Information processing apparatus and computer-readable medium for virtualizing an image processing apparatus

• US 8,826,151 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tabata, Yasuhiro, Yano, Takashi, Kaji, Katsuyuki, Nozaki, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/923,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20110063674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 715/734, 715/753, 715/757, 715/848, 715/850, 715/852
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• 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 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• 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 information processing apparatus is connected via a network to both an MFP and a virtual-space management server that manages a virtual space that contains a virtual device that is created by virtualizing the MFP. The information processing apparatus includes a display control unit that displays map information on a display unit, wherein a device symbol that corresponds to the MFP is present in the map information at a position corresponding to the position of the MFP in the real world; a receiving unit that receives a selected device symbol in the map information; an output control unit that outputs image data to either a first data storage unit of the MFP that corresponds to the selected device symbol or to a second data storage unit for the virtual device that is created by virtualizing the MFP and corresponds to the selected device symbol.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that is connected to both an image processing apparatus and a virtual-space management device via a network, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes a first data storage unit of a multipurpose peripheral, and

the virtual-space management device manages a virtual space that contains a virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and includes a second data storage unit for the virtual device, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a display control unit that displays map information on a display unit, wherein a device symbol that corresponds to the image processing apparatus is present at a position corresponding to a position of the image processing apparatus in a real world;

a receiving unit that receives a selection of the device symbol in the map information; and

an output control unit that outputs image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol if the first data storage unit is a selected designation for the image data, and outputs the image data to the second data storage unit for the virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and corresponds to the selected device symbol, if the second data storage unit is the selected designation for the image data.

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

the receiving unit further receives a selected destination of the image data that is either the real world or the virtual space,

if the real world is selected to be the destination, the output control unit outputs the image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol, and, if the virtual space is selected to be the destination, the output control unit outputs the image data to the second data storage unit for the virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and corresponds to the selected device symbol.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

a status acquiring unit that acquires, if the real world is selected to be the destination, an operating status of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol, wherein

if the real world is selected as the destination and the acquired operating status indicates that the image data is in a state to be output, the output control unit outputs the image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays different map information on the display unit in accordance with the selected destination.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map information is information for illustrating an area of the image processing apparatus in a three-dimensional manner and includes the device symbol that corresponds to the image processing apparatus arranged at the position corresponding to the position of the image processing apparatus in the real world.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a data acquiring unit that reads an original, thereby acquiring the image data, and

wherein the output control unit outputs the acquired image data that has been read from the original to either the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol or to the second data storage unit for the virtual apparatus that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.

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

the display control unit displays on the display unit the map information that contains both the display symbol and a user symbol that corresponds to a user, and

the receiving unit receives, via the user symbol, the selected device symbol.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the receiving unit receives selected map information to be displayed, and

the display control unit displays the selected map information on the display unit.

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

an editing unit that edits the image data, wherein

the output control unit outputs the edited image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol or to the second data storage unit for the virtual apparatus that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit determines which of the first data storage unit and the second data storage unit to output image data based on a request received from the receiving unit.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program including instructions for an information processing apparatus that is connected to both an image processing apparatus and a virtual-space management device via a network, wherein

the image processing apparatus includes a first data storage unit of a multipurpose peripheral, and

the virtual-space management device manages a virtual space that contains a virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and includes a second data storage unit for the virtual device, the instructions causing the information processing apparatus to function as:

a display control unit that displays map information on a display unit, wherein a device symbol that corresponds to the image processing apparatus is present at a position corresponding to a position of the image processing apparatus in a real world;

a receiving unit that receives a selection of the device symbol in the map information; and

an output control unit that outputs image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol if the first data storage unit is a selected designation for the image data, and outputs the image data to the second data storage unit for the virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and corresponds to the selected device symbol, if the second data storage unit is the selected designation for the image data.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein

the receiving unit further receives a selected destination of the image data that is either the real world or the virtual space,

if the real world is selected to be the destination, the output control unit outputs the image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol, and, if the virtual space is selected to be the destination, the output control unit outputs the image data to the second data storage unit for the virtual device that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus and corresponds to the selected device symbol.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, the instructions further causing the information processing apparatus to function as a status acquiring unit that acquires an operating status of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol, if the real world is selected to be the destination, wherein

if the real world is selected as the destination and the acquired operating status indicates that the image data is in a state to be output, the output control unit outputs the image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the display control unit displays different map information on the display unit in accordance with the selected destination.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the map information is information for illustrating an area of the image processing apparatus in a three-dimensional manner and includes the device symbol that corresponds to the image processing apparatus arranged at the position corresponding to the position of the image processing apparatus in the real world.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, the instructions further causing the information processing apparatus to function as a data acquiring unit that acquires the image data by reading an original, and wherein the output control unit outputs the acquired image data that has been read from the original to either the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol or the second data storage unit for the virtual apparatus that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein

the display control unit displays on the display unit the map information that contains both the display symbol and a user symbol that corresponds to a user, and

the receiving unit receives, via the user symbol, the selected device symbol.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein

the receiving unit further receives selected map information to be displayed, and

the display control unit displays the selected map information on the display unit.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 10, the instructions further causing the information processing apparatus to function as an editing unit that edits the image data, and

wherein the output control unit outputs the edited image data to the first data storage unit of the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol or to the second data storage unit for the virtual apparatus that is created by virtualizing the image processing apparatus that corresponds to the selected device symbol.