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EP-4742064-A1 - IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

EP4742064A1EP 4742064 A1EP4742064 A1EP 4742064A1EP-4742064-A1

Abstract

An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a storage device and a processor. The storage device stores a linkage source app that executes one of various functions, a linkage target app that links with the linkage source app, and linkage target app management information including information of permission/non-permission of linkage of the linkage target app with the linkage source app. The processor executes the linkage source app and the linkage target app. The processor creates a candidate list of candidates of linkage target apps that are linkable with the linkage source app, based on the linkage target app management information, provides an environment for selecting the linkage target app from the candidate list, starts the linkage target app selected from the candidate list, and delivers processing target data from the linkage source app to the linkage target app at a time of starting the linkage target app.

Inventors

  • KATO, HIROYUKI

Assignees

  • ETRIA Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250722

Claims (13)

  1. An image forming apparatus including various functions, comprising: a storage device storing a linkage source app that executes one of the various functions, a linkage target app that links with the linkage source app, and linkage target app management information including information of permission/non-permission of linkage of the linkage target app with the linkage source app; and a processor configured to execute the linkage source app and the linkage target app, the processor being configured to: create a candidate list of candidates of linkage target apps that are linkable with the linkage source app, based on the linkage target app management information; provide an environment for selecting the linkage target app from the candidate list; start the linkage target app selected from the candidate list; and deliver processing target data from the linkage source app to the linkage target app at a time of starting the linkage target app.
  2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores license information of the linkage target app, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the license information.
  3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores user management information including identification information of a user, and the processor is configured to perform login authentication, based on the user management information.
  4. The image forming apparatus of claim 3, wherein the user management information includes right information relating to presence/absence of a right of use of the linkage target app for each of the users, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the right information.
  5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores setting information of validity/invalidity of app linkage for each of the functions, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the setting information.
  6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein through the environment, the processor is configured to: display the candidate list; and receive selection of the linkage target app selected from the candidate list.
  7. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein in order to create the candidate list, the processor is configured to acquire a linkage target app linkable with the linkage target app, as a candidate of the linkable linkage target apps.
  8. The image forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the linkage target app management information includes information of a receivable file format of the linkage target app, and in order to create the candidate list, the processor is configured to acquire a linkage target app including the file format type of the processing target data as the receivable file format, as a candidate of the linkable linkage target apps.
  9. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein at a time of installation of the linkage target app, the processor is configured to: analyze a file linkage protocol definition data included in a package file of the linkage target app; acquire information of the permission/non-permission of linkage with the linkage source app and the receivable file format; and store the information into the linkage target app management information.
  10. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the storage device stores license information of the linkage target app, the information of the linkage target app including information of necessity/nonnecessity of the license and validity of the license, for each candidate of the linkable linkage target apps, the processor is configured to: determine whether the candidate requires the license, based on the information of necessity/nonnecessity of the license; when the license requires the license, determine whether the license is valid, based on the information of validity of the license, in the case that the license is valid, acquire the candidate, as a secondary candidate of the linkable linkage target apps; and when the license does not require the license, acquire the candidate, as a secondary candidate of the linkable linkage target apps, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the secondary candidates.
  11. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the storage device stores setting information of validity/invalidity of app linkage that is set in regard to each function of the image forming apparatus, for each candidate of the linkable linkage target apps, the processor is configured to: determine whether the function setting corresponding to the candidate is valid, based on the setting information; and when the function setting is valid, acquire the candidate, as a secondary candidate of |the linkable linkage target apps, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the secondary candidates.
  12. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the storage device stores user management information including identification information of a user, and the processor is configured to perform login authentication, based on the user management information.
  13. The image forming apparatus of claim 8, wherein the user management information includes right information relating to presence/absence of a right of use of the linkage target app in regard to each of users, for each candidate of the linkable linkage target apps, the processor is configured to: determine whether the user who is in login has the right of use of the linkage target app, based on the right information; and when the user has the right, acquire the candidate, as a secondary candidate of the linkable linkage target apps, and the processor is configured to create the candidate list, based on the secondary candidates.

Description

FIELD Embodiments described herein relate to an image forming apparatus disposed in a workplace. BACKGROUND Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus having various functions. The image forming apparatus includes various applications (apps) for executing the various functions. There is a case where two apps, for example, are linked to cooperate with each other, and processing target data is delivered from a linkage source app to a linkage target app. At this time, there is a case where data that cannot be processed in the linkage target app is delivered. In this case, the linkage target app cannot process the processing target data at a stage of processing the processing target data, and an error occurs. Thus, a user has to perform work once again from the stage of starting the linkage source app, and the work that has already been done becomes useless. To cope with this, there is known a technology for starting an appropriate linkage target app. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a file linkage protocol definition.FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a linkage target app management table that stores analysis information of the file linkage protocol definition.FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an app linkage sequence.FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a linkable app selection screen.FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an installation process of a linkage target app in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first app linkage process in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a first linkage target app candidate list creation process in the first file linkage process.FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second linkage target app candidate list creation process in the first file linkage process.FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a function setting table.FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a third linkage target app candidate list creation process in the first file linkage process.FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a second app linkage process in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a linkage target app candidate list creation process in the second file linkage process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes a storage device and a processor. The storage device stores a linkage source app that executes one of various functions, a linkage target app that links with the linkage source app, and linkage target app management information including information of permission/non-permission of linkage of the linkage target app with the linkage source app. The processor executes the linkage source app and the linkage target app. The processor creates a candidate list of candidates of linkage target apps that are linkable with the linkage source app, based on the linkage target app management information, provides an environment for selecting the linkage target app from the candidate list, starts the linkage target app selected from the candidate list, and delivers processing target data from the linkage source app to the linkage target app at a time of starting the linkage target app. Hereinafter, embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (Image Forming Apparatus) To begin with, referring to FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 1001 according to an embodiment is described. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the image forming apparatus 1001 according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1001 is, for example, a multifunction peripheral (MFP). The image forming apparatus 1001 has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, a fax function, and the like. The print function is a function of printing an image on a paper sheet. The scan function is a function of scanning an image from a document or the like. The copy function is a function of printing an image, which is read from a document or the like by using the scan function, on a paper sheet by using the print function. The fax function is a function of transmitting, for example, an image, which is read from a document or the like by using the scan function, to the outside, or printing an image, which is received from the outside, on a paper sheet by using the print function. The image forming apparatus 1001 includes a processor 1011, a read-only memory (ROM) 1012, a random access memory (RAM) 1013, a local storage device 1014, an operation key 1015, a touch panel 1016, a display 1017, a scan input unit 1018, a print output unit 1019, a fax input/output unit 1020, a wired LA