Patent Publication Number: US-2022217239-A1

Title: Image-forming apparatus, information processing system, and control method

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to an image-forming apparatus, and the like. 
     Description of the Background Art 
     In a multifunction peripheral (MFP), or the like, having various functions as an image-forming apparatus, there is a technology to change the behavior of the image-forming apparatus in accordance with a movement of a user. 
     Conventionally, a printing control system is disclosed, which measures the distance between a browsing terminal (portable terminal device) displaying content and a printing device, requests the browsing terminal to transmit the content when the distance from the browsing terminal becomes less than a first predetermined distance, and starts printing when the distance from the browsing terminal becomes less than a second predetermined distance (see WO2008/117785). 
     However, simply detecting the movement of the user by using a communication function of the portable terminal device does not achieve an efficient operation as the image-forming apparatus may operate by detecting the movement of the user who has no intention to use the image-forming apparatus, depending on the installation location of the image-forming apparatus, the location of the user&#39;s desk, etc. 
     In view of such a circumstance, the present disclosure provides an image-forming apparatus and the like that reduces the detection of movement of a user who has no intention to use so as to achieve an efficient operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure is an image-forming apparatus comprising a controller and a communicator, wherein the controller is configured to perform to detect distance information of the image-forming apparatus with respect to a portable terminal device possessed by a user based on communication with the portable terminal device using the communicator, detect, based on the detected distance information, approach or leaving of specific portable terminal devices possessed by at least one or more predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus, and change a behavior of the image-forming apparatus when the controller detects the approach or the leaving of the specific portable terminal device to or from the image-forming apparatus. 
     The present disclosure is an information processing system comprising a portable terminal device and an image-forming apparatus, wherein the image-forming apparatus includes a controller and a communicator, wherein the controller is configured to perform to detect distance information of the image-forming apparatus with respect to a portable terminal device possessed by a user based on communication with the portable terminal device using the communicator, detect, based on the detected distance information, approach or leaving of specific portable terminal devices possessed by at least one or more predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus, and change a behavior of the image-forming apparatus when the controller detects the approach or the leaving of the specific portable terminal device to or from the image-forming apparatus. 
     The present disclosure is a method for controlling an image-forming apparatus, the method comprising detecting distance information of the image-forming apparatus with respect to a portable terminal device possessed by a user based on communication with the portable terminal device, detecting, based on the detected distance information, approach or leaving of specific portable terminal devices possessed by at least one or more predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus, and changing a behavior of the image-forming apparatus when the approach or the leaving of the specific portable terminal device to or from the image-forming apparatus is detected. 
     With the image-forming apparatus according to the present invention, based on the detected distance information, the approach or leaving of specific portable terminal devices possessed by at least one or more predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus is detected, and when the approach or leaving of the specific portable terminal device to or from the image-forming apparatus is detected by the approach detector, the behavior of the image-forming apparatus is changed; thus, only the distance information of the portable terminal devices possessed by at least one or more predetermined users who used the image-forming apparatus is managed so that it is possible to produce a desired effect of effectively preventing unnecessary behavior changes due to the approach or leaving of a user other than the distance-information management target user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an external view of an image-forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a control block diagram of the image-forming apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an operation. 
         FIG. 4  is a control flowchart. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are schematic diagrams of a setting user interface. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment for carrying out the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     The embodiment below is an example for describing the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the invention described in claims is not limited to the description below. 
     1. Embodiment 
     1.1 Overall Configuration 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , an image-forming apparatus  10  according to an embodiment is used by a user who possesses a portable terminal device  200 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the image-forming apparatus  10  is a multifunction printer (MFP) having a plurality of functions of a duplicator, a copier, a scanner, and the like, to read an image of a document by a document reader  112  in an upper portion of the image-forming apparatus  10  and output the image by an electrophotographic system. 
     The image-forming apparatus  10  performs an operation to change the behavior of the image-forming apparatus  10  in accordance with the movement of a user, i.e., recognizes the information on the distance from the portable terminal device  200 , such as a mobile terminal possessed by a user, having an approach communication function, detects the approach or leaving of the specific portable terminal devices  200  possessed by at least one or more predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus  10  and thus detects the approach or leaving of the user, and recovers from an energy-saving state to a normal state or logs in/out. 
     1.2 Functional Configuration 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the image-forming apparatus  10  primarily includes a controller  100 , an image inputter  110 , the document reader  112 , an image processor  120 , an image former  130 , an operator  140 , a display  150 , a storage  160 , and a communicator  170 . 
     The controller  100  is a functional section that controls the overall image-forming apparatus  10 . 
     The controller  100  reads and executes various programs to perform various functions and includes, for example, one or more arithmetic devices (e.g., a central processing units (CPUs)). 
     The image inputter  110  is a functional section that inputs image data to the image-forming apparatus  10 . The image inputter  110  is coupled to the document reader  112 , which is a functional section that reads an image of a document, to input image data that is output from the document reader  112 . 
     The image inputter  110  may input image data from a storage medium such as a USB memory or an SD card. The image inputter  110  may input image data from another terminal device via the communicator  170  that establishes a connection with another terminal device. 
     The document reader  112  has a function to optically read a document placed on a contact glass (not illustrated), or the like, and deliver the generated image data to the image processor  120 . 
     The image former  130  is a functional section that forms, on a recording medium (e.g., recording sheet), output data based on the image data. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the recording sheet is fed from a sheet feed tray  122 , and after an image is formed on a surface of the recording sheet by the image former  130 , the recording sheet is ejected to a sheet ejection tray  124 . The image former  130  includes, for example, a laser printer that uses an electrophotographic system. 
     The image processor  120  has a function to perform image processing to convert the image data read by the document reader  112  into a set file format (TIFF, GIF, JPEG, etc.). Then, an output image is formed based on the image data on which the image processing has been performed. 
     The operator  140  is a functional section that receives an operation instruction by a user and includes various key switches, a device that detects an input by contact, etc. The user inputs, via the operator  140 , the function to be used and an output condition. 
     The display  150  is a functional section that displays various types of information to the user and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). 
     Specifically, the operator  140  provides a user interface for operating the image-forming apparatus  10 , and the display  150  presents various setting menu screens and messages of the image-forming apparatus. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the image-forming apparatus  10  may include, as the configuration of the operator  140 , a touch panel that is an integrated combination of an operation panel  141  and the display  150 . In this case, the method for detecting an input of the touch panel may be a typical detection method, such as a resistive method, an infrared method, an inductive method, or a capacitive method. 
     The storage  160  is a functional section that stores various programs including a control program needed for an operation of the image-forming apparatus  10 , various data including read data, and user information. The storage  160  includes, for example, a non-volatile read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). A solid state drive (SSD), which is a semiconductor memory, may be included. 
     The communicator  170  provides a communication connection with an external device. A communication interface (communication I/F) used for transmitting and receiving data is provided as the communicator  170 . 
     In accordance with a user operation at the image-forming apparatus  10 , the communication I/F allows the data stored in the storage of the image-forming apparatus  10  to be transmitted to and received by another computer device connected via a network. 
     The communicator  170  includes, as a communication interface, a beacon communicator  170   a  that wirelessly communicates with the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user. The beacon communicator  170   a  is a communication device that realizes wireless communication by connecting to the portable terminal device  200  based on controlling by the controller  100 . For example, the beacon communicator  170   a  is an antenna for transmitting and receiving a wireless signal by Bluetooth (registered trademark: the same applies hereinafter) or an integrated circuit (IC) including the antenna. Or the beacon communicator  170   a  may be (1) an antenna for transmitting and receiving a wireless signal of a wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN (local area network) or NFC (near field communication)), or (2) an integrated circuit including the antenna. 
     The portable terminal device  200  is a terminal device that may be carried around, including what is called a tablet terminal, a smartphone, and the like, and includes a beacon communicator  200   a  that transmits and receives beacon signals. The beacon communicator  200   a  is an antenna for transmitting and receiving a wireless signal or an integrated circuit (IC) including the antenna, similarly to the beacon communicator  170   a  of the image forming apparatus  10 . The beacon communicator  200   a  is wirelessly linked to the beacon communicator  170   a  of the communicator  170  in the image-forming apparatus  10  so as to transmit and receive beacon signals, and the image-forming apparatus  10  is configured to detect the distance information about the image-forming apparatus  10  and the portable terminal device  200  with the beacon signals (a distance detector  210 ) and detect the approach or leaving of the portable terminal device  200  to or from the image-forming apparatus  10  based on the detected distance information (an approach detector  220 ). 
     In the image-forming apparatus  10 , the controller  100  implements the respective functions of the distance detector  210 , the approach detector  220 , a behavior changer  230 , a setter  240 , and the like, in accordance with a program stored in the storage  160 . 
     The distance detector  210  detects the distance information of separation between the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user and the image-forming apparatus  10 . For example, the distance information may be detected by a location determination system in which the portable terminal device  200  uses, as the beacon signals, Bluetooth beacon signals. It is suitable to use, as the portable terminal device  200 , a smartphone or a tablet terminal using beacon signals based on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, which enables communications with extremely low power consumption. 
     The communicator  170  (the beacon communicator  170   a ) of the image-forming apparatus  10  transmits and receives beacon signals of the BLE standard to and from the portable terminal device  200  (the beacon communicator  200   a ) so as to detect the distance between the portable terminal device  200  and the image-forming apparatus  10  (see, for example, WO2016/103499). For example, the distance detector  210  detects the distance to the portable terminal device  200  based on (1) content of the beacon signal transmitted from the portable terminal device  200  and/or (2) a radio wave strength in communication with the portable terminal device  200 . For the distance detection, not only the beacon signals of the BLE standard but also terminal devices capable of measuring the distance using a wireless LAN or infrared rays may also be used. In this way, the distance detector  210  detects the distance to the portable terminal device  200  based on the communication with the portable terminal device  200  using the beacon communicator  170   a.    
     The approach detector  220  detects, based on the detected distance information, approach or leaving of the specific portable terminal devices  200  possessed by a plurality of predetermined users to or from the image-forming apparatus  10  and refrains from detecting approach or leaving of the portable terminal device possessed by a user other than the predetermined user to or from the image-forming apparatus  10 . 
     The behavior changer  230  changes the behavior of the image-forming apparatus  10  when the approach detector  220  determines that the specific portable terminal device  200  has approached or left from the image-forming apparatus  10 . 
     The setter  240  sets a plurality of predetermined users based on a usage history of the image-forming apparatus  10  or sets a user for which the distance information is managed regardless of the presence or absence of the usage history. 
     The setter  240  may make a determination based on, as the usage history of the image-forming apparatus  10 , for example the most recent number of uses of the image-forming apparatus  10  when at least one or more predetermined users approach or leave from the image-forming apparatus  10 . 
     Here, the setter  240  may set a limit on the number of predetermined users or the time for managing the usage history. It is suitable to limit the predetermined users to only a plurality of (e.g.,  2  to  10 ) users who used the image-forming apparatus most recently (e.g., about an hour earlier) from the usage history and to repeatedly acquire the most recent usage history of the limited number of users. When there is no limit on the number of persons or the management time, the memory storing the usage history of the user is continuously consumed, but setting a limit may prevent unnecessary consumption of a memory capacity and may ensure a memory capacity. 
     The predetermined user may be set based on the size of the installation location of the image-forming apparatus, the number of users, the frequency of use, etc. For the limit set on the time for managing the usage history, the setting time may be automatically changed in accordance with the frequency of use of the image-forming apparatus (for example, the setting time is automatically changed within work hours and out of work hours). Alternatively, a fixed setting time may be used for management. The number of persons to be registered as the predetermined users may be some percentage of the total number of users, or the time as a management target may be changed in accordance with the number of registered users. 
     As for the predetermined user and the specific portable terminal device  200 , the setter  240  may set, as the predetermined user, a user who is managed regardless of the presence or absence of the most recent usage history and set, as the specific portable terminal device  200 , the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user. 
     Specifically, when the user is assumed to have a high frequency of use based on the past usage situation, the content of the job, the distance from the image-forming apparatus, etc., the user is likely to use the image-forming apparatus afterward even though the most recent usage history is not present; therefore, the user is set as the predetermined user and the specific portable terminal device  200  to be managed, and the behavior of the image-forming apparatus  10  is changed to prepare for use when the specific portable terminal device  200  approaches or leaves, which enables an efficient operation. 
     As the predetermined user and the specific portable terminal device  200 , the setter  240  may set the user and the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user to be excluded from the management target regardless of the presence or absence of the most recent usage history. By excluding a user who is assumed to have a low frequency of use from the management target, a change in the behavior is prevented even when the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user who is assumed to have a low frequency of use approaches or leaves, and an unnecessary behavior change of the image-forming apparatus is prevented, which enables an efficient operation. 
     The change in the behavior of the image-forming apparatus  10  performed by the behavior changer  230  may be an operation to recover the image-forming apparatus  10  from the energy-saving operating state to the normal operating state or an operation for the user to log in to or log out of the image-forming apparatus  10 . The energy-saving operating state (energy-saving operating mode) is, for example, an operating state in which a minimum necessary power is supplied to the controller and the power supply to the CPU and a fixing device is stopped. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a specific example of a setting screen for a predetermined number of users and a time as a management target with regard to the settings of the setter  240 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , on the display screen displayed on the display  150  operable by an operation of the operator  140 , a tab  300  of the system settings is selected, and distance information management  300   a   1  is selected from selection items of management settings  300   a  so that a setting screen  310  of the distance information management is displayed. 
     On the setting screen  310  of the distance information management, “valid” is selected on a pull-down menu  310   a  for the distance information management so that the settings of the distance information management may be set to “valid”. 
     The setting screen  310  displays a check box  310   b  for selecting whether to “use the job history (use the usage history)” and a check box  310   c  for selecting whether to “use the registered management target user”. By checking the check boxes  310   b  and  310   c , the management may use the most recent usage history (the most recently executed job history) and the registered management target user. 
     In a case where the check box  310   b  is checked, while a box  310   d  for setting the “time as the management target from the most recent job” and a box  310   e  for setting the “number of persons as the management target from the most recent job” are displayed on the setting screen  310  for the “management using the job history”, the management time is input to the box  310   d  and the number of predetermined users is input to the box  310   e  so that “management using the job history” may be set. 
     When the check box  310   c  is checked, it is possible to “use the registered management target user”. A predetermined user name (a user A, a user B, a user C, etc.) as a management target is input to a box  310   f  for inputting a user name of a management target user so that the predetermined user as a management target may be input. 
     A “register button”  320   a  displayed on the setting screen  310  is pressed so that the currently input settings are registered, and an “update button”  320   b  is pressed so that the input settings may be updated. 
     1.3 Process Flow 
     The flow of an operation in the image-forming apparatus  10  will be described based on the flowchart in  FIG. 4 . Step  100  and subsequent steps will be abbreviated as S 100  and the like. 
     First, when the distance detector  210  detects the portable terminal device  200  that is present in the surroundings of the image-forming apparatus  10 , it is determined whether the user possessing the portable terminal device  200  is a predetermined user to be managed based on the most recent usage history or whether the user is a predetermined user to be managed not based on the usage history (S 100 ). 
     As a result of a determination, when the user possessing the portable terminal device  200  is a predetermined user to be managed based on the most recent usage history, or when the user is a predetermined user to be managed not based on the usage history, the portable terminal device  200  possessed by the user is the specific portable terminal device  200 , and the distance from the image-forming apparatus  10  to the specific portable terminal device  200  is acquired from the distance detector  210  (S 110 ). 
     Conversely, as a result of a determination at S 100 , when the user possessing the portable terminal device  200  is not a predetermined user to be managed based on the most recent usage history and is not a predetermined user to be managed not based on the usage history (S 100 : No), the distance information is not acquired (S 120 ) and the process ends (end). 
     After the process at S 110 , it is determined whether a user is currently logged in to the image-forming apparatus  10  (S 130 ). As a result of a determination, when the user is currently logged in to the image-forming apparatus  10 , the approach detector  220  detects whether the specific portable terminal device  200  possessed by the predetermined user has moved away from the image-forming apparatus  10  and determines whether the predetermined user has left (S 140 ). 
     When it is determined that leaving of the predetermined user has been detected (S 140 : Yes), a logout process is executed for the user currently logged in to the image-forming apparatus  10  or the energy-saving operating mode is entered (S 150 ). In this case, when it is determined that leaving has been detected, it may be determined that the user&#39;s job has been completed, and therefore a logout process is executed for the user currently logged in to the image-forming apparatus  10 , the operation of the image-forming apparatus  10  is stopped, or the energy-saving mode is set in which the power is fed only to necessary devices in a standby state. Then, the process ends (end). 
     Conversely, when it is determined at S 140  that leaving of the predetermined user has not been detected (S 140 : No), the process ends (end). 
     When it is determined at S 130  that the user is not currently logged in to the image-forming apparatus  10  (S 130 : No), it is determined whether the approach of the user has been detected from the approach of the portable terminal device  200  (S 160 ). When the approach of the user has been detected (S 160 : Yes), the image-forming apparatus  10  is recovered from the energy-saving mode to the normal mode, or the user is prompted to log in to the image-forming apparatus  10  so that the image-forming apparatus  10  enters a usable state (S 170 ). Then, the process ends (end). 
     When it is determined at S 160  that the approach of the portable terminal device  200  has not been detected (S 160 : No), the process ends (end). 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic processing diagram of the image-forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 
     By the process according to the embodiment, the behavior of the image-forming apparatus  10  may be changed by detecting the approach or leaving of the user who used the image-forming apparatus most recently or the target user for which the distance information is always managed. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 5( a ) , when a user  330  who used the image-forming apparatus most recently has approached the image-forming apparatus  10 , the image-forming apparatus  10  side detects the approach of the user and changes its behavior, for example, recovers from the energy-saving operating state to the normal state or sets a login state of the user whose approach has been detected. 
     With regard to the user who did not use the image-forming apparatus most recently or the user for which the distance information is not managed, the image-forming apparatus  10  does not detect the approach to or leaving from the image-forming apparatus  10  and does not change its behavior. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 5( b ) , even when a user  340  who did not use the image-forming apparatus most recently has approached the image-forming apparatus  10 , the image-forming apparatus  10  side does not detect the approach of the user. Therefore, the image-forming apparatus  10  does not change its behavior. 
     1.4 Advantageous Effects 
     As described above, according to the embodiment, in the operational environment where the behavior of the image-forming apparatus is changed in accordance with the movement of the user, a management is conducted for the distance information of at least one or more predetermined users who used the image-forming apparatus  10  or the approach or leaving of the target user for which the distance information is always managed, while no management is conducted for the distance information of other users; thus, it is possible to effectively prevent unnecessary behavior changes caused by the approach or leaving of a user other than the distance-information management target users. 
     Although the embodiment has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiment, and designs, etc. without departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the scope of claims. 
     According to the embodiment, a program working in each device is a program that controls a CPU or the like (a program that causes a computer to function) so as to perform the functions in the embodiment described above. Information processed by these devices is temporarily stored in a temporary storage device (e.g., a RAM) during processing, then stored in various storage devices such as a ROM or an HDD, and read and corrected/written by the CPU as needed. 
     Here, the recording medium storing the program may be any non-transitory recording medium such as a semiconductor medium (e.g., a ROM or a non-volatile memory card), an optical recording medium/magnetic optical recording medium (e.g., a digital versatile disk (DVD), a magneto optical disc (MO), a MiniDisc (MD), a compact disc (CD), a BD, etc.), or a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a magnetic tape or a flexible disk, etc.). 
     The functions in the above-described embodiment are performed by executing loaded programs, and also the functions of the present disclosure may be performed by processing in collaboration with the operating system, another application program, or the like, based on the instruction of the program. 
     When the program is distributed in the market, the program stored in a portable storage device may be distributed or the program may be transferred to a server computer connected via a network such as the Internet. In this case, obviously, a storage device of the server computer is also included in the present invention. 
     All or some of the devices according to the above-described embodiment may be implemented as large scale integration (LSI), which is typically an integrated circuit. The respective functional blocks of the devices may be individually formed as a chip or may be partially or entirely integrated and formed as a chip. The method for forming an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, but may also be implemented by a dedicated circuit or general-purpose processor. It is obvious that, when the progress of the semiconductor technology causes a technology of forming an integrated circuit in place of LSI, the integrated circuit by the technology may be used.