JP7077828B2 - Information processing equipment and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a program.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes an information provision management device that prevents data that is not provided from being provided from being collected by a service provider. This information provision management device transmits the data output from the device or sensor of the user side system to the information processing device operated by the service provider via the network, and is based on the data transmitted by the service provider. It is provided in the user side system of the system that manages the user's situation. This information provision management device is a storage means for storing type information representing a type of data predetermined as a collection target between a service provider and a user, and an acquisition for acquiring data output from a device or a sensor. Means and. In addition, this information provision management device collates the acquired data type with the stored type information, and extracts the data of the type corresponding to the type information as the collection target data, and the extracted collection target. A transmission means for transmitting data to an information processing apparatus via a communication network is provided.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-4324

By the way, for example, if the device administrator decides whether or not to collect information, the operation input information that the general user does not know may be collected without knowing it. On the other hand, it is not desirable for the device manager to uniformly prohibit information collection because it is difficult to collect information appropriately.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and a program capable of preventing the collection of operation input information without the user's own knowledge.

In order to achieve the above object, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 has the operation input information with respect to the acquisition unit for acquiring the operation input information from the user and the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit. The specific part that identifies the data owner to which the information indicating whether or not the information can be collected is associated, and the information that is associated with the data owner specified by the specific part and indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected. The output unit includes an output unit that outputs the operation input information when it is set to be collectable, and the output unit is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit. When the information indicating whether or not the collection is possible is set to be non-collectable, the operation input information is discarded .

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , in the invention according to claim 1, the data owner includes a plurality of users, and the output unit is an operation input for each of the plurality of users. The operation input information is output when all the information indicating whether or not the information can be collected is set to be collectable.

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , in the invention according to claim 2 , the output unit has information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for at least one of the plurality of users. If the collection is not possible, the operation input information is discarded.
Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 4 indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected for the acquisition unit that acquires the operation input information from the user and the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit. The specific part that identifies the data owner to which the information is associated and the information that is associated with the data owner specified by the specific part and indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected are set to be collectable. The data owner includes a plurality of users, and the output unit includes an output unit for outputting the operation input information, and the output unit collects the operation input information for each of the plurality of users. When all the information indicating whether or not to collect is set to be collectable, the operation input information is output, and the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for at least one of the plurality of users cannot be collected. If it is set, the operation input information is discarded.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the information processing apparatus according to claim 5 is a user in which the plurality of users operate the own device and another user, and the user is the own device. When the setting of the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is changed by the instruction from the user or the other user after starting the session, the change is reflected retroactively to the start of the session. It also has a reflection section.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the information processing apparatus according to claim 6 can collect information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected by the output unit when the session ends. Determine if it is set.

Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 7 associates a data owner as an attribute with each of a plurality of predetermined data groups in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Further, the specific unit classifies the operation input information into one of the plurality of data groups based on the type of the operation input information, and corresponds to the classified data group as an attribute. Identify the attached data owner.

Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 8 is the data group according to the invention according to claim 7, based on the permission of the data owner specified by the specific unit for the user who operates the own device. It is further provided with a notification unit for notifying that the operation input information is being collected each time.

Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 9 sets whether or not to collect operation input information each time the user starts a session with the own apparatus in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7. First mode, the second mode in which the user included in the data owner sets whether to collect operation input information, and the third mode in which the administrator of the own device sets whether to collect operation input information at once. It also has a selection unit to select the mode.

Further, in the invention of claim 9, the information processing apparatus according to claim 10 is changed from the second mode to the third mode by the selection unit, and the operation input information is stored in the data owner. When a user who is set to be non-collectible is included, a notification unit is provided to notify the administrator that the data owner includes a user who is set to be non-collectible for operation input information. Further prepared.
Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 11 indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected for the acquisition unit that acquires the operation input information from the user and the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit. The specific unit that identifies the data owner to which the information is associated and the information that is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit and indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected are set to be collectable. If so, the output unit that outputs the operation input information and the first mode that sets whether to collect the operation input information each time the user starts a session with the own device, the user included in the data owner inputs the operation. A selection unit that selects one of the two modes, the second mode for setting whether or not to collect information, and the third mode for collectively setting whether or not to collect operation input information by the administrator of the own device, and the selection unit. When the user who has been changed from the second mode to the third mode and the operation input information is set to be non-collectable is included in the data owner, the data owner can be referred to the administrator. It is provided with a notification unit for notifying that a user who is set not to collect operation input information is included in the notification unit.

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 12 , in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , the output unit outputs and stores the operation input information in the storage unit of the own device. do.

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 13 , in the invention according to claim 12 , the output unit further outputs and stores the operation input information stored in the storage unit to an external server device. ..

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 14 , in the invention according to claim 13 , after the output unit outputs the operation input information to the server device, the operation input information is deleted from the storage unit. do.

Further, in the information processing apparatus according to claim 15 , in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , the output unit outputs and stores the operation input information to an external server device. ..
Further, the information processing apparatus according to claim 16 indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected for the acquisition unit that acquires the operation input information from the user and the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit. The specific part that identifies the data owner to which the information is associated and the information that is associated with the data owner specified by the specific part and indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected are set to be collectable. If so, the output unit includes an output unit that outputs the operation input information, and the output unit is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, and indicates whether or not the operation input information can be collected. Is set to not collect, the operation input information is not output.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the program according to claim 17 causes the computer to function as each part included in the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16 .

According to the inventions according to claim 1 , claim 16, and claim 17 , it is possible to prevent the operation input information from being collected without the user's own knowledge.
Further, the collection of the operation input information can be more appropriately restricted as compared with the case where the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner, is not taken into consideration.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the operation input information can be collected more appropriately as compared with the case where the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is not considered for each of the plurality of users.

According to the third and fourth aspects of the invention, the operation input information is more appropriately used as compared with the case where the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is not taken into consideration for at least one of the plurality of users. Can be restricted.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even during a session with the own device, the change of the setting instructed by the user or another user can be reflected.

According to the invention of claim 6, the change of the setting instructed by the user or another user is reflected more appropriately as compared with the case where the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is not confirmed after the session is completed. be able to.

According to the invention of claim 7, the data owner can be easily specified as compared with the case where the data table is not used.

According to the invention of claim 8, the user can grasp that his / her own operation input information is collected.

According to the invention of claim 9, whether or not the operation input information can be collected can be selectively set by using a desired mode.

According to the tenth and the eleventh aspects of the invention, when the mode is changed, the administrator can grasp that there is a user in the data owner who is set not to collect information.

According to the invention of claim 12 , the operation input information can be easily used as compared with the case where the operation input information is not output and stored in the storage unit of the own device.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the operation input information can be used at a desired timing as compared with the case where the operation input information stored in the storage unit is further output to an external server device and not stored. .. In addition, it is possible to store more operation input information than the storage unit of the own device. Further, even if a third party who uses the operation input information does not collect it from its own device, it can be remotely collected from the server device and used.

According to the invention of claim 14 , the storage unit of the own device can be effectively used as compared with the case where the operation input information is not deleted from the storage unit of the own device.

According to the invention of claim 15 , the operation input information can be used at a desired timing as compared with the case where the operation input information is not output and stored in the external server device. In addition, it is possible to store more operation input information than the storage unit of the own device. Further, even if a third party who uses the operation input information does not collect it from its own device, it can be remotely collected from the server device and used.

It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the information gathering system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the electric structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the home screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data table and the collectability table which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing flow by the information collection program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the possibility setting screen for a data owner which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the confirmation screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the collection state confirmation screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the selection screen which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the admissibility setting screen for a general user which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the possibility setting screen for an administrator which concerns on embodiment. It is a front view which shows an example of the notification screen which concerns on embodiment.

Hereinafter, an example of a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information collection system 90 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the information collection system 90 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 10A and a server apparatus 50. The image forming apparatus 10A is an example of an information processing apparatus. In addition to the image forming apparatus 10A, for example, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like may be applied to this information processing apparatus.

The image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment is connected to the server apparatus 50 via the network N. As an example, the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like are applied to the network N. As an example, a general-purpose computer such as a server computer or a personal computer (PC) is applied to the server device 50 according to the present embodiment.

The image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment has an information collecting function of collecting operation input information obtained by a user's operation input and periodically transmitting and storing the collected operation input information to the server device 50. There is.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 12, a storage unit 14, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, and a document reading unit 22. It is provided with a communication unit 24.

The control unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12C, and an input / output interface (I / O) 12D, and each of these units is via a bus. Are connected to each other.

Each functional unit including a storage unit 14, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, and a communication unit 24 is connected to the I / O 12D. Each of these functional units can communicate with the CPU 12A via the I / O 12D.

The control unit 12 may be configured as a sub control unit that controls a part of the operation of the image forming apparatus 10A, or may be configured as a part of a main control unit that controls the entire operation of the image forming apparatus 10A. good. For example, an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an IC (Integrated Circuit) chipset is used for a part or all of each block of the control unit 12. An individual circuit may be used for each of the above blocks, or a circuit in which a part or all of them are integrated may be used. Each of the above blocks may be provided integrally, or some blocks may be provided separately. In addition, a part of each of the above blocks may be provided separately. The integration of the control unit 12 is not limited to the LSI, and a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor may be used.

As the storage unit 14, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, or the like is used. The storage unit 14 stores an information collection program 14A for realizing the information collection function according to the present embodiment. The information collection program 14A may be stored in the ROM 12B. Further, the storage unit 14 stores a data table 14B and a collection availability table 14C, which will be described later.

The information collection program 14A may be pre-installed in, for example, the image forming apparatus 10A. The information collection program 14A may be realized by storing it in a non-volatile storage medium or distributing it via a network and appropriately installing it in the image forming apparatus 10A. Examples of non-volatile storage media include CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), optomagnetic disks, HDDs, DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), flash memories, memory cards, and the like. To.

For the display unit 16, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like is used. The display unit 16 integrally has a touch panel. The operation unit 18 is provided with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key. The display unit 16 and the operation unit 18 receive various instructions from the user of the image forming apparatus 10A. These various instructions include, for example, an instruction to start reading the original, an instruction to start copying the original, and the like. The display unit 16 displays various information such as the result of the process executed in response to the instruction received from the user and the notification for the process.

The document reading unit 22 captures the documents placed on the paper feed tray of the automatic document feeder (not shown) provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 10A one by one, and optically reads the captured documents to obtain image information. .. Alternatively, the document reading unit 22 optically reads the document placed on the platen such as platen glass to obtain image information.

The image forming unit 20 uses the image information obtained by reading by the document reading unit 22 or the image based on the image information obtained from an external PC or the like connected via the network N on a recording medium such as paper. Form. In the present embodiment, the electrophotographic method will be described as an example as the method for forming an image, but another method such as an inkjet method may be adopted.

When the method for forming an image is an electrophotographic method, the image forming unit 20 includes a photoconductor drum, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. The charging unit applies a voltage to the photoconductor drum to charge the surface of the photoconductor drum. The exposed unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum by exposing the photoconductor drum charged by the charged unit with light corresponding to the image information. The developing unit develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum with toner to form a toner image on the photoconductor drum. The transfer unit transfers the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum to a recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium by heating and pressurizing.

The communication unit 24 is connected to the Internet, a network N such as a LAN or a WAN, and can communicate with an external PC or the like via the network N.

By the way, as described above, for example, if the device administrator decides whether or not to collect information, the operation input information that the general user does not know is collected without knowing it. It is not desirable because it may end up.

Therefore, the CPU 12A of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment functions as each unit shown in FIG. 3 by writing the information collection program 14A stored in the storage unit 14 to the RAM 12C and executing the program.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 12A of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment functions as an acquisition unit 30, a specific unit 32, an output unit 34, a reflection unit 36, and a notification unit 38.

As an example, the acquisition unit 30 according to the present embodiment acquires operation input information from the user via the home screen shown in FIG. The operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit 30 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 14 or the acquisition unit 30 during the processing by the specific unit 32 and the output unit 34.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a home screen according to the present embodiment.
The home screen shown in FIG. 4 is an example of a touch-operable UI screen displayed on the display unit 16, and receives operation input information indicating contents operated or input by the user.

The specific unit 32 according to the present embodiment can collect the operation input information with respect to the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit 30 by using the data table 14B shown in the upper figure of FIG. 5 described later as an example. Identify the data owner to which the information indicating is associated. The data owner here means a user who has the authority to set whether or not the operation input information is possible. The user who is the target of the data owner includes, for example, a device administrator, a general user, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data table 14B and a collection availability table 14C according to the present embodiment.
As shown in the upper figure of FIG. 5, in the data table 14B according to the present embodiment, a data owner is associated and stored as an attribute for each of a plurality of predetermined data groups.
Further, as shown in the lower figure of FIG. 5, in the collection availability table 14C according to the present embodiment, information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is stored in association with each user of the data owner. There is.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the data table 14B, the user A is the device administrator, and the users B to E are general users. Further, in the collection availability table 14C, "permission" indicating that the operation input information can be collected and "permission" indicating that the operation input information can be collected are not possible for each of the users A to E. One of "impossible" indicating is set. The reflection unit 36 according to the present embodiment receives from each user the setting of information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, and reflects the content of the accepted setting in the collection possibility table 14C.

As the above data group, as an example, a plurality of (three in this example) groups such as "personal", "system", and "device" are applied. "Personal" is a group to which data that can be customized by an individual user belongs. The "system" is a group that is uniquely set by the system (image forming apparatus 10A in this embodiment) and to which data important for the operation of the system belongs. A "device" is a group to which abstract data (for example, the number of screen accesses, screen transition flow, utilization rate for each application program, etc.) that depends on the device rather than the user belongs. Each of these plurality of data groups is associated with the type of operation input information.

The specific unit 32 according to the present embodiment uses the operation input information as an example, referring to the data table 14B shown in the upper figure of FIG. 5, based on the type of the operation input information, and is any one of a plurality of data groups. And specify the data owner associated with the classified data group as an attribute. The type of operation input information is specified, for example, from the item name, data format, etc. of the operation input information.

The notification unit 38 according to the present embodiment notifies the user who operates the own device that the operation input information is collected for each data group based on the permission of the data owner specified by the specific unit 32. do. Specifically, for example, a message such as "We are collecting your operation input information based on the permission of the data owner" may be displayed and notified to the display unit 16, or a voice message or the like. May be notified using.

Next, returning to FIG. 3, the output unit 34 according to the present embodiment is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit 32 with reference to the collection availability table 14C shown in the lower figure of FIG. 5 as an example. Outputs the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is set to be collectable. Specifically, the output unit 34 outputs and stores the operation input information in, for example, a temporary storage area of the storage unit 14. The output unit 34 may further output and store the operation input information stored in the storage unit 14 to the external server device 50. In this case, it is desirable to delete the operation input information from the storage unit 14 after outputting the operation input information to the server device 50. It is desirable to delete the operation input information from the storage unit 14 in this way from the viewpoint of security management, protection of personal information, and the like, in addition to effectively using the storage area of the storage unit 14. Further, the output unit 34 may directly output and store the operation input information to the server device 50.

On the other hand, the output unit 34 discards the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit 32, is set to be non-collectable. .. Discarding here means that the operation input information is not stored in the temporary storage area of the storage unit 14.

More specifically, when a plurality of users are included in the above-mentioned data owner, the output unit 34 can collect all the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for each of the plurality of users. When set to, the operation input information is output. On the other hand, the output unit 34 discards the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for at least one of the plurality of users is set to be non-collectable.

Further, when the plurality of users are a user who operates the own device and another user, the reflection unit 36 determines the user himself / herself or another user after the user who is operating starts a session with the own device. When the setting of the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is changed by the instruction from the user, the change may be reflected retroactively to the start of the session. In this case, the output unit 34 determines whether or not the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is set to be collectable when the session by the user during the operation ends. That is, the operation input information from the start is temporarily accumulated until the end of the session regardless of whether or not the collection is possible. Then, based on whether or not the collection is set at the end of the session, it is determined whether or not to collect the operation input information from the start. This will reflect the changes as far back as the start of the session. The session referred to here is, for example, one session from the user logging in to the own device and starting the operation to logging off and ending the operation. Further, after the login operation, the state in which the operation is not performed continues for a certain period of time or more, and the auto-clear timer may be operated as one session. Further, one session may be from the login operation to the end of one process (copying, reading, printing, etc.).

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the information collection program 14A according to the first embodiment.

First, when the image forming apparatus 10A is activated and the home screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display unit 16, the information collecting program 14A is activated and the following steps are executed.

In step 100 of FIG. 6, the reflection unit 36 accepts the user account via the acquisition unit 30, and based on the accepted user account, determines whether or not the user of the user account set as the data owner logs in for the first time. do. If it is determined that the login is the first time (in the case of affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 104, and if it is determined that the login is not the first time (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 102.

In step 102, the reflection unit 36 determines whether or not the operation input information regarding the individual user is newly created in response to the operation by the user. When it is determined that the operation input information regarding the individual user has been newly created (in the case of affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 104, and when it is determined that the operation input information regarding the individual user has not been newly created (in the case of a negative determination). ), The process proceeds to step 108.

In step 104, the reflection unit 36 causes the display unit 16 to display the data owner availability setting screen shown in FIG. 7 as an example.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of the availability setting screen for the data owner according to the present embodiment.
The data owner availability setting screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and is a screen for the user to set whether or not the user's operation input information may be collected.

When the "Yes" button is selected and specified on the data owner availability setting screen shown in FIG. 7, the collection of operation input information is set to permission, and the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the "No" button is selected and specified, the collection of operation input information is set to be disabled, and the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. 4 in the same manner.

In step 106, as an example, the setting content received by the reflection unit 36 via the data owner availability setting screen shown in FIG. 7 is reflected in the collection availability table 14C shown in the lower figure of FIG. 5 as an example.

In step 108, the acquisition unit 30 acquires the operation input information from the user via the home screen shown in FIG. 4, as an example.

In step 110, the specific unit 32 uses the operation input information as an example, based on the type of the operation input information acquired in step 108, with reference to the data table 14B shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, and a plurality of data. Classify into one of the groups and identify the data owner associated with the classified data group as an attribute.

In step 112, as an example, the output unit 34 refers to the collection availability table 14C shown in the lower figure of FIG. 5 to indicate whether or not the operation input information for each user included in the data owner specified in step 110 can be collected. Based on the information, it is determined whether or not the operation input information can be collected. If it is determined that the operation input information can be collected (in the case of affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 114, and if it is determined that the operation input information cannot be collected (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 122.

In step 114, the output unit 34 outputs and stores the operation input information in, for example, a temporary storage area of the storage unit 14.

In step 116, the output unit 34 determines whether or not a certain period of time has elapsed since the operation input information was stored in the storage unit 14. If it is determined that a certain period of time has passed (in the case of an affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 118, and if it is determined that a certain period of time has not elapsed (in the case of a negative determination), the process waits in step 116.

In step 118, the output unit 34 outputs and stores the operation input information stored in the storage unit 14 to the external server device 50.

In step 120, the output unit 34 deletes the operation input information from the storage unit 14, and ends a series of processes by the information collection program 14A.

On the other hand, in step 122, the output unit 34 discards the operation input information without storing it in the storage unit 14, and ends a series of processes by the information collection program 14A.

Next, a screen example in which the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is changed will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example of a confirmation screen according to the present embodiment.
The confirmation screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and is a screen for confirming the operation input information for which information collection is permitted for a certain user (here, user A).

When the "Back" button is selected and specified on the confirmation screen shown in FIG. 8, the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. 4 as an example. When the "collection status" button is selected and specified, the collection status confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 16 as an example.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an example of a collection state confirmation screen according to the present embodiment.
The collection status confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and is a screen for the user to confirm the current data owner permission status for the data group to which the operation input information for which information collection is permitted belongs. be.

When the "Back" button is selected and specified on the collection status confirmation screen shown in FIG. 9, the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. 4 as an example. Further, when the user being operated is the data owner of the data group, it is possible to select and specify the "setting" button to change the setting contents.

By default, the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is set to "impossible" indicating that collection is not possible. Therefore, the operation input information is not collected without knowing it unless either the operating user or the device administrator changes the setting.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment described above, a mode for setting whether or not to collect operation input information has been described for each data owner. In this embodiment, when setting whether or not to collect operation input information, a mode of selecting and setting from a plurality of modes will be described.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10B according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 12A of the image forming apparatus 10B according to the present embodiment functions as an acquisition unit 30, a specific unit 32, an output unit 34, a reflection unit 36, a notification unit 38, and a selection unit 40. The components having the same functions as the image forming apparatus 10A shown in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted here.

The selection unit 40 according to the present embodiment selects any mode from the first mode to the third mode. The first mode is a mode for setting whether or not to collect operation input information each time the user starts a session with the own device. The second mode is a mode in which the user included in the data owner sets whether or not to collect the operation input information. The third mode is a mode in which the device administrator of the own device collectively sets whether or not to collect operation input information.

As an example, the mode may be selected at the timing when the image forming apparatus 10B is first set up, or if the user is an apparatus administrator, the mode may be changed later.

Next, a screen example displayed on the display unit 16 by the selection unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an example of the selection screen according to the present embodiment.
The selection screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and is a screen for allowing the user to select and specify any of the above-mentioned first mode to third mode.

In the selection screen shown in FIG. 11, when any one of the first mode to the third mode is selected and the "Next" button is selected and specified, the home screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed as an example.

When the first mode is selected and specified on the selection screen shown in FIG. 11, as an example, the display unit 16 displays the availability setting screen for general users shown in FIG. 12 every time the general user starts a session with the own device. Is displayed in a pop-up.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing an example of the availability setting screen for general users according to the present embodiment.
The availability setting screen for general users shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and is a screen for the general user to set whether or not to collect operation input information of the general user. ..

When the "Yes" button is selected and specified on the availability setting screen for general users shown in FIG. 12, the collection of operation input information is set to permission, and the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the "No" button is selected and specified, the collection of operation input information is set to be disabled, and the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. 4 in the same manner.

Further, when the second mode is selected and designated on the selection screen shown in FIG. 11, as an example, the availability setting screen for the data owner shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 16. In this case, as described above, each user included in the data owner sets whether or not to collect information.

Further, when the third mode is selected and designated on the selection screen shown in FIG. 11, the enable / disable setting screen for the administrator shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display unit 16 as an example.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example of a permission / rejection setting screen for an administrator according to the present embodiment.
The enable / disable setting screen for the administrator shown in FIG. 13 is displayed on the display unit 16 so as to be touch-operable, and when the user is a device administrator, whether or not to collect the operation input information for each user included in the data owner is confirmed. This is a screen for the device administrator to set all at once.

When the "Yes" button is selected and specified on the enable / disable setting screen for the administrator shown in FIG. 13, the collection of operation input information is collectively set to permission, and the screen returns to the home screen shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the "No" button is selected and specified, the collection of operation input information is set to be disabled at once, and the home screen shown in FIG. 4 is similarly returned.

Here, the device manager can change from the first mode or the second mode to the third mode even if the own device is operating in the first mode or the second mode. However, in the case of the second mode, the data owner may include a user who is set not to collect operation input information. In this case, it is desirable to notify the device administrator that there is a user who is set not to collect.

Therefore, when the notification unit 38 according to the present embodiment is changed from the second mode to the third mode by the selection unit 40, and the data owner includes a user who is set so that the operation input information cannot be collected. Notifies the device administrator that the data owner includes a user who has set the operation input information to be non-collectable. Here, an example of the notification screen by the notification unit 38 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a front view showing an example of the notification screen according to the present embodiment.
The notification screen shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the display unit 16 so that it can be touch-operated, and the device administrator is informed that the data owner includes a user who has set the operation input information to be non-collectable. This is the screen for notification.

In the notification screen shown in FIG. 14, when the "Yes" button is selected and specified, the collection of operation input information is set to permission collectively, and when the "No" button is selected and specified, the collection of operation input information is performed. It is set to disabled all at once. When the collection of operation input information is collectively permitted by the device administrator, the notification unit 38 has changed the setting by the device administrator at the next login for the user who has been set not to collect. It is desirable to notify.

Further, for example, when the operation is performed in the second mode and all the users of the data owner are permitted to collect the operation input information, the device administrator is transferred to the third mode to input the operation. It may be proposed to set the collection of information to permission at once. As an example, it is conceivable to display a message suggesting a mode change on the display unit 16. This makes it possible to operate in the optimum mode according to the status of permission to collect information.

Further, when changing the third mode to the second mode, the current setting contents set by the device administrator may be transferred to each user of the data owner as it is. This makes it possible to prevent initialization due to a mode change.

The image forming apparatus has been described above as an example of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The embodiment may be in the form of a program for causing a computer to execute the functions of each part included in the image forming apparatus. The embodiment may be in the form of a storage medium that can be read by a computer that stores this program.

In addition, the configuration of the image forming apparatus described in the above embodiment is an example, and may be changed depending on the situation within a range that does not deviate from the gist.

Further, the processing flow of the program described in the above embodiment is also an example, and even if unnecessary steps are deleted, new steps are added, or the processing order is changed within a range that does not deviate from the purpose. good.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the processing according to the embodiment is realized by the software configuration by using the computer by executing the program has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The embodiment may be realized, for example, by a hardware configuration or a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

10A, 10B Image forming device 12 Control unit 12A CPU
12B ROM
12C RAM
12D I / O
14 Storage unit 14A Information collection program 14B Data table 14C Collection availability table 16 Display unit 18 Operation unit 20 Image formation unit 22 Document reading unit 24 Communication unit 30 Acquisition unit 32 Specific unit 34 Output unit 36 Reflection unit 38 Notification unit 40 Selection unit 50 Server device 90 Information collection system

Claims (17)

An acquisition unit that acquires operation input information from the user,
A specific unit that identifies a data owner to which information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is associated with the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit.
An output unit that outputs the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be collectable.
Equipped with
The output unit discards the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be non-collectable.
Information processing equipment. The data owner includes a plurality of users.
The first aspect of claim 1 is that the output unit outputs the operation input information when all the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for each of the plurality of users is set to be collectable. Information processing device. The second aspect of claim 2 is that the output unit discards the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for at least one of the plurality of users is set to be non-collectable. Information processing equipment. An acquisition unit that acquires operation input information from the user,
A specific unit that identifies a data owner to which information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is associated with the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit.
An output unit that outputs the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be collectable.
Equipped with
The data owner includes a plurality of users.
The output unit outputs the operation input information when all the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for each of the plurality of users is set to be collectable, and outputs the operation input information of the plurality of users. When the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected for at least one person is set to be non-collectable, the operation input information is discarded.
Information processing equipment. The plurality of users are a user who operates the own device and another user.
After the user starts a session with the own device, when the setting of the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is changed by the instruction from the user or the other user, the session is started. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a reflection unit that retroactively reflects the change. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the output unit determines whether or not information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is set to be collectable when the session ends. A data table in which a data owner is associated and stored as an attribute is further provided for each of a plurality of predetermined data groups.
The specifying unit classifies the operation input information into one of the plurality of data groups based on the type of the operation input information, and specifies a data owner associated with the classified data group as an attribute. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A claim further provided with a notification unit for notifying the user who operates the own device that the operation input information is collected for each data group based on the permission of the data owner specified by the specific unit. Item 7. The information processing apparatus according to Item 7. The first mode for setting whether or not the operation input information can be collected each time the user starts a session with the own device, the second mode for setting whether or not the user included in the data owner can collect the operation input information, and the own device. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a selection unit for selecting one of the third modes in which the administrator of the above-mentioned is collectively set whether or not to collect operation input information. When the selection unit changes the mode from the second mode to the third mode, and the data owner includes a user who is set not to collect operation input information, the administrator is notified. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a notification unit for notifying that the data owner includes a user who has set the operation input information so as not to be collected. An acquisition unit that acquires operation input information from the user,
A specific unit that identifies a data owner to which information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is associated with the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit.
An output unit that outputs the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be collectable.
The first mode for setting whether or not the operation input information can be collected each time the user starts a session with the own device, the second mode for setting whether or not the user included in the data owner can collect the operation input information, and the own device. A selection unit that selects one of the third modes in which the administrator of the system collectively sets whether or not to collect operation input information.
When the selection unit changes the mode from the second mode to the third mode, and the data owner includes a user who is set not to collect operation input information, the administrator is notified. A notification unit that notifies that the data owner includes a user who is set to disable collection of operation input information, and a notification unit.
Information processing device equipped with. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the output unit outputs and stores the operation input information in a storage unit of the own device. The information processing device according to claim 12 , wherein the output unit further outputs and stores the operation input information stored in the storage unit to an external server device. The information processing device according to claim 13 , wherein the output unit outputs the operation input information to the server device and then deletes the operation input information from the storage unit. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the output unit outputs and stores the operation input information in an external server device. An acquisition unit that acquires operation input information from the user,
A specific unit that identifies a data owner to which information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected is associated with the operation input information acquired by the acquisition unit.
An output unit that outputs the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be collectable.
Equipped with
The output unit does not output the operation input information when the information indicating whether or not the operation input information can be collected, which is associated with the data owner specified by the specific unit, is set to be non-collectable.
Information processing equipment. A program for making a computer function as each part of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16 .

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