U.S. patent application number 13/934353 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-07 for image processing apparatus, method of controlling image processing apparatus, and computer readable medium.
The applicant listed for this patent is CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to Makiya Tamura.
Application Number | 20130293916 13/934353 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44709356 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130293916 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tamura; Makiya |
November 7, 2013 |
IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING IMAGE PROCESSING
APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM
Abstract
To provide a mechanism in which a browser appropriately notifies
a user of a change in the state without waiting for an instruction
from a server and displays an appropriate operation screen upon
reception of the instruction from the server in an information
processing apparatus executing a process based on a request from
the server. Upon detection of a change in the state, a service
provider 340 notifies a Web browser 330 of the state and content
information corresponding to the state. The Web browser 330
displays a screen in accordance with the content information
included in the notification of the change in the state from the
service provider 340. In addition, the Web browser 330 accesses an
URL in accordance with an instruction from a Web server 102 to
acquire an appropriate operation screen and displays the operation
screen.
Inventors: |
Tamura; Makiya; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
44709356 |
Appl. No.: |
13/934353 |
Filed: |
July 3, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13053746 |
Mar 22, 2011 |
8503021 |
|
|
13934353 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
358/1.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/1259 20130101;
H04N 1/00506 20130101; H04N 1/00973 20130101; H04N 1/00482
20130101; H04N 2201/0039 20130101; H04N 1/00477 20130101; G06F
3/121 20130101; H04N 1/00474 20130101; H04N 1/00244 20130101; H04N
1/00411 20130101; H04N 1/00204 20130101; H04N 1/00464 20130101;
H04N 1/33361 20130101; H04N 1/00424 20130101; H04N 1/00413
20130101; G06F 3/1294 20130101; G06F 3/1234 20130101; H04N
2201/0094 20130101; G06F 3/1287 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
358/1.13 |
International
Class: |
H04N 1/333 20060101
H04N001/333 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. An image processing apparatus comprising: a storage unit
configured to store screen data to be displayed when an error
occurs; a communication unit configured to communicate with a Web
server; a display unit configured to display a Web page which is
received by the communication unit from the Web server; a scanning
unit configured to scan an original based on a request which is
received by the communication unit from the Web server and
corresponds to a user operation through the Web page displayed on
the display unit; and a control unit configured to, when an error
occurs while scanning the original, control the communication unit
to transmit a response indicating an occurrence of the error to the
Web server and control to the display unit to display the screen
data stored in the storage unit.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
occurrence of the error is failure in scanning in the scanning
unit.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
request is a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) request.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
request is embedded in a message conforming to an HTTP (Hypertext
Transfer Protocol).
6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
user operation is an operation to set a scan resolution for
scanning of the original.
7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
user operation is an operation to set a file name of a file
generated from the original.
8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
user operation is an operation to set a folder name of a folder
where a file generated from the original is to be saved.
9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the
user operation is an operation to set a file format of a file
generated from the original.
10. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus, the
method comprising: storing screen data to be displayed when an
error occurs; receiving a Web page from a Web server; displaying,
on a display unit, the Web page which is received from the Web
server; transmitting information indicating a user operation
through the Web page displayed on the display unit; receiving a
request, which is received from the Web server and corresponds to
the user operation the Web page displayed on the display unit;
scanning an original based on the received request; transmitting,
when an error occurs while scanning the original, a response
indicating an occurrence of the error to the Web server; and
displaying, when the error occurs while scanning the original, the
stored screen data on the display unit.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with a
computer-readable program causing an image processing apparatus to
perform the control method according to claim 10.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/053,746 filed on Mar. 22, 2011 which claims
the benefit of International Patent Application No.
PCT/JP2010/055681, filed Mar. 30, 2010, which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an image processing
apparatus capable of displaying an operation screen provided by an
external apparatus connected via a network, a method of controlling
the image processing apparatus, and a program.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Image processing systems in which multi function peripherals
(MFPs) having Web browsers incorporated therein are capable of
communicating with Web servers over networks are widely known. In
such an image processing system, the MFP receives screen
information that is provided by the Web server and that is
described in, for example, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to
display an operation screen used for operating the MFP. The MFP can
receive various operations from a user with the operation screen.
It is not necessary for the MFP to hold all the screen information
used for displaying the operation screen of the MFP and it is
possible to easily customize the operation screen from the Web
server.
[0004] In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-042098
discloses a case in which an error (for example, paper jam in a
printer) occurs while a job is being executed in an MFP that
executes the job in response to a request for a Web service from an
external server. According to the technology in PTL 1, the MFP
notifies the external server of the error if the above error
occurs. The MFP acquires screen information transmitted from the
external server to display an appropriate error screen. The above
processing allows the Web server to easily customize, for example,
a screen for indicating the content of the error and a screen for
guiding a process to return from the error.
[0005] However, the configuration of the image processing system
disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-042098 has the
following problems. For example, if the above error occurs while a
job is being executed, the MFP notifies the external server of the
occurrence of the error (or requests an error screen from the
external server) and waits for a response from the external server
according to the technology in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
2007-042098. A time lag occurs in this process because the screen
information on the error screen is acquired from the external
server through the Web server and a network after the error has
occurred to display the error screen. The user cannot know that the
error has occurred during the time lag.
[0006] Configuring the MFP so that the screen information on the
error screen is held by the MFP and displaying the error screen on
the basis of the screen information held by the MFP if an error
occurs cause no time lag to occur. However, it is not possible for
the external apparatus to customize the error screen in this
case.
[0007] Similar problems generally occur not only for the error
screen but also for a case in which the state of a job executed by
an image processing apparatus is changed. Specifically, it is not
possible for the user to know the change in the state of the job at
least since the processing state of the job has been changed before
a screen based on the screen information received from the external
apparatus is displayed.
[0008] In order to resolve the above problems, it is an object of
the present invention to provide a mechanism capable of rapidly
notifying the user of a change in the state of a job.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0009] In order to achieve the above object, an image processing
apparatus in the present invention is capable of communicating with
an external apparatus via a network. The image processing apparatus
includes an executing unit configured to execute a job in response
to a request from the external apparatus, a detecting unit
configured to detect a change in a state of the job executed by the
executing unit, a storage unit configured to store screen
information for displaying a first screen corresponding to the
change in the state detected by the detecting unit, a notifying
unit configured to notify the external apparatus of the change in
the state detected by the detecting unit as a response to the
request from the external apparatus, a receiving unit configured to
receive screen information for displaying a second screen
corresponding to the change in the state detected by the detecting
unit from the external apparatus receiving the notification from
the notifying unit, and a display control unit configured to
display the second screen created on the basis of the screen
information received by the receiving unit in an operation unit,
wherein, upon detection of the change in the state by the detecting
unit, the display control unit displays the first screen on the
basis of the screen information stored in the storage unit before
displaying the second screen created on the basis of at least the
screen information received by the receiving unit.
[0010] Further features of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a general view of an image processing system in an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware
configurations of an MFP 101 and a Web server 102 in the embodiment
of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration
of the image processing system in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing data managed by a screen
information managing part 344 in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram indicating the operations of a
Web browser 330, the Web server 102, and a service provider 340 in
the embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 6A to 6D are diagrams showing transition of screens
displayed by the Web browser 330 in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram indicating the operations of
the Web browser 330, the Web server 102, and the service provider
340 in the embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIGS. 8A to 8D are diagrams showing transition of screens
displayed by the Web browser 330 in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0019] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the
service provider 340 in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the
Web browser 330 in the embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the software
configuration of an image processing system in an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram indicating the operations of
the Web browser 330, the Web server 102, and the service provider
340 in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the
service provider 340 in the embodiment of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the
Web browser 330 in the embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0025] Embodiments of the present invention will herein be
described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The
embodiments described below are not intended to limit the invention
according to the claims. All the combinations of features described
in the embodiments are not necessarily required for the solution of
the invention.
First Embodiment
[0026] The configuration of an image processing system in the
present embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 1.
In the image processing system, an MFP 101a, an MFP 101b, an MFP
101c, and a Web server 102 are communicatably connected to each
other over a local area network (LAN) 110.
[0027] The MFPs 101a to 101c each have multiple functions including
a scan function, a print function, a copy function, and a
transmission function. The MFPs 101a to 101c may have different
functions or the same functions. The MFPs 101a to 101c are
hereinafter considered as the same MFP and are simply referred to
as an MFP 101. The MFP 101 is an example of an image processing
apparatus and may be a single function peripheral (SFP) having any
of the above functions. The MFP 101 further includes a Web browser
330 described below. The Web browser 330 is capable of receiving
screen information from the Web server 102 to analyze the received
screen information and displaying an operation screen in an
operation unit of the MFP. The screen information is exemplified by
HTML data described in the HTML format in the present embodiment.
However, the screen information may be described by data in, for
example, an Extensible Markup language (XML) format, a Wireless
Markup Language (WML) format, or an Extensible Hypertext Markup
Language (XHTML) format. The HTML data may refer to screen
information described in another language.
[0028] The Web server 102 is an example of an external apparatus. A
personal computer (PC), a storage device, another arithmetic unit
may be used as another mode of the Web server 102. The example in
which one Web server 102 provides services is given here. However,
as another mode of the Web server 102, the Web server 102 may be
composed of multiple servers and multiple virtual machines may be
invoked in the server group to perform decentralized processing. In
this case, a technology (cloud computing) called scale out in which
the virtual machines are increased in number in accordance with a
certain condition is used.
[0029] For example, a wide area network (WAN), a universal serial
bus (USB) cable, or a wireless communication line may be used,
instead of the LAN 110.
[0030] The hardware configurations of the MFP 101 and the Web
server 102 will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. The
hardware configuration of the MFP 101 will be first described. A
control unit 210 including a central processing unit (CPU) 211
controls the entire operation of the MFP 101. The CPU 211 included
in the control unit 210 reads out control programs stored in a read
only memory (ROM) 212 to perform a variety of control including
scanning control and transmission control. A random access memory
(RAM) 213 is used as a main memory of the CPU 211 and a temporary
storage area, such as a working area.
[0031] A hard disk drive (HDD) 214 stores image data and various
control programs or various information tables. An operation unit
interface (I/F) 215 is an interface connecting an operation unit
219 and the control unit 210. The operation unit 219 is provided
with, for example, a liquid crystal display having a touch panel
function and a keyboard. The Web browser 330 in the MFP 101
displays an operation screen created on the basis of screen
information received from the Web server 102 on the liquid crystal
display of the operation unit 219.
[0032] A printer I/F 216 is an interface connecting a printer 220
and the control unit 210. Image data to be printed by the printer
220 is transferred from the control unit 210 through the printer
I/F 216 and is printed on a recording medium in the printer
220.
[0033] A scanner I/F 217 is an interface connecting a scanner 221
and the control unit 210. The scanner 221 reads out an image on an
original document to generate image data and supplies the image
data to the control unit 210 through the scanner I/F 217.
[0034] A network I/F 218 is an interface connecting the control
unit 210 (MFP 101) and the LAN 110. The network I/F 218 transmits a
variety of information, such as image data, to the Web server 102
on the LAN 110 and receives a variety of information, such as image
data, from the Web server 102 on the LAN 110.
[0035] The hardware configuration of the Web server 102 will also
be described with reference to FIG. 2. A control unit 230 including
a CPU 231 controls the entire operation of the Web server 102. The
CPU 231 included in the control unit 230 reads out control programs
stored in a ROM 232 to perform a variety of control processing. A
RAM 233 is used as a main memory of the CPU 231 and a temporary
storage area, such as a working area. An HDD 234 stores image data
and various programs or various information tables described
below.
[0036] A network I/F 235 is used to connect the control unit 230
(Web server 102) to the LAN 110. A variety of information is
transmitted and received to and from another apparatus on the LAN
110 through the network I/F 235.
[0037] The software configuration of the image processing system
shown in FIG. 1 will now be described with reference to FIG. 3. The
software configuration of the MFP 101 will be first described.
[0038] The MFP 101 has the Web browser 330 and a service provider
340 installed therein. The Web browser 330 and the service provider
340 are programs stored in the HDD 214 by the CPU 211 in the MFP
101.
[0039] The Web browser 330 communicates with the Web server 102
according to a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The Web browser
330 receives HTML data generated by the Web server 102 to create an
operation screen, displays the operation screen in the operation
unit 219, and controls the operation screen displayed in the
operation unit 219. The Web browser 330 is capable of not only
simply displaying an operation screen (second screen) on the basis
of HTML data transmitted from the Web server 102 but also
displaying an operation screen (first screen) on the basis of
screen information, such as HTML data, stored in the HDD 214. The
Web browser 330 may be realized by other software as long as the
software is capable of communicating with an apparatus outside the
MFP 101, acquiring screen information from the external apparatus,
and displaying a screen in the operation unit 219.
[0040] The Web browser 330 includes a communication part 331, an
analysis part 332, a state notification receiving part 333, and a
screen displaying part 334.
[0041] The communication part 331 communicates with a screen
providing part 311 in a Web application 310 according to the HTTP
by using the network I/F 218. Specifically, the communication part
331 submits a request to a resource identified by a Uniform
Resource Locator (URL) and receives a response to the request. In
this process, communication data in various encoding formats is
encoded and decoded. For example, in order to ensure the security
of data that is being transmitted, communication is performed by
using a Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
[0042] The analysis part 332 analyzes the HTML data included in the
response received from the screen providing part 311 through the
communication part 331. Then, the analysis part 332 creates an
operation screen to be displayed on the Web browser 330.
[0043] The state notification receiving part 333 receives a
notification (hereinafter also referred to as a "state
notification") indicating that the processing state of the scanner
221 or the printer 220 is changed from a state monitoring part 343.
The change in the processing state means, for example, an error
state caused by an error occurring while a job is being executed,
or return from the error state to a normal state. In addition,
completion of a job is included in the change in the processing
state. The error state indicates, for example, failure in scanning
by the scanner 221, paper jam, shortage of paper, shortage of
toner, or shortage of ink in the printer 220, or another hardware
failure. The state notification receiving part 333 is capable of
receiving HTML data used for displaying a simple screen (first
screen) in the operation unit 219. The HTML data is stored in the
HDD 214 in the MFP 101. The state notification receiving part 333
acquires the received HTML data to transfer the HTML data to the
analysis part 332. The simple screen is a screen indicating an
occurrence of an error or a screen indicating completion of a
job.
[0044] The screen displaying part 334 displays the screen created
by the analysis part 332 in the operation unit 219. The screen
displaying part 334 is capable of displaying the simple screen
(first screen) on the basis of not only the HTML data transmitted
from the Web server 102 but also the HTML data stored in the HDD
214.
[0045] The Web browser 330 has the software configuration described
above.
[0046] Next, the software configuration of the service provider 340
will be described. The service provider 340 is a module that
provides a Web service requested from the Web server 102. The Web
service is provided by software identified by a Uniform Resource
Identifier (URI). In the present embodiment, the service provider
340 receives a request conforming to Simple Object Access Protocol
(SOAP) from the Web server 102. The service provider 340 causes the
scanner 221 or the printer 220 to execute a job as a Web service in
accordance with the received request. The request transmitted from
the Web server 102 is described in the Extensible Markup language
(XML) format and includes settings for printing and scanning. For
example, a message to request a job to "scan an original document
and store the result of the scanning in a Tagged Image File Format
(TIFF)" as a Web service is described in the request. The job is,
for example, a "copy job", a "scan job", a "print job", a
"transmission job", or a combination of theses jobs.
[0047] The service provider 340 includes an instruction accepting
part 341, a job creating part 342, a state monitoring part 343, and
a screen information managing part 344.
[0048] The instruction accepting part 341 receives a request
conforming to the SOAP from the Web server 102 through the network
I/F 218. Although the instruction accepting part 341 is provided
separately from the communication part 331 in the Web browser 330
in the present embodiment, the same communication part may be used
as the communication part 331 and the instruction accepting part
341. Although the SOAP is used as the communication protocol,
another protocol may be used.
[0049] The job creating part 342 accepts the request received
through the instruction accepting part 341 and creates a job to
execute the job in order to provide the requested Web service. The
job creating part 342 may interpret a job script, etc. embedded in
a message conforming to the HTTP, received by the Web browser 330,
to create a job.
[0050] The state monitoring part 343 monitors the states of the
scanner 221, the printer 220, and other hardware while the job is
being executed by the job creating part 342. If a change occurs in
the states, the state monitoring part 343 internally transmits a
state notification to the Web browser 330. Specifically, if the
state monitoring part 343 detects an occurrence of an error, for
example, failure in scanning in the scanner 221 or paper jam in the
printer 220, the state monitoring part 343 transmits an
occurrence-of-error notification indicating the occurrence of the
error to the Web browser 330. If the state monitoring part 343
detects return from an error, the state monitoring part 343
transmits a return-from-error notification indicating return from
the error. If the state monitoring part 343 detects that a job is
normally completed, the state monitoring part 343 transmits a job
completion notification indicating that the job is normally
completed. As described above, the state monitoring part 343
transmits the state notification indicating that the processing
state of the MFP 101 is changed to the Web browser.
[0051] The state monitoring part 343 transmits the state
notification and also transmits HTML data on a simple screen
corresponding to the detected change in the processing state. The
HTML data is stored in the HDD 214 by the screen information
managing part 344 in association with the processing state detected
by the state monitoring part 343.
[0052] The MFP 101 has the software configuration described
above.
[0053] The software configuration of the Web server 102 will now be
described also with reference to FIG. 3. The Web server 102 has the
Web application 310 installed therein. Upon reception of a request
from the Web browser 330, the Web application 310 transmits a
response to the Web browser to transmit screen information used for
displaying an operation screen and image data. In addition, the Web
application 310 transmits a request to request a Web service to the
service provider 340 and receives a response transmitted from the
service provider 340.
[0054] The Web application 310 includes the screen providing part
311 and an execution instructing part 312.
[0055] The screen providing part 311 communicates with the
communication part 331 in the MFP 101 according to the HTTP through
the network I/F 218. The screen providing part 311 transmits HTML
data for displaying an operation screen in the operation unit 219
in the Web browser 330. In addition, the screen providing part 311
receives a user's instruction (execution event) input with an
operation screen displayed in the operation unit 219 in the Web
browser 330 as a request from the MFP 101. The screen providing
part 311 transmits information on the operation screen to the Web
browser 330 as a response to the request. In addition, the screen
providing part 311 notifies the execution instructing part 312 of
the instruction or the execution event input with the operation
screen displayed in the Web browser 330.
[0056] Although the screen providing part 311 and the execution
instructing part 312 are provided in the same Web server 102, the
screen providing part 311 and the execution instructing part 312
may be provided in different apparatuses. In this case, an
apparatus having the screen providing part 311 installed therein
communicates with an apparatus having the execution instructing
part 312 installed therein over a network or another communication
line.
[0057] The execution instructing part 312 acquires the execution
event notified from the screen providing part 311 to create a
request to request a Web service from the service provider 340 in
the MFP 101. Specifically, this request is a message conforming to
the SOAP. The execution instructing part 312 transmits the created
request to the service provider 340. The execution instructing part
312 may include an URI corresponding to an operation screen to be
displayed in the Web browser 330 upon completion of the job in the
request to be transmitted to the service provider 340 as a return
URI.
[0058] A database managed by the screen information managing part
344 will now be described with reference to FIG. 4. Each record in
the database shown in FIG. 4 includes a state 400 and screen
information 401 as elements. Specifically, the screen information
managing part 344 manages multiple processing states in the HDD 214
in association with screen information on screens to be displayed
when the states corresponding to the processing states occur.
[0059] An operation of the image processing system in the present
embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5
is a sequence diagram indicating the operations of the Web browser
330, the service provider 340, and the Web server 102 (Web
application). It is assumed in the sequence diagram in FIG. 5 that
an error occurs while the service provider 340 is executing a job.
The operation when a job is normally completed without an
occurrence of an error will be described below with reference to
FIG. 7.
[0060] First, the Web browser 330 transmits a request 500 to the
Web application 310 in the Web server 102. The request 500 is
submitted to request screen information on an operation screen
shown in FIG. 6A.
[0061] Next, the Web server 102 receives the request 500 from the
Web browser 330 and transmits a response 501 to the request 500 to
the Web browser 330. The response 501 includes the screen
information on the operation screen shown in FIG. 6A. The exchange
of the request and the response may be repeated multiple times
between the Web browser 330 and the Web application 310.
[0062] The Web browser 330 analyzes HTML data included in the
response 501 received from the Web server 102 to display an
operation screen created on the basis of the result of the analysis
in the operation unit 219. The operation screen in FIG. 6A is an
example of the screen displayed by the screen displaying part 334
in the operation unit 219. FIG. 6A shows an operation screen for
executing a series of jobs to "scan an original document and store
the result of the scanning". The case in which the series of jobs
to "scan an original document and store the result of the scanning"
are executed is exemplified in the following description. However,
instead of the above series of jobs, a job using another function
of the MFP may be executed. For example, a "copy job", a
"transmission job", or a "print job" may be executed.
[0063] Forms for setting a folder name, a file name, a file format,
and a resolution and a Scan button are displayed on the operation
screen in FIG. 6A. When the user inputs the settings in the forms
and presses the Scan button, the Web server 102 is notified of the
execution event for scanning. The settings may be set on the
operation screen in FIG. 6A or parameters which the Web application
310 holds in advance as default settings may be used.
[0064] The Web browser 330 transmits a request 502 to the Web
application 310 in response to the user's operation with the
operation screen in FIG. 6A. The request 502 includes the execution
event indicating that the Scan button is pressed in response to the
user's operation and the settings of the folder name, the file
name, the file format, and the resolution.
[0065] The Web server 102 receives the request 502 from the Web
browser 330 and transmits a response 503 to the request 502 to the
Web browser 330. The Web browser 330 displays an execution screen
in FIG. 6B in the operation unit 219 on the basis of the received
response 503. The screen in FIG. 6B indicates that a job in
accordance with the execution event instructed by the user with the
operation screen in FIG. 6A is being executed (scanned).
[0066] Next, the Web server 102 transmits a request 504 to the
service provider 340. The request 504 includes a message to request
the service provider 340 to execute the job to "scan an original
document and store the result of the scanning" as a Web
service.
[0067] The service provider 340 receives the request 504 from the
Web server 102 and executes the requested job in accordance with
the received request 504.
[0068] If an error occurs due to any cause during the execution of
the job in response to the request 504, the state monitoring part
343 in the service provider 340 detects the occurrence of the
error. The state monitoring part 343 refers to the screen
information corresponding to the detected error in the screen
information managing part 344 to acquire HTML data stored in the
HDD 214 in association with the state of the error that has
occurred. The HTML data is screen information for displaying an
error screen in the operation unit 219. The state monitoring part
343 transmits an occurrence-of-error notification 505 notifying the
occurrence of the error to the Web browser 330, along with the HTML
data acquired from the HDD 214 through the screen information
managing part 344.
[0069] The Web browser 330 receives the occurrence-of-error
notification 505 and the HTML data on the error screen. The Web
browser 330 determines that the error has occurred on the basis of
the reception of the occurrence-of-error notification 505. The Web
browser 330 displays an error screen in FIG. 6C on the basis of the
received HTML data.
[0070] FIG. 6C shows an example of the error screen. A message
indicating to the user that the error has occurred is displayed in
the screen shown in FIG. 6C. The screen shown in FIG. 6C is an
example of the first screen.
[0071] The service provider 340 transmits a response 506 to the Web
server 102. The response 506 indicates, for example, that the error
has occurred in response to the request 504 transmitted from the
Web server 102 and the job is suspended. The Web server 102, which
receives the response 506, transmits an URL 507 indicating the
position where the HTML data for displaying the operation screen
corresponding to the error is stored to the service provider 340.
The Web server 102 transmits the URL 507 to cause the service
provider 340 to display a screen appropriate for the change in the
state of the MFP 101. The Web server 102 may directly transmit HTML
data, which is screen information, to the service provider 340,
instead of the transmission of the URL.
[0072] The service provider 340 receives the URL 507 and transfers
the URL 507 to the Web browser 330 as an URL 508. The Web browser
330 is capable of receiving a notification and screen information
from the service provider 340. In other words, the Web browser 330
is capable of not only communicating with the Web application 310
in the Web server 102 but also receiving a special command from the
service provider 340.
[0073] The Web browser 330 requests an operation screen
corresponding to the error on the basis of the URL 508 received
from the service provider 340. Specifically, the Web browser 330
transmits a request 509 to the Web server 102. The request 509 is
submitted to request an operation screen corresponding to the error
state.
[0074] The Web server 102 receives the request 509 from the Web
browser 330 and transmits the HTML data identified by the URL 508
included in the request 509 as a response 510.
[0075] The Web browser 330 receives the response 510 from the Web
server 102 and displays an operation screen in FIG. 6D in the
operation unit 219 on the basis of the screen information included
in the response 510. Messages indicating that the error has
occurred in the scanning and prompting the re-execution of the
scanning are displayed on the operation screen in FIG. 6D. The user
confirms the error state, if necessary, and presses the Scan button
on the operation screen to cause the MFP 101 to execute the same
job again or to execute a job in which the settings are changed.
The screen shown in FIG. 6D is an example of the second screen.
[0076] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram indicating the operations of
the Web browser 330, the service provider 340, and the Web server
102 (Web application). FIG. 5 shows the case in which an error
occurs while the service provider 340 is executing a job whereas
FIG. 7 shows a case in which a job executed by the service provider
340 is normally completed.
[0077] The sequence from 500 to 504 in FIG. 7, that is, the
operation until the Web server 102 transmits the request 504 to the
service provider 340 is the same as in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 differs from
FIG. 5 in that the service provider 340 transmits a job completion
notification 700 to the Web browser 330 and that the service
provider 340 transmits a response 701 indicating that the job is
completed to the Web server 102. The above points will now be
described.
[0078] When the job based on the request 504 received from the Web
server 102 is completed, the service provider 340 detects a change
in the processing state caused by the completion of the job. Upon
detection of the change in the processing state, the state
monitoring part 343 refers to screen information (HTML data) stored
in the HDD 214 in association with the state 400 indicating the
completion of the job to acquire the HTML data. The HTML data is
screen information on a screen for simply notifying the operation
unit 219 of the completion of the job. The state monitoring part
343 transmits the job completion notification 700 indicating that
the job is completed to the Web browser 330, along with the HTML
data acquired from the HDD 214 through the screen information
managing part 344.
[0079] The Web browser 330 receives the job completion notification
700 and the HTML data. Then, the Web browser 330 displays an
operation screen in FIG. 8C in the operation unit 219 on the basis
of the HTML data received with the job completion notification 700.
The screen shown in FIG. 8C is an example of the first screen
displayed on the basis of the screen information stored in the HDD
214 by the screen information managing part 344. A message
indicating to the user that the job is completed is displayed on
the screen shown in FIG. 8C. As a result, the user can immediately
know that the job is completed without waiting for the display of
the operation screen (second screen) based on the screen
information received from the Web server 102.
[0080] The service provider 340 receives the URL 507 and transfers
the URL 507 to the Web browser 330 as the URL 508. The URL 507 is
the same as the URL 508.
[0081] The Web browser 330 requests an operation screen to be
displayed after the job is executed on the basis of the URL 508
received from the service provider 340.
[0082] The Web server 102 receives the request 509 from the Web
browser 330 and transmits the HTML data identified by the URL 508
included in the request 509 as the response 510.
[0083] The Web browser 330 receives the response 510 from the Web
server 102 and displays an operation screen in FIG. 8D in the
operation unit 219 on the basis of the screen information included
in the response 510.
[0084] The screen shown in FIG. 8D is an example of the second
screen displayed on the basis of the screen information received
from the Web server 102. Although the operation screen in FIG. 8D
is the same as that in FIG. 8A in the present embodiment, the
operation screen in FIG. 8D may be an operation screen on which
setup information about the job the execution of which is
completed, a history, etc. is displayed in detail or an operation
screen of a job to be executed next.
[0085] A process performed by the service provider 340 in the MFP
101 will now be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 9.
Each step shown in the flowchart in FIG. 9 is realized by the CPU
211 that executes a program stored in the ROM 212.
[0086] In Step S901 (the notation of Step is hereinafter omitted),
the instruction accepting part 341 receives the request 504 from
the execution instructing part 312 in the Web server 102.
[0087] In S902, the job creating part 342 invokes a Web service in
accordance with a message included in the request 504 received
through the instruction accepting part 341. Specifically, the job
creating part 342 creates a job to "scan an original document and
store the result of the scanning", causes the scanner 221 to scan
an original document, and stores a file in a specified folder in a
specified external apparatus via the network I/F 218.
[0088] In S903, the state monitoring part 343 detects a change in
the processing state of the job. For example, the state monitoring
part 343 detects an occurrence of an error during the execution of
the processing by the job creating part 342 or detects completion
of the job. Upon detection of a change in the processing state of
the job, in S904, the state monitoring part 343 transmits the state
notification to the notification receiving part 333 in the Web
browser 330. Specifically, if the state monitoring part 343 detects
an occurrence of an error, the state monitoring part 343 transmits
the occurrence-of-error notification 505 shown in FIG. 5. If the
job is completed, the state monitoring part 343 transmits the job
completion notification 700 shown in FIG. 7 (the
occurrence-of-error notification 505 and the job completion
notification are hereinafter collectively referred to as the state
notification).
[0089] The state monitoring part 343 acquires information (HTML
data) on the operation screen corresponding to the detected change
in the state of the processing from the screen information managing
part 344 and transmits the information (HTML data) on the operation
screen, along with the state notification. The state monitoring
part 343 transmits the HTML data corresponding to the state, which
is included in the state notification. For example, HTML data A is
transmitted if an error occurs and HTML data B is transmitted if
the job is completed. The screen information managed by the screen
information managing part 344 in the HDD 214 may be divided on the
basis of the error state. For example, the HTML data when a
scanning error occurs in the scanner 221 may be differentiated from
the HTML data when a paper-jam error occurs in the printer 220.
[0090] In S905, the instruction accepting part 341 transmits the
response 506 to the execution instructing part 312 in the Web
server 102 in response to the detection of the processing state by
the state monitoring part 343. The MFP 101 transmits the
notifications indicating that the error occurs to the Web browser
330 and the Web server 102 in S904 and S905.
[0091] In S906, the instruction accepting part 341 receives the URL
507 from the execution instructing part 312 in the Web server 102.
The URL 507 indicates the location where the HTML data on the
operation screen corresponding to the error state is stored by the
Web browser 330. The instruction accepting part 341 supplies the
URL 507 to the state monitoring part 343.
[0092] In S907, the state monitoring part 343, which receives the
URL 507, transfers the URL 508 to the state notification receiving
part 333 in the Web browser 330.
[0093] A process performed by the Web browser 330 will now be
described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 10. Each step shown
in the flowchart in FIG. 10 is realized by the CPU 211 that
executes a program stored in the ROM 212. The process in the
flowchart in FIG. 10 is started in response to an invocation
instruction of the Web browser 330 from the user and a request to
the Web server 102 for an operation screen from the Web browser
330.
[0094] In S1001, the Web browser 330 performs a process to request
the operation screen in FIG. 6A. The communication part 331
transmits the request 500 according to the HTTP to the screen
providing part 311 in the Web server 102. The request 500 may be
transmitted on the basis of an initially displayed URL managed by
the Web browser 330 or may be transmitted on the basis of an URL
specified by the user.
[0095] In S1002, the Web browser 330 performs a process to display
the operation screen shown in FIG. 6A. The communication part 331
receives the response 501 from the Web server 102. The analysis
part 332 acquires HTML data through the communication part 331 and
analyzes the HTML data to create the operation screen. The screen
displaying part 334 displays the operation screen created by the
analysis part 332 in the operation unit 219. Then, the user sets
the values of a folder name, a file name, a file format, a
resolution, etc. with the operation screen displayed in the
operation unit 219 and presses the Scan button.
[0096] In S1003, the communication part 331 transmits the user's
operation (execution event) performed with the operation screen in
FIG. 6A to the Web server 102.
[0097] In S1004, the Web browser 330 performs a process to display
the execution screen in FIG. 6B. Specifically, the communication
part 331 receives the response 503 from the screen providing part
311. HTML data for displaying the execution screen is described in
the response 503. The analysis part 332 analyzes the HTML data to
create the execution screen, and the screen displaying part 334
displays the execution screen created by the analysis part 332 in
the operation unit 219.
[0098] In S1005, the state notification receiving part 333 receives
a state notification (the occurrence-of-error notification 505 or
the job completion notification 700) from the service provider
340.
[0099] In S1006, the state notification receiving part 333
transfers the HTML data included in the state notification received
from the state monitoring part 343 in the service provider 340 to
the analysis part 332. The screen displaying part 334 displays a
simple screen created on the basis of the result of the analysis in
the HTML analyzed by the analysis part 332 in the operation unit
219. The simple screen in the present embodiment is, for example, a
screen simply indicating that an error has occurred, such as the
one shown in FIG. 6C, or a screen simply indicating that the job is
completed, such as the one shown in FIG. 8C. However, instead of
the simple screen in FIG. 6C or FIG. 8C, a more detailed screen may
be displayed.
[0100] According to S1006, upon occurrence of an error, it is
possible to immediately indicate to the user that the error has
occurred. For example, it is possible to avoid a situation in which
no error screen is displayed despite the fact that an error occurs
during the processing by the MFP to prevent the user from being
confused.
[0101] Upon completion of the job, it is possible to immediately
notify the completion of the job. For example, it is not necessary
for the user notified of the completion of the job to wait for
display of the next operation screen (FIG. 8D) and the user may
leave from the MFP 101 at the time when the simple screen in FIG.
8C is displayed in the operation unit 219.
[0102] In S1007, the state notification receiving part 333 receives
the URL 508 transferred from the state monitoring part 343 in the
service provider 340. The URL 508 indicates the location where the
HTML data on the operation screen in FIG. 6D corresponding to the
error state or the operation screen in FIG. 8D corresponding to the
completion of the execution of the job is stored.
[0103] In S1008, the communication part 331 transmits the request
509 to the Web server 102 to request an operation screen on the
basis of the URL 508 received by the state notification receiving
part 333.
[0104] In S1009, the communication part 331 receives the response
510 to the request 509 requesting an operation screen from the
screen providing part 311 in the Web server 102. The analysis part
332 analyzes the HTML data included in the response 510. Then, the
screen displaying part 334 displays the operation screen
corresponding to the detected processing state in the operation
unit 219 on the basis of the result of the analysis of the HTML
data by the analysis part 332. The operation screen displayed in
S1009 preferably includes a detailed message, compared with the
simple screen displayed in S1006. For example, in the case of the
screen corresponding to an error, a screen including a guidance to
return an abnormal state, such as an error state, to a normal state
or a screen indicating in detail the content of the error is
preferably displayed. In the above cases, it is possible to acquire
a screen to be displayed in the MFP 101 from the external Web
server 102 to display a more detailed screen. In addition, it is
possible to display the operation screen that is easily customized
in the Web server in the MFP 101.
[0105] As described above, according to the present embodiment,
when the processing state of the MFP 101 is changed, the Web
browser 330 displays a screen managed by the screen information
managing part 344 in the operation unit 219 and, then, displays an
operation screen corresponding to the change in the processing
state on the basis of the screen information received from the Web
server 102. As a result, the user can immediately know the change
in the processing state and can acquire detailed screen information
including, for example, an operation method to be performed in
response to the change in the processing state from the Web
server.
[0106] The examples of the change in the processing state include
the case in which an error occurs and a case in which the job is
completed in the first embodiment. However, the change in the
processing state in the present embodiment is not limited to the
above processing changes. For example, the change in the processing
state may be exemplified by a case in which the processing in the
service provider 340 is changed from the scanning to the
transmission through the printing.
[0107] Multiple pieces of screen information are stored in the
screen information managed by the screen information managing part
344 depending on the column "state" in the first embodiment.
However, it is not necessary to store the multiple pieces of screen
information in association with the corresponding processing states
in order to only notify an occurrence of an error. In this case, it
is sufficient to manage only the screen information for displaying
an error screen simply indicating that an error occurs.
[0108] As another modification, the simple screen, such as an error
screen or a job completion screen, may be displayed not by the Web
browser 330 but by the service provider 340 itself. In this case,
the service provider 340 is provided with a screen displaying part
different from the screen displaying part 334 in the Web browser
330. With this configuration, it is not necessary to transmit the
state notification and the screen information to the Web browser
330 and, thus, it is possible to more rapidly display the simple
screen.
Second Embodiment
[0109] A second embodiment will now be described. If the processing
state of the service provider 340 is changed, the service provider
340 in the MFP 101 transmits the screen information (HTML data) to
the Web browser 330, along with the state notification, in the
first embodiment. In contrast, the second embodiment is
characterized in that the service provider 340 transmits only the
state notification. The second embodiment is also characterized in
that the Web browser 330 displays the simple screen on the basis of
the screen information held in the Web browser 330.
[0110] The software configuration of an image processing system in
the second embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG.
11. The software configuration in the second embodiment differs
from that in the first embodiment in that the screen information
managing part 344 is arranged in the Web browser 330, which is
arranged in the service provider 340 in the first embodiment. Since
the software configuration other than this point is substantially
similar to the one in FIG. 3, a description thereof is omitted
herein. The hardware configurations of the MFP 101 and the Web
server 102 in the second embodiment are the same as the ones shown
in FIG. 2.
[0111] A process performed by the service provider 340 in the MFP
101 will now be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.
9. Only the difference from the first embodiment will be described
here. In the second embodiment, in S905 in the flowchart in FIG. 9,
the state monitoring part 343 in the service provider 340 does not
transmit the HTML data for displaying the simple screen along with
the state notification, and transmits only the state
notification.
[0112] A process performed by the Web browser 330 in the MFP 101
will now be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10.
Only the difference from the first embodiment will be described
here. In S1005, upon reception of the state notification, the state
notification receiving part 333 acquires the screen information
(HTML data) corresponding to the state described in the state
notification from the HDD 214 managed by the screen information
managing part 344. As described above, according to the second
embodiment, the screen information for displaying the simple screen
is stored in the Web browser 330 itself. As a result, it is not
necessary for the state monitoring part 343 to transmit the screen
information along with the state notification and, thus, it is
possible to more rapidly display the simple screen.
Third Embodiment
[0113] A third embodiment will now be described. The MFP 101
displays the operation screen based on the screen information
received from the Web server 102 after displaying the simple screen
in the first embodiment. In contrast, a process when the MFP 101
displays the simple screen upon occurrence of an error and, then,
returns from the error will be described in the third embodiment.
The third embodiment specializes in the case in which an error
occurs in the first and second embodiments.
[0114] Since the hardware configuration and the software
configuration of an image processing system in the third embodiment
are similar to the ones in the first embodiment, a description
thereof is omitted herein.
[0115] For example, a case in which the MFP 101 returns from an
error by a process of recovering from the error performed by the
user will now be described. Specifically, in the case of a scanning
error in the scanner 221, the MFP 101 returns from the error by
removing a sheet jammed in a feeder (not shown). Alternatively, if
an out-of-toner error occurs during the executing of a print job in
the printer 220, the MFP 101 returns from the error by supplying
the toner.
[0116] Even when the URL of (or the screen information on) the
operation screen corresponding to the error is received from the
Web server 102 in the state in which the MFP 101 returns from the
error, it is not necessary for the MFP 101 to display the error
screen.
[0117] Accordingly, in the present embodiment, a process upon
occurrence of an error will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a
sequence diagram indicating the operations of the Web browser 330,
the Web server 102, and the service provider 340 in the third
embodiment. The sequences until an error occurs during the
execution of the processing by the service provider 340 and the
occurrence-of-error notification is transmitted (500 to 506 in FIG.
12) are the same as in the sequence diagram in FIG. 5.
[0118] Upon detection of return from the error, the service
provider 340 transmits a return-from-error notification 1200
indicating the return from the error to the Web browser 330. Upon
reception of the return-from-error notification 1200, the Web
browser 330 refers to the data that is cached and held to display
the operation screen that was displayed before displaying the error
screen shown in FIG. 6C. Alternatively, the Web browser 330
transmits the request 500 again and receives the response 501 to
display the operation screen. The service provider 340 invalidates
the URL 507 received from the Web server 102, without transferring
the URL 507 to the Web browser 330. Specifically, the service
provider 340 discards the received URL 507. In addition, the
service provider 340 controls the MFP 101 so that the execution of
the job that is suspended due to the occurrence of the error is
restarted. It may be necessary to perform the recovery process to
execute at least part of the job again depending on the type of the
error that has occurred. The service provider 340 performs the
recovery process, if needed, in the case of the return from the
error.
[0119] A process performed by the service provider 340 in the MFP
101 in the third embodiment will now be described with reference to
FIG. 13. Each step shown in the flowchart in FIG. 13 is realized by
the CPU 211 that executes a program stored in the ROM 212.
[0120] The processing in S1301 and S1302 is the same as in S901 and
S902 in FIG. 9.
[0121] In S1303, the state monitoring part 343 detects an
occurrence of an error. Upon detection of the error, in S1304, the
state monitoring part 343 transmits the occurrence-of-error
notification 505 to the state notification receiving part 333 in
the Web browser 330.
[0122] Although the processing in S103 is not necessarily performed
because an error does not necessarily occur when the MFP 101
executes a job, it is assumed here that the error has occurred. The
processing according to S904 to S907 in the flowchart in FIG. 9 is
performed if the normal completion of the job, instead of an error,
is detected in S1303, although not shown in the flowchart in FIG.
13. Specifically, in S904, the state notification (the job
completion notification 700) is transmitted to the state
notification receiving part 333 in the Web browser 330. In S905,
the instruction accepting part 341 transmits the response 701 (the
state completion notification) to the execution instructing part
312 in the Web server 102. In S906, the URL 507 is received from
the execution instructing part 312 in the Web server 102. In S907,
the URL 508 is transferred to the Web browser 330.
[0123] In S1305, the instruction accepting part 341 in the service
provider 340 transmits the response 506 to the execution
instructing part 312 in the Web server 102. If the state monitoring
part 343 detects the return from the error in S1306, the process
goes to S1307.
[0124] In S1307, the job creating part 342 restarts the job that is
suspended. If it is detected that the restarted job is normally
completed, the processing according to S904 to S907 in the
flowchart in FIG. 9 is performed, as in the case in which it is
detected in S1303 that the job is normally completed.
[0125] In S1308, the service provider 340 transmits the
return-from-error notification 1200 to the Web browser 330.
[0126] In S1309, the instruction accepting part 341 receives the
URL 507 from the execution instructing part 312 in the Web server
102. In S1310, the state monitoring part 343 invalidates the URL.
Specifically, the state monitoring part 343 discards the received
URL.
[0127] If the determination in S1306 is negative, that is, if the
state monitoring part 343 does not detect the return from the
error, the process goes to S1311. In S1311, the instruction
accepting part 341 determines whether the URL 507 is received from
the execution instructing part 312 in the Web server 102. The
process goes to S1312 if the instruction accepting part 341
determines that the URL 507 is received and the process otherwise
goes back to S1306. In S1312, the state monitoring part 343
transfers the URL 507 received by the instruction accepting part
341 to the state notification receiving part 333 in the Web browser
330.
[0128] A process performed by the Web browser 330 in the MFP 101 in
the third embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG.
14. Each step shown in the flowchart in FIG. 14 is realized by the
CPU 211 that executes a program stored in the ROM 212. The
flowchart in FIG. 14 shows the process when the MFP 101 returns
from the error after the Web browser 330 displays the error screen
in the manner described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10.
The processing in S1401 to S1404 is the same as that in S1001 to
S1004 in FIG. 10.
[0129] In S1405, the state notification receiving part 333 receives
the occurrence-of-error notification 505 and the screen
information.
[0130] The processing in S1006 to S1009 in the flowchart in FIG. 10
is performed if the job completion notification 700, instead of the
occurrence-of-error notification 505, is received in S1405,
although not shown in the flowchart in FIG. 14. Specifically, in
S1006, the screen displaying part 334 displays the screen in FIG.
8C on the basis of the HTML data received with the job completion
notification 700. In S1007, the state notification receiving part
333 receives the URL 508 transferred from the service provider 340.
In S1008, the communication part 331 requests the operation screen
identified by the URL 508. In S1009, the screen displaying part 334
displays the screen shown in FIG. 8D.
[0131] Upon reception of the occurrence-of-error notification 505
in S1405, in S1406, the screen displaying part 334 displays the
simple screen in FIG. 6C on the basis of the screen information
received with the occurrence-of-error notification 505.
[0132] In S1407, the state notification receiving part 333
determines whether the return-from-error notification 1200 is
received from the service provider 340. If the return-from-error
notification 1200 is received, the process goes to S1408. In S1408,
the state notification receiving part 333 instructs the screen
displaying part 334 to display the operation screen displayed by
the screen displaying part 334 in the operation unit 219 before the
occurrence of the error. The screen displaying part 334 refers to
the data that is cached and held to display the operation screen.
If there is no data that is cached and held, the communication part
331 transmits the request 502 again and receives the response 503
from the Web server 102. The screen displaying part 334 displays an
operation screen on the basis of the screen information included in
the response 503. The Web browser 330 displays the screen that was
displayed before the occurrence of the error in the above
manner.
[0133] If the determination in S1407 is negative, that is, if the
state notification receiving part 333 does not receive the
return-from-error notification 1200, the process goes to S1409. In
S1409, the state notification receiving part 333 determines whether
the transferred URL 508 is received. The process goes to S1410 if
the transferred URL 508 is received and otherwise goes back to
S1407. In S1410, the communication part 331 transmits the request
509 to the Web server 102 on the basis of the transferred URL
508.
[0134] In S1411, a process to display the screen in FIG. 6D is
performed. Specifically, the communication part 331 receives the
response 510 to the request 509 from the screen providing part 311
in the Web server 102. The analysis part 332 analyzes the HTML data
included in the received response 510. The screen displaying part
334 displays an operation screen corresponding to the error in the
operation unit 219 on the basis of the result of the analysis by
the analysis part 332.
[0135] According to the present embodiment, upon return from an
error, the service provider 340 does not transfer the URL received
from the Web server 102 to the Web browser 330. As a result, a
situation in which a screen corresponding to an error is displayed
despite the fact that the job is restarted after the return from
the error can be avoided.
Other Embodiments
[0136] Furthermore, the present invention is realized by performing
the following processing. Specifically, software (programs)
realizing the functions of the above embodiments is supplied to a
system or an apparatus over a network or through any one of various
storage media, the computer (or the CPU or a micro processor unit
(MPU)) in the system or the apparatus reads out the programs to
execute the programs.
[0137] The present invention is not limited to the above
embodiments, and various changes and variations may be made without
departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
Accordingly, the following claims are appended in order to make the
range of the present invention clear.
[0138] According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide a mechanism to rapidly notify the user of a change in the
state of a job executed in the image processing apparatus.
[0139] While the present invention has been described with
reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.
The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent structures and functions.
* * * * *