JP2002278709A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recorder capable of recording specified Web data on the Internet and other specified data without requiring a host. SOLUTION: The representative configuration of the image recorder is characterized by providing an image recording means, a line connecting means to be connected with the Internet via an telecommunication line, an address storage means to store an address of a server on the Internet and a data storage means to temporarily store data on the server, being connected with the server stored in the address storage means via the line connecting means, acquiring the data from the server, storing it in the data storage means and recording the stored data by the image recording means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording device which is an output device of a computer, word processor, facsimile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image recording apparatus is mainly used for outputting data received from a host such as a computer to a recording medium. The recorded data includes
Examples include data created by a computer such as a word processor or DTP, Web data on the Internet that has been rapidly increasing recently, and photograph data from a digital camera.

In order to output these contents, it is general to prepare a host computer in advance and connect it to an image recording apparatus to perform recording. However, in recent years, in order to improve the operability of the user, there has been provided a digital camera capable of reading and outputting data with a single recording device.

[0004]

By the way, regarding the output of Web data, which has been increasing recently, for example, when it is desired to output news or a weather forecast, first activate a host computer, connect online, and connect to the Internet. , After selecting the content.
That is, despite outputting data of a specific known address, it takes a lot of trouble and time to obtain an output image. If the power of the host computer is kept on, the time until output can be shortened a little. However, always turning on the power of the host results in waste of power especially at home.

[0005] Further, in a society in which values are diversified in recent years, it is conceivable as one means for making a product acceptable to consumers, for example, to enable different operations for each product.

On the other hand, recently, recording devices have also become widespread in homes. However, since the recording devices have inherited the design of office equipment, they are incompatible with the interior of a room or the like, which impairs the user's taste. There was a fear.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of recording specific Web data on the Internet and other specific data without requiring a host.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a typical configuration of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises image recording means and line connection means connected to the Internet via a telecommunication line. And an address storage unit for storing an address of a server on the Internet, and a data storage unit for temporarily storing data on the server, and stored in the address storage unit via the line connection unit. It is characterized by connecting to a server, acquiring data from the server, storing the data in the data storage means, and recording the stored data by the image recording means.

[0009]

[First Embodiment] A first embodiment of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the image recording apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an external perspective view illustrating another example of the image recording apparatus.

The image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a discharge tray 11 for loading a recording medium 22 after recording in front of the apparatus main body 10, and an automatic sheet feeder 12 for loading a recording medium 21 before recording in the rear. Have. In addition, a power button 13 and a resume button 14 for releasing an error
Is arranged.

The apparatus main body 10 has an interface cable
A host computer 30 is connected via 31 and is configured to be able to receive image information. Also the device body
An electric communication line 32 is connected to 10 and can be connected to the Internet without going through the host computer 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image recording apparatus has a CPU (Central Processor Unit) 41 for controlling, and a ROM (Read Only M
emoly) 42, RAM 43 (Random Ac) as a data storage means for temporarily storing data from the host, etc.
cess Memory) and a clock 44 having a clock function.

The CPU 41 also includes a power button 13, a resume button 14, a motor driver 45 for controlling a motor (not shown) for driving a recording apparatus, and a head driving unit for driving recording means. 46,
Various sensors 47, such as a carriage position detection (not shown) and sheet detection, and a detection of an initial position of the feed roller of the automatic sheet feeder 12, are connected.

Further, the CPU 41 has external connection means 48 for connecting to the host computer 30 via the interface cable 31 and line connection means 49 for connecting to the Internet via the electric communication line 32. ing. As the external connection means 48, a known parallel interface, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE1394, or the like can be used. The line connecting means 49 can use a modem connected to a telephone line, Ethernet (registered trademark) connected to a network, or the like.

(Recording operation of data from host)
The operation of the image recording apparatus having the above configuration will be described. When recording is performed by receiving data from the host computer 30 as usual, the power is turned on by the power button 13 and the recording medium 21 is set. Then, the interface cable 31 is connected to the apparatus main body 10 and the host computer
Recording is performed by transferring predetermined image information from 30.

The above operation will be described with reference to FIG. The power of the recording apparatus is turned on by the power button 13, that is, the circuit is turned on, and the pre-recording preparation operation of the recording apparatus is started in accordance with the contents of the ROM 42 in which the program of the CPU is previously written. And the host computer
When data is sent from the device 30 via the external connection means 48, the data is temporarily stored in the RAM 43, and the CPU 41 reads the data and starts recording. When recording is started, the CPU 41 sends a signal to the motor driver 45 and the head drive unit 46 based on the determined data while monitoring the output to the sensor 47, and performs recording on the recording medium 21.

(Recording operation not requiring a host)
A case of recording specific Web data on the Internet, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described. First, the address of the server on the Internet is registered in the recording device. Registered addresses are stored in the external memory 50 as address storage means.
Is stored in The external memory 50 may be a non-volatile memory that does not lose data even when the circuit power is turned off.
PROM, Compact Flash (registered trademark) memory,
A magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk can be used. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the external memory 50 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 10, but may be fixedly incorporated in the apparatus main body.

A plurality of addresses are held in the external memory 50, and the date and time at which data should be obtained from the addresses corresponding to each address are also stored. A flag indicating whether to output the obtained data to a recording medium,
And the output time are also stored. This allows
The recording device can output data acquired at an arbitrary time at another arbitrary time.

More specifically, the recording device obtains data from the server at the address set in the external memory 50 at a set time based on the time information from the clock 44, and temporarily stores the obtained data in the RAM 43. The information is stored in the storage medium 21 and output to the recording medium 21 at a set time. The set time is, for example, data is acquired at midnight when telephone charges are cheap, and output is performed during the day.

The output of the data can be started not only by the set time but also by, for example, pressing the resume button 14 twice. Further, when the capacity of the RAM 43 is large enough, the previously output data is compared with the latest acquired data. If the data is the same (if not updated), the data is not output. (If it has been done).

In this way, the user can record specific Web data on the Internet without needing the host computer 30.

(Setting of Server Address) Next, an example of setting an address in the external memory 50 will be described. In a recording apparatus that can be connected to the host computer 30 as shown in FIG. 1, an address, an acquisition time, an output flag, an output time, and the like can be set in advance from the host computer 30.

FIG. 3 shows a case where the recording apparatus is a facsimile apparatus. In the figure, a sheet cassette 51 is provided below the apparatus main body 10, and the recording medium 22 after recording is discharged from the front of the apparatus. An image reading section 52 and an operation panel 53 are arranged at the top of the apparatus, and a discharge tray 54 for receiving a document after image reading is provided at the rear of the apparatus.

Since such a facsimile apparatus is configured to be connectable to a telephone line as the electric communication line 32, the present invention is configured by setting the address and output time using the operation panel 53. It can be implemented.

Further, since the external memory 50 is detachable, it is possible to remove the external memory 50 from the apparatus main body 10 and set an address or the like from another computer, or to supply the external memory 50 with an address or the like set in advance. .

(Usage Example) Using the image recording apparatus having the above configuration, an address on the Internet that is updated daily, such as news, weather forecast, and today's fortune, is registered, and the Web data is output at a predetermined time every morning. be able to. At this time, it is economical to use the discount time of the telephone charge for the time to acquire the data from the server, and to output it later.

It is also conceivable to periodically output data of event information and excursion information in various places updated every weekend. In this way, by setting the address of the server on the Internet and the output method in advance in the image recording apparatus, it is possible to output various information as needed without complicated setting of the host computer. Become.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the configuration is described in which the address of the server on the Internet is stored in the external memory 50, the data of the server is acquired, and the image is output. However, the external memory 50 may store not only the server address but also the image data to be actually output, and output the image data at a predetermined date and time.

Thus, for example, a daily calendar can be generated. Conventionally, the daily calendar is provided as a thick bundle of paper. However, by storing the data in the external memory 50, the apparatus can be used as a daily calendar. That is, it is set to output at a certain time every day, and a daily calendar of various designs is output every day. Here, by randomly changing the design, it is possible to obtain a daily calendar with a design that the user did not expect.

Fortune-telling data is stored in the external memory 50, and personal records such as the date of birth, gender, blood type, etc. of the user are input to the recording device in advance, so that daily or weekly fortunes can be obtained. It can be output automatically.

It is also possible to provide an external memory 50 with a lottery. Then, if the user who has purchased one of them has performed regular output using this, a winning ticket is suddenly output one day. On the other hand, a service such as cashback can be provided from the provider side.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing another configuration. Parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. And the description is omitted.

The apparatus main body 10 of the image recording apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a hook 60 as a mounting portion for mounting a recording medium on a side surface, whereas a hole 61a is formed in the recording medium 61. ing. Thus, the recording medium 61 on which the recording has been completed as shown in FIG. 4 can be hooked on the hook 60 provided on the side surface of the main body. Therefore, for example, as shown in the second embodiment, after outputting the data of the daily calendar, the apparatus main body can be used as a display as it is, and a new use of the recording apparatus can be provided. In addition to the daily calendar,
It can be applied to various printed materials such as photographs and landscapes.

Instead of providing the hole 61a in the recording medium 61, a notch 61b may be formed as shown in FIG. Since such a recording medium 61 is a dedicated one, it is convenient for a user to use it immediately after obtaining it by enclosing it in a packaging box when the apparatus main body 10 is provided.

The configuration for attaching the recording medium to the apparatus main body 10 is not limited to the hook-shaped one. The apparatus main body 10 shown in FIG. 5 is provided with a pocket 62 as a mounting portion. With such an attachment portion, the recording medium 63 to be used can be a fixed size having no hole 61a or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, guides 64 for supporting the four corners of the recording medium 63 may be provided as attachment portions. Thus, in addition to using the recording medium 63 having a fixed size, the displayable portion can be made larger than that of the example shown in FIG.

[Fourth Embodiment] A fourth embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above embodiments, and the description is omitted.

This embodiment is an example in which the operation panel 53 of the recording apparatus is prepared in advance as a standard sheet, and the operation panel 53 is recorded using the sheet. According to this example, the user can use the operation panel 53 of a favorite design, and can appeal to the user's taste.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It has a clock function or a time measurement function, acquires data from a server on the Internet or from an external memory at a predetermined time, and outputs it at a predetermined time, so that it can be specified without a host such as a computer. An image recording apparatus capable of automatically outputting Web data or other specific data periodically or at a set time can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view illustrating another example of the image recording apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another configuration according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another configuration according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10… Main unit 11… Eject tray 12… Auto sheet feeder 13… Power button 14… Resume button 21… Recording medium 22… Recording medium 30… Host computer 31… Interface cable 32… Electrical communication line 41… CPU 42… ROM 43… RAM 44 clock 45 motor driver 46 head drive unit 47 sensor 48 external connection unit 49 line connection unit 50 external memory 51 sheet cassette 52 image reading unit 53 operation panel 54 discharge tray 60 hook 61: Recording medium 61a: Hole 61b: Notch 62: Pocket 63: Recording medium 64: Guide

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An image recording unit, a line connection unit connected to the Internet via a telecommunication line, an address storage unit for storing an address of a server on the Internet, and temporarily storing data on the server. It has a data storage unit, a clock function or a time measurement function, and based on an output signal from the clock function or the time measurement function,
Connecting to the server stored in the address storage means via the line connection means, acquiring data from the server, storing the data in the data storage means, and recording the stored data by the image recording means; An image recording apparatus characterized by the following. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein new data is acquired from the server in accordance with an instruction from an operation panel of the apparatus main body, or data acquired in the past is recorded. 3. An image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said address storage means is detachable from an apparatus main body. 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising external connection means connected to a host computer, wherein an address of the server on the Internet is set from the host computer. 5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the address of the server on the Internet is set from an operation panel of the apparatus main body. 6. An image recording means, an external memory for storing data to be recorded and detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and a clock function or a time measurement function, wherein an output signal from the clock function or the time measurement function is output. An image recording apparatus, which specifies and acquires data in the external memory based on the acquired information and records an image. 7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an attachment portion for attaching a recording medium is provided on the apparatus main body. 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the recording medium has a hole or a notch, and the recording medium is enclosed in a packaging box of the apparatus main body. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said recording medium is attachable to an operation panel of the apparatus main body.