Communication path selection for remote control system of an image processing apparatus, remote control and communication path selection method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with remote control and communication path selection program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979849-B2
Application number	US-201615250037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 2, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A hardware processor included in an image processing apparatus establishes a communication path with remote operation devices, selects one of the established communication paths as a valid path, executes a process in accordance with a remote operation command received via the valid path, in response to establishment of new communication paths different from the valid path, sets the new communication paths as waiting paths to which sequence numbers are supplied in a chronological order of establishment of the communication paths, determines whether a same waiting path to which a remote operation device that is the same as a remote operation device connected to the valid path is connected is present, and in the case where the same waiting path is present, in response to disconnection of the valid path, selects the same waiting path as a valid path regardless of the sequence numbers supplied to the waiting paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote control system that includes an image processing apparatus and a plurality of remote operation devices capable of remotely operating the image processing apparatus, wherein
a hardware processor of each of the plurality of remote operation devices
establishes a communication path with the image processing apparatus,
remotely operates the image processing apparatus by executing a first application program and transmitting a remote operation command using the established communication path, and
remotely operates the image processing apparatus by executing a second application program and transmitting a remote operation command using the established communication path different from the communication path used for the first application program, and

a hardware processor included in the image processing device
establishes a communication path with any of the plurality of remote operation devices,
selects any one of the one or more established communication paths as a valid path,
executes a process in accordance with a remote operation command received via the valid path,
in response to establishment of new communication paths different from the valid path with the valid path being selected, sets the new communication paths as waiting paths to which sequence numbers are supplied in a chronological order of establishment of the communication paths,
in the case where the plurality of waiting paths are present, determines whether a same waiting path to which a remote operation device that is the same as a remote operation device connected to the valid path is connected is present among the plurality of waiting paths, and
in the case where it is determined that the same waiting path is present, in response to disconnection of the valid path, selects the same waiting path as a valid path regardless of the sequence numbers supplied to the plurality of waiting paths.

2. An image processing apparatus capable of being remotely operated by a plurality of remote operation devices, wherein
a hardware processor included in the image processing apparatus
establishes a communication path with any of the plurality of remote operation devices,
selects any one of the one or more established communication paths as a valid path,
executes a process in accordance with a remote operation command received via the valid path,
in response to establishment of new communication paths different from the valid path with the valid path being selected, sets the new communication paths as waiting paths to which sequence numbers are supplied in a chronological order of establishment of the communication paths,
in the case where the plurality of waiting paths are present, determines whether a same waiting path to which a remote operation device that is the same as a remote operation device connected to the valid path is connected is present among the plurality of waiting paths, and
in the case where it is determined that the same waiting path is present, in response to disconnection of the valid path, selects the same waiting path as a valid path regardless of the sequence numbers supplied to the plurality of waiting paths.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the hardware processor
further detects an application program which a remote operation device connected by the established communication path among the plurality of remote operation devices executes for the communication path, and
in the case where an application program detected as an application program executed for the same waiting path is a predetermined program, on the condition that a predetermined condition is satisfied, select the same waiting path as a valid path regardless of the sequence numbers supplied to the plurality of waiting paths.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the hardware processor further detects a distance from any of the plurality of remote operation devices, and
the predetermined condition includes a first condition that a distance from a remote operation device connected by the detected same waiting path is a predetermined distance or less.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the hardware processor further detects a moving direction of any of the plurality of remote operation devices, and
the predetermined condition includes, in the case where the application program detected as the application program executed for the same waiting path is the predetermined program, a second condition that a distance from a remote operation device connected by the same waiting path is larger than a predetermined distance, and that a moving direction of the remote operation device connected by the same waiting path is a direction moving towards the image processing apparatus.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the hardware processor, in the case where the second condition is satisfied, and a distance from a remote operation device connected by a valid path does not become the predetermined distance or less before a predetermined time period elapses from a time when the same waiting path is selected as the valid path, further disconnects the valid path.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the hardware processor, in response to a distance from a remote operation device connected by a valid path becoming larger than the predetermined distance after the distance from the remote operation device connected by the valid path becomes the predetermined distance or less, further disconnects the valid path.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the hardware processor, in the case where an application program detected as an application program executed for the valid path is a predetermined program, in response to a distance from a remote operation device connected by the valid path being larger than a predetermined distance, further disconnects the valid path.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the hardware processor, in the case where the predetermined condition is not satisfied, selects one of the plurality of waiting paths in accordance with the sequence numbers of the waiting line after the valid path is disconnected.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the hardware processor, in the case where it is determined that the same waiting path is not present, further selects one of the plurality of waiting paths in accordance with the sequence numbers supplied to the waiting paths after the valid path is disconnected.

11. A remote control method performed by an image processing apparatus capable of being remotely operated by a plurality of remote operation devices, comprising:
a device-side establishing step of establishing a communication path with any of the plurality of remote operation devices;
a path selection step of selecting any one of one or more communication paths established in the device-side establishing step as a valid path;
a remote control step of executing a process in accordance with a remote operation command received via the valid path;
a waiting setting step of, with a valid path being selected in the path selection step, in response to establishment of new communication paths different from the valid path in the device-side establishing step, setting the new communication paths as waiting paths to which sequence numbers are supplied in a chronological order of establishment of the communication paths; and
a device determination step of, in the case where a plurality of waiting paths set in the waiting setting step are present, determining whether a same

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Matsuda Hideyuki
• Shiraishi Jun
• Kurumasa Yoichi
• Kawabata Mie
• Ohno Hiroyuki

Classifications

• H04N2201/0075

  by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset · CPC title

• H04N2201/0039

  Connection via a network · CPC title

• H04N1/32765

  Initiating a communication · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04N1/00307

  with a mobile telephone apparatus (constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00) · CPC title