JP2003280830A - Information acquiring system, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information acquiring system for acquiring information existing on a network from a composite machine without using any personal computer. <P>SOLUTION: In this information acquiring system in which the composite machine 20 using information is connected through a network 30 to a server 10 managed by the provider of an information providing service, the composite machine 20 transmits a condition for information to be provided as an information providing service and the specific information of a user who requests the information and the composite machine to the server 10 managed by the provider of the information providing service. The server 10 managed by the provider of the information providing service receives data transmitted from the composite machine 20, and refers to a customer information data base managed by the provider, and retrieves information matching with the condition requested by the user when it is authenticated, and returns the retrieved result to the composite machine being the origin of request. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information acquisition system, a program, and a recording medium, and more specifically to a technology for acquiring information existing on a network from a multifunction peripheral without using a personal computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in order to obtain and print desired information on the Internet, a terminal equipped with browser software such as a personal computer is connected to a network,
Search and display the desired information with the browser software. When print information is required, only the required information is obtained by instructing the multifunction peripheral (MFP) to print.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to browse / obtain information in a content server that requires authentication registration, a Web browser is started on a terminal such as a personal computer connected to the Internet, and the desired information is obtained. Access the content server. In this case, if authentication is required, the authentication server is accessed to be authenticated, and if access is possible, the desired content is retrieved from the desired content server. As a result, in the case of information to be printed, it is obtained by issuing a print instruction to the multi-function peripheral or printer.

[0004]

As described above, when the information is obtained from the Internet and printed, the terminal such as a personal computer is started, the Web browser is started, the authentication work,
It is necessary to search for content and print desired information. This work took time, and it was difficult to obtain the desired information that matches the customer attributes.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and functions of an information acquisition system and an information acquisition system for acquiring information existing on a network from a multifunction peripheral without using a personal computer or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a program for executing the program and a computer-readable recording medium recording the program.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an information acquisition system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a multi-function peripheral that uses information and a server operated by a provider of the information providing service. An information acquisition system connected via a network, wherein the multi-function peripheral provides conditions for information provided as an information providing service, a user requesting the information, and unique information of this multi-function peripheral via the network. The server operated by the provider of the information providing service, which is transmitted to the server of the provider, receives the data transmitted from the multi-function peripheral and is authenticated by referring to the customer information database operated by the provider. In this case, the information matching the condition requested by the user is searched, and the search result is returned to the requesting multifunction peripheral.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the information acquisition system according to the first aspect, the date and time at which the information required for the multifunction peripheral is desired to be acquired is set. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the information acquisition system according to the first or second aspect, a treatment method when information is previously acquired in the multifunction machine is stored, and the provider of the information providing service. When the requested information is sent from the server operated by, the printing is performed or the information is stored in the storage device provided in the multifunction machine according to the treatment method.

Further, claim 4 of the present invention includes claims 1, 2
Alternatively, in the information acquisition system according to 3, the same information as the information unique to the device of the multi-function peripheral exists in the server operated by the information providing service provider, and the information of the server operated by the information providing service provider When the information is updated, the information of the multifunction peripheral is also automatically updated. The program of claim 5 of the present invention is
A program for causing a computer to function as the information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The recording medium according to claim 6 of the present invention is the recording medium according to claim 5.
A computer-readable recording medium recording the program of the information acquisition system described in 1.

With the above configuration, the customer is referred to by referring to the existing customer information database provided on the site of the information providing service provider based on the device information set in the multifunction peripheral (MFP) and the customer attribute. It is possible to specify and obtain and print the information desired by the customer only by the multifunction peripheral without using a terminal such as a personal computer equipped with a browser. Further, by setting the date and time when information is desired to be obtained and printed in the multifunction peripheral, the information can be automatically obtained at the designated date and time. Further, when the information (template, etc.) in the storage device mounted on the multifunction peripheral is updated on the site of the information providing service provider, the information of the multifunction peripheral is automatically updated.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the information acquisition system of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an information acquisition system (hereinafter referred to as the present system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the system is a multifunctional peripheral (MFP) on the service user side, which is connected to a plurality of servers (11, 12, 13, 14) owned by a site 10 of an information service provider via a network 30. ) 20. An arbitrary number of multifunctional machines 20 on the user side may be connected. Also, the network 30 is the site 10 of the service provider.
Is a transmission path for connecting each server and the multifunction machine 20 on the user side, and is generally realized by a cable, and TCP / IP is used as a communication protocol. However, the transmission path is not limited to a cable, and may be wireless or wired as long as the communication protocol between them is the same.

In such a configuration, first, the user sets in advance the device serial number, the installation place, the customer attribute, the taste of the user, etc. in the multifunction machine 20. In addition, various device-specific information is registered in the multifunction machine when the device is shipped, when the device is installed, and when the device is maintained. Next, the user registers the next instruction information in the multifunction machine 20. (1) Name of the user who uses the multi-function device 20 (2) URL of the content server (Unif URL of the content server on the site 10 of the service provider who holds necessary content among the content existing on the network)
orm Resource Locator) (3) Conditions for information you want to order (user preferences) For example, your interest in weather information, traffic information, map information, hobby information, etc. (4) Date and time you want to order that information (5) Information processing-Stored in the storage device (HD) 21 provided in the multi-function device 20, -Printed by the multi-function device 20, -If similar information is already registered in the storage device 21, update it.

When the user registers in the multifunction machine 20 as described above, when the date and time when the user wants to obtain the information is reached, the multifunction machine 20 registers the above (1) registered in the specified URL via the Internet 30. ), (3) and (5) information and unique information of the multifunction machine 20 registered in advance in the multifunction machine 20 (serial number of the device, installation location, etc.),
Request distribution of information that meets the conditions.

The content server 14 of the site 10 of the information providing service provider who has received the distribution request accesses the customer information database server 13 using the transmitted device-specific information and user name. In this customer information database, a user name for a user registered in this information providing service, device-specific information about the multifunction device used by the user when receiving the service (device serial number, installation location, etc.), It maintains and manages the payment method for the usage fee and the account number and password for accessing the authentication server 12. The customer information database server 13 refers to the customer information database by the transmitted user name and unique information of the multi-function peripheral, obtains information necessary for user authentication, and accesses the authentication server 12 with the information. Then, it is checked whether or not the requested user has the access right, and the result is returned to the content server 14.

Based on this authentication result, the contents server 14 notifies the requesting multifunction device 20 that it cannot be used unless there is an access right. Upon receiving this notification, the multi-function device 20 notifies the user who has input this request of the notified contents (no access right) by printing, e-mail, voice mail, or telephone by synthetic voice.

On the other hand, when the content server 14 is notified that the user has the access right at the time of the authentication, the content server 14 searches the content server 14 under the condition requested by the user, and the result is sent to the requesting multifunction machine 20. Deliver to. The multi-function device 20 is configured according to the method of processing the received information that the user has previously set the delivered information.
To a storage device (HD) 21 provided in the
Or, if the same information is already registered in the storage device 21, the content is updated with the distributed information. In this case, the user may be notified of the arrival of the information by telephone by e-mail, voice mail or synthetic voice.

Further, unique information, maintenance information, and help information for the multifunction peripheral (guidance for operation) regarding this multifunction peripheral.
And template information, a program for operating the multifunction peripheral, and the like are stored in the storage device 21 of the multifunction peripheral 20, and when similar information on the provider side of the information providing service is updated, those information on the multifunction peripheral side are updated. The information may be updated automatically. This is whether or not to update the information by collating the installation information of the corresponding multi-function peripheral from the customer information database of the site 10 of the information providing service provider with the information registered in the storage device 21 of the multi-function peripheral. To decide.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer system for implementing this system. 3, a computer system 40 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 41, an input device 42 such as a keyboard, a mouse or a touch panel, an output device 43 such as a display and a printer, a memory 44, and a storage device such as a hard disk. A data bus 48 connects 45 and a network connection device 47, which is an interface for communicating with another computer system via the medium reading device 46 and the network 30. Program codes that realize the functions of the multifunction peripheral and each server according to the above-described embodiments are recorded in recording media, and the program codes recorded in the recording media are read from the medium reading device 46 and the storage device 45, and the program code shown in FIG.
Installed on the computer system 40 shown in
The present invention can be easily implemented by executing the program on the CPU 41. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium also realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code and the recording medium storing the code constitute the present invention.

The recording medium is a semiconductor medium (eg, ROM, non-volatile memory card, etc.), optical medium (eg, DVD, MO, MD, CD-R, etc.), magnetic medium (eg, magnetic tape, flexible disk). Etc.) and the like.

Further, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized by executing the loaded program, but also the operating system or the like performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program, and It also includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, the existing customer information database provided at the site of the information providing service provider is referred to from the device information set in the multifunction peripheral and the customer attributes. Thus, the customer can be specified, and the information desired by the customer can be obtained and printed only by the multifunction peripheral without using a terminal such as a personal computer equipped with a browser. Also, by setting the date and time that you want to obtain and print information on the multifunction device,
It can be automatically obtained at the specified date and time. Further, when the information (template, etc.) in the storage device mounted on the multifunction peripheral is updated on the site of the information providing service provider, the information of the multifunction peripheral is automatically updated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an information acquisition system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration when the information acquisition system of the present invention is implemented by a computer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a conventional information acquisition method.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Site of information service provider, 11 ... We
b server, 12 ... Authentication server, 13 ... Customer information database server, 14 ... Content server, 20 ...
Multifunction device, 21 ... Storage device provided in the multifunction device, 30 ... Network, 40 ... Computer system, 41 ... CP
U (central processing unit), 42 ... Input device, 43 ... Output device, 44 ... Memory, 45 ... Storage device, 46 ... Medium reading device, 47 ... Network connection device, 48 ... Data bus.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information acquisition system in which a multi-function peripheral using information and a server operated by a provider of an information provision service are connected via a network, wherein the multi-function peripheral provides information provided as an information provision service. Conditions, the user requesting the information, and the unique information of the multi-function peripheral are transmitted to the server of the service provider via the network, and the server operated by the information providing service provider operates from the multi-function peripheral. When the transmitted data is received and the authentication is performed by referring to the customer information database operated by this provider, the information matching the condition requested by the user is searched and the search result is returned to the request source. An information acquisition system characterized by replying to a multifunction device. 2. The information acquisition system according to claim 1, wherein the date and time at which the information required for the multifunction peripheral is desired to be acquired is set. 3. The information acquisition system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a processing method when information is acquired in advance is stored in the multi-function peripheral, and a server operated by a provider of the information providing service is stored. An information acquisition system characterized in that, when the requested information is sent, it is printed or stored in a storage device provided in this multi-function peripheral according to the treatment method. 4. The information acquisition system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the same information as the information unique to the device of the multifunction peripheral is in a server operated by the provider of the information providing service, When the information of the server operated by the service provider is updated, the information of the multifunction device is also automatically updated. 5. A program for causing a computer to function as the information acquisition system according to claim 1. 6. A computer-readable recording medium in which the program of the information acquisition system according to claim 5 is recorded.