INFORMATION SYSTEM AND MULTI-FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION DEVICE

• US 20140365655A1
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,298,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• 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 communication with a plurality of cloud servers, the information system comprising:

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.

2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising a selection portion configured to, in response to input operation, by the user, for using at least one of the cloud servers newly, select a cloud server recommended the user to use from among the cloud servers depending on the use of each of the cloud servers by the user;

wherein

the user interface portion displays a result of selection by the selection portion on the display.

3. The information system according to claim 2, wherein

the information management portion manages price setting information indicating how to calculate a usage fee of each of the cloud servers, and

the selection portion selects, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server recommended the user to use, a cloud server in which an amount of increase in 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, further comprising a cooperative processing portion configured 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 selection portion selects, from among the cloud servers, as the cloud server recommended the user to use, a cloud server in which the file can be updated and the amount of increase 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 cooperative processing portion transfers 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, further comprising a conversion portion configured to, when a file is transferred to any one of the cloud servers, adapt the file to a transfer destination if necessary.

8. The information system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the information management portion, the obtaining portion, and the user interface portion is provided in a first information device, and another one of the information management portion, the obtaining portion, and the user interface portion is provided in a second information device capable of performing communication with the first information device.

9. A multi-functional information device including the information system according to claim 1 and capable of performing network communication, the multi-functional information device comprising:

an image scanner configured to read an image from a document sheet;

a printer engine configured to print the image onto paper;

a storage configured to store data thereinto;

an operating panel provided with the display;

a transfer processing portion configured to transfer 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

a print processing portion configured to cause the printer engine to print a document transferred from any one of the cloud servers.

10. 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 each of which provides 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 indicating use by the user; 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 list of the use of each of the cloud servers by the user.

11. The method according to claim 10, 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 recommended the user to use from among the cloud servers depending on the use of each of the cloud servers by the user, and

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

12. The method according to claim 11, comprising

managing, by the information system, price setting information indicating how to calculate a usage fee of each of the cloud servers, and

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

13. The method according to claim 11, 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.

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

15. The method according to claim 13, 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.

16. The method according to claim 10, 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.

17. The method according to claim 10, 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.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein

the information system is provided in a multi-functional information device capable of performing network communication and including an image scanner configured to read an image from a document sheet, a printer engine configured to print the image onto paper, a storage configured to store data thereinto, and an operating panel provided with the display, and

the user is also a user of the multi-functional information device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing thereon a computer program executed in a system performing communication with a plurality of cloud servers, 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 indicating use by the user; 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 list of the use of each of the cloud servers by the user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, 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 recommended the user to use from among the cloud servers depending on the use of each of the 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 of the use is displayed.

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

the management processing is to manage the account information and price setting information indicating how to calculate a usage fee of each of the cloud servers, and

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

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

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

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 22, 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.

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

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, 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 configured to read an image from a document sheet,

a printer engine configured to print the image onto paper,

a storage configured to store 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.