Information processing apparatus, information processing method and storage medium

• US 9,996,482 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US13/898,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 709217
• 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 memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor that, upon execution of the instructions stored in the memory, causes the information processing apparatus to;

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

determine whether or not access request information issued by the access instruction includes port information used in a connection to the external device via the local interface;

in a case where the determination determines that the access request information does not include the port information, perform a search process for searching for the external device; and

start up a communication control unit by using port information, as a startup parameter, corresponding to the external device searched for by the search process,

wherein the communication control unit started up by the start-up communicates with the web server of the external device via the local interface.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor causes the information processing apparatus to receive the access instruction via a device driver for causing the external device to execute a predetermined process.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the determination determines that the access request information includes the port information, the start-up of the communication control unit uses the port information included in the access request information as the startup parameter.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search 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, wherein the at least one processor further causes the information processing apparatus to, in a case where a plurality of external apparatuses are searched for by the search process, generate page information for selecting one external apparatus from the plurality of external apparatuses, and

wherein, in a case where one external apparatus is selected by a select screen displayed based on the page information, the access request information including port information corresponding to the selected external apparatus is used.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the page information that is generated represents an HTML page, and the HTML page is transmitted to a web browser.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the local interface is USB.

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

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

determining whether or not access request information issued by the access instruction includes port information used in a connection to the external device via the local interface;

performing, in a case where the determining determines that the access request information does not include the port information, a search process for searching for the external device; and

starting up a communication controller by using port information, as a startup parameter, corresponding to the external device searched for by the search process,

wherein the communication controller started up by the starting communicates with the web server of the external device via the local interface.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the access instruction is received via a device driver for causing the external device to execute a predetermined process.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in a case where the determining determines that the access request information includes the port information, the starting starts up the communication controller by using the port information included in the access request information as the startup parameter.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the search process searches for the external device via a network interface.

13. The method according to claim 9, 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.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising generating, in a case where a plurality of external apparatuses are searched by the search process, page information for selecting one external apparatus from the plurality of external apparatuses,

wherein, in a case where one external apparatus is selected by a select screen displayed based on the page information, the access request information including port information corresponding to the selected external apparatus is issued.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the local interface is USB.

16. A non-transitory 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 access instruction to access a web server of the external device connected via the local interface,

determine whether or not access request information issued by the access instruction includes port information used in a connection to the external device via the local interface;

perform, in a case where it is determined that the access request information does not include the port information, a search process for searching for the external device; and

start up a communication controller by using port information, as a startup parameter, corresponding to the external device searched for by the search process,

wherein the started up communication control unit communicates with the web server of the external device via the local interface.