Image processing system, portable terminal, information processing apparatus, and display method

• US 9,013,723 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Imaizumi, Shoji, Akita, Katsuhiko, Tajima, Hiroki, Hama, Kenro, Okamoto, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dehkordy, Saeid Ebrahimi
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZGONZALEZ, LENNIN R
• Application Number:
  US13/549,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• 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

When a portable terminal shoots a photo of a plurality of image processing apparatuses, a maintenance order is decided based on the respective states of a plurality of image processing apparatuses in a shooting range of the portable terminal. A tag representing the maintenance order is combined with the shot image and displayed on the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

a portable terminal including a shooting unit and a display unit;

a plurality of image processing apparatuses each including a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus; and

a server capable of mutually communicating with said portable terminal, wherein

said server (i) includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring a detected value in said sensor as information of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, (ii) includes a second acquisition unit for acquiring a position and an orientation of said portable terminal during shooting with said shooting unit, and (iii) acquires positional information of the image processing apparatus as said information of each image processing apparatus using said first acquisition unit,

said server or said portable terminal includes a first processing unit for executing a process of deciding a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus, wherein said first processing unit decides a priority of image processing apparatuses present in a shooting range of said portable terminal, among said plurality of image processing apparatuses, by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus, and

said portable terminal includes a second processing unit for executing a process of combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit, with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said display unit.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said state of the image processing apparatus is represented by at least one of:

counter information representing a number of times of image processing operations;

information representing whether an error occurs in each unit;

information representing history of errors;

information representing whether part replacement is required;

information about an operation mode;

information representing frequency and history of maintenance; and

information representing whether cleaning or check is required.

3. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said portable terminal further includes a display processing unit for changing a display manner of said image representing the decided priority, according to the priority.

4. An image processing system comprising:

a portable terminal including a shooting unit and a display unit;

a plurality of image processing apparatuses each including a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus, said state of the image processing apparatus being a state concerning a plurality of items; and

a server capable of mutually communicating with said portable terminal, wherein

said server includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring a detected value in said sensor as information of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses,

said server or said portable terminal includes a first processing unit for executing a process of deciding a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus, and

said portable terminal includes

(i) a second processing unit for executing a process of combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit, with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said display unit, and

(ii) a setting unit for setting priorities of the items of said state of the image processing apparatus to be used to determine said priority of the image processing apparatus, and

said first processing unit decides a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses according to the respective states of said plurality of image processing apparatuses that are represented by the items in accordance with said set priorities.

5. A portable terminal:

a shooting unit;

a display unit;

a display processing unit for performing a process of allowing said display unit to display a screen based on an image shot by said shooting unit, wherein said display processing unit executes a process of combining a shot image obtained by shooting a plurality of image processing apparatuses with said shooting unit, with an image representing a respective priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, and displaying the combined image on said display unit;

a detection unit for detecting a position and an orientation of the portable terminal during shooting with said shooting unit;

a first acquisition unit for acquiring a state of said image processing apparatus;

a second acquisition unit for acquiring a position of said image processing apparatus; and

a decision unit for deciding a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, according to the state of said image processing apparatus shot by said shooting unit that is specified from a detection result in said detection unit and a position of said image processing apparatus.

6. The portable terminal according to claim 5, further comprising:

a detection unit for detecting a position and an orientation of the portable terminal during shooting with said shooting unit; and

a request unit for transmitting a detection result in said detection unit to another apparatus to request information representing a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses.

7. An information processing apparatus configured to communicate with a portable terminal including a shooting unit, said information processing apparatus comprising:

a first acquisition unit for acquiring, as a state of an image processing apparatus, a detected value in a sensor included in said image processing apparatus for detecting a state of said image processing apparatus;

a decision unit for deciding a priority of a plurality of said image processing apparatuses by referring to the respective states of said image processing apparatuses;

a second acquisition unit for acquiring a position of said image processing apparatus; and

a third acquisition unit for acquiring a position and an orientation of said portable terminal during shooting with said shooting unit, wherein

said decision unit decides a priority of a plurality of said image processing apparatuses according to the respective states of said plurality of image processing apparatuses shot with said shooting unit that are specified from a position and an orientation of said portable terminal during shooting and positions of said image processing apparatuses.

8. A display method in a portable terminal in an image processing system including said portable terminal having a shooting unit, a plurality of image processing apparatuses, and a server,

each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses including a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus,

the display method comprising the steps of:

detecting, by a detection unit, a position and an orientation of the portable terminal during shooting with said shooting unit;

acquiring, by a first acquisition unit, each detected value in said sensor as a state of each of said image processing apparatuses;

acquiring, by a second acquisition unit, a position of each of said image processing apparatuses;

deciding, by a decision unit, a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses according to said state of each image processing apparatus that is specified from a detection result in said detection unit and a position of each of said image processing apparatuses; and

combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said portable terminal.

9. An image forming system comprising:

a portable terminal including a shooting unit and a display unit;

a plurality of image processing apparatuses, wherein each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses includes a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus; and

a server capable of mutually communicating with said portable terminal, said server including a first acquisition unit for acquiring a detected value in said sensor as information of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses,

wherein said server or said portable terminal includes a first processing unit for executing a process of deciding a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus,

wherein said portable terminal includes a second processing unit for executing a process of combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit, with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said display unit, and

wherein said server further includes

a receiver for receiving a request from said portable terminal;

a determination unit for determining whether the request is to request a state of said image forming apparatus or to request the priority; and

a specifying unit for specifying said image processing apparatus in the shooting range,

wherein when the determination unit determines the request is to request the priority, the first processing unit executes a process of determining the priority of said specified image forming apparatus, and

wherein when the determination unit determines the request is to request the state, the first processing unit executes a process of extracting state information of the specified image processing apparatus and sending the state information to the portable terminal.

10. The image forming system according to claim 9, wherein said determination unit determines the request is to request the priority when a number of the image forming apparatuses is more than a threshold value, and determines the request is to request the state when the number of the image forming apparatuses is lower than the threshold value.

11. An image forming system comprising:

a portable terminal including a shooting unit and a display unit;

a plurality of image processing apparatuses; and

a server capable of mutually communicating with said portable terminal, wherein

each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses includes a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus,

said server includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring a detected value in said sensor as information of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses,

said server or said portable terminal includes a first processing unit for executing a process of deciding a priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, based on distances between the portable terminal and each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses, by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus, and

said portable terminal includes a second processing unit for executing a process of combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit, with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said display unit.

12. The image forming system according to claim 11, wherein said first processing unit decides the priority further based on an abnormal value of said plurality of image processing apparatuses.

13. An image forming system comprising:

a portable terminal including a shooting unit and a display unit;

a plurality of image processing apparatuses; and

a server capable of mutually communicating with said portable terminal, wherein

each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses includes a sensor for detecting a state of the image processing apparatus,

said server includes (i) a first acquisition unit for acquiring a detected value in said sensor as information of each of said plurality of image processing apparatuses and (ii) a receiver for receiving a request for a priority from said portable terminal,

said server or said portable terminal includes a first processing unit for executing a process of deciding the priority of said plurality of image processing apparatuses by referring to said information of each image processing apparatus, said first processing unit decides the priority based on whether an image processing apparatus is present in a shooting range of another portable terminal, different from said portable terminal, which also requests the priority from said server, and

said portable terminal includes a second processing unit for executing a process of combining a shot image of an image processing apparatus obtained by shooting with said shooting unit, with an image representing said decided priority for that image processing apparatus, and displaying the combined image on said display unit.