Information system and multi-functional information device

• US 10,298,660 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kazusei, Hase, Junichi, Matsuhara, Kenji, Anezaki, Kazuya, Kubota, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US14/300,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20140365655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

An information system performing communication with a plurality of cloud servers is provided. The information system includes an information management portion configured to manage account information indicating accounts of a user of the information system, the accounts being set up for the cloud servers; an obtaining portion configured to, in response to operation of logging into the information system by the user, gain access to the cloud servers with the account information to obtain, from each of the cloud servers, usage information indicating use by the user; and a user interface portion configured to cause a display provided in a device operated by the user in order to log into the information system to display a list of the use of each of the cloud servers by the user.

Claims

1. An information system performing communications with plurality of cloud servers on an internet, the information system comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a central processing unit (CPU), connected to the memory, that executes the instructions to cause the information system to;

manage account information indicating accounts of a user of the information system, the accounts being set up for the cloud servers;

in response to operation of logging into the information system by the user, gain access to the cloud servers with the account information to obtain, from each of the cloud servers, usage information that indicates functions and statuses of use of the plurality of the cloud servers that the user may invoke; and

cause a display provided in a device operated by the user in order to log into the information system to display a file name of a file to be transferred to one of the cloud servers and a list of the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user who has logged into the information system, when the file is created.

2. The information system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU executes the instructions to cause the information system further to:

in response to input operation, by the user, for using at least one of the cloud servers newly, select a cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user from among the cloud servers depending on the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user; and

display a result of the selection.

3. The information system according to claim 2, wherein the CPU executes the instructions to cause the information system further to:

manage price setting information indicating how to calculate usage fees of the respective cloud servers, and

select, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the new use is the least based on the price setting information and the usage information.

4. The information system according to claim 2, wherein the CPU executes the instructions to cause the information system further to cause, in accordance with a command given by the user, a first cloud server and a second cloud server of the cloud servers to perform cooperative processing of updating, by the second cloud server, a file saved in the first cloud server.

5. The information system according to claim 4, wherein, prior to execution of the cooperative processing, the CPU executes the instructions to cause the information system to select, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which the file can be updated and an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the cooperative processing is the least.

6. The information system according to claim 4, wherein, if the second cloud server is not capable of gaining access to the first cloud server, the CPU executes the instructions to cause the information system to transfer the file to the second cloud server or a storage to which the second cloud server is capable of gaining access, and causes the second cloud server to update the file.

7. The information system according to claim 1, wherein the CPU, when a file is transferred to any one of the cloud servers, executes the instructions to cause the information system to adapt the file to a transfer destination if necessary.

8. A multi-functional information device that performs network communication, the multi-functional information device comprising:

the information system according to claim 1;

an image scanner that reads an image from a document sheet;

a printer engine that prints the image onto paper;

a storage that stores data; and

an operating panel provided with the display;

wherein the CPU transfers image data obtained by the image scanner or a document stored in the storage to a cloud server selected from among the cloud servers via the operating panel by the user who is also a user of the multi-functional information device; and

the CPU causes the printer engine to print a document transferred from any one of the cloud servers.

9. A method for supporting a use of a cloud service, the method comprising:

managing, by an information system performing communication with a plurality of cloud servers on an internet that provide a cloud service, account information indicating accounts of a user of the information system, the accounts being set up for the cloud servers;

in response to operation of logging into the information system by the user, gaining, by the information system, access to the cloud servers with the account information to obtain, from each of the cloud servers, usage information that indicates functions and statuses of use of the plurality of the cloud servers that the user may invoke; and

causing, by the information system, a display provided in a device operated by the user in order to log into the information system to display a file name of a file to be transferred to one of the cloud servers and a list of the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user who has logged into the information system, when the file is created.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising

in response to input operation, by the user, for using at least one of the cloud servers newly, selecting, by the information system, a cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user from among the cloud servers depending on the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user, and

displaying, by the information system, a result of selection on the display.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising

managing, by the information system, price setting information indicating how to calculate usage fees of the respective cloud servers, and

selecting, by the information system, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the new use is the least based on the price setting information and the usage information.

12. The method according to claim 10, comprising causing, by the information system, a first cloud server and a second cloud server of the cloud servers to perform cooperative processing of updating, by the second cloud server, a file saved in the first cloud server.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising, prior to execution of the cooperative processing, selecting, by the information system, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which the file can be updated and an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the cooperative processing is the least.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising, if the second cloud server is not capable of gaining access to the first cloud server, transferring, by the information system, the file to the second cloud server or a storage to which the second cloud server is capable of gaining access, and causes the second cloud server to update the file.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising, when a file is transferred to any one of the cloud servers, adapting, by the information system, the file to a transfer destination if necessary.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein a part of the information system is provided in a first information device, and another part of the information system is provided in a second information device capable of performing communication with the first information device.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the information system is provided in a multifunctional information device capable of performing network communication and including an image scanner that reads an image from a document sheet, a printer engine that prints the image onto paper, a storage that stores data thereinto, and an operating panel provided with the display, and

the user is also a user of the multifunctional information device.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon a computer program executed in a system performing communication with a plurality of cloud servers on an internet, the computer program causing a computer to perform processes comprising:

management processing of managing account information indicating accounts of a user of the system, the accounts being set up for the cloud servers;

obtaining processing of, in response to operation of logging into the system by the user, gaining access to the cloud servers with the account information to obtain, from each of the cloud servers, usage information that indicates functions and statuses of use of the plurality of the cloud servers that the user may invoke; and

display processing of causing a display provided in a device operated by the user in order to log into the system to display a file name of a file to be transferred to one of the cloud servers and a list of the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user who has logged into the information system, when the file is created.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

in response to input operation, by the user, for using at least one of the cloud servers newly, the computer program further causes the computer to perform selection processing of selecting a cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user from among the cloud servers depending on the statuses of use of the respective cloud servers by the user;

wherein

the display processing is to display a result of selection in the selection processing on the display after the list is displayed.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein

the management processing is to manage the account information and price setting information indicating how to calculate usage fees of the respective cloud servers, and

the selection processing is to select, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the new use is the least based on the price setting information and the usage information.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the computer program causes the computer to further perform, in accordance with a command given by the user, cooperative processing of causing a first cloud server and a second cloud server of the cloud servers to update, by the second cloud server, a file saved in the first cloud server.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the selection processing includes, prior to execution of the cooperative processing, selecting, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server that is recommended to be used by the user, a cloud server in which the file can be updated and an amount of increase in a usage fee due to the cooperative processing is the least.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein, if the second cloud server is not capable of gaining access to the first cloud server, the cooperative processing includes transferring the file to the second cloud server or a storage to which the second cloud server is capable of gaining access, and causing the second cloud server to update the file.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the computer program causes the computer to further perform processing of, when a file is transferred to any one of the cloud servers, adapting the file to a transfer destination if necessary.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein

the computer program causes a computer provided as the computer in a multi-functional information device capable of performing network communication to perform the management processing, the obtaining processing, the display processing, transfer processing, and print processing,

the multi-functional information device includes an image scanner that reads an image from a document sheet,

a printer engine that prints the image onto paper,

a storage that stores data thereinto, and

an operating panel provided with a display,

the transfer processing includes transferring image data obtained by the image scanner or a document stored in the storage to a cloud server selected from among the cloud servers via the operating panel by the user who is also a user of the multi-functional information device, and

the print processing includes causing the printer engine to print a document transferred from any one of the cloud servers.