Image processing apparatus, display control method, and computer-readable recording medium

• US 20110010642A1
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nagai, Kohta
• Application Number:
  US12/801,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus, a standard function and an extension function that uses the standard function operate in a first virtual machine and a second virtual machine different from the first virtual machine, respectively. A second communications interface unit in the second virtual machine generates display control data with the use of a display control command in response to a screen page update request from an application that implements the extension function, the display control data being used for performing display control on the display screen page of the application, and transmits the display control data to the first virtual machine. A first communications interface unit in the first virtual machine sends, to a screen page control module configured to perform screen page control, a request to perform the display control in accordance with the display control data received from the second virtual machine.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a first virtual machine in which a standard function of the image processing apparatus is operated;

a second virtual machine in which an extension function that uses the standard function is operated, the second virtual machine being different from the first virtual machine;

plural operation modules configured to implement display control on a display screen page as the standard function;

a first communications interface unit configured to operate in the first virtual machine; and

a second communications interface unit configured to operate in the second virtual machine, wherein

the first communications interface unit and the second communications interface unit perform inter-virtual machine communication that is common to the plural operation modules,

the second communications interface unit includes

a generating unit configured to generate display control data with the use of a display control command in response to a screen page update request from an application that implements the extension function, the display control data being used for performing the display control on the display screen page of the application, and

a data transmitting unit configured to transmit the display control data generated by the generating unit to the first virtual machine in which the standard function is operated, and

the first communications interface unit includes

a data receiving unit configured to receive the display control data from the second virtual machine, and

a requesting unit configured to send, to a screen page control module configured to perform screen page control included among the plural operation modules, a request to perform the display control in accordance with the display control data received by the data receiving unit.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second communications interface unit of the second virtual machine further includes

an acquiring unit configured to acquire, from the application, attribute information relevant to a display element that forms the display screen page in accordance with the screen page update request, wherein

the generating unit generates the display control data with the use of the display control command, based on the attribute information relevant to the display element acquired by the acquiring unit.

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

the generating unit generates the display control data including

the display control command for instructing the display control of deleting, adding, or changing the display element, and

a display element identifier specifying the display element that is a control target.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the generating unit generates the display control data including the display element identifier specifying the display element that is the control target among plural display elements included in a hierarchical structure, in accordance with a parent-child relationship based on the hierarchical structure.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

when the display control command included in the display control data is for instructing the display control of deleting the display element, the screen page control module deletes at least one display element corresponding to a child of the display element that is the control target together with the display element that is the control target.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second communications interface unit of the second virtual machine further includes

a screen page generation information transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the first virtual machine, screen page generation information including application identification information for identifying the application, in response to a screen page generating request from the application, the screen page generation information being required for the screen page control module to generate the display screen page, and

the first communications interface unit of the first virtual machine further includes

a screen page generation information receiving unit configured to receive the screen page generation information from the first virtual machine.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first communications interface unit of the first virtual machine further includes

an event information transmitting unit configured to transmit, to the second virtual machine, event information indicating a button-press event received according to an input operation,

the second communications interface unit of the second virtual machine further includes

an event information receiving unit configured to receive the event information from the first virtual machine, and

the event information receiving unit requests the application to perform a process corresponding to the button-press event, based on the received event information.

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

a display device in which a browser is operated; and

a servlet corresponding to the screen page control module, wherein

the requesting unit requests the servlet to execute the display control according to the display control data described in a JavaScript program received by the data receiving unit, and

the servlet renders the display screen page via the browser.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a display device in which a browser is operated; and

a servlet corresponding to the screen page control module, wherein

the requesting unit requests the servlet to execute the display control according to the display control data described in a JavaScript program received by the data receiving unit, and

the servlet renders the display screen page via the browser.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the event information transmitting unit transmits, to the second virtual machine, the event information indicating the button-press event according to the input operation received at the browser, and

the JavaScript program is executed at the browser to update the display screen page according to the button-press event.

11. A display control method performed in an image processing apparatus including

a first virtual machine in which a standard function of the image processing apparatus is operated,

a second virtual machine in which an extension function that uses the standard function is operated, the second virtual machine being different from the first virtual machine,

plural operation modules configured to implement display control on a display screen page as the standard function,

a first communications interface unit configured to operate in the first virtual machine, and

a second communications interface unit configured to operate in the second virtual machine, wherein

the first communications interface unit and the second communications interface unit perform inter-virtual machine communication that is common to the plural operation modules, the display control method comprising:

a generating step performed by the second communications interface unit to generate display control data with the use of a display control command in response to a screen page update request from an application that implements the extension function, the display control data being used for performing the display control on the display screen page of the application;

a data transmitting step performed by the second communications interface unit to transmit the display control data generated by the generating unit to the first virtual machine in which the standard function is operated;

a data receiving step performed by the first communications interface unit to receive the display control data from the second virtual machine; and

a requesting step performed by the first communications interface unit to send, to a screen page control module configured to perform screen page control included among the plural operation modules, a request to perform the display control in accordance with the display control data received by the data receiving unit.

12. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein instructions for causing a computer to function as an image processing apparatus including

a first virtual machine in which a standard function of the image processing apparatus is operated,

a second virtual machine in which an extension function that uses the standard function is operated, the second virtual machine being different from the first virtual machine,

plural operation modules configured to implement display control on a display screen page as the standard function,

a first communications interface unit configured to operate in the first virtual machine, and

a second communications interface unit configured to operate in the second virtual machine, wherein

the first communications interface unit and the second communications interface unit perform inter-virtual machine communication that is common to the plural operation modules, the instructions causing the image processing apparatus to execute:

a generating step performed by the second communications interface unit to generate display control data with the use of a display control command in response to a screen page update request from an application that implements the extension function, the display control data being used for performing the display control on the display screen page of the application;

a data transmitting step performed by the second communications interface unit to transmit the display control data generated by the generating unit to the first virtual machine in which the standard function is operated;

a data receiving step performed by the first communications interface unit to receive the display control data from the second virtual machine; and

a requesting step performed by the first communications interface unit to send, to a screen page control module configured to perform screen page control included among the plural operation modules, a request to perform the display control in accordance with the display control data received by the data receiving unit.