IP Library Patent Application 16408527
Patent Application
App. No. 16/408,527

INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM

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Patent No.
US None
App. No.
16/408,527
Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a controller, in response to transmission of a connection request from a first device including a first operation assistant to a second device including a second operation assistant, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the first device and the first operation assistant, the controller causes, by using the identification information, the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled in accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

Claims (71)

1 . An information processing apparatus comprising:

a controller that, response to transmission of connection request from a first device including a first operation assistant to a second device including a second operation assistant, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the first device and the first operation assistant, causes, by using the identification information, the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled in accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

2 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

when the first device includes a plurality of operation assistants,

the controller specifies a first operation assistant that provides the instruction among the plurality of operation assistants on the basis of the identification information.

3 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the identification information further includes information indicating an operation assistant that is to receive the instruction, and

when the second device includes a plurality of operation assistants,

the controller specifies a second operation assistant that is to receive the instruction among the plurality of operation assistants on the basis of the identification information.

4 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the identification information further includes information indicating a device that is to receive the instruction, and

when a plurality of operation assistants of an identical type and a plurality of devices are located near a device including the different operation assistant,

the controller further specifies a second device and a second operation assistant that are to receive the instruction among the plurality of operation assistants of the identical type and the plurality of devices on the basis of the identification information.

5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the identification information includes at least one of information indicating a type of a device, an identification number unique to the device, information indicating a position of the device, information indicating a name of the device, information indicating a name of an operation assistant, biometric information of a user, information indicating an account currently logged into the device or into the operation assistant, or information indicating an operation history of the device.

6 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the identification information further includes information indicating an operation history of a device, and

the controller specifies, on the basis of the operation history, a most recently used device of a type identical to a type of a device designated by a user, as a device to which the connection request is directed.

7 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

when a device or an operation assistant to which the connection request is directed is not specified on the basis of the identification information,

the first operation assistant asks a user a question to obtain information to be used to specify the device or operation assistant to which the connection request is directed.

8 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the second device includes a plurality of operation assistants, and

the controller specifies, as the second operation assistant, an operation assistant among the plurality of operation assistants that is of a type identical to a type of a first operation assistant operating as a master operation assistant in the first device and that is operating as a master operation assistant in the second device.

9 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller causes the first operation assistant to operate as a master operation assistant, and

the slave operation assistant operates in accordance with an instruction from the first operation assistant.

10 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

in response to the slave operation assistant finishing a task corresponding to the instruction, the controller terminates a master-slave relationship between the first operation assistant and the second operation assistant.

11 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller causes a second account, which is currently logged into the second operation assistant to use the second operation assistant, to log out from the second operation assistant and causes a first account, which is currently logged into the first operation assistant to use the first operation assistant, to log into the second operation assistant to cause the first operation assistant to operate as a master operation assistant and cause the second operation assistant to operate as the slave operation assistant.

12 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

in response to a logout of the first account from the second operation assistant, the controller terminates a master-slave relationship between the first operation assistant and the second operation assistant.

13 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

the controller does not store, in the second device, information indicating the instruction provided to the slave operation assistant.

14 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller switches an operation assistant enabled on the second device from the second operation assistant to the first operation assistant, and causes the operation assistant enabled on the second device to operate as the slave operation assistant.

15 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

the controller causes a first account, which is currently logged into the first operation assistant in the first device, to log into the slave operation assistant.

16 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein

in response to the slave operation assistant finishing a task corresponding to an instruction from the first device, the controller switches the slave operation assistant back to the second operation assistant.

17 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the controller controls the second operation assistant using a third operation assistant different from the first operation assistant and the second operation assistant, and causes the second operation assistant to operate as the slave operation assistant.

18 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein

the controller further controls the first operation assistant by using the third operation assistant.

19 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein

the controller further causes the first device to display a screen for exchanging messages between the third operation assistant and a user.

20 . The information processing apparatus according to

9 , wherein

in response to permission given from a user associated with an account currently logged into the second operation assistant to use the second operation assistant, the controller causes the second operation assistant to operate as the slave operation assistant.

21 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

the second device includes a plurality of second operation assistants, and

the controller causes at least one of the plurality of second operation assistants to operate as the slave operation assistant.

22 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein

the second device includes a plurality of second operation assistants, and

in response to transmission of a connection request from the first device to the second device, the controller causes a second operation assistant capable of controlling a third device connected to the second device among the plurality of second operation assistants to operate as the slave operation assistant.

23 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein

the controller selects as the slave operation assistant a second operation assistant capable of controlling a target function to be executed from among the plurality of second operation assistants.

24 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein

the controller selects the slave operation assistant from among the plurality of second operation assistants on the basis of the number of devices controllable by each of the plurality of second operation assistants.

25 . An information processing apparatus comprising:

a controller that, in response to transmission of a connection request from the information processing apparatus, which includes a first operation assistant, to a device including a second operation assistant, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the information processing apparatus and the first operation assistant, causes, by using the identification information, the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled in accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

26 . An information processing apparatus comprising:

a controller that, in response to transmission of a connection request from a device including a first operation assistant to the information processing apparatus, which includes a second operation assistant, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the information processing apparatus and the first operation assistant, causes, by using the identification information, the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

27 . An information processing system comprising:

a first device including a first operation assistant;

a second device including a second operation assistant; and

a controller that, in response to transmission of a connection request from the first device to the second device, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the first device and the first operation assistant, causes, by using the identification information, the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled in accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

28 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for information processing, the process comprising:

in response to transmission of a connection request from a first device including a first operation assistant to a second device including a second operation assistant, the connection request including identification information of at least one of the first device and the first operation assistant,

causing the second operation assistant to operate as a slave operation assistant controlled in accordance with an instruction from a different operation assistant other than the second operation assistant.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 28, 2021
From: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
To: FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP.
Reel/Frame 056078/0098 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2019
From: TOKUCHI, KENGO
To: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 049135/0294 →