# US 2018/0024787 A1 · Information processing system and information processing method

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- Number: US 2018/0024787 A1
- Document ID: US20180024787A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/648,600
- Filed: 2017-07-13
- Published: 2018-01-25
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-20
- Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Inventors: Yoshihiko SAKAWAKI; Tsuguhiro SATOH
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180024787A1

## CPC

- G06F 3/1225: {Software update, e.g. print driver, modules, plug-ins, fonts}
- G06F 3/1203: {Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management}
- G06F 3/1205: {resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets}
- G06F 3/123: {Software or firmware update, e.g. device firmware management}
- G06F 3/1287: {via internet}
- H04N 1/00411: {the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with one or more devices via a network, includes: a receiver to receive, from a first device of the devices, a screen request that requests an application providing screen, the screen request including shop information indicating a first shop that sells the first device; and circuitry to: obtain application correspondence information that associates shop information indicating the shop, application identification information for identifying one or more applications sold by the shop, and use promotion information indicating whether each application is a use-promoted application; and specify, from among one or more applications associated with the shop information indicating the first shop, a first application having first identification information that is associated with the use promotion information indicating the use-promoted application, using the application correspondence information; and a transmitter to transmit, to the first device, an application providing screen for display at the first device, the application providing screen including information regarding the first application identified with the first application identification information as a recommended application for the first device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with one or more devices via a network, the apparatus comprising:
a receiver to receive, from a first device of the devices, a screen request that requests an application providing screen, the screen request including shop information indicating a first shop that sells the first device; and
circuitry to:
obtain application correspondence information that associates shop information indicating the shop, application identification information for identifying one or more applications sold by the shop, and use promotion information indicating whether each application is a use-promoted application; and
specify, from among one or more applications associated with the shop information indicating the first shop, a first application having first identification information that is associated with the use promotion information indicating the use-promoted application, using the application correspondence information; and
a transmitter to transmit, to the first device, an application providing screen for display at the first device, the application providing screen including information regarding the first application identified with the first application identification information as a recommended application for the first device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processing system according to claim 1,
wherein the circuitry further specifies, from among the one or more applications associated with the shop information indicating the first shop, a second application other than the first application, and
the circuitry generates the application providing screen so as to further include information regarding the second application, the information regarding the first application being displayed to be more remarkable than the information regarding the second application on the application providing screen.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the circuitry rearranges one or more first applications of the first application in a display order defined by display order information, the display order information being associated with each one of the one or more first applications.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the circuitry obtains a number of application downloads that the application has been downloaded, for each one of the one or more first applications, using download information associating the number of application downloads with each combination of the shop information and the application identification information, and
determines the display order information defining the display order for each one of the one or more first applications, based on the obtained number of application downloads.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the circuitry obtains a price of the application, for each one of the one or more first applications, using price information associating the price with each combination of the shop information and the application identification information, and
determines the display order information defining the display order for each one of the one or more first applications, based on the obtained price of the application.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry
obtains at least one of 1) a number of downloads that the application has been downloaded and 2) a price of the application, for the first application, using the shop information indicating the first shop and the first application identification information identifying the first application, and
generates the application providing screen such that the information regarding one or more first applications of the first application are arranged in descending order of at least one of 1) the number of downloads and 2) the price.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the application correspondence information further associates, for at least one of the one or more applications associated with the shop information, competitive application identification information for identifying an application that competes with the application associated with the shop information, and
wherein, when the competitive application identification information is associated with the first application identification information, the circuitry generates the application providing screen from which the information regarding the competitive application identified with the competitive application identification information associated with the first application identification information is excluded.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the screen request further includes installed-application identification information for identifying at least one application that has already been installed in the first device, and
wherein the circuitry generates the application providing screen from which the information regarding the at least one installed application is excluded.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry further
assigns, to the first application, a first flag indicating that the first application is the use-recommended application, and
generates the application providing screen to further include an image indicating that the first application is the use-recommended application according to the first flag.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry further
determines whether any one of the first application and the second application is a non-display target,
assigns a second flag indicating non-display to the application that is determined to be the non-display target, and
generates the application providing screen so as not to display the information regarding the application assigned with the second flag.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the non-display target includes at least one of: a competitive application that competes with the first application; and an installed-application that has been installed in the first device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein the application providing screen includes a first screen that displays the first application and a second screen that displays the second application.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the screen request further includes type-of-business identification information for identifying a type of business of the first shop,
wherein the circuitry further specifies, from the one or more first applications, at least one first application having the first identification information that is associated with the type-of-business identification information included in the screen request, using type-of-business information that associates, for each one of the one or more applications, the application identification information and type-of-business identification information, and
wherein the application providing screen for display at the first device, includes information regarding the at least one first application having the first identification information that is associated with the type-of-business identification information included in the screen request.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the receiver further receives, from the first device, a first notification request requesting a notification of an application that has been newly registered, the first notification request including the shop information indicating the first shop, type-of-business identification information for identifying a type of business, category identification information for identifying a type of an application, and date and time information indicating the latest date and time when the first device accessed the information processing apparatus,
wherein the circuitry further:
specifies, from among one or more first applications of the first application, one or more first applications associated with the type-of-business identification information and the category identification information included in the first notification request;
obtains application management information associating, for each one of one or more applications being registered, application identification information, category identification information, type-of-business identification information, and registration date and time information indicating the date and time when the application was registered; and
using the application management information, specifies, from the one or more first applications associated with the type-of-business identification information and the category identification information, at least one first application as a newly registered application, the at least one first application having the first application identification information that is associated with the registration date and time information indicating a date and time that is later than the date and time indicated by the date and time information included in the first notification request, and
wherein the transmitter transmits, in response to the first notification request, a first notification for notifying the first device of a newly registered application, the first notification including information regarding the newly registered application.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The information processing system according to claim 1,
wherein the receiver receives, from the first device, a second notification request requesting a notification of an application to be updated,
the second notification request including the shop information indicting the first shop, type-of-business identification information for identifying a type of business, category identification information for identifying a type of an application, and date and time information indicating the latest date and time when the first device accessed the information processing apparatus,
wherein the circuitry further:
specifies, from among one or more first applications of the first application, one or more first applications associated with the type-of-business identification information and the category identification information included in the second notification request;
obtains application management information associating, for each one of one or more applications being registered, application identification information, category identification information, type-of-business identification information, and updated date and time information indicating the date and time when the application is to be updated; and
using the application management information, specifies, from the one or more first applications associated with the type-of-business identification information and the category identification information, at least one first application as an application to be updated, the at least one first application having the first application identification information that is associated with the updated date and time information indicating a date and time that is later than the date and time indicated by the date and time information included in the first notification request, and
wherein the transmitter transmits, in response to the second notification request, a second notification for notifying the first device of an application to be updated, the second notification including information regarding the application to be updated.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

An information processing system comprising:
the information processing apparatus of claim 1; and
an image processing apparatus operating as the first device.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The information processing system according to claim 16,
wherein the image processing apparatus includes a main body and an operation unit that operates the main body,
wherein the main body includes:
an engine unit;
a memory that stores device identification information for identifying the image processing apparatus; and
a web application programming interface (WebAPI) that transmits the device identification information to the operation unit, and
wherein the operation unit includes:
a memory that stores the shop information identifying the first shop that sells the image processing apparatus;
a transmitter that transmits the screen request including the device identification information and the shop information to the information processing apparatus via the main body; and
a receiver that receives the application providing screen from the information processing apparatus via the main body.

### Claim 18

An information processing method, performed by an information processing apparatus communicable with one or more devices via a network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first device of the one or more devices, a screen request that requests an application providing screen, the screen request including shop information indicating a first shop that sells the first device;
obtaining application correspondence information that associates shop information indicating the shop, application identification info nation for identifying one or more applications sold by the shop, and use promotion information indicating whether each application is a use-promoted application;
specifying, from among one or more applications associated with the shop information indicating the first shop, a first application having first identification information that is associated with the use promotion information indicating the use-promoted application, using the application correspondence information; and
transmitting, to the first device, an application providing screen for display at the first device, the application providing screen including information regarding the first application identified with the first application identification information as a recommended application for the first device.

### Claim 19

A non-transitory recording medium which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform an information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus communicable with one or more devices via a network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first device of the one or more devices, a screen request that requests an application providing screen, the screen request including shop information indicating a first shop that sells the first device;
obtaining application correspondence information that associates shop information indicating the shop, application identification information for identifying one or more applications sold by the shop, and use promotion information indicating whether each application is a use-promoted application;
specifying, from among one or more applications associated with the shop information indicating the first shop, a first application having first identification information that is associated with the use promotion information indicating the use-promoted application, using the application correspondence information; and
transmitting, to the first device, an application providing screen for display at the first device, the application providing screen including information regarding the first application identified with the first application identification information as a recommended application for the first device.