified service to a display means viewable by a user.

This invention makes it possible to obtain information about multiple devices and provide users with information about available services.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a table held in a database. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by an information processing apparatus. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of displaying a list of services.

The present invention will be described below using embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

Figure 1 shows an example configuration of an information processing system. The information processing system includes multiple devices, one of which functions as an information processing device and provides information (service information) about available services to users. Here, one of the multiple devices is used as an information processing device, but this is not limited to this, and the configuration may also include an information processing device installed separately from the multiple devices.

The information processing system shown in Figure 1 has a configuration similar to that found in a typical office, with multiple information devices connected to an internal network. The network is an intranet 10, and multiple devices are connected to it: Company A's copier 11, an electronic whiteboard 12, a projector 13, Company B's copier 14, a printer 15, a scanner 16, and three PCs (Personal Computers) 17-19. In Figure 1, Company A's copier 11 functions as an information processing device.

Company A's copier 11 is a copier manufactured by Company A, and is equipped with a transport unit that transports paper, a scanner unit that reads the original, and an image forming unit that prints the read original onto paper. Company B's copier 14 is a copier manufactured by Company B, and has the same configuration as Company A's copier 11. Electronic whiteboard 12 displays video information as still or moving images on the screen of an external PC, detects when an electronic pen or the like touches the display of electronic whiteboard 12, identifies the coordinates, and draws and displays lines, characters, etc. on the displayed still image, etc.

Projector 13 is connected to a PC or other device, acquires image data from the PC or other device, modulates projection light from a light source based on the acquired image data, and projects the resulting modulated light as an image onto the projection surface of a screen through a projection lens. Printer 15 is, for example, an inkjet printer, and forms an image on the printing paper by moving an ejection head with multiple nozzles in the main scanning direction and ejecting droplets of ink or other liquid from the multiple nozzles onto the printing paper being transported in the sub-scanning direction. Printer 15 may also be a laser printer or the like, which attaches toner to a photosensitive element, transfers it to the printing paper being transported, and fixes it with heat and pressure.

Scanner 16 irradiates light from a light source onto an original document or the like, reads the reflected light from the original document or the like with an optical sensor, and converts it into image data. Note that scanner 16 is not limited to a system that reads reflected light with an optical sensor, but may also be a system that reads transmitted light that has passed through the original document or the like. Examples of optical sensors that can be used include a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensor and a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. PCs 17-19 may be notebook PCs, desktop PCs, or tablet PCs. PCs 17-19 input characters, select data, run programs, display images, and communicate with other devices.

Here, copiers, electronic whiteboards, projectors, printers, scanners, and PCs have been listed as information devices, but the information processing system may also include other devices. Furthermore, the number of electronic whiteboards, etc. is not limited to one of each, and two or more of each may be included. When two or more devices are included, they may all be from the same manufacturer, or some or all of them may be from different manufacturers. Furthermore, when two or more devices are from the same manufacturer, they may all be the same model, or some or all of them may be different models.

Company A's copier 11, which functions as an information processing device, communicates with other devices (such as the electronic whiteboard 12) connected to the intranet 10 to which it is also connected upon startup and at regular intervals to obtain information about the devices (device information). Company A's copier 11 obtains device information for the electronic whiteboard 12, projector 13, Company B's copier 14, printer 15, scanner 16, and three PCs 17-19. Device information includes the name of the manufacturer that produced the device, a manufacturer model number that indicates a serial number that individually identifies the device, etc.

Company A's copier 11 has its own database and uses device information acquired from each device and service information pre-stored in the database to check whether or not a service is available for the user, and if so, identifies that service. Company A's copier 11 then transmits the identified service information to a display unit viewable by the user. The display unit viewable by the user may be a display unit (e.g., an operation panel) provided on Company A's copier 11, or a display unit (e.g., a display) on a PC 17 or other device other than Company A's copier 11.

The intranet 10 is connected to the Internet 22 via a hub 20 and a router 21. A company A server 23 is connected to the Internet 22. If the database held by the company A copier 11 does not contain a matching service, the company A copier 11 queries the company A server 23 via the Internet 22. If the company A server 23 has a service it can provide, the company A copier 11 obtains information about the available services from the company A server 23 and sends the obtained service information to the display unit.

The hardware configuration of the MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral) used as Company A's copier 11 will be described with reference to Figure 2. The MFP includes a controller 30, a short-range communication circuit 31, an engine control unit 32, an operation panel 33, and a network I/F 34.

The controller 30 includes a CPU 40, which is the main component of the computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 41, a north bridge (NB) 42, a south bridge (SB) 43, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 44, a local memory (MEM-C) 45, an HDD controller 46, and an HDD 47. The NB 42 and the ASIC 44 are connected via an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 48.

The CPU 40 is a control unit that performs overall control of the MFP. The NB 42 is a bridge that connects the CPU 40 with the MEM-P 41, SB 43, and AGP bus 48, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 41, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

MEM-P41 includes ROM 41a, which is memory for storing programs and data to realize the various functions of controller 30, and RAM 41b, which is used for expanding programs and data and as drawing memory during memory printing. The programs stored in RAM 41b may also be provided by being recorded in installable or executable files on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD.

SB43 is a bridge connecting NB42 with PCI devices and peripheral devices. ASIC44 is an IC for image processing applications that contains hardware elements for image processing and acts as a bridge connecting AGP bus 48, PCI bus 49, HDD controller 46, and MEM-C 45. ASIC44 includes a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of ASIC44, a memory controller that controls MEM-C 45, and multiple DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that perform image data rotation and other operations using hardware logic. ASIC44 also includes a PCI unit that transfers data between scanner unit 50 and printer unit 51 via PCI bus 49. The ASIC44 may also be configured to connect to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or an IEEE 1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface.

MEM-C45 is local memory used as a copy image buffer and code buffer. HD47 is storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. HD47 controls the reading and writing of data from and to HD47 under the control of CPU40. AGP bus48 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphics processing; direct high-throughput access to MEM-P51 enables the graphics accelerator card to operate at high speed.

The short-range communication circuit 31 is a communication circuit that uses NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

The engine control unit 32 is composed of a scanner unit 50 and a printer unit 51. The operation panel 33 has a panel display unit 33a, such as a touch panel, that displays current settings and selection screens and accepts input from the user, and an operation panel unit 33b that includes a numeric keypad that accepts settings for image formation conditions such as density settings and a start key that accepts a copy start command.

The controller 30 controls, for example, drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 33. The scanner unit 50 or printer unit 51 includes image processing functions such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

The MFP can be used to sequentially switch between the document box function, copy function, printer function, and facsimile function using the application switching key on the operation panel 33. When each function is selected, the corresponding mode is entered.

The network I/F 34 is an interface that connects to the intranet 10 and performs data communication with devices on the intranet 10 and with devices on the Internet 22 via the hub 20 and router 21. The short-range communication circuit 31 and network I/F 34 are electrically connected to the ASIC 44 via the PCI bus 49.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of Company A's copier 11. Each function of Company A's copier 11 can be realized by a processing circuit such as a CPU 40. Processing circuits include processors programmed to execute each function by software, such as processors implemented by electronic circuits, as well as devices such as ASICs, DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the functions described above.

Company A's copier 11 functions as a conveying unit, scanner unit, and image forming unit, as well as includes a communication means 60, an acquisition means 61, an information storage means 62, a service identification means 63, a database 64, and a display control means 65.

The communication means 60 functions as a sending means and a receiving means, communicating with each device on the intranet 10 and with devices on the Internet 22 via the hub 20 and router 21. The acquisition means 61 searches for devices on the intranet 10 to which the A company copier 11 is connected via the communication means 60 when the A company copier 11 is started up or at regular intervals, and acquires device information from the devices it has discovered. The information storage means 62 stores the device information acquired by the acquisition means 61.

Database 64 contains data that associates services that can only be provided when specific devices are connected to the same network with the manufacturer name, manufacturer model number, etc. of the devices required for that service.

Figure 4 shows an example of data stored in database 64. The data is managed, for example, in a table, and associates the manufacturer name and manufacturer model number of the equipment that implements the service with the service name that identifies the service. Service A is a service implemented by two copiers: one from company A with model number "abcd1234" and one from company B with model number "efgh5678." For example, the service involves scanning an original using company A's copier with model number "abcd1234" and printing it out using company B's copier with model number "efgh5678."

The data held by database 64 is not limited to data associating the service name of a service that can be provided with both the manufacturer name and the manufacturer model number, but may also be data associating the service name with either the manufacturer name or the manufacturer model number. In this case, acquisition means 61 can acquire either the manufacturer name or the manufacturer model number as device information.

Referring again to FIG. 3, when the device information is stored in the information storage means 62, the service identification means 63 compares the information stored in the information storage means 62 with the data stored in the database 64 to search for and identify services available to the user. If the service identification means 63 identifies a service, it instructs the display control means 65 to send service information indicating that a service is available and the details of that service to the operation panel 33, which serves as a display unit viewable by the user. In response, the display control means 65 sends the service information to the operation panel 33 and displays it. Note that if the display unit is a display unit of a device other than Company A's copier 11, the service identification means 63 instructs the communication means 60, which functions as a transmission means, to send the service information. Note that if there is no identified service, the service identification means 63 does not instruct the communication means 60 or display control means 65 to send the service information.

The service information transmitted by the display control means 65 or the like is displayed on the operation panel 33 or the like. The user views the service information displayed on the operation panel 33 or the like and determines whether or not the service is necessary. If the user determines that the service is necessary, the user performs a user operation, such as checking a checkbox displayed next to the service. This user operation is an example and is not limited to this operation. In response to the user operation, Company A's copier 11 can install a program to realize the service determined to be necessary by the user operation. By executing the installed program, the user can receive the service that they determine to be necessary.

Referring to Figure 5, the process up to service identification executed by Company A's copier 11 will be described in detail. Company A's copier 11 executes this process at startup or at regular intervals. "Startup" includes not only when the power is turned on to start up, but also when returning from power saving mode. The time interval for executing this process can be any time interval and can be set as desired by the system administrator.

Processing begins at step 100. In step 101, the acquisition means 61 acquires device information from devices connected to the intranet 10 via the communication means 60. The device information includes the manufacturer name, manufacturer model number, etc., and the manufacturer name and manufacturer model number can be acquired, for example, from a MAC (Media Access Control) address. A MAC address consists of 12 characters (48 bits), with the first 6 characters (24 bits) being a unique number assigned to the manufacturer and the last 6 characters (24 bits) being a number assigned individually to each product. For example, by using the ping command and the arp command, it is possible to confirm the presence of devices on the intranet 10 and acquire MAC addresses from existing devices. The acquisition means 61 stores the acquired device information in the information storage means 62.

In step 102, upon receiving the device information stored in the information storage means 62, the service identification means 63 uses the stored information to create a device combination. For example, if the search finds Company A's copier 11, electronic whiteboard 12, projector 13, Company B's copier 14, printer 15, scanner 16, and three PCs 17-19, in step 102, two or more of these devices are used to create a device combination such as Company A's copier 11 and electronic whiteboard 12.

In step 103, the service identification means 63 determines whether there are no more combinations to create and whether to end combination creation. If the combinations are not to be ended in step 103, the process proceeds to step 104, where the service identification means 63 searches the database 64 for a service corresponding to the created combination, and if so, obtains the service information. In step 105, the service identification means 63 checks whether a corresponding service exists, and if not, returns to step 102 and creates the next device combination. On the other hand, if the service exists, the process proceeds to step 106 and checks whether the service is already provided, and if it is, returns to step 102. On the other hand, if the service is not yet provided, the process proceeds to step 107, where the unprovided service is registered in temporary storage means such as a cache, and the process returns to step 102.

Here, since the user already knows that services that are already provided are available, there is no need to display known services. For this reason, the process will be described as displaying only unprovided services that the user does not know are available. However, the display is not limited to unprovided services only, and all available services, including services that are already provided, may be displayed. The service names, etc. of provided services can be registered, for example, in database 64. This makes it possible to confirm which services have already been provided.

If, in step 103, the service identification means 63 determines that the combination has ended, the process proceeds to step 108, where the service identification means 63 acquires information about unprovided services if there are any unprovided services in the temporary storage means. Then, in step 109, the service identification means 63 checks whether there are any unprovided services. If there are any unprovided services, the process proceeds to step 110, where the service identification means 63 instructs the communication means 60 or display control means 65 to send information about the unprovided services, and the communication means 60 or display control means 65 sends the information about the unprovided services as service information to the display unit for display. After displaying the information on the display unit, the process proceeds to step 111, where the process ends. On the other hand, if there are no unprovided services, there are no services to display, so the process proceeds directly to step 111, where the process ends.

If there are multiple unprovided services, it is possible to display a list of services that can be provided and their details. If there is only one unprovided service, it is possible to display a list of services that can be provided and their details. If there are no unprovided services, it is possible to display a list of services that cannot be provided.

Referring to Figure 6, the process from identifying a service to displaying service information will be described in detail. Processing begins at step 200, and in step 201, the service identification means 63 determines whether any services remain to be sent and displayed. If so, the process proceeds to step 202, where the service and its contents are sent to the display unit. The display unit displays the service and its contents. The user views the service and its contents and determines whether or not the service is necessary. The user inputs whether or not the service is necessary by operating the operation panel 33 of Company A's copier 11.

In step 203, it is determined whether or not an operation has been accepted from the user. If no operation has been accepted from the user, this indicates that the user's decision has not yet been made, and the decision process in step 203 is repeated until an operation from the user is accepted. On the other hand, if an operation has been accepted, the process proceeds to step 204, and a decision is made as to whether or not the service is necessary based on the operation. For example, if the user checks a checkbox next to a service and presses the OK button, this indicates that the user has decided that the service is necessary; if the user does not check the checkbox and presses the OK button, this indicates that the user has decided that the service is unnecessary, and it is possible to determine whether or not the service is necessary. Note that this operation is just one example, and other operations may be used as long as they can determine whether or not the service is necessary.

If the user determines in step 204 that the service is necessary, the process proceeds to step 205, where the service is installed and becomes available for the user to use. On the other hand, if the user determines that the service is unnecessary, the process returns to step 201, where it is determined whether any services remain to be displayed as the next available service.

The processing from step 201 to step 205 is repeated until there are no more services available. If it is determined in step 201 that there are no more services available, the processing proceeds to step 206, and the processing for displaying service information is terminated.

In the example shown in Figure 6, available services are displayed one by one multiple times, and the user's intention is confirmed each time, but this is not limited to this. Multiple available services may also be displayed on a single screen, allowing the user to decide whether or not they are needed all at once.

Service information is stored not only in database 64, but also in Company A's server 23, an external device connected to the Internet 22, with Company A's server 23 storing more service information. Therefore, if a corresponding service is not found in database 64, the communication means 60 can be used to access Company A's server 23, and the data stored in Company A's server 23 can be compared to obtain service information available to the user.

In this case, the obtained list of services may be displayed on the display unit along with the details of those services, or only those services not yet provided to the user may be displayed on the display unit along with the details of those services.

As explained above, it is possible to easily obtain information about multiple devices and provide the user with information about available services. It is also possible to provide information about only unprovided services, excluding services that have already been provided.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made within the scope of what one skilled in the art could conceive, such as changing or deleting components of this embodiment, or adding other components to the components of this embodiment. Any modifications that achieve the effects of the present invention are within the scope of the present invention.

10... Intranet 11... Company A's copying machine 12... Electronic blackboard 13... Projector 14... Company B's copying machine 15... Printer 16... Scanner 17-19... PC
20... Hub 21... Router 22... Internet 23... Company A's server 30... Controller 31... Short-range communication circuit 32... Engine control unit 33... Operation panel 33a... Panel display unit 33b... Operation panel unit 34... Network I/F
40...CPU
41...MEM-P
41a...ROM
41b...RAM
42...NB
43...SB
44...ASIC
45...MEM-C
46...HDD controller 47...HD
48: AGP bus 49: PCI bus 50: scanner unit 51: printer unit

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-201500

Claims (9)

An information processing device that provides information about available services to a user,
an acquisition means for acquiring information about each of the plurality of devices from each of the devices;
a service specifying means for specifying a service realized by a combination of two or more devices based on the acquired information about each device;
a transmitting means for transmitting information about the identified service to a display means that can be viewed by the user ;
an information storage means for storing information about each of the devices acquired by the acquisition means;
a storage means for storing information relating to a combination of devices and a service realized by the combination of devices in association with each other;
Including,
The service identification means creates a combination of devices using information about each device stored in the information storage means, and identifies a service by comparing the created combination of devices with a combination of devices associated with information about the service stored in the storage means . The information processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the information related to the device includes at least one of the manufacturer name of the device and information identifying the device. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the service identification means, when unable to identify the service using a combination of devices associated with the information about the service stored in the storage means , identifies the service using information held by an external device. 4. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein, when there is a service that has not been provided among the identified services, the service specifying means instructs the transmitting means to transmit information about the service that has not been provided. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said transmission means transmits to said display means, as information regarding said unprovided service, information indicating that there is a service that can be provided and the content of said service. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition means acquires information about each of the plurality of devices on the network to which the information processing device is connected from the plurality of devices. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the acquisition means acquires the information about each of the devices when the information processing apparatus is started or at regular intervals. An information processing system comprising: the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ; and a plurality of devices used in combination to provide a service. A method for providing information on available services to a user by an information processing device, the information processing device including: a storage means for storing a combination of devices and information on services realized by the combination of devices in association with each other; and an information holding means;
acquiring information about each of the plurality of devices from each of the plurality of devices;
storing the acquired information about each device in the information storage means;

a step of identifying a service realized by a combination of two or more devices based on the acquired information about each of the devices, the step of creating the device combination using the information about each of the devices stored in the information storage means, and identifying the service by comparing the created device combination with a device combination associated with information about the service stored in the storage means ;
transmitting information about the identified service to a display means viewable by the user.