INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AN INFORMATION APPARATUS, MACRO EXECUTING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100191821A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: ASAHARA, Hideo
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5087 for receiving image data
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0733 in a data processing system embedded in an image processing device, e.g. printer, facsimile, scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0769 Readable error formats, e.g. cross-platform generic formats, human understandable formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

An information processing system in which a warning is generated in advance when a macro including unsupported functions is executed, realizing improved usability for users. A multi-function apparatus and a server holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function are connected to each other via a network. A macro referring section provided in the multi-function apparatus acquires a macro held by the second information apparatus. An unsupported function checking section provided in the server detects functions that cannot be realized by the first information apparatus from among functions included in the macro. A warning information providing section provided in the second information apparatus creates warning information relating to the detected unsupported functions and transmits the warning information to the multi-function apparatus. A warning section provided in the multi-function apparatus notifies a user of the transmitted warning information.

Claims

1. An information processing system in which a first information apparatus and a second information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function are connected to each other via a network, comprising:

a macro acquiring unit that is provided in the first information apparatus and that acquires a macro held by the second information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting unit that is provided in the second information apparatus and that detects functions that cannot be realized by the first information apparatus from among functions included in the macro;

a warning information creation unit that is provided in the second information apparatus and that creates warning information including information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting unit;

a warning information transmitting unit that is provided in the second information apparatus and that transmits the warning information to the first information apparatus; and

a notifying unit that is provided in the first information apparatus and that notifies a user of the warning information transmitted by said warning information transmitting unit, the warning information notified by the notifying unit including the information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro.

2. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said warning information transmitting unit adds information relating to an information apparatus capable of realizing the functions detected by said unsupported function detecting unit from among a plurality of information apparatuses connected to the network and transmits the information to the first information apparatus.

3. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information apparatus further comprises a function notifying unit that notifies the second information apparatus of functions that can be realized by the first information apparatus, and

wherein said unsupported function detecting unit that regards the functions notified from said function notifying unit as functions that can be realized by the first information apparatus.

4. An information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the warning information includes information that prompts the user to give an instruction regarding execution of the macro, and

wherein the first information apparatus further comprises macro execution control unit that provides control to execute the macro or cancel execution of the macro in accordance with an intent of the user who has responded to the warning information.

5. An information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an alternative macro creating unit that is provided in the second information apparatus, for creating an alternative macro by replacing the functions detected by said unsupported function detecting unit with alternative functions,

wherein said warning information transmitting unit further transmits information on the alternative macro to the first information apparatus, and

wherein said notifying unit notifies the user of information on the alternative macro transmitted from said warning information transmitting unit.

6. An information processing system according to claim 5, wherein said alternative macro creating unit is capable of creating a plurality of alternative macros, and

wherein said notifying unit notifies the user of information on the plurality of alternative macros and a message that prompts the user to select an alternative macro.

7. An information apparatus that holds at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function and is connected to another information apparatus via a network, comprising:

a macro information providing unit that provides the other information apparatus with a macro designated by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting unit that detects functions that cannot be realized by the other information apparatus from among functions included in the designated macro;

a warning information creation unit that creates warning information including information indicating the reason why the other information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting unit; and

a warning information transmitting unit transmits the warning information to the other information apparatus.

8. An information processing system in which a first information apparatus and a second information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function are connected to each other via a network, comprising:

a macro acquiring unit that is provided in the first information apparatus and that acquires a macro held by the second information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting unit that is provided in the first information apparatus and that detects functions that cannot be realized by the first information apparatus from among functions included in the macro;

a warning information creation unit that is provided in the second information apparatus and that creates warning information including information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting unit;

a warning information transmitting unit that is provided in the second information apparatus and that transmits the warning information to the first information apparatus; and

a notifying unit provided in the first information apparatus and that notifies a user of the warning information transmitted by said warning information transmitting unit.

9. An information processing system according to claim 8, wherein said notifying unit adds information relating to an information apparatus capable of realizing the functions detected by said unsupported function detecting unit from among a plurality of information apparatuses connected to the network and notifies the information to the user.

10. An information processing system according to claim 8, wherein the warning information includes information that prompts the user to give an instruction regarding execution of the macro, and

wherein the first information apparatus further comprises macro execution control unit that provides control to execute the macro or cancel execution of the macro in accordance with an intent of the user who has responded to the warning information.

11. An information apparatus that is connected to another information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function via a network, comprising:

a macro acquiring unit that acquires a macro held by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting unit that detects functions that cannot be realized by the information apparatus from among functions included in the macro; and

a notifying unit that receives warning information relating to the functions, detected in said unsupported function detecting unit, from the other information apparatus and notifies a user of the warning information, the warning information notified by the notifying unit including the information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro.

12. An information processing method performed by an information processing system in which a first information apparatus and a second information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function are connected to each other via a network, the method comprising:

a macro acquiring step performed by the first information apparatus of acquiring a macro held by the second information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step performed by the second information apparatus of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the first information apparatus from among functions included in the macro;

a warning information creation step performed by the second information apparatus of creating warning information including information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting step;

a warning information transmitting step performed by the second information apparatus of transmitting the warning information to the first information apparatus; and

a notifying step performed by the first information apparatus of notifying a user of the warning information transmitted by said warning information transmitting step, the warning information notified by the notifying step including the information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro.

13. A method performed by an information apparatus that holds at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function and is connected to another information apparatus via a network, the method comprising:

a macro information providing step of providing the other information apparatus with a macro designated by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the other information apparatus from among functions included in the designated macro;

a warning information creation step of creating warning information including information indicating the reason why the other information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting step; and

a warning information transmitting step of transmitting the warning information to the other information apparatus.

14. An information processing method performed by an information processing system in which a first information apparatus and a second information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function are connected to each other via a network, the method comprising:

a macro acquiring step performed by the first information apparatus of acquiring a macro held by the second information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step performed by the first information apparatus of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the first information apparatus from among functions included in the macro;

a warning information creation step performed by the second information apparatus of creating warning information including information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting step;

a warning information transmitting step performed by the second information apparatus of transmitting the warning information to the first information apparatus; and

a notifying step performed by the first information apparatus of notifying a user of the warning information transmitted by said warning information transmitting step.

15. A method performed by an information apparatus that is connected to another information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function via a network, the method comprising:

a macro acquiring step of acquiring a macro held by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the information apparatus from among functions included in the macro; and

a notifying step of receiving warning information relating to the functions, detected in said unsupported function detecting step, from the other information apparatus and of notifying a user of the warning information, the warning information notified by the notifying step including the information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro.

16. A storage medium storing a program that when executed by one or more computers in an information apparatus causes the information apparatus to perform a method, the information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function and being connected to another information apparatus via a network, the method comprising:

a macro information providing step of providing the other information apparatus with a macro designated by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the other information apparatus from among functions included in the designated macro;

a warning information creation step of creating warning information including information indicating the reason why the other information apparatus cannot execute the macro based on the functions detected by the unsupported function detecting step; and

a warning information transmitting step of transmitting the warning information to the other information apparatus.

17. A storage medium storing a program that when executed by one or more computers in an information apparatus causes the information apparatus to perform a method, the information apparatus being connected to another information apparatus holding at least one macro indicative of a procedure for executing at least one function via a network, the method comprising:

a macro acquiring step of acquiring a macro held by the other information apparatus;

an unsupported function detecting step of detecting functions that cannot be realized by the information apparatus from among functions included in the macro; and

a notifying step of receiving warning information relating to the functions, detected in said unsupported function detecting step, from the other information apparatus and of notifying a user of the warning information, the warning information notified by the notifying step including the information indicating the reason why the first information apparatus cannot execute the macro.