Image processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and recording medium

• US 10,416,942 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US15/712,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 358 115, 358 113, 358402, 358 116, 358403, 358407, 37920111, 709206
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/46 Printing mechanisms combined with apparatus providing a visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1224 Client or server resources management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1278 specifically adapted to adopt a particular infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00938 Software related arrangements, e.g. loading applications program loading in general G06F9/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00962 Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software program loading in general G06F9/445; network-specific protocols involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: an image processing engine to perform image processing; a memory to store setting information used in the image processing; a control panel to accept an operation instruction for operating the image processing engine and an input instruction for editing the setting information; and a Web server, functioning as a Web API service, to accept a request of the instruction from the control panel via one or more Web APIs. The control panel receives a response to the instruction for editing from the Web API service, and displays the received response as a result of the editing of the setting information.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image processing engine to perform image processing;

a memory to store setting information used in the image processing;

a control panel to accept an operation instruction for operating the image processing engine and an input instruction for editing the setting information; and

a Web server, functioning as a Web Application Programming Interface (API) service, to accept a request of the instruction for editing the setting information from the control panel via one or more Web APIs,

wherein the control panel is configured to receive a response to the request of the instruction for editing from the Web API service, and display the received response as a result of the editing of the setting information,

wherein the control panel is further configured to;

in response to selection of an edit start button on the control panel, send a request for the setting information as a target of editing to the Web API service to obtain the setting information by using an API for requesting the setting information;

display a screen including the obtained setting information in a list format;

in response to a selection of a button for editing the setting information on the screen, edit the obtained setting information;

in response to a selection of a button for registering the edited setting information after the editing, send a request for registration of the edited setting information to the Web API service by using an API for registering the setting information;

receive a response to the request for registration of the edited setting information from the Web API service; and

display a result of the editing based on the response.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control panel includes a creation button configured to group pieces of address information,

wherein the setting information is address book information that includes a plurality of items of address information each indicating a transmission destination of image data obtained by image processing, and group information indicating a group of one or more items of the address information, and

the instruction for editing includes at least one of:

an instruction to group one or more items of address information into a group;

an instruction to add one or more items of address information to a group; and

an instruction to delete one or more items of address information from a group.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control panel is configured to:

in response to an instruction to edit address information, send a request for group information to the Web API service to obtain the group information by using a group information API for obtaining group information;

display a screen including one or more groups in a list format using the obtained group information;

in response to selection of a group from the groups displayed on the screen, obtain one or more items of address information belonging to the selected group by using an address information API for obtaining address information;

display a screen including the obtained one or more items of address information in a list format;

in response to selection of a button for editing address information on the screen, perform an editing process to add or delete one or more items of address information to or from the selected group; and

in response to selection of a register button after the editing process, register the selected group having the edited address information, by using a registration API.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, when the button for editing is a button for adding address information not included in the list, the control panel obtains all items of address information stored in the memory by using the address information API and selects the one or more items of address information to be added to the selected group, and

wherein, when the button for editing is a button for deleting address information, the control panel deletes the one or more items of address information from the selected group.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory stores a first information table including the address information, and a second information table including the group information, and

the one or more Web APIs include

a first API configured to accept obtaining of the address information included in the first information table,

a second API configured to accept obtaining of the group information included in the second information table, and

a third API configured to accept editing of the group information included in the second information table.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the memory further stores a third information table including index information about the address information, and

the one or more Web APIs further include

a fourth API configured to accept obtaining of the index information included in the third information table.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the one or more Web APIs include a SOAP Web API configured to accept obtaining or editing of the address book information by an external apparatus, and

the Web API service is configured to

in response to accepting the obtaining or the editing of the address book information by the external apparatus via the SOAP Web API, use a result of processing previously performed, and output a result of processing that corresponds to the SOAP Web API to the external apparatus as an end result of the editing.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the Web API service is configured to receive a request for editing the setting information used in the image processing from both the control panel and an external apparatus using a REST Web API.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first Web API service configured to receive a request for editing the setting information used in the image processing from the control panel via a REST Web API; and

a second Web API service configured to receive a request for editing the setting information used in the image processing from an external apparatus via a SOAP Web API.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the Web API service is configured to accept the request of the instruction for the editing via a Web API of a corresponding operation type among the one or more Web APIs, and

the control panel is configured to receive a result of processing that corresponds to the Web API of the corresponding operation type from the Web API service, and display the received result as an end result of the editing of the setting information.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an energy saving mode switch configured to control the image processing apparatus to make a transition from an energy saving mode to a normal operation mode, in response to detection of a restoration signal from the control panel.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a main unit including the image processing engine, a first OS, a first CPU, and the Web server,

wherein the control panel includes a second OS, a second CPU, and an address book editing application that sends a request for editing an address book to the Web API service of the main unit via an API, the address book editing application being executed by the second CPU on the second OS.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control panel is configured to send a request for editing the setting information to the Web API service by using a REST Web API of the Web API service, the request including a method and a URI.

14. An information processing system comprising:

an image processing apparatus including;

an image processing engine to perform image processing;

a memory to store setting information used in the image processing; and

a Web server; and

an information processing apparatus communicable with the image processing apparatus, the apparatus including;

a user interface to accept an operation instruction for operating the image processing engine and an input instruction for editing the setting information,

wherein the Web server, functioning as a Web Application Programming Interface (API) service, accepts a request of the instruction for editing the setting information from the user interface via one or more Web APIs, and

wherein the user interface is configured to receive a response to the request of the instruction for editing from the Web API service, and display the received response as a result of the editing of the setting information,

wherein the user interface is further configured to;

in response to selection of an edit start button on the user interface, send a request for the setting information as a target of editing to the Web API service to obtain the setting information by using an API for requesting the setting information;

display a screen including the obtained setting information in a list format;

in response to a selection of a button for editing the setting information on the screen, edit the obtained setting information;

in response to a selection of a button for registering the edited setting information after the editing, send a request for registration of the edited setting information to the Web API service by using an API for registering the setting information;

receive a response to the request for registration of the edited setting information from the Web API service; and

display a result of the editing based on the response.

15. The information processing system according to claim 14,

wherein the user interface of the information processing apparatus is a control panel, provided for the image processing apparatus.

16. An information processing method comprising:

storing setting information on an image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus including an image processing engine;

receiving, at a control panel, an operation instruction for operating the image processing engine and an input instruction for editing the setting information;

accepting, by a Web Application Programming Interface (API) service of the image processing apparatus, a request of the instruction for editing the setting information from the control panel via one or more Web APIs;

receiving, by the control panel, a response to the request of the instruction for editing from the Web API service;

displaying, by the control panel, the received response as a result of the editing of the setting information,

wherein in response to selecting an edit start button on the control panel, sending a request for the setting information as a target of editing to the Web API service to obtain the setting information by using an API for requesting the setting information;

displaying a screen including the obtained setting information in a list format;

editing the obtained setting information;

sending a request for registration of the edited setting information to the Web API service by using an API for registering the setting information; and

displaying a result of the editing based on the response.