KR20220018275A - Update network information of identified image forming apparatus using unique information of image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an operation method of a terminal, which includes the steps of: identifying a communication connection state between a first image forming device registered in the terminal and the terminal; requesting unique information of the image forming device through a preset port of the image forming device on a network to which the terminal belongs when the communication connection state is confirmed as a disconnected state; updating network information used when requesting an image forming work based on a result of confirming that the first unique information in the unique information response received in response to the unique information of the image forming device matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming device; and performing the communication connection between the first image forming device and the terminal based on the updated network information.

Description

{UPDATE NETWORK INFORMATION OF IDENTIFIED IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS USING UNIQUE INFORMATION OF IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS}

A driver of the image forming apparatus may be installed in the user's terminal. The user may use the image forming apparatus for the driver of the image forming apparatus installed in the terminal, and may use the image forming apparatus while the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal is connected.

The terminal may check a communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal by using an IP address, a host name, a USB cable connection, or the like. When it is confirmed that the communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal is disconnected, the user may allow the image forming apparatus to communicate with the terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure can be easily understood in combination with the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals mean structural elements.
1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of updating network information using unique information of an image forming apparatus when a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal is released as network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.
2A is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a terminal for searching for an image forming apparatus and registering information used to update network information of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2B is an example of an operating method of a terminal for updating network information using unique information of the image forming apparatus and performing communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal when the communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal is released; FIG. It is a flow chart.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed operation method of a terminal for updating network information based on a result of confirming that the unique information in the unique information response and the registered unique information stored in the terminal match.
4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a terminal for performing communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal based on shared information when unique information in a unique information response and registered unique information stored in the terminal do not match.
5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a process of performing a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal using unique information of the image forming apparatus when network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.
6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a process of performing a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal using unique information and shared information of the image forming apparatus when network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.
7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating an operation process of a terminal when an image forming apparatus to be connected to a terminal is determined based on shared information, and the determined image forming apparatus is already connected to the terminal.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image forming apparatus that transmits network information and unique information to a terminal when network information of the image forming apparatus is different from previous network information.
9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image forming apparatus for transmitting unique information and network information of the image forming apparatus to a terminal.
10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a terminal.
11 is a diagram illustrating an example of instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium.
12 is a block diagram of an example showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus.
13 is a diagram of another example for explaining instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can easily implement them. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in several different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

"Image forming apparatus" may be any kind of device capable of performing image forming operation, such as a printer, scanner, fax machine, multi-function printer (MFP) or display device, etc. have. Further, the image forming apparatus may be a 2D image forming apparatus or a 3D image forming apparatus. An “image forming operation performed by the image forming apparatus” may be a job related to printing, copying, scanning, faxing, storage, transmission, coating, and the like.

The "terminal" may be a device that receives a user's command and displays processed information according to the user's command. For example, the terminal may be an electronic device such as a computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a smart phone, or a mobile phone.

A program for controlling the image forming apparatus may be installed in the terminal. For example, a program for controlling the image forming apparatus may be a driver of the image forming apparatus. For example, if the models of the image forming apparatuses are different, a driver for each image forming apparatus is installed in the terminal.

The user may request a predetermined image forming operation from the terminal to the image forming apparatus while the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal is connected, and obtain a result of the predetermined image forming operation from the image forming apparatus. However, when the IP address or host name of the image forming apparatus is changed, the communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal is cut off. In this case, the user can establish a communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal by reinstalling the program for controlling the image forming apparatus or manually changing the program settings.

Since the IP address or host name of the image forming apparatus may be changed according to an event occurring in the image forming apparatus or the terminal, the terminal can search for the image forming apparatus whose communication connection has been released using the unique information of the image forming apparatus. Also, by updating the network information of the image forming apparatus released from the communication connection, a communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal may be performed.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of updating network information using unique information of an image forming apparatus when a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal is released as network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.

The image 110 of FIG. 1 indicates that the communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 is connected. The terminal 10 may store network information and registration-specific information of the image forming apparatus 20 . The image forming apparatus 20 may store network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 . Here, network information stored in the terminal 10 and network information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be the same, and registered unique information stored in the terminal 10 and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be the same.

For example, the network information of the image forming apparatus 20 is used to connect the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 to each other, or a communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 . It may be information used when confirming. For example, the network information of the image forming apparatus 20 may include at least one of IP address information and host name information of the image forming apparatus 20 .

For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be information used to identify the image forming apparatus 20 . Also, the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be information that does not change according to an event occurring in the image forming apparatus 20 . For example, the registration specific information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 registered in the terminal 10 .

The image 120 of FIG. 1 describes a process in which the communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 is switched to the disconnected state as the IP address information of the image forming apparatus 20 is changed. is a drawing for

For example, the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 may be changed from 192.168.219.100 to 192.168.219.120. Since the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 stored in the terminal 10 is 192.168.219.100, the communication connection between the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 whose IP address is changed may be released.

When the terminal 10 detects a communication connection state between the image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 as a disconnected state, the terminal 10 uses the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to generate the image forming apparatus 20 ) can be searched for. Specifically, the terminal 10 may request the image forming apparatus 20 for unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 and receive the unique information from the image forming apparatus 20 . Here, the unique information may be AAABBBCCC. The terminal 10 confirms that the registered unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 stored in the terminal 10 matches the received unique information, so that the image forming apparatus 20 that has transmitted the unique information has previously been transferred to the terminal 10 . ) can be checked whether the image forming apparatus 20 is registered. The terminal 10 may request the changed IP address information to the image forming apparatus 20 and receive the changed IP address information from the image forming apparatus 20 .

Referring to the image 130 of FIG. 3 , the terminal 10 may update IP address information based on the changed IP address information. Specifically, the terminal 10 may update the IP address information from 192.168.219.100 to 192.168.219.120. The terminal 10 may perform a communication connection between the image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 based on the changed IP address information. As shown in the image 130 of FIG. 3 , the IP address information stored in the terminal 10 and the IP address information of the image forming apparatus 20 are the same, and the registration unique information stored in the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus The unique information of (20) may be the same.

2A is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a terminal for searching for an image forming apparatus and registering information used to update network information of the image forming apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 2A , in operation 201 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may install a driver of the image forming apparatus. For example, the driver of the image forming apparatus may be a program used to control the image forming apparatus in the terminal 10 . For example, the driver of the image forming apparatus transmits data of an image forming job from the terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus, checks a communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus, or details of the image forming apparatus It can be used to set functions. After the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed in the terminal 10 , a predetermined image forming operation may be requested from the terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus. The terminal 10 may install a driver for at least one image forming apparatus on a network belonging to the terminal 10 . When the models of the image forming apparatuses are different, the terminal 10 may install a driver for each of the image forming apparatuses.

In operation 202 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may set an automatic search and update function of the image forming apparatus. For example, in the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus, when the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is in the disconnected state, the terminal 10 automatically searches for an image forming apparatus on a network to which the terminal 10 belongs. It may be a function to automatically search for . That is, the terminal 10 may search for an image forming apparatus in which a driver of the image forming apparatus is installed in the terminal 10 through the automatic search function. For example, the update function may be a function of updating network information of the image forming apparatus. For example, the network information may be at least one of IP address information and host name information of the image forming apparatus.

In operation 203 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may acquire unique information of the image forming apparatus and store the acquired unique information. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be information that can uniquely identify the image forming apparatus. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be information that is not changed even by an event occurring in the image forming apparatus or an event occurring in an external environment. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be at least one of serial number information and MAC (Media Access Control) address information of the image forming apparatus. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be information generated to uniquely distinguish the image forming apparatus in the image forming apparatus.

As a specific example, the terminal 10 may request unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus. The terminal 10 may receive unique information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus and store the unique information as registration unique information. The terminal 10 may determine whether the image forming apparatus is a previously registered image forming apparatus by comparing the registered unique information with the unique information received from the image forming apparatus.

In operation 204 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may obtain shared information of the image forming apparatus and store the obtained shared information. For example, the shared information of the image forming apparatus may be information used to determine a predetermined image forming apparatus to replace the image forming apparatus. For example, the shared information of the image forming apparatus may be information commonly shared between at least one image forming apparatus capable of replacing the image forming apparatus from which the communication connection has been released and the image forming apparatus from which the communication connection has been released. For example, the shared information of the image forming apparatus may be model information of the image forming apparatus and group information indicating information equally applicable between image forming apparatuses.

As a specific example, the terminal 10 may request sharing information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus. The terminal 10 may receive shared information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus and store the shared information as registered shared information. The terminal 10 may determine whether it is an image forming apparatus replacing the image forming apparatus by comparing the registration shared information with the shared information received from the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2B shows a terminal that updates network information using unique information of the image forming apparatus and performs a communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 when the communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is released. 10) is an example flowchart showing the operation method.

Referring to FIG. 2B , in operation 210 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may check a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus registered in the terminal 10 and the terminal 10 .

For example, the terminal 10 may monitor a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on a preset period or an event occurring in the terminal 10 . Here, the preset period may be set by the user. For example, the preset period may be 15 minutes.

For example, the event occurring in the terminal 10 may include an event requesting at least one image forming operation from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus, and a search operation of at least one image forming apparatus in the terminal 10 . It may include one of an event for activating , and an event for performing a booting operation in the terminal 10 . For example, when a command for requesting a first image forming operation is received from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus, the terminal 10 may check a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 . have.

In operation 220 of the terminal 10 , if the communication connection state is confirmed as the disconnected state in the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 forms an image through a preset port of an image forming apparatus on a network to which the terminal 10 belongs. You can request device-specific information.

For example, when network information of the first image forming apparatus is changed, the communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 may be released. For example, the IP address of the first image forming apparatus may be changed when the power is turned on only when the first image forming apparatus performs an image forming operation. Also, when the first image forming apparatus is initialized, the host name of the first image forming apparatus may be changed. When the IP address information of the first image forming apparatus is changed or the host name is changed, the terminal 10 communicates with the first image forming apparatus using the IP address information or the host name previously registered in the terminal 10 . cannot be performed.

Accordingly, the terminal 10 may perform an operation of searching for the first image forming apparatus in order to retry the communication connection of the first image forming apparatus. In this case, the terminal 10 may use unique information of the first image forming apparatus to search for the first image forming apparatus among at least one image forming apparatus on the network to which the terminal 10 belongs.

As a specific example, when the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is in the disconnected state in the terminal 10 and the automatic search operation of the image forming apparatus is confirmed to be in the active state, the terminal 10 automatically connects to the network Unique information of at least one image forming apparatus may be requested through a preset port of each of the at least one image forming apparatus.

For example, the unique information of the first image forming apparatus is used to distinguish the first image forming apparatus from the second image forming apparatus, and represents information that does not change according to an event occurring in the first image forming apparatus. can For example, the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus may indicate information registered as unique information of the first image forming apparatus of the terminal 10 .

In operation 230 of the terminal 10, when the terminal 10 requests an image forming job, based on a result of confirming that the first unique information in the unique information response matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus You can update the network information used for Here, the unique information response may be received as a response to the unique information of the image forming apparatus.

For example, if the first unique information matches the first registration unique information, the terminal 10 identifies the image forming apparatus that transmitted the unique information response as the first image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus sends the unique information response The first network information may be received from the image forming apparatus that requests the network information from the apparatus and transmits the unique information response. The terminal 10 may update network information on the first image forming apparatus based on the first network information. Referring to FIG. 3 , a process of updating network information of the first image forming apparatus based on current information of parameters for parameters used when requesting an image forming job from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus will be described.

In operation 240 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may perform a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the updated network information. When the communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is completed, the terminal 10 requests a predetermined image forming operation from the first image forming apparatus, and transmits data or information for the predetermined image forming operation to the first image forming apparatus. It can be transmitted to an image forming apparatus.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed operation method of a terminal for updating network information based on a result of confirming that the unique information in the unique information response and the registered unique information stored in the terminal match.

In operation 310 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may determine whether the first unique information in the unique information response matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus.

For example, if the first unique information matches the first registered unique information, the terminal 10 may determine that the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the first unique information is the first image forming apparatus. The terminal 10 obtains parameter information about a previous parameter used when the terminal 10 requests a first image forming job from the first image forming apparatus in order to update the changed network information of the first image forming apparatus, and , the operations after operation 310 may be performed.

For example, if the first unique information does not match the first registered unique information, the terminal 10 may perform an operation according to the operation method illustrated in FIG. 4 . On the other hand, if the first unique information matches the first registered unique information, in operation 320 , in operation 320 , the previous parameter used when requesting an image forming operation from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus is IP You can check the address. When the previous parameter is an IP address, in operation 340 , the terminal 10 may update the IP address information of the first image forming apparatus based on the first IP address used when receiving the first unique information. have. Thereafter, in operation 240 , the terminal 10 may perform a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the updated IP address information.

On the other hand, when the previous parameter is not the IP address, in operation 330 , the terminal 10 may check whether the previous parameter used when requesting an image forming operation from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus is the host name. . When the previous parameter is a host name, in operation 350 , the terminal 10 may update host name information of the first image forming apparatus based on the changed host name of the first image forming apparatus. Thereafter, in operation 240 , the terminal 10 may perform a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the updated host name information. When the previous parameter is not the host name, the terminal 10 may perform an operation according to the operation method illustrated in FIG. 4 .

4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a terminal for performing communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal based on shared information when unique information in a unique information response and registered unique information stored in the terminal do not match.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in operation 410 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may determine a second image forming apparatus to be replaced with the first image forming apparatus based on shared information on the first image forming apparatus . Here, the shared information about the first image forming apparatus may be information used to determine an image forming apparatus to replace the first image forming apparatus.

For example, the image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus providing the same function as the first image forming apparatus. Also, the image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus capable of performing an image forming operation requested by the first image forming apparatus. For example, an image forming apparatus having the same model information as the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus.

For example, the shared information on the first image forming apparatus may include at least one of model information of the first image forming apparatus and group information classified into the same group as the first image forming apparatus according to a preset criterion. . For example, the preset criterion may be a criterion for classifying an image forming apparatus that provides the same function as the first image forming apparatus or has the same location information as that of the first image forming apparatus into the same group as the first image forming apparatus.

In operation 420 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may determine whether a communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is a disconnected state. When it is confirmed that the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is connected, the terminal 10 may guide the second image forming operation to be performed using the second image forming apparatus in operation 450 . have.

When the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is confirmed as the disconnected state, the terminal 10 may acquire second network information of the second image forming apparatus in operation 430 . For example, the second network information of the second image forming apparatus may include at least one of IP address information and host name information of the second image forming apparatus.

In operation 440 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may perform a communication connection between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the second network information. When a communication connection is established between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 , in operation 450 , the terminal 10 may guide the second image forming operation to be performed using the second image forming apparatus.

For example, when the terminal 10 requests a predetermined image forming operation from the first image forming apparatus, the terminal 10 may guide the second image forming apparatus to perform the predetermined image forming operation. Specifically, the terminal 10 displays information indicating a disconnection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 and information indicating that the second image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus capable of replacing the first image forming apparatus can do.

5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a process of performing a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal using unique information of the image forming apparatus when network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.

5A is a diagram illustrating a communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20 is connected. The terminal 10 may store network information of the image forming apparatus and registration-specific information of the first image forming apparatus 20 . For example, the terminal 10 may store the first IP address information 511 and the first registration unique information 512 of the first image forming apparatus 20 .

The first image forming apparatus 20 may store IP address information 513 used for a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 . Also, the first image forming apparatus 20 is used to distinguish the first image forming apparatus 20 from other image forming apparatuses, and information that does not change according to an event occurring in the first image forming apparatus 20 . It is possible to store unique information 514 indicating

When the communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20 is connected, the terminal 10 may request a predetermined image forming operation from the first image forming apparatus 20 and perform a predetermined image Data or information used for the forming operation may be transmitted to the first image forming apparatus 20 . In this case, the first IP address information 511 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the IP address information 513 of the first image forming apparatus 20 . Also, the first registered unique information 512 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the unique information 514 of the first image forming apparatus 20 .

5B shows the IP address of the first image forming apparatus 20 using unique information of the first image forming apparatus 20 in the terminal 10 when the IP address of the first image forming apparatus 20 is changed. It is a diagram for explaining a process of updating information.

For example, the terminal 10 may monitor a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 based on a preset period or an event occurring in the terminal 10 . For example, the preset period may be determined based on a user input. For example, the event occurring in the terminal 10 may include an event requesting at least one image forming job from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus 20 , and at least one image forming apparatus in the terminal 10 . It may include one of an event for activating a search operation of , and an event for performing a booting operation in the terminal 10 .

When the IP address information 513 of the first image forming apparatus 20 is changed to the IP address information 521 , the first IP address information 511 stored in the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20 Since the IP address information 521 is different, the communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 may be a disconnected state. In this case, the unique information 514 of the first image forming apparatus 20 is kept constant. The terminal 10 detects that the communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 is the disconnected state, and sets the communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 in the connected state. You can perform an operation to convert to .

In operation 501 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may request unique information of the first image forming apparatus 20 from the first image forming apparatus 20 . In operation 502 of the first image forming apparatus 20 , the first image forming apparatus 20 transmits a unique information response including the unique information 514 of the first image forming apparatus 20 to the terminal 10 . can

In operation 503 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 determines that the unique information 514 in the unique information response of the first image forming apparatus 20 is stored in the terminal 10 is unique registered in the first image forming apparatus 20 . It can be checked whether it matches the information 512 . If the unique information 514 and the registration unique information 512 match, the terminal 10 may identify the image forming apparatus that has transmitted the unique information response as the first image forming apparatus 20 .

In operation 504 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may request the changed IP address information of the first image forming apparatus 20 from the first image forming apparatus 20 . In operation 505 of the first image forming apparatus 20 , the first image forming apparatus 20 may transmit the changed IP address information 521 of the first image forming apparatus 20 to the terminal 10 . In operation 506 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may update IP address information. Specifically, the terminal 10 may update the first IP address information 511 stored in the terminal 10 to the second IP address information 522 based on the received IP address information 521 . Here, the IP address information 521 is the same as the second IP address information 522 .

FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20 as the IP address information of the first image forming apparatus 20 is updated in the terminal 10 . In this case, the second IP address information 522 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the IP address information 521 of the first image forming apparatus 20 . Also, the first registered unique information 512 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the unique information 514 of the first image forming apparatus 20 .

In the terminal 10, a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 is monitored based on a preset period or an event occurring in the terminal 10, and the communication connection state is set to a disconnected state. By automatically updating the network information of the first image forming apparatus 20 when detected as , a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus 20 and the terminal 10 may not be interrupted. Also, even if the network information of the first image forming apparatus 20 is changed, the user can reduce the hassle of reinstalling or modifying the driver of the first image forming apparatus 20 .

6A to 6C are diagrams illustrating a process of performing a communication connection between an image forming apparatus and a terminal using unique information and shared information of the image forming apparatus when network information of the image forming apparatus is changed.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 is a connected state. The terminal 10 may store network information of the image forming apparatus, registration unique information of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 , and registration sharing information. For example, the terminal 10 may store the first IP address information 611 , the first registration unique information 612 , and the first registration unique information 613 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . have.

The first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may store IP address information 614 used for a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 and the terminal 10 . Also, the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may store unique information 615 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . Also, the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may store shared information 616 used to determine an image forming apparatus to replace the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . For example, the shared information 616 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may be set according to the model information of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 and preset criteria in the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 ) and may include at least one of group information classified into the same group as

An image forming apparatus having the same shared information as the shared information 161 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may be determined as an image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 .

When the communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20-1 is connected, the terminal 10 may request a predetermined image forming operation from the first image forming apparatus 20-1, and , may transmit data or information used for a predetermined image forming operation to the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . In this case, the first IP address information 611 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the IP address information 614 of the first image forming apparatus 20-1. Also, the first registered unique information 612 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the unique information 615 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . Also, the first registration sharing information 613 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the sharing information 616 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 .

6B is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus using unique information and shared information of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 in the terminal 10 when the IP address of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 is changed. It is a diagram for explaining the process of updating IP address information.

For example, when the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 is replaced with the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 , the terminal 10 uses the first IP address information 611 stored in the terminal 10 . It is impossible to perform a communication connection to the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 using this method. For example, since the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 is a different apparatus from the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 , the IP address information 614 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 is It has different IP address information 621 and unique information 622 different from the unique information 615 of the first image forming apparatus 20-1. For example, the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 may be the same model as the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . In this case, the shared information 616 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 is the same as the shared information 616 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . The terminal 10 detects that a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus 20-1 and the terminal 10 is a disconnected state, and the first image forming apparatus 20-1 or the first image forming apparatus 20 -1) may be searched for an alternative image forming apparatus, and an operation for changing the communication connection state between the found image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 to a connected state may be performed.

In operation 601 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may request unique information of the image forming apparatus from an image forming apparatus on a network to which the terminal 10 belongs. Since the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 is replaced with the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 , the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may receive a request for unique information from the terminal 10 . No, the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 may receive a request for unique information from the terminal 10 . In operation 602 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 , the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 includes the unique information 621 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 to the terminal 10 . A unique informational response may be sent.

In operation 603 of the terminal 10 , in the terminal 10 , the unique information 621 in the unique information response of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 does not match the registered unique information 612 stored in the terminal 10 . can confirm. In this case, the terminal 10 may detect that the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 that has transmitted the unique information response is not the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 .

In operation 604 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may request sharing information of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 from the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 . In operation 605 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 , the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 transmits the sharing information 616 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 to the terminal 10 . can In operation 606 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 transmits the shared information 616 received from the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 stored in the terminal 10 . It can be confirmed that the shared information 613 matches. The terminal 10 may determine that the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 is an image forming apparatus capable of replacing the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 .

In operation 607 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may request IP address information and unique information from the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 . In operation 608 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 , the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 transmits the IP address information 621 and the unique information of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 to the terminal 10 . Information 622 may be transmitted. In operation 609 of the terminal 10 , the terminal 10 may update IP address information and unique information. Specifically, the terminal 10 may update the first IP address information 611 stored in the terminal 10 to the second IP address information 623 based on the received IP address information 621 . Also, the terminal 10 may update the first registered unique information 612 stored in the terminal 10 to the second registered unique information 624 based on the received unique information 622 .

FIG. 6C shows the terminal 10 and the second image forming apparatus 20-1 replacing the first image forming apparatus 20-1 as IP address information and unique information of the terminal 10 are updated. It is a diagram showing that the communication connection state of the image forming apparatus 20 - 2 is a connected state. In this case, the second IP address information 623 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the IP address information 621 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 . Also, the second registered unique information 624 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the unique information 622 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 . Also, the registration sharing information 613 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the sharing information of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 .

network information of the image forming apparatus stored in the terminal 10 and When the registered unique information is different from network information and unique information of an image forming apparatus that can be communicated with in the terminal 10 , a replaceable image forming apparatus is searched for using the shared information of the image forming apparatus, and the network of the found image forming apparatus is By updating the information and unique information, it is possible to continuously maintain a communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 .

7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating an operation process of a terminal when an image forming apparatus to be connected to a terminal is determined based on shared information, and the determined image forming apparatus is already connected to the terminal.

7A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a communication connection state between a plurality of image forming apparatuses on a network to which the terminal 10 belongs and the terminal 10 is connected. The terminal 10 may store information used to perform a communication connection operation between a plurality of image forming apparatuses and the terminal 10 . For example, the terminal 10 may store management information including IP address information, registration unique information, and registration sharing information for each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. For example, the terminal 10 may store the first management information 711 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 and the management information 712 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 .

The image forming apparatus may store information including IP address information, unique information, and shared information. For example, the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may store information 713 including IP address information, unique information, and sharing information of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . The second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 may store information 714 including IP address information, unique information, and sharing information of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 .

When the communication connection state between the terminal 10 and the first image forming apparatus 20-1 and the second image forming apparatus 20-2 is connected, the terminal 10 connects to the first image forming apparatus 20-1 ) or the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 may request a predetermined image forming operation, and transmit data or information used for the predetermined image forming operation to the image forming apparatus requesting the image forming operation. In this case, the management information 711 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 stored in the terminal 10 is the same as the information 713 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 , and is stored in the terminal 10 . The stored management information 712 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 is the same as the information 714 of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 .

Referring to FIG. 7B , when the first image forming apparatus 20-1 is replaced with the third image forming apparatus 20-3, the terminal 10 uses the IP address information stored in the terminal 10 to 3 It becomes impossible to establish a communication connection to the image forming apparatus 20 - 3 . The terminal 10 may determine an image forming apparatus to be connected based on registration sharing information stored in the terminal 10 , and may control the communication connection so that a predetermined image forming operation may be performed in the determined image forming apparatus.

For example, the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 is a model different from that of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 , or the group to which the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 belongs is the first image forming apparatus ( 20-1) may be different from the group to which it belongs. The terminal 10 obtains IP address information, unique information, and shared information of the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 , and stores the obtained IP address information, unique information, and shared information in the terminal 10 . , can be compared with registration-specific information and registration-shared information. As a result of the comparison, the terminal 10 may determine that the information 721 of the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 is different from the management information 711 and 712 stored in the terminal 10 .

The terminal 10 may determine an image forming apparatus to be connected to the terminal 10 based on registration sharing information in the management information 711 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 . For example, the registration shared information in the management information 711 of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 may be the same as the shared information of the second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 . When the terminal 10 requests the image forming operation of the first image forming apparatus 20-1, the terminal 10 guides the image forming operation by using the second image forming apparatus 20-2. can For example, when a color print job request for the first image forming apparatus 20-1 is received from the terminal 10, the terminal 10 provides the same function as the first image forming apparatus 20-1. The second image forming apparatus 20 - 2 may display a message guiding a color printing operation.

As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 7C , the terminal 10 indicates that "the OOO image forming apparatus disconnected from the terminal 10 provides the same color printing function as the previously connected YYY image forming apparatus. YYY Do you want to print using the image forming apparatus?" message 730 may be displayed.

Even if the network information, the unique information, and the shared information of the first image forming apparatus 20-1 are changed, the terminal 10 forms an image having the same registered and shared information as the shared information of the first image forming apparatus 20-1 By guiding the apparatus to perform the image forming operation, the user can reduce the hassle of reinstalling the newly replaced driver of the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 .

That is, when only the network information of the image forming apparatus is changed, the terminal 10 may perform the operation as described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C .

Also, the model of the third image forming apparatus 20-3 is the same as the model of the first image forming apparatus 20-1, or the group to which the third image forming apparatus 20-3 belongs is the first image forming apparatus If it is the same as the group to which 20 - 1 belongs, the terminal 10 may perform an operation as described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C .

Also, although the model of the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 is different from the model of the first image forming apparatus 20 - 1 , the group to which the third image forming apparatus 20 - 3 belongs is connected to the terminal 10 . When the group to which the registered image forming apparatus belongs is the same, the terminal 10 may perform an operation as described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C .

8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image forming apparatus that transmits network information and unique information to a terminal when network information of the image forming apparatus is different from previous network information.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in operation 810 of the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 performs an image forming operation from at least one terminal based on a preset period or an event occurring in the image forming apparatus 20 . It is possible to obtain network information used when receiving a request from

In operation 820 of the image forming apparatus 20 , if the network information is inconsistent with previous network information stored in the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 records the network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 at least It can be transmitted (eg, broadcast) to one terminal.

As a specific example, when network information is obtained from the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 may check whether the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated in the terminal. When the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus 20 is permitted, the image forming apparatus 20 may check whether network information is inconsistent with previous network information stored in the image forming apparatus 20 . If the network information does not match the previous network information, the image forming apparatus 20 may transmit the network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to at least one terminal on a network to which the image forming apparatus 20 belongs. At least one terminal may receive network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 , and may add or update network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 .

9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of an image forming apparatus for transmitting unique information and network information of the image forming apparatus to a terminal.

Referring to FIG. 9 , in operation 910 of the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 transmits unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 from the first terminal through a preset port of the image forming apparatus 20 . can receive requests from For example, the image forming apparatus 20 may set whether to allow the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in at least one terminal. For example, the image forming apparatus 20 may set whether to allow the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in the terminal based on a user input.

When the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated in the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 may prepare to transmit unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 through a preset port. . For example, the image forming apparatus 20 generates a predetermined task or thread for responding to a request for unique information, and receives a request for unique information from a port in which the predetermined task or thread is preset. It can be controlled to monitor whether When a request for unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 is received, the image forming apparatus 20 may transmit the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to the first terminal in operation 920 .

On the other hand, when the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in the image forming apparatus 20 is deactivated, the image forming apparatus 20 deletes a predetermined task or thread to determine whether a request for unique information is received through a preset port. It is possible to stop the monitoring operation to confirm the

Also, when the image forming apparatus 20 receives a request for sharing information from the first terminal while the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated, the image forming apparatus 20 sends the image forming apparatus 20 to the first terminal ( 20) of shared information can be transmitted.

On the other hand, even when the image forming apparatus 20 receives a request for sharing information from the first terminal in a state in which the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is deactivated, the image forming apparatus 20 transmits the image forming apparatus to the first terminal. (20) may not transmit the shared information.

In operation 930 of the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 receives a request for network information from the first terminal as it is confirmed that the driver of the image forming apparatus 20 has been previously installed in the first terminal can do. In operation 940 of the image forming apparatus 20 , the image forming apparatus 20 may transmit network information to the first terminal.

10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a terminal.

Referring to the terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 10 , the terminal 10 may include a communication unit 1010 , a user interface unit 1020 , a memory 1030 , and a processor 1040 . However, the illustrated components are not essential components. The terminal 10 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, and the terminal 10 may be implemented by fewer components. Hereinafter, the components will be described.

The communication unit 1010 may communicate with an external device. Specifically, the communication unit 1010 may be connected to a network by wire or wirelessly to communicate with an external device. Here, the external device may be an image forming apparatus, a server, an electronic device, or the like.

The user interface unit 1020 includes an input unit for receiving an input for controlling the operation of the terminal 10 from a user, and a result according to the operation of the terminal 10 or information such as the state of the terminal 10 . It may include an output unit. For example, the user interface unit 1020 may include an operation panel for receiving a user input, a display panel for displaying a screen, and the like.

Specifically, the input unit may include devices capable of receiving various types of user input, such as a keyboard, a physical button, a touch screen, a camera, or a microphone. Also, the output unit may include, for example, a display panel or a speaker. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the user interface unit 1020 may include a device supporting various input/output.

The memory 1030 may store software or a program. For example, when the communication connection between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is cut off due to a change in the IP address or host name, the memory 1030 automatically retrieves network information of the image forming apparatus using unique information of the image forming apparatus. It is possible to store at least one program related to the operation of the terminal 10 to be updated.

The processor 1040 may execute a program stored in the memory 1030 , read data or files stored in the memory 1030 , or store a new file in the memory 1030 . The processor 1040 may execute instructions stored in the memory 1030 .

The processor 1040 may install a driver of the image forming apparatus. After the driver of the image forming apparatus is installed in the terminal 10 , the processor 1040 may request a predetermined image forming operation from the terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus. The processor 1040 may install a driver of at least one image forming apparatus on a network belonging to the terminal 10 . When the models of the image forming apparatuses are different, the processor 1040 may install a driver for each of the image forming apparatuses.

The processor 1040 may set an automatic search and update function of the image forming apparatus. For example, in the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus, when the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is in a disconnected state, the terminal 10 automatically searches for an image forming apparatus on a network to which the terminal 10 belongs. It may be a function to automatically search for . That is, the processor 1040 may search for an image forming apparatus in which a driver for an image forming apparatus is installed in the terminal 10 through the automatic search function. For example, the update function may be a function of updating network information of the image forming apparatus. For example, the network information may be at least one of IP address information and host name information of the image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may acquire unique information of the image forming apparatus and store the acquired unique information. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be at least one of serial number information and MAC address information of the image forming apparatus. For example, the unique information of the image forming apparatus may be information generated to uniquely distinguish the image forming apparatus in the image forming apparatus.

As a specific example, the processor 1040 may request unique information of the image forming apparatus through a communication unit 1010 through a preset port of the image forming apparatus. The processor 1040 may receive unique information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit 1010 , and store the unique information as registration unique information in the memory 1030 . The processor 1040 may determine whether the image forming apparatus is a previously registered image forming apparatus by comparing the registered unique information with the unique information received from the image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may obtain shared information of the image forming apparatus and store the obtained shared information. For example, the shared information of the image forming apparatus may be information used to determine a predetermined image forming apparatus to replace the image forming apparatus. For example, the shared information of the image forming apparatus may be model information of the image forming apparatus and group information indicating information equally applicable between image forming apparatuses.

As a specific example, the processor 1040 may request sharing information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit 1010 . The processor 1040 may receive shared information of the image forming apparatus from the image forming apparatus through the communication unit 1010 , and store the shared information as registered shared information in the memory 1030 . The processor 1040 may determine whether the image forming apparatus replaces the image forming apparatus by comparing the registered shared information with the shared information received from the image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may monitor a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on a preset period or an event occurring in the terminal 10 . Here, the preset period may be set by the user.

For example, the event occurring in the terminal 10 may include an event requesting at least one image forming operation from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus, and a search operation of at least one image forming apparatus in the terminal 10 . It may include one of an event for activating , and an event for performing a booting operation in the terminal 10 . For example, when a command for requesting a first image forming operation is received from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus, the processor 1040 may check a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 . have.

When the communication connection state of the terminal 10 is confirmed as the disconnected state, the processor 1040 may request unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus on the network to which the terminal 10 belongs.

For example, when network information of the first image forming apparatus is changed, the communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 may be released. For example, when the IP address information of the first image forming apparatus is changed or the host name is changed, the processor 1040 uses the IP address information or the host name previously registered in the terminal 10 to display the first image Communication with the forming device becomes impossible. Accordingly, the processor 1040 may perform an operation of searching for the first image forming apparatus in order to retry the communication connection of the first image forming apparatus.

In this case, the processor 1040 may use unique information of the first image forming apparatus to search for the first image forming apparatus among at least one image forming apparatus on the network to which the terminal 10 belongs.

As a specific example, if the communication connection state between the image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 in the terminal 10 is in the disconnected state and the automatic search operation of the image forming apparatus is confirmed to be in the activated state, the processor 1040 automatically configures the network Unique information of at least one image forming apparatus may be requested through a preset port of each of the at least one image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may update network information used when requesting an image forming job based on a result of confirming that the first unique information in the unique information response matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus. have. Here, the unique information response may be received as a response to the unique information of the image forming apparatus.

For example, if the first unique information matches the first registration unique information, the processor 1040 may identify the image forming apparatus that transmitted the unique information response as the first image forming apparatus. The processor 1040 may request network information from the image forming apparatus that transmitted the unique information response, and receive the first network information from the image forming apparatus that transmitted the unique information response, through the communication unit 1010 . The processor 1040 may update network information on the first image forming apparatus based on the first network information.

The processor 1040 is configured to obtain parameter information about a previous parameter used when the terminal 10 requests a first image forming job from the first image forming apparatus in order to update the changed network information of the first image forming apparatus. can

For example, if the previous parameter used when requesting an image forming job from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus is an IP address, the processor 1040 sets the first IP address used when receiving the first unique information. Based on the information, the IP address information of the first image forming apparatus may be updated.

For example, if the previous parameter used when requesting an image forming job from the terminal 10 to the first image forming apparatus is a host name, the processor 1040 may perform the first Host name information of the image forming apparatus may be updated.

The processor 1040 may establish a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the updated network information. When the communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is completed, the processor 1040 requests a predetermined image forming operation to the first image forming apparatus through the communication unit 1010 and forms a predetermined image Data or information about the job may be transmitted to the first image forming apparatus.

On the other hand, if the unique information in the unique information response and the registered unique information stored in the terminal 10 do not match, the processor 1040 is configured to replace the second image forming apparatus with the first image forming apparatus based on the shared information on the first image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus can be determined. Here, the shared information about the first image forming apparatus may be information used to determine an image forming apparatus to replace the first image forming apparatus.

For example, the image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus providing the same function as the first image forming apparatus. Also, the image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus capable of performing an image forming operation requested by the first image forming apparatus. For example, an image forming apparatus having the same model information as the first image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus replacing the first image forming apparatus.

For example, the shared information on the first image forming apparatus may include at least one of model information of the first image forming apparatus and group information classified into the same group as the first image forming apparatus according to a preset criterion. . For example, the preset criterion may be a criterion for classifying an image forming apparatus that provides the same function as the first image forming apparatus or has the same location information as that of the first image forming apparatus into the same group as the first image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may determine whether a communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is a disconnected state. When it is confirmed that the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is connected, the processor 1040 may guide the second image forming operation to be performed using the second image forming apparatus.

When the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 is confirmed as the disconnected state, the processor 1040 may obtain second network information of the second image forming apparatus. For example, the second network information of the second image forming apparatus may include at least one of IP address information and host name information of the second image forming apparatus.

The processor 1040 may perform a communication connection between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the second network information. When a communication connection is established between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 , the processor 1040 may guide the second image forming apparatus to perform a second image forming operation.

For example, when the terminal 10 requests a predetermined image forming operation from the first image forming apparatus, the processor 1040 may guide the second image forming apparatus to perform the predetermined image forming operation. Specifically, the user interface unit 1020 provides information indicating a disconnection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 and information indicating that the second image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus capable of replacing the first image forming apparatus can be displayed.

11 is a diagram illustrating an example of instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

The computer-readable storage medium 1100 may store instructions related to the operation of the terminal 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 . For example, the computer-readable storage medium 1100 may include instructions 1110 for confirming a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus registered in the terminal 10 and the terminal 10, and the communication connection state is disconnected. When the status is confirmed, the commands 1120 for requesting unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus on the network to which the terminal 10 belongs, and the first unique information in the unique information response form the first image Communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal 10 based on the instructions 1130 for updating the network information based on the result of confirming that the device matches the first registered unique information of the device, and the updated network information may store instructions 1140 for performing

12 is a block diagram of an example showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus.

Referring to the image forming apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG. 12 , the image forming apparatus 20 may include a communication unit 1210 , a user interface unit 1220 , a memory 1230 , and a processor 1240 . However, the illustrated components are not essential components. The image forming apparatus 20 may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, and the image forming apparatus 20 may be implemented by fewer components. Hereinafter, the components will be described.

The communication unit 1210 may communicate with an external device. Specifically, the communication unit 1210 may be connected to a network by wire or wirelessly to communicate with an external device. Here, the external device may be a terminal, a server, or the like.

The user interface unit 1220 includes an input unit for receiving an input for controlling an operation of the image forming apparatus 20 from a user, and a result according to the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 or a state of the image forming apparatus 20 , etc. It may include an output unit for displaying information of. For example, the user interface unit 1220 may include a manipulation panel for receiving a user input, a display panel for displaying a screen, and the like.

The memory 1230 may store software or a program. For example, the memory 1230 may store at least one program related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 .

The processor 1240 may execute a program stored in the memory 1230 , read data or files stored in the memory 1230 , or store a new file in the memory 1230 . The processor 1240 may execute instructions stored in the memory 1230 .

The processor 1240 may acquire network information used when receiving a request for an image forming job from at least one terminal based on a preset period or an event occurring in the image forming apparatus 20 .

If the network information is inconsistent with previous network information stored in the image forming apparatus 20 , the processor 1240 transmits the network information and the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to at least one terminal through the communication unit 1210 . can be transmitted For example, the communication unit 1210 may broadcast network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to at least one terminal.

As a specific example, when network information is obtained from the image forming apparatus 20 , the processor 1240 may check whether the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated in the terminal. When the automatic search function of the image forming apparatus 20 is permitted, the processor 1240 may check whether network information does not match previous network information stored in the image forming apparatus 20 . If the network information does not match the previous network information, the processor 1240 may transmit the network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to at least one terminal on a network to which the image forming apparatus 20 belongs. At least one terminal may receive network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 , and may add or update network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 .

The processor 1240 may receive a request for unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 from the first terminal through a preset port of the image forming apparatus 20 . For example, the processor 1240 may set whether to allow the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in at least one terminal. For example, the processor 1240 may set whether to allow the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in the terminal based on a user input.

When the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated, the processor 1240 may prepare to transmit unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 through a preset port. For example, the processor 1240 may generate a predetermined task or thread to respond to a request for unique information, and control the predetermined task or thread to monitor whether a request for unique information is received from a preset port. . When the request for unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 is received, the processor 1240 may transmit the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 to the first terminal through the communication unit 1210 .

On the other hand, when the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 in the image forming apparatus 20 is deactivated, the processor 1240 deletes a predetermined task or thread to determine whether a request for unique information is received through a preset port. monitoring operation can be stopped.

In addition, when the image forming apparatus 20 receives a request for sharing information from the first terminal while the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is activated, the processor 1240, through the communication unit 1210 , The shared information of the image forming apparatus 20 may be transmitted to one terminal.

On the other hand, even when a request for sharing information is received from the first terminal in the image forming apparatus 20 in a state in which the automatic search of the image forming apparatus 20 is deactivated, the processor 1240 transmits the image forming apparatus 20 to the first terminal. ) of shared information may not be transmitted.

As it is confirmed that the driver of the image forming apparatus 20 has been previously installed in the first terminal, the processor 1240 may receive a request for network information from the first terminal through the communication unit 1210 . The processor 1240 may transmit the network information to the first terminal through the communication unit 1210 .

13 is a diagram of another example for explaining instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

The computer-readable storage medium 1300 may store instructions related to the operation of the image forming apparatus 20 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 . For example, the computer-readable storage medium 1300 may include network information used when receiving a request for an image forming job from at least one terminal based on a preset period or an event occurring in the image forming apparatus 20 . Commands (1310) for obtaining 1320), when a request for unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 is received from the first terminal through a preset port of the image forming apparatus 20, the unique information of the image forming apparatus 20 is transmitted to the first terminal When it is confirmed that the commands 1330 to be transmitted and the driver of the image forming apparatus 20 have been previously installed in the first terminal, a request for network information is received from the first terminal, and the network information is transmitted to the first terminal. commands 1340 may be stored.

Meanwhile, the above-described method of operating the terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 may be implemented in the form of a computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions or data executable by a computer or processor. It can be written as a program that can be executed on a computer, and can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that operates such a program using a computer-readable storage medium. Such computer-readable storage media include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), flash memory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD+Rs, CD-RWs, CD+RWs, DVD-ROMs. , DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD-RWs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RAMs, BD-ROMs, BD-Rs, BD-R LTHs, BD-REs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, magneto-optical data storage devices, optical data storage devices, hard disks, solid-state disks (SSDs), and may store instructions or software, related data, data files, and data structures, and may store instructions or It can be any device capable of providing software, associated data, data files, and data structures.

As described above, although the embodiments have been described with reference to the limited embodiments and drawings, various modifications and variations are possible from the above description by those skilled in the art. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, and should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

Claims (15)

checking a communication connection state between a first image forming apparatus registered in a terminal and the terminal;
requesting unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus on a network to which the terminal belongs when the communication connection state is confirmed as the disconnected state;
When an image forming job is requested based on a result of confirming that the first unique information in the unique information response received as a response to the unique information of the image forming apparatus matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus updating network information used for and
and performing a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal based on the updated network information. According to claim 1,
The step of requesting unique information of the image forming apparatus includes:
When the communication connection state is a disconnected state and the automatic search operation of the image forming apparatus is confirmed to be in an activated state, the at least one image forming apparatus automatically passes through a preset port of each of the at least one image forming apparatus on the network A method of operating a terminal comprising the step of requesting unique information of. According to claim 1,
The unique information of the first image forming apparatus includes:
Represents information that is used to distinguish the first image forming apparatus from a second image forming apparatus and does not change according to an event occurring in the first image forming apparatus,
The first registration-specific information of the first image forming apparatus includes:
and indicating information registered as unique information of the first image forming apparatus in the terminal. According to claim 1,
Updating network information used when requesting the image forming job includes:
if the first unique information matches the first registered unique information, acquiring first network information of an image forming apparatus that has transmitted the first unique information; and
and updating network information for the first image forming apparatus based on the first network information. 5. The method of claim 4,
The step of obtaining the first network information includes:
and obtaining, by the terminal, parameter information on a previous parameter used when requesting a first image forming job from the first image forming apparatus. 6. The method of claim 5,
The updating of the network information for the first image forming apparatus based on the first network information may include:
updating IP address information of the first image forming apparatus based on a first IP address used when receiving the first unique information when the previous parameter is the IP address of the first image forming apparatus; and
and when the previous parameter is the host name of the first image forming apparatus, updating host name information of the first image forming apparatus based on the changed host name of the first image forming apparatus; A method of operating a terminal. According to claim 1,
Checking a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal includes:
monitoring a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal based on a preset period or an event occurring in the terminal;
The event generated in the terminal includes an event of requesting at least one image forming job from the terminal to the first image forming apparatus, an event of activating a search job of at least one image forming apparatus in the terminal, and in the terminal A method of operating a terminal, including one of an event for performing a booting operation. According to claim 1,
If the first unique information is inconsistent with the first registered unique information, form a second image communicatively coupled to the network, based on shared information used to determine an image forming apparatus to replace the first image forming apparatus The method of operating a terminal, further comprising the step of establishing a communication connection between the device and the terminal. 9. The method of claim 8,
The shared information is
and at least one of model information of the first image forming apparatus and group information classified into the same group as the first image forming apparatus according to a preset criterion. 9. The method of claim 8,
The step of performing a communication connection between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal based on the shared information may include:
determining a second image forming apparatus to be replaced with the first image forming apparatus based on the shared information;
acquiring second network information of the second image forming apparatus when the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal is in a disconnected state; and
and performing a communication connection between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal based on the second network information. 11. The method of claim 10,
and guiding a second image forming operation to be performed by using the second image forming apparatus when the communication connection state between the second image forming apparatus and the terminal is already connected. a communication unit for performing communication with an external device;
user interface unit;
processor; and
a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;
The processor, by executing the instructions,
Checking a communication connection state between the first image forming apparatus registered in the terminal and the terminal,
When the communication connection state is confirmed as the disconnected state, the terminal requests unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus on the network to which the terminal belongs;
When an image forming job is requested based on a result of confirming that the first unique information in the unique information response received as a response to the unique information of the image forming apparatus matches the first registered unique information of the first image forming apparatus update the network information used for
performing a communication connection between the first image forming apparatus and the terminal based on the updated network information. communication unit;
user interface unit;
processor; and
a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;
The processor, by executing the instructions,
acquiring network information used when receiving a request for an image forming job from at least one terminal based on a preset period or an event occurring in the image forming apparatus;
and transmitting the network information and unique information of the image forming apparatus to the at least one terminal when the network information is inconsistent with previous network information stored in the image forming apparatus. 14. The method of claim 13,
The processor, by executing the instructions,
When a request for unique information of the image forming apparatus is received from the first terminal through a preset port of the image forming apparatus, the unique information of the image forming apparatus is transmitted to the first terminal,
receiving the request for the network information from the first terminal and transmitting the network information to the first terminal when it is confirmed that the driver of the image forming apparatus has been previously installed in the first terminal. 15. The method of claim 14,
The processor, by executing the instructions,
receiving, through the user interface unit, a user input for setting whether to allow automatic search of the image forming apparatus in the at least one terminal;
and when the user input is an input for setting permission of automatic search of the image forming apparatus, preparing to transmit unique information of the image forming apparatus through a preset port of the image forming apparatus.

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