INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130326012A1
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Yasuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence

Abstract

When an instruction to access a web server of an external device connected via a local interface is acquired from a user, access destination information for accessing the web server via the local interface is acquired. Based on the acquired access destination information, communication is performed with the web server of the external device via the local interface.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that can communicate with an external device via a local interface, comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive an instruction to access a web server of the external device connected via the local interface;

an acquisition unit configured to, if the access instruction is received by the reception unit, acquire access destination information for accessing the external device via the local interface; and

a communication control unit configured to, based on the access destination information acquired by the acquisition unit, communicate with the web server of the external device via the local interface.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives an access instruction via a device driver for causing the external device to execute predetermined processing, and the acquisition unit acquires access destination information associated with the device driver.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if access destination information associated with the device driver cannot be acquired, the acquisition unit searches for an external device that includes the web server and is connected via the local interface, and acquires access destination information of the searched external device.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition unit searches for the external device via a network interface.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit communicates with the web server of the external device via the local interface by performing network protocol communication over the local interface.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a startup unit that starts a web browser in accordance with the access instruction from the reception unit,

wherein the communication control unit communicates with the web server of the external device via the web browser started by the startup unit.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a generation unit configured to generate a URL for accessing the web server of the external device via the local interface using the access destination information acquired by the acquisition unit,

wherein the startup unit causes the web browser to access the URL generated by the generation unit when starting the web browser.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit supplies information received from the web server of the external device to a web browser.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the local interface is USB, and the access destination information is USB port information.

10. A method that is executed in an information processing apparatus that can communicate with an external device via a local interface, comprising:

receiving an instruction to access a web server of the external device connected to the information processing apparatus via the local interface;

acquiring access destination information for accessing the external device via the local interface if the access instruction is received; and

communicating, based on the acquired access destination information, with the web server of the external device via the local interface.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the access instruction is received via a device driver for causing the external device to execute predetermined processing, and the access destination information associated with the device driver is acquired.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, if access destination information associated with the device driver cannot be acquired, an external device that includes the web server and is connected via the local interface is searched for, and access destination information of an external device found in the search is acquired.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a search for the external device is performed via a network interface.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein in a case of performing communication with the web server of the external device via the local interface, communication with the web server of the external device is performed via the local interface by performing network protocol communication over the local interface.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein a web browser is started in accordance with the access instruction and communication with the web server of the external device is performed via the started web browser.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a URL for accessing the web server of the external device via the local interface is generated with use of the access destination information, and the started web browser is caused to access the generated URL.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the local interface is USB, and the access destination information is USB port information.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer that can communicate with an external device via a local interface to:

receive an instruction to access a web server of the external device connected via the local interface,

acquire access destination information for accessing the external device via the local interface if the access instruction is received; and

communicate, based on the acquired access destination information, with the web server of the external device via the local interface.