JP2022156542A - communication unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide, in a printing system that controls a printer based on voice data input by voice, a new communication unit that delivers the data to the printer.SOLUTION: In a printing system 100, a voice analysis service 5 inputs a print job to a print job storage server 6. A device ID indicating a transmission destination of the print job and a speaker ID identifying a transmission source of voice data are registered in the voice analysis service 5 in association with each other. In the voice analysis service, the voice data is input in association with the speaker ID and the device ID associated with the input speaker ID is acquired. In the voice analysis service, a print job based on the input voice data is input to the print job storage server 6 in association with the device ID. A relay unit 4 accesses the print job storage server 6, receives the print job associated with the device ID indicating the relay unit 4 from the print job storage server 6, and inputs the received print job to a printer 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to a communication unit connectable to a printer. More particularly, it relates to a communication unit that relays print jobs generated based on voice input.

In recent years, with the spread of voice user interfaces (VUI) such as smart speakers, the VUI is connected to the Internet, the voice data input to the VUI is analyzed by a server on the Internet, and other devices are controlled based on the analysis results. printing systems are widely known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 describes a system that uses a VUI to print to a printer. The application server analyzes the voice data input to the voice input device, pushes notification of print instruction data based on the analysis results to the terminal device, and the terminal device executes the print job based on the received print instruction data. A configuration for sending to a printer is disclosed.

JP 2020-140299 A

When the printer is controlled by the printing system as described above, the terminal device, which is a mobile terminal, receives data based on the analysis result of the voice data and controls the printer by push notification. For this reason, the user needs to install an application program for receiving push notifications and make settings for receiving push notifications. Therefore, it is desirable to have a configuration in which data is passed to the printer in a procedure that does not use push notification.

This specification discloses a technique for providing a new procedure for transferring data to a printer in a printing system that controls the printer based on voice data input by voice.

A communication unit made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems,
a first communication interface connectable to a network;
a second communication interface connectable to a printer;
a controller;
A communication unit comprising
Access information used for accessing a relay server connected to the network is registered in the communication unit, a print job is input to the relay server from a voice analysis service, and the voice analysis service receives the print job identification information indicating the destination device of the voice data and specific information specifying the source of the voice data are registered in association with each other, and the voice data is input to the voice analysis service in association with the specific information. , the identification information associated with the input specific information is acquired, and further, in the voice analysis service, the print job is generated based on the input voice data, and the generated print job is input to the relay server in association with the acquired identification information,
The controller is
accessing the relay server via the first communication interface using the access information registered in the communication unit, and receiving the print job associated with the identification information indicating the communication unit from the relay server; an acquisition process for receiving and acquiring;
an input process of inputting the print job acquired by the acquisition process into the printer via the second communication interface;
run the
It is characterized by

According to the communication unit described above, a print job based on voice data is input from the voice analysis service to the relay server, the communication unit accesses the relay server, and the communication unit directly receives and acquires the print job from the relay server. Therefore, the print job can be obtained and passed to the printer using a method different from push notification. As a result, in constructing a printing system using VUI, the user does not need to install an application program for receiving push notifications or make settings for push notifications, and the user's time and effort for handing over print jobs is reduced. .

A control method, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program for implementing the functions of the above apparatus are also novel and useful.

According to the technique disclosed in this specification, a new procedure for transferring data to the printer is realized in a printing system that controls the printer based on voice data input by voice.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printing system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer; FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a relay unit; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a user management table among tables possessed by the speech analysis service; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a group of tables used for analysis of voice data among tables possessed by the voice analysis service, where (A) is an image table and (B) is a template table. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram from voice input to accumulation of a print job among the processes executed by the printing system of the present embodiment; 2 is a sequence diagram from reception of a print job to printing by a printer, among processes executed by the printing system of the present embodiment; FIG. 7 is a flowchart of print job generation processing. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a template image and a print image; FIG.

[System Configuration of Printing System]
A printing system 100 according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 of this embodiment comprises a home network 110 and various servers and services other than the home network 110. FIG. The home network 110 and various servers or services other than the home network 110 are connected via the Internet 9 . The home network 110 is assumed to be used by the same users. On the other hand, various servers or services other than the home network 110 are servers or services operated by business operators that provide so-called cloud services, and are expected to be used by a plurality of users. That is, it can also be used from networks other than the home network 110 .

Devices that make up home network 110 include printer 1 , smart speaker 2 , access point 3 , and relay unit 4 . In the home network 110 of this embodiment, the user inputs voice to the smart speaker 2, outputs a print job based on the voice to the printer 1, and causes the printer 1 to print based on the print job. Smart speaker 2 and relay unit 4 are connected to access point 3 . Home network 110 may also include a personal computer (PC) 8 if desired. A PC 8 can also be connected to the access point 3 . Note that the devices that can be connected to the access point 3 are not limited to these, and other devices such as smartphones can also be connected.

A mode of connecting to the access point 3 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. In this embodiment, the access point 3 is a wireless LAN access point using a communication method according to the IEEE (abbreviation of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) 802.11a/b/g/n standard. to realize the function of Also, the access point 3 is connected to the Internet 9 . Therefore, devices connected to the access point 3 such as the smart speaker 2 and the relay unit 4 can access various servers or services other than the home network 110 via the access point 3 .

The printer 1 may be any device as long as it has a printing function, and may be, for example, a copier or a multifunction device. The printer 1 of this embodiment is a label printer capable of accommodating roll-shaped label paper and printing on labels. Note that the printing media that can be handled by the printer 1 are not limited to labels, and may be printable on cut paper.

Specifically, the printer 1 includes a control section 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12, as shown in FIG. The printer 1 also includes a user interface (hereinafter, "interface" may be referred to as "IF") 13, a USB (Universal Serial Bus abbreviation) communication IF 14, and a printing mechanism 15. It is electrically connected to the control unit 10 . Note that the control unit 10 in FIG. 2 is a general term for hardware and software used to control the printer 1 , and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the printer 1 .

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 12 and based on user operations and input jobs. The memory 12 can store various programs and data, and is used as a work area when various processes are executed. A buffer provided in the CPU 11 is also an example of a memory. An example of the memory 12 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, NVRAM, etc. built into the printer 1, but may be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 11. FIG. The memory 12 stores, for example, a program for controlling the printing mechanism 15 to print.

The user IF 13 is, for example, a touch panel, and includes hardware that displays a screen for informing the user of information and hardware that accepts user operations. Note that the user IF 13 may be a set of a display and an operation unit such as a button.

The USB communication IF 14 includes at least hardware for USB communication. The printer 1 is connected to various devices via the USB communication IF 14 . On the other hand, the printer 1 does not have a communication IF for wireless communication. Therefore, the access point 3 cannot be accessed directly.

The printing mechanism 15 is, for example, a thermal printing mechanism having a print head with a plurality of (for example, several hundred) heating elements. The print head forms dots on the sheet by heating positions on the sheet where dots are to be formed using heating elements under the control of the control unit 10 . The printing method is not limited to the thermal method, and may be, for example, an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relay unit 4 is a device that can be connected to the access point 3 by wireless communication and, for example, to the printer 1 by USB communication. In this embodiment, since the printer 1 does not have a communication IF for wireless communication, print jobs are transferred between the access point 3 and the printer 1 via the relay unit 4 having a wireless communication IF. The relay unit 4 is an example of a communication unit.

Specifically, the relay unit 4 includes a control section 40 including a CPU 41 and a memory 42, as shown in FIG. The control unit 40 or CPU 41 is an example of a controller. The relay unit 4 also includes a user IF 43 , a USB communication IF 44 and a wireless communication IF 45 , which are electrically connected to the control section 40 . Note that the control unit 40 in FIG. 3 is also a collective term for hardware and software used to control the relay unit 4, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the relay unit 4. do not have.

The CPU 41 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 42 and based on user operations and input jobs. The memory 42 can store various programs and data, and is used as a work area when various processes are executed. A buffer included in the CPU 41 is also an example of memory. An example of the memory 42 is not limited to the ROM, RAM, NVRAM, etc. built in the relay unit 4, but may be a storage medium readable and writable by the CPU 41. FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the memory 42 stores a print reception tool 46, which is a program for relaying print jobs, and access information 47 for accessing the print job storage server 6. there is The access information 47 includes, for example, the address of the print job storage server 6 and authentication information used for authenticating access rights to the print job storage server 6 . The print reception tool 46 and the access information 47 have been stored in the memory 42 since the relay unit 4 was shipped. The access information 47 may be stored by user operation after shipment.

The user IF 43 is, for example, a touch panel, and includes hardware that displays a screen for notifying the user of information, and hardware that accepts user operations. Note that the user IF 43 may be a set of a display and an operation unit such as a button.

The USB communication IF 44 includes at least hardware for USB communication. The relay unit 4 is a portable device, is attached to the printer 1 via the USB communication IF 44 and is connected to the printer 1 . The USB communication IF 44 is an example of a second communication interface.

The wireless communication IF 45 includes at least hardware such as an antenna for wireless communication with the access point 3 . The relay unit 4 is connected to the access point 3 via the wireless communication IF 45, and further via the access point 3, other devices connected to the access point 3 and various devices other than the home network 110 connected to the Internet 9. can access servers or services of Note that the relay unit 4 may further include a wireless communication IF of a communication method different from the wireless communication IF 45 for connecting to the access point 3 . The wireless communication IF 45 is an example of a first communication interface.

Returning to the description of the printing system 100 in FIG. 1, the smart speaker 2 is a so-called voice user interface (VUI) that has a speaker and a microphone and executes specific processing according to the voice uttered by the user. The specific process includes, for example, a series of processes of detecting voice uttered by the user, generating voice data based on the detected voice, and transmitting the generated voice data to the voice analysis service 5. . The smart speaker 2 also has a communication IF for wireless communication with the access point 3 . Therefore, the smart speaker 2 is connected to the access point 3, and via the access point 3, is connected to other devices connected to the access point 3 and various servers or services other than the home network 110 connected to the Internet 9. have access. For example, Amazon Echo (Amazon is a (registered trademark)) can be applied to the smart speaker 2 in this embodiment.

The PC 8 has both a USB communication IF (not shown) and a wireless communication IF (not shown). The PC 8 is used for advance preparations for operating the printing system 100 . Advance preparation will be described later. The PC 8 does not participate in the series of processes for causing the printer 1 to execute the print job based on the voice input to the smart speaker 2 after the voice is input. Therefore, the PC 8 does not have to be connected to the access point 3 after preparation. The PC 8 incorporates, for example, a browser 81, which is a program for displaying web pages.

As various servers or services other than the home network 110 connected to the Internet 9 , the printing system 100 of the present embodiment includes a voice analysis service 5 and a print job storage server 6 . The voice analysis service 5 analyzes voice data and generates print jobs based on the analysis results. The print job storage server 6 stores print jobs until there is a transmission request. The printing system 100 may also include an image server 7 as needed. The image server 7 provides images to be printed and rasterizes image data. For example, the voice analysis service 5 is operated by the smart speaker 2 manufacturer, and the print job storage server 6 and image server 7 are operated by the printer 1 manufacturer. Each server or service is conceptually illustrated as one computer, but in reality it is a so-called cloud server or cloud service including a plurality of computers communicably connected to each other.

The speech analysis service 5 is connected to the Internet 9 and can input and output various data via the Internet 9 . For example, voice data based on voice input to the smart speaker 2 that constitutes the home network 110 of this embodiment is input via the Internet 9 . Also, a print job generated based on the voice data is output to the print job accumulation server 6 via the Internet 9 .

The speech analysis service 5 incorporates a speech analysis tool 51, a print job related tool 52, and a data registration tool . Each tool consists of one or more programs. In the voice analysis service 5, as tables managed by the data registration tool 54, a table for managing devices for each user and a table used for voice data analysis are stored.

Specifically, of the tables held by the speech analysis service 5, a table for managing devices for each user contains, as shown in FIG. A user management table 54A is included that associates a speaker ID that identifies the source of the audio data with a device ID that identifies the device that is the destination of the print job. The user ID or speaker ID is an example of specific information that specifies the source of the audio data, and the device ID is an example of identification information that indicates the device to which the print job is sent. In this embodiment, user IDs, speaker IDs, and device IDs are managed by one table. It may be managed separately in one table.

Among the tables held by the voice analysis service 5, the table used for voice data analysis includes words extracted from voice data and images for identifying image data, as shown in FIG. An image table 54B is included that associates an ID with a . Further, as shown in FIG. 5(B), a template table 54C is included in which words extracted from voice data are associated with template IDs for identifying templates. A table used for analyzing voice data is provided for each user ID using the voice analysis service 5 . The data registration tool 54 executes processing for generating these tables and processing for adding or deleting records to or from these tables.

The speech analysis tool 51 executes speech recognition processing and morphological analysis processing. Speech recognition processing is processing that analyzes speech data and generates text data that indicates the content of an utterance indicated by the speech data. The morphological analysis process analyzes the text data, extracts structural units (called morphemes) such as words contained in the content of the utterance, and specifies the type of the extracted morpheme (for example, the type of part of speech). processing. The voice analysis tool 51 in this embodiment is implemented using, for example, "Alexa Voice Service (Alexa is a registered trademark)".

The print job related tool 52 executes a process of generating a print job using text data obtained by analyzing voice data, and a process of transmitting the generated print job to the print job accumulation server 6 . A print job related tool 52 and a data registration tool 54 are provided by the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 and incorporated into the speech analysis service 5 .

The print job storage server 6 is connected to the Internet 9 and has a storage function for storing input print jobs for each device ID. Furthermore, it has a transmission function of transmitting a print job corresponding to a device in response to a request from the device. For example, when there is an access from the relay unit 4 constituting the home network 110 of this embodiment, the print job associated with the device ID indicating the relay unit 4 is transmitted to the relay unit 4 . The print job accumulation server 6 is an example of a relay server. For example, MQTT (abbreviation of Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is used as a communication protocol for realizing communication between the print job accumulation server 6 and the relay unit 4 .

The image server 7 is connected to the Internet 9 and stores a plurality of image data 71 in advance. Therefore, upon receiving an image data transmission request, the image server 7 reads the image data 71 specified in the transmission request, and transmits the read image data 71 to the device that issued the transmission request. For example, when there is an image data transmission request from the relay unit 4 constituting the home network 110 of this embodiment, the image data 71 specified by the transmission request is transmitted to the relay unit 4 .

In addition to the image data 71, the image server 7 stores a plurality of template data 72 in advance. Therefore, in the same manner as the image data 71, when the image server 7 receives the template data transmission request, the image server 7 reads out the template data 72 specified in the transmission request, and sends the read template data 72 to the device that requested the transmission request. Send to

The image server 7 also incorporates a raster tool 75 . The raster tool 75 rasterizes the vector format image data received by the image server 7 to generate raster format raster data. For example, when an image data rasterization request is received from the relay unit 4 constituting the home network 110 of this embodiment, the image data added to the rasterization request is rasterized, and the raster data generated by the rasterization is transmitted to the relay unit 4. .

In this embodiment, the image server 7 stores both the image data 71 and the template data 72, but they may be stored in separate servers. Raster tool 75 may likewise be incorporated into another server.

[Advance preparation]
Next, advance preparation for printing by the printing system 100 of this embodiment will be described. The advance preparation includes advance preparation for registering the relay unit 4 and advance preparation for registering an image.

Preparations for registering the relay unit 4 are made by the PC 8 . The PC 8 activates the browser 81 by the user's operation and accesses the web page designated by the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 . Furthermore, the PC 8 accepts input of the user ID and device ID on the web page. The user ID accepted at this time is an identification number assigned to each user for using the voice analysis service 5 , and the device ID is the product number stored in the relay unit 4 . The device ID may be written on the manual or housing of the relay unit 4, or may be read by connecting the relay unit 4 to the PC8.

Furthermore, when the PC 8 accepts an operation for registering the relay unit 4 in the speech analysis service 5 in a state in which the user ID and device ID have been input, the PC 8 sends a registration instruction including the input user ID and device ID to the Internet 9 . to the server of the relay unit 4 manufacturer. When the server of the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 receives the user ID and the device ID together with the registration instruction, it passes those IDs to the data registration tool 54 of the speech analysis service 5 and instructs the registration of the device.

When the device registration is instructed, the data registration tool 54 associates the delivered product ID of the relay unit 4 with the user ID and registers them in the user management table 54A. As a result, the relay unit 4 is registered as the destination of the print job associated with the registered user ID. If the PC 8 can directly access the speech analysis service 5 and can instruct the data registration tool 54, the PC 8 may directly instruct the speech analysis service 5 to register.

An application program for advance preparation may be installed in the relay unit 4, input of necessary information may be received via the user IF 43 of the relay unit 4, and a registration instruction may be output based on the input information. For example, as a preliminary preparation for registering the relay unit 4, an input of a user ID is accepted via the user IF 43, and a registration instruction including the input user ID and the product ID of the relay unit 4 is sent via the Internet 9. It may be sent to the server of the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 or to the speech analysis service 5 . Further, when receiving a user ID and a registration instruction from the PC 8, the relay unit 4 sends the registration instruction including the received user ID and the product ID of the relay unit 4 to the Internet via the application program installed in the relay unit 4. 9 to the server of the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 .

Preliminary preparations for registering images are also made by the PC 8 . As in advance preparation for registering relay unit 4 , PC 8 activates browser 81 and accesses a web page specified by the manufacturer of relay unit 4 by user's operation. Furthermore, the PC 8 accepts input of a user ID on the web page. The user ID accepted at this time is also a user ID for using the speech analysis service 5 .

Furthermore, when the PC 8 receives an operation for registering an image in the voice analysis service 5, it receives an input of an image ID and a word for designating the image ID on the web page. The image ID received at this time is an identification number for managing the image data 71 by the image server 7 . Then, a registration instruction including the input image ID and word and the input user ID is transmitted to the server of the relay unit 4 maker via the Internet 9 . When the server of the manufacturer of the relay unit 4 receives the user ID, the image ID, the word, and the user ID, it passes the information to the data registration tool 54 of the voice analysis service 5 and instructs the registration of the image.

When image registration is instructed, the data registration tool 54 registers a record in which the passed image ID and the word are associated in the image table 54B corresponding to the passed user ID. As a result, the image ID corresponding to the word input by voice is registered for each user ID. As with images, input of a user ID, a template ID, and a word is received for a template, and a record in which the received template ID and the word are associated is registered in the template table 54C corresponding to the received user ID.

If the PC 8 can directly access the speech analysis service 5 and can instruct the data registration tool 54, the PC 8 can directly instruct the speech analysis service 5 to register in the same manner as the registration of the relay unit 4. good too. Alternatively, an application program equivalent to the data registration tool 54 may be installed in the PC 8, the image table 54B and the template table 54C may be created in the PC 8, and the created tables may be associated with the user ID and uploaded to the speech analysis service 5. .

In addition, as a preparation, an association with the user ID for using the smart speaker 2 with the voice analysis service 5 is also registered in advance. In this embodiment, the speaker ID stored in the smart speaker 2 is associated with the user ID and registered in the voice analysis service 5 . That is, the speaker ID is associated with the user ID and registered in the user management table 54A.

[Print procedure]
Next, the procedure from voice input to printing by the printing system 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. This procedure is a procedure in which the smart speaker 2, the voice analysis service 5, the print job storage server 6, and the relay unit 4 work together to cause the printer 1 to execute printing. 6 shows the first half of the processing executed by the printing system 100 of the present embodiment, which is the sequence from when the smart speaker 2 detects voice until the print job is accumulated in the print job accumulation server 6. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of the second half of processing, from the print job being retrieved from the print job storage server 6 to being printed by the printer 1. FIG.

It should be noted that each processing step in the processing and sequence diagrams in this embodiment basically indicates the processing of the CPU or computer of each device according to the instructions described in the program incorporated in each device. Processing by the CPU or computer also includes hardware control using the API of the OS (operating system) of each device. In this specification, detailed description of the OS will be omitted and the operation of each program will be described.

First, the first half of the processes executed by the printing system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. The first half of the process is started when the smart speaker 2 detects the voice uttered by the user (step S1, hereinafter "step" is omitted), as shown in FIG. After detecting the voice, the smart speaker 2 generates voice data representing the detected voice (S2). For example, when a voice saying "Print XXX nameplate" is input to the smart speaker 2, the smart speaker 2 generates voice data representing the voice.

The smart speaker 2 transmits the voice data generated in S2 and the speaker ID stored in the smart speaker 2 to the voice analysis service 5 via the access point 3 and the Internet 9 (S3). A well-known protocol such as HTTP (abbreviation for Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is used for transmission in S3.

Upon receiving the audio data and the speaker ID transmitted from the smart speaker 2, the audio analysis service 5 analyzes the received audio data (S4). Specifically, the speech analysis service 5 uses the speech analysis tool 51 to perform speech recognition processing on speech data to generate text data based on the speech indicated by the speech data. For example, when voice data representing a voice saying "Print XXX nameplate" is acquired, text data representing the content of the voice is generated. The speech analysis service 5 further uses the speech analysis tool 51 to perform morphological analysis processing on the generated text data. As a result, for example, words such as "XXX", "nameplate", and "print" are extracted, and the part-of-speech types (for example, nouns and verbs) of these words are specified. The speech analysis service 5 generates, as a morphological analysis result, a list in which the extracted words are associated with the part-of-speech type.

Further, the speech analysis service 5 passes the generated text data, the analysis result including the morphological analysis result, and the user ID corresponding to the received speaker ID to the print job related tool 52 (S5). The related tool 52 executes print job generation processing (S6). A user ID corresponding to the speaker ID can be acquired by referring to the user management table 54A. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, when "VUI_1" is received as the speaker ID, "USER_A" is selected as the user ID.

FIG. 8 shows the procedure of print job generation processing in S6. The speech analysis service 5 selects words to be used for print job generation from the words extracted by the morphological analysis (S601). For example, the speech analysis service 5 refers to the image table 54B and the template table 54C corresponding to the received user ID, and selects the words included in the word list for image selection from among the words extracted by the morphological analysis. , and the words included in the list of words for template selection. In the examples of FIGS. 5A and 5B, "XXX" is selected as a word for image selection, and "nameplate" is selected as a word for template selection.

Next, the speech analysis service 5 selects print targets based on the selected word (S602). Specifically, the speech analysis service 5 selects images to be printed based on the words selected for image selection. For example, if the word selected for image selection is "XXX", then "image ID_001", which is the image ID associated with "XXX" by the image table 54B, is selected. Furthermore, when the word selected for template selection is "nameplate", "template ID_002", which is the template ID associated with "nameplate" by the template table 54C, is selected.

Next, the speech analysis service 5 generates a print job (S603). The print job includes the image ID and template ID selected in S602. Note that when only the image ID is selected as the print target in S602, only the selected image ID is included in the print job.

Returning to the sequence diagram of FIG. 6, after generating the print job, the speech analysis service 5 selects the destination of the print job using the print job related tool 52 (S7). Specifically, the voice analysis service 5 refers to the user management table 54A and selects the device ID corresponding to the received user ID. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, when "USER_A" is received as the user ID, "CM_1" is selected as the device ID.

Next, the speech analysis service 5 uses the print job related tool 52 to send the print job generated in S6 and the device ID of the print job destination selected in S7 to the print job storage server 6 (S8). .

The print job storage server 6 that has received the print job and the device ID stores the received print job in a predetermined storage area in association with the received device ID (S9). According to the procedure shown in FIG. 6, the print job based on the voice input to the smart speaker 2 included in the home network 110 is stored in the print job storage server 6 in association with the device ID of the relay unit 4 included in the home network 110. accumulated.

Next, the second half of the processes executed by the printing system 100 of this embodiment will be described. The second half of the process is a process that is executed separately from the first half of the process shown in FIG. 6. After the relay unit 4 is activated, as shown in FIG. A transmission request for the print job associated with the device ID of the relay unit 4 is periodically sent to the storage server 6 via the access point 3 and the Internet 9 (S11). A print job associated with the device ID of the relay unit 4 is sent from the print job storage server 6 to the relay unit 4, and the relay unit 4 receives and acquires the print job (S12). S12 is an example of an acquisition process.

As for S11 and S12, for example, if a storage area is assigned to each device ID in the print job storage server 6, the relay unit 4 accesses the storage area assigned to its own device ID and stores data in the storage area. The print job associated with the device ID of the relay unit 4 can be received from the print job accumulation server 6 by requesting the download of the stored print job. Alternatively, the relay unit 4 transmits the device ID together with the print job transmission request, and the print job storage server 6 executes processing for extracting the print job associated with the received device ID, and relays the extracted print job. It may be sent to Unit 4.

Upon receiving the print job from the print job storage server 6, the relay unit 4 attempts communication with the printer 1 using the print reception tool 46, and determines whether or not it is connected to the printer 1 (S13). The relay unit 4 executes a printer search via, for example, the USB communication IF 44, determines that the printer is connected to the printer 1 if the printer is searched, and determines that the printer is connected to the printer 1 if the printer is not searched. judge not. S13 is an example of determination processing.

If it is determined that the relay unit 4 is connected to the printer 1 (ALT: connected), the relay unit 4 uses the print reception tool 46 to execute processing for causing the printer 1 to print based on the received print job. In this embodiment, the printer 1 is a label printer, and the print job is a print job to be executed by the label printer. Therefore, for example, a layout image obtained by arranging a specified image, which is an image indicated by an image ID included in a print job, in a template indicated by a template ID included in the print job, becomes an image to be printed. If the print job does not include the template ID, the image indicated by the image ID included in the print job is the image to be printed as it is.

An example of a template image and a print image is shown in FIG. A template image 10T shown in FIG. 9A is an image of a template indicated by a template ID, and is an example of a nameplate template, for example. The template image 10T includes a background image 10B and an image placement area 10A. A print image 10P shown in FIG. 9B is a layout image 10G in which a designated image 10M indicated by the image ID is laid out in the image layout area 10A of the template image 10T in FIG. 9A.

Therefore, the relay unit 4 first accesses the image server 7 via the access point 3 and the Internet 9 as a process for causing the printer 1 to print based on the received print job, and then accesses the image server 7 included in the received print job. A request is made to download the image data 71 corresponding to the image ID (S14), and the image data 71 transmitted from the image server 7 is received and acquired (S15). S15 is an example of image acquisition processing.

Next, the relay unit 4 accesses the image server 7 again via the access point 3 and the Internet 9, requests download of the template data 72 corresponding to the template ID included in the received print job (S16), and prints the image. The template data 72 transmitted from the server 7 are received (S17). Note that if the print job does not include a template ID, S16 and S17 are not performed. Moreover, S16 and S17 may be performed prior to S14, or may be performed at the same time.

Next, the relay unit 4 generates layout image data representing a layout image in which the image data 71 received from the image server 7 is laid out as a designated image in the template data 72 received from the image server 7 (S18). Note that if the print job does not include the template ID, S18 is not performed.

Next, the relay unit 4 accesses the image server 7 again via the access point 3 and the Internet 9, transmits the generated layout image data to the image server 7, and requests rasterization (S19). S19 is an example of raster processing.

The image server 7 that has received the rasterization request rasterizes the received layout image data by the raster tool 75 to generate raster data (S20), and transmits the generated raster data to the relay unit 4 (S21).

Next, the relay unit 4 passes the new print job including the raster data received from the image server 7 to the printer 1 (S22). S22 is an example of input processing. When the print job is passed from the relay unit 4, the printer 1 uses the printing mechanism 15 to print based on the raster data included in the print job (S23). 7, the print job stored in the print job storage server 6, that is, the print job based on the voice input to the smart speaker 2 included in the home network 110 is sent to the printer 1 via the relay unit 4. and printed by the printer 1.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the printer 1 is not connected (ALT: no connection), the relay unit 4 does not perform the processing from S14 onward, and the print reception tool 46 notifies the user that the printer cannot communicate. IF 43 is used (S31). The case where the printer 1 is not connected includes the case where there is no physical connection, the network communication failure, and the case where the power of the printer 1 is not turned on. By notifying that communication with the printer 1 is not possible, it is expected that the user will work to establish a connection with the printer 1 . The notification mode corresponds to, for example, the lighting of a warning lamp provided in the relay unit 4 and the output of a warning sound or a warning message. Processing when it is determined that the printer 1 is not connected is an example of restriction processing. S31 is an example of notification processing.

After the notification in S31, the relay unit 4 repeats the trial of communication with the printer 1 again in S13 until it is determined that it is connected to the printer 1. FIG. After it is determined that the printer 1 is connected, the process proceeds to S14 and subsequent steps.

In the procedure shown in FIG. 7, when it is determined that the printer 1 is not connected (ALT: no connection), neither the image data 71 nor the template data 72 is received from the image server 7. A configuration may be adopted in which the process up to the generation of raster data in S20 is completed, and the transmission of the raster data is waited. Alternatively, after receiving the image data 71 and the template data 72 from the image server 7, the connection with the printer 1 may be determined. With such a configuration, the relay unit 4 holds the print job until it is connected to the printer 1, and the print job can be passed to the printer 1 immediately after being connected to the printer 1, so that early printing can be achieved. Expect to start. In this case, the connection with the printer 1 may be determined after receiving the image data 71 and the template data 72 from the image server 7 . On the other hand, by waiting without performing rasterization until the printer 1 is connected as in the procedure shown in FIG.

Further, in the procedure shown in FIG. 7, after receiving the print job in S12, communication with the printer 1 is attempted to determine whether or not the printer 1 is connected. A configuration may also be adopted in which a print job transmission request is sent to the print job storage server 6 when communication with the printer 1 is tried before and the printer 1 is determined to be connected. For example, connection with the printer 1 may be determined when the relay unit 4 is activated (including restarting by a reset instruction), or may be determined periodically after activation.

As described in detail above, according to the relay unit 4 of the present embodiment, a print job based on voice data is input from the voice analysis service 5 to the print job accumulation server 6, and the relay unit 4 accesses the print job accumulation server 6. Since the relay unit 4 directly receives and acquires the print job from the print job accumulation server 6, it is possible to acquire the print job and pass it to the printer 1 by a method different from push notification. As a result, in constructing the printing system 100 using the smart speaker 2, the user does not need to install an application program for receiving push notifications or make settings for push notifications. Less hassle.

Further, the printing system 100 of this embodiment is configured so that the relay unit 4 once receives a print job and then inputs it to the printer 1 . Therefore, even if the memory capacity of the printer 1 is small, it is possible to wait for the input of the print job in the relay unit 4, that is, to pass the print job while suppressing the pressure on the memory 12 of the printer 1. Even 1 is applicable.

Further, in the printing system 100 of this embodiment, the relay unit 4 passes the print job to the printer 1 through USB communication. Therefore, even a printer that does not have an interface for connecting to a network can be applied. Also, if preparations have been completed, printing by the printer 1 becomes possible only by connecting the relay unit 4 to the printer 1. - 特許庁

Further, in this embodiment, when installing the printing system 100, the firmware update of the printer 1 is not required. In other words, it can be applied as it is to the printer 1 having the USB communication IF 14 . Even if a firmware update is required in applying the printing system 100 of this embodiment, new firmware can be installed from the relay unit 4 . In this case, the manufacturer of the printer 1 inputs a firmware update job indicating the storage location of the new firmware to the print job accumulation server 6, and the relay unit 4 receives the update job, thereby allowing the relay unit 4 to specify the storage location of the firmware. to receive the new firmware and input it to the printer 1 .

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the image server 7 is not a device that constitutes the home network 110 but may be a device that constitutes the home network 110 .

In addition, in the embodiment, as a preparation, the association between the speaker ID of the smart speaker 2 and the user ID for using the voice analysis service 5 is registered in advance. It is not limited to this. For example, when a user ID can be registered in the smart speaker 2 and voice data is transmitted from the smart speaker 2 in association with the registered user ID, the association between the speaker ID and the user ID in the voice analysis service 5 is unnecessary, and the voice analysis service 5 may determine the image to be printed based on the received user ID and determine the destination of the print job. In this case, the user ID is an example of "specific information".

Further, in the embodiment, the image ID is registered as the information registered in the image table 54B, but address information indicating the reference destination of the image data may be registered. Similarly, the template ID registered in the template table 54C may be registered with address information indicating the reference destination of the template. In this case, the relay unit 4 may access the address indicated by the address information and download the image data or template.

In the embodiment, the speech analysis service 5 has the image table 54B and the template table 54C for each user ID. good. In this case, the manufacturer of the printer 1 may prepare the common image table 54B and template table 54C in advance instead of preparing for each user.

In the embodiment, the print job stored in the print job storage server 6 does not include the image data itself, including the image ID and the template ID. or the template itself. In that case, access to the image server 7 becomes unnecessary, and the communication load can be reduced. On the other hand, by not including image data and templates themselves in the print jobs stored in the print job storage server 6, the size of the print jobs stored in the print job storage server 6 can be reduced. memory load is reduced.

Also, in the embodiment, the image server 7 performs rasterization, but the relay unit 4 may perform rasterization. Since raster data is input to the printer 1 even when the relay unit 4 performs rasterization, even a printer that does not have a rasterization function can be applied to the system of the embodiment. Further, if the printer 1 has a rasterization function, the relay unit 4 may pass the print job including the layout image before rasterization to the printer 1 .

In the embodiment, the image server 7 has the template data 72, and the relay unit 4 accesses the image server 7 to acquire the template data 72. may In this case, the relay unit 4 may acquire the template data 72 from the printer 1 . If the printer 1 is capable of rasterization, the relay unit 4 may pass the template ID and the image data, and the printer 1 may generate the layout image.

In the embodiment, the relay unit 4 periodically issues a transmission request to the print job accumulation server 6. However, the timing or time for making the transmission request can be registered in the relay unit 4, and the registered timing can be changed. Alternatively, the transmission request may be made according to the time. Alternatively, an operation for requesting transmission may be accepted via the user IF 43 of the relay unit 4, and a transmission request may be issued in response to the operation. Note that by sending a transmission request periodically as in the embodiment, the print job is automatically received from the print job storage server 6 and input to the printer 1. Therefore, the print job is automatically received based on the voice input. can be passed to printer 1.

In the embodiment, the relay unit 4 and the printer 1 communicate via the USB communication IF 14 (44), but other communication methods may be used as long as communication between the relay unit 4 and the printer 1 is possible. good. For example, it may be communication via a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication IF.

Further, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed in execution order or executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents.

Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be performed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, a method, and the like.

1 Printer 2 Smart Speaker 3 Access Point 4 Relay Unit 5 Voice Analysis Service 6 Print Job Storage Server 7 Image Server

Claims (9)

a first communication interface connectable to a network;
a second communication interface connectable to a printer;
a controller;
A communication unit comprising
Access information used for accessing a relay server connected to the network is registered in the communication unit, a print job is input to the relay server from a voice analysis service, and the voice analysis service receives the print job identification information indicating the destination device of the voice data and specific information specifying the source of the voice data are registered in association with each other, and the voice data is input to the voice analysis service in association with the specific information. , the identification information associated with the input specific information is acquired, and further, in the voice analysis service, the print job is generated based on the input voice data, and the generated print job is input to the relay server in association with the acquired identification information,
The controller is
accessing the relay server via the first communication interface using the access information registered in the communication unit, and receiving the print job associated with the identification information indicating the communication unit from the relay server; an acquisition process for receiving and acquiring;
an input process of inputting the print job acquired by the acquisition process into the printer via the second communication interface;
run the
A communication unit characterized by: A communication unit according to claim 1, wherein
In the acquisition process,
periodically accessing the relay server via the first communication interface using the access information registered in the communication unit, and the communication unit associated with the identification information indicating the communication unit from the relay server; receive and retrieve print jobs,
A communication unit characterized by: In the communication unit according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The controller is
a communication determination process for determining whether communication with the printer is possible via the second communication interface;
restriction processing for restricting at least one of execution of the acquisition processing and execution of the input processing when the communication determination processing determines that communication with the printer is not possible;
and run
Further, the controller
not executing the restriction process if the communication determination process determines that communication with the printer is possible;
A communication unit characterized by: A communication unit according to claim 3,
The controller is
executing notification processing for notifying that communication with the printer is not possible when the communication determination processing determines that communication with the printer is not possible;
A communication unit characterized by: In a communication unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The second communication interface is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) communication interface,
A communication unit characterized by: In a communication unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
the print job acquired from the relay server does not contain image data but contains image identification information for identifying an image to be printed;
The controller is
After acquiring the print job in the acquisition process, image data indicated by the image specifying information included in the print job is acquired from an image server connected to the network via the first communication interface. Execute the image acquisition process,
In the input process, the print job for printing based on the image data acquired in the image acquisition process is inputted to the printer via the second communication interface.
A communication unit characterized by: In a communication unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The print job acquired from the relay server includes template identification information for identifying a template to be combined with an image to be printed,
The controller is
In the input process, the print job for printing based on an arrangement image in which the template specified by the template specifying information is arranged is input to the printer via the second communication interface.
A communication unit characterized by: A communication unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The controller is
After acquiring the print job in the acquisition process, executing raster processing for acquiring print data obtained by rasterizing the image data included in the print job,
In the input process, the print job including the print data acquired in the raster process is input to the printer via the second communication interface.
A communication unit characterized by: A communication unit according to claim 8,
In the raster processing,
After acquiring the print job in the acquisition process, the image data included in the print job is transmitted to the image processing server connected to the network via the first communication interface, and the image processing server obtaining the print data by receiving the print data obtained by rasterizing the image data;
A communication unit characterized by:

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