JP2003030095A - Printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing system where a content stored in a server can easily be printed by the nearest printer. SOLUTION: Map data preserved in a printing server can easily be printed at a visiting place and inconvenience that the person views data with the small monitor of a portable terminal is solved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printing system for maps, event information, shopping information, restaurant information and other information that the user wants to print, and in particular, the content stored in a predetermined server is installed at an arbitrary location. The present invention relates to a printing system capable of printing with a registered printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is a common experience that people want a map of their own place and shopping information during a trip or shopping. To meet such demands,
Document generation that stores maps, event information, shopping information, restaurant information, and other information in a predetermined server so that the content can be downloaded to a mobile terminal using a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone. The system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-12964.

[0003]

However, the portable terminal is destined to have a small display, and even if the content can be downloaded as in the prior art described in the above publication, it cannot be viewed on the display of the portable terminal. It's not easy. In addition, since the storage capacity of a mobile terminal is generally small, it is not suitable for storing many pieces of information with a large storage capacity such as maps and shopping information. On the other hand, today, there are sales networks throughout Japan, such as convenience stores, and printers with a copy function are indispensable equipment in such places. In addition, such convenience stores are generally in a fully managed state, and it is not difficult to find the nearest convenience store if the current location is known. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing system capable of easily printing the content stored in the server with the nearest printer.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a printing system according to a first invention of the present application is capable of communicating with a terminal via a network and with a terminal capable of communicating with the terminal via the network. In a printing system including a print information server and a printer capable of communicating with the terminal and / or the print information server via the network, the print server stores at least a large number of contents to be printed. The terminal includes a content storage unit, the terminal accesses at least the print server, and downloads desired content from the content storage unit in the print server; and the downloaded content to the printer. And a printer for transmitting the contents to the printer. , And is configured as a printing system comprising at least a first content printing unit for printing the content received from the terminal. According to the present invention, since the content to be printed can be stored in a portable terminal or the like and carried around, it can be printed at any place by the image forming apparatus, and the inconvenience of viewing a large image such as a map on a small monitor of the portable terminal is released. . A second invention of the present application is a terminal capable of communicating via a network, a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, the terminal and / or the print information server, and the network. In a printing system including a printer capable of communicating via a printer, the print server includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, and the terminal includes:
A second means for accessing at least the print server to specify a desired content in the content storage section in the print server; and the printer for downloading at least the content specified by the terminal. And a second content printing unit that prints the downloaded content, and is configured as a printing system. According to the present invention, the content to be printed is stored on the print server side and downloaded and printed when necessary. Therefore, no matter how big the content is,
It can be downloaded without going through the terminal, reducing the burden on the mobile terminal.

A third aspect of the present invention is a terminal capable of communicating via a network, a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, the terminal and / or the print information server and the network. In a printing system including a printer capable of communicating via a work, the print server includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed and a printer information storage unit that stores information about the location of the printer. And downloading the content designated by the terminal to a printer designated in advance by the terminal.
Content downloading means, and the terminal is stored in the printer information storing means and the content specifying means for accessing at least the print server to specify a desired content in the content storing section in the print server. Printer specifying means for specifying a printer for downloading the specified content using the specified printer information, and download instructing means for instructing the print server to download the specified content to the specified printer. The printer is configured as a printing system including at least a third content printing unit downloaded from a print server and printing the designated content according to an instruction from the terminal. . Therefore, as in the second aspect of the invention, since it is not necessary to store the content in the terminal, even a large capacity content can be printed by a printer in an arbitrary place without passing through the terminal without any problem. Burden is reduced. Further, a fourth invention according to the present application is a printing system comprising a print information server communicable via a network, and a printer communicable with the print information server and the network. Includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, and the printer includes a fourth content download unit that specifies and downloads at least the content in the content storage unit in the print server, The printing system is characterized by comprising a fourth content printing unit for printing the downloaded content. In the present invention, even a terminal is not required, so that the entire system can be simplified.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Before describing the embodiments of the present invention,
An overview of the invention is provided and it is shown that there are several patterns in embodiments of the invention. The fact that the content to be printed is stored in the print server is no different from the conventional document generation system. However, in the present invention, a user who wants to print (hereinafter referred to as a user) uses some method to transfer the content stored in the print server to a desired printer and print the content with the printer. There are a plurality of methods of transferring the content stored in the print server to the printer, and it is considered that a plurality of embodiments are established according to those methods. Table 1
Is an arrangement of embodiments according to the types of methods for transferring the content stored in the print server to the printer. That is, for the technique to transfer the stored content on the print server to the printer, and the point to say that either stored in advance where the content to be printed, that if you want to stored transfer to the printer of the content (download) Is narrowed down to. As is clear from Table 1, the storage locations of the print-scheduled contents are: a. Storing in a mobile terminal; b. Storing in a print server; c. It is considered that the storage location is selected at the time of printing (no processing is performed in advance).

[Table 1] Above a. When the data is stored in the mobile terminal as described above, there is only one method of downloading the data to the printer, and the mobile terminal and the printer communicate with each other to download the content stored in the mobile terminal side to the printer. This case is called the first invention and is described in claim 1. Above b. When the content to be printed is stored in the server as described above, the content to be printed is designated and stored. In this case, the content storage unit or print information storage unit on the server side (described later)
One possible method is to download the contents from the server to the printer. This invention is called the second invention and is described in claim 2. In this case, the printer may access the print server or the print server may access the printer. Also, the above b. In this case, the mobile terminal may access the server and download the content from the server to the mobile terminal. However, the gist of the invention is the same as that of the first invention, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. Further, the above b. As for the method, a method in which the content stored in the server is downloaded to the printer in advance from the server and the mobile terminal accesses the printer at the time of printing and causes the printer to print is considered. In this case, it is necessary to instruct the server in advance the location of the printer to download. This case is called the third invention. Claim 3 expresses this case. Further, the above c. In this case, the content is downloaded directly from the content storage unit of the server to the printer when printing. In this case, a method in which the printer accesses the server and downloads the content from the server to the printer can be considered. This embodiment is defined as a fourth invention and is described in claim 4. Finally, the above c. In this case, it is conceivable that a terminal such as a mobile terminal accesses the server, downloads the content from the server to the mobile terminal once, and then downloads the content again to the printer. In this case, after all, since it is the same as the first invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, a case where a terminal such as a mobile terminal accesses the server, downloads the content from the server to the printer, and the printer prints the content, but this is the same as the gist of the third invention in the end, the detailed description thereof Is omitted.

The configuration of a printing system as an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 for the understanding of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the entire printing system according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the print server in the first invention, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the printer in the first invention, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in the first invention, FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a content list in the first invention, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure in a print server necessary for carrying out the second invention, and FIG. 7 is a print server used for carrying out the third invention. A flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the print server used for implementing the fourth invention, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the printer used for implementing the fourth invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a portable terminal 2 capable of communicating via the Internet N, which is an example of a network, and a printing capable of communicating with the portable terminal 2 via the Internet N. The printing system includes a server 3, a printer 4 capable of communicating with the mobile terminal 2 and / or the print information server 3 via the Internet N. The print server 3 includes at least a content storage unit 3a that stores a large number of contents to be printed. The mobile terminal 2 is composed of a mobile phone, a PHS, a mobile information terminal PDA, etc., and accesses the print server 3 to access the content storage unit 3 in the print server 3.
It is provided with means for downloading desired contents from a, storing the downloaded contents, and transmitting the stored contents to the printer 4.
Further, the printer 4 has a function of printing the content received from the mobile terminal 2. The detailed configuration of the mobile terminal 2 is as follows. However, it is not necessary to have all of these configurations, and unnecessary configurations are deleted according to the modes of the first to fourth inventions described below. Storage unit 2a ... A unit for temporarily storing contents downloaded from the print server 3 and the like. Communication unit 2b ... A portion that communicates with the print server 3 or the printer 4 via the Internet N (communication with the printer 4 may be short-distance communication means such as Bluetooth). The operation unit 2c is composed of a ten-key pad, a character input key, a display monitor, and the like, and inputs instructions to the control unit 2d, the print server 3 or the printer 4, etc. The position information acquisition unit 2e is composed of a position sensor such as GPS, acquires the current position information of the mobile terminal 2 itself, and transmits it to the control unit 2d. Control unit 2d ... According to a program stored in a non-volatile memory (not shown), the operation unit 2c, the communication unit 2b, the storage unit 2a.
Alternatively, the process by the mobile terminal 2 is executed based on the information from the position information acquisition unit 2e.

The structure of the print server 3 is as follows. Content storage unit 3a ... A database including a map information storage unit, an event information storage unit, a shopping information storage unit, a restaurant information storage unit, and the like, and a database including information constantly updated by information from a content supplier. Communication unit 3b ... The mobile terminal 2 via the Internet N
And the printer 4. Printer location information storage unit 3c ... A database that stores address information regarding the location of the printer 4. A collection of data provided by convenience stores. Charge calculation data storage unit 3d ... A database for storing charge calculation parameters required for print processing. Print information storage unit 3e ... A database for temporarily storing the content for which printing is designated. The content is stored together with the ID of the owner of the mobile terminal 2 as necessary. Control unit 3f ... Sends the content in the content storage unit 3a or the print information storage unit 3e to the mobile terminal 2 or the printer 4 via the communication unit 3b in accordance with the instruction from the mobile terminal 2 or the printer 4. The processing procedure is executed based on a program stored in a non-volatile memory (not shown).

The configuration of the printer 4 is as follows. Communication unit 4a ... Connects to the mobile terminal 2 or the server 3 via a communication means such as the Internet N or Bluetooth to capture the content image and accept an instruction from the mobile terminal 2. The image input unit 4b is composed of a scanner or the like for capturing an image of paper information. There is no particular relation to the present invention. Image storage unit 4c ... A memory for temporarily storing the content fetched from the communication unit 4a. Image processing unit 4d ... Various processing conditions (magnification ratio, density condition, editing condition, etc.) input from the operation unit 4f while expanding the compressed contents stored in the image storage unit 4c
It is composed of hardware and software for modifying an image according to the above. Image forming unit 4e ... Hardware that performs exposure, development, transfer processing, and the like on the photoconductor based on the image data processed by the image processing unit 4d, and print processing. Operation unit 4f ... Hardware and software for inputting and displaying various data necessary for image formation. Control unit 4g ... A unit for performing image forming processing in the image forming unit 4e on the content captured from the communication unit 4a based on a program stored in a non-volatile memory (not shown).

<First Invention> Hereinafter, the control units 2d and 3 will be described.
The processing procedure of the first invention by f and 4g will be described with reference to the drawings starting from FIG. In the following explanation, S1 and S
2, ... Indicate processing procedure (step) numbers. FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure in the control unit 3f of the print server 3.
The communication unit 3b of the print server 3 is always open to the outside Internet and displays an initial screen (not shown) for accepting access by the mobile terminal 2 or another computer. These screens are HTML for displaying normal Internet homepages.
It is a document. When the print server 3 recognizes the access in S1, the server 3 determines whether the ID is input by the user (S2). When it is determined that the ID has been input, it is determined whether the user ID is the same as the registered ID to determine whether the user is a previously registered user (S3). If the match with the registered ID cannot be confirmed, the process returns to the initial screen (not shown) described above (S12). In S3, when the ID matches the registered one, the input screen composed of the HTML document is transmitted (S
4). An example of the input screen is shown in FIG. 4, and an input window for area information of the user such as a prefecture or municipality, an information input window for inputting the type of information to be printed, and a send button B1 are displayed. There is. These documents are HT
Since it is an ML document, the input information to these input windows is
It is transmitted to the print server 3 by pressing the send button B1. Returning to FIG. 2, after transmitting the input screen, the print server 3 waits for a signal indicating whether or not the transmission button B1 has been pressed as shown in S5, and when the input is confirmed, the area information and It is determined whether or not the information to be printed has been input (S6), (S7). Since the input of the area information and the information to be printed is an indispensable item, if it is determined that any one of these items is missing, a screen prompting the user to enter the missing item is displayed (S).
8). When it is determined that the area information and the information to be printed are input, the content stored in the content storage unit 3a is searched with the area information and the information to be printed, and the corresponding content is extracted (S9). . The extracted contents are displayed in the form of the list screen shown in FIG. 5 (S10). In this example, only the map information and the information to be printed are searched, but in the actual search, narrowing down is performed by various keywords and categories. However, the content extraction method is the content of the present invention. Since it is not, the details are omitted here. In the above process, when the information to be printed has been successfully narrowed down and the contents can be narrowed down to several contents, the user clicks one of the contents displayed in the contents list to bring it into the selected state and presses the send button B2. . Print server side 3
Then, waiting for the push signal of the send button (S1
1), the control unit 3f transmits (downloads) the selected content to the user's mobile terminal when receiving this signal
To do. This processing is executed by so-called push processing. As a result, the content that the user wants to print is stored in the storage unit 2a of the mobile terminal 2.

In the above embodiment, the mobile terminal 2 accesses the print server 3 and downloads the content stored in the print server 3 side to the mobile terminal 2, but this is an example. Of course, it is also possible to access the print server 3 by a terminal such as a home personal computer and download the content to the terminal such as a personal computer. In this case, the content may be moved from such a terminal to the mobile terminal 2 at any time.
Next, a procedure for printing the content downloaded to the mobile terminal 2 as described above on an appropriate printer will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, since the content is downloaded to the mobile terminal 2 that the user always carries, the user can print using a printer installed in an appropriate convenience store or the like. However, in order to print the content stored in the mobile terminal, the appropriate program described below is installed in the printer, and the printer needs to operate according to the program, so printing cannot be performed anywhere. . Therefore, it is desirable that when the content is downloaded from the server 3 to the mobile terminal 2, the location area (the location of the printer) of the convenience store that the user wants to use is input at the same time from the input screen shown in FIG. 4, and based on this area information. It is desirable to search the printer information storage unit 3c in the print server 3 and download in advance detailed geographical information and the like of the convenience store in which the printer in which the print program is installed is installed. In the printer in which the print program is installed as shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication unit 4a compatible with Bluetooth etc.
Always waits for access from the mobile terminal 2 (S1
5). The user was taught beforehand when coming in front of the printer,
Alternatively, the call is made to the access number of this printer 4 displayed at an appropriate place on the printer 4. When the wireless access signal from the mobile terminal 2 is detected in this way, the printer 4 transmits to the mobile terminal 2 an instruction to transfer the content stored in the storage unit 2a of the mobile terminal 2 to the printer 4 (S16). The mobile terminal 2 that has received the transmission transmits the content stored in the storage unit 2a to the communication unit 4a of the printer 4. When the reception of the content is completed (S17), the printer performs image processing on the received content in the image processing unit 4d in accordance with the input information from the operation unit 4f operated by the user (S18), and when the image processing is completed, an image is formed (S19). ). As a result, the user who is the owner of the mobile terminal 2 can print the content acquired from the print server 3 on the appropriate printer 4,
In the middle of a trip or shopping, unexpected shopping information, event information, and other necessary information of the place can be obtained in a state of being printed on paper. Therefore, the inconvenience of viewing complicated map information and event information on the monitor of a small mobile terminal is released.

<Second Invention> The second invention to the fourth invention are cases where contents to be printed are placed (saved) in a server. In the print server 3, the process up to extracting the content to be printed in S9 shown in FIG. 2 is as shown in FIG. The process after S9 is shown in FIG. When the extraction of the content to be printed is completed in S9, the print server 3 stores the extracted content in the print information storage unit 3e of the content storage unit in association with the user ID (S20). Print server 3 when content is saved
Sends, for example, a comment such as "The content has been saved" to the mobile terminal 2, displays the comment, and ends the process. The above process may be performed before going on a trip, but
It does not matter even if it is performed in front of the printer 4 to print.
Although the above processing is performed using the mobile terminal 2, if it is performed in advance, it can be performed from a terminal such as a personal computer at home. When the storage of the content to be printed is completed in the print server 3 as described above, the user can download the content to the printer 4 and print it at any time. A print processing procedure in the printer 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the printer 4
An image capture button B3 (not shown) is provided on the side, and the following processing program is started by pressing this image capture button. Of course, the printing program on the printer side may be started by sending a special instruction signal from the mobile terminal 2 side. As shown in FIG. 7, when the image capture button B3 is pressed (S30), the control unit 4g of the printer 4 communicates with the mobile terminal 2 (S31). For this communication, various known methods can be adopted. For example, the communication may be started by making a call from the mobile terminal 2 to the unique telephone number of the printer 4, or the mobile terminal 2 and the printer 4 may be provided with short-distance communication means such as Bluetooth so that they can communicate with each other. You may communicate. In this embodiment, the case of communicating by this Bluetooth is adopted. When the communication is established, the printer 4 reads the user ID of the owner of the mobile terminal stored in the storage unit 2a of the mobile terminal 2. This may be achieved by sending an ID input screen from the printer 4 side to the mobile terminal 2 and inputting the user ID (S32). When the user ID of the owner of the portable terminal 2 is acquired, the printer 4 accesses the print server 3 (S33) and searches the data stored in the print information storage unit 3e of the print server 3 for the content by the user ID. The content previously stored by the user is extracted and the content is downloaded to the image storage unit 4c of the printer 4. When the user obtains the desired content from the print server 3 in this way, the printer 4 performs image processing of the content according to input data such as enlargement and density input from the operation unit 4f (S36), and performs image forming processing (printout). Completed (S37). As a result, any content can be printed on the desired printer.
This method has an advantage that the location of the printer 4 does not matter because the content is downloaded from the printer 4 side by communicating with the print server 3.

As a modification of the second invention, the mobile terminal 2 accesses the print server 3 at the time of printing, downloads the content stored in the print server 3 to the mobile terminal 2, and then prints the content by the printer 4. It is possible that However, in this case, when compared with the first invention,
The print server includes a content storage unit that stores a large number of contents to be printed, and the mobile terminal accesses the print server and downloads desired content from the content storage unit in the print server. And a first invention in that the printer further comprises content transmitting means for transmitting the downloaded content to the printer, and the printer further comprises content printing means for printing the content received from the portable terminal. Since it is common, it can be regarded as substantially the same as the first invention.

<Third Invention> The third invention is similar to the second invention in that the content to be printed is stored in the print server 3, but the content stored in the print server 3 is stored in advance from the print server 3 to the printer 4. It is different from the second invention in that the mobile terminal 2 accesses the printer 4 at the time of printing and causes the printer to print when downloaded. In this case, the user specifies the location of the printer 4 to download to the print server 3
Need to be taught in advance. Also in this case, the processing for the user to extract the content to be printed is S1 to S9 in FIG.
The procedure is the same as that shown in, and the subsequent processing is special. That is, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing after S9 of FIG. When the content extraction processing of S9 in the figure is completed, a comment such as "Select the location of the printer and press the send button" is displayed, and then the input screen of FIG. 4 is displayed (S40). In this case, the printer location input window of FIG. 4 is essential. The printer further determines whether the user has pressed the send button (whether a send button press signal has been received) (S41) and whether the printer location has been input (S42). If it is determined that the printer location has not been input, a comment prompting the input is displayed (S45), and the process returns to S41. If it is determined that the location of the printer has been input, the extracted content is transmitted together with the user ID to the printer 4 at the designated location that has been input (S43). Of course, if the location of the printer has already been selected on the input screen displayed in S4, it is not necessary to perform the processing in S40 to S42 again. When the transmission of the content to the printer 4 is completed as described above, the user can always go to the designated printer 4 and instruct the printer to print the content. As for the print instruction, the mobile terminal 2 and the printer 4 may communicate with each other as in the second aspect of the invention to issue a print instruction from the mobile terminal 2 to the printer 4, or cause the printer 4 to print the transmitted content. Another key for starting the program for
By inputting D, it is possible to search for the own content from the transmitted content and print the content.

<Fourth Invention> In the case of the fourth invention, the process of selecting contents in advance is omitted, and the printer 4 is used at the time of printing.
In this case, the content is directly downloaded from the print server 3 to the printer in response to a command from the. Therefore, in this case, the mobile terminal 2 becomes unnecessary. The processing procedure in the printer 4 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, it is assumed that the printer 4 is provided with a special key (for example, a download key) for starting up this program, or this program is started up by combining existing keys. Here, a case where the user operates the download key of the printer in which this program is installed will be described. It is assumed that the printer 4 is always in a waiting state (S60) for determining whether or not the download key has been pressed. When the download key is pressed, the same input screen as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed (S61). However, the input section relating to the location of the printer in FIG. 4 is unnecessary. Subsequently, it is sequentially determined whether the send button in the input screen is pressed (S62), the area information is input (S63), or the information to be printed is selected (S64), and either input (or If selection is not completed, wait for input (or selection). When these inputs or selections are completed, the user I
A comment prompting the input of D is displayed (S65), and it is determined whether or not the user ID is input (S66). When the user ID is input, the printer 4 connects to the print server 3 (S67), and sends the data of the user ID, area information, and information to be printed to the print server 3 (S68). Print server 3 that received each of the above data
Searches the content storage unit 3a based on the area information and the information to be printed, extracts the content, and sends the extracted content to the printer 4 (S).
69). This part is the process of the print server 3. Upon receiving the transmission of the content, the printer 4 displays the transmitted content. The user selects the content to be printed from the displayed contents (S70). Information regarding the selected content (for example, the content ID such as the content number) is transmitted to the print server 3 by the printer 4 (S71). The print server 3, which has received the information about the selected content, downloads the selected content to the printer 4 (S72).
This process is a process of the print server 3. Printer 4
Prints the downloaded content (S7
3). Through the above processing, the printer can access the print server 3 and directly download the content from the print server 3 to the printer.

[0016]

As described above, the printing system according to the first invention of the present application includes a terminal capable of communicating via a network, a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, In a printing system including a printer capable of communicating with the terminal and / or the print information server via the network, the print server includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed. Then, the terminal accesses at least the print server and downloads desired content from the content storage unit in the print server, and content transmission for transmitting the downloaded content to the printer. And the printer further comprises:
The printing system is configured to include at least a first content printing unit that prints the content received from the terminal. According to the present invention, since the content to be printed can be stored in a portable terminal or the like and carried around, it can be printed at any place by the image forming apparatus, and the inconvenience of viewing a large image such as a map on a small monitor of the portable terminal is released. . A second invention of the present application is a terminal capable of communicating via a network, a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, the terminal and / or the print information server, and the network. In a printing system including a printer capable of communicating via a printer, the print server includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, and the terminal accesses at least the print server. The printer further comprises content designating means for designating a desired content in the content storage unit in the print server, and further, the printer downloads at least the content designated by the terminal.
And a second content printing unit that prints the downloaded content, and is configured as a printing system. According to the present invention, the content to be printed is stored on the print server side and downloaded and printed when necessary. Therefore, even the largest content can be downloaded without going through the terminal, and the burden on the mobile terminal is reduced.

The third invention of this application is a terminal capable of communicating via a network, a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, the terminal and / or the print information server with the network. In a printing system including a printer capable of communicating via a work, the print server includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed and a printer information storage unit that stores information about the location of the printer. And downloading the content designated by the terminal to a printer designated in advance by the terminal.
Content downloading means, and the terminal is stored in the printer information storing means and the content specifying means for accessing at least the print server to specify a desired content in the content storing section in the print server. Printer specifying means for specifying a printer for downloading the specified content using the specified printer information, and download instructing means for instructing the print server to download the specified content to the specified printer. The printer is configured as a printing system including at least a third content printing unit downloaded from a print server and printing the designated content according to an instruction from the terminal. . Therefore, as in the second aspect of the invention, since it is not necessary to store the content in the terminal, even a large capacity content can be printed by a printer in an arbitrary place without passing through the terminal without any problem. Burden is reduced.
Further, a fourth invention according to the present application is a printing system comprising a print information server communicable via a network, and a printer communicable with the print information server and the network. Includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, and the printer includes a fourth content download unit that specifies and downloads at least the content in the content storage unit in the print server, The printing system is characterized by comprising a fourth content printing unit for printing the downloaded content. In the present invention, even a terminal is not required, so that the entire system can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the print server in the first invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the printer in the first invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen in the first invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a content list in the first invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure in a print server necessary to carry out the second invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a print server used for implementing the third invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a print server used for implementing the fourth invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a printer used for implementing the fourth invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Printing system 2 ... Mobile terminal 3 ... Print server 4 ... Printer 2a ... storage unit 2b ... communication section 2c ... Operation part 2d ... control unit 2e ... Position information acquisition unit 3a ... Content storage unit 3b ... communication section 3c ... Printer location information storage unit 3d ... Charge calculation data storage unit 3e ... Print information storage unit 3f ... control unit 4a ... communication section 4b ... Image input section 4c ... Image storage unit 4d ... Image processing unit 4e ... Image forming unit 4f ... operation part 4g ... Control unit

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Keiichi Kikawa             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaki Saka             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masanori Minami             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomohiro Maeda             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Makoto Otsu             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takashi Mukai             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hidetomo Nishiyama             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsutomu Yoshimoto             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasushi Adachi             22-22 Nagaike, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka             Group Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5B021 AA01 BB01 BB04 CC05 EE04

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A terminal capable of communicating via a network,
In a printing system including a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, and a printer capable of communicating with the terminal and / or the print information server via the network, the print server comprises: A first content including at least a content storage unit that stores a large number of contents to be printed, wherein the terminal accesses at least the print server and downloads desired content from the content storage unit in the print server. The printer further comprises download means and content transmitting means for transmitting the downloaded content to the printer, and the printer further comprises at least first content printing means for printing the content received from the terminal. Characteristic printing system. 2. A terminal capable of communicating via a network,
In a printing system including a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, and a printer capable of communicating with the terminal and / or the print information server via the network, the print server comprises: The terminal includes a content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, and the terminal has a content specifying unit that accesses at least the print server and specifies a desired content in the content storage unit in the print server. The printer further comprises at least a second content download means for downloading the content designated by the terminal, and a second content printing means for printing the downloaded content. Printing system. 3. A terminal capable of communicating via a network,
In a printing system including a print information server capable of communicating with the terminal via the network, and a printer capable of communicating with the terminal and / or the print information server via the network, the print server comprises: A content storage unit that stores at least a large number of contents to be printed, a printer information storage unit that stores information about the location of the printer, and a content item specified by the terminal, and downloaded to a printer specified in advance by the terminal. 3, content download means, wherein the terminal accesses at least the print server and specifies desired content in the content storage section of the print server;
Printer specifying means for specifying a printer to download the content specified by using the printer information stored in the printer information storage means, and download for instructing the print server to download the specified content to the specified printer And a third content printing means for printing the designated content, which is downloaded from at least the print server and is instructed by the terminal. Printing system. 4. A printing system comprising a print information server capable of communicating via a network and a printer capable of communicating with the print information server via the network, wherein the print server is at least a print target. It has a content storage unit that stores a number of contents,
The printer comprises at least a fourth content download means for designating and downloading the content stored in the content storage section of the print server, and a fourth content printing means for printing the downloaded content. Characteristic printing system.